你們看！現在世界上的人們，多數都在發顛發狂，像犯了精神病，世界將變成瘋狂世界。無論男女老幼，都不認識做人的基本條件，所以你爭我奪，為達個人的目的，不擇手段，見利忘義，出賣朋友，多麼可怕呀！那到底什麼是做人的基本條件呢？就是萬佛聖城六大宗旨。若人人能遵守，天下就太平了。

Take a look around, and you’ll see that most people in the world are crazy. They seem to be mentally ill. This world is going mad. Neither men nor women, neither young nor old, know the basic rules that human beings should follow. Therefore, people fight among themselves. They will stop at nothing to fulfill their own aims, forsaking justice in the pursuit of profit, and doing so at the expense of their friends. How awful this is! So, what are the basic rules that people should follow? They are simply the Six Guidelines of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. If everyone can observe these guidelines, there will be peace in the world.

何謂六大宗旨？

The Six Guidelines are:

第一不爭：不和任何人去爭。我取自己應該得的，不應該得的不要。絕對不發脾氣。

1. Not to contend: Never fight or quarrel with anyone. Accept your rightful due, and do not hanker for what is not yours. Avoid losing your temper at all costs.

第二不貪：無論什麼物質，夠用就可以了，什麼也不貪。我的東西，你需要就送給你，沒有吝嗇的表現。

2. Not to be greedy: In all things, don’t be greedy for more than what you need. Give your own possessions away to people who need them; don’t be stingy.

第三不求：不向外邊去求東西。所謂「人到無求品自高。」不求就有高尚的人格；凡是有人格的人，都是少欲知足。不貪財、色、名、食、睡的人，心中多麼安樂，內心沒有恐懼。

3. Not to seek: Don’t seek for external things. It’s said, “When you reach the state of seeking nothing, your character will naturally be noble.” If you don’t seek things, you’ll have a lofty character. People of integrity desire little and are content with what they have. Those who don’t covet wealth, sex, fame, food, or sleep are peaceful and happy, and never troubled by fear or anxiety.

第四不自私：無論什麼東西，屬於大家的，公共使用，不必藏於己。能布施，就沒有自私心。所謂「老吾老，以及人之老；幼吾幼，以及人之幼。」這就是沒有自私心的表現。萬佛聖城所成立的大、中、小學及安老院，就是本著這種思想去做。

4. Not to be selfish: Things that belong to the public should be used by everyone and not stored in your own private place. If you are able to practice giving, then your heart is not selfish. We ought to “care for all elders as we would care for our own elders, and love all children as we would love our own children.” This is an expression of unselfishness. It is also the philosophy followed by the university, the secondary and elementary schools, and the senior home at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas.

第五不自利：就是捨己為人。有利益之事，讓給他人做；沒有利益的事，留著自己做。絕不貪圖名聞利養，或有沽名釣譽之事，這是自私自利的思想。

5. Not to pursue personal advantage: Renounce your own benefit and work for the good of others. Yield benefits to others, keeping unbeneficial things for yourself. Never crave fame or offerings, and never fish for praise and reputation, for such behavior is motivated by the selfish pursuit of personal advantage.

第六不妄語：口有四惡──妄言、綺語、惡口、兩舌。犯了一惡，將來便墮拔舌地獄。妄語是五戒之一，學佛法的人，一定要嚴守五戒。什麼是妄語？就是不說假話。所謂「見言不見，不見言見；聞言不聞，不聞言聞；不覺言覺，覺言不覺；知言不知，不知言知」，這就是妄語。

6. Not to lie: The mouth is capable of four evils: lying, indecent speech, harsh speech, and divisive speech. Committing any one of these will send you to the Hell of Pulling Tongues. Not lying is one of the Five Precepts. Buddhists should observe the Five Precepts carefully. What is not lying? It means never saying anything untrue. The following are all instances of lying:

To say you saw when you did not see,
or to say you didn’t see when you did see;
To say you heard when you did not hear,
or to say you didn’t hear
     when you did hear;
To say you understand
     when you do not understand,
or to say you don’t understand
     when you do understand;
To say you know when you do not know,
or to say you don’t know
     when you do know.

世界上的人，為什麼發顛發狂？就因為有爭心、貪心、求心、自私心、自利心、妄語心，所以終日顛顛倒倒，不得自在。這是很嚴重的問題，不可當做戲論，要趕緊改善社會的風氣，否則後果真是不堪設想。

Why are the people in this world going insane? It’s because they are always contending, being greedy, seeking, being selfish, seeking personal advantage, and lying. Consequently they are always confused and unable to be free and at ease. This is a serious problem. We cannot treat it as a staged play. We should quickly reform the social customs, so as to avoid consequences too awful to imagine.

一九八四年四月十六日開示