念念真誠念念通，
默默感應默默中；
直至山窮水盡處，
逍遙法界任西東。

Thought after thought is true and sincere;
thought after thought penetrates.
Working quietly, there's a response
in the midst of the quiet work.
Go straight to the place beyond the
mountains and streams,
And you will be free to roam the Dharma Realm,
going east or west as you please.

剛才所說的偈頌，大家能否了悟其中的真義？

Has everyone awakened to the true meaning of the above verse?

「念念真誠念念通」：第一個念，是心中所發出的念。第二個念，是有之於心，而形之於口，從口中發出的；若只存有第二念，口念的「念」，便不能算是真誠的念了，所以「心」、「口」俱要真誠，這是對念菩薩或念佛而言。我們要念到心口合一，一而不二。我們不可隨便地念，也不可散亂地念，也不可夾雜其他的妄想來念，如果能做到這幾點，便可以稱為「真誠」了。

The first “thought” refers to the thought produced from the mind. The second thought comes from the mouth. It originates in the mind and takes form in the mouth. If you only keep the secondary thought of the mouth, it doesn't count as a thought of true sincerity. Therefore, the mind and the mouth must both be sincere in reciting the name of the Buddha or Bodhisattva. We should recite until the mind and mouth unite into one, and are no longer two. We should not recite casually or with a scattered mind, nor should we entertain idle thoughts while reciting. If we can fulfill these conditions, then we can be considered sincere.

有了真誠的意念，一定會有感應的，這感應是什麼呢？就是凡夫的心和佛菩薩的光相通，所謂：

光光相照，
孔孔相通。

If our thoughts are sincere, we will certainly obtain a response. What kind of response? Our common mind will interpenetrate with the light of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, as in the saying,

The lights shine upon one another;
The holes mutually connect.

為什麼會有這種感應呢？譬如打電話，號碼打通了，對方一聲「喂！」於是乎就可以暢所欲言，有了連絡。念菩薩聖號也如同撥電話號碼，到時菩薩就會問你：「善男子（善女人），你想求些什麼？」於是你就可以有求必應了。若是沒有誠心，這就好像是五個號碼，你只撥三個號碼就住手了，那又怎能把電話打通呢？念菩薩亦復如此。假使你念一會兒又不念了，這就沒有誠意，那是一定不會通的。

Why will such a response occur? It's like making a phone call: after you dial the number, the other person answers, “Hello?” Then you can say what you need to say and communicate with each other. Reciting the Bodhisattva's name is like dialing the number. Then the Bodhisattva will ask you, “Good man (Good woman), what do you seek?” At that point, you will obtain whatever you seek. But if you aren't sincere, it will be like dialing only three digits of a five-digit phone number. How can the call go through? Reciting the Bodhisattva's name is the same. If you recite for a while and then stop because you lack sincerity, your recitation certainly won't go through.

這種光光相照的感應，是只有身受的人才能感覺到的。譬如打電話，也只有拿起聽筒收聽的人才能清楚對方的話，凡夫的肉眼是無法看到聲波的去來，所以說：「默默感應默默中」。

The response of lights shining upon one another can only be felt by the people who personally do it. Similarly, when there's a phone call, you have to pick up the receiver in order to hear the caller clearly, because the eyes of ordinary people cannot see the sound waves. So it is said, “Working quietly, there's a response in the midst of the quiet work.”

「山窮水盡」是「百尺竿頭重進步，撒手天空另有天。」的境界，念至山窮水盡時，簡直是念而不念，打成一團、念成一片了，那時就可以「逍遙法界任西東」。若是我們要往生西方極樂世界，就可以應念而往；若想倒駕慈航，回來廣度眾生，也可以應念而回到極樂世界之東的娑婆世界，乃至一切法界，也皆可應念而往，所以說「任西東」，所謂：

一如意一切如意，
一自在一切自在。

“Beyond the mountains and streams” refers to the state of: “At the top of a hundred-foot pole, take another step. Let go in midair and another world appears.”When you recite to the point that the mountains and streams have vanished, you are basically reciting, yet not reciting. You are reciting with a single mind, in a state of uninterrupted mindfulness. At that time, "you will be free to roam the Dharma Realm, going east or west as you please." If we want to be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss in the West, we can recite and obtain the response of being reborn there. If we want to turn the ship of kindness around and come back to save living beings on a vast scale, we can also recite and obtain the response of returning to the Saha world, east of the Land of Ultimate Bliss. In general, we can recite and obtain the response of going to any Dharma Realm. So the verse says, “going east or west as you please.” It is said,

When one wish is fulfilled,
all wishes are fulfilled.
When we are at ease in one place,
we are at ease everywhere.

所以我們學佛，處處要真誠，不然便是虛偽，虛偽便會「開謊花，不結果」，所以學佛切記不要自己騙自己。

Therefore in studying Buddhism, we must always be sincere. If we are false, then we are nothing but “sterile blossoms that don't bear fruit.” So in the practice of Buddhism, take care not to cheat yourself.

其次，古人也說：「君子求諸己，小人求諸人。」我們不可有依賴心，應知感應是自己所招，並非從外得來的。有人說：「念佛得生淨土，是仗佛力所接引。」此話可以說是對，也可以說是不對，為什麼？因為「接引」這個說法，只是對機而言；因為眾生的貪，都是希望能用力少而收效大，好像放高利貸，放出的少，而收入的多，所以聖人隨機應變，說出了佛力接引的話，目的是叫一切眾生努力去念。其實他們念佛、菩薩的名號而能往生淨土，也是全憑自己的力量，怎麼說呢？

Furthermore, the ancients have said, “The superior person makes demands on himself. The petty person makes demands on others.” We should not be dependent on others. We should recognize that responses result from our own efforts; they don't come from outside. Someone objects, “When we recite the Buddha's name to be reborn in the Pure Land, we rely on the Buddha's power to lead us there.” You could say that statement is right, but you could also say it's wrong. Why? Saying that the Buddha leads us there is only a provisional explanation spoken for greedy living beings who hope to put in a little effort and obtain a lot. This is like loan sharks that give a little and take in a lot. The sages accommodated the potentials of living beings and said that the Buddha's power leads us, with the goal of making living beings recite vigorously. In reality, when they recite the names of the Buddhas or Bodhisattvas, they are relying on their own strength to obtain rebirth in the Pure Land. How is this the case?

念佛是佛替你念的嗎？你念菩薩的那個念，是菩薩生出來的嗎？如果不是，又豈能說是仗他力？譬如佛菩薩放光加被你，這也是你自己念佛菩薩的功德所感。再拿打電話作一個例子，如果你自己不打電話，又有誰來接你的電話？所以念佛也是這個道理。

When you recite the Buddha's name, does the Buddha recite for you? Does the thought of reciting the Bodhisattvas' names come from the Bodhisattvas? If not, then how can you say you rely on an external strength? For example, when the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas bestow aid by shining their light on you, that's also in response to your efforts in reciting the names of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Consider the analogy of a phone call again. If you don't make the call, then who's going to answer the phone? The same principle applies to reciting the Buddha's name.

其實有這種希望仗佛力接引而生淨土的心，就是貪心，就是依賴，是要不得的。我們修行要仗自力，打起精神，鼓起勇氣，勇猛精進，應知果報並不是人家能夠賜與的，所以念佛也可以說不是仗佛力所接引。

Actually, hoping the Buddha's power will lead us to rebirth in the Pure Land is just greed and dependency, and we don't want that. In cultivation, we want to rely on our own strength, rouse our spirits, pluck up courage, and vigorously advance. Know that rewards and retributions cannot be given to you by others. Therefore, when we recite the Buddha's name, we're not really relying on the Buddha's power to lead us.

古人又說：「將相本無種，男兒當自強。」我們學佛，也要挺起胸膛來這樣說：

佛陀本無種，
眾生當自強。

The ancients also said, “No man is a general or prime minister by birth. One must rely on his own effort to obtain such a position.” We who study Buddhism should stand up tall and say,

No one is a Buddha by birth.
A living being must rely on his own
effort to achieve Buddhahood.

若是不這麼樣，整日依賴佛力接引，猶如富家子弟依賴父兄遺業，終會把自己害了，大家應該趕快猛醒啊！

If you don't do this, but instead rely on the Buddha's power all day long, you are just like the children of rich families who depend on what they inherit from their parents and older brothers. In the end, you only hurt yourself. Everyone should quickly wake up!

一九五八年六月十六日下午開示