Jan 14

Jan 14, 2018
慧淨上人法語
淨土宗宗風真諦

The proverb says, “Contact with vermilion makes one red, with ink makes one black; contact with the sage makes one bright, with the fool makes one dull.” (Equivalent to “The finger that touches rouge will be red.”) If we follow experienced teachers and get together with helpful friends, we will also learn the wisdom, understand the truth, and even achieve Buddhahood. If we get together with people who know nothing, we will quite likely become one of them. Following a crowd walking toward the East, you will go eastward; following a crowd walking toward the West, you will automatically go westward.

Hence, Master Shandao asks us to get close to “intimate friends walking on the same path”. Walking on the same path refers to peers who are learning the same school of Pure Land Buddhism. If they are not learning the teachings of our school, don’t get close to them, no matter they are lay practitioners or belong to a monastic assembly, a teacher or a student. Don’t get close to them, because we may change according to circumstances, and circumstances will imperceptibly change us.

俗語說，「近朱者赤，近墨者黑；近智者明，近愚者暗」。若都跟明師益友在一起，我們也會有智慧、懂道理，甚至可以成佛；若是跟什麼都不懂的人在一起，也可能會跟他一樣。跟隨向東的人走，就會向東；跟隨向西的人走，自然就會到西方。因此，善導大師說要親近「同行善知識」，「同行」就是同樣學習本門的人，若不是學習這個法門的，就不要親近，不論他是在家眾或出家眾，是老師或學生，都不要親近。因為我們會隨「緣」而轉變，緣在無形中會改變我們。

Namo Amitabha!