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Thursday, October 8, 2015

【靜思妙蓮華】20150831 - 五濁八苦 缺無漏法 - 第642集 The Five Turbidities and Eight Sufferings



20150831《靜思妙蓮華》五濁八苦缺無漏法(第642集)
(法華經•譬喻品第三)

⊙「過眼韶華不再回,人生歲月易消逝,鏡中水月退無跡,老邁體態千子母。」
⊙「蜈蚣蚰蜒,毒蛇之類,為火所燒,爭走出穴。」《法華經譬喻品第三》
⊙「鳩槃荼鬼,隨取而食。又諸餓鬼,頭上火然,飢渴熱惱,周慞悶走。」《法華經譬喻品第三》
⊙鳩槃荼鬼,隨取而食:千子魔母惜子如命,捉他人子損其命,餐養己子故言隨取而食。後受佛化,作大懺悔,發願成為守護法者。
⊙又諸餓鬼,頭上火然:老苦,行蘊心擾擾不息,病苦、死苦、求不得苦、愛別離苦,定必有障,怨憎會苦。因苦生惱亂心,喻頭上火然。
⊙火譬眾生五濁等苦,宅譬三界,謂三界眾生,為五濁八苦之所煎逼,而不得安隱。猶大宅被火所燒,而不能安居。故以火宅為喻也。

【證嚴上人開示】

「過眼韶華不再回,人生歲月易消逝,鏡中水月退無跡,老邁體態千子母。」

過眼韶華不再回
人生歲月易消逝
鏡中水月退無跡
老邁體態千子母

人生過得很快,時間轉眼從青春年華,很快時光就這樣過去,無聲無息,從年輕的時代,在這個無聲息,韶華光陰就這樣過去,青春少年不會再回來了。人生歲月,就是這麼的容易這樣就過去,所以像鏡中的水月,過去就沒有痕跡了,我們的身體新陳代謝,自己的體、形態,不知覺中在轉變;與我們這麼貼切的身體,但是我們自己也不覺知,何況抬頭所看到的月,離我們很遙遠,低頭所見水中月,是那麼虛幻不實,這就是我們人生啊!

我們的「老邁體態千子母」。女人,來看,女人的身體,美,美得形容到像菩薩,但是過去苗條的身態,穿起了高跟鞋,在走路的那個姿態,現在看她走路的姿態,幾十年的時光,風霜歲月,除了她的身體變形了,還有現在腳的關節,腰的關節,現在所在走的路,那個形態又是變怎樣呢?想想看,這種的人間還有什麼好計較呢?時間是這麼短暫,這麼的容易消逝過去,這只不過是過眼韶華,不會再回來了,人生歲月,就是這麼容易這樣過去,看,人間如夢幻泡影,如水中月,真的是,所以我們應該要好好,把握著時間在我們的人生中。其實,有的時候,看到人間那個美,不是在形態的美,在她得到了法,善法,身體力行在人間,那才是真美。

看到,南非的菩薩,南非的菩薩,粒粒都是黑珍珠,黑得會發亮、會發光。這些菩薩從南非,開著一輛,我們慈濟第三號的車,那已經用了十多年了,很舊了,上面坐著有九位的南非菩薩,那輛舊車要去史瓦濟蘭。史瓦濟蘭就六百公里遠,要從南非德本,開八個小時的路,車上還要再載東西,但是,好不容易,到了南非與史瓦濟蘭,要過關那個地方(兩國邊界),在那裡延宕了一段時間。好不容易撥開了這個障礙困難,讓她們過去,她們一路就趕,一輛老車,要趕到她們所要安單的地方,時間已經是超過好幾小時。

安單的地方是在哪裡呢?是一位臺商在那個地方的工廠,這個工廠叫做「南緯」。這位南緯工廠的董事長,是林居士,他很支持南非的慈濟人,能夠到史瓦濟蘭去,所以每一次她們若去,他就是提供那個地方讓她們住。但是,這次去那個地方,已經超過她們應該到達的時間,好幾個小時了,不過,她們到達時,還是看到這個空間,整理得很乾淨,要提供她們休息,她們看到很感恩,在這個期間,還有人在那裡等候,送她們吃的東西,麵包,隔天還有送她們水果,還送她們十件的毯子。

其實,她們所要的東西,她們都已經準備好,人來,送她們的東西,她們不敢收,雖然是很貧困,她們的腦裡就有一項,不貪,就不貧。所以她們堅持不要收。不過,對方很堅持,她們就將它收下來,就說:「我們可以將你這個東西,再轉送給其他很需要的人。」就這樣這些東西收下來,開始帶著史瓦濟蘭的志工,去看關懷戶。

第一個所看到的,就是一位愛滋病,三十幾歲的女人,很嚴重,瘦得只有皮包骨,躺在床上。南非菩薩就趕緊用愛去抱她,趕快如何為她清洗、打掃,還將麵包與水果,還有毯子,這樣為她整理整理,送給她。這就是愛的典範,他們史瓦濟蘭的人看了很感動。

天再向前走,老人已經是老邁又病了,住的地方是那麼的破爛,不得遮風遮雨,很可憐。同樣也是這樣、這樣,這樣的照顧,史瓦濟蘭這些志工,又是一分的震撼。同樣看她們這樣清掃之後,又送她毯子、又送她吃的東西,水果、麵包等等,同時告訴史也向瓦濟蘭的人,與這位阿婆周圍的鄰居,告訴他們:「拜託你們,這位老人沒有兒女,自己孤單一人,大家若能付出一點愛心,對這位老人幫助很大。」

因為他們先用愛去做出來了,是從南非來的,竟然來到史瓦濟蘭,對我們的鄰居,能夠付出那麼大的愛,他們那麼遠來到這裡,他們做得到,我怎會做不到呢?所以鄰居的人也答應願意,「我們會輪流願意來照顧他。」也跟著他們走,這些發心的志工也說:「我們也會常常,會來看他欠缺什麼,關心他。」

看,人生的愛、美就在這裡,說起來,這種愛的力量,雖然他們很貧困,但是他們還是很守規矩,不貪,他們知道不貪才不會貧,不貪就不貧,所以,人家送給他們的東西,完全都在最需要的人的家庭,他們轉送給人,不論是吃的東西,用的東西等等,這種修心很清淨,沒有貪念。

我們最近一直都說「五鈍使」,人就是從貪開始。我們的貪念去除了,什麼樣的困難都有辦法克服。這分的愛心能夠度人,所以在那個地方,遇到種種的困難,就是一念的愛,清淨無私的愛,克服了困難還能夠度人,這就是愛的力量。

所以,我們前面(經文)說,「蜈蚣蚰蜒,毒蛇之類,為火所燒,爭走出穴。」

蜈蚣蚰蜒
毒蛇之類
為火所燒
爭走出穴
《法華經譬喻品第三》

我們人的心態,無不都是貪、瞋、癡、慢、疑,含著毒。蜈蚣前面兩隻腳有毒,後面兩隻腳特別長,這種貪念延伸下去,這就是人間,我們人生就是這樣。

再來,「鳩槃荼鬼,隨取而食。又諸餓鬼,頭上火然,飢渴熱惱,周慞悶走。」

鳩槃荼鬼
隨取而食
又諸餓鬼
頭上火然
飢渴熱惱
周慞悶走
《法華經譬喻品第三》

「鳩槃荼鬼」,這個千子魔母疼惜自己的孩子,抓別人的孩子來給她的孩子吃。多少村莊鄉下人的孩子,這樣忽然間就不見了,所以去向佛陀哭訴。佛陀用方法要阿難和其他,等等比丘去抓她的孩子。鬼子母孩子不見了,哭哭啼啼。知道她的孩子是在佛的手中,所以來到佛陀面前苦苦哀求。

佛陀將她部份的孩子還給她。,「還缺一個!」佛陀說:「你已經有千子,不差這個。」「不行,這個孩子是我最小的,我最愛的。」佛陀說:「你最小的,你最愛的,這是一千個的其中一個而已。」「我也要啊!」她說,「不行。」佛陀說:「不然,再跟你換一個。」「少一個都不行。」

佛陀就說:「你才一個都不行。別人的父母只是一個孩子而已,兩個孩子而已,豈禁得起少一個呢?」鬼子母覺悟了,大懺悔了,然後皈依了,發願了,為守護法者。

鳩槃荼鬼
隨取而食:
千子魔母惜子如命
捉他人子損其命
餐養己子
故言隨取而食
後受佛化作大懺悔
發願成為守護法者

再來就說,「又諸餓鬼,頭上火然。」這就是表示「老苦,行蘊心擾擾不息」。

又諸餓鬼
頭上火然:
老苦
行蘊心擾擾不息
病苦、死苦、
求不得苦、
愛別離苦
定必有障
怨憎會苦
因苦生惱亂心
喻頭上火然

人老來一定是病,病的盡頭就是死。尤其是在一生當中,不論你年輕時,你愛欲追求,求不得也是苦啊。求到了,在一起還是愛別離苦啊!這全都有這種的障礙,,既然愛了,為什麼還會再離開呢?我要的東西,怎麼求不到呢?這必定是有障礙。障礙,是你過去生中有障礙他人,讓你(今生)求不得;因為你拆散別人,所以你有愛別離等等的苦。種種這無不都是障礙,障礙就是因緣。

或者是,我就是不想見他的人,偏偏就是要和我在一起,見面就吵架、見面就打架,冤家路窄;或者是歡喜冤家,就是這樣糾結在一起很複雜,又愛又恨又怨,這種怨憎會苦啊!

又再很多很多的困苦,這樣來困擾、惱亂了我們的心,所以譬喻「頭上火然」,整個頭像火在燒,所以常常聽到人家說:「我現在『頭抱著燒』。」這種的形容詞,就是很煩惱的意思。

再來就,「飢渴熱惱,周慞悶走。」這表示「四陰生惱」。

四陰生惱
即五蘊熾盛苦
缺無漏法食資糧
故飢渴所惱
猶是輪迴
故云周慞悶走
上明空中事
喻無色界火起

「四陰」,「五蘊」前面的「四蘊」,色、受、想、行這四項。因為我們有這個身體,與外面的境界等等,擾亂了我們的心,讓我們的感受很不好。自己的身體病痛,感受很痛苦,外面的事情,擾亂了我們的身心。與我很迫切,與我很有關的事情,沒辦法隨心完成,這跟身心,以及外面的人、事、物,全都有關。

所以,這個身體的責任、外面所來的感受等等,所以「想」,想不開,所以要如何去行動,還是在這個「蘊」,就是集過來,無形中那種的行蘊,所集的煩惱,所集的煩惱,在這個「五蘊熾盛」。前面的四項去造作,最後就是入這個「識」,意識裡面,就是藏著這個煩惱的種子,這就是因為「缺無漏法」。

「無漏法」大家知道了,戒、定、慧。我們欠缺,這個戒、定、慧。因為沒聽法,所以沒有法滋潤我們的慧命,這就是資糧,沒有法的資糧,來滋養我們的慧命,所以才會「飢渴所惱」,又飢又渴,擾亂了我們的身心,所以這樣才一直在這個輪迴中,在苦惱中輪迴,在六道中輪迴等等,所以叫做「周慞悶走」。

以上就是說空中的事情,「空」就是思想,思想中有很多「有色、無色」,這些還是一樣在煩惱,苦不堪,所以用火來比喻喻,譬喻「眾生五濁等苦」。

火譬眾生五濁等苦
宅譬三界
謂三界眾生
為五濁八苦
之所煎逼
而不得安隱
猶大宅被火所燒
而不能安居
故以火宅為喻也

眾生有五濁,見濁、命濁、眾生濁、煩惱濁、劫濁。在這個時間大家會合,這個地球這麼多人,各人各人觀念不同,各人各人的煩惱,就是非常的密集,看,你爭我奪,紛紛擾擾,造成了社會混亂。這人人的心中都是一把火,眾生五濁苦。

這個「宅」就是譬喻三界,這個空間,在這個空間裡有這麼多的火種。人人心中都有這種濁氣,有這種的火種,何況三界的眾生,五濁八苦所煎熬,「不得安隱」,這就是三界。像這個大火宅一樣,好像火不斷不斷燒起來了,所以,現在真的是來不及了,要如何熄滅這個火災?唯有法水,要有法的水,來滋潤人人心中的火,所以,我們要好好看得開人間。

「過眼韶華不再回,人生歲月易消逝,鏡中水月退無跡,老邁體態千子母。」像這個千子母,就如鬼子母,她的心轉過來,大懺悔之後,她也可以成菩薩,會值得人尊敬。所以我們要心,好好用在日常生活中,時時自我警惕,不要「頭上火然」,「頭抱著燒」,這樣會難過,這樣愈求愈不夠,那就是「周慞悶走」,你四周圍跑,都無路可出,處處有障礙。所以我們必定要時時多用心。

Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Five Turbidities and Eight Sufferings (離煩惱修無漏)
Date:August.31. 2015

“Youthful magnificence passes in the blink of an eye, never to return. With the passage of time, people’s lives change and fade away. The moon reflected in the water vanishes without a trace. The aged and frail figure is the mother of a thousand children.”

Our lifetime passes very quickly. In the blink of an eye, our youthful years are behind us. This happens with no warning. From a young age, our youthful magnificence passes away without notice; our youthful days will never return.
The years of our lives easily pass by in this way. Like the moon reflected in the water, once it vanishes no trace of it is left. The old cells in our body are replaced by the new, and the appearance of our body goes through subtle changes that we are unaware of. We are so intimately connected to this body, yet we are not always conscious of its changes. This is to say nothing of the moon that we lift our heads to see, which is so far away from us, or the moon in the water we look down upon, which is illusory and has no true substance. This is the same as our lives!
“The aged and frail figure is the mother of a thousand children.” Look at the body of a woman. When she is beautiful, we say she is like [Guanyin] Bodhisattva. Though in the past her figure was so slender, and she would put on high heels and walk with a certain posture, look at the way she walks now. After decades of being worn down by hardships, aside from changes in her physical appearance, there are also changes in the joints of her feet and waist. When she walks right now, what is her posture like?
Think about it. Living in a whole [of constant changes], what is there to get upset about? Our time is so short and passes away so easily. Our youthful magnificence is simply passing and will never return. The days of our lives pass us by in this way. See, life is like a dream, a bubble, an illusion, it is like the moon in the water. It truly is. Therefore we must earnestly make full use of our time in this world.
Indeed, sometimes beauty in this world does not come from physical appearance, but from obtaining virtuous Dharma and putting it into practice in this world. That is true beauty. When we look at volunteers from South Africa, each of these Bodhisattvas is like a black pearl. Their skin is so dark they are radiant. One time a group of these volunteers traveled in their NO. 3 Tzu Chi car; it had been in use for over ten years and is very old. Nine South Africa Bodhisattvas used this old car to travel to Swaziland.
Swaziland is 600 km away. From Durban, South Africa, this trip would take eight hours. The car was also carrying supplies. When they finally managed to reach the border crossing between South Africa and Swaziland, they were held up there for a while. With great effort, they resolved the issues and were able to cross the border. They hurried on in this old car to get to where they were staying for the night.They were already many hours behind schedule.
Where were they staying for the night?In a factory owned by a Taiwanese businessman.
This factory belonged to Tex-Ray Industrial Co.
The chairman of this company is Mr. Lin.He was very supportive of Tzu Chi volunteers from South Africa going to Swaziland, so every time they made the trip, he provided a place for them to rest.
However, on this trip they were many hours past their scheduled arrival time.Still, when they arrived, they saw that the place they were staying was cleaned up nicely for them to rest.
Seeing this, they felt very grateful.Moreover, someone was still waiting there to provide them with things to eat like bread.
The next day, someone else delivered fruits and even gave them ten blankets.Actually, they had prepared everything they needed so when they were presented with these things, they did not accept them.
Although they were very poor, in their minds they believed,“If I am not greedy, I am not poor.”So, they insisted on not accepting these gifts.But the people giving gifts were very insistent.
The volunteers accepted them, saying, we can pass these things on to people who are in need.”In this way, they accepted these gifts.
Then they led the Swaziland volunteers to go out and conduct case visits.
The first person they visited was a female AIDS patient who was in her 30s.She was seriously ill, just skin and bones.She was lying in bed, and the South African volunteers immediately greeted her with a loving embrace.They bathed and cleaned her up then cleaned her surroundings and gave her the bread, fruits and a blanket.They arranged everything for her and then gave her these gifts.They are role models of giving with love.
Seeing this, the Swazilanders were deeply moved.Then they went to another household.
This old woman was frail and sick.The place she lived in was so broken-down that it could not shelter here from wind or rain.She was in a sad situation.
[The South African volunteers] again provided her with the same level of care.The Swaziland volunteer was deeply moved again.They saw how, after cleaning up her surroundings, the South African volunteers gave her a blanket and things to eat, like fruits and bread and so on.
They also told the Swaziland volunteers and this woman’s surrounding neighbors, “Please look after her. This old woman has no children and lives all by herself. If everyone can give her a bit of love that would help this old woman a lot.”
Because the South African volunteers led by acting out of love, [the Swazilanders felt,].
“The South Africans actually came all the way to Swaziland and gave so much love to our neighbors. If they can travel all this way, if they can do this, why can’t we do it too?”
So, her neighbors all said they were willing.
“We will take turns caring for the old woman.”
The new Swaziland volunteers also said, “We will also visit her often to see what she needs.”
Look at the love in the world; that is where we find beauty.
In summary, this is the power of love.[South African volunteers] live in hardship, but they maintain strict discipline and are not greedy.
They know that if they are not greedy, they will not feel poor.Without greed, there is no sense of being poor.
So, when other people give them things, they turn around and give them to families that have the greatest need.This applies to things to eat, to use and so on.They have cultivated very pure minds that are free of thoughts of greed.
Recently, we have been talking about the five chronic afflictions.
People’s [afflictions] arise from greed.Once we eliminate our thoughts of greed, we will be able to overcome any kind of difficulty.With this loving heart, we can transform others.So, in that place, when volunteers faced various difficulties, with a mind full of pure and unselfish love, they were able to overcome difficulties and transform other people.This is the power of love.

The previous sutra passage states, “Centipedes and house centipedes and varieties of poisonous snakes were burned by the fire and struggled to get out of their holes.”

Our minds are filled with greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt; they contain these poisons.Centipedes’ first pair of legs contain venom, and their last pair of legs are extremely long. This is an analogy for how greed extends outward. This is how the world is. This is what our lives are like.

Next, it states, “The kumbhanda demon was chasing and grabbing them to eat. There were many hungry ghosts with the top of their heads aflame. They were afflicted by hunger, thirst and heat and ran about in terror and distress”.

“The kumbhanda demon” was the mother of a thousand children, and because she treasured them, she captured other people’s children and fed them to her own. Many children in the countryside had disappeared all of sudden, so people tearfully reported this to the Buddha. The Buddha made a plan for Ananda and the other bhiksus to capture her children.
When the mother of demons saw that her children were gone, she wept and sobbed. Upon learning her children were held by the Buddha, she came to Him and begged piteously. The Buddha returned all her children to her except for one.
The Buddha said, “You have a thousand children, you will not miss this one”.
“No, you cannot keep him. He is my youngest, my favorite”.
“Your youngest and favorite child is just one out of your thousand children; I just want to keep this one”.
She said, “No.”
The Buddha said, “What if I trade him for another.”
“No, I cannot lose even one of them”.
The Buddha said, “You say you cannot lose even one child, but the parents you steal children from have only one or two children; how can they stand losing one?”
This mother finally awakened and deeply repented. Then she took refuge with the Buddha and vowed to be a protector of the Dharma.

“The kumbhanda demon was chasing and grabbing them to eat: The demon mother loved her children like her life. Capturing other’s children, she took their lives to nourish her own children. Thus it says, “chasing and grabbing them to eat”. Transformed later by the Buddha’s teachings, she deeply repented and vowed to become a protector of the Dharma”.

Next it states, “There were many hungry ghosts with the top of their heads aflame”. This represents “the suffering of aging”, how “a mind influenced by the aggregate of action is incessantly disrupted”.

“There were many hungry ghosts, with the top of their heads aflame: This is the suffering of aging. A mind influenced by the aggregate of action is incessantly disrupted. The suffering of illness, the suffering of death, the suffering of not getting what we want and the suffering of parting from those we love are inescapable obstacles. Then there is suffering of meeting those we hate. These sufferings disturb people’s minds, so they are likened to having the top of one’s head aflame.”

As we grow old we will certainly fall ill. When the illness runs its course, we die. Moreover, throughout our lives, even when we were young, we pursued our desires. Not getting what we want also causes suffering. Even if we get what we want, we will suffer when we part from what we love. There are obstacles to everything. Why, if we love someone, do we have to separate from them? Why can’t we get the things we want? This is due to obstacles. Because we obstructed people in our past lives, now we cannot get what we want. Because we once broke up others’ relationships, we will suffer our own parting from those we love. These are all due to obstacles which arise because of the causes and conditions we created. Perhaps there are people we do not want to see, yet we keep being thrown together with them. When we see them we argue; when we see them we fight.
“Enemies are bound to meet on a narrow road”. Or quarrelsome but loving people may be entangled with each other in a complicated relationship. They love, hate and resent each other. This is suffering from meeting those we hate. There are also many other sufferings that trouble and disturb our minds.
This is likened to “having the top of [our] head aflame”. Our entire head seems to be on fire. We often hear people complain, “My head is on fire”. This is a description for what it feels like to be very afflicted.
Next, it states, “They were afflicted by hunger and thirst, running about in terror and distress”. This represents the “afflictions of the Four Skandhas”.

“The afflictions of the Four Skandhas are the suffering of the raging Five Skandhas. Lacking the nourishment of flawless Dharma, they were afflicted by hunger and thirst. In comparison to cyclic existence, it says they ran about in terror and distress. These above phenomena occur invisibly and are analogies for fires arising in the formless realm.”

The Four Skandhas are the first four aggregates of the Five Aggregates, form, feeling, perception and action. Because we have this body, when it connects with external conditions, they disturb our mind and cause us to feel uncomfortable.
When our body is ill and in pain, we feel deep suffering. Matters from our surroundings will disturb our body and mind. When it comes to the most pressing things, those things that are directly related to us, we may not be deal with them as we wish. This is how the body and mind are connected to people, matters and objects in our surroundings. So, the body is responsible for processing external sensations and feelings etc..
Then we have “perception.” If we cannot see through things, the actions we choose to take will continue to aggregate and accumulate. The invisible aggregate of action leads us to accumulate afflictions. The afflictions we have accumulated come from “the raging Five Skandhas.” The first four lead us to create karma, which is then stored our “consciousness.”
Our mind-consciousness stores all these of afflictions. This happens because we “lack the flawless Dharma.”
The flawless Dharma, as everyone knows, is precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. We are short on precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. Because we do not listen to the Dharma, we have no Dharma with which to nourish our wisdom-life. The Dharma is spiritual nourishment. Without the Dharma to nourish our wisdom-life, we are afflicted by hunger and thirst.” Being hungry and thirsty disturbs our body and mind so we continue to transmigrate. We experience this cycle of suffering and are trapped in cyclic existence in the Six Realm. Thus we “run about in terror and distress.”
The things we have spoken of are all invisible. These invisible things refer to our thinking. In our minds there are many [thoughts and afflictions,] so these afflictions will continue to arise. We are filled with unbearable suffering, so the analogy of a fire is used. Fire is an analogy for “sufferings caused by the Fire Turbidities and so on.”

Fire is an analogy for sentient beings’ suffering caused by the Five Turbidities and so on. The house is an analogy for the Three Realms. This means sentient beings in the Three Realms are tormented by the Five Turbidities and the Eight sufferings, thus they cannot attain safety and stability. This is just as if a big house was burning, thus we could not live safely in it. Therefore, the burning house is used as an analogy.

Sentient beings have Five Turbidities, he turbidity of views, the turbidity of life, the turbidity of sentient beings, the turbidity of afflictions and the kalpa of turbidity.
We all live together in this same era. There are so many people in this planet, and everyone’s opinions vary greatly. Everyone has their own afflictions, which frequently arise. See, when we fight with and take from each other, everyone is disturbed and this causes turmoil in society. In everyone’s mind there is a fire, this we suffer from the Five Turbidities.
This “house” is an analogy for the Three Realms. In this space, there are so many things which can start fires. Everyone’s minds has these kinds of turbidities, these firestarters. This is not to mention how sentient being in the Three Realms are tormented by the Five Turbidities and the Eight Sufferings. “They cannot attain safety and stability.”
In this Way, the Three Realms are like a burning house. The fire keeps arising and spreading. Now, we are truly running out of time. How can we put out this fire? The only way is with the Dharma-water. We need the Dharma-water to put out the Fire in our minds. We must see through this world. “Youthful, magnificence passed in the blink of an eye, never to return.” “With the passage of time, people’s lives change and fade away.” “The moon reflected in the water vanishes without a trace.” “The aged and frail figure is the mother of a thousand children.”
Take this mother of a [demons] for example. After turning her mind around and deeply repenting, she was able to become a Bodhisattva as well and be worthy of people’s respect.
So, we must be mindful of our daily living and constantly remind ourselves to be vigilant. We must not have “the tops of [our] head aflame. When “Our head is on fire, “we will feel miserable.
The more we pursue, the less we feel we have; we end up “running about in terror and distress.” Though we run around in all directions, we cannot find a way out because obstacles are everywhere. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)

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