天官賜福Blessings Bestowed By The Heavenly Jade Emperor
今天，正月初九，是南無天公玉皇大天尊的聖誕。拜天公是我們華人的一大習俗。而我們佛教徒，拜天公，是帶著感恩的情操。
南無天公玉皇大天尊確確實實能夠降大福，給有情衆生。祂是我們娑婆世界的一位主。一切稻禾，一切生物，都在祂管轄當中。我們拜祂，不是那麽簡單地為了拜而拜，裡面也有懺悔的法在其中。當我們向南無天公玉皇大天尊懺悔時，這表示身為祂孩子的我們，真心懺悔過去、現世、學佛前、學佛後、或去年，我們所犯的種種過失及罪，再獻上有象徵性的供品，祂必定會賜福給我們。
玉皇大天尊的威德力，超乎想像！
祂是天的帝，人間的皇帝已有如此的富貴和威德，何況是一位天帝。玉帝統領天、地、人三界神靈，天神、地祗、人鬼，包括娑婆世間所有國家的人王，都歸祂管轄。除此以外，宇宙萬物的盛衰隆替、吉凶禍福都在其管轄之下，因此，祂可以賜給我們的福氣，是大得不可思議的。
爲何佛教徒要感恩玉帝？
但玳瑚師父要強調，我們拜祂，並不是為了貪那個功德和福德而拜，而是出自於一顆感恩的心。
當年，本師釋迦摩尼佛在菩提樹下證悟成佛後，知衆生根器不足，無法領受如來的法教，本想立即涅磐。這時，帝釋天主（玉皇大帝）和大梵天王（四面佛）雙雙齊齊，從天界下降，請大聖佛陀住世轉法輪，我們才有超生出苦的佛法。因此我們不能夠做個忘恩負義的人。畜生祗所以是畜生，是因爲忘恩負義的關係。這一世做狗，因爲以前不懂得感恩圖報，所以狗這動物，反映給我們人類，就是一個忠字。爲何狗會忠誠？因爲以前做人的時候，不忠不誠，所以它這一世就得忠誠。
南無天公玉皇大天尊真正的身份是古佛，祂也猶如我們的父親，我們向祂懺悔，以祂古佛的力量，絕對能夠赦免我們的罪衍。
千萬別供葷食！
懺悔之時，一定要有象徵性的供品。這代表我們虔誠的心。這世界上是沒有空求的，就好像我們應該孝順父母，供養父母一樣，自然而然，就能得到修法中的回報。但記得，祇能用素食，不要供葷。殺牛殺豬殺羊殺鴨等，犯下殺生業，佛菩薩正神會難過，而葷食的穢氣會勳走祂們。到時來的，不是神佛菩薩，而是在外走動的「好朋友」呀！
大家好好秉持著玳瑚師父所教妳你們的，好好去修。 妳你們照著師父的教導去行，就會得到師父給妳你們的一種加持，自然而然便能夠事半功倍。
祝大家新年快樂，年年進步，步步高升。
照片由林美予女士慷概提供。 林家供品之豐盛是大家可以學習的榜樣。 以上的壇城擺設，不代表玳瑚師父的個人認可。 Photo courtesy of Ms. Angela Lim. The Lim family’s generosity in the offerings is an exemplary example for us all. The above photo does not represent Master Dai Hu’s endorsement of the correct set-up of a prayer altar.
Today, the ninth Day of the Lunar First Month, is the holy birthday of the Heavenly Jade Emperor. Celebrating His birthday is an important custom for us Chinese, and for Buddhists, the prayer rite is performed to show our gratitude.
The Inconceivable Powers of The Heavenly Jade Emperor
The Heavenly Jade Emperor truly has the power to bestow great fortunes to all sentient beings. He is the ruler of our Samsara world. Every stalk of grain, and every living being comes under His jurisdiction. When we pray to Him, it is not just a simple affair of worshiping. Repentance practice makes up an important part too. When we sincerely repent our wrongdoings of the past, before and after we learn the Dharma, or from the year before, to the Heavenly Jade Emperor, it is like a child asking his father for forgiveness. Coupled with offerings of the right significance, the Heavenly Jade Emperor will surely bestow good fortune upon us.
He is the sovereign of the Heavens. The mortal kings on Earth are already so wealthy and powerful, yet are nothing compared to the Heavenly Jade Emperor. He commands the Heavens, Man and Earth in the three worlds. The heavenly deities, the earthly gods, mankind and the ghosts, including all the mortal kings in the Samsara world, all falls within His dominion. On top of that, the Heavenly Jade Emperor controls the rise and ebb of fortunes, as well as the weal and woe of all beings in the Universe. As such, He can confer on us blessings so huge, that they are beyond our wildest imagination.
Why should Buddhists be grateful to the Heavenly Jade Emperor?
However, Master Dai Hu wishes to emphasize this: we pray to Him not to seek the merits and fortune, but from a heart of gratitude.
When Shakyamuni Buddha achieved Enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, He knew that the sentient beings are incapable of receiving His teachings and wanted to go into Nirvana immediately. At this moment, the Heavenly Jade Emperor and Lord Brahma descended from the Heavens. They jointly convinced the sage, Lord Buddha, to abide in this world to set the wheel of Dharma in motion. This is why today we have the Dharma as a mean to liberate from our sufferings. Thus we must be grateful and not be an ingrate. Animals are born as such because of their lack of gratitude. A dog gets born as so because it fails to show gratitude, nor seek to repay the kindness in his previous rebirth(s). A dog embodies the quality of loyalty. Why loyalty? Because when it was a human in a previous life, it was disloyal and insincere. Hence in this lifetime as a dog, it has to be both loyal and sincere, to pay for its past unwholesome karma.
The Heavenly Jade Emperor is actually an ancient Buddha. He is like our father. When we repent our sins before Him, with His powers of an ancient Buddha, He surely is able to pardon our wrongdoings.
Never use meat offerings in your prayers!
The offerings represent our sincerity. There is no free lunch in this world, therefore, there must be at least some token of offerings. It is like how we should be filial and give sincerely to our parents too. We would naturally get something in return from this Dharma practice. But please offer only vegan products. Do NOT use meat offerings.
Slaughtering the pigs, lambs, cows and ducks, etc, causes you to commit the unskilful karma of killing. This upsets the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and all righteous deities, who will stay away due to the negative energy of filth from the meat. The spirits that you invoke would be those lowly beings wandering outside, and not the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas or deities!
To my fans and readers, uphold what I have imparted to you well. If you diligently practice what is being taught by Master Dai Hu, and follow accordingly, you will gain an energy of empowerment bestowed by Master Dai Hu. Your success can be yielded with just half the effort.
Wishing everyone a Happy and Progressive New Year!
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