各位！你们现在听到《华严经》上说：佛示现百千亿种音声，为众生演说妙法。我们应该觉悟世界所有一切的声音，皆在说法。所谓：

溪声尽是广长舌，
山色无非清净身。

You all have heard that in the Avatamsaka Sutra it says, “The Buddhas manifest hundreds of thousands of millions of sounds to proclaim the wonderful Dharma for living beings.” We should awaken to the fact that all the sounds in the world are speaking the Dharma. It is said,

The sounds of the brooks are all simply
the vast, long tongue.
The hues of the mountains are none other
than the pure body.

溪的声音好像佛的广长舌相，演说妙法；青山的颜色，都是清净法身，令视者生欢喜心。若能明了这个道理，世上一切的一切，都在说法。

The sounds of the streams and creeks are just like the vast, long tongue of the Buddha, proclaiming the wonderful Dharma. The hues of the green mountains are all the pure Dharma-body, delighting those who see them. If you understand this principle, then absolutely everything in the world is speaking the Dharma.

善人给你说善法，恶人给你说恶法，马给你说做马的法，牛给你说做牛的法，令你明白为什么做马和做牛的因缘。原来马、牛在前生的时候，不孝顺父母，不恭敬师长，或者不愿听父母或师长的训诲，把身转过去，脊背向着父母或师长，所以，今生做了畜生，也大同小异。

Good people speak good Dharma for you, and bad people speak bad Dharma for you. Horses speak the Dharma of being a horse, and cows speak the Dharma of being a cow, enabling you to understand how they got to be horses and cows. As a matter of fact, in their previous lives, horses and cows were probably people who were unfilial to their parents and disrespectful to their teachers. Perhaps they refused to listen to the admonishments of their parents and teachers, so they turned their backs to them. Now that they have become animals in this life, they are pretty much the same.

总而言之，持五戒、行十善，便生人天之界，有了贪瞋痴之心，便堕三恶道。

In general, if you observe the five precepts and practice the ten good deeds, you can be born in the human realm or the heavens. If you have greed, anger and stupidity in your mind, you will fall into the three evil paths.

猫捕鼠、虎捉兔，弱肉强食，皆在说法。各有各的因果，各有各的立场，各说各的妙法。教授说教授的法，学生说学生的法。比丘说比丘的法，比丘尼说比丘尼的法。有情在说法，无情也在说法。若能认识，青山白云，黄花翠竹，都在说法，万事万物皆在说法。

Cats catch mice, tigers prey on rabbits, and the weak are eaten by the strong─these are all speaking the Dharma. Each has its own cause and effect, its own standing, and its own wonderful Dharma. Professors speak the Dharma of professors, and students speak the Dharma of students. Bhikshus speak the Dharma of Bhikshus, and Bhikshunis speak the Dharma of Bhikshunis. Sentient beings are speaking the Dharma, and insentient things are also speaking the Dharma. If you can recognize this, then the green mountains, the white clouds, the yellow flowers, and the green bamboo are all speaking the Dharma. All the myriad things and creatures are speaking the Dharma.

土匪去抢人家的钱财，因为在往昔，被他人所抢过，所以现在来讨债；若是从前没有被人抢过，如今去抢人家的财物，将来他要被人所抢，这是还债，这是因果循环报应真实的哲理。

Robbers loot the wealth and property of other people because those people robbed them in previous lives, and they are now collecting the debt. If they weren't robbed in the past, and they rob the wealth and property of others now, they will be robbed in the future in order to pay their debt. That's the principle of retribution in the cycle of cause and effect.

所以人做事情要正大光明、大公无私，不可处处想占便宜，不肯吃亏，所谓“吃亏就是占便宜”，切记！切记！不应该占方便，硬要去占方便，这是亏本。本来应该占方便，而不去占方便，这就是存款。

Therefore, people should act in an upright way, be altruistic and unselfish. Don't try to take advantages. If you gain advantages by forcing it, you are actually taking a loss. It is said, “To take a loss is to gain an advantage.” Keep that in mind, and don't forget it! If you're not supposed to gain an advantage, but you insist on getting it, you will just lose capital. If you're supposed to gain an advantage, and you don't try to get it, then you are putting a deposit in the bank.

所以人要各正其位，各尽其职，不贪意外之财，不饮过量之酒，这也是说法。

Thus, each person should stand in his proper place and do his best to fulfill his obligations. You should not be greedy for unexpected wealth, nor should you drink too much alcohol. This is also speaking the Dharma.

青青翠竹总是法身，
郁郁黄花无非般若。

The emerald-green bamboo is just the Dharma-body.
The thriving yellow flowers are nothing but Prajna.

所以我们对于一切，应当如是观。明白了，就放下；不明白，就执着。

That's how we should contemplate them. If you understand, you can put it down. If you don't understand, you will be attached.