在这个世界上有生就有死。一个人有生了，就会有死，有壮就有衰。你今天看上去很强壮，等到了晚年你不就是衰了吗？有聚就有散。今天我们能聚在一起，总有一天我们会散掉的，世界上没有不散的宴席。所以这个世界上有生就有死，有壮就有衰，有聚就有散。无常很迅速地就来了，人生就是梦一场。你们去追求世间的东西，追求到最后得到了什么？得到的就是浑身都是病痛，得到的就是这把老骨头。
In this world, where there is birth, there is death. Once a person is born, death inevitably follows. Where there is strength, there will be decline. You may look strong today, but in old age you will inevitably weaken. Where there is gathering, there will be separation. We may come together today, but one day we will part—there is no gathering in this world that does not eventually disperse. So in this world, birth leads to death, strength leads to decline, and gatherings end in separation. Impermanence arrives swiftly; life is nothing more than a dream. You spend your life chasing worldly things—what do you end up with? A body full of illness and a frail set of ageing bones.
人生就是梦一场，今天有，明天没有。所以我们要学修光明，要学修到后来自己很光明，心中很光明。听得懂吗？要心中很光明，心中要有亮，要有光明，要做十方佛。“十方佛”是什么？就是要具有佛菩萨所具有的所有的智慧和德能。要懂得把佛光进入到自己的心中去，这样你才能拥有佛光；如果这个佛光根本进不了你的身体，那你这个人就没有佛光。有佛光的人，才能普照。如果没有佛光，你照不亮自己，更照不到人家。所以我们无论如何要明白，学佛学光明，学佛就要学到心中，学佛就要回归自性，就是回归自己的本性；学菩萨要广度有缘众生，学佛要教导人家脱离苦海。所以佛菩萨给我们讲要“四大皆空”。什么叫”四大皆空”？即“地、水、火、风”。实际上菩萨这句话的意思是说，世界上的万物全是空的、假的。大家想想，这地等到地球没了一切不就没了吗？水流过去了不就没了吗？火烧完了不就没了吗？风吹过了不就没了吗？这一切全部归为空，所以叫“四大皆空”，也叫“五蕴无我”。“五蕴”是什么？就是“色、受、想、行、识”。“蕴”就是遮盖住了。如果为人间的贪欲而遮盖住了你的本性，遮盖住了你的良心，那这个人就没有一个正常的平等心。色、受、想、行、识都是人间的东西，一定要把它抛开，一定要把它抛弃。一切有形有色的东西，都不是正常的。
Life is just a dream: here today, gone tomorrow. That is why we must cultivate light—cultivate until our whole being becomes luminous, until our heart is filled with brightness. Do you understand? The heart must be bright; it must hold light and radiate clarity. You must learn to become like the Buddhas of the ten directions. What does “Buddhas of the ten directions” mean? It means possessing the wisdom and virtuous capacities of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. You must allow the Buddha-light to enter your heart; only then can you embody that Buddha-light. If the Buddha-light cannot enter you at all, then you are without Buddha-light. Only those who possess Buddha-light can illuminate others. Without it, you cannot even light your own path, let alone guide others.
So we must understand this clearly: practising Buddhism is learning to cultivate light. Practising Buddhism must reach the heart. Practising Buddhism is a return to one’s inherent nature—a return to one’s true self. To follow the Bodhisattvas is to widely help sentient beings who have affinity with the Buddha-dharma. To learn from the Buddhas is to guide others out of the sea of suffering. This is why the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas teach that “the four elements are all empty.” What are the four elements? Earth, water, fire, and wind. The deeper meaning of this teaching is that all phenomena in the world are empty and illusory. Think about it: when the earth is gone, isn’t everything gone with it? When water flows away, it is gone. When fire burns out, it is gone. When wind passes, it disappears. Everything ultimately returns to emptiness—hence “the four elements are all empty,” also known as “the five aggregates are without self.”
What are the five aggregates? Form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness. “Aggregate” means something that covers or obscures. When worldly cravings cover your inherent nature and obscure your conscience, you lose true equanimity. Form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness all belong to the worldly realm and must be set aside and relinquished. Anything that has form and appearance is not ultimately real.
色受想行识是人间的一切苦恼的根因。你今天看得见的东西以为是有的，明天就没有了。受是什么？你感受的快乐，一会就没了；你感受到的痛苦，一会就没了。想是什么？想这个事情，如果想不到就痛苦了，但想到了也痛苦。很多人中了六合彩了，难过了，不知道这些钱怎么分呢？行是什么？行为上的痛苦。比如做错事情了，“哎呀，我不应该开车的时候把头伸出去看人家”，因为头被人家碰坏了。“哎呀，我心脏不好应该好好当心”，刚跟你们讲的这个 33 岁死的人就是因为自己心脏不当心。所以我们大家一定要注意身体，身体是学佛的本钱。你连本钱都没了，你学什么佛呀？识是什么？是意识。意识痛苦吗？如果想做一件事情做不到，意识当中先受痛苦，意识当中就会很难过。师父刚才给大家讲了“四大皆空”，就是出家人常说的“四大皆空”。实际上简单的讲什么叫“四大皆空”？就是让你想开一点了，人间的一切都是空的，哪有什么四大呀，就像风一样的吹过去就没了，你的感受吹过去、讲过去就没有了。如果小时候讲过的话，你记一辈子，你说你能皆空吗？你就把它当一阵风一样吹过就没了。大家要记住生灭变异。生灭变异就是说生命今天活着，明天走了，它都会变化的。生命变异，成住坏空。实际上一个人的生命就是成住坏空，就是这个过程。现在很多年纪大的人你们都知道吗？是坏的时候了，到最后死了就是空了，没了。身体很快变坏。要好好地保护它，不要吃荤的东西。自己跟自己过不去就是生人家的气，自己跟自己过不去就会恨人家，恨人家是伤自己又伤人家，嫉妒人家是又伤人家也伤自己。所以千万不要去做这些事情，这些都不是学佛人应该做的。
Form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness are the root causes of all suffering in the Human Realm. Something you see today and believe to truly exist may be gone tomorrow.
What is feeling? The pleasure you experience vanishes in an instant; the pain you experience also vanishes in an instant.
What is perception? You fixate on a thought or an issue—if you can’t resolve it, you suffer; yet even when you resolve it, you may still suffer. Many people win the lottery and immediately feel distressed, because they don’t know how to divide the money.
What are mental formations? They are the suffering created through our actions. For example, you do something wrong and think, “I shouldn’t have stuck my head out of the car window to look at someone,” only to injure yourself. Or you might say, “I have a weak heart, I should be more careful”—yet the 33-year-old man I mentioned earlier passed away precisely because he failed to look after his heart. That’s why everyone must take care of their body. The body is the capital for Buddhist practice. If you lose your capital, how can you practise Buddhism?
What is consciousness? It is the awareness within the mind. Does consciousness bring suffering? If you want to achieve something but can’t, suffering first arises in consciousness, and your mind becomes deeply distressed.
I just spoke about the teaching that “the four elements are all empty,” a phrase commonly used among monastics. Put simply, what does this mean? It means learning to let go—recognising that everything in this world is empty and unreal. There are no lasting elements. They are like the wind: once it blows past, it is gone. Your feelings pass like the wind; words spoken pass like the wind. If someone said something hurtful to you in childhood and you cling to it for a lifetime, how could you ever realise emptiness? Let it pass like a breeze.
Remember birth and death, arising and ceasing. Life exists today and is gone tomorrow—everything is in constant change. This is the cycle of arising, abiding, decaying, and returning to emptiness. A person’s life follows exactly this process. Many of you who are older already understand this—you are now in the stage of decay. Eventually death arrives, and everything returns to emptiness. The body deteriorates quickly, so you must protect it. Stop eating meat. When you hold resentment towards others, you are hurting yourself. When you hate others, you suffer yourself—hatred harms both others and you. Jealousy does the same. Never engage in such behaviours; they are not what Buddhist practitioners should do.
师父今天继续给大家讲讲“观想”。你们知道观想是观想什么吗？你们不要以为是去想什么东西。观想是观想你的念头，是观想你的意念到底好不好，你的意念当中在想什么东西。因为一念善它往上，一念恶它往下。一个人的念头不好的话，他可能会一直堕落下去；一个人的念头好的话，他就上去了。所以当一个人的念头不好时，首先在他的境界当中代表往下了。当一个人很恨人家的时候，实际上最受伤害的是他自己本人，因为会损坏他的身体。所以念头很重要。要观想自己无念，也就是说不要再去想自己有念头了。观想是什么意思？就是想象我现在脑子里是空的，什么念头都没有，观想自己无念头。什么是无念？无念就是什么念头都没有，一切无所谓，没有念头了。观想到后来，连善念、恶念都没有了，这种无念实际上都是观想出来的。“哦，我脑子里要无念”，但这个念头也是观想出来的，你有本事没有观想。
Today I also want to speak about contemplation. Do you know what contemplation truly is? Don’t think it means imagining external things. Contemplation is observing your own thoughts—examining whether they are wholesome or unwholesome, and noticing what arises in your mind. A single wholesome thought lifts you upward; a single unwholesome thought pulls you downward. When a person’s thoughts turn unwholesome, their spiritual state immediately declines. When someone harbours deep hatred, the one who suffers the greatest harm is themselves, because it damages their body. This is why thoughts are so important.
You must contemplate no-thought—meaning, stop clinging to the idea that you have thoughts at all. What is contemplation? It is imagining that your mind is empty, with no thoughts arising. You contemplate the state of no-thought. What is “no-thought”? It means there are no thoughts whatsoever; everything becomes irrelevant. With deeper cultivation, even wholesome and unwholesome thoughts disappear. But remember: this “no-thought” is still initially produced through contemplation. If you think, “I must have no thoughts,” that thought itself is still a product of contemplation. The true skill is reaching a point where even contemplation itself is no longer needed.
师父最近在博客上发了一篇文章，大家都说好。你们知道师父讲什么？讲的是忍辱精进。实际上忍辱的人已经不是在他的意识中很干净的人了，因为你觉得你在忍辱，实际上你已经做错事情了。举个简单的例子，我没有亏待你，我用不着忍辱的。你骂我，我问心无愧，我用不着忍辱的。对不对啊？哦，我忍耐，我不讲你了，你骂我没关系。实际上是你已经种下了因，才得到这个果。而忍耐不是最高境界。这个道理就是我们学佛的人连“忍辱”两个字都不要有。我没有对不起人家，今天你讲我好了，我问心无愧，所以我根本用不着忍辱的。我连忍辱的想法都没有。比如你们两个本来很干净的，从来没有拿过人家钱的。如果有人说：“你们不要偷东西呀。”你笑笑。因为你不会偷东西，因为你不会偷钱，所以你根本不用跟他吵架，你也用不着忍辱的。对不对？如果你是有这方面不好的习惯，人家一讲你，你就会气得不得了。实际上就是因为你曾经种了这个因。师父讲得对不对？
Recently, I posted an article on my blog, and many people praised it. Do you know what it was about? It was about forbearance and diligence. In truth, a person who still thinks they are “enduring” has not yet reached a completely pure state of consciousness—because the moment you think you are enduring, you have already deviated from the highest state. Take a simple example. If I have done nothing wrong to you, why would I need to endure humiliation? If you insult me but I know my conscience is clear, there is nothing to endure. Right? Some people think, “I’ll endure it. I won’t argue back. It doesn’t matter if you scold me.” But in reality, that situation arises because of karmic causes they themselves planted in the past. Forbearance, in this sense, is not the highest state.
The principle is this: as Buddhist practitioners, we should not even have the word forbearance in our minds. If I have done nothing wrong, and today you criticise me, I feel no need to endure anything—my conscience is clear. The thought of endurance does not even arise. For example, if the two of you have never stolen anything in your life, and someone says, “Don’t steal,” you would simply smile. Because you are not thieves, there is no reason to argue, and no need to endure. Isn’t that so? But if you had stolen before, and someone mentioned it, you would immediately feel furious. Why? Because that karmic seed already exists. Am I right?
所以观想的时候连念头都不要观想出来，而且观想是正觉正念。正觉正念是什么？感觉都是正的，我所有出来的东西都是正的，我没有其他想法，这叫正觉正念。什么叫“觉”？就是觉悟。你到底明白了没有？你到底觉悟了没有？为什么要觉悟？因为人家不觉悟，所以你必须觉悟；因为人家都在做坏事，你觉悟了你就不会做坏事了；因为人家都在贪瞋痴，你不贪瞋痴了，你就有觉。就像大家都在做坏事的时候，很多人都在起哄，而有的人就说这样做是不好的。师父过去看到过一个报道，说一个女的跟另外一个男的有所爱，结果被她老公抓到了。那些村民真的是愚昧呀。她老公在广场里面当场打他老婆，那些村民就说，来来来剥她衣服。大家在边上起哄、大笑。你想想看，这跟畜生没两样，连人性都没有了。而觉悟的人是什么？哎呀，她犯戒了，她很可怜，她也是不明白的人，我们要有慈悲心呀，而不能去起哄，嘲笑她，让她做更不好的事情，她可能由恨再去犯罪了。对不对？就算大家都在做这个事情，并不代表这个事情是对的。如果世界上的人都在愚痴，那你也应该愚痴吗？为什么菩萨少呀？因为菩萨是正念，是正信，他明白道理。而普通的人活在人间不明白道理，是按照正常的人世间的思维逻辑来思考问题，所以得到的是人间的福报，明白吗？很多人说我们学佛要修道啊。“修道”是什么？修道并不是指这条路，而是指你这个心，是你到底懂得哪一条道理。但它一定有一个理在上面的，这个理就是我们讲的正信正念。实际上讲的是你做人有没有道理，你做菩萨有没有菩萨的道理。
Therefore, during contemplation, you must not even allow thoughts to arise through the act of contemplation itself. True contemplation is right awareness and right mindfulness. What is right awareness and right mindfulness? It means that everything that arises is upright and wholesome. Your thoughts are upright, your feelings are upright, and there are no ulterior intentions. This is right awareness and right mindfulness.
What is “awareness”? It is awakening. Have you truly understood? Have you truly awakened? Why must you awaken? Because others are not awakened, so you must be. Because others commit unwholesome actions, awakening keeps you from doing the same. Because others are trapped in greed, anger, and ignorance, when you are free from these, you have awareness. For example, when everyone is doing something wrong, many people follow the crowd and egg it on. But an awakened person will say, “This is not right.” I once saw a report about a woman who had an affair and was caught by her husband. The villagers were truly ignorant. Her husband was beating her publicly in the square, and the villagers shouted, “Come on, strip her clothes off!” People laughed and jeered. Think about it—this is no different from animals; it shows a complete loss of humanity. What would an awakened person think? They would think, “She has broken a precept. She is pitiful. She does not understand. We should have compassion.” One should not join in the clamour, mock her, or push her into further wrongdoing—because hatred can easily lead to more crimes. Isn’t that so?
Just because everyone is doing something does not mean it is right. If the whole world is immersed in ignorance, should you be ignorant as well? Why are Bodhisattvas so rare? Because Bodhisattvas abide in right mindfulness and right faith. They understand the principles of the Dharma. Ordinary people living in the Human Realm do not understand these principles. They think according to worldly logic, and as a result, they only obtain worldly blessings. Do you understand? Many people say, “We must cultivate the Path.” What does cultivating the Path mean? It does not refer to a physical road, but to the state of your mind—whether you truly understand the principles of the Path. And these principles must rest upon right faith and right mindfulness. Ultimately, it comes down to this: do you live according to principles? And when you learn from the Bodhisattvas, do you embody the principles of a Bodhisattva?
观想其实就是锻炼自己的意念。什么叫观想？就是你想一想自己的念头对不对。你经常想，经常想，你的念头就不会错了。如果你经常去触及这个人的死角的话，这个人就会自杀。你们知道人的灵魂当中有一个死角吗？就是想不通呀，想不通就是死角。举个简单的例子，我们这位老人家过去脾气倔得不得了，如果她不学佛的话，我就不敢去碰她的这个死角。如果我经常碰她的死角，经常去碰，她就会想不开的，说不定做出一些不好的事情。因为她学佛了，师父才敢去触动她的死角，把她这个死角洗干净，让她锻炼出来了，她以后就不会生气了，就不会想不开了。如果现在她的孩子对她不好，她也能忍受，她过去是忍不住的。就是因为师父不停地触及她这个死角，让她慢慢地干净，所以她现在没有这个死角了，她活了。现在和孩子的关系相处得也好了。这个例子就是要你们明白懂得要重视自己身上很多的不好的孽缘，而且这些孽缘都是上辈子带来的。要把这些孽缘慢慢地擦干净，一定要擦干净。
Contemplation is essentially the training of your intention. What is contemplation? It is examining whether your thoughts are correct. When you reflect repeatedly, again and again, your thoughts gradually stop going astray. If you constantly press on a person’s psychological “dead end”, that person may even become suicidal. Do you know that everyone has such a blind spot? It is the place where they “can’t think something through” — the dead end of the mind.
For example, this elderly disciple once had an extremely stubborn temper. Had she not been practising Buddhism, I would never have dared to touch her “dead end”. If I had kept provoking that sensitive spot, she might have collapsed and done something harmful to herself. But because she practised Buddhism, I was able to guide her — to gently touch that blind spot again and again, slowly cleansing it. Through this process, she gradually dissolved it. Now she no longer becomes angry or stuck. Even when her children treat her poorly, she can endure it — something she was completely unable to do in the past. It was precisely because I continually helped her uncover and cleanse that blind spot that it eventually disappeared. She truly began to live again, and her relationship with her children also improved. This example is meant to show you that you must recognise and take seriously the negative karmic affinities you carry. These karmic ties come from past lives, and they must be cleaned — slowly, patiently, but thoroughly. They must be fully cleansed.
要锻炼你的意念。比如今天意念不好了，马上想一想我应该不应该这样做？如果意念不好了，要想一想我不应该这么做。等到下一个坏意念出来的时候，你脑子里就想到了“我不应该这样做”，一种正思维它自然就出来了。比方说医生告诉你让你不要吃这种东西。如果你看见了，你马上用正念想“这东西我不能吃的，吃了身体会出毛病的”。等到第二次看见，自己知道这东西不能吃的。第三次、第四次……只要看到这个东西马上就想我不能吃的。这叫锻炼你的意念，听得懂吗？没有办法解决的问题，只能锻炼自己的意念。你们大家要经常锻炼自己的意念。当一个不好的意念出来时，马上要把它克制住，然后用另外一个意念把它盖住、遮住。
You must train your intention. For example, when an unwholesome thought arises, immediately ask yourself, “Should I be thinking this? Should I be doing this?” When such a thought appears, remind yourself, “I shouldn’t think this way.” Then, when the next unwholesome thought arises, your mind will naturally recall, “I shouldn’t do this.” In this way, right thinking arises on its own. It’s like when a doctor tells you not to eat a certain food. When you see it, you immediately bring up the right thought: “I can’t eat this — it will make me sick.” The second time you see it, you again remember you shouldn’t eat it. The third time, the fourth time — eventually, whenever you see that food, your mind instantly responds, “I can’t eat that.” This is how you train your intention. Do you understand? When there is no other way to resolve a problem, the only thing you can do is train your own intention. You must practise this constantly. When an unwholesome thought arises, restrain it immediately and replace it with a wholesome one — cover it, override it.
所以先要把一切变成空，我们假装的把一切都看成是空的。比如今天夫妻两人是空的，明天房间也是空的，孩子跟我也是空的，我吃的东西也是空的，所有的一切都是空的。你先这么想，慢慢时间长了你就能对付它了，因为你空惯了，你就不会有什么想法了。比方说今天周太太把周先生看成是空的，“我一个人要把自己的晚年修心念经念完，我不是为他活的。如果他真的走了，我也要一个人好好地把这点生命延续下去。我要利用这个有限的人生修到天上去，以后我还能帮他上来”，而不是说他走了，我就没了，我就灭了，这叫没空。如果你经常把他看空，“我就是一个人”，一个人时间长了习惯了，那么他真的走了你也不会很伤心难过的。这是一种空，这种空叫空相，就是一种思维。就是一想到周先生，“唉，人生无常，反正他在就帮帮我，如果他不在了，我一个人也能过”。你经常这么想，你脑子就空了。等到他万一有什么事情，你也无所谓了。很多人就是想不通，老公一走，老婆就走了，不想活了。所以我今天是在救你周太太，你听得懂吗？所以师父让你们把房子也看成空的，把人也看成空的，今天可有，明天可无，身体上的一切都是空的。今天你周先生有一个胃，如果一动手术，这个胃也没了，不也是空了吗？想开一点了。师父一天到晚在教育你们，在帮助你们，苦口婆心在给你们讲，就是让你们看空、想得开。工作没了再找，孩子没了无所谓，本身就是缘分。你们要明白道理，要学会克制，要学会放下看空。
First, you must train yourself to perceive everything as empty. At the beginning, deliberately regard everything as empty. For example: today, your marriage is empty. Tomorrow, your home is empty. Your relationship with your children is empty. The food you eat is empty. Everything is empty. Start by thinking this way. Over time, you become accustomed to it, and your attachments gradually loosen.
For instance, Mrs Zhou might view Mr Zhou as empty: “I must use my later years to cultivate my mind and recite sutras. I’m not living for him. If he truly passes away one day, I will still continue this life wholeheartedly. I must use this limited human life to cultivate myself and ascend to the heavens, and later I can help him as well.” Rather than thinking, “If he dies, I’m finished — I can’t live.” That is not emptiness. If you regularly view things as empty — “ultimately, I am on my own” — then when the day comes, you won’t be devastated. This is emptiness. This is called the notion of emptiness — a way of thinking.
When you think of Mr Zhou, you think: “Life is impermanent. If he’s here, he can support me; if he’s not, I can still manage on my own.” When you think this way repeatedly, your mind becomes spacious and unburdened. If something truly happens to him, you won’t fall apart. Many people cannot think this through. When the husband passes away, the wife collapses too and no longer wants to live. That is why today I am saving you, Mrs Zhou — do you understand? This is why I ask you to view your house as empty, to view people as empty — here today, gone tomorrow. Everything about the body is empty. Today Mr Zhou has a stomach, but if he undergoes surgery, that stomach is gone. Isn’t that also emptiness? You must wise up and learn to let go.
I teach you tirelessly, day after day, speaking earnestly to help you see emptiness and learn to let go. Lose your job? Find another. Your children leave you? Don’t cling — these relationships exist due to karmic affinities. You must understand these truths. Learn self-restraint, learn to let go, and learn to see everything as empty.