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佛為什麼要入涅槃呢？佛入涅槃有很多的意思，最主要的就是免得人生出一種依賴心。佛永遠不入涅槃是可以的，唯獨這些個弟子天天隨著佛學佛法，有的就會生出一種厭倦心來了。怎麼樣的厭倦心呢？就生出一種懶惰心、放逸心，以為現在修行不修行都不要緊，天天和佛在一起，於是乎就懶惰了。
好像現在我給你們講經，天天你看見師父在這裡；師父講的經都有記錄，我們不看它，等什麼時候有時間，我們再看一看。光有筆記，但也不看，放到一邊束諸高閣，把它放在高高板子上，認為保存得非常地嚴密，可是時間一久就都忘了，等過了一個時候也不記得了。
那麼，在人世間都有悲歡離合，到有一種特別的因緣，我就離開你們各位了。那個時候啊，想聽經也沒有了，想學佛法，也知道這個佛法很難了，於是乎就會把那個筆記拿起來重讀；讀熟了，再研究研究法師過去所講的這些經典的道理。如果我不到其他的地方去，你們永遠也不會看這個筆記的。
我記得我在東北的時候，有很多的皈依弟子，我叫他們修行，他們也不修行；有的說我們要慢慢來修行，有的說我現在沒有時間。等我離開東北之後，有人給我來信說，「某某人以前不修行，現在修行了，因為師父不在這兒了。」師父在這兒他還不會修行，那麼現在是很用功修行了﹕這是在東北。
在香港的時候；我在香港也有一些皈依弟子，他們也是馬馬虎虎的。我走了之後，才知道沒有師父是很困難的了，所以這個也寫信希望我回去，那個也寫信希望我回去﹕我誰也都不理他。
人就是這個樣子，你天天要見著，他就覺得不重要了；你要見不著，他沒有法子了，就覺得重要了。
釋迦牟尼佛說法說了四十九年，這些個弟子，有的也會生出一種懈怠心；不單是釋迦牟尼佛，就每一尊佛他看看那個弟子，有的生出一種依賴性，他就要走了，要離開，要入涅槃了，就免得弟子生出一種依賴性。這都是教化眾生的一個方法。
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Why did the Buddha enter nirvana? There are many reasons for this, but it was mainly to avoid people becoming overly dependent upon him. It would be possible for the Buddha to never enter nirvana. However, some disciples, in studying the Dharma with the Buddha, would eventually grow weary of it. They would become lax and lazy. They would think that it didn’t matter whether or not they cultivated, since they were with the Buddha everyday. And so they would become lazy.
For example, I am now explaining the sutras to you. You get to see your teacher everyday. You think, “There are notes of our Teacher’s lectures, but we don’t have to read them now. We can wait until we have time to read them.” You set them on the shelf, thinking you are keeping them very safe and secure; however, over time you’ll forget about them and after awhile you will have totally lost all memory of them.
In this world, joys and sorrow, separations and reunions are a part of life. When certain circumstances arrive, I will leave all of you. When that time comes, even if you’d like to attend a sutra lecture, there will be none; if you’d like to study the Dharma, you will find it difficult. Then you will pick up your notebook and read it again. After you read it thoroughly, you will investigate the principles in the sutras lectured by this Dharma Master. If I don’t go somewhere else, you will never read that notebook.
When I was in Manchuria, I had a lot of disciples. I taught them how to cultivate, yet they didn’t cultivate. Some said they wanted to take their time. Others said, “I don’t have time right now.” After I left Manchuria, I started to get letters that said, “So-and-so, your disciple in Manchuria, didn’t cultivate before, but now he is cultivating because his teacher isn’t here. He’s working very hard now.”
When I was in Hong Kong, my disciples were pretty relaxed about their cultivation. After I left, they realized how hard it is without a teacher, and they all wrote letters to me asking me to come back. I didn’t pay any attention to them, however.
People are like that. If you see something every day, you don’t think it’s important. When it’s taken away from you, you realize how important it is. So the Buddha doesn’t remain in the world for a long, long time, because if he did, people of scanty virtue would fail to plant good roots. They would just choose to wait instead. But those who do not plant good roots or make offerings to the Triple Jewel remain poor and lowly, and they covet the five desires: wealth, sex, fame, food and sleep.
Shakyamuni Buddha spoke the Dharma for forty-nine years. During these years, some of his disciples became negligent. Not only Shakyamuni Buddha, but every Buddha, whenever he sees that his disciples have become overly dependent on him, leaves the world and enters nirvana. The reason he enters nirvana is to prevent his disciples from relying too much upon him. This is a way of teaching and transforming living beings.
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