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善知識難遇 Good Teachers are Rare（中英文字幕 English subtitle）-- 美佛寺性仁法師 Venerable Xingren

06/15/2022     美佛寺



2022.06.10 宣講於洛杉磯美佛寺 諸位同修，對於一個初學者來說，學習佛法是要有先後次序的。盲修瞎練，或者好高騖遠，不僅得不到佛法的益處，往往會造成事倍功半，甚至半途而廢。如果你真的有心想要修學佛法，首先，要找到一個具德的善知識。依止善知識是學佛的前提條件。佛法講：『善知識難遇。』善知識，用現在的話來講，就是合格的佛法老師。在我們現實生活當中，我們想要學習任何的知識，都離不開老師的教導。我們從小上學，接受學校的系統教育，固然是需要老師。就算是學習世間的任何一門手藝或者技術，比如像泥工、木工之類的，比如像醫生、藝術之類的，都要靠老師的傳授。既然連這些世俗的小學問都需要明師的指點，更何況是我們人生的生死大事呢！此等大事，我跟諸位同修講，是絕不可能無師自通的。世間上甚麼都可以自學，唯獨佛法不行，一定需要有老師的指導，一定需要有善知識的教導。有的人說：『現在網絡信息是如此地發達，網絡上有很多的講經說法，有很多教導佛法修行的。我個人很善於自學，大概自學佛法也不成問題。』然而，我要跟你說的是，在佛教的歷史上，沒有任何人只靠自己看書自學，就能夠成就佛道的。還有些人說：在釋迦牟尼佛之前，沒有佛法，釋迦牟尼佛不就是無師自通的嗎？我跟你說：釋迦牟尼佛可以，但你不可以。因為在人類的歷史上，這麼多年，只出現一位本師釋迦牟尼佛，只出現一位這麼特殊的人物，這個是非常特殊的個例，是個案。其實，我們的本師釋迦牟尼佛在六年的苦行當中，祂也是依止老師的。只是經歷過一番的依止之後，證得了他們修行的最高的境界，發現他們修行的目標沒有徹底擺脫輪迴生死之苦，於是離開了他們。大家如果有讀過十二部經的本事本生經，我們從這兒當中可以看出，我們的本師釋迦牟尼佛在這個世間示現成佛之前的無量生命當中，祂曾經遍訪明師，曾經到處參學，甚至犧牲生命，為的就是求一四句偈的開示。可見善知識在我們修學佛法當中的重要性。大家最為熟悉的觀世音菩薩。觀世音菩薩的頭上有一尊小小的佛像，這個小佛像是誰？就是祂的老師阿彌陀佛。這個表示『尊師』之意。既然連諸佛菩薩都是如此依師而成就，更何況我們這些凡夫眾生呢！我們怎麼可能會有例外呢！別說得到解脫，甚至只是得到小小的進步，也一樣離不開善知識的教導。所以，作為一個初學者，一定要嚴格依止善知識的教導。依止善知識是修學佛法的前提！我身邊看到有太多這樣的悲慘例子，他們就是沒有遇到一個好的善知識。由於末法時代好的善知識也不是很多，反而邪師說法如恒河沙，他們就是被邪師所誤導，結果邪知邪見。修行沒有任何的受益不說，結果還害得自己走火入魔。耽誤自己的法身慧命不說，結果還弄得自己家破人亡，妻離子散，真的是慘不忍睹。所以初學佛法的人一定要謹慎，要慎之又慎。在選擇善知識的時候，一定要特別小心，仔細觀察，以免一步走錯，滿盤皆輸。我跟諸位同修講，讀萬卷書不如行萬里路，行萬里路不如善知識給你指路。所以初發心學佛，對佛法一竅不通，你如果沒有善知識的引導，比較容易誤入歧途。行門一點都不通，修從何起！我跟你說，你根本都無從修起。所以找一位好的善知識，就顯得特別地重要。因為善知識能夠引發我們的善根，能夠開啟我們的智慧，所以初學佛者，必須要常常親近依止善知識。讓我說得更加俗氣一點，尋找善知識的過程就像男女戀愛找對像一樣。一定要特別地小心，特別地謹慎，慎之又慎。因為這個關係到你自己一生的幸福，這個關係到我們的法身慧命。所以佛法講：『人身難得，佛法難聞，眾僧難值，善知識難遇。』還真的是這樣。如果你已經遇到一位合格具德的善知識，那我恭喜你，請你好好地去珍惜；你如果還沒有遇到，希望能夠仰仗三寶的加持力，你在修學的過程當中，能夠遇到一個合格的善知識。感恩大家，阿彌陀佛！

Fellow practitioners, for a beginner, learning the Dharma must be done in order. Blind cultivation without guidance and biting off more than one can chew will not only make one fail to gain the benefits of the Dharma, but also often result in twice the effort or even giving up halfway. If you really want to practice Buddhism, first, you must find a virtuous good teacher. Relying on good teachers is a prerequisite for learning Buddhism. Buddhadharma states "Good teachers are hard to come across." Good teachers, in present words, are qualified Buddhadharma teachers. In our real life, whatever knowledge we want to learn, we can't do without the teacher's teaching. When we receive systematic education since childhood, we definitely all need teachers. Even learning any skill or technique in the world, such as masonry, carpentry, etc., such as doctors, art, etc., must rely on the teacher's teaching. Since even these small worldly subjects require good teachers' guidance, let alone the great affair of the liberation of our lives! Such an important matter, I tell you fellow practitioners, is absolutely impossible to learn without a teacher. Everything in the world can be self-studied, except Buddhadharma, which must be guided by a teacher, and must be taught by a good teacher. Some people say, "Now the Internet information is so plentiful, on the Internet there are many sermons, and many are teaching Buddhadharma practice. Personally, I am very good at self-studying, and probably self-studying Buddhadharma is not a problem." However, what I want to tell you is that in the history of Buddhism, no one can only read books and self-study to achieve one's Buddhahood. Some people say that there was no Dharma before Shakyamuni Buddha. Didn't Shakyamuni Buddha teach himself without a teacher? Let me tell you: Shakyamuni Buddha could, but you can't. Because in the history of mankind, for so many years, there has been only one original founder, Shakyamuni Buddha, only one person that special. This is a very special case, a case in point. In fact, during the six years of his asceticism, our original founder Shakyamuni Buddha also relied on his teachers. It was just after a period of reliance, he achieved the highest state of their practice and found that the goal of their practice was not completely being free from the suffering of reincarnation, so he left them. If you have read the Jataka (past life sutras) of the Twelve Divisions, you can see that our master original founder Shakyamuni Buddha, in his countless lives before becoming a Buddha in this world, had been everywhere to visit good teachers and study, and even sacrificed his life to ask for a verse of four lines. Here we see the importance of good teachers in our Buddhist practice. The one we are most familiar with is Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. A small Buddha statue is on top of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva's head. Who is this small Buddha statue? It is His teacher Amida Buddha. This means "respecting teachers". Even Buddhas and Bodhisattvas achieve by relying on teachers like this, let alone us ordinary beings! How could we possibly be exceptions! Not to mention liberation, even a small progress is also inseparable from the teachings of good teachers. Therefore, as a beginner, one must strictly rely on the teachings of good teachers. Relying on good teachers is the prerequisite of practicing Buddhadharma! I see so many tragic situations around me when people just don't have good teachers. Because there are not many good teachers in the Degenerate Dharma age, while evil teachers teaching the Dharma are like the sand of the Ganges, people are misled by the evil teachers, and as a result, they have wrong knowledge and wrong views. Not to mention that there is no benefit from their cultivation, as a result, they even make themselves obsessed. Not only do they spoil their own Dharma body and life of wisdom, but as a result their families are also destroyed and broken up, which is really terrible. Therefore, people new to Buddhism must be cautious, double cautious. When choosing a good teacher, one must be very careful and observe carefully, so as not to take a wrong step and lose the whole game. I tell you fellow practitioners that traveling 10000 miles is better than reading 10000 books and having a good teacher to guide you is better than traveling 10000 miles. Therefore, as a beginner knowing nothing about the Dharma, with no guidance of a good teacher, you're more likely to go astray. If you don't know anything about a method, then where do you start! Let me tell you, you have no point to start from at all. Therefore, it is very important to find a good teacher. Because good teachers can activate our good roots and prompt our wisdom, so beginners must always get close to and rely on good teachers. Let me put it more simply, the process of finding a good teacher is like looking for a partner. You must be extra careful, extra cautious, double cautious. Because this affects the happiness of your own life and your Dharma body and life of wisdom. Therefore, Buddhadharma states "The Human body is hard to have, the Dharma is hard to hear, the Sangha is hard to encounter, and good teachers are hard to come across." It really is. If you have met a qualified and virtuous good teacher, then I congratulate you, please cherish him/her; if you have not, I hope you can rely on the blessings of the Triple Jewels and meet a qualified good teacher while practicing and learning. Namaste, Amitabha!
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