智能证量，智能就是人的智慧和能量，证量是你的智慧的德能能够证明你所学佛的能量。越有智慧的人，菩萨离他就越近。什么办法都能想出来，都是正的思维，而且做得圆满，这个人就是很有智慧，菩萨就会在他身上。如果思维不正，什么坏点子都想得出的人，这个人就是魔。如果智能越来越有能量，而且越来越深广，越究竟，他的悟性就达到了究竟正觉。怎样知道自己开悟了呢？是指你在某一点上，你想通了，而且这个是正念的想，然后明白了，这就是开悟，开悟是一句佛语。但如果在某一件事情上明白了，这并不等于你什么事情都明白了。
Wisdom and direct realisation: Wisdom represents a person’s intelligence and energy, and direct realisation lies in how your wisdom and virtuous capabilities confirm the energy of your Buddhist practice. The greater a person’s wisdom, the closer they are to the Bodhisattva. Those who can find solutions and maintain a positive mindset, achieving their goals successfully, embody true wisdom, and thus, the Bodhisattva is with them. Conversely, if a person harbours misguided thoughts, consistently devising harmful ideas, they resemble a demon. As wisdom expands in energy, becoming more profound and ultimate, one reaches the pinnacle of awakening, perfect enlightenment. But how does one know if they’ve become awakened? It occurs when you’ve comprehended a particular matter, thinking correctly and gaining clarity in right mindfulness – this is the essence of awakening, a concept from Buddhist teachings. Yet, understanding one aspect does not equate to comprehending everything.
佛经上讲，一切贤圣皆以无为法而有差别。无为法，就是我什么事情都没有作为，什么都不知道，什么都没有。无为，就是我没有思维，没有行为，什么都没有，而菩萨和它是什么差别呢？菩萨在人间不去有作为，他的境界超越了人间，表面上看无为法是什么都不做，实际上是用智慧在处理人世间的事，处理完了，没事，犹如什么都没做，其实就是菩萨的境界。无为法之差别，就是人和菩萨的差别。
Buddhist scriptures state, “All sages and saints are distinguished by the Unconditioned Dharma.” This Unconditioned Dharma implies a state of non-action, no knowledge and non-existence. This absence of thought and action, a state of emptiness, differentiates Bodhisattvas from ordinary people. While a Bodhisattva in the human world may seem inactive, their spiritual state has transcended the Human Realm. Their apparent non-action is, in fact, the handling of worldly affairs with wisdom. Once these matters are resolved, it’s as though nothing has been done, yet this very inaction epitomises the Bodhisattva’s spiritual state. The distinction of the Unconditioned Dharma is what sets apart ordinary people from Bodhisattvas.
每一个人的良心，是每一个人自己最公正的审判官，因为良心是很公正的，你骗得了别人，骗不了自己的良心。你可以跟别人说，我没有做，我没有说，我没有什么什么的，但是你骗得了自己的良心吗？所以当一个人做错事情的时候，各种各样的表情都会出来，要记住一个人的良心是最公正的。要自觉自悟，自己来感觉，自己来学，自己来悟。想知道自己做的事情对不对，首先自己感悟一下佛是在心中，然后自觉自悟。
Each person’s conscience serves as their most impartial judge, as it is inherently fair. While you can deceive others, deceiving your own conscience is impossible. You might assert to others, “I didn’t do it, I didn’t say it, I have nothing of the sort,” but can you genuinely fool your own conscience? Thus, when someone does wrong, various expressions can give them away. Remember, one’s conscience is the fairest judge. Awareness and awakening should come from within: feel, learn, and comprehend on your own. To determine whether your actions are right, first connect with the Buddha within your heart, then attain self-awareness and awakening.
要学会能够放下自己，能够放得下烦恼的人，才能得到真正的快乐，一个人只有把烦恼真正地放下了，才能得到真正的快乐。要想获得心灵的解脱，要能不为物所牵，你的心灵想获得解脱的话，千万不要被人世间的事物所牵住，就是什么事情都不要被牵住。比如，被情所牵住，被名利所牵住，被一切不好的东西所牵住，被孩子所牵住等等。要真正的摆脱，真正的放下，要面对现实。我们学佛就是要面对现实，然后要超越现实，因为你不面对现实，就无法超越现实。比如，孩子对我不好，我要面对孩子对自己不好的现实，我来超越他，不把他当回事情，觉得这是自己前世所欠的，这是自己的业债，不是他不好，而是我不好，前世自己为什么不多做点好事呢？为什么不像我的师父一样多救度人呢？如果能这样想，就能放下自己，就能解脱烦恼，心灵就能得以真正的快乐。
To achieve genuine happiness, one must learn to let go of themselves and their afflictions. True joy is found only when you genuinely release these burdens. Seeking mental liberation involves detaching from worldly entanglements. Freedom of the mind is unattainable if it’s ensnared by material concerns, emotions, fame, fortune, or other negative influences, including attachments to children. To truly break free and let go, one must face reality. In practising Buddhism, we confront reality to transcend it. If you don’t face reality, you can’t transcend it. For example, if your child treats you poorly, you must confront this harsh reality and rise above it. Don’t take it personally; see it as a karmic debt from a past life. It’s not that they are bad, but rather a consequence of your previous actions. Ask yourself, “why didn’t I do more good deeds in a past life? Why didn’t I guide and awaken more people as Master Lu has been doing?” Thinking this way helps you to let go, to free yourself from afflictions and find true spiritual happiness.
如果一个人为了代价而努力，往往会失败，当你对某一件事情追求的时候，就应该知道是要付出代价的，而且很容易失败。师父刚才给你们讲的学佛的第二个基本点“只管耕耘，不问收获”，就是教你们不要去追求有代价的东西。一个人一定要明白，不要去追求有代价的东西，实际上所追求的都是空洞的东西，是得不到的东西。去追求有代价的东西，这个人就是最傻的人。
When a person strives for something while expecting a reward, they often face failure. When you pursue something, you should be aware of the cost involved and the high likelihood of failure. The second fundamental point of learning Buddhism that I just mentioned, “Focus solely on cultivation rather than on the rewards,” teaches you not to chase things that come with a price. One must realise that pursuing things with a price often leads to chasing illusions, which are unattainable. Pursuing things that come with a price is folly.
自我意识有两种，一种是真实的自我意识，还有一种是虚假的自我意识。如果单单这样讲解给你们，你们会感觉很空洞，难理解，师父现在用实例来讲解给你们，让你们明白什么是自我意识。比如，我今天到图书馆去看到一本自己喜欢的书，但是我没有钱，要不要拿呢？这时想起古人说过的一句话：“偷书不为窃。”就是说你偷书不算是偷窃，这时你脑子里就会想了：对啊，我拿这本书不算偷，古人都这么讲了，这就是虚假的自我意识在控制着你，以为自己能找出一个理由，来遮拦自己偷书的意识。今天做错了事情，就算找出千种理由、万种理由，目的就是让自己所做的错事来证实是一个假物。明明是一个假的东西，你非要把它包成是真的东西。举个不好的例子，你去饭店吃东西，这条鱼放了好几天，已经有臭味了，明明是臭的东西，厨师居然把鱼放在油里炸一炸，然后加上浓浓的调味料，端上来给你吃，当你吃到嘴里是不是臭的？
There are two types of self-awareness: authentic self-awareness and false self-awareness. If I simply explain this to you, it might feel abstract and hard to grasp, so let me illustrate with an example to help you understand what self-awareness means. Suppose I visit a library or a bookstore and find a book I really like, but I don’t have money to buy it. Should I take it? Then I remember an old saying: “Stealing a book is not considered theft.” This makes me think: “Right, taking this book isn’t really stealing since the ancients said so.” This is an example of false self-awareness controlling you, making you believe you have a justification for taking the book. Even if you come up with a thousand reasons for a wrong action, the goal is to make your wrongdoing seem like a falsehood. It’s like presenting something false as if it were true. Consider another example, albeit a bit crude: imagine going to a restaurant and ordering fish that has been sitting for days and begun to smell. Clearly, it’s spoiled, but the chef fries it in oil and covers it with a heavy sauce before serving it to you. When you eat it, it remains spoiled, isn’t it?
虚假的意识产生出虚拟的行为，人就是要面子，把这个面子剥掉，就是剥夺虚假的自我意识。学佛就是要把自己身上这些虚假的东西全部去除掉。为什么要念《礼佛大忏悔文》？就是要狠狠地挖自己身上的恶根，把恶根挖掉了，以后才不会长出新的恶草。不肯挖自己身上的恶根，就算把它保住了，时间长了还会长出毒草。学佛就是要改正自己身上的毛病，学佛就是要彻底挖出自己身上的恶根。虚假的意识，要面子，全是空的东西，坚决要改正。
False self-awareness leads to artificial actions, driven by the human desire for face or pride. To strip away this false sense of pride is to remove this false self-awareness. Practising Buddhism involves eradicating all these falsehoods within us. Why do we recite the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance? It’s to rigorously dig out the evil roots within us, ensuring no new wicked sprouts emerge. If we refuse to uproot these evil seeds, even if preserved for a while, they will eventually grow into poisonous weeds. The essence of practising Buddhism is to correct our faults and thoroughly uproot these evils within us. This false self-awareness, the concern for pride, is all emptiness; it’s crucial to resolutely correct this.
学佛，首先要彻底放下自我，要没有我，因为有了虚假的自我意识之后，必然会萌增虚荣心。因为人有眼见、耳闻，还有迷惑与假相，所以每一天都被这些假相所迷惑，天天在做错的事情，活在错误当中，才会不断地滋生出无尽烦恼。如果我们不做错事情，我们就不会有烦恼，就能保持分分秒秒安详。
In Buddhist practice, the first step is to completely let go of the ego, to be without the ‘I’, because the presence of a false self-awareness inevitably breeds vanity. Due to our perceptions and delusions, influenced by what we see and hear, we are misled by these illusions every day, constantly making mistakes and living in error, thereby endlessly breeding countless afflictions. If we avoid wrongdoings, we won’t have these afflictions and can maintain peace and tranquillity every moment.
要记住一句话：有用之人，有所不用。如果是一个很有用的人，就是很有能力的人，他对很多事情就假装不做，他就听，学，不是什么事情都做的，这个事情明明知道能做，就是谦虚不做，什么事情都保留三分。而无用之人，无所不用，而无用的人感觉自己什么都能做，“哎，找我，我能干，保证能做到”，到时就做不到了，就像有些人做生意，说满口话做到最后，欠一大笔债，逃之夭夭。满口饭好吃，满口话讲不得，学佛就是不要讲满话。
Remember this saying: A useful person knows when not to act. A highly capable person often exercises restraint in many situations, opting to listen and learn rather than acting on everything impulsively. They might know they can do something but choose humility over action, always reserving a bit of restraint. On the other hand, a person who thinks they are indispensable often overreaches – they would claim “I can do anything, I give you my word.” But when the time comes, they fall short. Consider some businesspeople who make grand promises, only to end up in debt and abscond. Promises are easy to make but hard to keep; therefore, in Buddhist practice, one should not make promises lightly.
每一个人身上有多少坏毛病？做过多少错的事情？现在想一想，惭愧不惭愧？你们一定要好好修心改过自身的无明习气，要好好做人。首先，要做一个好人，师父才能救你，才能帮助到你，如果你不是一个好人，就算你求菩萨救你，菩萨也不一定能救你啊。
Reflect on how many bad habits you have, how many wrongdoings you’ve committed. Do you feel ashamed? You must earnestly cultivate your mind and rectify the ignorance and habits clouding it. To be helped and saved by me, you must first be a good person. If you are not virtuous, even if you pray to the Bodhisattva for salvation, the Bodhisattva may not be able to help you.
你们一定要好好修心，要创造条件来修心，要让自己所有的德能，道德和智能，全部发挥出来，来弘法利生。不然就对不起观世音菩萨，对不起师父，对不起自己的良心。
You must earnestly cultivate your mind, actively creating conditions that facilitate this. Let all your virtuous capability, morality and wisdom come forth to spread the Dharma and benefit others. Otherwise, you would be failing not just Guan Yin Bodhisattva and me, but also your own conscience.