大家知道上次来的那位日本华侨，他很喜欢听师父讲《心经》。但《心经》不是一般人能够解释的。有个弟子每天看师父的《白话佛法》，他说：“深可以往深里去看，浅可以往浅里去看，师父在里面讲解的含义非常非常的深奥。”实际上就跟我们理解《心经》和《大悲咒》一样，还有其它很多的经文。要去讲经文的人这个人必须是菩萨。很多大法师他们可能前世就是菩萨再来，所以他们能讲。但不是所有的法师都能讲经文的，如果讲错了会造口业。
You may remember the overseas Chinese practitioner living in Japan who visited us last time; he very much enjoyed listening to my explanations of the Heart Sutra. But the Heart Sutra is not something that just anyone can explain. One of my disciples reads Buddhism in Plain Terms every day and said, “You can read it at a profound level or at a simpler level. The meanings Master explains within it are extremely profound.” In fact, the same applies to our understanding of the Heart Sutra, the Great Compassion Mantra, and many other Buddhist scriptures. Anyone who expounds Buddhist scriptures must have the spiritual state of a Bodhisattva. Many great Dharma Masters may have been Bodhisattvas in their previous lives who returned to this world, which is why they are able to expound the scriptures. But not every Dharma Master is able to do so. If the teachings are explained incorrectly, one may create negative karma of speech.
师父给大家讲经是结合于人间的白话佛法，所以经常会讲到《心经》里的东西。师父主要是让你们能够融会贯通，让你们能够明白《心经》。师父用《心经》里的几句话就能把宇宙的真理讲给你们听。举个简单例子：《心经》里面你们都念到一句“色即是空，空即是色”。师父喜欢用比喻来跟你们讲，比如“空即是色”。如果这个东西是空洞的东西，但是它有没有啊？它有，比如细菌。你说我们人是空的，我们死了之后是空的吧，那么我们活着的时候不是人吗？师父跟大家比喻：一个木鱼，一个木头，它是空的吧，但是它敲出来“砰砰”有声音，它是有声音的。是空的吗？空的。为什么能敲出声音啊？因为它有物体的存在，那就好比“空即是色”。
When I explain Buddhist scriptures to you, I integrate them with Buddhism in Plain Terms tailored to our everyday human life, which is why I frequently draw upon the teachings of the Heart Sutra. My main purpose is to help you integrate these teachings comprehensively so that you truly understand the Heart Sutra. With just a few lines from the Heart Sutra, I can explain the truths of the universe to you. Let me give you a simple example. In the Heart Sutra, you often recite the line, “Form is emptiness; emptiness is form.” I like to explain this through analogies. Take “emptiness is form”, for example. If something is hollow or invisible, does it actually exist? Yes, it exists—take bacteria, for example. You might say we human beings are empty—after we die, we are empty, right? But while we are alive, aren’t we human beings? Let me give you another analogy: consider a wooden fish—a Dharma instrument made of wood. It is hollow inside, isn’t it? Yet when you strike it, it produces a distinct sound. Does it have sound? Yes. Is it hollow? It is hollow. Why can it produce sound? Because a physical object exists—and that is just like “emptiness is form.”
同样讲起来，什么是“色即是空”？你想想看，一个实实在在的东西，就拿我刚举的例子：木头是空的，听到声音好像是实实在在。但是反过来讲，我用一个木头来代表“色”，就是这个世界上有生物体。这个“色”是个木头，它是实心的，是不是木头啊？敲得出声音吗？它敲不出声音的。所以讲给你们听：你们眼睛所看到的一切、耳朵所听到的一切，表面上好像是听到看到了，但实际上是空的。其实这里面有个意境问题。什么是意境？意境就是你意念当中的境界。意境高的人他能看得远，看得远的人才能知道自己今后将来能做什么。
By the same token, what is meant by “form is emptiness”? Think about it: take a solid, tangible object. Using the example I just shared, the hollow wooden fish produces a sound that seems very real and tangible. But looking at it the other way around, if I use a piece of solid wood to represent “form”—representing physical, tangible objects in this world—this “form” is solid wood. It is still a piece of wood, isn’t it? But can it produce that same resonant sound when struck? No, it cannot. What I am trying to tell you is this: everything your eyes see and everything your ears hear may appear to be real on the surface, but in essence, it is empty. This is where one’s spiritual state comes into play. What is a spiritual state? It is the state attained within your mind. Those with a higher spiritual state can see further ahead, and only those who can see further ahead will understand what they should do in the future.
“色即是空”可以解释你今天从小生出来你就能明白，“我以后总有一天要死的。我在人间这么点时间应该做些什么？”那么这个人实际上就是看到了“色即是空”了。那么反过来“空即是色”是什么意思呢？就是把这个事情看破。看破红尘了不是看空了吗？我已经想开了、想明白了，我对这个世界无所求了，没有什么可以想象的东西了，我不想再怎么样了。实际上还是有一个物存在的。举个简单例子：你认为这个婚姻是没有意义的，但是你有孩子，你还有这个家啊。“空”不就是“色”吗？“色”是什么？就是有这么一个循环体在那里。比如你们吵架的时候想对方最好死掉，如果真的对方一躺下来你一定不舍得；你恨的时候你可以说“我恨死他了”，但是一旦对方真的出事的话你心中又罣碍了、又放不下了……你想想看，这个“空”不是“色”又来了吗？所以人跟人的感情不要随便去超越——这是师父给你们讲的。如果超越了一定的感情之后，实际上就给你带来了罣碍。如果你只是佛性上面的，比如在佛法上面的爱，你们没有超越的话就牵动不了你这颗心；如果一旦超越了，你带有私人的感情在里面了，那么对方一旦出什么事情了，对不起，你这个就“空即是色”了。是很不容易理解的。举个例子：你们看过《西游记》里孙悟空可以把自己隐形。当他变成一只苍蝇看见唐僧被人家妖怪捉过去的时候，他一着急，他的原形就显出来了。你们现在也是一样，表面上说“我看穿了，这个家无所谓了，孩子大了我可以放心了”。你放得下心吗？这个家你放得掉吗？孩子大了你还是放不下心啊。你就算身体上出了点小毛病的话，你放得下心吗？你放不下的。
“Form is emptiness” can be understood like this: from the time you are born into this world, you realise, “One day, I will inevitably die. With such a short time in this human realm, what should I actually be doing?” A person who thinks like this has, in truth, begun to see that “form is emptiness.” Conversely, what does “emptiness is form” mean? It means seeing through the nature of things. When you see through the illusions of the human world, haven’t you come to see their emptiness? You may think, “I’ve come to terms with everything. I understand it now. I no longer seek anything from this world. There is nothing more I long for or want to pursue.” Yet something tangible still remains. Take marriage as a simple example. You may feel that your marriage no longer has any meaning, but you still have your children and your family. Doesn’t “emptiness” then become “form” again?
What is “form”? It means that there is still this cycle at work. For example, when couples argue, one person may become so angry that they wish the other would just die. But if that person really collapsed, you certainly would not be able to let go. When you are consumed by hatred, you might say, “I hate them so much!” Yet if something actually happened to them, you would immediately become concerned and unable to let go. Think about it: hasn’t “emptiness” become “form” once again? That is why I tell you not to allow your feelings for another person to cross certain boundaries. Once they do, they will create attachments and concerns within you. If your love is based purely on Buddha-nature—for example, the kind of love taught in the Buddha-dharma—and you do not cross those boundaries, your heart will not be stirred. But once you cross that line and personal feelings become involved, then if something happens to the other person, you will immediately become emotionally affected. This is another example of “emptiness is form”.
This principle is not easy to understand. Let me give you an example. In Journey to the West, Sun Wukong can make himself invisible. When he transforms into a fly and sees that the Tang Monk has been captured by a demon, he becomes anxious and reveals his true form. The same applies to you. On the surface, you may say, “I’ve seen through it all. This family doesn’t matter to me anymore. My children have grown up, so I can stop worrying about them.” But can you really stop worrying? Can you truly let go of your family? Even when your children are grown, you still worry about them. And if something goes wrong with your own health, can you really put your mind at ease? You cannot.
一个人看世界要懂得“受、想、行、识”。受想行识是什么意思？就是你感受到的、你想到的、你行为上的、你意识上拥有的。所有的受想行识皆不异空，是什么意思？就是所有的受想行识全部都是空的。也就是说你想也是想出真的东西来，你感受也是真的东西，你所拥有的东西是真的东西，但是是暂时性的拥有，因为你是五蕴假合之身（你的五蕴皆空）。举个简单例子：你人都是假的，那么你所拥有的东西你说是假的还是真的？不就是假的吗？你买的苹果、买的香蕉，你拿去给一个洋娃娃吃，就像孩提时代跟洋娃娃玩（洋娃娃叫妮子）。“妮子啊，我给你削苹果吃吧，我给你吃香蕉。”你说这个洋娃娃会吃吗？因为人是五蕴和合而成，本来就是空的，所以人所拥有的一切都是空的。这个小洋娃娃是空的，所以这个苹果、这个香蕉也是空的。因为是你想出来的东西，你人本身就是空的，所以想出来的也是空的，这叫空想。听不懂啊？你人都没有了，你想出来的不是空想吗？你人都没有了，你思维出来的不就是空思吗？因为这本身就是没有的东西。
To see this world accurately, one must understand feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. What do these four aggregates mean? They refer to what you feel, what you think, what you act out, and what arises within your consciousness. When the sutra says that none of these aggregates are different from emptiness, what does it mean? It means that all feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness are fundamentally empty. In other words, what you think may seem real, what you feel may seem real, and what you possess may also seem real, but you possess these things only temporarily. This is because your physical existence is merely a temporary coming together of the Five Aggregates, and the Five Aggregates are empty.
Let me give you a simple example. If your very existence is ultimately empty, then are the things you possess truly real? Aren’t they illusory as well? Imagine a child playing with a doll and saying, “Here, let me peel an apple for you. I’ll give you a banana too.” Can the doll actually eat them? A human being is formed through the coming together of the Five Aggregates, which are empty by nature. Therefore, everything a person possesses is ultimately empty as well. Just as the little doll is empty, so the apple and banana you feed it are empty too. They exist only within the scenario you have imagined. Since the person who gives rise to these thoughts is themselves ultimately empty, the thoughts they produce are also empty. This is what is meant by empty thoughts. Do you understand? Once the person is gone, aren’t the thoughts they once had empty? Once the person is gone, aren’t all the ideas they once conceived empty as well? Ultimately, none of these things has an enduring existence.
“五蕴皆空”实际上叫“非想非非想，非想非无想”。什么意思？我没有去想——非无想，但是并不代表我没有去想。这都是哲学啊，哲理啊。我又要举例子给你们听了：比如一般开party（聚会），很多菜已经放好了，当你肚子饿的时候，人家都还没吃，这时你很想吃对不对？但是我不去想。因为大家都没有吃，我不可能一个人先吃的。这叫“非想”。而“非无想”就是说并不是说我没有想过要去吃啊，我想过了，但是我没有去想啊。你到底想了没想啊？想过了，但是我后来又没想，等于没想。佛法的理论不是一句话两句话可以讲得明的，都是哲学，非常深奥。你必须对人生的哲理有一定高度的认识，你才能听得懂佛法。不是谁都能听得懂佛法。以前师父给你们讲得不深，因为你们以前都没有接触过佛法。
The emptiness of the Five Aggregates is, in essence, what is meant by “neither perception nor non-perception; neither thought nor absence of thought”. What does this mean? I do not dwell on a thought, but that does not mean the thought never arose. These are philosophical principles, and they are very profound. Let me give you another example. Suppose you are at a party and plenty of food has already been laid out. You are hungry, but no one else has started eating yet. Naturally, you want to eat, don’t you? But you do not dwell on that thought, because no one else has started eating and you cannot simply begin eating on your own. This is “non-thought”. Yet “not the absence of thought” means that it is not as though the thought of eating never occurred to you. It did occur to you, but you chose not to dwell on it. So did you think about it or not? The thought arose, but then you let it go, which is as though you had not thought about it at all. The principles of the Buddha-dharma cannot be explained in just a sentence or two. They are philosophical and extremely profound. You need a certain depth of understanding of the principles of life before you can truly understand the Buddha-dharma. Not everyone can understand it. In the past, I did not explain the Buddha-dharma to you at such a profound level because, back then, you had barely been exposed to it.
我们有时候去想了，好像又没想一样。比如你们有时候吵架，对方骂你一句话你在心里会反骂他一句。但是你想了吗？你想了，可是你没骂出来，又不去想了，叫“非无想”。而实际上你心里已经骂还他了，你已经过去了，你已经舒服了，你就不要嘴巴里再出来。不可以吗？你为什么非要骂出来呢？有的人心里骂过就算了。一般境界比较高的，比如你要是对他有什么不好，他嘴巴里“没关系，没关系”，但心里说不定在骂你呢，但是他嘴巴里永远不会骂出来。人家这就是叫守口，把自己的嘴巴守得很紧的。这也是一种修为。如果这个人憋不住就叫没修为，嘴巴里一定要讲出来，那这个人就是档次很低的人。你有本事心里想了不要讲出来。你不讲出来的东西，实际上是“无想是非想”。我是想过了吗？我想过了，但是我没讲出来等于没想，你这个事情就能过去啊。你嘴巴里出来的话，人常说“泼出去的水，收不回来的”。比如吵架的时候一句话泼出去了你就拉不回来了，然后就是打自己——后悔呀。你们有的人现在完全能理解师父讲的这个概念，因为你经常嘴巴出门不认货，“啪”一句话出去了，“啊，我是这么讲的？对不起，对不起”，但是你这个嘴巴讲出来的话已经出了门了，拉都拉不回来了。你有修养以后对于谁不好在你心里想想就好了，“这个女孩子怎么这样？”你笑一笑不要讲话可以吗？等到你意念一过，是“非无想”。实际上你并不是没有想过，但是“是非想”——我没有去想啊，没有讲出来就是没想啊，我没有行为、我没有举动啊。这就是做人啊。如果把学佛真正用到做人上，这个人一定做得好，这个人佛一定学得好。如果这个人做得不好，他学佛一定学不好。这就是为什么让你们每一个人都规规矩矩、老老实实。只有老老实实、规规矩矩的人才学得好佛。在这里油腔滑调、不好好做人的人能学得好佛的吗？因为很多人在念头里面想过一句话之后，人家再问他，“我讲过吗？”好像有，好像讲过了，又好像没讲过。实际上就是讲过了。但是他想过了之后他又没讲出来，好像有，又好像没有过，让你是想非非想。比如老公在家里骂你，你心里就想：“这个老头子怎么毛病又来了？灵性上身了？”你想过之后你讲了吗？你心里讲过，但没讲出来，不就是“是想非非想”？
Sometimes a thought arises, yet it is almost as though we never thought it at all. For example, when you are arguing with someone and they insult you, you may immediately think of an insult in return. Did you think it? Yes. But you did not say it aloud, and then you let the thought go. This is “not the absence of thought”. In fact, you have already answered them back in your mind. The moment has passed, and you feel better, so why let the words come out of your mouth as well? Why must you say them aloud? Some people simply curse silently in their hearts and let it go. Those with a relatively higher spiritual state may say, “It’s all right, it’s all right,” even when someone has treated them badly. They might still have a fleeting grumble inside, but an insult will never pass their lips. This is called guarding one’s speech—keeping a firm watch over what comes out of one’s mouth. This too is a form of cultivation. If someone cannot restrain themselves and simply has to say what is on their mind, it shows a lack of cultivation; if they insist on saying it out loud, they are acting at a very low level. If you have true capability, let the thought pass in your mind without speaking it aloud. What you keep to yourself is effectively “absence of thought amounts to non-thinking”. Did I think it? Yes, the thought arose, but because I didn’t voice it, it amounts to not thinking, and the matter simply blows over. Once words leave your mouth, as the old saying goes: “Spilt water can never be gathered back.” During an argument, once hurtful words have been spoken, you cannot take them back, and you are left slapping yourself in regret. Some of you can fully relate to what I mean, because words often slip out of your mouth before you have thought them through. The moment they are out, you say, “Did I really say that? I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” But the words have already left your mouth, and there is no way to take them back.
As your cultivation improves, even if you disapprove of someone, you can simply keep the thought to yourself. You might think, “Why is this young woman behaving like that?” Just smile and say nothing. Can’t you do that? Once the thought passes, it is “not the absence of thought”: it is not that the thought never arose, but you did not dwell on it or act upon it. You did not say anything, and you took no action. This is part of learning how to conduct yourself. If you can truly apply the Buddha-dharma to the way you conduct yourself, you will naturally become a better person and cultivate Buddhism well. If you cannot conduct yourself properly, you will not be able to cultivate Buddhism well either. This is why I ask every one of you to be sincere, honest, and disciplined. Only those who conduct themselves sincerely and properly can cultivate Buddhism well. How can someone who is glib and does not conduct themselves properly expect to cultivate Buddhism well?
Many people have a thought and later, when someone asks them about it, they wonder, “Did I say that?” It feels as though they did, yet also as though they did not. In fact, the words were already spoken in their mind, but because they were never voiced, it seems both as though they were said and as though they were not. This is the state of “thought yet not thought”. For example, suppose your husband scolds you at home and you think to yourself, “What’s wrong with this old man again? Has he been possessed by a spirit?” The thought has arisen, but did you actually say it? You said it inwardly, but not aloud. Isn’t this “thought yet not thought”?
你们要记住：要平等，要无分别心。什么叫平等？什么叫无分别心？无分别心就是把人家都看成平等的。师父现在把你们坐在下面的人都看成是平等的——你们的年纪都是一样的，你们的性别都是一样的，你们的品格都是一样的。这个就叫平等心。菩萨在救人的时候是先把你们全看成平等的。但是在具体操作当中如果你们做错了很多事情，你们求了菩萨之后还要做坏事，那对不起，这个平等心是你自己打破的，而不是菩萨打破的。菩萨要救人的时候都是平等的。举个简单例子：师父今天救你们，把你们都看成平等的，都是好人。但是如果你们不尊重师父，不好好修行的话，实际上你们就是在打破平等心，你们就是在损害菩萨所讲的平等心。所以要没有分别心才能达到有平等心。也就是说，我今天看到女的男的我都是一样的；我今天看到老的少的我都是一样。因为你们都是佛心，都是菩萨，“我没有什么想法”，这样才是无分别心。怎么样来克服自己的分别心呢？就是要感觉人人平等。你要觉得今天在座的所有的人都是一样，人人平等。
You must remember: we need equality and a mind free from discrimination. What does equality mean? What does it mean to have a mind free from discrimination? It means regarding everyone equally. As I look at all of you sitting here now, I regard you all as equal—as though you were all the same age, the same gender, and of the same character. This is what is meant by equanimity. When Bodhisattvas save sentient beings, they first regard everyone equally. However, in practice, if you repeatedly do wrong, or if you pray to the Bodhisattvas and then continue committing unwholesome deeds, then you yourselves have broken that equality; it is not the Bodhisattvas who have done so. Bodhisattvas treat everyone equally when they set out to save sentient beings. Let me give you a simple example. When I help all of you, I initially regard you equally and see you all as good people. But if you do not respect your Master or cultivate diligently, then it is you who disrupt that equality and undermine the equanimity taught by the Bodhisattvas.
Only by having a mind free from discrimination can you attain equanimity. In other words, whether I see a man or a woman, I regard them in the same way; whether I see someone old or young, I regard them in the same way. You all possess the Buddha-mind and are all Bodhisattvas, so I hold no preconceived notions about any of you. That is what it means to have a mind free from discrimination. How do we overcome our own discriminating mind? By recognising that everyone is equal. You should regard everyone sitting here today in the same way—everyone is equal.