有人心中打妄想：「我到老的時候，會不會餓死？會不會凍死？」這是沒有出息的想法。真正佛的弟子，就是餓死也沒有關係，凍死也沒有關係，為佛教而犧牲，這是無上的光榮。

Some people worry, “When I get old, will I starve or freeze to death?” These are useless thoughts. A true disciple of the Buddha wouldn’t care even if he did starve or freeze to death; he would consider giving up his life for Buddhism to be the greatest glory.

釋迦牟尼佛在往昔時，曾經三祇修福慧，百劫種相好，三千大千世界所有大地，沒有一粒微塵處，無不是佛捨生命的地方。我們要反省一下，我們捨了什麼？一些身外之物，還放不下，總是私心來當家，這個捨不得，那個捨不得，更談不到捨生命了！

In his past lives Shakyamuni Buddha cultivated blessings and wisdom for three asamkhyeyas of eons, and planted the causes for his special hallmarks and characteristics for a hundred eons. In all the worlds throughout the great trichiliocosm, there isn’t a place as tiny as a mote of dust where the Buddha has not given up his life. We should take a look at ourselves: What have we given up? We aren’t even willing to part with external things. We’re always letting our selfishness take over and cannot part with this or renounce that, let alone give up our lives.

各位要知道，我們就因為捨不得，不肯布施，沒有同情心，不知憐愍，所以才在輪迴中輪轉不已。終日只想老了怎麼辦的問題，不想死了會怎樣的問題。好像杞國有個人，整天憂愁，沒有笑容。有人問他：「你為什麼發愁？」他說：「天塌下來怎麼辦？豈不是被壓死了嗎？」你看！這個想法多麼幼稚呀！

Everyone should realize that we continue to revolve endlessly on the wheel of birth and death precisely because we can’t bear to give and have no sympathy or pity. We spend every day thinking about what we’ll do when we get old, but we never think about what’s going to happen after we die. We are like the man from the state of Qi, who worried all day long and never had a smile on his face. Someone asked him, “Why are you so worried?” He said, “What would happen if the sky fell down? Wouldn’t we be crushed to death?” That’s how immature he was!

我們修行人，活一天要有一天的意義，不要被妄想壓倒，終日在妄想中打轉，這豈不是愚人嗎？想些不可能的事，想些不必要的事，這簡直是和自己過不去，自討苦吃。

Cultivators should live every day meaningfully. We shouldn’t be overwhelmed by confused thoughts. If we spend our days indulging in deluded thoughts, aren’t we just being fools? By thinking about things that could never be or that there’s no need to think about, we’re just making it hard on ourselves and looking for misery.

我們現在要反迷歸覺，要把假的放下，把真的提起來。我常對你們說：

Now we want to turn away from delusion and return to enlightenment, put down the false and pick up the real. I often say to you,

捨不了假   成不了真
捨不了死   換不了生

If you cannot renounce what is false,
     you cannot accomplish what is true.
If you don’t give up death,
     you cannot return to life.

世間法是相對的，若是業障那邊重，清淨這邊就輕；清淨這邊重，業障那邊就輕。只看你要怎麼去做，決定在於你的意願，旁人無法干涉的。

All worldly dharmas are relative. If the side of karmic obstacles is heavy, the side of purity will be light; if the side of purity is heavy, then the side of karmic obstacles will be light. It all depends on how you want to do it. The decision is yours; other people cannot interfere with it.

凡是出家人，要有高尚的人格，要出乎其類，拔乎其萃，不要做個同流合污、混吃等死的出家人，令佛教暮氣沉沉，沒有朝氣。

Those who have left the home life should be lofty and noble in character. We should be outstanding people. We should not be left-home people who go along with vulgar trends and just eat our fill and wait to die, causing Buddhism to lose its vitality and spirit.

一九八四年七月十五日開示