弟子本淨來電郵提問：

在自己修學過程，因各種問題交織，困難重重，有即將放棄的念頭；但後來在網上看到一句：越是艱難時，越是精進時——很多年了，自己也記不大清楚，後來又重拾信心。今天在網上查了下，王陽明有說過：「越是艱難處，越是修心時。」
能否請上師就這個方面對當前大眾修學佛法做一次開示？

補充一點：曾國番在組織湘軍打戰，給朝庭戰報時有：「累敗累戰」；人生中不斷經歷挫折、失望、種種不如意時，怎樣保持菩提心純正而不忘失？

答：

目前全球疫情嚴峻，佛法所教示的無常及八苦都逼現在大家的周遭，令人不能再像平常那樣，只當做一種說教。其實，在人生所遭遇的種種困境中，佛弟子都要藉機體會佛法教示的真確，而更加注意遵循。世間人類對種種問題的對治都極為有限，並且沒人能掌控一切。個人在境遇十分艱難及危險時，能否心中安定、理性應對，是根本的關鍵。雖然這是要靠長久的依法修持，纔能達到；在此危難當頭之際，做為老修行者，可以根據經驗，提醒幾點：

1. 佛、菩薩的保佑是真實存在的。佛慈普及所有眾生，所以我們都可以向佛、菩薩祈求加被，讓我們安渡難關。
2. 心中恐慌、雜念紛亂時，若能持念佛號或佛咒，有助安定心地，消災添福。
3. 佛法的修行，基本上就是要將一切遭遇轉成修行的機緣。困境就是對信念及佛理的了悟之考驗。皈依並非一切順遂時的表現，而是一生無疑無異的依止。艱難之際，正是實修的關頭；能堅持渡過，纔有可能從凡夫自限漸漸提升到無限一體的法身境界。
4. 所謂「菩提心」不是為任何個體，而是為求一切有情整體的開悟。人生中不斷經歷挫折、失望、種種不如意時，行者就要提醒自己，這些都是讓自己擺脫對個體的關懷及憂慮的機會，轉而專心為一切有情而祈禱及修法。

 

二○二○年四月十一日
養和齋　　　　於加州

 

Disciple Ben Jing (Originally Pure) asked me the followings in an email:

During my own Dharma studies and practices, due to the entanglement of all sorts of problems, there have been many hardships and hindrances, and hence the thought of being ready to give it up occurred; but later on internet I saw a sentence: ″when hardship increases, it is precisely the moment for more diligent practices″—it′s been many years, I could not remember it well, and then I picked up my faith again. Today I searched the web and found that, Wang Yan Ming once said, ″the more difficult point, the more opportunity to cultivate the mind.″
Guru, could you please expound on this point to people who are currently engaging in learning and practicing Dharma?

In addition, General Zeng Guo Fan, while organizing Hunan army during war, wrote in his report to the government: ″repeatedly defeated, yet repeatedly engaging in fighting.″ When one goes through incessant set-backs, disappointments, and all sorts of frustrations in life, how to sustain Bodhicitta pure and correct, without forgetting about it?

Reply:

Recently the pandemic situations around the world is very serious, ″impermanence″ and ″eight kinds of suffering″, as taught in Dharma, all show up vividly around all of us so that we could no longer take them, as people ordinarily do, as merely some kind of preaching. In fact, during all sorts of hardship encountered in life, a Buddhist should take the opportunity to comprehend and realize the truth and correctness of Dharma teachings, and hence pay more attention to adherence to Dharma in deeds. Human handlings to worldly problems are all rather limited, and no one can control and manage everything. During very difficult and dangerous situations whether an individual could sustain calm and stability in mind and respond rationally is a fundamental juncture. Even though one could attain such stability only after long-term practice according to Dharma, at the current crisis juncture, as a life-long Dharma practitioner, based on my experiences, the followings can be offered as reminders:

1. Protection granted by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can truly be experienced. Buddha′s compassion extends universally to all sentient beings, and hence we can all pray to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for blessings and protections so that we can safely pass the difficult junctures.
2. When one is in panic and random thoughts are incessantly arising, if one can sustain repetition of Amitabha or a Buddhist mantra in mind, then it will help the mind to calm down and become stabilized and diminish calamity and increase merits.
3. Practicing Dharma, basically, one needs to convert all situations into an opportunity for thinking and acting in accordance with Dharma. Hardship situations are trials to faith and comprehension of Dharma teachings. Taking Refuge in Dharma is not a performance during times when all goes well, but a life-long adherence without doubts and changes. Difficult junctures are precisely moments for actual practices; only those who can sustain adherence to Dharma throughout the ordeals will be able to gradually transcend the self-confined sphere of an ordinary worldly being to the limitless-oneness state of Dharmakaya.
4. The so-called ″Bodhicitta″ is not for any individual, but for the enlightenment of all sentient beings as totality. When one goes through incessant set-backs, disappointments, and all sorts of frustrations in life, a Dharma practitioner needs to remind oneself that, all these are opportunities for one to renounce cares and worries about oneself as an individual, and then turn into one-minded concentration on praying and practicing Dharma for all sentient beings.

 

Written in Chinese and translated into English on April 11, 2020
El Cerrito, California