今天對聯的題目是：「見賢思齊英勇士」。我們要效法賢人，他們所行所作，皆為榜樣。

The topic for today’s matching couplets is: “A hero is one who sees worthy ones and strives to be like them.” We should take worthy people as our models and emulate their conduct.

什麼是賢人？就是賢而有德的人。見到賢人，一定向他看齊，向他學習，要和他一樣有道德，有風度，有學識，有涵養。但這並不是想一想就算了，而是要認真去實踐，努力學習。賢人的一舉一動，一言一行，堪作為我們的模範；若不學習，只是在想，是沒有用處。你能認真去學習，才是英勇之士，也是大英雄，也是大法師。

Who are the worthy ones? They are people with virtue and talent. When we meet worthy people, we should learn from them and strive to be as virtuous, refined, learned, and cultured as they are. We shouldn’t just think about it; we should work hard and really try to emulate them. Their every word and deed is a good example for us. But if we only think about their example without trying to emulate it, it won’t be of any use. Only through diligent study can we be a great hero, a great Dharma Master.

英勇之士，不是草包。什麼是「草包」？簡單地說，就是愚笨的人。有人說：「他是個鹹（賢）人呀！活該是鹹人，與我沒有關係。他要做鹹人，我要做淡人。」這種淡而無味的人，不管好，不管壞，一切無所謂，反正混吃等死，死了就算了，這是懶惰人的思想，永遠沒出息。

A hero is not a simpleton or a fool. Someone may say, “Well, he may be a salty [pronounced the same as ‘worthy’ in Chinese] person, but that’s got nothing to do with it. If he’s a salty person, I want to be a bland person.” This kind of a bland and flavorless person doesn’t care about anything; he just eats his food and waits to die, thinking, “After I die, I can forget about everything!” That is the attitude of a lazy, good-for-nothing bum.

一九八三年八月十三日
開示於萬佛聖城無言堂