頓漸品第八 Sudden School vs Gradual School

時，祖師居曹溪寶林；神秀大師在荊南玉泉寺。于時兩宗盛化，人皆稱南能北秀；故有南北二宗頓漸之分，而學者莫知宗趣。
While the Patriarch was living in Bao Lin Monastery, the Grand Master Shen Xiu was preaching in Yu Quan Monastery of Jing Nan. At that time the two Schools, that of Hui Neng of the South and Shen Xiu of the North, flourished side by side. As the two Schools were distinguished from each other by the names “Sudden” (the South) and “Gradual” (the North), the question which sect they should follow baffled certain Buddhist scholars (of that time).

師謂眾曰：「法本一宗，人有南北，法即一種，見有遲疾；何名頓漸？法無頓漸，人有利鈍，故名頓漸。」 (Seeing this), the Patriarch addressed the assembly as follows: “So far as the Dharma is concerned, there can be only one School. (If a distinction exists) it exists in the fact that the founder of one school is a northern man, while the other is a Southerner. While there is only one Dharma, some disciples realize it more quickly than others. The reason why the names ‘Sudden’ and ‘Gradual’ are given is that some disciples are superior to others in mental dispositions. So far as the Dharma is concerned, the distinction of ‘Sudden’ and ‘Gradual’ does not exist.” Continue reading →

前言:

信堅昨日整理、張貼 “六祖法寶壇經” 第一品及第二品中英對照後，繼續整理所餘八品。發現經文字句，其實不難懂，主要是讀者，不習慣佛經文句的結構、標點 (但為文句，沉吟至今)。同時發現，如果中、英分開，對初學佛經者，也會花很多時間在尋找相對的翻譯。為此之故，信堅繼續張貼剩餘八品的中英對照，以助有緣，園滿解讀，六祖壇經，大開智慧之門。

因全文相當長，因此分為三篇張貼。第一篇是前文第一品及第二品，是壇經的基本觀念。此篇包括第三至第七品，是繼續解說一些禪宗的重要觀念。第三篇包括第八至第十品，是六祖的一些重要開示。希望這三篇，能引起你對佛經的正確認識，也可以此為基礎，能慢慢看懂其他佛經。

決疑品第三 Questions and Answers

一日，韋刺史為師設大會齋。齋訖，剌史請師升座，同官僚士庶，肅容再拜，問曰： 「弟子聞和尚說法，實不可思議，今有少疑，願大慈悲，特為解說。」
One day Prefect Wei entertained the Patriarch and asked him to preach to a big gathering. At the end of the feast, Prefect Wei asked him to mount the pulpit (to which the Patriarch consented). After bowing twice reverently, in company with other officials, scholars, and commoners, Prefect Wei said, “I have heard what Your Holiness preached. It is really so deep that it is beyond our mind and speech, and I have certain doubts which I hope you will clear up for me.” Continue reading →