我佛慈悲The Compassionate Buddha and I
在吾閱人無數的歲月裡，有著相當「驚人」的發現。這驚人的發現是很多很多人都認為祇要是佛菩薩，又或者是學佛的人，都得慈悲眾生。佛菩薩肯定是慈悲的，這 點請君勿質疑。凡是真正實修佛法的三寶弟子，都明明白白要成就佛，要成就菩薩的果位，必然要覺行圓滿，而在覺行圓滿的當中，五根五力、六波羅密、七菩提 分、八正道，都是必修的功課，慈悲也在其中。
吾曾經碰過一位阿姨，因女兒非常篤信佛法，且有出家之念頭，而辱罵佛陀。當時吾與一位師姐雙雙耐心地為她宣說如來的教義，但在極度憤慨的情況下，相信是很 難稍安勿燥的，接受他人的勸解。更何況，她的佛緣並不深厚，也還沒到，故可以理解。事實還未查明之前，千萬不可人雲亦雲、道聽途說、批評及誹謗。那是很容 易招來，不測之災的。
佛陀貴為王子，坐擁佳麗三千，有享不盡的榮華富貴，卻選擇放棄，出走皇宮尋找解脫生死之法。後再將幾經辛苦，證據之心法，教於吾等眾生，這就是最大的慈悲 啊！所有得證的大成就者也都必須千垂百練，方能證得佛陀所證得的。離苦得樂的方法，早已傳下幾千年，妳你們好逸惡勞、認假為真、紙醉金迷，一直蹉跎歲月， 不肯解脫，反怪佛菩薩不慈悲，那其實是謗佛。
我佛慈悲是指我等與佛慈悲，而不是常望佛或他人，慈悲於妳你。若是這樣，妳你其實是在佔佛及他人的便宜，來世的「債」就會更多。慈悲是包含著智慧與道德的。屢犯不改的人又怎麼可以說佛菩薩不慈悲呢？
In my many years of reading people, I made a shocking discovery in that a lot of people feel that the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas, and even Buddhists, must show compassion to others. Make no mistake, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas definitely possess the noble quality of compassion. All true practitioners of the Dharma also agree that in order to attain the spiritual enlightenment of the Buddha and Bodhisattva, the practitioner must walk the complete path of spiritual practice. This includes the necessary practices of the Five Spiritual Faculties and Powers, the Six Paramitas, the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, The Eightfold Noble Paths, etc. Compassion is part of the practice as well.
I once met a middle-aged lady who heaped venomous abuse on the Buddha because her daughter was a pious Buddhist and very keen in entering nunhood. At that time, together with another Dharma sister, we patiently tried to explain to her the teachings of the Buddha. But under such extreme agitation, it was hard for her to remain calm and accept our advice. Furthermore, her affinity with the Dharma is faint and untimely, so her rejection at that time was understandable. Before the truth is out, please do not depend on hearsay to criticize or slander. Such negative behaviour display is a magnet for unpredictable misfortunes to come your way easily.
Lord Buddha was born a prince, with 3000 concubines and unimaginable riches, but He chose to give it all up and escape from the Palace in search for the Way of Liberation from birth and death. The Truth that would release sentient beings from eternal sufferings. He went through great toils and suffering before realizing the Truth and spent the rest of His life imparting the Dharma to sentient beings. This is the greatest compassion of all! All enlightened sages went through immense hardship in their quest for the same Truth which Lord Buddha had realized. The Path to free yourself from sufferings and attain true happiness has been passed down for a few thousand years. You allow yourself to succumb to sloth, greed and ignorance, wasting precious time, refusing the Truth and yet have the audacity to accuse the Buddha and Bodhisattvas of not showing any compassion towards you! This is an grave act of slander.
The compassion of the Buddha exists in us too. We have the same ability to be compassionate to others and ourselves too. It is futile to expect the Buddha or anyone else to show compassion to us. If you harbour such a thought, you are taking advantage of the Buddha and others. Your karmic debt will increase in your future lifetimes. Compassion also encompasses wisdom and morals. How can one who keeps committing the same mistake but refuses to correct himself accuse the Buddha of not being compassionate?
Photography：Luis Chiang
