錢字是從一金、二戈而成。有首偈頌說得很好：

The Chinese character for “money” (錢) consists of one “gold” (金) and two “spears” (戈). There’s a verse that puts it very well:

二戈爭金殺氣高
人人因它犯嘮叨
能會用者超三界
不會用者孽難逃

Two swords fighting over gold－
     the killing energy is high.
People are always getting into trouble
     because of it.
Using it well, one can transcend
     the Three Realms.
Using it badly, one will have a hard time
     escaping one’s offenses.

戈是干戈，是一種武器。錢是用金屬所鑄造的。二人各持干戈來爭金錢，所以造成殺人、放火種種的惡業；你爭我奪，殺氣高達雲霄。

The sword is a weapon, and money (in the form of coins) is minted with gold. When two people armed with swords fight over money, all kinds of evil karma such as killing and arson are committed.

錢雖然是假的，可是人人為它所迷。不但人愛錢，就是鬼也愛錢。活人想盡辦法，費盡心機來弄錢；鬼沒有工作，不能賺錢，可是也有生財之道，他令人替他燒紙錢。其實，鬼不需要錢，燒紙錢乃是一種迷信，浪費金錢，將真錢化成紙灰，這種思想真是愚不可及！

You and I contend and fight, and the killing energy reaches up to the sky. Money is unreal, yet people go crazy about it. Not only do people love money, ghosts also love it. People think up every possible scheme to get money. Ghosts don’t work, so they can’t earn money. But they have their ways to generate wealth－by getting people to burn paper money for them. In fact, ghosts don’t need money. Burning paper money is a superstitious practice. It just wastes money, turning real money into ashes. It’s extremely stupid.

在亞洲有一種風俗，人在活著的時候，自己燒了很多的紙錢，蓋為在冥府銀行存款，等死的時候，可以做個富鬼。或者用存款來賄賂閻君，減輕其罪。豈知閻君是鐵面無私的法官，照公審判，不受任何的賄賂，想賄賂他，真是枉費一番心機。

In Asia, there’s a custom where people burn a lot of paper money when they are still alive, thinking that it goes into their bank account in the underworld, so that after they die, they will become rich ghosts. Perhaps they want to use the money to bribe King Yama into reducing their offenses. However, King Yama is a pitiless judge who metes out fair sentences and doesn’t accept bribes. It would be fruitless to try to bribe him.

凡是有這種思想的人，以為錢能通神，有錢處處行得通，所謂「有錢能使鬼推磨」，這是大錯特錯的想法。這種人死後，一定墮地獄。為什麼呢？因為他在世時，一定做了違背良心的事，為了設法挽救死後的痛苦，所以就大量燒紙錢，準備給貪官污吏們紅包，買個方便。這種思想，是欺騙自己，多麼可笑！

If people think that money can make the gods listen and can make everything happen, just like the saying, “Money can make ghosts push the millstone,” they are totally mistaken. After such people die, they will surely fall into the hells. Why? Because while alive, they are surely doing many things that go against their conscience. So in order to save themselves from suffering after death, they burn large amounts of paper money. They are preparing to give red envelopes to the corrupt officials so they will be let off easy. They are just cheating themselves by thinking this way. How ridiculous!

錢把世間的人支配得顛顛倒倒，胡作非為，六親不蓋，互相傾奪，乃至親人變路人，甚至成仇人，多麼可怕呀！因為這種關係，所以修道人要持銀錢戒，免去這些麻煩。

何謂銀錢戒？就是手不觸錢，這才是真佛子，能守佛律，專持淨戒。不但手不摸錢，心也不想錢，視錢為不淨之物（錢上有細菌），將錢字拋到九霄雲外，視為不祥之物。

Money makes people so muddled that they do all sorts of foolish things; it causes relatives to become estranged, to fight with each other, and to regard each other as strangers or even as enemies. How terrible this is! That’s why cultivators should uphold the precept of not handling money and thereby avoid these problems. This precept prohibits touching money with one’s hands. Then one is a true disciple of the Buddha, one who is able to observe the Buddha’s rules and uphold the pure precepts. Not only do one’s hands not touch money, one’s mind doesn’t even think about money. One regards money as unclean (there are germs on the bills) and inauspicious, and casts out the very thought of it.

修道人要為眾生做福田僧，為了讓眾生種福，而接受供養。但不可攀緣，不可貪求供養，要隨緣方便，不能有所企圖。出家人為什麼不成道？就因為財色二關打不破。財令人迷惑，色令人顛倒，這兩種是障礙修道的絆腳石，令人沉迷無法自拔，甚至隨波逐流。

In order to serve as a field in which living beings can plant blessings, cultivators in the Sangha accept offerings. However, they may not exploit affinities or be greedy for the offerings. They should expediently accord with the condi-tions and not seek anything. Why are left-home people unable to accomplish the Way? It’s because they can’t leap over the two hurdles of money and sex. Money deludes people and sex makes them muddled. These two stumbling blocks hinder people in their cultivation, causing them to flounder in confusion, unable to pull themselves out, so that they drift along helplessly.

無論哪位，凡是持銀錢戒者，自己要特別注意，萬分謹慎，手不觸錢，心也不要想錢，不可陽奉陰違，貪圖利養。如有這種思想和行為，要趕快糾正，不可明知故犯。凡是用「五邪命」方式來生活，都不是真佛子，乃是獅子蟲，指佛穿衣，賴佛吃飯。總而言之，凡有攀緣心，就是貪財，都不夠資格為佛子。

Anyone who upholds the precept against handling money should watch out and be especially cautious. You should not touch money with your hands or think about it in your mind. You shouldn’t pretend to hold this precept, yet still be greedy for offerings. If you have such thoughts, correct them immediately! Don’t deliberately commit offenses. People who follow the “five improper kinds of livelihood” are not true disciples of the Buddha; they are “parasites on the lion,” depending on the Buddha for clothing and food. In general, as long as you have opportunistic thoughts and are greedy for money, you don’t qualify as a disciple of the Buddha.

人人為錢，不知惹出多少麻煩來。可是會用錢的人，若多做些功德事，例如辦學校、開醫院等，對人群有利益，利人利己，便能超出三界，不受生死輪迴之苦，而得到涅槃的真樂。若是不會用錢的人，只造惡業，做些傷天害理的事，難跳出三界，而墮落地獄。所謂「財色名食睡，地獄五條根」，切記！切記！不可錯因果，因果是絲毫不爽，萬古不變的定律；錯了因果，定要受果報的。

People get into all kinds of trouble because of money. However, if people know how to use money to do meritorious works－founding schools, building hospitals, or doing other things that are beneficial to oneself as well as the society as a whole－they can transcend the Three Realms, escape the suffering of the wheel of birth and death, and attain the true bliss of Nirvana. For those who don’t know how to use it well, money will only cause them to create offenses and do things that harm heaven and destroy principles. They won’t be able to escape the Three Realms, and will fall into the hells instead. It is said, “Money, sex, fame, food, and sleep are the five roots of the hells.” Take heed! Be very careful not to make any mistakes in cause and effect. The law of cause and effect never fails. It’s a timeless and invariable law. If you make mistakes in cause and effect, you’re bound to receive the retribution.

一九八一年六月四日開示