⊙宇宙浩瀚，銀河繁星，數如恆沙，難測其量。
⊙「如佛弟子，滿十方剎，盡思難測，一乘實性。」《法華經方便品第二》
⊙「斯等共一心，於億無量劫，欲思佛實智，莫能知少分。」《法華經方便品第二》
⊙斯等共一心：心性周遍，虛徹靈通，是故善惡凡聖無不皆由此一心，以心本具萬法而能成立眾事。
⊙欲思佛實智：能照真性之智，稱理不虛，名為實智。又以此實智為道，名一乘實智。
【證嚴上人開示】
宇宙浩瀚，銀河繁星，數如恆沙，難測其量。
宇宙浩瀚
銀河繁星
數如恆沙
難測其量
有二位天文學家，很用心，要讓我能瞭解天文的內容。聽到他們所說的天文，真的是浩瀚無涯，一張一張的相片，都是不同的銀河體系。問他們說：「慈濟小星星，是不是繞著太陽？」
他說：「是啊！這顆星也是這樣繞。」
我就問他說：「佛法二千多年前就講起了宇宙世界。我們在地球上，繞著太陽是十二個月，那，慈濟星繞了多久呢？」
他就說：「這顆星繞著太陽，差不多是地球的五倍的時間。」
所以，不斷瞭解天體、星河，愈是相信釋迦牟尼佛的智慧。真的是說，四天王天的一天是人生五十年，真的要相信。
總而言之，宇宙之間，銀河繁星，很多很多的星，無法去計算。只知道這個天體有這麼寬闊，浩瀚無窮，到底大到多大？他是一位很權威的天文學者，他也說還不知道。這實在是還有很多，專門在研究，這種性、相。這個性是浩瀚無窮，要如何能體會到，總而言之，在天體間，宇宙還有很多的道理。
甚至一張一張圖片，(播)放到最後，他有一張是整張都黑黑的，他說：「天，宇宙中，有一塊真的是很不可思議，整個都是空的，不過，知道有，很豐富的(暗物)質。」
到底是什麼質呢？不知道。我就說：「那就是叫做真空。真空裡就是有妙有，妙有就是在這裡。」
所以，釋迦佛的智慧，真的是我們要相信。天際到底有多少星？他用一句話：「恆河沙數。」就是以恆河沙數來比。這恆河沙數就是說，你無法去算數。這實在是奧妙。
我們人生在這地球之上，我就問說：「其他星球還有生物嗎？」
他說：「說不定有。是比我們地球還古老，說不定比地球的人又更先進，那種，比較高級的生靈在。」
總而言之，真的是佛啊，他對我們說二十萬億佛國，不知道還有多少的大覺者，遍佈於二十萬億佛國。佛就是覺，國就是世界，在宇宙、宇宙當中，有無量十方世界，十方世界，二十萬億佛國，這應該我們能相信。因為天文學家說，其他的星球，說不定有比我們人類，更超越的生靈存在。
總而言之，這就是我們應該瞭解，所以，會一直說，「無能測佛智」。我們應該相信，唯有佛與佛才能究竟瞭解，我們這宇宙的世界，才能瞭解一乘真理。
所以，「如佛弟子，滿十方剎，盡思測量，一乘實性」。
如佛弟子
滿十方剎
盡思測量
一乘實性
看到天體、宇宙的星象，專門在研究都還無法瞭解，何況我們凡夫瞭解佛智，實在還是很渺茫。所以大家都要集思，測量一乘實性，佛性真的是浩瀚無窮。
總而言之，世間有很多值得我們，再不斷去思考，盡思共度量。我們哪怕是無法像舍利弗，那麼有智慧，不過，只要我們用心，舍利弗他的智慧，我們也能很接近。因為，舍利弗要接近佛，還有一段的距離，所以我們來追隨，舍利弗的智慧，總是與佛的境界，稍近一些。不過，我們的目標，還是與舍利弗一樣，要再追隨佛的智慧。
總而言之，這分的智，我們要不斷集思。大家若有時間，聽了法之後，大家共思量，集思廣義，可以想看看，你瞭解到什麼程度？我聽到的這句話，我的理解又是怎麼樣？說不定你的理解、他的理解、人人的理解，結合起來，就一個大理解。應該彼此之間要共思量，大家共同來思考。佛法實在是很深奧。
所以，我們之前說，「辟支佛利智，無漏最後身」。無漏最後身，就已經斷分段生死，但是，變易生死，少分的無明還存在。所以他就是滿十方剎，還是「其數如竹林」，像這麼多就是已經，斷了分段生死，如辟支佛，他們能覺悟人間無常，只是覺悟人間無常，但是還無法真真正正，體會佛的一乘實性，這真如的本性，還無法很貼切理解。所以，雖然他的數，就是集十方，全都當作如一片竹林，那麼多，「斯等共一心，於億無量劫，欲思佛實智，莫能知少分」。
斯等共一心
於億無量劫
欲思佛實智
莫能知少分
《法華經方便品第二》
這麼多的辟支佛，將十方的世界這些人，一個人將他當做一支竹子，你們想這麼多數量的辟支佛集合起來，所以叫做「斯等共一心」。「於億無量劫」，用時間去思考它。多長的時間？無量劫。劫就是時間，不是用我們的人間說億年、幾億年，不是。是無量的劫，更長的時間。
「欲思佛實智，莫能知少分」。這麼多辟支佛的利智結合起來，來思考，如此要瞭解佛的智慧，那就是「莫能知少分」。要知道那個智，佛之智，稍微的一部份，可能也是有困難。所以，我們要很用心。
所說的「斯等共一心」，什麼叫做一心？心就是「心性周遍，虛徹靈通」。
斯等共一心：
心性周遍
虛徹靈通
是故善惡凡聖
無不皆由此一心
以心本具萬法
而能成立眾事
真的我們的心，若要能通達至佛之智，我們一定要到達這種，這個心能夠周遍。周遍就是所有所有的天體、宇宙都無處不知，這種周遍。又再「虛徹靈通」。在這虛空中，哪怕就是最後那張圖片，就是都是空的，但是裡面就是有，很豐富無量數的質，但是不知道到底是什麼？卻是佛「虛徹」，就是整片都是空的，那個真空中就是有妙有，所以「靈通」，瞭解這其中的質的妙有，裡面一定有，是我們凡夫無法去理解。
所以「虛徹靈通」就是在這心，心性周遍在這天體宇宙間，沒有不通徹、不瞭解的事情。
「是故善惡凡聖，無不皆由此一心」。現在又要告訴大家，不要氣餒。我們要知道，雖然這一心，這個心性是如此，要瞭解到佛的心性，真的是很不容易，雖然辟支佛這麼多，他們到達(斷)分段生死，這種的階段，要瞭解到佛智，還是還有一段，所以還能知少分，也還很少人能知少分。
我們雖然全都是凡夫，不過，我們要自己很瞭解自己，無論是善惡凡聖，是凡夫，還是聖人，全都有這個心，同樣有這個心性，那就是佛陀所說的，眾生，「心、佛、眾生，三無差別」。是我們的心，是善心、是惡的心，全都是在人的心。一切眾生的心是同一個心，這念心的偏差，差之毫釐，善惡分歧。有的人是一念向善，那就是善。善的人懂得要追求道理，要瞭解人倫道德，這個真理學問，一定他要去瞭解。若是惡，就是撥無因果，所以他為非作歹的事情。其實，這都是在這個心。
這惡人同樣有善心存在，因為「人之初，性本善」，「性相近」，但是「習(相遠)」，這個習氣薰習，就愈薰習就愈遠。所以，要向我們再強調一次，就是善惡凡聖，無不皆由此一心。同樣有這個心，不只是人，(包括)所有的生靈。所以我們應該要對自己，要有信心，要集思，好好將我們的見解、思惟等等，我們要好好常常自己好好來警惕這念心。
所以，「以心本具萬法，能成立眾事」，這個心能成立很多的事情。天底下種種的事情，不是人做出來的嗎？就是說要多用心，多用心就會去思考，就會去成就這件事情、成就那件事情，所以這個心，「能成立眾事」。所以，人人就是本具。惡，惡法，惡的事情；善，善法，有善事。所以，無不都是這念心。
所以「欲思佛實智，能照真性之智」。
欲思佛實智：
照真性之智
稱理不虛
名為實智
又以此實智為道
名一乘實智
「欲思佛實智」，就是這些辟支佛，這麼多人，已經斷了分段生死，只是他還有一個變易的思惑，還有少分在，只有這一點存在。所以他要到達瞭解佛知、佛見，一乘實性，這還是有一段時間。
所以「能照真性之智，稱理不虛，這名(為)實智」。現在只說實智，這些辟支佛要來瞭解實智，什麼叫做實智？就是「能照真性之智」，能夠照，就是全都瞭解。
我們若是電燈，晚上電燈全都關掉，前面放什麼東西，我們連看都看不到。就如電燈點亮，什麼東西放在我們面前，離我們有多遠，我們知道。這叫做能照。所以這種的智慧，智叫做分別智，我們懂得去分別，這是什麼東西在我們面前，離我們多遠。
又再「稱理不虛」，瞭解這是什麼東西，它是什麼性質，是硬體，或者是軟的東西等等，我們能夠去分別，這叫做「稱理」。這項東西的性質，我們看到，我們知道。現在說的是我們凡夫能夠分別之智。若是在佛的境界，就是佛已經對這宇宙天體間透徹，全都能通，所以這叫做實智。
又是「以此實智為道，名一乘實智」。這個實智就是，鋪出了一條路來，希望我們人人能，通徹這條道的法，這就是實智。「以此實智為道」，所以叫做一乘。要用這個法，就是一乘，好像一艘大船，我們要利用這艘船，過去那邊的彼岸去，這叫做乘，這個「乘」就是，我要到彼岸去的工具。就是你要瞭解實智，那必定行在這道法，用這些方法。
這些道法，四無量心、六波羅蜜，這全都也是方法之一，不能缺少。所以「欲思佛實智」，這麼多已經去除無明的人，為何不能瞭解？一直要向大家強調，他應該就是只到分段生死的最後身，但是，記得嗎？之前，過去曾告訴大家，還有變易生死，這個心還有少分無明，還未到達大入滅的境界。
所以，我們學佛，真的是要用心來學，要能瞭解的事情，實在是很多，所以我們要把握時間，所以我們要時時多用心。
Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Complete True Wisdom of the One Vehicle(難測一乘實智)
Date: January.10. 2014
“The universe is vast. The many stars in the Milky Way are as numerous as the Ganges Hiver’s sand. It is difficult to estimate their count.”
There were two astronomers who meticulously helped me understand what is in the skies. When they talk about astronomy, the [universe] truly seems vast and endless. They showed one picture after another of difficult galaxies. I asked them, “Does the Tzu Chi asteroid orbit the Sun?” He said, “Yes. That asteroid also orbits the Sun.” So I asked him, “Over 2000 years ago, the Buddha’s teachings talked about the universe. We, here on Earth, take 12 months to orbit the Sun. How long does the Tzu Chi asteroid take?” He said, “The time it takes for this asteroid to orbit the Sun is five times that of the Earth.”
So, the more we continue to understand celestial bodies and galaxies, the more we believe in Sakyamuni Buddha’s wisdom. Indeed, it is said a day in the heavens of the four heavenly kings is 50 years in this world. This is something we can believe. To sum up, in the universe, there are so many galaxies and stars; their number is incalculable. We know that this universe is broad, vast and endless, but just how big is it? He is an authoritative figure in astronomy, yet even he does not know. There are many people who specialize in analyzing such natures and appearances.
This nature is vast and endless. How can we comprehend it? Basically, the celestial bodies in the universe contain many principles. After showing one picture after another, at the very end, he had a picture that was completely dark. He said that in the sky, the universe, there is a section that is incredible. It seems completely empty, but they know there exists abundant “dark matter”. What kind of matter is this? We do not know. So, I said, “That is ‘true emptiness”. “In true emptiness there is wondrous existence. Wondrous existence is right here.” So, Sakyamuni Buddha [applied His] wisdom to help us believe. How many stars are there in the sky? He used one descriptor, “as numerous as the Ganges Rever’s sand.” He compared it to the sands of the Ganges River to show us that the number is incalculable. Indeed, this is wondrously profound.
We humans live on this planet. So I asked, “Is there life on other planets?” He said, “There may be. They may have existed longer than we have. Perhaps they are more advanced than we are and may be a higher life form.” In other words, [this is like what the Buddha told us]. He told us there are 20 trillion Buddha-lands and an unknown number of Enlightened Ones spread throughout those Buddha-lands. “Buddha” means “enlightened one” and each “land” is a world. Within the universe, there are infinite worlds in the ten directions, 20 trillion Buddha-lands.
Within the universe, there are infinite worlds in the ten directions, 20 trillion Buddha-lands.This is something we can believe because astronomers say that other planets may have more advanced life forms than us human beings.In summary, this is something we need to understand.Therefore, I keep saying [we are] “unable to fathom the Buddha’s wisdom”.
We must believe that only Buddhas can thoroughly understand the world in the universe, the true principles of the One Vehicle.
So, “the Buddha’s disciples, filling the ksetras in the ten directions, exhaustively contemplate and try to fathom the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle”.
We see that celestial bodies and the universe cannot be understood even by experts who specialize in them.Therefore, the odds that we ordinary people can understand the Buddha’s wisdom are indeed very miniscule.So, we need to focus on contemplating and understanding the ultimate reality of One vehicle.Buddha-nature is truly vast and endless.In conclusion, in this world many things are worthy of our continuous contemplation.
We must exhaustively think and pool our abilities.Although we are not as wise as Sariputra, as long as we engage in mindful contemplation, we may approximate his wisdom.There is still quite a distance between.Sariputra’s [state] and the Buddha’s [state].But when we strive for Sariputra’s wisdom, we come a bit closer to the state of the Buddha.Our goal is still the same as Sariputra’s, to seek the Buddha’s wisdom.
In summary, we must continue to collectively contemplate this wisdom.If we have time, after listening to the Dharma, we must pool our abilities to contemplate it.Then we can assess the depth of our understanding.
“I heard this phrase, and this is how I understand it.”Perhaps your understanding and others’ understanding can be combined to form a deeper understanding.We need to pool our abilities and contemplate together [because] the Buddha’s Dharma is indeed very profound.So, as we have said before, Pratyekabuddhas [have] sharp wisdom and [are] without Leaks, in their final bodies.This means that they have already ended their fragmentary samsara.But, [there is still] transformational samsara.They still have small bits of ignorance.These beings fill ksetras in the ten directions an are as “numerous as bamboo in a bamboo grove”.Many beings have already ended their fragmentary samsara, such as Pratyekabouddhas.They realized the impermanence of the world but were still unable to truly comprehend the ultimate reality of the Buddha’s One Vehicle.
This nature of True Suchness is something they still cannot fully comprehend.So even though their number, when they gather from all directions, is as many as the bamboo in a bamboo forest, “if they put their minds together for billions of countless kalpas, wishing to understand the Buddha’s true wisdom, they still cannot understand the least bit of it”.There are so many Pratyekabuddhas in the worlds of ten directions.If each one is like a stalk of bamboo, then they were gathered like bamboo groves.This is how “they put their minds together.For billions of countless kalpas” refers to the length of time spent on contemplating this, which is immeasurable kalpas.
A kalpa is a unit of time.We cannot use billions of years to describe that span of time.
Indeed, [we have to use] countless kalpas, a much longer period of time.“Wishing to understand the Buddha’s true wisdom”.So, many Pratyekabuddhas of sharp wisdom gathered to contemplate the Buddha’s wisdom.But they “could not understand the least bit of it”.To understand even the slightest bit of His wisdom is still very difficult. Therefore, we must truly put our hearts into it. When we say, “If they put their minds together”, what do we mean? “The mind-nature encompasses everything and thoroughly understands the universe.”
“If they put their minds together: The mind-nature encompasses everything and thoroughly understands the universe. Therefore, the good and the evil, the ordinary and the saints, are all of this one mind. All teachings are intrinsic to the mind, so it can accomplish all things.”
If we really want our minds to completely understand the Buddha’s wisdom, we really have to attain the state in which the mind can encompass everything. That means knowing all things about celestial bodies and the universe. This is what our minds encompass. We also “thoroughly understand the universe.” In the vastness of space, even though that last picture [they showed me] appeared to be completely empty, there is an abundant and vast quantity of [dark] matter. However, we still do not know what that really is. But the Buddha “understands the universe, [which is that vast empty space.] In that true emptiness, there is wondrous existence. Therefore, He “thoroughly understands” the wondrous existence of this kind of matter. It must contain something we ordinary people cannot comprehend. So, “thoroughly understanding the universe” means that he mind-nature can encompass everything in the universe; there is nothing it cannot thoroughly understand. “Therefore, the good and the evil, the ordinary and the saints, are all of this one mind.”
Now I need to tell you all not be to discouraged. We must understand that even if we are of one mind and this is what our mind-nature is like to understand the Buddha’s mind-nature is indeed not easy. Although there are so many Pratyekabuddhas, and they have reached this stage of [ending] fragmentary samsara, they still have a ways to go to comprehend the Buddha’s wisdom. But they still have a little bit of understanding, and only a few people can even reach that. Though we are all ordinary people, we need to understand ourselves well. Whether we are good or evil, ordinary people or saints, we all have this same mind-nature. This is what the Buddha means when He says, “[The nature] of the minds, Buddhas and sentient beings are no different”. Whether we are good or evil, [that potential] is contained within our minds. All sentient beings’ minds are the same, but when it deviates just a little, it diverges into good or evil.
Some people are focused on doing good deeds. That is goodness. Good people know to pursue the truth and to understand morals and ethics. This knowledge of true principles is something they have to understand. If they are evil, they deny the law of cause and effect, so they commit all sort of wrongdoings. Indeed, this happens because of the mind. Within evil people there is still goodness. “Human natures are inherently good, their natures are similar”, but “their habits differ greatly.” The more habitual tendencies influence them, the more their habits differ. Therefore, He emphasized again that the good and evil, the ordinary and saints, are all of this one mind. This does not only apply to humans, but all life. Therefore, we must have faith in ourselves, focus our thinking and really pay attention to our views and understanding, our thinking and so on. We really need to always to aware of our minds.
So, “all teachings are intrinsic to the mind, it can accomplish all things.” The mind can accomplish many things. Aren’t all these things in the world created by humans? Therefore, we must always be mindful. When we are mindful, we will contemplate and accomplish this thing, or accomplish that thing. So, the mind “can accomplish all things.”
Therefore, we have the potential to commit evils, evil practices, evil deeds and goodness, virtuous practices, good deeds. Therefore, all things come from the mind. So, we wish to understand the Buddha’s wisdom, the wisdom that can illuminate true nature.
Wishing to understand the Buddha’s true wisdom: This wisdom can illuminate true nature. Principles that are not false are called true wisdom. Utilizing this wisdom of reality as the Path is the One Vehicle knowledge of reality.
Those “wishing to understand are these Pratyekabuddhas. All these people have already ended fragmentary samsara. But, they still have the delusional thinking of those in transformational samsara, just a little bit. Even though there is just the slightest bit, for them to attain understanding of the Buddha’s knowledge and views, the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle, will still take some time.
So, “This wisdom can illuminate true nature. Principle that are not false” are called true wisdom. Right now we are only discussing how. What is true wisdom? It is the wisdom that can illuminate true nature. Illuminate means to understand completely. Take lights for example. At night, when all the lights are off and something is placed in front of us, we cannot see it at all. When the lights are on, we can see what it is and how far it is from us. Our awareness comes from this illumination.
So, this kind of wisdom is called discerning wisdom. We know how to discern what is in front of us and how far away it is. And with “principles that are not false means we understand what it is, what characteristics it has, whether it is hard or soft and so on. We can make these discernments because we understand principles. The characteristics of this object are qualities we see and can recognize. Right now, we are talking about the discerning wisdom we ordinary people have. If we were in the state of Buddhas, we would already thoroughly understand all celestial bodies in the universe. This is called true wisdom.And “utilizing this wisdom of reality as the Path is the One Vehicle knowledge of reality.” This knowledge of reality is used to pave a path. He hope we can all fully understand the teachings of this Path. This is what is called true wisdom.
“Utilizing this wisdom of reality as the path” is called the One Vehicle. To use this Dharma is to use the One Vehicle. It is just like a great ship. We want to make use of this ship to get to the other shore. This is called “Vehicle.” This “vehicle” is the tool that we need to use to get there. So, we must comprehend the wisdom of reality and practice these teachings of the Path. These teachings of the Path, the Four Infinite Minds, six Paramitas, these are all methods. They are necessities. So, we “wish to understand the Buddha’s true wisdom. So many have already eliminated ignorance, so why can’t they understand? I continue emphasize to everyone that these people have only attained the final bodies of their fragmentary samsara. But, do you remember that I previously told all of you that there is still transformational samsara. There are still slight bits of ignorance in their hearts; their minds have not entered the state of extinction.
So, when we learn the Buddha’s Way, we put our hearts into learning it. There is a lot we need to understand. So, we need to cherish our time. Thus, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
⊙「如佛弟子，滿十方剎，盡思難測，一乘實性。」《法華經方便品第二》
⊙「斯等共一心，於億無量劫，欲思佛實智，莫能知少分。」《法華經方便品第二》
⊙斯等共一心：心性周遍，虛徹靈通，是故善惡凡聖無不皆由此一心，以心本具萬法而能成立眾事。
⊙欲思佛實智：能照真性之智，稱理不虛，名為實智。又以此實智為道，名一乘實智。
【證嚴上人開示】
宇宙浩瀚，銀河繁星，數如恆沙，難測其量。
宇宙浩瀚
銀河繁星
數如恆沙
難測其量
有二位天文學家，很用心，要讓我能瞭解天文的內容。聽到他們所說的天文，真的是浩瀚無涯，一張一張的相片，都是不同的銀河體系。問他們說：「慈濟小星星，是不是繞著太陽？」
他說：「是啊！這顆星也是這樣繞。」
我就問他說：「佛法二千多年前就講起了宇宙世界。我們在地球上，繞著太陽是十二個月，那，慈濟星繞了多久呢？」
他就說：「這顆星繞著太陽，差不多是地球的五倍的時間。」
所以，不斷瞭解天體、星河，愈是相信釋迦牟尼佛的智慧。真的是說，四天王天的一天是人生五十年，真的要相信。
總而言之，宇宙之間，銀河繁星，很多很多的星，無法去計算。只知道這個天體有這麼寬闊，浩瀚無窮，到底大到多大？他是一位很權威的天文學者，他也說還不知道。這實在是還有很多，專門在研究，這種性、相。這個性是浩瀚無窮，要如何能體會到，總而言之，在天體間，宇宙還有很多的道理。
甚至一張一張圖片，(播)放到最後，他有一張是整張都黑黑的，他說：「天，宇宙中，有一塊真的是很不可思議，整個都是空的，不過，知道有，很豐富的(暗物)質。」
到底是什麼質呢？不知道。我就說：「那就是叫做真空。真空裡就是有妙有，妙有就是在這裡。」
所以，釋迦佛的智慧，真的是我們要相信。天際到底有多少星？他用一句話：「恆河沙數。」就是以恆河沙數來比。這恆河沙數就是說，你無法去算數。這實在是奧妙。
我們人生在這地球之上，我就問說：「其他星球還有生物嗎？」
他說：「說不定有。是比我們地球還古老，說不定比地球的人又更先進，那種，比較高級的生靈在。」
總而言之，真的是佛啊，他對我們說二十萬億佛國，不知道還有多少的大覺者，遍佈於二十萬億佛國。佛就是覺，國就是世界，在宇宙、宇宙當中，有無量十方世界，十方世界，二十萬億佛國，這應該我們能相信。因為天文學家說，其他的星球，說不定有比我們人類，更超越的生靈存在。
總而言之，這就是我們應該瞭解，所以，會一直說，「無能測佛智」。我們應該相信，唯有佛與佛才能究竟瞭解，我們這宇宙的世界，才能瞭解一乘真理。
所以，「如佛弟子，滿十方剎，盡思測量，一乘實性」。
如佛弟子
滿十方剎
盡思測量
一乘實性
看到天體、宇宙的星象，專門在研究都還無法瞭解，何況我們凡夫瞭解佛智，實在還是很渺茫。所以大家都要集思，測量一乘實性，佛性真的是浩瀚無窮。
總而言之，世間有很多值得我們，再不斷去思考，盡思共度量。我們哪怕是無法像舍利弗，那麼有智慧，不過，只要我們用心，舍利弗他的智慧，我們也能很接近。因為，舍利弗要接近佛，還有一段的距離，所以我們來追隨，舍利弗的智慧，總是與佛的境界，稍近一些。不過，我們的目標，還是與舍利弗一樣，要再追隨佛的智慧。
總而言之，這分的智，我們要不斷集思。大家若有時間，聽了法之後，大家共思量，集思廣義，可以想看看，你瞭解到什麼程度？我聽到的這句話，我的理解又是怎麼樣？說不定你的理解、他的理解、人人的理解，結合起來，就一個大理解。應該彼此之間要共思量，大家共同來思考。佛法實在是很深奧。
所以，我們之前說，「辟支佛利智，無漏最後身」。無漏最後身，就已經斷分段生死，但是，變易生死，少分的無明還存在。所以他就是滿十方剎，還是「其數如竹林」，像這麼多就是已經，斷了分段生死，如辟支佛，他們能覺悟人間無常，只是覺悟人間無常，但是還無法真真正正，體會佛的一乘實性，這真如的本性，還無法很貼切理解。所以，雖然他的數，就是集十方，全都當作如一片竹林，那麼多，「斯等共一心，於億無量劫，欲思佛實智，莫能知少分」。
斯等共一心
於億無量劫
欲思佛實智
莫能知少分
《法華經方便品第二》
這麼多的辟支佛，將十方的世界這些人，一個人將他當做一支竹子，你們想這麼多數量的辟支佛集合起來，所以叫做「斯等共一心」。「於億無量劫」，用時間去思考它。多長的時間？無量劫。劫就是時間，不是用我們的人間說億年、幾億年，不是。是無量的劫，更長的時間。
「欲思佛實智，莫能知少分」。這麼多辟支佛的利智結合起來，來思考，如此要瞭解佛的智慧，那就是「莫能知少分」。要知道那個智，佛之智，稍微的一部份，可能也是有困難。所以，我們要很用心。
所說的「斯等共一心」，什麼叫做一心？心就是「心性周遍，虛徹靈通」。
斯等共一心：
心性周遍
虛徹靈通
是故善惡凡聖
無不皆由此一心
以心本具萬法
而能成立眾事
真的我們的心，若要能通達至佛之智，我們一定要到達這種，這個心能夠周遍。周遍就是所有所有的天體、宇宙都無處不知，這種周遍。又再「虛徹靈通」。在這虛空中，哪怕就是最後那張圖片，就是都是空的，但是裡面就是有，很豐富無量數的質，但是不知道到底是什麼？卻是佛「虛徹」，就是整片都是空的，那個真空中就是有妙有，所以「靈通」，瞭解這其中的質的妙有，裡面一定有，是我們凡夫無法去理解。
所以「虛徹靈通」就是在這心，心性周遍在這天體宇宙間，沒有不通徹、不瞭解的事情。
「是故善惡凡聖，無不皆由此一心」。現在又要告訴大家，不要氣餒。我們要知道，雖然這一心，這個心性是如此，要瞭解到佛的心性，真的是很不容易，雖然辟支佛這麼多，他們到達(斷)分段生死，這種的階段，要瞭解到佛智，還是還有一段，所以還能知少分，也還很少人能知少分。
我們雖然全都是凡夫，不過，我們要自己很瞭解自己，無論是善惡凡聖，是凡夫，還是聖人，全都有這個心，同樣有這個心性，那就是佛陀所說的，眾生，「心、佛、眾生，三無差別」。是我們的心，是善心、是惡的心，全都是在人的心。一切眾生的心是同一個心，這念心的偏差，差之毫釐，善惡分歧。有的人是一念向善，那就是善。善的人懂得要追求道理，要瞭解人倫道德，這個真理學問，一定他要去瞭解。若是惡，就是撥無因果，所以他為非作歹的事情。其實，這都是在這個心。
這惡人同樣有善心存在，因為「人之初，性本善」，「性相近」，但是「習(相遠)」，這個習氣薰習，就愈薰習就愈遠。所以，要向我們再強調一次，就是善惡凡聖，無不皆由此一心。同樣有這個心，不只是人，(包括)所有的生靈。所以我們應該要對自己，要有信心，要集思，好好將我們的見解、思惟等等，我們要好好常常自己好好來警惕這念心。
所以，「以心本具萬法，能成立眾事」，這個心能成立很多的事情。天底下種種的事情，不是人做出來的嗎？就是說要多用心，多用心就會去思考，就會去成就這件事情、成就那件事情，所以這個心，「能成立眾事」。所以，人人就是本具。惡，惡法，惡的事情；善，善法，有善事。所以，無不都是這念心。
所以「欲思佛實智，能照真性之智」。
欲思佛實智：
照真性之智
稱理不虛
名為實智
又以此實智為道
名一乘實智
「欲思佛實智」，就是這些辟支佛，這麼多人，已經斷了分段生死，只是他還有一個變易的思惑，還有少分在，只有這一點存在。所以他要到達瞭解佛知、佛見，一乘實性，這還是有一段時間。
所以「能照真性之智，稱理不虛，這名(為)實智」。現在只說實智，這些辟支佛要來瞭解實智，什麼叫做實智？就是「能照真性之智」，能夠照，就是全都瞭解。
我們若是電燈，晚上電燈全都關掉，前面放什麼東西，我們連看都看不到。就如電燈點亮，什麼東西放在我們面前，離我們有多遠，我們知道。這叫做能照。所以這種的智慧，智叫做分別智，我們懂得去分別，這是什麼東西在我們面前，離我們多遠。
又再「稱理不虛」，瞭解這是什麼東西，它是什麼性質，是硬體，或者是軟的東西等等，我們能夠去分別，這叫做「稱理」。這項東西的性質，我們看到，我們知道。現在說的是我們凡夫能夠分別之智。若是在佛的境界，就是佛已經對這宇宙天體間透徹，全都能通，所以這叫做實智。
又是「以此實智為道，名一乘實智」。這個實智就是，鋪出了一條路來，希望我們人人能，通徹這條道的法，這就是實智。「以此實智為道」，所以叫做一乘。要用這個法，就是一乘，好像一艘大船，我們要利用這艘船，過去那邊的彼岸去，這叫做乘，這個「乘」就是，我要到彼岸去的工具。就是你要瞭解實智，那必定行在這道法，用這些方法。
這些道法，四無量心、六波羅蜜，這全都也是方法之一，不能缺少。所以「欲思佛實智」，這麼多已經去除無明的人，為何不能瞭解？一直要向大家強調，他應該就是只到分段生死的最後身，但是，記得嗎？之前，過去曾告訴大家，還有變易生死，這個心還有少分無明，還未到達大入滅的境界。
所以，我們學佛，真的是要用心來學，要能瞭解的事情，實在是很多，所以我們要把握時間，所以我們要時時多用心。
Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Complete True Wisdom of the One Vehicle(難測一乘實智)
Date: January.10. 2014
“The universe is vast. The many stars in the Milky Way are as numerous as the Ganges Hiver’s sand. It is difficult to estimate their count.”
There were two astronomers who meticulously helped me understand what is in the skies. When they talk about astronomy, the [universe] truly seems vast and endless. They showed one picture after another of difficult galaxies. I asked them, “Does the Tzu Chi asteroid orbit the Sun?” He said, “Yes. That asteroid also orbits the Sun.” So I asked him, “Over 2000 years ago, the Buddha’s teachings talked about the universe. We, here on Earth, take 12 months to orbit the Sun. How long does the Tzu Chi asteroid take?” He said, “The time it takes for this asteroid to orbit the Sun is five times that of the Earth.”
So, the more we continue to understand celestial bodies and galaxies, the more we believe in Sakyamuni Buddha’s wisdom. Indeed, it is said a day in the heavens of the four heavenly kings is 50 years in this world. This is something we can believe. To sum up, in the universe, there are so many galaxies and stars; their number is incalculable. We know that this universe is broad, vast and endless, but just how big is it? He is an authoritative figure in astronomy, yet even he does not know. There are many people who specialize in analyzing such natures and appearances.
This nature is vast and endless. How can we comprehend it? Basically, the celestial bodies in the universe contain many principles. After showing one picture after another, at the very end, he had a picture that was completely dark. He said that in the sky, the universe, there is a section that is incredible. It seems completely empty, but they know there exists abundant “dark matter”. What kind of matter is this? We do not know. So, I said, “That is ‘true emptiness”. “In true emptiness there is wondrous existence. Wondrous existence is right here.” So, Sakyamuni Buddha [applied His] wisdom to help us believe. How many stars are there in the sky? He used one descriptor, “as numerous as the Ganges Rever’s sand.” He compared it to the sands of the Ganges River to show us that the number is incalculable. Indeed, this is wondrously profound.
We humans live on this planet. So I asked, “Is there life on other planets?” He said, “There may be. They may have existed longer than we have. Perhaps they are more advanced than we are and may be a higher life form.” In other words, [this is like what the Buddha told us]. He told us there are 20 trillion Buddha-lands and an unknown number of Enlightened Ones spread throughout those Buddha-lands. “Buddha” means “enlightened one” and each “land” is a world. Within the universe, there are infinite worlds in the ten directions, 20 trillion Buddha-lands.
Within the universe, there are infinite worlds in the ten directions, 20 trillion Buddha-lands.This is something we can believe because astronomers say that other planets may have more advanced life forms than us human beings.In summary, this is something we need to understand.Therefore, I keep saying [we are] “unable to fathom the Buddha’s wisdom”.
We must believe that only Buddhas can thoroughly understand the world in the universe, the true principles of the One Vehicle.
So, “the Buddha’s disciples, filling the ksetras in the ten directions, exhaustively contemplate and try to fathom the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle”.
We see that celestial bodies and the universe cannot be understood even by experts who specialize in them.Therefore, the odds that we ordinary people can understand the Buddha’s wisdom are indeed very miniscule.So, we need to focus on contemplating and understanding the ultimate reality of One vehicle.Buddha-nature is truly vast and endless.In conclusion, in this world many things are worthy of our continuous contemplation.
We must exhaustively think and pool our abilities.Although we are not as wise as Sariputra, as long as we engage in mindful contemplation, we may approximate his wisdom.There is still quite a distance between.Sariputra’s [state] and the Buddha’s [state].But when we strive for Sariputra’s wisdom, we come a bit closer to the state of the Buddha.Our goal is still the same as Sariputra’s, to seek the Buddha’s wisdom.
In summary, we must continue to collectively contemplate this wisdom.If we have time, after listening to the Dharma, we must pool our abilities to contemplate it.Then we can assess the depth of our understanding.
“I heard this phrase, and this is how I understand it.”Perhaps your understanding and others’ understanding can be combined to form a deeper understanding.We need to pool our abilities and contemplate together [because] the Buddha’s Dharma is indeed very profound.So, as we have said before, Pratyekabuddhas [have] sharp wisdom and [are] without Leaks, in their final bodies.This means that they have already ended their fragmentary samsara.But, [there is still] transformational samsara.They still have small bits of ignorance.These beings fill ksetras in the ten directions an are as “numerous as bamboo in a bamboo grove”.Many beings have already ended their fragmentary samsara, such as Pratyekabouddhas.They realized the impermanence of the world but were still unable to truly comprehend the ultimate reality of the Buddha’s One Vehicle.
This nature of True Suchness is something they still cannot fully comprehend.So even though their number, when they gather from all directions, is as many as the bamboo in a bamboo forest, “if they put their minds together for billions of countless kalpas, wishing to understand the Buddha’s true wisdom, they still cannot understand the least bit of it”.There are so many Pratyekabuddhas in the worlds of ten directions.If each one is like a stalk of bamboo, then they were gathered like bamboo groves.This is how “they put their minds together.For billions of countless kalpas” refers to the length of time spent on contemplating this, which is immeasurable kalpas.
A kalpa is a unit of time.We cannot use billions of years to describe that span of time.
Indeed, [we have to use] countless kalpas, a much longer period of time.“Wishing to understand the Buddha’s true wisdom”.So, many Pratyekabuddhas of sharp wisdom gathered to contemplate the Buddha’s wisdom.But they “could not understand the least bit of it”.To understand even the slightest bit of His wisdom is still very difficult. Therefore, we must truly put our hearts into it. When we say, “If they put their minds together”, what do we mean? “The mind-nature encompasses everything and thoroughly understands the universe.”
“If they put their minds together: The mind-nature encompasses everything and thoroughly understands the universe. Therefore, the good and the evil, the ordinary and the saints, are all of this one mind. All teachings are intrinsic to the mind, so it can accomplish all things.”
If we really want our minds to completely understand the Buddha’s wisdom, we really have to attain the state in which the mind can encompass everything. That means knowing all things about celestial bodies and the universe. This is what our minds encompass. We also “thoroughly understand the universe.” In the vastness of space, even though that last picture [they showed me] appeared to be completely empty, there is an abundant and vast quantity of [dark] matter. However, we still do not know what that really is. But the Buddha “understands the universe, [which is that vast empty space.] In that true emptiness, there is wondrous existence. Therefore, He “thoroughly understands” the wondrous existence of this kind of matter. It must contain something we ordinary people cannot comprehend. So, “thoroughly understanding the universe” means that he mind-nature can encompass everything in the universe; there is nothing it cannot thoroughly understand. “Therefore, the good and the evil, the ordinary and the saints, are all of this one mind.”
Now I need to tell you all not be to discouraged. We must understand that even if we are of one mind and this is what our mind-nature is like to understand the Buddha’s mind-nature is indeed not easy. Although there are so many Pratyekabuddhas, and they have reached this stage of [ending] fragmentary samsara, they still have a ways to go to comprehend the Buddha’s wisdom. But they still have a little bit of understanding, and only a few people can even reach that. Though we are all ordinary people, we need to understand ourselves well. Whether we are good or evil, ordinary people or saints, we all have this same mind-nature. This is what the Buddha means when He says, “[The nature] of the minds, Buddhas and sentient beings are no different”. Whether we are good or evil, [that potential] is contained within our minds. All sentient beings’ minds are the same, but when it deviates just a little, it diverges into good or evil.
Some people are focused on doing good deeds. That is goodness. Good people know to pursue the truth and to understand morals and ethics. This knowledge of true principles is something they have to understand. If they are evil, they deny the law of cause and effect, so they commit all sort of wrongdoings. Indeed, this happens because of the mind. Within evil people there is still goodness. “Human natures are inherently good, their natures are similar”, but “their habits differ greatly.” The more habitual tendencies influence them, the more their habits differ. Therefore, He emphasized again that the good and evil, the ordinary and saints, are all of this one mind. This does not only apply to humans, but all life. Therefore, we must have faith in ourselves, focus our thinking and really pay attention to our views and understanding, our thinking and so on. We really need to always to aware of our minds.
So, “all teachings are intrinsic to the mind, it can accomplish all things.” The mind can accomplish many things. Aren’t all these things in the world created by humans? Therefore, we must always be mindful. When we are mindful, we will contemplate and accomplish this thing, or accomplish that thing. So, the mind “can accomplish all things.”
Therefore, we have the potential to commit evils, evil practices, evil deeds and goodness, virtuous practices, good deeds. Therefore, all things come from the mind. So, we wish to understand the Buddha’s wisdom, the wisdom that can illuminate true nature.
Wishing to understand the Buddha’s true wisdom: This wisdom can illuminate true nature. Principles that are not false are called true wisdom. Utilizing this wisdom of reality as the Path is the One Vehicle knowledge of reality.
Those “wishing to understand are these Pratyekabuddhas. All these people have already ended fragmentary samsara. But, they still have the delusional thinking of those in transformational samsara, just a little bit. Even though there is just the slightest bit, for them to attain understanding of the Buddha’s knowledge and views, the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle, will still take some time.
So, “This wisdom can illuminate true nature. Principle that are not false” are called true wisdom. Right now we are only discussing how. What is true wisdom? It is the wisdom that can illuminate true nature. Illuminate means to understand completely. Take lights for example. At night, when all the lights are off and something is placed in front of us, we cannot see it at all. When the lights are on, we can see what it is and how far it is from us. Our awareness comes from this illumination.
So, this kind of wisdom is called discerning wisdom. We know how to discern what is in front of us and how far away it is. And with “principles that are not false means we understand what it is, what characteristics it has, whether it is hard or soft and so on. We can make these discernments because we understand principles. The characteristics of this object are qualities we see and can recognize. Right now, we are talking about the discerning wisdom we ordinary people have. If we were in the state of Buddhas, we would already thoroughly understand all celestial bodies in the universe. This is called true wisdom.And “utilizing this wisdom of reality as the Path is the One Vehicle knowledge of reality.” This knowledge of reality is used to pave a path. He hope we can all fully understand the teachings of this Path. This is what is called true wisdom.
“Utilizing this wisdom of reality as the path” is called the One Vehicle. To use this Dharma is to use the One Vehicle. It is just like a great ship. We want to make use of this ship to get to the other shore. This is called “Vehicle.” This “vehicle” is the tool that we need to use to get there. So, we must comprehend the wisdom of reality and practice these teachings of the Path. These teachings of the Path, the Four Infinite Minds, six Paramitas, these are all methods. They are necessities. So, we “wish to understand the Buddha’s true wisdom. So many have already eliminated ignorance, so why can’t they understand? I continue emphasize to everyone that these people have only attained the final bodies of their fragmentary samsara. But, do you remember that I previously told all of you that there is still transformational samsara. There are still slight bits of ignorance in their hearts; their minds have not entered the state of extinction.
So, when we learn the Buddha’s Way, we put our hearts into learning it. There is a lot we need to understand. So, we need to cherish our time. Thus, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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