地點：印度 菩提迦耶 德噶寺 Tergar Monastery, Bodhgaya
時間：2009年12月7日 December 7, 2009
報導：Lhundup Damcho
攝影：Tashi Paljor

今天的課程中，法王討論到幾個關於一個人如何能同時持守三戒律的複雜議題，這也是今年辯經法會課程開示的主題。法王強調，最上乘的行者，即是能夠同時持守別解脫戒、菩薩戒、密乘戒此三戒律的人。
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa today tackled a number of complex debate issues, clearing the way for the examination of the main topic of this year’s winter debate teachings—how one person can keep all three types of vow. At the same time, he emphasized that the optimal Buddhist practitioner is one that does hold and preserve all three types of vow—pratimoksha, bodhisattva and tantric.

首先，法王探討的主要爭議點是，如何界定別解脫戒與菩薩戒。有些經文中提到，應該依據大乘傳統來授予別解脫戒；自身中文流利、對漢傳大乘佛法有相當瞭解的法王評論道，的確在漢傳佛法的經典中，對此有多方的論述。法王指出，相反地，藏傳佛法在這方面的介紹零星疏散，較為人知的例子是噶舉祈願法會期間，每日清晨授受的大乘布薩戒。
First, Gyalwang Karmapa explored the major points of contention that arise in defining and classifying pratimoksha and bodhisattva vows. Some texts mention traditions of conferring pratimoksha vows according to the Mahayana textual tradition, and His Holiness, who is fluent in Chinese and conversant with the Chinese Buddhist canon, noted that the Chinese canon preserves a number of texts that describe how to do so. By contrast, he pointed out, the Tibetan canon contains only scattered references and instances of such ritual texts, an example of which would be the Mahayana sojong vows offered each morning during the Kagyu Monlam.

法王接著回歸到課程的經文，討論到如何授予三戒律、捨戒的方法、與犯戒的界定。法王強調，領受較高深的戒律絕不代表較為基礎的戒律就可以不必再守；事實上，在領受教高深的戒律後，我們必須繼續持守較為基礎的戒律，因為較為基礎的戒律也是戒律的一部分，同樣是所有佛法修持的根本。此課程的目的即是要釐清三戒律之間的關係，學習如何辨析解決它們之間看似有所抵觸的問題。
Following the text, His Holiness moved on to a discussion of the ways the different types of vow are conferred, and how they are cancelled, or lost. He stressed that taking a higher type of vow by no means cancels the lower vows. After receiving higher vows, we still need to observe and guard the lower vows as part of the discipline that is the foundation of all our practice as Buddhists. The teachings this week have as their aim to clarify the relationships among the vows and to help us understand how to proceed when conflicts arise among them.

法王說道，西藏是小乘、大乘、金剛乘三乘佛法匯聚與保存的地方。西藏所維護的並不只是三乘佛法的表相，而是透過內在的真修實煉，將三乘法教發揚光大。因此之故，藏傳佛法蘊含有三乘佛法的廣厚，得以收攝廣大而根器各異的眾生，不棄一人。當今，並不僅是在西藏，而是在全球各地都有修持的行者。法王說道，藏傳佛法現已廣傳全世界，實可稱之為世界的佛教。
Tibet became a place where all three of the major forms of Dharma—the foundational Buddhism of the pratimoksha vows, the Mahayana and the Vajrayana—were transmitted and preserved, His Holiness observed. They were maintained in Tibet not merely in their outer appearances, but were actually implemented through serious inner practice, and thus were able to flourish in Tibet. Nowadays, this is so not only in Tibet, but wherever there are people practicing Tibetan Buddhism. Since the Dharma that flourished in Tibet has now spread throughout the world, it can rightly be called a worldwide Buddhism, Gyalwang Karmapa stated. Because of the richness that comes from preserving all three vehicles and offering teachings suited to people at a wide variety of capacities, this Dharma is highly inclusive. In this way, a wide range of people are able to practice the Dharma that flourished in Tibet.

持戒是我們修持一切佛法的基礎。法王激勵著眾人，我們應當善受佛法的戒律，從基本的皈依戒開始，不只是單單在形式上受戒，同時也要全心全意地持守戒律。皈依而成為一個佛教徒，並不只是獲得一個新的名字；對出家眾而言，也並非只是穿上新的衣服、獲得新的名稱而已。我們必須瞭解成為一個佛教徒意味著什麼，並在自身的行為舉止當中，將它表現出來。
Ethical discipline offers us a common foundation on which we can all base our practice. We should avail ourselves of the various types of vow that the Dharma offers us, the Gyalwang Karmapa urged, not simply taking those vows but also guarding them fully, from refuge vows onwards. To become a Buddhist implies much more than just getting a new name, or in the case of monastics, new clothes and a new name. We need to know what it means to be Buddhists and we then need to implement that in our behavior and in our very beings, he said.

舉例來說，皈依戒中說到自皈依「法」後，就不可再傷害眾生。這裡的不再傷害眾生，並不只是斷除言語或是行動上的打罵，它也包括了應該斷除我們內心想要傷害、攻擊他人的惡念。若是不斷除這些惡念與態度，它們將會在我們的內在腐爛化膿，最終讓我們失去控制而做出傷害他人的行為。不能只是因為沒有做出傷害、攻擊他人的行為，就以為自己不具侵略性；我們應該慎審自心的起心動念，捫心自問，自己是否滋養著想要傷害、攻擊他人的想法。如此的觀照審查極為重要，我們應不斷地清淨內心的障垢，直至所有的念頭都是利他益他為止。
For example, among the refuge vows, we have the precept that stipulates that once we have gone for refuge in the Dharma, we should abandon harming others. This vow to cease harming others is not limited to beating them physically or abusing them verbally. It includes the inner aggression or hostile thoughts we may harbor towards others. If we do not work to abandon such thoughts and attitudes, they simply fester within us and at a certain point, they will overwhelm us and lead us to act harmfully. If we think that we are not aggressive simply because we do not act out aggressively toward others, we should look at what is in our heart, to see how our thoughts are oriented and to ask ourselves whether we are nurturing hostility and aggression towards others. It is crucial that we do so, and that we continually work to correct whatever faults we find within us, so that all our thoughts may become wholesome and beneficial.

法王接著解釋道，所謂修持佛法中的「修持」一辭，在藏文中包含有兩部份﹕
When we speak of ‘practicing’ the Dharma, His Holiness explained, the term ‘practice’ in Tibetan has two components,

經歷(experience)與取用(taking)。意思是說，在日常生活中所經歷到的，我們應該用心將之取用於佛法的修持當中。法王以在菩提迦耶正覺大佛塔附近的景況為例，來說明此點。正覺大佛塔旁有許多極度飢餓的乞丐，有些缺了手腳，有些五根不全，更有些甚至無法對外發聲求援。當看到這樣的情景時，我們的慈悲心遽然昇起。法王勸告大家，這時，我們不應讓這樣的經歷就此短暫消逝，而是應該積極地用心記取，將它帶到我們的修持當中。
one indicating ‘experience’ and the other indicating ‘taking.’ When we gain some experience in our lives, we should take that into our hearts and into our practice. Gyalwang Karmapa gave the example of the people begging at the stupa in Bodhgaya, many of whom are desperately hungry, some lacking limbs, lacking their faculties and others unable even to speak out to ask for help. When a feeling of compassion arises upon seeing them, we should not leave this as a momentary experience, but should actively take this experience into our practice, he advised.

法王同時也觀察到，許多人認為自身的侵略性是一種個性，而安慰自己生來如此。若是我們放任自己有這樣的缺點，那也就絕對不會採取必要的措施來改變自己。相反地，若是我們時常串習自己必須有所改變的理由，那麼才會有許多轉化自己的機會，由皈依三寶開始，修持皈依，進而領受不同形式的戒律等等，步步地提昇淨化。
His Holiness observed that we may feel that we simply have an aggressive personality, and console ourselves with the thought that we were just born that way. But if we resign ourselves to having such faults, we will never take the steps needed to change. On the contrary, by familiarizing ourselves with the reasons that we do need to change, many more possibilities for transforming ourselves do open up, starting by taking the refuge vows and training within them, and later taking up the other forms of discipline.

如果只是在嘴裡說著，「我將會成佛，並且能很快地獲得證悟。」然後到處去收集密教的灌頂，那麼佛法是不會對我們有所助益的。我們首先要做的是斷除惡行；而唯有透過自身的努力、自己擔負起清淨自心煩惱的責任時，才有可能成功。依此，我們先是領受別解脫戒，其後是菩薩戒，再來才是密乘戒。
We cannot expect the Dharma to work if we simply say at the very outset that, ““I am going to be enlightened quickly and become a Buddha,” and then go about collecting tantric initiations. Rather, we need to begin by eliminating our non-virtuous actions. This can happen only when we ourselves make efforts, and take the responsibility to work with the afflictions in our own minds. It is for this reason that we first take pratimoksha vows, and only afterwards the bodhisattva and then tantric vows.

修持若不循序漸進，受戒若不依次第，法王說，那好比是未經訓練，就想力舉巨石一般。一不小心，巨石可能還砸在自己的頭上。法王強調，所有佛陀的法教，無一法我們不能成就。但是，我們也必須向內評量自己當下的能力，有那幾項能夠持守的戒律，就只領受那幾項。我們應該瞭解到自身已具備成佛的基本潛力，我們需要做的，只是按步就班地修習符合自身程度的法教。除此之外，沒有任何其它的方法可以證悟。
If we do not thus proceed in stages and in the right order, His Holiness said, it is like attempting to lift a huge boulder without first training ourselves gradually in preparation. If we are not careful, the boulder could end up landing right on top of us. Among all that Buddha taught, His Holiness said emphatically, there is nothing that we are not capable of achieving. We just need to look within ourselves to determine what our capacity is at the moment, asking ourselves what vows we are actually capable of holding and observing, and taking only those. If you do not do so, there is no other way to reach enlightenment. We should know that we do have all the basic capacities we need; we just have to proceed step by step in the practices suited to our abilities.