在清净里，找到自性三宝

在清净里

我们在这里，溪水潺潺，花香四溢，透明的空气里，鸟雀啁唧之声滑过。纵使周围都是大山，各种珍禽还是会来到这里，以它们的鸣唱来供养佛。这样的环境，让每个人的身心都清净愉悦。

Here we are, with the burbling of the streams, fragrance of flowers filled the air, chirpings of birds & sparrows sliding in the air. While the surroundings are all mountains, various exotic animals still make their way here, offering their chirpings as a form of worship to Buddha. Such an environment brings peace & joy to everyone’s body & mind. 

这个清净，就是我们要皈依的。花香也好，鸟鸣也好，风吹铃动也好，流水潺湲也好，都要心如明镜才能感受得到。这个明镜的心就是正觉；保持这个正觉不灭，净念相继，这就是法；因为净念相继，六根清净，这就是僧。这就是我们生命要皈依的。

This is the peace that we should take refuge in. Be it the fragrance of flowers, the chirpings of birds, the chimes of the bell ringing in the wind or the burbling of the streams, one can only feel it when one’s heart is clear like the mirror. The heart of a clear mirror is the Sambodhi; upholding the eternity of this Sambodhi and the continuation of pure thoughts are the dharma; the six indriyas are purified because of the continuation of pure thoughts, this is the Sangha. This is what we should seek refuge in during our lifetime. 

微风徐来，“诸宝行树”，“出微妙音”。如果身心清净，那就与在极乐世界没有差别，只不过我们是五蕴身，极乐世界是佛的身、功德所成的身，但正觉是相同的，只要正觉现前，都是一样的。所以我们要皈依佛，皈依正觉，让正觉成为生命的“主宰”。但这又是需要去训练的，因为大多数的时候，我们还在皈依五蕴魔，所以每天都要去护念。

 As the gentle breeze blows, “every row of jewel-adorned trees produces the wondrous melodies.” If one’s body & mind is at peace, then it’s no different from being in the Pure Land, other than the fact that our bodies are those of the five skandhas while in Pure Land it is the body of the Buddha-- a body formed by merits. Yet, Sambodhi will be the same when it manifests. Thus, we must take refuge in the Buddha, take refuge in Sambodhi, making Sambodhi the “dictator” of life. However, this requires practice because most of the times, we still seek refuge in the Mara of the five skandhas and, this is something we should guard against and be mindful of on a daily basis. 

当身心体验到了清净，我们还要建立起一种理性，知道这个清净是宝贵的，是黄金钻石都不换的。世间人很难忍受这样的清净，也不知道它的宝贵。清风明月、鸟语花香，他很快就觉得没有意思，要把手机打开，要把音乐开起来，把欲望生起来。

As the body & mind experienced peace, we would still have to work on its rationality, to know that such peace is precious and should never be traded for all the riches in the world. Such peace is unbearable for mortals. Neither do they know its worth. The gentle breeze and the bright full moon, the chirping of birds and the fragrance of flowers – he will grow weary of them in no time, turning on his cell phones & music, giving rise to desires. 

修行人为什么自甘淡泊？就是要建立这样的信念——淡泊是很宝贵的。诸葛亮在《诫子书》里说：“非淡泊无以明志，非宁静无以致远。”宁静是不容易的，又是很重要的。我们在轮回里，心就像猴子一样，喜欢跳跃，喜欢热闹，但我们要有这样的理性，要训练自己爱上这份宁静。

Why do practitioners remain mediocre? It is necessary to build such faith that mediocrity is extremely precious. As per what Zhuge Liang has mentioned in his Book of Commandments: “Aspiration does not surface without mediocrity; progression does not take place without solitude”. It is not easy for solitude to come by, yet it is of utmost importance as well. In the cycle of Samsara, our minds are like those of the monkeys, taking pleasure in jumping around, taking pleasure in liveliness. However, we should have such rationality to train ourselves to fall in love with such solitude. 

檐铃自语，溪水潺淙，清风迎面，这当下的清净，如果你能无我相、无人相、无众生相，清清净净、明明朗朗。这明明朗朗的就是佛，就是佛性。你说谁没有呢？连小猫小狗都是有的。甚至我们都在用它，但就是不知道自己有这样的宝贝，不知道这就是佛。只有佛陀证悟后，告诉我们，这就是佛性，皈依它，就可以了生死。

The eaves bell mumbling to itself, the burbling of the streams, and the sweeping of the cool wind in one’s face – in the face of such peacefulness, if you are able to disregard the notion of self, the notion of others, and the notion of sentient beings, to be at peace and remain clear, such clarity is thus the Buddha, it is the Buddha-nature. Who does not have this? Even the cats & dogs have it. We are using it right now but are not aware that we possess such a gem, not aware that this is the Buddha. It was following the Buddha’s enlightenment that Buddha-nature was made known to us, and taking refuge in it liberates one from birth & death. 

一切众生皆有心，如明镜的就是佛。但我们往往皈依了心的作用——了知。这个作用，就显现在六根、六尘、六识上，就变成了轮回。

All sentient beings have hearts, a heart clear like the mirror is the Buddha. Alas, many a times, we take refuge in the effects of the heart – knowing. This effect manifests upon the six indriyas, six gunas and six consciousness, and is turned into Samsara eventually.

我们在佛门里认知佛性，然后用理性告诉自己，这比什么都重要，这就是佛，宁舍生命也不舍弃，就是皈依佛；守住它，净念相继，就是法；净念相继故，六根清净，就是僧。所以

After we acknowledged Buddha-nature in Buddhism, we need to rationalize to ourselves that this is more important than anything else. This is the Buddha. One would rather sacrifice one’s life than to forsake this – this is taking refuge in Buddha; guard it, the continuation of pure thoughts is the dharma; as pure thoughts continue, the six indriyas are purified – this is the Sangha. Thus，

自心清净即是佛，

净念相继即为法，

六根清净乃为僧，

宁舍生命，皈依自性三宝；

不为外惑、不为内扰，即为降魔。

The peace of oneself is the Buddha.

The continuation of pure thoughts is the Dharma. 

The purification of the six indriyas is thus the Sangha.

One would rather sacrifice one’s life,

to take refuge in one’s innate nature of the Triple Gem；

To be undeterred by external circumstances, to be undeterred by inner disturbances

is to subdue the Mara. 

以此自性三宝忆念阿弥陀佛果地无量威德，以这样的因忆佛的果，愿生佛国。祈祷佛的大威德力做我们因地的护持、接引者，此心一念乃至十念，皆能入佛愿海，皆是往生之正因。

Through one’s innate nature of the Triple Gem, one recalls the infinite mighty virtues from Amitabha’s ground of fruition. Remembering the fruition of the Buddha through this causal factor, one aspires to be born into the land of the Buddha. Praying for the great almighty strength of Buddha’s virtues to shield & sustain us on this causal ground, to receive and guide us, a single thought to ten thoughts arising from this heart will grant entrance to the Buddha’s sea of vows, forming the true cause to be reborn.

——摘自传喜法师开示

Extracted from the preaching of Master Chuan Xi

学习佛教英文词语：

自性– innate nature

正觉– Sambodhi

净念相继– the continuation of pure thoughts

皈依– take refuge

六根– six indriyas