南華寺──六祖道場
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前些天我在新加坡給弟子們上課時提到了肉身舍利，後來好多網友發信過來說對這話題特別感興趣，所以今天來給大家細說六祖惠能的肉身舍利。
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【六祖肉身舍利】
南華寺坐落於中國廣東省韶關市曲江縣，是中國佛教名寺之一，是禪宗六祖惠能宏揚「南宗禪法」的發祥地，因此南華寺又被稱作「六祖道場」，距今已近一千五百年的歷史。
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六祖真身不腐像──是南華寺最珍貴的鎮山之寶。供奉在古色古香的六祖殿內，坐像通高80釐米，結跏趺坐，腿足盤結在袈裟內，雙手疊置腹前做入定狀。雙目閉合、面形清瘦、嘴唇稍厚、顴骨較高，可以看出這位高僧多思善辨的才智和自悟得道的超然氣質。
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修行人往生後他的肉體不腐爛，也稱為叫「肉身菩薩」、「肉身舍利」、也有人把他叫「金身羅漢」。那麼後人在他的身體上、肉體上塗上金漆之後，再往上泥塑，就是像塑佛像一樣的泥塑，再塑成一個表面上看不到那個真人、但是表面的臉像還是活著的時候那個樣子的泥像，供在那裡，一千多年了。
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肉身舍利的出現，打破了人們對於死亡的普遍認知。人體死亡後會腐爛，是因為體內腐敗細菌的作用。那麼，究竟是什麼導致了不腐肉身那種超乎常理的存在呢？我們不能用人所能理解的科學來理解修行成就的人。起初修行的體驗是讓你感到身體越來越好，繼續往下修，慢慢地每一個細胞都像鑽石一樣放著慈悲的光芒。
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實際上，人經過修行，達到大慈大悲的境界之後，人的生命體就改變了，變成了一種超人類思維的物質，使身體結構、細胞都跟著改變了，所以我們好好修，也能有所成就。
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Nanhua Temple – The Temple of the Sixth Patriarch
A few days ago, when I was conducting a class in Singapore, I briefly mentioned the “Flesh-body Buddha’s relic” – natural mummified bodies of Buddhist masters. Subsequently I received many letters from netizens who were interested in this topic. So I decided to share with everyone the details about the flesh-body relic of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng today.
【The Flesh-Body Buddha’s Relic of the Sixth Patriarch】
Nanhua Temple is one of the most famous Buddhist temples in China and is located in the Shaoguan City of Guangdong Province in China. This is where the Sixth Patriarch of Chan Buddhism started to propagate the teachings of the Southern School one thousand five hundred years ago, which is why Nanhua Temple is also known as “The Temple of the Sixth Patriarch”.
The flesh-body relic of the Sixth Patriarch is the most precious treasure in Nanhua Temple. Enshrined in the quaint and antique Sixth Ancestor Hall, the image of the Sixth Patriarch is eighty centimeters tall, seated in full lotus position with the feet covered by the kasaya and both hands superposed in front of the belly in a meditative state. Looking at the closed eyes, lean face, slightly thick lips and tall cheekbones, we can glimpse the wisdom of this eloquent Buddhist master who was often in deep contemplation, and we can also sense the divine aura of this self-enlightened master.
Dharma practitioners whose bodies remain intact after they have passed on are also called “Flesh-body Bodhisattvas”, “Flesh-body Buddha’s Relics” or “Golden Body Arhats”. After passing on, descendants would coat golden paint onto the bodies, and then mold clay on top of it using techniques that are used to create Buddha statues. The end result is an extremely lifelike statue whose face bears a strong resemblance to the person when he was alive. The flesh-body statue can then be worshipped in the temple for more than a thousand years.
The appearance of flesh-body Buddha’s relics drastically changed the way people regard death. Under normal circumstances, human bodies start to decay once the person died. This is due to the presence of bacteria inside the bodies. So what is the reason that some of these bodies do not decay? Why do these supernatural occurrences happen? We cannot use common scientific concepts to explain what happens to accomplished Dharma practitioners. In the early stages of practice, you would normally experience improvements in your physical health. As you continue to practice, every cell in your body will undergo transformation and start to radiate compassionate light.
In reality, when a Dharma practitioner has attained the state of infinite compassion and mercy, his biomass would have transformed into a substance that is beyond our common human understanding. The body structure and the cells would also transform. Therefore, as long as we continue to practice diligently, something remarkable will happen to us.
