钥匙

The Key

不论开启任何宝库的大门，都需要钥匙。

To open the gate of any treasure chamber, we always need the right key.

开启佛的语言大宝藏，也需要智慧的金钥匙。否则，不论你如何念：“芝麻芝麻开门！”宝库的门也绝不会为你洞开。

Even more so, to access the great treasure of the Buddha’s teachings requires the golden key of wisdom. Simply saying “Open Sesame!” no matter how ardently, will never grant you entrance to the treasure chamber.

大慈大悲的佛陀，无论说什么话，都有内、外、密，直接、间接等不同层次的含义。各种意乐根基的众生，都会有不同的收获。

The sublime Conqueror, with his infinite love and compassion, endows whatever he says with various levels of meanings—outer, inner, secret, direct, or indirect—so that sentient beings of different capacity will understand and fulfill their aspirations accordingly.

这种特异的语言表达能力唯佛具足。其他的人，不论你是智能渊博的学者，学富五车的专家，闻名遐迩的智者，甚至断除烦恼的阿罗汉，也不可能具有如此通彻万物的语言。

Only the Buddha possesses such amazing ability of verbal expression. No one else—be it an erudite scholar, a most knowledgeable expert, a world-famous intellect, or even the Arhat who has eradicated all negative emotions—could have known this all-encompassing language.

因此，佛陀针对无边无量的众生，也会有开许和遮止，一说多、多说一，决定、非决定，显现与空性等看似矛盾的多种说法。有智慧的人详细分析，不但不矛盾，而且有很深的意义。《赞佛语颂》云：“开许或遮止，汝说一或多，有时说决定，有时说不定，相互皆无违。”了知此义后，便会用智慧抉择佛的金刚语，抉择了义不了义、四种意趣和四种秘密。

It should be understood, then, the seeming contradictions in Buddhism—such as to say one as many, many as one, certainty as non-certainty, or appearance vs. emptiness—are all Buddha’s teachings to suit infinite beings at apparent or hidden level. With detailed analysis, a wise person can see that these teachings do not contradict each other; rather, they are imbued with profound meanings. In Praises to Buddha’s Speech it says: “Yea or nay, one or many, certain at one time, uncertain at the other time, none of these are at odds with one another.” Hence it is only with wisdom that we can comprehend the adamantine words of the Buddha and come to establish true meaning or expedient meaning, the four intentions and the four secrets.

开启佛语宝藏的钥匙，就藏在遍知无垢光尊者的《大圆满心性休息大车疏》第八品的字里行间。

Where is this key to opening the speech treasure of the Buddha? The Omniscient Longchenpa hides it in the lines and words of the eighth chapter of A Treatise on Finding Comfort and Ease in the Nature of Mind in Great Perfection.

只怕现在的人们事情太多，没有时间去寻找。

But alas, I’m afraid people are too busy these days so there is simply no time left to look for the key.

壬午年四月十二日 　
2002年5月23日

12th of April, Year of RenWu
May 23, 2002