刚刚给大家讲的是“内明”，接下去师父给大家讲“外足”。什么是“外足”？就是对外身体上是拥有庄严佛净土。你们今天走出来的样子，你们做出来的事情，你们男人走路像男人，女人走路像女人。如果这个男人走路像女人一样，你说怪不怪啊？如果这个女人走路像男人一样，怪不怪啊？这就是不庄严。你们到观世音堂来不能穿拖鞋，女人最好不要穿裙子，这些都是应该注意的，对外很庄严的佛净土。有一次师父给青年团开示，有一个弟子穿了一条很短的裤子，很多青年团的弟子都不喜欢，都觉得不文明，不像一个好好学佛的人。人家实际上没有做错什么事情，但是外观让人家感觉到你没有对佛有敬重和庄重心。所以一个人的仪表很重要。要庄严，要像佛一样的庄严，要为人师表，叫有“外证”。“外证”是什么意思呢？就是对外有对外的验证。师父刚才讲到对内不是有一个心帮你验证吗？那么对外是怎么验证的呢？你头发梳得好好的，人家说你真精神。你学佛学得脸相这么好，人家一看见你，说“哎呀，你这个脸相像菩萨脸”，对不对？人家证实了你，这叫“外证”。你今天修心修成这个样子，满脸的横肉，一脸的奸相，人家看见你，人家证实你没修好，“这种人还学佛呢？”这叫“外证”。你们有本事给我把脸相稍微修得像佛菩萨一点，多少人都修好了。当然我是说脸相与过去比，因为每个人都有过去，有的人本来过去很差的，现在好了很多。我要让你们自己心中开悟。
I have just explained “inner clarity”; now I will discuss “outer completeness.” What is outer completeness? It means that, outwardly, one’s body and conduct should embody the “dignity and purity of the Buddha’s Pure Land”. Look at how you present yourselves when you go out today, and how you conduct yourselves. A man should walk like a man, and a woman should walk like a woman. If a man walks like a woman, wouldn’t that seem strange? And if a woman walks like a man, wouldn’t that also seem strange? This shows a lack of dignity. When you come to the Guan Yin Hall, you should not wear slippers, and women should preferably not wear skirts. These are details you must pay attention to; they represent, outwardly, the dignity and purity of the Buddha’s Pure Land. Once, during a Dharma talk I gave to the Youth Group, a disciple arrived wearing very short shorts. Many of the other disciples felt uncomfortable and thought it was inappropriate, as it did not reflect the conduct of a sincere Buddhist practitioner. That person may not have technically done anything “wrong,” but their outward appearance gave others the impression that they lacked respect and reverence for the Buddha. This shows that a person’s appearance is very important. One must be dignified — dignified like the Buddha — and serve as a model for others. This is what we call outer realisation. What does outer realisation mean? It means being verified externally by others. Just as I explained earlier that internally there is the heart that verifies you, externally there is also verification.
Outer realisation is the external verification of your practice. I have already spoken about how the heart provides inner realisation; so how does external verification occur? For example, if your hair is neatly groomed, people will say you look energetic. If, through practising Buddhism, your face becomes gentle and radiant, people may see you and say, “Oh, your face looks just like a Bodhisattva’s!” When others affirm you in this way, this is outer realisation. Conversely, if you practise but end up with a harsh, aggressive, or untrustworthy expression, people will see you and verify that you have not cultivated well. They may think, “Can you believe this person is a Buddhist practitioner?” This, too, is outer realisation. You should make genuine efforts to refine your countenance so that it comes to resemble, even slightly, that of a Buddha or Bodhisattva through your cultivation. Many people have managed to change in this way. Of course, I am speaking in comparison to the past. Everyone has a past; some people started from a very poor state but have since improved greatly. What I want is for you to awaken within your own hearts.
另外从外观上也能得到果证。也就是说你的外表看上去也是得到一个果证。比如你穿的衣服干净整洁，人家就觉得你家庭也会很干净，可能各个方面都好，人家就得到果证了。如果年纪大的人本身就已经不干净了，穿得又破破烂烂的，平时那个样子，头发也不梳，礼貌也不懂，这种人出去告诉人家你要学佛菩萨，你要学观世音菩萨，是没有人听的。你们今天到这里来是拜观世音菩萨，如果你们今天穿得不是太整洁的话，就是对观世音菩萨不尊敬。就像我们去参加宴会，如果穿的衣服不整洁，本身就是对你自己、对人家不尊敬。师父今天给大家讲，希望大家以后要穿得整洁、好看一点，要穿得好看，要穿得干净。来看观世音菩萨了，就要高高兴兴。
Fruition can also be seen from outward appearance. That is to say, your external appearance can reflect the fruits of cultivation. For instance, if you dress cleanly and neatly, people will naturally assume that your home is also tidy and that other aspects of your life are in good order. They form this judgement — this, too, is a kind of fruition. Some elderly people appear unkempt, dress in ragged clothes, leave their hair uncombed, and lack basic manners. If such people go out and encourage others to practise Buddhism or follow Guan Yin Bodhisattva, no one will listen. When you come here today, you are coming to pay respect to Guan Yin Bodhisattva. If you are not dressed neatly, it shows a lack of respect for the Bodhisattva. It is like attending a banquet: if you dress untidily, you are showing disrespect both to yourself and to others. I am telling you this in the hope that, from now on, you will dress neatly and present yourselves well. Look good, stay clean. When you come to see Guan Yin Bodhisattva, you should arrive joyfully and with reverence.
另外，末法时期修行是大道。“大道”是什么意思呢？大道就是最大的道理。我们只有修行，没有任何其他的道理可以讲。在人间大道是“隐隐世”。什么是“隐隐世”？就是这个大道隐藏在这个世界当中。所以真正学佛修心的人，他在这个世界上能找到这条道。就是这个佛最大的道理隐藏在这个世界里。修行就是在红尘当中。为什么说修行在红尘当中？因为在红尘当中你才能修行。为什么？因为很多人不知道修行的。当他苦了，他知道甜酸苦辣了，知道在这个人间有这么多的麻烦，这么多的苦难，所以他才知道修行。所以说修行又在红尘中。你们看看多少尼姑、多少和尚，他们为什么出家去修行呢？因为他们在人间的红尘当中承受了太多的磨难，忍受了太多的灾难，他们明白和开悟，看透了人间的一切，所以他们要脱离红尘走入净尘，走入干净的尘世。但是师父给大家讲，要在红尘当中找到大道、找到佛道。你们现在不是都在红尘当中修行吗？你们上班的时候不是在念经吗？你越到苦的时候，你越会加紧念经，为什么？因为我苦啊，我不开心啊，我就拼命念经。如果一个环境很安逸、很舒适，每天看看电视，开开宴会，经常出去旅游旅游，我说这个人是修不好心的。红尘就是苦难之尘。在苦难之尘里面你才能真正的修行。家里今天出事情了，你拼命地念经，要把家里念好呀，拼命地念。孩子出毛病了，拼命地念呀念呀，要把孩子念好。那不就是在红尘当中修行吗？而且要会真正的修行。
Furthermore, in the Age of Dharma Decline, cultivation is the Great Way. What does “the Great Way” mean? It is the ultimate truth. For us, there is only cultivation; there are no other principles worth arguing about. In the Human Realm, the Great Way is hidden within this very world. What does this mean? It means that the Great Way is concealed within our everyday existence. Those who truly practise Buddhism and cultivate the mind are able to find this path while living in the world, because the greatest truth of the Buddha-Dharma is hidden right here in human society.
Cultivation takes place within the secular world. Why is this so? Because it is only within the secular world that one can truly cultivate. Most people do not understand cultivation until they experience suffering. When they have tasted the bitterness of life and realise that the human world is full of trouble and hardship, they begin to understand the need for cultivation. Look at monks and nuns — why do they leave the secular world to cultivate? It is because they endured too many trials and calamities in the secular world. Having attained awakening and seen through the illusions of the world, they choose to leave the secular world and enter a “pure world”. However, I am telling you that you must find the Great Way — the Buddha’s Way — right here in the midst of the secular world. Aren’t you all cultivating in the secular world right now? Don’t you recite sutras while you are at work? The more suffering you encounter, the harder you recite. Why? Because you are in pain and unhappy, so you recite sutras desperately. If someone lives in total comfort — watching television every day, attending banquets, and constantly travelling — I tell you that such a person will not cultivate the mind well. The secular world is a world of suffering. Only within this world of suffering can one truly cultivate. When trouble strikes your family, you recite sutras with all your might, hoping to restore harmony. When your child falls ill, you recite and recite, hoping for recovery. Isn’t this cultivation in the secular world? But you must also learn how to cultivate properly.
有一天师父在做节目的时候，有一个人打进电话说，他孩子从二楼摔下去头落地，头部出血，昏迷了三、四天，最后没有死。医生说像这种情况 99%都活不成。因为她父母亲不停地狂念《大悲咒》，最后把孩子给念醒过来了，而且还给我打通了电话。最幸运的一点就是菩萨让她重新做人了。观世音菩萨让她把过去不好的事情全部忘记了，她现在脑子里全部记得都是好的事情。这真的是不可思议的事情啊！什么事情菩萨都能帮你做到，就看你心诚不诚了。
One day, during my radio programme, a caller told me that her child had fallen from the second floor, landed head-first, suffered a brain haemorrhage, and was unconscious for three or four days. Yet, she survived. The doctors said that in 99 per cent of such cases, the patient would not live. Because the parents continuously and desperately recited the Great Compassion Mantra, the child eventually regained consciousness and was even able to speak to me on the phone. The most fortunate thing was that the Bodhisattva gave her a new life. Guan Yin Bodhisattva allowed her to forget all the bad things from her past, and now she remembers only the good. This is truly inconceivable! There is nothing the Bodhisattva cannot help you accomplish — it all depends on whether your heart is sincere.
所以要明白，我们在红尘当中明白了人世间的沧桑苦难之后才开始修；因为我们见到人间的苦难沧桑，我们才开始修。如果你不在红尘当中，你怎么会知道人间的苦难沧桑呢？我不在人间，我怎么知道人间的苦难？我怎么会修呢？如果你们都是有钱人家的孩子，你们会修吗？周先生几年前要不是我看出来身上有这个麻烦的话，你会修吗？只有苦了，你才能得到证，才能从红尘当中修行得悟，就是得到开悟。听得懂吗？得悟之后才能知道自己不够。你们过去没有学佛，你们觉得自己都很好；你们今天跟着师父学佛了，你们才知道自己身上有很多很多的毛病。对不对？所以过去只是明白理，但没有明白拜佛的这个道。这个理就是佛理。菩萨让我们不要贪瞋痴，要我们好好学佛，要我们明白这个道。运用佛理加上学佛这条路，你就明白了道理。
Therefore, you must understand that it is only after experiencing the vicissitudes and hardships of the human world that we truly begin to cultivate. It is because we witness the suffering of the world that we start our practice. If you were not living in the secular world, how would you ever know the weight of worldly suffering? If I were not in this world, how would I know its pain? How could I possibly cultivate? If you had all been born into wealthy families, would you cultivate? Mr Zhou, if, a few years ago, I had not identified the issues you were facing, would you have begun your practice? It is only through suffering that one can attain realisation; only through cultivating amid the secular world can one gain awakening — true awakening. Do you understand? Only after attaining awakening can you recognise your own deficiencies. Before you practised Buddhism, you probably felt that you were doing quite well; but after you began practising Buddhism with me, you discovered that you actually have many, many shortcomings. Isn’t that right? In the past, you may have understood the theory, but you did not understand the Way of Buddhist practice. This theory is Buddhist principle: the Bodhisattva teaches us not to be greedy, angry, or ignorant, and urges us to practise Buddhism properly and understand this Way. When you apply Buddhist principles together with the Way of practising Buddhism, you then truly understand the truth.
但你们仅仅是明白了道理，只明白道理是没有用的，要用到实践当中去。单单明白道理有什么用？你实践没有？就像有些人牛得不得了，动不动觉得自己什么都明白。如果不能明白学佛的真相，你还是一无所知。这个真相是怎么来的，是道理和你的实践一起出来的。这两个就相当于一个左手，一个右手。道理是你的左手，这叫修心；而右手是你实践的过程，这叫修行。只有两只手才能做事情，一只手是做不了事情的。你们想想看，如果一个人一只手没有了，一只手能做什么事情呢？连车也不能开了，对不对？师父把道理告诉你们，是要让你们明白学佛的道理。只有明白了学佛的真相，你们才会产生出真正要修行、修心。我们在人间为什么很多人都能听得懂佛理，但没有真正去实践？佛法、佛理、道理一大串，什么道理都会讲，你去做了没有呀？所以单单修行是不行的，单单修心也不行，一定要修行、修心一起来的。很多出家人在山上是修心的，很多人在人间做善事，这叫修行。如果修行不念经也不行啊，如果单单念经又不去做善事，那也不行啊。举个简单的例子，你今天很开心，佛理都懂了。那么在搬凳子的时候，“哎呀，我们要学佛，我们要懂得帮助人家”，自己却不动，板凳让人家去搬。你说他修得好吗？如果你懂得我要帮助人家，我要做功德，看见板凳就会第一个抢着去做了，那才叫修心修行，绝对不是嘴巴里讲的。
However, merely understanding principles is not enough. Understanding alone is useless unless you put it into practice. What is the use of understanding if you do not practise? Some people think very highly of themselves and constantly feel that they understand everything. But if you cannot understand the true reality of practising Buddhism, then you still know nothing at all. This true reality emerges only when principles and practice come together. These two are like a left hand and a right hand. Principles are your left hand — this is cultivating the mind. Practice is your right hand — this is cultivation, refining your conduct. You need both hands to get things done; you cannot accomplish anything with only one. Think about it: if someone lost one hand, what could they do? They could not even drive a car, could they?
I share these principles with you so that you understand the logic of Buddhist practice. Only when you understand the true reality of Buddhist practice will you develop a genuine resolve to cultivate the mind and refine your conduct. Why is it that many people in this world understand Buddhist principles yet fail to put them into practice? They can recite long lists of Dharma, Buddhist theories, and principles, and talk endlessly about them — but have they actually done the work? Therefore, refining conduct alone is not enough, and cultivating the mind alone is not enough either. They must go hand in hand.
Many monastics practise in the mountains, which is cultivating the mind, whereas many people in the secular world perform good deeds, which is refining conduct. But focusing on conduct without reciting sutras is not sufficient, nor is reciting sutras without doing good deeds. For example, suppose a person feels happy and understands Buddhist principles well. Yet when it comes time to help move some chairs to set up an event, he says, “We practise Buddhism; we should know how to help others,” yet he does not move and leaves the work to others. Would you say that such a person has cultivated well? If you truly understood that you must help others and accumulate merit and virtue, you would be the first to step forward and carry a chair. That is genuine cultivation of both mind and conduct — it is certainly not just lip service.
接下来给大家讲，要发菩提心，菩提心就是菩萨心。要修法。修法是什么？就是要有坚固的心。就是我坚定不移，我要有坚持心，要道心不变。我们要坚定、坚固，我想好的事情我就不变，再怎么艰难我也要好好地去做，好好地去修心，我坚持我的理念，我要做我一定能成功。明白吗？要正信、正念、正坚持、心和行要相应。就是心中想的和你做出来的行为要相应。本来师父今天要给大家讲“相应法”，但现在时间不够了。“相应法”是佛法当中非常有哲理的。“相应”是什么意思？就是你心中想的和你行为要相应。有时候你心中想得多了，你行为少了，会产生出什么效果？你心中想得很少，行为做得过多，又会产生出什么效果？师父以后再给大家讲“相应法”。
Next, I want to tell you that you must give rise to the Bodhi mind (Bodhicitta). The Bodhi mind is the Bodhisattva’s mind. You must practise the Dharma. What does “practising the Dharma” mean? It means having a steadfast heart — a heart that is firm and unmoving, a persistence that never wavers from the Way. We must be firm and resolute: once we decide that something is good, we do not change, no matter how difficult it becomes. We work diligently, cultivate the mind, and remain steadfast in our convictions. If I am determined to do something, I will surely succeed. Do you understand?
You must have right faith, right mindfulness, and right perseverance, and your mind and actions must correspond. This means that what you think in your mind must align with what you do in your actions. I originally intended to teach you about the corresponding Dharma today, but we are running out of time. The corresponding Dharma is extremely profound in Buddhism. What does “correspondence” mean? It means that what you think in your mind must correspond with how you act. Sometimes you think too much but act too little — what effect does that produce? At other times, you think very little but act excessively — what effect does that have? I will teach you more about the corresponding Dharma in the future.
今天继续给大家讲“止妄念”，就是制止你的妄念。如果心和行为都不一样的话，一定要制止住自己的妄念，制止妄念就是不能乱想。人家讲你不好的时候，你不要乱想；人家骂你的时候，你不要乱想；人家劝你的时候，你不要乱想，你就把你自己的妄念去掉了。人家给你说事情的时候，你也不要乱想。很多人就会想。举个简单例子，有人告诉你你中了一百万，你只要先交几千块钱的税，你就可以拿到一百万了。如果你这个念头顺着人家的意思去想了，就是妄念。因为他是在骗你，因为人家知道你喜欢钱（有贪心），就抓住你这个特点，所以人家是顺着你讲的。你就觉得几千块钱这算什么，我可以得一百万呀。你的妄念一起，对不起，你就上当了。如果人家告诉你中奖了，先交几千块钱的税就可以得到一百万，但你不动自己的念头。人家再怎么劝说你，你不要去动念，你这个人就没有妄念，就不会上当受骗。
I will now move on to the topic of “stopping deluded thoughts.” When your mind and behaviour are not aligned, you must stop your deluded thoughts. To stop deluded thoughts means not allowing the mind to wander randomly. When others speak ill of you, do not let your mind wander; when they scold you, do not let your mind wander; even when they advise you, do not let your mind wander. In this way, you remove your deluded thoughts. When others present matters to you, do not let your mind run wild. Many people are prone to doing this. Let me give you a simple example. Someone tells you that you have won one million dollars, and that as long as you first pay a few thousand dollars in tax, you can receive the money. If your mind follows their line of thinking, that is a deluded thought. Why? Because they are deceiving you. They know you like money; they prey on your greed and tell you exactly what you want to hear. You might think, “What are a few thousand dollars compared to a million?” The moment that stray thought arises, I am sorry to say, you have already fallen for the scam. But if someone tells you that you have won a prize and need to pay a few thousand dollars first, and you do not move your thoughts at all, then no matter how much they try to persuade you, your mind does not stir. In that case, you have no deluded thoughts, and you will not be deceived.
让你的烦恼能在你的意念前和意念后停止，就是定住。就是要在自己意念来的当中和之后把它停止。也就是你刚刚想事情的时候，妄念不是来了吗？那个时候你马上要把妄念停住。因为如果不停止，接下来就会马上想下去。比方说，这个事情我能不能跟他好？一想，这个念头来了，要止妄。明明不能做到的事情，要马上止妄，把它停掉。停掉之后，虽然这句话是说在你妄念刚刚开始的时候马上就停止，实际上这个停止就是让你以后不要再想下去。讲法是在这个妄念和后来想的当中停止。你们能听得懂吗？实际上当中一停，叫拦腰砍断，后面就没有了。菩萨是说，在你妄念之前和你妄念之后，把这个妄念斩断。实际上你的这个妄念出来了，你一斩断，它之后的妄念就没有了。因为你把之前的妄念斩断了，它就没有之后了。逻辑啊！这个就是我们学的佛法的逻辑，那种高深的思维。比方说你把这个妄念想成一长段，当你的妄念刚刚要出来的时候马上斩断，那后面的这个妄念就没了。比如这个人想要自杀：我活得多没意思，我吃了这么多的苦，我不想活了……“啪”,一想到孩子，想到了我还有前途，我这个人要坚强下去，实际上他后面那个不好的妄念就没了。菩萨就是让我们在当中斩掉，而不是让我们等到最后斩断。最后斩断，对不起，时间来不及，因果已形成，接下去就只有等报应了。我们就是要学这些佛理，就是止妄念，把妄念停止掉。要懂得做人、做事情，内外都要观。吃得苦中苦，方为人上人。学佛要学圣人。
Holding the mind steady allows afflictions to stop both before and after a thought arises. This means stopping the thought the moment it appears and preventing it from continuing afterwards. When you first begin to think about something, hasn’t the deluded thought already arisen? At that very moment, you must immediately stop it. If you do not stop it, the mind will continue to think further without restraint. For example, you might wonder, “Can I start a relationship with this person?” The thought arises — at that point, you must stop the deluded thought. If it is clearly something that cannot or should not be done, you must halt it immediately. Once it is stopped, although we say this stopping happens at the very beginning of the deluded thought, in reality it prevents all further thinking that would have followed. Do you understand? We call this stopping the deluded thought before it continues. In fact, stopping it the moment it appears is like cutting it in half — nothing comes after that. The Bodhisattvas teach us to sever deluded thoughts before and after they arise. Once a deluded thought appears and you cut it off, everything that would have followed immediately disappears. Because you have severed the initial thought, there is no “after.” This is logic — this is the profound logic and thinking of the Buddha-Dharma.
Imagine a deluded thought as a long thread. If you cut it off the moment it begins to emerge, the rest of the thread vanishes. Take the example of someone contemplating suicide: “My life is meaningless, I have suffered so much, I don’t want to live…” Snap! Suddenly they think of their children, think of their future, and tell themselves they must be strong. In that instant, the negative thoughts that would have followed are gone. The Bodhisattvas want us to cut off deluded thoughts the moment they appear, not wait until the very end. If you wait until the end, it is too late — the karmic causes and conditions have already formed, and what remains is karmic retribution. This is the Buddhist principle we must learn: to stop deluded thoughts and bring them to an end. We must understand how to conduct ourselves and how to handle matters, observing both inwardly and outwardly. Only by enduring the hardest suffering can one rise above others. To practise Buddhism is to learn to become a sage.
师父今天就讲到这里，下次给大家讲相应法。
That is all for today. Next time, I will teach you about the corresponding Dharma.