給所謂「金剛乘」弟子的社交網站行為準則 -- 宗薩欽哲仁波切 SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES FOR SO-CALLED VAJRAYANA STUDENTS by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse

如果你自認是個金剛乘弟子的話--無論事實上是真是假--只要你認為自己是金剛乘的修行者，那麼你就有責任維護這個深奧的傳統。

    在金剛乘中，保持祕密非常重要。金剛乘之所以稱為「密咒乘」，是因為它要你祕密地修持。它並非有什麼見不得人之處因而需要保密，而是為了要讓修持者不落入「我執」對修持所可能帶來的陷阱與毀失。尤其是，修行者很容易受到「靈性物質主義」的侵蝕，以至於修持不是真的為了馴服與轉化自心，而只是另一種時尚宣言，用來裝點「我執」、加強自己的重要性；或只是讓他們感覺隸屬一個很「酷」的社交族群而已。以這種方式修持，金剛乘之道就會變得不止一無是處，還可能更糟。

   同時，金剛乘教法所謂的「隱密」，是指對尚未接受恰當教法的人而言，其意義不太明顯，有點像是一種外國語言。由於金剛乘的某些形象與象徵對於尚未受過灌頂者來說，可能會狀似怪異甚或暴力，因此，通常都會建議將它們隱藏起來，以免讓新進的修行者心生退卻，甚至對佛教或金剛乘的法道產生謬誤的見解。

    所以，當你在社交網站張貼任何東西時，請注意：你並非只為了一己閱讀之樂而張貼的，而是給全世界觀看的。而且你要知道：絕大多數的人看到你那些瘋狂的照片，或讀到你對所謂「上師」的那個人各種奇特的欽慕與幻想時，並不會像你一樣，享有相同的愉悅之情。

    因此，對於所謂金剛乘弟子同伴們，我在此提供給諸位如何保護自己的建議。一方面讓你避免出糗，一方面保護你的佛法修持--同時，也藉此保護深奧的金剛乘傳統。


  一、維護金剛乘的祕密性（這包括持守你的上師、你的修持、密續圖像、你所受過的灌頂、你所參加過的開示等秘密）。

    切勿張貼密續圖像：如果你認為張貼令人驚聳的密續圖像（諸如多手、多腳、動物頭、雙身相、忿怒相等本尊）會讓你更顯重要的話，你大概並不真正了解這些圖像的意義。

    切勿張貼咒語或種子字：如果你認為將咒語或種子字張貼在facebook上可以拿來做為心情符號或自我改善輔助物的話，你不如去改變形像或去剪個頭髮，可能更為有用。

    切勿談論你受過的灌頂：如果你認為自己在周末密乘灌頂的照片值得跟你貓咪的照片一起張貼在臉書上的話，你應該先把貓咪送到尼泊爾去接受灌頂。而且，除非你得到上師的允許，切勿張貼任何金剛乘灌頂、開示或咒語的照片、錄影（錄像）或錄音。

    切勿談論你領受過的深奧或秘密教法：有些人似乎覺得不時地把「大圓滿」、「大手印」這類的字眼掛在嘴邊是很時尚的。如果你領受了甚深的法教，最好依據教法所言，自己修持就好，不用告知他人。


    二、避免落入靈性物質主義的誘惑，而把佛法拿來做為服侍我執的工具（切勿企圖拿你的上師、你的了悟、你的修持來自吹自擂。相同的，切勿批評其他修行人或法道）。

    切勿與他人分享你的經驗或所謂的「成就」：如果你認為宣示你自以為證得的成就是值得做的事，那麼你可能一直都在忙著膨脹你的染污而已。須知：試圖用自己的修行來讓別人敬佩你，不是修行的一部份。切記要真誠、謙遜。沒有人會在乎你的禪定經驗，即使你有親見佛陀、獨角獸或七色彩虹的淨相。如果你自忖這些經驗都毫無自欺的話，再試一次，再想想看。

    切勿誇耀你的上師：無論你認為自己的上師有多偉大，為了你自己之故，最好把虔敬心放在自己心上就好。切記，做為佛教徒不是參加某種膜拜式的異教。如果你認為自己的上師比別人的上師更好的話，那麼你可能也認為你的「平等捨」與「淨觀」都優於別人的「平等捨」與「淨觀」。

    切勿與人分享你的所謂的「智慧」：如果你認為接受過深奧教法就是允許你四處宣說這些教法的話，那麼你就只是在展現你的愚癡而已。在你與他人「分享」佛陀或任何上師之話語前，先想想看：他們是否真的說過這些話？他們是說給什麼樣的聽眾聽的？

    切勿混淆佛教與非佛教的見解：無論你受到七色彩虹與虹光球的啟發有多大，也無論你如何深信世界末日即將到來，請勿將你個人的幻想與偏好混入佛教。

    尊重他人：若是沒有上座部與大乘做為基礎，就不會有金剛乘。金剛乘修行者若是鄙視或輕視上座部與大乘佛教的話，那是全然愚蠢的。如果你認為攻擊其他佛教徒就能改善佛教的話，請你幫佛教一個忙，不妨集中火力攻擊你自己的我執與偏見。

    切勿造成不和諧：在你的網站聊天室中，試圖作為一個造成同修團體和諧的人，而不是一個引起麻煩與爭端的人。

    永遠要檢視自己的動機：請勿在網路（網絡）上展現「瘋狂智慧」的行止，你只要啟發他人有顆善良的心即可。如果你認為自己完全是基於大悲心而張貼某項內容的話，試圖先確定你這麼做不會造成任何傷害。無論何時，若是你情不自禁地一定要張貼某項內容時，請先確定這些內容對於讀者與佛法都有幫助。

宗薩欽哲仁波切

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『給所謂「金剛乘」的弟子社交網站行為準則』回復大家所給的回饋

數月之前我發佈了給金剛乘弟子的社交網站行為準則。這是針對此準則的後續說明。

有些讀者對於我在準則中使用了「極端」與「強烈」的遣詞用字或例證類比而感到不快。對此，我願意先向他們表達歉意—然而，我也不禁認為這種反應代表了那個帖子已經達到了它的目的。

從我讀到的許多各種回應中，有些讀者表示佛法應是「本具包容」的，因此隱秘性（尤其是金剛乘）沒有必要，因為教法的本質就是「自秘」的。他們認為，如果你有能力能悟到的話，你就悟得到；而事實上許多人都無法悟到，這就證明了這種看法是正確的。確實，在金剛乘裏的確是有教法「自秘」的這種說法。這是敦珠仁波切過去常講的，同時也有其他各種傳統，比如佩戴咒語，手印，圖片或法輪，甚至將它們繫戴於動物身上，令眾生與佛法結緣；還有接觸某人或某物而達到「見即解脫」、「聞即解脫」、「嗅即解脫」、「觸即解脫」等。

我們需要知道的是，當我們念誦大圓滿法本給一頭牛聽的時候，除了藉由聲音為這個特定的眾生結了特殊的緣之外（當然這個緣主要來自於你想幫助這個眾生的發心），那頭牛不會對教法有任何批判或挑剔。雖然牠可能不會對教法生起強烈的虔敬心，但牠也不會冒有對上師或教法產生懷疑或不淨觀的風險。然而，我們大多數人可不是牛。我們會有思惟念頭，我們心生疑惑的可能大過於一心虔信。因此，讓像牛這種眾生能接觸教法是一回事，但是，對那些會思惟、批判、挑剔因而產生不淨觀的眾生完全開放教法，又是另一回事。

另外，有位讀者則對張貼金剛乘圖像這件事提出了一個很好的論點。他質疑，為何在客廳裏可以懸掛唐卡，而在臉書的timeline上，卻不能放置此類圖片？

其他有些讀者則指出，確實有些喇嘛，甚至包括一些位階頗高的，也公開地教授金剛乘，公開地展示壇城與秘密的神聖舞蹈，甚至藉由這種活動來售票籌款。他們指出，通過互聯網，以文字、音頻檔、視頻流等形式，大手印與大圓滿等教法其實就在點擊之遙。他們認為所有這些現象恰恰顯示這些教法已經被廣泛地散播著，而作為佛教徒，我們對於這些現象也只有隨喜了。

但是，我們必須記住，我們所討論的是給修行者的一套行為準則，是給個人的，而非他們所遵循的靈性之道。佛法之道本身不需要準則的幫助，然而遵循法道者則需要。因此，很重要的是要記住「法道」與「遵循法道者」這兩者是截然不同的。如「大圓滿」與「大圓滿行者」，「大手印」與「大手印行者」，「民主」與「民主黨人」一般。

具足並遵從某種準則是為了要培養戒律。一如諸位所知，在靈性的法道上，戒律極為重要。那位教導我們一切所見、一切經驗都是幻相而非實存者，也教導了我們所謂的「六度」，其中的第二度即是持戒。我必須強調：在此我們所談的是遵循法道之人—也就是法道上的修行者，而非法道本身。其實無論你做什麼，目的是什麼，即便是沖調一杯咖啡，戒律亦不可或缺。

諸位之中也有人指出：保持殊勝密乘的隱秘是必要的，並非由於密乘有何醜陋或令人尷尬之處需要遮掩，而是因為隱秘是金剛乘的核心修法之一。事實上，隱秘可以遍及金剛乘所有的面向，甚至對於表面上看起來似乎完全世俗的三昧耶也是如此。舉例來說，謹守「星期三的存在」這個祕密而不告知他人—假如你的上師如此叮囑過你的話。此處的重點並非是開始爭辯世人皆知星期三的存在因而不需要謹守祕密；而是無論如何，你個人必須謹守這個秘密。為什麼？因為「殊勝」來自於「隱秘」。當蓮花生大師初到西藏時，據說赤松德贊王與所有臣子曾一再地請求蓮花生大師透露其上師名諱卻都無法得到答案，直到最後蓮師才告訴他們。 

那些自稱熱愛金剛乘的人們，如果願意稍微多了解一點佛教歷史的話，就會明白由於世界上絕大多數的人無法接受這種教法，因此金剛乘受到了極大的責難。對大多數人來說，即使是「了知苦、拋棄苦之因」都很難接受了，他們怎能接受「輪迴即大樂」、「煩惱即智慧」？而像泰國與臺灣等地，對於金剛乘因其對性的觀點以及對本尊的崇拜是否會誤導信眾的這種陳年之辯仍然喧囂不已—這些早已不是新鮮之事了。

那麼，或許你會說：「那又如何？那些不相信的人就不相信算了！無所謂！」然而，我們是全然大悲者佛陀的追隨者，所以我們也承擔了帶領一切眾生證得正覺的責任。如果我們無法帶領他們證悟，至少我們不應該令他們心生退卻或反感。對於密乘的任何面向即使只是生起極為微小的反感，都將令你在無數劫中無法對金剛乘壇城產生清淨的顯相。你們聽說過「金剛地獄」嗎？當我們失去了能讓我們看見金剛乘無上智慧的開放之心，當我們變得狹隘而不願一顧其驚人的智慧時，我們極可能就是經驗著「金剛地獄」。令他人產生這種反感，就是剝奪了他們與此不可思議之法道的緣。或許他們並不會在類似有神論所描述的地獄中被焚燒、煎烤或剁碎，但是無法領會金剛乘的智慧，就是金剛地獄。所以作為金剛乘的弟子，我們有責任不令他人對佛道產生反感。 

有句西藏諺語說：「獅子奔馳地，豺狼莫亂跳」。因為如果豺狼想要模仿獅子，牠就會摔斷脖子而送命。往昔與當今的大菩薩們，他們之所作所為來自於他們深刻的自信；如果你也已經培養出相同的自信心，那麼，我作為一個行者，也只能隨喜地說：那就請便吧，你愛張貼什麼就去張貼吧！ 

以上，是一個金剛乘弟子對他的金剛乘同修們衷心的告誡，雖然我相信這將起不了什麼作用。然而，儘管金剛乘的圖像與資訊在公共領域已被廣為散播，我仍然要提醒大家，在金剛乘之中，隱秘是一項修行。

宗薩欽哲仁波切

2013年4月9日

SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES FOR SO-CALLED VAJRAYANA STUDENTS

If you think or believe that you are a student of Vajrayana—whether or not that's true is another matter—but as long as you think you are a Vajrayana practitioner, it becomes your responsibility to protect this profound tradition.

It’s important to maintain secrecy in the Vajrayana. The Vajrayana is called ‘the secret mantra yana’ because it is intended to be practiced in secrecy. It is not secret because there is something to hide, but in order to protect the practitioner from the pitfalls and downfalls that ego can bring to the practice. In particular, practitioners tend to fall prey to “spiritual materialism,” where their practice becomes just another fashion statement intended to adorn their egos and make them feel important, or have them feel that they’re part of a ‘cool’ social tribe, rather than to tame and transform their minds. When practiced in this way, the Vajrayana path becomes worse than useless.

Also, the Vajrayana teachings are ‘hidden’ in the sense that their meaning is not apparent to someone who has not received the appropriate teachings. It’s like a foreign language. Because some of the imagery and symbolism can seem strange or even violent to the uninitiated, it’s generally recommended to keep it hidden so that it doesn’t put off newer practitioners, who might develop wrong views about the Buddhist path in general and the Vajrayana path in particular.

While posting on social media, please bear in mind that you are not only posting for your own reading pleasure, but to the whole wide world who most likely don't share your amusement over crazy photos, nor your peculiar adoration and fantasies of certain personalities you call as guru.

Given this, here are some suggestions I offer fellow so-called Vajrayana students about how you can protect yourself—both by avoiding embarrassment and by protecting your Dharma practice—and also protect the profound Vajrayana tradition:


(1) Maintain the secrecy of the Vajrayana (this includes secrecy about your guru, your practice, tantric images, empowerments you have received, teachings you have attended, etc.)

- Don’t post tantric images: If you think posting provocative tantric images (such as images of deities with multiple arms, animal heads, those in union, and wrathful deities) makes you important, you probably don’t understand their meaning.

- Don’t post mantras and seed syllables: If you think mantras and seed syllables should be posted on Facebook as mood enhancement and self-improvement aids, a makeover or haircut might do a better job.

- Don’t talk about your empowerments: If you think images from your weekend Vajrayana empowerment are worthy of being posted up next to photos of your cat on Facebook, you should send your cat to Nepal for enthronement. Unless you have obtained permission from the teacher, do not post any photo, video or audio
recording of Vajrayana empowerments, teachings or mantras. - Don’t talk about profound/secret teachings you may have received: Some
people seem to find it fashionable to hang words like "Dzogchen" and "Mahamudra" in their mouths. If you have received profound instructions, it is good to follow those instructions and keep them to yourself.


(2) Avoid giving in to the temptations of spiritual materialism and using Dharma in service of your ego (do not attempt to show off about your guru, your understanding, your practice etc. Likewise, do not speak badly of other practitioners or paths.)

- Don’t share your experiences and so-called attainments: If you think declaring what you think you have attained is worthwhile, you may have been busy bolstering your delusion. Trying to impress others with your practice is not part of the practice. Try to be genuine and humble. Nobody cares about your experiences in meditation, even if they include visions of buddhas, unicorns or rainbows. If you think you are free of self deception, go ahead, think again.

- Don’t boast about your guru: No matter how great you think your guru is, it would probably serve better for you to keep your devotion to yourself. Remember that being buddhist is not joining a cult. If you think your guru is better than another’s, you probably think your equanimity and pure perception are better than another’s.

- Don’t attempt to share your so-called wisdom: If you think receiving profound teachings gives you license to proclaim them, you will probably only display your ignorance. Before you “share” a quote from the Buddha or from any of your teachers, take a moment to think if they really said those words, and who the audience was meant to be.

- Don’t confuse Buddhism with non-Buddhist ideas: No matter how inspired you might be of rainbows and orbs, and how convinced you are about the end of the world, try not to mix your own fantasies/idiosyncracies with Buddhism.

- Be respectful to others: Without Theravada and Mahayana as foundation, there would be no Vajrayana. It would be completely foolish of Vajrayana practitioners to look down on or show disdain towards Theravada and Mahayana. If you think attacking other buddhists will improve Buddhism, do a service for Buddhism, take aim at your own ego and biasedness instead.

- Don’t create disharmony: Try to be the one who brings harmony into the sangha community with your online chatter, instead of trouble and disputes.

- Always be mindful of your motivation: Please do not attempt to display "crazy wisdom" behaviors online, just inspire others to have a good heart. If you think you are posting something out of compassion, try first to make sure you are doing no harm. Whenever you can't let go of the itch to post something, make sure that it helps whoever who reads it and the Dharma.

-----  Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse

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Social Media Guidelines for so-called Vajrayana Students Response to Feedback
9 April 2013

This is a follow up to the media guidelines for vajrayana students that I posted a couple months ago.

Firstly, I would like to offer my apologies to the readers who expressed unhappiness over my use of ‘extreme’ and ‘strong’ words, analogies and idioms—although I can’t help thinking that such responses are a sign that the post has served its purpose.

As I read the various comments you’ve made, I see some readers have mentioned that as Buddhadharma is about ‘primordial inclusiveness,’ secrecy (specifically the vajrayana) isn’t necessary because the teachings are, by their very nature, ‘self-secret’. If you have the capacity to ‘get it’ you will, and the fact that so many don’t get it is a demonstration of this truth. This notion of the teachings being ‘self-secret’ certainly does exist in the vajrayana. It’s something Dudjom Rinpoche used to talk about, along with various other traditions, like that of wearing mantras, mudras, pictures and chakras, and even of tying them to animals, to create a connection between the being and the Dharma; and ‘liberation through seeing’ or hearing or smelling or touching certain people or things.

What we need to realize is that when we read a Dzokchen text to a cow, beside creating a special connection to this specific being through the voice, which is of course primarily supported by your intention of helping this being, the cow is not going to scrutinize the teaching. While it may not have fervent devotion towards the teaching, it also does not have the risk of having doubt and impure perception to the teaching and the teacher. Whereas we are not cows, most of us. We will have thoughts, and more likely we have more doubts than one-pointed trust. So it is one thing to make it accessible to beings like cows, but it’s another thing to be completely open to others who can contemplate and scrutinize, therefore also creating impure perception.

Another reader has come up with quite a good argument for posting vajrayana pictures by asking why you can hang a vajrayana thangka in your living room, but cannot include a photo of it on your Facebook timeline.

Others quite rightly point out that some lamas, even those with the highest authority, teach the vajrayana openly, exhibit mandalas and secret sacred dances, and even sell tickets to raise money from such activities. They describe how, through the internet, teachings on mahamudra and mahasandhi are just a click away, in the form of transcripts, audio files, video streams, etc. All of which shows just how widely the teachings are spreading, which is something that, as Buddhists, we can do nothing other than rejoice about.

We must bear in mind, though, that what’s being discussed here is a set of guidelines for practitioners, for individual people, not the spiritual path they follow. The Buddhist path itself doesn’t need the help of guidelines, but the people following it do. So it’s important to remember the clear distinction between the path and a follower of that path, ‘dzogchen’ and ‘a dzogchenpa’, ‘chagchen’ and ‘a chagchenpa’, ‘democracy’ and ‘a democrat.’

To have and to follow a set of guidelines is about developing discipline, and as you know, discipline is extremely important on the spiritual path. The same person who taught us that everything we see and experience is an illusion and doesn’t exist, also taught the so-called ‘Six Paramitas,’ the second of which is about discipline. And I must emphasis that what we’re talking about here is the discipline of the person following the path, the ‘path dweller,’ not the path itself. Actually, whatever your activity, whatever your goal, even if it’s just to make a cup of coffee, discipline is indispensible.

Some of you point out that it’s necessary to keep the sacred tantra secret, not because tantra has anything hideous or embarrassing to hide, but because secrecy is one of the quintessential practices of the vajrayana. Actually, secrecy can be applied to all aspects of the vajrayana, even to samayas that, on the face of it, appear to be completely mundane; like keeping the existence of Wednesday a secret from the world if your guru tells you to. The point here is not to start arguing that the whole world already knows about the existence of Wednesdays; it’s that no matter what, you as an individual keep it secret. Why? Because it’s ‘secrecy’ that creates ‘sacredness.’ When Guru Rinpoche first came to Tibet, it’s said that King Trison Deutsen and all his people had to beg him many times to divulge the name of his root guru before he was finally persuaded to tell them.

If those who claim they love the vajrayana would pay just a little attention to the history of Buddhism, they would realize just how much vajrayana has suffered because the vast majority of this world is unable to accept its teachings. Even ‘know suffering and abandon the cause of suffering’ is way too much for most people to deal with, so how could they possibly accept ‘samsara is bliss’ and ‘emotion is wisdom?’ And in countries like Thailand and Taiwan, the age-old debate about whether or not vajrayana is a path that misleads its followers with all its talk of sex and deity worship, continues to rage—there’s nothing new about it at all.

Now, you might say, “So what? Those who can’t believe, won’t believe. Too bad!” But we are followers of the Buddha, the all-compassionate one, and so we have also accepted responsibility for bringing all sentient beings to enlightenment. And if we can’t bring them to enlightenment, at least we shouldn’t put any of them off. To feel even the remotest aversion to any aspect of tantra will distance you for many, many aeons, from the opportunity of being able to perceive the vajrayana mandala purely. Have any of you heard of ‘vajra hell?’ We most probably experience vajra hell when we lose the openness that allows us to see the exceptional wisdom of the vajrayana, and instead become narrow-minded and unwilling so much as to look at its astonishing wisdom. To cause such an aversion in someone else is to deprive them from connecting with an incredible path. They may not necessarily burn or roast or be minced in some theistic-looking hell, but not being able to appreciate the wisdom of the vajrayana is in itself, vajra hell. So, as vajrayana students, we have a responsibility not to turn others away from the Buddhist path.

There’s a Tibetan saying, “Where the lion leaps, the jackal should not jump” because if he tries to emulate a lion, the jackal will end up breaking his neck. The great bodhisattvas of past and present act as they do because they are profoundly confident and if you have developed that kind of confidence, as a practitioner I can only rejoice and say, please, be my guest, feel free to post whatever you want.

This is heartfelt warning from one vajrayana student to his fellow vajrayana students, although I am quite sure it won’t make the slightest difference. Nevertheless, in spite of the proliferation of tantric images, information, etc, in the public domain, I still wish to remind us all that in the vajrayana, secrecy is a practice.

-----  Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse

文字來源：http://www.almostbuddhist.com/news/2013/0158.html 
http://www.siddharthasintent.org/chinese/news/news_130414.htm
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