有人心中打妄想：“我到老的时候，会不会饿死？会不会冻死？”这是没有出息的想法。真正佛的弟子，就是饿死也没有关系，冻死也没有关系，为佛教而牺牲，这是无上的光荣。

Some people worry, “When I get old, will I starve or freeze to death?” These are useless thoughts. A true disciple of the Buddha wouldn’t care even if he did starve or freeze to death; he would consider giving up his life for Buddhism to be the greatest glory.

释迦牟尼佛在往昔时，曾经三祇修福慧，百劫种相好，三千大千世界所有大地，没有一粒微尘处，无不是佛舍生命的地方。我们要反省一下，我们舍了什么？一些身外之物，还放不下，总是私心来当家，这个舍不得，那个舍不得，更谈不到舍生命了！

In his past lives Shakyamuni Buddha cultivated blessings and wisdom for three asamkhyeyas of eons, and planted the causes for his special hallmarks and characteristics for a hundred eons. In all the worlds throughout the great trichiliocosm, there isn’t a place as tiny as a mote of dust where the Buddha has not given up his life. We should take a look at ourselves: What have we given up? We aren’t even willing to part with external things. We’re always letting our selfishness take over and cannot part with this or renounce that, let alone give up our lives.

各位要知道，我们就因为舍不得，不肯布施，没有同情心，不知怜愍，所以才在轮回中轮转不已。终日只想老了怎么办的问题，不想死了会怎样的问题。好像杞国有个人，整天忧愁，没有笑容。有人问他：“你为什么发愁？”他说：“天塌下来怎么办？岂不是被压死了吗？”你看！这个想法多么幼稚呀！

Everyone should realize that we continue to revolve endlessly on the wheel of birth and death precisely because we can’t bear to give and have no sympathy or pity. We spend every day thinking about what we’ll do when we get old, but we never think about what’s going to happen after we die. We are like the man from the state of Qi, who worried all day long and never had a smile on his face. Someone asked him, “Why are you so worried?” He said, “What would happen if the sky fell down? Wouldn’t we be crushed to death?” That’s how immature he was!

我们修行人，活一天要有一天的意义，不要被妄想压倒，终日在妄想中打转，这岂不是愚人吗？想些不可能的事，想些不必要的事，这简直是和自己过不去，自讨苦吃。

Cultivators should live every day meaningfully. We shouldn’t be overwhelmed by confused thoughts. If we spend our days indulging in deluded thoughts, aren’t we just being fools? By thinking about things that could never be or that there’s no need to think about, we’re just making it hard on ourselves and looking for misery.

我们现在要反迷归觉，要把假的放下，把真的提起来。我常对你们说：

Now we want to turn away from delusion and return to enlightenment, put down the false and pick up the real. I often say to you,

舍不了假   成不了真
舍不了死   换不了生

If you cannot renounce what is false,
     you cannot accomplish what is true.
If you don’t give up death,
     you cannot return to life.

世间法是相对的，若是业障那边重，清净这边就轻；清净这边重，业障那边就轻。只看你要怎么去做，决定在于你的意愿，旁人无法干涉的。

All worldly dharmas are relative. If the side of karmic obstacles is heavy, the side of purity will be light; if the side of purity is heavy, then the side of karmic obstacles will be light. It all depends on how you want to do it. The decision is yours; other people cannot interfere with it.

凡是出家人，要有高尚的人格，要出乎其类，拔乎其萃，不要做个同流合污、混吃等死的出家人，令佛教暮气沉沉，没有朝气。

Those who have left the home life should be lofty and noble in character. We should be outstanding people. We should not be left-home people who go along with vulgar trends and just eat our fill and wait to die, causing Buddhism to lose its vitality and spirit.

一九八四年七月十五日开示