《永恒的甘露》--《妙法莲华经—普门品》讲记（二十八） 传喜法师宣讲

　　【 若三千大千国土,满中怨贼,有一商主将诸商人,赍持重宝,经过险路。其中一人作是唱言:诸善男子,勿得恐怖,汝等应当一心称观世音菩萨名号,是菩萨能以无畏施于众生,汝等若称名者,于此怨贼当得解脱。众商人闻俱发声言:南无观世音菩萨! 称其名故,即得解脱。】这一段文, 我们一般都会理解成: 一个大商人领着很多小商贩,带了很多货物甚至很贵重的宝物,经过狼虫虎豹或是强盗出没的险路,大家都很恐怖害怕,然后如何如何,一般人可能都是这么理解的。这里我告诉大家,可以把这段文理解成修行的境界。
　　前面讲到五浊恶世, 有地水火风的灾难,还有冤家债主等鬼类也来欺负,甚至还会遭杀头的亡难,这些都还属于世间法的范畴。这样的世间,你说有什么可贪恋的? 有人觉悟了,想脱离危难修行了,你想修行的这个念头就是“商主”,你的眼耳鼻舌身意就是小商贩,跟着你想一起修。但是我们无量劫来造作了太多的恶业,结了太多的冤家债主,你想修行他追着你不放。你想修行的心“赍持重宝”,这个“重宝”就是我们的佛性,“险路”是指修行过程不可能一帆风顺, 会有种种的磨难,有时候还特别危险。很多人想修行结果碰到外道,被外道所劫持,或被魔所加持,危险不危险啊?
　　“其中一人作是唱言”,其中有一个人善根很大,这个人是谁?这个人或许是你,或许是我,能够在这条险路上,不忘诸佛菩萨果地的威德,忆念诸佛菩萨,就能离一切怖畏,你要明白了,这个人就是你。“作是唱言”就是很稳重地开导大家。“诸善男子”,也包括善女人。为什么我们皈依三宝的人都叫师兄、师弟,不喊师姐、师妹呢? 因为学佛修行是大丈夫的行为,愿意皈依三宝修行的,虽是女性也是女中丈夫。“勿得恐怖”,你们不要害怕,应当一心称观世音菩萨名号,什么叫“一心”? 就是眼耳鼻舌身意六根都要收摄起来,一心称念观世音菩萨名号。你说,我只知道用嘴念,眼耳鼻舌身意怎么念呢?眼睛视而不见,不随外境,回光返照这个能见的自性即是观世音；耳朵闻声,反闻自性,能闻之性即是观世音，鼻嗅香时回光返照,能嗅之性即是观世音；舌尝味时回光返照,能尝之性即是观世音；身触受时回光返照,能触之性即是观世音；意缘法时回光返照,能缘之性即是观世音。
　　所以说商主也好,诸商人也好,是指我们的眼耳鼻舌身意不往外追逐,回过头来反闻自性。“一心称念”,就是称性而念。“是菩萨能以无畏施于众生”,只要你会求,观世音菩萨就能施,很多时候观世音菩萨手放在膝盖上施与众生,这个叫施无畏印。“汝等若称名者,于此怨贼当得解脱”,这个人不是一个简单的人,他对观世音菩萨坚信无疑,所以他跟大家介绍时也是这样坚定:只要你们能够称念名号,于此贼难就一定能够解脱。所以说,正念提起来怨贼不能害；正念提不起,亲人也会变成冤家。这一段侧重点,就是我们想修行首先要忏悔业障,以忏悔业障的心来求观世音菩萨,这些冤亲债主都会避开。
　　“众商人闻俱发声言”,为什么这些人的心这么齐呢?一个人想修行,但眼耳鼻舌身意还不太懂修行,“其中一人” — — —现在就是我,我现在给你们大家讲:诸善男子,修行的路上不要怕,听到正法就一心去修,你真这样修了,就一定不会怕。大家听了之后,眼耳鼻舌身意收摄起来,一心称念“南无观世音菩萨! 称其名故,即得解脱”。“南无”是皈依、礼敬、修持的意思,“菩萨”是觉有情,度众生,怎样度呢?就是称其名号,即得解脱。大家抽过观音签的都知道,你心里想的事,观音菩萨都知道, 你求观音菩萨,菩萨就会告诉你,我自己也求过几签,每签都灵。“即得解脱”,就是立竿见影。

Eternal （Lecture on the Guan Yin Bodhisattva Universal Door）（28）

By Master Chuanxi

Even if the entire three-fold, great, thousand-world system were teeming with evil bandits, and there was a group of businessmen passing through a dangerous path with a lot of treasures, the leader told the others not to worry – what you need to do is to invoke the holy name of Guan Yin Bodhisattva. This Bodhisattva can offer fearlessness to all beings and can protect you from those evil men. Thus, all the businessmen invoked the holy name of Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva, and by doing this they freed themselves from their predicament. Normally, we understand this paragraph as follows: a caravan of a leading merchant and many smaller pedlars with lots of goods and treasures were passing through a dangerous area where there were ferocious beasts and bandits. Everyone was terrified… Although most people may understand it in this way, I advise you to apprehend this paragraph as the state of a practitioner .

We mentioned that the world we currently live in is the evil world of the five impurities, where there are calamities caused by earth, water, fire and wind, as well as the possibility of being bullied or killed by ghosts who have been our enemies. All of these belong to the worldly Dharma. Will you still be attracted to a world like this?Some people are awakened and hope to extricate themselves from all sufferings through practice, such a thought is like that of the leader of the caravan, and the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind are like the pedlars who hope to follow you and practice with you. However, we have committed a great deal of bad karma and made numerous foes over countless kalpas. Those beings whom we have harmed before will create obstacles to get in the way of our practice. The thought of practice is as precious as treasures, which is our Buddha nature. The dangerous path indicates that it is impossible for us to have a smooth process of practice. We will encounter all kinds of hardships and sometimes even danger. Moreover, whilst many people want to practice, they are hijacked by tirthika or controlled by evil. Isn’t it dangerous?

‘One of the traders made such an announcement.’ One of them has great virtuous root. Who is that person? It may be you or me. As long as one person on this dangerous path reminds themselves of the great power of the merits of Buddha and Bodhisattva achieved on the fruit ground, recalling this could itself remove all their fear. This person is indeed you if you really understand this. ‘Made such an announcement’ is a sober guide; ‘all good men’ here not only refers to good men but also to good women.Why do Buddhists call each other Dharma brother even if they are female?Because practicing Buddhism is a great man’s deed; a woman who has become a Buddhist and is willing to practice can be considered as a man among women.‘There is no need to panic’. You should not be scared but invoke the name ofGuan Yin Bodhisattva wholeheartedly. What is ‘wholeheartedly’? It means that you keep all the six roots of senses under control and invoke the name of Guan Shi Yin wholeheartedly. You may ask,‘I only know how to invoke by mouth; how can I use my eyes, ears, nose, tongue,body or mind to recite?’ Be blind to what you see and do not follow external objects, but contemplate inwardly. The self-nature of ability of seeing is Guan Yin Bodhisattva. Likewise, contemplate inwardly when you hear, smell, taste, touch or think, the ability of all the above senses is Guan Yin Bodhisattva.

So no matter what we are talking about, be it the merchant or pedlars, this paragraph tells us that we should not chase after external conditions with our six roots, but rather contemplate upon self-nature and invoke the Bodhisattva’s name wholeheartedly. This is called ‘to invoke withour Buddha nature’. This Bodhisattva is able to offer fearlessness to all beings’, as long as you can pray properly to Him. In many cases, Guan Yin Bodhisattva placed His hands on His knees, which is called “fearlessness-offering Mudra”. ‘Anyone of you who invokes the Bodhisattva will be set free from the foes and bandits’ –‘anyone’ is not an ordinary person. He should have strong faith in the Bodhisattva. So when he introduces this method to others, he has full confidence that you will be set free from bandits as long as you invoke the name of Guan Yin Bodhisattva. That is to say, bandits cannot harm you as long as you remember right mindfulness; otherwise even your relatives can become your foes. This paragraph highlights the fact that when we want to practice Buddhism what we need to do first is to repent our bad karma. If we pray to Guan Yin Bodhisattva with a confessing and repentance mind, our foes will be kept away.
‘The traders invoked altogether’. Why are they all of one mind? When people set their minds to practice, their six senses do not know how to practice. ‘One of these men’ -- it is me now,telling you that there is no need to panic on the journey of practice. What you need to do is to practice wholeheartedly if you have heard the genuine Dharma.Once you practice in this way, you will have no fear. You should keep the six roots under control, invoke wholeheartedly and recite ‘Namo Guan ShiYin Bodhisattva. By doing this they were all set free from the predicament immediately.’ Namo means taking refuge in the Three Jewels, offering respect to Them and keeping the practice. Bodhisattva means an enlightened sentient being who is determined to help all sentient beings out of samsara. How can it be achieved? Simply by invoking the name of Guan Yin Bodhisattva.Those who have tried Guan Yin divination for fortune-telling believe that GuanYin Bodhisattva knows whatever you think, and He will give you the answer to what you ask. I have also tried this a few times, all of which were very accurate. ‘Set free from the predicament immediately’ means the effect of the Bodhisattva’s help is immediate.

爱出者爱返，福往者福来。随喜转载，功德无量。