天有不测风云，人有旦夕祸福。人活在世上，劫难就不会离开你的身。真正弘法救度众生的人，不是把自己打扮成像菩萨一样，而是做一个真正有肉有灵的人，如果灵魂战胜不了肉体，他就是人。如果他的灵魂很纯洁，能够战胜自己的肉体，他就是一个神。因为他不被自己身体的欲望所控制，反而能够控制自己的欲望，这是修心到一定境界才能做得到的。如果你被自身的欲望所控制，那你就不能控制自己的身体。比如，你很饿的时候，看见那些海鲜，但知道自己是吃素的，这时能否控制住自己不动心，不吃。又如，明明你的身体不好，你能不能控制住吃对自己身体不好不该吃的食物，不吃，道理都是一样。
“As the sky is subject to unforeseen winds and clouds, so too are people’s fortunes and misfortunes prone to swift and unexpected changes.” In this world, hardships are ever-present in our lives. Yet, those who truly propagate the Buddha-dharma and awaken sentient beings do not merely dress themselves as Bodhisattvas but are real beings of both flesh and spirit. If one’s soul cannot overcome the physical body, they remain human. If their soul is pure and triumphs over the body, they become divine. This is because they are not controlled by bodily desires but can master them. However, it is achievable only at a certain level of spiritual cultivation. If you’re controlled by your own desires, then you cannot control your body. For example, can you resist eating seafood when hungry, knowing you follow a vegetarian diet? Or, if you know certain foods are harmful to your health, can you abstain from eating them? The principle is the same.
学佛很重要，学的是心，学的是精神。修心就是把身上的那些不好的习惯，贪瞋痴都要改掉，修心就是要把过去做过的事情全部忘记，忘记是最好的事情，犹如一台电脑，要把病毒和不好的文件抹掉一样。如果真的能把过去所做的一切事情全部忘记，你就成功了。人的毛病就是：人家对你不好，你忘记不掉；人家对你好，却记不住。如果人活在世上不懂得修心，不懂得做人，就像一台机器——任命运摆布。如果一个人不懂得修心，就是一个很粗俗的人。
Learning Buddhism is crucial, as it focuses on both the mind and spirit. Cultivating the mind involves changing bad habits, overcoming greed, anger, and ignorance, and learning to let go of past actions. Letting go is the best approach. This process is akin to deleting viruses and unwanted files from a computer. If you can genuinely forget all of your past actions, you’ve truly succeeded. The problem with people is their inability to forget unkindness from others, while they often fail to remember times when they have been treated well. Those who don’t understand how to cultivate their minds and be good people essentially live a life mechanically, dictated by fate. A person who doesn’t cultivate the mind lack depth and understanding.
今天给大家讲讲觉性，觉性就是人的本性，人本来具有的性叫本性。看得见一切众生本来就具有的佛性，就是觉性。也就是你看见了这个人身上本来就具有的本性，就是觉悟的本性。
Today, let’s talk about the concept of awakening. Awakening refers to one’s inherent nature, the innate Buddha-nature present in all sentient beings. It’s about recognising this inherent, enlightened nature within ourselves and others.
给大家讲一讲“根本智”，根本智就是这个人的智慧是他本来就有的，这个智慧是菩萨的智慧。根本智要无念，如果没有念头就会得到真的安静，一个人真正的安静，不是说你坐在那里就能安静。你坐在那里念经，你的心能静得下来吗？如果定不下来，就不是真的安静。真的安静是坐下来后没有念头，叫无念，无念才叫真正的静。如果能真的安静下来，就是涅槃的基础。涅槃就是不生不灭，就是明心见性，涅槃是梵语，是灭度、灭烦恼、灭生死，只有脱离烦恼和了脱生死才能得到真正的寂静，众苦永寂，具有不生不灭，就是这个人没有生也没有死，永远没有灭度的，即成佛。
Let’s also discuss “Fundamental Wisdom”, which is the inherent wisdom of a person, the wisdom of a Bodhisattva. Fundamental Wisdom requires “no-thought”; without thoughts, one can achieve true peace. True peace is not just sitting quietly. Can your mind be settled while chanting sutras? If not, it’s not true peace. True peace involves sitting without thoughts, a state known as no-thought, the foundation of Nirvana. Nirvana is a state of neither birth nor death, amounting to realising an enlightened mind and seeing your true nature. Nirvana is a Sanskrit word, signifies extinction, the cessation of afflictions and the cycle of birth and death. Only by escaping afflictions and transcending life and death can one attain true tranquility. The cessation of all suffering; there is neither birth nor death, nothing to extinguish for good, thus achieving Buddhahood.
为什么要闭关，闭关就是让这个弘法的人安静，不要受到世俗的侵袭。真正救度众生的人才称得上是菩萨，菩萨是不怕自己受苦去救度众生的，真正的菩萨是大慈大悲救苦救难普度众生的；如果自己只知道保护自己，不肯去救人家，这个人永远成不了菩萨。
Why engage in a reclusive retreat? A reclusive retreat is for those who spread the Dharma to find peace and avoid the disturbances of the secular world. Only those dedicated to guiding and awakening all sentient beings truly embody the role of a Bodhisattva. A true Bodhisattva, characterised by great compassion and mercy, is unafraid of suffering in their mission to alleviate the suffering of others and bring universal salvation. One who only knows protecting themselves and is unwilling to help others can never truly become a Bodhisattva.
要舍去一切浮动的心，如果真正安静的人，一切浮动的心都要舍去。浮动的心就是心动荡不安，就像工作定不下来时，你说你的心浮不浮啊，心能定得下来吗？担心自己的孩子能否考进好的学校，这个心浮不浮啊？……所以要去除一切浮动的心，才能真正的静下来。心不安定是因为没有智慧，不知道自己是在学观世音菩萨，是在学佛。学佛可以改变自己的一切，只要坚定信念就不会有浮动的心。要把你的心安定下来，只有真正的相信才能安定，相信观世音菩萨一定能救我，才能把自己浮动的心克制住。
To attain true inner peace, one must relinquish all restless thoughts. A truly peaceful person casts aside all such unsettled thoughts. Restlessness of the mind is like being unable to settle at work, or worrying whether your child will be admitted to a good school – these are signs of a restless mind. Thus, to achieve genuine tranquility, all these restless thoughts must be discarded. Restlessness stems from a lack of wisdom, from not realising that you are learning from Guan Yin Bodhisattva, practising Buddhism. Practising Buddhism can transform every aspect of yourself, as firm faith prevents a restless mind. To calm your mind, true belief is essential. Only by truly believing that Guan Yin Bodhisattva will save you, can you control your restless mind.
涅槃是真实性的体，当一个人能够做到涅槃了，他是真正安静的体。涅槃是脑子里完全是空的，这个涅槃就是你真静的体。真的静就是要舍去一切浮动的心，去除身体上的傲心、慢心，即傲慢之心；要去除尊贵之心、分别之心。尊贵心就是自己感觉很尊贵，分别心就是看见人家不如你，就看不起人家。比如，人家经济不如你，就瞧不起人家；如果人家比你有钱，就嫉妒人家等等。你们不能有任何的分别心，不能有嫉妒心，嫉妒心也是一个毒，因为人的嫉妒心是与生俱来的，是生出来就会有的，是六道轮回的产物，因为有了嫉妒心，才会有六道轮回。如果你到了菩萨界，脱离了六道轮回，你就不会有嫉妒心。还有争斗心也要去除。
Nirvana is the embodiment of true reality. When a person achieves Nirvana, they attain a state of profound peace. Nirvana is a state where the mind is completely empty, representing the essence of true tranquillity. To reach this true tranquillity, one must let go of all restless thoughts and shed pride and arrogance from the body and mind. This also involves eliminating the sense of superiority and discriminatory thoughts. Superiority is feeling esteemed above others, and discrimination arises when one looks down on others as lesser, for instance, despising those less wealthy or envying those more affluent. One must not harbour any discriminatory or envious thoughts. Envy is a poison, inherently present from birth, a product of the cycle of rebirth in the Six Realms of Existence. It is envy that perpetuates this cycle. However, once you reach the Bodhisattva realm and break free from the cycle of rebirth, envy no longer binds you. Likewise, the spirit of contention must also be eradicated.
为什么要忏悔，因为忏悔能消除业障。修心的人要没有道理，才是道理，而有道理了，就没有道理了，这就叫辩证法。经常说自己错的人，这个人永远不会错；经常说自己对的人，这个人就经常有错。是人就会有错，做错事情没有关系，要懂得忏悔，要懂得道歉，然后改过，这样就会把自身的毛病改正，境界提升。人就是不肯承认自己的错误，总是找一大堆的理由，来掩盖自己的过错，做错事情就是因为没有好好修心造成的，现在学佛修心了，就必须改正。过去的让它成为过去，不要死死的把它拉在身上，还咬着牙说：不对，因为我怎么怎么的，就是因为不想承认自己的错误，才会把这些不好的东西永远带在身上，而后造成自己永远的失败。
Why repent? Because repentance can dissolve karmic obstacles. For those cultivating their minds, avoiding arguing what is right or wrong is actually winning the argument. On the contrary, if you think you have a strong argument, you have actually lost it – this is the essence of dialectical thinking. Those who often admit their mistakes are unlikely to err; in contrast, those who always insist on being right are often in the wrong. It’s human to err, and that’s okay. However, the key is recognising the need for repentance, offering apologies, and making amends. This leads to self-improvement and elevation of one’s spiritual state. People often refuse to acknowledge their faults, constantly finding excuses to cover up their mistakes. Wrongdoings arise from a failure to properly cultivate the mind. Now that you have embarked on the journey of practising Buddhism and cultivating the mind, it’s crucial to make amends. Let the past remain in the past; avoid holding onto it stubbornly, and don’t justify your actions by insisting, “It’s not my fault because I did such and such.” Failing to acknowledge your own mistakes leads to constantly bearing these negative burdens, and this, in turn, results in ongoing failure.
有一位老人家就是这样，把自己过去所有的事情都带在身上，想起来就恨，这个“恨”给她带来的是一身的病，这些病是怎么来的？80%来自于她的孩子，因为她有一个不孝的孩子，想起这个不孝子就会非常的生气，非常的难过，非常的恨，最后就造成这位老人家一身的病痛。但是，她身上这80%的病痛也是她自己造的，是她自己背着不肯放下，如果能把这个包袱早一点甩掉，自己的身体会这样吗？要知道生气伤身啊，而且是在伤自己的命啊。千万不要生气，一切都是欠的，都是因果，前世你欠孩子的，今世就得还，而且要没有任何条件的还债，要还得开开心心，要把自己松绑，要把自己的包袱彻底地放下。
There was an elderly person who carried the weight of her past with her, filled with resentment. This hatred brought about a host of illnesses. How did these illnesses arise? 80% of them were due to her child, a disrespectful one. Thinking of this child filled her with immense anger, sorrow, and hatred, eventually leading to her myriad of ailments. However, 80% of these ailments were self-inflicted, borne from her refusal to let go. Had she dropped this burden earlier, would her health condition be the same? It is essential to understand that anger harms not just the body but the very essence of life. Never let anger prevail; everything has its roots in cause and effect. If you have a karmic debt to your child from a past life, now is the time to joyfully and unconditionally settle it. Free yourself by letting go of your burdens.
所以要把自己的欢喜心、哀伤心、求财心、争斗心、嫉妒心、分别心、尊贵心、傲慢心等，几乎所有的烦心全部都要去掉，你把这些所有的心都不要了，让它们全部倒下来。有一尊佛菩萨叫卧佛，你们知道佛的一个动作代表着很多层意思吗？就是这位佛菩萨，把所有的心全部抛开了，当你所有的心都在的时候，你是不能涅槃的，卧佛的这个姿势就是达到正定涅槃，开悟、醒悟，达到了妙觉定。妙就是最终觉，就是达到了最终的觉悟。
Thus, discard all minds of joy, sorrow, greed, contention, jealousy, discrimination, superiority, and arrogance. Abandon all these troublesome thoughts and let them fall away. There’s a Buddha called the Reclining Buddha. Do you know each Buddha pose has many meanings? This Buddha has cast aside all these minds. When all the minds are present, Nirvana is unattainable. The Reclining Buddha’s pose signifies achieving Nirvana of Right Concentration, enlightenment, awakening, reaching the Concentration of Sublime Enlightenment. “Sublime” here means the ultimate state of enlightenment.
觉有四种：第一种是始觉，始觉就是刚刚开始觉悟；第二种是相似觉，相似觉就是好像是觉悟了；第三种是随分觉，随分觉就是随着缘分来慢慢地觉悟；第四种是究竟觉，究竟觉就是你最后明白了之后才觉悟了。
There are four types of enlightenment: the Actualised Enlightenment, which is the initial stage of awakening; the Apparent Enlightenment, seemingly enlightened; the Approximate Enlightenment, slowly awakening with conditions; and the Ultimate Enlightenment, finally understanding and enlightenment.
这四种觉也是人的四种转变：
These four types of enlightenment also signify the four stages of transformation:
1.始觉，刚刚开始的感觉，就像我们小的时候从来不会想到父母会死的，等到妈妈过世了，才知道原来妈妈也会死掉的，这个就叫始觉。
1. Actualised Enlightenment: The initial awakening, akin to the innocence of childhood when the thought of our parents’ mortality never crosses our minds. It’s only upon the passing of a parent that we come to realise their mortality. This is what constitutes the Actualised Enlightenment.
2.相似觉，我和你受的苦是一样的，我跟你的福气也是一样的，慢慢地通过感情交流，觉悟了，好像我们俩有缘分。相似觉是过去的一种缘分。
2. Apparent Enlightenment: This refers to awakening through shared experiences of suffering and fortune, gradually leading to enlightenment through emotional bonding, as when one feels, “There is a karmic connection between us.” The Apparent Enlightenment is related to past karmic connections.
3.随分觉，就是随着缘分来慢慢的觉悟，随着缘分的不断增加，慢慢地觉悟了。师父讲这个也叫慢觉，因为你碰到了、遇到了你们的师父，你才开始觉悟。应该主动地去抓住这个觉悟，去追求这个觉，而不是慢慢地觉。
3. Approximate Enlightenment: This type of awakening unfolds gradually with the deepening of karmic connections. This is known as gradual enlightenment. You start getting enlightened as you encounter your Master. While this enlightenment is gradual, one should actively seek and embrace it, rather than passively awaiting its arrival.
4.究竟觉，就是最后终于觉悟了。最后终于觉悟的有年轻人，有老人，不是最后终于觉悟了，就一定是老年人，觉悟不在年龄的大小，你只要明白了人生的道理，宇宙的真相，你就觉悟了。如果一个很年轻的人，忽然之间觉悟了，他就是一个菩萨了。为什么出家叫遁（顿）入空门？就是顿时明白了，进入了这个空门。空门就是什么也没有的门，因为这个有色世界本来就是空的。
4. Ultimate Enlightenment: This is the final, profound understanding, transcending age and experience. Whether young or old, enlightenment is not bound by age. It’s about grasping the truths of life and the universe. When a young person experiences a sudden awakening, they attain the state of a Bodhisattva. Why is being ordained as a Buddhist monk described as “a sudden entry into the door of emptiness”? It’s because it symbolises a sudden understanding and entrance into this realm of emptiness. The door of emptiness represents the inherent emptiness of the phenomenal world.