我們大部分人的生活模式是：上班、吃飯、下班、睡覺。
如何為這種刻板生活賦予意義呢？
今期法師的講座開示，生命的內容是由我們的言行思想所決定的，
而人生要有意義必須要找到真正的人生目的。
剛才介紹今天的講題是「生死無礙」。什麼是生？什麼是死？什麼是無掛礙？我不能說我無掛礙，我依然有掛礙！我還是貪生怕死，怎麼會無掛礙！可是有一個證明，就是香港秀峰禪院的秀峰禪師，他的身教給我們知道什麼是無掛礙。在很多年前，我在新加坡收到香港的法師一個電話說：「繼聞師，我有一個壞消息，秀峰禪師坐着往生了！」聽說他穿着袈裟，在小參室給一個青少年一個公案：「如何觀照世界的聲音？」那位學生拍了地板一 下，他說正確後便涅槃了，這就是沒有掛礙！我還沒有這個功夫，不可以這樣！我們有沒有這樣的功夫達到生死無礙，這是一個很重要的課題。所以我們今天來到這裏去探討這個課題 「什麼是生？什麼是死？」為什麼我們要生？生命的意義是什麼？生命的價值是什麼？我們的目的是什麼？
想一想我們一天裏做些什麼？每天睡覺醒來，我們上班，然後吃飯，疲倦了就睡覺。明天起來又工作，吃飯，又睡覺。 我們每天都在重複這樣的生活，我們的生命就在一個沒有終點的圓圈跑道上一直在跑。那麼，什麼是人生真正的目的？ 人生是要有目的，所以，你們今天來到這裏就是要尋找人生的方向、人生真正的目的。那麼你們便不會每天毫無意義地重複做同一樣事情。
我們生命的內容、我們每天所看的、聽的、吃的、說的、思考的、行動的，決定了 我們當前的存在。那麼，今天的我，在每一個瞬間都是由我們製造的。我們看到什麼？聽到什麼？吃了什麼？為了什麼？思考了什麼？行動了什麼？這些形成了一個我，我是由我製造的，這是我的業力。我們每天看到些什麼？聽到些什麼？吃了什麼？為了什麼？思考了什麼？ 行動了什麼？所以每一個瞬間都是由你製造「你」，你的業力。所以要過一個怎麼樣的生活是很重要。
我們可以從古人的足跡學到很多我們應該要過的生活。我們可以決定我們要過怎麼樣的生活。所以，今天你們決定來到這裏，你有一個很好的方向，要找到真正的人生目的，我們就不會每一天毫無意義地重複做同一件事情。
在工作崗位上，我們到了五十或六十歲時就會退休，但在人生目的上是沒有真正的退休。所以，我們在生的時候，活的時候，要活得精彩，懷着我們的熱忱和責任感繼續生活，這是我們的職責。如果我們停止活動、探索和創造，這跟死亡沒有分別。因此，我們活的時候要活得精彩，意思是要怎樣去過你的生活呢？你要的是什麼？對你的生命來說，什麼是重要？ 如果我們真的這樣問，我們的生活的素質就會提高。當我們來到這裏見面的時候，我們應該要尊重和珍惜這個見面的機會。你現在心的本質是什麼？你要的是什麼？你要怎樣去展開你的人生？如果你這樣問自己，你的人生就有目的了。
坐禪的重點是要明心見性。六祖惠能說我們的菩提自性是本來清淨，如果你跟隨這個方向，要成佛並不是問題。簡單的說，我們要明白自己要的是什麼。這就是明心吧！我們要坦誠地面對自己，我們要的是什麼？對自己要誠實，要了解你自己的心。如果你擁有自己的心，你還會失去什麼呢？如果你不明白自己的心，你又怎能贏呢？所以，你要的是什麼？這是很重要的一點。所以明心是很重要。佛陀成道並不是得到無上秘密的幫助，或者某某大師的加持，但他找到自己的心，看見心， 自心的本來面目。
我們剛才講的「生死無礙」，另一個意思就是「本來面目」。所以我們要探索，往內心觀照，去找到你真正的目的，我們就叫本來面目吧！「本來面目」講是很容易，但我們要做一點東西。秀峰禪 師已經向這個方向走了二十多年，我們的香音大觀 禪師已經帶領我們向着本來面目這個方向走，這個並不容易。我在新加坡也知道，要帶領大家去找本來面目並不容易，也是我們每一個人的工作。坐在我旁邊的也是跟隨崇山禪師走同一個方向幾十年。我們的大真禪師也一樣，我在韓國見到他的時候是多年前的事。其實，每一個人都有同一樣的工作，我們怎樣活着是非常重要的。
It was introduced just now that today’s topic is “Freedom from Life and Death”. What is life, what is death and what is no hindrance? I cannot say that I do not have hindrance, I still have hindrance! I am still afraid of death and want to live, how can I say that I have no hindrance? But we have a very good example from Su Bong Zen Monastery; Su Bong Zen Master has set up a very good example of no hindrance. Many years ago, I received the phone call from a Zen master in Hong Kong: “Gye Mun sunim, a bad news; Su Bong Zen Master has entered Nirvana while giving a kong-an interview.” He was wearing his robe and kasa giving a kong-an interview to a little girl, he asked this little girl what is the sound of the universe? The student hit the floor and he said correct and then left, this is no hindrance at all. I am not at that level yet so I could not talk about this. Whether we can have this ability to have no hindrance in life and death is an important lesson for us. That’s why we come today to explore “What is Life and what is Death?” Why we have to be born? What is the meaning of life? What is the value of life? What is the purpose of life?
Let’s think about what are we doing everyday? We sleep and wake up then go to work; we eat, get tired and then sleep. The next day we wake up and then go to work, we eat, then get tired and sleep. We repeat this everyday, so our life is like running in a circle race track without any destination; just keep on running and running. Then what is the real meaning and purpose of life? Life has to have a purpose, that’s why we come here today to look for the direction and purpose of life, then we won’t repeat doing the same thing everyday.
The content of our life, the thing we see, we hear, we eat , we speak, we think, we act decide our moment of existence. The ‘I’ today, every moment is created by ourselves, what we see, what we hear, what we eat, what we speak, what we think and what we act, they formed ‘I’, so I made myself and my karma. Thus, what you see, what you hear, what you eat, what you say, what you think and what you do, every moment you are creating you and your karma. Therefore how do we live our life is very important.
We can learn from the ancient ones how to live our life; we can decide what kind of life we want to live? Today you decided to come here so you have a good direction to find out the real purpose of your life, then we will not repeat doing the same thing meaninglessly everyday.
In our work, we will retire when we are about fifty or sixty years old, but there isn’t any real retirement in the purpose of life, therefore when we live we have to live a very fulfilling life, so we have to continue to live our life with enthusiasm and sense of responsibility, this is our job. If we stop all these activities, to explore and create, then there is no difference to death because we have not fully lived our life, meaning how do you live your life? What kind of life do you really want? What is important to you in your life? So if we really ask in this way, the quality of life will be increased. Therefore we should cherish and respect the moment when we meet each other. So what do you really want? How do you want to explore your life? Then your life will have a purpose.
The most important thing to practice Zen is to find our truth self. The Sixth Patriarch said our original nature is pure and clear, if we follow this advice, becoming Buddha is no problem. So it is important to understand ourselves, what do we want and this is what we called clear mind. We have to honestly face ourselves, always be true to ourselves, to understand our mind. If you understand your mind, what else can you lose? If you don’t understand your mind, what can you win? So what do you want is the most important point! Buddha got enlightenment not because he had attained anything superior or received any empowerment from great masters, but he found his own mind, he saw his mind, the original nature of his mind.