廬山蓮宗寶鑑 6.28

6.28

永明壽禪師《自行錄》云「欽惟古聖，罔伐己能；緬想前賢，靡彰自德。然釋典有先自行化他之教，儒宗標內舉不避親之。文師常示徒云：『因觀《弘明集》中，先德有檢覆三業門云。夫剋責之情猶昧、審的之旨未彰，故以事檢校心，凡所修習既知不及，彌增悚恧。何謂檢校？檢我此身，從旦至中、從中至暮、從暮至夜、從夜至曉，乃至一時一刻一念一頃，有幾心幾行幾善幾惡？幾心欲摧伏煩惱？幾心欲降伏魔怨？幾心念三寶四諦？幾心悟苦空無常？幾心念報父母恩慈？幾心願代眾生受苦？幾心發念菩薩道業？幾心欲布施持戒？幾心欲忍辱精進？幾心欲禪定顯慧？幾心欲慈濟五道？幾心欲勸勵行所難行？幾心欲超求辦所難辦？幾心欲忍苦建立佛法？幾心欲作佛化度群生。上已檢心，次復檢口。如上時刻，從旦已來已得演說幾句深義？已得批讀幾許經典？已得理誦幾許文字？已得幾迴歎佛功德？已得幾迴迴向發願？次復檢身，如上時刻，已得幾迴屈身禮佛幾拜？已得幾迴屈身禮法禮僧？已得幾迴執勞掃塔塗地？已得幾迴燒香散花然燈？已得幾迴掃除塵垢正列供具？已得幾迴懸幡表剎合掌供養？已得幾迴遶佛恭敬十百千匝？如是檢察，會理甚少，違道極多，白淨之業纔不足言，煩惱重障森然滿目，闇礙轉積，解脫何由？如上檢察，自救無功，何有時閑議人善惡？故須三業自相訓責，知我所作幾善幾惡。是以若不自先檢責，何以化導群機？』故菩薩為度眾生故先自修行。所以《淨名經》云『資財無量攝諸貧民，奉戒清淨攝諸毀禁，以忍調行攝諸恚怒，以大精進攝諸懈怠，一心禪定攝諸亂意，以決定慧攝諸無智。』又經云『自持戒勸他持戒、自坐禪勸他坐禪。』《大智度論》云『本師釋迦牟尼佛，不捨穿針之福。』祖師龍樹菩薩釋云『如百歲翁作舞。何以故？為教兒孫故。』況未居究竟位，全是自利門。從十信初心，歷十住、十行、十回向、十地，直至等覺佛前普賢位猶是自利。利他門者，登妙覺位至佛後普賢方是利他之行。」因師自說，編紀二三，既對治之行可觀，則攝化之門弗墜，乘戒兼急、權實雙行。體用相收、理事無礙。今引《萬善同歸集》後偈以顯圓修。頌曰：

Chan Master Yongming Yanshou's Record of Personal Practice states: 'With reverence I reflect that the ancient sages never boasted of their abilities; looking back upon former worthies, none advertised their own virtue. Yet the Buddhist scriptures contain the teaching of first practicing oneself and then transforming others, and the Confucian school highlights the text that one should not avoid recommending one's own kin. The Master often instructed his disciples, saying: "Because of examining the Hongming ji, [I found that] a former worthy had a gate of examining the three karmas, which stated: 'When the sentiment of self-reproach remains dim and the intention of careful scrutiny is not yet manifest, one should examine the mind through concrete actions. Knowing that in all one practices one falls short, trepidation and shame will increasingly grow. What is meant by examining? Examine this body of mine: from dawn to noon, from noon to dusk, from dusk to night, from night to dawn, and even in a single hour, a single quarter-hour, a single thought, a single instant—how many minds, how many deeds, how many virtues, and how many evils [have occurred]? How many minds sought to crush afflictions? How many minds sought to subdue the hostility of Māra? How many minds were mindful of the Three Jewels and the Four Noble Truths? How many minds realized suffering, emptiness, and impermanence? How many minds were mindful of repaying the compassionate kindness of parents? How many minds vowed to undergo suffering on behalf of sentient beings? How many minds gave rise to thoughts of the bodhisattva's path? How many minds wished to practice generosity and keep the precepts? How many minds wished to practice patience and vigor? How many minds wished for dhyāna to manifest wisdom? How many minds wished compassionately to deliver the five destinies? How many minds wished to encourage and practice what is difficult to practice? How many minds wished to transcend and accomplish what is difficult to accomplish? How many minds wished to endure suffering to establish the Buddha-Dharma? How many minds wished to become a Buddha to transform and deliver all beings? Having examined the mind above, next examine the mouth. In the periods of time mentioned above, since dawn, how many sentences of profound meaning have I been able to expound? How many scriptures have I been able to read and annotate? How many texts have I been able to recite with comprehension? How many times have I praised the Buddha's merit? How many times have I dedicated merit and made vows? Next examine the body: in the periods of time mentioned above, how many times have I bowed my body in prostration to the Buddha, and how many bows? How many times have I bowed my body in reverence to the Dharma and the Saṅgha? How many times have I labored to sweep a stūpa and plaster the ground? How many times have I burned incense, scattered flowers, and lit lamps? How many times have I swept away dust and dirt and properly arranged offerings? How many times have I hung banners on the stūpa pillar and joined my palms in offering? How many times have I circumambulated the Buddha with reverence, ten, a hundred, or a thousand circuits? Examining in this manner, those that accord with principle are exceedingly few, while those that violate the Way are extremely numerous. Pure white karma is barely worth mentioning, while heavy obstacles of affliction loom densely before one's eyes; dark hindrances progressively accumulate—by what means can one attain liberation? Examining as above, one has no merit even to save oneself; how could one have leisure to deliberate over the good and evil of others? Therefore, one must take the three karmas to discipline and reproach oneself, knowing how much good and how much evil one has done. Hence, if one does not first examine and reproach oneself, how can one transform and guide all capacities?' Therefore, for the sake of delivering sentient beings, the bodhisattva first practices himself. Thus the Vimalakīrti-sūtra says: 'With immeasurable wealth he gathers in the poor; with pure observance of precepts he gathers in those who violate prohibitions; with forbearance and disciplined practice he gathers in the wrathful; with great vigor he gathers in the indolent; with single-minded dhyāna he gathers in the distracted; with decisive wisdom he gathers in the unwise.' Furthermore, a sūtra states: 'One keeps the precepts oneself and encourages others to keep the precepts; one sits in meditation oneself and encourages others to sit in meditation.' The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa states: 'Our fundamental teacher Śākyamuni Buddha did not abandon the merit of threading a needle.' Patriarch Nāgārjuna Bodhisattva explained: 'It is like a hundred-year-old grandfather dancing. Why? For the sake of teaching his children and grandchildren.' How much more so when one has not yet abided in the ultimate stage: it is entirely the gate of self-benefit. From the initial mind of the ten faiths, progressing through the ten abodes, the ten practices, the ten dedications, and the ten grounds, up to equal enlightenment, the stage of Samantabhadra before buddhahood is still self-benefit. As for the gate of benefiting others, ascending to the stage of wondrous enlightenment up to Samantabhadra after buddhahood—only then is it the practice of benefiting others."' Because the master spoke this himself, two or three points have been compiled and recorded. Since the practice of antidotes is admirable, the gate of gathering and transforming will not fall away; the vehicle and the precepts are both urgent, and the expedient and the real are practiced in tandem. Substance and function encompass each other; principle and phenomena are unhindered. Now I cite the concluding verses of the Wanshan tonggui ji to reveal complete cultivation. The hymn says: