A Guide to the Practice of Chan Buddhism This is an inspiring guide to the practice of Chan (Chinese Zen) in the words of four great masters of that tradition. It includes teachings from contemporary masters Xuyun and Sheng Yen, and from Jiexian and Boshan of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). Though the texts were written over a period of hundreds of years, they are all remarkably lucid and are perfect for beginners as well as more advanced practitioners today. All the main points of spiritual practice are covered: philosophical foundations, methods, approaches to problems and obstacles—all aimed at helping the student attain the way to enlightenment. 本書結集了四位禪師的禪修指導,包括明代曹洞宗的博山(無異元來)禪師、臨濟宗的晦山戒顯禪師的禪法,以及近代虛雲法師與聖嚴法師的禪法。內容涵括修行的各個面向,包括哲學基礎、實修方法、問題與障礙的解決,以及如何將修行融入生活中等。書中的資訊無論是對禪修初學者或已經深入修行的人,都能有所助益。 ●作者簡介: 聖嚴法師,一九三○年出生,少年出家,曾於高雄山中閉關六年,並留學日本,獲得立正大學文學博士學位,曾任雜誌編輯、教授、所長以及譯經院院長等,創辦中華佛學研究所、創建法鼓山、僧伽大學、法鼓大學以及社會大學等,在國內設立禪修、文教、慈善等基金會,而分支道場亦遍及於歐、亞、美、澳等各大洲。他是一位教育家、作家,更是一位宗教家和國際知名的禪師,長年在國內外推動「心靈環保」、「種族和諧」及「世界和平」等工作不餘遺力。他所獲得的榮譽獎項中,包括總統文化獎、行政院文化獎、行政院社會領袖和風獎、中山文藝創作獎、中山學術著作獎、斐德烈二世和平獎等十多種。出版著作一百多種,已有十多種語言的譯著。他曾應邀為《中華日報》、《中央日報》、《聯合報》、《中國時報》、《自由時報》等各大報紙,及《天下》、《康健》等雜誌撰寫專欄。
生命路徑總在不期然之處轉彎,彷彿是為了讓我們看見更廣闊的風景……歷經大環境不斷變遷的聖嚴法師,本著最初的願心,面對人生中的高山深壑,以佛法為地圖,做為指引個人安頓身心之道;進而將他對佛法的踐行領悟,透過義理分明的文字,為現代人描繪出生命智慧的藏寶圖。
本書由聖嚴法師娓娓道來其一生的學習歷程,以及隨順因緣全力投入生命中不同角色的各種轉折,經過文字的闡述及解行並重的生命實踐,使現代人得以親近佛法善知識,領受佛法做為人生指引的妙用。
本書為英文版,為《法鼓全集》英譯計畫中的第一部英文出版品。期待能以此英譯系列向廣大的西方讀者推廣漢傳佛教與禪法。
I am an ordinary Buddhist monk born in 1930 at a village in Jiangsu Province, Nantong County. The second year after my birth, there was a great flooding of the Yangzi River, which washed away our home and everything we owned. We were impoverished. My family then moved to the south bank of the Yangzi River. I was always weak in physique and prone to illness since childhood. I entered school at the age of nine, and left school when I was thirteen. I became a monk when I was thirteen. The basic education I received was equivalent to that of a fourth grade primary school student. While the other teenagers were studying at high school and university, I was busy working as a younmonk and performing ritual services. Later, I served in the military for the country. Nevertheless, since I was young, I realized the importance of knowledge and education. Therefore, during my time in service, I would take hold of any opportunity for self-study, and read many books. After leaving the army and spending six years in solitary retreat, having met the educational requirements along with my published work, I was enrolled in Rissho University in Tokyo. There, within six years time, I completed both a master’s and a doctoral degree in Buddhist Literature. From the time I realized that the sutras are used to provide knowledge and methods to purify society and the human mind, I felt lament. I thought, “The Dharma is so good, yet so few people know about it, and so many people misunderstand it.” Ordinary people treat Buddhadharma as something secular or mystical; at best they treat it as an academic study. Actually, Buddhism is a religion that applies wisdom and compassion to purify the human world. Thus, I vowed to use contemporary ideas and language to introduce to others the true meaning of the Dharma that was forgotten, and to revive the spirit of Shakyamuni Buddha. — From the Author’s Preface
●作者簡介:
Master Sheng Yen聖嚴法師(1930~2009年)
聖嚴法師1930年生於江蘇南通,1943年於狼山出家,後因戰亂投身軍旅,十年後再次披剃出家。曾於高雄美濃閉關六年,隨後留學日本,獲立正大學文學博士學位。1975年應邀赴美弘法。1989年創建法鼓山,並於2005年開創繼起漢傳禪佛教的「中華禪法鼓宗」。
聖嚴法師是一位思想家、作家暨國際知名禪師,曾獲臺灣《天下》雜誌遴選為「四百年來臺灣最具影響力的五十位人士」之一。著作豐富,中、英、日文著作達百餘種,先後獲頒中山文藝獎、中山學術獎、總統文化獎及社會各界的諸多獎項。
聖嚴法師提出「提昇人的品質,建設人間淨土」的理念,主張以大學院、大普化、大關懷三大教育推動全面教育,相繼創辦中華佛學研究所、法鼓佛教學院、僧伽大學、法鼓大學等院校,也以豐富的禪修經驗、正信的佛法觀念和方法指導東、西方人士修行。
法師著重以現代人的語言和觀點普傳佛法,陸續提出「心靈環保」、「四種環保」、「心五四運動」、「心六倫」等社會運動,近年來更致力於國際弘化工作,參與國際性會談,促進宗教交流,提倡建立全球性倫理,致力於世界的和平。其寬闊胸襟與國際化視野,深獲海內外肯定。
In Buddhism, awakening from the long dream of life means realizing your self-nature… Although we may understand that our lives are dreamlike, we still bear responsibility for this sleeping and waking dream We must make our minds simple, peaceful, and tranquil Sincere and rigorous practice lets us calm both body and mind, which in turn allows us, day by day, to reduce our karmic obstructions”
Master Sheng-yen, a dharma descendant from the founders of Buddhism in China, considers the concepts of suffering, enlightenment, and compassion; provides a glossary of key terms; and briefly recaps the history of Buddhism in China But he goes beyond these issues to discuss contemporary matters and question he has encountered in his years of teaching in the United States Sometimes personal and always instructive, Sheng Yen’s introductory work is perfect for those just coming to Buddhism, and for those who are already very familiar with the Tibetan and Zen schools.
There is no suffering, no cause of suffering, no cessation of suffering, and no path There is no wisdom and no attainment
The Heart Sutra, just over a page long, distills the teachings of the Buddha to their purest essence Perhaps the best known of all Buddhist sutras, it is recited in Buddhist centers and monasteries around the world Emphasizing a living wisdom directly experienced, the schools of Chan have revered the Heart Sutra for its concise expression of the core realization of the Buddha.
There Is No Suffering is Chan Master Sheng Yen’s commentary on the Heart Sutru He speaks on the sutra from the Chan point of view, and presents it as a series of contemplation methods, encouraging readers to experience it directly through meditation and daily life In this way, reading the Heart Sutra becomes more than just an intellectual exercise; it becomes a wisdom inherent within each of us Whether one wants a better understanding of Buddhist concepts or a deepened meditation practice, this commentary on the Heart Sutra can help.
人生雜誌2004年2月號──解讀如來真實語──大家一起來學Buddhist Language 語言不僅是溝通的工具,也是讓人深入經藏的方法,因此,從魏晉南北朝開始,中國許多高僧大德、有志之士均孜孜不倦學習梵文、巴利文等曾在印度流傳的語言,希望藉由語言隔閡的解除,更親近佛法、瞭解佛典真義。近年來,台灣各道場致力推廣佛學教育,也間接帶動佛教徒學習佛典語言的興趣。本期《人生》除了為讀者介紹學習佛典語言的實用資訊外,也將分享佛典語言、當代語言的學習樂趣和收穫。
登陸火星尋找生命,是近來非常熱門的話題,生命形成過程如何?火星上真的會有生命嗎?惠敏法師在本期「人生新視界」專欄,帶您一窺生命的起源,並從佛法角度觀照生命奧秘。
給現代人最具體而微的人生智慧,也是我們面對困頓迷障時,最好的指引與滋養──《薄伽梵歌》◆◆◆我們如何做到不「批判」,消除人我之間的分別心?人生最大的恐懼,是來自於什麼呢?我們該如何穿越心念的動盪,找到內心更深處的平靜?又該怎麼在「輪迴」的世界裡追求真正的「解脫」?◆◆◆印度知名神話學家德杜特.帕塔納克規劃了18個主題,帶領我們與他對話,看見他的《薄伽梵歌》,也試著讓我們在吠陀智慧的引領下,領略出屬於自己的《薄伽梵歌》。最崇高的人生解脫經典,《薄伽梵歌》在奉行印度教的國度裡,《薄伽梵歌》被譽為印度三大聖典之一,同時也是公認最具影響力,最崇高的「人生解脫經典」。《薄伽梵歌》出自印度最長史詩《摩訶婆羅多》第六篇,描寫俱盧大戰開打之前,由奎師那向阿周那所傳述的內容。自史詩孕生的人生智慧戰爭一觸即發,悲劇無可避免。般度族王子阿周那剎時意識到,戰場上對立的兩方,都有自己的至親好友,於是轉而向毗濕奴化身的奎師那求助:「為什麼必須參與一場兩邊都是親人的戰爭?」接著,奎師那在一場又一場的對話裡,為阿周那悉心講解了作為一名武士和王子應盡的責任,破除困頓,也指引他通往人生最高理想——「解脫」的三個方法:行動瑜伽、知識瑜伽、奉愛瑜伽。這些對話,蘊含著印度教的根基與吠陀智慧的精髓,因而讓《薄伽梵歌》成為印度最著名的宗教哲學詩。《薄伽梵歌》與其他印度經典最大的不同,在於奎師那話語中蘊含的人生智慧與哲理,已超越了宗教信仰的範疇,不僅僅適用於阿周那遭遇的難題,也適用於現代社會的諸多情境,直至今日,這部經典仍然為許多人帶來深刻影響,甚至成為現代溝通技巧的參考。打破線性閱讀順序,提煉18精選主題傳統上,靈性導師一次只講解《薄伽梵歌》的某一特定詩節或某一章。因為《薄伽梵歌》的寫作方式不同於現代:有些同樣的觀念分散在不同的章節裡,有很多觀念則不斷重複,還有些則假定讀者已擁有早期吠陀經典和奧義諸書的知識。有別於《薄伽梵歌》多數譯本採用逐句翻譯詩文,再加上註釋評論,研究印度神話的專家德杜特.帕塔納克則是以他自己的理解,提煉出這部經典的精要,以「同理心」、「自省」、「信任」、「財產」、「執著」、「業力」等題目,安排了18個主題。同時,作者還把複雜的概念化為大量的圖表,讓讀者可以更快理解《薄伽梵歌》蘊含的各種觀念,也成了《我的薄伽梵歌》一大特色。我的《薄伽梵歌》,你的《薄伽梵歌》 國際薄伽梵歌協會(International Gita Society)創辦人摩南達•普拉薩德(Ramananda Prasad)曾說道:「《薄伽梵歌》的最佳翻譯,就是你自己的翻譯。」借用這個說法,這本書包含了作者對《薄伽梵歌》的理解,是他個人主觀上的真理,因此命名為《我的薄伽梵歌》。他也提到,對主觀真理的追求會帶來「對話」,你我可以欣賞彼此的觀點,並拓展各自的真理。如此一來,人人都可以藉由聆聽各種版本的《薄伽梵歌》,按照自己的節奏、方式來持續探索這部經典。最後,你會帶走的,將會是「你的薄伽梵歌」。版本特色◆作者為印度知名神話學家,對神話與傳統文化有深入研究與見解◆精煉18個主題,幫助讀者快速理解《薄伽梵歌》要義◆收錄近150張圖表,快速歸納文義,總結重點名人推薦《情緒食療》作者/謝無愁「元宇宙共好空間」創辦人/劉柳樺作者介紹作者簡介德杜特.帕塔納克(Devdutt Pattanaik)帕塔納克受過醫學訓練,從事的工作是領導人顧問,但是他最愛的卻是神話研究。截至目前為止,他已經寫過許多本書和發表過多場演講,討論神聖故事、符號、儀式的性質,還有釐清神話故事、符號和儀式跟現代社會的關聯。出版過《摩訶婆羅多的故事》、《羅摩衍那的故事》(Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana)、《羅摩之書》(The Book of Ram)、《神話=諸神:印度神話故事大全》(Myth = Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology)、《懷孕的國王》(The Pregnant King)等書。此外,他還出版了一系列為兒童而寫的神話故事書(Devlok series)。從他的演講、出版品和文章之中,可知他探討神話的角度新穎,書寫的風格迷人。欲知進一步的資料,請參考下列網址:www.devdutt.com譯者簡介江信慧台灣國立政治大學西洋語文學系學士;美國密西根州立大學廣告學系公共關係組碩士;印度 Mayapur 國際奎師那知覺協會奉愛瑜伽經典研習結業;印度 Rishikeshi Parmarth Niketan Ashram 瑜伽師資班結業。翻譯此一天命總在我生命轉彎處閃動靈光。借德國漢學家顧彬所言,翻譯是服務,是比烈士更可怕的犧牲,也是愛。「服務」是翻譯實則欲令他人受益。「犧牲」是願意讓固著的自我死去,也樂於與另一個人心靈交會。「愛」是運用時間,把所知最好的詞彙奉獻出去。仍在漸次體會中;然其享受與滿足感,唯心自知。