Dharma Outline🌱13-4 Our consciousness has continued until now since the time without beginning

(English Subtitles) Lectured by Master Jìng Jiè (淨界法師) from Taiwan. 自無始劫來，我們的意識便一直延續至今, 佛法修學概要 Subtitles: 所以這是相續性，我們繼承了前生的功能。不是只有今生，我們有很多很多的過去才有現在。就好像今天的你，繼承了昨天的你。你昨天有什麼思想，今天就很容易有這個思想，除非你做出改變。 So this is continuity, we inherit functions from our past lives. It's not just this life, we have countless past lives that give rise to the present. Just like, you today have inherited from you yesterday. Whatever your thoughts were yesterday, you're likely to have the same thoughts today, unless you make a change. 明天的你，繼承了今天的你。所以生命它不是一個點，它是一條線。你要繼承過去的，因為第八識把過去記錄下來。你只要看看昨天、今天、明天，把這個道理擴大，就知道前世、今生、來世， Tomorrow's you inherits from today's you. Therefore, life is not a point, but a line. You inherit from the past because the eighth consciousness records the past. If you look at yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and expand this principle, you will know that past lives, present lives, and future lives 1:00 這道理是一樣的。你不能否定你昨天很多的行為思想，一定會影響你今天的思考。 are all based on the same principle. You cannot deny that many of your actions and thoughts from yesterday will inevitably influence your thinking today. 為什麼呢？雖然說昨天過去了，生命的果報相貌過去了，但是你所做的每一個思想行為，被第八識記錄下來，它會主導你繼續往這邊走，除非你做出改變。所以你不可能擺脫昨天的你，不可能！昨天的你消失了，對不對？但是它真消失了嗎？它沒有完全消失，它在你的內心深處，某種程度還在主導你，這個就是生命的確是有相續的一面。這是第一個，恆常相續。 Why? Although yesterday is gone, and the karmic consequences of your life have passed, every thought and action you take is recorded by the eighth consciousness, which will guide you in this direction unless you make a change. Therefore, you cannot escape who you were yesterday—impossible! Yesterday's you has disappeared, right? But has it truly disappeared? It hasn't completely disappeared; it remains deep within you, still guiding you to some extent. This is that life indeed has the aspect of constant continuity. This is the first point. 2:00 第二個，轉變，相續中又產生轉變。「此識無始時來，念念生滅，前後變異，因滅果生，非常一故。」雖然相續，但是它不斷地生滅變化，這是約果報，果報不斷地變化。 Secondly, transformation, which occurs within continuity. “This consciousness has been present since the time without beginning, arising and ceasing moment by moment, changing from one time to the next. When cause ceases, effect arises, it is not constant.” Although it is continuous, it is constantly arising and ceasing, which refers to the result, the result is constantly changing. 那麼就著業因來說，它能夠不斷不斷地去產生新的種子。因為你今天又造了很多新的業了，所以第八識又重新洗牌了。你今天又多拜了一部八十八佛，第八識的種子，善惡的種子又開始重新平衡了，善業增加了。 In terms of karma, it can continuously generate new seeds. Because you have created a lot of new karma today, the eighth consciousness is reshuffled. If you have worshiped the Eighty-Eight Buddhas today, both good and bad seeds of the eighth consciousness rebalance again, and good karma increases. 【148】昨天的你跟今天的你，是相同，還是不相同？ 諸位！我問一個問題。這個恆跟轉，要把它結合起來，你要去思惟，這兩個道理很重要。你認為昨天的你跟今天的你，是相同，還是不相同？這個問題參透了，你就懂生命了。 [148] Are you the same person today as you were yesterday? Friends, I have a question. This concept of constancy and change needs to be considered together. You have to contemplate that these two principles are very important. Do you think you are the same person you were yesterday as you are today? Once you comprehend this question, you will understand life. 3:00 昨天的你跟今天的你是一樣還是不一樣？你不能說一樣，也不能說不一樣。你說一樣，因為它變化。當然你照鏡子看，是差不多，但事實上不一樣了。第八識在變現果報時，按唯識學, 它是剎那生、剎那滅......其實你的身心世界、你的色身，前一秒跟這一秒已經不一樣了，但是你看不出來，這是很常見的情況。 Are you the same person today as you were yesterday? Different? You can't say they're the same, nor can you say they're different. You say they're the same, but they've changed. When you look in the mirror, you look similar, but in reality, they're different. According to Yogacara philosophy, when the eighth consciousness manifests karmic results, it arises and ceases in an instant. In fact, your mental and physical state a second ago is different from now, but you can't tell. This is a very common situation. 再比如說這個燈光，你看它是相續的，其實它不是相續的，它是頻率很高的一個生滅相，但是我們感覺它相續。 Take this fluorescent light for example. You see it as continuous, but it's not actually continuous. It's a high-frequency (50-60Hz) phenomenon of arising and ceasing, but we perceive it as continuous. 4:00 第八識在釋放種子時，不是一條線的，它是剎那生、剎那滅……。我們的生命是突然間有、突然間沒有，這是無常。但是因為看起來連結性很強，很緊密，所以我們感覺沒有變化，這是我們的錯覺。 When the eighth consciousness releases seeds, it's not a linear process; it arises and ceases in an instant… Our lives come and go in a hurry—that's impermanence, because it seems highly connected and tightly intertwined, and we perceive no change—this is our illusion. 其實昨天的你跟今天的你已經不一樣，但是它把你昨天的思想業力保存下來，應該說有所保留，有所變化；它保留了你的業力跟思想，但是你的外表不一樣了，這就是不常又不斷。 In fact, you are different yesterday than you are today, but it preserves your thoughts and karma from yesterday. It should be said that it retains some of them while changing them. It preserves your karma and thoughts, but your appearance is different. This is impermanence and continuity. 有一位美國的心理醫師，出了一本書叫《前世今生》(有些人看過)。他遇到一位病人叫凱薩琳，這位病人很奇怪，她有恐水症，看到水就怕。 An American psychologist published a book called *Many Lives, Many Masters*, some people have read it.