無論是出家人，或是在家人，在講經說法的時候，一定要十分小心。事前要靜坐五分鐘，將心安定之後，再翻開經本，合掌恭恭敬敬地讀誦經文，然後詳細地解釋。如果對理論不相應，勉強解說，就不合乎邏輯學。

所以講經或說法，先要把「名相」弄清楚，先要把「經文的義理」搞明白，否則就很容易講錯，所謂「差之絲毫，謬之千里。」令聽經的人，得不到要領，有莫名其妙之感。

Whether you are a monk or nun or a lay person, you must be very careful when you speak the Dharma or lecture on the Sutras. Before you start your talk, sit quietly for five minutes. After your mind is calmed down, open the Sutra, put your palms together and reverently read the Sutra text, and then explain it in detail. If you don’t quite understand the principles of the Sutra, you won’t be able to give a coherent explanation. Therefore before speaking Dharma or giving Sutra lectures, you must be clear about all the terms, and understand the principles and meanings of the Sutra text. Otherwise it’s very easy to make mistakes. It is said, “If you are off by a hair in the beginning, you’ll miss it by a thousand miles in the end.” You’ll end up confusing your listeners.

學佛法的人，不要圖快，所謂「囫圇吞棗，食而不知其味。」要細嚼慢嚥，品其滋味。貪多嚼不爛，反而受其害。講經要注意經的義理，稍有講錯，便與整個經義不相吻合，不但沒有功德，反而有罪過，所謂：

Students of Buddhism should not try to hurry. That would be like “swallowing a date without chewing, eating it without knowing its taste.” We should take our time in savoring the flavor of the food we eat. If we are greedy and bite off more than we can chew, it will be harmful to us. When you are lecturing, pay attention to the meaning and principle of the Sutra. If you make a small mistake, your lecture will not match the meaning of the entire Sutra. In that case, you’ll create offenses instead of acquiring any merit. It is said,

依文解義，三世佛怨；
離經一字，即同魔說。

Explaining the meaning too literally
Grieves the Buddhas of the three periods
     of time;
Yet deviating from the Sutra by a single word
Makes it the same as demonic discourse.

後果多麼嚴重，謹之！慎之！

What a serious consequence! One must be very cautious!

至於聽經的人，更要聚精會神地聽，不管講經的法師或居士所講的經或所說的法，講得好，也應該注意聽；講得不好，更要注意聽。要研究，講得好，好在什麼地方？講得不好，不好在什麼地方？好的，就學習；不好的，要改正過來，作為自己的借鏡，這樣才能鍛鍊自己的擇法眼。

As for people who listen to the Sutra lectures, you should concentrate your attention and energy and listen, regardless of whether the Dharma Master or layperson speaks well or not. You should look into why they speak well or poorly. Then you can learn from their good points and use their weak points as examples to correct your own shortcomings. This way you’ll be able to develop your Dharma-selecting vision.

擇法眼是從修戒、修定、修慧三方面而來。戒定慧圓融無礙，則對於一切經藏，迎刃而解，沒有絲毫的障礙。這時候，講經說法，口若懸河，滔滔不絕，沒有窮盡。古人講經，有天花亂墜，地湧金蓮的境界，你們雖然沒有這種境界，可是也要有樂說無礙之辯才。

Dharma-selecting vision comes from cultivating precepts, samadhi, and wisdom. When precepts, samadhi and wisdom are perfectly fused with no obstruction, then you’ll be able to understand all the Sutras and Shastras effortlessly, without the slightest hindrance. At that point, you will be eloquent in speaking Dharma and lecturing on the Sutras. When the ancients lectured on the Sutras, flowers would rain from the sky and golden lotuses would come forth from the earth. Even if you don’t quite reach this state, with Dharma-selecting vision you will have unobstructed, joyful eloquence.

一九八三年八月十一日
開示於萬佛聖城