接下来师父给大家讲讲“当下”。很多大法师都喜欢讲 一句话叫“当下”，当下就是立刻，马上，就是要立刻开始修心，立刻开始学佛，马上做功德，尽自己的一切力量来修补自己过去所造的一切诸恶业，包括前世的业障。
Next, I want to discuss the concept of the “present moment” with you all. Many esteemed Dharma Masters frequently use the term “present moment,” which means immediacy or the ‘here and now.’ It calls for immediate cultivation of the mind, an instant commencement of learning Buddhism, and the immediate undertaking of meritorious deeds. Harness all your energy to rectify past wrongdoings, including karmic obstructions from past lives.
六祖曾经说：过去不可得，现在不可得，未来不可得，要把握当下。就是已经过去的东西，一切都不可得。我们过去有没有很开心的时候？有。我们过去有没有年轻漂亮、风光、掌权、富有的时候？有。但是这些都已经过去了，不再有了，都不可得了。如果总是想着过去的人和事，这个人就是在倒退，所以不论做什么事情都要向前看。未来不可得，因为未来还没有到，你怎么抓得住呢？你连现在都抓不住，还想得到未来？过去不可得，未来不可得，要把握当下，就是要做现在应该做的有意义的事情。师父带你们做了许多有意义的事情，如放生，许愿，念经，开法会救度众生等等，你们说有没有意义？
The Sixth Patriarch once said: The past is unobtainable, the present is unobtainable, and the future is unobtainable. You must seize the present moment. Everything that has passed is unattainable. Weren’t there times of happiness in our past? Indeed, there were. Weren’t there times when we were young, attractive, influential, and wealthy? Yes, but those times have passed; they are no longer attainable. If one continually dwells on the past, they are regressing. Therefore, regardless of what you’re doing, you must look forward. The future is unobtainable because it hasn’t arrived yet. How can you grasp something that’s not here? If you can’t even hold onto the present, how can you hope to obtain the future? The past and future are unobtainable; you must seize the present. That is, you should engage in meaningful activities right now. I’ve guided you to do many meaningful activities, such as performing life liberation, making vows, reciting sutras, organising Dharma Talks to awaken and liberate sentient beings, etc. Wouldn’t you agree that these are meaningful actions?
我们学佛学法，要有清净心，要把握当下，要明白过去的已经过去，再也唤不回来了，就是天天回忆，也无法填补你现在的空白。如果你经常回忆过去，实际上你就是在倒退，倒退的人是永远没有出路的，倒退的人是生活在痛苦之中的。
In learning Buddhism and the Dharma, it’s essential to cultivate a pure mind and seize the present moment. Understand that the past is irretrievable; no matter how often you reminisce, it cannot fill the void in your present. If you’re continuously dwelling on the past, you are, in fact, regressing. Those who regress never find a way forward; they live amidst suffering.
要学会把握当下，就是要看到现在，你才是有所作为的人。如果你现在饭都吃不饱，说要买储蓄保险，以后会得多少多少钱，你们说现实吗？学佛要学在当下，现在马上就要学，现在马上就要改自己身上的习气。这样你现在不好的业障也会变成过去，人会变得很轻松，但过去也是不可得，过去的业障本来就不需要的，所以我们更应及早放下，不可得啊！
Seizing the present means acknowledging the here and now, where you can truly make a difference. If you’re currently struggling to make ends meet, yet talking about purchasing savings insurance for a potential future windfall, is that realistic? Practising Buddhism requires an emphasis on the present moment. Begin your learning immediately and start amending your bad habits right away. Consequently, your current negative karmic obstructions will become part of the past, lightening your burden. However, even the past is unattainable, and past karmic obstructions were never necessary. So, we should let go as early as possible; it’s unattainable!
从释迦牟尼佛开始，法门是默传，就是默默地传法，也叫暗传。师父现在给你们传的法，实际上也叫默默地传，现在是给徒弟上课，当众多跟随台长学佛后开悟了的佛友，也能从中摄取养分，给徒弟开示传法。当时释迦牟尼佛有一个大弟子叫摩诃迦叶，释迦牟尼佛是传法给他，他再传承给下一代，就这样一代传一代，一直传到二十八祖（二十八代），到了达摩祖师，达摩祖师也是一对一地默传，叫空心传空心。什么叫空心传空心？就是师父前面给你们讲过的心空了，你才能接受别人给你的东西。如果你心里不空，你怎么能接受新的东西呢？就像你的仓库是空的，新的货物才能放进来，如果仓库是满的，你怎么放进新的货物？以心传心，就是用心来传这个心，首先心必须空，才能接受这个法，才能接受这个佛。一定要记住，佛法都是自己放空之后，才能好好地学进去，以后才能修成正果。
Beginning with Shakyamuni Buddha, the Dharma has been transmitted in silence, a process known as silent or esoteric transmission. The teachings that I am currently passing on to you are, in essence, a form of silent transmission. Now I am giving Dharma Talks to disciples. When many of the Buddhist friends who have awakened through following my teachings, they too can draw nourishment from these teachings and share the Dharma with their own disciples. Shakyamuni Buddha had a senior disciple named Mahakasyapa. Shakyamuni Buddha passed the Dharma to him. From him, the teachings were passed from generation to generation, culminating in the twenty-eighth Patriarch, Bodhidharma. Bodhidharma, too, transmitted teachings silently, in a one-to-one fashion, a process known as transmitting from an ’empty mind’ to an ’empty mind’.
What does ’empty mind’ to ’empty mind’ mean? As I’ve mentioned before, only when your mind is empty can you truly accept what others offer you. If your mind is cluttered, how can you accommodate anything new? It’s similar to a storage room; only when it’s empty can new goods be placed inside. If the storage room is full, how can you fit in new items? Transmission from mind to mind signifies the process of using one’s mind to transmit this ‘mind’. First and foremost, the mind must be empty to accept this Dharma and to accept the Buddha. Remember, you can truly learn the Buddha-dharma and achieve enlightenment only after you’ve emptied yourself.
传法的人见地要差不多，就是想法、看法要差不多的，这样才能点醒对方，从佛法上讲叫心行，就是心里的行为必须你和我差不多。比如今天你们相信师父，相信佛菩萨了，你们来听师父的开示，如果你们不相信师父，师父怎样给你们传法呢？如有不同就不能传法，如果这个人和你想的不一样，你就不能给他传法，如果你硬性传法的话，他不相信，反而会伤害到你，累及到你，犹如很多宗教在马路上拉人，让人反感后说不好的话，会伤到此传教人的。
The individual transmitting the Dharma should possess a similar understanding to the recipient, meaning their perspectives and viewpoints should align. Only then can they truly awaken the other person. In Buddhist terms, this is referred to as “mental action” – the behaviours of the mind between you and me should be similar. For instance, you have faith in me today, you believe in the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and you come to listen to my Dharma Talk. If you didn’t trust me, how could I convey the Dharma to you? If there’s a divergence, the Dharma can’t be transmitted. If a person’s thinking is not aligned with yours, you can’t transmit the Dharma to them. If you insist on sharing the Dharma and they don’t believe, it could lead to harm and trouble for you. This can be likened to religions that solicit followers on the streets; people may react negatively and speak ill of them, which hurts the people who spread their faiths.
心和心的行为是一样的，人和人良心都好，这个时候你把佛法佛缘，可以传给他，他也能接受你的佛法佛缘，这叫心心相印。如果所传之法，对方的心所不能接受，传也没用，叫无用无益。无用无益就是没有益处，也没有用，是白讲了，讲了半天什么用处都没有，讲了半天对方根本不听，不接受。
When the minds and mental actions align between two people, and they share a kind heart, one can transmit the Buddha-dharma to the other, thus forming an affinity with Buddhism. They, in turn, can accept the transmitted Buddha-dharma and Buddhist affinity. This is called heart-to-heart resonance. However, if the Dharma being transmitted does not resonate with the recipient’s heart, the transmission becomes pointless and unbeneficial. It provides no benefits and serves no purpose; it’s akin to talking to a brick wall. No matter how long you talk, it is of no use if the other party is neither listening nor accepting.
佛法的传承必须要建立在默传的基础上，即要有个默契，默默地传，就是我和你心照不宣，都知道要学佛，然后我才能给你讲佛法。而现在和未来最好的方法，传承是要迅速地救人。
The propagation of the Buddha-dharma must be based on the principle of silent transmission, implying a tacit agreement. Silent transmission is an understanding between you and me, known without needing to be expressly stated, that we both recgonise the importance of learning Buddhism, and only then can I transmit the Buddha-dharma to you. The most effective methods for transmission, both currently and in the future, are those that quickly awaken and liberate others.
现在传法到人的身上有两种：一种是大传，就是利用现代化的网络，通讯等；一种是小传，就是一个一个地传。你们给你们的朋友讲法，给你们的家人讲法，是不是一个一个地传啊？因天时不多，要用各种妙法救人，包括有神通能让人快速相信。
There are two main methods of Dharma transmission today: one is broad transmission, using modern internet and communication tools; the other is narrow transmission, passing it on one person at a time. When you share the Dharma with your friends or family, isn’t it done one by one? Given the limited time, we must employ all manner of clever means to help awaken others, including the use of supernormal power that can quickly convince people.
师父告诉你们另一种传法，只要有佛性的人，你把他带到佛堂里来，如果有菩萨的话，大家都在磕头，让他也磕头，他磕头之后，菩萨会给他加持，犹如为什么很多人就是不信佛，但台长一讲，他就信了呢？因为每个人心里会有一种感应，然后就会相信了。因为气场跟气场会感染，大家都磕头，接下来他就会相信了，这是以一种主要的外围气场来感染他，来影响他，内在的菩萨加持让他相信。
Let me share with you another means of Dharma transmission: if you bring someone with Buddha-nature to a Buddhist temple, and if there are Bodhisattvas present, everyone will be bowing. Encourage them to bow as well. After they bow, the Bodhisattvas will bestow blessings upon them. Why do many people who initially don’t believe in Buddhism suddenly believe after attending my Dharma Talk? It’s because there’s a resonance within them, leading to belief. One’s energy field can be influenced by others. If everyone is bowing, it can encourage belief. This is primarily due to the surrounding energy field affecting them and the inner blessings of the Bodhisattvas that inspire their belief.
师父最后跟你们讲，人都想成为圣人或菩萨，其实很简单，用白话佛法讲，把自己的欲望降到最低，把自己的理性升华到最高。就是要控制自己的欲望，能够把自己的理性、理念，升华到最高，这个人就是圣人。
Let me conclude by saying that everyone aspires to become a sage or a Bodhisattva, and in reality, it’s quite straightforward. In plain terms, according to Buddhist teachings, one needs to reduce their desires to the minimum and elevate their rationality to the maximum. This essentially means controlling your desires and uplifting your reasoning and principles to the utmost level – this is what defines a sage.
比如遇到劫难时，不会难过，这个人就是可以控制自己的理性。凡事能站在别人的角度，为别人着想的人，就是慈悲。遇到事情永远是站在别人的角度为人家想，这个人就是慈悲。为什么很多人不懂慈悲，就是因为从来不知道为人家着想，只想到自己，我生气了，我难过了，我不舒服了，这个人就是没有慈悲心。
For example, a person who can remain undisturbed during a catastrophe is demonstrating control over their rationality. People who always put themselves in others’ shoes and consider others’ needs are compassionate. If you constantly approach matters from the perspective of others, thinking about their needs, then you embody compassion. Many people fail to understand compassion because they’ve never put others’ needs before their own. Instead, they think only about themselves, “I’m angry,” “I’m upset,” “I’m uncomfortable.” Such people lack a compassionate heart.
要学会换位思考，要学观世音菩萨的大慈大悲。我们修心的人，永远要把烦恼作为推进你前进的增上缘，也就是把烦恼变成增加你上进的一个缘分。
You must learn to think from other people’s perspectives, to embody the profound compassion of Guan Yin Bodhisattva. As we cultivate our minds, we must always view afflictions as positive conditions that propel us forward, transforming our troubles into conditions that motivate us to progress.