时间：02/28/2026 03/01/2026
地点：星河禅修中心
主讲：黄云全
佛法修行
深沟惊魂
自从那哆婆哆寺在摩偷罗国建好以后，优波笈多就在那里收了一批徒弟，并且度化不少俗人，使得佛法在摩偷罗国得到进一步的弘扬。
有一个富有的男人听说佛法的奥妙后，就辞别家人，放弃财产，来到那哆婆哆寺，向优波笈多请求出家，从此这个人就开始跟随优波笈多学习佛法。
刚开始时，他既认真又勤奋，可是渐渐的，爱睡觉的毛病就暴露出来了。他总觉得睡眠时间不够，即使比别的弟子多睡很长时间，还是整天感觉很疲倦，不停地打呵欠。优波笈多在讲解佛法时，他坐在坐垫上打瞌睡，根本听不进优波笈多所讲的一切。优波笈多让他到一棵树下去打坐，他却一坐下就睡觉，把念佛打坐的事忘得一干二净。
与他同时学习佛法的弟子大都有了进步，有的人甚至修成了罗汉，可是他却毫无进步，对于佛法的认识只停留在最初级的阶段，会诵读的经文寥寥可数。优波笈多知道这个情况后，非常可怜他，怕他最终难以解脱生死轮回，就想了一个办法来开导他。
这一天，优波笈多讲解完佛法后，对大家说：「现在大家出去随便找一棵树，在树下坐禅，认真把我刚刚说的话想一想。」
弟子们听了老师的吩咐后，都答应着起身走了，只剩下那个爱睡的弟子坐在坐垫上托着下巴，原来他又睡着了。
优波笈多走下讲坛，推醒那个睡得正香的弟子。弟子猛然醒来，一见优波笈多在身旁站着，马上不好意思地站起来。
优波笈多对这个眼睛还眯着的弟子说：「你应该去坐禅了，别人已经去好半天了。」
「是！」这个爱睡的比丘答应着，急急忙忙起身跑出去。
这个比丘来到树下，开始坐禅。他才坐了一会儿，睡意又渐渐袭上来，他实在不能控制自己，就靠着大树睡着了。
其实优波笈多早就跟在他后面暗中观察，一见他果然又睡着了，随即施展法力，在大树和比丘的周围变出一个一千尺深的环状沟，把大树和那个睡得死死的比丘圈在里面。做完这件事后，优波笈多就躲在不远处静静等着。
过了很长一段时间，那个比丘醒了过来，他伸伸懒腰，舒了一口长气。当他睁开眼看见四周的环状沟，不由得大吃一惊，心想：「怎么会这样？」
这条沟足足有两三丈宽，任何人想跳是跳不过去的。比丘小心翼翼爬到沟边，慢慢伸出头向下一看，眼前却是黑压压的一片，根本看不见沟底。
他站起身来大叫：「喂，来人啊！来人啊！」可是除了回声以外，听不见任何人的声音。
他有些绝望了，心里十分害怕，只好紧紧靠着树身，恐惧的看着离自己不到一尺远的深沟。
这时优波笈多又施用神力，在深沟上架起一座半尺宽的桥。桥架好后，优波笈多就起身回那哆婆哆寺去了。
比丘在绝望中看见这座突然出现的桥，还以为自己眼睛花了，等他确定这是真正的桥后，他才战战兢兢地上了桥，小心翼翼地越过这条一千尺深、二三丈宽的环状沟。
当他越过深沟时，心中如释重负，急急忙忙跑到优波笈多那里。他对优波笈多说：
「师父，今天我在坐禅的时候睡着了，一觉醒来发现身旁一尺远的地方竟然有一道深沟，把我吓得半死，幸亏后来深沟上又出现一座小桥，我才逃了回来。真不知道是怎么回事？」
优波笈多笑了笑，对他说：「你再去一次看看。如果一个人不懂人生的本质是痛苦，不懂什么是造成人生痛苦的原因，不懂断绝世俗苦痛的方法，不懂佛法所要求解除痛苦后达到的目的，他才会堕入深沟中。」
这个爱睡觉的比丘听了优波笈多的话，了解认真修行的重要性，于是听从优波笈多的教导，趁天还没有完全黑下来，又沿着原来的路回到坐禅的地方。
他小心翼翼地走过小桥，靠着大树的树身，端端正正地开始打坐。由于深沟近在咫尺，他不敢有一点懈怠，更不敢打瞌睡，因为稍不注意就有可能摔得粉身碎骨。所以这一次他坐禅时没敢睡觉，而是认真理解佛法要义，刻苦修炼。终于他消除了很多烦恼，修成阿罗汉果。
Date: 02/28/2026 03/01/2026
Location: Star River Meditation Center
Teacher: Yunquan Huang
Dharma Talk
Terror at the Deep Trench
After the Nāṭabhata Monastery was established in the land of Mathurā, Upagupta accepted many disciples there and converted numerous laypeople, causing the Buddha-Dharma to flourish even further in the country of Mathurā.
There was a wealthy man who, upon hearing of the profundity of the Buddha-Dharma, took leave of his family, relinquished his possessions, and came to Nāṭabhata Monastery to request ordination from Upagupta. From that time on, he followed Upagupta in the study and practice of the Dharma.
At the beginning, he was earnest and diligent. Gradually, however, his fondness for sleep began to reveal itself. He always felt that he never slept enough. Even when he slept far longer than the other disciples, he still felt exhausted throughout the day, constantly yawning. Whenever Upagupta expounded the Dharma, he would sit on his cushion and doze off, unable to take in anything that was being taught. When Upagupta instructed him to meditate beneath a tree, he would fall asleep as soon as he sat down, forgetting entirely about mindfulness and meditation.
While the other disciples who studied the Dharma alongside him all made progress—some even attaining arahantship—he showed no improvement at all. His understanding of the Dharma remained at a very elementary level, and the number of suttas he could recite was exceedingly few. When Upagupta became aware of this, he felt great compassion for him. Fearing that the disciple would ultimately fail to escape the cycle of birth and death, Upagupta devised a skillful means to awaken him.
One day, after finishing his discourse on the Dharma, Upagupta said to the assembly, “Now you should all go out and find a tree at random. Sit beneath it in meditation and carefully contemplate what I have just taught.”
The disciples all agreed and rose to leave. Only the drowsy disciple remained on his cushion, propping his chin with his hand—he had already fallen asleep again.
Upagupta descended from the teaching seat and gently pushed the disciple, waking him from his deep slumber. Startled awake and seeing Upagupta standing beside him, the disciple immediately stood up in embarrassment.
Upagupta said to the disciple, whose eyes were still half-closed,“You should go and meditate now. The others have already been gone for quite some time.”
“Yes,”the sleepy bhikṣu replied, hastily rising and hurrying out.
The bhikṣu went to a tree and began to meditate. After sitting for only a short while, drowsiness once again overtook him. Unable to restrain himself, he leaned against the tree and fell asleep.
In fact, Upagupta had followed him quietly and was observing him in secret. Seeing that he had indeed fallen asleep again, Upagupta immediately employed his spiritual power and conjured a circular trench one thousand feet deep around the tree and the deeply sleeping bhikṣu, enclosing them within it. Having done this, Upagupta hid himself nearby and waited silently.
After a long while, the bhikṣu awoke. He stretched his body and let out a long breath. When he opened his eyes and saw the circular trench surrounding him, he was shocked and thought,
“How can this be?”
The trench was two to three zhang wide, far too wide for anyone to jump across. The bhikṣu cautiously crawled to the edge and slowly extended his head to look down, but all he could see was pitch darkness—there was no sight of the bottom.
He stood up and shouted,“Hello! Is anyone there? Someone, please come!”
Yet apart from the echo of his own voice, there was no response.
A sense of despair arose in him, and fear filled his heart. He could only cling tightly to the tree trunk, staring in terror at the deep trench less than a foot away from him.
At that moment, Upagupta again used his spiritual power and placed a bridge half a foot wide across the trench. Once the bridge was in place, Upagupta rose and returned to Nāṭabhata Monastery.
In the midst of his despair, the bhikṣu saw the suddenly appearing bridge and thought his eyes were deceiving him. Only after confirming that it was truly a bridge did he tremblingly step onto it, carefully crossing the circular trench that was one thousand feet deep and several zhang wide.
After crossing the deep trench, he felt as though a great burden had been lifted from his heart. He hurried at once to Upagupta and said,
“Master, today while I was meditating, I fell asleep. When I awoke, I discovered a deep trench only a foot away from me, which frightened me terribly. Fortunately, a small bridge later appeared over the trench, and I was able to escape. I truly do not know what happened.”
Upagupta smiled and said to him,“Go back and look once more. If a person does not understand that the essence of life is suffering, does not understand the cause that gives rise to suffering, does not understand the method to bring worldly suffering to cessation, and does not understand the goal taught by the Buddha-Dharma—then such a person will fall into a deep trench.”
Upon hearing Upagupta’s words, the sleepy bhikṣu realized the importance of earnest cultivation. He followed Upagupta’s instruction and, before nightfall, returned along the same path to the place of meditation.
He carefully crossed the small bridge, leaned against the tree, and sat upright in proper meditation posture. With the deep trench so close at hand, he dared not be the least bit lax, nor did he dare to doze off, knowing that the slightest negligence could result in his body being shattered to pieces. This time, as he sat in meditation, he did not fall asleep. Instead, he earnestly contemplated the essential meaning of the Dharma and practiced with great diligence.
In the end, he eradicated many afflictions and attained the fruit of arahantship.
