---
title: "太虛大師全書．第二編　五乘共學 · 丙一　述父囑"
description: "太虚大师著《太虛大師全書·第二編 五乘共學》成书于民国时期，是近代佛教革新运动的重要文献。作者太虚为民国高僧，倡导人间佛教。本编以五乘（人、天、声闻、缘觉、菩萨）佛法为框架，系统阐述佛教基本教义，强调人乘正法为出世之基，融通世间与出世间法。该书为现代佛教教育及人间佛教实践提供核心理论依据，在近代佛教复兴中具有承前启后的重要地位，是研究中国佛教现代化转型的必读经典。"
url: "https://rushiwowen.co/en/r/cmpjj8yxf006bt1th4nlphjog"
---

### 丙一　述父囑

爾時善生居士子，父臨終時，因六方故遺勑其子，善教善訶曰：『善生！我命終後，汝當叉手向六方禮：東方若有眾生者，我盡恭敬供養禮事彼，我盡恭敬供養禮事彼已，彼亦當恭敬供養禮事我。如是南方、西方、北方、下方、上方若有眾生者，我盡恭敬供養禮事彼，我盡恭敬供養禮事彼已，彼亦當恭敬供養禮事我』。善生居士子聞父教已，白父言：『唯！當如尊勑』。

此段敘善生子受父遺囑。善生居士，有處譯為善生長者，中國今以在家學佛者稱居士，而印度之稱居士長者，並不一定是學佛的人。長者乃一、年高，二、德長，三、學識才智過人之稱。居士係農工商中素封端居之士所稱。善生居士子因父得名，亦名善生，如舍利（鶖）弗（子）因母得名。善生長者臨終時，以禮敬六方囑其子。六方之義深遠，世間凡能成一具體之物者，皆有六方：如一人有前後左右上下，即是六方，前後為南北，左右為東西，頭足為上下；在數學上之三度空間，亦即六方，如南北為長短度，東西為廣狹度，淺深厚薄為上下度；乃至微塵、原子、電子，小之不可測，大之不可量，皆有六方。故平常所謂不是東西者，即不成其為一物也。此六方即宇宙一切物之普遍相，善生長者使其子禮六方者，即對於宇宙萬事萬物起敬心也。善教善訶者，教善令作，訶惡令止。業報相續謂之命，一期報盡，色心分散，謂之命終。

> This passage tells of the son of Shan Sheng (Good Son), who received his father's final instructions. Shan Sheng, the householder, has been translated in some versions as Shan Sheng the Elder. In China today, those who study Buddhism at home are called lay practitioners, but in India, the terms "lay practitioner" and "elder" did not necessarily refer to Buddhists. An elder was someone who was, first, advanced in years; second, noble in virtue; and third, distinguished in learning, wisdom, and ability. A lay practitioner referred to a person of good standing among farmers, artisans, and merchants who lived a settled and upright life. Shan Sheng, the householder's son, was named after his father, and he was also called Shan Sheng himself—just as Shariputra (the son of Shariputri) was named after his mother. When Shan Sheng the Elder was near death, he instructed his son to pay respectful homage to the six directions. The meaning of the six directions is profound. In this world, everything that can become a concrete object has six directions: for example, a person has front and back, left and right, above and below—these are the six directions. Front and back correspond to north and south, left and right to east and west, and head and feet to above and below. In mathematics, three-dimensional space is also the six directions: north-south is the dimension of length, east-west is the dimension of breadth, and shallow-deep-thick-thin is the dimension of height. Even down to the finest dust, atoms, and electrons—too small to be measured, too vast to be conceived—everything has six directions. This is why the common saying "not worth anything" (literally, "neither east nor west") means that something does not constitute a thing at all. The six directions are the universal characteristic of all things in the universe. When Shan Sheng the Elder had his son pay homage to the six directions, he was instilling a reverent attitude toward all things in the cosmos. To teach well and admonish rightly means this: guide people toward what is good and have them do it; correct what is wrong and have them stop. The continuous succession of karmic retribution is called life (ming). When that allotment of retribution comes to an end, and form and mind disperse, that is called the end of life (ming zhong).

禮不離乎心，心中有誠敬，則口發讚詞，身行跪拜，故禮通於三業。志誠恭敬是意業，稱揚讚嘆是語業，叉手合掌是身業。此中口出禱詞，謂我盡恭敬供養者，一盡自己的身命財產以供養之，二盡一切眾生而禮敬之。彼亦當恭敬供養禮事我者，即感應之道。凡有生氣之物皆有感應，而有心識之有情感應更速，爾以志誠恭敬對人，人亦以志誠恭敬與爾；爾以欺誑凶惡對人，人必亦以凶惡欺誑相報。在心行上雖然視無形而聽無聞，而實最能互相感通，如關係密切之人，每能不言而喻，心心相印，聲氣相通，信義相孚，故眾生得成為共業所感之社會國家。此可見人類本是互相關聯的，應以善行相資相助，方盡為人之道。

> Ritual is never separate from the mind. When the mind is sincere and reverent, the mouth utters praise and the body performs prostrations. Thus, ritual engages all three gates of action. Sincere reverence is the gate of mind; praise and adoration are the gate of speech; joining palms and bowing are the gate of body. When we recite prayers, we declare our complete offering of reverence and support. First, we offer our very body, life, and possessions. Second, we honor and pay respect to all living beings. Likewise, we too deserve reverence and offerings from others—this is the way of mutual resonance. All living beings respond to one another. Those with consciousness respond even more swiftly. If you treat people with sincerity and respect, they will treat you the same. If you treat people with deceit and cruelty, they will surely respond in kind. Though these states of mind are invisible and inaudible, they truly connect us most deeply. Close companions often understand each other without words—their minds meet, their spirits resonate, their trust is mutual. This is how beings come together into societies and nations shaped by shared actions. From this we can see that humans are naturally interconnected. We should support one another with kind deeds—this is the true way of being human.

東方如是，南西北方下方上方亦復如是，則世界即成為和樂安善之世界矣。居士子聞父教已，即答曰唯，唯者答應甚速，謂當遵其教勑也。