Jul 27, 2020
Master Huijing’s Short Dharma Teachings - the Buddha’s Enlightening Mottos
醒世箴言
Elder Sudatta sponsored and built Jetavava-vihara for Shakyamuni Buddha. In measuring the foundation of the building, Sariputra found ants on the ground, and he took the opportunity to talk to Elder Sudatta, “They have been repeatedly born to be ants during the lifetimes of the past seven Buddhas.
How long does it take for a Buddha to be born in terms of kalpas? The time that must pass for seven Buddhas to be born is very long and the ants have been reincarnating during that length of time . The eighth Buddha to be born will be Maitreya Buddha, in 5.67 billion years in the Longhua Assembly. Despite that long passage of time, it is not sure that these ants can transform to another body? Even if they can transform, they may not have a human body. So, it says, “Once a human body is lost, it cannot be recovered for ten thousand kalpas.
須達長者發心為釋迦牟尼佛建造祇園精舍,在丈量地基的時候,舍利弗看到地上的螞蟻,當下利用機會對須達長者說:這些螞蟻從七佛以來都一直當螞蟻——「七佛以來,猶為蟻子」。
一尊佛出世要經過多少時間,甚至多少劫?何況「七佛以來」,時間那麼漫長,都是當螞蟻。而第八位佛就是彌勒佛, 祂還要再經五十六億七千萬年才到這個世間成佛,龍華三會, 那個時候,這些螞蟻,是不是已經離開了螞蟻之身呢?縱使離開了螞蟻之身,能夠得到人身嗎? 所以說「一失人身,萬劫不復」。
Namo Amituofo!
