20150505《靜思妙蓮華》十二因緣了悟實法(第558集)
（法華經•譬喻品第三）
⊙「一念無明起動緣，行識緣名色六入，緣觸受愛取有因，故緣生老病死苦。」
⊙「父知諸子先心各有所好，種種珍玩奇異之物，情必樂著。」《法華經 譬喻品第三》
⊙「而告之言：汝等所可玩好希有難得，汝若不取後必憂悔。」《法華經 譬喻品第三》
⊙十二因緣：眾生緣牽涉三世輪迴，於六道次第之因緣起。從無明緣行、行緣識、識緣名色、名色緣六入、六入緣觸、觸緣受、受緣愛、愛緣取、取緣有、有緣生、生緣老死。
【證嚴上人開示】
「一念無明起動緣，行識緣名色六入，緣觸受愛取有因，故緣生老病死苦。」
一念無明起動緣
行識緣名色六入
緣觸受愛取有因
故緣生老病死苦
這大家看，差不多知道是「十二因緣」。人生怎麼來？又是要怎麼去？過去如何來，我們不知，未來我們要去哪裡？更是無法瞭解。但是，佛陀來人間就是要，讓我們明瞭來去趣向，所以我們要用心。
每天在過日子，好像平安度日，無所事事過去，什麼事情都是不覺不知。人生才是九幾十年，很短，何況無常不知在什麼時候，無法說幾十年，所以我們不要就是無所事事、不知不覺這樣過去，可惜啊！
我們要瞭解「十二因緣法」，首先要從「四諦法」開始。「四諦法」瞭解了，進一步，我們才能知道人如何來？就乘著過去，過去的因、緣，會合之後，過去生因緣盡了，所以接來在我們現在此生。
問你們：「過去生，你們是做什麼的呢？」不只是問你們，我自己自問我自己，我過去是做什麼的？我也會告訴你們：「我不知道。」卻是，我現在知道，這一生，我生在何方、在哪裡出世的，我知道。我有父母，父母的因緣長與短，我也知道。一路如何會從離開了家庭，出家來修行，問我的因緣，我也知道。因為這一生知道自己，莫過於自己。
所以一輩子這樣走過來，數十年間，人生變化很多。而在這人生的變化，是什麼在變化呢？念頭。我們有很多的念頭，一日不知道起幾次，起心動念。幸好我那時候的那一念，那是很明朗的一條路，人間路鋪好了，走入菩提道。
但是，一般的人，可能就是一念無明，每一天、每一天都是在，無明中起動念，所以一念無明，動起了緣，緣什麼呢？緣行、緣識，緣名色，緣六入，緣觸，緣受，緣愛，緣取，緣有，這全都是因，所以就再緣生、老、死了。這「十二因緣」。
昨天我們的經文就說，「父知諸子先心各有所好，種種珍玩奇異之物，情必樂著。」
父知諸子
先心各有所好
種種珍玩奇異之物
情必樂著《法華經 譬喻品第三》
那位長者、那位父親，一直在呼喚孩子出來，卻是孩子沉迷在這樣的境界，雖然父親說：「四面火同時起，大家要快出來。」那些孩子將它當作「火很漂亮，好玩。」
像我們在看，在電視看到澳洲火燒山，燒七、八、九天了，全都燒不熄，會替他們擔心。但是在電視，你們若晚上看，火紅滿天，感覺怎麼那麼美。這就像我們人，看那種虛幻不實的境界。真實的境界是現在在澳洲，那個火在燒，當場是多麼恐怖啊！而且白天看，煙，火煙這樣一直沖，那看了是很擔心。
真實的人，看真實境，就像佛陀看天下一切真實法。知道這種的災難是可怕，這種的災難發生，必有因由，絕對有因緣。若不是很熱，樹枝乾、焚風吹，摩擦、摩擦起了火花；若不是這樣，必定是人為的，是有意？是無意？這真實的環境，真實人在那裡？他們就要去追究，這個火因從何而來。
而我們若是在遠遠的地方，那個地方和我們好像沒關係，透過科技看畫面，「看，這拍起來好像很漂亮」，這就像我們凡夫，凡夫看幻化的影像，所以不知道要害怕。
父親看這些孩子就像這樣，對這個幻化不實的境界，在那裡沉迷，不懂得脫離危險的境地。所以他知道孩子各有所好，所以他就要用種種的方式，來呼喚、來誘引。
所以「父知諸子，先心各有所好」。知子莫若父，知道孩子的心，沒有比父親更瞭解，就像佛陀知道眾生的根機，沒有比佛陀更瞭解，同樣的意思。眾生各有追求，不同的心欲，所以他就應眾生的心欲、根機，來開啟方便教法，這是同樣的道理。
下面這段(經)文再說，「而告諸子」，知道這些孩子心裡的欲念，所以開始向這些孩子說話，「而告之言：汝等所可玩好希有難得，汝若不取後必憂悔。」
而告之言
汝等所可玩好
希有難得
汝若不取
後必憂悔
《法華經 譬喻品第三》
大家要好好，你們所需要，你們所愛，你們所要求的，全都有，在外面。來啊！快來！你們現在若不快出來，可能拿不到，失去了機會，你們會後悔。
這個「所好」，就像我們，佛陀瞭解我們眾生的根機，所以他開頭講「四諦法」。所有所有要聽法的人，要瞭解人生的道理，要先有個基礎。不論你的根機高，或是中根機、下根機，人人要先有這個基礎，所以他開始用苦、集、滅、道，「四諦法」來開講。最根本的法，我們要用心去瞭解。
接下來我們就要知道：知道，我知道苦，苦是從何來？苦的因由從何來？集是現在的事情，但是這個集，集三世──集過去來現在，現在我們每天過程中，也還在集，我們現在所集的，集在未來。集、集，所集起來的是善，或是惡呢？集善，那就是一念心。每一天行善事、造福人群，每一天都在和人結好緣，這是集善法；而若是每一天都在起煩惱，每一天行為，都是脫軌的行為，若這樣，一直與人結惡緣，這樣就集到惡。集善或者是集惡，全都是集，集在哪裡呢？來生、來世。
所以，我們前一輩子所集的緣，牽引在我們這輩子，而我們這輩子若還在無明中，還是同樣又集了，牽引我們這輩子。不知道何時無常來時，我們又再「萬般帶不去」，就是帶著這個集的因緣，再到來生去。這是三世。大家都說三世因緣，所說的三世因緣，那就是從這裡開始。有幾種呢？十二種。眾生是因為這個緣，從無明開始，所以從緣牽涉，這個緣將我們牽著，與其他的緣來會合，所以因為這樣，會三世輪迴，不只在三世輪迴，還是在六道中，三世、六道，還是在這個緣在牽，次第因緣起，照著這個次序的因緣這樣過來。
十二因緣：
眾生緣牽涉
三世輪迴於六道，
次第之因緣起
從無明緣行
行緣識
識緣名色
名色緣六入
六入緣觸
觸緣受
受緣愛
愛緣取
取緣有
有緣生
生緣老死
所以我們從次序來排因緣，那就是從無明，無明就是那一念，那念的無明，開頭向大家說，一念無明、一秒鐘，這一生，這一輩子，最重要的關頭，也許是那一秒鐘。這秒鐘、這一個念頭，就是一輩子。所以那個念頭，一念，那就是無明，我們若是無明起動，這個無明就是貪、瞋、癡，從一念貪念起，癡念跟著後面就發作起來，這都叫做一念。
這一念無明起，那就開始「緣」，這個「緣」就是牽，牽著你，「無明」就像眼睛蒙著，我們就被人牽一樣。所以無明緣行，我們就開始去行動了，行就緣識，我們開始去行，常常說過，六根、六塵，我們緣著外面的境界，眼見色，就是貪色的欲；耳聞聲，聽聲音的欲，聽聲音，「這句話你說得讓我不歡喜，我就反應。」就這樣，爭端就起。
我愛的東西，我要取，取不到，我就想辦法，你爭、我奪，這全都叫做行，行為。我們的無明，引起了我們的行為，所以無明緣行。
行為過了之後，歸納我們的心識，在第八識，開始所有的善惡，全都集合過來，成為種子。你做了之後，就是結果，善、惡的結果，那叫做籽、種子，這叫做籽，就收納在第八識。
這個識就開始緣名色，開始造作，不由自己，我們與父母已經結了緣；最後，那段前面的人生結束，來，就是這樣的，「無明」緣「行」而「識」，這個「識」就開始，這個種子，與哪一對父母、什麼樣的境界，他就到那個地方去，所以叫做「識」緣「名色」。
「名色」就是，父精母血結合起來時，還不是人形，還沒有成形之前，叫做「名色」。到了手腳都有了，在肚子裡就慢慢、慢慢，就開始會有意識，這就是六根，那就是六入，六入，除了我們的腳、手、頭目，都有了，還是意識也慢慢開始，從「名色」緣「六入」，這個六入成形，開始那就是觸，感觸，開始有意識，然後時間到了，接觸到世間。。
可知道被生下來這時候，是多苦你知道嗎？孩子在母親的胞胎，好像一團赤肉，他完全都沒有，和外面的空氣接觸。就是生出來時，忽然間和這個空氣一接觸，全身赤裸裸，沒有那個「膚」保護著，沒有和空氣接觸過，所以那個接觸到空氣的痛，刺激他，所以每個孩子生出來，一定要哭。因為一生下來，全身痛徹骨髓，所以刺激他的神經，就哭出來了，這就是「觸」。
「觸」就緣「受」。接觸到人間，開始就有感受，感受到痛，與空氣接觸的感受，痛了，哭。從這樣開始，嬰兒一直到長大。嬰兒開始就有欲，肚子餓就會哭，喝奶的時候，接觸到他的嘴唇，他就會開口來吸，吸奶，這就是「愛」。「愛」就是開始會，懂得要追求，嬰兒的時代就是這樣。
慢慢地學會走，會看到人家的東西，就要去拿，這個給他，「我不要，我要那個。」就會挑剔了。從小開始，人生就是這樣，對小東西，愛，懂得分別，懂得挑，懂得爭。從小開始，兄弟，明明你也有一份，我就要和他爭那一份。從這樣開始，人生就是這樣，「受」緣「愛」，「愛」緣「取」，就要去取著。
「取」緣「有」。取到了，開始就「有」，有什麼呢？有了善惡業。你的取著是行善嗎？「我趕緊需要，有這個東西去救人。」有了！有什麼呢？你有愛，他感恩，彼此之間，付出的人用愛心，接受的人有感恩心。若是反過來，他所有的，我想盡辦法要取著，變成我所有。我有，是向人取，用惡心、惡念、貪著去取來的；被你取走的那個人、被你爭，他一場空，他怨、他恨，那就有是有怨、有恨的業。
所以「取」緣「有」，那就是善惡業，就緣「生」，生起了種種，這樣一輩子的善惡業又過去了。這輩子過去，我還要去哪裡呢？來世生、來世老、來世病、來世死。這種緣過去的無明造作來此生，來了此生，又開始無明造作，這樣又緣在下輩子。就像這樣，「生」緣老病死。
這樣，這我們若能夠瞭解，好好去體會「十二因緣」，如何連結起來，那就是覺悟真空之理。其實，只是一念間，一念間，每樣都是空的，不過，你去造作，這麼多的「有」，所以人生就有苦，集了這麼多，這樣生生世世。
我們若能瞭解，那就是覺悟真空的道理，菩薩，學佛應該要先瞭解，「四諦」、「十二因緣」法，所以要時時多用心。
Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence
(十二因緣了悟實法)
Date: May.05. 2015
“One ignorant thought initiates the Twelve Links. Volitional formation and consciousness lead to name and form and the six entrances. These lead to the causes of contact, sensation, craving, grasping and becoming, which lead to the suffering of birth, aging, illness and death.”
These verses basically describe the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. How does life come about, and where is it headed? How did our past lead us here? We do not know. In the future, where will we go? That is even more difficult for us to know. But the Buddha came to the human realm to help us understand how we come and go from this world. So, we must be mindful.
As we live through each day, life seems very peaceful. Nothing is really happening and we are not consciously aware of many things happening around us. A lifetime is measured in decades, which is a very short period of time. Moreover, impermanence may strike at any instant, so we may not even have decades. Therefore, we must not idle away our days, not consciously living our lives.
That would be such a pity. So, we must understand the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. First, we start with the Four Noble Truths. After we understand the Four Noble Truths, we must go one step further to understand how we came to be born human by following our past [karma]. After our karmic causes and conditions converged in our past life, they eventually dispersed and we thus came to be born in our present life.
I may ask, “What did you do in your past life?” But I would not just ask you this, I would also ask the same question of myself, “What did I do in my past life?” I would say the same thing as you, “I don’t know.” But at the present I do know where I was born in this lifetime. Where did I come into the world? This I know. I know who my parents are and the type of karmic connection I have with them. If you ask me how I came to leave my family and become a monastic to engage in spiritual practice, I know the causes and conditions behind that. This is because in this life, no one knows me better than myself.
So, throughout the course of my whole life, over these many decades, my life has gone through many changes. What exactly is changing throughout my life? My thoughts. All of us have so many thoughts. Who knows how many thoughts can arise in a day? Fortunately, my mind back then led me on a very clear and open road. By paving well my path in the world, I entered the Bodhi-path. But most people may remain in a state of ignorance. Every day, their thoughts arise out of ignorance. This ignorance leads to other conditions. What does it lead to? It leads to volitional formation, which leads to consciousness, which leads to name and form, which lead to the six entrances, which leads to contact, which leads to sensation, which leads to craving, which leads to grasping, which leads to becoming. These are all causes, which then lead to birth, aging, illness and death. These are the 12 Links of Cyclic Existence.
Yesterday’s sutra passage states, “The father knew his children, that each had his or her own preferences for all kinds of precious toys or unusual objects, which would surely bring them joy.”
That elder, the father, kept calling on his children to come out, but they were immersed in that environment. Although he said that the fire was all around them and that they must get out right away, the children treated the fire as something pretty and fun.
This is like watching the wildfires in Australia on television.
They have been brining for seven, eight, nine days and cannot be extinguished.We are worried about them, but when we watch it on television, at night, when the sky is burning red, it seems so beautiful.This is similar to when we see illusive and unreal states.The true state now in Australia, where the fire is actually burning, is a terrifying scene.
Moreover, if we see the fires in daytime, we see how the smoke and fire continue to rise.Seeing that makes us worried.
People who are actually there can see the actual situation, just as the Buddha sees the True Dharma behind all things.We must recognize the severity of such disasters, that they must have been caused by something.There must be underlying causes and conditions.
If the fires were not caused by the high heat, the dry tree branches, or the wind blowing and causing them to brush up against each other and give off a spark, then the cause must have been manmade, whether intentionally or unintentionally.This is a real situation and real people are actually there.They will investigate the cause of this fire.
Since we are somewhere far away, it can feel like what is happening there has nothing to do with us.Technology allows us to see the images there.
See, it may seem very beautiful to us.This is what ordinary people are like.All the images that we see are illusive, so we do not know to be scared.
The father sees how his children are like this, lost and mesmerized by that illusive and unreal state, unable to escape that hazardous situation.He knows they each have different preferences, so he uses various methods to call out to them and draw them out.
So, “The father knew his children, that each had his or her own preferences.”A father knows his children best.No one knows the children’s minds better than their father, just like how the Buddha understands the capabilities of sentient beings better than anyone.This is the same principle.
Sentient beings each have their own ;pursuits and desires, so He taught skillful means according to their desires and capabilities.This principle is the same.
The following passage states again, “So, he told the children…”
The elder knew the desires in their heart, so he stated talking to them.“The toys you like to play with are rare and difficult to obtain. If you do not take them, you will regret it later.”He told them they must [come out].
What they needed, what they craved and what they wanted are all outside.“Come; cone quickly!”“If you do not hurry up and come out, you may not get what you want. If you miss out on this, you will regret it.”The elder knew what they liked, just like how the Buddha understands our capabilities.Thus He began by teaching the Four Noble Truths.Everyone who wants to listen to the Dharma, who wants to understand the principles of life, first needs a good foundation.
Regardless of whether they have great capabilities, average capabilities or limited capabilities, they all must first have this basic understanding.So, He began by teaching suffering, causation, cessation and the Path.
The Four Noble Truths were His first teachings.
We must take great care to understand this most fundamental teaching.So next, we need to know that to understand suffering, we must understand where suffering comes from, and what the origins of suffering are.
Causation is something we create at every moment.But these causes are accumulated over the Three Periods, past, present and future.Currently, throughout the course of every day we are constantly accumulating them.What we accumulate now will affect our future.Are we accumulating good causes or evil ones?Accumulating goodness is a state of mind.
Every day, we do good deeds and benefit others.Every day, we form good connections with people.Thus we accumulate goodness.If every day we give rise to afflictions, and every day we behave improperly, then we will constantly form negative connections. Thus we accumulate evil.
Whether we are accumulating goodness or evil, we are accumulating causes. Where will they [manifest]? In our future lifetimes. So, the karma we accumulated in previous lives led us to this life. If in this life, we are still in a state of ignorance, we will accumulate similar karma, which likewise affects us; in this life, we do not know when impermanence will manifest. Then, we “cannot take anything with us, but we bring the karmic causes and conditions we have accumulated into our future lives. These are the Three Periods. Everyone talks about the [Twelve] Links of the Three Periods. The links of the Three Periods all begin with [ignorance].
How many links are there? There are 12 links. Sentient beings [come into being] because of these links.Beginning with ignorance, each of these links leads us and pulls us to another link. This is how, in every life, we experience cyclic existence in the Three Periods.
Not only do we experience cyclic existence, we also transmigrate through the Six Realms. In the Three Periods and the Six Realms, these karmic links lead our way. These causes and conditions arise in sequence, and we follow this order of causes and conditions.
“The Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence: These links drag sentient beings to transmigrate in the Six Realms and Three Periods. The order of these causes and conditions begins with ignorance leading to volitional formation. Volitional formation leads to consciousness, consciousness to name and form. Name and form lead to the six entrances, and the six entrances lead to contact. Contact leads to sensation, sensation to craving, craving to grasping, grasping to becoming, becoming to birth, and birth leads to aging and death.”
These links are arranged in an order, beginning with ignorance. Ignorance is that initial thought. In the beginning, I told everyone that an ignorant thought may arise in a second, and the most critical moment in our whole lifetime may be that one second. In that second we can give rise to a thought that affects our whole lifetime. That one thought is an ignorant thought. Once ignorance stirs, it gives rise to greed, anger, and delusion. Once we give rise to greed, delusion will follow. This is all due to that one thought. Once an ignorant thought arises, the cycle of the links will begin. These links will lead us along. Being ignorant is like being blindfolded and being led by someone else.
So, ignorance leads to volitional formation. Thus we begin to take action. Volitional formation leads to consciousness. This starts with taking action, so we often talk about the Six Sense Organs and Six Sense Objects. When we connect with our external conditions, our eyes see forms, and we desire certain forms. When our ears hear sounds, we desire certain sounds. If we hear something, a comment that makes us unhappy, we will react. This is how conflict arises.
When we crave things we will try to take them. If we cannot take them easily, we try to find other ways, so we end up fighting over things. These are all volitional formations, kinds of actions. Our ignorance leads us to behave in certain ways. Thus ignorance leads to volitional formation. After we act, the karma we create is stored in our consciousness.
In our eighth consciousness, all the good and evil we have ever done is stored these as seeds. After we act, there is a result. The fruits of our good and evil deeds are seeds, which are collected in the eighth consciousness. Consciousness leads to name and form; once karma is created, it is outside of our control. We had formed affinities with our parents, so when our previous life ended, we came to this one. “Ignorance” leads to “volitional formation”, which leads to “consciousness”. The seed planted in our “consciousness” will lead us to a certain pair of parents and a certain place. This is how we ended up where we did.
So, consciousness” leads to “name and form.” “Name and form” is when a father’s sperm and a mother’s egg converge. We do not yet have human form Before we have fully taken shape, this is called “name and form.” This lasts until we have our hands and feet. In the womb, we gradually develop and begin to have mind-consciousness, the Six Sense Organs; this is the “six entrances.” The “six entrances” means that, in addition to our feet, hands and head, our consciousness and also starts to develop as “name and form” leads to the “six entrances.”
These six entrances take shape, leading to “contact,” sensory contact. Once we begin to have mind-consciousness, when the time comes, we come into contact with the outside world. Do you know the depth of the pain we experience at birth? When children are in their mother’s womb, they are like a ball of raw flesh. They have absolutely no contact with the air outside. It is only when they are born that they suddenly come in contact with the air. Their entire body is completely bare, without anything to protect them. Having never been exposed to air, the pain of that exposure shocks their system. So, when all babies are born, they cry. This is because the moment they are born, they feel a piercing pain all over their body. This shock to their nerves causes them to cry.This comes with “contact”.
“Contact” leads to “sensation” Being exposed to this world, we start to develop feelings, like pain. The feeling of being exposed to air is very painful, so we cry. After this beginning, these feelings continue from infancy into adulthood. As babies we already have desires. When we are hungry, we will cry. When we are being nursed by our mother, we automatically start sucking. We such the milk because of our “craving”. “Craving” is when we begin of pursue things. This starts when we were infants. As soon as we learn to walk, when we see other people’s things we try to take them.If we give a toddler something, [they say] “I don’t want this; I want that.” They are already picky. This starts when we are little Humans are like this; we start by craving small things, then we discriminate, become picky and fight over things. Starting form a young age, though both siblings get a share, one will try to take whatever the other has. From the very beginning, life is like this “Sensation” leads to “craving,” and “craving” leads to “grasping.” We try to take things “Grasping” leads to “becoming.” Once we have something, that leads to “becoming.”
What comes into being? Good and bad karma. Are you grasping things to do something good? You may need something right now to save people. You may need something right now to save people. Then something comes to be; what is it? You become loving; the other person becomes grateful. In their actions, those who give do so with love, and those who receive feel grateful. The opposite is thinking of all the ways you can take what another person has and make it your own. If you take things from other people, if you do it out of a negative intent, an unwholesome mind, out of greed. The person you took things from, the person you fought with, will resent and hate you because he has nothing. This has created karma of hatred and resentment.
So, “grasping” leads to “becoming,” good and bad karma coming into being. This leads to “birth,” giving rise to various things. After we finish creating good and bad karma in this lifetime, when this life is over where will we go? In future lives, we will be born, we will grow old, we will become ill and we will die. From the ignorance in our past lives, we created karma that led to our present life. And this life, we ignorantly crate more karma, which will lead us to our next life. In this way, “birth” leads to aging, illness and death. We need to understand this and comprehend how the 12 Links of Cyclic Existence connect to each other. Then we realize the principles of true emptiness.
Indeed, this started with just a single thought It is just a thought, so it is completely empty. But if we act on it and create a lot of karma, we will fill our lives with suffering. We have accumulated many [causes] so we [transmigrate] though lifetime after lifetime. If we can understand this, we have realized the principles of true emptiness.
Dear Bodhisattvas, in learning the Buddha’s Way, we must first understand the Four Noble Truths and the 12 Links of Cyclic Existence. Therefore, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
（法華經•譬喻品第三）
⊙「一念無明起動緣，行識緣名色六入，緣觸受愛取有因，故緣生老病死苦。」
⊙「父知諸子先心各有所好，種種珍玩奇異之物，情必樂著。」《法華經 譬喻品第三》
⊙「而告之言：汝等所可玩好希有難得，汝若不取後必憂悔。」《法華經 譬喻品第三》
⊙十二因緣：眾生緣牽涉三世輪迴，於六道次第之因緣起。從無明緣行、行緣識、識緣名色、名色緣六入、六入緣觸、觸緣受、受緣愛、愛緣取、取緣有、有緣生、生緣老死。
【證嚴上人開示】
「一念無明起動緣，行識緣名色六入，緣觸受愛取有因，故緣生老病死苦。」
一念無明起動緣
行識緣名色六入
緣觸受愛取有因
故緣生老病死苦
這大家看，差不多知道是「十二因緣」。人生怎麼來？又是要怎麼去？過去如何來，我們不知，未來我們要去哪裡？更是無法瞭解。但是，佛陀來人間就是要，讓我們明瞭來去趣向，所以我們要用心。
每天在過日子，好像平安度日，無所事事過去，什麼事情都是不覺不知。人生才是九幾十年，很短，何況無常不知在什麼時候，無法說幾十年，所以我們不要就是無所事事、不知不覺這樣過去，可惜啊！
我們要瞭解「十二因緣法」，首先要從「四諦法」開始。「四諦法」瞭解了，進一步，我們才能知道人如何來？就乘著過去，過去的因、緣，會合之後，過去生因緣盡了，所以接來在我們現在此生。
問你們：「過去生，你們是做什麼的呢？」不只是問你們，我自己自問我自己，我過去是做什麼的？我也會告訴你們：「我不知道。」卻是，我現在知道，這一生，我生在何方、在哪裡出世的，我知道。我有父母，父母的因緣長與短，我也知道。一路如何會從離開了家庭，出家來修行，問我的因緣，我也知道。因為這一生知道自己，莫過於自己。
所以一輩子這樣走過來，數十年間，人生變化很多。而在這人生的變化，是什麼在變化呢？念頭。我們有很多的念頭，一日不知道起幾次，起心動念。幸好我那時候的那一念，那是很明朗的一條路，人間路鋪好了，走入菩提道。
但是，一般的人，可能就是一念無明，每一天、每一天都是在，無明中起動念，所以一念無明，動起了緣，緣什麼呢？緣行、緣識，緣名色，緣六入，緣觸，緣受，緣愛，緣取，緣有，這全都是因，所以就再緣生、老、死了。這「十二因緣」。
昨天我們的經文就說，「父知諸子先心各有所好，種種珍玩奇異之物，情必樂著。」
父知諸子
先心各有所好
種種珍玩奇異之物
情必樂著《法華經 譬喻品第三》
那位長者、那位父親，一直在呼喚孩子出來，卻是孩子沉迷在這樣的境界，雖然父親說：「四面火同時起，大家要快出來。」那些孩子將它當作「火很漂亮，好玩。」
像我們在看，在電視看到澳洲火燒山，燒七、八、九天了，全都燒不熄，會替他們擔心。但是在電視，你們若晚上看，火紅滿天，感覺怎麼那麼美。這就像我們人，看那種虛幻不實的境界。真實的境界是現在在澳洲，那個火在燒，當場是多麼恐怖啊！而且白天看，煙，火煙這樣一直沖，那看了是很擔心。
真實的人，看真實境，就像佛陀看天下一切真實法。知道這種的災難是可怕，這種的災難發生，必有因由，絕對有因緣。若不是很熱，樹枝乾、焚風吹，摩擦、摩擦起了火花；若不是這樣，必定是人為的，是有意？是無意？這真實的環境，真實人在那裡？他們就要去追究，這個火因從何而來。
而我們若是在遠遠的地方，那個地方和我們好像沒關係，透過科技看畫面，「看，這拍起來好像很漂亮」，這就像我們凡夫，凡夫看幻化的影像，所以不知道要害怕。
父親看這些孩子就像這樣，對這個幻化不實的境界，在那裡沉迷，不懂得脫離危險的境地。所以他知道孩子各有所好，所以他就要用種種的方式，來呼喚、來誘引。
所以「父知諸子，先心各有所好」。知子莫若父，知道孩子的心，沒有比父親更瞭解，就像佛陀知道眾生的根機，沒有比佛陀更瞭解，同樣的意思。眾生各有追求，不同的心欲，所以他就應眾生的心欲、根機，來開啟方便教法，這是同樣的道理。
下面這段(經)文再說，「而告諸子」，知道這些孩子心裡的欲念，所以開始向這些孩子說話，「而告之言：汝等所可玩好希有難得，汝若不取後必憂悔。」
而告之言
汝等所可玩好
希有難得
汝若不取
後必憂悔
《法華經 譬喻品第三》
大家要好好，你們所需要，你們所愛，你們所要求的，全都有，在外面。來啊！快來！你們現在若不快出來，可能拿不到，失去了機會，你們會後悔。
這個「所好」，就像我們，佛陀瞭解我們眾生的根機，所以他開頭講「四諦法」。所有所有要聽法的人，要瞭解人生的道理，要先有個基礎。不論你的根機高，或是中根機、下根機，人人要先有這個基礎，所以他開始用苦、集、滅、道，「四諦法」來開講。最根本的法，我們要用心去瞭解。
接下來我們就要知道：知道，我知道苦，苦是從何來？苦的因由從何來？集是現在的事情，但是這個集，集三世──集過去來現在，現在我們每天過程中，也還在集，我們現在所集的，集在未來。集、集，所集起來的是善，或是惡呢？集善，那就是一念心。每一天行善事、造福人群，每一天都在和人結好緣，這是集善法；而若是每一天都在起煩惱，每一天行為，都是脫軌的行為，若這樣，一直與人結惡緣，這樣就集到惡。集善或者是集惡，全都是集，集在哪裡呢？來生、來世。
所以，我們前一輩子所集的緣，牽引在我們這輩子，而我們這輩子若還在無明中，還是同樣又集了，牽引我們這輩子。不知道何時無常來時，我們又再「萬般帶不去」，就是帶著這個集的因緣，再到來生去。這是三世。大家都說三世因緣，所說的三世因緣，那就是從這裡開始。有幾種呢？十二種。眾生是因為這個緣，從無明開始，所以從緣牽涉，這個緣將我們牽著，與其他的緣來會合，所以因為這樣，會三世輪迴，不只在三世輪迴，還是在六道中，三世、六道，還是在這個緣在牽，次第因緣起，照著這個次序的因緣這樣過來。
十二因緣：
眾生緣牽涉
三世輪迴於六道，
次第之因緣起
從無明緣行
行緣識
識緣名色
名色緣六入
六入緣觸
觸緣受
受緣愛
愛緣取
取緣有
有緣生
生緣老死
所以我們從次序來排因緣，那就是從無明，無明就是那一念，那念的無明，開頭向大家說，一念無明、一秒鐘，這一生，這一輩子，最重要的關頭，也許是那一秒鐘。這秒鐘、這一個念頭，就是一輩子。所以那個念頭，一念，那就是無明，我們若是無明起動，這個無明就是貪、瞋、癡，從一念貪念起，癡念跟著後面就發作起來，這都叫做一念。
這一念無明起，那就開始「緣」，這個「緣」就是牽，牽著你，「無明」就像眼睛蒙著，我們就被人牽一樣。所以無明緣行，我們就開始去行動了，行就緣識，我們開始去行，常常說過，六根、六塵，我們緣著外面的境界，眼見色，就是貪色的欲；耳聞聲，聽聲音的欲，聽聲音，「這句話你說得讓我不歡喜，我就反應。」就這樣，爭端就起。
我愛的東西，我要取，取不到，我就想辦法，你爭、我奪，這全都叫做行，行為。我們的無明，引起了我們的行為，所以無明緣行。
行為過了之後，歸納我們的心識，在第八識，開始所有的善惡，全都集合過來，成為種子。你做了之後，就是結果，善、惡的結果，那叫做籽、種子，這叫做籽，就收納在第八識。
這個識就開始緣名色，開始造作，不由自己，我們與父母已經結了緣；最後，那段前面的人生結束，來，就是這樣的，「無明」緣「行」而「識」，這個「識」就開始，這個種子，與哪一對父母、什麼樣的境界，他就到那個地方去，所以叫做「識」緣「名色」。
「名色」就是，父精母血結合起來時，還不是人形，還沒有成形之前，叫做「名色」。到了手腳都有了，在肚子裡就慢慢、慢慢，就開始會有意識，這就是六根，那就是六入，六入，除了我們的腳、手、頭目，都有了，還是意識也慢慢開始，從「名色」緣「六入」，這個六入成形，開始那就是觸，感觸，開始有意識，然後時間到了，接觸到世間。。
可知道被生下來這時候，是多苦你知道嗎？孩子在母親的胞胎，好像一團赤肉，他完全都沒有，和外面的空氣接觸。就是生出來時，忽然間和這個空氣一接觸，全身赤裸裸，沒有那個「膚」保護著，沒有和空氣接觸過，所以那個接觸到空氣的痛，刺激他，所以每個孩子生出來，一定要哭。因為一生下來，全身痛徹骨髓，所以刺激他的神經，就哭出來了，這就是「觸」。
「觸」就緣「受」。接觸到人間，開始就有感受，感受到痛，與空氣接觸的感受，痛了，哭。從這樣開始，嬰兒一直到長大。嬰兒開始就有欲，肚子餓就會哭，喝奶的時候，接觸到他的嘴唇，他就會開口來吸，吸奶，這就是「愛」。「愛」就是開始會，懂得要追求，嬰兒的時代就是這樣。
慢慢地學會走，會看到人家的東西，就要去拿，這個給他，「我不要，我要那個。」就會挑剔了。從小開始，人生就是這樣，對小東西，愛，懂得分別，懂得挑，懂得爭。從小開始，兄弟，明明你也有一份，我就要和他爭那一份。從這樣開始，人生就是這樣，「受」緣「愛」，「愛」緣「取」，就要去取著。
「取」緣「有」。取到了，開始就「有」，有什麼呢？有了善惡業。你的取著是行善嗎？「我趕緊需要，有這個東西去救人。」有了！有什麼呢？你有愛，他感恩，彼此之間，付出的人用愛心，接受的人有感恩心。若是反過來，他所有的，我想盡辦法要取著，變成我所有。我有，是向人取，用惡心、惡念、貪著去取來的；被你取走的那個人、被你爭，他一場空，他怨、他恨，那就有是有怨、有恨的業。
所以「取」緣「有」，那就是善惡業，就緣「生」，生起了種種，這樣一輩子的善惡業又過去了。這輩子過去，我還要去哪裡呢？來世生、來世老、來世病、來世死。這種緣過去的無明造作來此生，來了此生，又開始無明造作，這樣又緣在下輩子。就像這樣，「生」緣老病死。
這樣，這我們若能夠瞭解，好好去體會「十二因緣」，如何連結起來，那就是覺悟真空之理。其實，只是一念間，一念間，每樣都是空的，不過，你去造作，這麼多的「有」，所以人生就有苦，集了這麼多，這樣生生世世。
我們若能瞭解，那就是覺悟真空的道理，菩薩，學佛應該要先瞭解，「四諦」、「十二因緣」法，所以要時時多用心。
Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence
(十二因緣了悟實法)
Date: May.05. 2015
“One ignorant thought initiates the Twelve Links. Volitional formation and consciousness lead to name and form and the six entrances. These lead to the causes of contact, sensation, craving, grasping and becoming, which lead to the suffering of birth, aging, illness and death.”
These verses basically describe the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. How does life come about, and where is it headed? How did our past lead us here? We do not know. In the future, where will we go? That is even more difficult for us to know. But the Buddha came to the human realm to help us understand how we come and go from this world. So, we must be mindful.
As we live through each day, life seems very peaceful. Nothing is really happening and we are not consciously aware of many things happening around us. A lifetime is measured in decades, which is a very short period of time. Moreover, impermanence may strike at any instant, so we may not even have decades. Therefore, we must not idle away our days, not consciously living our lives.
That would be such a pity. So, we must understand the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. First, we start with the Four Noble Truths. After we understand the Four Noble Truths, we must go one step further to understand how we came to be born human by following our past [karma]. After our karmic causes and conditions converged in our past life, they eventually dispersed and we thus came to be born in our present life.
I may ask, “What did you do in your past life?” But I would not just ask you this, I would also ask the same question of myself, “What did I do in my past life?” I would say the same thing as you, “I don’t know.” But at the present I do know where I was born in this lifetime. Where did I come into the world? This I know. I know who my parents are and the type of karmic connection I have with them. If you ask me how I came to leave my family and become a monastic to engage in spiritual practice, I know the causes and conditions behind that. This is because in this life, no one knows me better than myself.
So, throughout the course of my whole life, over these many decades, my life has gone through many changes. What exactly is changing throughout my life? My thoughts. All of us have so many thoughts. Who knows how many thoughts can arise in a day? Fortunately, my mind back then led me on a very clear and open road. By paving well my path in the world, I entered the Bodhi-path. But most people may remain in a state of ignorance. Every day, their thoughts arise out of ignorance. This ignorance leads to other conditions. What does it lead to? It leads to volitional formation, which leads to consciousness, which leads to name and form, which lead to the six entrances, which leads to contact, which leads to sensation, which leads to craving, which leads to grasping, which leads to becoming. These are all causes, which then lead to birth, aging, illness and death. These are the 12 Links of Cyclic Existence.
Yesterday’s sutra passage states, “The father knew his children, that each had his or her own preferences for all kinds of precious toys or unusual objects, which would surely bring them joy.”
That elder, the father, kept calling on his children to come out, but they were immersed in that environment. Although he said that the fire was all around them and that they must get out right away, the children treated the fire as something pretty and fun.
This is like watching the wildfires in Australia on television.
They have been brining for seven, eight, nine days and cannot be extinguished.We are worried about them, but when we watch it on television, at night, when the sky is burning red, it seems so beautiful.This is similar to when we see illusive and unreal states.The true state now in Australia, where the fire is actually burning, is a terrifying scene.
Moreover, if we see the fires in daytime, we see how the smoke and fire continue to rise.Seeing that makes us worried.
People who are actually there can see the actual situation, just as the Buddha sees the True Dharma behind all things.We must recognize the severity of such disasters, that they must have been caused by something.There must be underlying causes and conditions.
If the fires were not caused by the high heat, the dry tree branches, or the wind blowing and causing them to brush up against each other and give off a spark, then the cause must have been manmade, whether intentionally or unintentionally.This is a real situation and real people are actually there.They will investigate the cause of this fire.
Since we are somewhere far away, it can feel like what is happening there has nothing to do with us.Technology allows us to see the images there.
See, it may seem very beautiful to us.This is what ordinary people are like.All the images that we see are illusive, so we do not know to be scared.
The father sees how his children are like this, lost and mesmerized by that illusive and unreal state, unable to escape that hazardous situation.He knows they each have different preferences, so he uses various methods to call out to them and draw them out.
So, “The father knew his children, that each had his or her own preferences.”A father knows his children best.No one knows the children’s minds better than their father, just like how the Buddha understands the capabilities of sentient beings better than anyone.This is the same principle.
Sentient beings each have their own ;pursuits and desires, so He taught skillful means according to their desires and capabilities.This principle is the same.
The following passage states again, “So, he told the children…”
The elder knew the desires in their heart, so he stated talking to them.“The toys you like to play with are rare and difficult to obtain. If you do not take them, you will regret it later.”He told them they must [come out].
What they needed, what they craved and what they wanted are all outside.“Come; cone quickly!”“If you do not hurry up and come out, you may not get what you want. If you miss out on this, you will regret it.”The elder knew what they liked, just like how the Buddha understands our capabilities.Thus He began by teaching the Four Noble Truths.Everyone who wants to listen to the Dharma, who wants to understand the principles of life, first needs a good foundation.
Regardless of whether they have great capabilities, average capabilities or limited capabilities, they all must first have this basic understanding.So, He began by teaching suffering, causation, cessation and the Path.
The Four Noble Truths were His first teachings.
We must take great care to understand this most fundamental teaching.So next, we need to know that to understand suffering, we must understand where suffering comes from, and what the origins of suffering are.
Causation is something we create at every moment.But these causes are accumulated over the Three Periods, past, present and future.Currently, throughout the course of every day we are constantly accumulating them.What we accumulate now will affect our future.Are we accumulating good causes or evil ones?Accumulating goodness is a state of mind.
Every day, we do good deeds and benefit others.Every day, we form good connections with people.Thus we accumulate goodness.If every day we give rise to afflictions, and every day we behave improperly, then we will constantly form negative connections. Thus we accumulate evil.
Whether we are accumulating goodness or evil, we are accumulating causes. Where will they [manifest]? In our future lifetimes. So, the karma we accumulated in previous lives led us to this life. If in this life, we are still in a state of ignorance, we will accumulate similar karma, which likewise affects us; in this life, we do not know when impermanence will manifest. Then, we “cannot take anything with us, but we bring the karmic causes and conditions we have accumulated into our future lives. These are the Three Periods. Everyone talks about the [Twelve] Links of the Three Periods. The links of the Three Periods all begin with [ignorance].
How many links are there? There are 12 links. Sentient beings [come into being] because of these links.Beginning with ignorance, each of these links leads us and pulls us to another link. This is how, in every life, we experience cyclic existence in the Three Periods.
Not only do we experience cyclic existence, we also transmigrate through the Six Realms. In the Three Periods and the Six Realms, these karmic links lead our way. These causes and conditions arise in sequence, and we follow this order of causes and conditions.
“The Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence: These links drag sentient beings to transmigrate in the Six Realms and Three Periods. The order of these causes and conditions begins with ignorance leading to volitional formation. Volitional formation leads to consciousness, consciousness to name and form. Name and form lead to the six entrances, and the six entrances lead to contact. Contact leads to sensation, sensation to craving, craving to grasping, grasping to becoming, becoming to birth, and birth leads to aging and death.”
These links are arranged in an order, beginning with ignorance. Ignorance is that initial thought. In the beginning, I told everyone that an ignorant thought may arise in a second, and the most critical moment in our whole lifetime may be that one second. In that second we can give rise to a thought that affects our whole lifetime. That one thought is an ignorant thought. Once ignorance stirs, it gives rise to greed, anger, and delusion. Once we give rise to greed, delusion will follow. This is all due to that one thought. Once an ignorant thought arises, the cycle of the links will begin. These links will lead us along. Being ignorant is like being blindfolded and being led by someone else.
So, ignorance leads to volitional formation. Thus we begin to take action. Volitional formation leads to consciousness. This starts with taking action, so we often talk about the Six Sense Organs and Six Sense Objects. When we connect with our external conditions, our eyes see forms, and we desire certain forms. When our ears hear sounds, we desire certain sounds. If we hear something, a comment that makes us unhappy, we will react. This is how conflict arises.
When we crave things we will try to take them. If we cannot take them easily, we try to find other ways, so we end up fighting over things. These are all volitional formations, kinds of actions. Our ignorance leads us to behave in certain ways. Thus ignorance leads to volitional formation. After we act, the karma we create is stored in our consciousness.
In our eighth consciousness, all the good and evil we have ever done is stored these as seeds. After we act, there is a result. The fruits of our good and evil deeds are seeds, which are collected in the eighth consciousness. Consciousness leads to name and form; once karma is created, it is outside of our control. We had formed affinities with our parents, so when our previous life ended, we came to this one. “Ignorance” leads to “volitional formation”, which leads to “consciousness”. The seed planted in our “consciousness” will lead us to a certain pair of parents and a certain place. This is how we ended up where we did.
So, consciousness” leads to “name and form.” “Name and form” is when a father’s sperm and a mother’s egg converge. We do not yet have human form Before we have fully taken shape, this is called “name and form.” This lasts until we have our hands and feet. In the womb, we gradually develop and begin to have mind-consciousness, the Six Sense Organs; this is the “six entrances.” The “six entrances” means that, in addition to our feet, hands and head, our consciousness and also starts to develop as “name and form” leads to the “six entrances.”
These six entrances take shape, leading to “contact,” sensory contact. Once we begin to have mind-consciousness, when the time comes, we come into contact with the outside world. Do you know the depth of the pain we experience at birth? When children are in their mother’s womb, they are like a ball of raw flesh. They have absolutely no contact with the air outside. It is only when they are born that they suddenly come in contact with the air. Their entire body is completely bare, without anything to protect them. Having never been exposed to air, the pain of that exposure shocks their system. So, when all babies are born, they cry. This is because the moment they are born, they feel a piercing pain all over their body. This shock to their nerves causes them to cry.This comes with “contact”.
“Contact” leads to “sensation” Being exposed to this world, we start to develop feelings, like pain. The feeling of being exposed to air is very painful, so we cry. After this beginning, these feelings continue from infancy into adulthood. As babies we already have desires. When we are hungry, we will cry. When we are being nursed by our mother, we automatically start sucking. We such the milk because of our “craving”. “Craving” is when we begin of pursue things. This starts when we were infants. As soon as we learn to walk, when we see other people’s things we try to take them.If we give a toddler something, [they say] “I don’t want this; I want that.” They are already picky. This starts when we are little Humans are like this; we start by craving small things, then we discriminate, become picky and fight over things. Starting form a young age, though both siblings get a share, one will try to take whatever the other has. From the very beginning, life is like this “Sensation” leads to “craving,” and “craving” leads to “grasping.” We try to take things “Grasping” leads to “becoming.” Once we have something, that leads to “becoming.”
What comes into being? Good and bad karma. Are you grasping things to do something good? You may need something right now to save people. You may need something right now to save people. Then something comes to be; what is it? You become loving; the other person becomes grateful. In their actions, those who give do so with love, and those who receive feel grateful. The opposite is thinking of all the ways you can take what another person has and make it your own. If you take things from other people, if you do it out of a negative intent, an unwholesome mind, out of greed. The person you took things from, the person you fought with, will resent and hate you because he has nothing. This has created karma of hatred and resentment.
So, “grasping” leads to “becoming,” good and bad karma coming into being. This leads to “birth,” giving rise to various things. After we finish creating good and bad karma in this lifetime, when this life is over where will we go? In future lives, we will be born, we will grow old, we will become ill and we will die. From the ignorance in our past lives, we created karma that led to our present life. And this life, we ignorantly crate more karma, which will lead us to our next life. In this way, “birth” leads to aging, illness and death. We need to understand this and comprehend how the 12 Links of Cyclic Existence connect to each other. Then we realize the principles of true emptiness.
Indeed, this started with just a single thought It is just a thought, so it is completely empty. But if we act on it and create a lot of karma, we will fill our lives with suffering. We have accumulated many [causes] so we [transmigrate] though lifetime after lifetime. If we can understand this, we have realized the principles of true emptiness.
Dear Bodhisattvas, in learning the Buddha’s Way, we must first understand the Four Noble Truths and the 12 Links of Cyclic Existence. Therefore, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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