《凡人可成佛—菩薩五十二位階講記》英文版All May Attain Buddhahood: Commentary on the Fifty-Two Stages of Bodhisattvas

Book excerpt: 這本書是在教我們怎麼當一位菩薩。內容取材自證嚴法師二○○五年九至十一月間晨語開示，起於《慈悲三昧水懺》中「或因六行造一切罪」一句懺文。懺文中的「六行」意指偏差修行的「外道六行」，而法師為了撥亂反正，釋文當中同時仔細介紹了「佛之六行」，作為外道六行的對照，並為我們指出了正確的修行方向。 「佛之六行」展開來即「菩薩五十二位階」，是修行者學習當菩薩最重要的指引。因此，特別將這段內容由《水懺》講記中獨立出來，讓大家一書在手，學習不愁。看了這本書，讀者會知道要當一位菩薩可能遇到的困難，也知道如何堅定自己的心志，等到具足了信心願力，您也可以是一位菩薩。 This book teaches us how to be a bodhisattva. Its content is drawn from Master Cheng Yen’s morning lecture from September to November, 2005, in which she taught about a passage from the Compassionate Samadhi Water Repentance. The passage reads, “We have engaged in all wrongdoing because of the six heretical practices.” For the sake of clarity, Master gave a detailed explanation of the Buddha’s Six Sets of Practices to stand in contrast with the six heretical practices and show us the correct direction for our spiritual practice. The Buddha’s Six Sets of Practices are the fifty-two stages of bodhisattvas. They form the most important guide for spiritual practitioners learning to become bodhisattvas. Therefore, we singled out this passage from the Water Repentance text so that everyone could have it in hand and learn from it with ease. After reading this book, you will be aware of the hardships you might encounter as a bodhisattva, and you will learn how to stand firm in your resolve. Once you are replete in faith and the power of vows, you can also become a bodhisattva.