导师的话：道在平常日用中

导师的话：道在平常日用中
　　释印顺
　　法光学坛 第三期
　　(1999出版)
　　页3~21
　　法光佛教文化研究所发行
　　本文全文由法光佛教文化研究所提供，特此致谢
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　　我们知道，释尊所开示的佛法，与重信的神教不同，是理智的、德行的、人本的宗教。所以佛法的内容，不外乎轨范身心，净化身心，达到身心解脱自在。信佛学佛，不是向外追求（物欲与神力救济），而是从自己身心的修治出发，实现自利与利他的理想。如能依著佛法去信受奉行，当然会普遍应用于日常生活中。佛法的信修，一定会知见正确，动机纯正，智慧与慈悲的不断增进。不过，佛法在长期流行中，从印度到中国，或是为了适应世俗，或是方便的曲引钝根，佛法倾向于神秘的、形式的、知识的；学佛者的解行，渐渐有了与日常生活脱节的现象；这实在是值得大家重视的问题！要知道“佛法普遍应用于日常生活中”，并不等于：天天忙著诵经、礼忏、放焰口；日日研究经典，讲经、著作、念佛、持咒、素食、放生；到处参加法会，布施功德；或修建寺院，办学院，办文化慈善事业；住茅蓬修行……。这些，可能与佛法相应，也可能是徒具形式。从现代中国佛教来说，上面这些活动，并不太少，而念佛、持咒，建大寺、大佛，近二十年来特别风行。佛法的信受奉行者，应生起轨范身心，净化身心，或进而达到身心解脱自在的德用。即使是弘法利生，从事文化、慈善、教育、国际佛教活动，如自身忘失了这一真实意义，也还不能说是“佛法普遍应用于日常生活中”的。此地此时，提出这“如何使佛法普遍应用于日常生活中”一题，我认为值得佛教同人重视的！
　　“使佛法应用于日常生活中”，也就是修学佛法，能起轨范身心，净化身心，解脱身心的德用。佛法不是虚玄莫测旳理论，神奇怪僻的事行；佛所开示的是一般人所能知能行的。佛说：“我所说法如
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　　爪上尘，所未说法如大地土”。这是说：佛只开示基于人生正行而通向究竟的正法；世间有更多的理论与事行，即使有益于世间，因无关于修治身心以趣向解脱的理想，佛是存而不论的（自有人去发扬。如经中说到，那是适应世间的世间善法）。佛直就人类（众生）的身心，指出迷妄流转与如实解脱的可能，激发诱导人去持行。佛说五蕴、六界、六处法门，都不外乎身心（通于器界），从不同立场而作不同的分别。佛法可分知与行，而知是行的始导，也是行的完成（知与行不可分离）。说到“知”，即经说“正见”、“正思惟”、“正观”、“如实知”等。身心──以心识为主导的身心活动，无论为对自己、对他人（众生）、对物质世间；或现在，或从现在到过去，从现在到未来，佛说：一切“从缘生”，“我论因说因”。佛从因缘相生、相依存的理法，去理解世间，处理世间。依缘起说法：“此有故彼有，此生故彼生；此无故彼无，此灭故彼灭”，所以不落两边（极端），而开示不有不无，不常不断，不一不异，不来不去，及不生不灭的中道。凡从缘而生起的，必归于灭，所以是“无常”的；无常的不得究竟安稳，所以是“苦”的；无常苦的，所以是“无我”（我是真实、常、乐的）。众生不能悟解世间是缘起的，也就不能正知无常、苦、无我无我所，不得解脱涅槃，名为“无明”（无明，简要分别为“不知苦集，不知苦灭”），一切烦恼由此而来。烦恼依我我所为本：计执我我所的，是“见”；染著我我所的，是“爱”；存我恃我的，是“慢”。依烦恼──自我中心的思想与行为，如违反缘起的相互依存，损人（他人、他族、他国）利己，是非法，恶行（业）；如顺缘起而互助利人，是法，善行。善行与恶行，能得安乐与苦报。由于不能正知缘起，所以都是不彻底的，是有漏的，生生不已的生死法。如正见缘起，依法而行，那就无常苦而起“厌离”，无我无我所而能“离欲”（离烦恼），解脱而证“灭”（身心忧苦的止意）。佛法，只是依心识为主导的身心缘起，开示苦集与苦灭的中道。学佛要有此切要的正见，正见不是知识，而是化正确知识为自己的见地，有
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　　正见就有正信。“信”，“心净为信”：“如水清珠能清浊水”。一念净信现前，一定没有烦恼，没有忧苦，内心充满了清净、安定与喜乐；这样才是真正的归信三宝的弟子。佛法所说的“净信”，与世俗所说的信，不完全相同。别人（或书中）所说的，承认他是确实的，一般也说是“相信”，这只是确认，如相信“一加一等于二”那样。还有，对人及所说的话，有好感，有同感，肯接受他所说的，一般也称之为信仰，如信仰主义，信仰领袖之类，这只是世俗的“顺信”。世俗所说的信灵感，信命运，信风水等，都不出于上二类。佛法所说的“净信”，是依三宝而起，内心所引发，有清净、喜乐等感受的。因正知正见而引发，通过理性，所以是宁静的，虽近于一神教的信心，而不是陷于狂热的迷妄。
　　说起来，中国佛教徒是相当多的。多数是信佛及僧──罗汉与菩萨，而信法的似乎不多。不知法，不信法，所以神佛不分（近来竟有人主张信佛也要信神），对佛、阿罗汉、菩萨，大多数是神秘仰信，以信神那样的心情去崇信。一方面，信佛及（贤）僧的神力，祈求加被。一方面，多数信众，为了现生与来世的世俗利益──健康、长寿、富贵、家庭和乐、事业发达、不堕恶道……，而表现为消灾免难，植福延寿的宗教行为。虽可说方便适化，但专重于向外祈求，不向身心检点，净信不生，又如何能使佛法普遍应用于日常生活之中？彻悟缘起而能“厌、离欲、灭”的，在这重物欲而向外驰求的时代，当然不大容易；解了相互依存的缘起法，深信善行乐果，恶行苦果，通于三世的因果必然律，应该是学佛者所能有的信心。善恶业果说，特点是：“自力创造非他力”，“机会均等非特殊”，“前途光明非绝望”，“善恶有报非不定”。善恶业果的深信者，确信基于正见而有的，“合理的行为，成为改善过去，开拓未来的力量”。不怨天，不尤人，“尽自己的努力以向上，不因现在的遭遇（不如意）而动摇离恶行善的决心”。深信因果而应用于日常生活中，就能表显出佛法的精神。佛法的三世因果说，传来中国，一般是似信还疑，存有徼
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　　幸、取巧的心理。多数不肯依法而行，从离恶行善的人生正行中去实践，而中国固有的求签、看风水（地理）等，严重的渗入佛教中，为多数长老、大德所容许。佛教界的向外祈求，以及类似巫术化的低级行为，是迷妄而不纯正的。正信三宝，深信因果，是学佛的基础，所以惟有正信而汰除不纯洁的迷信，佛法才能普遍应用于日常生活中。
　　净信依于正见，正见从正确而深切的认识中得来。佛法的正知，依于听闻──起初是释尊开示，弟子们展转传授；等到经典集成，书写记录，才有依经（论）而闻法的。为了法义的明确，经弟子间的长期论辨，形成了体例精严的论书，为了应付异教徒的责难，也有深明法义以护持佛法的必要。不过论义的发展，不厌其详而多少有点烦琐；部派分化，法义的解说，有了种种的解说不同。更由于佛法长时期的流通，适应时机，方便无边，无论是印度传来的，中国古德所宏阐的，都是内容广大，有义学说理的倾向。佛法在世间的发展演化，可说是必然而不可免的！但部类繁多，内容复杂，对初学者来说，从什么经书去直握佛法的心要，依正知而起正信，确是一件为难的事！这样，也难怪上也者深究而倾向于虚玄，义学成为少数人的佛法；下也者信佛而不知信法（有些信法的，只是信某部经旳伟大，持诵以求功德），不免惑于方便，专求现实世俗的利益了！我觉得，佛世的周梨槃陀伽，愚笨而现证阿罗汉，唐代的慧能，不识字而能深有所悟；依佛法正见而达信智一如的“证净”，不一定从无边法义的研究讲习中来，只是末世善知识难得，不能不依于经论。为正法的宏扬，引生正信著想，佛法正义的精要提示（佛法共通的基本法义），应该是非常切要的！同时，经论的讲习，以及近代兴起的学术化的研究，当然有其存在的价值，但不一定能使人从正解而引生正信，使佛法深入人心，能普遍应用于日常生活之中。尤其是讲说者与研究者，为讲说而讲说，为研究而研究，自身不能因讲说研究而引起正信，在学佛的立场，是没有太多价值的！至于佛法的义理，那些更能应用于现实，也是值得注意的！
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　　说到“行”，声闻道是八正道，菩萨道是六波罗密与四摄。大概的说，自利行以戒、定、慧为主，利他行以施、戒、忍为主。在佛法中，行是以（从正见而来的）净信为出发的。“信为欲依，欲为（精）勤依”：有了清净信心，会引起愿欲，誓愿依法而勤行。三乘道的“归依”，菩萨道的“菩提心”，都是以信愿为体性的。有了愿欲（求），立定志向（名为“发心”），就能策发精进，努力实行以求理想的实现。所以，从正知以引生净信，是一切佛弟子的“入佛之门”。
　　在修行中，戒是圣道的基础。一般以为，戒就是（法律那样的）这样不可犯，那样不可以，不知这只是戒的施行项目，不是戒的实质。什么是戒呢？梵语尸罗，译为戒。“尸罗（此言性善），好行善道，不自放逸（作恶），是名尸罗。或受戒行善，或不受戒行善，皆名尸罗。”戒是“性善”，“数习”所引发的性善。戒不是一般的善行，是经父母师友的启发，或从自身处世中引发出来。内心一度的感动、激发，性善力（潜在的）生起，有勇于为善，抗拒罪恶的力量。如遇到犯罪的因缘，内心会（不自觉的）发出抗拒的力量。“性善”是潜在而日夜常增长的，小小违犯，性善的戒德还是存在，不过犯多了，戒力会减退（名为“戒羸”）。如犯了重大的恶行，性善的力量消失，这就是“破戒”了。“性善”的戒德，名为“律仪”（也译为“护”），就是佛法所说的“戒体”。这样的戒善，没有佛法的时代，或有法而不知的人，都可以生起的，不过佛法有正见的摄导，表现于止恶行善，更为正确有力而不致偏失吧了！基于性善的戒德，在日常生活中，身语意行如法。由于生活方式，社会关系，团体轨则不一致，佛法应机而有在家出家等种种戒法，而依此性善力，成就自利利他的功德，实质上是没有差别的。有了“性善”，虽没有受戒，或仅受五戒，都可以成为向解脱的道基。如没有，虽清净受持比丘戒、菩萨戒，也不一定能种解脱善根。所以出现于内心深处的性善戒，是佛弟子受戒、持戒的要点。三十年来，我国传戒的法会是年年有的，
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　　虽依法接受，而受戒者能在事相上著力的，就不可多得，这就难怪不能普遍应用于日常生活之中了！
　　净信，是于佛不坏信，于法不坏信，于僧不坏信；性善戒，是圣所爱戒成就。成就这信戒为内容的“四不坏信”，决不退堕，决定向三菩提（正觉）。如进修定慧，那现在就能得解脱。在佛法中，净信是入佛之门，戒善是学佛之基，更深一步的定慧修证，是不能离信戒而有所成就的。经上说：“持戒便得不悔，因不悔便得欢悦，因欢悦便得喜，因喜便得止，因止便得乐，因乐便得定”。依戒修定，是合理的向上进修，如顺水行舟，容易到达。修定的先要“离（五）欲及恶不善法”，也就是这个意义。有些修习禅定的，为了身体健康，为了神秘感受……，不离欲染，不断恶法，多在气息、身体上专注观想，即使一心相续，能够不流于邪定，落入魔王眷属，已经难得了，这不是佛法所要修的（有漏或无漏的）净定。说到慧悟，龙树说：“信戒无基，忆想取一空，是为邪空”。平等空性的体悟，岂是无信、无戒者所能成就的！信与戒，人人都在说，而其实并不如一般所想像的，这所以佛法不能普遍应用于日常生活了！
　　我出家以来，整日在三藏文字中摸索，虽说为众生而学，想求得精要来供养世人，但说来惭愧，法海汪洋，终于一鳞片爪，所得有限！我总觉得，佛法本来平实可行，而“贤者过之，愚者不及”，所以佛法一天天在兴隆中堕落。现在藉此略申所见，与真正要学佛的共勉！
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　　The Way and its Application in the General
　　Affairs of Daily Life
　　Shih yia-shun
　　As we know, the dharma explained by the Awakened One differs from theistic religions which stress faith. It is a rational, moral and hu-manistic teaching. Thus buddhadharma deals only with the regulation and purification of body and mind so that both can attain liberation and freedom. You are not trying to get something from outside (which implies material desires and the saving power of a god) when you trust the buddhas and emulate them. Instead, you begin with the cultivation and heal-ing of your own body-mind while realizing the ideal of benefiting both oneself and others. If you can practise faithfully in accordance with the Buddha's teaching it is only natural to infuse everyday life with dharma. Someone who trusts and practises buddhadharma will definitely hold correct views, have pure motivation, and increase both wisdom and loving kindness-compassion without interruption.
　　However, in the course of its long dissemination from India to China, buddhadharma developed mystic, formalistic, and intellectual tendencies be it in order to comply with the secular world or as a means to attract the dull-witted. As a result, the understanding and actions of those practising the teaching gradually lost contact with the world of real life. This is a virtual problem which should be paid more attention to. We have to understand that the infusion of dharma in our daily lives does not mean that we have to be busy reciting scriptures and performing repentance ceremonies or rites for the dead all the time. Nor does it imply to study the scriptures, lecture or write on them, recite the Buddha's name or mantras, eat only vegetarian food and liberate animals every
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　　day. You need not run around to participate in religious functions and make financial contributions, nor do you have to build temples, establish Buddhist seminars, arrange cultural or humanitarian activities, or spend your days in a hermitage practising.
　　All these may conform with buddhadharma but it is also possible that they degenerate into mere formalities. They are quite often found in present day Chinese Buddhism. Reciting the Buddha's name or mantras and erecting big monasteries and huge statues has become rather fashionable within the last twenty years. However, those who trust and practise buddhadharma should regulate and purify their bodies and minds or moreover attain unimpeded liberation as a function of good qualities. If you forget this real meaning, despite being engaged in cultural, humanitarian, educational or international religious activities in order to spread the teach- ing for the benefit of sentient beings you are still far from infusing everyday life with dharma. Right here in this place and time, I feel it most worthwhile for our Buddhist friends to pay attention to this specific topic“how to infuse everyday life with dharma”.
　　To infuse everyday life with dharma means that the practice of buddhadharma is able to function as regulator, purificator and liberator for body and mind. Buddhadharma is not an abstruse, unfathomable theory or some mysterious, exotic practice. The common man can understand and practise what the Buddha taught. When the Awakened One said that the things he spoke about are like the dust on a fingernail while those he didn't mention equal the soil of the earth he wanted to make clear that he only taught proper things which are based on the right conduct of human life and lead to the absolute. There are many more worldly theories and practises which, though perhaps beneficial in a worldly way, where not expounded by the Buddha because they neither deal with
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　　the cultivation and healing of our body-mind nor do they lead to the ideal of liberation. (There will be anyway people who spread these teachings which are called “worldly wholesome phenomena” in Buddhist texts.)
　　The Awakened One dealt only directly with the human body-mind (or that of sentient beings) pointing out the confused floating and turning around in samsara as well as the possibility of being liberated in conformity with reality. Thus he encouraged and induced people to go and practice. He taught the methods concerning the five aggregates, the six sense organs and the six sense realms which are confined to the body mind (while also relating to the material world) but from different standpoints he offered different approaches. Buddhadharma has the two aspects of understanding and practicing. While these cannot be separated, it is among them understanding which is both guide to and accomplishment of practice. The texts referred to it as “right view,” “right decision,” “right insight,” “knowing in accordance with reality” etc. and the Buddha said that the activities of body and mind, which are mainly governed by consciousness, no matter whether they have yourself, others or inanimate phenomena as object, no matter whether they belong to the past, present, or future, are all arising from conditions: “I am expounding and declaring the causes.” The Buddha understood the world and dealt with it through the principle of arising and existing in dependence of causes and conditions. And thus he also taught: “because this exists that exists; because this arises that arises; because this does not exist that does not exist; because this perishes that perishes.” Avoiding to fall into the two extremes he expounded the middle way of neither being nor non being, neither eternal nor not-existing, neither the same nor another, neither coming nor going, neither being born nor dying. 　　Whatever arises due to conditions is bound to end in dissolution
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　　wherefore it is impermanent; whatever is impermanent cannot be peaceful in an ultimate sense and thus is unsatisfactory; whatever is impermanent and unsatisfactory is not-self (since “self” implies “real, unchanging and blissful”). Sentient beings are unable to realize that the world is arising in dependence on conditions, in other words they have no correct understanding of impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, not-me and not-mine, and cannot reach the liberation of nirvana. This is called “ignorance” (which basically indicates the lack of understanding in regard to the cause of unsatisfactoriness and its cessation). All mental afflictions arise from it. They have “me” and “mine” as their root. Scheming with me and mine is “view”, attachment to me and mine is “lust”, relying on me and mine is “arrogance.” To follow one's mental afflictions and engage in self-centred thoughts and actions, e.g. to go against the principle of mutual interdependence and do something harming others -other people, other nationalities, other countries- and benefiting oneself, is non-dharma or an unwholesome action. Conversely, if you follow the principle of dependent arising helping and benefiting other people then this is dharma, a wholesome action. Happiness and suffering are the respective results of wholesome and unwholesome actions. But since we do not have a correct understanding of dependent arising what we do is not thorough enough, tainted and binding us life after life in samsara. If we were to have a proper view of dependent arising and practice in accordance with dharma, we would engender disgust with regard to the impermanent and unsatisfactory and desirelessness in regard to what is not me or mine (i.e. we would remove ourselves from afflictive emotions) and finally achieve liberation realizing the cessation of both mental as well as physical pain and distress. 　　Buddhadharma is nothing but the middle way which is based on
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　　the dependent arising of a mental consciousness governed mind-body and expounded in terms of the causation and cessation of unsatisfactoriness. If you want to emulate the buddhas you must have this profound correct view. Right view does not equal knowledge. It means to transform correct understanding into one's own view. If you possess right view you will have right trust. As to trust, it is defined as the purity of the mind because it resembles the water purifying jewel which can turn muddy water into clear one. The time a thought of clear trust arises it is impossible to have mental afflictions or distress and suffering. On the contrary, one's heart is filled with purity, peace, and joy. Only then are you a true disciple who has taken refuge with the triple gem.
　　The “pure trust” Buddhism speaks about differs somewhat from the worldly understanding of trust which is generally referring to the acceptance of what other people say or write as true. It is only a kind of identification, for example believing that “one plus one equals two”. Also, if you are sympathetic towards a statement by someone else or agree with it and are willing to accept it, it is usually called “belief”, like believing in a certain ideology or political leader etc. All these are “accepting believes” in a worldly sense. What is referred to as “trust-ing one's inspiration”, “belief in one's fate” or “faith in geomancy” etc. all belongs to one of the two above mentioned categories. The “pure trust” talked about in the Buddhist context, however, arises deep in one's heart in dependence upon the triple jewel and is connected with the experience of purity, joy and so on. It is peaceful since it derives from right understanding and right view and has weathered the test of rationality, and though it is similar to the faith of theistic believers it cannot degenerate into fanatic blindness.
　　The number of Chinese Buddhist is actually not that small. Most of
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　　them believe in the Buddha and the Sangha, both arhats and bodhisatt-vas, but those with trust in the dharma seem limited in numbers. Due to this lack of knowledge about and trust in the dharma no distinction is made between gods and Buddha (recently someone went so far to suggest that those who trust the Buddha should also believe in gods!) and the faith in buddhas, arhats and bodhisattvas is usually a mystical one, not different from the mentality of one who is believing in God. On one hand, there is belief in the supernatural powers of Buddha and noble sangha and prayer for blessings. On the other hand most believers engage in religious activities like removing karmic obstacles for the sake of avoiding disaster and creating merits in order to prolong their lives because they are only concerned with worldly benefits in this and future lives -health, longevity, wealth, a happy family, successful business, avoidance of the lower realms and so on.
　　We could call these conventional methods appropriate for conversion but with all emphasis on praying to outside forces one does not look critically at one's body-mind and no pure trust can arise. How could one then infuse everyday life with dharma? In these times when materialistic desires are so emphasized and everybody's search is directed outward, it is of course not easy to gain a profound understanding of dependent arising and then develop disgust, be desireless and attain extinction. However, everyone who wants to emulate the buddhas should be able to give rise to trust which encompasses a knowledge of conditioned phenomena the existence of which depends on each other and a firm belief in the inevitable law of cause and effect governing past, present and future according to which good actions will reap a happy result and negative act-ions a suffering one.
　　The special characteristic of the concept of positive and negative act-
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　　ion (karma) and fruit is that creation happens through one's own power not someone else's, opportunities are equal and there are no privileges, the future can be bright and there is no reason to despair, and the relationship between positive and negative (actions and results) is definitive. A person firmly believing in this principle holds the strong conviction that reasonable actions based on correct view are the power to improve what was done in the past and open up a bright future. He will not impute all faults on others but will exert his strength to improve himself. His present fate, as unfortunate as it may be, will not shake his determination to get rid of the negative and devote himself to what is good. If you infuse your daily life with a profound conviction about the law of cause and effect you will be able to manifest the true spirit of Buddhism.
　　After its introduction to China, the Buddhist idea of cause and effect valid through the three times was accepted only on the surface. Gene-rally, people want to circumvent it. The majority is not willing to act in accordance with the principle and practice properly avoidance of the negative and execution of the good. Moreover, traditional Chinese customs like drawing lots, geomancy etc. have severely crept into Buddhism and are accepted by most of the venerable elders. A Buddhism which is praying to some external force and filled with mediocre activities which resemble witchcraft is degenerate and impure. To have proper trust in the triple jewel and be profoundly convinced of cause and effect are the basis for emulating the buddhas. Thus, if you want to infuse buddhadharma into your daily life, you have to cultivate an unsullied trust and get rid of superstition.
　　Pure trust is based on correct view, and correct view arises from deep knowledge which is without fault. Correct understanding of Bud-
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　　dhism comes from listening -in the beginning, it was the World Honoured One teaching and then the disciples instructing each other in succession, only after the compilation of the texts and their fixation in written form it was possible to study from sutras (or shastras). After prolonged discussion among the disciples who strove to clarify the meaning of the dharma well structured treatises appeared which also answered the need to gain a profound understanding of the contents of the teaching in order to deal with disputes instigated by non-Buddhists. However, these treatises became more and more detailed, and with the appearance of individual schools the explanations of the meaning began to differ, not to mention that Buddhism in the course of its long spread was trying to adopt itself to different settings and employed countless expedient means. Both the Buddhism coming from India and that propagated by the ancient Chinese masters were vast in content and displayed a philosophical bias. Of course, it is unavoidable that Buddhism is changing in this world but with all those manifold and complicated scriptures it was indeed a perplexing question for the beginner to decide from which text to get direct access to the essence of Buddhism and then, based on correct understanding, to develop correct trust. 　 　 No wonder the virtuosi emerging themselves deeply tended toward the incomprehensible, and study of the meaning became the province of a chosen few while the general believer had faith in the Buddha without understanding the necessity to trust the dharma (some with trust in the dharma just believed that some specific text was marvellous and they recited it in order to gain merits), getting unavoidably lost in expedient means and striving exclusively for the material benefit of this life! At the time of the Buddha, Cuu.lapanthaka attained arhatship though he was very dull, and Hui-neng of the T'ang dynasty had profound realizations
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　　despite being illiterate. In my mind, purity of attainment, the harmony of trust and wisdom, which is arrived at in accordance with correct view as understood in Buddhism does not necessarily derive from study of and discussion about the countless meanings of the teaching. The only problem is that spiritual friends are hard to find in these times, so one has to rely on sutras and shastras.
　　In order to spread the good teaching and lead sentient beings to the right trust, the essential instruction on the correct meaning of buddhadharma (the basic teaching common to all buddhadharmas) is of utmost importance. At the same time, the study of the texts and academic research, which was introduced recently, of course have their value though they not necessary are in a position to lead people from a correct understanding to real trust, to plant the dharma deep in people's hearts and let them infuse their daily life with it. Especially in regard to those who teach or do research, if they are teaching for the sake of teaching and researching for the sake of research without giving themselves rise to proper trust it is, from the viewpoint of emulating the buddhas, without any special value. But as far as the meaning of the dharma is concerned, whatever can be used in practical life is well worth being paid attention to.
　　In terms of practice, the hearer's path is the noble eightfold path while the bodhisattva's path consists in the six perfections and the four means of attraction. Generally speaking, work benefiting oneself comprises mainly ethics, samadhi, and wisdom, work benefiting others mainly charity, morality and patience. According to buddhadharma, practice begins with pure trust which in turn comes from correct view. “Trust is the condition for the wish, and the wish is the condition for energetic work.” If you have pure trust you will engender a wish and aspiration
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　　to practice vigorously in accordance with the dharma. This trust-aspiration is the very nature of the “refuge” of the three vehicles and “bodhicitta” of the bodhisattva's path. Having an aspiration, you make a decision. Then you can push yourself to go ahead with all strength and practice strenuously in order to let your ideal materialize. Giving rise to pure trust through correct understanding is thus the gateway to the teaching for every Buddhist disciple.
　　When one is practicing, it is morality which constitutes the foundation of the noble path. People tend to think that morality is something like law -“this you must not commit,” “that is not allowed to do” etc. These, however, are only items to be observed and are not the nature of morality. So what is morality? “Ethics” is the translation of the Sanskrit term “`siila”. “`siila denotes a love for the practice of the good path and being free from negligence. No matter whether you have taken precepts or not, doing good is called `siila.” Thus morality is natur-al goodness, a natural goodness induced by repeated training. It is not “good deeds” in the common sense. Those are introduced by parents, teachers or friends, or are devised by oneself while dealing with situations. The latent power of natural goodness, on the other hand, is awakened by one moment of being moved or touched. It has the courage to do good and the strength to oppose the performance of evil deeds. If there is a chance to do something bad, an opposing force automatically arises in one's heart.
　　This natural goodness is latent and usually growing day and night. In case of a minor transgression, its force is still there, but if the mistakes are repeated again and again the power of morality will decrease, and in the case of committing a grave offense, it gets lost altogether. This is meant by “breaking a precept”. The moral quality of natural
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　　goodness is called “restraint.” The Buddhists refer to it also as “the essence of the precepts.” This moral goodness can be developed even in an age where there is no buddhadharma or where there is dharma but one doesn't know about it. Nevertheless, buddhadharma offers the support and guidance of right view so that the avoidance of negative and performance of positive will become even more definite and forceful without falling into extremes. Based on the virtues of natural goodness, one's everyday bodily, verbal, and mental activities will be in harmony with dharma.
　　Responding to differences in life style, social relationships, and communal rules, you find all kinds of precepts (lay, monastic, etc.) within buddhadharma but there is no difference in bringing the qualities of benefit for both oneself and others to perfection when applying this power of natural goodness. Even without taking precepts or keeping only the five precepts of a layman, this natural goodness becomes the foundation on which one proceeds towards liberation. If it is lacking, however, you do not necessarily plant the good roots of liberation though you might keep the monk's vows or bodhisattva precepts in a very pure way. Thus, in terms of taking precepts and keeping them, the most important point for a student of Buddhism is the morality of natural goodness which arises deep in one's heart. For the last three decades, there have been yearly transmissions of the monastic vows. Although they were ritually correct, it is very rare indeed to find someone who is able to put their energy into keeping the rules under all circumstances. Thus it is not astonishing that people are not in a position to infuse their daily lives with dharma.
　　Pure trust is trust in buddha, dharma and sangha which cannot be corrupted; morality of natural goodness is accomplishment of morality which is loved by the noble ones. Having perfected the fourfold incor-
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　　ruptible trust which encompasses both trust and morality, one will under no circumstances retrogress but, conversely, progress toward three types of bodhi or right awakening. If one practices in addition samadhi and wisdom, one will be able to reach liberation in this life. Pure trust a mounts to entering the door to buddhadharma, and good ethics are the foundation for emulating the buddhas. Without trust and morality, the further practice and realization of samadhi and wisdom is impossible.
　　It has been said in one scripture that “you will have no regrets if you keep the vows, and you will be filled with pleasurable feeling if you have no regrets; you will experience joy if you are filled with pleasurable feeling, and you will accomplish calmness if you are experiencing joy; you will know bliss if you accomplish calmness, and you will attain samadhi if you know bliss.” To practice samadhi on the basis of morality is a sensible progression and makes it easy to reach one's goal like a boat which follows the water. This is meant when saying that before practicing samadhi one has to keep away from the objects of the senses and negative phenomena.
　　There are some people who practice meditation in order to be healthy or to get some mystic experience etc. Neither keeping away from pollution through sense objects nor cutting off negative phenomena, they pay great attention to the breath and the body. Even if they achieve one pointed meditation it would be hard for them to avoid falling into perverse trances or becoming a member of Mara's retinue. This is not the pure (tainted or untainted) samadhi which is practised in Buddhism.
　　As to awakening through wisdom, Nagarjuna said that “the emp-tiness grasped at by a mind without the basis of trust and ethics is perverted emptiness.” How could it be possible for someone lacking in trust and morality to accomplish the realization of equality and emptiness!
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　　Everybody is talking about trust and ethics but the actual situation looks different. This is the reason why people are unable to infuse their daily lives with dharma. 　　Since I became a monk I've spent all my time trying to find my way through the pages of the canon. Professing to study for the sake of sentient beings, to find the essence which could be offered to others, I am filled with shame. Boundless is the ocean of the teaching. Yet how limited is what I managed to get! I always felt that buddhadharma is something simple and practical but “the noble ones excel and the dull ones fail” and thus buddhadharma is day after day degenerating while it is thriving! But I am just explaining my views here so that I might encourage myself and everybody else who really wants to emulate the buddhas.