三經是什麼呢？就是《華嚴經》、《楞嚴經》、《法華經》。這三部經典是釋迦牟尼佛金口所說，阿難尊者所述，後來記載於貝葉，流傳於世，成為佛教徒必讀必誦的經典。

What are the three sutras? They are the Flower Adornment (Avatamsaka) Sutra, the Shurangama Sutra, and the Dharma Flower Sutra. These three sutras are the invaluable words of Shakyamuni Buddha, recounted by the Venerable Ananda, and later recorded on palm leaves and circulated throughout the world. They are the sutras that every Buddhist should study and recite.

萬佛聖城所有出家人和在家人，都要背誦這三部經典，最低限度能背誦《楞嚴經》；或者會背兩部，或者會背三部，更為理想。可是要瞭解經義，不可囫圇吞棗，如果不求甚解，是無有用處。你若是能體會這三部經的境界，那麼才沒有白做佛教徒一場。

At the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, all the left-home people and laypeople must be able to recite these three sutras from memory. At the very least, you must be able to recite the Shurangama Sutra from memory. You may memorize two of the sutras, or all three sutras, which would be ideal. But you must understand the sutras' meaning, and not just "swallow the date whole," that is, recite without understanding. If you don't seek to gain a clear under-standing, it's useless. If you can intuitively comprehend the state of these three sutras, then you will not have been a Buddhist in vain.

釋迦牟尼佛在三十歲時，於菩提樹下證得正覺。在二十一天的時間內，於定中為法身大士說這部《大方廣佛華嚴經》，這部經包括三藏十二部在內，說明了宇宙萬事萬物圓融無礙的境界，也就是「一真法界」的境界。

At the age of thirty, the Buddha sat under the Bodhi Tree and attained Proper Enlightenment. For twenty-one days, he remained in samadhi and spoke The Great Means Expansive Buddha Flower Adornment Sutra for the Great Knights of the Dharma-body (Bodhisattvas). This sutra encompasses the three treasuries and twelve divisions of the canon, and explains the perfectly fused and unobstructed state of the myriad phenomena of the universe, which is the state of the "One True Dharma Realm."

釋迦牟尼佛六十二歲時，因為阿難尊者注重多聞，忽略修持，不幸被魔登伽女先梵天咒所困，險破戒體。佛用〈楞嚴咒〉救阿難尊者脫離女難，於是為他說出這部《大佛頂首楞嚴經》。《楞嚴經》是開智慧的經，乃是顯明理論，由此道理，可以推而廣之，擴而充之，觸類旁通，定能智慧如海。

When the Buddha was sixty-two, the Venerable Ananda, because he valued only erudition and neglected cultivation, was snared by Matangi's mantra from the ancient Brahma Heaven, and was on the verge of destroying the substance of his precepts. The Buddha first used the Shurangama Mantra to rescue the Venerable Ananda from the woman's artifice, and then spoke for him the Sutra of the Foremost Shurangama of the Great Buddha's Summit. This is the sutra which activates our wisdom and reveals the principles. If we can take these principles and enlarge upon them, expanding their scope and making inferences from them, our wisdom will certainly become as vast as the sea.

佛七十二歲時，在靈山法華會上，為大阿羅漢、大菩薩演說「唯一佛乘」的道理，也就是成佛的道理。當時小乘人迴小向大，得佛授記，將來成佛，所以說這部《妙法蓮華經》，這是成佛的經典。

At the age of seventy-two, for the great Arhats and great Bodhisattvas in the Dharma Flower Assembly on Spiritual Mountain (Vulture Peak), the Buddha spoke the doctrine of the One Buddha Vehicle, which is the doctrine for becoming a Buddha. At that point, those of the small vehicle turned from the small and went towards the great, and the Buddha bestowed predictions of future Buddhahood upon them. That's why the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra is considered the sutra for becoming a Buddha.

出家人，如果能像讀書那樣來讀經典，那麼，三藏十二部很容易背熟。可是出家之後，認為這樣就夠了，或者念佛，或者參禪，或者學教，或者持戒，或者想學密，所以就不讀經典了。因為忽略讀經的重要性，所以一代不如一代，養成好吃懶做的習慣，這是佛教的不幸，如果再不及時糾正這種錯誤的觀念，那麼佛教的前途就不堪設想了。

If left-home people were to study the sutras the way students study in school, it would be easy for them to memorize the three treasuries and twelve divisions of the canon. But after leaving home, they think they've already done enough. They may recite the Buddha's name, investigate Chan meditation, study the teachings, uphold the precepts, or learn esoteric dharmas, so consequently they don't study the sutras. Since they overlook the importance of studying the sutras, each generation is worse than the one before, and people turn into good-for-nothings--lazy gluttons. This is an unfortunate situation in Buddhism. If we don't correct this wrong thinking immediately, I cannot imagine what future Buddhism will have.

一九八三年十一月十二日開示