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Global Lamrim II

Lecture No. 0315

Lamrim Volume 1:  P42-L15 ~ -L16　

Date: 28 Mar 2022

Topic: Receive Permission From His or Her Chosen Diety

So, “possess instructions” is a qualification to compose a commentary. Besides this qualification, what else? We can continue to listen to  Master’s commentary. [00:12]

What is the third qualification?

and (3) should receive permission to compose the text in a vision of his or her chosen deity. [V.1 P.42]

After putting the scriptural knowledge into practice and attain the experiential knowledge accordingly, well, the author still needs to receive the permission from his or her chosen deity. What does it mean by receiving the permission from the chosen deity? Let me explain it. Take our usual way of chanting the Buddha’s name for example. Often, when we chant, we just verbally chant the Buddha’s name. If we can visualize the image of Buddha while chanting Buddha’s name, no matter we are chanting the name of Buddha or visualizing Buddha’s image, not only can we stay one pointedly concentrated, but we can also attain Samadhi [perfect absorption]. Not only can we obtain Samadhi, we will also meet Amitabha Buddha in person. Not only can we see Amitabha Buddha in person, but Amitabha Buddha will also tell us, “So and so, you almost complete your learning, and your learning is on the right track! You are qualified to teach others now.” This is the permission an author is expected to obtain – to reach this achievement. Thus, it is not easy at all for us to get to this level of attainment, not that simple!

It is especially true for those practitioners who are into this encompassing teaching. Most of the time, it takes the practitioner whose attainment is, at least, at the path-of-preparation to receive the permission from the chosen deity to compose a treatise; in general, the practitioner has to be at least at the first-level Bodhisattva or above. So, it is likely those ordinary beings that haven’t studied the encompassing teachings yet claiming that they have met the Buddha in person are considered spiritual-entity-possessed; they don’t have the capability whatsoever to draw the distinction. However, with the encompassing teachings, the distinction between the spiritual-entity and the Buddha is clear-cut. Understandably, if the practitioners actually met the chosen deity, verified with qualified teachers, and received the permission from the chosen deity, what an extraordinary attainment! The practitioners who possess this qualification can competently compose a treatise. Now, our Master Atisha was completely endowed with all three qualifications; you can imagine how extraordinarily excellent he was! This is specifically explaining the greatness of this teaching’s author. For the rest of the text, I will not go into detail for further explanation; I will not explain. [01:47]

 I’d like to ask you all the meaning of receiving the permission from the chosen deity; “receive the permission” means Master Atisha must have met with his chosen deity in person, correct? Before  practitioners can meet their chosen deity in person, they must have undertaken  rigorous trainings in terms of their ethical discipline, meditative concentration and insight; they  practise until one day they can actually meet their chosen deity in person. Then, the chosen deity can give them instructions, like the permission to compose treatises; they are granted with the permission. Meeting the chosen deity is like seeing their teachers who give them instructions. This level of attainment is exceptionally exalted. [02:20]

However, Master pointed out something here. He said that it seemed quite easy and commonplace for people to meet their chosen deity in person;  people claimed they had seen their chosen deity in person. Master continued saying that it was more likely they saw a spiritual-entity [instead of their chosen deity]. For instance, during sitting meditation or supplication, some people claim that they can effortlessly see Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, or the like, in person; it seems that their chosen deity has talked to them. Such a  practitioner takes his chosen deity’s words very seriously. Actually, you cannot be like this!  As to what you claim you have seen,  you really should check with your teachers or those with actual scriptural and experiential knowledge.  Simply by the vague and blurry image  you see, you cannot think that your chosen deity is something like it; you may not even have seen anything. For such practitioners, in general their virtuous teachers would say: “You should study earnestly; don’t rely on such visualization! Study the scriptures properly.” The longer these practitioners study the scriptures earnestly, the more obscure the image of the claimed-to-be deity [spiritual-entity] become, and then such image will disappear altogether. [03:13]

It is definitely not that easy to actually have the vision of the chosen deity. Besides, after  seeing the vision of the chosen deity, what the chosen deity teaches should be totally in concurrence with the scriptures. What’s more, the instructions from this chosen deity – that precepts should never be neglected, and the instructions should  align with the three principal aspects of the path. [03:31]

Some people would just talk about what they see all day long because they have vision of this or that during meditation. Consequently, they forsake the study of the scriptures. What they would specifically engage in is often to predict something auspicious or inauspicious, doing something quite peculiar. Here, we should pay specific attention on the issue of spiritual-entity influence; it possibly has nothing to do with the chosen deity, it is our deviation on the course of  practice. What we should do is to quickly rectify it. We absolutely must not believe in hearsay; instead, our learning should primarily be based on teachings from the scriptures and the precepts. For example, if we take the five precepts, then we should abide by them properly. If it is the Bodhisattva vows that we have taken, then we should uphold them properly; study the Bodhisattva teachings from the Tripitaka thoroughly, and study the scriptures well. Thus, with the solid foundation of our scriptural knowledge we have built and with the wider scope of our study, we are then able to discern what the chosen deity is actually talking about. Even  if we have the vision of our chosen deity, what he or she teaches should align with what the Buddha taught. All in all, even though we are not able to meet our chosen deity in person, nevertheless, studying thoroughly the scriptures would not fritter away our time! [04:25]

For this point, Master said that with the encompassing teachings, then distinction between the spiritual-entity and the Buddha  would be clear-cut. A case in point: if you ask your chosen deity about how he interprets the doctrine of the wisdom of emptiness; when a profound question related to the abstruse part of the teaching is posed, the imposter chosen deity definitely can’t provide you with proper answer to the question – not even the great eminent masters like Master Jam-yang Shay-pa (we translated as Venerable Miao in the past), the commentator Master Candrakirti, and many masters in the past who composed the treatises, could answer this kind of question. Understandably, why not spend your time studying the scriptures thoroughly; that will be much more practical. Best still, you won’t risk taking deviation and steer clear of anything perilous; all you have to do is focus on studying well the scriptures. [04:58]

Hence, during sitting meditation practice, some people would supplicate to meet Buddhas or Bodhisattvas, or hear certain sound; actually, such practice is at fault. While we are studying  Serenity, what we aim at in this training is to make our mind follow along the proper correct views – remain right mindfulness. We need to learn how to manoeuvre our mind. Instead of being carried away by hearing whatever sound, we need to control our mind by relying on our virtuous object of meditation, all the way until we have mastered to steer our mind and body to the state of physical and mental pliancy. With such strong single-minded concentration, we can advance into the study of Insight section. That is, our meditation practice is not for pursuing such certain conditions, but for comprehending the wisdom of emptiness and even for the sake of attaining the realization of the wisdom of emptiness. [05:35]

Thus, in this section, Master said that the distinction between spiritual-entity and Buddha should be drawn clearly. This is a very important task! For us who have studied for a long time, but could still be very likely  at the beginner’s level, please do keep this point in mind! Often, the visions some of those people claim they have seen are totally different from the chose deity the text indicated here! Everyone should discern the distinction properly! [05:58]

讲次 | 0315 (2021-04-05 ~ 2021-04-07)

标题 | 造论三因（二）：获得本尊开许

《广论》段落 | P7-L5 ~ P7-L6 并得谒见本尊天颜，获言开许。

音档 | 5A 03:59 ~ 05:32

手抄页/行 | 第1册 P133-L8 ~ P134-L7　( 2016 南普陀版：P133-L7 ~ P134-L6 )

手抄段落 | 那么第三种呢？……不去解释它。

(更新日期: 2022年3月28日)

00:00

那么“具教授”是一个能够造论的条件。除了这一点，还有什么条件呢？大家可以接着再听师父讲。00:12

那么第三种呢？

并得谒见本尊天颜，获言开许。

他修证了以后，欸，还要得到这个本尊开许，什么叫本尊开许？说一下。譬如说我们现在念佛，平常我们念佛那只是持名念佛，假如我们观想念佛，不管你持名也好、观想也好，不但得到一心不乱，而且得到三昧；不但得到三昧，亲见阿弥陀佛；不但亲见阿弥陀佛，阿弥陀佛就告诉你：“某人哪，你现在学得差不多了，学对啦！你现在可以教别人去了。”要有这个，要有这个！喔唷，这个在我们来说起来非常不简单，非常不简单！

尤其是修学圆满教法的，通常获得这个本尊开许的话，那个也许加行位上勉强可以，至少那通常都是地上菩萨。所以这种人，平常我们可能着魔，你不认识；如果真正有这个圆满教法的话，那魔、佛之间，辨得很清楚。所以你亲自见到，而且验证，得到他的开许，这个何等高的境界啊！那具了这个条件也可以造论。现在我们阿底峡尊者，三样东西圆满具足，那你可想像到他是何等的殊胜哪！那么这个就是特别说明一下这个造者殊胜。其他的文字，我不去解释它了，不去解释它。01:47

我想问大家：获得本尊开许——“获言开许”的话，那就是他一定见到本尊天颜了，对吧？见到本尊天颜了，那之前要经过戒定慧的严格修炼，修炼到真实地见到本尊，然后本尊能教他，比如说可以造论了，开许了嘛；本尊就像自己老师一样见到，然后给自己讲，这是一个很高的成就。 02:20

但是师父在这里边还讲了一点，平常的人好像轻松地就见到本尊，他就说他见到本尊了，师父说那平常我们可能是着魔了。因为比如说有人打坐呀或者祈求，然后轻松就觉得见到了佛菩萨或者见到谁了，好像有跟自己说话，然后他说的话这个修行者就当真，实际上这是不可以的！你见到的到底是什么，其实都要去问老师、问有修证的人。不能你见到一个差不多模模糊糊的形象，甚至也没见到什么，想一想大概是这样的。像这种，一般的善知识都会说：“你好好修行，不要依靠这个！好好学经论。”学经论时间长一点，其实越学经论它就越模糊，后来就不见了。03:13

真正地见到本尊的天颜是一件不容易的事情。见到本尊之后，他所讲的和经典上讲的完全是一致的，而且这个本尊他教授的——戒律是绝对不可以废弛的，是顺应三主要道的。03:31

有的人就因为打坐的时候见到这个、见到那个，然后就整天听他说什么，结果连经典都不学了，尤其是常常预言吉凶，做一些很奇怪的事情。在这里边要特别注意走火入魔的问题，这可能跟本尊没什么关系，是自己修行出了岔子，赶快去校正。千万不要去听信这是什么，要以经典的为主、要以戒律的为主。比如说我们受了五戒就好好地持五戒，受了菩萨戒就好好地持守菩萨戒、学习菩萨藏经，好好地学习经论。这样我们经论的底子越来越厚了，所学的越来越广博之后，我们才能够分辨他所讲的到底是什么。那么就算我们见到本尊之后，他讲的也跟佛讲的没有差别。所以现在虽然我见不到本尊，但是我现在好好学这些也并不是浪费时间啊！04:25

这点师父说：如果真正的这个圆满的教法的话，魔和佛之间是辨得很清楚的。比如说你去启问他空性的教义，他是怎么理解的；启问诸法非常甚深的部分，那不是本尊肯定答不上的——妙音笑大师啊、月称论师啊、很多祖师写的论，那个难解的地方就答不上的。你还不如来学经论，这样多踏实啊，完全不会有危险性，好好学经论就可以了。04:58

所以有人一打坐，有时候他就会追求见佛菩萨啊、听到什么声音啊，其实这是不对的。学奢摩他的时候，我们要有意识到是要让我们这个心能够随着正念转，要学会控制自己的心；不是随着一个什么声音然后跟着它走，是学会要用善所缘控制自己的心，直到控制得非常地自如，获得身心轻安，再拿这样的一个非常有力的心去缘毗钵舍那，不是为了追求什么样、什么样的境界，而是为了要去了解空性，乃至证得空性的缘故。 05:35

所以师父在这边说：佛、魔之间，辨得清楚啊。这是非常重要的一件事！对我们这些虽然学了很久，但是可能也是初学者，在这点一定要记住！平常一些人见的那个境界，和这里边见的本尊天颜完全不是一回事情！大家要善加辨别！05:58