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善知识难遇 Good Teachers are Rare（中英文字幕 English subtitle）-- 美佛寺性仁法师 Venerable Xingren

06/15/2022     美佛寺



2022.06.10 宣讲於洛杉矶美佛寺 诸位同修，对於一个初学者来说，学习佛法是要有先后次序的。盲修瞎练，或者好高骛远，不仅得不到佛法的益处，往往会造成事倍功半，甚至半途而废。如果你真的有心想要修学佛法，首先，要找到一个具德的善知识。依止善知识是学佛的前提条件。佛法讲：『善知识难遇。』善知识，用现在的话来讲，就是合格的佛法老师。在我们现实生活当中，我们想要学习任何的知识，都离不开老师的教导。我们从小上学，接受学校的系统教育，固然是需要老师。就算是学习世间的任何一门手艺或者技术，比如像泥工、木工之类的，比如像医生、艺术之类的，都要靠老师的传授。既然连这些世俗的小学问都需要明师的指点，更何况是我们人生的生死大事呢！此等大事，我跟诸位同修讲，是绝不可能无师自通的。世间上甚麽都可以自学，唯独佛法不行，一定需要有老师的指导，一定需要有善知识的教导。有的人说：『现在网络信息是如此地发达，网络上有很多的讲经说法，有很多教导佛法修行的。我个人很善於自学，大概自学佛法也不成问题。』然而，我要跟你说的是，在佛教的历史上，没有任何人只靠自己看书自学，就能够成就佛道的。还有些人说：在释迦牟尼佛之前，没有佛法，释迦牟尼佛不就是无师自通的吗？我跟你说：释迦牟尼佛可以，但你不可以。因为在人类的历史上，这麽多年，只出现一位本师释迦牟尼佛，只出现一位这麽特殊的人物，这个是非常特殊的个例，是个案。其实，我们的本师释迦牟尼佛在六年的苦行当中，祂也是依止老师的。只是经历过一番的依止之后，证得了他们修行的最高的境界，发现他们修行的目标没有彻底摆脱轮回生死之苦，於是离开了他们。大家如果有读过十二部经的本事本生经，我们从这儿当中可以看出，我们的本师释迦牟尼佛在这个世间示现成佛之前的无量生命当中，祂曾经遍访明师，曾经到处参学，甚至牺牲生命，为的就是求一四句偈的开示。可见善知识在我们修学佛法当中的重要性。大家最为熟悉的观世音菩萨。观世音菩萨的头上有一尊小小的佛像，这个小佛像是谁？就是祂的老师阿弥陀佛。这个表示『尊师』之意。既然连诸佛菩萨都是如此依师而成就，更何况我们这些凡夫众生呢！我们怎麽可能会有例外呢！别说得到解脱，甚至只是得到小小的进步，也一样离不开善知识的教导。所以，作为一个初学者，一定要严格依止善知识的教导。依止善知识是修学佛法的前提！我身边看到有太多这样的悲惨例子，他们就是没有遇到一个好的善知识。由於末法时代好的善知识也不是很多，反而邪师说法如恒河沙，他们就是被邪师所误导，结果邪知邪见。修行没有任何的受益不说，结果还害得自己走火入魔。耽误自己的法身慧命不说，结果还弄得自己家破人亡，妻离子散，真的是惨不忍睹。所以初学佛法的人一定要谨慎，要慎之又慎。在选择善知识的时候，一定要特别小心，仔细观察，以免一步走错，满盘皆输。我跟诸位同修讲，读万卷书不如行万里路，行万里路不如善知识给你指路。所以初发心学佛，对佛法一窍不通，你如果没有善知识的引导，比较容易误入歧途。行门一点都不通，修从何起！我跟你说，你根本都无从修起。所以找一位好的善知识，就显得特别地重要。因为善知识能够引发我们的善根，能够开启我们的智慧，所以初学佛者，必须要常常亲近依止善知识。让我说得更加俗气一点，寻找善知识的过程就像男女恋爱找对像一样。一定要特别地小心，特别地谨慎，慎之又慎。因为这个关系到你自己一生的幸福，这个关系到我们的法身慧命。所以佛法讲：『人身难得，佛法难闻，众僧难值，善知识难遇。』还真的是这样。如果你已经遇到一位合格具德的善知识，那我恭喜你，请你好好地去珍惜；你如果还没有遇到，希望能够仰仗三宝的加持力，你在修学的过程当中，能够遇到一个合格的善知识。感恩大家，阿弥陀佛！

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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