改变命运的秘密——转变阿赖耶相续

The law of cause and effect works on infallible principles. For example, seeds of rice will yield only rice, not barley. Similarly, if a practice is not what leads to enlightenment, how can it yield the fruit of such? Many people think that if they regularly read scriptures such as the Diamond Sutra, the Thirty-Five Buddhas Repentance Ritual, the Practices and Vows of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, the Heart Sutra, etc., they are no doubt Buddhist practitioners. Actually, that may not necessarily be the case. While recitation of sutras is definitely a good thing to do, and the Buddha also praised its merit, motivation still matters greatly. If the motivation is not right, all will be wrong, and vice versa. That is, one can never do wrong with the right kind of motivation.

因果是有一定法则的。譬如，大米的种子长出的必然是大米，而不可能是青稞。同样，如果所修持的不是解脱之法，又怎能得到解脱之果呢？很多人都认为：自己经常在念《金刚经》、《三十五佛忏悔文》、《普贤行愿品》、《心经》……，就一定是学佛、修行的人。其实是不一定的，念这些经固然很好，佛也赞叹了念诵这些经文的功德。但是，动机是很重要的。动机不正，则一切都不正；动机若正，则做一切都是正确的。

Some of you here started your Buddhist practice earlier, some just a couple of years ago. No matter how long it has been, we should all look back to see what motivated us to perform virtuous actions. If our motivation is that of the inferior practitioners, albeit some good karma may ensue, it will not lead to enlightenment. If we come to realize this might be a problem, something can still be done to transform our good karma into means for attaining enlightenment. The most effective way is to generate bodhicitta. Why? From the perspective of all things being incessantly arising and ceasing every instance, it is true that what we did before no longer exists, but the continuum of awareness of the karmic seeds has already been planted in our alaya consciousness. Once we have generated renunciation and bodhicitta, the continuum in the alaya consciousness will be transformed immediately. Virtuous karma of the past may thus become the cause of enlightenment. If we do not improve the inferior motivation, virtuous karma will forever remain just mundane practice and never become the cause of liberation. What a pity that must be!

尽管有些人学佛较早，有些人近两年才学佛，但无论时间长短，都应该回头看一看，学佛以来，自己行善的动机是什么？如果是前面所讲的动机，虽然会有善果，但与解脱却没有关系。现在如果能意识到这个问题，我们也有办法将已做善业变为解脱法。最行之有效的方法，就是发起菩提心。为什么呢？因为，虽然从刹那刹那生灭的角度来看，以前的所做所为已不存在了，但是，其种子的相续却已经留在我们的阿赖耶识里。一旦我们能生起出离心、菩提心，阿赖耶识中的相续就可以立即转变。以前所做的善业，也能因此而成为菩提之因。如果我们不去改善，那么，它将永远是世间法，永远不能成为解脱之因，这实在太可惜了。

Although it is not advisable to cultivate virtue with the kind of motivation mentioned above, it does not mean Buddhist practice cannot bring forth worldly benefit. Nor does it mean the Dharma should never be applied to worldly endeavors. Let us use taking refuge in the Three Jewels as an example. No matter what the motivation is, taking refuge prevents obstacles caused by both human and non-human beings, purifies a great deal of negative karma and brings health and longevity. These are the benefits inherent in taking refuge. Also, when we run into difficulty or experience pain, the normal thing to do is to pray to our guru and the Three Jewels, as all Buddhists should. It is not as if we oppose completely doing good for the sake of health or holding pujas for longevity and wealth. However, to direct every practice simply to gain worldly benefit is wrong. Liberation from samsara alone should be the ultimate goal for us taking up any practice.

我们所讲的不能以上述动机行善，并非是指佛法不能令人得到世间利益，也不是指绝对不能将佛法用于世间法。比如皈依，无论怀有何种动机，皈依后都可以避免人与非人的违缘，可以清净许多罪业，也可以获得健康长寿，这是皈依本身所具有的功德。又如，平时遇到痛苦或困难时，祈祷上师三宝是很正常的，是作为学佛人所应该作的。我们并不排斥有时为健康等而行善，也不排斥间或为长寿、发财而做适当的法事。但是，如果将所有的修法，都用在追求世间圆满方面，那就不对了。只有解脱，才是我们修行的最终目标。