我们知道活着是为了什么。我们知道活着不是为自己，是为众生活着。我们知道今天活着不是完全为自己。我们有毅力坚持还我们的债，因为我们活着就是还我们过去生中的罪孽，因为过去我们不知道自己做错了这么多事情，我们到了这辈子才开始还债消罪孽。因为我们现在学佛了明白了因果，而我们不回避它，没有离开它。我们坚持着受苦就是消业障。如果一个人想躲避自己的业障，说我前世做的事情我不知道的。但等到痛苦来的时候，他接受不了现实，经不起磨难，自杀了。你说他前世的孽障离开他了没有？孽障将随着他到下一辈子，再到下一辈子，继续不断地轮回。你们自己想想看就明白了。
We know what we are living for. We know that we are not living for ourselves alone, but for all sentient beings. We understand that this life is not lived purely for our own benefit. We need perseverance to repay our karmic debts, because living itself is the process of repaying the karmic misdeeds of our past lives. In the past, we were unaware of how many wrong actions we committed, and it is only in this life that we begin to repay those debts and eliminate our karmic obstacles. Now that we practise Buddhism, we understand the law of cause and effect, and we neither avoid it nor run from it. We persist in enduring hardship, because enduring hardship is how karmic obstacles are dissolved.
If a person tries to evade their karmic obstacles, saying, “I don’t remember what I did in my past lives,” then when suffering arrives, they are unable to accept reality. They cannot withstand the hardship and may even resort to suicide. Do you think their karmic obstacles disappear because of that? No. Those obstacles will follow them into their next life, and the one after that, continuing endlessly through the cycle of rebirth. Think about it carefully, and you will understand.
学佛的人要懂得，有时候坚持一下，努力一下，就成功了，彼岸瞬间就在咫尺显现。也就是说当我们有时想不通的时候，我们再咬咬牙，我们再想一想，再冷静一点，突然之间想通了。“咦，我这样一做不就解决了吗？”那就是彼岸出现在你的光明之前。比如很多想不通要自杀的人，突然之间一想：“哎呀，我不应该呀，我这个事情这样做不就解决了吗？”一下子不就想通了？对不对？所以要努力地学习、弘扬佛法，努力地抓住自己的悟性，努力地抓住瞬间，这个瞬间就是你开悟的瞬间。为什么你们碰到很多事情没有办法解决呢？就知道哭呀。你们有没有智慧呀？因为你们是凡人，你们学佛学得不够精进，你们没有佛菩萨的智慧，所以你们给自己找了很多的麻烦。实际上麻烦都是自己找来的，找了麻烦就想回避，回避不了就想躲避，躲避不了就想逃避，逃避的结果最后就会被人家追赶，永远背债、逃债。回避得了吗？师父给你们讲话你们每一个人都要好好地听着。告诉你们要懂得一个道理：自己要尽量少给自己惹麻烦；惹了麻烦之后要坚持，要有毅力来克服困难，那困难将不会是困难了，曙光就会瞬间的显现在你的眼前。师父一天不知道有多少曙光出现。我一天可以听到15件不开心的事情，但是师父心中将有100件事情都是显现着光明，所以我的黑暗很快就会被光明盖住了。而你们心中本身就没有光明，再有黑暗进来，所以你们碰到一件事情你们就不能支撑了，就坚持不下去了。这就是为什么有的人学佛不开悟，而有的人学佛就开悟，就是这个道理。
As Buddhist practitioners, you must realise that sometimes, by holding on just a little longer and pushing just a little harder, success appears—and the other shore suddenly comes into view. This means that when you feel stuck and cannot think things through, if you grit your teeth, pause, and calm yourself, clarity may arise in an instant: “Oh—if I do it this way, doesn’t that solve the problem?” That moment is the other shore appearing before you in a flash of illumination. For example, many people who once felt driven to suicide suddenly realise, “I shouldn’t do this—if I handle it this way, won’t the problem be resolved?” In that instant, everything becomes clear. Isn’t that so? This is why we must diligently study and propagate the Buddha-Dharma, firmly grasp our capacity for awakening, and seize these critical moments. That single instant is the moment of awakening.
Why do so many people feel unable to resolve their problems? Because they only know how to cry. Where is their wisdom? It is because they are still ordinary beings, have not practised Buddhism with sufficient diligence, and lack the wisdom of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. As a result, they create many problems for themselves. In truth, most troubles are self-inflicted. Once a problem arises, people try to avoid it; if they cannot avoid it, they try to dodge it; if they cannot dodge it, they try to escape. But the outcome of escape is that they are forever pursued—forever carrying debt and running from it. Can you truly escape it?
Listen carefully to what I am telling you. Understand this principle clearly: try to create fewer problems for yourself. But once a problem arises, you must persevere and have the determination to overcome it. When you do, the difficulty will no longer remain a difficulty, and dawn will appear instantly before your eyes. Every day, I witness countless moments of dawn. I may hear about fifteen upsetting matters in a single day, yet in my heart there are a hundred moments of light. Because of this, darkness is quickly overwhelmed by brightness. But when there is little light in one’s heart to begin with, even a small amount of darkness becomes unbearable. One problem arises, and the person collapses—they cannot persevere. This is why some people practise Buddhism without awakening, while others attain awakening. That is the reason.
人心实际上经常在佛和魔的当中变化着。当你想一个好的事情，你就是有佛心；当你想一个坏的事情，你就是魔心。如果你欢喜、法喜的话你就是佛心；如果你悲伤、烦恼的话你就是魔心。所以经常要调整自己的心态，经常要懂得我们活在这个世界上应该怎么样来调解自己的心态，我们的心态应该怎么样让它来转换。我们不要逃避困难，不要逃避麻烦，我们要积极地想办法怎么样来解决，怎么样来化解这些麻烦。这都是要用智慧的。而你们心中没有这么多的悟性，你们就等于没有智慧。一个人要有相当的智慧才能克服身上这辈子所碰到的各种各样的痛苦、困难和曲折。同样，人的缘分很复杂。缘分来了怎么办？恶缘来了怎么办？善缘来了怎么办？应该怎么样对付？你必须要学佛、要精进，你要懂得很多佛菩萨的道理。你有这个悟性，你才能克服这些缘分。今天你跟他好，明天跟他吵；今天你跟他吵，明天跟他好……这一切全部都是在轮回着，在变化着。为什么很多人吵了之后又好了呢？而为什么很多人好了之后又吵了呢？师父曾经给你们讲过，《三国演义》第一句话就是“分久必合，合久必分”。西德和东德两个国家，因为历史遗留问题，但是现在全部解决了。我们这次到德国去，没有到东德，也没有到西德。而当年周先生去访问的时候，只能到东德而不能到西德，对不对？这就叫道理。所以要有智慧来看问题。要有聪明的智慧，要有佛菩萨一样的悟性智慧，所以叫“悟智”，即悟性的智慧，师父把它称之为“悟智”。智慧分成好几种，有的人的智慧里面包含着很多的聪明，而这些聪明并不代表他有真正的菩萨的智慧。你们听得懂吗？你们要把自己的心经常定位，定在佛这一面来变化，而不要把自己的心定在魔这一面来变化。
The human mind is constantly shifting between the Buddha and the demon. When a wholesome thought arises, that is a Buddha-mind; when an unwholesome thought arises, that is a demon-mind. When you experience joy and Dharma joy, that is a Buddha-mind; when you experience sadness, affliction, or distress, that is a demon-mind. Therefore, you must constantly adjust your mindset and understand how to regulate your state of mind while living in this world—how to transform your mindset appropriately. We should not avoid difficulties or run away from problems. Instead, we should actively seek ways to resolve them and dissolve them. All of this requires wisdom. If your capacity for awakening is limited, then in effect, you lack wisdom. A person needs considerable wisdom to overcome the many forms of pain, difficulty, and hardship encountered in this lifetime.
Likewise, karmic affinities between people are extremely complex. When affinities arise, what should you do? How should you respond to negative affinities? How should you respond to positive ones? You must practise Buddhism diligently and understand the teachings of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Only with this capacity for awakening can you transcend karmic affinities. Today you are close to someone; tomorrow you argue. Today you argue; tomorrow you reconcile. All of this is part of cyclical change—constantly revolving, constantly transforming.
Why do people reconcile after arguing, and then later fall out again? I once told you that the opening line of Romance of the Three Kingdoms is: “What has long been divided must unite; what has long been united must divide.” Take East and West Germany as an example. They were once divided due to historical circumstances, yet those issues have now been resolved. When we travelled to Germany this time, there was no longer an East or West Germany—they were one. But when Mr Zhou visited many years ago, he could only go to East Germany, not West Germany. This illustrates the principle clearly.
So you must use wisdom to examine problems—clear, discerning wisdom; wisdom imbued with the awakened insight of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. This is what I call “awakened wisdom”—wisdom born from awakening. Wisdom has many forms. Some people are clever, but cleverness does not mean they possess true Bodhisattva wisdom. Do you understand? You must continually orient your mind, allowing it to move in the direction of the Buddha, not in the direction of demons.
人世间任何的爱和恨都是累世积累的。今天你们相互之间很爱，那也是因为你们上辈子的爱；你们今天很恨，那也是因为你们上辈子的恨。这是不能解决的问题。比如上辈子给了你20%的恨，这是一个导火线。然后你不懂得道理，你就拿着导火线到处点火，那么下辈子你跟他的恨就加剧到了60%-80%，恨就是这么来的。所以爱得就死去活来，恨得就咬牙切齿。这一切实际上都是舞台剧。你们就像一个木偶一样，被生活像木偶一样牵着走，被一个无形的绳索（那叫命运）牵着你的鼻子走。今天让你们开心，明天让你们不开心；今天让你们过得舒服，明天让你们吵架……你们能明白这些道理吗？你们就是一个木偶，你们就是生活在人世间的木偶，被人家牵着鼻子在走。你们走过的一生，大半辈子都过去了，算算看你得到了什么？你失去了什么？你所还的债都是前世的冤债。比如你跟孩子的债，你跟老公的债，跟老婆的债，跟父母的债……就是这么还来还去，还到最后两腿一蹬还没有还完。今世欠下的债，下辈子继续还。
All love and hatred in the human world are accumulated over countless lifetimes. If you deeply love someone today, it is because of love from a past life. If you intensely hate someone today, it is also because of hatred from a past life. These are not issues that can be easily resolved. For example, if in a past life you planted twenty per cent hatred, that becomes a fuse. If you do not understand the Dharma and go around igniting that fuse, then in the next life the hatred may escalate to sixty or even eighty per cent. That is how hatred grows. As a result, people love one another to extremes, or hate one another with clenched teeth. In reality, all of this is a stage play. You are like puppets, pulled along by life, led by an invisible string—what we call destiny—tugging you by the nose. Today it makes you happy; tomorrow it makes you unhappy. Today it gives you comfort; tomorrow it makes you argue. You are just puppets living in the human world, being led by the nose. Can you see this clearly?
Look back on the life you have lived—the greater part of it has already passed. Reflect carefully: what have you truly gained? What have you truly lost? The debts you are repaying are all karmic debts from previous lives—debts with your children, debts with your spouse, debts with your parents. You repay them back and forth, and even at the end of life, you still may not have finished repaying them. The debts you incur in this life will be carried forward and repaid again in the next.
师父在开启你们佛性、本性、良性的东西。你们这些不好好学佛的人，你们所得到的是假悟，而不是真悟。听得懂吗？这世界上的爱和恨都是暂时的，都是假的，所以不要看得太真，但也不要把它看得太假。是缘分就好好地过，不是缘分就好好的化解。师父经常给大家讲人生无常，人生就如梦幻般的泡影。想想昨天我们还不认识，今天你们都成为师父的徒弟和弟子；昨天你们还是经常吵架的，今天成为朋友了；昨天还是好得不得了，今天你们已经分居，甚至死亡了。你们所拥有的一切天天都在变化着，就像做梦一样，就像幻影一样，就犹如天上的云层一样。所以师父经常给你们讲，天上的云在走，地下的人在走，走过留下的是影子啊，天上的云走过就没了。其实人天福报讲的就是人与天的关系，实际上天福享尽了，就来投人了；而人修得好了，又到天上去享福了，道理都是一样的。而这一切都是这么匆匆地来，匆匆地走。看着月亮，看着星星，就这么过去了，就没有了。看着我们的人也是年纪轻轻，现在变得越来越老了；看着我们的生活也是今天很好，明天不好，明天不好，后天又好了……就是这么反反复复不停地在轮回着。在这种轮回当中我们得到了什么？我们只有付出，没有收入。因为我们前世造的孽，我们这辈子只有还的命，而没有在赚钱。我们没有功德可以做，因为我们债都还不完，我们怎么能够赚钱呢？就像我们住的房子一样，我们赚来的钱算一算，就是存在银行里，而你在银行里为买房子欠的债还有几十万，你赚来的这些钱一转手全部都要还掉，所以你赚来的钱也不是你的。这就叫真实命运的显化，这就叫道理，这就叫人间之常理。
What I am doing is awakening your Buddha-nature, your inherent nature, and your conscience. Those of you who do not practise Buddhism diligently achieve a false awakening, not genuine awakening. Do you understand?
All love and hatred in this world are temporary and illusory. So do not take them too seriously—but do not dismiss them as entirely fake either. If there is karmic affinity, live it out properly; if there is no affinity, resolve it properly.
I often remind you that life is impermanent—that human life is like a dream, an illusion, a bubble. Think about it: yesterday we didn’t even know each other; today you have all become my disciples. Yesterday some of you were constantly arguing; today you are friends. Yesterday you were inseparable; today you are living apart—or someone has even passed away. Everything you possess is changing every single day; it is like a dream, like an illusion, like drifting clouds in the sky. That’s why I often say: clouds move across the sky, people walk upon the earth. When people walk, they leave shadows behind; when clouds pass, they vanish without a trace. What we call heavenly blessings is really about the relationship between humans and the heavens. When a person exhausts heavenly blessings, they return to the Human Realm; when they cultivate well, they ascend to the heavens to enjoy blessings again. The principle is the same. Yet all of this comes and goes in such haste. We watch the moon, we watch the stars—and just like that, time passes and is gone. We look at people who were once young, and now they are growing old. We look at our lives—good today, bad tomorrow; bad tomorrow, good the day after—cycling endlessly in samsara. What do we gain in this cycle? We have only been paying out; we have had no income. Because of the negative karma we created in past lives, this lifetime is about repayment, not profit. We cannot accumulate merit and virtue because we are still repaying debts—how can we make a surplus? It’s like buying a house: you calculate your earnings and deposit them in the bank, but you still owe hundreds of thousands on the mortgage. Every dollar you earn goes straight into repayment, so that money isn’t really yours. This is the manifestation of true destiny. This is the principle. This is the common rule of the human world.
要明白人间梦幻般的人生无常。师父希望你们修心人要赶快醒过来。师父今天给上海的佛友开示的时候说：“台长就是一个钟，是一个闹钟，我把你们每一个人从梦幻般的幻影当中叫醒了。”就像我们在欧洲天天睡不醒的时候，铃声一响就要起来。你们带着满脸的疲倦，带着满身的酸痛，不经意没有办法地就起来了。但那是暂时的，你们现在不是又可以睡懒觉了？而在你们的生命长河当中，你们是不能睡懒觉的。因为你们一睡下去，你们就醒不过来了。师父现在是用生命的闹钟在唤醒你们的悟性，唤醒你们的佛性，让你们不要再浪费时间了，不要浪费生命了，不要浪费你们所拥有的佛性、本性，只有这样能让你超生了死。
You must truly understand the dreamlike impermanence of human life. I hope those cultivating the mind will wake up quickly. When I gave a Dharma talk to the Buddhist friends in Shanghai today, I told them: “I am like a clock, an alarm clock, and I am waking every one of you up from this illusory dream.” It is like when we were in Europe and couldn’t get enough sleep—as soon as the alarm rings, you must get up. You get up with tired eyes and aching bodies, reluctantly and with no choice. But that is only temporary; now you can sleep in again. However, in the long river of your life, you cannot sleep in. Because if you truly fall asleep, you will never wake up again. I am using the alarm clock of life to awaken your capacity for awakening and awaken your Buddha-nature, urging you not to waste any more time, not to waste your life, and not to waste the Buddha-nature and inherent nature you possess. Only by doing this can you transcend birth and death.
你们不学佛所拥有着又是什么？你们在人世间拥有的房子是假的，钱是假的，衣服是假的……你们所有的一切都是假的，而你们真正拥有的智慧你们却遗失了，你们真正拥有的人间的理智你们遗失了，你们真正拥有的在人世间应该拥有的那些仁义礼智信，你们都遗失了。而这些就是我们的细胞，就是让我们怎么样来补充身上蛋白质的一个非常重要的营养素。我们的仁义到哪里去了？现在的人还讲不讲信誉？还讲不讲道德？都没有了。所以我们大家现在都生活在这个污染的空气当中，我们难免会被污染。就像我们这次出去有很多人伤风感冒，因为我们弘法团里面有人伤风感冒，所以就会传给大家。这就叫道理。
What do you actually possess if you do not practise Buddhism? The houses you own in the human world are illusory. Money is illusory. Clothes are illusory. Everything you think you have is false. Yet the wisdom you truly possess—you have lost it. The rational clarity you should have as a human being—you have lost it. The virtues that people should embody in this world—benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faith—you have lost them all. These virtues are like our body’s cells; they are like the crucial nutrients that supply the “spiritual protein” we need. Where have our benevolence and righteousness gone? Do people today still value trustworthiness? Do they still value morality? It’s all gone. Consequently, we are all living in polluted air, and we are inevitably affected by it. It’s like our recent trip: many people caught colds and the flu because someone in our Dharma-propagation group had it, and it spread to everyone else. That makes my point.
师父叫你们赶快醒过来，如果还不醒过来，你们是自己在毁灭自己。师父天天让你们醒，你们不醒。等到一天醒过来的时候，那你什么都没了。就像遇到灾难时，一个运输队来了，大家都去拿救灾物品了，但是他没有去拿。等到他睡觉醒过来再去拿的时候，所有的东西都被人家全部拿光了，等待他的将是黑暗、饥饿和受冻。因为他没有拿到补给的衣服、吃的东西，他连可以照明的电筒都没有拿到，所以他就是黑暗的。师父现在叫你们赶快醒过来，是让你们从梦幻般的梦中醒过来。你们醒过来的时候，你们就在梦外天了，你们就脱离了这个梦了。因为人生如梦，你就离开人间了，你就在梦外天了，也就是在梦以外的天，你就不是在做梦了。你们听得懂吗？你们现在需要多少智慧，你们现在需要多少悟性，你们有吗？你们是聪明。你们聪明反被聪明误，你们知道吗？所以你们一定要懂啊！
I am telling you to wake up quickly. If you don’t wake up now, you are destroying yourselves. I try to wake you up every day, but you won’t wake up. When you finally wake up one day, you will find that you have nothing left. Imagine a disaster strikes, and a relief convoy arrives. Everyone rushes out to take the supplies, but one person stays asleep. When he finally wakes up and goes to collect things, everything has been taken. All that awaits him is darkness, hunger, and cold. Because he didn’t get any clothes or food, he didn’t even get a torch for light—so he is left in darkness.
When I tell you to wake up quickly now, I mean to wake up from the illusory dream you are living in. When you wake up, you will be outside the dream—you will have left it behind. Because life is like a dream, leaving the dream means leaving the human world. You will be in the “heaven beyond the dream”—the realm outside the dream—where you are no longer dreaming. Do you understand? How much wisdom do you need right now? How much awakening do you need right now? Do you have it? You may think you are clever—but cleverness often backfires. Have you realised that? So you must truly understand this.