你对某一件事情的处理，要让人家感觉到，就要看你自己的实际行动了。你做出来的行为，能够符合这个标准，你就过去了；你做出的行为不符合，实际上你就错了。没有任何理由可以解释的。你们这些徒弟中有很多很喜欢解释的，我希望你们少解释——越解释越糟糕，越讲话多的人，越糟糕。如果你们不信的话，吵架的时候你们解释好了，解释到后来越来越糟糕。笑嘻嘻的，不讲话了，肚子里一本帐，称为智者，就是全部明白了。师父举个例子：下象棋的时候，那个人走一步，对方马上笑了。为什么？他这么一步棋，接下来他想怎么走，对方全知道了。这不叫智者吗？下象棋下得好的人，经常是这样。你说哪个是智者啊？聪明的人全知道你走哪一步棋。不要讲，不要解释——最高境界。什么都讲，这种人有智慧吗？学佛要学高尚的东西，要学高尚的境界。被人家侮辱了，被人家冤枉了，都要能够忍耐。你自己行动做出来，今后将来人家看得到的，用不着嘴巴多讲。到了末法时期，嘴巴不是多讲的时候，是多念经的时候。看看现在跟着师父学的几百万人，他们每天都差不多念经4、5个小时呢。你们徒弟告诉我，你们每天念经多长时间啊？
How you handle a situation, and how that is perceived by others, must be demonstrated through your actual actions. If your actions meet the standard, you have passed the test; if they don’t, you have failed. There are no excuses. Among my disciples, many love to explain themselves. I hope you will stop this habit—the more you explain, the worse it becomes. The more you talk, the more trouble you cause. If you don’t believe what I said, just look at what happens during an argument. When you keep explaining, the situation only escalates. A person who remains smiling and says nothing, but with a clear understanding in their heart, is called a wise person—someone who fully grasps the situation.
Let me give you an example: in a game of chess, one player makes a move and the opponent immediately smiles. Why? Because from that one move, the opponent already knows exactly what the player is planning next. Is that not a wise person? Expert chess players are often like this. Who is the truly wise one? The clever person who already sees every move you intend to make. That is why I say: Do not speak; do not explain—this is the highest state. Do you think those who talk about everything really possess wisdom?
In practising Buddhism, we must learn noble things and strive for a noble state of mind. Even when you are insulted or wronged, you must be able to endure. Let your actions speak for you; people will see the truth in time, so there is no need for excessive talk. In this Age of Dharma Decline, it is not the time for your mouth to talk excessively; it is time to recite more sutras. Look at the millions of followers practising Buddhism with me—they spend nearly four or five hours every day reciting sutras. As my disciples, tell me, how much time do you spend reciting each day?
“觉者”就是我什么都觉悟了，我什么都明白了，对宇宙人生的根本道理有着透彻觉悟的人——这句话的意思就是：我已经明白了，人生出来就是会死的，人的一生就像过路客一样，人是生不带来，死不带去，孩子也不是你的；我什么都明白了，宇宙就这么回事，成、住、坏、空啊；我什么都知道了，你们用不着跟我讲，我知道要修来世啊，要修到天上去，所以我不会为人间的事情烦恼，我不会为人间的事情去争，痛苦来了，我也承担，那是我上一辈子的冤结。什么都明白了，那叫觉者，那才是佛啊。
An “Enlightened One” is someone who has awakened to everything. They are someone who has a thorough understanding of the fundamental principles of the universe and of life. This means: I already understand that to be born is to eventually die. We are just like passing travellers along life’s journey. We are born with nothing and we leave with nothing. Even your children do not truly “belong” to you. I understand it all—the universe follows the cycle of formation, existence, decay, and emptiness. I know everything; say no more. I know I must cultivate for my next life and strive to ascend to the Heavens. Therefore, I will not be troubled by worldly affairs, nor will I fight over worldly things. When suffering comes, I accept it, for I know it is a karmic entanglement from a previous life. To understand everything in this way is to be an Enlightened One—that is what it truly means to be a Buddha.
你们一个星期不听师父讲，马上脑子就糊涂了。我告诉你们，在单位里，环境一变化或人在一个地方呆的时候长了，就会入乡随俗。天天有人请吃饭，天天嘴巴里讲的都是钱啊、名啊、利啊，听得人心慌意乱，觉得从澳大利亚回去自己就像傻瓜，你就觉得他就是不得了啦，其实让你进入世俗的痛苦中。很多日本人到中国来投资什么东西，还有香港老板，他们到海外国家来一个星期，必须回到当地去一次。如果他一个月不回去的话，他在海外时间呆得长了，他就和自己本国当地的社会潮流脱节了，他就觉得他跟不上所在国的情况。实际上是跟好情况，还是跟差情况呢？就像你们一样，你们一个星期不来听课，为什么师父星期三这么严格啊？因为你们不听课，你们就会倒退，你们就会越来越沉迷在钱、名、利上。不信，你们试试看？你们听听周围的同学，谁发财了，谁有钱了，谁有几幢房子了，听到你觉得自己不应该在这里了。我有很多同学，他们每一次回去，听人家讲啊、喝酒啊，人家跟他说“你回来吧，不要在那里了”。结果他把这里的东西全卖了，回去了。我给他看过命了，“你半年必定回来”。他回去之后，很多人嘴巴一讲，“你回来干什么？这里人这么多，乱七八糟的，你回来能赚什么钱啊？你在澳大利亚不是蛮好的？”他又回到澳洲来了。你说人就是这个样子，被人家讲了，相信人家，耳朵根软，他能得到什么？他得到的就是欺骗自己的条件和理由。是你自己欺骗了你自己——这些条件和理由都是人家告诉你的，你接受了，实际上就是你欺骗了你自己。
If you go a week without listening to my Dharma talk, your mind immediately becomes clouded. I tell you, in the workplace, or if the environment changes, or when a person stays in one place for too long, they inevitably “do as the locals do.” For example, if you are constantly invited to dinners where the conversation is nothing but money, fame, and profit, it will leave you feeling unsettled. When you return to Australia, you might feel like a fool, thinking those people are “extraordinary,” when in fact you were simply being led into worldly suffering.
Many Japanese or Hong Kong businessmen who go overseas for investment opportunities feel they must return home at least once a week. If they stay away for a month, they lose touch with social trends and the reality of their own market; they feel they can’t keep up. But the question is: are they keeping up with a good trend or a bad one? You are the same. If you don’t come to my Dharma talk for a week—and this is why I am so strict with your attendance on Wednesdays—you will regress. You will become increasingly obsessed with money, fame and profit. If you don’t believe what I said, try it. Listen to what those around you usually talk about: who has struck it rich, who has money, or who owns several houses. Listening to that will make you feel like you shouldn’t be here. I have many friends who, whenever they visit their hometowns and listen to people bragging over drinks, are encouraged to return: “Come back, don’t stay in Australia.” As a result, they sell everything here and move back. I once read someone’s destiny and told him, “You will return to Australia within six months.” Sure enough, once he relocated to his hometown, people started saying, “Why did you come back? The market is already saturated and chaotic here. How can you make money? Weren’t you doing quite well in Australia?” So he indeed returned to Australia. This is how people are—they listen to others and believe them because they are gullible, but what do they gain? All they gain are the excuses and justifications they use to deceive themselves. You are the one deceiving yourself—others simply provide the excuses, but you are the one who accepts them. And by accepting them, you are effectively lying to yourself.
很多人是怎么离婚的？就是耳朵边上总有人跟他讲，不要跟他好，这种人怎么样怎么样……你交什么样的朋友，你就会受到这个朋友的影响。你现在是修心念经的人，你就会得到修心念经的果报。如果你边上有人很容易打人的，我看你跟着他一年两年，也会很容易打人。这就叫近朱者赤，近墨者黑。我跟你们讲过了，在末法时期，你们少离开师父，你们离开师父时间越长，你们失去的东西越多。最近又有人做梦了——大水灾。在梦中，看见一些徒弟围在师父边上，师父还跟大家讲：“你看，灾难来了。”你们跟在师父边上，你们就避开了灾难。你们如果没跟在师父边上，你们就倒霉了。最近新疆6点几级地震，还有一个是5.4级地震，5万人受灾。世界各地各国都会有，火山、水灾……你们想想看，泰国水灾到现在还没好，整个一个城市啊，你们知道直接经济损失是多少啊？你们看美国东部下大雪，这么厚。这种天时都不一样了，你们还追逐什么？
How do many people end up getting divorced? It’s because there are always people whispering in their ear, saying, “Don’t stay with him,” or “That kind of person is like this or that…” The friends you keep will inevitably influence you. If you are a person who cultivates the mind and recites sutras, you will receive the karmic rewards of that practice. Conversely, if you surround yourself with violent people, I guarantee that within a year or two, you will find yourself prone to violence as well. This is what is meant by “those who stay near vermilion turn red; those who stay near ink turn black.”
I have told you before: in this Age of Dharma Decline, you should minimise the time you are away from me. The longer you are away, the more you stand to lose. Recently, someone had a dream about a great flood. In the dream, they saw disciples gathered around me, and I was saying to them, “Look, the disaster has arrived.” Those who are able to stay close to me will avoid the disaster, while those who aren’t will be met with misfortune. Look at the recent earthquakes in Xinjiang—one was magnitude 6, another 5.4—leaving 50,000 people affected. Volcanoes, floods… these are happening all over the world. The floods in Thailand still haven’t subsided; can you imagine the direct economic loss to an entire city? Look at the massive snowstorms in the eastern United States—snow piled up so thick. These are no ordinary times, and this is no ordinary climate. In times like these, what are you still chasing after?
现在的社会，你们能够听到佛法吗？你们听到的就是谁有钱、谁有名、谁有利，你的某某同学好了，你的朋友怎么有名有利了……讲这些会污染你的耳朵，嘴巴里一个比一个有钱，一个比一个吹得厉害。虚荣心、名利，你们以为不得了的。他看得到什么？他看得到自己的本性吗？广东小悦悦，2岁的孩子，被车撞了，十几个人看到了都不救，就是这种道德啊？连政府都震惊了。就看着她被这么轧死啊，没人去救的。有钱又怎么样呢？你们告诉我？肮脏啊，灵魂肮脏啊！他们懂什么，他们除了钱，还知道什么？很多人都跟我讲，他们现在穷得就剩下钱了，脑子里一片空虚。可怜啊！跟师父讲的佛法南辕北辙，他们不能接受的。你跟他讲，他要笑的。等到他要死了，他就知道了。等到他晚年生癌症，他就知道了。
In today’s society, can you even hear the Buddha-Dharma? All you hear about is who is wealthy, who is famous, and who is successful. You hear about how your classmate is doing well or how another friend has gained fame and fortune. Listening to such talk pollutes your ears. People brag, each one claiming to be wealthier or more successful than the last. You think vanity, fame, and fortune are extraordinary, but what can these people truly see? Can they see their own inherent nature? Consider the case of Yueyue in Guangdong—a two-year-old child struck by a car. Over a dozen people saw her and did nothing to help. Is this the state of our morality? Even the government was shocked. They just watched her being crushed to death; no one stepped forward to save her. What is the use of having money then? Tell me? It is filthy! Their souls are filthy! What do they understand? What do they know besides money? Many people tell me they are now so “poor” that all they have left is money; their minds are a total void. How pitiable! Their path is the complete opposite of the Buddha-Dharma I teach; they simply cannot accept it. If you try to tell them, they will just laugh. They won’t understand until they are on their deathbeds. They won’t understand until they face cancer in their old age.
学佛的人一定要自觉觉他。自己先要觉悟，才能去觉悟人家。学佛菩萨，实际上是一个自寻圆满的人，叫觉行圆满。就是觉悟的这个行为，已经到了圆满的程度了，那才叫佛。
A Buddhist practitioner must awaken themselves and awaken others. You must first awaken yourself before you can awaken others. Learning from the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is, in essence, a process of seeking one’s own completion—this is called the perfection of awakening and practice. Only when the act of awakening has reached the level of absolute perfection can one be called a Buddha.
师父继续给大家讲，关于修行，师父想了四句话。我也是很有感悟，因为我在救人当中，我真的很痛苦，尤其是看到那些救不了的人。所以，我就看不惯你们徒弟，如果跟我修心倒退的话，是师父最伤心的事情了。第一句话是“修心路上烦恼多”。修心的人在这条路上一定烦恼很多。第二句是“悟者自心守本源”。就是开悟的人称为悟者，自己的心要守住你本来的源泉，就是你本来的心，就是佛心。第三句话“多劫多难要心来化解”。实际上人世间一切的劫和难都是靠自己的心来化解的，绝对不是行为。是靠心来化解它的。因为有劫来了，有难来的时候，实际上你心里做好准备，你就不会有难来到身边。举个简单例子：你们在海边玩潮水的时候，如果你不当心，在海边走，突然之间一个浪头过来的时候，如果你没有思想准备，“哗”地一下，你又喝水，又惊恐，好不容易水退下去了。如果你知道这个潮水过来了，把鼻子捏好，等在那里，水也不会进去，人一下子就顶过去了。所以要用心来化解它。要记住，劫和难来了，全部都是用心来化解它。第四句话，师父告诉大家，要“心中无念福寿延”。心中不要有念头，我空了，我无所谓了，我想通了，我想明白了，就是这么回事啦，我没有什么贪，我没有什么瞋，我没有愚痴；我什么都无所谓，我没有念头了，我连我都没了，那么这个人就有福，还会有寿。
I want to share four lines I have composed regarding cultivation. I feel this very deeply because, in my work of saving people, I often feel great pain—especially when I see those who cannot be saved. That is why it saddens me most when I see my own disciples regressing in their practice.
The first line is: “The path of cultivation is fraught with afflictions.” Anyone on this path will inevitably face many troubles.
The second line is: “The awakened one guards the source of their own mind.” An awakened person must protect the original spring of their mind—their original mind, which is Buddha-nature.
The third line is: “Resolve countless calamities and hardships through the mind.” In truth, all the “calamities” and “hardships” of the human world are resolved through the mind, not through outward actions. If you are mentally prepared when a calamity strikes, the hardship will not truly touch you. Think of playing in the surf at the beach. If you are walking along and a sudden wave hits you while you are distracted, you will swallow water, panic, and struggle. But if you see the wave coming, pinch your nose, and brace yourself, you can withstand the force and the water won’t get in. You simply “weather” it. Remember, when hardships come, resolve them with your mind.
The fourth line I wish to tell you is: “When the mind is free of thoughts, blessings and longevity are extended.” Free your mind of thoughts. If I am empty, I am indifferent; I have seen through the illusions of this world, and I understand that this is just the way things are. I have no greed, no anger, and no delusion. When I am detached from everything and free of thoughts—when even the notion of “self” has vanished—then I will possess true blessings and long life.
你今天周太太，如果把孩子也扔了，把老周也忘记了，你什么都无所谓，就像我一个人生活一样，你就会有福气——因为你不烦恼了，你就有福了。你不烦恼了之后，你心中都舒服了，你没有牵挂了，你的寿就延了，对吗？举个例子：要是老周现在一走的话，你马上第一个想不通。你想不通，接下来，你也走了，你怎样会有寿啊？你看见你儿子你就生气，你哪来的福啊？“我生气了，我难过了”，你还有福吗？没有福气的人，哪来的寿啊？有福气的人，才有寿命。你能够听到有人说：“哎呀，这个人真的是一点福气都没有，他的寿很长？”很少啊。人气得死的。没有福，一定会气死的，因为他不圆满，他在人间享受了太多的不是福，而是苦啊。有苦有难太多的人，到了最后，基本上是寿短的。师父这四句话和大家共勉，我是跟你们客气的，共勉——你们差得远呢。
Take Mrs Zhou, for example: if you could let go of your attachment to your children and stop worrying about Mr Zhou—if you could reach a state where you are indifferent to these things, as if you were living on your own—you would find true blessings. Why? Because when you are free from affliction, you naturally have blessings. Once your afflictions cease, your heart feels at ease and you have no more attachments; naturally, your life is extended. Isn’t that right? Think about it: if Mr Zhou were to leave right now, your first reaction would be to fall into despair. If you cannot make peace with it, you will soon follow him to the grave. How can you have longevity then? Or if you get angry the moment you see your son, where would your blessings come from? If you are constantly saying, “I’m so angry, I’m so miserable,” how can you be considered blessed? A person without blessings cannot have a long life. Have you ever heard anyone say, “Oh, that person has absolutely no blessings, yet they lived a very long life”? It’s rare. People can literally be “angry to death.” Without blessings, one will surely be consumed by anger and stress, because their life is not complete; instead of enjoying blessings, they are enduring too much suffering in this world. Those who face too much bitterness and hardship generally end up with shorter lives. I share these four lines with you all as a form of mutual encouragement—though, to be honest, I’m just being polite; you still have a very long way to go.
我们在人间，平安是福，平凡是道。一个人说，平安是福。你们好好考虑一下，如果一个家里天天不出事，是不是已经福气了？就不要再搞是非了，不要去追逐了。不要人家来搞你，已经很好了，叫平安是福啊。但是很多人不认为它是福气，他就喜欢搞事情。你老老实实，你嘴巴不去讲人家的话，你不招来人家讲你，你不就是福气了吗？所以，平安就是福，平凡就是道。
In this world, peace is a blessing, and ordinariness is the Way. Consider this: if a family goes through each day without any disasters, isn’t that already a blessing? If so, stop stirring up trouble and chasing after temporary things. If no one is coming after you to cause trouble, that is already a blessing. We call this “peace is a blessing.” Yet, many people don’t recognise this as a blessing; they enjoy stirring things up. If you conduct yourself honestly, keep your mouth shut about others, and avoid provoking people into speaking ill of you, wouldn’t that already be a blessing? This is why we say: peace is a blessing, and ordinariness is the Way.
一个人要把自己看得平凡一点，我没有什么的。很多政治家，在自己还没有退的时候，就知道自己应该怎么样为下一步铺垫好。像克林顿，他就知道自己应该怎么样铺垫好自己的未来。就像我们现在，我们现在做婆婆的时候，就要考虑到，以后你总会变成老妈子，你总会身体不好，那个时候会被媳妇报复的。你懂得这种铺垫，当你做婆婆的时候你就不会对媳妇欺压太深了。你给人家留条路啊。这就是平凡一点，让你找得到道。现在的人会吗？赚钱狂赚，赚不到狂闹，实在不行了，做坏事，抢啊、弄啊，都成什么样啊？单位里，你们想想看，最近发生的那件事情：单位里的一个局长让一位女同事和他一起去喝酒，结果把人家灌醉了，把人家强奸了，这些被摄像头全部拍下来了。你想想看，人家的老公和老婆两个人过去都是老师，人家规规矩矩的一家人，就这么搞得乱七八糟。你想想看，现在的人还有人性吗？因为你是我的下属，他就逼着人家喝酒，灌人家，人心到哪里去了？有钱能买来道德吗？所以政府提倡儒家思想，就是把人现在的思维拨乱反正。其实现在的人整天犯罪。搞到后来，钱也是犯罪的工具。所以，钱是幸与不幸的混血儿。你如果把这个钱好好地用，你做功德，你反而是救了人家；如果你把这个钱乱用，做坏事，你就是害了你自己。
A person must see themselves as ordinary—“I am nothing special.” Many politicians, even before stepping down, already know how to prepare the ground for their future. Take Bill Clinton, for example—he knew how to plan ahead for his later years. It is the same for us now. If you are a mother-in-law, you must consider that one day you will become elderly and frail, and at that time, you might be mistreated by your daughter-in-law. If you have this kind of awareness, you won’t be so overbearing or harsh towards your daughter-in-law today. You must leave some space for others. This is what it means to be a bit more “ordinary”—it allows you to find the Way.
But do people nowadays understand this? They are obsessed with making money; if they can’t make it, they cause a scene, and if that fails, they resort to crime—robbing and scheming. What has the world come to? Think about that recent incident at a workplace: a supervisor forced a female colleague to go out drinking, got her drunk, and then raped her. It was all captured on CCTV. She and her husband were both teachers—a proper and respectable family—and now their lives have been thrown into chaos. Do people today still have any humanity? Just because she is a subordinate, he forced her to drink. Where has human conscience gone? Can money buy morality? This is why the authorities promote Confucian values—to correct the distorted thinking of modern people. In reality, people commit offences every day. In the end, money itself becomes a tool of crime. This is why money is a hybrid of fortune and misfortune. If you use money well—doing meritorious deeds—you save others. But if you misuse money to do wrong, you destroy yourself.
师父给你们讲这些事情，是让大家要明白，一个人平平凡凡，就是我找到了这个佛道了，平平凡凡我就是不会偏离我自己所走的这个航线。
I am telling you these things so that you understand: to live an ordinary and simple life is to have found the Buddha-Way. By remaining simple and humble, you ensure that you will never drift away from the course you have chosen.