师父继续给大家讲第二点，恶口责骂的报应其实是有个周期性的。很多人嘴巴在骂人的时候，因为他的果报还没有成熟，他就没有报应。当一个人在骂人的时候，人家气得不得了，说你一定会有报应的。实际上这个报应是有时间的。大家听得懂吗？吵架的时候你们最喜欢说：你这样骂人，你一定会有报应的，你会得到什么什么报应……为什么你讲了半天人家怎么没有报应呀？因为它有个周转期，你所骂人的恶口要通过一个气场的（身体上叫小周天、大周天），它通过这个气场的轮回、转动才成为一股黑气，听得懂吗？骂人的话出来了，实际上就是骂出了一股恶气和黑气。当这股黑气形成之后你就麻烦了，没有骂出来之前那是不麻烦的，但是骂出去之后你就麻烦了，因为这股黑气不容易散掉。恶气可以伤人，也伤自己。因为这股恶气是先从你的心里形成，所以必定伤到骂人者本人。这股黑气在我们人间来讲就叫恶气，恶气经常残存在心中会影响你的身体，生癌症的人一定是有很多的恶气存在于心中。听得懂吗？所以当一个人如果经常骂人而且是恶口，这个人是堕落狗身，下一辈子投一只狗。你们听不懂狗言狗语，实际上狗在叫的时候它有语言的。有科学家做过实验，狗叫的声音没有一次是一样的，长、短、轻、响都是不一样的。你们在世界上，当你们活在阳间的时候，如果你经常骂人，你们以后投一只狗。你们去看，狗天天在骂，从早骂到晚，它只要一看见陌生人就“汪汪汪……”一直不停地叫，到了晚上人家都睡觉了它还在花园里叫。所以一个人不能随便恶口相加骂人。
Let me now share the second point with you. The karmic retribution for using harsh speech and verbal abuse actually follows a cyclical pattern. Many people curse or scold others, and because the karmic consequence hasn’t yet ripened, they don’t experience retribution straight away. When someone is being verbally abusive, others might say, “You’ll definitely face karmic consequences for that.” In reality, those consequences take time to manifest. Do you understand? When people argue, they often say things like, “You’ll get your karma for saying that… you’ll suffer the consequences.” But then they wonder why the person seems completely unaffected—why hasn’t the karma shown up yet? It’s because there’s a transitional phase. The karma created by harsh speech travels through the body’s energetic system—what we refer to as the small and large circulation cycles of qi. Only after this cycle is completed does that energy transform into a darker form of qi. Do you follow?
When you speak with malice or use harsh words, you’re actually releasing a stream of negative, dark energy. Once this dark energy takes form, that’s when the real harm begins. If those words are never spoken aloud, they might not cause immediate damage—but once expressed, they become problematic. That’s because dark energy doesn’t easily dissipate. And this kind of negative energy harms not only others, but also yourself. It originates in your own heart and mind, so it inevitably rebounds and hurts the speaker. In everyday terms, we might call this “toxic energy”. Over time, if it remains in the heart, it can have serious consequences for your physical health. In fact, many people who develop cancer carry a great deal of toxic energy within. Do you understand? So, someone who frequently uses abusive or harsh language may fall into the animal realm in their next life and be reborn as a dog. You might not understand what dogs are barking about, but they actually have their own form of language. Scientific research has shown that a dog’s bark varies—its length, pitch, volume, and tone are never quite the same. Think about it: a person who constantly scolds others in this life may be reborn as a dog—and what do dogs do? They bark all day long. The moment they see a stranger, they bark non-stop: “Woof, woof, woof!” Even in the middle of the night, when everyone else is asleep, they’re still yapping away in the yard. That’s why we must never use harsh speech or insult others lightly.
So, you must diligently cultivate your minds and keep your body, speech, and mind—the Three Gates—pure. Why are body, speech, and mind called the Three Gates? Because these are the three main channels through which karma is created. Your body creates karma — many people commit wrongdoings with their physical actions. Your speech creates karma — criticising others, gossiping, or speaking harshly all generate negative karma, right? And your mind creates karma through harmful thoughts. These are the Three Gates, and you need to guard them carefully. No matter what, take care to keep these three in check. Got it?
师父接下来给大家讲第三点：闻思修。“闻”就是听到。闻佛法，就是听到佛法。“思”是当你听到佛法之后，你就产生了思维；当你有了思维以后，你就知道好坏，然后知道要修心。你们一定要闻思修，要有一个坚定不移的信念。因为我们必须对佛法生起正念，要有坚定不移的信念。我们今天闻到了佛法，我们思前想后，我们明白了道理，我们开始修心了，这个时候就要加上一个信念，因为只有有坚定的信念，你才能修成正果。大家听得懂吗？要修持自心，修成自信。首先要把自己的心修好，把自己的心修好之后，最重要的是控制好自己身口意。师父给你们讲过佛法里面有很多的三字经，这三个字都是很重要的，如“身口意，信愿行，贪瞋痴”等等，实际上这些就是佛菩萨总结出来让我们学佛最精辟的言论。大家听得懂吗？所以要好好修自己的心，要身口意三门清净。为什么叫身口意是三门呢？身体、嘴巴、意念统称为“三门”，这三个门最容易造业——身体容易造业，嘴巴容易造业，意识最容易造业。身体造业，很多人做坏事都是用身体去做坏事。嘴巴最易造业，整天说三道四讲人家不好，对不对？还有意识当中造业。这是三个门，请你们好好的把关，无论如何都要把好自己的关，明白吗？
Now let me share the third point with you: hearing, contemplating, and cultivating. Hearing means to listen — to hear the Dharma. It refers to being exposed to the Buddha’s teachings. Contemplation is the reflection that arises after hearing those teachings — once you’ve listened, you begin to think deeply about them. Through this process, you develop the ability to discern right from wrong and realise the importance of cultivating the mind. You must engage in hearing, contemplation, and cultivation with unwavering faith. We need to approach the Dharma with right mindfulness and firm belief. When we hear the Dharma, reflect on it, and grasp its truths, we begin the process of cultivating our minds. At this stage, we must also develop strong faith — because only with unwavering faith can true spiritual attainment be realised. Do you understand?
We must cultivate our minds and nurture inner confidence. Begin by refining your heart. Once your heart is in a good state, the next step is to regulate your body, speech, and mind. I’ve mentioned before that Buddhist teachings often come in sets of three. These “threefold principles” are incredibly important. For example: body, speech, and mind; faith, vows, and practice; greed, anger, and ignorance. These concise teachings have been passed down by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas as essential guidance for our practice. Do you understand? So you must diligently cultivate your mind and maintain purity in your body, speech, and mind — the Three Gates. Why are they called gates? Because they are the three main channels through which karma is created. The body creates karma — many people commit unwholesome acts through physical behaviour. Speech creates karma — criticising others, gossiping, or speaking harshly all generate negative karma, don’t they? And the mind creates karma through unwholesome thoughts. These are the Three Gates, and you must guard them well. Whatever happens, always take care to keep them in check. Got it?
因为当你们好好修持自己的时候，你们就会预知（预知就是预先的知道）无常快到了。无常是谁呀？大家都知道。但是你们偏偏想错了，这个“无常”不是地府来拉人的无常，是世事无常。世界上所有的事情都是没有长久的，这叫“世事无常”。当这个世间已经没有长久的时候，你应该生出出离心，就是你赶快要把自己的这个心离开世界上的一切物质欲望，赶快在人间把这个烦恼心去除，离开这个烦恼道。要赶快离开啊，必须离开这个世间的烦恼。出离心是什么意思呢？赶快离开，出去离开这个心。因为这个心让你得到烦恼、让你脱不开自己、让你修心有误、让你偏离正法、让你没有智慧。因为一个人如果把自己这颗烦心拉不出来，实际上这个人就会偏离。举个简单例子，你看两派在打架，如果你在外面，你已经出离他们了，你就可以知道两边都不好。但是当你是某一派的朋友，你没有离开这个圈子，你还在里面看，你一定会认为某一方是对的，某一方是错的。因为你没有离开，你就看不出这个世界真实的东西。一个人必须离开凡尘，虽然你的肉体离不开凡尘，但是你的心先要离开。你们知道烦恼来自于哪里吗？烦恼来自于心。你的心烦了，你才会意乱，所以叫心烦意乱。你们要把自己的心管好，把自己的意念管好。师父刚刚给你们讲的要守住三门，一定要离开凡尘。比如吵架的时候，就离开这个吵架的地方。烦恼的时候，就离开这个烦恼的地方，不要去想它，你就没有烦恼了。这叫“出离心”。
When you truly commit to your cultivation, you will begin to perceive impermanence — that is, you’ll become aware ahead of time that impermanence is drawing near. What is impermanence? Everyone knows what it is. But many people have misunderstood it. The impermanence I’m referring to here isn’t the enforcement officers from the Underworld who come to take souls — it’s the impermanence of worldly matters. All things in this world are transient — nothing lasts forever. This is what we mean by worldly impermanence. When you realise that nothing in this world is permanent, a sense of renunciation should naturally arise within you. That means you must urgently distance your heart from worldly, material desires. Let go of your troubled mind and leave behind this realm of affliction. You must free yourself from worldly worries — without delay.
So, what does renunciation mean? It means letting go — stepping back and breaking free from the attachments within your heart. This heart of yours is what causes affliction. It traps you, hinders your cultivation, pulls you away from the true Dharma, and clouds your wisdom. If you can’t free yourself from that troubled mind, you’ll stray from the right path. Here’s a simple example: imagine two groups are fighting. If you stand outside the conflict, detached from both sides, you can see clearly that neither side is entirely right. But if you’re caught up in one group, still deep in the conflict, you’ll likely believe your side is right and the other is wrong. Because you haven’t stepped back, you can’t see the reality of the situation — you can’t see the truth of the world.
A person must detach from the mundane world. Although your physical body may remain in the human realm, your mind must detach first. Do you know where affliction comes from? It comes from the mind. When your mind is disturbed, your thoughts scatter. That’s why we say a troubled mind leads to confused intentions. You must take charge of your own mind and guard your thoughts. As I’ve said, it’s essential to guard the Three Gates — and it’s just as essential to free yourself from worldly defilements. For example, when caught in an argument, walk away. When feeling distressed, step away from the source of your distress and stop dwelling on it. In doing so, your afflictions will begin to fade. This is the true essence of renunciation.
要珍惜暇满人生的修行。什么叫“暇”？无暇的暇。要把心和身体修得圆满，你这个人生它的修行才能圆满。如果你注重了细微的因果，也就是说你做每一件事情的时候你要当心，我会不会做错事情？我这个事情做出来之后，会不会有损我的功德？我做出那个事情之后，会不会浪费我的功德？如果你每一件事情都想得仔细一点，那么你就会得到一个圆满的人生。就像青年团的人一样，他们在这里帮忙做功德，自己的东西都不敢打印，因为他们认为打印自己的东西会造成自己的功德有漏。你看他们的境界高不高？一份自己的简历都不舍得在电台里打印，这就叫境界的提升。师父听到后真的很感动。照说在电台上上网有什么关系呢？他们都不愿意做这种事情。他们的境界我看比你们这里很多人要高啊。你们很多人虽然坐在这里听课，但是境界不一定很高。
We must treasure the opportunity to cultivate ourselves through a human life endowed with both freedoms and favourable conditions. What does freedom mean? It refers to being free from circumstances that hinder the practice of the Dharma. Only when both your mind and body are well cultivated can the purpose of this precious human life be fulfilled. If you pay attention to the subtle workings of cause and effect — that is, if you remain mindful in everything you do and ask yourself: “Am I doing the right thing?” “Will this action diminish my merit and virtue?” or “Will it deplete the merit and virtue I’ve accumulated?” — then you are on the path to a complete and meaningful life. Take, for example, the young volunteers at this Buddhist practice centre. They come here to help and to accumulate merit and virtue, yet they won’t even print personal documents like résumés using the centre’s equipment. Why? Because they worry that doing so might cause a loss or leakage of their merit and virtue. Isn’t that a high level of spiritual awareness? They won’t even print a single page of their own résumé at the centre — this is what it means to have an elevated state of mind. When I heard this, I was genuinely moved. You might think, “What’s the harm in using the centre’s internet or printer?” Yet they refuse to take even the slightest advantage. From what I’ve seen, their spiritual level surpasses that of many people sitting here listening to this talk. Simply being present doesn’t necessarily mean your state of mind is elevated.
“暇满人生”是什么意思呢？就是当你做每一件事情的时候，你注重它细微的因果。也就是说，很多人种的是大因大果，但是你要注重每一个因果，很细微的我都要当心不要去做错。比如骂人，“我根本不会去骂人”，但是你讲话当中你阴人家了，你连这些都要注重，你才能破三界、出六道之幻网。因为你脱不了六道，你就永远在这个幻网当中。六道就像一个网一样，把你紧紧地套住了。六道就像一个幻想童话故事里所幻想的东西一样，像一个网一样把你紧紧地束缚住了。你只有如履薄冰非常当心地在种自己的因果，因为每一个人都在种自己的因果，你们天天都在种因果呀，你说不种因果可能吗？那我今天睡觉，我不种因果了。错了。你睡觉又种下了因果。因为你睡得太多，你第二天爬不起来浑身酸痛；因为你睡得太多，增长愚痴。明白吗？一定要记住，我们人做事，从人间的佛法来讲就是要步步为营，小心谨慎，但所有的事情你都是避不开、逃不过因果的。你们在这里现在也在种因。那么你们说现在是种的善因，还是恶因呢？是善因，对不对？因为你们在学佛啊。那么你们在吃饭的时候，你们是不是在种因呢？如果你按照正常的饭量吃，那你是种下了善因。如果你狂吃，或吃人家的东西，或偷人家的东西吃，那你是不是在种恶因？你们说在人间哪一件事情不是在种因呢？但是你说我要逃避因果，这可能吗？你一个表情就是一个因果。你看人家一眼，又是种了一个因。你这个因，眼睛看看人家别人都会很讨厌，眉头一皱，接下来人家就讲你坏话了，你的果又得到了。所以在人间到处都是因果啊！
So what does it truly mean to have a human life with freedoms and favourable conditions? It means being mindful of even the smallest karmic causes and effects. Many people focus only on major karma and its obvious consequences — but we must also be cautious with the subtle ones. For example, you might think, “I would never curse someone,” but even if you speak in a way that subtly harms or undermines others, that too creates karmic consequences. Only by being vigilant with even these small actions can you break free from the Three Realms and escape the illusory web of the Six Realms of Existence. If you remain bound to the Six Realms, you are stuck in that illusory web like a character trapped in a fantastical storybook world. The only way out is to tread carefully, as if walking on thin ice — being mindful of every karmic seed you plant — because you are constantly planting karma, whether you realise it or not. Can you say, “I’m not creating karma today because I’m just sleeping”? That would be a mistake. Even sleeping can create karma: if you oversleep, you wake up sore and sluggish; too much sleep breeds ignorance. Understand?
From a Buddhist perspective, everything we do in this human world must be done with great care. You cannot avoid or escape cause and effect. Even sitting here, right now, you are creating karma. So ask yourself — are you planting wholesome or unwholesome seeds? You’re learning the Buddha-dharma, so you’re creating positive karma. But what about when you eat? Are you mindful then? If you eat an appropriate amount, you plant good seeds. But if you overindulge, eat food that doesn’t belong to you, or even steal food — then you’re planting unwholesome seeds. Think about it: is there anything in this human world that isn’t creating karma? You might try to avoid karma, but is that even possible? Even your facial expressions create karma. A single glance at someone — there’s a cause. If you give them a dirty look or frown, it might lead to someone badmouthing you — and there’s your consequence. So karma is everywhere in this world!
我们不种因果可能吗？不种因果，就像你不要空气一样。所以师父给你们讲的佛法就是让你们记住，因果犹如你呼吸的空气一样，你是离不开的。比如你今天听佛法睡着了，你种了一个睡着的因，这点佛法你就学不到。等到你下一次有不开心的时候，你就应用不到这些佛法，就会起贪瞋痴，你的功德就不够。对不对？为什么师父不让你们随便请假？实际上师父给你们讲课是给你们加持。过去经常有人请假，你们珍惜不珍惜呀？你们知道你们的命还能活多久？你们知道你们的因果已经种下去有多少吗？你们现在浑身的毛病、家庭的矛盾、各种各样的身体不好、还有各种各样的灾难，你们已经是受果报了。你能把自己身上的因果清洁干净吗？已经在这里学佛了，还要继续造不好的因。同样是弘法，心里还要喜欢这个人，喜欢那个人，是你们喜欢的吗？各人种因各人得果，各人吃饭各人饱，很简单的道理。救得了的救，救不了的就放。师父知道，有些人知道了没有被批准做弟子，你们看这人还来观音堂吗？是我讲的还是他自己做出来的？一个人要经得起考验。经不起考验的人那就叫废人。你们说说看，在你们成长的路程当中哪一个人没有经过考验的？要懂啊！要明白，要明理啊！所以你只有注重细微的因果，你才能破三界，即欲界、色界、无色界，你才能出六道之幻网。
Can we really avoid creating karma? Saying you don’t create karma is like saying you don’t need air to breathe. That’s why I often tell you: karma is just like the air you breathe — you can’t live without it. For example, if you doze off during today’s Dharma Talk, you’ve planted the karmic seed of heedlessness, and you’ll miss out on the teachings. Later, when you encounter hardship or feel unhappy, you won’t be able to apply the Dharma — you’ll fall into greed, anger, and ignorance, and your merit and virtue won’t be enough to sustain you. Isn’t that true?
That’s why I don’t easily approve of people taking leave. When I give a Dharma Talk, I am also bestowing blessings. In the past, people would often ask for leave. But I ask you — do you truly treasure this opportunity? Do you know how long your life will last? Do you know how much karma you’ve already accumulated? All the ailments in your body, the family conflicts, health issues, and various misfortunes you’re facing — these are all karmic retributions already ripening. Can you completely cleanse yourself of all karmic causes and effects? Now that you’re studying Buddhism here, how can you continue planting unwholesome karma? Even while spreading the Dharma, some people remain attached — liking this person, disliking that one. But is Dharma propagation about personal preferences?
Each person creates their own karma and bears their own results—just as everyone eats to fill their own stomach. It’s a simple truth. Save those who can be saved; let go of those who cannot. I know that some people, after being told they weren’t approved to become disciples, stop coming to the Guan Yin Hall altogether. But is that my doing, or their own choice? A person must be able to withstand tests. If someone can’t even handle a small setback, what good will they be in the face of greater challenges? Think about it—who hasn’t faced trials on the path of growth? You must learn to understand, to see clearly, and to grasp the truth. Only when you are mindful of even the subtlest karmic causes and effects can you break free from the Three Realms—the Desire Realm, the Form Realm, and the Formless Realm—and escape the illusory web of the Six Realms of Existence.