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若無出世師長。則不解佛法。不知禮義。則同於異類。不解佛法。則何異俗人。今我等粗知禮義。略解佛法。
「若無出世師長」：你若想修行，你必須要選擇一個明眼善知識。怎麼叫明眼善知識？明眼善知識有幾個條件你可以觀察的。他第一不貪財；第二不貪色；第三不貪名；第四他不自私，有這四種。你看這個善知識，他是不是說來說去都是叫你對他有利益？是不是他做一切的事情，都是想把他自己的名譽弄得大大的，高高的，地位弄得大大的，有他一個企圖？不貪名色，不自私，這是個善知識。所以馬來西亞這次跟著你們來的這位達摩阿難陀法師，我覺得在我所見到的——我沒有見到，那我是不知道了——我見到的小乘比丘裏邊，他是一個最修行的人，也是一個最有智慧的人，也是最講禮義的一個人，所以這一位善知識，你們回到馬來西亞要多親近他。
你親近善知識，我告訴你們，不要去膩著一天到晚這麼死纏死纏的。親近，要總也離不開；親近，就要聽他話。你有什麼不明白的，你去求開示。不是說我一天到晚就見我這個師父；見，這就是親近了。不是的。你就求法，要恭恭敬敬的，不是那麼連講帶笑的，也不正經那麼樣子，那是不可以的。要正正經經，鄭重其事，到那兒不要給他添麻煩。看他有事情，有時間沒有？有時間就請教；若沒有時間，不可以就「我這個是重要的，我到那兒，我不管他忙不忙，我先要請問我的問題。」不可以這樣子。
你們皈依我的人，回到馬來西亞要去親近這位達摩阿難陀法師。因為我不在那兒，那麼我請他代表我來教訓你們。你們若有力量，你們要好好護他法；你們護持他，就是護持我，我們兩個人沒有彼此的分別。我們兩個人，我覺得他也沒有自私心，我這有自私心，但是也不太多了，我講老實話。那麼不太多了，或者有一條頭髮那麼多，但是我都要割斷了它。這是一點。
那麼你要出世，你就要有個明眼善知識；明眼善知識，他一舉一動絕對不會為他自己做著想，不會儘是「怎麼樣能利益我呢？給我修個大廟吧！」有人說了：「你現在有萬佛城這個廟不小了，還要不要修廟呀？」還要，我這個貪心是沒有止盡的，可是我這個貪心，我告訴你們，我是願意給國際佛教做一個佛教基本的道場來弘揚正法。所以現在你們來，不論對我這兒怎麼樣的看法，都是擁護萬佛城的；你就罵萬佛城，也是擁護的。你罵罵都好的，對萬佛城都有很大的光榮。你看其他人若有人這樣講話的，我就拜他做師父，給我找一個來。我是不怕人罵，也不怕人譭謗，也不怕人批評的：什麼也不怕的。我若怕，我就不跑到美國來弘揚佛法了；我到美國這兒弘揚佛法，我早就把這一切一切都準備好了。你越譭謗我，我越覺得這是很好玩的，比我開玩笑更好玩，所以我這個思想和你們的思想完全不一樣的。我的作風，我的行為，和你們所知道的，也都不一樣，我今天老實告訴你們。
若無出世的師長「則不解佛法」：你若不求一個出世的善知識，你就不能明白佛法；不能明白佛法，你怎麼會出世呢？那麼我告訴你們，最要緊的這個世間的知見，要不要了它，想學佛法就要多吃虧。永嘉大師說過：「聞惡言，是功德。」你聽見人家對你有譭謗或者罵，這都是功德，都是幫助你的，都是想你好呢！他若不想你好，他不會說你不好；他說你不好，叫你知道，就是要你還更加努力，百尺竿頭更進步，你要這樣想。所以「順逆皆精進；毀譽不動心」，要這樣，不過這不容易的。「聞惡言是功德，此即成我善知識」：這就是成就我的一個善知識。「不因訕謗起冤親」：要是訕笑你，或者譭謗你，你也能冤親平等，沒有瞋恨心。「何表無生慈忍力」：怎麼能表示出來你無生法忍的這種力量呢？所以各位！我當然也有很多毛病，但是我希望把我的毛病都改了，和你們大家共同研究佛法。
所以要出世，一定要找一個真正的善知識。「不知禮義」：你不知道禮節和義氣。「則同於異類」：異類就是禽獸了。你看那禽獸，飛禽走獸，就不懂禮義；可是也有懂的，好像烏鴉反哺報母恩，羊羔跪乳，這也是一種孝順的禽獸，這都是牠天性還善良。這個則同異類，就是和畜生沒有分別了。你人面獸心，也就是不懂禮貌，所以說不懂禮。
「不解佛法」：你若不懂得佛法。「則何異俗人」：你修道的人也不懂佛法，那和世俗人又有什麼分別呢？沒有分別。
所以「今我等粗知禮義」：現在我們哪，就是省庵大師他說我們這一切的人，我們這個同類，就是所有的出家人，或者信佛的人；這個「我等」就是我們。我等粗知禮義，就是知道一個大大概概的，簡簡單單的一點禮義。「略解佛法」：略略地也明白一點佛法了。今天因為時間不多，明天再來講了；今天就講這麼多。
待續
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Essay:
If it were not for my world-transcending teachers and elders, I would know nothing of the hadharma. One who knows nothing of propriety or righteousness is the same as an animal. One who understands nothing of the Buddhadharma is no different from an ordinary person.
Now we know the rudiments of propriety and righteousness and have a rough understanding of the
Buddhadharma.
Commentary:
If it were not for my world-transcending teachers and elders: If you want to cultivate, you definitely must find a Bright-Eyed Good Advisor. How can you make sure someone is a Good Advisor? You must observe the person. First, he must not be greedy for wealth. Second, he must not be greedy for sex. Third, he must not be greedy for fame. Fourth, he must not be selfish. When seeking a Good Advisor, use these four requisites as a checklist. Does he direct others to do things for his own advantage? Does he always plot to expand his own reputation and fame and to promote his status? A real Good Advisor is not greedy for fame or sex and is unselfish.
Dharma Master Dhammananda, who came with all of you from Malaysia this time, is a Good Advisor. Among all the Theravadan Bhikshus I have seen, he is the one with the best cultivation, the greatest wisdom, and the best understanding of propriety and right-eousness. So when you return to Malaysia, you should draw near to this Good Advisor.
I would like to advise you that when you draw near a Good Advisor, do not be too intimate and hang around him day and night, thinking that to draw near someone means to never be apart from him. To draw near a teacher means to listen to him. If you don't understand something, you can seek instruction from him. It is a mistake to think that you are close to the teacher just because you see him every day. When you request the Dharma, you should be very reverent, not talking and laughing all the while in a very casual way. You should be solemn and serious. Do not go there and bother him. You should ask whether he is free or not. You ask him for instructions only when he is free. When he is not free, you can't say, "I have something important I must ask. I've come here, and I don't care whether he is busy or not." That's not the right way to act.
You who have taken refuge with me should draw near to Dharma Master Dhammananda when you go back to Malaysia. I invite him to represent me to teach all of you because I am not in Malaysia. If you have the strength, you must protect his Dharma. By protecting him, you also protect me; there is no difference between us. Between the two of us, I've found that he is not selfish, whereas I am, but only a little.
To tell you the truth, I have maybe a hair's worth of selfishness, and I plan to cut it off.
If you want to transcend this world you need to have a Clear-eyed Good Advisor. A Clear-eyed Good Advisor absolutely never does anything to benefit himself. He would never think: "How can I benefit myself? I'll ask people to build me a big temple!" People might say, "Well, your temple at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas is not a small one. Are you planning to build more temples?" Yes, I am, because my greed is insatiable. I would like to inform all of you that my greedy wish is to build a Way-place that will be an international Buddhist base camp for propagating the Proper Dharma.
Since all of you have come here, no matter what opinions you have, you are all protecting the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. Even if you slander the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, you are protecting it. You are glorifying the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas by scolding it. If there is anyone who dares to speak in this way, I will bow to him as my master. Find me someone who dares to scold, slander, or criticize—I am not afraid. If I were afraid, I wouldn't have come all the way to America to propagate the Buddhadharma. I prepared myself long before I came to America to propagate the Buddhadharma. The more they slander me, the more fun I find it. That's why my thinking is completely different from yours. Today I would like to tell all of you that my style and behavior are different from what you have known.
If it were not for my world-transcending teachers and elders,
I would know nothing of the Buddhadharma. If you don't find a world-transcending good advisor you will not understand the Buddhadharma. Without understanding the Buddhadharma, how can you transcend the world? I would like to inform you that worldly views and wisdom can be ignored, but if you want to learn the Buddhadharma you have to take a loss. Great Master Yong Jia said: "Hear vicious words as merit and virtue." When people slander or scold you, it is your merit and virtue. They are helping you; they want you to be good, so they point out your shortcomings to help you change. You want to be more vigorous and take one step forward when you reach the top of the one hundred foot pole. "You should be vigorous in both favorable and adverse situations, not being moved by praise or slander." You should behave in this way but it is not easy. "Hear vicious words as merit and virtue; then vicious words become one's good advisors." These good advisors help us to succeed. "Do not let abuse and slander arouse enmity or liking." If when slandered you did not refrain from hatred and maintain your equanimity, "How could the power of patience with non-production be manifest?"
How could you demonstrate the strength of your patience with the nonproduction of dharmas? All of you should know that although I have a lot of shortcomings, I wish to change and correct all my faults so that together we can investigate the Buddhadharma.
What is mindfulness of our teachers' and elders' kindness? My parents bore me and raised me, but if it were not for my secular teachers and elders, I would know nothing of propriety or righteousness. If it were not for my world-transcending teachers and elders, I would know nothing of the Buddhadharma. One who knows nothing of propriety or righteousness is the same as an animal. One who understands nothing of the Buddhadharma is no different from an ordinary person.
Now we know the rudiments of propriety and righteousness and have a rough understanding of the Buddhadharma.
If you really want to transcend this world, you must find a true good advisor.
One who knows nothing of propriety or righteousess is the same as an animal. People who fail to understand propriety and righteousness are no different from animals. Most flying and crawling creatures don't understand propriety and righteousness, but some do, like the crow that returns to care for its parents, and the goat kid that kneels respectfully to drink its mother's milk. These animals are filial; they have inherent goodness in their nature. If you have the face of a human but the mind of an animal, you are definitely no different from animals, since you don't know propriety.
One who understands nothing of the Buddhadharma is no different than an ordinary person. If you cultivate but don't understand the Buddhadharma, then how are you different from an ordinary worldly person? You aren't.
Now we know the rudiments of propriety and righteousness: When Dharma Master Xing'an said "we," he meant all of us Buddhists, including both left-home people and lay people. To "know the rudiments" means to have a very basic and general idea. And we do have a rough understanding of a small part of the Buddhadharma. Due to the time, I will stop here today and continue tomorrow.
To be continued
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