时间：05/23/2026 05/24/2026
地点：星海禅修中心
主讲：净诚
佛法修行
佛施善巧度化萨罗国
过去，有一个大国名为萨罗，土地宽广、洁净，人民众多，富裕安乐，工艺巧妙高雅，盛行纹饰，多产五色玄黄等奇珍异宝。城郭楼阁、街道门室皆涂金银、方圆净好，绕城浴池里长满莲华，凫雁、鸳鸯、鸠夷、迦楼罗鸟、孔雀、鹦鹉、鴹随、鸬鹚等在池中飞翔追逐，昼夜栖止，相和啼叫。萨罗国内男男女女成日游戏、歌舞伎乐，无有厌足，乐不可支，自恃骄慢，不解佛法，自认称心快意，天下无双。
当时佛陀在舍卫国只树给孤独园，遥见萨罗国百姓沉溺作乐，不知思惟无常、生死之苦，终日贪恋染浊色欲，不知节制。世尊悯念该国人民将因此而招感生死之业，若不以权巧智慧，无人能度化他们。
佛陀便示现神如意三昧，放大光明，无所不照，八方所有人、非人及诸天龙神追侍在后；帝释、梵天手执珍奇七宝伞盖供奉佛陀。而弥勒、文殊、目连、罗云、阿难、离越、舍利弗等无数弟子、菩萨，都随同来到萨罗国。霎时，百鸟、畜兽相互和鸣，各种倡伎乐器不鼓自鸣，枯萎的树木重新展现生机，沟渠江海中的龟、鳖、魭䰿等无不欢欣喜悦，三千国土皆大震动，从地涌生大如车轮的莲花与奇珍异宝、琉璃转相杂成，颜色殊妙，光彩耀眼。
佛陀放大光明遍照一切，所有幽暗艰苦之处，皆悉洞然开阔无所障碍。国王、大臣、长者居士、中宫太子、婇女、美人、全国老少莫不惊慌恐惧，心想：「今日为何有如此现象？自在宫内，五乐自娱，伎女们拍掌相和，快乐无比，现今所见，世间稀有。」
此时，持地神从地踊出，出现于国王的大殿前，赞叹佛陀功德：「世尊现大神变，光明超越日月，诸天钦仰，帝释、梵天所尊崇；如来已断除尘垢，永脱生死，因此见佛之人，罪过悉皆消除；发心供佛之人，福德倍增无量，今日所植德本，来日得生天上；发起一念善心慧意，所得无限。大王可前往见佛，承受法要。」国王听了心开意解，欢喜地说：「如来降临我的国境，一切众生将蒙佛度化。」不仅国王本人，所有百官大臣、随从、群众都欢喜踊跃出城迎佛。
世尊的威神，令萨罗国廓然光明，洞达无碍，国王及全国人民都前往谒见佛陀。当大众亲覩佛颜金光晃耀、佛身佩挂奋威振跃吉祥装饰，亲见如来相明清澈，志寂淡定，国王与百姓们皆恭敬顶礼佛陀，绕佛三匝，长跪佛前，具自陈说：「长久以来，我们贪着沉迷声色，不见如来，不知承事供养、请法。」佛言：「大善！国王、臣民与中宫太子等都平安吗？」国王回答：「蒙佛恩德，一切平安。」
佛言：「大王贪着色欲，放纵心念，不知满足，敛聚赋税、财宝，肴膳丰食，纵情于园林浴池，游玩观赏、嬉乐无极，不知思惟无常，有何益处？人如果被欲望所束缚，不知道思惟后世，一旦堕入地狱、畜生等恶道，只能坐视无止尽的烧炙加诸己身；或是遭受没有食物、饮水可食用之苦，惶恐、愁毒不绝，这些痛苦都源自于不知思惟真理，违逆犯恶。大王在世间虽然富足并位居尊位，然而这一切皆是无常，如同梦境，睡醒之后空无所有，而所有众生皆是独生独死，这些名位、富贵没有一样会随您而去。」
国王长跪佛前，恳切禀白：「世尊！请问要做 何方便，才能远离此罪？佛是法王，为一切众生所依归；佛是世尊，为众生所宗仰，愿佛垂慈拯济，令我免受此苦。」佛言：「善哉！大王若能以信为根本，履行四件事，就能远离罪患：一、布施所有无所爱惜；二、知足寡欲、少起瞋心，减低对食物的贪爱；三、听闻佛法、戒律，信受奉行而不违犯；四、敬慎法师、厚礼善知识。做到这四件事就能获得清净。」
国王当下生起广大布施供养之心，头面顶礼世尊，合掌禀白：「祈愿世尊屈驾至王宫，接受我的供养。」佛陀默然接受国王祈请。国王回到宫内，立即命令百官大臣：「佛陀难遭难遇，如同三千年一现的优昙钵华，稀有难得。如今得遇世尊，应当做最好的供养，准备上好的香、花、幢幡、伎乐，严饰宫殿，洒扫洁净，城中街里皆应施挂幡盖。」中宫夫人及全国人民都禀受国王的教敕，整顿床座。国王命令太官作百味饮食，便前往迎佛，虔敬禀白：「所有供具皆已备妥，恭请世尊移驾至王宫。」
世尊随即在座位放大威神，感动众会，四众弟子、百千天人，及诸龙神、干闼婆等眷属围绕跟随在后。四大天王在前引导，帝释、梵天手执宝盖，由菩萨大士侍佛入城。当佛陀足踏入城门时，萨罗国境大为震动；所有盲聋瘖哑、瘦挛干消罹病之人，都恢复健康、身形还复完整；箜篌乐器不奏自鸣。佛陀放大光明，遍照宫室、城郭舍宅内外明彻，犹如琉璃，洞达无碍，皆悉见佛。
佛陀来到皇宫大殿，升师子座，国王、太子、国臣人民，亲自为佛添加种种饮食，食用完毕，又备净水与佛清洗。当所有百姓都已坐定，国王取一小座椅，于世尊前就坐，恭聆佛陀开示。世尊随即为大众宣说《不退转法轮经》，国王闻法心生欢喜，以衣供佛，此衣价值千万，世间稀有；世尊以神力将衣展开，悬在虚空。此衣便于世尊上方化为华盖，宝珠交错成帷幔，状如露珠，垂珠悉皆七宝所成，垂珠光芒遍照十方无数佛土。国王及臣民、后宫太子、夫人、婇女共万余人，见此殊妙变化，无不欢喜踊跃，皆发无上正真道意，八百位天神因此证得无生法忍，五千名菩萨入不退转位，无数千人皆植德本，寿终之后都将往生天上。
佛陀告诉阿难：「萨罗国王因为供养五百余佛，惠施财宝，等行慈悲，尊崇佛法，精进不懈，未来劫当得作佛，佛号名为慧光如来、至真、平等正觉。全国人民及诸夫人仰仗国王福德，悉当成佛。」
国王听闻世尊授记成佛，欢喜跃至空中，离地一百四十丈，从空中而下，至诚赞叹佛陀功德：「佛是世间至尊，为众生立身行道之本，德行如天，无所不覆。」当时有八千名萨罗国人，听闻国王得佛授记，皆发清净善心，愿做菩萨。
一切与会大众，人、非人等，皆大欢喜。世尊广施权巧，应机教化，利乐有情，正是如此。
Date: 05/23/2026 05/24/2026
Location: Star Ocean Meditation Center
Teacher: Jason
Dharma Talk
The Buddha Skillfully Bestows Transformative Means to Convert the Kingdom of Sāluo
In the past, there was a great kingdom called Sāluo. Its land was vast and pure, its people numerous, prosperous, and at ease. Its craftsmanship was refined and elegant, and decorative patterns flourished there. It produced many rare treasures of five colors, dark, yellow, and other precious valuables. Its city walls, towers, streets, gates, and chambers were all coated with gold and silver, perfectly arranged in square and round forms, pure and beautiful. In the bathing ponds surrounding the city, lotuses grew abundantly, while ducks, geese, mandarin ducks, jiu-yi birds, garuḍa birds, peacocks, parrots, yangsui birds, cormorants, and others flew and chased one another through the ponds, resting there day and night, calling in harmony. The men and women of Sāluo spent their days in amusements, songs, dances, theatrical entertainments, and music, never feeling enough, delighting without restraint. Proud and arrogant, they did not understand the Buddha-Dharma, believing themselves perfectly satisfied and unequaled in the world.
At that time, the Buddha was at Jetavana, the Anāthapiṇḍada Garden, in Śrāvastī. From afar, he saw that the people of Sāluo were deeply immersed in pleasure, unaware of impermanence and the suffering of birth and death. All day long, they greedily clung to defiled sensual desire and knew no restraint. The World-Honored One compassionately reflected that these people would thereby create karma leading to saṃsāra, and that if skillful wisdom were not employed, no one would be able to liberate them.
The Buddha then manifested the samādhi of miraculous wish-fulfilling power and emitted great radiance that shone everywhere without obstruction. Humans, non-humans, devas, dragons, and spirits from all directions followed behind him. Śakra and Brahmā held rare canopies made of the seven treasures as offerings to the Buddha. Meanwhile, Maitreya, Mañjuśrī, Maudgalyāyana, Rāhula, Ānanda, Liyue, Śāriputra, and countless other disciples and bodhisattvas all accompanied him to the kingdom of Sāluo. In an instant, all the birds and beasts cried out together in harmony; all kinds of musical instruments sounded without being struck; withered trees revived with new vitality; turtles, soft-shelled turtles, fish, and other creatures in ditches, rivers, and seas all rejoiced in delight. The three thousand worlds trembled greatly, and from the earth sprang forth lotus flowers as large as cartwheels, together with rare treasures and lapis lazuli intermingled with one another, their colors wondrous and their brilliance dazzling.
The Buddha’s great radiance universally illuminated everything. All dark and miserable places became fully open, clear, and unobstructed. The king, ministers, elders, laymen, the palace prince, court ladies, beauties, and all the young and old throughout the kingdom were startled and afraid, thinking, “Why has such a phenomenon appeared today? Within the palace we freely amuse ourselves with the five pleasures; the dancing girls clap and sing in harmony, and happiness is beyond compare. Yet what we now see is rare in the world.”
At that moment, the Earth-Holding Spirit sprang up from the ground and appeared before the king’s great hall, praising the Buddha’s merit: “The World-Honored One now manifests a great miracle. His light surpasses the sun and moon. All devas revere him, and Śakra and Brahmā honor him. The Tathāgata has already cut off defilement and forever transcended birth and death. Therefore, those who behold the Buddha have all their offenses eliminated. Those who arouse the mind to make offerings to the Buddha multiply their merit immeasurably. The roots of virtue planted today will lead to rebirth in the heavens tomorrow. If one gives rise to even a single thought of wholesome intention and wisdom, the gain is boundless. Great King, you should go to see the Buddha and receive the essential Dharma.” Hearing this, the king’s mind opened in understanding, and he joyfully said, “Now that the Tathāgata has descended into my realm, all beings will receive the Buddha’s deliverance.” Not only the king himself, but all the ministers, attendants, and people rejoiced and hurried out of the city to welcome the Buddha.
By the World-Honored One’s majestic spiritual power, the kingdom of Sāluo became vast with light, transparent and unobstructed. The king and all the people of the land went to pay homage to the Buddha. When the assembly personally beheld the Buddha’s face shining with golden radiance, his body adorned with awe-inspiring and auspicious ornaments, and the clear purity of the Tathāgata’s marks, serene and still in mind, the king and the people all respectfully bowed their heads at the Buddha’s feet, circumambulated him three times, then knelt before him and each confessed: “For a long time we have been attached to and deluded by sounds and forms. We have not seen the Tathāgata, and we did not know to attend upon him, make offerings, or request the Dharma.” The Buddha said, “Very good! Great King, are you, your ministers, the prince, and those of the inner palace all safe and well?” The king replied, “By the Buddha’s grace, all is well.”
The Buddha said, “Great King, you are attached to sensual desire, indulging your thoughts without restraint and never knowing contentment. You gather taxes and treasures, delight in rich foods and delicacies, and abandon yourself to the gardens and bathing pools, roaming, watching, and enjoying yourself without end, yet you do not reflect on impermanence. What benefit is there in this? If a person is bound by desire and does not reflect upon the future life, then once he falls into evil paths such as hell or animal rebirth, he can only endure endless burning and torment inflicted upon his own body. Or he suffers from hunger and thirst, having no food or water to consume, living in fear and unceasing anguish. All these sufferings arise because one does not contemplate truth, but instead rebels against it and commits evil. Although you are now wealthy and occupy an honored station in the world, all this is impermanent, like a dream. When one awakens, nothing remains. And all beings are born alone and die alone; none of these names, ranks, or riches will go with you.”
The king knelt before the Buddha and earnestly said, “World-Honored One! What skillful means must be practiced in order to depart from these sins? The Buddha is the King of Dharma, the refuge for all beings. The Buddha is the World-Honored One, revered by all beings. May the Buddha extend compassion to rescue me, so that I may escape this suffering.” The Buddha said, “Excellent! Great King, if you can take faith as your foundation and carry out four things, you will be able to leave behind sinful afflictions: first, give in charity without clinging to possessions; second, know contentment, reduce desires, give rise to less anger, and lessen greed for food; third, hear the Buddha-Dharma and the precepts, accept them in faith, practice them, and do not violate them; fourth, respect Dharma teachers with care and honor good spiritual friends with generous courtesy. By doing these four things, purity may be attained.”
At once the king gave rise to a vast mind of giving and making offerings. Bowing with his head to the feet of the World-Honored One, he joined his palms and said, “I pray that the World-Honored One will condescend to come to the royal palace and accept my offering.” The Buddha silently accepted the king’s invitation. The king then returned to the palace and immediately ordered his ministers: “It is difficult indeed to encounter the Buddha, just as the udumbara flower appears only once in three thousand years—rare and hard to find. Now that we have met the World-Honored One, we must prepare the finest offering: superior incense, flowers, banners, canopies, and music. Adorn the palace, cleanse and sweep it thoroughly, and throughout the city streets let banners and canopies be hung.” The queen and all the people of the kingdom received the king’s command and arranged seats and couches. The king ordered the royal kitchen to prepare hundreds of flavors of food, then went to welcome the Buddha and reverently said, “All the offering implements have been prepared. I respectfully invite the World-Honored One to proceed to the palace.”
The World-Honored One then, from his seat, manifested great spiritual majesty, deeply moving the entire assembly. The fourfold disciples, hundreds of thousands of devas and humans, as well as dragons, gandharvas, and their retinues surrounded and followed behind. The Four Great Heavenly Kings led in front, while Śakra and Brahmā held jeweled canopies, and great bodhisattvas attended the Buddha as he entered the city. The moment the Buddha’s feet stepped through the city gate, the land of Sāluo shook greatly. All those who had been blind, deaf, mute, crippled, emaciated, or diseased recovered their health and bodily wholeness. Harp-like instruments sounded without being played. The Buddha emitted great light, illuminating the palace chambers, the city walls, the houses, and all spaces within and without until they shone with crystal clarity like lapis lazuli, transparent and unobstructed, so that all beheld the Buddha.
The Buddha arrived at the royal palace hall and ascended the lion seat. The king, prince, ministers, and people personally served all kinds of food to the Buddha. After the meal was completed, pure water was prepared for the Buddha’s cleansing. When all the people had taken their seats, the king took a small seat and sat before the World-Honored One, respectfully listening to the Buddha’s teaching. The World-Honored One then expounded for the assembly the Sutra of the Irreversible Dharma Wheel. Hearing the Dharma, the king rejoiced in heart and offered a robe to the Buddha. This robe was worth tens of millions and was rare in the world. By his spiritual power, the World-Honored One spread out the robe and suspended it in empty space. Thereupon the robe transformed above the Buddha into a jeweled canopy, with pearls interwoven into hanging curtains in the form of dewdrops. The hanging jewels were all made of the seven treasures, and their radiance shone throughout the ten directions across countless Buddha-lands. The king and ministers, the palace prince, queens, and court ladies—more than ten thousand people in all—beheld this wondrous transformation and all rejoiced greatly. Each gave rise to the unsurpassed aspiration for true enlightenment. Eight hundred heavenly beings thereby attained the patience of the unborn Dharma, five thousand bodhisattvas entered the stage of non-retrogression, and countless thousands planted roots of virtue and, after the end of their lives, would all be reborn in the heavens.
The Buddha told Ānanda, “Because the king of Sāluo has made offerings to more than five hundred Buddhas, bestowed wealth in charity, practiced compassion equally, revered the Buddha-Dharma, and advanced with unremitting diligence, in a future kalpa he shall become a Buddha, bearing the name Wisdom-Light Tathāgata, the Thus-Come One, the Worthy One, the Perfectly and Equally Awakened One. All the people of the kingdom and the queens, relying on the king’s merit, shall likewise become Buddhas.”
When the king heard the World-Honored One bestow upon him the prediction of Buddhahood, he rejoiced and leapt into the air, rising one hundred and forty zhang above the ground. Descending again from the sky, he sincerely praised the Buddha’s merit: “The Buddha is the supreme honored one in the world, the foundation by which beings establish themselves and practice the Way. His virtue is like heaven, covering all without omission.” At that time, eight thousand people of Sāluo, hearing that the king had received the Buddha’s prediction, all gave rise to pure wholesome minds and vowed to become bodhisattvas.
All those in the assembly, human and non-human alike, rejoiced greatly. The World-Honored One broadly applied skillful means, teaching according to capacities, benefiting and bringing joy to sentient beings. It was precisely thus.
