修道人要有择法眼，才能选择何为正法，何为邪法。正法就是不争、不贪、不求、不自私、不自利、不打妄语，这是修道人的六大宗旨。依此宗旨去修行，就是正知正见。邪法就是有争、有贪、有求、有自私、有自利、打妄语。有了这六种心，就是邪知邪见。正邪的关键在于此，所以这是正邪的分水岭；向前流是正法，向后流是邪法。这一点，大家要认清楚。

Cultivators of the Way must possess "Dharma-selecting vision" in order to distinguish proper dharmas from deviant dharmas. The proper dharmas are: not fighting, not being greedy, not seeking, not being selfish, not wanting personal advantages, and not telling lies. These are known as the Six Great Guidelines. When one bases his cultivation on these Six Guidelines, he is equipped with proper knowledge and views. Deviant dharmas are simply fighting, greed, seeking, selfishness, wanting personal advantages, and telling lies. One who has these six thoughts possesses deviant knowledge and views. Proper and deviant swings on the hinge-pin of these points. They are the standard for distinguishing the proper from the deviant. Water that flows forward represents the proper Dharma; water that flows backwards represents deviant Dharma. All of you should recognize this point very clearly.

如果没有邪知邪见，只要你的定力坚固，不论魔王如何来扰乱，不会动摇你的道心，所谓“佛来佛斩，魔来魔斩。”为什么要这样说？因为教你不要 执著境界，就是佛来，也不接受，何况是魔呢？在境界中的预兆，虽然有时很灵验，可是不要相信。那么要相信什么？就相信不争、不贪、不求、不自私、不自利、不妄语。这六种宗旨，就是六把斩魔剑、降魔杵。

If you are free of deviant knowledge and views and your samadhi is solid, then no matter how the demon kings come to bother you, your resolve for cultivation will not waver. A saying goes, "If the Buddhas come, slay the Buddhas. If the demons come, slay the demons." What does this mean? It means you should not become attached to states. If the Buddha appears, don't go out to receive him; how much less should you welcome a demon. Although such states are occasionally premonitions, all the same, do not believe in what you experience. What should we believe in, then? Believe in not fighting, not being greedy, not seeking, not being selfish, not being self-indulgent, and not telling lies.

有了这种正知正见之后，就算有天人现身来供养、来叩头，也不动心。如果一动心，或生出欢喜心，欢喜魔便得其方便，令你发狂。若生忧愁心，那么忧愁魔就得其方便，乘机而入，来扰乱你的心，令你烦恼。或者生了 执著心，或者生了我慢心，都会受魔来扰乱，使思想不清净。

These Six Guidelines are six demon-slaying swords, six demon-quelling pestles. After you possess such proper knowledge and views, then even if gods from the heavens were to appear to you, make offerings, and bow in respect, you would not let your thoughts waver. If your thoughts did waver and you felt happy about it, then a demon of happiness could gain control of you, seize the opportunity to upset your cultivation, and drive you insane. If you were to get worried, then a demon of worry could use this opportunity to gain control of you, disturb your mind, and cause you to get afflicted. If you were to become attached or arrogant, you would also come under the disturbing influence of demons. The result in each case is that your thoughts would be rendered impure.

所以无论遇到什么奇奇怪怪的境界，不要相信，不要动心。要相信自己的智能，要明白自性能生万法，自性本来清净，自性本无染污，自性本不颠倒。若能这样，还有什么可求呢？凡是有所求，就是染污；有争、有贪、有自私、有自利、打妄语，都是染污。无论什么法，都可以用这六大宗旨做为尺度，来衡量、来观察，合者是正法，不合者是邪法。

Therefore, no matter what strange and uncanny situations occur to you, don't believe that any of them are real, and don't allow them to disturb your thoughts. Believe only in your own wisdom. Know that your own nature is capable of bringing into being all the myriad things of creation. Know that this inherent nature is basically pure and free of defilement; know that it is fundamentally free of inversion. If you can see things this way, then what is there to seek? Anything you sought would be a defilement. Anything that comes about from fighting, greed, seeking, selfishness, self-indulgence or dishonesty is certainly corrupt. No matter what dharma it is, you may use the Six Guidelines to as a yardstick to measure, judge, and contemplate it. If it accords with the six rules, it can be called a proper dharma. If it goes against them, it is a deviant dharma.

这六大宗旨，能破天魔外道的邪知邪见。天魔外道所行所作，皆有所求。总是在争、贪、求、自私、自利、妄语中打主意，一切为自己，而不为他人，这就是旁门左道的思想。

The Six Guidelines can destroy the deviant knowledge and views of the celestial demons and externalists. The deeds of celestial demons and externalists are all characterized by seeking. Their actions always center around contention, greed, seeking, selfishness, self-indulgence and dishonest behavior. They do things only for themselves, never for others. Thinking like this is typical of deviant cults.

修道人要行所无事，积功累行，不可执著，所谓“扫一切法，离一切相。”不可以说：“我有什么功夫，我有什么修行。”或者说：“我有什么境界，我有什么神通。”就算是有的话，都是虚妄不实，不可相信的，不要上当了。若相信异端神通，就不能成就正定正受。要晓得正定正受不是从外边得来，乃是从自性中生出来的。怎样能生出来？就是回光返照，反求诸己，才能有所成就。

People who cultivate the Way should act as if nothing is being done. We want to amass merit and virtue, but not be attached to the process. It is said: "Sweep away all dharmas; go beyond all attachment to views." It's wrong to say, "I have this particular spiritual skill," or "I have some cultivation." It's wrong to say, "I have such and such a state," or "I have such and such a psychic power." Even if you have such attainment, it is still unreal and not to be believed. Do not be taken in. Faith in strange, miraculous abilities and psychic powers will keep you from realizing genuine "proper concentration and proper reception" (samadhi). You should realize that proper concentration and proper reception does not come from outside, but is born instead from within your own nature. How does one bring it into being? Only by instropection and reflection, by seeking within oneself, can it be achieved.

万佛圣城是万圣聚会的地方，可是在四周也有魔王在等待机会。如果有修道人心不清净，尽打妄想，魔王就入其窍，做你的顾问，譬如令你预先知道今天尚未发生的事。你若认为这是神通，就上了魔王的大当，成为他的眷属。

The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas is a place where ten thousand sages gather. On all sides, however, demon-kings also gather, waiting for their chance. If the thoughts of a cultivator should be impure, should he or she indulge in idle thinking, the demon king will slip right in and act as the cultivator's advisor. He may, for example, inform you of events that have not yet taken place, giving you foreknowledge. If you should assume that this knowledge amounts to psychic powers, then you will have been seriously tricked, duped by the demon king, and you will become one of his followers.

不要听到一点声音，便认为虚空在说话。虚空本来无言语，所谓“离言说相，离心缘相。”假如听到虚空有声音，那就是魔的境界，不是大圆镜智所应该有的。为什么要耽着雕虫小技？这是没有出息的行为。

Don't let it be the case that you hear some sounds and assume that voices are talking with you from thin air. In fact, thin air can't talk with you. You should, "Be free of all attachments to speech, and be free of all attachments to the mind and its conditions." If you should hear a voice in space talking with you, you should know that it is a demonic state, not something that the "All-encompassing, Perfect, Mirror-like Wisdom" would trifle with. What's the point of doting over your petty little talent? It's totally worthless behavior.

修道人心要清净，不要贪图预先知道的事。先知道将要发生什么，反而有麻烦，这令你分心，精神不能集中，无法专一来修道，妄想纷飞，烦恼重重。不知道，不烦恼，就无罣碍。在《心经》上说：“无罣碍故。无有恐怖。远离颠倒梦想。究竟涅盘。”这才是修道人所应趣向的目标。

The thoughts of a cultivator must be pure. Don't long for foreknowledge of events. To have this kind of foreknowledge is, in fact, nothing but a lot of trouble, because it leads to discriminations in your thinking and prevents you from being able to concentrate. Being unable to concentrate or focus your energy on cultivation, your idle thoughts run wild, then afflictions come in droves. If you don't crave this foreknowledge in the first place, then you also won't have afflictions, and you are free of impediments. Doesn't it say in the Heart Sutra, "Because there is no impediment, he leaves distorted dream-thinking far behind; ultimately Nirvana!" This, then, is an appropriate goal for a cultivator of the Way.