修得越好，魔越多。大家学佛修心必须要精进。举个简单例子，你在爬山的时候，爬得低时，下山就容易；当你爬得越高时，思想越要专心，而且越来越危险了，也很容易掉下来。修心也是这样。修得越好的人就越容易走偏差，因为你有肉身在人间。所以修得越好的人魔越多，魔考也越多。比如，我现在已经念经念得这么好了，而且念了这么长时间了，为什么家里还是不好、不开心呢？这就是魔考。修得越好的人，魔越跟你搞。就像在学校读书的时候，如果你成绩不好，没有人跟你搞；如果你成绩好了，嫉妒你、诽谤你、讲你不好的全部都出来了，对不对？如果你们现在念经念得好了，到了这个境界了，魔就出来了。魔对你说：“不要学了，太累了。”魔会对你说：“你自己放开一点了，应该自己享乐享乐。”魔会跟你说，你应该做什么什么。实际上魔所说出来的都是让你倒退的，让你想不开，想不明白，这就叫魔考。举个简单例子，这个人很喜欢吃饭、吃菜。在吃饭的时候魔就给他说了：“吃呀，你很喜欢吃，多吃一点。”结果让他吃成了一个大胖子，然后身体就生出许多的病。魔考就是思维当中有偏差的时候，它就来考验你了。比如你们要吃素了，你最喜欢吃的东西会在梦中体现出来，看你要不要吃。所以大家要懂这个道理。
The better your cultivation, the more demons you will encounter. That’s why, in practising Buddhism and cultivating the mind, you must be diligent. Think of it like climbing a mountain: when you’re low down, it’s easy to head back; but the higher you climb, the more focused you need to be, and the more dangerous it becomes—you could easily slip and fall. Cultivating the mind is the same. The better you get at it, the easier it is to veer off course—because you still have a physical body in the human realm.
The more advanced your practise, the more demons there will be, and the more tests they will bring. For example, you might think, “I’ve been reciting sutras so well for such a long time—why is my home life still a mess? Why am I still unhappy?” That’s a demonic test. The better your cultivation, the more the demons will try to throw you off. It’s like being at school: if your grades are poor, no one bothers you; but if you’re top of the class, people get jealous, spread rumours, or talk you down. Isn’t that right? In the same way, when your recitation reaches a certain level, the demons appear. They whisper, “Stop studying—it’s too hard,” or “Relax, enjoy yourself a bit.” They nudge you towards things that pull you back, cloud your thinking, and make you lose clarity—that is a demonic test.
Here’s a simple example: someone loves eating, especially certain dishes. During a meal, the demon whispers, “Go on, you love it—eat more!” Before long, they’re overweight and dealing with all sorts of health problems. A demonic test comes when your thinking goes off track—it’s there to challenge you. For instance, if you’re committed to becoming vegetarian, your favourite foods might pop up in your dreams, tempting you to see whether you’ll give in. You need to understand this.
学佛就是要一步步往上走，一个台阶一个台阶的上。师父曾经给大家讲过，这个世界是因缘和合而成的，有因必有果。对不对？为什么你会生癌症而人家不会呢？为什么你现在能闻到佛法，而很多人还没有闻到呢？这一切不是人所能控制的。算出来的是命，是改变不了的，而掌握在手中的是运，是运才能改命。所以必须要念经，求观世音菩萨慈悲加持才能度过灾难。很多人就是不懂这个道理，这个道理就是你愿意不愿意接受。如果你接受了佛菩萨对你的慈悲，你就能度过灾难；如果你不接受，没有办法，佛菩萨也救不了你。所以师父给你们讲，风水也好，命运也好，如果你们相信了，很多的事情可能就避开了，恶的事情就不会延续下去了；如果你们不相信，不念经的话，很多人就只能走自己的命。现在的天时越来越短，人的命实际上也是越来越短，现在人的寿命比过去人短多了。天灾人祸，现在很多人生癌症，很快就走了。所以大家要珍惜时间，好好精进学佛修心。
Learning Buddhism is about climbing step by step, one level at a time. I’ve told you before: this world arises from the coming together of causes and conditions—where there is a cause, there must be an effect. Right? Why do you develop cancer while others don’t? Why can you encounter the Buddha-dharma when so many haven’t? None of this is under human control. Your fate is set; you can’t change that. But your fortune, what you hold in your hands—can change your fate. That’s why you need to recite sutras and seek the compassionate blessings of Guan Yin Bodhisattva to overcome disasters. Many people don’t understand this. It comes down to whether you are willing to accept it. If you embrace the compassion of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, you can navigate through disasters. If you refuse, then there’s nothing to be done—not even the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can save you. So, let me tell you: whether it’s feng shui or destiny, if you believe, you can avoid many negative outcomes, and bad things won’t keep dragging on. But if you don’t believe and don’t recite sutras, you’re stuck following your predetermined fate. These days, time feels shorter, and human lifespans are shorter too—people now live far less than they used to. With natural disasters and human troubles, so many develop cancer and pass away quickly. So, cherish your time and diligently practise Buddhism and cultivate your mind.
师父今天给大家讲，学佛做人不要轻视人家。作为一个学佛的人，不要轻视人家。如果你们在电话中、在博客里回答问题时，如果不把人家当回事情，你就是轻视人家。做人一定要懂得怎么样重视人家的感情。如果做错了，就是没有重视人家的感情。人家很苦恼，人家很苦，你随便把人家打发掉，随便写几句，从境界上来讲就是没有慈悲心。我们要看得起人家，要重视人家。人家今天给你倒一杯水，人家今天帮助你，都要感谢人家、感恩人家。今天你们坐在这里，椅子是谁给你们放的？今天你们能够来听师父开示，是谁让你们来的？今天能够吃上这么好的饭，能够身体好，这都是观世音菩萨的保佑。你们今天身上没有生癌症，能够活得平平安安，这也是观世音菩萨的慈悲呀。对不对？一定要有感恩的心。但是现在有几个人能感恩人家呢？总是不满足。人家给你做一点事情，还看不起人家。人家对你笑一笑，心想“你是谁？”凡是人家对你笑，对你认真，你都应该有所感恩、有所感悟。今天这些年轻人看见你们很尊敬，你们是借着观世音菩萨的光，并不是说人家应该对你们这样。人家对你好，你要对人家好，一定要看得起人家。
Today, I want to tell you: in practising Buddhism or in your daily interactions with people, don’t look down on others. As a Buddhist practitioner, you mustn’t belittle anyone. When you’re answering questions over the phone or on the blog, if you brush people off like they don’t matter, that’s looking down on them. To be a good person, you need to value others’ feelings. If you get it wrong, it means you haven’t respected their feelings. Someone might be struggling, in real pain, and if you dismiss them with a few casual words, from a spiritual perspective, that’s a sign you lack compassion. We need to respect others and take them seriously. If someone pours you a glass of water today or helps you out, you should thank them and feel grateful. Who set out the chairs you’re sitting on today? Who made it possible for you to be here listening to my Dharma talk? The good food you’re eating, the health you enjoy—it’s all thanks to the blessings of Guan Yin Bodhisattva. The fact that you’re not battling cancer, that you’re living safely and peacefully—that’s Guan Yin Bodhisattva’s compassion at work, isn’t it? You’ve got to have a heart of gratitude. But how many people truly feel gratitude these days? So many are never satisfied. Someone does something for you, and you still look down on them. If someone smiles at you, you think, “Who are they?” Whenever someone smiles at you or treats you sincerely, you should feel grateful and reflect on it. If young people show you respect today, it’s because of the light of Guan Yin Bodhisattva that you are benefiting from while being here—not because you’re entitled to it. If someone treats you well, return that kindness and always show them respect.
善知识，念念无间是功。“善知识”是一个境界很高的在家修行人的称呼。也就是说这个人虽然没有出家，但是他的境界非常高，也可以说是人间菩萨的境界。什么叫善知识？就是知识出来是善的。因为有的知识出来是恶的。什么知识是恶的？教你怎么样中六合彩，教你怎么样赌博，这些是不是知识？但是是恶的知识。教你怎么样跟人打官司，教你怎么样骗人，教你怎么样抢劫，这些全部都是恶的知识。我们学佛之人要接近善知识，而且念念无间是功。什么叫“念念无间是功”？脑子里不停地念经呀，念头没有间隙，没有坏的东西进来，叫念念无间是功。就是说你的脑子里一直有着念经，有着善良的念头，这个时候才会有功德出来，那些坏意念被你挤掉了。
Good Dharma advisor, uninterrupted thought after thought is merit. A “good Dharma advisor” is a term for a lay practitioner with a high level of spiritual attainment. Even though they haven’t been ordained and left home life, their state of mind is lofty—almost like a Bodhisattva in the human world. What makes a good Dharma advisor? Their knowledge is rooted in goodness. Because some knowledge is harmful. What’s harmful knowledge? Things like teaching you how to win the lottery or how to gamble—isn’t that knowledge? But it’s bad knowledge. Teaching you how to sue someone, deceive others, or rob—that’s harmful knowledge too. As Buddhist practitioners, we should seek out good Dharma advisors.
Thought after thought, without interruption, every thought should be wholesome—this is merit. What does it mean? It’s about keeping your mind on reciting sutras, without leaving any gaps for negative thoughts to creep in. That’s constant mindfulness. In other words, when your mind is filled with chanting and kind intentions, merit and virtue arise, and those unwholesome thoughts are pushed out.
举一个例子大家就明白了，今天上午你来观音堂了，一个小时的时候在好好的念经，等你念念念，过一会儿脑子里想到不开心的事情了，骂人了，过一会儿又念经了。好了，你这三个小时的念经加上半个小时的不开心，实际上你得到的功德只有一个小时。听得懂吗？那么这一个小时从量变到质变，就造成了你今天上午没有功德，只有善事。如果一发怒（这就是我们人间经常讲的一句话，叫“火烧功德林”）不是没有功德，而是因为你没有好好修心、念经，让你的功德毁于一旦。比如当夫妻在吵架的时候，因为对方说了一句话，“你这样吵会火烧功德林，你一点功德都没有了”，这样会让对方火上加油，因为他想到了我的功德全部没有了，我索性就这样。所以女人讲话、男人讲话都要适可而止，不要点到人家的痛处。现在很多人就是喜欢点人家的痛处，吵架的时候不把你骂到让你痛、让你难过、让你跳起来是不会过瘾的，一定要把你骂得跳起来。实际上这个就是叫损功累德，这个德很难再聚起来了，是损你的功连累你的德呀。所以你们一定要经常保持清醒、保持脑子干净才能聚起你的功德。
Let me give you an example to make it clearer. This morning, you come to the Guan Yin Hall and spend an hour reciting sutras with focus. But then, as you’re reciting, your mind drifts to something upsetting, and you start cursing someone in your head. After a bit, you go back to reciting. So, out of three hours, you’ve got one hour of proper reciting and half an hour of negative thoughts. In the end, your merit and virtue only amounts to that one hour. Got it? That one hour might not be enough to bring about a true shift from quantity to quality, so you end up with just a good deed, not genuine merit and virtue. When you get angry—there’s a saying we often use, “anger burns down your forest of merit”—it’s not that you have no merit and virtue at all, but because you didn’t cultivate your mind or recite properly, your merit and virtue get wiped out. Take a couple arguing: one says something harsh, and the other snaps back, “You’re burning your merit and virtue with this fight—you’ll have nothing left!” That only adds fuel to the fire, because the person thinks, “If my merit and virtue are gone, I might as well keep going.” So, whether it’s a woman or a man, you need to know when to stop. Don’t poke at someone’s sore spots. These days, many people love hitting where it hurts during arguments—stirring up pain, sadness, or rage just to feel satisfied. But that’s what we call damaging your merit and eroding your virtue. Once virtue is lost, it’s very hard to build it up again. That’s why you must stay clear-headed and keep your mind pure if you want to accumulate merit and virtue.
虽然师父不是很懂得做菜，但是原理都是一样的。比方说你做酒酿，开始的时候把米饭加上酵母，然后盖好发酵，要有一定的时间让它慢慢地发酵才会变成一种酒酿的味道，也才能成为另外一种物质，这都是靠着时间的积累。我们现在做好事、做坏事也是一种积累，到了一定的时候才会转变成为另外一种物质。做酒酿，开始时只不过是米饭，为什么后来会变成酒酿呢？因为它是一个积累的过程。像我们小时候很喜欢吃酒酿，一会儿把盖子打开闻一闻，没有好；一会儿再把盖子打开闻一闻，还没有好……这样它就积累得很慢。你们今天做了很多的善事，一会儿盖子开一开（就是一会儿做了一点坏事），再盖起来，一会儿又开一开……本来一天就能做好的东西，你要两、三天或更长的时间才能完成，你是不是损失了？师父用白话讲给你们的例子都有很高深的意思，就是学佛要精进，不要走一步退一步，用现代话讲叫“三心二意”，叫“三天打鱼两天晒网”。
I may not know much about cooking, but the principle’s the same. Take making sweet fermented rice, for example. At the start you add yeast to the rice, cover it, and let it ferment. It takes time for the flavour to develop and for the rice to transform into something else. That’s all about accumulation over time. The good and bad things we do are like that—they build up, and only after enough time do they turn into something else. At first, sweet fermented rice is just plain rice. Why does it later turn into something different? Through a process of accumulation. When I was a kid, I loved sweet fermented rice. I’d lift the lid to sniff it, but it wasn’t ready. I’d check again later—still not ready. That slows the process down. It’s the same with your good deeds. You do a bunch of good things, but then you “lift the lid” by doing something bad, then cover it again, then lift it again with another bad act. What could have been finished in a day ends up taking two or three days—or even longer. Isn’t that a loss? The examples I’m giving you in plain language carry deep meaning. In Buddhist practice, you must be diligent, not taking one step forward and one step back. In modern terms, we’d call it being “wishy-washy” or “working hard for three days and slacking off for two.”
我们做人要学会换位思考。换位思考是把人家的痛苦拿到自己的身上来体验，把人家的欢乐拿到自己的身上来体验，这样才叫换位思考，这样才叫学佛、学菩萨。大家听得懂吗？比如这个人很痛苦，你换位思考，“如果是我，我会怎么样？”今天有个人的孩子找不到了，出走了，急得不得了，找师父看看。想一想，如果是你的孩子你会怎么样？这才叫换位思考，对不对？人家急，我也急。如果这个人有好事情了，孩子考上大学了，你把他想成是你的孩子考上了，那个时候你才能真的开心，为他人高兴。而现在有几个人能这样做呢？有几个人能为人家想呢？
As human beings, we need to learn to put ourselves in others’ shoes. That means feeling their pain as if it were your own, sharing their joy as if it were yours—that’s true empathy, that’s what it means to learn from the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas. Got it? For example, if someone’s suffering, think, “What if that were me?” Today, someone came to me frantic because her child had run away. Imagine if it was your child—how would you feel? That’s empathy, right? If they’re desperate, you feel that urgency too. Or if someone’s celebrating—like their child got into university—picture it as your own child succeeding. Only then can you genuinely share their happiness. But how many people actually do this? How many truly think about others?
学佛做人要心行平直。就是说我的心在考虑问题的时候是平直的，是没有打弯的。而有些人小肠子太多了，小脑筋太多了，人家讲一件实实在在的事情，他不是平平地去想，脑子不知道转了多少个弯，把别人的意思想歪了，所以他的脑细胞就比别人死得多。这就是为什么很多聪明的人到了晚年容易老年痴呆，因为他的脑容量不够了。心行平直就是心里想的问题都是直直地去想。很多人就是心怀鬼胎，想的不是直来直去的。你讲一句话，他就会想得很多，会想到另外的地方去。学佛就是要心行平直，就是心里的行为要正要直，不要把人家往坏的地方去想。举个简单的例子，我今天讲话不当心，没有想到会得罪他。但是我这句话已经讲出来了，就不要再去想、再去解释了，要知道越解释越糟糕，越解释越麻烦。大家听得懂吗？因为很多人就是活在解释当中，很累的。学佛要学得心胸宽阔，要海纳百川。就是说不管这条川里是什么污浊的水，到了大海里照样变成清澈的。不好的人到了我们东方台观世音堂，我也能让他改变自己，因为佛法是无量无边的。就是这个道理。大家听得懂吗？所以要平等视众生。
In practising Buddhism, we must keep our mind and conduct straight and upright. This means that when I think about something, my thoughts should be clear and direct, not twisted or scheming. Some people overcomplicate everything, turning a simple, honest situation into something convoluted because their mind takes a dozen detours, misinterpreting others’ intentions. That’s why they burn through their mental energy faster. Ever notice how some clever people end up with dementia in old age? It’s because they’ve overtaxed their minds. A straightforward mind and conduct means thinking clearly and directly. Too many people harbour sneaky thoughts, never taking things at face value. If you say something, they overthink it, reading all sorts of meanings into it. Practising Buddhism means keeping your mind and conduct upright—thinking and acting correctly, without assuming the worst of others. For example, if I say something carelessly and offend someone without meaning to, but the words are already spoken, I shouldn’t dwell on it or over-explain. The more you explain, the messier it gets, and the more trouble you stir up. Understand? So many people live in a cycle of justifying themselves—it’s exhausting. To be a Buddhist, you need a broad, open heart, like an ocean that accepts all rivers. No matter how murky a river’s water may be, it becomes clear in the sea. Even someone flawed can come to our Guan Yin Hall and change for the better, because the Buddha-dharma is boundless. That’s the principle. Got it?
一定要平等视众生，这才是德。一个人有没有德就看你有没有平等看待人。你今天看谁都好，你是不是有德？如果你今天对这个好，对那个也好，你的心中就开始产生一种欢喜心。如果你天天活在嫉妒当中，天天活在怕人家说、怕人家挤、怕人家藐视中，你说活得累不累呀？我希望你们年轻人想东西直一点，不要歪肠子太多。想想看，你们这么小的年纪就遭受这么多的苦难。知道是什么苦吗？是思维之苦呀。累呀。人家讲一句话，你们要动多少脑筋，活得多累呀，笑都笑不出来。我就是要把你们培养成心行平直，做人心胸坦荡。但是我要提醒你们不要利用这一点，经常说“我很直的，我想怎么讲就怎么讲，我要骂谁就骂谁”。告诉你们这是绝对不可以的。所以自修自己的身是德，自修自己的佛性是功，把这两个加到一起就是功德。如果你经常修自己的佛性，就是慈悲，你就有功了。如果你经常修自己的身，就是做人像人，实实在在不做坏事，好好做一个人，比如钱是我赚来的，我不偷不抢，不管做什么事情都是一个真挚的人，这样你就是一个有德的人。有德的人就是一个善良的人，善良的人再去学佛、修心的时候，他就有功了。加起来就是功德。
You must treat all beings equally—that’s true virtue. Your level of virtue shows in how equally you view others. If you see everyone as worthy, doesn’t that reflect your virtue? If you treat this person well and that person kindly, your heart starts to fill with joy. But if you’re constantly caught up in jealousy, worrying about what others say, fearing they’ll push you out or look down on you—how exhausting is that? I want you young people to think simply and straight, not to get tangled up in overthinking. Look at you—at such a young age, you’re already carrying so much suffering. Do you know what kind of suffering this is? The suffering of overthinking. It’s draining. Someone says something, and you rack your brain over it, living in exhaustion, unable to even smile. I want to guide you to keep your mind and conduct straight and upright, and have an open, honest character. But let me warn you: don’t misuse this by saying, “I’m just direct, I say what I want, I’ll curse whoever I like.” That’s absolutely not acceptable.
Self-cultivation of your own body is virtue; self-cultivation of your Buddha-nature is merit. Together, they form true merit and virtue. If you constantly cultivate your Buddha-nature, you are practising compassion—that brings merit. If you constantly cultivate your body, living as an honest, decent person who doesn’t do bad things, doesn’t steal or cheat, earning money fairly and acting with sincerity, you are a virtuous person. A virtuous person is a kind person. And when a kind person practises Buddhism and cultivates their mind, they gain merit. That combination is what we call merit and virtue.