“出家”是世界上最稀有的事情，也是令人最不明白的事情。为什么出家一定要受苦呢？既没有男女的娱乐，不能跳舞，也不能狂欢。因为想成为出乎其类、拔乎其萃的人，必定要忍人所不能忍的事，要受人所不能受的苦；这样的锻炼，才能成就金刚不坏身，所谓：

不经一番寒彻骨，
怎得梅花扑鼻香？

Leaving the home-life is something that rarely happens in the world, and it is also something most people find hard to understand. Why does leaving the home-life mean you have to take suffering, and cannot enjoy the pleasures between men and women, or go dancing, or have an orgy? It's because if you want to become a pre-eminent individual, one who stands out from the crowd, you must bear the things that others cannot bear and take the suffering that others cannot take. Only through this kind of discipline can you achieve a Vajra-indestructible body. As the saying goes,

If the plum tree did not endure cold
that chills to the bone,
How could the fragrance of its
blossoms be so sweet?

出家要有心理准备：出家是为着了生脱死，永不受轮回之苦，所以面对什么样的苦也不怕，越苦越好，不要向苦投降，改变初衷，向后退转；要有坚忍不拔的精神，克服一切苦，才是大丈夫，所以出家不是一般人所能做得到，就是将相也办不到，所以说“出家乃是神圣的工作”，并不是被一般人所讥嫌的蛀米虫，所谓：

吃苦是了苦，
享福是消福。

When you leave the home-life, you must be psychologically prepared. You leave home in order to be eternally liberated from birth and death and to be free of the suffering of transmigration forever. Therefore, you cannot be afraid to face any kind of hardship. The more you suffer, the better. Don't give in to suffering, lose your initial sincerity, and retreat. A great hero must have the spirit of firm, unshakable perseverance to conquer every kind of suffering. So leaving the home-life is not something ordinary people are able to do. Even generals and prime ministers are unable to do it. That's why leaving the home-life is said to be the work of sages and is not at all what most people ridicule as "being parasites of society." As it is said,

To endure suffering puts an end to suffering.
To enjoy blessings uses up blessings.

你们看古代高僧大德，都是从苦行中得到悟境，没有一位祖师从享受中得到开悟，把《大藏经》找遍了，也找不到一位。

Take a look at the noble Sanghans and great worthies of old: it was through bitter cultivation that they reached the state of enlightenment. None of the patriarchs became enlightened through relaxation and enjoyment. You can read through the whole Tripitaka (Buddhist Canon) but you won't find a single one.

我们要有忍耐心，才能得到法喜充满的利益；要有刻苦心，才能得到开悟的智慧。不可与佛道相违背，要摄心专意地用功，把心念收摄回来，不要打妄想，也就是将心猿意马管住，不要教它向外奔驰。

We must have endurance before we can gain the benefit of being filled with Dharma bliss. We must suffer hardship before we can obtain the wisdom of enlightenment. Don't work in opposition to the Buddha Way. Apply effort with a concentrated and focused mind. Gather in the mind, and don't indulge in idle thoughts. Restrain the capricious monkey-mind, and don't let it run outside.

出家修道，首先要除贪、破瞋、灭痴。将这三毒清理干净，智慧自然就会现前。要如何才能打扫干净呢？就是用戒、定、慧三学作为工具；戒能治贪，定能治瞋，慧能治痴，所以出家人称为“沙门”。沙门翻译为“勤息”，就是“勤修戒定慧，息灭贪瞋痴”，人人没有贪瞋痴，世界就会和平了。

In leaving home to cultivate the Way, we must first get rid of greed, eliminate anger, and extinguish delusion. When these three poisons are cleaned out, wisdom will naturally come forth. How can we sweep them clean? Use the three studies of precepts, samadhi, and wisdom as tools. Precepts can counteract greed; samadhi can counteract anger; and wisdom can counteract delusion. Therefore, left-home people are called Shramanas. "Shramana" means "diligent" and "putting to rest," that is, they diligently cultivate precepts, samadhi, and wisdom and put to rest greed, anger and delusion. When all people are free of greed, anger and delusion, the world will be at peace.

一九八三年十一月十八日开示