诸佛菩萨不辞辛苦，倒驾慈航，来到这个娑婆世界，教化一切众生，调伏一切众生，用八万四千法门来接引有缘的众生。我们不体谅诸佛菩萨慈悲喜舍的精神，反而背觉合尘，舍本逐末，不愿意了生脱死，不愿意出离三界。

The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have come to this world solely for the purpose of teaching and transforming living beings. They use the 84,000 Dharma-doors to gather in beings with whom they have affinities. Failing to understand the spirit of kindness, compassion, joy, and giving of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, we turn our backs on enlightenment and wallow in the dust of ignorance. We chase after petty things, forgetting the important things, and don't want to end birth and death or escape the Three Realms.

人人都知道“三界无安，犹如火宅。”可是呢，却舍不得离开三界；明明知道三界痛苦万分，却还留恋在三界火宅中，也不惊慌，也不恐怖，悠哉游哉，自得其乐。

Everyone knows that the Three Realms are like a burning house; there is no peace within them. Yet we linger in the burning house, not at all scared, and not wishing to leave it, even though we know that it contains nothing but suffering.

诸佛菩萨苦口婆心说法说教，令众生回头。可惜我们不了解诸佛菩萨的心意，对于诸佛菩萨的教诲，闻而无闻，见而无见，当作耳边风，过而不留。我们成天仍然还是在那里醉生梦死，等于行尸走肉一般，虽然说修道，可是不愿意求真正觉悟的道路。

The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas explain the Dharma in an effort to teach us, but, unfortunately, we do not understand their intentions. We listen without hearing, and look without seeing; their instructions go in one ear and out the other. We prefer to go on living in a stupor and dreaming our lives away, just like walking corpses. Though we may say we are cultivating, we are not seeking the path of true enlightenment.

那么要求真正觉悟的道，到哪里找呢？非常简单，不要向外驰求，只要反迷归觉就是，从迷的境界回来，就是觉悟。众生如果把邪念舍掉，归还正念，就能觉悟，开大智慧。可是众生不愿意回头，而愿意在生死苦海中浮沈，永失真道，还觉得这很快乐，这岂不是颠倒吗？在这种情形之下，诸佛菩萨也没有办法令众生离苦得乐，为什么？因为众生迷而不觉，迷得太深了，对他讲觉悟的道理，总是格格不入。因为众生的习气累积太深的缘故，把智慧压在下边，所以对于哪个是对，哪个是不对；哪个是正，哪个是邪；哪一种是真，哪一种是假，都没有法子辨别清楚。

How can we find true enlightenment? It's very easy: do not seek outside. All you need to do is turn your back on delusion and return to enlightenment. Turning around from being in the state of delusion is itself enlightenment.

If living beings could renounce their deviant thoughts and return to proper thoughts, they would become enlightened and attain great wisdom. But living beings are not willing to turn back. They prefer to remain bobbing up and down in the bitter sea of birth and death, thinking this sorry state is worthwhile. Confronted with this problem, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have no way to enable living beings to leave suffering and attain bliss. Living beings are so deeply deluded that they cannot understand the principles of enlightenment. Their accumulated bad habits are profuse and ingrained, smothering their wisdom. That is why they cannot tell the difference between right and wrong, proper and deviant, true and false.

若是知道真的，就应该把假的放下。我们为什么迷？就因为没有智慧；没有真正的智慧，所以到处碰壁，行不通，不是撞到东边墙，就是撞到西边墙，或者撞到南墙，或者撞到北墙，中间有空的地方不走，偏要去撞墙，你说这种人多么可怜啊！

Once we know what is true, we should leave the false behind. Why are we confused? Because we are bereft of wisdom. Lacking real wisdom, living beings bang their heads against the wall wherever they go: if they are not bumping into the east wall, they are crashing into the west wall, or banging their heads against the north or south wall. Although there is plenty of room in the middle, living beings still insist on running to the four directions to bang their heads against the wall. This is really pitiful!

可怜的众生，把头撞破，血流满面，还不知道回光返照。诸佛菩萨无论怎么样耳提面命，说了三藏十二部经典那样多的法宝，可是我们众生还是无见无闻，辜负诸佛菩萨一片慈心，让诸佛菩萨觉得很累。为什么累？觉得众生难度，费尽心血，而众生还是无动于衷，仍然我行我素，不修学、不守戒。众生虽然难度，可是诸佛菩萨仍然不灰心，在难度之中也要度，不但要度，而且还要慈悲普度，这种恩德，应当如何报答呢？地藏菩萨发愿：

These poor living beings bash their heads until blood streams down their faces. Yet they still do not know that they need to reflect within. No matter how devotedly the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas work to teach us, setting before us the Tripitaka (“Three Stores”) and the Twelve Divisions of the Buddha-dharma, we simply pay no attention. They have bestowed these innumerable Dharma treasures upon us, yet we feel no sense of gratitude; thus the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas feel very tired. Why? Living beings are truly difficult to liberate! The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas exhaust their efforts to save us, yet we remain unmoved; we still go about doing our own things, not cultivating, not upholding precepts. Nevertheless, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are not discouraged. No matter how difficult it is to liberate living beings, they still want to do it. They want to compassionately liberate all living beings. How can we repay their kindness? For instance, consider the vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva, who said,

地狱未空，誓不成佛；
众生度尽，方证菩提。

As long as the hells are not empty,
I will not become a Buddha.
Only when all living beings are liberated
Will I become a Buddha.

我们细嚼其味，这两句愿文多么伟大！你不必说看经典，单单听这样的愿文，我们就应该痛哭流涕感谢地藏菩萨的恩德，感谢诸佛菩萨对我们众生这种的关怀爱护。

Everyone should deeply ponder the meaning of these words. Consider how magnificent and great these vows are! Without even reading the Sutra, just by listening to this vow, we should feel deeply indebted to Earth Store Bodhisattva and to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for their compassionate and mindful protection of us.

我们在世界上一切的一切，都是诸佛菩萨在无量劫中，舍身命而培养的。我们一定要发大菩提心，上求佛道，下化众生，这样才能上报诸佛恩、菩萨恩、父母恩、师长恩，以及天地恩。我们要作佛的使者，慈悲代佛宣化，正义救国救民，无论在什么时候，要有慈悲心，要有正义感，尽自己微薄之力，弘扬佛法，宣扬佛的本怀。

From beginningless time, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have been giving up their very bodies and lives in order to nurture us. And so we must bring forth the resolve for Bodhi in order to repay their kindness, as well as the kindness of our parents and teachers and that of heaven and earth. We should seek Buddhahood and vow to liberate all living beings. We should be the Buddhas' compassionate representatives in proclaiming the Dharma and transforming beings, serving society and the country with a sense of righteousness. Let us always be compassionate and righteous, propagating the Buddhadharma and carrying out the Buddha's original intent with our humble effort.

为什么佛成了佛，还不忘众生，发愿度众生？因为众生皆有佛性，皆堪作佛。

不过众生自己不知道而已，因为被贪瞋痴、无明、烦恼、妄想等遮覆，真正的智慧不现前，所以诸佛菩萨来指示众生开悟的方法，若能依法修持，一定能得到智慧。我们应该念兹在兹，感激诸佛恩，感激菩萨恩，感激父母恩，感激师长恩。我们人在宇宙间，与天、地并列，是三才之一，我们不要浪费生命的价值，我们要体会诸佛菩萨的本怀，要深深明了诸佛菩萨的愿力，才没有白做人一场！

Why is it that after the Buddhas have become Buddhas, they still do not forget living beings and they vow to liberate us? It's because all living beings have the Buddha-nature and can become Buddhas. However, living beings do not realize this. Covered up by greed, hatred, stupidity, ignorance, afflictions, and idle thinking, their true wisdom cannot manifest. Therefore, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas come to show us the way to become enlightened. If we can cultivate accordingly, we will surely attain wisdom. We should remember and be grateful to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, as well as our parents and teachers. Human beings are ranked equally with heaven and earth. We should not waste our precious lives. We should clearly recognize the Buddhas' and Bodhisattvas' intent and the power of their vows, so that we don't live our human lives in vain.

一九八三年七月九日开示
于万佛圣城