唸『發菩提心咒』
文／蓮生活佛 盧勝彥
有一個人，非我弟子。
但，卻在一個夜市場的小地攤子上，看到一尊菩薩，他以為是地藏王菩薩，相貌也不錯，就請了回去供奉。
回去仔細一瞧，此菩薩並非地藏王菩薩，因為雙手非持寶珠，也非持錫杖，非地藏菩薩也。
他請專家來看，專家說，戴五佛冠，右手金剛杵，左手金剛鈴，明明是金剛薩埵菩薩，但持法又不同，是反扣，這又不像金剛薩埵了，專家搖頭，不敢認。
這下子沒有辦法，這個人每日燒香，供茶果，口口聲聲只叫：「菩薩，菩薩。無名菩薩。」
這樣子過了很多年，有一年，他發眼病，眼睛發炎，充血，求醫無效，又痛又模糊，口中哀哀叫，苦不堪言。
我入他夢。
他問：「你是誰？」
「我與你有緣，住你家久矣！我就是菩薩，倘若不到這裡來，你會瞎了。我教你一咒，你記住，持咒時，想圓月放光照你眼。咒曰：嗡。波地支打。別炸。沙嘛耶。阿吽。」
他醒來，忘了咒音。
我又入夢一次：
「嗡。波地支打。別炸。沙嘛耶。阿吽。」
他這回記住了。
這個咒，具大威德之力，能令持咒者清淨身心，久久持之，得不退轉，過去、現在、未來一切菩薩，在因地初發心時，都是持此咒，入不退地速圓正覺。
此咒來自【大乘本生心地觀經】。
他夢中得此咒，又連連二夢，就相信了，也就想圓月之光照眼，又拼命每天清晨持此咒，才一星期，眼睛不痛了，充血退去，眼睛果然亮晶晶復原了。
他告訴人家，人家不太信。
他又請專家、雕佛技工，來看是何方菩薩？
眾人皆認不出。
哈哈！是蓮花童子，蓮花菩薩是也。
Chanting the Mantra of Awakening the Bodhicitta Heart
Written by Living Buddha Lian-sheng, Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by Amy Zhou
Edited by Jason Yu and Jessie Loh
Proofread by Lufang Hsiung
www.tbtts.org
There once was a person (not my disciple) who saw a statue of a bodhisattva at the booth of a night market. He thought it was Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, since it looked similar to him. So he bought it and brought it home to enshrine and worship.
At home, upon inspecting the statue more carefully, he realized that it was not of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, because the hands did not hold the wish-fulfilling jewel or the staff.
He invited an expert to examine the statue. The expert said the statue wears the Five Buddha Crown, holds the vajra dorje in his right hand, holds the vajra bell in his left, so it obviously should be Vajrasattva Bodhisattva. However, the way the statue was holding the vajra and the vajra bell was different; the implements were angled differently, so the statue did not match that of Vajrasattva. The expert shook his head, and could not identify the statue.
Although he could not identify the statue, this person burnt incense daily, gave offerings of tea and fruit, and chanted, “Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva. Nameless Bodhisattva.”
Many years passed in this manner, until one year, his eyes became inflamed and red. The doctor could not cure his illness, and his eyes were so painful and his vision so blurry that he cried out loud; the agony was indescribable.
I entered his dream.
He asked, “Who are you?”
“You and I have an affinity. I have for many years lived in your house! I am the Bodhisattva [that you have a statue of]. If I had not come here, you would be blind. I will teach you a mantra, but remember, when chanting this mantra, visualize the light of the round moon shining on your eyes. The mantra is ‘Om, bo-dee-gee-da, be-dza, sa-ma-ya, ah-hum.’[OM BODHICITTA BENZA SAMAYA AH HUM] ”
When he woke up, he forgot the mantra.
I entered his dream again:
“Om, bo-dee-gee-da, be-dza, sa-ma-ya, ah-hum.”
He remembered it this time.
This all-powerful and all-virtuous mantra can cleanse the body and heart of the person who chants it. After chanting it for a long time, you can reach the point of non-retrogression. All past, present, and future bodhisattvas, having activated an initial resolve [of bodhicitta] in the causal ground, have all chanted this mantra to attain non-retrogression and quickly attain enlightenment.
This mantra comes from the “Mahayana Sutra of Contemplation of the Mind Ground in the Buddha's Life”[ Sanskrit: Mulajata-hridayabhumi-dhyana-sutra].
He obtained this mantra through two consecutive dreams, and so, he believed me. He visualized the full moon shining on his eyes, while energetically chanting this mantra early every morning. After just one week, his eyes stopped hurting, the redness subsided, and his eyes were restored back to normal.
He told others, but they did not quite believe him.
He again invited an expert and a statue artist to identify the bodhisattva.
They could not recognize the statue.
Haha! It is Padmakumara, Lotus Bodhisattva.
