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宣化上人開示錄(五)
Venerable Master Hua's Talks on Dharma Volume Five　

上宣下化老和尚開示 Lectures by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua

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修道要念念清淨

In Cultivation, Every Thought Must Be Pure

善人有一股白光，惡人則有一股黑氣；
所以做善做惡，自然會現出形相來。
Virtuous people have auras of white, while evil people are surrounded by darkness.
Whether you do good or evil shows in your appearance.

往昔所造諸惡業，
皆由無始貪瞋癡；
從身語意之所生，
一切我今皆懺悔。

 

Of all the evil karma I have ever done,
Based on beginningless greed, anger,
and delusion,
And born of body, mouth and mind,
I now repent and vow to reform.

我們人在往昔所造的業，有善有惡，善惡夾雜不清，所以有時生了善心，有時又生了惡念。一念善，就「諸惡莫作，眾善奉行。」但起了惡念，就想「諸惡皆作，眾善不行。」因為從無量劫以來，就是這樣善善惡惡，今天做些善事，明天又做些惡事，後天又造做些不善不惡業，因此當修道時，就不易擺脫業報。所以有時想修行，有時又不想修行；有時想清淨，有時又想染污。如此隨波逐流，不知漂流到何處？這都是往昔所生的念，所以今生結這種果。前念想修行，後念又想還俗；前念想弘揚佛法，後念又想滅佛法。啊！複雜得很；這要怎麼辦呢？就要學習般若智慧。所謂：

　

Due to the confused mixture of good and bad karma that we have created, sometimes we have wholesome thoughts and sometimes unwholesome ones. With wholesome thoughts, we avoid evil and do good. With unwholesome thoughts, we do evil and avoid goodness. We have been vacillating between good and evil for endless eons, doing a few good deeds one day, committing some bad deeds the next day, and doing some neutral deeds the day after that. As we cultivate, it's not easy to escape the retribution from our karma. So, at times we feel like cultivating. At other times, we don't.

Sometimes we want to be pure, and sometimes we prefer defilement. We drift along, letting the waves of life carry us where they will. Our present condition results from our thoughts in past lives－thoughts of cultivating mingled with thoughts of returning to lay-life, thoughts of propagating Buddhism mingled with thoughts of destroying Buddhism. What can we do? Learn Prajna wisdom.

擇善而從，不善而改；
是道則進，非道則退。

　

Choose what is good and follow it;
Take what is bad and change it.
If it's the Way, advance upon it;
If it's not the Way, retreat from it.

　 　

要時時提高警覺，如臨深淵，如履薄冰，這麼小心來修行。所謂「差之毫釐，謬之千里。」所以修行是：

　

At all times we must be as cautious in our cultivation as if we were walking on the edge of a cliff or on the brink of thin ice. Off by a hair at the start, we will be off by a thousand miles in the end. Cultivation means:

　 　

舉動行為管自己，
行住坐臥不離家。

　

In every move and deed, watch yourself.
Whether walking, standing, sitting,
or lying down, be mindful of yourself.

　 　

要念念清淨、念念光明；不要念念染污、念念黑暗。我們每一念都要很小心的，每一念若是善的，則光明增多；但若是念惡，則越來越黑暗。善人有一股白光，惡人則有一股黑氣，所以做善做惡，自然會現出形相來。你能瞞得了人，但瞞不了鬼神、佛菩薩。所以無論出家人或在家人，不要在佛教中不但不立功，反而造罪業。要知道為什麼從無量劫來，總不能脫輪迴苦，仍是迷迷糊糊的？就因為糊塗賬算不清，是非混淆，清淨和染污一半一半的，所以超不出六道輪迴。

　

Every thought must be bright and pure rather than dark and defiled. We must be careful in every thought. Wholesome thoughts increase the light, while evil thoughts darken all. Virtuous people have auras of white, while evil people are surrounded by darkness. Whether you do good or evil shows in your appearance. You may be able to fool other people, but you can't fool ghosts, spirits, Buddhas, or Bodhisattvas. Therefore, whether you are a left-home person or a layperson, you should create only merit and not offenses. Why have you suffered in samsara for limitless eons, lost and confused? Because you haven't cleared your accounts. You can't escape the six paths because your deeds are a mixture of good and evil, half pure and half defiled.

　 　

我們若想真正修行，若想要成佛，那在未成佛之前，一定要勇猛精進，不能隨便。要知道：

　

If we truly want to become Buddhas, we have to cultivate bravely and carefully. We must realize that,

　 　

是日已過，命亦隨減；
如少水魚，斯有何樂？

　

With the passing of this day,
Our lives are less by that much.
Like fish in an evaporating pool,
What joy is there in that?

　 　

無常鬼就快來了，我們怎麼能這麼散亂，不修行呢？

　

The ghost of impermanence draws nearer. How dare we be scattered and careless in our cultivation?

　 　

大眾！
當勤精進，如救頭然；
但念無常，慎勿放逸！

　

Great Assembly!
Be diligent! Be vigorous!
Cultivate as if trying to save your own head!
Remember the transitory nature of life!
Take heed! Don't be lax!

　 　

有人懷疑：「是否真有閻羅王和無常鬼？」這要看你能否不死？你能不死，就沒有無常鬼；你若覺得很有把握，不受果報，那就沒有閻羅王。你是否能不死呢？若不能，就有閻羅王；你若不能主宰自己的因果，就有閻羅王和無常鬼。你不要以為自己很聰明，在那兒掩耳盜鈴，自己欺騙自己。要知道從無量劫以來，就因為不信這個，所以現在還在六道輪迴裏轉，闖不出這個生死關。

　

Someone is wondering, "Do King Yama and the ghost of impermanence really exist?" Well, are you free from death? If so, there is no ghost of impermanence. If you are certain you won't have to undergo retribution, there is no King Yama. If, however, you cannot avoid death, then King Yama exists. If you cannot control your own destiny, then King Yama and the ghosts of impermanence exist. Don't try to be too clever and cheat yourself. Your disbelief in King Yama is the very reason you have not escaped birth and death for these endless eons past!

　 　

一九八二年五月三十日開示於萬佛聖城

　

A talk given on May 30, 1982
at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas

　

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