我们合成的身体是虚幻不实的。什么叫合成的身体？我们这个身体是五行假合之身。你去问问中医，问问研究人体的科学家，我们的身体实际上就是“地、水、火、风、空”组合而成，死掉之后什么都没有了。虚幻不实就是说它是靠不住的。有谁敢说我保证身体好？谁可以说自己的腰一辈子都不会疼啊？谁可以说自己的头发长出来了，明天就不会掉了？谁可以保证自己不长皱纹呢？谁可以保证自己不死啊？无常的东西就是一种幻觉，就是一种虚幻的东西，它不是一个实体。我们人有一个毛病，就是把虚假的物质当成真的。实际上这个身体就不是真的。开心了，出去旅游了；一会悲伤了，不想活了。身体好，什么都做；身体不好，什么都做不了。这些物质东西都是虚幻的。
Our bodies are “composite and illusory.” What does that mean? This body of ours is a temporary union of the Five Elements—earth, water, fire, wind, and space. Ask a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine or a scientist studying the human body: essentially, our body is nothing more than a combination of these elements. When we die, they disperse—nothing remains. To call it illusory means it cannot be relied upon. Who can guarantee their body will always remain healthy? Who can say their back will never ache? Who can be sure the hair that grows today won’t fall out tomorrow? Who can claim they’ll never develop wrinkles? And who can promise they’ll never die? All these impermanent things are illusions—they are not lasting entities. Yet people make the mistake of treating this illusory body as though it were real. When they’re happy, they go travelling; when they’re sad, they don’t even want to live. With good health, they feel capable of anything; when unwell, they feel unable to do anything. All these material conditions are illusory.
很多人很执着于肉体。我一定要把我的身体怎么样、怎么样，到最后能怎么样？你们的身体能够为你们做什么事情？能为你们做的就是累赘。要是没有这个身体的话，你身上会痛吗？打你的灵体你不会痛的，只有一种淡淡的感觉。你们现在这儿痛、那儿痛，为什么？就是因为你们有了这个累赘的身体。这个身体既肮脏，又累赘。一天不洗澡行不行啊？就这副臭皮囊，还要拼命地去保护？实际上身体就是一个臭皮囊，它只不过是作为你们在人间生活的有形之体。它是不能带走的，是没有办法保留住的。这种东西如果不是生在你身上，你肯定早就把它扔了。举个例子，苹果放了一两个星期皮皱起来了，谁吃啊？大家都挑最新鲜的、最有水分的吃。我们自己年龄大了的时候满脸皱纹，跟苹果一样，舍不舍得扔掉啊？不舍得啊，因为这是我的。
Many people are obsessed with their physical body, thinking, “I’ve got to keep it this way or that way.” But in the end, what can you actually do with it? Your body is just a burden. Without this body, would you feel pain? If someone strikes your spirit-body, you won’t feel pain—only a faint sensation. Why do you ache here and there now? Because you’re weighed down by this cumbersome body. It’s not just a burden—it’s filthy as well. Can you go even a single day without washing? This “stinking skin-bag,” as it’s called, is what people go to such lengths to protect. But in truth, the body is just that—a stinking skin-bag, a temporary vessel for living in the Human Realm. You can’t take it with you, and you can’t preserve it. If it weren’t part of you, you’d have thrown it away long ago. Take an apple, for example. Leave it out for a week or two, and the skin wrinkles—who would eat it? Everyone picks the freshest, juiciest ones. When we grow old and our faces wrinkle, it’s the same as that apple. Can we bear to throw it away? No—because we think, “It’s mine.”
师父讲话很实在，言简意明。不要拼命去追求那些留不住的东西。你们现在最要紧去追求的就是精神、灵魂，那才高尚啊。一个人打扮得再漂亮，但精神很肮脏，这个人就是很肮脏的。你们去看看那些外国女孩子，也打扮得很漂亮，那些歌星也很漂亮，你看他们那些丑闻曝出来之后呢？很恶心。所以要记住，我们追求的是一种无形的东西，是一种非常高尚的东西，是从内心深处发出来的慈悲心和感恩心。这种心才要去保留啊！
I speak plainly and directly. Don’t waste your energy chasing things that won’t last. What you should be pursuing is your spirit, your soul—that’s what’s truly noble. Someone may dress beautifully, but if their spirit is filthy, they remain filthy. Look at many celebrities—glamorous on the outside, but when their scandals are exposed, it’s revolting. So remember: what we should seek is something formless, deeply noble—the compassionate and grateful heart that arises from within. That is what you must preserve.
接下来给大家说“有为法”。实际上，这个身体叫你们不要当作真的。“有为法”，就是说这个法、这个法身、我们在人间的一切法，它都是有为的。就是有利益有作为的法，都是有目的的，都是有利益的。有利益、有作为的法，实际上就不称为法。举个例子，澳大利亚法律是为自己的政府和人民所修订的法律，这叫有为法。为什么还有国际法？国际法就是不讲你自己国家的，而讲全人类，从人出发的，不是狭隘的法。现在叫你们学大乘佛法，就是说不要去执着于自己的身体、我的家、我的肉体、我的什么什么，而是要去救度众生。所有的人都是有灵性的，所有的人都是我们的原灵啊，我们要同体大悲。一切的一切有为法都是无常的，没有一个可以长久的。你能把你父母保持长久吗？你能把你老婆孩子保持长久吗？你能把你的肉体保持长久吗？很多人肚子饿的时候说我一天没吃饭了，晚上吃一顿，撑得不得了。当时的感觉饱不饱？这是有为法，是有东西了。第二天早上吃不吃早饭？照样吃，除了肠胃不好的人。为什么？因为消化后到了时候就要吃。
Next, let me explain the concept of “conditioned phenomena.” Your body is not something you should regard as real. Conditioned phenomena refers to things in the Human Realm, including our physical form—all dharmas that arise due to conditions and exist with a purpose. They have motives, functions, and benefits. But precisely because they are conditioned, they are not ultimate Dharma. For example, Australian law is made for the benefit of its government and people—that’s conditioned phenomena. But why do we have international law? Because it looks beyond the interests of a single country, addressing humanity as a whole. In the same way, learning Mahāyāna Buddhism means not clinging to “my body, my home, my family, my possessions,” but instead focusing on saving and awakening sentient beings. Everyone has a spirit, a shared essence. That is why we must cultivate great compassion towards all beings, recognising that we are one unified body. All conditioned phenomena are impermanent—nothing lasts forever. Can you keep your parents forever? Your spouse or children? Your own body? When you’re hungry, you might say, “I haven’t eaten all day,” then eat a big meal and feel full. In that moment, are you satisfied? Yes. But the next morning, don’t you still eat breakfast—unless your stomach is unwell? Why? Because the food has already been digested. That’s the nature of conditioned phenomena: they arise and pass away.
一切都是在妙有的真空中。真空就是里面没有空气了。真空包装就是把空气抽掉，抽掉空气之后就是真的东西了。举个例子，你们把绵羊被放在塑料袋里，用吸尘器一吸，这么大的绵羊被就剩这么一点点了。抽掉了里面的空气，空气也有面积的。那人呢？如果把你的皮、把你的骨头、把你的肉、把你的脂肪全部抽空的话，你不就是一副骷髅头吗？所以叫妙有的真空，非常奇妙而生存的真空当中。实际上我们生活的这个空间是一个假的世界，什么东西都是假的，什么都是空的。那你为什么这么执着啊？师父讲给你们听，真空就是生活在一个真实的社会当中。很多小和尚喜欢女孩子，你们知道老和尚怎么教育他们的吗？当你看到一个女孩子漂亮，你就要想到她老了，把她的皮拿掉，把她的肉拿掉，你就看到她像一个骷髅头一样，你再想象她身上有什么什么的脏东西……他就让那些小和尚看到底，看到你妙有的真空。然后呢，小和尚一看，原来漂亮的女人就是这么个东西啊，他不愿意要了，他不愿意去追求了，这实际上就是在帮助他们修行，来克制他的欲望，虽然这是很辛苦的。
Everything in the world demonstrates the wondrous existence within true emptiness. What is “true emptiness”? Think of vacuum packaging—it removes all the air inside, leaving only the “real” thing. Imagine placing a large wool quilt in a plastic bag and vacuum-sealing it—something huge shrinks down to a fraction of its size. Once the air is removed, it collapses, showing that even air occupies space. And what about people? If you stripped away the skin, bones, flesh, and fat, what would remain but a skeleton? That is why we say everything exists wondrously within true emptiness. In truth, the world we live in is an illusion; everything is empty—so why cling to it so stubbornly? True emptiness means living in a real world. For example, many young monks feel desire when they see a pretty woman. Do you know how senior monks guide them? They say, “When you see a beautiful woman, imagine her in old age, her skin sagging, her flesh gone, until all you see is a skeleton. Imagine also the filth and impurities within her body.” By showing them this way, they are guided to see through appearances, to perceive the wondrous existence of true emptiness. Once they realise what a “beautiful” woman really is, their desire fades and they stop chasing after her. It may be a harsh method, but it helps them in their practice.
上次师父给你们说过，人生出来有食色，这是没有办法的，你要用智慧去克制，而不是用非常死板的方法来丑化这个事物。举个例子，小孩子已经拉肚子了，妈妈买了个西瓜回家，不让他吃，小孩子拼命要吃。妈妈就说：“我告诉你，西瓜里有什么什么的，你要是吃了，会怎样怎样的。”讲得很严重。你说妈妈讲完之后，小孩还吃不吃啊？小孩子还是要吃，因为他没有那种直接的感觉。你应该告诉他利害关系。比如吃了肚子会更痛；或者转移法，让他想别的事情，明天再给他吃。实际上，明天你就把西瓜拿掉了。人的意念在不停地转，在不停地换，所以这些假的东西也在不停地换。人的心情，今天可以让你愤怒，明天可以让你开心，这心情也是假的。人很可怜的，人就是随着境在变啊。今天环境好了，我好开心。人永远是被一样无形的东西控制住的。在世间，任何事物都在变。师父希望你们追求一种不变的东西。
Previously, I told you: when a person is born, they naturally have desires for food and sex. That is unavoidable. But you must use wisdom to manage these desires, not crude methods to make things seem ugly. Let me give you an example. A child has diarrhoea. The mother brings home a watermelon but won’t let him eat it. The child insists, so she frightens him, saying: “There are bad things inside the watermelon—if you eat it, such and such will happen.” She makes it sound terrible. Will the child stop eating after hearing that? Probably not, because he can’t directly feel the danger. Instead, she should explain clearly: “If you eat it, your stomach will hurt even more.” Or she can distract him with something else and promise he can eat it tomorrow, then quietly remove the watermelon. Our thoughts are always shifting, always changing—and so are these illusory things around us. Today your mood might stir up anger, tomorrow it might bring joy. This shows how unreal emotions are. Humans are pitiable—we are always pushed around by external conditions. When circumstances are favourable, we feel happy. But we’re always being controlled by something intangible. Everything in this world is constantly changing. What I want you to pursue is something unchanging.
接下来给你们讲，在这个世界当中，要随缘无碍。什么事情只要你随着缘了，就没有阻碍。本来有阻碍的，比如你跟儿子媳妇不开心，那么现在你随缘了、你想开了，大家在一起客客气气，就无碍了吧？如果你不随缘，心里总想着他们过去对你的不理不睬，对你的种种不好。好了，阻碍来了吧？自己难过了吧？什么都要想开，什么东西都是假的。你想到只要师父在，你死后能够上天，那是多么开心啊！上天后没有臭皮囊，不会痛的。你们现在这里痛，那里痛，实际上痛的是你的肉体，因为这个肉体是被灵魂所占有。这个灵魂占有你的肉体，你的肉体才会痛苦。很多人为什么要打麻药啊？补牙你们是知道的，那种“嗞嗞嗞”的声音，痛吧？现在一想到那种声音出来，酸不酸啊？等你们的牙掉光了全是假的了，还有痛苦吗？实际上到你们走的时候，你们的真牙也是假的。你们现在感到痛苦的就是这个臭皮囊。等到你们一走，就只剩原灵，你们会痛苦吗？师父讲话讲的到位吧。师父给你们讲话就是喜欢用人间法来启发众生。这就叫你们活得自在，把以为是真的东西扔掉了，你就潇洒自如了。谁对我不好，我扔掉；这个家具不好，我扔掉；老板对我不好，走掉再找。旧的不去，新的不来。该扔的就要扔，不扔，你就像卖古董的一样，永远保持着这个古董。古董除了展示给人家看看，还有什么用处啊？而且古董还惹灵性啊。要把假的东西扔掉。假到真时真亦假。
Next, let’s talk about going along with conditions without obstacles. When you follow the natural course of things, nothing holds you back. Say you’re upset with your son or daughter-in-law. If you let go and go with the flow, treating them politely, the tension disappears, doesn’t it? But if you refuse to adapt, dwelling on how they ignored you or treated you poorly, what happens? The obstacles pile up, and you’re the one who suffers. You must learn to let things go—everything is temporary and illusory. Just think: as long as I have my Master, when I pass away, I’ll ascend to the heavens. How joyful is that! In the heavens, you won’t have this smelly, aching body. The pains you feel now come only because your soul inhabits this physical body, and that’s what suffers. Why do people need anaesthesia? Think about the dentist—the “zzz-zzz-zzz” of the drill. Painful, isn’t it? Just thinking about it can make your teeth ache. But once your teeth are gone and you wear dentures, do you still feel pain? No. In the end, when you leave this world, even your natural teeth are only temporary. The pain you feel now comes from this “stinking skin-bag”—your flawed body. Once you leave it behind, only your original spirit remains. Will that feel pain? No. This is the point I want you to grasp. I like to use everyday examples to awaken people. That’s how you live freely—by letting go of what you thought was real. Someone treats you badly? Let it go. Furniture no good? Throw it out. Boss unfair? Leave and find another job. If the old doesn’t go, the new won’t come. What must be discarded must be discarded. If you refuse, you’re like an antiques dealer—clinging to old relics. Antiques may look nice to show off, but what real use are they? Worse, they can attract spirits. You must cast aside false things. When the false is taken as real, even the real becomes false.
学佛必须打破身见。身就是身体的感悟和感觉，这都是非常重要的。比如说我们有这个肉身，我们能感觉到风，我们能感觉到光，因为我们有这么个身体自身存在。如果你没有这个身，你怎么来念经啊？你没有这个嘴巴，单单心里念，有几个人能念？这就是你们问我，在天上、在地府能不能修心、念经？今天师父从侧面回答你们。现在你们嘴巴不要动，脑子里念经，能从头念到底吗？单单用灵性这个东西不能念经。很多人问台长，为什么到了天上不能再修？难啊，因为他没有肉体，很享福的。但在人间，师父要是没有肉体来救你们，你们就听见声音，看不到人，你们很怕的。师父必须要有这个肉体，嘴巴必须出声音才能把经念下去。有一种念佛法门就是听自己的声音来集中你的思想。灵体在我们人体当中做了很多的工作，可以控制身体各个部门，但必须知道还是要有肉身在人间。打破身见，就是看穿肉身，寻找真性。
In Buddhist practice, we must break through the view of an existent body. The body is simply our physical sensations and perceptions, which feel very real to us. For example, with this flesh-body we can feel the wind, we can see the light—because the body exists. But without this body, how would you recite sutras? Without a mouth, could you recite aloud? And if you rely only on the mind, how many of you could sustain it all the way through? This addresses a question some of you have asked: can we cultivate the mind or recite sutras in the heavens or the Underworld? Here’s your answer. Try now: keep your mouth still and recite only in your mind. Can you keep it going from start to finish? Relying on the spirit alone, without the physical body, makes it nearly impossible. That’s why people in the heavens find it hard to cultivate further—without a body, they’re only enjoying blessings. Here in the Human Realm, I need a body in order to teach you. If I had no body, you’d only hear a disembodied voice, and that would frighten you. I need this body, and my mouth, to produce sound and recite sutras. There’s even a Buddhist practice where you focus your mind by listening to your own chanting voice. The spirit does a lot of work within the body—it governs many functions—but you must understand that cultivation requires a body in the Human Realm. Breaking through the view of an existent body means seeing through the illusion of the flesh and seeking your true nature.
人间是最好修心的地方，赶快抓紧啊！“念”字是由两个字组成的，上面是“今”，下面是“心”，这个“今”字就是缘影为真心。就是说今天我们所做的一切，第一个是缘分；第二个是如梦幻影，是人的影子，是没有的东西，完全靠因缘和影子和合而成。你前世做了一件好事，立了这么一个影子，这辈子这个影子就出来了；你立了一个坏的东西，那这辈子这个影子就照出了你坏的东西。如果你在五光十色的太阳下面，你会照出你的神采，照出你的身体，像霞光万道一样；如果在黄昏的月光之下，照出来就是你的黑影。做坏事就犹如黄昏的月亮把你照得暗，做好事就犹如白天光芒四射，把你照得像彩虹一样。今天要用心做任何事情，你才有这个念，你的心念才会纯真，才能身心合一。
The Human Realm is the best place for cultivating the mind, so grasp the opportunity! Consider the Chinese character for “thought” (念). It’s made of two parts: “now” (今) at the top and “heart/mind” (心) at the bottom. “Now” here means that everything we do in this very moment arises from karmic conditions and fleeting reflections. Life is like a shadow—nothing truly exists on its own; it is all the result of causes and conditions. If in a past life you performed good deeds, you left behind a “shadow,” and in this life, that shadow reflects your goodness. If in a past life you committed wrongs, that shadow reflects those misdeeds. Stand in the bright sun and your body casts a radiant shadow, shining like beams of light. Stand under the pale moon at dusk, and a dark shadow appears. Doing good is like standing in the sunlight—your shadow shines brilliantly, like a rainbow. Doing evil is like standing in the dim light of the moon—your shadow grows heavy and dark. So today, whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly. Only then can your thoughts be pure and true, and only then can body and mind unite as one.