有的人欢喜念佛，就参加佛七。有的人欢喜参禅，就参加禅七。若是也不欢喜念佛，也不欢喜参禅，那就参加懒七或睡觉七。“懒七”或“睡觉七”，这些名词很新鲜，但说起来也是很有学问的。

People who delight in reciting the Buddha's name join the Recitation Sessions. Those who like to investigate Chan attend the Chan Meditation Sessions. People who do not like to recite the Buddha's name or sit in Chan meditation take part in the Lazy Session or the Sleep Session. The names "Lazy Session" and "Sleep Session" are very fresh, but there's a lot of meaning behind them.

“懒七”：你很懒，其实也懒不了。你什么也不做，但是心里就做起工来－－打妄想。妄想忽然而天、忽然而地、忽然而饿鬼、忽然而地狱、忽然而人、忽然而天，就是在人的心里制造出六道轮回的机器。心里把这机器发动了，转来转去，本来你想要懒惰，其实浪费的脑力及精力更多。所以就更加疲倦，也就越加懒惰，更加觉得什么都没有意思，枯燥无味。

Lazy Session: You want to be really lazy, but in fact, you can't. You don't do anything, but then your mind starts to work, generating random thoughts. Your random thoughts are suddenly in the heavens, suddenly on earth, suddenly among the hungry ghosts, suddenly in the hells, suddenly among people, and suddenly among gods. Right in people's minds, the "transmigration machine" is created. The mind starts up this machine, and it goes around and around. You want to be lazy, but instead you just waste more brain power and energy. Then you become even more tired and lazy, and you feel that everything is even more meaningless and boring.

“睡觉七”：睡着了就作梦。在梦里也是一下子梦到发财，一下子又挨穷；或者忽然做大官，又忽然变乞丐；或梦者到老虎、毒蛇。在梦里睡也睡不安乐，想打个睡觉七也不行了。

Sleep Session: When you are asleep, you dream. In your dreams, you may suddenly strike it rich, and then suddenly be poor again. Perhaps you suddenly become a prominent official, but then just as suddenly you're a beggar. Or you may dream of tigers and venomous snakes. In your dreams, you can't even sleep well, so you can't have a Sleep Session either.

这就是人不会用功，无论做什么都觉得不好；可是会用功的人，做什么都觉得好，参禅、念佛都好，就算懒惰、睡觉也都是在用功。

This is a case of people not knowing how to apply effort, so no matter what they do, they feel it's no good. People who know how to apply effort enjoy whatever they do. They enjoy investigating Chan and reciting the Buddha's name. Even when they relax or go to sleep, they continue to apply effort.

所以万佛圣城有禅、教、密、律、净五教，你愿意修什么都可以，是很自由的，不需要觉得不好意思。你想懒惰、睡觉也都是很好的事；懒惰，就不会去偷东西，这是持戒；睡觉，就不会去杀人或杀生，这也是持戒。你念佛、参禅，或学教、习律、修密，这都是持戒呢！所以你学五教，都是在持五戒，不杀生、不偷盗、不邪淫、不妄语、不饮酒。用功就不会犯戒，在表面上看来好像没有在持，其实这是不持而持，不戒而戒，不需要用持戒的名词，也在持戒，所以这样用功也是很好的。

At the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, there are five different schools of practice: the Chan School, the Teaching School, the Secret School, the Vinaya School, and the Pure Land School, and you can choose to cultivate whichever you wish. You have a lot of freedom, and you shouldn't feel embarrassed. If you want to be lazy and sleep, that's good, too. If you're lazy, you won't go out and steal things, so you're holding the precepts. If you go to sleep, you won't murder people or take life, so you're also holding the precepts. If you recite the Buddha's name, investigate Chan, study the teachings, practice the Vinaya, or cultivate secret dharmas, you are also holding precepts! Thus, when you study in the Five Schools, you are holding the five precepts--no killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no false speech, and no intoxicants. If you are working at cultivation, you won't violate the precepts. Outwardly, you don't appear to be holding them, but you are in fact holding them without trying to. Although you don't call it "holding precepts," you are holding them. Therefore, applying effort in this way is also very good.

因为这样，在万佛圣城你愿意用什么功，都很自由，不会有人管你，因为这国家是民主国家，所以在这个道场更应该行民主中之民主，自由中之自由。所以这么多天，愿意用什么功都可以，只要你自己用功时，提得起、放得下，做什么像什么，做什么都好好去做，专心致志，这就对了。

Because of this, regardless of what you cultivate at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, you have a lot of freedom. No one will order you around, because this is a democratic country, and this Way-place should be the most democratic of the democratic, and the freest of the free. So whatever you want to cultivate is fine, as long as you are able to "pick it up" and "put it down" when you culti-vate; that is, you work seriously, with single-minded concentration. That's the right way.

再说说万佛圣城的六大宗旨：
（一）不争，就不会杀生。杀生就因争心作怪， 一争就你死我活，死伤无数。
（二）不贪，就不会偷盗。为什么要窃盗他人之 物？就因为贪。你要是没有贪心，就算人 家给你，你也不会要，所以要把贪心去除 ，才不会偷。
（三）不求，就不会有淫欲心。淫欲心就因为有 所求，女的求男朋友，男的求女朋友，都 是追求异性。不单求，还要“追”求，就 好像把头削得尖尖的，往里头钻。若是无 所求，还有什么淫欲心？英俊的男人有什 么用？漂亮的女人也只是个盖肉的臭皮囊 ，有什么值得贪恋的？假若无所求了，淫 戒就不会犯。
（四）不自私，就不会打妄语。人打妄语，就因 为怕失去自己的利益，自私心作怪，所以 骗人撒谎，想令人不认识自己。
（五）不自利，就不会犯酒戒。人为什么喝酒？ 就想迷乱自己的身体心性，弄得它恍恍惚 惚，以为自己成了神仙，在天上逍遥。喝 醉酒又会骂人，又会为所欲为，又增长淫 欲心。有人想用酒来助血气流通快点，喝了酒可以忘记一切，好像抽鸦片烟一样过瘾。这都是自利心作怪，所以才去喝酒。

As to the Six Great Principles of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas:
1. If you don't contend, then you won't kill. Killing occurs because thoughts of contention take control. When you start contending, you have the attitude of "Get out of my way or die!" The casualties that result are beyond count.
2. If you are not greedy, then you won't steal. Why do you want to steal others' things? It's because of greed. If you are not greedy, then even if people want to give you something, you won't want it. So you should get rid of greed, and then you won't steal.
3. If you seek nothing, you won't have thoughts of lust. Thoughts of lust arise because you seek something. Women seek boyfriends, and men seek girlfriends. Not only do they seek, they plunge headlong into the pursuit as if nothing else mattered. If they didn't seek anything, then how could they have thoughts of desire? Of what use is a handsome man or a pretty woman? They are just stinking skin-bags containing flesh. Are they worth hankering after? If you seek nothing, you won't violate the precept of sexual misconduct.
4. If you're not selfish, then you won't tell lies. People tell lies because they're afraid of losing personal benefits. Overcome by selfishness, they cheat people and tell lies, hoping to hide their true face from others.
5. If you don't seek to benefit yourself, then you won't violate the precept against taking intoxicants. Why do people take intoxi-cants? It's because they want to mess up their bodies and confuse their minds, bewildering themselves to the point that they think they've become gods or immortals, enjoying them-selves in the heavens. Once intoxicated, they will scold people and do as they please, and their lustful desires increase. Some people also want to use intoxicants to speed up their blood and energy circulation. After taking them, they forget everything. It's as exciting as smoking opium. It's all because they are overcome by the wish to benefit themselves that they take intoxicants.

所以这六个宗旨，就是五戒的别名。为什么不说五戒？因为我们人听惯了五戒，你跟他讲：“不杀生、不偷盗、不邪淫、不妄语、不饮酒。”他说：“我知道了！听你的做什么？”所以把它变个名词，“不争、不贪、不求、不自私、不自利、不妄语”。这个名词本来人人也都听过，也都懂得，但是真能去做的少之又少，所以就再提醒大家：

不争，就是不杀生；
不贪，就是不偷盗；
不求，就是不邪淫；
不自私，就是不打妄语；
不自利，就是不饮酒。

Thus, these six principles are just another name for the five precepts. Why don't I talk about the five precepts? It's because everyone is so used to hearing about the five precepts. If I say to a person, "Don't kill, don't steal, don't engage in sexual misconduct, don't lie, and don't take intoxicants," he'll reply, "I already know that! Why should I listen to you?" So I changed the names to be: don't contend, don't be greedy, don't seek, don't be selfish, don't try to benefit yourself, and don't lie. Actually, everyone has also heard these terms before and understands them, but very few can truly practice them. That's why I'm reminding everyone:

Don't contend means don't kill;
Don't be greedy means don't steal;
Don't seek means don't engage in sexual misconduct;
Don't be selfish means don't tell lies;
Don't try to benefit yourself means don't take intoxicants.

一九八二年十二月五日开示于
万佛圣城