时间：06/08/2024 06/09/2024
地点：星湖禅修中心
主讲：Otto Huang
佛法修行
法尚应舍，何况非法的感官欲乐
──阿梨咤比丘的邪见
有一次，佛陀游化到故乡迦毘罗卫城，住在城南的尼拘律园中。
这天，佛陀的堂兄弟摩诃男来礼见佛陀，问佛陀说：
「世尊！我修学佛法已经有好一段时日了，也深知佛陀所教导的法：贪、瞋、痴是内心的染污障碍，应当完全断除，但有时心中却还不免会生起贪、瞋、痴来，无法完全根除，不知这是因为还有哪一法尚未断尽所导致的呢？」
「摩诃男！你心中对来自眼、耳、鼻、舌、身等感官上的五欲之乐还喜欢着，所以还会有贪、瞋、痴的生起。一旦断除了感官五欲这一法，你甚且不会再过着在家的欲乐生活。
不过，摩诃男！即使能以正慧如实知『感官五欲是乐少、苦多、失望多、带有多少危险祸患』的圣弟子，只要还未能经验到离欲、恶的踊动之喜与温馨之乐，或者，比这喜乐更宁静的境界，那么，还是会喜欢这感官上的五欲之乐的。」
接着，佛陀为摩诃男居士，详尽地分别说明了这五种来自感官的欲乐，以及其所带来的危险祸患，例如，佛陀说：
「因为欲的缘故；以欲为根源，所以，国家与国家共诤；族群与族群共诤；家庭与家庭共诤；母子、父子、兄弟、姊妹都不免共诤，乃至因共诤而引起征战与残酷的杀戮。」
有一次，佛陀来到了憍萨罗国的首都舍卫城游化，住在城南郊外的祇树给孤独园。
那时，佛陀僧团中，有一位出家前以猎秃鹰为生，名叫阿梨咤的比丘常对人说：
「就我所了解世尊的教导，世尊虽说性欲是修道的障碍法，但享乐性欲的人，是不会有障碍的。」
对这个错误的说法，比丘们纷纷来纠正他，但都无效，所以，大家只好去禀报佛陀，请佛陀处理。
佛陀将阿梨咤比丘找来当面询问，亲耳证实了传言。于是，佛陀诃斥他道：
「阿梨咤！你从哪儿听到我那样说的？你这个愚痴人！不是我，而是你自己这样说的吧。你这个愚痴人！当听到比丘们纷纷纠正你时，你就应当要知错如法改正了。让我来问问其它比丘们，看他们是怎么理解的。」
于是，佛陀转问其它比丘：
「你们也同他一样听到我说：享乐性欲的人，不会有障碍吗？」
「没有。」其它比丘们回答。
「那你们听到我怎么说的？」
「我们听世尊这样说：欲是有障碍的，世尊说感官五欲是乐少、苦多、失望多、带有多少危险祸患啊！又世尊将那感官五欲，譬喻为骨骸、小肉块、火把、无焰火坑、毒蛇、梦境、借用物、树果、肉贩的刀俎、刀头上的蝇头小利，世尊是这样教导我们的。」
「很好！很好！你们都记得我这样的教导，但这个愚痴的阿梨咤，径以自己所好而颠倒我的教说，不但污蔑我，也将伤害他自己，使自己长久受苦，你这个愚痴人！知道你错了吗？」
听了佛陀这番诃责，阿梨咤比丘无法辩解，只能默然低头，若有所思。
接着，佛陀举了补蛇的譬喻，说明颠倒曲解佛陀教说的害处，用以勉励大家要善于理解佛陀的说法，并且牢记在心。佛陀说：
「譬如有人想捉蛇，一发现蛇，就迫不及待地以手直接往蛇尾或蛇腰抓，结果蛇头猛然回击，抓蛇人的手或脚就要被咬伤了。反之，懂得抓蛇的人，他会用一只前端开叉的棍棒，去压制蛇颈，这样，即使蛇尾如何反击，抓蛇人也不会受伤了。」
佛陀又说：
「我时常为大家说，应当舍离而不应执着的筏喻法，例如，有人要渡过一条极深且广、无桥也无船的河流，只好在岸边收集草木，打造简便的筏。当他乘筏安稳渡河后，觉得此筏对他很有益，舍不得丢弃，还扛着筏走，这样做，对他还有什么益处呢？所以，大家应当从筏喻法中理解到：连对善法的执着都应当舍离了，何况是对非法的执着呢！」
Date: 06/08/2024 06/09/2024
Location: Star Lake Meditation Center
Teacher: Otto Huang
Dharma Talk
“The Dharma itself should be relinquished; how much more so the non-Dharma of sensual pleasures.” – Misconception of the monk Alittha.
Once, the Buddha visited his hometown of Kapilavastu and stayed in the Nyagrodha Park to the south of the city.
That day, the Buddha’s cousin Mahanama came to pay homage and asked the Buddha, “World-Honored One! I have been practicing the Dharma for quite some time and deeply understand the teachings you imparted: greed, hatred, and ignorance are impurities of the mind and should be completely eradicated. However, sometimes these afflictions still arise in my heart, and I can’t fully uproot them. May I know what causes this?”
”Mahanama! You still find pleasure in the sensual joys arising from the senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, which is why greed, hatred, and ignorance arise. Once you sever the attachment to these sensual pleasures, you won’t even desire the hedonistic life of a householder anymore.
However, Mahanama! Even if a holy disciple could accurately perceive with right wisdom that ‘sensual pleasures of the five senses have little joy, much suffering, much despair, and are fraught with many dangers,’ as long as one has not experienced the joy and the tranquil happiness associated with renunciation or a state even more serene than this joy, one would still crave the sensual pleasures.”
The Buddha then elaborately explained to Mahanama the five types of sensory pleasures and the dangers they bring, like he said, “Due to desire; rooted in desire, thus nations quarrel against nations; tribes against tribes; families against families; and even mothers with sons, fathers with sons, brothers, and sisters cannot avoid disputes, leading to warfare and brutal slaughter.”
On another occasion, the Buddha arrived at Shravasti, the capital of the Kosala kingdom, and stayed in the Jetavana Park in the southern suburbs.
At that time, in the Buddhist monastic community, there was a monk who used to live by hunting hawks before his ordination, named Alittha. He often told people:
”From what I understand of the World-Honored One’s teachings, although he said that sexual desire is an obstacle to spiritual practice, those who indulge in it are unimpeded.”
The monks tried to correct his mistaken view, but to no avail. Hence, they reported the matter to the Buddha for him to address.
The Buddha summoned Alittha and confronted him face to face, confirming the rumors. Then the Buddha reprimanded him, saying:
”Alittha! Where did you hear me say that? You fool! It was not I who said that but you. You fool! When the monks were correcting you, you should have recognized your error and amended your ways. Let me ask the other monks how they understood it.”
Then the Buddha asked the other monks, “Did you also hear me say that those who indulge in sexual pleasure are unobstructed?”
”No,” replied the other monks.
”What then did you hear me say?”
”We heard the World-Honored One say: ‘Desire is obstructive; the World-Honored One said that the sensual pleasures of the five senses have little joy, much suffering, much despair, and many dangers. Moreover, the World-Honored One likened these sensual pleasures to bones, small pieces of meat, torches, flameless pits, venomous snakes, dreams, borrowed items, tree fruits, a butcher’s block and knife, and the small gains on the blade of a knife.’ That’s how the World-Honored One taught us.”
”Good! Good! You all remember my teachings well. But this foolish Alittha twists my teachings to his liking, not only maligning me but also harming himself, causing him to suffer for a long time. You fool! Do you realize your mistake?”
After hearing the Buddha’s reproach, Alittha the monk was unable to argue and could only bow his head in contemplation.
Then, the Buddha gave the simile of catching a snake, illustrating the harm of misinterpreting his teachings and encouraging everyone to understand and remember the Buddha’s words correctly. The Buddha said:
”For instance, someone wanting to catch a snake might hastily grab it by the tail or middle, only to be struck back fiercely by the snake, risking injury. On the contrary, a person skilled in catching snakes would use a forked stick to pin down the snake’s neck, thus avoiding injury regardless of how the snake lashes out.”
Buddha also said:
“I often tell you about the simile of the raft, which you should let go rather than cling to. For instance, if someone needs to cross a very deep and wide river without a bridge or boat, they must gather wood and grass from the bank to construct a simple raft. After safely crossing the river with the raft, one might think the raft is very useful and hesitate to leave it behind, even carrying it along.
But what benefit would that bring to them now? Therefore, everyone should understand from the simile of the raft: even the attachment to good Dharma should be relinquished, let alone the clinging to non-Dharma!”
