今天对联的题目是：“见贤思齐英勇士”。我们要效法贤人，他们所行所作，皆为榜样。

The topic for today’s matching couplets is: “A hero is one who sees worthy ones and strives to be like them.” We should take worthy people as our models and emulate their conduct.

什么是贤人？就是贤而有德的人。见到贤人，一定向他看齐，向他学习，要和他一样有道德，有风度，有学识，有涵养。但这并不是想一想就算了，而是要认真去实践，努力学习。贤人的一举一动，一言一行，堪作为我们的模范；若不学习，只是在想，是没有用处。你能认真去学习，才是英勇之士，也是大英雄，也是大法师。

Who are the worthy ones? They are people with virtue and talent. When we meet worthy people, we should learn from them and strive to be as virtuous, refined, learned, and cultured as they are. We shouldn’t just think about it; we should work hard and really try to emulate them. Their every word and deed is a good example for us. But if we only think about their example without trying to emulate it, it won’t be of any use. Only through diligent study can we be a great hero, a great Dharma Master.

英勇之士，不是草包。什么是“草包”？简单地说，就是愚笨的人。有人说：“他是个咸（贤）人呀！活该是咸人，与我没有关系。他要做咸人，我要做淡人。”这种淡而无味的人，不管好，不管坏，一切无所谓，反正混吃等死，死了就算了，这是懒惰人的思想，永远没出息。

A hero is not a simpleton or a fool. Someone may say, “Well, he may be a salty [pronounced the same as ‘worthy’ in Chinese] person, but that’s got nothing to do with it. If he’s a salty person, I want to be a bland person.” This kind of a bland and flavorless person doesn’t care about anything; he just eats his food and waits to die, thinking, “After I die, I can forget about everything!” That is the attitude of a lazy, good-for-nothing bum.

一九八三年八月十三日
开示于万佛圣城无言堂