人若不修「戒」而想得到「智慧」，是辦不到的。戒是「言顧行，行顧言」，處處都要守規矩，不能踰矩。

If we try to attain wisdom without cultivating the precepts, we will not succeed. Holding the precepts means making sure that our words accord with our actions and our actions reflect our words. Wherever we are, we should abide by the rules and not break them.

戒是出家人的準繩，出家人為何有那麼多規矩？就因為在家人不守規矩；所以若出家了，就要有個法度規則。不守規矩就不會有定力；戒定不圓滿，絕無真正的智慧。即使有，也是很牽強的世智辯聰，或者令人儘走彎曲小徑，投機取巧的小聰明，這不能算是真正的智慧。這是奸詐，好像鬼是很奸詐的。

The precepts are the rules of conduct for left-home people. Why are there so many rules? Because as laypeople, we didn't follow the rules. So, once we leave the home-life, there has to be a system of rules and regulations. If we don't follow the rules, we won't attain samadhi. If our upholding of precepts and samadhi is not complete, then there's absolutely no way we can obtain genuine wisdom. Any wisdom we might have would only be an artificial kind of worldly knowledge and cleverness in debate or a petty intelligence that enables us to always find shortcuts and crooked ways. This cannot be considered genuine wisdom, but merely something fraudulent, characteristic of ghosts.

人若有真智慧，什麼事也不怕吃虧上當；對任何事都能一目了然：沒有邪知邪見，才是真智慧。

If a person has genuine wisdom, he won't be afraid to take a loss or to be swindled in a deal. If he can completely understand any affair at a single glance, and doesn't have deviant knowlege and deviant views, he has true wisdom.

凡夫所辦不到的，就是斷欲去愛。為何做不到？就因為沒有真智真慧，所以被無明愚癡所支配；若有真智慧，一切事都會迎刃而解的。

The one thing that ordinary people are incapable of doing is cutting off love and desire. Why can't they do it? They lack true wisdom and are dominated by their ignorance and stupidity. If they had genuine wisdom, they would be able to solve their problems quickly and easily.

一九八三年十月十七日晚間開示