大家知道我们徒弟当中现在有很多的事情。周先生的事情实际上牵动着大家每一个人的心，师父今天在徒弟课上给大家稍微讲几句。
As you all know, many things are currently happening among our disciples. Mr Zhou’s situation has truly touched everyone’s heart, so I would like to say a few words about it during today’s Dharma talk.
因为每个人他是有命的，如果他的命该到劫的时候，一般的很难转过来，就是在转的时候也还会有反复。首先大家要知道这个人得的是什么病？如果得的是细胞的病，按照医学上来讲，细胞的病可能就像癌细胞类的。癌细胞并不是说它在哪里你就可以把它去除掉的。如果癌细胞长在你的肝上，你把肝拿掉；如果长在肺上，你把肺拿掉。像这种是解决不了问题的，因为细胞它是在活动的。大家听得懂吗？另外从玄学上来讲就是灵性病。一个孽障到来的时候，实际上它是灵性激活了，也是一个劫，让他走就走了。
Everyone has their own destiny. When a person reaches a major predestined calamity in life, it is generally very difficult to reverse it. Even when things begin to turn around, there are often setbacks and relapses. First, we must understand what kind of illness this person is suffering from. If it is an illness at the cellular level, then from a medical perspective it resembles cancer. Cancer cells are not something you can simply remove by cutting them out. If the cancer grows in the liver, you remove the liver; if it grows in the lungs, you remove the lungs—but this does not solve the problem, because cells are constantly moving and changing. Do you understand? From a metaphysical perspective, this is what we call a spiritual illness. When a karmic obstacle arrives, it is actually the activation of a foreign spirit, and it is also a predestined calamity. When the time comes for a person to leave, they may leave just like that.
上一次师父给他俩说了很多，后来他们两个都很开心的，周先生精神也很好了，一直忙来忙去的开心得不得了。师父给他讲了，两个月当中要他求求菩萨保佑保佑他，他自己多念经，多念小房子。因为这种事情很简单。结果这老先生昨天去看病，他又变了，他约好后天去动手术。我昨天也是难过了一天，因为我能看得到，如果他去动手术的话对他是非常危险的。为什么呢？首先大家想象一下，他的肠子已经割掉二尺了，接下来胃再拿掉四分之三，你说他接下来怎么活呢？而且他这种身体在家里，他太太受得了受不了？这些也是事实。所以师父求菩萨保佑，希望今天能再把他说回来。
Last time, I spoke at length with Mr and Mrs Zhou, and they both left feeling very happy. Mr Zhou’s spirit was uplifted; he was busy and full of joy. I told him that over the next two months he must sincerely pray for the Bodhisattva’s blessing and protection, diligently recite sutras, and recite Little Houses. This matter is actually quite straightforward. However, after seeing a doctor yesterday, Mr Zhou changed his mind again and scheduled surgery for the day after tomorrow. I was deeply saddened the entire day yesterday because I can see that undergoing surgery would be extremely dangerous for him. Think about it: he has already had sixty centimetres of his intestines removed. If three-quarters of his stomach were removed next, how could he possibly survive? And with his body in that condition, how could his wife cope at home? These are very real and practical concerns. That is why I have been praying to the Bodhisattva, hoping that today I could persuade him to change his mind again.
你们知道吗？昨天周先生打电话的时候是有气无力的，就这几天已经把周太太折腾的不像样子了。周太太说，再过几天他还没有走，她已经进医院了。而周先生一星期下来瘦了 20 斤。周先生今天到师父办公室里来，看见师父一直在笑，一直在笑，师父在笑什么呢？笑周先生不听师父话，吃苦在眼前。其实师父是用气场一直在笑。结果他想通了。他说，他一看见师父他就开心。过了一会周太太走进来告诉师父说，忘记告诉师父了，师父在帮周先生求观世音菩萨时，她看见弥勒佛了。她说师父刚才笑的声音跟弥勒佛的笑声一模一样，因为她昨天晚上梦里听见弥勒佛的笑声了（这位周太太每次跟师父拜佛菩萨的时候都能看见菩萨，而且和师父看见的一模一样。师父说她开天眼了）。而且今天在拜佛的时候也有一位同修看见弥勒佛了，她还觉得奇怪弥勒佛怎么来了？师父告诉你们，已经有菩萨在救周先生了。周先生今天总算想通了。他只要一想通马上浑身是劲，精神马上好了。
Do you know that when Mr Zhou called yesterday, his voice was extremely weak and exhausted? Over just these past few days, Mrs Zhou has been pushed to the brink. She said that if he did not pass away in a few more days, she herself would end up in hospital. Over the course of just one week, Mr Zhou lost ten kilograms. Today, when Mr Zhou came to my office, he saw me smiling continuously. Why was I smiling? I was smiling because he had not listened earlier and had brought this suffering upon himself. In fact, I was maintaining that smile through my energy field. As a result, he suddenly understood. He said that simply seeing me made him feel happy. A short while later, Mrs Zhou came in and told me she had forgotten to mention something. While I was praying to Guan Yin Bodhisattva for her husband, she saw Maitreya Buddha. She said that the way I was laughing sounded exactly like Maitreya Buddha’s laughter, because she had heard Maitreya Buddha laughing in her dream the night before. (Mrs Zhou sees Bodhisattvas every time she prays with me, and what she sees is exactly the same as what I see. I have said before that her Divine Eye is open.) Furthermore, during today’s prayers, another practitioner also saw Maitreya Buddha and wondered why Maitreya Buddha had appeared. I am telling you now: the Bodhisattvas are already saving Mr Zhou. Today, Mr Zhou finally understood. The moment he understood, he was suddenly filled with strength, and his spirits immediately lifted.
想想看，一个人的肠子，一个人的胃都是很重要的，如果器官少一样就不成人样了，就是想救也很难救的。实际上像他这种癌细胞今天可以有，明天可以没有，要靠他自己好好念经，好好调养的。师父准备过几天陪他去看一个中医，我去跟这个中医讲。今天他开心得不得了，今晚心总算定下来了。周太太也开心了。能救他的实际上是菩萨。菩萨能救我们。今天周先生不单单是救了自己，也是救了你的太太。你活着也要为你的太太想一想，你就这么半条命，动完手术之后，你在家里不把老太太折腾死呀？站也站不起来，路也不能走，每天就吃这么一点点。现在肚子还没有怎么样呢，已经三、四个窟窿扎上去了，这几天把他折腾得饭都吃不下去。你想想看，你还能活得了吗？没有信心，讲到底就是对观世音菩萨没有信心。你要好好念经。师父今天救他了，他马上有精神了。刚刚端水从门口进来，有小朋友看见他把门用脚“砰”的一踢，把门打开了，到这里来马上精神就来了。在家里，问问周太太看，像死人一样，“哎哟，我不行了，我不能上课去了”，连话都讲不响了。
Think about it carefully: a person’s intestines and stomach are extremely important. If even one vital organ is missing, the body is no longer whole, and even if one wishes to save the person, it becomes very difficult. In cases like his, cancer cells can be present one day and disappear the next. What matters is that he sincerely recites sutras and properly nurtures his body. I am planning to accompany him in a few days to see a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, and I will speak directly with the doctor myself. Today, he is overjoyed; at last, his mind has settled this evening. Mrs Zhou is also relieved and happy. Ultimately, it is the Bodhisattva who can save him. The Bodhisattva can save us all.
Mr Zhou, today you have not only saved yourself—you have also saved your wife. While you are alive, you must think about her. With only half a life left, if you went through with that surgery and returned home, wouldn’t you exhaust the poor lady to death? You would not be able to stand or walk, and you would only be able to eat a tiny amount. Even now, before anything major has been done, three or four holes have already been made in your abdomen, and the ordeal has left you unable to even swallow food. Do you really think you could endure that?
At the root of it, lacking confidence means lacking faith in Guan Yin Bodhisattva. You must recite sutras properly. Today, I helped him, and his energy immediately returned. Just a moment ago, when he brought some water in, one of the staff saw him kick the door open with his foot—bang!—his energy surged back the moment he arrived here. Compared with how he is at home—ask Mrs Zhou—he was like a dead man: “Oh, I can’t do it, I can’t go to the Dharma talk,” he would say, his voice barely audible.
要记住是谁在救你，好好谢谢观世音菩萨。你给我记住，你不是小孩子了，不能老变的。如果变，就是有魔来阻挡你，不让你跟师父接触，不让你到观音堂来。你今天能够来，你就有救了。多少人都能救，连肝癌都能好了，你就不能好了？你脑子要想想好，你不能老让师父这么累的。那天晚上给你用了多少气场啊，就你这个样子。你知道师父昨天一天有多难过吗？难过了半天把佛菩萨请来了，给你看病。你刚刚在拜佛菩萨的时候，菩萨来了你知道吗？另一个同修都感觉到了，看见观世音菩萨给你治病啊。我告诉你，你对不起观世音菩萨，你这种徒弟很差劲的。如果照师父在人间的 40%肉身，我要都不要你了，还救你的老命？你们可以问问他，今天看见师父是什么感觉？他现在看见师父就开心呀。要好好修啊！师父是为你们好，听不懂啊？
You must remember who is saving you, and sincerely thank Guan Yin Bodhisattva. Remember this clearly: you are no longer a child; you cannot keep changing your mind. If you waver, it is because demonic forces are obstructing you, trying to prevent you from coming into contact with me and from coming to the Guan Yin Hall. The fact that you were able to come today means you can still be saved. So many people have been saved—there have even been cases of liver cancer that were cured. Why can’t you recover? You must think clearly. You cannot keep exhausting me like this.
Do you have any idea how much of my energy field I used for you that night, despite your attitude? Do you know how distressed I felt all day yesterday? After feeling distressed for some time, I invited the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to come and treat you. When you were praying to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas just now, did you know the Bodhisattva was present? Another practitioner sensed it too—she saw Guan Yin Bodhisattva treating you. I am telling you, you have let Guan Yin Bodhisattva down; you have been a very poor disciple. If I were relying only on my forty per cent human physical body, I would have long since washed my hands of you—why would I bother saving your life? Those present can ask Mr Zhou how he felt when he saw me today. Now, he is simply happy to see me. You must all cultivate diligently! I am doing this for your own good—don’t you understand?
很多人都不知道，师父这种性格，救人是救的，讲归讲，说归说，说完了之后一直在给他求。你们要多理解师父，要多懂一点道理，要知道师父在用什么救你们。师父今天很开心，能救两条命。周先生的事情你们难过吗？都难过啊。大家都是师父的弟子，这种慈悲的心一定要有啊。师父告诉大家，你们要好好修心，你们每一位弟子的事情师父一直都在关心。哪一个不关心啊？你们都知道那位刘先生，人家肝癌念经念好了。你们要懂，要明白学佛要有信心的，没有信愿行不行。如果对观世音菩萨没有信心，就是没有修好。
Many people do not know this, but this is simply my nature. When it comes to saving people, I do save them. Even if I lecture them or speak harshly, after speaking, I continue praying for them all the same. You must understand me better, understand the reasoning behind my actions, and understand what I am using to save you. Today, I am very happy—two lives have been saved. Were you all distressed by Mr Zhou’s situation? Of course you were. You are all my disciples; you must all possess compassion. I tell you this: cultivate your minds well. I have always cared deeply about every single disciple’s situation—whom have I not cared about? You all know Mr Liu—his liver cancer was cured through reciting sutras. You must understand this clearly: practising Buddhism requires faith. Without faith, vows, and practice, it will not work. If you have no faith in Guan Yin Bodhisattva, it means you have not cultivated well.
师父告诉大家，为了周先生的事情师父很难过。我今天感叹了很多人间的事情。师父就用天上的智慧来分析人间的事情，看看你们在人间都在干什么？都不知道自己活在世间在做些什么？
I want to tell you all that I have been deeply distressed by Mr Zhou’s situation. Today, I have reflected on many matters of the human world. I use the wisdom of the heavens to analyse human affairs. Look at what people are actually doing in this world. Many do not even know what they are living for or what they are doing with their lives.
师父先给大家讲一些佛法，修行。很多人以为修行就是到寺庙里去拜拜佛、念念经。实际上到庙里去拜拜佛、念念经，只不过是一个“闻”。大家知道“闻”吗？就是闻到，耳闻，鼻闻等。到庙里去拜拜佛、念念经，犹如闻到了佛法，但这只不过是学佛的开始。我们学佛，要在分辨上。就是分辨是非，要思考，要用智慧去分辨我们现在学的东西是好还是坏？如果一个人单单跑到庙里去就知道念经、烧香、拜佛，实际上这个人只不过是闻到了佛法，而不算是修心。听得懂吗？那怎么样修心呢？修心的人，首先要学会分辨人世间的善恶。要用脑子思考，要用智慧去分辨、去思考人世间的事情哪些是如理如法。想一想，如果菩萨的这个理论，我这样做对不对？要用佛法的理论去分析研究，你才能真正明白其中的道理。当一个人能够分析佛理、理解佛理的时候，实际上这个时候才叫开始修心。听得懂吗？
First, I want to speak about the Buddha-Dharma and cultivation. Many people believe that practising Buddhism simply means going to a temple, bowing to the Buddha, and reciting scriptures. In reality, doing these things is merely a form of “hearing”. Do you understand what “hearing” means? It refers to initial contact—what you hear with your ears or perceive through your senses. Going to a temple to pray is like catching the scent of the Dharma; it is only the very beginning of the path. To truly practise Buddhism, one must learn to discern. You must distinguish right from wrong, reflect deeply, and use wisdom to determine whether what you are learning is wholesome or unwholesome. If a person merely goes to a temple to recite sutras, burn incense, and bow, they have only “heard” the Dharma—they are not yet cultivating the mind. Do you understand? So how does one cultivate the mind? A practitioner must first learn to discern good and evil in the human world. You must use your mind to reflect and your wisdom to determine which worldly affairs are appropriate and in accordance with the Dharma. Ask yourself: “According to the Bodhisattva’s teachings, is what I am doing correct?” Only by analysing and examining things through Buddhist principles can you truly understand their meaning. When a person is able to analyse and comprehend Buddhist principles, that is when cultivation of the mind truly begins. Do you understand?
我们必须停止所有一切人间的思维。我们学佛，有时候要把人间的思维去除掉。人间的思维是什么？就是看到了假相认为是真相。明明这个事情是假相。举个简单例子，今天周先生的事情，你现在癌细胞查出来是个假相。因为就像一个人有热度一样，你今天可以坏，明天可以好，这是一个假相。那么真相是什么呢？我现在年纪大了，我要吃素，我要吃的干净，我身体要保持一定的素质，我这些癌细胞来了，我应该怎么样调整自己的心态。因为细胞是根据人的感情变化的，当一个人的精神受不住这些压力的时候，他的细胞会转换。这个就是叫学佛要懂佛理，要懂得这个佛理。你今天看到了这个假相，以为是真相，就觉得自己的命要没了，我要死了。你看看你前几天，在家里哭得就像明天要死掉一样，你把老婆也折腾成这个样子，你不就是因为假相迷惑了你的眼睛吗？多少生癌症的人，人家怎么挺过来了啦？因为假相可以转为真。你用真相去明白它，你就不认为它是一个“真相”了。听得懂吗？师父给你们讲的就是告诉你们，看人间所有的事情都是假相。比如今天结婚了，过几天又离婚了，是不是假相啊？现在吃饱了，一会儿又饿了，是不是假相啊？年轻的时候漂亮吗？到了年纪大的时候，老了，是不是假相啊？哪个东西是真的？真正懂得看到真相的人，那才叫学到佛理了。今天这个困难过去了，明天又来另一个困难了，有什么稀奇的？周先生上一次查出来生肠癌的时候，不就是师父帮你看好了吗？念经不是过来了？这次来了你就怕了。你要好好修呀，你要相信观世音菩萨。你老婆都能看见观世音菩萨，你还这个样子，你真的是对不起观世音菩萨。你没有出息。一个跟着师父学佛这么多年的人，连这么一点信心都没有，真的没有出息啊。怕什么死呀？
We must also stop worldly modes of thinking. When practising Buddhism, there are times when we must remove human ways of thinking. What are worldly ways of thinking? They are mistaking false appearances for reality. Even when something is clearly illusory, we take it to be real. Take Mr Zhou’s situation as an example. The discovery of cancer cells is a false appearance—just like a fever. Today it may be severe; tomorrow it may improve. This is an illusory appearance. So what is the true reality? The reality is this: “I am getting older. I should strictly maintain a pure vegetarian diet, eat clean vegetarian food, and properly care for my physical condition. Now that cancer cells have appeared, how should I adjust my mindset?” Cells respond to a person’s emotional state. When a person’s mentality cannot withstand pressure, their cells change. This is what it means to truly understand Buddhist principles. But when you see a false appearance and mistake it for reality, you think, “My life is over; I am going to die.”
Mr Zhou, look at yourself over these past few days—crying at home as if you were going to die tomorrow, putting your wife through such suffering. Isn’t this simply because a false appearance clouded your vision? So many people develop cancer—how do they make it through? Because false appearances can be transformed. If you use the true reality to understand the situation, you will no longer regard the illness as an absolute “reality”. Do you understand?
What I am teaching you is this: everything in the human world is an illusory appearance. For example, you get married today, and a few days later you divorce—was that marriage truly real? You eat until you are full now, and later you become hungry again—was that fullness real? You are beautiful when you are young, and then you grow old—was that beauty real? So what, then, is real? Only those who truly know how to see through appearances to reality have genuinely grasped Buddhist principles. One difficulty passes today, and another arrives tomorrow—what is so strange about that?
Mr Zhou, when you were diagnosed with bowel cancer last time, didn’t I help you through it? Didn’t you get through it by reciting sutras? Yet this time, you are frightened. You must cultivate diligently and have faith in Guan Yin Bodhisattva. Your wife can even see Guan Yin Bodhisattva, yet you still behave like this—you have truly let the Bodhisattva down. You are spineless. For someone who has followed me and practised Buddhism for so many years to have such little faith is truly disappointing. What is there to fear about death?
所以要记住，一定要把自己在人间的思维停掉。也就是说不要去想这些人间的思维，因为这些思维都是暂时的、临时的。不开心的事情，过了就过了。人间的思维哪个可以当真呢？过了不就过了，你们说对不对啊？你们年轻的时候哪一个没有碰到过一点事情呀？什么事情没碰过？我认识一个华侨，去打高尔夫球，人家一个球打过来打到他的眼睛上，整个眼珠子都出来了，眼睛就这么瞎掉了。你说打高尔夫球怎么会有这种事情呢？这就是该他倒霉。今天你周先生相信观世音菩萨，“我不会死的，我就好好念经。就算慢慢地死的话，也还有好几年可活”。如果你精神上垮了之后，你的免疫系统连续出现毛病了，那很快就死了。对观世音菩萨要彻底的有信心，什么样的病都能看得好的。我告诉你们，这次对大家都是一个警惕，希望大家以后如果有恶病的时候要坚定信心，千万不要学周先生。明白了吗？下面谈上课正题。
Remember this well: you must completely stop worldly ways of thinking. Do not dwell on human perspectives, because such thoughts are temporary and fleeting. When something unpleasant happens, let it pass. Which of these worldly thoughts can truly be taken seriously? Once they have passed, they are gone—wouldn’t you agree? When you were young, which one of you did not encounter difficulties? What kind of situation have you not faced? I know a Chinese migrant who was playing golf. Someone struck a ball that flew straight into his eye, destroying the eyeball—he went blind just like that. You might ask, how could something like this happen while playing golf? It was simply his predestined misfortune.
Mr Zhou, today you must place your faith entirely in Guan Yin Bodhisattva. Tell yourself: “I will not die. I will diligently recite sutras. Even if I were to pass away slowly, I still have several good years left to live.” However, once a person collapses mentally, their immune system begins to fail continuously, and death can come very quickly. You must have absolute and unwavering faith in Guan Yin Bodhisattva—any illness can be cured.
I tell you all this so that this incident serves as a warning to everyone. If any of you ever face a serious illness, you must remain firm in your faith and never follow Mr Zhou’s example. Do you understand? Now, let us move on to the main topic of today’s Dharma talk.
当你们修到定出来的时候，那才能叫修得好。修心要修到定。什么叫定？就是能够定得住。如果定不住，就是你的修为还不够。你人间的思维太多了，没有用佛法、佛理来思维自己，所以定力就不够。当你修到定出来的时候，就是等于从止念到定念，只有停止自己的念头，才能把自己的念头定住。比如这个汽车在开，你先叫它停止，它才能停下来。先叫它止，就是刹车踩下去之后止住了，它才能停（定）得下来。当我们人很烦恼的时候，很不开心的时候，首先要让自己把念头停掉,“我不想了，这事情过去就过去了，没有问题了。我想通了”。先止念，然后你这个念头才会定下来，你就不会烦恼了、不会生气了、不会恐惧了。听得懂吗？
Only when your cultivation reaches the point where concentration arises can it truly be considered successful. Cultivating the mind must lead to concentration. What is concentration? It is the ability to remain settled and unmoving. If you cannot remain settled, then your cultivation is insufficient. You have too many worldly thoughts and have failed to use Buddhist principles to govern your thinking; therefore, your power of concentration is weak. When concentration arises, it marks the transition from stopping thoughts to settled thoughts. Only by stopping thoughts can the mind settle. It is like a car in motion: you must first apply the brakes to stop it before it can remain still. First it stops; only then can it become settled. When we feel troubled or unhappy, the first thing we must do is stop our thoughts: “I will not think about this anymore. It is in the past now. There is no problem. I have seen through it.” By stopping the thought first, the mind can then settle. When the mind settles, you will no longer feel distressed, angry, or afraid. Do you understand?
师父给大家讲的“止念”和“定念”是一种正确的修心。什么叫“止念”？因为当你没有人间的念头的时候，停止去想问题，你的心能定得下来，你才能越修越好。比如你碰到一个很困难的事情了，你很难过，对不对？那你先不去想它，不去想它之后，慢慢就不想它了。你天天想这个事情，你念头止不下来，接下来你的心就定不下来了。就像周先生这几天在家里天天在想，“我要动手术了。我要动手术了。‘咔嚓’一刀，打麻药怎么样？哎呀，肠子怎么样？会割一半，还是割全部？如果把肠管拉出来我以后怎么过？如果开了之后会不会扩散……”你整天在想这些事情，你想想看，你这个念头这么多，你活得了吗？还没有动手术，吓都快吓死了。
What I am teaching you about stopping thoughts and settling thoughts is a correct method of cultivating the mind. What does stopping thoughts mean? It means ceasing worldly thinking and endless analysis, allowing the mind to settle so that cultivation can deepen continuously. For example, when you encounter a very difficult situation and feel deeply distressed, what should you do? First, do not think about it. Once you stop thinking about it, gradually you will no longer think about it at all. But if you think about it every day, your thoughts will never stop, and your mind will never settle.
Look at Mr Zhou over the past few days. Every day at home he kept thinking: “I’m going to have surgery. I’m going to have surgery. Will they cut me open? How will the anaesthetic work? What about my intestines? Will they remove half or all of them? If they fit a stoma bag, how will I live? Will the cancer spread after surgery…?” With so many tangled thoughts, how could he possibly survive? He hasn’t even had the surgery yet, and he’s already half-dead from fright.
所以要记住，止念是真正定得住的时候，你连念头都不能有。也就是说，当你这个人真正定得住自己的时候，你连这种一点点的念头都不能有。举个简单的例子，今天我们不去想很多事情，我们活一天，我们就很开心一天。对不对？那么这样的话，你就不去想很悲痛的事情了，不去想过去小时候人家欺负你的事情，不去想你小时候那些很痛苦的事情。实际上你把过去的事情全部停止，没有念头的话，你还会难过吗？小时候明明很不开心的事情，一想就不开心，你就不要去想它了。在生活当中，“过去的事情我很难过，我就不想它”，你不就过来了吗？当你什么都不去想的话，实际上就没有造这个因。不论是好的事情还是不好的事情，你都不去想它，随着时间就消失了，就没有了。对不对？
So remember this: when thoughts truly stop, the mind can genuinely settle. When a person truly attains concentration, even the slightest wandering thought must not arise. Let me give you a simple example. If today we do not dwell on many things and simply live one day at a time, then we can be happy for that day. In this way, you will not dwell on tragic events, you will not revisit times when you were bullied as a child, and you will not repeatedly recall painful memories from the past. In fact, if you completely stop thinking about the past, would you still feel sad? There may have been things in childhood that were genuinely painful, but the moment you think about them, the pain returns. So do not think about them. In daily life, when you tell yourself, “I was deeply hurt by things in the past, so I will not think about them anymore,” haven’t you already moved on? When you stop thinking altogether, you stop creating new karmic causes. Whether something is good or bad, if you do not dwell on it, it will gradually fade away with time. Isn’t that so?
师父有时想起很多事情也是很不开心。我现在又想起周先生在五、六年前跑到我办公室来那副样子，我想起了就很恨。你要师父想起呢？还是让师父不要想起呢？就是这个样子拿着一张纸，“卢台长啊，你救救我，我的……”话都讲不清楚。指着那张有关身体情况的检查单，“我这个地方哦……”师父救了你，帮你活了这么多年了，对不对啊？要记住，吃一堑，长一智。做事、做人要为人家想。很好的慈悲心得到很好的报应。如果你脑子里想：我要让老婆好一些，我情愿自己慢慢地吃一点中药，而且还有师父传授的三大法宝念经、放生、许愿。你天天在电话里都会给人家讲，碰到自己的时候怎么就不会用了呢？
Sometimes, when I recall certain events, I too feel very unhappy. Just now, I was thinking of how Mr Zhou looked when he rushed into my office five or six years ago. The moment I recall it, my heart feels deeply distressed. Should I remember it, or should I let it fade away? He was like that—holding a piece of paper and saying, “Master Lu, please save me, my…” He could not even finish his sentence, pointing at his medical report and saying, “This part of my body…” I saved you and helped you live for so many years—haven’t I? Remember this well: learn from suffering and grow wiser. When doing things and conducting yourself, you must think for others. Genuine compassion brings genuinely good karmic results. If you had thought to yourself, “I want to make things easier for my wife; I would rather patiently take Chinese herbal medicine and rely on the Three Golden Buddhist practices passed down by the Master—reciting sutras, performing life liberation, and making great vows,” you would be in a very different situation today. You give this advice to others over the phone every day, so why can’t you apply it when you yourself are facing difficulties?
师父给大家讲，连一个念头都不要有。就是说我小时候有很多不开心的事，连这些念头都不要有。比如你想起小时候你老爸打你，你一天到晚想到这个事情，你就会产生很多瞋恨感，你就会对世界上很多事情很恨。老爸打了就打了，打了帮你消孽障啊，打完了你消掉了，留下的就是善缘了。过去的事情念头都不要有，过去了永远就成为过去了。在人间就是这样，很多事情过去了就没了。所以最可怜的人就是永远把自己过去的好的时候放在心里，“过去我怎么样怎么样”，永远沉醉在过去当中，实际上这个人更痛苦。比如想想自己年轻的时候，小的时候很开心的，结婚的时候也很开心的。为什么日子过得越来越不开心了？这个脸笑都笑不出来了？
I tell you all: do not allow even a single thought to arise. Even regarding the unhappy events of your childhood—do not cling to those thoughts. For example, if you keep thinking about how your father hit you when you were young, dwelling on it day after day, resentment will arise, and you will gradually develop hatred towards many things in this world. If your father hit you, then let it be—perhaps it helped you eliminate karmic obstacles. Once it passed, the karma was resolved, and what remains between you should be a wholesome affinity. Do not hold on to thoughts of the past. Let what has passed remain forever in the past. That is the way of the human world—many things simply cease to exist once they are over. The most pitiable people are those who forever cling to their so-called “glory days,” constantly thinking, “I used to be this,” or “I used to have that.” Being intoxicated by the past only brings greater suffering. Think about it: when you were young, you were happy; when you got married, you were happy. Why, then, has life become more and more unhappy? Why can’t you even muster a smile anymore?
所以真正的定，是心无罣碍，要无罣碍故。听得懂吗？不要有任何想法。一定不能有任何想法，心中要无私天地宽。我们不要有罣碍，我们不能有罣碍。如果我们不去想了，实际上我们就是离开了罣碍。如果我们去想了，实际上我们就有罣碍了。明白吗？如果连想的念头都没有的话，你念的经文已经被化成一种神秘的力量进入了你的八识田中。这些全是观世音菩萨告诉师父的东西，精彩啊！就像现在年轻人说的，叫经典啊！经典在什么地方呢？告诉你们，连念头都没有，念经什么事情都不想了，就变成无罣碍故。比方说我念《大悲咒》，念《心经》，我连念经的念头都没有，脑子里已经念到念念无念了，就是念经像没有念一样了，脑子里全是经文了，不感觉到自己在念经了，这个时候你念的经文会化成一种神秘的力量。神秘的力量实际上就是你念的经很多了，多得已经跟菩萨一样了，经文已经进入到了你的八识田中了，已经在你的意识当中了。就像有些人为什么做梦被鬼追的时候，他会在梦中自然地就念经了，一念经马上醒过来了。为什么有些人在梦中被鬼追的时候，他就想不起来念经呢？听得懂吗？这种神秘的力量进入了你的八识田中，犹如我们做梦的时候一样。
Therefore, true meditative concentration is a state of “no hindrance in the mind; because there is no hindrance.” Do you understand? You must have no thoughts at all. Absolutely none. As the saying goes, “When the mind is selfless, the world is vast.” We must not have hindrances, and we should not create hindrances. If we stop thinking, we leave hindrances behind. If we keep thinking, we bind ourselves with hindrances. Do you understand? If you reach a state where even the intention to think is absent, then the sutras you recite will transform into a mystical power and enter your Eighth Consciousness. These are teachings that Guan Yin Bodhisattva has conveyed to me—truly marvellous! As young people today would say, “This is classic.” Why is it called “classic”? I tell you: when there are no thoughts at all, when you recite sutras without thinking of anything whatsoever, you enter the state of no hindrance.
For example, when I recite the Great Compassion Mantra or the Heart Sutra, I do not even have the thought, “I am reciting.” I reach a state of reciting without reciting. The mind is so completely filled with the sutra that there is no awareness of oneself reciting. At that moment, the sutras transform into a mystical power. This “mystical power” arises because you have recited so much that you are already aligned with the Bodhisattvas—the sutras have entered your Eighth Consciousness and merged into your awareness. This explains why some people, when chased by ghosts in a dream, will naturally start reciting sutras and wake up immediately, while others cannot. Do you understand now? This mystical power has entered your Eighth Consciousness, just like the mechanism of dreaming itself.
如果我们自己念经念到后来，自己嘴巴都不动，念头都没有，那这个人真的是念念无念了。举个简单的例子，如果你是搞会计的，师父告诉你现在有八张票，一张票是多少钱，合计是多少？你脑子里马上就得出总数，根本用不着去背乘法口诀的，像小孩子做算术一样。听得懂吗？我们念经念到最后自然地就出来了。比方说你一碰到困难的时候，“啪”，《大悲咒》出来了；一碰到智慧不开的时候，“啪”，《心经》出来了。举个简单例子，就像武侠电影里面有功夫的人一样，如果你跟对方打的时候，心想“哎哟，师父教过我的，我用第八招”。可是对方三招都打过来了，你再用第八招来还击，想想看这时候来得及吗？头都被人家打破了。它完全是一种自然反应。等你这一招过来，他会用另一方法还击。如果对方一拳过来，你会用脚把它挡掉，那就是自然反应了。听得懂吗？不是在学的时候，而是在学完了之后已经在你的身体里了，在你的血液里面。所以念经念到后来完全在心里了，那个时候你才是真正地拥有了它。念经要念到你真正地拥有了它，你才能念得好。你们现在还想到我要念经，那就不是你的经文。因为你要念经，这个东西是外面的，不是你的。我要去吃饭，饭就在人家饭店里。听得懂吗？招术已经到了你的身上了，只要人家出什么招，你就出什么招应对。那个时候是很自然的动作，那才叫熟能生巧。而这个巧是不用你想的就出来了，是在你身上的自然体现。我们念经就要念到这种程度，这个人才能成功。
If a person recites sutras to the point where their lips no longer move and no thoughts arise, they have truly reached the state of reciting without reciting. Think of an accountant: if I give you eight receipts and ask for the total, your mind produces the answer instantly; you do not need to consciously recite multiplication tables like a child doing sums. Do you understand? In the same way, when sutra recitation reaches a certain level, it arises naturally. When difficulty appears—bang!—the Great Compassion Mantra arises. When wisdom feels blocked—bang!—the Heart Sutra appears.
It is like martial arts in films. If, during a fight, you think, “Ah, Master taught me this move—I’ll use the eighth move,” but your opponent has already struck three times, then by the time you react, your head has already been hit. True skill is a natural reflex. When a punch comes, your leg blocks it automatically—that is instinctive response. Do you understand? This means true skill is not developed while you are still consciously learning; it emerges after learning, once it has been fully internalised into your body and even into your blood. When sutras have completely entered your mind in this way, you truly possess them. Only then can you recite sutras properly. If you still think, “I need to recite sutras,” then those sutras are not yet yours, because something you still need to “do” remains external—it has not become part of you. It is like saying, “I want to eat”—the food is still in the restaurant, not inside you. Do you understand? When the “moves” have become part of you, whatever move the opponent makes, you respond instinctively. That is true mastery—skill born of familiarity. This skill arises without thinking; it manifests naturally from within. We must recite sutras until we reach this level. Only then can we truly succeed.