The Ultimate Dharma1: the Three Treasures2 (Part 1) 三寶心法（上）


編按：本文是加拿大明華道院的褚點傳師以英文所寫的三寶心法，為保持原汁原味，不做全文翻譯；特別請忠恕學院英文班的學長們在關鍵字，或是艱難字句上加註音標及中譯。
The Secret to Enlightenment3
For most of us who understand the preciosity4 of the grace5 from our divine6 guru7 would cherish dearly the wonderful moment undergoing8 the initiation ritual9.The moment we are initiated10 to become tao-relatives11, chelas12 of Ji Gong Living Buddha13, or followers of Maitreya Buddha14, our life opens a new page–the page containing the hidden truth of the ultimate dharma for enlightenment.Without the dharma, the spiritual potential15 cannot be unlocked16 and achieving enlightenment is almost infeasible17.During the initiation, we are awarded the ultimate dharma by our divine guru, Ji Gong Living Buddha.At the moment, many of us may not feel the change happening in us.But our potential has been unlocked and we are in a better position to march on the path to ascension18.Spiritual practice has been with

1.ultimate ['ʌltəmɪt] adj.最大的,極限的 dharma ['dɑrmə] n.佛教、印度教中的法則,教規 the ultimate dharma: 或可譯為”無上妙法”
2.the three treasure 三寶 3.enlightenment: [ɪn'laɪtņmənt] n.啟蒙;教化
4.preciosity: [.prεʃɪ'ɑsətɪ] n.貴重的物品; 指道之尊貴。
5.grace: [ɡres] n.(神的)恩典,慈悲 6.divine: [də'vaɪn] adj.神的,神性的
7.guru: ['guru] n.古魯(印度教的導師): 本文指明師,即濟公老師.
8.undergo: [.ʌndɚ'go] v.經歷; 接受 9.the initiation ritual: 辦道儀式
10.initiate: [ɪ'nɪʃɪ.et] v.開始;創始 11.tao-relative:道親
12.chelas: ['tʃela] n.印度小沙彌;門徒
13.Ji Gong Living Buddha: n.濟公活佛 14.Maitreya Buddha: n.彌勒佛
15.the spiritual potential: 靈性的潛能；本文指佛性
16.unlocked: v.”解開鎖”，即明師ㄧ指後佛性顯現
17.infeasible [ɪn'fizəbļ] adj.不可實行的
18.ascension [ə'sεnʃən] n.上升,升高；即靈性的昇華

us for a long time Human history tells that there were innumerable predecessors19 who strived20 for emancipation21 of reincarnation22, wanted to rip23 their karmic24 bondage25, and attempted for enlightenment.But only a few achieved what they had longed for26.After all, spiritual cultivation27 is not an easy journey.Without the grace from the guru, the chelas would be desperate28 and ignorant29 while struggling for spiritual progress30.

Some of our tao–members may ask why the ultimate dharma is now so widely available31 and easily granted if it is invaluable32.Well, it is because the majority33 of the human being is so ignorant as to lost in worldly cravings34, which in turn creates a group karmic retribution35 that will bring affliction36 to this planet.We shall have a vivid37 memory of those decades ago, only a handful of people paid attention when the scientist warned that various human activities had endangered38 many species and might eventually destroy the earth.Today, we can sense that the earth is on the brink of39 a catastrophe40.Will it happen? The answer may very likely be “when” not “if”.Seeing human being induce41 an inevitable disaster by their karmic retribution, the Eternal Mother (or Lao Mu) is extremely anxious to the situation and thereby42 made the

19.predecessor ['prεdɪ. sεsɚ] n.前輩;先賢 20.strive [straɪv] v.努力,奮鬥
21.emancipation [ɪ.mænsə'peʃən] n.(從束縛、支配下)解放
22.reincarnation [.riɪnkɑr'neʃən] n.輪迴 23.rip [rɪp] v.扯開,剝掉
24.karmic adj.業力的 25.bondage ['bɑndɪdʒ] n.束縛
26.long for (動詞片語) 渴望 27.cultivation [.kʌltə'veʃən] n.涵養；修養
28.desperate ['dεspərɪt] adj.絕望的 29.ignorant ['ɪgnərənt] adj.無知的
30.progress ['pragrεs]n.進步;發展 31.available [ə'veləbļ] adj.可得到的
32.invaluable [ɪn'væljəbļ] adj.貴重的,無價的
33.majority [mə'dʒɔrətɪ] n.大多數 34.craving ['krevɪŋ] n.渴望,熱望
35.retribution [.rεtrɪ'bjuʃən] n.報應;懲罰
36.affliction [ə'flɪkʃən] n.苦惱,折磨 37.vivid ['vɪvɪd] adj.生動清晰的
38.endanger [ɪn'dendʒɚ] v.危害 39.on the brink of 瀕臨…
40.catastrophe [kə'tæstrəfɪ] n.大災難 41.induce [ɪn'djus] v.誘發
42.thereby [ðεr'baɪ] adv.因此,從而

ultimate dharma available at this time so that we have the chance to save ourselves and to minimize the suffering.As the Chinese proverb goes, “coming early makes no superior than coming right.”43 If we lived a century ago, we would not have the opportunity to be granted the dharma.In the earlier time, the ultimate dharma was awarded only to those who, in addition to morally44 and intellectually45 ready, are spiritually near enlightened.If the criteria46 are applied to us today, most of us would not meet the qualifications.Therefore, without the grace of the Eternal Mother, we would not have the opportunity to be granted the ultimate dharma.

There are examples telling us that the ultimate dharma was secretly granted only to the qualified spiritual seekers.Back to Gautama47 Buddha’s time (around 400 BC) in an assembly48 at Mount Grdhrakuta when the Buddha was giving a speech, he intentionally49 held up a flower before the assemblage50.At the time, all remained silent, only one of the Buddha’s chelas, Maha Kasho51, broke into a smile.The Buddha at the moment said: “I have the true dharma, hidden in the eyes, exquisite nirvana mind, formless true form of mysterious dharma path.It does not rely on letters and is transmitted outside the scriptures.I now hand it to Maha Kasho.”52

What Gautama Buddha handed to Kasho was the ultimate dharma and It was transmitted outside the scriptures53 – meaning secretly granted to a chela.Why it was Maha Kasho? By breaking into a smile, Kasho alone understood what the Buddha meant by holding the flower in the air.At that very moment, Kasho showed that he was intellectually and spiritually ready for being awarded the ultimate dharma.Another example of the ultimate dharma being secretly granted to a chela happened to Hui Neng, the Sixth Patriarch of

43.來得早不如來得巧 44.morally ['mɔrəlɪ] adv.道德上地
45.intellectually [`ɪntļ'εktʃυəlɪ] adv.智識上地
46.criteria [kraɪ'tɪrɪə] n.標準,尺度 47.Gautama 釋迦牟尼佛的俗家姓
48.assembly [ə'sεmblɪ] n.集會 49.intentionally [ɪn'tεnʃənļɪ] adv.有意地
50.assemblage [ə'sεmblɪdʒ] n.聚集,集會
51.Maha Kasho 釋迦牟尼佛的弟子摩呵迦葉; 作者敘述”拈花微笑”的典故。
52.吾有正法眼藏，涅槃妙心，實相無相，微妙法門，不立文字，教外別傳，付囑摩呵迦葉。
53.scripture ['skrɪptʃɚ] n.經典,聖典
Chinese Buddhism, in about AD 670.When granting the ultimate dharma to Hui Neng, the Fifth Patriarch spread his robe54 to cover Hui Neng while secretly awarding the dharma.This story is written in “Altar Sutra Of The Sixth Patriarch.” 55

Many of us do not understand that there are two kinds of dharma.The dharma that is available for all spiritual seekers is the equitable56 dharma or the exoteric57 dharma.It serves to encourage the seekers working on their spiritual awareness.It contains no secret but elaborations58 of the theories, guidance, methods, philosophies, and any scripture about spiritual cultivation.

Aside from the equitable dharma, there is the ultimate dharma, or the esoteric dharma59.The ultimate dharma serves for only two reasons—for the guru to corroborate60 with the chelas when the chelas are reaching enlightenment, and for the guru to rescue the chelas in suffering or danger caused by their karmic retribution.The ultimate dharma is a powerful, life-saving tool to spiritual seekers.Therefore, awarding the ultimate dharma is the greatest grace from the guru to the chelas.We, as the chelas of Ji Gong Living Buddha, shall be very grateful and exited about how fortunate we are.Regardless of the stage we are in our spiritual journey, we are well protected and guided by our guru.

The-anthropoid Incorporation61
The uniqueness62 of I-Kuan Tao is its the-anthropoid incorporation in which rituals63 and operations are carried by joint cooperation of human and deity64.

54.robe [rob] n.長袍,罩袍;本文指袈裟
55.Altar Sutra Of The Sixth Patriarch: 六祖壇經
56.equitable ['εkwɪtəbļ] adj.公平的;公正的
57.exoteric [.εksə'tεrɪk] adj.開放的;公開的 exoteric dharma 顯法
58.elaboration [ɪ.læbə'reʃən] n.詳細闡述
59.esoteric [.εsə'tεrɪk] adj.祕傳的; esoteric dharma密法
60.corroborate [kə'rɑbə.ret] v.確證
61.anthropoid ['ænθrə.pɔɪd] adj.人類的; the-表示"神的" (如:theology)
the-anthropoid incorporation 天人共辦
62.uniqueness [ju'niknɪs] n.獨特性
63.ritual ['rɪtʃυəl] n.儀式,典禮 64.deity ['diətɪ] n.神
Being in his formless spiritual form, our guru cannot alone perform the dharma awarding to his human chelas.The dharma awarding can only be carried out by a human who is ordained65 to work in incorporation with the guru.With this kind of the-anthropic incorporation, the ultimate dharma is then given to the chelas.It is also because of this the-anthropic incorporation, the mandate66 of the Eternal Mother is carried out, the compassionate67 vows of Maitreya Buddha68 and our guru are fulfilled, and we, the chelas, are guided and protected.There has never been a time in the human history that the ultimate dharma is so widely available for anyone who earnestly seeks for it.Without this the-anthropic incorporation, little can be accomplished.

The Three Treasures

During the initiation ritual, we were awarded the ultimate dharma, which includes three valuables.They are the Mystical Gate69, the Mantra70, and the Mudra71.They are also known as the Three Treasures.

For those of us who are not anywhere close to enlightened, the dharma may save us in emergencies or life-risk situations.Hopefully, the situation would never happen to us.If it does, the ultimate dharma can be applied to save us by holding the Mudra in front of the chest, concentrating on the Mystical Gate, and simultaneously72 repeating the Mantra in your mind.Many tao-relatives have been amazed by the outcome73 after applying the Three Treasures under critical circumstances74.The dharma also unlocks our spiritual potential by activating our inherent75 wisdom (prajna).Being unlocked the spiritual potential, we have a keener mind to understand our life, to study the sutras, and to discern76 the truth from the illusion77.

65.ordain [ɔr'den] v.授...以聖職 66.mandate ['mændet] n.授權,委任
67.compassionate [kəm'pæʃənɪt] adj.慈悲的
68.Maitreya Buddha 彌勒祖師 69.The Mystical Gate 玄關
70.mantra ['mʌntrə] n.真言;(印度教、大乘佛教中的)祈禱文;口訣
71.mudra [mə'drɑ]n.日本佛教中的手印; 合同
72.simultaneously [sɑɪməl'tenɪəslɪ] adv.同時地
73.outcome ['aυt.kʌm] n.結果 74.critical circumstances: 危急關鍵時刻
75.inherent [ɪn'hɪrənt] adj.與生俱來的
76.discern [dɪ'zɝn] v.辨識 77.illusion [ɪ'ljuʒən] n.幻覺;假象

Different from a teacher of worldly skill and knowledge, a guru teaches religious knowledge, conveys78 the dharma and spiritual insight, and brings the chelas to their utmost liberation79.The guru-chela relationship is established with chela’s complete trust, pure devotion, and immutable80 commitment81.It is a one-to-one relationship in which the chela is forever blessed by the guru.The ultimate dharma awarded to us is the best proof of compassion and commitment of our guru.It can only be awarded and authenticated82 by our guru.Therefore, our guru asks us not to share the ultimate dharma with anyone else, even to the closest family members.The ultimate dharma is an unshared secret between Ji Gong Living Buddha and the chelas—the guru and us.If you would like anyone to have the dharma, the correct way is to bring him/her to a master (Dian Chuan Shih) 83 for the initiation.

Though invaluable, the ultimate dharma in some situations are not cherished because it has been widely available.Some people may choose not to take this invaluable favor when provided the opportunity.If we understand how karma works, we shall know that not every one is deserved to be awarded the dharma due to their karmic causation84.The compassionate vows of guru, of Maitreya Buddha, and of the Eternal Mother are certainly aimed to save every one.It appears that every human being is given the opportunity of being awarded the dharma, but causatively85 only those who are deserved or karmically intimate with the guru and Maitreya Buddha will eventually be initiated.People who renounce86 the dharma are not necessarily evil.In most situations, they are decent87 human beings.However, to become the chelas of Ji Gong Living Buddha, we must have good karmic bondage with him or had done something good to have the reward.

78.convey [kən've] v.傳達 79.liberation [.lɪbə'reʃən]解放; 釋出
80.immutable [ɪ'mjutəbļ] adj.永遠不變的
81.commitment [kə'mɪtmənt] n.承諾,保證
82.authenticate [ɔ'θεntɪ.ket] v.證明...是真實的
83a master (Dian Chuan Shih) 點傳師
84.causation [kɔ'zeʃən] n.因果關係；karmic causation因果業力關係
85.causatively ['kɔzətɪv] adv.因緣際會地
86.renounce [rɪ'naυns] v.拒絕承認
87.decent ['disņt] adj.正派的