身为佛教徒，一定要忍。忍什么？忍人所不能忍。有人说：“我实在忍不了。”忍不了，那就不能“了”。了什么？就是了业障。若是业没消，情未空，那就有生死。所谓“业不重不生娑婆，爱不断不生净土”，到了业尽情空的时候，便了生死，真正解脱。

As Buddhists, we have to be able to bear things. What kinds of things? The things that other people cannot bear. Sometimes people say, “I really can’t bear it.” If you can’t bear it, then you won’t be able to put an end to it. Put an end to what? To karmic obstacles. If you can’t get rid of your karmic obstacles and empty your emotions, then you have to undergo birth and death. As it’s said, “If one’s karma weren’t heavy, one wouldn’t be born in the Saha world. If love is not ended, one cannot be born in the Pure Land.” When you have exhausted your karma and emptied your emotions, you will have ended birth and death and will be truly liberated.

修道人，就要修忍的功夫，忍饥忍渴，忍风忍雨，忍热忍寒，甚至还要忍骂忍打，这些境界都是考验。我常说：

Cultivators should cultivate endurance. They should be able to endure hunger, thirst, wind, rain, heat, and cold, as well as beatings and scoldings. All these states are tests. I often say,

一切是考验  看尔怎么办
对境若不识  须再从头炼

Everything’s a test
To see what you will do.
If you don’t recognize the state,
You’ll have to start anew.

无论怎样的逆境来临，都要用“逆来顺受”的心理接受，不要被境界所转，向他们竖白旗，俯首称臣。古人说：“小不忍，则乱大谋”，忍是无价宝，所谓：

No matter how bad the situation is, we should be able to smile at our troubles and accept them. We shouldn’t let adversity upset us, nor should we bow our heads and surrender to them. There’s an ancient saying, “If one cannot be patient with small issues, one will ruin a great plan.” Patience is a priceless jewel.

忍片刻，风平浪静；
退一步，海阔天空。

Be patient for a moment, and the storm
     and waves will subside.
Take a step back, and you’ll see the
     vastness of the sea and sky.

释迦牟尼佛住世时，有一天，经过河岸，见一只野干（狼一类），想吃乌龟，可是乌龟将头足缩回壳内，多时不动，没有忍耐心的野干，弃牠而去，有忍耐心的乌龟，保存性命。佛对阿难尊者说：“修行人亦应如是！”古德说：“近来学得乌龟法，得缩头时且缩头。”

When Shakyamuni Buddha was in the world, one day he walked by a river and saw a wolf trying to eat a turtle. However, the turtle withdrew its head and legs into its shell and remained motionless for a long time. Eventually the wolf ran out of patience and left, and the patient turtle’s life was saved. The Buddha said to the Venerable Ananda, “That’s the way a cultivator should be.” A virtuous man once said, “Recently I learned the turtle’s trick, which is to withdraw one’s head when it’s time to do so.”

忍得一时之气，免得百日之忧。如果有人骂你，当做听流行曲来欣赏；如果有人打你，当做走路不小心，撞到门 柱上。如是观想，自然化干戈为玉帛。否则，无名火 三丈高，大发雷霆，大战一场，结果两败俱伤，不但伤了感情，又失去人格，受人批评没有涵养的功夫。所谓「受尽天下百般气，养就胸中一段春」，可以做为座右 铭，这是金玉良言。

If you can be patient through a moment of anger, you’ll avoid a hundred days of sorrow. If people scold you, imagine that they’re singing a popular song for your enjoyment. If they beat you, pretend you weren’t careful when walking and bumped into the door. If you contemplate in this way, you’ll naturally transform a hostile situation into a peaceful one. On the other hand, if the fire of ignorance is allowed to blaze up and tempers explode, there will be a war with the consequence that both sides are hurt, the relationship is ruined, your integrity is sabotaged, and you get criticized for lacking self-composure. As it’s said,

Having taken flak from everyone,
One discovers a joyful vitality of heart.

This can serve as a motto. It’s a valuable piece of advice.

一九八四年五月五日开示