Category: Bhāvanā 修行
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The Lion’s Roar of Liberation: Declaring Freedom Beyond the World
The Buddha’s fearless declaration of a freedom no world can contain Introduction: The Sound That Shakes the Worlds “Pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu cakkhuṃ udapādi, ñāṇaṃ udapādi, paññā udapādi, vijjā udapādi, āloko udapādi.” (SN 56.11)“In the Dhamma not heard before, vision (cakkhu) arose, knowledge (ñāṇa) arose, wisdom (paññā) arose, true knowledge (vijjā) arose, light (āloka) arose.” This…
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From “Something Is Wrong” to the Right Awakening: Touching the Grace of Nibbāna
Many today feel it: something is wrong with the world.Ancient wisdom called this māyā — not just impermanent or unstable, but an illusion, not ultimately real. Science too begins to agree. Theories suggest we may be living in a simulation: a constructed appearance that seems solid, yet is only patterns of information. Just as in…
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Against the Stream: The Path of Liberation Is Not for the Faint-Hearted
Courage, Patience, and the Heroic Mind in the Theravāda Suttas Many people approach meditation for peace and stress relief. This is a good beginning, but the Buddha’s Path goes far beyond comfort. It leads to the complete ending of suffering—the Deathless—and it demands heroic qualities of mind. The Buddha himself declared: “This Dhamma goes against…
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Vinaya Is the Lifespan of the Buddha’s Teaching
Why Keeping a Stricter Vinaya Protects Not Only Monastics, but the Longevity of Gautama’s Dhamma At a recent discussion, someone asked: “Why be so strict with Vinaya? Isn’t it enough for monks to keep the basics and focus on meditation?” It’s a sincere question—but the Buddha himself gave the answer long ago. In the Mahāparinibbāna…
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The Path of Liberation Is Not Part-Time
Why the Buddha’s Way Requires a Death and Rebirth A Question from Retreat During a recent meditation retreat, someone asked me: “I have a full-time job, but I meditate for a couple of hours every day. Isn’t that good enough? Surely liberation will come if I keep at it.” This question is sincere. Many people…
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Did the Buddha Forbid Bhikkhus from Using Mantras, Spells, or Charms (咒語)?
Last weekend during our meditation retreat, a thoughtful question arose: “Did the Buddha forbid bhikkhus from using mantras, spells, or charms (咒語)?” This is not just a matter of history. It goes to the heart of what makes Buddhism unique: do we rely on external powers for protection, or do we rely on the inner…
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Why I Didn’t Teach the Kamma?
This article arises from a sincere question:“Bhante, why don’t you teach kamma? Everyone says it is the essence of Buddhism.” It’s true—many Buddhist teachers talk a lot about kamma (karma). They explain how good deeds lead to good rebirths, how bad deeds lead to suffering. People are encouraged to fear evil and do good, so…
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为什么我不教授「无常、苦、无我」三法印
下文根據英文簡陋翻譯,詳細閱讀請參照英文版:Why I Don’t Teach the Triad of Impermanence, Suffering, and Non-Self 簡文: 今天一提到佛教,人们常常会听到一句口号:「一切无常,一切皆苦,一切无我。」 很多人甚至以为,这就是佛教的核心。 但事实上,这个「三法印」的说法,并不是佛陀亲自留下的总结,而是佛灭几百年后,部派佛教在系统化、对外辩论时逐渐形成的。后来,大乘又把「无我」发展成「诸法皆空」,形成双重否定。再到近代西方学者,为了方便介绍佛教,又把三法印写进教科书,塑造成「佛教的精髓」。 换句话说:三法印是后世的身份标签,而不是佛陀的心要。 佛陀的本意 佛陀舍家出走,并不是为了证明「一切皆无常」或「没有自我」。他唯一的动机是:要寻找一条超越衰老与死亡的道路。 佛陀确实教导过无常、苦、无我,但这是修行的工具,而不是终点: 色蕴、受蕴、想蕴、行蕴、识蕴——这些有为的聚合,不是真我。 但佛陀从未说过「根本没有自我」。他真正的意思是:不要把会坏灭的东西错认作自我。 真我并不在五蕴中,而是清净、不依蕴、不于世間生灭的純意识,在放下执著时显现,安住于「不死的涅槃界」。 三法印的危险 当三法印被误当作佛教的核心时: 佛陀的心意不是「否定」,而是「解脱」;不是「虚无」,而是「不死的自由」。 我的路徑 因此,我强调的不是三法印,而是: 结语 无常、苦、无我,作为观修工具有帮助,但它们不是佛法的心髓。佛陀真正的讯息是:有一条道路,能超越老病死,进入不死涅槃界。 不要执著于口号。走佛陀走过的路:厌离、欲灭、解脱、涅槃界。 詳細閱讀下文: 一、导论:三法印的问题 今天,当人们接触佛教——无论是在大学课程、禅修工作坊,还是在大众读物中——几乎立刻会听到一个整齐的总结:「佛陀教导:一切法无常,一切法皆苦,一切法无我。」 这个「无常 (anicca)、苦 (dukkha)、无我 (anattā)」的三联说被反复强调,以至于许多人以为这就是佛法的核心。老师们常常把它当作佛教的标志,一句口号,就能把佛陀的教导与其他宗教区分开来。在现代人的想象中,作佛弟子就是要相信:一切无常,一切皆苦,一切无我。 然而,这样的整齐公式是有误导性的。它既不符合佛陀当年实际的教导方式,也不能表达佛弟子们真实修行的核心体会。事实上,它代表的是一个后期的系统化——佛陀入灭几百年后,佛教诸部派为了在竞争中界定自身的身份,而人为地简化出的一套总结。随着时间推移,这套总结被当成正统,硬化为「佛教的本质」,既成了标志身份的符号,也成了论辩时的武器,最终甚至成为向世界介绍佛教的口号。 问题不在于佛陀的教导中没有无常、苦、无我。显然,这三者在经典中都有出现。但如今被捆绑在一起、并被赋予「佛法精髓」般的地位,这反而歪曲了佛陀本来的宗旨。佛陀的使命并不是要留下一个哲学三条式。他的使命是要解开生老病死的谜团,指出超越有为世界的出离之道,开显通往「涅槃界 (Nibbāna-dhātu)」,即「不死之境」的道路。 这种扭曲带来的后果极为深远。当三法印被当作佛教的核心时,佛法就有可能被误解为一种虚无与否定的哲学。「一切无常,一切皆苦,一切无我」——如果被当作信条来理解,这听起来满是悲观、否定,甚至近乎虚无。许多人正是因这样的总结而接触佛教,却误以为佛陀只是在宣说绝望。他们完全错过了佛陀教法真正的愿景:解脱、安乐,以及「不死涅槃」的圆满安宁。 因此,我写下这篇文章,作为一种澄清。我要强调的不是否定无常、苦、无我作为修观工具的价值,而是要恢复其本来的位置。佛陀并没有留下一个公式,他留下的是一条道路。他并没有说「一切皆无我」作为一种信条,而是说「不要把不是真实自我的东西误认为自我」作为一种解脱的方法。他并没有停留在无常和苦的层面,而是指出了超越它们的究竟实相——「不死的涅槃界 (Nibbāna-dhātu)」。 二、三法印的历史形成 在最早层次的经典——巴利《尼柯耶》和汉译《阿含经》——我们会发现:「无常、苦、无我」确实存在,但并没有被结晶为一个固定的三法印。每个特征都在不同语境中单独出现:无常用于提醒世事变化,苦用于揭示渴爱的危险,无我用于引导放下对五蕴的执著。只有极少数情况下三者同时出现,而且是观修语境,而不是佛法的总纲。 《法句经》就是明证。它有整整一章名为《自我品》(Atta-vagga),强调自护、自律、自觉(偈 157–166),却只有一偈提到「无我anattā」(偈 279)。若「无我论」才是核心,我们应当看到相反的比例。 《长老偈》《长老尼偈》进一步印证了这一点。早期弟子们歌颂的是寂静 (santi)、自由 (mutti)、不死 (amatadhamma),而不是反复吟诵「无常、苦、无我」。他们的重点不是「证得无我」,而是「得到解脱」。 直到阿毗达磨出现,三法印才被系统化为「一切有为法的三特征」,成为身份标志。它方便记忆、方便与外教辩论,却也因此被拔高为「佛法的核心」。 三、无我如何被重新诠释 佛陀本意的「无我」,是方法,不是哲学。他说的是:五蕴非我。 色蕴…
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Why I Don’t Teach the Triad of Impermanence, Suffering, and Non-Self
The Buddha never taught ‘there is no self’—he taught: do not cling to what is not your self. Whenever Buddhism is introduced, people often hear a slogan:“Everything is impermanent, everything is suffering, everything is non-self.” It sounds neat. It sounds final. Many even think this is Buddhism. But here’s the truth: the Buddha never taught…
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🎶 Sound as a Gateway to Expanded Awareness
Sound is not entertainment—it is a doorway to awareness. We often think of sound as background—music to relax with, noise to tune out, or entertainment to fill the silence. But in the Hemi-Sync meditation program, sound is something entirely different. It is not a backdrop. It is a precise and intentional technology—carefully engineered to expand…