What is the true protection of Dharma 

怎樣才是真護法

Master ChinKung July 1, 2012. The first thing about learning Buddhism is learning to let go. There's nothing else. Put this as the first priority - to see if you can let go. Let go internally and externally without attachment. Externally, it refers to things outside the body; let go of them completely. Internally, it refers to the body. How do you let go of the body? The body is meant to serve the public. Today, we talk about volunteering, taking meticulous care of everyone, making sure that the minds and bodies of those who are practicing are at ease. Practice the Six Harmonies and Respect. This is true protection of the Dharma.

If the sangha is not harmonious, it's a serious issue. What does it mean to not be harmonious? It means destroying the sangha. The offense for this is the Avici Hell. This is not something commonly discussed, but it's true, not false. Disharmony means breaking the harmony of the sangha, breaking the unity of the sangha. If you find someone agreeable and someone disagreeable, and you create disharmony in the sangha, in the future, when the karmic consequences manifest, it will be too late to regret. So, the standard for protecting the Dharma is the Six Harmonies. The mind for protecting the Dharma is a pure and equal mind. The conduct for protecting the Dharma involves actions of the body, speech, and mind. 'Same abode' in mind (harmony), 'speech without disputes,' and 'minds in harmony.' These three aspects need to be achieved, and they all pertain to oneself. What follows are external aspects. Externally, it involves benefit and equality. The foundation of the Six Harmonies lies in what? The theoretical foundation is harmony and understanding. The practical foundation is precepts and collective practice.

The precepts upheld in our Pure Land tradition consist of five categories. This is our set of precepts. The first is the purification of actions and the three virtues. The second is the Six Harmonies and Respect. The third is the training in precepts, meditation, and wisdom—the three learnings. The fourth is the Six Perfections and the Six Paramitas. The fifth is the ten vows of Universal Worthy Bodhisattva. These are our precepts. If we can adhere to these five, we are truly protecting the Dharma. This is the protection of Amitabha Buddha, the protection of Shakyamuni Buddha. If our thoughts, words, and actions do not align with this, then we know we are not upholding the Buddha's Dharma, nor Amitabha's Dharma.

Next, you should carefully contemplate: Is there truly a protection of the Dharma in this world? When the true Dharma flourishes, even one single place is extraordinary. Every place is blessed, and everyone gains merits. But there isn't any! Early in my monastic life, I started giving discourses. I should say, for about five to six years from the beginning of my monastic life. In my audience, there was a senior lay practitioner, Zhao Mulin, who was a disciple of Master Yingguang and had a reputation in the Buddhist community. Everyone knew about them. Mr. Li, our teacher, was also a disciple of Master Yingguang; they were well acquainted with each other, belonging to my father's generation.

One day, he invited me to have a meal at Kongde Lin, a vegetarian restaurant near Taipei Main Station. I went there, and we were the only guests—just the two of us. He asked me, 'Do you know why I invited you for this meal today?' I said, 'I don't know. I don't have any special insight.' He said, 'I've been troubled by something for a long time, unable to resolve it. I want to talk to you about it.' I asked, 'What is it?' He started talking about creating the Five Heinous Acts and the Ten Evil Deeds, which the sutras say will lead to falling into the Avici Hell. He said, 'In today's society, among the Ten Evil Deeds, there's one called "causing disharmony in the sangha," which will lead to falling into the Avici Hell. I see many people doing this now. What can be done about it?' I said, 'This issue isn't that significant. Let's enjoy the meal and savor these dishes.' He asked, 'Why isn't it a big deal?' I asked him, 'Where have you seen a harmonious sangha?' Upon hearing my question, he paused and then laughed. There is no harmonious sangha. To break the unity of a harmonious sangha is a crime, but right now, there isn't a harmonious sangha. So, this accusation doesn't hold. If there were a harmonious sangha, and you disrupted it, that would indeed be serious. But now, two monastics living together argue and disagree. Where is the harmonious sangha? I told him, 'I've never seen one.' He thought about it and realized the point.

Advocating the Six Harmonies is indeed correct. Have the Six Harmonies appeared? No. Is it possible for them to appear? Impossible. Why is it impossible? Because the teaching hasn't been studied. How can there be the Six Harmonies? One must thoroughly understand the doctrine before they can let go of self-interest, fame, gain, greed, hatred, and delusion, and then form a sangha of Six Harmonies. As long as there is self-interest, fame, gain, and the desires of the senses and the mind, there's no hope for the Six Harmonies. If a person cannot even be in harmony with themselves, how can they be in harmony with others? Hence, observe carefully in today's world—parents and children are not in harmony, siblings are not in harmony, husbands and wives are not in harmony. Even among spouses, there are private possessions and privacy. How can there be harmony in such situations? Harmony is impossible when there's privacy. Therefore, in today's world, harmony often has a name but lacks reality.

Today, first and foremost, we must be in harmony with ourselves. Therefore, it's best for the monastery to be small and the number of people to be few. Slowly achieving harmony is extraordinary. In the sangha, the sutras tell us, a minimum of four people living together can practice the Six Harmonies. That is a harmonious sangha. With more people, it becomes difficult. The more people, the harder it is because everyone has different views. Thus, you'll realize it's not easy. However, generosity, observing precepts, and patience—if these three can be achieved, a harmonious sangha is possible. If these three cannot be achieved, there won't be a harmonious sangha. In the Pure Land, if there's a harmonious sangha, when you're reborn in the Pure Land, you will join a harmonious sangha. From this, we can infer that not cultivating the Six Harmonies is also an obstacle to being reborn in the Pure Land.

恭錄自-淨土大經科註-淨空法師 2012.07.01

　　學佛頭一個就是學捨，沒有別的，把這個擺在第一條，就是看你能不能捨。內外悉捨而無所著，外是身外之物，統統放下，內是身體。身體怎麼放下？身體為大眾服務，我們今天講做義工，對大家照顧得無微不至，讓修行的人身心安穩。把六和敬做出來，這叫真正護法。如果這個道場不和，這問題就很嚴重。不和是什麼？不和是破壞道場，那這個罪過就是無間地獄。這話沒人講，是真的不是假的。不和就是破和合僧、破和合僧團。我看這個人順眼，看那個人不順眼，你在破和合僧團，到將來果報現前後悔莫及，來不及了。所以護法的標準就是六和敬。護法的心是清淨心、是平等心，護法的行為是身口意，身同住（和睦）、口無諍、意同悅，這三個要做到，這三個都屬於自身的。後面是心外的，心外是利，利和同均。它的根基，六和立足在哪裡？立足的理是見和同解，立足的法就是戒和同修。我們淨宗所標榜的戒律就是五個科目，這就是我們的戒律，第一個淨業三福，第二個六和敬，第三個戒定慧三學，第四個六度，六波羅蜜，第五個普賢十願，這是我們的戒律。我們能把這五個做到，真護法，這是阿彌陀佛的護法，是釋迦如來的護法；我們起心動念、言語造作跟這個不相應，那就知道，沒有護世尊的法，也沒有護彌陀的法。然後你就細心去觀想，這個世界上有沒有真正護法的？有真正護法的佛法興，有一個道場都不得了，有一個道場全世界人都沾光、都得福報，沒有！

　　我早年出家沒幾年，我一出家就講經，應該講經有個五、六年的時間，早年。我的聽眾裡頭有個老居士，資格很老，印光法師的弟子趙默林老居士，在佛教界裡頭也有點名氣，大家都知道。我們李老師也是印光法師的弟子，他們都很熟悉，是我父親那一輩。有一天他請我吃飯，在功德林，功德林在台北火車站的旁邊，一個素菜館。我去了，到那裡見面，客人只有我一個，就是我們兩個人，叫了兩個菜。他問我，他說淨空法師，你知不知道我今天為什麼請你吃飯？我說我不知道，我還沒神通。他說我有一樁事情放在心上很久了，沒有辦法解決，我要跟你說說。我說什麼事情？他就講到造作五逆十惡，經上講必定墮無間地獄。他說現在這個社會，五逆十惡裡頭有一條叫「破和合僧」，這一條是墮無間地獄的，我看現在造的人很多，這怎麼辦？我說這樁事情，沒事沒事，咱們好好的來吃，品嘗品嘗這些菜色。他說怎麼沒有事？我就問他一句，你在哪個地方看到一個和合僧團？我這一問，他一回想，笑起來了，沒有一個和合僧團。破和合僧團才是無間罪，現在沒有和合僧團，所以這個罪名不成立。如果真有個和合僧團，你要是破壞它，那真不得了，現在沒有，兩個出家人住在一起都吵架，都鬧意見，哪來的和合僧團？我就跟他講，我沒見到過。他想想有道理。

　　我們提倡六和敬是正確的。六和敬有沒有出現？沒有。可不可能出現？不可能。為什麼不可能？教沒有研究，他怎麼會有六和敬！必須對教理完全通達，他才能夠把自私自利放下、名聞利養放下、貪瞋痴慢放下，才能組成六和敬的僧團；只要有自私自利、有名聞利養、有五欲六塵，六和敬沒指望。他一個人，自己跟自己都不能夠和，他能跟誰和？所以今天這個世界你細心觀察，父子不和、兄弟不和、夫妻不和，夫妻還有私財、有隱私權，你看看這怎麼和得來？還有隱私那就不能和了。所以在今天這個世界，和合有名無實。

　　我們今天，首先我要跟自己和。所以道場愈小愈好，人愈少，慢慢能做到和合就不得了。和合僧團，經上告訴我們，最少四個人，四個人住在一起能夠修六和敬，這就是和合僧團。人多了難，愈多愈難，每個人知見不一樣，所以你就曉得不容易。但是檀那、持戒、忍辱這三條能做到，和合僧團可能出現。這三條做不到！有和合僧團，在極樂世界，往生到極樂世界就加入和合僧團了。由此可知，我們要不修六和敬，也是障礙往生極樂世界。今天時間到了，我們就學習到此地。