有的人歡喜念佛，就參加佛七。有的人歡喜參禪，就參加禪七。若是也不歡喜念佛，也不歡喜參禪，那就參加懶七或睡覺七。「懶七」或「睡覺七」，這些名詞很新鮮，但說起來也是很有學問的。

People who delight in reciting the Buddha's name join the Recitation Sessions. Those who like to investigate Chan attend the Chan Meditation Sessions. People who do not like to recite the Buddha's name or sit in Chan meditation take part in the Lazy Session or the Sleep Session. The names "Lazy Session" and "Sleep Session" are very fresh, but there's a lot of meaning behind them.

「懶七」：你很懶，其實也懶不了。你什麼也不做，但是心裏就做起工來－－打妄想。妄想忽然而天、忽然而地、忽然而餓鬼、忽然而地獄、忽然而人、忽然而天，就是在人的心裏製造出六道輪迴的機器。心裏把這機器發動了，轉來轉去，本來你想要懶惰，其實浪費的腦力及精力更多。所以就更加疲倦，也就越加懶惰，更加覺得什麼都沒有意思，枯燥無味。

Lazy Session: You want to be really lazy, but in fact, you can't. You don't do anything, but then your mind starts to work, generating random thoughts. Your random thoughts are suddenly in the heavens, suddenly on earth, suddenly among the hungry ghosts, suddenly in the hells, suddenly among people, and suddenly among gods. Right in people's minds, the "transmigration machine" is created. The mind starts up this machine, and it goes around and around. You want to be lazy, but instead you just waste more brain power and energy. Then you become even more tired and lazy, and you feel that everything is even more meaningless and boring.

「睡覺七」：睡著了就作夢。在夢裏也是一下子夢到發財，一下子又挨窮；或者忽然做大官，又忽然變乞丐；或夢者到老虎、毒蛇。在夢裏睡也睡不安樂，想打個睡覺七也不行了。

Sleep Session: When you are asleep, you dream. In your dreams, you may suddenly strike it rich, and then suddenly be poor again. Perhaps you suddenly become a prominent official, but then just as suddenly you're a beggar. Or you may dream of tigers and venomous snakes. In your dreams, you can't even sleep well, so you can't have a Sleep Session either.

這就是人不會用功，無論做什麼都覺得不好；可是會用功的人，做什麼都覺得好，參禪、念佛都好，就算懶惰、睡覺也都是在用功。

This is a case of people not knowing how to apply effort, so no matter what they do, they feel it's no good. People who know how to apply effort enjoy whatever they do. They enjoy investigating Chan and reciting the Buddha's name. Even when they relax or go to sleep, they continue to apply effort.

所以萬佛聖城有禪、教、密、律、淨五教，你願意修什麼都可以，是很自由的，不需要覺得不好意思。你想懶惰、睡覺也都是很好的事；懶惰，就不會去偷東西，這是持戒；睡覺，就不會去殺人或殺生，這也是持戒。你念佛、參禪，或學教、習律、修密，這都是持戒呢！所以你學五教，都是在持五戒，不殺生、不偷盜、不邪淫、不妄語、不飲酒。用功就不會犯戒，在表面上看來好像沒有在持，其實這是不持而持，不戒而戒，不需要用持戒的名詞，也在持戒，所以這樣用功也是很好的。

At the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, there are five different schools of practice: the Chan School, the Teaching School, the Secret School, the Vinaya School, and the Pure Land School, and you can choose to cultivate whichever you wish. You have a lot of freedom, and you shouldn't feel embarrassed. If you want to be lazy and sleep, that's good, too. If you're lazy, you won't go out and steal things, so you're holding the precepts. If you go to sleep, you won't murder people or take life, so you're also holding the precepts. If you recite the Buddha's name, investigate Chan, study the teachings, practice the Vinaya, or cultivate secret dharmas, you are also holding precepts! Thus, when you study in the Five Schools, you are holding the five precepts--no killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no false speech, and no intoxicants. If you are working at cultivation, you won't violate the precepts. Outwardly, you don't appear to be holding them, but you are in fact holding them without trying to. Although you don't call it "holding precepts," you are holding them. Therefore, applying effort in this way is also very good.

因為這樣，在萬佛聖城你願意用什麼功，都很自由，不會有人管你，因為這國家是民主國家，所以在這個道場更應該行民主中之民主，自由中之自由。所以這麼多天，願意用什麼功都可以，只要你自己用功時，提得起、放得下，做什麼像什麼，做什麼都好好去做，專心致志，這就對了。

Because of this, regardless of what you cultivate at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, you have a lot of freedom. No one will order you around, because this is a democratic country, and this Way-place should be the most democratic of the democratic, and the freest of the free. So whatever you want to cultivate is fine, as long as you are able to "pick it up" and "put it down" when you culti-vate; that is, you work seriously, with single-minded concentration. That's the right way.

再說說萬佛聖城的六大宗旨：
（一）不爭，就不會殺生。殺生就因爭心作怪， 一爭就你死我活，死傷無數。
（二）不貪，就不會偷盜。為什麼要竊盜他人之 物？就因為貪。你要是沒有貪心，就算人 家給你，你也不會要，所以要把貪心去除 ，才不會偷。
（三）不求，就不會有淫欲心。淫欲心就因為有 所求，女的求男朋友，男的求女朋友，都 是追求異性。不單求，還要「追」求，就 好像把頭削得尖尖的，往裏頭鑽。若是無 所求，還有什麼淫欲心？英俊的男人有什 麼用？漂亮的女人也只是個蓋肉的臭皮囊 ，有什麼值得貪戀的？假若無所求了，淫 戒就不會犯。
（四）不自私，就不會打妄語。人打妄語，就因 為怕失去自己的利益，自私心作怪，所以 騙人撒謊，想令人不認識自己。
（五）不自利，就不會犯酒戒。人為什麼喝酒？ 就想迷亂自己的身體心性，弄得它恍恍惚 惚，以為自己成了神仙，在天上逍遙。喝 醉酒又會罵人，又會為所欲為，又增長淫 欲心。有人想用酒來助血氣流通快點，喝了酒可以忘記一切，好像抽鴉片菸一樣過癮。這都是自利心作怪，所以才去喝酒。

As to the Six Great Principles of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas:
1. If you don't contend, then you won't kill. Killing occurs because thoughts of contention take control. When you start contending, you have the attitude of "Get out of my way or die!" The casualties that result are beyond count.
2. If you are not greedy, then you won't steal. Why do you want to steal others' things? It's because of greed. If you are not greedy, then even if people want to give you something, you won't want it. So you should get rid of greed, and then you won't steal.
3. If you seek nothing, you won't have thoughts of lust. Thoughts of lust arise because you seek something. Women seek boyfriends, and men seek girlfriends. Not only do they seek, they plunge headlong into the pursuit as if nothing else mattered. If they didn't seek anything, then how could they have thoughts of desire? Of what use is a handsome man or a pretty woman? They are just stinking skin-bags containing flesh. Are they worth hankering after? If you seek nothing, you won't violate the precept of sexual misconduct.
4. If you're not selfish, then you won't tell lies. People tell lies because they're afraid of losing personal benefits. Overcome by selfishness, they cheat people and tell lies, hoping to hide their true face from others.
5. If you don't seek to benefit yourself, then you won't violate the precept against taking intoxicants. Why do people take intoxi-cants? It's because they want to mess up their bodies and confuse their minds, bewildering themselves to the point that they think they've become gods or immortals, enjoying them-selves in the heavens. Once intoxicated, they will scold people and do as they please, and their lustful desires increase. Some people also want to use intoxicants to speed up their blood and energy circulation. After taking them, they forget everything. It's as exciting as smoking opium. It's all because they are overcome by the wish to benefit themselves that they take intoxicants.

所以這六個宗旨，就是五戒的別名。為什麼不說五戒？因為我們人聽慣了五戒，你跟他講：「不殺生、不偷盜、不邪淫、不妄語、不飲酒。」他說：「我知道了！聽你的做什麼？」所以把它變個名詞，「不爭、不貪、不求、不自私、不自利、不妄語」。這個名詞本來人人也都聽過，也都懂得，但是真能去做的少之又少，所以就再提醒大家：

不爭，就是不殺生；
不貪，就是不偷盜；
不求，就是不邪淫；
不自私，就是不打妄語；
不自利，就是不飲酒。

Thus, these six principles are just another name for the five precepts. Why don't I talk about the five precepts? It's because everyone is so used to hearing about the five precepts. If I say to a person, "Don't kill, don't steal, don't engage in sexual misconduct, don't lie, and don't take intoxicants," he'll reply, "I already know that! Why should I listen to you?" So I changed the names to be: don't contend, don't be greedy, don't seek, don't be selfish, don't try to benefit yourself, and don't lie. Actually, everyone has also heard these terms before and understands them, but very few can truly practice them. That's why I'm reminding everyone:

Don't contend means don't kill;
Don't be greedy means don't steal;
Don't seek means don't engage in sexual misconduct;
Don't be selfish means don't tell lies;
Don't try to benefit yourself means don't take intoxicants.

一九八二年十二月五日開示於
萬佛聖城