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宣公上人於一九九二年十月七日為長青大學開示
各位善知識：
現在世界大同的開幕，是萬國一家，百萬人都要集成一體，像一個人似的，互相不爭、互相不貪、互相不求、互相不自私、互相不自利、互相不打妄語。到這個時候，這個世界也太平了，各處的人都是和平共處了，不像今天這樣子，勾心鬥角、你搶我奪、殺人放火、販毒，到處都是這樣子。那麼這樣子人應該厭煩這種生活了，要改變方針、改變作風、改變行為、改變思想，那麼能以不爭、不貪、不求、不自私、不自利、不打妄語，都能這個樣子，這世界就是和平了。
至於我們人為什麼要做人？做人的天職是什麼？做人的義務是什麼？做人的責任是什麼？我們要把這個問題弄清楚了它。如果不知道我們天職是什麼，不知道我們應盡的義務是什麼，不知道我們應負的責任是什麼，這就是枉做這個世界的人，所謂沒有價值。
人人都免不了生、老、病、死苦，這生來了，怎麼樣生的？我們到底是天生的？地生的？或者是人生的？或者是自然而生的？生出來又為的是什麼？我們的責任是什麼？我們應盡的義務是什麼？我們的天職是什麼？這個事情要弄清楚了，才不辜負做人一場。如果我們不知道這個問題，啊！糊塗生了；又糊塗長成了；又糊裡糊塗老了；不久又糊裡糊塗死了。這生老病死苦是人人都免不了的，我們要弄清楚這個問題，我們才沒有白做人一次。做人的義務天職是什麼？責任是什麼？
我們做人就應該合群愛眾，對大家都和合相處，不要有紛爭，不要彼此啊貪而無厭、你爭我奪的，不要向外馳求。我們應該得的，我們就得到；不應得的，我就不要去妄貪。各守各的崗位，各盡各人的責任，也不自私、也不自利、也不打妄語，能以這樣子，這世界就太平了。你不叫它太平，它也太平了；你不叫它平安，它也平安了。那麼為什麼現在不平安？為什麼不太平？就因為人人都向外去找去，不知道迴光返照，反求諸己。每一天都放縱這個眼、耳、鼻、舌、身、意這六根，跟著這色、聲、香、味、觸、法來跑，來轉轉，被這個色、聲、香、味、觸、法支配得我們人啊顛顛倒倒，就把做人的本分都忘了，所以你們各位年輕的朋友和幼小的朋友和經驗閱歷豐富的人，都能以認清自己的天職，認清了自己的義務，認清了自己的責任。那麼，這樣子對於世界就是一個大轉變，這叫翻天覆地，把這個天地啊這種空氣都改變了，改變這虛空的空氣，把這個染汙的空氣都變為清潔的空氣，我們有清潔的空氣，呼吸清潔的空氣，這個人啊，都會健康長壽的。
我方才所說的不爭、不貪、不求、不自私、不自利、不打妄語，有的人啊！我不知道這個人啊是年輕的？是小孩子？就是反對我這個說法，說是人在世界上啊，你若不爭，怎麼樣會生存？你若不貪，怎麼可以生存？不求，怎麼樣可以生存？不自私，在這個世界又怎麼樣生存？不自利，在這個世界上又怎麼樣生存？不打妄語，又怎麼樣生存？這個問題啊！我不同意你這個說法，你這個說法啊，是沒有智慧的人說的。你說得很對，我就是因為沒有智慧，所以要說這個沒有智慧的法。你看看那初生的嬰兒，他爭過什麼？他貪過什麼？他求過什麼？他自私過什麼？他自利什麼？他怎麼樣打妄語？那就是天眞無邪，自性本來的表現。可是人一長大了，「性相近」，性啊和佛性是相近的；「習相遠」，我這個習氣毛病有的時候就離這個道遠了。爭也現出來了，貪也現出來了，求也現出來了，自私也現出來了，自利也現出來了，也學會騙人了，這是習相遠了！我們人啊要時時能保持混沌赤子之心，小孩子似的，時時都不會老的，時時都不會死的，所以我說健康長壽嘛，只要把世間的財、色、名、食、睡放下了，那個眞的自然就現前了。你財、色、名、食、睡這五欲，你不放下，你不把它撇離開，這離道越跑越遠，跑來跑去就跑老了，老了又跑死了，這是必然的道路。你要把這六種毛病（爭、貪、求、自私、自利、妄語）都去了，時時都是年輕的，時時都是天眞無邪那個樣子，所謂老頑童，你能這個樣子，雖然活到八百歲，也就像小孩子一樣，不失其赤子之心。雖然老了，還要變小孩子，變嬰兒那種的性情和行為，也不爭第一，也不掛著發財。你看看，這個你第一了，又能有什麼用？你發財了，又能有什麼用？
所謂「魚在水裡躍，人在世上鬧，不知為善德，虧心把孽造，金銀堆成山，閉眼全都撂，空手見閻君，悔心把淚掉。」
說這個魚啊！牠在水裡也是生活著，牠跳上跳下的，遊水啊覺得快然自得，覺得很喜歡的，其實被打魚的打去，被人吃了牠還不知道呢！這「魚在水裡躍，人在世上鬧」，人在世上啊！忽東忽西，忽南忽北，忽上忽下的，這一生什麼時候死，他也不知道，你看這是不是胡鬧呢？人在世上就胡鬧著。
「不知為善德」，他不知道做善做德，其實人的一生啊！我們是應該給他人謀福利的，不是為自己。那麼自己一個人是有限的，眾人是無量無邊的，你若能叫大家都沾到自己的福利，這就是佛光普照，這就是雨露均霑。「不知為善德」，不知道做善做德，「虧心把孽造」，他盡做一些個虧心的事情，一生啊騙人啊，來欺負人啊，來害人啊，做種種犯法的事情。你看，這個是不是在世界胡鬧呢？
「金銀堆成山」，金子、銀子堆得像山那麼樣高幾堆，幾個大山。「閉眼全都撂」，你兩個眼睛一閉，手一伸啊，腿一伸的時候啊，什麼都撇下了，什麼都沒有了。
「空手見閻君」，空著兩隻手去見閻羅王去了。「悔心把淚掉」，到那兒才知道後悔，說：「唉喲，閻羅王啊你原諒我，我在世界上啊，不懂得做人，盡犯過錯了，現在我知道後悔了，請你不要懲罰我了。」可是閻羅王說：「不行！不行！照罰可也。」
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The Venerable Master's Lecture to ElderHostel on October 7, 1992
All Good and Wise Advisors:
The world must now unite; all nations must come together as a single family; all people must come together as if one person, and mutually cease from all fighting and greed, from all seeking, selfishness, pursuit of self-benefit and dishonesty. When we can do this, the world will be at peace. People everywhere will live in harmony. It won't be like today, where all we know is to compete and contend, to kill and rob, to deal in drugs...that's how it is everywhere. Since that's the case, shouldn't we detest that kind of lifestyle, and change our direction, alter our lifestyle and modify our behavior and thinking, so that we no longer fight, act greedy, seek, act selfish, pursue personal advantage, or tell lies. If everyone can do this, the world will be peaceful.
Now, why are we people to begin with? What is our inborn duty? Our innate responsibility? We have to be clear about this. If we don't know what our destiny is, what our goal is, what our duty and responsibility is as people, then we will have lived in vain, and there would be no value to our lives.
Everyone must undergo the suffering of being born, growing old, getting sick, and dying. How are we born? Are we born from the heavens? Or from the earth? Are we born from amidst people, or spontaneously? Beyond that, what do we come here for? What is our duty? What is our calling? If we are not clear on this, then we will have wasted our chance as a person. If we do not understand this matter, then having been born muddled, we grow up and get old in confusion, and before long we pass onto a bewildered death. Birth, old age, sickness and death cannot be avoided by anyone; only if we can understand them will we not have lived in vain. What is our inborn duty as people? What is our responsibility?
We should live in harmony as a group, and get along with everyone. We should not quarrel or split up, or greedily steal from one another, or seek from outside. We will naturally obtain that which rightfully should come to us; there's no need to be greedy for that which should not come to us. We should just hold to our own position, fulfill our own responsibilities, and not be selfish, self-benefiting, or dishonest. If we can be this way, the world will be at peace. Even if you don't tell it to be at peace it will be. Even if you don't tell it to be in harmony, it will be. Why isn't it peaceful and harmonious now? It's because people seek outside, and don't know to return the light and reflect within themselves. Every day, they let their six organs - the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind, run after sights, sounds, smells, tastes, objects of touch, and dharmas. Chasing and turning in circles, they get all upside-down over these sights, sounds, smells, tastes, objects of touch, and dharmas, and forget their basic duty as people. That's why all of you young friends, little children as well as those rich in life experience, should clearly recognize your heavenly destiny, your responsibility and calling. Then the world will turn around. There will be an earthshaking change; the atmosphere will be different, and the polluted air will become pure. Then when we have this clean air to breathe, we will become healthy and live a long time.
Just now I talked about not fighting, not being greedy, not seeking, not being selfish, not wanting personal advantages, and not telling lies. And someone, I don't know if it was a young person or a child, objected, "In the world if you don't fight, how can you survive? If you're not greedy, how can you survive? If you're not selfish, how can you make it in this world? If you don't want personal advantages, how can you survive? If you also don't tell lies, how can you last? This is certainly a problem! So I disagree with what you said, and think only someone with no wisdom would say this." What you say is absolutely right - it's just because I have no wisdom that I speak in this stupid way. Look at a newborn baby - What does he contend about? What is he greedy for? What does he seek for? What is he selfish about? What personal benefits does he want? How can he tell lies? He manifests the original innocence and purity of the self-nature. But as soon as people grow up..."Natures are close": our natures are close to the Buddha-nature. "Through habits they deviate": our bad habits and faults sometimes take us far from the Way. Learning to contend, to be greedy, to seek, to be selfish, to want self-benefit, and to deceive others, with such habits we really leave the spiritual Way far behind! If we can always safeguard our primal innocence, and be childlike, we will never grow old or die. That's why I said if you can relinquish the five desires for wealth, sex, fame, food and sleep, then health and longevity will naturally be yours. If you cannot put down these five desires for wealth, sex, fame, food and sleep, if you cannot see through them, then you will run farther and farther away from the Way, running until you become old, until you die - this is what will inevitably happen. If you can get rid of these six faults (fighting, greed, seeking, selfishness, wanting personal benefit, and telling lies), you will always be young, innocent and pure in appearance. Just like a mischievous old "boy" - although he lives to be eight hundred years ago, he is still like a child, not losing that pure heavenly true nature. Although we grow old, we still want to become children, and have the nature and behavior of a baby, in the sense that we don't fight to be number one, or scheme to become rich. What's the point of being number one? What's the use of being filthy rich?
It's said,
Fish jump in the water;
People stir up trouble in the world.
They don't know enough to do virtuous deeds,
But create bad karma with a callous heart.
Pile up gold and silver as high as a mountain,
But when you close your eyes, it's all gone.
Empty-handed you go see King Yama,
And with a regretful heart, your tears fall.
"Fish jump in the water": These fish live in the water, jumping and swimming about happily and freely, unaware that they will be caught by the fisherman and eaten for dinner. "People stir up trouble in the world": People in the world! Now we run off to the south, and now we come back to the north. We go up, we go down, and we don't even know when we will die. Wouldn't you call this stirring up trouble? People cause trouble in the world.
"They don't know enough to do virtuous deeds": They don't know to do deeds of wholesome virtue. Actually, in our life we should work for the benefit of others, not for ourselves. One person's strength is limited, but the strength of the assembly is boundless. If you can benefit other people with your work, this is what's known as the Buddha's light shining everywhere, and the rain moistening everything equally. "But create bad karma with a callous heart.": We do all kinds of callous things, such as deceiving, bullying, and harming people, and breaking the law. Isn't this creating trouble in the world?
"Pile up gold and silver as high as a mountain.": We may heap up mountains of gold and silver. "But when you close your eyes, it's all gone.": When we close our eyes and stretch our arms and legs out to rest, everything is gone.
"Empty-handed you go see King Yama": With two empty hands we go off to see King Yama. "And with a regretful heart, your tears fall": Only when we get there do we say regretfully, "King Yama, please forgive me. When I was in the world, I didn't understand how to be a person, so I did a lot of wrong things. Now I know better and regret it, so please don't punish me." But King Yama says, "No way! No way! You still have to be punished."
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