师父今天讲佛法上善恶的标准。人间的善恶标准是：做好事就是好人，做坏事就是恶人。佛法上善恶的标准很高：凡是为自己的都是“恶”，为别人的都是“善”。当然这个善和恶可大可小。如果我今天为家里的人，算不算善呢？这就是你的境界了。师父把这个道理分析给你们听。首先，想学佛的人要学成佛，要破除二执。一种叫“我执”，就是我自己非常执着于某一件事情，“我一定要做的，我必须怎么样”。这个就是自私的表现。如果你把“我执”破除了，你就是阿罗汉果，像罗汉菩萨一样。
“我执”就是我执着要做某一件事情。我执着我必须赢到六合彩，我执着我的孩子一定要考到精英中学……第二种是“法执”。“法执”就是对人间的一切欲望和对事物的理解等等。如果你破了我执、法执，你就成佛了。
Today, I want to talk about how good and evil are measured in Buddhism. In the human world, the standard is simple: doing good deeds makes you a good person, and doing bad deeds makes you a bad person. But in Buddhism, the standard is much higher: anything done for oneself is considered unwholesome, while anything done for others is considered wholesome. Of course, even within this framework, there are degrees—wholesome and unwholesome can range from minor to significant. Now, you might ask, “If I do something for my family, does that count as good?” That depends on your level of spiritual attainment—your state of mind. Let me explain further.
Anyone who truly wants to follow the Buddha’s path and attain Buddhahood must first break free from two attachments. The first is called “attachment to a concept of self”—that is, being overly fixated on your own desires. For example, “I have to do this,” or “I must have that.” This is a form of selfishness. If you can break this attachment to self, you will attain the level of an Arhat—like the enlightened Arhat Bodhisattvas. Attachment to self means being obsessed with certain outcomes: “I must win the lottery,” or “My child must get into a top selective school.”
The second attachment is called “attachment to dharmas (factors)”—this refers to being attached to worldly desires, concepts, and the ways we understand things in the human world. If you can let go of both the attachment to self and the attachment to dharmas, then you will attain Buddhahood.
如果每天都在为自己想的人、为自己做的人，他天天在增加我执。为什么说我执的人有私心呢？为什么他是恶呢？因为他每天想着“我要去跟他比，我要去跟他争斗，我要去赢钱，我要去怎么样”，他就是增加那种恶业力啊。因为他天天在增加他的我执，也就是说他的意念很强。你们知道，有争斗、有比较就会有高低。为什么说为自己是恶？是因为它在慢慢不停地在聚集我执，我执时间长了就成了一种恶。举个例子，这个人很自私，他是不是作恶？比如天天自私，把鞋子放在门口，最后把煤炉放在别人家门口，把垃圾放在人家门口……这都是因为我执。那么对方也把垃圾放在他家门口，把他家的信箱弄坏。你说这是不是成恶了？他是怎么成恶的？他是从私心私欲开始成恶的。猛一听这句话，你们会想：为了我家里就会成恶了？因为这是拿佛菩萨的境界跟你们讲。你们真的是很自私的人。有时听到电话里那些自私的人，很多人很不开心，因为他们就知道问自己，就知道为自己。为自己自私到最后就是恶缘了，一个人自私到最后就会自己跟人家作恶了。这不叫作恶吗？
If someone spends every day thinking only of themselves and acting only for their own benefit, they are constantly increasing their attachment to self. Why do we say that someone with a strong attachment to self is selfish? And why is this considered unwholesome in Buddhism? Because that person is always thinking, “I need to compete with them,” or “I have to win,” or “I want to gain something for myself.” In doing so, they’re constantly reinforcing negative karmic energy. The stronger the attachment to self, the more intense these thought patterns become. And as you may know, where there is comparison and competition, there will always be a sense of superiority or inferiority.
So why is acting for yourself considered unwholesome? Because it continually builds up the self-centred ego. When attachment to self grows over time, it turns into a form of unwholesomeness. Let me give you an example: a person who is extremely selfish—aren’t they doing harm in some way? Maybe they start by putting their shoes outside someone else’s door, then later they leave a charcoal grill near their neighbour’s entrance, and eventually they dump their rubbish in front of someone else’s home. This kind of behaviour is driven by attachment to self. What happens next? Their neighbour retaliates—perhaps by dumping rubbish outside their door or damaging their mailbox. Hasn’t this now escalated into wrongdoing? How did it all begin? From selfish thoughts and selfish desires. You might wonder: “Is doing something for my own family really unwholesome?” But remember, we are discussing this from the perspective of the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas.
The truth is, many people can be very selfish. Sometimes, when I hear the kinds of things people say on the phone during my radio program, I can feel their distress. All they care about is themselves; all they ask about is themselves. When someone becomes too self-centred, they inevitably start creating negative karmic connections. A person who is selfish to the extreme will end up in conflict with others. Isn’t that creating negative karma?
师父现在给你们讲得越来越深了。师父讲的白话佛法你们猛一听没什么的，到后来突然间悟出道理了。师父要让你们悟出师父的这些话、这些道理。就算你在人间修了善法，如果你这个人还是执着于自我的话，实际上你就是增加执着，没有增加任何的功德和善事、善业。因为一个人为自己了，你再做多少好事也是在增加你的我执。哇，这句话我看你们又听不懂了。“我做好事情，也是我执吗？”师父讲给你们听。这件事情本来是为我自己做的，你再做多少好事，全部归于你这个目标。你这个目的是为自己的，你说这是好事吗？如果你是为大家的，你所做的所有好事全部是功德。今天师父为了大家，我出来的东西就是功德。你们为什么不学学师父啊？你们想想看，师父现在功力这么大，如果我有私心的话，观世音菩萨会给我这么大的功力吗？师父现在在教你们破除我执啊！
I’m diving deeper into these teachings for you now. At first, when you hear my plain-language explanations of the Buddha-dharma, they might not seem like much. But later, you may suddenly realise their meaning. What I want is for you to awaken to the truth behind my words and the principles they carry.
Even if you practise good deeds in the human world, if you remain attached to a concept of self, then in reality, you’re just reinforcing that attachment. You’re not increasing your merit and virtue or creating genuine positive karma. If everything you do is still for your own benefit, then no matter how many good deeds you perform, you’re only feeding your attachment to self. You might be thinking, “Wait—if I’m doing good things, is that still self-attachment?” Let me explain it clearly. If what you’re doing is fundamentally for yourself, then no matter how much good you do, it’s still only serving your own goals. If your motivation is selfish, how can that be considered true goodness? But if your intention is for the benefit of others, then all your good actions become merit and virtue.
Today, everything I do is for the sake of others, so what I generate is merit and virtue. Why don’t you take a leaf out of my book? Think about it: my spiritual strength is so great now. If I had selfish motives, would Guan Yin Bodhisattva have granted me such great spiritual power? Right now, what I’m teaching you is how to break through your attachment to self.
接下来教你们破除法执。什么叫“法”？看到的东西都是成为一种法。你们要记住，永远要把自己的心态放平。永远要做个好徒弟。永远要想到：我先想到人家，再想到自己。做人时不会先想到人家的人，你就永远不会被人家所想到。师父希望你们徒弟做事情首先想到人家。有钱买不到健康，买不到平安。不是说有钱就不生病。如果你不能破除执着，你就是恶。今天不能破除你自己的私心，不能破除这个法执，对世界上任何事物的追求就会不停地上涨、不停地爆发你的私心杂念。因为执着于人间一切法，就会生出烦恼障。烦恼障出来了，因为你想到自己“我想做什么了”，你就有烦恼了。因为你看不破一切在人间的事物本相。其实在人间最难的就是做人。三个字颠来倒去的——做人难，难做人，人难做。就是让你放下自我，放下我执和法执。
Next, let me teach you how to break free from attachment to the dharmas (factors). What is “dharma” in this context? Everything you perceive becomes a form of dharma.
Remember, you must always keep your mindset steady and balanced. Always strive to be a good disciple. Always remind yourself: think of others first, then think of yourself. If you’re someone who never considers others, then don’t expect others to ever think of you. I hope my disciples will learn to consider others before themselves when taking action. You must understand—money cannot buy health or peace. Just because you’re wealthy doesn’t mean you won’t get sick. If you can’t let go of your attachments, that is a form of unwholesomeness. If you can’t let go of selfishness or your attachment to dharmas, then your desires for things in the world will only continue to grow, fuelling more and more selfish thoughts and delusions. Being overly attached to worldly dharmas creates “afflictive obstructions.” And when afflictive obstructions arise, it’s because you’ve started thinking: “I want this,” or “I must do that”—which inevitably leads to stress and worry. This happens because you haven’t yet seen through the true nature of things in the Human Realm. The hardest thing in life is learning how to be a decent human being. There’s a phrase that says it all: “Being human is hard, hard to be human, and hard to live as a human.” The whole lesson is about letting go of the self—releasing both attachment to self and attachment to dharmas.
师父告诉你们，讲话做事情要根据现实不停地转换自己的思维，那才是一个有智慧的人。“执着”体现在各个方面。很多人跟着师父修心了，但是过去也修过其他法门，他就会想师父讲得对不对啊？曾经有一个旁听的听了没几次课，他就讲出来很多意见。因为他没有接受过师父这个法门，虽然他学过很多佛法，但他根本不知道佛法的真正涵义。举个例子，过去上海有一条马路叫法兰西路，过去是这么走的。现在呢，改成淮海东路、淮海西路。如果这个人不知道就会觉得，明明不是这条路，错了错了。你说到底谁错？如果要说谁错的话，那是时间错了，因为他没跟上天时。你们要是再退后几十年，你就不会生癌症了，因为当时没有这个病。过去的人多善良，会生这种恶病吗？所以学佛一定要与时俱进。
I’m telling you now: when speaking or acting, you must learn to adapt your mindset to suit the present moment—that’s what a truly wise person does. Attachment shows up in many ways. Some people have started cultivating their minds with me, but because they’ve practised other Dharma Doors in the past, they begin to wonder, “Is what Master Lu’s teaching really correct?” I once had a listener who’d only sat in on my Dharma Talks a few times and already started offering lots of opinions. Because he hadn’t truly accepted this Dharma Door, even though he had learned a lot of Buddhism, he didn’t understand its true essence.
Let me give you an example. There was once a road in Shanghai that was known by its French name in the old days. But now it’s split into East Huaihai Road and West Huaihai Road. If someone didn’t know that, they might say, “This isn’t the right road—it’s all wrong!” But who’s really mistaken? If anything is “wrong,” it’s their timing—because they failed to keep up with the times. If you turned back the clock a few decades, you might not even develop cancer—because that illness didn’t exist in the same way back then. People were kinder and more simple-hearted. Would such people be prone to such destructive illnesses? That’s why, when you practise Buddhism, you must move with the times.
所有得来的东西都是临时的。修心就是靠自己内心，要破除烦恼障，把自己的烦恼都破除，不要执着。法执就是所执障的根源。因为当你知道的太多而又分不清对错时，你就会产生障碍，然而障碍的根源就是法执。你怎么会知道有这么多的障碍呢？因为法执。什么意思？你看到的东西，你今天所经历的事情，全部都是法执。比如“我偏爱今天吃黑木耳，我今天偏爱吃香菇”，也是法执啊。“我对这个东西特别迷信，我就喜欢吃这个东西”，就是法执。“我认为澳洲最好”，也是法执。人嘛，总要犯错，但是要知道自己犯了错误才会进步啊。师父今天让你们自己来认识自己的错误，就是在让你们开悟。师父今天点化了你，你知道自己有一百个错误了，你就进步了。因为本来你以为自己没错误的。很多人为什么神气啊？就是老觉得自己没毛病。如果自己能感觉出自己的毛病，就是自己悟出来的。
Everything we gain in life is only temporary. Cultivating the mind depends entirely on your own inner efforts. You must break through the afflictive obstructions—eliminate your own mental disturbances and let go of attachment.
Attachment to dharmas is the root cause of “cognitive obstructions.” When you know too much but can’t distinguish between right and wrong, confusion arises—and at the root of that confusion is your attachment to dharmas. How do you even become aware of these obstructions? Through attachment to dharmas. What does that mean? It means the things you see and the experiences you go through—these are all forms of attachment to dharmas. For example: “I have a strong preference for eating black fungus today,” or “I only want to eat shiitake mushrooms”—that’s attachment to dharmas as well. “I’m superstitious about this particular food—I just love it”—also a kind of attachment to dharmas. Saying “I think Australia is the best place”—still attachment to dharmas.
We all make mistakes. But it’s only when you recognise your mistakes that you can grow. Today, I’m helping you become aware of your own errors—that’s how enlightenment begins. Once I point something out and you realise you’ve made a hundred mistakes—that’s progress. Because before this, you probably thought you hadn’t made any mistakes at all. Why are some people arrogant? Because they always believe they’re flawless. But if you’re able to notice your own faults, that means you’re starting to awaken—that insight is coming from within.
“不见一法”，看不见一个法门。人间的法、所有的物品、所有的法都没有。就像佛教讲的，“万法皆空”。我们所看见的任何东西、任何事情都是法。不见一法是寂，寂中能静，寂中能照。照到自己，照到自己的心，照到自己的所作所为、自己所有在做的事情，要照到五蕴皆空。你能观想，因为你寂了，所以你能静；因为你静了，所以你能照见自己五蕴皆空，所以叫“观自在”。“观自在菩萨”，这是观世音菩萨的另外一个法号。“观”就是观想，能够照到自己的心、自己在做一些什么事情。当你的心完全寂静下来后，你就是菩萨啊。你能够看到自己自在的本性，不就是观自在吗？那就是看到自己自身的佛啊，看见自身的菩萨啊。要想得深一点。
“Not perceiving even a single dharma”—this means you no longer perceive any Dharma Door. In the human world, all forms, all objects, all dharmas are ultimately empty. As Buddhism teaches, “All dharmas are empty.” Everything we see and experience is a form of dharma. But when you no longer perceive even a single dharma, that’s tranquillity. From tranquillity comes stillness, and from stillness comes clarity. This clarity shines inward—it illuminates your mind, your actions, everything you do. It allows you to see clearly that the Five Aggregates are all empty. You can visualise this truth because your mind is tranquil and still. Such tranquillity allows you to illuminate and perceive the emptiness of the Five Aggregates. That’s why it’s called “contemplating at ease” (guan zi zai). Guan Zi Zai Bodhisattva is another name for Guan Yin Bodhisattva. “Contemplation” means to observe inwardly—to shine a light on your heart and your actions. When your mind is completely still, you are already a Bodhisattva. When you can clearly perceive your own free, intrinsic nature—that is “contemplating at ease.” That is seeing your own Buddha nature, your own inner Bodhisattva. Think more deeply about it.