什么叫“不以因缘度众生”啊？因为你跟这个女孩子前世有缘分，所以你就拼命地去度她，这个就叫以因缘度众生。因为我很喜欢这个老妈妈，我就去拼命地度她，这叫以因缘度众生。真正的度众生是平等心。因缘是什么？很多人不知道有什么因缘，你就觉得跟他特别合得来。所以师父给你们讲，真正学佛的人到观音堂来不会跟某一个人特别好的。跟大家都很好的人，那是受大家爱戴的。跑到任何地方去搞小圈子的人，我跟你特别好，你跟我特别好，那就不是学佛的人。真正学佛的人，对谁都像对待自己的长辈一样；对男的，都像对自己的父亲一样；对女的，都像对自己的母亲一样；对小辈，都像对自己的孩子一样。这才叫菩萨啊。勾肩搭背，今天跟他特别好，来了好像有一个人陪着他一样的，浪费学佛的意义。学佛的人对谁都好，那才叫菩萨。搞小圈子，一到这里来，就弄五六个人，大家围在一起，学得好佛吗？要好好学，绝对不能搞圈子。你们过去也有人搞过，以后不搞了，改正了就好了，就是菩萨了。那么过去呢，就是不好，那是众生，今天就是菩萨。以后又搞小圈子，以后又变成众生，搞得厉害了，那么就是魔。
What does it mean not to guide and awaken sentient beings based on personal karmic affinities? Suppose you feel a special connection with a young woman because you shared karmic affinities in a previous life, so you devote all your efforts to sharing the Dharma with her alone. That is guiding and awakening sentient beings based on personal karmic affinities. Or perhaps you are especially fond of an elderly lady, so you focus all your attention on helping her. That too is guiding and awakening sentient beings based on personal karmic affinities.
True Dharma propagation requires equanimity. What are karmic affinities? Sometimes you don’t even know what karmic affinities you share with someone—you simply feel drawn to that person and find that you get along especially well with them. That is why I tell you that a genuine Buddhist practitioner who comes to the Guan Yin Hall will not become especially close to just one person. Those who treat everyone well are the ones who earn everyone’s respect and admiration. On the other hand, those who go around forming little cliques and sticking only with their close friends are not behaving like Buddhist practitioners.
A true Buddhist practitioner treats everyone as they would their own family: every elder as their own parent, every man as they would their own father, every woman as they would their own mother, and every younger person as they would their own child. That is what it means to be a Bodhisattva. However, if you walk around arm in arm with a particular person, being exceptionally close to them as if you need a companion whenever you come here, this defeats the very purpose of learning Buddhism. A true Buddhist practitioner is kind to everyone—that is what makes a Bodhisattva. If you come here only to form little cliques, gathering five or six people in a huddle, how can you expect to practise Buddhism well? You must cultivate yourselves diligently and never form cliques. Some of you have formed cliques in the past. If you stop doing so and correct your ways, you are Bodhisattvas. In the past, you behaved poorly, so you were ordinary beings; today, you have corrected yourselves, so you are Bodhisattvas. But if you form little cliques again in the future, you will slip back into being ordinary beings—and if you take it too far, you will become demonic.
搞什么小圈子啊？我警告你们所有的徒弟：平时私下不要打电话，就谈工作，不谈其它的。这叫什么？不会染着。不要以自己的因缘去度众生。因为我跟他有缘分，我就度他，那你又染着了，你又成不了菩萨了，你的境界又下去了。所以，人都是着相的。你们知道为什么阿弥陀佛在西方极乐世界讲课的时候，他把所有人的脸全部变成阿弥陀佛的脸啊？就是让大家不着相。人会着相。就是说，人会根据自己的感情、自己的性格和脸相，他会执著在里面。举个简单例子：看见一个人笑嘻嘻的，你也会很开心；看见人家不开心了，你的脸上就难过；看见人家傻傻的，你就笑人家；看见这个人有钱了，你就拍人家。所有的这一切，都叫着相。看见人家穷得不得了，“哎哟，做这份工作啊”，瞧不起人家。菩萨会这样啊？本是同根生，相煎何太急？全部都是平等的。所以他们过去说师父的徒弟老弱病残，这就对了，什么样的人都要救。
Why form cliques at all? I want to warn all my disciples: do not spend your time making private phone calls just to socialise. Talk about work if necessary, but do not indulge in unnecessary personal conversations. Why? Because this way, you avoid becoming attached. Do not guide and awaken sentient beings based on personal karmic affinities. If you think, “I have a karmic affinity with this person, so I’ll share the Dharma only with them,” then you have already become attached once again. You will no longer be able to act as a Bodhisattva, and your spiritual state will decline.
People are naturally attached to appearances. Do you know why, when Amitabha Buddha teaches in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, everyone appears with the same face as Amitabha Buddha? It is so that no one becomes attached to appearances. People naturally become attached to appearances. They are influenced by emotions, personalities and outward appearances, and become attached to them. Take a simple example. When you see someone smiling, you naturally feel happy. When you see someone looking upset, your own mood is affected. When you see someone who seems foolish, you laugh at them. When you see someone who is wealthy, you flatter them. All of this is attachment to appearances. Or when you see someone living in poverty and think, “Oh, so this is the kind of work you do,” you begin to look down on them. Would a Bodhisattva ever behave like that? We all share the same true nature—why should we be so quick to judge or hurt one another? Everyone is equal. So when people used to say that my disciples were the old, the weak, the sick and the disabled, they were right—that is exactly my point. Every kind of person deserves to be helped.
人既然会着相，有感情，就要把这些着相去掉，否则我们就很难达到空四相。空四相就是《金刚经》中说的无我相、无人相、无众生相、无寿者相。简单地讲，就是没有自己了，没有我相了，没有其他人的相了，看不见了，没有众生相了，全是平等的。所有的这一切，实际上就叫“证悟空性”。就是你能够证实和开悟，这些所有的东西全是空的本性。所以我们在人间所有的东西全是空的，暂时给你用用的，时间长了就没了。你们做徒弟，要去度人，这些要好好地学，好好地背，以后跟人家讲的时候，要讲得出道道来。否则跑到香港去，人家说你是卢台长的徒弟啊，来，讲点佛法给我听听啊。要讲得出来。平时给你们接电话的时候，就是给你们锻炼，跟人家就要讲佛法，很深的道理在很浅的理论当中讲出来，让众生平等。
Since people naturally become attached to appearances and are influenced by emotions, we must learn to let go of those attachments. Otherwise, it is very difficult to realise the emptiness of the Four Marks. The emptiness of the Four Marks, as taught in the Diamond Sutra, means no notion of self, no notion of others, no notion of sentient beings, and no notion of lifespan. Put simply, there is no longer a sense of “me”; there is no longer the notion of self. Nor do you see others through fixed distinctions. The notion of sentient beings disappears, and everyone is regarded with complete equality. All of this is what is meant by “realising the emptiness of one’s true nature”. It means you are able to realise and awaken to the truth that all phenomena are inherently empty. Everything we possess in this human world is empty by nature. We are merely allowed to use it for a while; over time, it will all disappear.
As my disciples, you must learn these principles well so that you can share the Dharma with others. Study them carefully. Commit them to memory. When people ask you about the Dharma, you should be able to explain it clearly. Otherwise, imagine you travel to Hong Kong and someone says, “You’re one of Master Lu’s disciples. Come then, tell me something about Buddhism.” You should be able to do so. The purpose of having you take phone calls and answer people’s enquiries is to give you an opportunity to practise. You must share the Buddha-dharma with them—explaining the most profound Buddhist teachings in easy-to-understand language, so that all sentient beings may be treated with equanimity.
如果不能管住自己，心中就很难得圆满。一定要依着它的因缘而生灭。什么意思啊？因为如果你不改变自己，你没有平等心，你去度众，那么你一定会随着它的因缘而生而灭。举个简单例子：你这个老伯伯很喜欢一个小女孩，实际上你没有动其它坏脑筋，但是就是喜欢度她，跟她一起学佛。到了最后，你就随着这个缘分走啊，走啊，走到你跟她没有这个缘分的时候，生也是生出来一段感情来，到最后灭掉了。好了，对不起，你就痛苦不堪。为什么？她离开了，你痛苦。小女孩嘛，她到时间一定要结婚，她要走了，你一个佛友没了。因为你当时这个心是随因缘而度的，一旦她离开你了，你就会顺着这个因缘而生灭啊。如果当时我度她的时候，就把她当成一个小朋友，无所谓的，跟她讲完之后，让她开心就好了，等到她爱走就走，爱怎么样就怎么样，你自己没有伤害啊。如果你随着这个因缘，以后会伤害到你的。人跟人是有感情的，这就是我为什么叫你们不要背后打电话，只讲工作，或者就是平时你好我好大家好，那才是菩萨。菩萨不会有分别心。今天跟你好，明天不跟他好吗？为什么共修小组有时候会有麻烦啊？修不好啊？毛病就是在于分别心。
If you cannot keep your own mind under control, it will be very difficult to attain completeness within. Instead, you will inevitably be carried along by karmic affinities, arising and ceasing with them. What does this mean? If you do not transform yourself and have not cultivated equanimity, then when you share the Dharma with others, you will inevitably become caught up in your karmic affinities.
Let me give you a simple example. Suppose an elderly gentleman becomes especially fond of helping a young girl. He has no improper intentions whatsoever; he simply enjoys guiding her in learning Buddhism. But as time goes on, he becomes increasingly attached to that karmic affinity. Eventually, when that affinity comes to an end, the emotional attachment that has quietly developed must also come to an end. And what happens then? He suffers deeply. Why? Because she leaves. A young girl will naturally grow up, get married, and move on with her own life. Suddenly, that fellow Buddhist practitioner is no longer by his side. Since he shared the Dharma with her out of personal karmic affinity, once that affinity ended, his own emotions rose and fell with it. But suppose, from the very beginning, he had simply regarded her as a young Buddhist practitioner. He shared the Dharma with her, helped her, and wished her well. When the time came for her to leave, she could leave freely. Whatever path she chose would be entirely her own. In that case, he would not be hurt.
The moment you become emotionally attached to a karmic affinity, it will eventually cause you suffering. Human relationships naturally give rise to emotions. That is why I tell you not to spend your time making private phone calls behind one another’s backs. If you need to speak, talk about work. Otherwise, simply treat everyone kindly and harmoniously. That is how a Bodhisattva behaves. A Bodhisattva does not discriminate between people. If you are kind to one person today, why shouldn’t you be equally kind to everyone else? Why do conflicts sometimes arise in Dharma study groups? Why do people fail to cultivate well? The root cause is discrimination.
度众者，心要不动。我今天要去度人家，我的心绝对不能动的。要管住心，就能管住你的情；管住你的情，就能管住你的缘。你们到哪里听得到这种佛法？这是人间的佛法，这是菩萨直接点化你们啊！让你们在人间就摆脱情缘，就是摆脱你们自己的烦恼啊。度人家，心不动，就能管住你的心，管住你的情，管住你的缘。不要动感情，你这个缘分就不会延续下去了；你一动感情，接下去这个缘就一直延续下去。
When guiding and awakening sentient beings, your mind must remain unmoved. If I set out today to share the Dharma with someone, my mind must remain completely unmoved. When you can govern your mind, you can govern your emotions. When you can govern your emotions, you can govern your karmic affinities. Where else can you hear such Buddha-dharma? This is Buddha-dharma for everyday life. It is the Bodhisattvas directly guiding and enlightening you, enabling you to free yourselves from emotional entanglements while still living in this world, and thereby freeing yourselves from your own afflictions. When you guide and awaken others with an unmoving mind, you are able to govern your mind, your emotions, and your karmic affinities. If you do not become emotionally attached, that karmic affinity will not continue to deepen. But once emotions become involved, that affinity will continue to grow.
众生是不可思议的。只要你融化在众生里面，你会得到不可思议的力量。是不是啊？有些人过去没有好好地修，做点生意，累得不得了，一旦融化在众生里面，哎哟，这么多人来帮我啊。因为你学佛了，所有的千千万万个人，全部都是你的众生。因为他们具有佛性，当你一个人受苦的时候，大家都来帮助你，这就是众生的力量，那是无穷无尽的。你一个人在家里，你能得到什么？如果你不懂众生，你就不明白佛性。一定要明白众生。你如果不懂众生，也就是说，你的佛性迷失了；你离开了众生，也就是离开了佛性。如果你真的懂众生，你就是真的认识佛性。要认识心的众生，你就会看到心的佛性——你在心里看到众生，就在心里可以看到佛性。因为佛菩萨就是众生。所以，佛菩萨不能迷。佛菩萨一迷，那就成为众生了；众生一开悟，就成为佛菩萨了。你们现在坐在这里都是开悟了，那你们就成为菩萨了。你们待会儿一散会，一会儿去厨房弄点吃的，一会儿脑子想想其它事情，你们又变成众生了。
Sentient beings are truly inconceivable. Once you become one with them, you will draw upon an inconceivable source of strength. Isn’t that so? Some people never cultivated well in the past. They struggled to make a living and exhausted themselves. But once they became one with sentient beings, countless people came forward to help them. Because you practise Buddhism, the countless people around you are all sentient beings connected with you. They all possess Buddha-nature. So when you encounter hardship, everyone comes to your aid. That is the power of sentient beings—a power that is boundless. If you remain alone at home, what can you possibly gain? If you do not understand sentient beings, you cannot understand Buddha-nature. You must first understand sentient beings. If you do not understand sentient beings, it means you have lost touch with your own Buddha-nature. To turn away from sentient beings is to turn away from Buddha-nature. But if you truly understand sentient beings, then you have truly come to know Buddha-nature. When you recognise sentient beings within your own mind, you will also perceive the Buddha-nature within your own mind. For Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are, in essence, none other than sentient beings. That is why Buddhas and Bodhisattvas must never fall into delusion. Once they do, they become sentient beings. Conversely, the moment sentient beings awaken, they become Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. All of you sitting here today have already awakened, and therefore you are Bodhisattvas. But once this gathering ends, perhaps you will go to the kitchen to find something to eat, or your mind will begin wandering to worldly concerns. In that very moment, you become ordinary sentient beings once again.
最后给大家讲一讲什么叫神通。你们很多人不都想知道神通吗？神通实际上就是当人的脑子、脑电波和天上的脑电波接通，和宇宙合为一体的时候，你就会知道很多暗物质的存在，实际上就有神通了。你求菩萨的时候，实际上就有神通。因为你知道菩萨的存在，所以你求他，你不是神通吗？那人家看不见菩萨，你相信菩萨存在，你是不是有神通啊？就这么简单。要跟天地人气场结合，神通实际上是以心灵跟佛的心灵交汇。因为菩萨都有神通的，佛也有神通的，你跟佛菩萨的心灵一交汇，你不就有神通了吗？所以我们要和神明沟通，就是和菩萨、和灵界有一个沟通，实际上就叫神通。
Finally, let me explain what supranormal powers really are. Many of you have always wanted to know what supranormal powers are, haven’t you? In reality, supranormal powers arise when the human mind—its thoughts and consciousness—becomes attuned to the consciousness of Heaven and merges with the universe. At that point, you become aware of many things that ordinarily remain unseen. That is, in itself, a form of supranormal power. When you pray to the Bodhisattvas, you are already exercising supranormal powers. Why? Because you know that the Bodhisattvas exist, so you pray to them. Isn’t that itself a kind of supranormal power? Others may not be able to perceive the Bodhisattvas, yet you believe in their existence. Isn’t that supranormal power? It is really that simple. To develop supranormal powers, your mind must become one with the energies of Heaven, Earth and humanity. Supranormal powers are, in essence, the communion of your mind with the mind of the Buddha. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas possess supranormal powers. When your mind becomes united with theirs, don’t you then possess supranormal powers as well? Therefore, communicating with the divine—communicating with the Bodhisattvas and the spiritual realm—is what we call supranormal power.
人常说，过去算命啊，不问苍生问鬼神。什么意思啊？我们活在人间所有的人，叫苍生。算命的说：你不要去问人间的事情，你问问鬼神都知道了。为什么？他都给你算得清清楚楚了，你用不着问我算命的了，你自己的一切全部都是你自己决定的。意思就是说，因为很多人很想知道自己的命啊、运啊，我的一辈子啊，我的情况啊，实际上你的一辈子，你的情况，我告诉你，鬼神都知道。怎么会知道的呢？因为是你自己做出来的。你去算什么命啊？你今天想知道你以后好不好，看看你今天做的是好事还是坏事。今天如果问我身体好不好，想想看，你是不是乱吃东西的？你平时爱惜不爱惜自己的身体？你还问师父干嘛？你自己都知道你以后身体好不好的。你的腰不好，你还拼命地搬重物，你的腰能好吗？所以要明白，你的寿长不长，看看你自己放生不放生？看看你吃得是否有营养、是否健康？看看你平时自己心情是否调节得好？天天在走路、跑步，那这个人能不好吗？还有人问我：“卢台长，我年纪大了会瘦下来吗？”看看你现在吃东西是否狂吃啊？看看你现在是否走路啊？看看你现在的那个懒样子，能不胖吗？越是年纪大，越胖。你们在澳大利亚这么多年，没看见澳大利亚那些人胖到什么程度啊？不要去问，不要去算命，问问自己就明白了。这里指的神明是什么啊？是你们自己啊。
There is an old Chinese saying, “Instead of asking about the people, one asks the spirits and deities.” What does this mean here? By “the people”, we mean those of us living in this human world. In the context of fortune-telling, the idea is that instead of asking about human affairs, one turns to spirits and deities, believing that they already know everything. But why would there be any need to consult a fortune-teller if everything about your life were already known? Ultimately, your life is shaped by your own actions.
Many people desperately want to know their destiny, their fortune, or what their future holds. But I can tell you this: the spirits already know, because it is you who have created it. So why go and have your fortune told? If you want to know whether your future will be good, simply look at the good or bad deeds you are doing today. If you ask me whether your health will be good in the future, first ask yourself: “Do I eat sensibly? Do I take good care of my body?” Why ask me? Deep down, you already know the answer. If your lower back is in bad shape and you still insist on lifting heavy objects, how could it ever improve? If you want to know whether you will live a long life, look at whether you practise life liberation. Ask yourself whether your diet is nutritious and healthy. Look at whether you manage your emotions well. If a person walks regularly, exercises regularly and looks after their health, how could they not benefit? Some people even ask me, “Master Lu, when I’m older, will I lose weight?” Well, look at yourself now. Do you overeat? Do you exercise? Look at how lazy you’ve become—how could you possibly not gain weight? The older some people get, the heavier they become. You’ve lived in Australia for so many years. Haven’t you noticed how overweight many Australians are? Don’t go asking around, and don’t go having your fortune told. Ask yourself, and you will understand. So what does the divine refer to here? It refers to yourself!
人的毛病就是自己在心灵上没有依靠的时候，就想借鬼神来迷惑众生。这是有因果的，因为你不懂啊。学佛人我们不靠算命去改变命运，学佛人我们就是要本身借着佛菩萨的力量来改变自己的命运。你如果用世间所有的法，实际上都无法改变你现在的命运；你只有用世出世间法，你才能改变。“世出世间法”，就是说，你在人间想找到一个法来解决你现在在人间的事情，那是没有办法的。你只有学世出世间法，就是你只有离开了这个世界的想法，你才能解决这世间的法。犹如你小学生永远想不出一个方法来解决你小时候所碰到的困难，你只有跳出小学生，你现在已经学到中学生的思维了，你才能解决小学生的思维。你有了中学生的智慧，你才能解决你小学生时候的那些傻傻的困难、想不通的问题。这就叫道理。你们只有跳出人世间，而来想象人世间的事情，那你才能化解，才能脱离。你在这个人间当中，你想找出一个方法来解除烦恼，那是不可能的。自古以来，多少烦恼？谁能脱离人间的苦难？谁主沉浮？谁能离开啊？
The problem is that when people have nothing to rely upon spiritually, they turn to spirits and the supernatural, and in doing so they often end up misleading themselves and others. This carries karmic consequences; they simply do not understand. As Buddhist practitioners, we do not rely on fortune-telling to change our destiny. Instead, we rely on the strength and blessings of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to transform our own destiny.
No worldly method alone can truly change your destiny. Only the supramundane Dharma can do so. What does this mean? It means that if you try to solve the problems of this world using only worldly ways of thinking, you will never succeed. Only by learning the Dharma that transcends the world can you resolve the problems of the world. It is just like a primary school student who can never come up with a way to solve the difficulties they face as a child. Only when they grow into a high school student, with greater knowledge and broader understanding, can they see those earlier problems from a higher perspective and resolve them. Once you have the wisdom of a high school student, the problems that once seemed impossible suddenly become simple. That is the principle. Likewise, only by rising above the ordinary perspective of this human world can you truly understand it, resolve its problems, and free yourself from them. If you remain confined within this world and try to find a worldly solution to your afflictions, it is impossible. Since ancient times, who has been free from afflictions? Who has escaped the suffering of this world? Who truly governs the rise and fall of life? And who can ever truly break free on their own?
学到现在还这个样，有时候看看真的很可惜。今天有一位佛友跟师父讲了一句话：“台长啊，你有一句话，我特别感动、有感应——‘在人间如果不好好地修，那就是白修啊’。”听得懂什么叫白修吗？白修还不如不修呢。不修说不定不做坏事还能够投人呢。什么叫白修啊？白修就是白白浪费了你所修的行为，而且这些行为都是不如法的、有漏的。你们知道你们很多人过去生中都修过，但是修得半途而废。你们知道吗？到了这人间来还是吃苦啊。有了一定福报，为什么这辈子很多人一会儿有钱，一会儿没钱，有过钱之后再没钱，他多痛苦啊。为什么没钱？就是他在上一世的时候，他没有好好修啊。他一会儿做好事情，一会儿做坏事情。你说他这辈子一会儿有钱一会儿没钱，等他有过钱再没钱的时候，他难过吧？他上辈子修的时候，好了，感情好了，感情修得挺好的；但是上辈子有一段时间之后，他又不好好修了，好了，感情又不好了，所以这辈子来就是结婚、离婚啊。你说离到后来痛苦不痛苦？这就叫道理。
Even after learning Buddhism for so long, some people still remain the same. Sometimes, when I see this, I feel it is such a pity. Today, a fellow Buddhist said something to me: “Master Lu, there is one thing you’ve said that deeply moved me: ‘If you do not cultivate well while living in this human world, then your cultivation is in vain.’” Do you understand what it means for your cultivation to be in vain? In fact, cultivating in vain is worse than not cultivating at all. If you never cultivated but also refrained from doing evil, you might at least be reborn as a human being. But what does it mean to cultivate in vain? It means all your efforts have been wasted because your practice was not in accordance with the Dharma and was full of leakages.
Many of you cultivated in your previous lives, but you gave up halfway. Do you realise that? That is why, even after being reborn into this human world, you still have to endure suffering. Some people have accumulated a certain amount of blessings, yet in this lifetime they gain wealth only to lose it again. Think about how painful that is. Why does this happen? Why do they lose their wealth? Because in their previous life they did not cultivate properly. At times they performed good deeds, yet at other times they committed unwholesome ones. As a result, in this life they experience periods of wealth followed by poverty. Having once enjoyed wealth and then losing it brings even greater suffering.
The same principle applies to relationships. In a previous life, they cultivated well for a time and their relationships were harmonious. But later they stopped cultivating diligently, and their relationships deteriorated. Consequently, in this lifetime they marry, then divorce. Isn’t the pain of divorce deeply distressing? That is the law of cause and effect.
命运是掌握在我们的手上，是掌握在你们的手上，而不要去找人算命、算卦。要改变自己的命运，要挖出自己的本性，才能彻底地改变自己。为什么？你们自己都可以知道。“我以后头发会不会掉啊？”想想看好了：第一，你爸爸妈妈掉不掉头发；第二，你是不是好好地保养了你的头发；第三，你吃的东西是不是对头发有益处；第四，你看看你现在几岁了，已经掉得怎么样了。算什么命啊？“我以后的前途、儿子的前途会不会好啊？”你现在就知道你儿子不是个东西啊，以后前途会好吗？从小一看，到老一半。“师父，我这个人会不会命长啊？”你看看你现在做的这些事情，会不会命长？天天吃活的海鲜，能不能活得长啊？从来不放生，从来不念经，能活几年啊？自己的命都在你们手上呢。就像学佛一样，学得好坏都是你们自己的，又不是师父的。师父领进门，修行靠自己啊。你不修，你不来观音堂好了，你就会碰到很多麻烦、很多困难的。要真修啊，坚决不能带有私心。
Our destiny is in our own hands—your destiny is in your own hands. There is no need to seek out fortune tellers or have your future predicted. If you truly want to change your destiny, you must uncover your true nature. Only then can you fundamentally transform yourself. How so? You already know the answers yourself.
Suppose you wonder, “Will I lose my hair in the future?” Then ask yourself a few questions. First, do your parents suffer from hair loss? Second, have you been taking proper care of your hair? Third, is your diet beneficial for healthy hair? Fourth, look at your age and see how much hair you have already lost. So why ask someone to tell your fortune? Or perhaps you wonder, “Will my future—or my son’s future—be good?” But if you already know that your son is heading down the wrong path, how can you expect his future to be bright? As the saying goes, the child reveals the adult to come. Some people ask, “Master, will I live a long life?” Well, look at the way you are living now. Do you think it will lead to longevity? If you eat live seafood every day, how can you expect to live long? If you never practise life liberation and never recite the sutras, how many years do you expect to live? Your destiny has always been in your own hands.
Cultivating Buddhism is no different. Whether you cultivate well or poorly depends on you, not on me. As the saying goes, “The master can lead you to the door, but cultivation depends on the individual.” If you do not cultivate diligently, if you stop coming to the Guan Yin Hall, you will naturally encounter many difficulties and obstacles. You must cultivate sincerely, and you must never practise with selfish motives.
师父今天给你们讲了很重要的佛学理论：不要顺着因缘来度人，不要顺着因缘再去做什么事情。因缘已经是有果报了——因为有了因缘，才会有果报啊。因缘就是前世没有做完的事情，今世继续延续下去做，那叫因缘啊。因缘已经造成你的果报，你今世还要顺着这个因缘再做下去，你下辈子不是还有果报吗？听不懂啊？要懂道理啊。
Today I have explained a very important principle of Buddhism: do not guide and awaken others according to your personal karmic affinities, and do not continue acting according to those karmic affinities. Why? Because karmic affinities already carry their own karmic consequences. It is precisely because karmic affinities exist that karmic consequences arise. Karmic affinities are unfinished matters from previous lives that continue into this life. That is what karmic affinities are. If those karmic affinities have already given rise to karmic consequences, and in this lifetime you continue acting according to them, won’t they produce yet more karmic consequences in your next life? Do you understand? You must truly understand this principle.