Whenever I listen to this song, it calms me down. :)

禅之圈

在禅八其中一天的佛法讲座当中，大峰禅师以巧妙浅白的方式为大家讲解了禅之圈中的五个点。

详细的华文内容可阅读《弹灰在佛身》：http://chan-shi.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-post_30.html

在此笔录在大峰禅师开示时所听到和理解的内容，以作分享和参考。如有失误之处，请见谅。

At the zero degree, it is the "Small I". 

"Small I" is attached to name and form. E.g. when a person ask for water, he says, '' No no, there is no water here, we only have shui (水）. " So he refuses to give the thirsty person water. (People laughed)

At this point, Life is suffering. Happiness is suffering, and  Suffering is happiness. So Life is suffering. Why is it so? The happiness that we get at this point, comes from attachment. 

For example, when we have good food, we thought "wow, we want good food! we want good food!" After we have been full, then we think "Awww, I'm so full I dont want this food anymore." Whenever there is happiness, suffering follows behind. 

Between the zero and ninety degree, people attached to Name and Form. So we are living in an opposite world: Good and bad, dirty and clean, noisy and quiet...Happiness is suffering. Suffering is happiness.

At 90 degrees, it is the "Thinking I".

"Thinking I" is attached to the thinking. When we are sleeping, our six consciousness stop working but we can still dream. This is the "thinking I" or "karma I". With some of the experience, a person may understand that " Emptiness is form and form is emptiness", but that is just  remain as a thought. Between 90 to 180 it is all about philosophy.

Just as when we are sleeping, we dream about ourselves riding on a roller coaster and suddenly fall off and Woah! We wake up and realise that it is not true, it is just our dreams. So, when we realise that thinking is just thinking, not true. Then we keep on practising, practising, and practising until we finally reach 180 degrees.

Thus, when we ask about what Buddhism teaches, the simplest way to say is: Buddhism teaches us not to attach to name, form and thinking.

When we reached 180 degrees, it is "No I".

At this point, it is before thinking. The truth is without speech and words. When we try to speak, it is already wrong! ( Speech is also a kind of thinking). Hence, the truth cannot be expressed using words, but the truth can be demonstrated by action. 

At this point we are in an absolute world. But, if we stay at this point, then we will be attached to emptiness. Hence, a person should keep on practising until he reaches 360 degrees.

At 270 degrees, we can get and utilise the universal energy. We get the freedom. But it is also a very dangerous point. When we are attached to those special "power" / "freedom", it is likely that we will get astray and fall back. So when we are at this point, do not attach to the special energy as well. 

When we keep practising without being attached at either 180 or 270 degrees, then we'll finally reach the 360 degrees. 

360 degrees is the same point as 0 degree. At 360 degrees, it is the "Big I". Everything is just as it is. The sky is blue, the trees are green. There is no good or bad, dirty or clean...all these arises from our thinking. Sugar is sweet, salt is salty. The tree does not claim himself is green. so as the sky. So, everything is just as  it is. We see the same thing as we are in zero degrees but we are not attached to name, form, and even thinking anymore. 

At 360 degrees, your life is for all the sentient beings. You use things that appear in the correct way for the correct function. When someone is thirsty, you give them drink. When someone is hungry, you feed them. This is the heart of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. 

Hence, when we are practising, always keep our correct situation, correct function and correct relationship from moment to moment. We may not believe ourselves enough but one day, we can 100% believe our own true nature and believe the truth of our hands that hit  the floor. 

禅八

这次的禅八，有幸初次认识了曹溪宗的禅法，第一次对禅有了初步概念。拿起崇山禅师著述的〈弹灰在佛身〉，每日阅读一二故事，看得津津有味，不知不觉便拈到了书末。

对书本与大峰禅师所解释的禅之圈，原想在网上找出那图案，做个心得整理，结果不找出了一个含有〈弹灰在佛身〉大部分文章的网站，真的很感意外！

http://chan-shi.blogspot.com/search/label/%E5%BC%B9%E7%81%B0%E5%9C%A8%E4%BD%9B%E8%BA%AB

原来禅，是这样的。它直接道出了我们许多人的弊病与错误的知见。尤其才发现自己原来向来是只在“解”方面下功夫，却甚少注重“行”的修持。而且，自己是过于注重与执着思维，我常常只在思维方面下功夫，认为改变自己的知见就行了。但是，思维只是明白，只是道明你懂了这佛法的知识，并非是心的体悟。在修行时，我们连好的知见也要放下。心的体悟，是非言语和思维所能表达的。

“佛说一切法，为度一切心。若无一切心，何用一切法？”

什么是佛陀的心？什么是法？我是什么？

我真的不知。

树是绿的，天空是蓝的。

冲凉去吧！