修道人要有擇法眼，才能選擇何為正法，何為邪法。正法就是不爭、不貪、不求、不自私、不自利、不打妄語，這是修道人的六大宗旨。依此宗旨去修行，就是正知正見。邪法就是有爭、有貪、有求、有自私、有自利、打妄語。有了這六種心，就是邪知邪見。正邪的關鍵在於此，所以這是正邪的分水嶺；向前流是正法，向後流是邪法。這一點，大家要認清楚。

Cultivators of the Way must possess "Dharma-selecting vision" in order to distinguish proper dharmas from deviant dharmas. The proper dharmas are: not fighting, not being greedy, not seeking, not being selfish, not wanting personal advantages, and not telling lies. These are known as the Six Great Guidelines. When one bases his cultivation on these Six Guidelines, he is equipped with proper knowledge and views. Deviant dharmas are simply fighting, greed, seeking, selfishness, wanting personal advantages, and telling lies. One who has these six thoughts possesses deviant knowledge and views. Proper and deviant swings on the hinge-pin of these points. They are the standard for distinguishing the proper from the deviant. Water that flows forward represents the proper Dharma; water that flows backwards represents deviant Dharma. All of you should recognize this point very clearly.

如果沒有邪知邪見，只要你的定力堅固，不論魔王如何來擾亂，不會動搖你的道心，所謂「佛來佛斬，魔來魔斬。」為什麼要這樣說？因為教你不要執著境界，就是佛來，也不接受，何況是魔呢？在境界中的預兆，雖然有時很靈驗，可是不要相信。那麼要相信什麼？就相信不爭、不貪、不求、不自私、不自利、不妄語。這六種宗旨，就是六把斬魔劍、降魔杵。

If you are free of deviant knowledge and views and your samadhi is solid, then no matter how the demon kings come to bother you, your resolve for cultivation will not waver. A saying goes, "If the Buddhas come, slay the Buddhas. If the demons come, slay the demons." What does this mean? It means you should not become attached to states. If the Buddha appears, don't go out to receive him; how much less should you welcome a demon. Although such states are occasionally premonitions, all the same, do not believe in what you experience. What should we believe in, then? Believe in not fighting, not being greedy, not seeking, not being selfish, not being self-indulgent, and not telling lies.

有了這種正知正見之後，就算有天人現身來供養、來叩頭，也不動心。如果一動心，或生出歡喜心，歡喜魔便得其方便，令你發狂。若生憂愁心，那麼憂愁魔就得其方便，乘機而入，來擾亂你的心，令你煩惱。或者生了執著心，或者生了我慢心，都會受魔來擾亂，使思想不清淨。

These Six Guidelines are six demon-slaying swords, six demon-quelling pestles. After you possess such proper knowledge and views, then even if gods from the heavens were to appear to you, make offerings, and bow in respect, you would not let your thoughts waver. If your thoughts did waver and you felt happy about it, then a demon of happiness could gain control of you, seize the opportunity to upset your cultivation, and drive you insane. If you were to get worried, then a demon of worry could use this opportunity to gain control of you, disturb your mind, and cause you to get afflicted. If you were to become attached or arrogant, you would also come under the disturbing influence of demons. The result in each case is that your thoughts would be rendered impure.

所以無論遇到什麼奇奇怪怪的境界，不要相信，不要動心。要相信自己的智慧，要明白自性能生萬法，自性本來清淨，自性本無染污，自性本不顛倒。若能這樣，還有什麼可求呢？凡是有所求，就是染污；有爭、有貪、有自私、有自利、打妄語，都是染污。無論什麼法，都可以用這六大宗旨做為尺度，來衡量、來觀察，合者是正法，不合者是邪法。

Therefore, no matter what strange and uncanny situations occur to you, don't believe that any of them are real, and don't allow them to disturb your thoughts. Believe only in your own wisdom. Know that your own nature is capable of bringing into being all the myriad things of creation. Know that this inherent nature is basically pure and free of defilement; know that it is fundamentally free of inversion. If you can see things this way, then what is there to seek? Anything you sought would be a defilement. Anything that comes about from fighting, greed, seeking, selfishness, self-indulgence or dishonesty is certainly corrupt. No matter what dharma it is, you may use the Six Guidelines to as a yardstick to measure, judge, and contemplate it. If it accords with the six rules, it can be called a proper dharma. If it goes against them, it is a deviant dharma.

這六大宗旨，能破天魔外道的邪知邪見。天魔外道所行所作，皆有所求。總是在爭、貪、求、自私、自利、妄語中打主意，一切為自己，而不為他人，這就是旁門左道的思想。

The Six Guidelines can destroy the deviant knowledge and views of the celestial demons and externalists. The deeds of celestial demons and externalists are all characterized by seeking. Their actions always center around contention, greed, seeking, selfishness, self-indulgence and dishonest behavior. They do things only for themselves, never for others. Thinking like this is typical of deviant cults.

修道人要行所無事，積功累行，不可執著，所謂「掃一切法，離一切相。」不可以說：「我有什麼功夫，我有什麼修行。」或者說：「我有什麼境界，我有什麼神通。」就算是有的話，都是虛妄不實，不可相信的，不要上當了。若相信異端神通，就不能成就正定正受。要曉得正定正受不是從外邊得來，乃是從自性中生出來的。怎樣能生出來？就是迴光返照，反求諸己，才能有所成就。

People who cultivate the Way should act as if nothing is being done. We want to amass merit and virtue, but not be attached to the process. It is said: "Sweep away all dharmas; go beyond all attachment to views." It's wrong to say, "I have this particular spiritual skill," or "I have some cultivation." It's wrong to say, "I have such and such a state," or "I have such and such a psychic power." Even if you have such attainment, it is still unreal and not to be believed. Do not be taken in. Faith in strange, miraculous abilities and psychic powers will keep you from realizing genuine "proper concentration and proper reception" (samadhi). You should realize that proper concentration and proper reception does not come from outside, but is born instead from within your own nature. How does one bring it into being? Only by instropection and reflection, by seeking within oneself, can it be achieved.

萬佛聖城是萬聖聚會的地方，可是在四周也有魔王在等待機會。如果有修道人心不清淨，盡打妄想，魔王就入其竅，做你的顧問，譬如令你預先知道今天尚未發生的事。你若認為這是神通，就上了魔王的大當，成為他的眷屬。

The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas is a place where ten thousand sages gather. On all sides, however, demon-kings also gather, waiting for their chance. If the thoughts of a cultivator should be impure, should he or she indulge in idle thinking, the demon king will slip right in and act as the cultivator's advisor. He may, for example, inform you of events that have not yet taken place, giving you foreknowledge. If you should assume that this knowledge amounts to psychic powers, then you will have been seriously tricked, duped by the demon king, and you will become one of his followers.

不要聽到一點聲音，便認為虛空在說話。虛空本來無言語，所謂「離言說相，離心緣相。」假如聽到虛空有聲音，那就是魔的境界，不是大圓鏡智所應該有的。為什麼要耽著雕蟲小技？這是沒有出息的行為。

Don't let it be the case that you hear some sounds and assume that voices are talking with you from thin air. In fact, thin air can't talk with you. You should, "Be free of all attachments to speech, and be free of all attachments to the mind and its conditions." If you should hear a voice in space talking with you, you should know that it is a demonic state, not something that the "All-encompassing, Perfect, Mirror-like Wisdom" would trifle with. What's the point of doting over your petty little talent? It's totally worthless behavior.

修道人心要清淨，不要貪圖預先知道的事。先知道將要發生什麼，反而有麻煩，這令你分心，精神不能集中，無法專一來修道，妄想紛飛，煩惱重重。不知道，不煩惱，就無罣礙。在《心經》上說：「無罣礙故。無有恐怖。遠離顛倒夢想。究竟涅槃。」這才是修道人所應趣向的目標。

The thoughts of a cultivator must be pure. Don't long for foreknowledge of events. To have this kind of foreknowledge is, in fact, nothing but a lot of trouble, because it leads to discriminations in your thinking and prevents you from being able to concentrate. Being unable to concentrate or focus your energy on cultivation, your idle thoughts run wild, then afflictions come in droves. If you don't crave this foreknowledge in the first place, then you also won't have afflictions, and you are free of impediments. Doesn't it say in the Heart Sutra, "Because there is no impediment, he leaves distorted dream-thinking far behind; ultimately Nirvana!" This, then, is an appropriate goal for a cultivator of the Way.