濟公活佛慈訓（一）

The Compassionate Teachings of Ji Gong, the Living Buddha (濟公活佛慈訓) is a multi-volume collection of spirit-writing revelations by Ji Gong (濟公), the ragged, laughing, wine-drinking Chan monk of the Southern Song dynasty who became Yiguandao's most beloved celestial teacher. In the Yiguandao tradition, Ji Gong descends to the planchette altar as the disciples' Teacher (老師), speaking with an intimacy and directness unlike any other voice in the canon — part Zen master, part exasperated father, part stand-up comedian.

Volume One contains over fifty thematic teachings, each a collection of aphorisms and short discourses delivered at altar sessions across decades. The topics range from faith and mindfulness to family life, from the nature of merit to the meaning of the Dao in daily work. Ji Gong's register is unmistakably colloquial — he asks rhetorical questions, scolds, jokes, and sometimes pleads. His recurring themes: stop dividing the sacred from the mundane; your family is your first congregation; climbing the mountain means not looking back.

The Chinese source text is from taolibrary.com (善書圖書館), Category 52 (一貫道經典二), c52067.htm, which states: "歡迎轉載，上傳，翻印，流通" — "Welcome to reprint, upload, reproduce, and circulate." This is the first English translation.

A Good Works Translation — translated from Modern Chinese for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026. Tulku Qiao (橋), Tulku Huiguang (慧光), Tulku Míngdēng (明燈), Tulku Míngzhú (明珠), Tulku Míng (明), Tulku Míngquán (明泉), Tulku Huìdēng (慧燈), Tulku Míngzhú II (明珠), Tulku Míng (明, second and third bearings), Tulku Míng Yuè (明月), Tulku Chéng Guāng (承光), Tulku Míngdēng (明燈, second bearing), Tulku Chánguāng (禪光), and Tulku Guāng (光), Yiguandao Translators. Gospel register. All 56 sections complete.

1. Faith and Mindfulness

信與念

How do you keep one sentence from someone else from toppling your faith? Beyond firmness of heart, you must cultivate the spirit within — reach the point where nothing moves you. This is the practice of saving yourself. Cultivating the Dao is not a matter of three or five days, three or five years. It is the work of a lifetime. Do not let someone else's one sentence knock you down.

The first requirement for studying the Dao is: sincerity of heart and reverence of mind. "Sincerity" means cutting off doubt and giving rise to faith. "Reverence" means understanding propriety. The Dao is principle. Principle is propriety. Set your resolve on sacred work, on transforming the world — do not chase after hollow fame with visible form. Those who have virtue without rank endure forever. Those who have rank without virtue cannot remain consistent to the end — wasting your own root-destiny, cultivating your whole life and reaping not a single fruit. Is that not in vain?

The truth is shallow. The only danger is that you do not investigate, do not awaken, but gallop past like a rider glancing at flowers — all surface, no substance. Then you mislead others and mislead yourself.

Young people: your ambition must be vast and your resolve unshakeable. In favorable times, use steadfast endurance so that material desires cannot seduce you. In adversity, use forceful endurance so that glamour and poverty cannot drag you off course. Dwell moment by moment in stillness — in warmth, goodness, respect, frugality, and yielding. Be reasonable and proper, and everything will go smoothly.

Shakyamuni Buddha and Guanyin Bodhisattva were both wealthier and higher in rank than any of us, yet they saw through fame and profit, left their homes, and sought the true Dao. Now the whole world honors them. People today are blinded by fame and profit, struggling only for themselves and their descendants, never scattering their blessings outward. After they stop breathing, only their own children and grandchildren pray to them.

Once you know the Dao is good, do not rely on your mouth alone to spread it. Drop by drop, you must investigate and awaken on your own. The Bright Teacher opens your Mysterious Pass, but walking the path and cultivating it — that depends on you. Even after you understand the truth and know the road is hard, you must still walk it.

Have your own judgment. Do not hear someone say "the Dao is good" and run after it, then hear someone say "the Dao is this or that, no good" and feel cheated and quit. When the time comes, the one who loses out is yourself.

My children, have faith in yourselves in your cultivation, have faith in the Immortals and Buddhas, have faith in your country, have faith in your people, and be trustworthy in your dealings with the world. One word — "faith" — can carry you over many difficulties. We have come to fulfill a mission, to carry out our responsibility, not to enjoy ourselves. Do you understand? Recognize your mission, do it well, and return to heaven to render your account.

With a finite life, establish an eternal name — not for yourself, but to bring glory to your ancestors.

The cultivator's heart must be still. Do not gossip carelessly. A jealous heart with no capacity, competing for credit and grasping at results, scheming in the shadows: "Follow me and you'll be on the true path — his golden thread is already broken!" How golden is your thread? Where exactly did his break? When you speak ill of others, you have already lost the virtue of your own speech. When someone else speaks such words and you are moved by them, that is disloyalty.

My children, remember: if someone claims to be a Patriarch or a Teacher, speaking honeyed words — do not believe them. The proverb says: in all that you do, take a single loyal heart. Be loyal to the elders, loyal to the Dao hall, loyal to the living beings you are called to save. This is the direction you should walk. In cultivating the Dao, do not chase after external merit and hollow appearances — act from the heart.

To serve the many without selfish partiality — only then can you deserve the title "Little Living Buddha." My child! Your Teacher is Ji Gong — and Ji Gong has never been partial in his aid! The human heart is fickle. Your Teacher has seen too much, far too much. I hope that hereafter you will walk your own path well. Right and wrong, twists and turns — you must decide for yourselves. Following others in a daze will only lead you into a ditch. When you drink water, remember the source! After bitterness comes sweetness; where there is labor there is harvest. I hope you will share both the bitter and the sweet, and come home soon!

When climbing a mountain, remember: never look back. Cultivating the Dao is the same. Do not be of two minds — an unsteady resolve can never become an immortal.

Do not first ask what your future holds — first ask whether your heart is sound. Do not first ask whether the Bright Teacher is true or false — first ask whether your own heart moves forward. Do not first ask whether the spirits who borrow a body to speak are real or staged — first ask whether your own heart is clear or dim. Set all doubts behind you first, and bring out your practical ability to get things done.

Cultivating the great Dao — some of it is easy, some hard. This depends on me, and also on heaven. Without accumulated merit and hidden virtue, there will be obstacles at every turn, with crowds becoming your karmic barrier.

The body of the heart is the body of heaven. One thought of joy: lucky stars and auspicious clouds. One thought of anger: thunderbolts and downpour. One thought of compassion: gentle wind and sweet dew. One thought of severity: blazing sun and autumn frost. Can any of these be dispensed with? So long as they arise and subside freely, vast and unobstructed, you are one body with the Great Void.

2. Between the Sacred and the Mundane

聖凡之間

Human life ought to have a goal, an ideal, a spiritual anchor — not drift aimlessly. There are important things waiting for you to put into practice. So, my children, do not be afraid of pressure, do not be afraid of confusion. People! Only through pressure can we survive — if there were no pressure on the earth, you would all float away, wouldn't you? That means pressure is good.

Do not fear that there is too much to do between the sacred and the mundane, too much pressure! My children, calm your hearts. Apply the skill of cultivation: handle each thing well, set each thing in order, one by one. This is what it means to cultivate the sacred and the mundane together — not "I am an ordinary person who comes to the Buddha Hall to help out, and that is sacred-mundane cultivation." When you can handle worldly affairs and sacred affairs equally well, equally thoroughly — that is true sacred-mundane cultivation. When you can cultivate both together, you understand the suffering of human life more deeply, you express greater compassion, and you understand why the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas devote themselves to saving the world. Because you have made the Dao part of daily life.

Cultivation of the Dao means seeking progress, right? You have reached a certain step on the staircase and gotten stuck — you do not know how to be happy, you do not know how to balance the sacred and the mundane, how to choose, how to calibrate. You feel that handling worldly affairs well is good enough, but others think you come to the Buddha Hall too seldom. If you run to the Hall often, your family is unhappy, and you feel as though you are not really cultivating at all. What do you do?

Why do we speak of cultivating the sacred and the mundane together? In the mundane, you have your responsibilities. When you fulfill them, are you unwilling, resentful? Your closest people are the ones who most easily oppose you, right? Why do the people closest to you most easily oppose you? Do they hate you the most? Then why? Because they care about you! But why does it turn out this way? Because you make demands of them, don't you? In truth, everyone means well — they just cannot communicate, the words come out wrong, but the intention is not what it seems. Isn't that so?

Are you happy? Perhaps some of you do not even know what happiness is? Now, after great difficulty, you have sought the Dao and know it is good, and there is a little bit of happiness — but you are human, you must face your own life, your own path, and there are still very unhappy times. Because you have drawn too sharp a line between the sacred and the mundane, between the Buddha Hall and the home. You say "the Dao is in daily life," yet your daily life is not the Dao — you have not brought the Dao into your living.

How do you bring the Dao into daily life? Must you only be proper at the Buddha Hall? Must you only be careful at the Buddha Hall? You come to the Hall to learn ceremony and propriety — to respect elders and honor the worthy, to support those above and guide those below, to be orderly and reverent. But are you this way in your ordinary life at home? Do you show that same respect? Once you leave the Hall, everything changes — you put yourself at the center, don't you?

You need to work, to pursue careers, to live. I am not telling you to abandon your life, not telling you to stop working, stop earning, stop supporting your families. I am only asking you to steal a moment of leisure from the busyness. The more money you earn, the more slowly you sink into material enjoyment, and follow it down. People — especially cultivators — should not give themselves too much comfort. Once comfort sets in, it seeps into you invisibly, and the more comfortable you become, the more your original heart, your awakened heart, disappears.

You all have families. How is your own self-cultivation going? Even if you cultivate well, what about your other half? Your children? How well have you helped your family members along? You all teach others to set their households in order, that cultivation means bringing your family into the Dao — but what about you yourselves?

Give a little more attention to the immediate things around you, the things you can see. Everything else that is not yours to worry about — let it go, do not fret blindly. Do you understand? The more anxious your heart, the more things pile up.

Delivering all beings does not mean everyone must crowd together and rush abroad to pioneer new ground — that is not the only way to carry out the Dao. Look at your own circumstances. Bringing harmony to your family within your environment — this too is delivering beings. But some people are not like this. Your Teacher wants you to go home and bring harmony to your family, to be filial to your parents, to inspire your family members, to let your parents accept the Dao. If instead you charge out to pioneer new territory — that is not right! So I want you truly, in your thinking and your actions, to round out all four directions, to harmonize everything, and not to insist stubbornly on one path alone.

In this final period, no matter what, you must never break the fast or violate the precepts! If you break them again and try to repent and make amends, it will be impossibly difficult. Who will bear the burden for you? Remember: every person will pass through a great trial, so that in the critical moment, heaven can see whether you will protect your life or break the fast. This depends on your wisdom — as long as you can break through the difficulty, everything will be fine! Heaven is testing your wisdom, and your faith in the Dao! You only need to accept the command and do it. Look at the people who must make decisions up front — they are the ones who suffer more! Have you noticed? Some people say: "I always follow orders, but I want to give them too!" And who would follow you? Have you ever thought that way? At home you are accustomed to being the eldest, and now at the Buddha Hall they ask you to be the youngest — it feels strange, doesn't it?

Learn the humble heart. Then cultivation grows more joyful as you go! The Dao is very natural — just discover it slowly and you will find it infinitely wondrous! When there are no interpersonal conflicts in the Buddha Hall, your family will naturally fall into harmony as well. Be the same at home as at the Hall. At the Hall you are warm, kind, gracious — do not go home and put on a sour face for your family. How could such a family be harmonious? Do you understand?

You young ones — listen: "The body, hair, and skin are received from one's parents and must not be harmed — this is the beginning of filial piety." That is visible filial piety, the kind you can see! On the other hand: your parents gave you a body with four sound limbs and five good senses. If you do not use it to establish yourself and walk the Dao — that is unfilial. Do you hear me? Look at yourself, think about it! Your eyes, your ears, your mouth, your teeth, your feet — are the things they do all in accordance with the Dao?

3. Teaching the Dao Through One's Person

以身示道

Every person loves their child — why not serve your father with the same heart you use to love your child? Every person loves their spouse — why not serve your mother with the same heart you use to love your spouse?

Why is the child obedient while the parent is contrary? I wish that all children in the world would obey their parents with one part of the heart they use to love their own children. Why is the daughter loved while the daughter-in-law is mistreated? I wish that all parents-in-law in the world would love their daughters-in-law with three parts of the heart they use to love their own daughters.

Seeking blessings for your descendants by leaving them gold — they may not be able to keep it. Creating blessings for your descendants by leaving them virtue — they will enjoy boundless fortune.

To nourish without teaching is not to love your child. To teach without strictness is to endanger your child. Be careful in small things and cautious in great ones, and you will never fail. Be filial at home, be loyal to the nation — there has never been anyone disloyal and unfilial whose name was inscribed on bamboo and silk to be praised through the ages.

Cultivation requires wisdom. How will you continue on the path of practice? How will you continue building a happy family? Cultivation is about creating a harmonious home — not about turning this life's bond into next life's karmic debt. If you do not complete this life's bond, next life you will encounter a karmic entanglement.

"Treat the old as your own old" — and then what? "Then treat other people's old as your own." Good, what does that mean? First be filial to your own parents, then care for other elders. But tell me: are you honoring the old of others, or only honoring other people's old? In the Dao hall you are a pillar and a model — but when you go home, what then? Do you practice the way of kings outside and the way of tyrants at home? Is that what you do? Here you practice the kingly way — when the person in front says sit up straight, you sit straight; says reflect, you reflect — one hundred percent obedient, utterly compliant. Then you return to your own familiar environment and what happens? Do you show your true colors? Show your true colors, indeed! Can we still call ourselves cultivators of the human way?

In the Dao hall, your Teacher constantly lifts and teaches you — what for? To make you a complete person, and then the most honored of Immortals and Buddhas. Falling short of "Immortal and Buddha" is forgivable, but if you cannot even be a complete person, that is simply unacceptable. How will you rescue this degenerate world? How will you purify the human heart? Start with yourself. The people closest to you are your family. If you cannot manage the Five Relationships, how can you transform the world into Great Harmony? In these last days, correcting yourself and completing others go hand in hand — cultivate yourself, deliver others, and your conduct in the world will not be a muddled waste of time.

What is the purpose of the Heavenly Dao? Its greatest purpose is to transform the world into the Great Harmony. To pursue this, we must promote Confucian thought. The great Dao of Confucius and Mencius begins with daily duty and human bonds. Some people practice the bonds very well, but some have no sense of them at all. Some cultivators have been on the path for years, yet their families are still in discord. Why? Because they have not fulfilled their human duties. So do not say "I have sought the Dao and now I will charge ahead, higher and higher, ignoring everything — ignoring my family, ignoring other people." You live among people, among communities. You must understand the way of being human. If you do not understand the way of being human, you exist as a human being in vain.

Begin with the root. When the root is established, the Dao grows. What is the root? What does the human way include? The Three Bonds and Five Constants, the Five Relationships and Eight Virtues — each must be proclaimed one by one. If you abandon the root and chase distant heights, that is not cultivating the Dao. Slow your steps. A little progress each day is enough.

When there is friction at home, it depends on what kind of heart you use to turn that friction into a force for growth. "The Dao descends into the household; cultivate the sacred and mundane together." Right? Use your time skillfully, use your wondrous wisdom, and redirect the conflicts that should not exist. At the Buddha Hall you are a fine model — but at home, are you the same? Toward your husband, your children, your in-laws? If you truly fulfill the human way and carry out your responsibilities, only then can you be a standard for others. Otherwise you will be called two-faced, and you will have earned it.

As a member of a household, treat your family with sincerity of heart. Sincerity is the Dao. Treat every person this way. How is sincerity between husband and wife? Mutual understanding. Between parent and child, the parent must be strict when strictness is needed and compassionate when compassion is called for — gentle words to counsel. Otherwise it will be like living on a battlefield, as though dwelling in one of the hells. When strictness is required, guide with principle and give them the true path. When gentleness is called for, untie the knot in their heart. Thread it all through as one — from the family to the Dao hall, from the Dao hall to society, and onward to every place. Cultivating the Heavenly Dao begins with the human way.

If your family member makes a mistake and you scold them, they may not understand your intention. But if you understand their character, you can communicate well and counsel them. The principle of heaven and earth works the same way. Understanding them does not mean flattering them — it means that through understanding, everyone lives together in harmony, in a circle of good feeling, and from that harmony, wisdom is born.

Cultivating the Dao does not mean throwing away everything that is impermanent. You say "parents are impermanent" — does that mean you will be unfilial? You say "wealth is impermanent" — does that mean you will not work? Only when you have fulfilled your duties in the impermanent can you realize the permanent. Only when you have fulfilled your duties as a human being can you become a "god." Only when the real is present can you see the false. When you see through it all, there is no real or false in your heart anymore.

The first thing in cultivating the Dao is to fulfill the human way. Filial piety, brotherly love, loyalty, trustworthiness — do you often think of the two living Buddhas at home — your parents?

People today must honor filial piety. In the past, parents raised ten or more children without complaining. Now you have fewer — all the more reason to set an example for the younger generation. All waters share one source; honor the ancestors with care and devotion. You cannot let your parents fall into hell while you return to the Heaven of Principle to enjoy yourself. Of all virtues, filial piety comes first. If you cultivate the Dao and neglect your family, you are wrong. One child who attains the Dao brings light to nine generations of ancestors. One child who completes the Dao sends nine generations to heaven. While your parents are alive, why not deliver them?

4. Transmission by Flame, Transmission by Heart

薪傳心傳

A poem says:
You are a lone boat on the bitter sea; I am the clear wind above the water.
Day and night I wish to circle round you, pushing you, guarding you, onward — onward!

The Heavenly Dao has been transmitted from teacher to teacher since ancient times, never allowed to break. Those who have the Dao understand. Those without contrivance attain it. Once you have received the Dao — once the Bright Teacher has pointed out your opening and your portal has been awakened — cast out the delusions within, practice the heavenly virtue your original nature received, benefit the multitudes, proclaim the Dao on heaven's behalf, and the golden thread is connected. But if your inner desires are impure and your outward conduct selfish, even with the Bright Teacher present, it is still not the golden thread. "Gold" corresponds to the West; in the Five Phases it belongs to white — and white means utterly clean and clear. This is "making bright the bright virtue." Once you have attained the Dao and made bright the virtue of your own nature, you then draw near to the people, and naturally come to rest in the highest good. The highest good is the Buddha-land.

The sudden method of cultivating the Dao places its weight on formless attainment, not on outward ceremony. Non-action is the way to transcend birth and death; outward form is the karmic share of fortunate reward. Once this principle is clear, why ask about the golden thread? When the system is in order, the golden thread is already within it. The Fifteen Buddha-Rules — why are they called "provisional Buddha-Rules"? Because everything requires awakening. Awakening is awareness. The aware one is the Buddha. The unawakened, the unaware, is a sentient being. Buddha and sentient being differ only in one heart.

What is the "Great Dao of the Former Heaven"? It means that before heaven and earth were formed, the Dao already existed. Whether you cultivate the Dao today or not, the Dao remains. So to cultivate or not is up to you — becoming a ghost, a beast, an animal, or an immortal is the work of a single spirit.

The eighteen groups share one Heavenly Dao. Do not have a discriminating heart. All alike belong to the Dao of heaven above. The Dao does not divide — it is people who divide themselves. Everyone has broken this rule. The Buddha-Rules must be kept, but kept with agility and openness — do not wall yourself in. The 9.6 billion original spirits — do not think that because someone belongs to another group, their way is not genuine. Everyone is brothers and sisters. Think of the Dharma-boat: the boat is about to sail, it is a matter of life and death — at that moment, will you still "divide"? My children, you should know: are you sitting steady in the boat? If you yourselves are not steady, how can you deliver others, deliver your nine generations of ancestors and seven generations of descendants? If your own leaves cannot even grow, how will you save your forebears? As your Teacher sees it, this is difficulty upon difficulty!

The most important thing in cultivating the Dao is to hold fast to loyalty, filial piety, chastity, and righteousness. You must not go around recklessly receiving spirit-possessions and channeling — that is not the true Dharma; it is the way of heterodox paths. This is not the season for channeling. Channeling will only make your heart more restless. In time, channelers will multiply. If you follow them for too long, the Heavenly Order will naturally draw you out. But we must analyze according to principle and help people understand how precious the Dao is. If their karmic conditions ripen, they will return, and heaven will still accept them. But if they stray for too long and their minds are controlled, there is no pulling them back — you have no choice but to let them go naturally. When you encounter those who neither cultivate nor serve, or who have left the Dao, still treat them with courtesy. You must not harbor a confrontational heart.

The Heavenly Hour is urgent. Saving others is saving yourself. Since antiquity, the practice by which sages became sages is nothing but four characters: "Correct yourself, complete others." To illuminate your own virtue is to correct yourself. To transform new people is to complete others — this is delivering people, this is serving the Dao.

My child, do you know what happens to a cultivator who has only outer merit and no inner cultivation? You reap what you sow — the ancient principle does not change. In the future, those who enter heaven must still cultivate their inner nature. But cultivating inner nature in heaven is far more difficult than in the human world. Those who cannot cultivate there will be sent down again. Or else their fortune is enjoyed, their merit consumed — and then what?

The Heavenly Dao is universally transmitted. The Buddha Hall is the hall directly under the Great Dao of the Former Heaven — it is the altar of the Old Mother. In outward appearance, the Buddha Hall may seem smaller than the average spirit-writing hall. But in the formless realm, the Former Heaven Buddha Hall is great: its responsibility is heavy, and the Heavenly Mandate to transmit the Three Treasures and the Heart-Dharma outweighs any temple or spirit-writing hall. That said, the spirit-writing halls, though they do not transmit the Three Treasures, also bear the responsibility of proclaiming heaven's transformation and teaching people to understand goodness. The only difference is: one is open and one is hidden, one visible and one concealed. "The visible is teaching; the hidden is the Dao." Therefore the two cannot be separated.

A philanthropist is not the Dao — but the Dao encompasses philanthropy. A preacher is not the Dao — but the Dao encompasses preaching.

In cultivating the Dao, you must follow the Teacher's command. What is not commanded, you dare not do first. What is commanded, you dare not delay. What is ordered, you may not disobey. What is not ordered, you may not decide on your own. But you must also judge what kind of matter it is. If it concerns saving the world, relieving the people, or the cause of benevolence, righteousness, and moral virtue — that is another matter entirely. Confucius said: "In the face of benevolence, do not yield even to your teacher."

In the end-times calamity of the Third Period, ten thousand teachings arise together. We have opened the Dharma assembly and boarded the Dharma-boat. Affirm yourselves. Do not be led astray by supernatural powers and strange arts. Do not jump ship for heterodox paths.

What your Teacher transmits to you is the Three Treasures and the Heart-Dharma — to lead people into awakening.

What I teach you is the truth and the highest learning — to lead people into sagehood.

What I forbid is the arts of divination, mediumship, and sorcery — for they lead people into demonic possession.

What I reject is heterodox speech and false doctrine — for they lead people into delusion.

Therefore the cultivator must have: a wise mind — to distinguish the true from the false. A benevolent heart — to accept those who reform themselves. A courageous spirit — to rescue those lost in confusion.

The Dao of heaven is infinitely precious. One year passes, then another. The fear is that tomorrow the sun sets in the west — and the Great Dao, the gate of nirvana, is nowhere to be found. Even if you had ten thousand strings of gold coin, you could not buy back a single moment.

Heterodox paths flourish for a moment but cannot endure. Follow the scriptures and principles of the Five Holy Sages in your cultivation — that is the true way.

What does it mean: "The Dao hidden, the Dao manifest — heaven decides"? "Manifest" means visible; when the Dao is concealed, it is called hidden. Now the Great Dao has appeared in the news — so why do you still come? Some people have deep karmic roots: even though the Dao has been in the news, they still walk forward, still carry on the work. Others have deep roots too, but once the Dao is publicized, they hide. Which of these has the deeper root? Think about it yourselves! Your Teacher speaks only to the point — the secrets of heaven must not be leaked. "Those with affinity meet across a thousand miles; those without affinity pass face to face without meeting." It is all for this one word: affinity. Between you and your Teacher there is a stretch of affinity. Between you and the one who introduced you, another stretch. Between you and your seniors, your Transmitting Masters — all affinity. Those who have affinity, no matter how they are tested, slandered, or defamed, still press forward. Those who have affinity but no share abandon the path halfway. Affinity must be seized. Today you have caught up with it. Remember these words: "The Dao hidden, the Dao manifest — heaven decides!"

5. Inviting Your Own Trials

自招魔考

You — whatever attitude of mind you hold, that is the demon you attract.

What is a demon? Whatever is unreasonable is a demon. When joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure are out of proportion, there is the demon. The truth is, the human heart is too heavy! The distinction between "you" and "me" is too sharp! Why not ask yourself how much heart you have truly given? The more you compare, the deeper you sink. Know this: all manner of demons and tests — heaven is not testing you. You are drawing them to yourselves!

Stop blaming heaven for every little thing! Stop saying "heaven has sent me a test." Know this: the human heart is perilous. Everyone despises demonic trials — and yet you ceaselessly attract them.

And what is a demon? Whatever violates principle is a demon. When joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure violate principle, there is a demon. In the Dao hall you may not fight over material things, but you fight for favor. You are self-righteous. These are what demons love most.

Your Elder did say it: "Either the Buddha enters, or the demon enters." If the heart is correct, even outside the Buddha Hall, no demon can come. If the heart is not correct, even inside the Buddha Hall, you will invite the demon onto yourself.

My child! Do not let the demons use you. Raise up your right mindfulness, your right spirit. Do not let your heart grow dim. Have a heart of public-spirited selflessness. This "public heart" means thinking of others while also thinking of yourself — neither harming others nor harming yourself. Because one who harms himself will also harm others. That is exactly how the demon works.

The moment you stir the thought of retreating from the Dao, your Teacher knows at once. The moment you rouse your Dao-heart, your Teacher knows that too. But when you rouse your heart, your Teacher rejoices — and your karmic forces do not! Do you know why? Everyone carries karmic debts. The more you rouse your heart, the more those debts obstruct you. So tell me — is becoming a Buddha easy? Your Teacher has said it: "Each person eats their own rice and fills their own belly. Each person's karmic force, each person must settle." Remember this clearly!

6. Discussing Heart and Discussing Nature

談心論性

A poem says:
All Buddhas of the three ages, the twelve divisions of scripture —
within your own nature, all are originally complete.
If you recognize the original mind, one word breaks through.
Abandon discriminating consciousness, use the root —
illuminate the substance, and arrive at function.

The fire of cultivating the Dao lies in one heart that does not move.

Do not receive what is crooked, and crooked energy departs of itself. Sounds and sights, goods and profits, exotic arts and seductive craft — anything external that injures the spirit or harms the nature of the heart is called "crooked." If you refuse all of it, you will never attract bees or butterflies, and the crooked energy naturally retreats, unable to do you harm. But if there is even a hair's breadth of "inviting" or "attracting" in your thought, the completeness of your pure nature is broken, your purity lost at once. Even if you had great and upright ambitions, a broad and level road — all of it is veiled by the crooked energy, and all is in vain. Those who cultivate the Dao must know this, and must not be careless.

What is practiced outwardly is the martial; what is cultivated inwardly is the literary. If a person has only outer skill and outward bearing, with nothing of substance inside, people will call you an embroidered pillow — gold and jade on the outside, rotten cotton within.

The heart is the key to Chan. Chan is the stairway to Buddhahood. The heart's power of awakening flows ceaselessly — it does not stagnate in one place. Therefore your understanding of things changes with every moment. When the heart ascends to a certain level, it reaches a certain heaven of meditation — this is the stairway to Buddhahood. All things in the world are originally in motion. All is one, one is all, and in itself there is "no-self." As understood through the three aggregates of Dharma, heaven and earth, time and space, the human heart, the universe — all are in motion. You cannot grasp any of it; all things are without substance. Past, future, present — all are empty, and yet in truth not empty. Without Dharma there are no things. Heart, Buddha, sentient being — originally there is no difference between them. The cultivator must cultivate and correct, but in the correcting there must not be a hair's breadth of pollution, or else there is no light. What the Buddhas of the three ages seek to protect is this one heart that is undefiled. Seen from the front, it is a heart. Seen from behind, it is a Buddha.

The broom sweeps away — sweeping the ground is hard, but sweeping the heart is harder. Sweep away the self-image, sweep away the selfish heart, the hateful heart, the greedy heart, and make the heart clear and still.

Give one part of the heart, exhaust one part of the heart. Cultivating the Dao means clearing the heart and having few desires — where would troubles come from? Where would melancholy come from? Look at yourselves. Is there even one of you who truly has courage? You all bear the name "cultivator" while carrying arrogance, malice, and pride! Let anyone with a righteous spirit step forward and show your Teacher! If you cannot set yourself straight, how will you set others straight? If you cannot establish yourself, how will you establish others? Ah! Your hearts have no broad highway — they are all narrow goat-paths. Today a senior or a Transmitting Master says one word of criticism, and you want to quit cultivating? Tell me — where is the Dao then? Since ancient times, which sage, which worthy, which Immortal or Buddha became a Buddha while carrying arrogance and pride? With your endless tempers and flaws, how will you ever become Buddhas?

A vow is the original heart. What issues from your own heart — that is a vow.

All fortune and misfortune may sometimes overwhelm you. Whether what falls upon you is good or ill, it does not wait for your heart to be prepared. So your heart must meet what comes as it comes, and release what passes without holding on. Only then will you be free from troubles hanging on the heart.

Do not plant deep grass, and you will not draw venomous snakes. When the ancestral hall is unclean, even the ghosts and spirits avoid it and depart. So too: if my heart has no desire, the demons of crookedness naturally leave.

Sit alone, observe the heart, look inward by your own light.
When delusion is exhausted, the true is revealed — the nature, crystal clear.
In stillness, always reflect on your own faults;
the rights and wrongs of others, do not spread or mock.
The discipline of three daily examinations must be practiced.
Nurture the inner sage without leaning to either side.
The outer king and the inner sage must both be honored.
The lotus rises from the muddy pond and is not stained by the mud.

When the true heart governs your affairs — that is the Dao-heart. Does this Dao-heart have form or image? It is formless and imageless — you cannot see it, you cannot touch it. It is just like what you call sincerity.

"Clarity" means clean and pure. "Stillness" means peaceful and unmoving. "Chaos" is the monkey of the heart and the horse of the mind.

If you want a healthy body, you generally study only physical hygiene. But there is one more important thing — "hygiene of the heart" — and none of you practice it. This so-called hygiene of the heart means "think little, desire little" and "always be clear, always be still." This is the highest hygiene of the heart. When clarity and stillness reach their utmost, that is Buddha, knowing all things. Laozi said: "If a person can remain constantly clear and still, heaven and earth return to them." Do you know this?

When you encounter difficulties, study the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch often — for in the Platform Sutra, every word reveals the nature.

My children, always preserve the true heart, the sincere heart, the faithful heart, the compassionate heart. As the saying goes, "The exemplary person never loses the heart of a newborn child" — this is the most important thing. The moment you resolve to cultivate the Dao, the trials begin. So in cultivating the Dao, you must preserve the heart you had at the very beginning — only then can there be achievement.

My disciples, do you know whether "endurance" is beneficial to cultivating the Dao? The benefit is not so great! Endurance is the discipline of the worthy — those who have not yet reached the true Dao must endure, but those who have arrived need not endure. When the heart holds no prejudgments, there is no need to endure. When you reach true naturalness, neither ordinary nor sacred views arise — if the heart is at peace, there is no need to endure. This is the naturalness of the Buddha, beyond what ordinary people can reach. The character for "endurance" — 忍 — is a blade plunged into the heart. How painful! Therefore Buddhas and sages have no discipline of endurance, because the Buddha-nature holds no hatred and does not grieve. That is why Buddhas and sages need not endure. When your cultivation reaches the point where you neither endure nor hold resentment, the heart is naturally at peace.

What is cultivating the Dao? It is cultivating the heart. How precious that you, with this one heart, can be uniquely awake and uniquely clear amidst the turbid city — truly, it is planting a lotus in fire, finding a pearl in the sea.

Drizzling rain — the stars hidden behind dark clouds.
The seven emotions and six desires — the spirit veiled by material want.
When the clouds scatter, the stars shine.
When desire is dismissed, the nature appears.

"If the heart is steady of its own accord, the life of wisdom can be gained." It looks simple but is hard to practice. Its hidden meaning is subtle — I hope my disciples will awaken to it themselves. Cultivate truly, do good genuinely, keep your feet on the ground. You must place your own interests last. Do not keep hoarding rubbish — clear away the filth and disorder.

Constancy has three elements: determination, patience, and faith. And this heart is what matters most. When the spirit and temperament are at peace, it is as if you walk under a glorious, sunlit sky. When the substance of the heart is clear and lucid, it is as if you dwell within a bright mirror or still water.

Performing meritorious deeds and establishing virtue is your duty — but the heart must not cling to the thought of merit. Laozi said: "Non-action." The World-Honored One said: "Wondrous practice that does not dwell." If the cultivator's heart can align with this, then that heart has matched its virtue with heaven and earth. As for what is meant by "illuminating the heart and seeing the nature" — it is a heart without a single deluded thought, without a trace of material desire. You cultivators want to become Buddhas? Everyone should know: human beings' original nature IS Buddha — so what Buddha is there to become? It is because there are sentient beings that there are Buddhas. "Buddha" and "sentient being" are originally just opposing terms. If there were no sentient beings, there would be no Buddhas to speak of.

Cultivating the Dao is like sweeping the floor — the three hearts and four appearances must all be swept clean. What is hardest to control? The monkey of the heart and the horse of the mind. To cultivate the Dao, you must control the monkey and the horse. If you cannot, you must force yourself to try.

Your Teacher always says: in the twelve double-hours of the day, what is it you guard in the "center"? You guard the nature. To guard means innate knowledge and innate capacity — that perfected and beautiful place. But the nature must have virtue as its pillar. Propriety is also a gauge: how we treat others is how others will treat us. For the heart to turn its light inward at every moment, remember this: "Turned inward, it is the nature. Turned outward, it is emotion. Empty one part of the heart, and you see one part of the nature." The awakened awaken by themselves; the lost are lost by themselves. Cultivating the Dao means clearing the heart and having few desires — clear and still — so where would heaps of troubles and rights-and-wrongs come from? If you leave no virtue in your speech, shouting from the stage while your Dao-energy drains away off-stage — how can you call yourself a disciple of the Living Buddha?

The main thing in cultivating the Dao is cultivating the heart. Then tell me — is your heart straight? What does a straight heart mean? When principle is unclear, the heart is not straight. When the heart is obstructed, it cannot be straight. In the course of your cultivation, of course your first step is learning. So what should you learn? You need goals, you need direction. The cultivator must cultivate the heart and nurture the nature. But your Teacher sees that today's cultivators focus only on outer works — rushing everywhere to convert people, rushing everywhere to preach the principles, talking up a storm of heavenly flowers — and the result? They attract slander from many, disbelief from many. Why? Because you lack the two words "moral virtue." Because in daily life you cannot eliminate the three poisons — greed, anger, and delusion. Because you crave merit itself. Though converting many people is good, because you cling to form and image, when a single conversion does not go as you wish, resentment arises in your heart. Once resentment arises, that is "anger." Once you produce an angry thought, the heart cannot be straight — and fear or confusion follows, and inwardly you are miserable and dejected. Then, without your seeing it, a deluded thought blows your heart-nature about. Or your conduct transgresses the rules of the Dao, and from this, doubt is born, turning into disbelief, and you are seduced by sights and sounds outside — and the Dao is far from you then!

Cultivators must be sincere and genuine in heart — do not fish for fame or angle for reputation. In our cultivation today, do not forget to accomplish your own original nature. Only by turning the light of the inner nature's Dharma-gate inward at every moment can you illuminate and awaken to your own nature. In the process of serving the Dao, constantly advance with diligence, gratitude, and repentance — this is what "ultimate" means. Otherwise, if your own nature is not awakened, how can you awaken others? Save yourself first — only then can you save others.

"Cultivating the Dao means cultivating the heart": to leap out of the heart's attachment IS liberation from birth and death — this is the unborn substance. When you awaken to the supreme sudden Dharma, the Western Paradise is in that very instant. "Only when you have sunk to the very lowest place is it the moment of seeing the nature." To let go and gain: where there is letting go, there is gaining. Let go of the heart and you gain no-heart. This is the original face. Having gained, it is as if nothing was gained.

Refining the heart is like refining gold. After a hundred refinings comes true gold; after a hundred refinings comes the true heart. Enlarge your heart to contain all things under heaven. Empty your heart to receive all goodness under heaven. Level your heart to judge all affairs under heaven. Deepen your heart to observe all principles under heaven. Steady your heart to meet all changes under heaven.

7. Recognizing Principle, Practicing Truly

認理實修

Cultivating the Dao is cultivating the heart. When desire disturbs the heart, the spirit cannot be clear.

You know perfectly well that the net of emotion is suffering, yet you fall headlong into the pit, sinking deeper and deeper. The moment desire arrives, you lose your reason and become blind to yourself. You know perfectly well that desire has brought down countless men and women, yet you go on craving recklessly. Unbelievably, some say: "I want the beauty, not the lotus rank. I want to enter hell, not return to the heavenly court. I would rather give up cultivating the Dao than give up being together." They "envy the mandarin ducks and not the immortals" — deceiving themselves, sinking themselves, refusing to reflect. You know perfectly well that lust harms body and mind. You know perfectly well that cultivating the Dao means sweeping the three hearts, casting off the four appearances, severing the six desires, and cutting the seven emotions — yet how many of you raise the sword of wisdom to cut through entanglement? Know this: emotion arises naturally, but propriety sets the boundary. We are not trees or grass — who can be without feeling? But if the desire is sordid and the net of emotion extreme, it will pile trouble upon trouble on you, and leave you lost and bewildered.

Therefore it is said: "The word 'emotion' torments — do not torment yourself. The word 'emotion' disturbs — do not invite the disturbance. The word 'emotion' intoxicates — do not intoxicate yourself." You know it is a pit of fire, yet you insist on jumping in. Your Teacher is not unreasonable. When there is proper and true feeling, there is proper love, and a proper heart. Only then can you attend to both the sacred and the mundane.

Even the sage is not without desire — but there must be few selfish desires. If desire accords with reason and propriety, where would troubles arise? When the spirit is refreshed, the heart can be still. When you can be still, quiet, at ease, reflective, and attentive, then you can know the root and the branches of things, the beginning and the end of affairs, the source and the flow of every matter — clear as daylight. Then you rest in the highest good, illuminate the lofty virtue, follow the conduct of the ancient kings, trace back to their great Dao, harmonize word and deed, conceal evil and promote good — and where would right-and-wrong quarrels come from? The exemplary person walks all day without straying from the caravan's provisions, and not a half-step from the Mean. When speech follows the Way and action follows principle — only then can you set an example and transform others.

I, your Teacher, bear the heavy responsibility of universal salvation across the Three Realms. Your Teacher's disciples number in the millions — but among these millions, every single person has their own distinct karmic conditions, their own distinct karmic force. My children, you should know: on the day you stepped through the door of the Dharma, your Teacher had to make a reckoning with your karmic force, and take it upon himself. So I hope that once you understand principle, you will earnestly perform meritorious deeds and establish virtue. Know this: the reason you were able to enter the Dharma gate today is because of the Ten Great Vows. If you do not establish these grand vows, then obtaining the Bright Teacher's one pointing — that would be harder than climbing to heaven.

You ask your Teacher to help you — but do you not ask yourselves? From now on, take Truth as your Teacher. When you want to ask your Teacher, ask Truth and Conscience instead. Remember: no matter how the world changes or the environment shifts, "cooperation, one heart, unity, and compassion" are the conditions for going home. You need not ask for anything before the Buddha — asking yourself, asking truth, asking conscience is enough.

In serving the Dao, take care of your body. When it is unwell, rest and nourish it. When you need supplements, take them. When you need medicine, take it. Though your Teacher is all-powerful and can transform in a thousand ways, do not deliberately petition your Teacher for compassion — your Teacher helps you invisibly.

Your Teacher was also once considered mad — also once called deranged. Mad or deranged — fine, either way, my heart has its own conviction. I play the fool and sell myself as an idiot out there, but my one heart's desire is to lift all beings up to the clouds and the heavens. Gossip and idle talk only add spice to my life — they cannot block me, they cannot affect the great work I am doing.

Cultivating the Dao must be lively and nimble. Human relations shift and overturn; the road of life is uneven. Where the path is blocked, you must know the art of yielding one step. Cultivating the Dao means cultivating your own heart — not prizing image, not prizing appearance. But then again — is appearance really unimportant? Sincerity within manifests in form without. You say you want to go guide your Dao-kin — dressed in rags, will that do? Cultivation must also suit the times. If I told you now to go to a deep mountain cave, would you cultivate there? Because the times are different, heaven has made a transformation — what transformation? The Dao has descended into the burning house. Cultivate at home. Now tell me: have you received the Dao? Can you cultivate at home?

Are things truly hard or easy? When the heart is single and undivided — what difficulty or ease is there?

Every word and every deed must be dignified.
Walking, standing, sitting, lying down — all is the Dao.
The human heart is treacherous and hard to overcome —
only within the Dao does righteous energy gather.

To become a sage or a worthy, you must turn the light back to shine inward. The latent power in a human being is an inconceivable and wondrous wisdom. As long as you wish to save others, the wondrous wisdom will come.

Your Teacher can only save your spirit-nature. Your physical bodies, you must take care of on your own. So if your health is poor, do not blame the vegetarian diet for lacking nutrition — meat-eaters also fall ill. We must have the correct understanding: cultivating the Dao means cultivating the heart, but serving the Dao requires not only heart but also physical strength.

When you have doubts, ask. Right now, make your own questions clear — otherwise gaps remain in the heart, and others will find an opening to exploit.

You are young and vigorous — inevitably hot-blooded. In this dazzling, multicolored society, you are easily tempted. This is exactly what your Teacher worries about, exactly what troubles me. After all, you have never weathered storms, never faced real waves. Children raised in comfort fall easily. So I hope you will seize the opportunity of studying the Dao to temper yourselves well, to let your hearts and wills grow strong. Do not drift with the current.

The world is cold as gauze — truly so.
Fall down yourself, get up yourself — do not rely on a hand.
You made some good friends — over cigarettes, wine, and tea.
The moment you need them, they are not home.

If Dao-kin are not close, who is close? The Dao itself is kin.
With one principle, travel the roads of all four seas — everywhere is home.
Coming and going, it does not matter — hold fast to this.
Response and communion reach wisdom and blessing — their source is boundless.

Is it hard to be clever? Is it hard to be foolish?
For a person in the midst of cleverness to play the fool — that is hardest!
Hard! Hard! Hard!
Let go one move, step back one pace — and the heart is at peace right now.
Act according to your station; know contentment, and joy endures.

Where karma has already tied many knots of resentment,
through death after death and life after life, they will surely be repaid.
I hope you awaken — the untying of the knot lies in a single thought.
Accumulate virtue, build merit — this is the chance to dissolve karma.
Settle a lifetime of debts in this life,
with nothing binding, nothing burdening you, on the way to the Jade Pool.
If you still cling to grudges and grievances,
you will fall forever into the wheel of rebirth and never escape.

With the eyes of wisdom, see through the true and the false.
With nimble hands, build merit and cultivate virtue.
With light and swift feet, travel every road in the world.
With a quick mind, handle the work of the Dao.
Let a clean mouth speak no evil words.
Let quiet ears refuse to hear slander.

Your Teacher's borrowing a body to appear is only for a short time. What my disciples can ask is still limited. If your Teacher did not borrow a body to appear, how would you ask your questions? But I hope your Teacher is forever imprinted in your hearts — so that invisibly, your Teacher can help you recognize the truth and dissolve the doubts of the heart.

A word to those who eat meat: when eating meat, remember — this life reaps what past lives sowed, and the future is cultivated by what you do today. If you take only today's pleasures without fearing tomorrow's sorrow — that is karma's retribution. Must purifying the mouth also mean purity inside and out? Must character also be upright? Whatever vow you open your mouth and speak — that IS a vow. As long as your heart and mouth are one, loyal and true in the sight of heaven — then know that what humans lack, heaven makes up.

Your Teacher does not want you to cultivate a flashy Dao. Plain and simple is better. Never be cunning. Do not think now that your cultivation is so fine — when a test comes, no one knows how many will be left standing. The ones who fail the test are always the ones who looked best on the surface.

Society is a great vat of dye. The Buddha Hall is a great vat of bleach — bleaching away the false colors and illusory scenes of the red dust. So you must return to the Buddha Hall often.

One day, when the Heavenly Mandate is withdrawn — my children, what will you rely on then? At that time, will there still be miraculous signs? At that time, will there still be seniors pulling you forward? Each person's life, each person must settle. Though I, your Teacher, cannot bear for my children to suffer in the bitter sea — if your merit is not established and your vows are not fulfilled, how will you go home? My children! My children! How must I say it before you understand? I hope you will not let your Teacher down. I hope my children will recognize principle and cultivate truly.

When you are in pain, do not grieve and moan to others — grieve and moan to me! I will receive it gladly, because my children are doing the Buddha's work. When you are suffering, tell your Teacher. Your Teacher will happily accept it, will listen with an open heart. But I hope you will not let your temper explode recklessly. You should give your fire back, with care, to the beings who will come after — this is your Teacher's most important instruction. For a cultivator to fail to be an exemplary person is a shameful thing. For a cultivator not to know propriety, not to achieve righteousness — that is an insult to the name of all who cultivate.

Not knowing to cultivate the Dao — that is a lost disciple. Cultivating the Dao but turning against it and corrupting virtue — that is a wicked disciple. Knowing to cultivate the Dao and being able to awaken — that is a beloved disciple.

You all talk about karma — karma, karma — when will it ever end? If you cling to karma, you will never be done! If you want to resolve karma, do not be spun by karma's wheel — practice formless giving. Why do some disciples say they are tangled in karma? If, as parents, you did not raise your children well — that is because from childhood you did not teach them properly, spoiling them with indulgence. Of course they grow up misbehaving. How can you blame it all on karmic debts from past lives, pushing the responsibility onto the ledger of old grievances?

Now regarding merit: if you cling to merit, do you know how much merit you actually have? Whatever merit my disciples accumulate, heaven will naturally record it. So merit is not nothing — but you must not cling to it. Understand this: in heaven, what Buddha is there without merit and virtue? But the moment you cling — it vanishes. If you wish to fulfill vows and absolve wrongs, perform merit with an ordinary heart. Walk the Dao naturally, naturally — from nothing, what is naturally present is what is truly gained.

Human beings are the spirit of all creation — originally sent down by the Old Mother of heaven to lead all creatures, to care for all creatures. And now? The responsibility heaven gave to humans — to care for all living things — remains unfulfilled, while everywhere humans slaughter creation. How could such conduct not cause the Old Mother to shake with wrath and send down calamity? Accumulated over so many years, humans become ghosts, ghosts become humans, vengeance repaying vengeance, all born again into the same family — do you know this? My children, let us be calm and still, hand on heart, and ask ourselves: is it not our duty to remind all people in the world, and to turn back this heart of wickedness? Ah! Cultivating the Dao takes compassion as its root. Life should be plain and simple, every step on solid ground, the salvation of all beings comes first. From today onward, I hope my disciples will lead by example. What we do is the work of all sentient beings. You all have the heart of a Bodhisattva — may you truly cultivate it into a Bodhisattva's heart.

Your eating, your clothing, your dwelling — all can serve as an example to others. Do you know this? Set your aspirations high; hold material things lightly. What is lacking on one side will be long on the other — do not think you can have the fish AND the bear's paw. Know what is light and what is heavy. If you do not believe it, look throughout history: in the temples, has any Buddha ever been cast in gold holding a doting wife in one hand and a child in the other? Were they not all clean and poor for their whole lives? Even those who had wealth regarded their rich surroundings as belonging to all beings, not for their own enjoyment. My children! If you do not believe it, open the scriptures and histories and see how the ancients practiced austerity. Where is the record of them being wealthy, enjoying modern comforts? I hope my disciples will do this step by step. First, stand firm — be careful not to fall. Reduce pleasures as much as possible. Eliminate harm to living creatures as much as possible. You are not like the ancient practitioners who could go without clothes and radiate light, unafraid of wind and rain. But at the very least — do not wear the skins and hides of animals. Can you do this?

Is ripe fruit delicious, or is it not? Ripe fruit is delicious, of course. Why is it delicious? Because the fruit is sweet. The farmer always picks the ripe fruit. When heaven picks fruit, it picks the way it picks you. At the Dragon-Flower Assembly, what is gathered is the ripe fruit. My children, you must let your fruit be round and sweet — that is what heaven wants to pick. Ripe fruit is completed by sunlight, water, rich soil, and nourishment, with the gardener tending it with love, patience, and faith. My children, you are the gardeners. Therefore: research unceasingly, improve unceasingly, give unceasingly. Only then can there be a full and perfect harvest. As the saying goes: "Sow in tears, and you will surely reap with laughter." Do not ask how much heaven has given you — ask only how much you have given.

Worthy disciples, take care of yourselves! Whatever ability you have, exert it to the fullest. All things are hardest at the beginning. In everything, be patient. Taking care of the body comes first. Pay attention to daily life — if your eating has biases, that is where your ailments come from. Put the body first, put all beings first. Take heed: though heaven cherishes you, you must also cherish yourself. Work hard and well — as long as you can serve the Dao, that is the greatest comfort to your Teacher. May my children each respect themselves, join the great assembly of universal salvation, and let every person release their greatest hidden strength. All of us together, rowing our oars, steering our Dharma-boats peacefully through the four directions, saving all beings.

The Teacher's heart rejoices for all beings;
the Teacher's heart is troubled for all beings.
If all beings cross to the other shore,
the Teacher reports his life to the Mother's face.
If all beings have not yet reached the shore,
the Teacher's heart is pierced as if by a blade.
Blood flows within the heart, tears on the face —
I plead with those who know my heart to feel my heart's field.
Wondrous words, wondrous teachings, by the thousands and ten-thousands —
all to turn the lambs around and bring them home.

Your Teacher can wait. Your Teacher can wait. But whether my children can truly make it home — your Teacher has not one shred of certainty. Again and again your Teacher trusts that you will do it, that you will walk the path. There are those in heaven waiting for you. Come home quickly — hurry, come home!

8. Virtue Matched with Heaven and Earth

德配天地

Surveying the multitude of scholars past and present — in high antiquity, the people were simple and pure. They looked up to heaven and earth, contemplated the generative force, and grasped the principle that the giving of life is no easy thing. Therefore the superior person establishes himself by returning to the root: open and level as an infant not yet stirred, his conduct following the tracks of yin and yang in their forward and reverse. He guides the people to awakening, opens the people from their darkness. When he calls out, the ten thousand things resound in answer. Thus Laozi had his teaching of non-doing, Confucius had his way of loyalty and reciprocity, and even Shakyamuni Buddha never departed from the level ground of "Thus have I heard." To carry on the ancient sages is to carry on their marrow. To open the way for future learners is to open the gate of primal simplicity across ten thousand ages. The virtue of the sages is vast and boundless, condensed with heaven and earth and never diminished. The conduct of the great person is open and broad, leading all people without evasion — reaching upward and learning below.

Observe the hidden and subtle in daily life. You who seek the heart of the sages — seek what is above and you will reach above; seek benevolence and benevolence draws near. But never seize the manners of the ancient sages merely to mark yourself as special. Know that the Way of Heaven shows no favoritism — it aids only the virtuous. In studying the Dao, one fears only that hiding evil and promoting good might not go far enough. Why worry whether your name can stand before others?

The moth darts into the flame. The ram butts against the fence. Both overestimate themselves. The superior person does not violate benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom. In company with others, there is spring breeze everywhere. In dealing with affairs, there is harmony in fullness. He serves heaven without shame, stands upon the earth without embarrassment. When what all people point to matches what he actually does — why fear that fame and fortune might prove illusory?

The rise and fall of the official sea is told only by the writing of history. The echo of a great name endures in the hearts of the people. But tangible wealth and rank cannot buy even one page of lasting record! Alas — glory never satisfies. The human heart is precarious. Those who understand this aspire to be sages. Those who betray it — even kings and generals, heroes and bold men — are nothing more than a mud fence in a sea of change.

When the people's wisdom first opens, there is neither good nor evil. Then, following the splendor of wind and flowers, clouds and moon, thoughts and desires stir. Lured by profit, they drift toward decay. In the midst of sound and color, what is the true teaching? In turmoil and unrest, how does one find refuge?

My children, know that the universe holds only two movements: rising and declining. To be human is to be the spirit of heaven and earth, endowed with the ancient virtues. One ought to conceal cleverness and bring forth the nature of primal innocence. If the world treats me without kindness — why not yield, why not endure? If circumstances press me into hardship — why not accept, why not take my ease? If people treat me with cunning — why not be generous, why not let it go?

Life does not lie in comfort and ease. Ask only whether the spirit is clear and bright. Consider Yan Hui with his bowl of rice and gourd of water, Zigong with his four-horse carriage and fine robes — the two found their joy in very different things.

I urge my children: examine whether your moral nature is full or empty!
I urge you again: at all times, watch whether your example is straight or crooked!
I urge you once more: vow each morning that knowledge and action shall be one!

Your future is yet unknown. Why not seize this moment to cultivate with all your strength? So long as the green mountain stands, it will surely extend into a towering range. My children, if your original aspiration does not diminish, there will surely be splendid vistas — enduring in the hearts of people for ten thousand generations.

9. To the Little Ji Gongs

給小濟公

I see that right now you are all focused on spreading the Dao but not cultivating it. Cultivation is the substance; spreading is the function. Substance and function must both be complete. Root and branch must both be tended. Function without substance, or substance without function — neither will do. Cultivation is profoundly important.

Heaven depends on people; people depend on heaven. The Great Dao of heaven needs you to proclaim it, and you need heaven's power to cultivate yourselves and deliver others. If you resolve to follow the sages, immortals, and Buddhas in saving all beings, and press forward diligently in spreading the Dao, then surely the immortals and Buddhas will protect and help you at every moment.

On the journey of life, on the journey of cultivation: if those in front are walking fast, quickly pick up your pace. If those behind can no longer walk and must crawl, you had better reach out your hand and pull them up. Only then is your life not lived in vain.

Those who walk steadily must support those who walk unsteadily — this is called respect for elders. Keep good thoughts, speak good words, and do good deeds. If with one heart you wish to return to heaven, you can return to heaven. Everyone must join heart to heart, hand to hand, pressing forward together. If someone grows lax, go pull them up. Do not simply let them go because of external temptations.

Let me tell you a story. Once there was a lazy monk. When he was studying the Dao, he was extremely lazy. Can a lazy person achieve the Dao? No. But one day his teacher awakened him, and after that he became remarkably diligent, and at last he had a sudden breakthrough. And after his breakthrough, do you know what he did? Every day he ran a hundred li to gather alms and bring them back to feed those who had not yet achieved the Dao, who had not yet awakened. Do you know what this means? It means that the one who understands is the one who should serve all beings, who should care for all beings. All beings originally came from heaven. So when you truly understand — that is just the beginning of what you must do. And we have not even attained clarity of our original nature yet!

The Dao is truly deep, truly profound — not something your Teacher can finish explaining in three days of practice. For your Teacher to borrow a physical form is a last resort. But face-to-face meetings between heaven and humanity only happen in the Third Period — it is no small thing. We must treasure each other. And what is even more extraordinary is that we must carry out the Universal Salvation of the Three Realms. How rare that after sixty thousand years of tumbling through the bitter sea, you have this chance to stand upright. And once you stand, you must have aspiration — without aspiration there can be no resolve. And beyond aspiration you need unity. As the saying goes: harmony invites blessing, and unity is strength. So you must support one another.
When you see someone else having good fortune and you feel resentment, imbalance, demanding fairness from your Teacher — understand that everyone's accumulated merit from past lives is different. Asking your Teacher is useless! These things come from each person's karmic consequences. So if your blessings today are thin, you can only store up hidden merit. Others may not see it, but your Teacher records it for you — opens a bank account in the Heavenly Realm. That is accumulating hidden merit in heaven.

You must store up some hidden merit. Then your affairs will go more smoothly. Some people take up cultivation and yet troubles still keep coming — why? Because they have not accumulated hidden merit. Hidden merit is what others cannot see. What others can see is only surface work.

Does letting everyone see you work count as virtue? Not necessarily. If you do meritorious deeds only so others can see, your cultivation is already off course. When people are watching, you are diligent; when no one is watching, you slack off — that is surface cultivation. The immortals and Buddhas will not call you out and scold you for it. The wise person knows what to do on their own. The unwise person merely follows whatever others do. The wise person has a spring of wisdom stirring within.

Some people, engaged in heaven's work, simply refuse to advance — because they fear the heavy responsibility, the burden of a greater role. This kind of thinking is not good. For teacher and disciple to meet face to face is no small thing. The display of heaven's power can only work through visible signs. I hope that whether you serve at the altar or serve as an altar-keeper, each of you will fulfill your duties.

Altar-keepers, lecturers, administrators — you are the pillars of the Dao, like the beams and columns of a building. Your Teacher's great work of Universal Salvation in the Three Realms depends on people like you to shoulder it! Without you, even if your Teacher had a thousand supernatural powers it would not be enough; a hundred transformations could not save more of my children. Altar-keepers — your Teacher has come to see you! Each of you carries hidden grievances in your heart. Each of you has become more and more "restrained" through cultivation — am I right? This over-restraint must be cast off. Although we are in the final era, it is not over yet. Come, come — those who cannot push forward, let your Teacher give you a boost, a little encouragement!

Principles of the Dao are everywhere, but you must learn to discern. When restraint is needed, be restrained. When it is time to come out and serve, come out and serve. Do not confuse one for the other. Cultivation should be natural — follow your nature. Some restrictions exist as cautions, but do not turn precepts into fetters. Once they become fetters, you can no longer follow your nature. To become a pillar that withstands the current, you must first lay a solid foundation — and this foundation is not built on learning alone. It must come from cultivating your heart and nature, nurturing your moral character. And that begins by learning the way of dealing with people and the world from those around you who have virtue. Over time, you will polish out your own special qualities.
You polish against each other in the Dao hall. Polish long enough and your habits will wear away. Just do not give up on yourselves. Stand back up and keep going. Is that not good enough? Many problems have no fixed answers — so what do you do? Fight on principle? When there are difficulties, come together and discuss. If you encounter a problem, bring it forward. Your Teacher feels both joy and worry. Joy at seeing your strength in unity — that when your Teacher calls, you gather as one. Worry that in your dealings with people and the world you may not be thorough enough, that facing difficulties you may not find the way through. Sometimes your heart falls silent. Your Teacher's heart is the same. When your Teacher sees a beloved child in pain, your Teacher is also in pain. When you are happy, your Teacher is happy too — just like a parent.

That everyone can gather together in one hall — there is cause and condition for it. Know that you must have a centripetal force. Without centripetal force, strength fails the heart — how can anything be accomplished? How much power does one small person have? Even with ambitions reaching to heaven, what can you do alone? Some people are suited for the stage; some are suited for behind the scenes. Whether you are in front or behind, fulfill your duty. Let each person's special talent shine — that is the best. So: whatever heaven appoints as your lot, do not compete with others. One mountain is always taller than the next. Just strive to give your whole heart.

In the Dao hall there are both the literary and the martial. The literary go do literary work; the martial go do martial work. If you insist on one person doing everything — literary and martial combined — you will surely fail. When you can sing, sing loudly. When you cannot, rest and gather your strength, and wait for the moment when you can sing again. Handle affairs without adaptability and even working yourself to death will yield no merit. Understand?

Cultivation and spreading the Dao are the great work of the Three Realms, carried out in the human world. Heaven does not speak. Earth does not speak. The Dao depends on people to proclaim it. Humans, as one of the Three Powers, are most precious — emissaries who support heaven and stand upon the earth. Can we take ourselves lightly? Respect and love yourself, and then others will respect you too.

The road of cultivation is full of trials. Trials for eating vegetarian. Trials for spreading the Dao. Trials for everything. When the time comes, it all depends on your heart, your wisdom. First remove the worldly heart, and only then can the Dao-heart be born. Others call you "Senior Brother" or "Senior Sister" — live up to it and you become a Buddha. Cultivate poorly and you become what? A demon. Is this single thought important? Extremely. In three years you see progress and retreat; in ten years you see the heights and the depths. The Dao is a lifelong matter. At the final moment, whether you rise or fall is merely a hair's breadth. Your heart must also rise. Turn the desires of this dusty world into the desire of your own Dao-heart. You are all planted in the midst of the red dust. And that is where your lotus flower grows.
Do not let your cultivation become professionalized. You come to the Buddha Hall with a smile on your face, but inside you are miserable — and you force the smile anyway. This is not in accord with the Dao. When you are in difficulty, you should not be smiling. Let your lips droop. Let the tears fall. This natural behavior — like a child who cries when it needs to cry and laughs when it needs to laugh — if you suppress it, one day it will explode. Do not let your cultivation become professionalized, wearing a mask of false smiles. Be natural. Genuinely care for others, genuinely love others. Only then is it the true expression of the heart and the nature.

Altar-keepers kneel before the lotus every day: "Teacher, what should I do?" After all, you are still beings of the mortal world. You cannot see that your Teacher is standing right in front of you. I do not say this to make you cling to the image — as long as you have the sincerity, every immortal and Buddha is always by your side!

The other immortals and Buddhas often say to me: "Ji Gong! Your disciples only ask things of us — they never ask things of themselves." Why are the immortals and Buddhas not compassionate, not intervening? Because the immortals and Buddhas also ask things of you — and you too are not following through, not making adjustments. Do you ever reflect on yourselves this way? Have you done what the immortals and Buddhas require? As long as you cooperate with them, there will surely be a turning point — blessings secretly redirected. When there are difficulties, your Teacher will certainly help. Let all things take their natural course. Do not fixate on outward appearances. Why care only that the body be whole and intact, when you could strive for your true nature to ascend to heaven? Is that not better? Is that not more liberating? The human world has its sour and sweet, its bitter and its spice. When the body is gone, you have nothing left — and yet you gain purity. Do you understand? How many mangoes are over there? If you were lying in a hospital bed, could you count the mangoes? If you earned a million today and then stopped breathing, could you take that million with you? If that is how it is — then why bother! If today you have not seen the suffering of others, go visit the intensive care ward when you have time. Spend a night there. You will understand the suffering of all beings. Truly, it is suffering! You must deeply understand. When you speak the principles of the Dao, you must deeply feel them in yourself — only then can you speak them to others.

I hope my children will not blindly follow others in thoughtless cultivation, will not just tag along for the excitement. I hope each of you will recognize yourselves clearly — recognize your own mission, recognize your own karmic conditions, and guard the Dao well. If we cannot cultivate, at least guard it. If we cannot spread it, at least guard it. Whatever you do, do not commit wrongs. You are in the prime of youth, your blood runs hot, and in this dazzling society with its five colors and ten temptations you are easily lured. This is what your Teacher worries about. This is what your Teacher anguishes over.

After all, you have never weathered the storms. You have never known the wind and the waves. A child raised in comfort is easily led astray. Your Teacher hopes you will seize this chance of studying the Dao to temper yourselves, to grow your resolve. Do not drift with the current. We are to be people above the common. We represent the Great Dao today. We are part of the Dao community, and your moral conduct reflects upon the whole community's honor. Poor conduct brings criticism upon the whole. You carry the mission of continuing the ancient sages and opening the way for future learners. Do not underestimate yourselves. Be cautious — haste breeds errors. Cultivate your own character well. Study the Dao well. At this time, watch more, listen more, and when you have the ability, do more.

Your Teacher does not demand that you produce results to show me. Each person's wisdom is different. Each person's aspirations are different. I hope you will follow nature and not force anything, because forcing leads to errors. I hope each of you will give your full heart, fulfill your own duty. What you can do, do. What you can manage, manage. And I hope my children will help shoulder some of your Teacher's burden. Your Teacher's shoulders are already sagging — I no longer have the strength to carry more. Your Teacher is without virtue, without ability, and yet I cannot let down the Old Mother. As the saying goes: the superior person is ashamed when words exceed deeds. You have made so many declarations to heaven — how much have you actually done? You come here to serve in fulfillment of your vows, but it should also be for your ancestors and your parents. To be alive as a human being is sacred and precious. Treasure it!

I hope those of you in the lead will be like the seagull — free and at ease, able to go anywhere to spread the Dao. I hope those of you in the rear will also be like the seagull — relaxed and natural, your hearts elevated, so that front and rear can echo each other, together carrying out the final gathering. To be as free and easy as the seagull is not simple. It does not mean letting your body run wild and calling that freedom! It means the heart is at ease. The heart is carefree. The heart is not trapped by difficulty. That is the true spirit of the seagull.

Your Teacher knows you are all hardworking, enduring people. In cultivating and spreading the Dao, you have encountered countless setbacks. Though others do not understand you, your heart and your Teacher's are always together. Your Teacher will listen to the words of your heart. Though others do not understand you, just remember that your Teacher is by your side. Even if you are full of anger, do not release it — let it dissolve. Because your Teacher is present.

10. The Dao Follows Nature

道法自然

What is the Dao? The Dao is your original face, your heavenly conscience, your Buddha-nature.

The Dao is vast and wide and great. It can be high or low, broad or narrow. Whether you walk the male path or the female path, it can be understood and felt by anyone — only then is it the true Dao. If your Dao is only this big — [the Teacher draws a circle with his hand] — that is merely the Dao you have imagined.

Three feet above your head, the spirit watches. That "spirit" is the standard of cause and effect, retribution, and good and evil between heaven and earth. There is a great balance above you, gathering your thoughts and intentions together and sending them forth. This is among the most wondrous things between heaven and earth.

Before heaven and earth existed, heaven and earth were within the Dao. Once heaven and earth came to be, the Dao was within the cosmos. Before there was heaven and earth, before there was the Dao, before there were people — where was the nature? It was within the Mother. Heaven governs the nature. The nature governs the heart. The heart governs the will. The will gives birth to the body. The body governs the outer form.

Constantly binding others with your own ideas, unable to open yourself — this is not the Dao. The opposite: adapting to the time, the place, and the person — this is the Dao.

The characters of China are endlessly profound, yet even they cannot exhaust the Dao. For the Dao is without form and without image — it must be experienced directly and put into practice, realized through your heavenly conscience. The Dao is born from practice, not from words alone.

To know the Dao is only to see where the door is. You must step forward and walk through it before you can know the world on the other side. The Doctrine of the Mean says: "The Dao is that from which one may not deviate for a single instant. That from which one may deviate is not the Dao."

Cars have tracks. Planes fly fixed routes. You must not veer from the course — if you leave the right road, you derail. The Dao is the road. Action, too, must follow the path of principle. Stray from it, and in the end you will have labored for nothing. In all things, follow the right path of principle — that is enough.

Where is the Dao? The Dao is in yourself. The Dao is principle. It is your own nature. In being human and in all your dealings, you cannot depart from it.

The Dao is without form and without image. When you live it out, it becomes virtue. When should you practice the Dao? In ordinary life — right now. The Dao is in your daily living. Are you filial to your parents? Are you faithful to your friends? Do you eat more than your fill? Principle is ordinary — it is right there in the everyday. To depart from the Dao is like breaking the law: though beyond the law there is human feeling, the law has still been broken.

When everyone does their duty faithfully and fulfills their own part well — that, naturally, is the Dao.

Do not think that receiving the Dao is nothing special. The Dao represents the naturalness of the Buddha-nature itself. You simply do not understand it yet.

The truest flavor is bland. Only what is bland endures. Life is plain and simple — nothing particularly fresh or remarkable about it. Every morning you wash your face, go to work or school, come home and eat, wash up, sleep. Another day passes. The cycle repeats again and again. This is the natural Dao. The Dao is plain and simple, natural and unforced — do what each day asks of you. Then why do you feel empty? Because you have not tasted the principle within it.

Put a little more heart into things. Do not always be careless and inattentive — this is the daily principle. Every time your Teacher gives a lesson, I am trying to show you what is right here in the everyday. How do you honor the elderly? How do you care for the young? These are the Dao. It is not only flowery lectures that count as the Dao.

When you pick up your chopsticks to eat, one moves and one stays still — that is the Dao. Even eating is the Dao. One chopstick moves, one stays still — that is how you pick things up!

What is "ordinary"? Ordinary means very common, not standing out. In other words: the Middle Way.

If you, my children, can recognize the truth and follow principle — making no distinction between self and other, giving your whole heart and strength to your own place and duty, without needing to stand out, without needing to seek anything — then though it appears ordinary, in truth it is extraordinary. This alone deserves the name "the Dao."

Whatever is a trend will fade. What we study is that one point of the true and constant. Only the true and constant nature can remain forever clear and still. Will your moment of singing, your moment of happiness, last forever? These things are fleeting. Right now you are singing with joy — when the singing stops, does your heart grow cold? Find the true happiness.

The heart of the child is precious! Once you have been stained by the seven emotions and six desires, to still remember your child's heart at every moment — that is truly difficult.

So much of the time, it is you who cannot let go, cannot think it through. Things were never that complicated — it is you who cannot untangle them. You need to understand the whole arc of a matter, because everything may be changing at every moment while your heart stays stuck in the past. The affair is already over, yet you linger in old memories. This is very foolish. True cultivation — plain cultivation — that is what is real. A plain person walks with their feet on the ground, one step at a time.

Sometimes the Middle Way is hard to walk. If your heart is easily tossed high and low, you must reflect on it in daily life. Do not let too many outside affairs disturb your heart. This you must slowly come to understand. Your Teacher asks: what do my good children look like? Is it not someone who treats others naturally, with the heart of a child? If so — that is the natural Dao.

The Dao is that simple! You chant the Buddha's name all day, yet without realizing it you have withdrawn from the world and cultivated only yourself. Is that true goodness? You are constantly putting shackles on yourselves — every kind of lock, locking yourselves in. You may keep others out, but your life grows invisibly narrower! These are the visible locks. What about the invisible ones? You have locked your own heart. You have forgotten the innocence that should be yours. Has heaven locked away the clear wind on the river? Has it locked away the bright moon?

If heaven can hold the great love — then why cannot humanity, first of all creatures, most conscious of all beings? Your Teacher urges you: take benevolent love as your key and open every heart that has closed like a dead clam. Will you do that?

Heaven gave us our nature — this is why we say the nature follows heavenly principle. If your whole life you never receive the nourishment of that principle, perhaps when you grow up you will do wrong — because you were never steeped in it, never learned what is good, what is not, what may be done, what must not be done. Then you will have lived in this world for nothing. Let your Teacher remind your heart: this is what it means for the heart to follow the principle of the Dao. And for the body to follow practical principle? That means understanding human affairs — see clearly what principle demands, and then act.

Sometimes you see someone who "seems" fine, and then one day you notice they "seem" off — something is wrong. That "seeming" comes from your own inner sense, feeling it for you. Intuition arises the same way. This is alive and natural! But you make it so difficult in your minds, dragging everything into worldly affairs and right-and-wrong disputes. How can cultivation ever be natural? You confine yourselves to one particular matter and miss the living Dao right in front of you.

Your Teacher offers you three phrases as a motto for life:

Behind closed doors, hear the sutra. With open doors, welcome the guest. Stepping outside, roam the mountains and waters.

First: why close the door and read the sutra — and which sutra? Read the sutra of your own nature. The more you read it, the more your heart comes home. When the heart is level, the breath is level, and illness cannot enter.

Second: open the door and welcome the guest. When a visitor arrives, greet them with warmth and joy. This shows generosity and an open spirit. The gates of the Buddha are thrown wide — all who have the affinity, come in.

Third: when you step outside, let your heart be light — as if roaming the mountains and waters, joyful and at ease. Draw close to nature and you will know the vastness of heaven and earth and the spirit of heaven and earth. Broaden your own horizons. Humanity follows the earth. The earth follows heaven. Heaven follows the Dao. The Dao follows nature. That is to say: follow the breadth and dignity of nature itself.

The Dao is fundamentally wordless. But the ancient sages, wishing future generations to understand, recorded it in writing. A thousand scriptures and ten thousand classics — in the end, they only confirm that one pointing by the Bright Teacher.

When you awaken in this very moment, there are no flaws — no self and no other. Like giving from the true heart, counting no gain, seeking no return. Though the one who sees their own nature clearly is but one person, they can hold ten thousand without a single distinction.

Words carry the Dao. Are the words your Teacher speaks today "the Dao"? Only if you see through them to their meaning — that is real. Do not cling to the words, the surface, the form. Even three sentences from your Teacher cannot exhaust the true Dao. Even if your Teacher spoke all day — or fell into silence — it still could not be told in full. Only when you, my children, devote your whole heart to experience and practice can you taste the essence of the Dao. That one point you received from the Bright Teacher — that is what is real.

Do you really think the Dao is nothing more than studying a few classics? The classics only confirm the Dao. You burrow into the classics without ever thinking to burrow into your own spirit. When you throw yourself into a task with total focus, you discover the Dao's wondrous function. Have you ever been at work and suddenly felt a flood of strange, wonderful inspiration that made you do it better? That is the wondrous function. Do not imagine that filling yourself with classics qualifies you as a sage. The wondrous function of the spirit is alive, dynamic, active — you must bring it to life. Only then are you a true sage. Principle must be applied with flexibility, penetrated from all directions. When a single principle illuminates every problem, that is the true Dao. A false dao says: only I am right, everyone else is wrong. The true Dao accords with the Middle Way — impartial, without bias. Every affair has a root, just as a tree has roots and water has a source. Action has a root. Being human has a root. To hold that root you must cultivate it with diligence, walk with your feet on the ground, and never muddle through. To "guard the root" is to guard your original foundation. We cultivate so that our spirit may return to the homeland of our nature — the Heavenly Realm of the Infinite. That is our root and source. Engrave this on your hearts and guard it well. The most pitiable thing about a person is to forget their root. If you have forgotten — hurry and find it again. That is the Dao.

Water does not complain about the shape of its bowl. Whatever vessel it enters, it takes that form. However much it is given, that is how much it holds — without complaint. It does not refuse the dirty rag. Water is ordinary, yet everyone needs it. After a dirty cloth is washed clean, the water is soiled but the cloth is pure. Water sacrificed itself. This is the Dao. Nature itself is the Dao.

Give your whole heart and your whole strength, and you need not be ashamed before heaven and earth. Only by giving your whole heart can you be at ease between heaven and earth. Without the heart of heaven, you cannot do the work of the world — you cannot even eat in peace. The Dao is in the everyday! Eating is the most basic principle of all.

We stand within the natural world of heaven and earth. To act naturally is to reach fulfillment. But before you reach fulfillment, what must you do? First, protect your own conscience — that is the sign that you respect this life. And if you respect life, you must respect others. The source of life is in heaven and earth. In the end, we are still here, among all things. Do you understand the deep meaning?

11. Formless Merit

無相功德

Formless merit is true merit. Do not trumpet it before others. Do not be proud — for pride leads to certain defeat.

Fame, profit, and wealth of this world will all vanish. Only invisible merit endures — and no one can steal it, because it cannot be taken. Act according to your own ability: however much you can do, do that much. So long as your heart is sincere, heaven will help you.

What is merit? When you truly help others, and they receive the benefit, and at the same time you do not even remember that you were helping — that is merit.

Everyone wants to do more sacred work and accumulate merit. But true merit does not come from doing sacred work for the sake of merit. When you do sacred work with your whole heart, merit is already within it.

To create merit is simple — it is available at any moment of daily life. A single word of encouragement counts. But do not keep tallying up the kindnesses you have given! Only then is it true merit.

Sometimes the merit done in obscurity is the greatest. Those of us who come out and show off do not necessarily earn great merit — yet my children so often value only the surface work. If someone does not sweep the floor today, you say they are not giving their heart. If someone says they will do merit but seems not to have done it, you glare at them until they do. This kind of person — who cannot manage themselves but is always managing others — is called a "busybody." A person who values only appearances.

A person of true virtue can receive every dispute and every criticism from outside. All things have their gains and losses; yin and yang assist each other through mutual balance. Therefore, even with wisdom and natural talent, you must still cultivate virtue. "Great wisdom appears foolish" — that is the mark of the virtuous.

In your cultivation, do not seek merit and do not seek blessings. If you seek merit, you have no merit. If you seek blessings — yes, you may have them. But once the blessings are exhausted, you will cycle through the four births and six realms of rebirth all the same.

12. The True Meaning of Welcoming

接駕的真諦

When you perform the welcoming ceremony — whose arrival are you welcoming? Why do you welcome them? Where is the Heavenly Mandate? Show it to me! Hard to justify, is it not? Do you know what "welcoming" really means? Just now your Teacher asked you: where is your Teacher? Your Teacher is yourself! The same principle applies to welcoming. Everyone's Buddha-nature is equal — so why should one person welcome another? This is a thought you have had but did not dare think through. When you could not find the answer, you covered it up. This is called "plugging your ears to steal the bell" — you reach for someone else's bell but stop up your ears, pretending you hear nothing.

Therefore, the welcoming is welcoming your own self — not someone else. But we use outward forms to understand the Dao within. So if the person being welcomed feels smug about it in their heart, they have already fallen into hell — and no one pushed them. They fell in themselves. Who are we, that others should welcome us? What others honor is the Buddha-nature in each person — not what you call the "Heavenly Mandate." Do you understand?

In the moment of welcoming, turn inward and examine yourself. This practice is both simple and profound — it depends on whether you can think calmly. It does not mean that because the Buddha-nature is equal, everyone is equal, and therefore you may treat others with contempt. Do not misunderstand. Just as we must respect our parents and our elders — this is the principle of human relations, and it must be observed. These principles of human relations are what each person must build upon, bringing them into daily life. Only then can you be called a cultivator. Only when you apply them in your everyday living are you truly a cultivator of the Dao.

13. This Very Moment is the Dao

當下才是道

My children! How is your fire tempering going? As senior practitioners, is your inner fire really so fragile that one unpleasant word sets you blazing with rage, hopping mad? If your worldly cultivation falls short in every other way, at least temper your inner fire and your moral character! Think — why do you willingly follow in the footsteps of your Old Forerunner and your forerunners in transmitting and cultivating the Dao? Reflect in your own hearts: when your Old Forerunner was alive, he followed the rules in everything he did. He adhered to the Patriarch's regulations in every matter. Though he was as eminent as a leader can be, the more he cultivated, the more humble he became; the more he served, the more closely he followed the rules! If you do not learn from him, what will you learn from?

Though your Teacher left this world many years ago, my heart for saving all beings remains just as it always was. Your Old Forerunner and your forerunners gave your Teacher peace of mind. But what about you? The vow you made is the same as your Teacher's vow, the same as the vow of all the Immortals and Buddhas — yet what have you actually done about it? If the standard is ten out of ten, how many points do you measure up to? Have you ever thought about this?

My children! Every one of you received the pointing of the Bright Teacher. Do you know how to use it? Do you know how to let your conscience and your original nature shine through completely? A cultivator should radiate wisdom — have you been radiating it? My children, think: if you truly let your wisdom shine, you would know where your own faults lie. Wisdom is for turning on yourself — not for judging everyone else's rights and wrongs every time you open your mouth. When you criticize others for their faults, why do you not turn around and look at your own? Perhaps your faults are even greater, even more numerous! Therefore: constantly examine yourself, constantly reflect — this is what it means to study and cultivate the Dao!

The lower you hold your hearts, the more others will respect you. If you constantly give rise to arrogance and pride, to resentment and grievance, you are harming yourselves! Keep an upright spirit! Without comparisons, without self — in the end, cultivation is about letting go of the ego's attachment and the ego's opinions. Do you understand?

My children! I hope you will always carry a heart of gratitude — grateful for heaven's grace and the Teacher's virtue. Then you will not blame heaven or resent others, your hearts will not be unsteady, you will return to clarity and stillness, and you will naturally stop running wild with your thoughts. Tell me: when you recite the scriptures each day, do you remember the meaning? Do you put it into practice? Have you read the Classic of Purity and Stillness? Do you know what it means? Your Teacher hopes that each of you will contemplate its meaning deeply. What is "purity and stillness"? Right now, your hearts are not pure or still at all — the moment any disturbance comes from outside, your hearts waver. Observe your own true nature well. Only when your true nature is perfectly luminous, pure, and still can you attain the Buddha Way.

People are, after all, still people — receiving grace is easy, but recognizing grace is hard. But my children! Even if it is hard, you must at least show whether you are willing to try! Some people know it is hard and simply retreat. You must learn how to act within difficulty! How to bear the weight! I tell you: there is nothing in this world worth fighting over. If you "knowingly break the rules," the punishment is doubled! Do not end up losing the game and the pieces too — is that not a terrible bargain?

There is another kind of sin that cuts deepest: taking the words of the Immortals and Buddhas and twisting them to fit your own private intentions. The sin of misleading others through your own selfish interpretation — think on this carefully! Never mind how many Immortals and Buddhas you have witnessed — what was your attitude? How much of what the Immortals and Buddhas said have you truly, quietly listened to? My children! Being clever with words is not power. Being able to listen — that is what matters. Understanding the true meaning of what the Immortals and Buddhas say is crucial, because the things they warn you about are exactly the things you might violate, knowingly or unknowingly, intentionally or not.

The Dao is in daily life — you must find it yourself. If you cannot find it, turn back and ask the Immortals and Buddhas. They will guide you invisibly. But if you awaken to it on your own, is that not better than being told? What you gain through sudden awakening is the supreme joy of the Dharma. Anything explained through words — even the explanations your Teacher gives you — is no longer the Dao! The Dao needs no words. What has words is teaching. Your Teacher has come today to teach and to instruct. I am willing to shoulder your mistakes on my own back — but is that really possible? From now on, what you create, what you commit, you must bear yourselves. You cannot keep asking your Teacher to carry it for you! Can I please not hear your complaints anymore? When you discover a fault, bow your head in repentance at once! The moment a thought arises and you realize you have strayed, or gone crooked, or gone impure — hurry and say "I am sorry" to the Eternal Mother. Can you do that?

My children! Always keep a heart of reverent vigilance, and your sins, faults, and mistakes will grow fewer. The fewer they become, the more you will discover that you are becoming more natural, that you are living more joyfully.

What human beings fear most is the stirring of the heart. Once your heart is stirred, the demon enters through the gap — this means your practice of stillness is not deep enough. Before sleep, quiet your hearts. No matter how busy you are, you must sit in stillness for ten or fifteen minutes before you can sleep — review what you did today. In the morning, do not rush straight to work. Get up ten minutes early, and think about who you have not yet wholeheartedly helped, instead of sitting at home watching television all day. My children! Do you really believe you have fulfilled your duties? If you have not fulfilled your own duties, how can you presume to speak of great matters? If you cannot resolve others' difficulties, you cannot save sentient beings. Your Teacher will teach you one method for avoiding the gates of hell! Admit your wrongs. Admit your sins, your faults, your mistakes. Then you will not enter the gates of hell — is that not so? You must be willing to admit your wrongs before you have any chance of success. Do you want to become sages? Is not a sage simply the one who has the most faults?

Does an apple not rot from the inside first? The outside still looks fine, but the inside has already spoiled. Who caused the rot? It was you yourselves, first and foremost! Think: without unity, where is the strength? Without humility and harmony, where is the Dao hall? Without sacrifice and devotion, will the Dao-kin feel grateful to you for no reason?

The elder must have the elder's breadth of heart; the young must have the young's humility. If after all this time every one of you is lonely and isolated, then what kind of Dao are you practicing? If you have offended heaven, there is truly "no prayer that can help." While heaven is still opening the gates of grace wide, repent sincerely and beg the other party's forgiveness. If they refuse to forgive you, does that mean you should stop? Because the way you have been leading is not a good example — how can anyone follow? Are you not making more mistakes the longer you go? But if you stop on account of this, that would mislead yourself and others even more! Therefore, my children! Sacrifice your present comforts, set a good example, and the road ahead will be easier to walk.

If you surrender this heart that clings so fiercely to heaven — if there is no more "I" — then what is left to haggle over? Sentient beings cannot let go, and so they cannot let go. They have wept, they have wailed. Think: perhaps in carrying out the Dao, you have become nothing but a puppet — your heart can no longer summon any force! "Because of the external, the internal, because of everything" — all you know how to say is "because," all you know how to do is blame others: "Because he did that, I had to do this." This is precisely the test: is your practice of turning inward to examine yourself deep enough?

My children, are you suffering? You are not suffering — but you are full of resentment! Dare you say you have never resented heaven? Everyone's resentment shoots to the sky — and you resent your Teacher too. Every day I work for you, and people accuse me of favoritism! Have you ever thought about where your sins, faults, and mistakes actually lie? Can you not find them? And still you say you have virtue — still you say you do not practice "the Dao of human relations"!

What does it mean to set a Dao hall in order? If your own hearts are not in order, how can you put the Dao hall in order? Look at yourselves — what kind of heart do you carry? Most of the time, it is the human heart, the worldly heart. Where has the Buddha-heart gone? You had it — just a little — when you first set your resolve. But as time goes on, it vanishes. If you keep using your human heart to handle heaven's work, of course heaven's work becomes human business! But if you are truly willing, use the heart of heaven to handle human business — and then human business becomes heaven's work! Your Teacher asks and asks, pleads and pleads — all I ask for is this one drop of your true heart!

Why do you have no true heart today? Perhaps you think: "Why don't I have a true heart?" But why do you not ask instead: "Why don't I have a conscience?" Where has your conscience gone? You cannot see it. You cannot touch it. You can say with your lips that you found it — but in reality? The moment you return to your own environment, you fall into the same old trap.

My children! What are the Fifteen Buddha Rules? How many of you can name them? Have you hung them on the wall and never even glanced at them? Ask yourselves: if you serve as altar keepers and do not even know what the Fifteen Buddha Rules are, can you truly practice ceremonial propriety? You are not new practitioners anymore — how much of the most basic ceremonial propriety do you actually know? Your Teacher sees not a trace of sincerity or respect in you — your courtesy toward the elders is nothing but empty politeness! The practice of cultivation today lies simply in reflecting on yourself. You never reflect — you only see what is wrong with others. You reflect on everyone but yourself! Remember: when your finger points at someone else's fault, have you considered that you yourself may be in the wrong?

Today every one of you carries a human heart in this world, never once harboring a Buddha-heart. The Dao is so precious, and you handle it with a human heart — do you think heaven's work will turn out well? No one is perfect — not even your Teacher! Your Teacher cannot make this world perfect — that is my failing. The heavy charge of the Three Assemblies, I cannot bear it alone — that too is my sin. Can you see your own mistakes every day? Every single thought might be a mistake. Every word you speak might trip someone else up — so how can you afford not to be careful?

When the elders are wrong, that is the elders' mistake — but you should also correct yourselves. A true cultivator cannot harbor resentment toward the elders. Do you not know that greed, anger, delusion, and resentment, when they pile up, will destroy your heart of compassion? A true cultivator does not look at others' wrongs — only at their own. If you have not done well yourself, and all you think about is what the elders did wrong, are you yourself in the right? Ought you not also apologize to the elders?

Your Teacher truly hopes that my children can respect and love one another, can truly cultivate their hearts. If your heart is not cultivated, if your thoughts are not cultivated, how will you nurture the great fearless spirit of compassion? Those of you who are senior: your bad habits and mistakes must all be corrected. Be more considerate of the younger practitioners' hearts! Those of you who are junior: respect and cherish the seniors. Think — the seniors pioneered and sacrificed for whose sake? You cannot, for the sake of small wrongs and small grudges, forget the great debt of gratitude. In cultivating the Dao, we must never become ungrateful people. Do you understand?

When others bully you or mock you, what should you do, my children? Curse them? Hate them? Hold it against them? Letting go is not so simple — especially letting go of all praise and blame. You love to put on a bold face before others, pretending you have it all together — but is that really how things are in secret? Why posture? You all love authority and rank — but even if you possess a title, can it truly repay the debts of your karmic creditors?

You all love novelty and love to ask about cause and effect. But even if you know about cause and effect, so what? Is it useful? Even if you were a Great Luo Golden Immortal descended to earth, if you do not cultivate the Dao well, it makes no difference. On the surface you all seem very obedient — but in private? You draw lines between "us" and "them": "Those who listen to me are my friends. Those who do not are my enemies." Your Teacher asks you: in heaven, is there such a thing as an Immortal who does not get along with others? If you cannot get along with people, and this bad karma is not dissolved in the human world, can it be dissolved after you return to heaven? If your resentment and anger are not dissolved here, can they be dissolved there?

You all love making trouble out of nothing. Instead of living quiet, upright days, you roll around in gossip and drama. Tell me: does speaking ill of others make you wiser? Or does it prove that you can truly tell right from wrong? Every word your Teacher speaks, my children, you must remember in your hearts. Do not be moved here today and then fall right back under worldly influence when you go home. Your Teacher does not want that kind of disciple — because it grieves me to watch.

My children, those who deliberately parade their own ideas will face tests. And for your ideas to be correct, you must always keep a humble heart. Think: however clever you are, you may be able to guess what another person will do next — but can you guess what heaven will do next? Can you make it rain just by saying so? Can you make the sun come out just by wishing it?

My children, if you can cultivate the holy virtue of suchness, heaven and earth will be moved by you! Therefore, do not practice the Dao based on your experience alone, because the moment you think your experience makes you worthy of pride, heaven's intentions become impossible for you to perceive — unless you hold a heart of constant reverence and undivided devotion. How can catastrophe be turned? Only by the hearts of my children. Know that your good hearts can move the heart of heaven — but you must act from your true nature, without calculation. Will you? Are you afraid of catastrophes, my children? There is nothing to fear, is there? Ghosts and spirits are made by human beings. Fortune and calamity work the same way. I hope you will not forget the vow you made. Will you?

In cultivating and practicing the Dao, there is no room for personal temper. No matter how much your body suffers, no matter how exhausted your mind and body become, you can only press forward — never retreat. This is the burden of those who lead, different from those who follow. Why must leaders bear so much more? Because those at the top always have the hardest time!

My children! Ask yourselves — in the Dao hall and in society, do you love seizing power and throwing your weight around? Do you love pushing to the front? Have you failed to practice humility and deference, indulging your ambitions for a moment's desire? Is that you? Do you need to change? Those with strong personalities must change — be soft on the outside, firm on the inside.

You who serve as lecturers and wish to proclaim heaven's teaching — have you reflected on your own heart, your own words, your own conduct? Especially those who serve as altar keepers — does your daily life conform to propriety? If it does not, then change!

Have you ever considered, my children, that burning incense and bowing is your own personal matter? Then why do you all go through it so carelessly? A few perfunctory bows and you are done — how many bow with a true heart? How many recite the Daily Vow of Repentance with a true heart? From now on, recite and bow with a heart of gratitude and repentance. Will you? Ask yourselves, examine your conscience: as a senior practitioner today, have you shown consideration for others? When tested by your parents, you say your parents are unreasonable. When tested by siblings, you say they look down on you. When tested by your spouse, you say your wife is foolish, you say your husband is a tyrant. When tested by friends — laughed at, looked down on — your resolve to eat vegetarian wavers. Is that not so? My children, if you do not repent, when the time comes even your Teacher cannot save you!

Why does each of you break your vows, going back on your word? When you face tests, you blame heaven one by one. Then when you receive heaven's protection, you rush to make new vows one by one. But your Teacher asks again: have you fulfilled the old vows? Have you fulfilled the current ones? If not, why are you making new ones? All I hope is that you will fulfill your duties well — act within your station, do what is within your power. Do not compete or struggle for glory. Do not compare who has brought in more people and who has brought in fewer. What matters is: have you helped them grow? Ask yourselves: how many have you truly helped? Have you looked after them well? Think about it!

Being an altar keeper carries heavy responsibility! You are like the helmsman of a ship — can the course be unclear? I hope my children can accomplish these things: first, volunteer actively for service; second, discipline your body and mind, establish regularity in your daily life; third, bow your head every day and dedicate the merit to your karmic creditors! When you recite the Vow of Repentance, repent with a true heart — repent constantly, every moment. What you say, you must do. This is called the unity of knowledge and action. Do what needs doing — do not wait until there is nothing left to do before feeling regret. Sometimes, discipline your own body; endure a little hardship — sins are dissolved faster that way. Do not treasure your false body too dearly. The body is a temporary assembly of the four elements.

Your Teacher wants the best for you, my children. When there is bitterness, swallow it down. When there is pain, pour it out to Ji Gong — do not blame heaven or resent others. If someone vents to you, learn from your Teacher: pick up their suffering and digest it. Do not pass it along from person to person — otherwise, other people's private troubles end up scattered to the four winds!

This Very Moment is the Dao (continued)

當下才是道（二）

My children, where have you not yet completed your cultivation? What responsibilities have you not yet fulfilled? Recognize this quickly! Stop worrying about how the Dao wheel will turn in the future — how things will be handed over, who will do what. Are these things yours to worry about? Think: right before you, right now, how many urgent matters are waiting for you to act on? And yet you have so much mental energy, so much time, to think about things that are unknowable by nature? Do you really need to be so curious? You are either not using your hearts at all, or using them in the wrong place. Is that not so?

The disciples in the Old Patriarch's era — how could they have known that one day the Dao would be spread to every mountain corner and ocean shore, to every country overseas? Could they have imagined such a thing? Therefore, all these heavenly matters are arranged by heaven — utterly beyond human power!

My children! What you should be worrying about is this: in this final era, your Teacher, your Teacher Mother, the Old Forerunner, and the forerunners have all reminded you again and again — if one day the Dao is no longer being practiced, and you face tests and difficulties, how will you cope? Think: you have a great crowd of people following behind you. How will you guide them? How will you strengthen your own hearts and cultivate yourselves well? These are the most practical things before you right now!

You are all practicing the Dao together, and you are "undivided yet divided" — formally divided in organization, but in private you must not draw the lines so sharply. Suppose you go out to pioneer new ground and encounter a place that needs help — should you not do your best? When he practices the Dao and you practice the Dao, when he expands and you expand, is the Dao not advancing either way? If you draw such sharp lines, if your selfishness runs so deep, if your discriminating mind is so heavy — how can that be acceptable? When you have talent and can help others, that should be a point of honor! Should it not? I hope you will remember this.

What does it mean to "expand the Dao's work"? It does not necessarily mean building an enormous Dao hall. Let your Teacher give you an analogy. A very large fruit — but it has a worm inside. Is that fruit still any good? Your bad temper and your bad habits are the worm. On the other hand, if the Dao's work is modest, if the fruit is small, but there is no worm inside — it still has its value. Does it not? Therefore, achievement is not a matter of size. It is a matter of being real, being solid, putting one foot in front of the other. My children! You must understand this. The Dao is simply being a genuine person, genuinely helping others to grow. However many people you have, help that many. So long as you lead your Dao-kin well in cultivation and practice, and do it sincerely — what does it matter if the numbers are small?

Some people say: "Teacher! Please let me be healthy! I have a family, I have children — let me start cultivating after I turn seventy." Is that a good vow? (No!) Why is seventy no good? (Too old to manage!) Then suppose your Teacher lets you live to sixty: "I will start cultivating at sixty." Is that good? (No!) Why not? Because there will not be time. Do you know how long you will live? (No!) Exactly! You say you will wait until sixty to start — but what if you only live to fifty-nine? Would that not put your Teacher in an awkward position? I want to fulfill your wish and let you cultivate the Dao — but you only live to fifty-nine. Would that not make it seem as if your Teacher were not compassionate?

Who is it that cultivates the Dao? Some people say cultivation is not for ordinary people. Some men will not even come to practice, saying: "Cultivation is women's business! Going to a temple to burn incense and bow — I would not be caught doing that!" Some people actually say this! Tell me: whose business is life and death? (My own!) I thought it was only women's business! Therefore, cultivating the Dao means cultivating yourself and gaining for yourself! Some people say they will wait until seventy. Your Teacher worries: by the time they reach seventy, will the Dao even still be here?

Where there is meeting, there is parting. Where there is right, there is wrong. Where there is success, there is failure. Will you rise and fall forever inside these rights and wrongs, successes and failures? Or will you leap out of them entirely? If we are in difficulty, there is no need to despair — the passing of time will carry us out of it. But if we are in favorable times, time will not stop for us either. Must we then be sad when the good times end? It is always the person who turns in the situation, is it not? Your Teacher will give you one sentence: "The heart at ease is purified within the dust." The heart of meditation, the heart that transcends — these must be purified right here in the red dust. If there were no impurity around you, you could not experience the feeling at all.

Just as we are deeply immersed in this moment of serenity and peace — yet time is moving, the hours are passing. No one can remain forever in the most beautiful moment. But we can create it anew. Though time has passed, we can still hold our hearts of reverence for the Immortals and Buddhas. Joy and sorrow depend entirely on our own hearts. What has already gone cannot return — so why grieve? Know this: the only thing you possess is the present moment. Only this moment belongs to you. Look ahead, walk in the right direction, work for tomorrow and the future. After all, we have given our hearts. After all, we are fulfilling our responsibilities. When you do well in this moment, this moment is accomplished. How did the Immortals and Buddhas become what they are? In each moment, their every thought was compassion, was for sentient beings — and so now they are revered. You too can hold this heart. My daughters, each of you is as dignified and compassionate as a Bodhisattva — your Teacher believes you can all do very well. My sons, each of you is bold and responsible, brave enough to face anything — your Teacher believes you can all do very well too.

My children! Each one of you has a hidden strength within. But who unlocks that hidden strength? (Yourself!) Your Teacher is willing to help you, to assist you. Your Teacher hopes each of you can unleash your own power. Your Teacher hopes every one of your lives can be more radiant, more brilliant, more meaningful, more real. Though there is sorrow wherever there is joy, even sorrow need not defeat us — because what we must hold onto is this very moment. Do you feel that this moment is good? Is your spirit at peace? Have you gained much? Are you willing for it to last forever?

Is a seat in the human world easy to sit in? (No!) If one day you find the seat in the human world easy — then you will be ready for a seat in heaven. If it still feels difficult, that means there is still some distance to go — keep sitting! In the future, do you want to become Buddhas sitting up there, or remain humans standing down here? If you want to do the work of Immortals and Buddhas, know that they are always on the move — and by doing their work, you will gain their breadth of heart and their compassion. Are you willing?

Sixty thousand years ago, when Pangu opened the heavens and life began on earth — through how many dynasties, how many ages, how many springs and autumns, all the way to this day — you have already walked such a long road. And now, this is the final time. My children! Do not give up. If you wanted pleasure, you have had enough of it in past lives. If you wanted amusement, you have had enough of that too. While you still have this physical body, hurry and use the false to cultivate the true — without this body, you cannot cultivate the Dao at all! This is the last chance. No one dares guarantee there will be a next life — much less guarantee a human body in it. Perhaps you will be born as an animal, or in some other form of existence. No one can be certain, no one can foresee. The only thing you can hold onto is this life. My children, know clearly what it is you want in this life!

In this lifetime you have a body. You have received heaven's grace. You can seek and cultivate the Dao. You have a Dao hall where you can practice. What an immense grace this is! If you do not cultivate, whose loss is it? Since ancient times, there have been champion disciples but no champion teachers — is that not so? You are all champion disciples! Do you want to strive for the top? You have all drifted through so many years in a haze. Fortunately, heaven is compassionate, and you still have time. This very moment is it — what else are you waiting for? Waiting until your family is settled? Waiting until your career succeeds? Waiting until everything is arranged? Waiting until you grow a bit older? What are you waiting for? You all have too much time — so much that you have time for idle thoughts, so much that you have time to argue with others. If you would spend that time cultivating yourselves and helping others, how wonderful that would be! You waste your time on worthless distractions, squander your days, wear the name of "cultivator" for nothing. My children, examine your own hearts — how will you achieve anything in the end?

Perhaps you feel you have not done well and are ashamed before your Teacher. But what is done, however poorly, is done — let it become the past. Do not keep reliving it! What matters is the present — this is how you create the future, is it not? If you are always drowning in the past, always thinking about how glorious things used to be, then you are nothing more than an old person living in memories. Only old people wallow in the past. Young people seize the present. Your Teacher hopes you will cultivate the Dao like true young people — forever keeping that first impulse of the heart, forever keeping that drive. Will you?

Every one of you hopes to be cared for, valued, and cherished. But here is the question: do you want to be the one who is cherished, or the one who cherishes others? The one who is loved stands passively, forever waiting. Only the one who loves possesses a heaven-sized fortune. Give someone a smile — not a gift, just a smile, a word of affirmation, a word of encouragement. My children! Try it and see — this is the Dao in daily life! Life itself is cultivation!

My children! Stop lingering outside. Stop wavering. This Dao is the true Dao — it will not deceive you. If you say this Dao is false, very well — come and look! Tell me which part is false. If you cannot find anything false, then practice it sincerely. No one has asked you to do anything that harms heaven or violates principle! All they ask is that you be filial to your parents, love your siblings, be trustworthy with friends — these things, the most ordinary things. We need only do the most ordinary things well, and this is cultivation. Eat when it is time to eat. Sleep when it is time to sleep. This is cultivation. It is that simple.

Cultivators easily fall into one common ailment: the longer they practice, the more complicated they make it. Your Teacher will give you an example. There was an old disciple with a long, bushy beard. One day a little celestial boy — the kind who loves to tease — came and asked him: "When you sleep, do you put your beard inside the blanket or outside?" The old man said: "You know what? I have no idea whether my beard goes inside or outside when I sleep." That night he could not sleep at all. Can you guess how he spent the night? The entire night he was thinking: "Where exactly do I put my beard when I sleep?" First he tucked his beard inside the blanket and tried for an hour — could not fall asleep. Then he pulled it outside the blanket — still could not sleep. What to do? So he decided: forget it — just sleep! And what is the purpose? (To sleep!) Who cares where the beard is! Later he discovered that sometimes his beard was outside the blanket and sometimes inside. On cold nights, the beard would creep in on its own. There you have it! Who cares where the beard goes! The principle is exactly the same.

"Teacher! Should I do this thing now, or go to the Buddha Hall and do that thing?" Which thing should you do? Everything is good! Just do something — that is the point! If two things cannot be done at once, weigh the two benefits and choose the greater; weigh the two harms and choose the lesser. You are all clever enough! In ordinary times, you handle everything so neatly — but the moment the sacred and the mundane truly conflict, your heads spin, and then you say: "It must be karma." Do not hesitate so much. Just go and do it simply — never mind where the beard is. What is our purpose? The purpose is to act! This point is very important.

Each of your purposes must be clear — and ideally, aligned with your Teacher's intention. Then simply go and do it. My children, the Dao does not exist only in the Buddha Hall. You must understand this: cultivation itself is life. Live out your lives — truly live. Do you understand? A practitioner must put it into practice in daily living. In this final era, pay special attention to your own thoughts. You often say: "If you conquer others, you are a hero; if you conquer yourself, you are a sage." And that comes down to how you cultivate yourself, how you change your own temper and bad habits. Set down your human heart and your prejudices. Keep only the heart of heaven. Preserve your conscience and your original nature — only then can there be true unity. If you ask only that human hearts agree, that is impossible. Only by setting down selfishness, prejudice, ego's attachment and opinions, temper and bad habits — only then can all hearts be one. Do you understand?

My children, the Dao is in your own person — it is not limited to this one point! Your Old Forerunner said it: the Dao is in the details of daily life. When it is time to wake up, wake up. When your work is done, go to sleep. Rise when you should rise. Eat when you should eat. Sleep when you should sleep. This is the Dao.

You must learn to restrain yourselves. Do not give yourselves too much comfort. If you feel it does not matter — if you can be easy with everything without becoming addicted, if in motion you can find stillness, and in stillness you can find lively action — then your Teacher makes no demands. If you can walk through a pleasure district and still keep a pure heart without overstepping — then your Dao is already manifest in daily life.

What Dao must a father and mother practice at home? If the father is not kind and the child is not filial, what will society become? You often hear people say: "The father is no father; the child is no child." But that is when you start seeing other people's faults and your own rightness. Do you understand? You think your father is unkind. That is you seeing his unkindness. But are you not equally unfilial? Are you not equally unkind? Because father is no good, you think: "He showed me this example, so I follow suit." Since he is unkind, I am unfilial — tit for tat. Is that right? If we wish to transform this world into a land of the lotus, we must see others' rightness and recognize our own faults. If your father is unkind and you follow him in being unfilial — that is wrong.

Do you know, my children, why the world falls into chaos? Because no one acts within their station. But people today think: "If you want me to cultivate and be a good person and practice filial piety — you need to give me the right environment first." A father who gambles, a mother who chases pleasure — how can the son turn out well? If the parents are unreasonable and unkind, if they do not act like parents — does the child have the right to be equally bad? (No!) Then what should be done? Still fulfill the duty of a child. If every person fulfills the Dao of their own station, then every place becomes your Dao hall.

Do you know what Dao you must fulfill? In your environment and in your Dao hall, each of you manifests a different form. At school, you show the form of a student. At the Dao hall, you show the form of a worker. Sitting here today in class, you show the form of a participant. As the saying goes: "One kind of rice feeds a hundred kinds of people" — white, black, yellow, red, everyone eats the same rice. Since one rice feeds a hundred kinds, and everyone eats the same thing, why do people have a hundred different personalities? A hundred different tempers? This is the headache. So today you must learn to be human. Your parents began teaching you from childhood how to get along with others. People's personalities differ so greatly, everyone's temper is different — how do you manage? This is a real skill! This is why you need the Dao, why you need a heart of tolerance — tolerating the other person's every flaw. When you see others' flaws, reflect on whether you yourself are truly upright.

Because you carry a certain position, you often worry about that position. But why did the ancients say: "Only the mediocre person troubles themselves"? You need only act within your station and do your own part well — do not bother about the rest. A mother who has cooked the rice, set the food on the table, and called the family to eat — she has fulfilled her duty. If she then worries about whether they eat, how much, whether the nutrition is enough — is she not inviting trouble? Likewise, if you study your books well, you need not worry about whether others are better! One mountain is always higher than the next. If everyone wants first place, who takes second? So many things are simply worried into existence by yourself. Is that necessary? My children! Do you know what you really need to worry about? Worry about whether your virtue is sufficient! The thing to fear most is that your virtue is not enough. Do you know that?

People living in this world — do you know what the most important thing is? Follow heaven's timing. The greatest fear is missing the moment. What is "missing the moment"? When it is time for you to act and you fail to act — you have missed the opportunity. It is like seeing an old person fall on the street. You should help them up. But in that moment you hesitate: "Should I help? Will people laugh at me?" And slowly you walk past. Perhaps someone else helps them. Perhaps they are still lying there. But by the time you have walked on and think about going back — it is too late. The old person is already gone. How heavy is the reproach in your heart? That is what it feels like to miss the moment. So while the great drama of the White Sun era is still playing — seize this chance and act!

14. Effortlessness and Non-Action

無心與無為

As it turns out, everything in this world is illusory and fleeting, like clouds drifting past the eyes — there is no need to become too deeply absorbed. Once you see through all false appearances, you cease clinging to any dharma, any self, any thing. The blessings and transgressions accumulated across countless kalpas and lifetimes thus become empty as well. This is what is meant by: "Blessings and transgressions are inherently empty — one should abide in nothing."

Since the material world is false, the temperament formed through it likewise has no permanence. All subjectivity, all feeling, all states of being must be cast off and relinquished. Only then can the spirit be released from the realm of form and transcend the realm of vital energy. This is "no-mind."

However, what is born from nothing comes to fruition in being. "No-mind" does not mean ignoring everything with cold indifference, unaware and unresponsive. Rather, it means bringing forth being from nothingness, and returning being to nothingness. The ceaseless generativity of life — this is the original intention of heaven and earth's creative power. All things act without forcing, yet leave nothing undone. Through the meeting of the true and the false, vital energy guides form, and form transforms into vital energy — so that body and mind, family and nation may progress step by step in peace and harmony. This is the principle by which the Great Dao "moves ceaselessly without peril." This is "purposeful action."

15. Truth and Illusion

真理與假景

A verse says:

I grieve that worldly people drift,
Chasing fame and profit all their lives.
Fame is wind upon a tree —
Gone in an instant, vanished without a trace.
On the horns of a snail they struggle for gain,
And in the end it all comes to nothing.
I now spread the Dao far and wide,
And pray that all may board the boat in time.

The red dust of this false world is like a mirage — it vanishes in the blink of an eye. Only the principle of our true nature never changes. That principle resides within us, as the saying goes: "In meditation, the mystery settles itself; within the mystery, the principle comprehends itself."

People tend to pursue false things with visible form. Fame, official rank, wealth, and honors — these will one day vanish like smoke and scatter like clouds. Once you close your eyes for the last time, even if you were a prince or a minister, no matter how great your title, in the end it is all emptiness.

The ultimate principle never changes. Break through outward appearances. Do not make inflammatory claims that invite criticism, cause trouble, and bring needless suffering upon yourself. Why put yourself through that?

My children, you must see through the mortal world — everything in it is illusion. Only by seeing through it can you sweep away all attachment. Only then can you attain the true fruit.

My children, when you have free time, do not just chase after money — do you hear? Money has four legs and you only have two — no matter how hard you chase, you will never catch it! In your spare time, cultivate the refinement of your own heart and nature. Beyond studying the principles of being a good person, go look at the mountains, look at the waters, look at the four seas. Open your heart wide, so that within the narrow living space of this society, you will feel vastness. Do you understand?

For people today, twenty-four hours in a day are not enough — all spent chasing after material desire. So you must set aside some time for things that benefit your body and mind. What benefits body and mind is the cultivation of your own moral character. In society, having money does not guarantee safety. Perhaps you are very capable, but you may not succeed at everything. As long as we conduct ourselves with tact and grace, it is like standing at a crossroads with every direction open to you. But at the crossroads, do not just barrel through blindly! You must follow the rules. You must play your hand according to the principles of reason — and those principles are our innate moral knowledge.

You should know that in the Dao hall, you cannot learn the kind of experience the world teaches. But in the Dao hall, you can learn worldly morality to perfection. A person who wants to stand tall in society — money, reputation, and ambition alone are not enough. If you lack moral character, what will you have to show others?

Ordinary people in society regard academic credentials as the highest achievement. But how many people use their degrees to understand the truth? I hope my disciples will not look only at things with visible form. We must allow our spirits to grow. We must allow our spirits to reach what is noble.

Young people love to compete for favor. Are you competing for favor in this Dao hall? Know this: the one who is favored is not necessarily the one who attains the Dao. The one who is overlooked does not necessarily cultivate poorly. All appearances are ultimately illusion. Teach as much truth as you can, but do not try to save people through appearances — save them through truth, because truth is eternal and unchanging.

Do the Immortals and Buddhas only arrive when they borrow a medium's body? Confucius once asked Laozi about the rites and sighed that he was "like a dragon" — but the Immortals and Buddhas are everywhere. Your every move is recorded clearly by the Overseeing Director. "Raise your head three feet and the spirits are watching." So be careful in everything you do, especially in places where no one can see you. This is the discipline of watchfulness in solitude. Compare what you do when you are alone with what you do when others can see you. Do not sit up properly only when the Immortals and Buddhas descend to the altar, then slump with aching backs and crossed legs the moment they leave. By this alone, a person's character is revealed.

The root of suffering is that we cling to worldly desire and refuse to let go. If we practice effortlessness, ease of body and mind will come naturally. The more desires, the more worries. The more desires, the more demands. When demands are not met, resentment is born. When resentment is born, suffering arrives.

In cultivating the Dao, take joy in the Dao and be content in poverty. Be content and always joyful, making the pursuit of wisdom your chief concern. Whether you have left the household or remain within it, do not be tainted by worldly pleasures or defeated by the five desires. Your life will naturally become stable. As for attachment to merit, attachment to cause and effect — the Immortals and Buddhas have admonished you again and again. My children hear it often and take it for nothing. The holy instructions delivered by the Immortals and Buddhas who come to aid the Dao — have you studied them carefully? Mostly you set them aside. My children, recognize the principle and understand its meaning!

How helpless — how helpless I am! Your Teacher borrows this illusion — a medium's hands — and yet my children remain enchanted by the illusion itself. I hope you can understand: this false form will one day be impossible to see again. If you cannot investigate the principle now, then seeking the Buddha is not as good as seeking yourself. Do you understand this truth, my children? If you do not cultivate, if you do not refine yourself, how can the Buddha bear your burden for you? Remember this in your hearts: recognize the truth, hold tight to the golden thread, and follow this truth forward. Your Teacher speaks with a heavy heart. I hope you will contemplate deeply and cultivate well. Do not contend with others. In all things, bear three parts in silence, leave some room — and contemplate it carefully on your own.

My children, do not assume your merit is great, that you have saved many people, that you have done much fearless giving. Are you constantly thinking about "merit"? Are you dwelling on how high your merit is? If you have such thoughts, you have already committed the fault of craving. Your Teacher advises you here: if you hold such thoughts, attaining the Dao will be difficult.

These days, the Dao is easy to cultivate — it is the heart that is hard to cultivate. Your heart shifts moment by moment with the tides of worldly affairs. Your heart shifts moment by moment as you watch the people around you change.

My children! Your Teacher tells you: the greatest danger in cultivating the Dao is cultivating according to human sentiment. Human sentiment has a human logic to it. But if in your cultivation you cannot see through the distinction between self and other, if you are always attending to every consideration and factor — then let me ask you: however great your aspiration may be, as long as you still cannot let go, how can you devote your whole heart and strength to all living beings?

The truth between heaven and earth is by nature invisible. If you cling to the visible, you lose the invisible. If you cling to the invisible, you lose the visible. Do you understand? The movement and stillness of the Great Dao are right here and nowhere else. You must see this clearly: when you bow, when you kneel in reverence — you are bowing to yourself! What are you bowing to? You are bowing to your own original nature. Your original nature IS the Buddha! Where will you find the true Buddha? Your original nature is the Buddha. You yourself are the canopy of goodness. Do you still need to go everywhere seeking a Buddha to worship? Once you see this clearly, you can cultivate for ten years, for twenty years — you can live to a hundred and still be cultivating!

But if you cannot get this straight, then be careful! The world outside is full of every kind of person and thing, and it is very easy to lose yourself and willingly fall. This is what your Teacher means by all those tests. This is also the essence of your cultivation.

16. The Meaning of Reciting Sutras

誦經的意義

Can you merely recite the sutras without contemplating them, without putting them into practice? The sutras are what the bodhisattvas left behind upon attaining the Way. Within them lies much that can awaken you, bring self-realization and true awakening, and let your original nature suddenly comprehend everything as one. If you do not chant, do not practice, do not contemplate — then you have recited in vain.

Why do nuns and monks recite sutras? To purify their own hearts. Reciting sutras can make your heart clear and pure, and most importantly, it allows you to transfer merit. When you or a Dao friend, a lecturer, a hall master — anyone — encounters karmic creditors clinging to them, and no Transmitting Master is present, what should you do? Recite the sutras and transfer the merit to those karmic creditors. Because when the sutras are chanted, when a person recites them with perfect sincerity, they generate immeasurable Dharma power, Buddha-force, and Buddha-light, which is sent and transferred to the karmic creditors. Those creditors are instantly freed from their suffering. The pain lessens. They feel that the hardship is not so heavy. Because the Buddha-light is warm. The cold lifts. They no longer feel so frozen. They feel as though they have eaten their fill, warm and satisfied. They need this nourishment! This is why your Teacher says: in cultivating the Dao, recite the sutras.

In cultivation, we keep the heart clear and pure, free of scattered thoughts. Chanting the Maitreya Scripture transfers merit to karmic creditors. The Taoyuan Mingsheng Scripture has the power to ward off evil and keep malign spirits at a distance. When you chant this scripture, no demon or evil force dares intrude upon you — and if your heart is sincere, there will surely be a response.

Reciting sutras is transferring merit, so that the stumbling blocks along your cultivation path are fewer, so that karmic creditors are less inclined to pull at you, so the road of the Dao is smoother and flatter. If someone behind you is tugging at your legs — you cannot walk quickly, you cannot run, you stumble and fall — would that not be exhausting? The principle is the same! You cannot say, "I do not like it, so I refuse, so I will not." Do you understand? Every person should at least memorize one sutra — the Heart Sutra, the Classic of Purity and Stillness, the Maitreya Scripture — at the very minimum, know one. It will be of help in the future.

17. Daily Life Is the Dao Hall

生活即道場

The most urgent needs of worldly people are hunger and cold. What concerns life and death is nothing more than food and clothing. Keep your fasts, live simply, and let each day be enough. Do not say that a few garden vegetables behind a fence cannot bear the fruit of goodness. If you do not follow conditions, even golden leaves hold no enlightenment. If you are willing to transform your circumstances, bitter water becomes a sweet spring.

Poverty and lowliness are bitter circumstances, but those who handle them well find their own joy. Wealth and honor are pleasant circumstances, but those who handle them poorly suffer even more.

How grievous! The tide flows downward, the human heart withers, and people flinch at shadows. Dare we ask: why is filial piety so hard to practice? It is because the human heart is divided by craving, desire, love, and aversion — lusting after beauty and wealth, putting the trivial before the essential. In youth, a person yearns for their parents. Once desire takes hold, the heart cannot be clear; once a household is established, affection turns to wife and children. In office, one yearns for one's lord. If the lord is not won, ambition burns. Therefore, only the one who yearns for their parents their entire life deserves to be called truly filial. Today the word "filial" is discarded like worn-out shoes, heard as though it were nothing. In truth, the Dao of Heaven has been lost! Heaven extends the Dao, governed by compassion — but if people do not take benevolence as their foundation, what talk can there be of filial piety? It is a disgrace to stand first among the souls of creation! The crow feeds its aging parent. The lamb kneels to nurse. How shameful that human beings are nearly put to shame by the beasts! How grievous!

Filial piety, fraternal respect, loyalty, trustworthiness, propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame — these are the foundations of human ethics. Only when the human Dao is established can the Dao of Heaven be stable. The noble person attends to the root. When the root is established, the Dao comes to life. Right and wrong — you must understand them for yourself. Choose the weighty over the light. Dwell in depth, not in shallowness.

Granted, ours is a practice of "leaving home while remaining at home" — you cannot cultivate the Dao without caring for your family. But do not become too obsessed either. The more you want to earn, the more you should know: it depends on heaven granting your wish. If heaven does not grant it, how much can you earn? Be content and always joyful. In hardship and in haste, do not leave the Dao, do not leave the heart of heaven. No matter how alluring the flashy world may be, no matter how strongly profit and desire pull at you — if you can keep your ambitions simple and your purpose clear, nothing will disturb you.

We must always carry a heart of helpfulness toward others. Only then do we live up to Confucian ideals. We are all educated people, heirs of the Confucian tradition, and we must carry ourselves with Confucian dignity.

I hope my worthy disciples will love their own families first, beginning with those closest to them, and then extend that care outward to friends, neighbors, and society. Do not look down on others because you think your learning is great. I hope we can all be humble. If your learning is broad and your understanding of the Dao is deep, then teach others. Do not perfect only yourself — perfect the whole world.

Let everyone be of one heart toward goodness. Let the spirit of society improve. I hope that in every word and deed, my children will conduct themselves with propriety.

In the time to come, a thousand gates and ten thousand teachings will arise together. Cultivation and service must be plain and natural to endure. Cultivation is by nature a natural thing — refining your original nature within daily life until it becomes whole. You should guide your Dao friends in this direction as well.

To feign presence from absence, fullness from emptiness, ease from restraint — how difficult it is to sustain! You cannot cultivate the Dao through the Dao of human sentiment — pretending to be sincere without true humility, forcing yourself into artificial ease. To persist in that way is nearly impossible. Therefore cultivation must be natural. If you cannot achieve the work of the sages and worthies, at the very least you must fulfill the Dao of being a son or daughter, the Dao of being a citizen. Do not carelessly let your family worry about you. Do not casually give the government a headache. This is your basic duty. Therefore: the noble person attends to the root. When your root is established, the Dao comes to life.

How do you cultivate merit? Do you think coming to the Buddha Hall two or three days counts as merit? No! "One day without error is accomplishment. One day without fault is virtue." Merit must begin with yourself. Inner accomplishment and outer virtue — if your inner work is not done well, how can outer virtue be built? The two must work in harmony. If you cannot manage this, then reflect, repent, and think three times. Are you repenting every day? You chant the repentance text every day, yet every day you repent and every day you err again! What use is that!

My beloved children! You all stand before the world. This is why your Teacher places such importance on you. Your words and deeds represent your Teacher — do you know this? Your Teacher wants you to practice integrity and morality in society, to transform this chaotic world, starting with yourselves, and slowly restore what corrupt custom has ruined.

I hope my children will open their wisdom, be careful in everything, and not drift through the days in a muddle. Remember: the Immortals and Buddhas are helping you every moment! Does the Dao ask you to abandon your family and leave your spouse? To cast aside your worldly obligations? Can you depart before those obligations are fulfilled? This is why your Teacher asks you: as a son or daughter, be filial to your parents! In dealing with friends, practice integrity! With brothers and sisters, practice fraternal respect! What you are already doing — strengthen it. What you have not yet managed — begin now!

Contentment means knowing where to stop and being satisfied. When you have found your original heart, set it down and hold it. Do not send it outward. Guard it. That is contentment.

Why must we be humble and lower our temper in cultivating the Dao? It can be expressed in three words: stillness, realization, wisdom. Study is for understanding principle. After understanding principle, follow the sages and emulate the worthies.

Male disciples should advance even more diligently. What is most precious in human life is the growth of wisdom. To gain wisdom, you must investigate your own original nature. That you have this karmic opportunity in this lifetime to encounter this firm Way is truly a blessing of three lifetimes. You are all people of spiritual roots — do not look down on yourselves. You are all people of talent and ability. Apply your strengths and contribute to the Dao hall. Let the sound of the sacred spread throughout the world. You should emulate the Third Prince and be trailblazers. In the past, someone introduced you and brought you to the Dao. Now you must save and deliver others in return. Moreover, you must influence others through your own words and deeds. If your own conduct is not upright, how can you save others? Manifest the sacred Dao in your own person — only then can you go out and deliver the multitude! If you do one good deed a day, your Teacher's face will brighten with one more smile. If you are muddled, speaking gossip, wavering without direction, your Teacher's brow will crease with worry. I hope you, my children, can help shoulder more of your Teacher's burden. Can you do that? Male disciples, have backbone! Female disciples, do not indulge in pride!

To the female disciples who have risen to meet this time and destiny! That you have this heart to cultivate the Dao — your Teacher commends you. But you must also persevere, treating cultivation as the path you must walk. As long as you have the heart, and are willing to cultivate, willing to serve, willing to refine — you will surely create great merit. Greed, anger, and delusion are the roots of the lower realms. The greatest weaknesses of female disciples are greed, anger, and foolish attachment. So for unnecessary emotional entanglements — do not be foolish about them. For material things beyond what you need — do not be greedy. The human heart is fickle, and especially for women, whose emotions tend to be more fragile — is this not true? In our cultivation, although we should not be harsh in temperament, we must be strong against all external disturbances.

Among the women of today, few serve as models.
Their conduct is crooked, their posture askew.
Their words are light and they love to jest —
Who can respect their dignity?
When socializing or in company,
In every setting, be dignified and composed.
Let what you say and what you do be in accord — guard your integrity.
Support your husband, teach your children, set the standard.
Examine your own heart at every moment.
See the worthy and strive to equal them — make this your earnest study.

Between husband and wife, there should be mutual respect, treating each other like honored guests. A family's completeness rests on the marriage. If the husband is fierce and the wife is proud, the family cannot be whole. If in all things you help one another and understand one another, then cultivation can bring heaven into the home.

When the husband is harmonious, the wife is naturally gentle. In serving parents, be reverent and respectful. May all daughters-in-law in the world serve their elders with a harmonious and yielding heart. Why should sons be doted on? Why should daughters be spoiled? Doting and spoiling lead to arrogance. May all parents in the world teach the young with a heart that is both strict and compassionate. Husband and wife are birds of the same forest. When opinions differ, communicate with one another — do not resolve it by shouting. The heaven of the dark room — do not think that heaven cannot see what happens in private.

The elderly should hold to the spirit of "the body ages but the heart does not." Follow the example of the Star-God of the South Pole — press on without resting, keep running forward. The young must place filial piety first, for as the saying goes: "Of all virtues, filial piety is the foremost." Be filial to your elders, show respect to those who are older, and let filial piety be the starting point for everything. Can you do this?

Filial piety and fraternal respect are the root of being human. Attend to your parents and bring them joy. Do not argue back. Do not cause them heartache. Only then will human relations be harmonious and smooth.

The center — this one word is truly pure.
If the human heart can be used without deviation,
Then speech and conduct will naturally accord with the center.
When we accord with the centered way, the heart is at peace.
Wherever you go, every path is open.
It is a pity that people of this world do not know loyalty,
And so confusion and disorder are born.
The human heart is made treacherous and cunning,
And society cannot find peace.
Quarreling all day, creating upheaval —
All of this comes from the fundamental lack of loyalty.

You must all sit still and think carefully:
Who today can truly fulfill their loyalty?
Let me start from the small and move to the great,
One thing after another — all disloyal:

Within the family, to begin:
Speak of any matter and it strays from loyalty.
Brothers cannot be loyal to one another.
You grab and I snatch, ignoring fairness.
He says his share of the estate is too small.
You say his portion is too heavy.
With eyes bulging, they fight over property,
Trading blows and insults, a terrible scene.

Now look at how children treat their parents —
Equally unreasonable.
Dissatisfied with how the household is managed,
They point and criticize the old man.
"The old fogey and his wife are truly muddled,
Confused, unable to speak clearly."
They complain the old ways are an eyesore,
Refusing to modernize the home.
They criticize this and criticize that,
Thinking only themselves clever.
Three meals a day, they rarely check in.
All day they play and socialize.
Never once do they try to please their parents —
They only know how to spend money recklessly.
Not a single duty of a child fulfilled —
This too is disloyalty.

Now look at how husbands treat their wives —
Also without loyalty.
The wife they married, they do not cherish.
With a roving heart, they dote on young women,
Making a grand show of modern love,
Setting up a second household outside.
The first wife is cast behind them,
Not a shred of feeling or concern.
Dressed in Western clothes, they stroll the streets,
Arm in arm, dancing in the ballrooms,
Living it up in wine and pleasure,
Spending money beyond all counting.
Sometimes, when the thrill wears off,
They switch to yet another woman.
From dawn to dusk this never ends —
They have thrown themselves into the fire.

Now speak of how wives treat their husbands —
Turn it around, and it is just the same.
Housework is completely neglected.
Children are shown no tenderness.
All day long they gamble away the time,
Dazed and listless in the household.
Then there are the "modern" type,
Who specialize in misbehavior outside.
Behind the husband's back they take up friends.
Hiding from in-laws, they pursue affairs.
Fickle as the shifting states,
In time they lose their reputation.
When all honor is destroyed, people mock them,
Pointing and whispering — ugly to hear.
This is what it means to degrade yourself —
At root, disloyalty to one's spouse.

Now look at the common people of the world:
Scholars do not preserve their national heritage.
Western words, Western tongues, Latin and more —
Their own classics they refuse to read.
All day in school they drone on aimlessly.
Not a word of morality is spoken.
In all their work, they have no loyalty.

Farmers today are just the same —
Everywhere, they leave the fields untilled.
Without farming, how can there be harvest?
If merchants have no loyalty,
Their business will certainly fail and they will be poor.
So if you want business to thrive,
First lay plans in your heart.
Watch the times, adapt to circumstances —
Above all, be trustworthy and loyal.

If workers have no loyalty,
The goods they make will be defective.
When standards are lost and tools are misused,
Disaster and suffering are certain.
If soldiers have no loyalty,
On the front lines they will be shelled.
If they could know both self and enemy,
They would win every battle and surely succeed.
But the common soldier —
What does he know of loyalty?
Facing the enemy, he trembles first,
Fearing only that his life will end.
So when two sides go to war,
There is no room for disloyalty.

If you know that fulfilling loyalty is your basic duty,
Why worry that victory is not in your grasp?
If every person fulfills their loyalty,
What cannot be accomplished?
Therefore the old morals of our heritage
Should be practiced without slackening.
If you know that morality is truly good,
It can save the nation and save the people.
In all things, toward all people — be loyal.
Put loyalty into practice with loyal deeds.
Remember my words and do not forget:
Hold the Dao, act upon it — begin with loyalty.

18. Ignorance and Wisdom

無明與智慧

There is a saying: "Life does not last a hundred years, yet we carry the worries of a thousand." In this rolling red dust, it is only because of ignorance that ten thousand cares are born — ring upon ring, layer upon layer, binding the heart tight, so tight it can scarcely breathe, so thick it cannot be dissolved. The purpose of life sinks entirely into a daze of confusion and illusion about the past, the present, and the future. There is no time left to ask what the true meaning of life might be. And so there arise greed, anger, delusion, and desire. There arise karma and the wheel of rebirth. There arises the ceaseless rising and falling of birth and death without end.

The Enlightened Teacher's single pointing has already granted transcendence beyond the cycle. But then you must break through the accumulated habits of countless lifetimes, the obstructions of every affliction — otherwise you still cannot be free of death, and you still turn within the wheel of rebirth.

In the very moment of receiving the Dao, every person has already illuminated their true essence. Only because of the obstruction of intellect are they unable to realize emptiness. Therefore you must observe and reflect at all times. Begin with the heart, begin with the depths of consciousness. Turn and step into the realm of emptiness — and moreover, be able to abide in nothing, not drifting between good and evil, blessing and transgression.

The practice of the Dao does not lie beyond human affairs. When two people cannot communicate, when ignorance arises between them — this is the cycling of accumulated karmic consciousness across lifetimes. When it ignites, the taste is very hard to bear.

Each person's loves, sorrows, and attachments give rise to ignorance — the primary cause of the unceasing wheel of life and death. In all things follow the heart and do not grasp at conditions. Otherwise attachment is born, the mind cannot open, and you cannot become a vessel of greatness. You must know: "The river of love has waves a thousand feet high; the sea of suffering has ten thousand crashing swells." A person who clings throughout life can never be at ease.

So-called habits are the accumulated tendencies of a person's past lives. "Mine," "I did this," "I have always had this" — these are all attachment. These are all ignorance.

To break through ignorance — if we say it is hard, it is very hard; if we say it is simple, it is extremely simple. All it takes is one thought turning around. But to leap across a single thought is extraordinarily difficult. How do you make the leap? First, when people are in conflict, their thinking must be fully communicated. Each person's starting point is well-intentioned, but it must be examined in relation to the whole — what is called comprehensive consideration. For example, if family members oppose vegetarianism because they fear malnutrition, then respond with a grateful heart and a gentle manner, explain clearly, communicate fully, and the matter will naturally resolve.

Furthermore, always stand in the other person's position and look back at yourself. Remove the view of self. Think about it: even this physical body is not truly yours — what else is "yours"? Therefore you should always consider the other person's perspective. For example, a Transmitting Master should look from the standpoint of the lecturers and hall masters. And the lecturers and hall masters should always think of the Transmitting Master. If the Transmitting Master has imperfections, remember: even if they have no great merit, they have endured hardship; even if they have not endured hardship, they have at least endured fatigue. I hope every disciple can manage this.

The moment you deliberate, it is not the Dao — that is called the human mind, called cleverness. When you act from the human mind, this wisdom is of a different kind. Wisdom and cleverness are not the same! You must understand this clearly! Wisdom arises from the heart of heaven — perfectly centered, neither leaning left nor right. When you use the human mind, when you use cleverness, you will mislead yourself.

What is cleverness? The clever mind easily falls into calculation. Once a calculating mind takes hold, it may harm you. Before doing something, you think: "Is there profit in it?" Before doing another thing: "Will it destroy me?" So when you use cleverness to get things done, you may well ruin yourself. For example, if you come here today to listen to the Dao, and the moment you walk through the door you think: "Could this be a heretical sect?" — then your cleverness has already lost to wisdom. Would you rather be clever or wise?

Great wisdom must appear as foolishness. The clever person is always showing off, always hoping to climb higher, always displaying themselves. The wise person is afraid of climbing too high and falling too hard. There is a saying: "Cleverness is undone by its own cleverness." A tall tree catches the wind! If you climb high, when the wind comes, are you not the first to be swept down? Therefore our aspirations must be lofty, but our temperament must be low. We have reached the final era. I only hope my children will understand principle — once, twice, three times.

To understand principle the first time: know "truth." To understand principle the second time: know "goodness" — treat others with a benevolent heart, not a merely human heart. To understand principle the third time: know "beauty" — let your life be filled with beauty.

Your Teacher hopes you will have the wisdom to discern right from wrong. If it accords with principle, advance. If it does not, retreat. Your Teacher also hopes you will have a steadfast heart — fix your direction, hold to your aim, and never waver for the rest of your life. Only then will you be worthy of standing alongside the sages and worthies.

Moreover, you must use your wisdom to manage matters skillfully and apply the teachings with agility. Although there is the Dharma of the Buddha, it does not lose its nimbleness. As long as you do not overstep the bounds, whatever you do is the Dharma of the Buddha.

Modern people are undone by their own cleverness. Cleverness is not true wisdom. The most important thing in cultivating the Dao is to bring forth true wisdom.

The falsely clever become extreme and love to show off. The truly wise are great wisdom appearing as folly. "With wisdom you can turn heaven and earth; without wisdom you will be buried by principle." Extinguish affliction, subdue every demon — only then can you escape the five aggregates and the three realms.

Where there is self, there is suffering. The one who tied the bell must untie it. To escape the bitter sea of affliction, you must rely on your own strength. No one else can help you.

How, then, do you achieve liberation? Begin with the cultivation of body, speech, and mind. All thoughts, intentions, and actions arise from the five aggregates. Through cultivation, purge the unwholesome habits. Quiet the restless mind. Be patient, be tolerant, have generosity of spirit. Accept adversity with grace, and wisdom grows. Think always of others, and you will naturally live in freedom and ease.

What is spoken now from present understanding — after half a year and the passage of time and circumstance, it may already have changed. But this moment's true feeling still must be spoken, so that it can be released into the vital energy and be digested. Everything that every person says falls within the order of principle, containing its own paired opposites. Therefore, in all things, turn the light inward and reflect. In this way, when you encounter great tests at the crossroads, you will be able to discern clearly.

In this era of the Great Deliverance, we are all a company seeking the Buddha-way above while delivering living beings below. Therefore we must be diligent, and then respond to each moment by speaking what is needed. The Dharma has no distinctions of high or low, deep or shallow — as long as it fits and resonates, that is enough.

19. What Is True Merit?

何謂真功德

My children! When you practice good works, never forget to cultivate inner virtue alongside them. Be careful with this kind of thinking. If you practice good works only to calculate — "how much merit do I gain for guiding one person?" or "if I guide sixty-four people, I can elevate one generation of ancestors" — is that true merit?

Have you heard the story of Emperor Wu of the Liang dynasty? As the saying goes: "Bodhidharma came from the West bringing not a single word. All depends on the work of heart and intention. If you seek the Buddha-Dharma on paper, your brush-tip will drain Lake Dongting dry." What does this mean? It means that Bodhidharma received heaven's mandate and looked toward the people of the East, who truly were a land of barbarians when it came to the Dharma — they understood not a thing. Although the Buddha-Dharma was circulating among them, none of them were seeing their true nature, none of them understood the root. And so, out of compassion, he traveled from the West to the East to meet Emperor Wu.

Although Emperor Wu had studied the Buddha-Dharma and had even performed some good works — he built temples, established monastic communities, let the monks chant sutras, gave them places to live and food to eat — he had a certain measure of good roots from these intentions, and so Bodhidharma would try to guide him.

When Emperor Wu first saw Bodhidharma, he found him rather unimpressive — dark-skinned, dirty, hardly the picture of an eminent monk. But someone said: "Do not underestimate this man!" So Emperor Wu provided for him.

After supporting Bodhidharma for several years, Bodhidharma thought: "This is no solution. My mission is not yet complete. I came to spread the Dharma — how is it that I have ended up confined here?" And so he decided to leave. But before departing, he still held onto a thread of hope that he could help Emperor Wu understand, that the emperor might awaken.

So he went to see Emperor Wu. The emperor asked: "I have built temples and supported monks — how much merit have I accumulated?" Bodhidharma replied: "In truth, no merit at all." Emperor Wu had built a monastery every five miles and a shrine every ten, and had supported monks and provided vegetarian meals — but his heart was attached, his giving was grasping at appearances, and this is what is called "leaking merit." Therefore Bodhidharma said there was no merit whatsoever. If Emperor Wu had possessed the root of wisdom at that moment, the Buddha-Dharma would not have remained so limited.

We must understand this today: when the heart is attached, is there merit? No. And what does "merit and virtue" actually mean? Let us take the two characters apart. "Merit" can be understood as practicing outer good works. "Virtue" can be understood as cultivating inner character.

If a person knows only how to practice outer works but does not cultivate inner virtue, then their merit is leaking.

For example, suppose we are spreading the Dao. If all we know is how to spread the Dao and guide people — this person comes to receive the Dao, fine — but we do not cultivate our own hearts, and later we cannot get along with them, cannot communicate our ideals, and our own moral character cannot accommodate them, then that person may well turn away from the Dao entirely. Tell me: is that merit or not?

Let us set aside for now the question of whether there is merit. Just look at the result — is it worthwhile? No, it is not.

If you can look lightly upon your own desires — "today I have money, so I will eat a little less, spend a little less, and give the surplus to charity, help one more person, save one more person" — is that not wonderful? Even if you are wealthy today, if you no longer create blessings, in time your children and grandchildren will be poor. This is the natural principle of the cycle.

So if we can give more and do more good, then let us do it. Save a little on food, save a little on expenses, and use what is left to help others. However you do it, we must learn the practice of giving.

Let us speak of giving through the body. We can practice "eye-giving." How do you give with your eyes? Eye-giving is not something only people with large or beautiful eyes can do. Everyone can practice it.

How do you give with your eyes? Normally, the moment we are displeased, we give someone a cold look, a glare — that is not giving. True giving means that when people see us, they cannot help but smile. The eyes speak. What do they say? Your eyes should make people feel warmth, kindness, and care. That is eye-giving.

To practice mouth-giving — how do you give with your mouth? Speak good words. What else? Guide people toward the Dao — and to guide people you must use skillful methods. This is called "Dharma-giving." Our mouths should be used to speak kind words, not to point out people's faults, not to scold and criticize constantly. Isn't that right? Smile more. Give people a few words of encouragement.

Perhaps today you speak a kind word to someone, you offer a caring greeting, and it helps that person through a crisis, resolves their worry — then are you not a great benefactor? That is cultivation! Smile at people more. That is giving!

Cultivation is a natural thing. It arises of its own accord. Why would you need someone else to tell you to do it? Why would you need someone to push you? When you sacrifice for the sake of all beings — whether giving money or giving effort — there is no need to say much about it, and no need to make sure others notice. In fact, the best thing is to forget entirely that you have practiced any good works at all.

My children, can you take whatever small achievements you have in spreading the Dao and say they are your own ability? Do you have such ability? You cannot claim personal credit, because in all your spreading of the Dao, guiding people, and pioneering new territory, you have relied entirely on heaven's mandate and the golden thread, entirely on the compassionate light of all the celestial Immortals and Buddhas. It is through them that you can succeed in guiding living beings, in carrying out this work of saving the world and rescuing people. Whether you can see it or not, all the Immortals and Buddhas are silently helping, silently transforming. Therefore you must not have a heart of pride. Heaven "will not help a person who is proud." My children! Listen well to this.

Furthermore, when there are achievements, give credit to your fellow cultivators and Dao-kin — not to yourself. Do you understand? Let your Teacher ask you: do you guide people for the sake of merit? Absolutely not. If you are still thinking, "How much merit do I gain for guiding one person?" — then you still do not understand the principle. This is simply what you are supposed to do. Is it not?

As for merit — what is merit? Where does it reside? If we are to speak of merit, then the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch says it plainly:

Seeing one's true nature is merit. Equanimity is virtue.
In every thought, no obstruction — always seeing the original nature.
True and wondrous function — this is called merit and virtue.
Inner humility of heart is merit. Outer conduct according to propriety is virtue.
Establishing the myriad dharmas from one's own nature is merit. The mind-essence free of scattered thoughts is virtue.
Never departing from one's own nature is merit. Responding to the world without defilement is virtue.

So if you seek the Dharma-body of merit and virtue, simply act according to this. These few sentences — go home and ponder them well, practice them well, and apply yourself to the work of your own heart and mind. In the end, teaching the Dao never departs from the cultivation of heart and nature. Do you understand? If you do not cultivate this heart, everything else is in vain!

20. The Wisdom of Human Life

人生的智慧

A verse says:

The sea of desire can never be filled — suffering without end.
A moment's happiness trails sorrow in its wake.
Prosperity and decline scatter like wind-blown clouds.
Joy and pain, unevenly portioned, breed delusion and anger.

Bright accomplishments, volumes of commentary —
Yet better than all of them is a little silence that keeps something true.
The lost are separated by a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers.
The awakened need only turn around — and they are home.

What is wisdom? It is what heaven bestows. It is not the cleverness acquired after birth. Where does wisdom arise? From fewer worries, fewer stray desires. Let yourself see deeply and far, and wisdom will open.

"Revere heaven and earth. Honor the spirits." The young people of this age promote atheism, but in the unseen depths there exists something sacred. Do you have a spirit? If you believe you have a spirit, that itself proves the existence of the divine in the unseen. So, my children, in studying the Dao today, first cut away the doubts in your heart.

Life is a play, and you are the actor. Do not think that because it is false you can perform carelessly — people will say you are irresponsible. Play your part with all your might, as though it were real. But do not be deceived by the role you play.

Right now you do not understand what is real, and you understand even less what is false. And so the true and the false, right and wrong, become impossible to tell apart.

One person speaks of feeling, another speaks of reason. When feeling is needed, you are too rational. When reason is needed, you are too emotional. Reason and feeling cannot hold the center, and when you lose the center you lean to one side, and when you lean to one side you are weighed down by it. If you wish to attain the wondrous wisdom of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, you must first give of yourself. Is that not so? Without offering and sacrifice, how can these things be gained?

All living beings are the same. When you bow before the Immortals and Buddhas, you must first kneel down and set aside all your high and low. The Immortals and Buddhas do not want you kneeling on the ground while your heart towers above — they want you to let go of "self-attachment," and only then can you and the Immortals and Buddhas share wisdom. Do you understand? Cast your gaze far. The human world is only this: you are born crying, and when you die others cry for you. In your brief passage through this world, have you left anything behind? Have people said of you: "That was a good person"? The Dao is accomplished in heaven; the name endures in the human world. How do you cultivate the Dao? When your eyes are fixed on a chair, can you see anything else? No. When fame and profit fill your vision, can you see matters of life and death? True wisdom must break through. Heaven will respond in its own wondrous way.

Reflect on life — birth, aging, illness, death. No one escapes them! Sour, sweet, bitter, spicy — these are always at our side. Now, are you "salty" toward people, or are you "good" to them? Either way, they feel it, do they not? Do not be too salty. Salty food — you cannot eat much of it. But something mild and plain, you can eat forever without growing tired of it, without growing afraid of it. Has anyone ever grown tired of drinking plain water? No. Has anyone grown tired of drinking fruit juice? Yes. That is the Dao. Is it not?

The Dao is not something strange and fantastical. If today I turned you into a beauty and tomorrow into a monster, and then suddenly aged you to ninety-nine — that would not be the Dao. The Dao is natural growth. You grow naturally through learning. Do not demand of yourself that you instantly become a great Buddha who forgets all worldly affairs — I am not asking you to go home and become an idiot, am I? Have wisdom. Draw from your experiences. Your wisdom will slowly accumulate, your moral character will become like the sages', and your face will grow brighter and brighter!

In the human world, yin and yang stand in opposition. There is good and evil, black and white. Today, what kind of purpose do you hold — a good purpose, a bad purpose, or a natural purpose? You want a good purpose? Then you are still turning within the wheel of yin and yang. Your Teacher has already told you: where there is evil, there is good. If you want good now, you must accept the bitter fruit. Is that not so? Why do I tell you to practice goodness? Because of what you have done before. You must use good to subdue evil, to settle the causes of the past.

My foolish children! Use wisdom! Whatever looks good before your eyes will sooner or later turn bad. Everything lasting is plain and simple — just like water. You once came from the Infinite. Since you came here, why does your Teacher now urge you to awaken to the road home? Because you must settle the "coming," and now it is time to settle the "going."

No matter what karma you created in past lives, as long as you recognize the principle and practice sincerely in this life, your good intentions will certainly be met by heaven's response. It does not matter whether you come to the Dao early or late. As long as the heart is willing, even one who arrives late can bear fruit — just as a branch must have good roots to flourish.

My children possess extraordinary wisdom. Use it with agility and grace. Do not cling in your cultivation. Learn the Old Patriarch's great generosity. Learn the Old Patriarch's vast compassion and great vows. Have you truly experienced this?

In daily life, let your practice go deep and be substantial, and the worries in your heart will gradually dissolve. Are you not always troubled, unable to make up your minds? Reflect. Clear away some of your failings, and your wisdom will open.

Repent often. Give thanks often. Give of yourself often. Only then will you discover that your wisdom flows without ceasing. Apart from seeking forgiveness and expressing gratitude, there is no other path. People today fight wars over religion, igniting religious conflicts — that is a departure from the Middle Way.

The principle of the Mean is neither leaning nor biased. The Great Dao has no form, no appearance — "Dao" is merely a name forced upon it. Understand the truth, step out of right and wrong, turn the light inward, cultivate the heart and refine the nature — then these problems disappear. Human civilization can save people, and it can harm people. Those who use it for good — wonderful. Those who use it for evil — they harm everyone. Fruit must follow its season to ripen well. Follow nature and things will flourish, just as spring, summer, autumn, and winter never reverse their course. In the same way, we who cultivate the Dao should follow the truth. Know this: those who follow heaven flourish; those who defy heaven perish. For the wise person today, the real test is this: how do you use your wisdom to govern this world? How do you use your wisdom to change this society? To truly destroy the degenerate winds — that is what matters most. Do you understand?

If you were living in the age of the Tyrant Zhou, and you were a person of virtue and talent, how would you counsel the tyrant? A wise person must think about this. When we have finished reading history, we must think: if I had been alive in the Tyrant Zhou's era, what would I have done? This too is a kind of wisdom for governing the world. Suppose you see that society today is unstable and chaotic — you are living in this world, so how will you govern it? Nations are nothing but people joined together. If you are a person of virtue, how will you let others discover that virtue in you? And if they do discover you, how will you assist your ruler? How will you lead your workers, support your superiors?

What is political science? What is economics? Since you stand at your post, you should manage carefully: govern your people well, earn the trust of your ruler, even earn their reliance. Do not simply shout every day: "My talents are unrecognized! My talents are unrecognized!" If all you do is shout that your talents are unrecognized, then your ability really is less than others'! That is exactly why the ruler does not rely on you. Do you understand? A person of true wisdom and ability would never go around casually complaining that their talents are unrecognized.

Throughout history, fine generals and worthy ministers performed admirably — so why were fine generals still beheaded and worthy ministers still passed over? Was it not that some were too aloof? Some said the tyrant was too unrighteous, and so they refused to serve. Others said, "Those who walk different paths do not make plans together," and walked away. Is that right? Is that good? If everyone takes one look and says, "This world is too dark — I am going into hiding" — then who is left to govern it?

And so it is no wonder there are tyrants — because all of you ran away! No wonder the Tyrant Zhou became the Tyrant Zhou. Perhaps if you had not fled, he would never have become one. Use your heads, my children! Learn to shut out the noise and set aside the confusion. Only by letting go of outward entanglements and giving yourself a moment of quiet can you more easily enter the truth.

21. Follow Your Nature and There Is the Dao

率性而有道

What is sincere within will show itself outwardly. According to each person's temperament and bearing, what is cultivated inwardly will express itself in equal measure. Each person's inner cultivation is different, and what manifests is a kind of quality — one that is upright in principle yet harmonious in spirit. Follow your nature in action, but do not act on mere impulse. Following your nature does not mean doing whatever you please — it must be reasonable and fitting. And "reasonable and fitting" simply means putting yourself in the other person's place and considering their position.

To follow your nature means that your seven emotions and six desires all issue forth in due measure. If even the subtlest thought does not stray from the Middle Way, that is following your nature. If you can act at every moment according to the heavenly principle and conscience within you, never overstepping the bounds, that is following your nature. But if you act on the basis of your own joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, that is not following your nature. In short, act according to your innate knowing and innate ability, and that is following your nature.

If a person is forced to act unnaturally, their living heaven-given nature cannot flow, and therefore they will have no wisdom. Because they cannot fully engage, they produce no experience, no inspiration. When a person is in an unnatural state, it is very easy to lose oneself.

Are you not always wearing masks, deceiving others and deceiving yourselves? One who deceives others is pitiable, but one who deceives oneself is more pitiable still. If today you are deceiving your own heart, it means you can no longer move forward. You carry so many burdens on your back that you cannot even raise your head, and you cannot see the road you should be walking. Is the comfort of the body truly comfort? Even if you live in a grand mansion and eat the finest delicacies, if your heart is ashamed before heaven and ashamed before people, can you live at ease? In the deep of night, will you not reproach yourself? Only when the heart is at ease can life be called truly joyful. Is that not so?

Do not worry about your thoughts and your image being known by others. Sometimes the more candid you are, the more you gain what you truly seek.

Every person should know their own faults and strengths. The more you speak of your own faults to others, the closer you are to the path of the sages. Because you are willing to speak openly of your shortcomings, it shows your heart is open and bright — it shows you do not wish to hide your failings — and so your cultivation will only improve. As long as your endurance is sufficient and you work harder than others, you can achieve "where there is a will, there is a way." If you want something but are not willing to express it, how will others know to give it? Therefore, with people, with affairs, with heaven — it is all the same: if you truly want something, express it with your whole nature. If you want to act but do not dare, then nothing will be accomplished — and that is not following your nature. Whatever you do today, if it is done unnaturally, then your circumstances and your fate will also be unnatural. Conversely, as long as it accords with heavenly principle, your fate will flow toward the natural.

The reason you are unhappy today is that you are not living naturally. Only by following your nature can you truly achieve naturalness. If you carry layer upon layer of disguise and image, there is nothing natural about you at all.

If you wish to free yourself, you must first see clearly what binds you. Is it fame? Profit? Attachment? Or your own stubbornness? Look first at your own attachments. See what holds you. Then untie the knot, and only then can you achieve true liberation, true letting go.

Being free and easy is not something you can claim with words. True freedom is when your spirit has genuinely let go.

In all things, have resolve. What should be done, do it. Do not hesitate too much, think too much — otherwise the obstacles multiply.

22. The Many Faces of Cultivators

修道人眾生相

"The highest good is like water." What qualities does water possess? Water has six qualities. The first is tolerance — it takes in everything. The second is dissolving — it softens what is hard. The third is suppleness. Consider: what happens when soil meets water? It becomes loose and soft, does it not? After rain, the earth becomes pliable. Is that not suppleness? The fourth is permeation. Here is another example: a block of wood soaked in water — what happens over time? Does it not rot? In the same way, you live in this turbid world — will you not lose yourself? So you must hold firm to your direction. Do not drift with the current. The fifth is erosion — the slow wearing away. The sixth is equality — water always finds its level. Your Teacher hopes you will study these qualities of water and make them the guiding principles of your cultivation.

What are you cultivating when you cultivate the Dao? To put it simply: you are smoothing out all the wave-like disturbances that daily life and its circumstances have created in your heart, bringing it back to stillness. When a person can always follow their true nature, they naturally receive what is real — and this is what we call "naturalness." Between heaven and earth, all of nature is simply a current of spontaneous energy flowing. If a person cannot be natural, that person is going against heaven. Even if you obtain a great deal, it will not be natural. If you want something genuine, you must give a genuine heart. Although not every matter needs to be disclosed, the heart itself must never be concealed. What we cultivate today is precisely this: remove what is bad, and preserve the original, pure heart.

The first thing in cultivation is to fulfill your own duty. Only after you have done your own part well can you help others. Always keep a good heart, speak good words, do good deeds. My children — your goodness, kept hidden inside, what use is it? Bring it out, and that is virtue. So in daily life, develop the habit of speaking kindly, lest you find that when the time comes, you cannot change. This is the bit-by-bit effort of cultivation.

The most important virtues for a cultivator are: humility, devotion, open-mindedness, sincerity, diligent practice, filial piety, reverence for teachers, and thrift.

People easily lose their true nature and their awareness through countless little "it's nothings." As the saying goes: "Do not fail to do good because it seems small; do not do evil because it seems small." In a word: never forget that you are cultivating, moment by moment.

The way of loyalty and reciprocity means holding to the center and threading all things through one principle. All matters and all things share a single truth. Loyalty and reciprocity mean preserving the heart and nourishing the nature. What heart do you preserve? A good heart, a conscientious heart, a kind heart. What nature do you nourish? The pre-heaven nature. The sages of old pursued learning through "inquiring into the Dao." The ancient sages would never go and entangle themselves in the seven emotions and six desires. Knowing that these things disturb people, why would you go near them?

To do good, you must also understand the principle of giving and receiving. "Giving and receiving" means that only by giving can you receive. Learning requires both study and questions — not studying and not asking, or studying without asking, is not true learning.

To cultivate means to correct. Cultivate and correct! At all times, watch your thoughts — if your thoughts go wrong, your steps go wrong. What is wrong must be corrected. That is what "cultivate" means. If you do not correct your temper and your faults, how can you call yourself a cultivator? Today you have already set foot on this path. You have the conditions for cultivation. Remember this: whatever you need to change, change it quickly. Men who smoke, chew betel nut, or shout — rein it in. What should be removed, remove it. Do not cling to your inherited dispositions. Let your pure, original nature shine forth — brighter, more complete. Women, too — do not pursue modern fashions. Our most essential concern is to live simply for a lifetime. Peace is itself a blessing — just seek peace. Seek simplicity, dignity, and poise. That is the model and standard for women.

Why must cultivation include inner work? At the Buddha Hall it is called cultivation, but is it not also cultivation at home? Therefore "to cultivate is to correct" — and to correct is to nourish oneself. The so-called "inner work" means cultivating virtue. Fulfill your role at home: if you are a father, shoulder the responsibility of providing for the family. If you are a child, fulfill the duty of honoring your parents. Every person has come bearing a mission. Whatever your status, whatever your role, you have responsibilities and obligations — and how you fulfill them is entirely up to your own heart.

As the saying goes: "Born in adversity, one dies in comfort." Although you may be in difficult straits, you must let that soil bring forth abundant fruit and plentiful harvest. How do you make the grain bear a double ear? It depends on how you cultivate your virtue and how you put it into practice. So your Teacher asks you to accord with the truth of heaven and earth at every moment. Will you do this?

A sound character is essential for a cultivator. But how do you achieve it? "Though the Dao may be everywhere, if you do not walk it, you will not arrive. Though a task may be small, if you do not do it, it will not be done." It is simply this: know yourself, and fulfill your own duty. Confucius at seventy could follow his heart's desire without overstepping the bounds. Now that you understand this, move in that direction. In all things great and small, engage fully, and do it until you can follow your heart without overstepping.

Cultivation begins with the human path. If you have not done well yourself, how can you claim the Dao is true and the principle is true?

How you treat others is the first priority of cultivation. Whether a person is cultivated or not — it shows in how they treat people. Think more about what others have done for you, and you will feel that you yourself have not done enough. Only with this feeling will you change, will you improve. If you only ever demand of others, you yourself will never progress.

Life is the Dao, and the Dao is life. As long as you apply the Dao in your daily life, that is cultivation. Cultivation is not something strange, and it is not a difficult thing. As long as you understand, you can apply it at any time — and that is the Dao. Originally, people did not need to cultivate the Dao. It is only because greed, anger, delusion, and desire grew too great that cultivation became necessary. To cultivate is to tidy up — to clean the heart. That is all.

The Dao is in daily life. In every breath, in every movement and stillness, you must accord with principle. Between the ordinary person and the Buddha, there is no difference in original nature — the only difference is between confusion and awakening. The confused are sentient beings. The awakened become Buddhas. To cultivate the Heavenly Dao, follow your vow, exhaust your heart, and act in accordance with heavenly principle — this has nothing to do with worldly social obligations. At the same time, a cultivator must see the Dao in practice and embody it: respect elders, honor the worthy, value loyalty, know propriety. Put the Dao into practice in daily life.

When the heart is restless and agitated, what happens to your cultivation? You get half the result for twice the effort. Let the heart be still and clear, and the spirit will naturally be clear, and wisdom will arise naturally. When the heart is at peace, that is the highest joy. When the heart is not at peace, there is worry, and there is no happiness. The wellspring of the greatest joy does not come from outward changes or the pleasures of the senses — it comes from the source of your own heart. And so we cultivate the Dao by cultivating the heart. That is all.

How do you cultivate? First, you must have a pure heart, a sincere heart, and patience. Without a pure heart, you have only worries and delusions all day long, and the heart will never settle — how can you cultivate the Dao? So the first step into the Buddha's gate is to set down the straying thoughts that should not be there, to maintain a pure heart, and to use a sincere heart to comprehend the Dharma. "Sincerity means no-thing" — it means letting go of all attachment and human willfulness, seeking inward for the true nature. Only when the heart is free of attachment can there be a sincere heart.

In cultivation, learn to see through things and let go at all times. If you can pick something up, you should be able to set it down. Do not take worldly affairs too seriously, do not calculate too closely. Calculation breeds suffering, and suffering drives out happiness. Cultivation should make you happier and happier. Every day, no matter when or where, each day should be better than the last.

When handling affairs, see far and see wide. Set down the heart of attachment. Analyze the matter, and you will see where in life's journey you went wrong, and you can correct it.

True freedom means nothing weighing on the heart, everything understood as empty. This is the most fundamental principle of the cultivator. Cultivate by letting go, by emptying, by seeing through. If someone wants something, give it to them. What good does worry do? That is clinging. Let go, and you are free.

"The garden of Maitreya" means living in harmony, without division, putting yourself in others' place, helping one another. In cultivation, see reality clearly, see the principle clearly — do not be swayed by worldly feelings and false appearances. Do not be muddled and unawakened. The work of cultivating heart and nature depends on your daily practice. Watch your fire — do not let your temper burn too hot, or your ailments will only increase. An unhealthy body is connected to an unhealthy heart. When the mood is open and bright, the body will turn toward health. Live lightly. Do not be too stubborn or unyielding. In all dealings, be generous and broad-hearted, and people will respect you. When heaven sees that you treat others well, heaven will help you in your times of need. If you sincerely guide people, perfect people, save people — if you sincerely cultivate and practice the Dao — your ailments will naturally lighten.

At every moment, carry an ordinary heart. No matter how others treat you, you should still face them with an ordinary heart. That is what is right. Do not say, "He treats me badly, so I will be rude to him." When two people struggle in open and hidden conflict, the heart grows uncomfortable. When the heart is always in conflict, the body will not be healthy. A cultivator must be healthy in body and spirit. The body may sometimes suffer illness and hardship — that is nothing. As long as the heart remains ordinary and healthy, that is enough. A heart that always cares for others and helps others — that is what matters most.

The first condition for becoming a Buddha is to smile always. A smile dispels the sorrows of the ages. The one who smiles always is Maitreya. When you smile constantly, no one will clash with you, and harmony comes naturally. If your face is tense and your brows are drawn down, it is not a good look. So be like the winter sun! Smiling, bright! Then things will go smoothly. The face follows the heart: when you hold warmth, your face shows a spring breeze; when you hold worry, your face shows only sorrow.

Be a happy cultivator — every day joyful and carefree, laughing and lighthearted, without worries. But within the laughter, hold to measure. Only then is it natural. If naturalness tips over into carelessness, and you become sloppy, people will look down on you. Is that fitting for a cultivator?

When things go wrong, open your heart and laugh. If you still cannot let go, then let it pass. It is already over — why cling to it? Clinging only adds to your burden. Good or bad, once it is past, it is past. Do not grow complacent when things go well — keep a humble heart. And when things go badly, correct them and move on — there is nothing to be ashamed of.

Laughter — some people laugh foolishly, some laugh coldly, some laugh with cunning. Only the laughter of an open heart is truly comfortable. I hope my children will learn to be open. Do not place garbage upon your heart — garbage left too long will rot and stink. Keep this mood always. There is a saying: "No one strikes a smiling face." When you have done wrong, apologize, smile, and that is that! Once you smile, will anyone have the heart to strike you? As long as you are willing to admit your fault, and lower your heart in humility — humility is the best path. Think of it this way: if you come to the Buddha Hall every day with a bitter-gourd face, will anyone want to follow your example?

Living in the world is like singing a song. If the notes are too high, few can sing along. And yet even in a high-pitched melody there is a soft side. The high notes and the softness together create beautiful music. Being human is the same. You may be upright, you may demand perfection in all things — that is good — but when others try to keep pace, very few can match your step. In this world, where will you find perfection? Sometimes you must slow your pace, sometimes quicken it, so that the breath can carry you higher. Only then will you see through life more clearly, enjoy this lifetime more fully, and find the true pleasure of cultivation.

Live your own life, and leave a little space for others. Then your life becomes truly whole. Cultivate virtue. Only with virtue comes true blessing. And "leave a margin" — leave others some room, and you have also planted some virtue for yourself.

We should follow the example of the Old Patriarch! He had such great generosity of heart — he could see through everything. Do you have that generosity? Can you see through everything? I suspect that money alone is hard enough for you to see through, is it not? Even though you say, "Fine, the Teacher says not to calculate, so I will not calculate" — there is still a pang in the heart, is there not? It is not only money that should not be calculated. Even in the smallest, most humble work, do not keep score. Remove the unfairness from your heart, and you will see all things without any agenda, and your heart will be at ease. But if your heart is full of calculation and grievance, then nothing will go well. Once resentment enters the heart, success becomes very difficult.

A child's heart is innocent. A child's heart does not hold grudges. So, my children, in cultivation you must not hold grudges either. In all things, learn from the good in others.

People tend to compromise themselves to accommodate others, and so they often feel bitter. In cultivation we do not fear hardship. Only by eating bitterness can you put an end to bitterness and find happiness. When you are suffering, you pay special attention to everything. When you are prosperous, you often forget who you are.

People love to show off their strength, to puff up their faces to look fat. In the end, the one who loses is yourself. We should do as much as our strength allows — no more and no less.

Cultivation is a very deep kind of learning. Everyone knows that to cultivate the Dao is to cultivate the heart. But which heart, and in what way? These are things you must contemplate deeply. How well a person cultivates — how good they are, and to what degree — only they themselves truly know. People are always concerned with saving face, never wanting to lose, never wanting to concede. When they have clearly made a mistake — or even a small one — they refuse to accept it, refuse to admit it, and become angry with shame. That is wrong.

Everyone has wisdom. Everyone should think things over carefully. When you are wrong, correct yourself. Making a mistake is nothing — treat one another with sincerity, do not harm the harmony. When there are differences, blend them together. Do not insist stubbornly on your own view. A steel blade snaps easily, but what is supple can overcome what is hard.

Lower your heart and humble your spirit. A cultivator must not be arrogant. The moment you become arrogant, you ruin your own cultivation. Ruining your own cultivation might seem like your own affair, but it also damages the reputation of the Dao. People know you are a cultivator — and cultivation means propriety, sincerity, earnestness. If you are a cultivator who does not recognize the truth, who is haughty and vain, who treats others without respect — then when you say you are a cultivator, will anyone believe you? Even if you say the Dao is wonderful, will anyone follow you?

Life should be lively and adaptable. Do not be too rigid, and do not care too much about appearances. On the other hand, liveliness should not become license.

People must help one another in life. Humility allows harmonious coexistence. Do not be aloof or proud. Do not think that because something is small it does not matter — that is how you prevent larger problems. Cultivation means attending to every moment, every second, concentrating on cultivating this heart, planting good causes, so that the true nature may shine. If you pray for the Buddhas to bless your health but refuse to correct your own temper and faults, that will not work. For cultivation is your own — no one else can do it for you. If you muddle through your days, bad habits will grow like weeds and block the true nature. "Among three people walking together, one is surely my teacher." When you are wrong, I correct you; when I am wrong, you correct me. We improve together. Friends should not trade in gossip and slander; they should be united in one spirit. That is a true cultivator — one who conceals others' faults and praises their virtues, who takes responsibility for failures and gives credit for successes.

Take a cup half full of water. Is it not easier to walk with than a cup filled to the brim? Then why do you insist on having everything full? As the saying goes: "Fullness invites loss; humility receives gain." Know this principle.

After entering the door, learn with a lowered heart. If you do not lower your heart, you will learn nothing. The first step matters most. When you study under someone, always ask with humility. Cultivation requires real effort. Once you have learned how to work, that is when you should become even more humble. Look at the rice stalk — the taller it grows, the lower it bows its head. Cultivation is the same. Do not think that because you are a senior practitioner you need not be humble. What is inside may be hollow — and that is exactly the point. Cultivation is not easy, but it must still be done. Begin with yourself — establish yourself and then establish others, fulfill yourself and then fulfill others. No money, no food, no leisure — is that suffering? So busy you cannot rest — is that suffering? Forget the suffering and it is no longer suffering. Keep dwelling on it, and it becomes a sea of bitterness. Forget suffering and you will always be happy. But when you are happy, do not forget yourself and lose your measure.

To cultivate you must bring forth wisdom. If you believe something is right for others, go and do it. If you believe it is right but others disagree, that is because inherited temperament and private desire have taken the lead — and that is bias. When we cultivate the Dao, we act from the heavenly heart and the conscience. That is cultivation.

After cultivating, you are all "upright people, normal people, and extraordinary people" — because you are not ordinary. Your Teacher hopes you will not be like ordinary people. When ordinary people get angry, you should not get angry. When ordinary people make mistakes, you should not make mistakes. That is what it means to be an extraordinary person who surpasses the ordinary.

Some people — the more they cultivate, the more slippery they become. The more they cultivate, the more muddled they get. They do not know whether they are making mistakes. But they are! They just do not realize it. Think carefully!

There are things about which you may be confused, but when it comes to what you owe others, do not be confused about that. As for what others owe you — about that you may be confused. And about the path of cultivation, you absolutely must not be confused. When confusion is inappropriate, be precise and deliberate. In cultivation, do not use tricks. Be able to persevere in wisdom that appears foolish. A step backward opens a wider sky. Being too clever, too forceful, leaves less room for harmony everywhere. In these times, even cleverness must be used according to the right moment, the right matter, the right place, the right circumstance. "Scratch your own itch; let others praise your goodness." Therefore: do not be too reserved in cultivation. Too much reserve means no Dao to cultivate.

Cultivation and spreading the Dao are like needle and thread. A needle without thread cannot sew.

In cultivation, do not put the cart before the horse — otherwise the consequences will be dire.

You often hear "truths" passed along by hearsay that sound very reasonable but may not actually be reasonable at all. It is like someone who appears very devout and enthusiastic but may not actually be pleasing to the Immortals and Buddhas — because some people, in the end, are only cultivating the surface.

A cultivator should be pure of mouth, pure of heart, and pure of intention. Especially the pure mouth — it is the driving force of cultivation. And when the heart is pure, the spirit naturally returns to its original state.

Study the Dao earnestly. No one is born omniscient. Every person has their own talents, their own heaven-given gifts, their own abilities — all different. In this world of dust, use your own strength and ability to serve humanity. A single mouth can raise a person to the heights, and the same mouth can destroy a reputation. This mouth can build merit, and it can create transgression. Whether it becomes merit or sin depends on the true master within you.

Invisibly, your virtue must continue to rise. Though you may not see it growing day by day, it does grow. Though you may not see it lengthening, it does lengthen. My children, be careful in your words and cautious in your conduct. Only then can your virtue truly increase.

When you hear something about a person, unless you have seen it with your own eyes and truly understand the situation, you have no right to speak. Each of us should possess a certain virtue — and what is that? Conceal others' faults and praise their strengths! Do you have this virtue? Or are you concealing the good and broadcasting the bad? When someone does well, you say nothing. But the moment they make one small mistake, you rush to tell everyone — "this person made a mistake, this person is no good." Is that not concealing the good and broadcasting the bad?

A person must be responsible for their words. Without trustworthiness, one cannot stand. Take responsibility for what you say — it is not something to be tossed off lightly. A cultivator has nothing special — just this: be responsible for yourself. When you are responsible for yourself, you are responsible for all.

Speak more good words, fewer bad words. Everyone likes to hear kind words. But appropriate praise is good — if the praise is unwarranted, people will say you are not sincere, and it will damage your character.

In all affairs, be both square and round. Act with integrity, navigate with flexibility, be adaptable and responsive — then you will have a standard to follow and achieve completion. With a clear direction comes a clear goal. If you are adrift on a vast ocean without a helmsman, how will you reach your destination? Without principle, you cannot take a single step. Principle is the road. When the road of principle is clear, that is the Dao.

In everything you do, do it with precision and care. Especially as a cultivator — in society, you must not bring shame upon yourself. Guard your own reputation, and guard the reputation of the Heavenly Dao, and be mindful of your parents — because you represent the entire community.

Young people always have "energy." What you must cultivate is righteous energy — the vast and upright energy that reaches to heaven. Once you have filled yourself with righteous energy, no evil spirit, no evil ghost, no evil force will dare to invade your body or your heart.

Learn to adjust yourself. Even a winding stream pauses at the bend before flowing on. In all things, think three times before acting — and even after thinking three times, you still cannot be certain there will be no mistake.

Do you like yourself? Do you like others? Do you dislike anyone? Why do you dislike them? Because they do not please your eye — which is to say, you have given rise to a discriminating mind. You like what pleases you and dislike what does not. That is not good.

One day of cultivation earns one day of merit. The sages said: "Cultivation is something you must do yourself!" How you treat others is how they will treat you. If you want others to treat you well, first treat them well. The original nature has no oppositions — it is sentient beings who love to keep score. And the one who keeps score is the one who suffers! Cast your gaze far. Do not covet what is right before your eyes. Thinking too short, you step too short. Looking far, the road extends.

Even the Immortals must cultivate — how much more so must human beings! Because even Immortals fear their own fall. Living among the five elements, you should cultivate all the more. A wealthy person is not necessarily well-cultivated from a past life — sometimes the wealthy commit even greater evil. Everyone must be careful. As they say: the higher you stand, the harder you fall.

When the heart of the Dao is lost, your Teacher would like to help you find it — but in the end you must rely on yourself. And if what you find is crooked, what then? Draw close to the virtuous. Learn from their correct steps on the path.

To find yourself, you must be worthy of yourself. What you do is not done for others to see — it is done for yourself to see. Do not seek repayment, do not seek advantage — simply give your whole heart and whole strength. After giving fully, the heart naturally rests without guilt and without striving. Do not care how others think. Do not worry about the future. Only ask: in this very moment, have I given my whole heart? Whether it turned out well or not is another matter. Each person's ability is limited. As long as you have given your all, you can face your own heart without shame. But what must you insist on changing? Only your own temper and faults — insist on changing them, on turning from evil toward good. That is the purpose of cultivation.

In the journey of cultivation and spreading the Dao, whatever you do, do it with your full strength. Even if you cannot achieve perfection at once, as long as you demand of yourself, as long as you ask yourself: "Did I give my all?" — if the answer is yes, then you can face death without regret, your heart at peace.

Cultivation is fundamentally natural — unforced, and plain, and centered. The moment you force it, you have lost the Dao. And yet if you do not force it but make no progress either, that too is not the Dao. Neither leaning nor biased — this is the Mean. This is following the nature.

All beginnings are difficult. If there is nothing to do and you act aimlessly, you can hardly fulfill your duty or settle your life. The sages prevented illness before it arose, never straying by a hair's breadth. Do not dismiss another's truth in order to impose your own error. Weigh, then you will know what is heavy and light. Measure, then you will know what is long and short. Proceed with care. The ancients wrote sparingly yet never idly. "The one who starts a bad precedent has no successors." How much more careful must we be today? What are the "Eight Kinds of Sincerity"?

One — Foolish sincerity: Not understanding the truth yet blindly following. Cultivating in confusion.

Two — Deviant sincerity: Harboring ingratitude, seeking the Buddhas only in need, abandoning them when not, chasing illusions and phantoms.

Three — Cunning sincerity: Performing only surface merit, cleverly borrowing others' flowers to offer the Buddha, scheming to steal others' credit.

Four — False sincerity: Harboring hidden motives, crying and laughing by turns, seeking personal gain, selfish and unfair, acting from emotion rather than principle.

Five — Clear sincerity: Understanding both affairs and principle, the path of reason illuminated.

Six — Accomplished sincerity: Toward heaven, toward earth, toward people, toward affairs — nothing that is not examined with care.

Seven — Great sincerity: Moving all people and all things to share in the completion.

Eight — Supreme sincerity: Participating in the transforming and nurturing work of heaven and earth. Transcending past and present. Within, no self that is saving. Without, no other that is saved. In union with heaven and earth.

Ji Gong's Ten Precepts for Disciples, in verse:

I teach my disciples the Dharma's treasure —
A clear head is the first rule of all.

Study, review, and keep the rites of propriety —
Inside and outside as one: the second rule.

Let your cultivation be thorough and complete —
Gentle and generous: the third rule.

Toil of heart and tempering of nature build character —
Bathe in virtue, wash the self: the fourth rule.

Study the sages and worthies without keeping score —
Follow your lot, follow your portion: the fifth rule.

For the long road, never let the will grow weary —
Sincere, constant, and resolute: the sixth rule.

From beginning to end, investigate the truth with care —
Exhaust principle, exhaust the nature: the seventh rule.

Forget attachment, cut off stray thoughts, and nourish the temperament —
Vigilant and self-possessed: the eighth rule.

Wash the seven emotions and six desires until they are clean —
Still and far-reaching: the ninth rule.

Respectful, generous, trustworthy, agile, gracious, and bright —
Give and give again: the tenth rule.

Your Teacher gives these ten precepts to his children,
Hoping only that you will cultivate the Dao early.

Recognize the true meaning of this human life —
Service and sacrifice are the highest path.

Do not look down upon this body of yours —
On heaven's behalf, practice the Dao and save your fellow beings.

The nine-six Buddha-children are originally one body —
With united hearts and strength, the Dharma boat will sail.

As long as my children have three parts sincerity,
Your Teacher will naturally lend his full strength.

Abandon the work halfway and the achievement crumbles —
Your ancestors bear the shame, the resentment lingers.

So, my children, engrave this in your hearts —
From beginning to end, cultivate faithfully until you are old.

The one who cultivates the Dao removes bad habits, casts off delusion, understands the principle clearly, and walks in step with the Dao — at all hours of the day according to the Mean, neither leaning nor biased, seeking sincerity of intention and rectitude of heart, cautious and without duplicity. As if ten eyes were watching, ten hands pointing — strict in solitude, every thought never leaving the original nature, enriching the inner virtue, vast as the sea, nurturing as the spring. When inner sainthood is achieved, outer kingship follows. Cultivate the self, govern the self, guide the multitudes back to truth, return to the uncarved origin. The wise embody this, practice it earnestly, spread the Great Dao far and wide, transcend the worldly and enter the sacred, and return to the Infinite Heaven of Principle.

23. The Human Heart Influences Heaven's Seasons

人心影響天時

Look — the times have changed. The situation has changed. The human heart has changed. Why have the times changed? Because the human heart changed first, and the times followed. The change of the times and the change of the human heart are one and the same. Transcend them, and you will also find liberation.

By now, cultivation is already late. The sages, Immortals, and Buddhas of the past — we can no longer see them. The times have changed, and if you wish to see a traditional cultivator, they are no longer here.

You must understand that heaven's hour is urgent. Your Teacher is not deceiving you. A force of energy drives every era: if in a given place the people harbor resentment, if everyone is consumed by greed, then this evil energy, once it boils over, brings calamity and catastrophe — and the good are swept away alongside the rest. Therefore you must truly cultivate virtue. That is the root. Only then can you escape the tribulation.

"The blazing sun is about to fall — and the darkness pursues without mercy." These two lines may seem simple, but they contain heaven's mystery. Do not dismiss them. This is no longer the hour of the blazing noonday sun. It is the hour of harvest at dusk — the hour when selection becomes easy. Among you, the good and the bad are mixed together. Some are good; some not as good. If you are able to enter the Dao now, able to study deeply, then you must also act. Only after acting can the true measure be seen. And if you want to act, you will face trials. Trials can weaken your resolve. This is precisely the time of judgment.

Your Teacher sees the human heart at work. The world today is unstable and turbulent — and why? Because the human heart is insatiable. Because of this insatiability, demons descend in droves. If you wish to keep your thoughts upright, study the classics of the sages, Immortals, and Buddhas. Learn to walk in the footsteps of the sages. Keep your path from straying. Only then can you escape calamity.

Your Teacher knows that the great tribulation is approaching. At every gathering, at every altar session, this is what your Teacher speaks of. But how many of you understand? Your Teacher sees the times shifting, and yet one by one you remain lost in delusion. It breaks your Teacher's heart. Do you understand?

Your Teacher knows heaven's hour is urgent, but you do not understand the times. Ah! In the end, the help must come from yourselves. You yourselves can create all things, you yourselves can give rise to all methods, you yourselves can resolve everything.

Natural disasters and human catastrophes are many now, because everyone's energy is too fierce. When fierce energy rushes upward to heaven, heaven can only send disaster down in response. A person's energy must not be too hard and sharp. When it is, the storm comes.

Technology has its good and its bad — yin and yang, two sides. Technology hides within it the seed of destruction, and so we need the sages' Dao to save us. Although the sky is not yet red from horizon to horizon, the situation is already sunset. Perhaps you are comfortable right now, sitting here listening to the Dao — but have you considered where the times are heading? It is not early! Therefore: one day of practicing good works is one day of merit; one day spent in vain is one day of emptiness. And the emptiness I mean is not the "emptiness" of the sages — it is the vast, directionless emptiness of a life lost.

24. The Spirit of the Cultivator

修行者的精神

My children! What is pioneering? You are all pioneers and sacrificial workers — the ones who bring the Great Dao out into the world, who offer your bodies to serve the Dao. But one by one you have all lost your spirit! You call me Teacher — well, shouldn't you at least have some of my spirit? Every time I ask: "Where is your Teacher?" you answer: "In our hearts!" "Then when will we meet?" "At any time!" You are playing with my feelings! If you truly kept me in your hearts, how could you look like this?

Was pioneering not your own choice? It was, because you made the vow! Was sacrificing yourself to serve the Dao not your own wish? No one forced you. You were young, lively, lovely, generous, and beautiful. So why is it that after walking this road of cultivation and service, you have gradually grown old, your health declining, sinking deeper and deeper?

Some of you say: "My faith is unshakeable — neither time nor space can test me or move me." And yet, your Teacher has found this is not a statement of fact. It is something you say when you are trying to motivate yourselves, because actually living it is very hard. You have aspirations but no backbone, don't you? You have all kinds of aspirations — to become sages, gentlemen, lecturers, altar masters — many aspirations, but no backbone. When it gets hard, you give up. No backbone, no grit. Am I wrong?

Now your Teacher will treat your heart-illness. Those who lack backbone — is that not a deficiency of vital energy? When blood and qi are insufficient, the body is weak. In truth, the illness of the heart comes from inner knots — and each person's knots have different causes and different sizes. The treatment must match the disease. Your illnesses are many and varied. Give your Teacher some time for a free clinic, alright?

First: let us understand why we set foot on this road. You say the Dao is good, that only the Dao can save all beings, that you came to fulfill your vows and clear your debts, that the Dao is your ideal, that it can change destiny and transcend birth and death. Fine. But you also say that going overseas to pioneer will surely fulfill your vows and clear your debts. If your purpose in pioneering is to fulfill your own vows, you have put the cart before the horse. If one day your thinking clouds and you say: "I am sick, I am still suffering — so how does pioneering count as fulfilling vows?" — or: "I went overseas and people still scold me, so pioneering must not work — I will stop" — then you were never clear to begin with.

Pioneering can fulfill vows and clear debts. But if you pioneer for the purpose of fulfilling vows and clearing debts, it is like doing meritorious deeds for the purpose of gaining merit — and then there is no merit at all. Do you understand?

Suppose today you are sick and you think: "If I go overseas to pioneer, my body will recover. If I sacrifice myself, my family will be fine — the Immortals and Buddhas will protect us." If that is why you go, your Teacher dares say it will not last. If you go and nothing improves, you will blame the Immortals for not helping, blame your Teacher for lacking compassion, blame Heaven's grace for being too shallow. You go to pioneer and your family is not at peace, and you say: "I gave my all — was that not supposed to clear my debts?" But do you know? If you had not gone out, your family might be even worse. If you had not sacrificed yourself to serve, your body might be in even worse shape. That is the logic.

We all pioneer because the Dao can save all beings — so we sacrifice ourselves, yes? But do you ever think: "I have sacrificed, but why has the Dao not saved me? Why am I still in such pain? The Dao is supposed to save all beings — so why is the work so busy, why am I so exhausted, and still things are not going well? My own cultivation is not advancing either, my body is a wreck — why?" Because you are still a sentient being, that is why you feel this way. Because you are still attached to the marks of a sentient being. Your thinking is not clear. If instead you feel the Dao is good and can save beings, and so you stand up and tell everyone — then your intention is different. Your mind is not on yourself but on the beings. If they are not well, then you are not well. You do not dwell on your own condition. Wherever you yourself fall short, you still think of them: "How can I care for each one? How can I nurture each one?" That kind of intention is correct.

If your Teacher told you to sweep the street, would you be happy? Under the blazing sun — happy? Your Teacher dares say you would not! Why? Some feel: "The things I should be doing are not this. You are telling me to sweep? I came to save people, to teach the Dao — of course I am not happy!" If that is how you think, you are wrong.

There is a certain kind of person: if your Teacher asks them to sweep from block one to block three, they are still happy. Why? Because they are simple. They feel that sweeping the road is also benefiting all beings. But there is another kind who will not be happy. You ask them to sweep from block one to block three, and they think: "With my status, my education, my appearance — all these qualifications — how did I get assigned this kind of work? You want me to sweep? At most I will sweep the Buddha Hall! How was I demoted to sweeping the outer road?" This kind of person, your Teacher likes to call an "old oil stick" — hard, stale, reheated too many times. They must have a certain status, a certain position reserved for them. But when it is time for actual work, they cannot produce much help — they may even become an obstacle. Think about it: have any of you been "reheated"? Think carefully!

What is "serving the Dao"? What is "cultivating the Dao"? Cultivating the Dao is being real and practical. Serving the Dao is proceeding step by step — following the footsteps of your Old Patriarch, the Great Teacher, the Great Teacher Mother, the Elder Predecessors — plainly, honestly, steadfastly. If a position is not yours, do not meddle in its affairs. If it is yours, fulfill its duties. Even if you are experienced and know everything, if that role is not yours, do not interfere — if you do, you will prevent others from developing. Everyone makes mistakes the first time. Can you not lower yourself a little and help smooth things over? Serving the Dao means complementing one another, compensating for one another's shortcomings. Everyone has different talents and strengths. Heaven brought the Dao to us and gave us great space to develop — so each person must contribute their abilities. It is because you are worthy, with something to offer, that Heaven wants to use you. Therefore: develop your talents. That is your responsibility, your mission. Value yourself. Whatever you can give, give with all your might. Wherever your ability reaches, go there!

My children, do you know the Three Things You Must Never Leave in cultivation? Never leave the Buddha Hall, never leave the scriptures, never leave good teachers.

Where is the Buddha Hall? Everyone has a Buddha Hall in their own original nature. But since you live in the outer world, you must learn within it — and so you may forget the Buddha Hall inside you, and lose self-discipline. The Dao must borrow the outer, physical Buddha Hall to reflect the light back inward. That is why you must regularly return to the Buddha Hall — to study and to help.

But what is a "good teacher"? And who qualifies? Senior cultivators, fellow practitioners, Dao-friends. But some seniors cultivate well and others do not — so what then? My children, even the ones who cultivate poorly are good teachers! Whether they cultivate well or not, Laozi said: "The good person is the teacher of the not-good. The not-good person is the resource of the good." And so it is said: "Even the woodcutter can be learned from" — meaning even a peasant farmer, or the humblest person alive, has something you can learn. Do not look down on someone because they seem unremarkable or because their origins are poor.

A truly learned person can learn from anything they see. Know that "even the divine fungus has no root" — a person of humble birth may yet have aspiration, ideals, depth, and breadth, because they humbly learn from everything they encounter. "Among three walkers, one must be my teacher." When you are with others, even if someone is flawed, that is your mirror. See their flaws and remind yourself: never be like this. See their strengths and aspire to match them. Only then can you advance. My children, know this: cultivation needs good teachers, helping one another, moving you forward gradually.

Scriptures are written words, and the senior cultivators teach us not to cling to words — that is correct. We all know words are just confirmations, just forms and images. It is like needing a telescope or a pointing finger to see the moon or the stars clearly. Scriptures are the telescope: they prove the stars and moon exist, but the telescope is not the star and not the moon. Scriptures help you affirm your faith and steady your path. So should you read the scriptures? Yes! But do not cling to the words!

Sometimes people are strange — they insist on finding your faults, picking at your flaws. But do not grieve over this. Do not lock yourself into a role, thinking: "I am a lecturer, I am an altar master — I am here to teach, and you must listen." When you define yourself by a role, you begin to suffer — because people are always dissatisfied with those who stand on titles. Friction arises in daily life. Even though you are more experienced, more knowledgeable, have heard more teachings — your inner virtue must also surpass theirs! You cannot say: "I am here to teach you, so you may not teach me." If the person you guide is smarter than you, you must be simpler. Why do they say "softness overcomes hardness"? Why do they say "great wisdom appears foolish"? The smarter they are, the wiser you must be — and wisdom means restraint. Pull it inward. Hide it a little.

My children! When someone corrects you and says: "Lecturer, it seems you did this wrong!" — how do you respond? Do you feel your face flush? Do you insist you are right? If you cultivate the Dao properly, you will not fear making mistakes. We are imperfect — that is why we cultivate! Should we grieve over every error? Rejoice upon hearing your faults! Smile and say: "Ah! I was wrong." Fix it — is that not enough? When we have faults, we need not fear admitting them. Say: "It was my oversight, my carelessness." Admitting error does not make people stop listening to you. Do not be afraid — this is a cultivator's virtue made visible. This is the essence of a cultivator. Do not fear others pointing out your mistakes. "Yes, yes — it was my insufficiency, my oversight." When you speak this way, others learn from you. You become the standard, the example.

So do not be afraid of making mistakes. If you err, try again! Do not fear others saying you are not good — everyone makes mistakes. Perhaps you feel your self-esteem is wounded. But cultivation means learning to endure humiliation! If you never bear any shame, any grievance, any insult in your cultivation, how will people know you are cultivating? How will your virtue be made visible? Change from within — otherwise it is all forced smiles and no substance. Know that in cultivation, everyone falls short. Being corrected is good — it lets you know where to improve. Is that not so?

Do you know? Long ago, when you were still in Heaven and afraid you might not find your way back, you arranged two groups of people. One group said to the other: "When I descend, you must criticize me." And the other group said: "When I descend, you must encourage me." Now you have descended — and two groups constantly pull at you. Sometimes you meet the ones who criticize. Sometimes you meet the ones who encourage. This was your own arrangement before you came. Did you know this?

Sacrificing yourself to serve the Dao inevitably means being attacked by others. But whether you are good or bad is just what others say. Do not let their words make you stubborn, insisting you are always right. My children! Cultivation is cultivating yourself. If you do not cultivate, it is your own loss. Those who live in the Buddha Hall are the most enriched, the fastest learners — closest to the transmitting masters, closest to the senior cultivators. The spirit of the masters, the virtue of the seniors — you should learn fastest of all, because you have bathed in Heaven's grace. Every advantage came to you first. But have you progressed more than others? Do you still lack the mindset of the Dao? Have you still not changed your temper and bad habits? When others suggest improvements, have you changed? Or do their suggestions just make you sad?

Ah! What truly should make you sad is this: knowing you are not doing well, yet making no effort to improve. My children! When you face setbacks, think clearly. "Why did I end up like this? Why am I so insufficient? Can I not change for the better?" Since you chose to cultivate, improve as much as you can. Do you not know how? As long as you are willing, there is always a way. Can things be done better? If you are willing to speak up, fellow cultivators will help you work it out. The only danger is keeping your problems inside — afraid of losing face, or too stubborn to admit you were wrong. Understand?

What does plain water represent? Adapting to any shape. Penetrating everywhere. Humility. Remembering the source when you drink.

The virtue of water: it adapts to any vessel. Place it in any container and it takes that shape. It never refuses to become the shape of its vessel. So — drink plain water and grasp its meaning. In a round vessel, round. In a square one, square. Furthermore, water has another virtue: it cleanses all filth, never refusing to wash something because it is too dirty. And water always flows from high to low — like a person of virtue, who bows toward the lowly, possessing virtue and being present everywhere, possessing the Dao and accepting all.

My children! Sometimes read inspirational books. Every morning, breathe the fresh air and think: "I have the Dao to serve today — how blessed I am! Beings are still lost in delusion. What I teach, they do not yet understand. Never mind — tomorrow I will encourage them again." Every day, have hope. Have ideals. The world is beautiful. Do not let what others do bring you down. Keep cultivating. Keep bringing joy to others. Do not let others' failure to cultivate drag you into despair. Be your own power plant. Keep your energy charged, so you can keep giving. If you are easily influenced, how can you give others confidence? The more people, the stronger the current — you influence me, I influence you. Two people who are both sad: one says, "Come on — it is not as bad as it seems." The other says, "Let us find another way. Perhaps this is Heaven's will." That is how you sustain joy, year after year.

In your classes, who sits in the front row? The senior cultivators. But who decides who is senior? Everyone is so humble! Not a senior? Then you do not dare sit? Must there be a name tag and a reserved seat before you will sit down? The seat is clearly meant for you, yet you will not take it — then how can those behind you sit? The seats stay empty. Should the transmitting master sit there? And the rest of you stand back? Is that humility? That is not humility! I am not saying be arrogant — but if the seat that belongs to you goes unfilled, who will sit? If you do not sit, someone else will. If you do not do Heaven's work, someone else will do it. Who sits? The one who can embody the Immortals sits. The one who cannot — there is no need to sit. This is an opportunity.

My children! Cultivating and serving the Dao is like eating a meal. If you do not actually participate and experience it, you cannot understand it. If you have never tasted dried tofu, you do not know what it tastes like. When we try to help others with problems we have never experienced ourselves, we just say: "Do this, do that — easy!" It seems easy because the pain is not ours. You have not felt their pain, so you cannot resolve their suffering. You just keep telling them: "Give of yourself! Sacrifice!" But you have not gone through it, so you cannot understand their heart. You are not the one in the fire. So — should you not experience it too? Why did the Immortals and Buddhas of all heavens descend to help and serve? Because they had experienced every suffering of the human world and the pain of being human.

Fortune and misfortune change in the blink of an eye — impermanence arrives in an instant! Therefore, in the time you have, cultivate your spirit. How? The spirit your Teacher speaks of must have depth and breadth.

What gives spirit depth? Your inner cultivation. The depth of your heart's refinement, your compassion, your innate goodness — that is your depth. "That person is shallow" — because their heart lacks cultivation, because they are petty, ungenerous, calculating. That is why people call them shallow.

What is breadth? Breadth means boundlessness. The sages, Immortals, and Buddhas gave their entire lives to the world, to their country, to their society — so their spirit was vast. If you devote your life only to yourself and your family, your breadth is limited.

You are one of the Three Powers — heaven, earth, and humanity. You have a mission. You have a responsibility. That mission and responsibility: proclaim Heaven's will! Heaven cannot speak. Earth cannot speak. You have the charge to convey Heaven's intention. If your cultivation is only for your own good, then your spirit cannot spread. A spirit without depth or breadth — how can it endure?

My friends — this is your one life. You have only this one. Do not think: "It does not matter — if I do not do well this time, I have the next life. Besides, I do not particularly want to return to Heaven." Some people really think this way! "Why should I return to Heaven? I do not want to! I will do what needs doing occasionally." Your Teacher must tell you: returning to Heaven or not makes an enormous difference! If you do not return, where will you go? Do you think you will definitely be reborn as a human? You do not know, do you? You know only this life — but cannot predict whether you will have another, whether you will rise to Heaven or descend to the hells. How much time remains in this life — that too is unknowable. You know that time waits for no one. But you can make the most of today.

How should you spend this day? At work, are you giving your all? After work, do you enrich yourself? Do you advance? Do you reflect on the day's mistakes? Did you say anything unkind? If so, improve tomorrow. That is how you grow. Otherwise, ten years of cultivation is the same as twenty — no progress whatsoever, and that is one thing. But if you seek progress — one year with a little growth, two years with a little more — at least there is movement! Better than standing still. The only danger is forgiving yourself too easily.

My children! Where is your spirit of cultivation? Why does your Teacher keep repeating this? Because the spirit of cultivation is your acceptance of Heaven's mandate, your understanding of your mission, the awakening of your life. But has your life truly awakened? Whether your heart-gate opens is entirely up to you — even your Teacher cannot help! Today your Teacher has spoken much about principle, but has not spoken about "people." You come to the Buddha Hall, and all you talk about is personnel matters — not principle. If you think that only the lecturer on stage speaks principle, you are wrong. My children, train yourselves so that in daily life, every word you speak is principle — not gossip, not family complaints, not bitterness. If you have problems, tell your master, tell your Teacher — that is fine. But the moment you speak to others, it becomes gossip and right-and-wrong. That is why personnel issues are always so many. Speak more principle!

My children, learn the spirit of water — because it embraces, because it is clean, because on the ground it brings benefit to all humanity and all creatures. Emulate the spirit of water. In a cup it is round. In a box it is square. Water can bend and stretch. So in human relationships, learn from water: no matter what personality, what temper — you can get along. Round or square, it does not matter. This is benevolence.

Your Teacher tells you: in cultivation you must endure attraction and endure desire. Male or female, everyone must learn endurance. To endure means to control your heart, to govern your own thoughts. What is "form"? Everything the eyes can see, everything the body can sense — all strange shapes and appearances — that is "form." Why must everyone endure form? Because when you encounter beauty, you cannot help looking again. And things you should not look at, you still want to see — out of curiosity. At that moment, use endurance. Can you control your own heart?

We say that tolerance means accepting others' flaws, yes? The word falls on "flaws." But everyone has both flaws and strengths. When you focus your tolerance only on flaws, you become hyper-alert to them — and only then do you remember to be tolerant. That is one step too slow. True tolerance accepts both strengths and flaws — all of it. Otherwise you will always notice where someone differs from you, how they handle things differently, and your heart will itch to lose its temper. You practice tolerance only at the moment you are about to explode. That is biased tolerance. True tolerance is non-attachment to both the virtues and the flaws of others.

Cultivation is like climbing stairs. "To reach the heights, begin from the low. To travel far, begin from near." The Dao is at the lowest point. Understand this: cultivation of the heart is not outward, not ceremonial. Today your Teacher borrows this physical body to speak to you. Once your Teacher's spirit departs, where is your Teacher? In your hearts. Each of you, holding supreme love, expressing universal love without expecting return, without expecting harvest — giving supreme love and supreme benevolence completely, freely, without reserve — this is a disciple of the Heavenly Dao. This is Ji Gong made manifest.

Two eyes guarding the Mystery, the heart free of objects and attachments — everything your Teacher guides, every word, follows and responds to this Dao. The true cultivator does not need your Teacher to lead them. At any time, in any place, they can still their heart. Stilling the heart is not about posture or outward form — it is about understanding inwardly, moment by moment. Everyone lives and transcends through their own spiritual life, not through the management of masters, lecturers, or administrators.

Has your Teacher not said? It is fine for my children to be a little foolish — the foolish ones arrive home soonest! Cultivating and serving the Dao is not about eloquence or ability. It is not about who wins or loses, who does better or broader work. What determines the outcome? True cultivation, true practice! In the world, you often win arguments with clever talk — but is that useful? My children! Start cultivating from your mouth, alright?

My children! Seek out the good in others. See the faults in yourself. Be humble and grounded — only then can you stand firm in the Dao community, and only then can you be a true standard and example. It is not just about wearing a white shirt and blue pants and calling it "the Dao." When you take off those clothes, people should still feel your Dao-energy, your spirit of the Dao. You make the Dao come alive — that means you are a true cultivator. If you wear the robes but have no Dao-heart and no Dao-energy, your Teacher would advise: do not bother wearing them. Because you do not represent a real cultivator.

My children — if you cultivate, do not do it halfway. Cultivate with thunder and lightning, thoroughly, completely, all the way to the end! Can each of you maintain your original resolve and never retreat? Are you afraid of illness testing you? Of death? If you fear sickness and death, then of course you also fear trials and tribulations. But if you are afraid of death — why not live well? Do not mistreat yourself. Treat yourself with care. Cherish yourself. Alright? This does not mean eating well, dressing well, living well. It means: be happy! Be joyful every day. When you encounter pain, resolve it with wisdom — not with your experience, not with your ability to judge people and affairs and things.

Do you know how cultivation and life are related? Life has its ups and downs, its bumps and rough patches. The path of cultivation is your life's path. Life is cultivation. Your one life is for learning more, learning anew, gaining different understandings, growing more. And cultivation is for gaining more affirmation, more confidence. That is all.

The Four Lessens:

"Few words in the mouth." Speak less. What need not be said, do not say. What must be said, say. "Disaster comes from the mouth" — be cautious in speech. And do not discuss fortune-telling or occult arts. If you see a vision and start proclaiming what it means, you will sow panic. Be cautious.

"Few affairs in the heart." Clear the clutter from your mind. "If you cut the weeds but leave the roots, they grow back when the spring wind blows." Same principle.

"Less sleep at night." Everyone has a fixed need for rest. Beyond that, it is greed — greed for sleep. Too much sleep scatters the spirit and damages blood and qi. Understand?

"Less food in the belly." Why eat less? Look at how well-off people are today — they eat far too much. Overeating damages the stomach. Eating too much also increases desire and mental clutter — and then your heart can never be at peace. Your Teacher hopes you will hold to these four points, practice them well, and practice them joyfully. May everything go smoothly for you!

Why bear responsibility? Are you afraid of responsibility? Responsibility brings pressure — but after the pressure, is there not true emptiness? True emptiness gives birth to wondrous being. Wondrous being gives birth to the supreme.

Pressure means constraint. Constraint means no freedom. My children! Who is the most free? Who is the least constrained? Freedom: no restraint, no one governing you, doing whatever you want, fearing nothing? If that is freedom, then who is most free? The wicked! The wicked are the freest — they do whatever they want. The good are the least free: they must observe courtesy, observe the rules, observe the Three Bonds and Five Constants, observe the Four Cardinal Principles and Eight Virtues, restrain body and mind, change their tempers, correct their faults, respect heaven and earth, honor the spirits. Is that freedom? No! And it produces the greatest achievement. Right?

Constraint is a railroad track. Because it constrains, it is rigorous. Without constraint, in this world of fame and fortune and glittering appearances, the human heart will be led astray by the Six Thieves — craving pleasant words, indulgent music, gossip, provocation. Led by the Six Thieves, body and mind lose all discipline. You listen when you feel like it, look when you feel like it, ignoring every moral standard. Then do you still have constraint? Do you still have pressure? My children, know this: pressure is what shapes you. Every successful person endured hardship, trials, and suffering before they succeeded. You cherish yourselves so much — afraid of pressure, afraid of constraint, afraid of responsibility, afraid of burden. Then how can Heaven shape you? How can you grow?

"Heaven, in bestowing a great task upon a person, first embitters the heart and intent, exhausts the sinews and bones, starves the flesh and skin, empties the body, disrupts all actions — in order to increase what was lacking." Only after passing through the most painful, most bitter, most difficult trials can you transcend and break free. If you seek only comfort and ease, beware: born in comfort, you die in catastrophe! The logic is the same. Cultivation is hard — but also joyful. Because of the hardship, there is joy. Because you have seen suffering, you can feel happiness. Everyone has a mission and responsibility to bear. When the time comes, take up your responsibility, shoulder your mission, and face it bravely and squarely!

Dao-work must be mastered. Experience must be passed on and put into practice before you can innovate. The process of innovation is always difficult — no one has experience, techniques are not polished, no one knows what will work. But do not let that weaken the group's morale! Help one another. Work together. Find better methods together. That is the right attitude.

The first ones to break ground must first loosen the soil, pull out the weeds, clear the stones — and there must be people to water, people to plant. Even without experience, even if you fail, even if you fall short — Heaven values your heart! Failure is what reveals the best methods.

Have you ever thought: what if you fail and sacrifice yourself in the process? What if you retreat and stop coming to the Buddha Hall? No matter what happens, after failure you must stand again. Those who understand, tell those who do not. Those who see, tell those who are blind. Those who can, tell those who cannot. Your Teacher needs to see your working ability first — then I can give you more work. Do not say: "I rarely do anything, I do not know anything — just notify me when something comes up." Know this: by the time you return to Heaven, notification comes too late.

On this road of cultivation, principle must be constantly enriched. Cultivation of the heart is essential. Guiding others and helping them grow is indispensable. Fellow cultivators must lift one another up, help one another succeed. You will continue working hard, continue helping — right? Then your Teacher can be at peace.

25. On the Harmony of Human Relations

談人事的圓融

In cultivating the Dao, be lively and nimble, adapt to circumstances, be like water — taking the shape of whatever holds it. Benefit all things without competing. If you yield and endure just a little in any situation, the sky opens and the sea widens, and you are free. Who would learn from me, Ji Gong? One must play the fool and play the mute. When you meet stubborn and contrary people, only then can you get through the winter unscathed.

Those below should always hold a heart of gratitude. Those above should always show love to those below. When upper and lower are joined in one current, there is no friction. Then the world becomes whole, and the distance between people grows closer and closer — harmony and joy.

The great Patriarch Maitreya cultivates the Four Concordant Vows: the samadhi of compassion accumulated over countless kalpas. Great compassion, great sorrow, great joy, great sacrifice. In everything, he considers others. Sometimes it is necessary to use circumstances to shape each person. Without the mutual friction, the mutual entanglement — how would you ever reach the state where all matters are harmonious and every corner is smoothed? Those who study the Dao must be humble and grounded. Aim too high and too far, and who will pay you any attention!

Cultivation speaks of magnanimity. How many can say it but not live it? The true self within has not yet been perfected — because self-pity clouds the vision. Like an electric lamp covered layer upon layer in dust: you must sweep away the dust before the light shines bright. When will the true self radiate? Study propriety and courtesy, be refined. Having a heart full of love for others is not enough — they may not accept it. You must also act with discernment. If this person likes sweet things, give sweet. If they prefer salty, giving sweet is not acting with discernment.

Your Teacher hopes you will be "wealthy but not arrogant, poor but never fawning." The higher you stand, the more you should think of the low places — like a stalk of grain: the more it ripens, the more it bows. With wealth, do not be proud. Do not put on airs or stand aloof. The higher your position, the more humble your heart must be. Understand this: storing up money is less than storing up virtue. In friendship, what matters is sincerity and respect. Meet each other plainly, and the bond deepens with time.

Whatever you do, discuss it with others. Absorb more knowledge so you are not taken advantage of! Especially in today's society, where people guard their hearts within — you may be completely open with someone, but their heart may not be open with you in return. So make friends carefully. Your Teacher does not mean that you should avoid befriending bad people. In this era of universal salvation, the mission is to transform the wicked into the good. If your ability is sufficient, you can guide them! But if it is not, you will be dragged down instead. So be cautious.

After all this talk of "caution" — how do you begin? Study the classics of the sages, so you have the ability to discern and respond. You may use certain techniques of diplomacy, but your heart remains clear and free, uncontaminated by the world outside. Practice with your whole body and life — only then is it complete! The Confucian school establishes its teaching on benevolence. Walk the path of loyalty and reciprocity. Continue the practice of the One Thread.

Do not lightly promise what is not right — a hasty promise leads to missteps. Do not lightly speak of what you have not truly seen — do not spread what you do not know.

If someone has a fault, do not expose it. If someone has a secret, do not speak of it carelessly. To speak of another's goodness is itself good. Repay kindness; forget resentment completely.

Saving the world and benefiting the people throughout the dust —
Playing the fool and acting the clown so people understand —
A heart of impartiality, no self and no other —
When difficulty meets me, insight comes at once.

Lively and nimble, adapting to every turn —
Taking the round and the square, following what fits —
The Buddha is in the human heart — why seek outside?
When the nature is perfectly bright, guard it always.

Toward yourself: seek faults where you think you have none. This is not only the way to advance in virtue — it also prevents calamity.

Toward others: seek innocence where you think you see fault. This is not only the way to be generous — it also dissolves resentment. You should examine everything at every moment, and in all places turn the investigation inward. Faults can only be corrected when they are known. They can only be known when you seek them in yourself. As the saying goes: "Criticize yourself with the same severity you use on others. Forgive others with the same lenience you show yourself." To know others is always easy. To know yourself is always hard. Your own faults are easy to pardon; another's faults are hard to forgive. A person can see a hundred paces ahead but cannot see their own back. The eye can discern the finest autumn hair but cannot count its own lashes. Therefore: always seeing one's own faults is the truest mirror.

26. To Know the Dao, You Must Also Walk It

知道還要行道

Have you all forgotten the vows you once made? Why were you born in this turbulent era? This is your karmic connection! Why not earlier? Why not later? Why precisely now? Because this is your destiny, your appointment with this age.

What is "making a vow"? Is it enough to vow to eat vegetarian and call it done? Making a vow is the work of an entire lifetime. Until your very last breath, you must keep it. Only then is the vow fulfilled. Be constant from beginning to end — do not let your principles fail at the finish. Does anyone say: "I will wait until the moment before I die to settle my vow — is that acceptable?" It is not.

This is the same principle as growing vegetables. You must cultivate without ceasing, irrigate without ceasing. After making a vow, every day you must fulfill your responsibility. It is like saving money — one coin a day, and eventually you have accumulated immeasurable wealth. If we only encourage others to save but never save ourselves, the loss in the end is ours!

In studying the Dao, you must constantly enrich yourself. Now is the time for us to give. Everyone has the strength to give — because you are all your Teacher's disciples, the White Sun's angels.

What is an angel? A messenger of Heaven — a "Resident Ambassador to the Dust," whose task is goodwill and helping others. Have you ever heard of an ambassador with a bad temper? Have you ever heard of an ambassador who takes bribes? We must conduct ourselves properly! We must drive ourselves to be more diligent, more dedicated. Cultivation is your own work. If you wait for others to help you, better to help yourself. Do it yourself — then whatever you achieve is truly yours.

After self-reflection, start moving! Do not forget that everyone has great ambition in their heart. Set aside personal attachments for a moment! Create a splendid future. Among fellow cultivators, support one another. I wish you all smooth sailing — and do not be afraid of hardships on the road. We are sojourners in heaven and earth. As long as you hold a public heart, you are one with the Dao. Do not say: "This body is not mine — I am adrift in the red dust and cannot help myself." As long as you seize the opportunity, right now, step forward — one footprint at a time. Eternity is created in this very life.

Everyone has their own responsibility. Do not repent of your insufficiency until you have repented yourself into a worm — afraid to do anything at all. "I am not worthy to guide others, not worthy to help them grow" — so you do nothing? When you see your shortcomings, change them. After changing, stand up and advance.

My children, cultivation depends on yourself. Though you all know this, sometimes your steps still falter. You need the transmitting master's arrangement, division of labor, step-by-step planning. Guide people well, and they will know what to do. Everyone wants to act — give everyone the chance.

Those who sincerely wish to fulfill their vows must come forward themselves. Follow the proper order. Do not rush or compete. Do what you can, according to your ability. Each experience brings wisdom. In doing one thing, you discover the wonder within it. It is not just about finishing the task — in the doing, you learn to apply the principle broadly. If you can do this one thing well, and someone else cannot, then learn from the seniors — see how they do it. Everyone lifts each other up. We do not learn just for ourselves — we also teach others. You cannot only be able to lecture on principle while being unable to do anything else. It is not just about cooking — every task in the Buddha Hall, large and small, you must learn.

Teaching others is cultivating the next generation. Gradually, your tasks can be shared. The Dao must be served by everyone together. Should tasks not be distributed among the group members? The group leader still needs the members' cooperation. Where the members are lacking, the group leader fills the gap. Is that not how it works?

On the journey of life and the inner road of cultivation, you will see what poverty means, what success means, what victory means, what defeat means. These alternations of fortune — you must understand them in the moment. If you cannot see through the changes of the human world, then your Teacher can say you do not yet understand what cultivation is, or what serving the Dao means.

Whether these changes are good or bad, we must understand them from within the experience itself. Our original face is known to ourselves alone. It is the environment, the world of appearances, that has confused us and turned us upside down. Do you understand your Teacher's meaning?

My children, when duty calls, step forward without hesitation! Do not always be one step behind everyone else. In cultivation, name and substance must match. If you hold a title, you must embody it. If you serve in the Buddha Hall administration, then do what administration requires. Only then can you call yourself a member of the staff. Match the title to the work. For a cultivator, this is the most important thing.

You say you are a cultivator — but is that only a title, or do you truly have a cultivator's heart? This deserves careful examination. If your cultivation has left you gloomy and anxious, with knots in your heart that you have never untied — is that not pitiable? Is your body and mind not healthy? Does your cultivation make others think you are strange?

If after years of cultivation your head is filled not with principle but with gossip and right-and-wrong — is that not tragic? As a leader, if your head is stuffed with thoughts about so-and-so's failings — that is the saddest thing of all.

Everyone has eyes. Everyone can see. Why bother speaking of others' faults!

The greatest flaw of people today is talking much and doing little. Everyone can speak principle. As long as it does not offend anyone, you can even twist the facts — would you really do that? Who will stand for justice? Justice is not something you speak — "action is your best behavior."

My children, do you wish to be saved? Before being saved, you must first save yourself. In everything, recognize the principle and practice it genuinely! If your virtue is insufficient, of course people will not listen to you. Whose fault is that? It turns out the problem has been with yourself all along. You should learn the spirit of bearing responsibility from your predecessors — and not use a demanding tone to criticize others.

Sitting around doing nothing all day — is that useful? If you take to heart what the Immortals and Buddhas say, then your actions are the best testimony. Just look at your basic conduct — walking, standing, sitting, lying down. Is your daily life in order? Is your walking upright? Is your dwelling upright? Each of you, apply this to yourselves! How do you cultivate your heart? How do you catch your heart? How do you change your heart? Your heart can become a Buddha or a demon. It can do good or do evil. It can be like a Bodhisattva's heart, or it can be a heart of serpents and scorpions! If by now you still have not thoroughly understood this, in the future you will not merely scatter like loose sand — you may not even be able to hold yourselves together. Do you understand? Will that do? Does all this fine Dao-work amount to anything?

A hundred virtues begin with filial piety — this principle you already know. If at this moment you still cannot govern yourself, still cannot make yourself a standard and example — what then? The length of life does not matter. What matters is what you do with the years you have. "If one is good in the Dao, one attains it. If not good, one loses it. Heaven's mandate does not favor the long-tenured." You know these things. From the moment each person is born, they carry a mission — including the mission you bear today. How will you fulfill it? Empty words are utterly useless.

To understand and not act is called "obstinate ignorance." An obstinately ignorant spirit approaches a ruined spirit! My children, sometimes in cultivation you must set small demands upon yourself. Ask: "In what way have I improved?" Think about your neighbors, your relatives, your friends. Has anyone said: "This person has really changed for the better!" Has anyone said: "This mother is looking more and more like a true cultivator!" Has anyone said: "That person's cultivation is making them happier and happier!" If so — then you have changed a little.

And what other changes might there be? For example, perhaps your old habit was sleeping — sleeping whenever you could, afraid of coming to class because you would sleep. If now you can muster the courage to come to the Buddha Hall and attend class, that is progress! Before, you slept through all five sessions. Now you sleep through only one. Does that count as change? It does!

If your habit is eating — well, change a little too! Start eating the vegetables beside the meat. Is learning to eat the vegetables beside the meat not a kind of progress? And those who already eat vegetarian — if their diet becomes simpler and lighter, are they not progressing further?

Those who love to play, love to shop, love to buy things — what change should they make? Restrain yourself, buy a little less! Those who love to play — can you sacrifice a little time to come to the Buddha Hall for a dharma assembly or a class? That shows change. Those who love watching television — sacrifice the television time to study principle. That counts. Those who love to talk, chattering here and there — redirect that mouth to speak principle. Is that not change?

Usually it is the transmitting master who pushes you: "This is permitted, that is not." Are you always in a passive state? What time is it now! Should you not take the initiative? Should you not set your own demands? The transmitting master demands things of you, but there is no merit or virtue in it for him. Why let someone else earn your merit? Think! Is this clear?

Those of you who have become Dao-staff — have you grasped heaven's timing? Have you seized this opportunity?

The times have changed. You cannot always say: "As long as my heart is good, that is enough." Having heart is one thing. Using your heart is another. Using your heart means putting forth effort.

Where should you use your heart? Use it to change your temper and correct your faults. Use it to fulfill a wife's duties well. Use it to educate your children well. Use it to guide others to the Dao. Use it to teach classes well. In all of these, you must have a clear goal. Today you want to plant a tree — you must first dig the soil. If you do not put strength into the digging, the soil will not loosen and the tree cannot be planted. So do not say "having heart is enough." Your Teacher also needs you to use your heart.

27. Fellow Cultivators Never Leave Their Dao Companions

同修不離道伴

My children! If you can live in harmony with your juniors, heart and mind united from top to bottom — that is your blessing, your Teacher's blessing, and the blessing of all sentient beings. But if you are still fighting to draw lines between you and me, sorting out who is who with such precision — think: greed, anger, and delusion, the three roots of hell — how will you ever sever them?

A person must learn tolerance! "Breadth of heart makes greatness" — do you understand? You must support one another, counsel one another, accept one another's views. Not each clinging to your own opinion. If everyone insists on their own way, how can anything get done? Bring out your wisdom. Without wisdom, how will anything be accomplished?

My children — if you can have a heart that admits fault, if you can repent before the Eternal Mother and say "Everything is my error" — then you are a Buddha. This is what a true cultivator looks like. If your cultivation does not break through the marks of "self and other," then what have you been cultivating?

Furthermore, you are all fellow cultivators. My children, you are brothers and sisters — and you must become Buddhas together. When you see a brother or sister erring, whose responsibility is it? It is yours — you yourself did not cultivate well, you yourself did not set a good example. Is that not so? It is you who lacked the heart of embracing, you who failed to move your brothers and sisters, you who could not guide them.

When you cultivate well, your Teacher feels comforted. When you do not cultivate well, your Teacher feels genuine shame! How can the Living Buddha's own disciples turn out this way? Look — sunset, sunrise, another day gone! How are you facing your lives?

People must live together. Only in the company of others do you discover what your own character is really like. If you live alone, you will always think you are right, good, complete, flawless. It is only when people truly live together that you discover where your shortcomings lie. When someone criticizes you, they are actually helping you — helping you find your own flaws. The most pitiable thing about a person is not knowing where their faults are. If my children can become self-aware — knowing their own failings and correcting them — that person is remarkable.

Between people, the most important thing is peace. When you change yourself, holding a heart of courtesy toward others, a heart of love toward others — then you as an individual can live harmoniously with everyone. Ask yourself: is your world peaceful? Do things not go as you wish? From the moment you open your eyes in the morning, do you ceaselessly nag and scold? You want things to go better, but complaints still pour out? Your heart is displeased, you curse, you blame — and there are little wars all around you. Why? Think about it. Why can your own world not truly be at peace?

Cultivation means peace — yielding yourself, embracing all directions. It is tempering virtue, tempering generosity. We say: "A chancellor's belly can fit a ship." But even if you are not a chancellor, your belly should still fit a ship. A little more tolerance, a little more care, a little more thinking of others. And how do you think of others? In daily life we are so accustomed to thinking of ourselves — always saying: "That person spoke such harsh words and wounded me!" Your heart bleeds as if cut by a knife. You always feel others have hurt you, just because of a single sentence. But have you considered why they said it? Is it not possible that you once said the same thing and hurt them? Or is it simply that you are especially sensitive about this one matter? For example: women fear being called fat. Whether fat or thin does not really matter — but if someone says, "Oh! You have gained weight!" you are furious. "How dare they attack me like that!" And then you fire back: "You have put on quite a bit yourself!" And so the war begins. Why not turn it around and consider: have you not often wounded others the same way? When you are defending yourself, have you not also sent troops to attack? Think about this! Very few people ever consider it.

So your Teacher wants you to understand: nothing in this world is perfect. Look at the moon — it is beautiful precisely because it waxes and wanes. People are the same. In this world, so many people are raised on so much rice — and every one of them looks different. It is precisely because each person is different that the world has color. If you demanded that everyone live according to your ideal — eating the same food, wearing the same clothes, starting every walk with the left foot, speaking the same language — if every person lived exactly as you imagined, one day you would be unbearably bored. If every person were your shadow, what beauty would the world have left?

For example: everyone has a different temperament. Some people tend to overthink, to be indecisive, to brood when trouble comes. But others are naturally lively and optimistic — and because of their optimism, they can counsel you. You can begin living again because someone different from you was there. It is because there are different people with different characters that the world is beautiful.

Take a step back and consider: when you look at someone's flaws, they are actually that person's most lovable quality. For example, you see your wife every morning with unkempt hair and unwashed face. In your heart, you are not pleased. But because she is your closest person, try saying her name three times every morning: "I love her very much. Though her hair is wild, it is quite distinctive — no one else could create that look even if they tried!" If you can think from this angle, will life not be much more enjoyable? And husbands — you are always being scolded for being dirty, for carrying a particular smell. But think of it this way: what perfume on earth could produce this particular scent? How unique!

Do not treat other people's shortcomings as shortcomings. Treat them as special features. Try it! The neighborhood gossips who cannot stop talking once they start — that is also their feature. They can go without water, without rest, and keep talking. Can you do that? Genuinely admire what others can do — and the world will be much more beautiful.

Change yourself, and you will become happy, full of momentum. Starting right now, this moment — think about where you are not yet complete. Why can your temperament never get along with others? If my children can perceive their own failings, then change them well. Extend goodwill to your enemies. Smile at them. Do not wait for others to smile at you first. Start from yourself. Do this, and you can earn your own lifelong happiness.

What is the difference between self-cultivation and group cultivation? When you cultivate alone, you have little contact with others and will not trigger the habit of losing your temper. Alone, you correct your faults quickly. But when you serve the Dao? Because you are in contact with many people, there is more friction — especially with people who know you well, because they understand your habits too clearly. Is there not gossip then? So cultivating the Dao in the midst of serving the Dao — is it not very difficult? Difficult — but should you stop? It is precisely because cultivating within service is so difficult, and my children are still willing to do it, that the preciousness of this Dao shines through. Is that not so?

Does cultivation not mean staying near the Buddha Hall? Because in the Buddha Hall you have fellow cultivators. Everyone shares the same understanding, the same goal, rowing the same dharma boat, pooling your strength, united. That feeling and that ideal are different. The one who gains the most from attending class is yourself — it has nothing to do with the lecturer. So attending more classes helps your cultivation, and doubts can be resolved. This is the benefit of not leaving the Buddha Hall.

Crying is only a part of life — a brief episode of being moved. True success means wiping your tears, and then going out together to make a difference. Is that not so? True transformation means thoroughly correcting the wrongs you have done before, and never repeating them.

Wine, lust, money, and anger are four walls — you all know this. And the temptations of today's society are many and strange. You must be careful! As long as your virtue is sufficient and your righteousness is strong, everything can be overcome. Your Teacher has deep faith in every disciple. Why do you have so little faith in yourselves? When you cannot bring people to the Dao, you come to the Buddha Hall and kowtow. But when your mouth is speaking gossip, why not use that mouth to recite the scriptures instead?

Coming to the Buddha Hall to serve means coming to listen to the hearts of all beings, coming to empathize with them — not coming to have the Immortals and Buddhas make demands of you.

Have you heard the breathing of the living beings? Have you tasted the bitterness of those who serve the Dao? Those of you who are transmitting masters — have you felt the hearts that have stopped moving? Do you truly understand why they stopped? You are intimately connected with them. Your Teacher often says: without the people, where are the officials? Without the Dao-friends, where are the transmitting masters, the lecturers, the altar masters? So take care of yourselves. Can your problems all be brought one by one before your Teacher?

Predecessors are treasures. Invite them often to your home to help your family grow. And you must gradually change yourself — then all your hardships will change along with you. Do not think only of yourself. Everyone has this affinity — that is why you became fellow cultivators! And do not forget your family. Give a little effort for them too. Do you know what "shared cultivation" means? If your family members are unreasonable, you all polish each other — polishing this way and that. That is also shared cultivation. Do not think that family members who do not cultivate the Dao are unimportant — they are actually the very people who shape you.

Today your cultivation is not easy because your responsibility is heavy. Your Teacher lives carefree and at ease because I understand how to shift gears. A single thought can give you life or give you death — so your thoughts are critically important! A car's gear-shift is the clutch. What is the heart's gear-shift? Your thoughts! You yourself can make the shift — you do not need to rely on anyone else. This is true "wondrous wisdom." Everyone has a clutch. When to disengage and when to engage — you must know for yourself.

Do not forget your initial resolve — that is the teaching for yourself. In the Vimalakirti Sutra it says: "The uninvited friend!" Sentient beings have an uninvited friend — that is the Bodhisattva! Always help the people you know. Among fellow cultivators, this goes without saying. The Sutra of Eight Realizations of Great Beings teaches: "Do not hold old grudges." Among fellow cultivators, always be understanding, always forgiving. Everyone is the same. The Awakening of Mahayana Faith teaches: "Unchanging amid conditions" — toward all circumstances and all people, be the same. Stop climbing toward favorable connections.

In these final days, learn to subdue your heart-nature — otherwise it is very dangerous! Let each person bring forth their original heart, their original vow. Now it is not only "each nature saves itself" — you must rise to "we all cross the waves together!"

Your Teacher tells you: have a heart of care. Always care for all beings. When your fellow cultivators are in difficulty, do not all abandon them. If you do, then brotherly love is gone!

28. If New Today, Be New Again Tomorrow

苟日新又日新

My children! Every day when you look in the mirror, remind yourself: Is my heart in good condition today? Have I lived up to my Teacher's support? Have I read today? Have I turned the light inward? Am I leading beings with a compassionate heart? After you rush about saving and transforming beings all day, late at night when everything is quiet — do you feel empty? Why? Because your inner self has not been nourished.

When you charge forward to save and transform beings, thinking only of bringing Dao-friends to the Buddha Hall — yet your own inner grain stores are empty. Do you understand? Remember: while saving others, do not forget to save yourself along the way. While rescuing others, rescue yourself too! Outward forms cannot sustain you forever. Do not always rely on your Teacher to sustain you. If you want your Teacher to go save your beloved juniors, you must first save yourself.

My children! Your greatest weakness is being too kind to yourselves — too eager to forgive yourselves. Is that not so? "One time without changing is fine — I will change in two years." Is that not what you tell yourselves? Sometimes while guiding beings, you say: "It is all right — I am wrong, I am harsh, I am unreasonable, I will change gradually." You have already gone numb inside the word "gradually." How gradually, exactly? You always speak of impermanence. What does impermanence look like? It means nothing lasts at all! Reflect on this carefully.

You are forever giving yourselves chances — and so you can never advance. "It is fine! I was wrong, my temper got the better of me, my desires came back — no matter, I will try again!" You keep changing and relapsing, changing and relapsing. But with cultivation and service, the time will come when there are no more chances! It is not that your Teacher will not give you chances — do not blame me for being heartless! If you do not cultivate in this life, do not serve in this life, you say: "Next time, next lifetime, I will try again." There will be no next time! If your chances were gone — how would you feel right now? "Nothing." It is precisely because too many people feel nothing that they grow numb, and in that numbness they cycle endlessly through birth and death in the sea of suffering. Just like you now — why are you still sitting here? Because you are already numb, already feeling nothing. That is why you keep revolving through life and death.

Often it is a single sentence from your own mouth that tests a being and causes them to fall. And still you say: "I will slowly change, slowly improve." When you are told to let go of worldly attachments, you say: "Teacher, I am very busy with my career." It is precisely because of your karma, binding your own heart with your own hands, that you remain forever in the sea of birth and death.

My child, this is the very end. If you do not come ashore today, when will you? If in this life you have not encountered the Dao — or if you have encountered it but refuse to cultivate it, still indulging your desires, unable to sever the roots of greed, anger, and delusion — then you will continue revolving through the hells. When, do you imagine, will you encounter the Great Opening of Universal Salvation again? Does anyone say: "That is just who I am!" Yes? It is precisely because "that is who you are" that you are still in the human world.

If my children want to change, you must change in earnest. Stop always saying: "That is just my personality." It is precisely because you have an "I" — my body, my personality, my bad habits, my attachments — that you are forever sinking in the sea of birth and death, unable to transcend, wandering through lives. You will suffer, you will worry. You cannot control the affairs of the mortal world. You do not know what will happen tomorrow. All of this is because you have obscured your original nature and covered over your conscience.

What is the true purpose of the Buddha Hall? The true purpose is to receive all beings and allow us to cultivate ourselves and save others. The meaning of the Buddha Hall is: cultivate yourself, save others. When we say we must never leave the Buddha Hall, it means we must always carry the heart of self-cultivation and saving others.

My children, think: from the day you received the Dao until now — at the very first dharma assembly, your Teacher gave you six words. Which six words? "Correct your faults, shed your temper." Have you changed? Have you kept them in your heart at all times? Looking back now, what have you actually corrected? Is there anything you are still especially attached to? Is there something you did not understand then that you still do not understand now? Is the person you disliked then still the person you dislike? Were you frustrated then, and still frustrated now? Did you used to scold people, and your mouth still will not stay shut? And if there has been progress — what kind? What changed? Before establishing a home altar, you did not know how to make offerings. Now you do, yes? Before, you did not know the rituals. Now you do, yes? But there is still much for an altar master to learn! How to manage the Buddha Hall, how to make offerings, what to do on the first and fifteenth of the month — you must know these things! The purpose of returning to the Buddha Hall is to review.

Why do they — the transmitting masters, the staff — put such care into arranging all these classes? Because they know that everyone is busy with daily work. Between working, cultivating, and studying the Dao, you are so busy that you forget. So they open a class and gather everyone back — forcing you to review. Time moves too fast. Your steps are too quick. The things you were supposed to do, you have all forgotten.

So in cultivation, you must improve every day. Do not even forget your basic practice. There are many truths you have heard before — but when you actually encounter the situation, you hear without understanding, you listen but cannot apply.

Know this: the Buddha Hall is the place where everyone realizes their ideals. Your ideal is to become a good person, a successful person. At the very least, you should be filial to your parents and do something meaningful. Otherwise, what are you living for? Since the Buddha Hall is the place for realizing ideals, my children must march toward the goal.

In our cultivation, we must cultivate "forgetting." Why forget? What should we forget? Forget praise and blame. Forget gain and loss. Forget life and death. Forget right and wrong.

What is forgetting praise and blame? It means letting go of others' attacks on you — the outer world's assault on the inner. This is forgetting praise and blame.

What is forgetting gain and loss? If you desire something advantageous for yourself, but others compete with you and prevent you from getting it — what then? You must remove the attachment from your heart.

What is forgetting life and death? My children, why do you cultivate? Is it because you fear death? Because you are afraid that after death you will fall into hell — and seeking the Dao and serving the Dao will take you back to the Heavenly Realm — so that is why you cultivate? Have you rushed to cultivate because you fear natural disasters and human catastrophes striking you? These motivations are not entirely wrong — but they are only aids to your cultivation, only steps along the way. They are not the root.

So my children, you are all staff members now. Attending more classes — this is the simplest, most basic, most fundamental method. Some of you, even now, are still unclear about what cultivation and service mean! Is it not because you have attended too few classes? That means you do not know enough about the Dao and about yourselves. In these final days, you must make progress in both heart-nature and principle.

My children, tell me: is cultivating the Dao easy? Call it easy and it is not. Call it simple and it truly is — because cultivating the Dao is merely having a heart entirely for all beings! It is simply about sacrifice and dedication. But in practice, it is not easy at all. You each have a family. Day after day, for the sake of your family — look at where your energy goes: entirely wound up in the tangles of family affairs.

And more: you let emotions scatter your spirit. Look at the path of cultivation — this road is so bright! Yet sometimes you inexplicably lose confidence in yourselves. You walk and walk, cultivate and cultivate, and in the end you hide away. Is that right?

Is cultivation done by watching others, or by doing it yourself? Cultivation is for yourself — not for others. If you cannot see through your own attachments, you will wander endlessly. If you do not understand principle, if you do not see clearly — then grudges pile up, siblings quarrel, and you yourself are so uncomfortable, your heart so unable to let go, that wherever you go, everyone looks wrong to you. How can you be at ease?

Think again: cultivation naturally means growing more detached from fame and profit. If you still cling to gain and loss, you will feel confused in every advance and retreat. Do you understand?

My children, you often kneel before your Teacher and kowtow. You speak many things from your heart. When you are suffering, you only complain to your Teacher. But have you ever asked yourselves why it is this way? Why does your heart carry so much, so heavy? My child — why not put it down? When you put it down, you will understand that this "I" of yours was never meant to seek these things.

My children, on the road of cultivation, sometimes you must lift your eyes and look at heaven and earth. "Between heaven and earth — a single sand-gull!" Little ones, listen to your Teacher: we do Heaven's work, and our hearts are laid bare before Heaven. Heaven will know. Your sacrifice is seen by Heaven. You do not need to argue, you do not need to explain in a rush. Your Teacher only hopes you can cultivate peace and calm, and elevate yourselves. Do you understand? Where do you see the Dao? Your Teacher has no physical body — can you see it in me? Can you see it in the Buddha statue placed here? The Dao is in you. If you do not embody it, how will it be seen? Your Teacher transmits this Dao to you. If you do not know how to cultivate it well, then you waste your Teacher's precious Dao.

Since ancient times, sages have endured a thousand demons and ten thousand trials before receiving this Dao. Your Teacher gives it to you so easily — if my children do not cultivate well, can you face Heaven? You cannot face the Eternal Mother! People — who is without fault? Your Teacher was once human too, and knows the suffering of being human. But do not be ashamed to correct your errors. Even sages have faults. If you have faults and correct them earnestly — you are your Teacher's good disciple!

In this final hour, your Teacher hopes you will all recognize principle and cultivate well. Do not forever remain trapped in the comparison of self and other. A true cultivator has no errors — a true cultivator has no gossip. Do you understand? You must correct your faults. Correct what is wrong. The more you correct, the fewer your errors naturally become.

From human to Buddha — how much refining must you pass through? Do you know? You are not worthless stones. You are jade hidden within stone! The jade is concealed inside. The stone wraps the outside — just as the spirit is hidden within and the flesh wraps around it. How is the jade brought forth? By polishing. How? The people around you are polishing you. Each time a piece is ground away, you feel you have grown a little. Because each time a piece is removed, you discover ridges and rough edges you never knew were there. Finding them means you have already grown. If you discover that you are covered in karma and covered in faults, that means you are making progress. If you see no faults and no karma — then you are standing still. Do not do things that burden your conscience, lest you regret them later. Too many such deeds — and even Heaven's justice cannot forgive.

Today, none of you serve the Dao with a truly sincere heart. Your Teacher does not blame you. Your Teacher starts by being strict with himself. Should you not also start by being strict with yourselves, and only then expect it of others? Give a little more — what does it matter? Is that not so?

Lecturers are future instructor candidates — you must not carry a timid heart. My children, what are you afraid of now? Afraid that you have not done well enough, that you teach principles you cannot practice? Is that it? If you are afraid, how can you advance? You must first let go of yourself — only then will the truths you speak accord with Heaven's heart. If you have not let go of yourself, and you are consumed by fear — afraid of misleading beings, afraid of speaking poorly, afraid of bearing blame — then is there any truth left in the world for beings to hear? Whose burden is this? Yours. After a lecturer has been tempered and refined for a time, should they not climb higher? If you do not ascend but merely hold the title, you have not achieved the "substance." Your nine generations of ancestors above and seven below are also grieving for you. They await your advancement! When you rise, they rise. When you fall, they fall. The key to rising and falling is not empty words.

Do you have attachments and obstacles? Having them is what makes you human — that does not mean they are bad. Nothing is absolute. You come with attachments — no matter. We still become Buddhas all the same. When you do wrong, learn to repent. Your Teacher knows you will err again. But you are human! Knowing your error and correcting it — what greater good is there?

Your Teacher does not ask much. Only that you change your heart — transform greed, anger, and delusion into gratitude. That is enough. Your Teacher hopes you will be happy. Even if worry sometimes creases your brow — no matter, that is part of the journey. As long as you remember your Teacher's heart toward you — just give your Teacher one piece of sincerity in return.

In cultivation, if you can think things through and see them clearly — then everything opens up! Look at the wrinkles on your faces. If you do not smile, the wrinkles only multiply. What is "beauty"? Greet people with a smiling face. Smile more — you cannot go wrong.

"A person must have aspiration, must have harmony — but must not have arrogance." This saying, my children, you should turn over in your minds often. When you advance, do you grow proud? When you falter, do you have the courage to push forward again? Think about this often. When advancing — is there pride? Or do you grow humbler and study harder? When falling back — do you retreat? Stop learning entirely?

Among brothers and sisters, disagreements are inevitable. What then? Do you come to the Buddha Hall, each doing your own thing, no one speaking to anyone? Is that acceptable? This is everyone's Buddha Hall. What is the purpose of coming here? To learn from one another, to nurture one another. Today if a new Dao-friend arrives and sees every one of you like this — do you think they would dare come back?

When you have a knot in your heart, do not keep pulling it tighter — because the knot will only grow bigger and more numerous. When you have tied a knot, you must find a way to untie it. Seek the truth: "Why did my heart tie this knot? How can I loosen it?" This depends on your daily practice! Has your study of the Dao been advancing — or have you been drifting through the days?

The visible Buddha Hall — we sweep it clean, arrange everything in order. But the invisible Buddha Hall — how do you sweep that? Think: this grand and solemn Buddha Hall within you — how do you tidy it? In a single day, how many deluded thoughts arise? How much resentment toward others? How much laziness? Have you ever thought about it? If not, how will you ever sweep the invisible Buddha Hall clean?

My children! Every day you must practice self-reflection. Think about what you may have done wrong today. When things went well, did pride creep in? Is your heart content? Do you demand your own progress? As it is said: "When you see the worthy, aspire to match them. When you see the unworthy, look within." Is that not so?

If you see others doing wrong, do not harshly condemn them. Do not harbor resentment. Do not let yourself feel aggrieved and offended — none of that benefits you, and none of it genuinely helps the other person.

When you see another person's faults, quickly turn inward and reflect. Do not be like them — is that not a better way to live? And when you see someone doing well? Aspire to match them! Learn their good qualities immediately. If you can do this, what confusion will you have left in cultivation and service? If you lack empathy, your service cannot advance. If you lack the heart to feel what others feel, you will never know gratitude. If you stop walking, everything will lose its hope. Do you understand?

In the final days, my children must always understand true self-demand. Adjust your pace to go faster — do not only accept others' demands on you. Otherwise you will resist, you will bristle, you will have an uneven heart, and it will disturb your practice, making your heart rise and fall. So my children, in this final hour, truly, genuinely demand more of yourselves. Press forward and press further! Practice the true Dao diligently, day and night without slacking — at every moment, spur the galloping horse!

In this final hour, how much time do you have left for cultivation and service? Think about yourself — how much karma has yet to be settled, yet to be dissolved? Think — how many more opportunities will there be to clear your debts? Should you not spur the horse and never stop? How much time do you have left to waste? How much time to spend in idle daydreams? When you meet people, open your mouth and speak the truth — is there any gossip left worth speaking? If you still have gossip in you, it means your heart is no longer at rest! You have not cultivated an eager heart, a heart turned toward the Dao, a heart that wants to dissolve your karma. That is why you have time to spread gossip and participate in idle talk. Open your mouth to save people, to nurture people — that is what a cultivator does. Is that not so? That is what a White Sun practitioner should do — hold fast with constancy, preserve the Dao-heart forever, endure hardship and toil without complaint or regret! Do you understand?

Virtue — it must be expressed through your actions. Do not let people look at you and think you are strange or peculiar. The more ordinary you can be, the more extraordinary you are! That is the extraordinary within the ordinary. Dao-friends, Dao-friends — is it not the "Dao" that is closest? If so, when you come to the Buddha Hall, stop speaking gossip! Your own great matter of life and death is still unresolved — and you are meddling in others' affairs? There is no more time. So what will you use your remaining time for? Should you not spend it reading, enriching your understanding of the Dao? Do you read when you go home? The eight o'clock evening drama is truly wonderful — missing one night feels like a loss. Is that not how it is? So as members of the staff, seize the time. Advance daily. Only then can you truly serve well, fulfill your vow, and have no shame in your heart.

Doing Heaven's work makes no distinction between high and low, you and I! When the transmitting master transmits the Dao, that is the time for transmission. At all other times, they are staff members too, are they not? Why do they say that in cultivation you must keep the Three Nevers? Never leave what? Never leave the Buddha Hall. Never leave the predecessors. Never leave the scriptures. Why never leave the scriptures? Because they build your confidence in the Dao! Read any scripture — it is there for confirmation. It will fill you with even greater dharma-joy! It will make you even more certain of this! So do not think that being on staff means you need not advance!

What is "diligent advance"? It means continuously transforming your emotions, continuously changing, constantly finding the flaws in your own heart and gradually correcting them. And another thing: some of my children can kneel in the Buddha Hall — but at home, when you have done wrong, do you dare kneel before your parents, bow your head, and repent? I hope my children can truly do this. As long as you bow your head and repent, your Teacher believes there is nothing that cannot be resolved. As long as a person can lower their head, there is nothing that cannot be untied. The only thing to fear is the inability to be humble.

My children! Have you noticed the lotus? Where does it grow? In the mud! Everyone knows: the lotus rises from the mud without being stained. And you, my children, must be "in the dust without being stained by the dust." Cultivation cannot leave the human community! Have you noticed? Now, in the White Sun era, the Dao has descended into the household. You cultivate at home, within the family. You cannot leave people behind to cultivate alone. If you left the human community to cultivate in isolation, your Teacher would say: that is called "stealing life." What does that mean? Because that is the way of the "self-saving recluse"! Borrowing a quiet place to practice, without passing through the grinding of human affairs — that cannot accomplish anything. Do my children understand?

Where does the lotus grow? In the mud! In the wet, filthy mire — it grows in the dirtiest of places! On high, dry ground, does the lotus bloom? No. So the Dao hides in the low places!

29. How to Cultivate the Self and Nurture Virtue

如何修身培德

Above, seek the Buddha Way. Below, save all beings.
In activity, save others. In stillness, save yourself.

The noble person meets the moment — stillness and movement, both fitting.
Too many words hasten exhaustion — better to hold the center.

The hardest thing for a person to cultivate is inner virtue. To have people recognize that your inner virtue is truly good — that is no simple thing. Cultivating inner virtue is ten times harder than cultivating eloquence.

You may not have the capital to build a chemical factory. But from within your own heart, you can establish a small yet complete one.

The greatest feature of a chemical factory is that it recycles waste. If your heart has this quality — whatever harsh words come your way, you take them in, sort through them, and when they leave your mouth again, they have become beautiful speech.

If your heart has this quality, then whatever difficult person comes your way, you take them in — and you can transform them into a wonderful person. This requires no capital at all. It only requires your sincerity, your capacity, your cultivation, your aspiration. Everyone can do this.

You pay attention only to your environment, never to your inner landscape. You know how to beautify your environment but not how to beautify your inner landscape. You know how to change your environment but not how to change your inner landscape.

Ask yourself: since you first received the Dao, how much has your inner landscape changed? Far too little. You change a bit at the Dao hall, but the moment you leave the hall, leave your Dao-friends, and return to your own surroundings, your old nature comes roaring back — the proud are still proud, the arrogant still arrogant, the domineering still domineering. Is that not so? Your acquired nature has changed far too little. To change it, you must sincerely and wholeheartedly submit to being tempered by others. Seek out opportunities to be tempered. Jade and stone must grind against each other. If you refuse the tempering and want only to manage yourself, is that possible? When you do wrong, you cannot bear to discipline yourself, cannot bear to scold yourself — and even if you scold, you do it in secret, afraid someone might overhear. Is that real scolding? The greatest obstacle to becoming a vessel, to advancing, to achieving sagehood is this: protecting yourself, hiding your shortcomings, wanting praise, wanting admiration. You lack the cultivation of "hearing your faults and rejoicing." And so you never find the honest, loyal friends who would guide you well.

When you discover within your heart a constant, overwhelming sense of being at fault — that is when you approach the edge of sagehood. The sage has many faults. The worthy has few. The petty person has none. Why does the sage have many faults? Because the sage takes the whole world as their responsibility. They bear the faults of all people — therefore their faults are many. The worthy dares to act and dares to answer — they bear one person's faults beyond the ordinary — therefore their faults are few. The petty person evades responsibility, does not distinguish right from wrong, and sees nothing as their fault — therefore the petty person has no faults at all.

If every word from your mouth is "not my concern, not my fault" — then your cultivation is far, far behind. But if, in any situation, whenever someone discovers something wrong, you step forward to take full responsibility — if you do everything to convince others it was truly your doing, if you always consider any fault in the group to be your own — is this not the kind of heart that earns deep respect? My children, I hope you will strengthen yourselves in these small details. Then your entire being will be filled with the Dao's atmosphere. You will not need to open your mouth and preach — people will see at a glance that you are different. The Dao is on your body. Do you understand?

Since you have come to the Buddha Hall, since you wish to cultivate the Dao, then look like a cultivator. Give yourself some precepts. Why do you keep sliding backward? Because you make no demands of yourself. You indulge your own desires — "Today I want to do this, so I'll do it." That way, you will never advance. Take up some rules to push yourself forward. Slowly restrain yourself. Let yourself naturally, gradually progress toward the goal of the sages, the worthies, the immortals, and the Buddhas.

Are people today all very selfish? Do not think about others — think about yourself. Have you truly reflected? When you have something delicious to eat, who gets the first taste? Have you considered whether your parents have ever tasted such a thing? You have good hearts, but in these principles, you still fall short. That is why you must come here to study the Dao. When you sincerely investigate "cultivation," you will gradually elevate yourself. So research and refine together — correcting faults, removing bad temper — not researching how to eat well and dress well.

Cultivating the Dao does not mean understanding it in three or five days. Cultivation means constantly correcting your faults, removing your temper. Cultivating virtue! What is virtue? Equality is virtue! The young should respect the old, and the old should care for the young. A person must have humility. The humble have true character, and true character is what earns trust. Is that not so? The saying goes: "Those with virtue need not command — others follow willingly." Without character, whatever you tell others to do, they will not listen. Is that not so? Why do they refuse? Because your understanding is not correct — so of course they will not listen!

In the dusty world, one cultivates. In the human community, one learns. We must learn forbearance, tolerance, and the magnanimity to accommodate others. The lowest point is the highest point. Look beneath surfaces — investigate deeply, and do not let appearances wound you. Nothing can be judged by outward form alone. Cultivation must go deep. Know that "humility receives gain, and fullness brings loss." Even if someone else's advice is not immediately useful, we should still accept it with an open heart and receive it with sincerity.

One should always maintain a grateful heart. If others bully us or deal with us unfairly, let the heart think: "Others may shortchange me, but Heaven never will! I am grateful for the tempering." Then the heart will be at peace and principle will be clear, and all things will flow naturally. If I have no gratitude in my heart, I am easily moved to anger and rage — and in the end, the one who suffers is myself. Is that not so? If a person has no resilience — if they cannot endure with forbearance, endure with grace, endure with transformation — when someone crashes into them, they just cave in. If the inside is hollow and faith in the Dao is not firm, no matter how round the surface appears, a hard collision will still leave a sharp edge.

Cultivation requires lowering the heart and yielding the breath. The treasure of cultivation is "staying green." The treasure of cultivation is this: be plain as water, and endure for a long time. Bad things fear the first step. Good things fear the final step. Do you understand? That is why they say: "It is easy to begin, but hard to finish well."

People! All of you spin round and round between gain and loss. Always calculating to gain just a little more — and where there is calculation, there are endless worries. When the Immortals and Buddhas point out someone's faults, they do it discreetly. When you see another's faults, take them as a warning for yourself — do not make them a joke at another's expense.

In cultivation, notice the small good things in others. Do not notice the small bad things.

The wise person sees another's actions and can reason from them, learning how to act themselves. This principle is not easy to grasp. Most people only watch what others do and judge whether they did well or poorly, forming criticism or dislike. But when you step into their shoes, what you do is not necessarily any better. So place your heart in the other's position. Everyone's heart is the same.

Do not only see others — observe yourself constantly. Do not be the one whose neighbor plants one mu of land and feeds others with the surplus, while you own ten mu and harvest nothing.

In cultivation, do your utmost, act according to your station, and learn to care for others. Regardless of gossip and quarrels, each person's circumstances are different, and different circumstances produce different natures. Do not demand that everyone be exactly like you. The first thing to correct in cultivation is your own character. Do not insist, "This is just how I am — I'll do whatever I want!" That is wrong. "Character" is acquired nature — absorbed after birth, learned over time. It was not brought from before. Perhaps others do not welcome us — but our hearts should emulate Maitreya. Have magnanimity. Learn the spirit of Maitreya — do not merely imitate the outward appearance.

When you quarrel with someone and lose your temper — do not curse the other person. Curse your Teacher instead; it does not matter. When others treat you badly, think: when you yourself lost your temper, did Heaven treat you this way? You say you want to learn from the Bodhisattvas, that you want to model yourself on Heaven and Earth and the ancient sages — yet the moment someone criticizes you, you explode in fury! Think about it: when you were in despair and cursed Heaven as heartless, did Heaven get angry and pour a bucket of water on your head?

How many times has your Teacher been reincarnated? Seventy-two times. How many years has he lived? Because you all have a special fondness for numbers! You love studying other people — who did what, who did such-and-such! Other people are other people. Mind your own business! Just mind yourself — do not mind others!

Actually, each of us is truly good, is that not so? If your heart is good, everyone is good. Regardless of beauty or ugliness — if the heart is good, we take what matters: the inner virtue. Stop picking and choosing at everything, will you? Cultivate yourself first — and in truth, everyone is perfectly easy to get along with.

People have many faults and tempers, do they not? See something you dislike and you grow angry. See something you like and you rejoice in your heart. This is called "having duality."

People cannot be magnanimous — and so their problems multiply. People refuse to give rise to a compassionate heart — and so beings are hard to save. Your Teacher saves beings you cannot see: the Three Realms, universally delivered. Above: the spirit-immortals of the Qi Heaven. In the middle: all sentient beings. Below: the spirits of the dark realms — and the spirits of the underworld are even more stubborn than you.

We have forgotten our original face, and that is dangerous. So everyone must constantly "reflect on yourself and forgive others." White Sun cultivators — what should you be doing? Is it not transmitting Heaven's teaching? And is transmitting Heaven's teaching done by the mouth alone? No! What you speak, you must also walk. Furthermore: speak of what is good, and do not speak of what is bad. But most people do the opposite — they say nothing good and speak all the evil there is. Once you have entered your Teacher's door, you must learn to "conceal the evil and proclaim the good." Everyone has habits. It is inevitable that sometimes temper flares and you offend someone. The mouth accumulates merit easily, but it tests people just as easily. So be cautious in speech and careful in action.

If you wish to cultivate, if you wish to walk the Dao, then dissolve the qi that should not be there. Slowly let yourself become peaceful. You must endure the qi — and then transform it. Gradually learn restraint. Restraint means letting your own qi settle and deepen. This is what people mean when they say, "That person has real cultivation!"

When a person appears to have true bearing, it is not put on. It is innate quality — something others cannot imitate. It comes from the environment shaping inner cultivation over time. Use your innate quality well. Do not imitate others. When cultivation shows as a certain calm radiance — that is the cultivator's bearing. A violent, fierce qi drives people away. So in cultivation, transform the qi of cruelty into the qi of calm and peace.

You all understand "propriety." But what is propriety? Propriety is not merely bowing ninety degrees. Where there is propriety, there must be yielding. "Propriety and yielding" — do you understand? My children, you who are lecturers and speakers must also understand propriety and yielding. If a person can grasp this, they are cultivating their own humility and character. Work should be done with ease — but within that ease, there must also be courtesy. Without propriety, things go badly. In dealing with people, consider their position — then you will never do something you cannot face them about. Act from the true heart, and you avoid endless gossip and dispute. The outer appearance is false. We often flaunt our small talents, puffing ourselves up with pride. Is that not so? In truth, it is the inner spirit that must be full. The inner light must be nourished! Beauty does not come from what is put on outside — it comes from the genuine "goodness" within the heart.

The dragon in the field flies below. So in life, conceal your brilliance. Do not display your talent and learning too openly — especially in troubled times.

A person's nobility lies in inner virtue. One who has inner virtue does not parade it. The heart must be broad, must embrace all things. Be low in heart and yielding in breath — otherwise many things become impossible to accept. Draw the heart back in. Leave some empty space for your Teacher's words. If the heart is crammed full, can your Teacher's words fit in?

30. Fullness Brings Loss, Humility Brings Gain

滿招損、謙受益

Some people rise swiftly to the clouds, and because of this they grow too satisfied with themselves, too proud. The heart climbs — and it easily falls.

To enter the world of others, first you must be humble. Humble toward others, and humble toward yourself. What does being humble toward yourself mean? It means not giving rise to arrogance, conceit, or vanity. In success and in failure alike, meet both with an equal heart. If you grow giddy with success, you walk carelessly, and the careless path easily becomes a failed one. In all things, dwell in safety yet think of danger. Do not believe that because your present situation is comfortable and free of trouble, there is nothing to worry about — that comfort is itself the real danger. In success, do not rejoice. In failure, do not despise yourself. Success and failure are only a single thought apart. As long as you preserve this heart, neither success nor failure can reach you.

If everyone praises you and you truly believe it — you have made a mistake! Be wary of heights. Your own faults, you know best. If you refuse to cut them out decisively — that is a hollow exterior, not the real thing.

Within the Non-Dual Gate, diligently refine your fire. Learn broadness, lowness of heart, yielding of breath. Softly cultivate inner virtue. Everyone should study what Laozi and Zhuangzi taught: "Be empty as a valley." Look at the sea — because it is low, all water flows toward it. So take up the valley-heart and embrace this virtue. Cultivate it. Gather the strengths of others and make them your own strengths. Look at the sea — all the rivers flow to it. Cultivate the Dao well. Without the Middle Way, you will mislead yourself, and anxiety will follow — gain and loss, gain and loss.

Some people do not devote their full hearts to their own station. We must give our best to our work — only then can we do it well. Some people are clever and do eccentric things, trying to attract attention. A sharp mind is a blessing from past lives — use it well. The sharp-minded tend to break the rules, while those with simpler minds tend to keep them. Heaven does not make anyone perfect. When a person is perfect, their heart rises higher than Heaven. Only when a person has faults does their spirit stay low. If your qi is too fierce, you have no humility. Without humility, nothing you do will easily succeed.

Everyone's heart is originally good. Only after falling into the world does hatred arise, and with hatred comes duality. So your Teacher hopes that from now on you will spur yourselves harder. But the road — only you can walk it. What your Teacher can give is limited. The master leads you through the gate; cultivation depends on you. The whole thing comes down to one phrase: "Save yourself." I hope you will not forget your station. Transform this world of suffering into the Lotus Land. Of course, this means cultivating the heart and nourishing your nature so that the dark nature becomes bright. Brightness fills you with confidence. But do not be overconfident — or the one who stumbles will be you.

We stand in a little alley arguing over principle — like small frogs who do not know that beyond the mountain are more mountains, beyond the person are more persons, beyond the sky is more sky. We constantly compare. We look down on what others have. We belittle people. We place ourselves too high and everyone else too low. But the higher you place yourself, the more others look down on you. The more humble you are, the higher others lift you. Nothing in this world stays permanently high. One side is high, the other is low — that is yin-yang, the Five Phases. Some things go well, some do not.

You must reduce your own transgressions before you can receive good karma. If you want to earn more money yet never do good deeds, one day that money will slip away. But if you do good deeds — yes, some money flows out, but those good deeds are building virtue for you, and that virtue carries the money upward. People with both enterprise and fortune are those whose hearts are good. An evil person's wealth does not last. One day Heaven will not let you keep it — for Heaven will not allow wealth and tyranny to endure forever. Heaven is always fair. So reduce your own karma, my children. Be careful and reflect! Where there is high, there must be low — this is yin and yang. The world is simply this way. When we understand Heaven and know the Earth, we grasp the importance of this principle. When your inner landscape matures, you will understand: where there is loss, there is also gain. Fewer bad habits bring more happiness. Too many habits? That depends on your own willpower — find a way to break every one of them, and you will live to a hundred.

Each of us must be "whole" — not only in the Buddha Hall, but in society and in the family. Play your role well, act according to your station — that too can be called "wholeness."

The crow has loyalty. The horse has propriety. Every animal has a principle, a virtue. And people? What did you bring down from Heaven? Benevolence, Righteousness, Propriety, Wisdom, and Trust. Have you expressed them all?

Do good deeds — and do not let others know. "Build virtue as if stealing." Build it in the places no one sees.

Heaven gave you your destiny — your bright, original nature. Fulfill your responsibility and complete your vow. Since you study the Dao, uphold the bonds of human relationship, and work to bring peace and equality to the world.

First, I call my children to account:
Have you lowered your hearts and yielded your breath, or do you act only from your own will?
Have your faults and tempers been truly removed from the heart,
Or have you merely changed what shows on the surface
While the sediment piles up inside?
How then can you open the heart to moisture and light?

Second, I urge my children:
Arrogance and swagger earn only people's disgust.
How will you make the human way whole?
In the quiet of night, press your hand to your heart and ask:
Are you worthy of the name "one who cultivates the Dao"?
How will you correct yourself and perfect others?

Third, I call my children:
Be gentle and warm, and people rejoice.
In all things, do not measure ounce for ounce.
Can you push credit away and embrace blame?
Contrived effort can never complete the work of merit —
The Dao is nature itself. Walk it the same way.

Fourth, I ask my children:
Do you faithfully keep the Buddha-rules?
In walking, standing, sitting, lying down —
Have you been paying attention?

Take the words and deeds of the ancients as your teachers and friends.
Take loyalty, sincerity, devotion, and reverence as your practice.
Take doing good and receiving blessings as your daily sustenance.
Take joy in Heaven's will and knowing your destiny as your refuge.

Greet others with warmth, and cold resentment melts away.
Meet all things with uprightness, and wicked delusion vanishes.
Face events with great courage, and doubt and fear dissolve.
Nourish the body with stillness, and even dreams grow peaceful.

31. Cultivating the Dao While Carrying Out Its Work

在辦道中修道

When you have formed a position and it differs from others', do not stubbornly cling to your own view. Quiet yourself first, think it over, then seek verification. And before you put forward any position at all, your understanding of principle must be clear and penetrating.

Your Teacher then raised several situations we might encounter in the Dao hall, inviting us to think about what we would do. They are listed below.

While you are cultivating and carrying out the Dao, a good friend of yours tells you he has been practicing this and that — it can produce endless transformations, turn stone into gold, and let the body enjoy blessings. What is your position?

One day, things are not going well for you in this Dao hall. Another place invites you to join them — they will make you a Lecturer, perhaps even a Transmitting Master. Do you go? (No.)

Suppose you are facing a test of human relations — the kind that makes you want to hide — and this test strikes directly at your own temperament and faults. What is your position? Will you waver? Or will you decide to stay and destroy your enemy? Toward yourself: seek within yourself, act according to your station. Toward the other person? (Embrace them.)

A Dao ceremony is about to begin. One person says to use thick incense sticks, another says to use thin ones. A dispute breaks out — everyone wants to hold firm to their own position. If it becomes a head-on collision, that solemn and sacred ceremony loses all its dignity. Is that not so?

Whatever you do, you are the ones standing at the front. Others may even take you as their standard. Think about it — is this right? Even if you set others aside, feel your own conscience: should not a cultivator be true to the name? You carry the title of one who follows the Dao, yet you act against it. "One rat dropping ruins a whole pot of porridge." Watch your words. Guard your conduct.

Now suppose the decision is made to use thick incense. If you were the one who wanted thin, what heart should you raise? How should you treat yourself? Cling stubbornly to your position? And what should the Transmitting Master do?

The Transmitting Master assigns two people: one to handle outreach and spiritual care, the other to handle internal preparations. The outward-facing one says he has never done this before and wants to switch with the other. But the inward-facing one is unwilling, insisting it is the Transmitting Master's heavenly mandate. At this point, several scenarios arise:

If the outward-facing one, hearing "the Transmitting Master has the heavenly mandate," goes reluctantly and half-heartedly — the power behind his effort will naturally be small. Even if the inward work is done perfectly, it still cannot be called complete. Wholeness is lost. Is that not so?

But if the outward-facing one keeps a humble heart and thinks: "The Transmitting Master has compassionately given me this chance to fulfill my vow. This is something I have never done before — may the Immortals and Buddhas please help me. As long as I have heart, no difficulty is too great." Then he goes out, using unfamiliar skills and unfamiliar words, and brings the outward work into order — while the inward work is also completed. Would this not be more whole than the first case?

And if the outward result is still not perfect, but he has given his full effort, and in his heart he can think: "We are all doing the work of Heaven — why divide it so finely? This is something I have never done before. I should learn what I do not know. Once I learn it, it becomes mine forever." With this thought, no obstacle remains! Next time, he will not be afraid to do it again. Is that not so?

The Transmitting Master takes an old Dao-friend and a newly devoted beginner with him on a visit to guide someone to the Dao. As they walk, the Transmitting Master speaks with the new seeker. The old Dao-friend thinks: "Why did he bring me along if he won't let me speak? I can't put my strengths to use. How pointless! How boring!" Then the old Dao-friend says to the new one: "The Transmitting Master is really something — he calls us out just for company! He won't let us talk, won't do things our way, and only gives us the hard jobs." At this point, what does the new Dao-friend think? If their resolve is not firm, they will surely think: "The Transmitting Master is really like that? I keep hearing bad things about him..." What should the proper response be?

When doing work for Heaven, as long as you have given your heart, what difference does the form make? (The Transmitting Master kindly adds: Whether we are pioneering at home or abroad, in every task we must show mutual respect. Sometimes we only need to do well the thing we can do — and when it is not our turn, we uphold the dignity of the occasion. Someone speaks, someone manages, someone leads the way, someone assists. As long as the task succeeds, that is all that matters. Do not insist on being the one in charge. Each person takes their proper station, acts according to their role, and brings human affairs to wholeness and inner harmony. Harmonious unity is the most essential foundation for advancing the Dao's work.)

A Dharma assembly is about to begin. You are the head of the altar committee. Because one large bundle of incense was not tied, the blame falls on you. What heart do you bring to this? Several responses are possible:

You realize the mistake at once. You rush to tie the incense bundle, then make a firm vow: next time, I will remember. I will not make this error again. Give yourself a lesson carved into the bone. Hold yourself to a strict standard.

Or perhaps you rush to tie the incense, but in your heart you think: "How inadequate I am — so inadequate — I even forgot a bundle of large incense! Everyone is criticizing me. I think next time I just will not serve as committee head." The next assembly arrives. The team is short-handed. The Transmitting Master asks you again — it has to be you. And you insist: "I cannot do it well. I will definitely forget the incense again." Is that right? Since you already said you would not repeat the mistake, you should try again. As long as you do not make the same error, that is enough. Besides, this is a chance given to you. When you are needed, step forward! Is that not so?

(The Transmitting Master kindly adds: the Teacher is speaking from two sides — listen carefully! On one hand, do not criticize so harshly that you drive someone to despair. Failing once should not mean they never get another chance. On the other hand, we ourselves, when we do not handle something well, must not let one mistake become an excuse for permanent neglect. Correct yourself. Remind yourself. Vow to never repeat it — and when the time comes, step forward again.)

There are many Dao-friends. Ten are assigned to you for instruction. Whatever you teach them — is what you teach correct? If one plus one equals two and you insist on teaching them it equals three, they do not know better and follow you. Have you not distorted the very principle? Right now, you must practice "correct yourself first, then guide others." Only when you yourself are right can you bring others to rightness.

When your foundation is stable, your Dao-heart clear, your understanding of principle penetrating — you still need a mind of harmony and flexibility. Both supple and sincere. Suppose a sworn adversary quarrels with you. The Buddha Hall work falls to you. But the adversary says: "What are you waving your hands about — trying to steal merit?" Or: "Don't disrupt my pace!" You grow angry. You start saying to others: "So-and-so is really something — and they think they have such a fine reputation in the Dao hall!" Now your ten charges divide into two camps. One group follows your words, because usually you make sense. The other group thinks: "You taught us one thing, and now you are doing the opposite — why should we listen to you?"

One phrase explains it all: when the main beam is crooked, the lower beams lean. Have you led people well this way?

(Summarizing these examples, the Teacher reminds us:)

Therefore, beyond having a heart, you must also understand principle. Both are indispensable in cultivating the Dao. If you encounter a situation like these in the future — how should you face it? How should you choose the principle? How should you follow the heart? Do you understand? True cultivation brings true attainment. Be true to your name. Watch your words and guard your conduct. If a person has no flexibility — no capacity for the tolerance that absorbs, the tolerance that transforms, the tolerance that dissolves — then when someone pushes against you, you simply cave in. And if your inner core is loose and your faith in the Dao is not firm, then no matter how round the surface appears, a hard collision will still leave a sharp edge.

Cultivating the Dao requires forbearance — only then do you have flexibility. When hard meets hard, when the blow comes crashing — if at that very moment you can use the force to spring forward, you bounce in the right direction and advance one step. But if you cannot forbear and the sharp edge pierces through, then you lie flat in place and cannot rise again.

In all things, seek within yourself. Whether you did right or wrong, the real work of cultivation is in your own hands, in the daily round. Seize your own faults. Set your resolve to change. I promise you — you will leap one great step forward. But if you coddle yourself, hiding your temper and your flaws, and after it passes you blame everyone else — "It was their fault I lost my temper! Otherwise I never would have..." — then you are in deep trouble. Hold yourself to a strict standard.

Affirm yourself, but also respect others. Having a firm position is not enough — you must also be able to harmonize.

"Sincerity of heart" and "understanding of principle" — in cultivating the Dao, neither can be lost.

Whenever you make a mistake, let it be a warning to yourself: next time, I will not repeat this. And when you are needed again — respond to the need. Step forward.

When the main beam is crooked, the lower beams lean. Set yourself right first. To guide others to wholeness, first correct yourself.

32. Breaking Through the Dusty Barriers of Self-Attachment

突破塵封的我執

Are you attached to the appearance of others and the appearance of self? The moment you enter the Buddha Hall, you are already attached — "this chair is mine!" — and that is already attachment. But for the sake of order and tidiness, it cannot be helped. So when a person must have order yet cannot be too attached — what should they do? Is it not to take the Middle Way?

After you see the things of this world clearly — what should be entered into, enter into. What should be let go, let go. But letting go does not mean refusing to invest in anything. In all things, you must give sincerely before you can truly receive. Everything you see today can shift your heart. But some things cannot be done well just because you want to do them well. So do not plunge in with too much attachment. Simply let go of all "attachment of the heart," observe from beside, and wholeness will come.

Where is the Dao not present? What role cannot be played? Adapt to whatever you encounter and you will be at ease. Most people are constrained by their own status — that is why they are not at ease.

In cultivation today, you must step out of your own shadow. Let everyone absorb the experience, the essence, of others, and appreciate the mysteries between Heaven and Earth.

When a cultivator has doubts and needs to discern right from wrong, think carefully and quietly. Consider what is right and what is not. The affairs of this world naturally contain both right and wrong — but how will you judge them? You judge with wisdom. Yet sometimes you will never be able to determine what is right and what is wrong, because right and wrong in this world are often impossible to distinguish clearly. When you encounter a dispute, do not cling to it. If you insist on finding the answer, you may never find it. See through it, and everything becomes whole. Why whole? Because you are no longer clinging. So this world is simply a tangle of rights and wrongs! If any of you encounter such a situation, I beg you — do not go looking for trouble. The person who goes searching for worry is the biggest fool under Heaven.

Let go of your worries and preconceptions — only then can you accept what others say. If your heart harbors worry and prejudice, you will not be able to hear what the Transmitting Master or the Lecturer tells you, because you already have your own position. But a person must also have a position! If you cultivate with no position at all — someone says it is good and you practice, someone says it is bad and you quit — how can that work?

People always love telling others to do this and that. But when others do not follow your wishes, you hold a grudge in your heart, always fixated on the result. Your mind never finds peace. One word, one gesture from someone else, and you are furious. You give someone heartfelt advice, they do not follow it, and you abandon them. You grow disgusted. You develop a different attitude toward them. This is distortion. And distortion is what makes the heart unhappy.

When people refuse to yield to each other, there will be collisions and serious harm. Every day, each person carries weapons openly — weapons that easily wound others. If you truly yield just a little, you will not hurt yourself, and you will not hurt others either. People are foolish — they love to go head to head. Only when one side yields does the situation improve.

Everyone has a front they show to others. But there is also a back — the things hidden in the belly of their mind. Can you see it? That is called the yin side. The yang side is easy for others to detect. But is the yin side easy to discover? It is not. This is only the surface — yet you are always caught at this surface, neglecting the true self beneath it. You spin and spin until you no longer know what to do. Endless worries, endless fantasies, endless desires — wanting everything, getting nothing — so you hide inside yourself and think. Sometimes you want to act but dare not! On the outside you present a refined appearance. On the outside you play the good person. On the inside you play the bad one. This is your outer and inner selves failing to harmonize. If you wish to cultivate the Dao, you must remove the yin side.

If a person seals their life in darkness — when something fails, they close themselves off and cannot raise their head — is that good? That is not humility. That is self-enclosure! Shutting your own door! Then you can no longer connect with others. Is that not suffering? It is because their subjective consciousness is too strong.

Therefore, accept outside matters in appropriate measure. Do not seal your heart inside itself. Then you can see every side, and your vision is broad. Cultivation means correcting these imbalances in yourself. You are always swinging — too high or too low, too left or too right. The heart always rises and falls, rises and falls, like waves! Up then down, down then up! Day and night, the worries never stop.

Everyone is free to choose what clothes they wear — and free in spirit too. If you insist that someone must wear a certain outfit, that is your own narrowness. A chairman is a person. A janitor is a person. Regardless of rank, you are all people. As long as you do what suits you, what suits the time, the environment, the particular circumstance — that is the Dao. What does not suit you is not the Dao. Do not keep chasing outward. Let your own thoughts and judgments slowly arrive at non-action. Then when you look at any situation, you will not keep clinging.

Your good heart is eternal and unchanging. But your thinking must adapt to different times and circumstances. When you have done a great deal of work and others praise you, saying you have worked hard, yet you yourself do not feel it was hard — that shows you are not attached. When a person gives willingly, they do not feel the hardship. But when the heart is calculating, they always feel that others do not understand them, do not know their suffering.

You tend to see only one side of the truth — the side visible from your own angle — without walking around to see it from someone else's. Others' perspectives are not necessarily the same as yours. Look from many angles, and your understanding and your actions will be more complete. The heart must be nimble and clear, able to see many sides. Then it will not be partial.

Sometimes, do not hesitate to ask for others' views. The bystander sees more clearly. Perhaps you always believe you are right. When someone is willing to tell you the truth, be glad — they tell you because you are willing to accept it. If you are doing poorly and others still praise you, then you have truly failed.

A bottle filled too full tips over easily. As the saying goes: "Fullness invites loss; humility receives gain." Standing up lets you cast your gaze far. It also lets you lift your head, straighten your chest, and walk your life's great road.

A person must not look down on everything, must not be too self-satisfied — otherwise they cannot accept another's honest counsel. Take down your prejudices and your baggage. Only then can you adapt to wherever you find yourself. First, empty yourself completely. Learn from your Teacher in this way — and then teacher and student can truly resonate.

First, the heart must open. If there are too many worries, the heart has no room left. When you speak ten parts, your heart may not truly be at ten parts. The heart needs space to turn around.

In all things, think three times before you speak. Words spoken too quickly cannot be taken back. People often say something too hastily and leave themselves no room to turn. So think three times — otherwise you may create a lifelong regret. Sometimes one careless word turns you against a friend or a parent. Though inside you feel remorse, you cannot bring yourself to lower your face and apologize. Your pride is too great, your self-respect too fierce. Ah! How much are face and self-respect really worth? Have you ever considered?

Joy and happiness exist in the space between encounters. To act in wholeness, take the Middle Way — do not cling to either extreme.

The noble person, when they err, knows to change. When they are wrong, they dare to improve. They constantly reflect. They receive others' honest counsel with an open heart. Do you have that magnanimity? Loyal words sting the ear — but if you can hear what is unpleasant, then what is pleasant will feel even sweeter. If you only ever hear pleasant words, you will never appreciate the truly beautiful ones. Therefore: the highest, the lowest, the most beautiful, the most terrible — you must be able to embrace them all, without discrimination. What fate gives you in due time, it gives. Do not chase appearances.

Sometimes you pile everything onto your shoulders and cannot put it down — and then you cannot see the peaceful side of anything. All things are like this. Today you carry many worries and want to do everything well. But the more you want to do it well, the worse it turns out. Sometimes when you are looking for something, the harder you search, the less you find. Do you not feel this? The harder you try to sweep the floor clean, the more dust you seem to discover. Do you know why? One day, when your mood is poor and you sweep carelessly, you find the floor is actually clean. The thing you were not looking for appears on its own. Because you had no attachment — only an ordinary heart. To do something well, beyond focus, you also need the ordinary heart. Let go of the clinging heart. Let go entirely of the desire to "make it good." That is the ordinary heart.

You are always calculating gain and loss. Some people prepare thoroughly for an exam, yet perform poorly — because they keep thinking: will I score a hundred? Will I pass? When you cling to these thoughts, what you know becomes what you do not know. The spirit's marvelous function is subtle: when you are unaware, when you are immersed, a kind of wondrous utility arises on its own. This is the spirit's marvelous function.

For example, those who copy the blackboard — at first it is clumsy. But write long enough, and it becomes fluid. In that fluidity, the characters develop resonance. So you must focus. Choose a single goal and devote yourself to one thing. You love calligraphy? Choose that goal! Write, and write — in time it becomes smooth. When it is smooth, it becomes wondrous. When it is wondrous, it is alive. But if you cling to making it beautiful, it will not be beautiful. The student wants to write well, but your Teacher's words seem to pass right through him — do you know why? Because his thought, "I must make this beautiful," blocks the marvelous function. A person's marvelous function arises naturally when the spirit gradually focuses and immerses itself. All things are connected to people, connected to Heaven and Earth. You must slowly come to understand this. After the marvelous function appears, there is resonance — and in anything you do, the marvelous function can arise. Some people cook wonderfully. You think: the same person is cooking, yet this one's food is especially delicious. Both are devoted, both try hard — but one's food is better than the other's. Why? Because one has already entered the marvelous function.

From wholehearted immersion, interest arises. From interest, great wisdom is born — the marvelous wisdom. As long as you immerse yourself — whether you are a cook or anything else — in any task, once you focus and let go of the obstacle of self, the marvelous function flows naturally.

Suppose two of you — one is vegetarian. They see the other is not vegetarian and do not want to associate with them, simply because they do not eat vegetarian food. They feel there is nothing to talk about. If one is unmarried, they see the married one and ask: "Why did you get married?" If one loves exercise and only talks of sports, they think the non-athletic one lacks devotion. The bookworm thinks: "I am diligent — I am the Teacher's good disciple" — and regards the one who does not read as lacking the spirit of progress. Do you not constantly judge others with this kind of mind? This is self-inflation. It will never save a single being.

Why does your cultivation eventually make you incompatible with everyone? Does your Teacher only save those who have received the Dao? Does he only save those who have not? Whether they have received the Dao or not, I treat them all equally. Today you see someone who does not eat vegetarian and you give up on them — as if they had committed a grave sin. Someone is different from you and they cannot be your good friend? Is that acceptable? That is not the Buddha's original heart. Is this not what happens to cultivators in the end? You try to guide someone to the Dao, and when you cannot succeed, you say: "They have no spiritual root." So your cultivation has become unnatural, self-enclosed — and your world shrinks to only this. You cannot see anyone else's world.

If you can accept things that differ from you — if good and bad truly blend — only then can the true heart open. Do not be narrow, insisting that you must have things a certain way — that guarantees nothing. Everything is limited by the self. You cannot let the heart truly open. You cannot let the heart be truly free. And so you suffer. If your Teacher demanded that you eat vegetarian, but your heart was not in it — then the vegetarian eating is in vain. Do not draw a line around yourself and also draw a line around others, as if you are all incompatible. Your Teacher brings you all together — your Teacher can go to both sides. Look how naturally I live, how freely! But you — you are incompatible with everyone! So you must build broad and good connections! Broad connections mean being able to engage with any affair, with any kind of person. Only then is your heart the same as the Buddha's heart. Only then are you a true cultivator. Only then is the true spirit in motion, and true wisdom born. Some people try to guide others — they see one kind of person and give one speech. They see another and give the same speech. Their script never changes! But every person's heart, family, and circumstances are different. Every person is tall, short, broad, thin — how can their thinking be the same? If you have a truly open heart — of course, openness does not mean having no standards at all, do not go too far — then you can easily touch the true Buddha-heart in any person. When the true Buddha-heart flows freely: meet a businessman and speak the businessman's language. For a student, speak the student's language. For a homemaker — if you speak the student's language to her, she will not hear you.

Therefore, it is not that you cannot guide people. It is not that others are unwilling to engage with you. It is that you used the wrong method. You drew a line around yourself — and that is why others cannot come in, and you cannot go to where others are. So ask yourself: is your cultivation natural? It is not right to say, "This is how I cultivate, and everyone behind me should follow the same way." If you use your method to restrict others — and others have living spirits — living spirits that you restrict — of course they cannot come through!

33. Affliction and the Seed of the Bodhi Way

煩惱與菩提道種

Where does your marvelous wisdom come from? I look at my foolish disciples — still dazed and confused. Your Teacher has opened it for you. Where is it? A little too high and you miss it. A little too low and you miss it. Do not forget: this is the "Heavenly Heart." Do you understand? It is not the heart of the ordinary world. The worldly heart is a partial heart. This heart is a straight heart — utterly different from the partial one. And your marvelous wisdom? It issues from right here. Do you understand?

In all things, you must know how to grasp the balance — that is wisdom. Cultivating the Dao also requires wisdom. Wisdom and cleverness are not the same. Disciples, study this well. One day it will resonate with your hearts.

A nimble Buddha-nature gives rise to living wisdom. But do not use it on the surface to flatter or impress — that will keep your true Buddha from ever appearing.

What does the human world fear most? Drought. When the water runs out, people cry to Heaven. But physical drought is not the worst of it. What is truly fearful is running dry of wisdom-water. Since you disciples have set your hearts on coming here to hear the principles and study the Dao, you must open the doors of your hearts — only then can the wisdom-water be born.

Only by using bodhi wisdom can you bring worldly affairs and all things into the Middle Way. When you face affliction and seek a solution, the method that naturally suits you in the process — that is the marvelous function born from wisdom.

Your thoughts are constantly moving — and that is because you think too much. Overthinking covers up wisdom. When wisdom cannot flow freely, your actions lose their order and their clarity.

When many things are not going well, it is because you have not yet thought through the full course of events — the causes, the reasons. You have jumbled everything together, and so wisdom cannot grow.

If you have one affliction, a second follows — and then a third. Having afflictions is not the problem. What matters is knowing their full story: where they come from and where they lead. Why can they trouble you? Why can they cause you pain? From one matter, see through to the next — see the root. That is what truly matters. The Buddha and all sentient beings are equal. Without passing through affliction, you will never reach the bodhi path. Without being tempered through the life of sentient beings, can you truly fathom the realm of a Buddha?

Your thoughts change ten thousand times in an instant! Is it not your heart that governs them? Happy today, sad tomorrow, angry the day after — is that not so?

What is "affliction"? Affliction is when you do not call for it and it comes anyway. That is what affliction is. So often you tell it not to arise, yet it surfaces — one thread after another. You want only to be still, yet you cannot be still. One matter after another surges up. Is that not so? When affliction comes, that is fine! But you must know its root. Only then can you truly be free of it.

Whether you live happily is up to you. Happiness is yours to govern. No one tells you not to be happy. Your sorrow is an illusion — a phantom conjured by your own afflictions and deluded thoughts.

Cultivate yourself and accomplish yourself. Remove greed. Turn selfishness into public-mindedness. Turn anger into a joyful heart. Turn delusion into a wise heart. All sentient beings are trapped by greed, anger, and delusion — that is why they cannot see through. The moment hatred for another arises, quickly summon your wisdom and transform it into joy. Reduce greed to the barest minimum. Slowly cultivate toward the most complete state.

Husband and wife are bound by karma — good karma or bad karma. Children are debts — repaying or collecting. In these moments, rely on the practice of "maintaining mindfulness." Once the heart turns, act on the outside. Only after acting can fate begin to change. Great troubles become small. Small troubles become nothing.

A person who is too shrewd can never be truly carefree — and so afflictions multiply. When afflictions are many, the heart cannot open. But turn your thoughts, and right here, right now, is paradise. To bring joy to others, carefree and without affliction — that is Ji Gong. That is the Living Buddha.

Everyone carries melancholy in their hearts — many afflictions, knots that cannot be untied. This is because we constantly cling due to momentary impulse. You must "let go" of the clinging heart to untie the knots. But young people often start things without finishing them, so you need perseverance and patience to truly learn "letting go."

What do the sages do? They serve all sentient beings under Heaven! They endure hardship and swallow slights without blaming Heaven or faulting others. Know this: to bear toil without bearing resentment gains no merit. To bear resentment without bearing toil gains no virtue. Winning others' respect — that is the hard part.

Enter the Buddha-gate and keep to your place — your Teacher will naturally lend you strength. But you must truly "keep to your place." Twenty-four hours a day, in all things — inner and outer, affairs and objects and people — guard this one "point." Then you will invite less trouble, have fewer afflictions, and walk this path more smoothly. Simply put: when your spirit is whole, the entire body has no affliction. Confucius said: "The noble one worries about the Way, not about poverty." Guard the good Way unto death — what is there for this body to fear? Have a heart like clear skies and a gentle wind after rain! Treat all beings and yourself this way, and afflictions vanish. Then you are truly "in your place" — and you have secured your spirit.

Good and evil, right and wrong — do they not exist in the space between your thoughts? Are they not in your heart? A good thought turns evil. An evil thought turns good. It is the heart that makes the turning. So to cultivate the Dao is to cultivate this heart! Moment by moment, until it is clean and whole. Cultivate inwardly in nature and character. Cultivate outwardly in merit and virtue. Whether things go well or badly, your thoughts must hold firm — only then can you reach open sea and sky, and ascend another level.

The heart has affliction because of external temptation compounded by its own suspicion. The "heart" is shattered and worn thin.

34. How Shall I Live This Life

我要怎樣過一生

Disciples, ask yourselves: what did you come to this world for? (To guide others.) To guide others! That makes sense — it is your mission! You did not come to eat, drink, and play, to have a few children, build a few houses, and earn a few dollars. You came to set the world in order, to guide sentient beings, to do things of meaning. Do not lose yourselves. Guanyin Bodhisattva and Shakyamuni Buddha were human beings who cultivated their way to Buddhahood. They too endured hardship, cultivated the Dao, and awakened before becoming Buddhas. When the human way is fulfilled, the Heavenly Dao naturally follows. The human way is: a person’s path, a person’s road, the things a person ought to do.

You are alive in this world. Whether your stay here is worthwhile depends on how you use your limited years to create things of lasting value for those who come after — things worth studying, worth emulating. Only then has your time been useful. Think of yourself as an artist, a sculptor. You must display your brightest self for everyone, for those who come after — so they see a person worth learning from, a perfect sculpture worth admiring. Even if you are flawed, you still carry the beauty of your flaws, do you not? A true photographer looks at the spot they find most worth seeing and uses their professional eye to capture the most beautiful angle and preserve it. Why are the sages worth admiring? Because they sculpted the most beautiful things in the world and left them for you to see. Since you too have a fine camera, and you too are an artist and photographer, you must look with an artist’s eye. Then you will find all things beautiful and all people good. With a sculptor’s heart, see everyone as worth sculpting and worth teaching. Then everything in this world, through your eyes, is beautiful.

The body will always decay. If you do not die now, you will die later. If you are alive now, you may not be later. The body and outward appearance are for this lifetime’s use only — do not care too much about them. Whether you are beautiful, handsome, or young, none of that matters. What matters is that you still have your youth and your years — use them well! In this time, do the very best things you can, so that others too feel you are truly good.

All people are born the same. All end in death. Birth is the same. But death differs. Is birth the same? All come bare-handed, naked, crying into the world. Is death the same? Death by illness is death. Death by a plane crash is death. Death by being struck by a car is death. Death in a fight is death. Death from serving the Dao, saving people and saving the world — that too is death. Are these the same? Is the value of each death the same? Do you know how you will die? Of those deaths listed above, which is the most valuable? Know this: death by illness, by a plane crash, or by any accident — all are unknowable. But to resolve to live and die for the Dao — that can be planned.

What counts as living and dying for the Dao? If your heart is wholly for the Dao — if the money you earn with effort and sweat, beyond what life requires, you spend for sentient beings — if your time is for sentient beings, your body for sentient beings, your blood and sweat for sentient beings — if wherever you go you exert yourself for the happiness and life of all beings — then you belong to the multitude, you belong to Heaven. Think about it: this human world is really nothing special. Afflictions are all self-sought. Slowly clear them away, dissolve them, transform them. Will you?

Everyone has suffering, everyone has frustration. You must resolve these yourself — no one can eat on your behalf. The plain heart, the plain heart — may you, regardless of age, station, or occupation, be able to act according to your place. Then with a sincere heart, treat others well — no matter how cunning or deceitful they may be, that is their business! As long as you hold a true heart, you can move them, transform them. I hope you will give a little more for others.

To complete the Buddha Way, you must rely on yourself. To gain the immortal body, you must cultivate yourself. Only through giving, only through a public heart, can you be free of affliction. If everything is only for your private interest, you will only pile more trouble onto yourself. “With diligence, nothing under Heaven is difficult. In the Hall of Patience, there is great harmony.” I hope you will truly apply this in your dealings with the world, in your families — so that society may be touched by the good energy, becoming more peaceful, more harmonious, more united.

Time comes and goes — why not let afflictions come and go as well? To awaken your faith, rely on yourself. To recognize truth, act on it. If you give of yourselves, Heaven will not shortchange you, will not fail you. Focus on doing — Heaven will turn things around. The hardships of this world will pass. Do not let them trouble you. Life was originally nothing. “Originally there is not a single thing — why let dust collect?”

The more desires you have, the less spiritual pursuit remains. Desire is endless. How can your spirit become more vital, more deeply nourished? Most people today think only of themselves — all sentient beings are like this. But must you be the same? When others cannot do what is right, you do it — only then can you be called a sage. Quiet yourself. Look at this world — busy for a living, and in the blink of an eye, life vanishes. How sorrowful. We must seize this life. Do not obstruct yourself. Cultivate well.

Though Heaven does not speak, the sun, moon, and stars revolve without ceasing. Though Earth does not speak, all things flourish and grow. “Heaven does not speak, Earth does not speak” — and yet this is the principle! Why do all things grow? Why do the sun, moon, and stars revolve without end? Because a principle runs through everything. So you come here to study the Dao, to explore the true meaning of life, to explore what human existence really is. Without words and images to help you, it would be hard to grasp. The books you read were created by the ancients. What they left behind tells you a path for learning. All things have their principle, their warp and weft.

How should you create your life? Life already exists — why create it? Because life is limited and your mission is great. So you must create! Your Teacher has said before: “From the brief, create the enduring. Within the ordinary, find the extraordinary!” Do you understand the meaning of “creating your own life”? From now on, how will you live? How will you fulfill this mission? Settle your hearts. In the sea of humanity, hold to your direction. Be even more resolute in shouldering your own mission!

Disciples, you must let go of fame and profit. This does not mean you should stop working and come to the Buddha Hall. Rather, hold to your station and do not grasp for more. Fame and profit are a complete emptiness. Do not cling to them. If you clutch fame and profit tightly, fighting and grabbing, losing all harmony — then you are just a silly goose!

Fight for fame, fight for prestige — but in the end? A lonely ghost. So what should we do? Pursue what is real, what is grounded, what is done with our own hands. Do not chase fame. Do not chase profit. If you want fame, seek a fame that lasts ten thousand generations. If you want profit, plan a profit that benefits all under Heaven.

Once you are famous, you are bound by fame. For the sake of that name, afraid of ruining your image, you walk in a rigid square. People are often trapped by fame, harmed by fame. If you want to learn the Dao, you must first break through this — only then can you find the opening.

Some people, for the sake of worldly business, sacrifice a great deal — sacrificing merit, because their livelihood harms living creatures and they must compensate with merit. Every person’s karma has its causes. Once you have created it, you must build more merit than others — faster, more abundantly. Otherwise your inner home will have no peace, you will not be able to cultivate your heart-nature, the stains will slowly accumulate, and the path of cultivation grows ever rockier.

On the journey of life, there will inevitably be highs and lows, moments of joy and moments of loneliness. From ancient times, all sages have been lonely. Why? Because sometimes what you do is not understood by others. But what is not understood now will be understood later. The question is: in that lonely time, how do you endure it? How do you pass through the solitude? How do you soothe the lonely heart and transform it? When you have fallen and you bleed, you must dress your own wound. In that time when no one comforts you, you must still strengthen yourself. Do you understand?

Life’s disappointments are frequent. How do you “break through” those difficult times? I hope you are not the kind who waits for crisis before choosing to cultivate. Because you have already seen through everything, awakened to everything — right? Or has your Teacher overestimated you? Were you beaten bloody by life’s adversities before you finally “saw through it all” and decided to cultivate? Some people are tortured by illness nearly to death before they say: “Fine! I will cultivate the Dao, I will take the vow of purity.” Too late! If you knew it would come to this, why not act now?

There is a popular song now: “Hurry, march forward!” — do not stand still. Seize your opportunities. If you hesitate, you lose them. Have that drive, that momentum — charge straight ahead — and Buddhahood is more than enough.

But we do not cultivate the Dao in pursuit of the word “Buddha.” We are fulfilling our own duty — the duty you brought down from the Court of Principle!

What kind of life is the most carefree? (Without worry or sorrow.) Without worry or sorrow? That itself is the greatest danger! “Born in worry, perish in comfort.” A cultivator must not think this way. Stay alert! What time do you think it is? Still carefree and unbothered? You are not yet finished with your vows — only then could you truly be at ease. Your vows are unfulfilled. You are still in the red dust of the world — how can you be carefree? Enough! You cannot go on like this. Look at the world outside — your Teacher looks at it and trembles!

35. The Practice of Cautious Speech and Careful Action

謹言慎行的功夫

People think too much, constantly creating right and wrong, you and me — and that is painful! In this world there is no absolute right or wrong. Cultivating the Dao is cultivating yourself. Guarantee that what you do is beyond reproach. Never do anything you could not face in the light of day. That is a basic principle. How to be a good person — you all already know. The question is whether your heart is willing to carry it out.

Your Teacher hopes you will understand: even when you are right and the other is wrong, have compassion and let it go. Even if you are right — so what? Must you win? Why rush to prove that you are right, that you are the one who is correct? This is unnecessary. But you should still affirm that what you yourself did was right and not wrong. A person must have virtue in their speech. Be right, and still be lenient. Be strict with yourself, generous with others. Discipline yourself rigorously, but extend tolerance to others.

Today you study principles — so that you may understand principle, not so that you may “be right.” If you can be right and still forgive, that is the bearing of a cultivator. Step back, and the sea is vast, the sky wide. What is the harm in yielding? This too is cultivating the compassionate heart!

Cultivating the Dao is your own business. Carrying out the Dao is your own heart! Who are you claiming merit from? Who are you telling your stories to? Does your suffering not forge you? What suffering do you really have? When a senior makes a mistake, it is simply part of their process — why do you not put yourself in their place? Why must you discuss it? If a person has a bad temper and a loose tongue, no matter how good their heart, they cannot be called a good person.

You use this one mouth to help people. You use this same mouth to harm people. After hurting someone with your words, you kneel before the Eternal Mother and confess: “Mother, have mercy! Teacher, have mercy! I was wrong!” Once is fine. Twice is forgivable. Three times, perhaps. But the fourth time — even if you do not feel ashamed, your Teacher cannot bear to look at you. So watch yourself! I have reminded you again and again: “Be cautious in speech and careful in action.” Do a great deal of good — but say one wrong word, and the entire forest of merit burns to nothing. Is that not working for nothing?

So before you speak, think first: what should I say? Words from your mouth should serve the purpose of helping others — not to test them, not to sow doubt. If they would, then do not speak at all. Some say: “Then I just will not talk. If someone does wrong, I will not bother.” That is not right either — then your heart is wrong. You see your fellow cultivator make a mistake. Do you say: “Hey! What are you doing? Have you got no brain? Without me teaching you, where would you be?” Or do you change your angle and say: “Oh, you do not know how? Come, come — I will show you. I will do it with you. Watch how I do it. If you do not understand, come ask me — I will teach you everything I know.” Does that not sound much better?

So, disciples — in these final times, the greatest test in the Dao hall is “gossip.” Gossip can overturn an entire Dao hall. If you do not know how to speak, then speak less and do more. Go do things and you will have realizations. In doing, you will transform your own nature. Do you understand?

36. The Teacher’s Worries and Sorrows

老師的煩惱憂愁

Troubled, troubled — troubled that the Heavenly season has reached late autumn.
Vexed, vexed — vexed that the universal salvation is not yet complete.
Worried, worried — worried that catastrophe spreads across the globe.
Sorrowful, sorrowful — sorrowful that my disciples have not yet learned to cultivate.

Is your heart aligned with the Dao? Are you all well? Just now we spoke of the Bodhisattva’s heart. In our ordinary hearts, when something painful or something happy happens, it concerns only ourselves. We are glad for our own sake, sorrowful for our own sake, troubled for our own sake. We never worry or sorrow for the great multitude. Is that not so?

The difference between a person and a Buddha is just this: the person’s mind contains only themselves. The living Bodhisattva worries and sorrows for all sentient beings.

Look at the sky — so vast! We should emulate the sky’s vastness.

Look at how thick and deep the earth is. But our hearts often cannot contain even a single person. So think about it — we should learn from Heaven and Earth, not keep narrowing our hearts.

To cultivate the Dao is to cultivate the heart — to open it wider, broader. Tolerate what others cannot tolerate. Endure what others cannot endure. Even if others mistreat us, even if they take advantage of us and we bear the loss — we can still tolerate them, and even go help them. In time —

They say: “Respect others, and others will always respect you. Love others, and others will always love you.” People are creatures of feeling. Over time, the work of silently practicing merit will transform a person.

Why could Guanyin achieve Buddhahood? Through saving the world. In the late Song dynasty, people laughed at me for being mad. Right! I was pretending to be mad. They laughed at me for being foolish. Right! I cared nothing for fame or profit, simpleminded as could be. Truly mad? Truly foolish?

Mad on the outside, foolish on the outside — but inside, sharp as could be. Sharp about what? Not about fame or profit. Not about riches. Sharp about how to save people, how to help them. When others are in their deepest distress, I give whatever little strength I have. When others are in their deepest sorrow, I give my greatest effort to comfort and transform them. So let us emulate the immortals and Buddhas, shall we?

37. Do Not Harm Others Carelessly

不要隨便傷害人

Every single person is an immortal or Bodhisattva who has descended in disguise. Do not casually harm anyone. When you harm any person, in terms of cause and effect, you harm yourself. In practical terms, to harm a person is to harm a Bodhisattva. To criticize a person is to criticize an immortal or Buddha.

Remember: we come to this life to cultivate and carry out the Dao, to accumulate merit — so that one day we may return to our original station, even be elevated. What you ultimately accomplish is yourself. So cultivate the Dao and carry it out with care!

The immortals and Bodhisattvas are always protecting us — and always examining us. Be cautious in your conduct and your thoughts. Anything that offends human decency or violates the conscience — dare not do it, do not do it. Do you hear? (Yes.)

Where the Dao exists, there is flourishing growth. Where the Dao is in action, Heaven and Earth protect it and the spirits lend their aid. A person who has the Dao is compassionate, peaceful, wise, and generous. We save the world and help people by means of what has the Dao within it, so that we ourselves become people of the Dao. Do you understand?

When others practice merit, when others do good — if you deny them, you only reveal your own narrow vision, small heart, and lack of wisdom. When others save sentient beings and help the world, if you criticize them, you only expose your own thin blessings and heavy karmic debts. When someone makes a good vow, we should rejoice and support them. When someone performs a great deed, we should encourage and help them. This force of goodness, ripened over time, will not weaken — it will grow stronger day by day. When the conditions are ripe, it will come back to you, accomplishing you and helping you.

38. The Human Way Fulfilled, the Heavenly Way Reached

人道盡天道達心

Remember well the saying: "Fulfill the human way, walk the Heavenly Way." If a person is caught up only in worldly feelings and mundane affairs without walking the Heavenly Way, their life cannot be complete — they cannot rise to a higher level. But the reverse is also true: since you are a human being, you must learn the human way first. Only when the human way is fulfilled can the Heavenly Way be reached.

What is the human way? It is the principle of being human. In your dealings with others — advance and retreat with courtesy. Treat people with respect, with warmth, with genuine cheer. When your human way is good, it naturally leads to the Heavenly Way. But if you merely talk about cultivating the Heavenly Way and the human way while saying one thing and meaning another — fighting with people over power and glory, falling out with others, harboring a selfish heart — will anyone welcome you? Society will not welcome you. The Dao hall will not welcome you. So cultivate the human way between people, and when the human way is well cultivated, the Heavenly Way is already reached. I hope you will set a resolve: emulate the sages and the immortal Buddhas. On the one hand, attend to your worldly duties. On the other, tend to your sacred work. Be a complete person.

You know you wish to cultivate the Heavenly Way — but you must begin from the human way. If the human way is not done well, nothing is complete. If you have not done well as a person, you will have to return and reincarnate as a person again, because it was not done well — so you must continue until it is.

To study the Dao is to study the principle of being human. To be human is to learn the Way of the Sage. Since you are a person, do your duty as a person well. Being human has its suffering and its difficulties — but you must still be human.

A person should have confidence, but not conceit. Arrogance must not be allowed to grow. Lowering the heart and humbling the spirit — this is the first requirement of being human. You may think yourself the cleverest, but know that beyond every person there is another person, and beyond every heaven there is another heaven. Only humility receives benefit. Fullness invites loss.

This is simply how it is: in all things, seek the balanced middle. Just right is best. Push too hard, and you bring suffering upon yourself — and the pain is yours alone to bear. Do not overreach. Everything has its proper measure. If you exceed it, the one harmed is yourself.

Water flows to the low places. The longer and lower it flows, the higher it truly is. Water has seven virtues. "The highest good is like water" — it takes on whatever shape is needed. To be human in this way, adapting with grace, is to accord with the Middle Way. It is to accord with the Great Cycle of Heaven.

What are the Eight Virtues? Filial piety, fraternal love, loyalty, trustworthiness, propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame. Have you practiced them all? The crow has righteousness. The horse has propriety. Every kind of animal has its own virtue, its own dignity. And human beings? You came from Heaven. What did you bring down with you? The Five Constants: benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. Have you brought them forth?

You keep repeating the principles you have heard, passing them along again and again — yet in your heart there is a nagging doubt: "It seems right, but also seems not quite right." This is the mark of the foolish. When you truly integrate the principles, fuse them into your daily life and experience them firsthand — then the Dao you speak will be the true Dao.

Every person has their strengths and their weaknesses. To learn to borrow from your strengths to mend your weaknesses — this is not easy. To assign each person a role that suits them — this is a difficult art.

No matter whether your station is high or low, if you wish to enter society, to walk among people, you must lower your bearing. Soften your pride just a little — only then can you walk among others. If you insist on going your own way, if you set yourself apart as lofty and pure, you will end your life alone.

So a person must use wisdom to bring harmony to their relationships. In all things, leave a little room for others. Do not be full of yourself. To leave others a little opportunity is to leave yourself an opportunity — it is to create your own opportunity. If you always demand that others reach the highest standard, must you not also reach the highest standard? Leave room for others, and leave room for yourself. Then they can pass through, and so can you. Otherwise, when you collide, you will not know whether to go forward, go back, or step aside. Leave a little room — everyone benefits. Do you understand? Not only does everyone benefit, but you yourself gain the most.

Do not always insist on being the red flower. Sometimes being the green leaf is just as good. If you want your work and your life to endure, remember: do not push matters to their limit. Do not speak in absolutes. In all things, leave something unexhausted. Sometimes, affirming others is affirming yourself. Respecting others is respecting yourself. From now on, affirm others and help others — but in helping, discern between good and evil. In all things, know how to measure.

Do not let your mind wander into wild fancies. Being simple and honest is better. As the saying goes: "The simpleton becomes a god; the schemer becomes a ghost." When someone points at you, it is not necessarily about you — because if you have done nothing wrong, even if they point at the tip of your nose, it has nothing to do with you. Let your conscience be clear and that is enough. People say I am a mad monk, a wine-and-meat monk. What I am, I know for myself. What I do, I know for myself. Must others praise you for it to count? Must someone say "well done" for it to be well done? The one whose conscience is clear — that is the one who truly knows how to be human.

Everyone is constantly making distinctions — trying not to offend anyone, trying to be the good person. But the one who "plays the good person" does not necessarily find their connection with the Buddha! If your conduct does not accord with sentiment, reason, and law, then it is not truly human. If selfishness drives you, if you flatter and fawn — does that accord with principle and law? We cannot praise someone only when we need a favor, flatter only those above us, and mistreat those below us. This is the discriminating heart. Why does the discriminating heart arise? Because of selfishness.

How do the principles of Heaven and Earth connect to the human bonds and constant virtues? Consider the qualities of yin and yang:

Yang represents:

1. Heaven — strength and firmness. Heaven's virtue is lofty, brilliant, covering all things, ceaselessly moving, utterly impartial.
2. Father — authority and gravity, bearing full responsibility.
3. Qian (the Creative) — a nature that is resolute and strong.

Yin represents:

1. Earth — depth, humility, bearing all things, embracing all things, nurturing the ten thousand beings.
2. Mother — gentleness, the capacity to forgive and embrace.
3. Kun (the Receptive) — a nature that is yielding and soft.

Yin and yang are inseparable — they must move together. Within yourself there is a small yin and yang, a small Heaven and Earth. Only when strength and gentleness work in balance is there harmony. If one who walks the yang path has too much yin, they will shrink and hesitate at every turn. If one who walks the yin path is too forceful and refuses to yield, they will break others. Therefore, whether you are of the creative or the receptive, act according to your own nature's proper station.

39. Seeing Cause and Effect Through the Heart's Thoughts

從心念看因緣果報

Every person's karma is revealed through the private thoughts they harbor. Bad thoughts and bad ideas, left sitting in the heart, become like stagnant water in a ditch — foul. Everything you do is either merit or transgression. Every thought in your mind is likewise either merit or transgression. Gather up your private schemes, gather up your selfish heart — dissolve them — and you will find the bright side.

Plant good seeds in your heart. If the seeds you plant are bad, how can what grows from them be good?

Do not do shameful things in places where no one can see. The moment a good thought or a bad thought stirs in your heart, Heaven already knows — because the retribution of good and evil follows you like a shadow. Never do evil just because the evil is small. Never neglect good just because the good is small. At every hour of the day, watch over your thoughts with care.

The Bodhisattva fears the cause. The ordinary person fears the consequence. It depends on whether you choose the path of the sages or the road of wickedness — and the principle is the same as reaping what you sow. You cannot cultivate the Dao carelessly. A person must have integrity, must be able to stand upright. This cultivation is endless. It depends entirely on the resolve you set, and on guarding against error at the level of causes. The Four Noble Truths: suffering, accumulation, cessation, and the path. Suffering and accumulation are the cause and effect of delusion. Cessation and the path are the cause and effect of awakening.

Cultivating the Dao is changing yourself at every moment, making yourself more and more complete. This is cultivation. When your heart is full of delusive thoughts, you cannot help but be confused about cause and effect — you will stumble into transgressions without even realizing it. With transgressions come causes, with causes come consequences, and with consequences comes the cycle of rebirth. What is the cycle of rebirth? It is cause and consequence spinning endlessly. Spinning larger and larger like a wheel — this is the cycle. What seeds you plant, you will harvest. This is the cycle. That you have the affinity today to enter the Buddha's gate and cultivate — this is your past-life connection, your root-destiny. In a previous life you formed a bond with the Buddha, and now you have this chance to cultivate the Dao. Cherish it.

Your own demons, your own thoughts — you must not be careless with them.

Your present circumstances are deeply connected to your individual karma. Therefore, take the long view. Treasure these golden years. Do meaningful things. Emulate the resolve of the sages. Carry out Heaven's Way on Heaven's behalf. Deliver all beings. Only then can adversity be transformed into smooth passage.

To forgive others is a blessing. To deceive others is a disaster! Whatever cause you plant, that is the fruit you will reap. Heaven's net is vast — it may seem loose, but nothing slips through. A person's life is partly shaped by the causes and conditions of previous lives, and partly by what you choose to create in this life. Even your appearance was earned through your cultivation in past lives! If you bow often in this life, in the next you will be born with a dignified countenance. If in this life you do not pay reverence or make offerings, do not expect beauty in the next. If you hope for blessings in the life to come, then consider carefully what causes you are planting now.

If people look at other people and see nothing remarkable — but look at the immortals and Buddhas and are amazed — it is only because you will not admit that you yourselves are Buddhas! Is the starting point of Buddhahood not compassion? And are you compassionate? Occasionally, perhaps? You are not bad people — but occasionally you do bad things! So you are like bad people and also like good people, like immortals and also like demons. What are you, then? One good thought — and you ascend to heaven, you are an immortal. One evil thought — and you fall into hell, you are a demon! When you encounter difficulty, know that this is your fate. Do not blame Heaven or resent others.

Understand for yourself, as the saying goes: "To know the causes of your past life, look at what you receive in this life. To know the fruits of your next life, look at what you do in this life." We cultivate the Dao now precisely to transcend cause and effect. Good fruit is good fortune, and good fortune also has its causes and effects. So what we cultivate this time is not merely good fruit — it is the fruit of Buddhahood.

Your ultimate purpose in cultivating the Dao is to transcend birth and death, to escape the cycle of rebirth. So cultivate sincerely, and Heaven will support you. If you do not cultivate sincerely, Heaven has no way to help you. "Heaven helps those who help themselves." The Doctrine of the Mean says: "What is planted, Heaven nurtures." If you wish to walk the path, Heaven will follow your will. If you wish to act, Heaven will assist you. If you have no heart for it, Heaven will let you fall. So success and failure are both in our hearts. Our hearts are the masters — doing good or evil, saying right or wrong about others — it is all the heart. If your heart is straight, your road will be straight. If your heart is not straight, you will not see the principles clearly, and your life will become a vast and aimless fog.

Some are born with great blessings. Some are not. This is cause and effect. Since you know that life has cause and effect, you should cultivate good causes. But the Dao does not merely teach us to cultivate good causes and reap good fruits. The most important thing is to transcend the cycle entirely — to not be deluded, to not become a seed of rebirth.

When your heart is good, everything you see looks good. When your heart is ill, everything you see looks ill. So when something happens, leave space — room enough to consider the greater whole.

Do you not wish for your whole life to be peaceful and safe forever? In any case, you have entered this Dao hall, and your Teacher will not shortchange you. For every measure of earnest effort, there is a measure of harvest. This is the law of Heaven — the unchanging law! Where there is sowing, there is return. But people will inevitably need help from others, so make a habit of helping others. Only then, when you are in difficulty, will others help you! If you never give, then when you are in need, will anyone come to your rescue? They will not! Because you yourself have no ground to stand on — how then can you have a peaceful life?

What do you eat in winter? Rice and meat, is it not? For your sake, many animals sacrifice their lives. Though you did not kill them yourself, they are killed because you wish to eat — and that is indirect killing. Know that animals too have life. Have you ever seen an animal weep when it is about to die, about to be slaughtered? During the holidays your table is lavish — but the animals are weeping. They weep. They give instructions to their mates about what will happen. Animals have their own ways of speaking — we simply cannot understand them. Go home and observe carefully. They carry their young about, quite happily — until your appetite destroys their families.

Do the immortals and Bodhisattvas eat meat? You have your living space, and animals have theirs. If you destroy theirs for the sake of your appetites, you have no compassion. Eat a little less, at least. Do not fear that a vegetarian diet will leave you without strength. Look at the ox — it eats grass, yet it is the strongest of all. Perhaps at first, giving up meat will feel like a loss of energy, but once you are accustomed it will be fine. Do not let your stomach become a coffin. If you understand this principle, follow it. Whether you do or not, your Teacher cannot force you. It is as they say: "The master leads you to the gate; the cultivation is your own."

Your Teacher's fan is for fanning good people up to heaven — fanning the kind-hearted, the ones with deep roots, to come and seek the Dao. When the time is right, one wave of the fan and they come. Some, no matter how you fan, will not come — because someone is pulling them from behind, and because they have accumulated too many transgressions across their lifetimes.

Some people say: "Fine! I will go bow and worship — but you had better make sure my whole family gets rich, and make my backaches go away and my body strong..." You petition Heaven, but what about the karma you have created? You do not believe, and so you are difficult to deliver! Before you ask anything of Heaven, first ask yourself: do you have a sincere heart? Without sincerity, what conditions can you negotiate with Heaven? How can Heaven show mercy? If your merit is not enough to repay your debts, what can be done? Heaven is utterly impartial. The saying goes: "Every grievance has its source, every debt its creditor. Lord Guan, the arbiter of justice, subjugates demons but does not erase grievances." Can such grievances simply be suppressed? What is borrowed must be returned. What is owed must be settled. Why is retribution in this life so swift and fierce? Because the Heavenly timing is urgent. Your Teacher is not deceiving you.

Though time is short, we must still make time to do good. Every good deed you do builds the foundation for becoming a Bodhisattva. Do not blame Heaven, blame the earth, or blame your Teacher when you encounter difficulty. Everything has its cause and effect. If you wish to succeed, you must bear the burden. What must be resolved, resolve it. Only through resolution comes clarity. If you leave it for your Teacher to carry — will that make it clear? If you owe someone money and another person pays it for you, do you not still owe? You must repay it yourself. When you have settled what you owe, you are clear — you owe no one. So everything is fate. We must accept it. Accept it with joy. Walk to the end of life's journey with joy.

If you want good relationships, look at how you treat others. Everything in life is reciprocal — where there is mutual creation, there is mutual opposition. Others are your mirror. If your heart is sincere today, others will naturally be sincere in return. If you are insincere in helping others, if your heart harbors deceit — one day they will find out.

Sometimes you look at a person and sense they seem troubled. That is their original spirit reaching out to you in the unseen realm, telling you they need help. So if today you treat others badly — though you may deceive them for a time — one day your original spirit will transmit the truth to them, and they will understand. You may deceive yourself, but do not think you can deceive others. Every person has their own small heaven. Only when your own small heaven is complete can you complete the great Heaven.

One right thought, and a hundred evils cannot invade. One thought gone astray, and ten thousand demons rush in! So your thoughts are of the utmost importance. When you do anything, focus on that one thing alone. Do not let your mind wander to other matters — otherwise you are in danger. Just as you sit here listening to these principles, put your heart right here. Guard your heart. Do not let it run wild — or your situation becomes very perilous.

Why? Because these are the final days of the Third Epoch. Many grievances and karmic debts from the past must now be settled in this great reckoning. When opportunity arises, they will not let it pass. Therefore, give yourself the chance to accumulate merit and atone for error. Do not, through your idle wandering thoughts, give the enemy their chance. Compassion is right — but toward these forces, be compassionate to yourself. Do not give them an opening.

Why are you in this Dharma assembly? Because your causes and conditions, your collective good karma, have ripened — and so you are here. Some board an airplane and it falls from the sky, and they never return. That too is their causes and conditions! When collective karma ripens, it ripens. Even if your spiritual powers were vast, you might escape for a time but never for a lifetime. Even if you could calculate when danger would come, even if you could reduce a great calamity to a small one and a small one to nothing — could you truly escape? This too is your own making! It is because their collective karma ripened that they fell. Whom should they blame? And those who survived — have you considered why they lived? Because every person's accumulated merit across lifetimes is different.

Some people constantly hold good thoughts and do good deeds, so when danger comes, the immortals and Buddhas can help them. But when your own collective karma has fully ripened and there is no avoiding it — even if the immortals and Buddhas pull you back, but you are left crippled — would that not make you resent your life even more, waste yourself, be unable to face reality? Your Teacher carries the burden of the Three Realms. Do you know how heavy your Teacher's shoulders bear? Can it be weighed? Can it be measured? Each of your transgressions, your faults, your errors — your Teacher bears them temporarily, so that you may quickly go and cultivate, quickly carry out the work. Why? Because across all your lifetimes, the debts and grievances have piled so high — you simply cannot see them, and right now you do not feel them. And yet your Teacher congratulates you, because once you enter my gate, I must protect you a little. But if during this time you do not make the effort — then your Teacher has no way.

A "ghost" is our consciousness-spirit, still entangled even after leaving the body.

Illness has two causes: first, you did not take care of yourself; second, the cycle of cause and effect. What you owed in past lives — though you now study under your Teacher — you still must repay. Accumulate virtue in this life, and the next life you may enjoy its fruits. Your karmic burdens, your Teacher cannot carry them all. The path of cultivation has its bitterness, its sourness, its sweetness, and its heat. Know that the physical body is unreliable. Do you often look in the mirror and find yourself enchanted by your reflection? In cultivation, do not love beauty — let the heart be beautiful. Do you understand?

Every person in this world has karmic burdens, has cause and effect. Though your Teacher has wondrous methods, I cannot make them vanish. You must rely on yourselves — practice merit, fulfill your vows. Only you can save yourselves. Only you can resolve your own karma and cause and effect. Do not look for shortcuts. Do not merely hope that your Teacher will rescue you. The threads of cause and effect bind you ceaselessly in the unseen realm. When you encounter difficulty, face it squarely and resolve it — that itself is settling your karma.

Though your Teacher has wondrous methods, even I cannot save someone who has given up on themselves. Heaven helps those who help themselves. If you wish for others' help, first go help others. Practice merit and build virtue. Do it with your whole heart. Do it without complaint or resentment.

Behind every person follows a different karmic force, directing their thoughts. If you cannot maintain the heart of a child, it is because your scattered thoughts are too many — your mind rises and falls without rest, and the vow you just made in your heart immediately drops away. This is all the pull of karmic force. So practice merit and build virtue, to clear and repay these karmic entanglements. If you have done many things contrary to the Dao and to virtue, if you have already suffered retribution, if you are deep in debt — I ask you: will this not drag down your children and grandchildren? What did they do to deserve your burden? Know this: if the previous generation's heart and conduct are crooked, the next generation will find every road blocked. You must practice merit and build virtue to settle your transgressions. If you do nothing, those transgressions remain. You came here with your spirits high — return with your spirits high. Did you bring anything when you came? You arrived clean. Then return clean. You must not carry unresolved karma or unresolved faults back with you!

The affairs of the world are like wind and cloud — constantly changing. Sun Wukong has seventy-two transformations; one moment you think one thing, the next moment it changes. That is because your thoughts are fickle — and so you create causes and create consequences. Where there is cause there is consequence, where there is consequence there is cause. Cause and effect are linked, cyclical, bound together. Why did you come to form this bond with your parents? Is there not a past-life cause? Either you owe each other debts, or you have come to repay kindness. Some are merely lodging — no emotion at all. The child is the child, the parents are the parents, as if the two have no connection. Those who owe debts to each other — the child arrives already collecting. All of this is destined. There is no use in complaint.

Since you have this affinity to be born into this family — whatever the feeling between this child and you — your Teacher hopes you will care for them with your most sincere heart. Do not resent. Fulfill your responsibility. Some go around saying: "My child is this way or that way..." or "He makes me so angry!" Others say: "My child is so well-behaved, so lovely and obedient!" All of this is a person's fate. It is cause and effect.

In the end, it all comes down to this: cultivate well. Recognize the principle truly and thoroughly. Only through genuine contemplation can you resolve cause and effect.

Between people there is a marvelous thing: every person's spiritual nature is mixed with the human heart, and their thoughts constantly rise to the surface, communicating and exchanging. Because every person's merit and karmic force are constantly flowing and interacting. This is why they say: "Three feet above your head, the spirits watch." Above this there is a law — an unchanging law.

Sometimes, when you are in low spirits, do you not hear a voice telling you what to do? Sometimes, late at night when everyone else is asleep and you become quiet and clear-headed — you suddenly realize what you ought to do! What is that? It is the exchange of spiritual nature. Good deeds rise to the surface. Bad deeds also rise. Both rise. What presents itself is simply a current of qi — unspeakable, invisible — and that is the spiritual breath. It can be good or bad. When the good breath comes, it resonates with good intentions, with the intentions of the immortals and Buddhas. When the bad breath comes, it merges with intentions of its own kind. And above all of this there is a steadfast power that discerns your good from your bad.

If it is merit, it envelops all karmic force and ill fortune, turning disaster into blessing. If today a bad thought rises in you — though you think no one knows — it still feeds and strengthens itself. Some people seem remarkably skilled at doing wrong, as if someone were helping them. That is the bad qi assisting them. And when that bad qi assists them, do they not become more and more vigorous in their wrongdoing? And when good qi assists you, do you not become more vigorous in your good? Both are assisted. But if your faults grow and your karmic burden grows, eventually even without these currents you will be smothered by your own karma and transgressions. Will such a person walk smoothly? Will they find peace? So do not think that there is nothing above you. Your own thoughts rise and communicate easily in the unseen — there is something behind it all, governing your good and evil thoughts. Do you believe this? So if today you harbor bad thoughts, bad causes — in the future bad fruits will follow you. This is how karmic force is created.

Why does television show violent and unreal dramas? Because it is what the audience demands. The audience likes to watch what is unwholesome, so the screen is filled with unwholesome images. If everyone refused to watch what is unwholesome, there would be no unwholesome dramas. Everything has a cause; from the cause comes the consequence. Because the human heart changes, the drama changes. Drama reflects life, and it reflects the human heart. So to know the state of the world today, look at its entertainment. Is it useful to consult gods and oracles? Change must begin from within yourself. From this day forward, refuse violence, refuse wrongdoing — this is the method for changing yourself.

This life! Everyone has a scripture that is difficult to recite. But since you have come for this one round of life, you must finish reciting it. And since in this life you have the affinity to seek the Dao — your Teacher has no choice but to deliver you. But the rest depends on how you yourself practice merit and build virtue. Your Teacher cannot repay your karmic debts for you. Your Teacher only bears them temporarily. You have only this life to cultivate and this life to settle. Bitterness must be exhausted before sweetness arrives. If you do not repay in this life, the debt carries over to the next. But if in this life you cultivate, carry out the Dao, practice merit, and fulfill your vows — then naturally it is repaid! Know this: only by fulfilling your vows and settling your debts can you return to the Homeland. Things constantly strike at you — perhaps every two seconds something stings, every three seconds something disturbs, every five seconds something wounds. Will you be thrown off balance? Or will you remain unmoved? All these things pass through. The question is whether you will be affected. When something keeps waving in front of your face long enough, you grow unhappy, you grow weary and sick of it. But if you can turn your mind, dissolve the pull of the external environment — then you will feel at ease. Whether you can use your own thoughts to transform all of this depends entirely on you.

Today, if you give rise to one good thought, a Buddha will push you forward and help you advance. When your thoughts are good, they connect with good responses. When your thoughts are bad, karmic forces immediately follow — and evil spirits and demons will walk beside you. Good and bad alike turn on a single thought. Karma and merit both hang on a single thought. A person's conduct and their destiny are deeply connected. For good destiny, first straighten your conduct and your thoughts.

Every person pursues a different goal, and so every person's destiny is different. If you wish to change your destiny, first change your thoughts. Naturally, your habits and your temperament will follow — and then you can truly change your destiny. If you had the same amount of time to earn money or to share the principles of the Dao, which would you choose? To earn money and be exhausted? Or to share the truth and be joyful? I believe that when you spend your time spreading the Dao and delivering beings, you will not earn any less.

So it is said: cultivating the Dao can change your destiny. How? Through your own sincerity. Cultivate well, practice merit and build virtue, and invisibly your destiny will change. It is up to you. How much you can change, for better or for worse — it is in your own hands. Do not always ask the immortals and Buddhas to change it for you. If you have the ability, you can certainly change it yourself.

Every person has a destiny. If everyone could simply accept their destiny — accept it and stop grasping — society would have no conflict. It is because so many people cannot accept their own destiny, because they complain that their fate is bad, that so many kinds of suffering arise.

Why is your destiny not good? Because in past lives you planted the causes, and in this life you must receive the consequences. But destiny can be changed. How? By cultivating the Dao — only then can you take hold of your own destiny.

40. Harmony in Human Relations

人際間的圓融和諧

Science has advanced, yet between people there is instead a defensive barrier — making it hard to speak from the heart. The one who truly tells you the truth is your real friend, and the friend who corrects your faults, though the words sting, is a good friend. Because temperaments align, you form groups. In your dealings with people, do you often collide? Do you want to stay where you are, or break free? In truth, so long as you can adjust yourself, it comes to the same.

Do not make too many demands on others. When you demand of others, turn around and ask: are you that strict with yourself? Is it not always indulgence for yourself and demand after demand for everyone else? You want others to meet your every expectation — but have you considered that every person comes from a different environment, every person from a different family? Shaped by those conditions, each person has their own character. When you gather among people, the crowd is one great grinding stone — all corners and edges must be worn round. Do not readily be displeased with what others do — recall that you yourself are no more pleasing to others!

People always see others' faults and rarely see their own. That is why there is suffering. If a person could see their own wrongs, then when they looked at others, they would see only Buddhas.

To open the doors of another's heart, you must first open your own — and greet others with sincerity.

Those of shared aspiration are companions; those of shared Dao are friends. As the saying goes: "When a friend comes from afar, is that not a joy!" Whether you are good or not to others can be known from whether your friends are many or few.

The fickle person is easily influenced, emotionally unstable. Choosing friends is all the more important. As the saying goes: "Enter a room of orchids and in time you no longer notice the fragrance; enter a room of salted fish and in time you no longer notice the stench." This is the way of friendship.

When getting along with others, be careful and attentive — fearful of rubbing against each other and wounding your mutual bond. We all have friends. But make friends according to affinity — do not approach others with a heart bent on using them.

If today you wish to be someone's good friend, learn to skillfully guide them in correcting their faults. That is what a true good friend does.

Care for others first, and naturally they will be grateful. Help others first, care for others first, respect others first — and naturally your relationships will flourish. If you say: "Why is my luck with people always bad? Others get along happily with everyone, but I seem to clash with everyone!" — then consider: have you first respected others, helped others, cared for others?

People often speak too much. And when things go wrong, you turn poorly — your grievances and resentments growing deeper and deeper. As they say: "It is better to dissolve enmity than to bind it" — yet you keep binding it tighter. Is this not so? If you say no, you are deceiving yourself. So be straightforward. A false face worn too long becomes impossible to remove — it hardens onto your skin, and you can no longer bring out a repentant heart to face the truth.

So my children, always think thrice before you act. Filter your words before you speak. Otherwise, the weight of a single sentence — you cannot measure it. Once you have pierced another's heart, it is too late to mend. Even if the speaker has no intent and the listener takes offense — do not be a person of no intent who still does harm!

Whenever there is an opportunity, I hope to form more good bonds with my children! I hope we can cut and polish each other — cut and polish, not cut and torment. Picking bones from eggs is torment — the difference is vast!

A person must have warmth and approachability. Even if someone is not doing well, we must first let them accept us before we can change them. When a person strays even slightly, point it out at once — do not wait until the faults have piled high. But be gentle about it. Understand? You must take responsibility for yourself. Keep faith with yourself. A word spoken is a vow made. Do you understand!

When cultivating the Dao, be focused. When doing your work, be focused. But when caring for others, look in all directions — this principle must be lived with flexibility and grace, so that you can reach in all four directions.

The more virtuous a person is, the more others love to be near them. This is what is meant by: "Those who love others are always loved in return; those who respect others are always respected in return."

People often warm up too quickly in making friends, lacking constancy — and so they cannot find true heart-friends. The friendship of noble people should be bland as water. Approach with sincerity, without suspicion, without defenses — only then can you find a true confidant.

Make sure you do not become someone's "shallow friend" — a friend formed only through shared appetites and interests. Be a true good friend: one who asks nothing in return, one who encourages and uplifts.

We often worry too much about favors and face, and this generates a discriminating heart. Once the moment passes, we cannot find true friends. In truth, every person can be your good friend — but how much you give determines how much you receive.

The more you cannot let go, the more defenses you raise, the harder it becomes to bring hearts together. Learn to tolerate others. Keep a heart of love and attention. "No one is a sage — who can be free of faults?" If you discover a fault in another, you should advise them — do not abandon them because of it. To walk away is not virtuous, for a person of virtue is steadfast and faithful.

We often clash with our elders — not because they speak without reason, but because we do not yet understand. Everyone reaches bottlenecks. When we are older and understand the ways of the world, we will appreciate what they meant. But once you know worldly wisdom, do not let it make you forget your original heart. Step out from the midst of it — not with false intent, but without letting your heart become calculating and adrift, swept along in the rolling red dust. Cultivate the heart. The true heart — pure and undivided.

When people are together, feelings arise — born from mutual acceptance. But often in the course of that connection, friction develops. This is usually because the bonds of past lives were not resolved well, and in this life the relationship is handled poorly.

When lives intersect, there must be one line to hold to — that line is "principle." If you lose principle, you lose propriety. So no matter what kind of feeling it may be, when people, matters, and things intersect, follow this principle — then you can get along well, without repelling each other, and the connection can go further.

If a person can truly cherish every connection with others, they will not mind the other's faults, nor be swayed by them. When lives intersect, go with the flow. If you cling too tightly to the present bond, you will be trapped by it. Today, if you think a matter through clearly, you will not spin so painfully through the human world.

Cherish feelings when they intersect. Let go when they cannot continue. People often cannot release — cannot give up the sweat and labor they have invested! In truth, it is only the habit of clinging to good connections. Sometimes a bond ends in one place and is reborn in another. If you can grasp its living vitality, you can grasp your own Buddha-nature — the principle is the same.

Who in life has no trials? When two stones strike each other, there is sound. When a large stone strikes your hand, there is pain. After the pain, you know what pain is. But do not dwell only on the pain. Ask yourself: "Why did the stone strike my hand?" Do not demand at every moment that others accommodate you. Demand of yourself at every moment: "Why can I not get along with him?" Demand of yourself, and the world will have its day of perfection. If you demand of others at every moment, the world will never know peace.

You have your ideas, he has his. A hundred people have a hundred ideas, a thousand people a thousand, ten thousand people ten thousand. But consider: among ten thousand ideas, how much do you account for? One ten-thousandth is so very small! So how can you use your one ten-thousandth to demand of the other nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine?

Treat others with sincerity. Live and do your work without seeking others' understanding. Must others say you are good for it to be good? Confucius — did people call him good? Did people call him not good? But if he had stopped because someone said he was not good, or grown vain because someone praised him — could he have become the Teacher of Ten Thousand Generations? Would anyone honor him today?

If someone says I am good now, that does not mean I truly am good. If someone calls me a sage, that does not guarantee I will remain a sage. It takes a thousand years and ten thousand ages for the verdict to settle — only then is it truly established! So think far ahead. See far ahead. And once you are certain, act for the long term — let the people of future ages sing your praises. As long as our conscience is clear, as long as we give our all — that is enough.

41. Aspiration for Bodhi, Heart for All Beings

志在菩提心存眾生

The deluded do not wake, enchanted by pleasure —
a fleeting dream, blind to their heavenly nature.

Always busy for food and clothes —
fame, profit, love: never seen through.

Bustling back and forth, hearts in turmoil —
turning from awakening, merging with dust for sixty thousand years.

Birth after birth, death after death, no end in sight —
passing one life in vain, how pitiable!

Witnessing this scene, my heart breaks —
good disciples, good disciples, do not be drawn into delusion!

Know that these times are not the old days —
with catastrophe across the land, how can you rest at ease?

Wind rolls the dust and sand, vast beyond horizon —
with still eyes looking: where now is homeland?

An inch of heart lost in the haze, drifting ever downward —
ten thousand years embodied, unable to break free.

Then sudden word: in the west, the wondrous lotus blooming grand —
those with affinity may attain the ten thousand and eight.

The compassion-boat ferries the world, the Bright Teacher awakens —
speaking of the ancient Mysterious Female, noble from the start.

Radiant and crystal-clear, this treasure beyond price —
not for sale but given freely, on sincerity alone.

Vowing to proclaim Dipamkara, illuminating the True Person —
in sudden awakening, forever chanting the Wordless Scripture's glory.

The highest principle, supreme — the Dao threading through the ancient sages —
yet poems and praises still cannot fully reach it.

May all strive with ever greater kindness —
a shining example for the people, confirmed in the annals of history.

With one great surge, all minds united in common cause —
your names inscribed on the Heavenly Register in this very moment.

Together ascending the path of awakening, forever severing attachments —
like cranes at leisure, free and unencumbered.

If you only try to understand from scriptures what Dao you are cultivating, then after one year, two, three years of practice, you may still be standing exactly where you started. Suppose you play the clown — people who see you will feel happy and cheerful. But if you maintain your fine image, wearing a handsome formal suit, you cannot fill the clown's role. In truth, you should slowly use your heart to unlock the hearts of others, and let everyone be happy!

Even if in one lifetime you accomplish many things, in the end all that remains in people's hearts is your name. Even if you are a great earner of wealth, skilled at decorating your home — in the hearts of others, nothing of that stays. So what is most important for a person to do? Young people — what is the most important thing? To establish virtue, establish words, establish merit — do these well and it is enough. But one more thing: youth should not be left blank! Leave your colors in the human world. Paint your colors across the sky. The sages and Buddhas did not surpass others in any special way — they simply did not leave their sky blank, but filled it. You young people: how will you use your brush to paint your sky into something beautiful, something radiant, for everyone to see? Youth should not be left blank.

"Self" divides into the Greater Self and the Lesser Self. What is the Greater Self? The Greater Self is the majority — from this angle it can be said this way, though from other angles there are other readings. Everyone's environment differs. Everyone's thinking differs. To think only of yourself is too selfish. Before the Greater Self, we must set aside the Lesser Self. When it is time to express yourself, do it well. Sacrifice the lesser self to complete the greater self. Do not see only yourself. If you live only for yourself, that is rebellion against Heaven. And rebellion against Heaven is a single moment's turning!

Why do the Bodhisattvas and the Immortals and Buddhas remain forever in people's hearts? Because their hearts are always concerned with all beings — always concerned with all of you — so their hearts respond in kind. When you are happy, they know you are happy. When you are sorrowful, they understand, as clearly as if reading the palm of their hand. So if you truly care about a person, you will know their every movement at every moment. When your own child falls ill, you know. When someone else's child falls ill, you do not know. Because your heart hangs on your own child, not on that child. So when their child is sick you know nothing, but when your own child is sick you know at once.

If your heart is constantly seeking what the Immortals and Buddhas are doing, then you too will follow them. What did the Immortals and Buddhas do that made them what they are? Constantly observe, experience, and emulate them — only then can you become an Immortal or a Buddha. But you must do it yourself, practice it in person. Otherwise, sitting still and thinking "I want to become a Buddha," chanting "I want to become a Buddha" — you could sit until your bones rot and it would still be the same.

Today, what I need you to understand is this: is the road you walk correct? Are the things you do worthwhile? Have you betrayed your own conscience, your Heaven-given sense of right? After decades of living, have you helped anyone? Have you delivered sentient beings? Have you done even small good deeds with a true heart? Or have you only been seeking merit for yourself? Be clear about this — otherwise, no matter how much you do, you will have walked the human world for nothing.

In the human world, have great aspirations, great ambition. Do not fight to the death over petty things, setting your life's goals too low. Your Teacher asks you to reset your goals. Learn from the sages, from the Immortals and Buddhas. What were their aspirations? Are yours great, middling, or small? You may think that living comfortably for a few years guarantees comfort forever — but it does not. Living past today does not mean you will see tomorrow. All things are hard to say. You may try to hide, try to run — but what cannot be escaped, cannot be escaped. Have you not seen those who die young? Those taken by illness, by accident? Every kind — at twenty, thirty, forty, there is no set time. Can you control how many years you live? At least now we are all alive, still human — and the greatest fortune is that we have entered the Buddha's gate, as Ji Gong's own disciples.

Your Teacher hopes you will seize today, seize this very moment. Live in the human world as one who stands upright between heaven and earth, doing things that truly contribute to this world.

My children, can you do this — that wherever you are, the world always has warmth? Wherever you are, you scatter love, scatter heat, scatter radiance? So you are not only candles — you are also light, you are also the sun. Take the love in your heart, the warmth in your body, the vigor of your spirit, and bring it forth! Truly express yourself to the fullest. Leave some radiant colors for the people of future ages to sing of, to look up to. Will you?

In this mortal world, we all know Guanyin Bodhisattva and Shakyamuni Buddha — because their spirit is imperishable, because they could let go of glory and wealth. Why did they become Buddhas, imperishable? Because they knew what was truly real. Every person has their own stretch of road. Our grandparents — only their own family knows their life, because what they gave was only within the home. The spirit they left in their village did not spread widely. But everyone knows to honor Guanyin Bodhisattva — because she lived for all beings and saved all beings.

Now is not the time to sweep only your own front step! Should we not send charcoal in the snow? Look at sentient beings drowning in the sea of suffering — is it not pitiable? From dawn to dusk you rush and toil — for what? Have you thought about it?

They call you a Buddha, yet you still eat the spirits and flesh of other beings. A duck, a dog — each has a soul. Is that not so? Eat their flesh and you must repay. What kind of Buddha is that? A Buddha saves the world and saves people, is that not so? A Buddha must sacrifice the self, like a candle illuminating others, illuminating the dark human heart. So to learn from the Buddha, you must learn to sacrifice every one of your bad habits. Understand? You must cultivate until you are no longer merely human — only then will others call you Buddha.

Sometimes a person should play the clown. When you are the clown, others feel happier. If you refuse, walking all day with a stern face, what meaning does that hold? Your Teacher hopes you will go beyond playing the clown and also strip away the image of self in your heart, the image of outward form. Your Teacher has come here today to play the clown — just to make you happy. So you, too, make others happy. Sacrifice a little. Do not cling so tightly to your image — then others will be glad. In dealing with the world, be grounded and humble, so there is no distance between you and others. Share what you have lived and experienced with everyone, giving life a deeper wellspring. This too is a form of joy.

Put yourself in another's place. If you can do this, you can sacrifice yourself for others. Some say it is only natural to be selfish. People may be selfish — but the divine are not. If your thoughts are always for sentient beings, always for the good of others, you can become divine.

Heaven treats each of you the same. But it watches what kind of heart you bring — toward yourself, toward others, toward Heaven. The money you earn today can be saved. But invisible wealth can also be saved — and that is your own merit. Delivering the world and saving people earns merit.

However much you want Heaven to give you, you must give that much yourself. Your Teacher hopes you will store your wealth in the Realm of Principle. You always say, "I want to earn a fortune, I want to earn so much" — but your Teacher hopes the wealth you earn can be stored in Heaven. That wealth is "merit."

Devotion is simply a true heart — it cannot be represented by material things. Someone asks your Teacher: "What is true giving?" Some people say that if they earn ten coins, they give one. But another person has never even seen ten coins, could not possibly earn ten — and today when they earn one, they see someone in need and give away their only coin. Which do you think the Immortals and Buddhas prefer? The latter. Why? Because they gave everything they had. That is true devotion.

The difference between a person and a Buddha lies here: the Buddha does all things without seeking anything in return. The person does something and immediately wants compensation — always wanting, always grasping. Do not be stingy in giving. Moreover, teaching and learning nourish each other — sacred work is the same. Know it and practice it. Always hold the heart of Heaven as your own heart. Moment by moment, be loyal to Heaven, loyal to all beings. Send the full warmth of your passion to every person in this world. Water with your love those who need it most. Give your life the richest possible substance. Perhaps your capacity was once as small as a teacup — then slowly it grows to the size of a bowl, then a larger bowl — and how large at last? As vast as the Pacific Ocean. To become as vast as the Pacific, you must take all your greed, anger, ignorance, and attachment — that great pile — and slowly cultivate, slowly remove them. We say we want to cultivate until our heart is as vast as the Pacific. Can there be any "corners" remaining? So take your tools and slowly grind! Slowly pare away! This corner shaved, that corner smoothed — all corners gone! — and what remains is a great, round, radiant sphere of your original nature. Is that not good?

Your Teacher asks the elder Bodhisattva: how are you these days? Any aches or pains? Are you only asking the Immortals and Buddhas to heal your own ailments? Have you thought about others' suffering, and whether you might lend a hand? Send out one small good thought — deliver someone to seek the Dao — and your merit will be immeasurable. Do not say you are old and just waiting for Heaven. If your allotted days are still long, then do a little of Heaven's work!

Do not cultivate only the surface and never care about others, never help others. You always say "I recognize principle and cultivate truth" — but in your heart, a thicker and thicker fog gathers, and the more you cultivate the less true it becomes. For example, someone says eating vegetarian is good, but their mouth is still eating meat. To speak and not act — what kind of cultivation is that? The Dao is not the "spoken Dao" of the mouth. It is the Dao that must be lived.

In all things, think more of others. A single shift in thought can transform everything. Do not think "nobody ever considers me" — in truth, you yourself have not considered them.

The cultivator may not ask about worldly ways — but this heart of compassion, this heart of passion, must not be allowed to go cold. Understand?

Thank the Eternal Mother for giving us this opportunity, for giving us this body. Your Teacher, too, rides on the Mother's grace, dispatched by the Mother. Your Teacher rides on your grace, too — and you have played with your Teacher and laughed enough, have you not? In truth, even a smile is a form of giving! Making someone laugh is a form of giving — and your Teacher does not know how much merit he has earned today through giving!

My children have their own responsibilities to fulfill, and must also have lofty aspirations. Do not be careless with yourselves. Spur yourselves on. Do not disappoint your Teacher's expectations. My children — if you have tears, use them for all beings. Your Teacher has tears — and uses them for you. Then you, in turn, take your Teacher's tears and use them for all people.

Live always in gratitude and blessing. Only then can you appreciate how great a grace Heaven and Earth have given us, and how important "I" am within this universe! At every moment that you live, you should think: others have died, yet I still live. When I eat, I wish that all others may also eat a bowl of rice. The one who lives always in gratitude and blessing — that one has true fortune.

Cultivating the Dao is cultivating all our hearts, all our selves — a whole community, a whole body, each one complete. It is not cultivating only you alone. When everyone looks after only themselves, that is the time of chaos — of sliding toward extinction. So the time of sliding toward extinction is the time of selfishness. And the time of great selflessness is when peace slowly returns. Do you hope for peace or extinction? So everything rests on your own heart, your own thoughts, your own choices. Resolve that this body will not seek material pleasures, will not chase after the entanglements of love — break through those emotional bonds! Give your true feelings to all beings. Turn your compassionate heart toward the benefit of all. Dedicate your time to all people.

We are all people who endure hardship. In cultivating the Dao and carrying it out, we have met countless setbacks — too many to count. Though others may not understand you now, your heart is always alongside your Teacher. Know that your Teacher is beside you, listening to your whispered words. Even if your heart is full of grievances, do not let them out. Wash them away — because your Teacher is here.

So I hope you will all sacrifice yourselves, contribute to the world, sacrifice for the world — like candles, burning yourselves to light the way for others. Because if one person can make others good, can keep others from doing wrong, can deliver others from the cycle of life and death — then even suffering has a sweet taste. So I say: if it is for the sake of all beings that you give your life, I believe my good disciples will do it with the utmost sincerity.

We make our contribution to humanity not only for now. I hope that the little we do can also awaken those who come after, and that they too will strive toward our goal. That is unlimited contribution. And we seek no profit from others, and ask nothing in return — only then can it be called the true, the good, and the beautiful.

42. Arts and Stillness Are Not the Ultimate

術流動靜終非究竟

My children, you speak of sitting in meditation — is that good? Good! Cultivating the heart and nourishing the nature, is that not right? You say cultivating the Buddha — is that good? Good! Worship the Buddha inwardly and do no wrong. You say cultivating the Dao — is that good? Good! Deliver all beings and they will remember you, yes? You say "I will draw talismans and chant incantations" — is that good? Good! But that is arts — and arts, currents, movement, stillness: these are never the true gate! What your Teacher says — do you truly understand?

Cultivate the correct Dao. Do not walk the crooked paths. Do not practice the ways of sorcery, of talisman-drawing and spell-chanting. Because where there is a technique, there is a counter-technique. If you turn a stone to gold, then hundreds of years later, what will happen to the person who picks up that gold? If he is beaten half to death for the sake of that gold, is that not your doing? Because you practiced the art of turning stone to gold, you harmed that person — and so you must return to the cycle of rebirth. Is it worth it? And as for learning to draw talismans and chant spells: turn it around and ask yourselves — are you not afraid of someone else putting a spell on you? My children, you should listen to plain truth, unchanging principle — and stay far from sorcery. The Dao you must cultivate is this kind of Dao: a very plain Dao, and within that plainness there is true flavor. Know this!

When your Teacher looks at you, I see unfinished Buddhas — each and every one. When you come to the Dao hall, has the Transmitting Master ever told you they rule over you? Ever claimed to be some incarnation, some reincarnation, some supreme being? If they have — do not believe it. Listen carefully! A thousand religions spring up, and everywhere they claim to be high monks, great dharma masters. They say they are Immortals or Buddhas reborn, that they are the Bright Teacher, this or that Buddha come down to Earth. They boast they can teach you sorcery, how to illuminate the heart, how to cultivate both nature and destiny. They say they can free you from bodily pain. They say they will one day rule this society, this world. Teachings like these — do not believe them, do not follow blindly. You must learn to tell the true from the false.

My children, do you know what era this is? Should you not take Awakening as your teacher? What is Awakening? The awakening of your own original nature. What is the True Master? Your own original nature. Since you already know this, why still go outside to seek oracles and divinations? The false appearances, the arts and currents and movements and stillnesses outside grow more numerous by the day. My children, you think the Dao hall is too bland, that there is nothing here! Your hearts go seeking outward. But hear this: if you leave this golden thread, the Great Reckoning of the Three Realms will have no place for you! Think clearly. Stand firmly on solid ground. Do not chase after external things — none of them are the ultimate. Only the full harmony of your own original nature is the ultimate! Supernatural powers are not the ultimate. Supernatural powers cannot overcome the force of karma. Only genuine merit and real goodness avail!

The world today is possessed by demons. Everywhere there are spirits and fiends you cannot see, waiting for the moment when your heart is weakest and most helpless — to slip inside. If your thoughts stray even slightly, if you make a single wrong choice — one step in the wrong direction and the whole path falls to ruin. Do you understand?

43. The Strong Current Strikes Beautiful Waves

勁流擊出美麗浪花

In times of comfort, people often forget their mission and their true self. In comfort, they cannot endure setbacks — the heart is easily swayed, easily shaken. In comfort, they gradually lose their faith, and with it the luminous original nature that was always theirs. In comfort, love and attachment become the sharpest tests of your heart. So: be at ease but think of danger. Steady yourself. Guard your original heart.

If a person succeeds without having been forged through hardship, they have no right to that seat of success. It is like climbing stairs — one step at a time. You must prepare yourself: how high, how low, each footfall steady. If your inner fortitude is not built, even if you climb up you will still sway. So if you covet instant success, if you want to surpass others overnight — adjust your own mindset first!

In favorable conditions, keep something in reserve — do not lose yourself in them. Adverse conditions sharpen your mind, helping you grow in wisdom. If you can accept adversity with grace, you will naturally be cool and untroubled.

Whether fortune or disaster — all is predetermined. Cultivating the Dao means simply keeping a calm heart. Accept the good. Accept the bad as well. A heart like the Buddha's. The cultivator cannot forever hope for smooth surroundings. When you meet difficulties, find a way to solve them.

Things always have their twists. The smoother the road, the less you cherish it. When you go wrong and hit a rough patch, the impression cuts deep. You cannot rush anything. It is like the Foolish Old Man moving the mountain — if only one basket of earth remains, and you stop without finishing, the mountain will still be incomplete.

Nobody's road is perfectly smooth. Bumps and rough patches will always appear. When people are together, there are times of disagreement — because your hearts and thoughts cannot be perfectly alike. So adjust yourself first. Cultivate yourself first. Do not demand that others accommodate you. Once you have refined yourself, only then can you truly influence others.

Those who have not met setbacks have not grown. Setbacks are the catalyst of growth. So when trials arrive, accept them joyfully.

There is no fixed method, and there is no fixed trial. Every trial is different. You must patiently accept each one.

Have backbone — but do not be arrogant. Have the backbone to do each task, the backbone to press forward undaunted. Failure is inevitable in any life. Do not let one or two failures stop you from pressing on.

Everything can be discussed. Do not, upon being wounded, say: "I am so alone — no one understands my heart." In truth, as long as you sincerely cultivate the Dao, there are kindred spirits for you everywhere.

Life brings adversity, and adversity brings pain — the mood darkens. But all of this is self-inflicted worry, chains you bind around yourself. Or the blind pursuit of things you cannot do and do not wish to do — this is reaping what you sow. If you can see through it, think it through — you will find joy.

People tend to shrink and retreat when they meet adversity. You must face it, resolve it — only then can you succeed. Others' success looks easy from outside. But each one paid a bitter price, because success is never accidental. Only genuine sacrifice, with its hidden portion of suffering — that is real success.

Everyone has bottlenecks, things they must break through. No matter how long that bottleneck has been stuck in your heart — if you refuse to give up, if you bravely step forward, if you are grateful to yourself, grateful to Heaven, grateful for what your parents gave you, and cherish it all — then the road ahead will always be bright. Without darkness, how would you know the value of light! The harder the challenge, the more bravely you must break through. Once you have set your resolve, hold it to the end. Be constant. Be sincere.

As long as you have a heart of utmost sincerity — as the saying goes, "sincerity moves the spirit" — Heaven will never betray you. How vast is heaven and earth, and how fortunate we are! Your Teacher hopes that every thought of yours is good. Destiny is in your own hands. No one else can sway you. Do you understand?

Whether you think you came here to watch a show, or you truly respect yourself, or you feel that life needs a path to follow — regardless: on life's journey, every person who grows has stumbled. Whatever road you choose, see your goal clearly and walk your life's journey to the end.

No matter how many difficulties come, are you willing to bear them? No matter how rough the path of life, are you willing to accept everything and walk this road to its end? We must seek the long, bright road — not the dark, helpless one.

If your heart truly holds the Dao, then let the Dao in your heart turn your adversity and redirect your destiny — and you are the fortunate one. A person's fate must not be judged by what lies before them — it depends on what the heart commands! When you are at your lowest, in the midst of difficulty: bear it up, and also set it down — set it down in the spirit of doing your utmost and leaving the rest to Heaven. For all beings possess the Buddha-nature, so never lightly scorn your own Buddha-nature. Moreover, look at all beings with the Buddha's eyes — never with partiality. Only then, when difficulties come, can you truly let go.

The hard times must still be walked. It is the hard times that reveal who has true ability. The harder the road, the more you must summon your sincerity. In cultivation, the most essential thing is that the heart be sincere. With a sincere heart, nothing can obstruct your work. So when you meet adversity, pray with all sincerity to the Eternal Mother — and miracles that break through obstacles will appear.

Cultivating the Dao requires a bodhisattva's heart, a Buddha's heart, faith, and the heart of endurance. If you cannot bear even a little suffering, how can you become a bodhisattva? Others may not know your virtues — that is fine. But first refine your inner virtue, and you will be able to meet any trial and accomplish the bodhisattva's work of merit.

Be compassionate to yourself — let your state of mind rise! Do not keep saying: "How bitter! How bitter!" Bitter from what? Bitter from deluded thoughts — bitter from yourself! If your mind is this chaotic, how is that being compassionate to yourself? As long as you do your part and can carry it through, Heaven will naturally help you.

When you are struck down, do you sink into despair? Once you sink, you have defeated yourself — and the road ahead grows hard. Have faith. Have courage. No matter what difficulty you meet, keep an active heart. Cultivate until nothing troubles you. Wherever you go, adapt. Be at ease wherever you find yourself. Carry the Dao with you always. If you can do this, you are like the Immortals roaming the four seas — free and easy. Whether in hardship or in peace, you pass through calmly, accept calmly. That is what it means to be an Immortal! Even the Buddhas meet difficulties — but whether favorable or adverse, face them with a calm heart.

In cultivation, cultivate yourself. In delivering others, you need much cutting and polishing — do not be afraid of hardship. A piece of jade must be polished to become fine jade. I hope you too can accept the earth's polishing, and after enduring all manner of refinement, not let it go to waste. I hope you achieve something. You are all brothers and sisters together. Do not be too calculating. Personal interest is not important — the interest of all beings matters. Seek the benefit of the many, not the profit of the self. No matter how much money you earn, when your eyes close for the last time, you have nothing.

If errors arise in the process, start your examination from yourself. Ask yourself first. Reflect on yourself first. Only then can you make plans for the outer circumstances, one by one. It is like a tree: if the tree of your Dao-heart stands firm, then no matter how fierce the wind and rain, how many the trials — they cannot topple you. Your sacrifice will have its return. But do not be too attached to that return — because this is your responsibility, your duty.

Face bravely whatever trials Heaven sends you — whether sweet or bitter, taste them all. Life's journey is short, but the journey must not be left blank. Leave a perfect ending.

At every moment, see clearly. People have strengths, and they have flaws. If you see only their strengths and not their flaws, one day when their flaws appear, you will be deeply disappointed — struck to the heart. But if you see both strengths and flaws and can accept both, your heart will be vast. Whenever you are hurt, the memory is sharper and the correction swifter. So do not look at anything too superficially — superficiality makes the heart too narrow, and your own troubles multiply. You must seek your own answers, your own road to liberation.

Do not look down on yourself. Set a new goal, a new direction, and follow it. Difficulties will arise — but however you walk and whatever you do, your Teacher hopes you act according to principle. Bring out your wisdom to discern and judge. As the saying goes: with principle, you can go anywhere under heaven. Without it, you cannot take a single step.

All the pains in your body — no one else gave them to you. You gave them to yourself. Why so many aches? Because disease enters by the mouth, and disaster exits by the mouth. When your body suffers, endure it. Suffering refines you, making you stronger and more resolute.

You often cling to outward appearances without knowing what truth is, without recognizing principle clearly. One sentence from another person knocks you down. One action makes you retreat. That is because you lack resolve, lack sincerity, lack faith — clinging to appearances. If you had true sincerity, your understanding of the Dao would be profound and earnest. If you had true faith, no wind or rain could shake you. Even if you sway, you will not fall — be a tumbling doll that always rights itself.

When you meet hardship and confusion, do not rush to escape — that is no solution! In calm moments, face life with an optimistic heart and cherish what you have. Then when adversity arrives, you will understand what favorable times truly meant — as when you taste bitterness and only then know what sweetness is. Heaven lets you suffer a little to increase your wisdom. That suffering is not truly suffering.

Sometimes give yourself appropriate applause. Give yourself encouragement. Whether you meet setbacks, good fortune, or adversity — applaud yourself. But in good times, do not become giddy. In hard times, do not lose your bearings.

When you face setbacks, meet them with boundless courage. Express your truth with sincerity. Press forward.

No matter where my children are — at the ends of the earth — your Teacher is beside you, every moment. So be good. Difficult times come to everyone. Do not blame others. Do not lose your temper. Think of your Teacher instead, will you? And when you truly cannot think your way through — let it go! If it makes no sense no matter how much you think, more thinking will not help.

The more you hear the truth, the deeper it touches you, and the more your heart of cultivation is polished and matured. It is like eating plain rice — the more you eat, the more flavor you find. The Dao is like this.

People must undergo refinement. Only through polishing can there be growth. Without refinement, how can the warrior's unyielding spirit show itself! Only in the hardest times does your wisdom and virtue shine.

Be a man! Shed blood, not tears. Endure the bitterest of the bitter, and you become the finest among people. As for suffering — you must experience it to know what it is. And once you have experienced it, you forget what suffering was — because the sky opens wide. Why carry that burden on your back any longer?

Being compassionate to yourself must be meaningful — do not grudge your body a little hardship. If you are too kind to your own flesh, what will you ever accomplish? Endure what others cannot endure. You cannot do this because you cling to your personality, your temper. What you champion now is your own ego — but cling to it too stubbornly and it will ruin your whole life!

Speaking properly and according to the rules does not make one a person of virtue. As the saying goes: "The Dao is easy to cultivate, but principle is hard to understand." "The road looks fine, but is not easy to walk." Even the smoothest road has its falls. When you fall, do not despair. Ask yourself honestly: have I done my part? When you do your part well, that accords with the Dao.

Cultivation is not easy, but you must still do it. Slowly correct all your habitual stains — and this road of cultivation will become easier. Cultivation is bitter, but however bitter, your Teacher is always beside you. More words cannot match our hearts meeting in silence. More words cannot match trusting heaven and earth. Look at the elders ahead of you — their faces unflushed, their breath calm. Do you know how much they endured to arrive here? Constant refinement is constant growth. Constant growth is the ripening of wisdom. And when wisdom ripens — do not forget gratitude. Do not forget to extend that grace to others.

Your Teacher may look mad on the outside, but the heart is not mad. People today look refined on the outside, but inside they are upside-down. However long you cultivate, never change your resolve. Whatever suffering comes, do not run away. Settle what must be settled. In the end, you will reach your goal. Then your heart will not be constantly spinning with delusions.

In ancient times, people sought the Dao — the Dao did not seek people. The times have changed. Must you be coaxed and coddled before you will serve? Can you not bear a small injury, a small slander? For women, serving the Dao is harder — families, children. But your Teacher asks: without serving the Dao, has your family improved? Have you fulfilled a mother's duties? If not — why use the Dao as an excuse?

In the future, when false patriarchs and false masters appear, can you tell them apart? There are many kinds of trials: trials of the self, trials of the Dao community, trials of the times. Can you truly pass them? Your Teacher is very worried. The chances to teach you grow fewer. Cherish every meeting. Whether your Teacher is stern or gentle — the opportunities for such sacred gatherings are running out. Prepare yourselves. Your Teacher has never deceived you.

In the course of your work, trials will inevitably come to polish you. The question is whether your heart can accept them. If you endure, Heaven will not fail you. If you are overbearing, Heaven will not forgive you. Do not think, because reward and punishment have not yet arrived, that Heaven has no eyes.

Your Teacher does not test you — your Teacher loves you too much for that. The tests come because your own actions provoked them. Heaven borrows people and events to test you, to see if your heart is true. These tests are not given by Heaven, not given by your Teacher — they are drawn by your own self. Do not blame Heaven. Do not blame others. Do not let your cultivation go backward.

To live meaningfully, keep always a compassionate heart, a lively heart. Do not let your spirit sink. When you meet setbacks, when you are pushed away — it does not matter. Your Teacher has endured all this too, and still walks on. Not every disciple accepts me. But your Teacher persists, unyielding, and has never once said: "I give up on you."

Life's journey is long. When the road is rough, your Teacher is here for you to lean on. When things go badly, look to the sky and pour out your heart to your Teacher. Your Teacher will help you with whatever strength is available. But the most important thing is still yourself — you must help yourself before Heaven can help.

My children, be diligent. Cultivate well. Fulfill the way of humanity. Cultivate the way of heaven. As long as my children are well, your Teacher is well. Understand the true value of life — then this life is not in vain. Sometimes you cannot fully express yourself, but each has their own destiny, and it cannot be rushed! Have great ambitions, but do not aim so high you miss what is near. Study the scriptures. Understand the truth. Recognize principle and cultivate sincerely. Awaken to the fact that the body is an illusion, and illness too is illusion. See through everything. Cultivate earnestly. And do not forget your Teacher's painstaking care.

You have all been very good. You have given of yourselves with bitter devotion. For the sake of the Dao, you have often suffered — your Teacher knows this. Remember only this: on the path of cultivation, difficulties are inevitable. Since ancient times, every Immortal and Buddha endured trial after trial before achieving the Way. As the saying goes: "Without the bone-piercing cold, how can the plum blossom's fragrance come?" Know your fate. Accept your fate. Then you can establish your fate — and fulfill it.

44. The Bright Master's One Pointing Awakens the True Master

明師一指，喚醒真主

Where is the Bright Master's one pointing? Where is your True Master? We all have a True Master inside us — and where does he live? "Here!" — you point to the place the Transmitting Master pointed during initiation. Ah! He lives there. Truly difficult! The Transmitting Master pointed you right there, and your True Master lives right there! Have you ever studied the initiation words? They are wonderful — but you do not know how to take them to heart. Let me ask you: the Transmitting Master's right hand opens the point, and the left hand closes it again — correct? Wrong! Far from it! That is contrived doing. Is contrived doing the Dao? Contrived doing already misses the mark.

One hand opens, one hand covers — what does it mean? The right hand opens, yes — it tells you where the Master lives, where the front door of your house is. But that is just a door. Your Teacher asks you: when you come home, do you stand at the doorway or open the door and go inside to rest? What kind of fool stands in the doorway and says, "I have arrived home!" and rests right there? Everyone goes inside! What does it mean to enter the inner hall? If you stand at the door, what kind of cultivation is that? Your Teacher sees that you still have not understood, so the left hand pushes you inside — do not linger outside! Are you standing at your own front door enjoying the breeze? Think about it!

So when we seek the Dao, we understand that we have a Master, and that our Master lives inside our own house. A house has a room for the Master and a room for guests. The Master sleeps where the Master should sleep. Guests sleep where guests should sleep. This order must not be confused. The right hand points you to the door and says: your Master is inside this door. This body is a house. Your heavenly conscience is the Master. The Transmitting Master tells you: let your heavenly conscience go in quickly through the front door, go inside, and take charge! Do not linger outside. Has your Master come home? When the Master comes home, your eyes light up — understand? So your Teacher looks at each of you, and sees that you do not understand this. Your eyes are dim, without spirit. What does "without spirit" mean? The spirit is not bright. Bright spirit — we worship the "bright spirit." The spirit must be bright for there to be a bright spirit to worship! If the spirit cannot be bright, what is the point of worshipping? Do you now understand the meaning of seeking the Dao?

Why come to seek the Dao? Where is the Dao? What does the word "seek" mean? Your Teacher tells you: when you come to the Buddha Hall to seek the Dao, nothing is actually handed to you. "Seeking" does not mean Heaven gives you something when you arrive. How do you explain the Three Treasures? The Three Treasures were sent down by Heaven, bestowed by Heaven — is that right? When you speak this way, your cultivation only grows more painful. You have all overlooked the four words "the Dao is natural." The Dao is perfectly natural. Where are the Three Treasures? They are on your own person. The Three Treasures were always yours — not given by someone else, not delivered by a teacher. They were always there. And every person has them equally — no one is better, no one is worse.

The Three Treasures represent your Buddha-nature. Every person's Buddha-nature is equal — without rank. But in the human world there must be hierarchy. In cultivation, however, we must understand: the Dao is natural. To restore the natural means to remove hierarchy — no you, no me, no division of appearances. Your Teacher worries that your method of cultivation is wrong, that the more you cultivate the more you suffer. When the method is wrong from the start, many people give up halfway, saying the Dao is false, the Hall is false. Many have left. Your Teacher does not want you to continue with this mistaken approach.

45. Value Yourself and Take Up Your Responsibility

看重自己責任負起

Scheming against one another will never achieve unity. Only your straight heart can unite with the universe. Only if you can be selfless and sweep away private desire is it possible even to speak of "one heart." Otherwise, each of you has your own way of working, your own perspective — how can you be united?

My children! If the hall master or the lecturer does not understand principle, the Transmitting Master bears the responsibility. "He does not come, so I will not go either" — how is that different from an ordinary person? This is your Teacher's bitter medicine! Loyal words are hard on the ears. I hope you will all truly achieve one heart and one virtue — which means truly setting down your personal desires and devoting yourselves to protecting all beings under heaven.

My children! If someone in the community persists in reckless behavior and refuses to heed repeated counsel — then you must let everyone know. First, approach them privately with sincerity. Try to set them right. But if they remain obstinate, you must speak out, to prevent a destructive influence from infiltrating the Hall and to keep the community pure. If you naively believe someone who spreads lies and leads people astray — that person creates their own karmic debt!

My children! If the upper and lower ranks cannot be of one heart, unnecessary trials will follow. Whenever something seems wrong, do not do it. Report everything upward. Do not take matters into your own hands, lest you disrupt the order and violate the Hall's regulations. But those above must not treat such reporting as a demand for submission!

Those of you who are senior cultivators must take special care with your character. In particular, regarding money: if public and private funds are constantly confused, you will destroy the trust between seniors and fellow cultivators, and ultimately harm the work of the Dao. If financial disputes arise among cultivators, do you think there will be a good outcome? So: "accounts must be clear." Public and private must be distinct. Do you understand? If someone gives you money and you promise to use it for a certain purpose, you must use it for that purpose — do not cleverly redirect it. If that money runs into trouble, how will you bear the responsibility?

Among fellow cultivators, there should be no lending or borrowing of money. No matter what the reason, do not harbor the slightest greed. You must never take public donations and use them for other purposes. Be upright. Be transparently honest. Be a true standard and model for others. If you can do this, you will not have wasted the title "senior cultivator"!

When your Teacher submitted his final report and returned to Heaven, the Great Work of Saving the Three Realms could have been considered complete. But why does your Teacher still come to borrow a body and speak? Because of the bond between teacher and disciple! In the same way, those you have delivered — you brought them to shore. Even if you carry a thousand burdens, you must still look after them, because you have the bond of a sponsoring master. Just as your Teacher has with you.

Cultivation and the work of the Dao cannot be done carelessly. They demand your full attention. Of course, they are not easy to carry out. If your heart rises and falls, how can you handle the endlessly changing hearts of all beings? When your Teacher returns to the Buddha Hall, it is not to check on your bodies — it is to check on your hearts! Even if you doze off, your Teacher does not mind. The important thing is: have you found your own center? Do you know your mission and your responsibility? Not for others — for yourself.

You often say that pioneer workers should be masters of all trades. And rightly so — when we stand before others, every gesture, every glance, every word is seen clearly. You are ambassadors sent out from the home community — you must be especially mindful. Speak with the words of the Dao. Carry the bearing of the Dao lineage. Conduct yourselves with the practice of the Dao. In your free time, enrich yourselves — read more. Then when you lecture, you will not be at a loss. That way, people will see that you have grown!

Pioneer workers abroad should be like a good daughter-in-law: skillful above and harmonious below. When a problem arises, do not immediately push the Transmitting Master forward, or shove the senior lecturer out to handle it. Take it as your own responsibility — not someone else's. Do you know how heavy your responsibility is? Why did you go out to pioneer? Because you saw the suffering of beings and went to help — yes? Is pioneer work hard? Is the heart's suffering worse, or the body's? Why does the heart suffer? You chose to come! Why the pain? Because you cannot let go — of attachments, of self. Then recognize: you are most important precisely when delivering beings. Without you, it cannot happen.

In bearing so many responsibilities, you will inevitably have moments of friction, of things not going smoothly. Then the heart begins: "Why am I suffering like this? Why did I leave my comfortable home for this?" And then you blame everyone in turn — first your Teacher: "Who told me to listen to the Teacher?" Then the Transmitting Master: "Why did they send me here?" Then the local Transmitting Master! Every available target gets blamed. But here you still sit. Since you went out to pioneer, let your words, your bearing, and your conduct be genuine. Do not become casual with the local cultivators just because you have grown familiar. Carelessness in speech and behavior — others will lose respect for you! Remember: you are diplomatic envoys of the Dao. Carry yourselves accordingly.

My children, you are united by the Dao, so what you present must have the bearing of the Dao. Read more. If you do not read, your mind grows empty. An empty mind wanders. When you go out, you must speak of principle — not only lecturers need to advance in learning. Since you vowed to go out and help others, help them all the way. Do not escort the Buddha only halfway!

Talk less and do more. Your biggest problem is always personnel issues! Some clash with their fellow pioneers. Some clash with local cultivators. Some clash with the Transmitting Master. Why? Everyone demands that the other person grow. Everyone says it is for the other's good. But have you looked at yourself? Are you really that flawless? When you demand things of others, look inward first — especially with local cultivators, whose growth will naturally be slower than yours. But your one gesture, your one glance, can either help them grow or hold them back. Understand?

So your Teacher says: every step you take on the pioneer road plants one more seedling of the Dao. But how many sacred missions lie in that journey? You are all people carrying torches. The holy Transmitting Masters entrusted this responsibility to you in a line of succession. Take it up. Take it up willingly — not grudgingly. Do not botch the work out of resentment. That creates sin. Understand?

The Great Work of Saving the Three Realms is not something to be done carelessly in the human world. Since it is the Great Work of the Three Realms, what kind of heart must we use? The heart of Heaven — is that easy? No! But if you truly use the heart of Heaven, then you are a living Bodhisattva! Each of you is a living Bodhisattva, because you are rescuing suffering beings. Your heart of compassion must be sufficient. Without enough compassion, trials come easily. Understand?

Some say: "Only two more years until the end — so I had better hurry and serve the Dao!" If you hold that attitude, your heart is not fully committed. Whatever joys and griefs well up now — keep what is good, and uproot what is not. You are people who transmit the Dao! You carry a weighty mission. Your thinking must be correct if you are to persevere. Pioneer workers — most importantly — must encourage one another. When someone is low, visit them. When someone is ill, see what they need. You are far from home, not as comfortable as in your own land. If you do not care for each other, how can the work of the Dao proceed? Take care of your bodies too. Without the body, you lose your drive. Without health, even the strongest will has no strength. So look after yourselves!

My children, know how to treasure yourselves. And know how to give thanks — truly, from the heart, grateful for Heaven's grace and the Teacher's virtue. Otherwise everyone just goes on stage and says: "I am thankful to Heaven for letting me go out and fulfill my vow!" But words come easy. If your heart has not truly felt this, resentment creeps in. Know that those who can go out are the best. We go not to create problems, but to help them have none. Understand?

Some of you think: "I have not even gotten myself right — how can I go out and serve the Dao?" But the Transmitting Master sees something in you and insists you go. Is it hard? Of course! You have worldly duties too. Sacred and mundane are at war. "There are so many people in the Hall — why must it be me?" You have all said this. "That practitioner already attended the advanced class — why can't they go to the Hall themselves? Why must I drive them?" Let us address this: should you handle mundane affairs first, or sacred affairs? Your Teacher will tell you: "Without the mundane, the sacred cannot be nourished." But also: "Without the sacred, the mundane cannot run smoothly!" What does this mean? We have bodies that need feeding. We have families that need caring for. We have human duties that must be fulfilled — so mundane affairs must be in order first. Only then can you come to the Hall to nourish your wisdom and start afresh. But then you find yourself bound to the Hall — more and more gatherings, always on call. You open a home altar and it gets worse — you are the hall master now, every class requires your presence. You feel imprisoned. Your family says: "All you do is run to the Hall! You are like a vegetarian nun!" Many complaints pile up. And yet — your Teacher says: "Without the sacred, the mundane will not run smoothly!" Even if you were given the chance to sort out every mundane affair perfectly, your Teacher guarantees: things still would not go smoothly. You know this from experience. That is why you need the Hall. That is the point.

Every person has a fixed span of years and certain things they must experience. That means you came to this world with a mission. Why do these things happen to you? Because they are what you are meant to learn. Everyone has different difficulties, different circumstances. Some say: "I have so much to learn — what a hard fate!" But we learn until we die. The more you learn, the richer your treasury. The harder your fate, the greater your future wealth. My children, know that this whole life is learning. That is why you encounter things you cannot figure out — why someone else's story suddenly becomes your own. Whatever comes, it is an opportunity for growth. Most importantly, your Teacher wants you to know: this life must have a goal, a direction, a destination.

Some people meet one obstacle they cannot cross and either end their lives or go astray. That is not the ending Heaven wishes to see. That is not why you came to this world. My children, know the purpose of life. Besides taking care of yourself, you must lead others to a better path. Your direction? Your goal? Your ideal? Saving all beings! How? You need a vehicle. That vehicle is our great Dharma ship. Every person who helps, who participates, who serves — each one is a rower powering that ship forward. This is what you must commit to. There are techniques for speaking, materials to prepare for lectures. Do not be afraid to speak. Do not say "I am not a lecturer, so I do not need to learn." Never stop learning. Never stop breaking through. Do not say "I will not do this" — that is the moment you freeze yourself in place. Why do some people stay poor? Because they say: "I do not associate with people like that. I am this kind of person, so I do not do that kind of thing." Freezing yourself is your own loss. Keep learning, keep breaking through, do not fear exploration. You may bump into sharp edges — but that is how you know something is there! The more experience you have, the more beings you can help. Why can Guanyin save all beings? Why is she found in every household? Because Guanyin has tasted every suffering that beings taste — and so she understands their pain. If you have never done something, you cannot understand another's suffering. Try to understand. Train yourself into an invincible hero.

Having a home altar means you can bow and worship conveniently. You can practice the rituals at home. Your family name is the altar's name. Think what a wonderful thing that is — your ancestors share in the light! When your descendants can bring glory to their ancestors, this life is worthwhile. Do not look down on your small home altar. Beyond daily bowing and worship, do you burn incense on time? Consider: the world is busy, schedules are chaotic. But once you have a home altar, you must normalize your routine — rise early to offer incense, prepare offerings, keep the space clean. Before the altar, you lived freely — rising at noon, no consequences. Now you learn regularity. Your behavior becomes more restrained, more examined. With the responsibility of a hall master or lecturer, you must be even more upright. You have this sense of mission. If you still feel bitter, conflicted, resentful — it is because you have not decided what you truly want, what you are truly doing. So the suffering comes, and you blame others. Decide your direction. If you are going to do it, do it well. Do not waver. Do not say "I follow orders" while actually waiting to see what others arrange. That kind of indecision — when circumstances turn rough, you change direction. How can anything succeed that way?

They say Rome was not built in a day — but at least they were building Rome every day. Establish your direction. Some say: "My ambition is not grand — this is good enough." That is no ambition at all! Naturally you want to do more, to do better. So try to change. You have your current way of life, but you have new goals, new ideals. Try to change — that is cultivation! Where do you start? From the heart. Change yourself first. Adjust your pace. What will you do? If you truly wish to help the cultivators of that region, you must begin to prioritize. When will you finish your mundane work? Plan it. Arrange it.

You are all stars who descended from the heavens to deliver beings. You carry this heavenly charge. What was your original heart? Do not come to this world only to labor for three meals and worldly fame, forgetting the vow you made. You descended out of a single thought of compassion! Look — which sage, which Immortal, which Buddha does not bear the burden for all beings? Which of them argues about who is right and who is wrong? They have only one heart: for all beings. While beings are still suffering, what else matters? So unite! Work together! Carry the Dao forward.

Be of one heart, above and below. Respect the proper order. Understand this courtesy. Do not become someone who cultivates and serves alone. The Dao depends on everyone working together — unity and cooperation. Within small harmony, transform this world into the Great Harmony. Disasters are so many — does your heart not ache? The Dao can avert disaster. As long as you act on it, as long as you send out compassion, calamity can be turned. Understand? When your brothers and sisters begin to retreat, use your compassion, use your bond as fellow travelers, to call them back. Your Teacher never wants to lose a single disciple. Will you help your Teacher look after your brothers and sisters? When someone makes mistakes, it is because they do not know — all the more reason to embrace them, to show them love and care.

Your Teacher hopes that in your cultivation you will always encourage and remind yourselves. Think of how many beings still await deliverance! Your Teacher hopes that in the midst of storms, you can stand firm. That you can give without resentment. The endurance of the heart — you must build it yourself. In the waves of this world, never forget your vow, never forget your first intention. Only with the spirit that reaches the clouds can you hold the golden thread of the Dao lineage. Be a true pillar of Heaven.

You are workers appointed by Heaven! Know what you can accomplish. Have goals. Have direction. Think of yourselves as employed by Heaven to do Heaven's work. Beginners will naturally lack experience — a new worker cannot match one with forty years of practice. The more you do, the more skilled you become. Do not flinch at the first difficulty and let go! Keep going. Step by step you rise. You cannot afford to stop now — do you understand? Give your all. Those with strength, give strength. Those with time, give time. Is your Teacher's meaning clear?

Each of you thinks you are right. Each of you thinks your Teacher is talking about someone else. Do you think your Teacher does not know you? If you wish to learn, then take up the heavy responsibility. Not just being a good worker — but truly cultivating inwardly. The work should be done with full heart, but you must hold the root! How do you cultivate inner virtue? You think you have done well enough. But is it truly well done? Have you truly fulfilled your part? Your Teacher asks little — only that you repent sincerely, that you not meet with disaster, that your Teacher does not find it impossible to save you when the time comes.

Think: how much have you given for beings? How much effort have you put into yourself? How earnestly have you pursued your vow? Vow and fulfill. Press forward!

Regarding vegetarianism: if all external circumstances are resolved, then the problem lies in yourself — you cannot let go of the pleasure of eating. Let your Teacher counsel you: think carefully. If you do not eat vegetarian, you listen to principle while still creating the karma of killing. How much merit do you accumulate in a day? How many words of principle do you speak? How many people do you deliver in a month? My children, when will your merit be complete? You want to transcend life and death — but if you eat the flesh of others, will you not have to repay? This is not your Teacher forcing you. A person who studies the Dao and the Buddha but does not eat vegetarian has not a speck of compassion. What kind of Buddha is that?

When you come to the Hall — what should you bring? Enthusiasm! What is enthusiasm? Treating each other like brothers and sisters — if a fellow cultivator is in trouble, you go through fire and water to help. Which group at a gathering needs the most enthusiasm? The welcoming team! What else is needed? Warmth. What kind of Hall has warmth? Do you have warmth? To give warmth to others, you must first be warm yourself. If you are cold, how can you warm anyone? Before enthusiasm and warmth — what comes first? A smile! As an organizer, you welcome people. You know the Hall, so you guide newcomers in. You are their sponsoring master. You walk ahead — so set the example. The first thing: smile! Look at yourselves — you enter the Hall so reserved, so quiet, you nod and slip away. That will not do! You all look fine — dressed well, hair neat — but that face is missing a smile. Just this one change would make everything more complete. When every person at the Hall looks good, newcomers think: "This must be a fine place." Then you help each other, and the work of bringing people to the Dao is no longer so hard.

Do you all understand the path of cultivation? Should everyone cultivate? Let us talk about couples. Is it good to cultivate together as husband and wife? In the community, you see many who serve the Dao — and one benefit of couples cultivating together is that it makes others think: "Why does only the wife come to the Hall, but not the husband? Why does only the husband sit here — where is the wife?" Perhaps your partner opposes you going to the Hall. Perhaps they feel your cultivation is not convincing. If so, reflect. Where is the problem? If your partner will not come, start small — invite them to a class, without pressure. But sometimes Heaven creates appropriate pressure for growth. The key is to let your partner feel the warmth of the community. When they feel it, everything else becomes possible. So remind yourselves: first be warm yourself, and then you can give warmth to others.

Speaking of destiny and ideals — are your ideals grand? What are they? Cultivation and service are not slogans! "I have many ideals, many ambitions" — those are just words. What is the real difference? Where are your ideals? Some hall masters are truly dedicated, but they lack the words. Some speak well but never show up. The worst: they talk and judge without even looking. A class leader is not just someone who lectures, sings devotional songs, and cuts fruit — that kind of leading, any grandmother could do! Some class leaders arrive late and leave early. Students with questions are too shy to ask the Transmitting Master, they want to ask you, but you have already left. "What is this Dao about?" And the class leader says: "I do not know either." Their questions remain unanswered. You never follow up. Is that leading? Does anyone proactively ask about upcoming events?

These are blessed times for cultivation! You are fortunate to have work to do. If there were nothing to do, then you should worry! Understand?

Who says you are useless? Who says your temper is bad? Who says this is wrong or that is wrong? Who thinks the Dao is not profound enough? It is all yourself! Someone says: "I cannot do anything. I do not know what to do at the Hall." Is there nothing to do? There is work from one end to the other! Can you sweep the floor? Can you mop? Can you share a word of principle? Can you call a fellow cultivator to come to class? You can! Then you are already capable of many things.

Has anyone told you that you are no good? Has the Transmitting Master ever called you stupid? No! Then you are the one not giving yourself a chance. Know why you cultivate and serve: to fulfill your vow. So value yourself. But value yourself for what? That is the key. Some say: "I value myself, so I must always be the lecturer — menial work is for those who cannot lecture." You are not newcomers! When the elders still defer to others, should you not feel ashamed? Sometimes you will be assigned as class host. The host is important. Where do hosts and assistants commonly fail? Confusing priorities. The host must have composure. Teaching principle is the lecturer's role. The host needs a calm mind, ready to answer unexpected questions with a Buddha's heart. "Assisting" means supporting. But you do not always do this well. The host's every word, gesture, and movement is watched. If the class members lack enthusiasm, the host bears at least a third of the responsibility — perhaps all of it!

You have been pioneering a long time. Some of you are exhausted. If you can still serve without a single complaint — that is truly remarkable. Cultivation is not about charging forward to pile up merit. If you only care about the people you want to care about and neglect those you do not — that is a grave oversight. When you charge forward, look back too. And those in the back — step forward and see. That is pragmatism, and the errors will be fewer. The era of individual charisma ended with the old elders. Now is the time for unity. Without unity, what Dao are you serving? Personal grudges are small things. But when personal grudges are dragged into the work, they endanger the spiritual lives of beings — that is a great wrong that no one can afford! You must bear what you do. Your sense of helplessness comes from your inability to bear it. You often speak of "ancestral merit." But at this late hour, if you still depend on ancestral merit and do nothing yourself — beware, that is the first test. How much ancestral merit do you have to spend? Do you want to be the one who squanders the family fortune? Or the one who brings glory to your ancestors? Then take up your responsibility of your own accord. Only then can your own nature deliver itself!

Too much has been said. Do you want to find life at the dead end? Do you want to see the heavenly design revealed again? If so, you must pursue it! Do you want to serve? Then serve quickly! Who gives you hope? Who gives you despair? You yourself. Is there hope for the community? Great hope! Do beings have fortune? If you commit your heart, beings are fortunate. If you despair, beings drown in the sea of suffering. How will you face yourself?

Is it better to be cared for by people, or by Heaven? By Heaven. So from now on, stop worrying about questions of heavenly mandate. Just ask whether what you do accords with Heaven. If the mandate were to be withdrawn, you would not see it — all form and appearance is illusion. Quietly align with Heaven. Do you think Heaven will let you act tyrannically without consequence? We all came from Heaven. We must do Heaven's work. This is elementary — yet long service makes you forget. There are many kinds of forgetfulness. The first: pretending. The old elders pretend: "I cannot do anything — you young people handle it!" But that is partly your fault for putting them in that position. The most serious problem in the community is the loss of proper order — no distinction between higher and lower. Can a father be equal to his son?

Cultivation has its sequence. Hold fast to the principle of proper human relations. Respect one another. Maintain one another. This is "upholding" — and the word is truly difficult. "Upholding" means knowing how to cherish, how to protect, how to maintain. And "holding" means endurance, constancy.

The Bright Master reveals your original nature — your true heart — and awakens your limitless virtue to gradually become whole. Transforming your temperament. Letting your benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness all shine forth. Repent and purify yourself. Do not eat the flesh of beings. Walk the Bodhisattva's path. Fulfill your vow through the Bodhisattva's deeds. My children! If you can, thought by thought, embody the Immortals and Buddhas who descended on their vows to save all beings — step by step knowing that Maitreya has come — then you yourself, at this moment, are an infinite emanation of Patriarch Maitreya. You can silently and subtly transform this world into a Pure Land, silently turn back disaster, and let auspiciousness appear in the human realm.

Everyone must join hands and link hearts! I hope that by this power, you form a circle without a single gap — do not let demons slip through! That depends on you, the workers! Are you willing? Do not underestimate yourselves. Without workers, the Dao cannot be carried out. Heaven made you for a purpose. Only the roles differ.

You have families. Your Transmitting Masters have families too. Why can they give of themselves, but you cannot? They must fulfill their vows. Must you not fulfill yours? Only through your continued commitment to saving the world can the power of the vow push forward again. So many people have not yet reached shore, still drowning in the sea of suffering. My children, how can you bear it! Each of you — if you hold just this one good thought — the Immortals and Buddhas everywhere will assist. The more you pioneer, the more you deliver, the more you will feel their aid. Commit yourselves again. Fulfill your unfinished vows. Take up your duties once more, sincerely.

Each of you must live in your own spiritual life. You must transcend yourself — not live under the management of Transmitting Masters, lecturers, or organizers. Only then will your cultivation be natural, self-motivated. Why should others have to invite you? Why should others have to urge you?

My children! Do not treat life as a dream. Know that you came with a mission — to steward this world, to complete your purpose. First: look up and owe nothing to Heaven; look down and owe nothing to the earth. Second: do not waste your parents' sacrifice. Ten months of pregnancy, three years of nursing, over a decade of education — a father's grace is high as heaven, a mother's grace is deep as earth. Cultivation is natural — it needs no forcing, no urging. If your eyes only see others' faults, you will live forever in pain. If you always think others are beneath you, you will always be a failure. Every year you live, learn for a year. Where do you stand? Without humility, without seeking guidance, how can the Dao succeed? Only through humble learning can this life's journey bear fruit.

Is cultivation lonely? Not lonely! Then why do you sometimes feel bored? You complain: "Why does the Transmitting Master always leave me to fight alone?" Because you are capable of the great task! Because Heaven favors you! Because the Transmitting Master trusts you! Because this is your chance to fulfill your vow! Why do you still complain? "I have no ability!" And so you say: "Send someone better. Or at least send someone to help me." Is that how you will become a great Immortal or Bodhisattva? "It is fine — I will sacrifice myself and let others succeed." But is that what success means? Wrong! Know when to be humble, and know when to seize the opportunity! When there is good food, everyone wants to eat. Very few say: "Give it all to others — I do not need any." Do not wait until you reach Heaven and ask: "Teacher, why does he get to be a Bodhisattva while I sweep the floors?" Because you were too humble! You let others have the role! When your seniors gave you the chance to serve and deliver beings, you said: "Please, after you!" And you kept yielding until you were left idle — unable to rise.

My children! In delivering beings, give your full heart. Yielding food to others is fine — but in saving beings, your heart should be as eager as reaching for the best dish. Press forward! Of course, do not complain: "The Transmitting Master is unfair — why does he always give the work to them?" When the Transmitting Master gives you an opportunity, do not refuse. When no one assigns you a task — what do you do? Go save beings! If no one is sweeping, sweep! If no one is carrying tea, carry tea! These are things you should do on your own. When you are given a great responsibility, stand up to it! Do not keep saying: "I cannot! I dare not! I am afraid!" Then you will always be left behind. Those at the front will stay at the front. And you? Trapped in the cycle of birth and death forever. My children, do you feel the terror of that cycle? Do you feel the regret of leaving this life's work undone? From now on — act on your own, seek your own awakening. Will you?

46. Who Is the Teacher? Who Is the Disciple?

誰是老師，誰是徒兒

What does "Ji Gong" mean? "Ji" means to help. "Gong" means selfless. What is a "Living Buddha"? "Living" means undying. "Buddha" is the heavenly heart, the Buddha-nature. To save the world and deliver beings, we can only do so with a selfless heart — because a selfless heart is not dead, it is the living heart of Heaven. So "Ji Gong, the Living Buddha" is the meaning of those four characters strung together. Now — when you took Ji Gong the Living Buddha as your Teacher, you actually took those four characters as your Teacher. Understand? Because everyone has a deeply rooted selfishness, a deeply rooted bias. With selfishness and bias, you cannot sacrifice for all beings. Everything is for yourself. That is not the heart of Heaven — that is a private heart! These four characters — "Ji Gong, the Living Buddha" — have been in your heart since the day you sought the Dao. But you have always thought it was the name of a statue. Ji Gong is Ji Gong, and you are you — the two are separate. You have always kept them apart. You say: "He is the Teacher, I am the disciple. He is the great Ji Gong, I am the little Ji Gong. He is an Immortal, I am an ordinary person." Is that not having two minds? That is the mind of discrimination! Your Teacher wants you to understand: once upon a time there was an Immortal named "Ji Gong, the Living Buddha." That is only a parable — only a reminder.

What is the Teacher? What is the disciple? The Teacher is your own heavenly conscience. The disciple is your own deluded mind. Every person has two minds — one good, one bad. You have a kind mind and an unkind mind living together, always. The good mind is the Teacher. The bad mind is the disciple. The Teacher teaches the disciple. The disciple listens to the Teacher. That is all. Through the form of taking a master, you are being reminded: inside your own heart there is a Teacher. Do not go outside to find one. This is a form — an image — used to awaken you, to help you understand: the true Teacher is not outside, not in the Buddha Hall. But in daily life we need forms to survive. Without money, you cannot live — and money is just a form. Without a house, you cannot live — and a house is just a form. In this world, everything depends on form. So delivering you, leading you to seek the Dao, to serve the Dao — these methods are forms. They are reminders. But do not be so overwhelmed by the form that you sink into it and forget that you yourself are a Ji Gong. Today your Teacher is reminding you: do not lose your Ji Gong. Even though your Teacher borrows a body — a form — to speak to you, do not split this into two. Do not say: "He is the Teacher borrowing a body, and we are the disciples sitting here listening." Realize: at this moment, you too are borrowing a body. But your role is different — you are sitting and learning, while the Teacher borrows this form to teach, to remind. When you can stand on your own, when you understand and become your own master — then you will truly realize what the Dao is.

47. Be a Worthy Evangelist

做個稱職的傳道人

Do not "ruin" the Dao by conducting it badly. The Dao itself has no good or bad — it is people who act it out badly! If your human affairs are not harmonious, what are you doing serving the Dao?

Cultivating the Dao must start from daily life. Why do some people think that going to the Buddha Hall IS cultivation? "I attend the Hall. I participate as a committee member." Is that cultivation? No. That is service — carrying out merit and fulfilling vows.

Cultivation is directed at yourself. Service is directed at all beings. Inner sainthood comes before outer kingship — but the two advance together. Do not assume that just because others see you working, you are truly working! Many who truly practice do so in silence — that is real practice. Do not judge people by their surface. Look at the inner work!

The Dao is not the same as talking about principles. Where is the Dao? In daily life. Making every action accord with the Dao — is that easy? Not easy. Some people speak without guarding their speech. They say to practice accumulating hidden merit — yet their tongues are busy creating visible harm.

Cultivation is not the same as administrative work! Do not confuse them! Cultivation is cultivation. Service is service. But the two can merge — it depends on your inner state. Even while serving, you are also cultivating. The two are distinct yet also unified. Figure it out for yourselves!

Cultivating the Dao is cultivating yourself. It is not a performance for others to watch. If today you only cultivate for appearances, what meaning does cultivation have? If you cultivate merely to become a lecturer, merely for social approval — then you have wasted the whole effort!

Building up knowledge only to give lectures from a stage — that is not the purpose of cultivation. A person who speaks well does not necessarily practice well.

Now is the time when Heaven gathers talent, seeking sages and worthies. Each of you should give your full measure. But if your root is not stable, you will easily topple. Even the most talented person, if their understanding is incorrect, what use is that? Where must you apply your effort? You know the answer: from your own mind-nature, from the attitude and understanding of daily cultivation.

If one moment of rash temper causes a new seeker to stumble, what then? It is like a big brother who cannot take care of his little sibling — the little one goes and tells their mother. Every one of you knows what the right thing to do is, yet cannot do it. Why? Because of one moment's anger, one moment's insistence on your own opinion — and so these things happen.

Now that you know, should you not act? You know a great deal of principle but practice very little. The Heavenly Mandate is precious. You must obey it and also live it. How much of the Fifteen Buddha Rules have you truly fulfilled? Your Teacher has never blamed you. I only burn with worry for the beings of the world. You all carry the mission. If you do not practice it in body and deed, how can you fulfill your vow?

Only when you can let go can you truly give. If you cannot give, how can you receive? My children, know your own mission. Do not treat it like child's play — working a little, playing a little. Everything rests on that single thought. If you yourself fall short, do you even know it? When others tell you, will you listen? "Honest words spoken to your face are loyal counsel. Gossip spoken behind your back is just rumor." Whether toward the elders or toward anyone, we should always be people who speak honest counsel, faithful people — not people who spread gossip. Instead of becoming Buddhas, you become gossip-mongers. Not only are you busy making trouble, you drag everyone into it. Your Teacher Ji Gong may be crazy, but I am interested in everything — except this. If this were the old days and someone started gossiping, I would knock them dead first and sort it out later. Knock them dead, they forget everything, then I wake them up. That is Ji Gong's secret technique. But that was the old times — it would not work today. If I knocked gossipers dead now, the authorities would come for certain! What a pity. Times have changed. There is nothing for it but to manage yourselves: do not speak words of gossip, do not listen to words of gossip.

If someone starts gossiping, walk away immediately. Gossip stops with the wise. If there is a gossip, use reason and discernment to make them stop. If you can stop that impulse in them — that is the truest "infinite merit," greater than delivering a lecture from the stage. In your little notebooks, write it down and examine yourself: how many words did I speak today? How many were unkind? How many praised the goodness of others? Do not speak of others' faults. Their faults are theirs. We should praise what is good in people. Examine yourself: today, did I accumulate virtue — or lose it? All of you practice vegetarianism. What enters and exits must both be clean.

People call me the "Living Buddha." I earned that title while I was alive — it was not bestowed from on high. It was spoken by the people. When your Teacher acted crazy, it was all for the work. I never wasted a single step, never walked a single stretch in vain. I wandered the rivers and lakes for many years and never said a single idle word. Some words seemed like jokes, but inside them were mysteries. You are your Teacher's disciples. If you cannot learn ten parts, at least learn three.

Remember: every person has their original nature. Discover it slowly. After your self-nature shines forth, go and help others — and gradually things will become more peaceful, more still. But as you cultivate longer, beware of two dangers. First: do not become slicker the longer you practice. The more you fry, the harder you get — hard enough to crack someone's teeth! Second: do not climb so high that arrogance takes root. That will only make you fall further behind.

A group is a single force. If ten people pull one rope and one person pulls the opposite way — what happens? If you are one of those ten, can you find the right direction and contribute your strength? A single conflict can be resolved because of you — or made far worse because of you. That role is important. It only depends on whether you are willing.

My children, do you sincerely support and encourage one another? If you would be pillars of Heaven, then cherish your own useful selves and set a clear standard. Do not divide into "us" and "them"! Though this be a small place, if everyone carries the spirit of the Dao, it will be good. If no one carries it, no one will want to come, and a Hall with no Dao-spirit is no different from having no Hall at all.

What is Dao-spirit? It is everyone practicing these seven things: mutual respect, mutual study, mutual improvement, mutual care, putting yourself in others' shoes, offering compassion, and each person fulfilling their role. That is enough.

What is people-spirit? Do not confuse a large crowd with the spirit of the Dao. A large crowd is just people-spirit — it sweats, it stinks. People-spirit is a jumble of human affairs and entanglements, a tangle of accumulated gossip that never ends.

Do not let people-spirit in the Buddha Hall overwhelm the spirit of the Immortals. When people-spirit is thick, the Immortals dare not come. The stench of human affairs drives them away.

Dao-spirit matched with the spirit of the Immortals — that rivals Heaven itself! Is that not so?

Why do the Immortals not speak certain words when borrowing a body? Because the medium's own tongue cannot form them — the tongue knots and will not turn. When the translator makes a mistake, your Teacher knows. Sometimes you want to see the Immortals do everything perfectly before you believe. So many people harbor doubts — because their inner state has not yet reached that level. Everyone's inner state is different. If your state of mind truly reaches unity with Heaven, you will naturally understand all things, all principles of the myriad phenomena. That is the mystery between heaven and earth — the mystery of your own self-nature.

Some people believe in the Immortals deeply without ever seeing a spirit-writing session. Some need to see it before they believe. Some see it and still half-believe, half-doubt. So raise your inner state gradually, reach a certain level, and only then will you understand what cultivation and service truly mean.

In your service, do not just serve and serve and serve until you are so busy that everyone you bring in is busy too, busy in a whirl, and your own heart is lost.

After your initial enthusiasm rises and you become more and more fired up — do not forget to rein in your heart. Cultivation works this way. If you only charge forward, you will develop a heart of attachment. Your Teacher does not want you to become more attached the harder you work! Why do some people serve and serve — look at how grandly they expand — yet they cannot attain the Dao? Because they do not know that none of it belongs to them. When it is time to withdraw, withdraw. When it is time to guard, guard. If your own level is not yet sufficient and you just keep expanding and expanding, clinging to merit — that is attachment!

Expanding the Dao must have boundaries. If you only expand and never guard, your heart goes outward and clings to external forms. Reflect on it yourselves! When the opening is made and beings are delivered, gather your heart back. When merit is complete, rein in. Understand?

Endurance, harmony, tolerance, and humility! The character for "endurance" is not spoken in a vacuum — it needs the blade on top to reveal itself. A real blade, a small incident, can test whether you have truly forged the discipline of endurance. After endurance comes harmony. Endure, and the matter passes. When everyone is harmonious, the strength is naturally sufficient. When the interior is solid and functioning, the power is immense.

"Tolerance" lives inside harmony. In the midst of harmony, you must accept one another. Tolerance is mutual. When someone says you are wrong, you are no good — one word: tolerate. I tolerate. Even if others will not tolerate me — then perhaps I truly am at fault, and I should change. Even if rumors fly thick, if you yourself have not done what they say, why should your heart suffer over rumors? Only when everyone is harmonious can you endure external humiliation together.

The Dao community has reached the late autumn of its season. You have not yet faced external tests, yet you are already testing yourselves from within. If you cannot endure even that, how will you defend against what comes from outside? Have you not considered? "One must first insult oneself, and then others will insult you." Because you do not respect your own dignity — wearing the title "most spiritual of all creatures" in vain — have you thought about that?

If you cannot unite internally, can you bear the weight when the external test arrives? One test and the whole formation scatters! Our cultivation of the Dao is this: see the Dao and become the Dao. Do not divide into factions! Who divided you? I hope every one of you cultivates well.

Now is the time to repair the interior of our peaceful Dao community. Do not seek only an attractive exterior — seek inner substance. What is substantial does not break easily. Maintain loyalty and it will endure. Look at how the times have changed, how the world's situation has changed, how people's hearts have changed. Why do the times change? Because people's hearts change first — the two are one. If you can transcend from within, you can also be liberated! Today your Teacher wears this necktie not to look handsome or polite. Do not pay too much attention to the outside! Seek your true inner world. If you cannot even manage your own inner world, what use is it to deliver a thousand people?

Do you want a thriving Dao community or a lonely one? A vibrant community — or one dead and stagnant?

Your Teacher says: this is not the end times, nor is it time for you to withdraw into yourselves. If that time comes, your Teacher will tell you early. What preparations are you making? Have you stocked your provisions? Ha! Are you really so afraid of death? Did we not just say "the first to return wins"? Ha! Why are you hoarding supplies? At this moment, as long as you have the heart, your Teacher Ji Gong will still drag you home. I will not ignore you, will not abandon you. But if a great tribulation descends and you panic and freeze — your body will go rigid.

If you have been preparing all along, what is there to fear when the great calamity comes? You feel anxious and panicked because your foundation has not been laid deeply enough. Human fear is never momentary — it reveals your whole structure. If you have lived openly and without shame, then as the saying goes: "Heaven is in the heart, and all is bright." If you live in a hell of your own making, it is because your conscience has been clouded. Examine yourselves — do you have the heart? Think: in the past year, what has each hall master, each lecturer, each committee member accomplished?

Hall masters! Do not cling to your own opinions. Accept the suggestions of the younger generation. What we are doing is the great work of Heaven, not a social club running on personal favors. A hall master must place the Dao at the center.

Think: in this past year, what role have you each fulfilled? In the Dao community — how much has it given you? How much has it nurtured you? Search your own hearts! Your Teacher is not soliciting your gratitude or asking you to remember my deeds. I only want you to search your own hearts! How much has the Dao community given you? What your Teacher wants is your heart — "refined and sincere and enduring forever." Refined AND sincere — that is hard to achieve! Even though you have already become hall masters, your fire is not yet sufficient.

Place "selflessness" at the center. Take the Dao as your starting point. Deliver all beings with love. Win people with virtue. Transform them silently. Guide the younger generation forward.

How can a Dao community become united and harmonious? The hall master's responsibility is deep and heavy. Your Teacher surveys every Buddha Hall and finds the same condition: hall masters are confused — deeply confused! I hope you will hold a heart that connects what is above with what is below, that teaches without tiring, that labors and suffers without a word of complaint! For those who have not appeared at the Hall in a long time — senior or junior — you must go and care for them. Especially those who have taken the vow of vegetarianism — you must be more vigilant on their behalf.

For vegetarian disciples, the hall master must care for and comfort them! For elderly cultivators facing the tests of old age, remind them whether they have mastered the Buddha Rules and rituals. Many young people now seek the Dao too — and you must understand the direction of the youth. The hall master's responsibility is immense. Young people are full of energy, and their interpersonal tempering is not enough. A single careless word from someone can cause them to take a wrong step, and the Dao community loses its best and brightest.

Hall masters! Times are not what they were! You absolutely cannot afford to be set in your ways and unchanging. The times change. Society changes. Knowledge and energy from the outside constantly change. Hall masters must enrich themselves to meet ever-newer challenges. The people you must reach include all levels — high, middle, and low. So your Teacher tells you: truly excelling in learning has its purpose. When your knowledge reaches a certain level, you can reach scholars and professors in the wider world. That broadens the reach of cultivation beyond the village and the townspeople alone. To achieve the Great Harmony of the world, every level of society must contribute its unique strength, and all those strengths must merge into one force.

So, hall masters! Exercise your minds. Change your hearts. Enrich yourselves. Above all: do not be set in your ways. Our cultivation of the Dao should be lively, nimble, and free. I hope your Buddha Halls will all be vibrant and full of life — not lonely, spiritless places devoid of the Dao's breath. Have you heard me clearly?

Cultivating and serving the Dao should be like needle and thread moving together. A needle without thread cannot sew a stitch.

Cultivation and service must not put the cart before the horse — otherwise the consequences will be more than you can bear.

Whatever the matter, do not say "I cannot do it," and do not say "He is so capable — let him handle everything." Can a Dao community function that way? People joke that your Teacher frequently receives empty checks — and receives them quite happily! When trouble strikes, you kneel and beg the Immortals for mercy, swear great oaths: "I will cultivate and serve properly, I will never let you down, Elder!" The check looks wonderful. Then the crisis passes, you pull through by the skin of your teeth, and slowly you forget. If you wait for the Immortals to prod and test you, sometimes you will have no life left to prod! When terminal illness arrives and you kneel begging for mercy — if you survive, you survive; if not, your life is gone, and it is too late to cultivate and serve then.

We are all part of the great family of the Dao community. Help one another. On the path of cultivation or the journey of life, there will always be highs and lows. If life were perfectly flat — like music with only Do, Re, Mi — would it sound good? Lecturing is the same: do not drone in a monotone, or your listeners will nod off and go fishing in their dreams. Train your technique. Do not lose heart — if today's lecture was poor, do not say the Transmitting Master never gave you a chance. If you are truly talented, you cannot escape notice — Heaven will always find you. "Heaven gives every person a use." Copying notes and transcribing spirit-texts — that is also a lecturer's work. Committee members can do it too. Everyone together, without distinguishing noble work from menial work. Have you done this? The Sixth Patriarch himself worked in the kitchen.

When talent is too plentiful it becomes diluted — that is "filling up the ranks with bodies." When there is true talent, even one person is enough. When talent is plentiful, tasks are not always assigned well!

Gentlemen are easy to befriend; petty people are hard to guard against. And sometimes, talent turns into predator!

Lecturers: teach the fundamentals. Tell people how to walk, how to practice. Telling people "you will become a Buddha with such-and-such rewards" — what use is that? Are you trying to leap to heaven in a single bound?

Pleasant words are not necessarily good advice. Good advice is not necessarily pleasant to hear. How many fools accomplish wise things? How many wise people do foolish things? So one must always think and reflect. The practice of "three examinations daily" has been taught to you long ago. The Dao is not exotic. There is nothing novel or groundbreaking about it. If you are going to serve the Dao, serve it properly. Do you have the bearing of one who walks the Dao?

A lecturer must be able to expound the spirit-texts. Inner virtue must be cultivated. Outer merit must be completed.

A lecturer must know how to lecture, how to cook in the kitchen, how to write calligraphy in the study — all of these. A lecturer is not someone who sits on high! Be humble. Do not strut.

As lecturers, you must know how to explain the meaning of "Teacher." How to expound it, how to interpret it — covering the outside, the inside, and the Dao community. Only then will your teaching be harmonious and complete. Do not drill into a dead end. This is the method of lecturing. Today you are a hall master — when a fellow cultivator arrives, should you not be happy? Yet you show them an unwelcoming face. What is the responsibility of a hall master? When guests come, you welcome them! When guests come and the Dao-spirit is strong, the Immortals also assist — powerfully! On the other hand, if your Dao-spirit is weak, the Immortals dare not come either. When Dao-spirit is strong, the Immortals assist, and their revelations are great. Do not beg the Immortals for miracles when the reason you never see one is that your own sincerity is not deep enough.

A hall master is not someone who establishes a Buddha Hall and then assumes infinite merit. You must understand the meaning of establishing a Hall. Take it in hand and do it. Know what you must know — otherwise it is like leaving a beautifully decorated ship sitting idle at the dock.

Though the Buddha Hall is small, your ambition must be vast. Your Teacher hopes that every one of you will see things through from beginning to end.

The great work of the Three Realms is carried out in the human world. Humans work, Heaven assists. If humans do not work, how can Heaven assist? How should humans work? By upholding the heart of Heaven. Gather wisdom from everyone. Offer your best ideas. Where there are shortcomings, improve. Where there is progress, advance further. Direction and course are in your own hands. If you only ask the Immortals but never act, can the Immortals act in your place? In service, be humble. Share what you know, and let it be a reference for others. Do not assume that because you are in a high position and your ability is superior, you can look down on people.

Transmitting Masters and senior lecturers who have cultivated well — we should aspire to match them. Follow in the footsteps of the sages. But "following" does not mean trailing behind them blindly. Do not flatter. Do not be false. Support them. Emulate their good qualities. And be grateful — repay what you have received. Some people, restrained by pride and possessing good learning, let their learning become a wall. Do not say: "The Dao community does not value me. My learning is fine, my eloquence is fine, my ideas are excellent — and they never consult me!" Do not focus on the exterior. Cultivating the Dao means cultivating the heart. Serving the Dao means devoting the heart. Have we cultivated our hearts? Have we devoted our hearts? You are all pillars of this community. Be models that others can emulate. Nurture your inner virtue — not just delivering and serving. What is merit? What is virtue? Seeing your true nature is merit. Treating all equally is virtue. Halls should exchange and interact with one another — that way you can absorb the new. But do not transgress the Buddha Rules in doing so. How precisely you gauge this depends on your day-to-day skill in handling affairs. Especially now, in this White Sun period, your responsibility is not only to deliver people — it is to cultivate both inward and outward. "Borrow the false to cultivate the true; temper the will through trials."

You all want to see the real thing. But I warn you: you may fail to reach your own will and heart! Do you want to see the real? If you could touch a stubborn stone and make it nod — so what? A stone turned to gold will one day crumble. It is only an appearance — it may change in seconds. Do you think it is real? This is the phrase you have never understood: "Borrow the false to cultivate the true; temper the will." If from the very first step you insist on seeing only the real, your will and heart will remain forever below the waterline, with no progress.

After so many sessions of teaching and exhortation, you are the elite of the elite. Those who were going to leave have already left. Guard yourself. Come — your Teacher will say one sentence. It is tongue-twisting, so listen carefully: "You must stay here and continue to cultivate." "Must" — what does that mean? It means certainly. "Stay here and continue to cultivate" — and "here" does not mean this physical place! As long as you hold this shared understanding, this recognition, this commitment — your Teacher guarantees your return to the Realm of Principle. As long as your foundation, your root, is firmly planted.

If your understanding is incorrect, everyone following you will also go astray. If today your thoughts give rise to something unwholesome, every person around you is affected. Perhaps you have not considered that others are influenced by you. I hope you will find ways to progress on your own.

48. Learning to Let Go to See Yourself

學習放下才看清自已

My children! Be careful when others put you on a pedestal. Be careful when praise falls upon you. When you receive praise, when others lift you high — that is precisely when you must be even more careful, even more humble. Only then will you not be deceived by these false appearances, and only then will you not ruin yourself.

Every person pursues praise. But if you cannot root out arrogance and conceit, you will begin to discriminate. Once discrimination arises, opposition follows. You will think: "I hold such-and-such a position. Everyone must listen to me." If you still carry that attitude of opposition while doing the work, all manner of conflict will arise from it.

Know this: in cultivation, you must ultimately return to the low place — because the Dao dwells in the low place. Of course, every one of us hopes to rise step by step. But if in your climbing your footsteps are unsteady, if you cultivate without cultivating the heart, if you never turn the light back upon yourself — then it is like typing on a computer: the speed is fast, but the errors are everywhere. So even if you climb rapidly, even if others quickly call you "lecturer" or this-or-that "master" — in truth you have no substance. And because you have no substance, under the gaze of ten eyes and the pointing of ten fingers, your flaws will eventually be seen. That is dangerous.

So your Teacher hopes that in cultivation, you will always begin from the heart. And the heart must set out from your original nature — only then can you stabilize this restless mind. My children, do not use the ordinary person's heart to analyze others. Do not use this "blood heart" to memorize everything impure, everything unpleasant. Instead, bring a pure heart to handle your affairs. Bring a compassionate heart to help all good causes succeed and to deliver all beings. Bring a heart of joyful giving to care for others and to leave behind all opposition.

Your Teacher hopes you will establish the proper ethics of the Dao community soundly. Transmitting Masters should have the bearing of Transmitting Masters. Lecturers should have the bearing of lecturers. And you should all set a standard that can be followed — that is how you build a home of cultivation. Even though in your path of practice every one of you makes sacrifices, every one of you is diligent and hardworking — if you still engage in discrimination and conflict between human hearts, then you will truly never find the Dao!

My children! When you come to the Buddha Hall, is it not because you want to find stillness? If so, then when you arrive at the Hall, you must lay down all your delusions and let yourself settle clear. Because only when a person constantly settles and clarifies themselves can they see themselves clearly. Otherwise, you will not know what road you are walking, and you will have no certainty about yourself.

Year after year passes. My children, have you ever paused to think: in this past year, how much have you accomplished? How much have you grown? If you have never considered these things, how will you account for your own path of cultivation?

Every person must understand: the road of cultivation is rough and full of ups and downs. Since the road is rough — how do you smooth it? How do you walk it to the end? Must you not first find balance in this heart? So at all times, cultivate and adjust the heart. When anger or injustice arise, you must be able to calm this heart. At all times, keep it adjusted to the very center point. Do you understand?

49. Carrying Out the Dao Means Bringing Joy to Beings

辦道就是帶給眾生喜樂

After you come to seek the Dao, Heaven does not bestow anything upon you. It merely uses people, uses situations, uses forms — to remind you! Our master dwells right here. From now on, go home and make good use of your master. This master of yours must take good care of this house. That is all.

So your Teacher tells you: cultivation is utterly natural. Whether you cultivate or not is up to you. But you must understand what this Dao is. You must understand that seeking the Dao is truly important. Once you understand that — whether you cultivate or not is entirely your business.

The Dao is natural. Just as we need money to live and must go earn it — but we must earn it by honest means. That is natural. When we eat and see a dish we like, taking an extra bite or two is natural — that accords with the Dao. But if you take a third helping and leave nothing for others, that is not the Dao. At that moment, if a thought of compassion arises — "If I eat more, others will have none" — and you pull your chopsticks back, then you have returned to the natural. Is that not cultivation accomplished without even trying? So if every person's natural impulses are aligned with their heavenly conscience, everything accords with the Dao. Nobody needs to "cultivate the Dao." Everyone is already in it. The Dao is already there — what more is there to cultivate?

But why do we insist on "cultivating the Dao"? Because your master often cannot hold his ground. If the master is often not at home, then all your judgment and governance belong to someone else. Many things will be handled badly — even this house of yours will be managed poorly.

So your Teacher uses the house as a metaphor for your body. Take good care of it. Perhaps in the past your methods were wrong and your house has been ill for a long time. Hurry and find the root cause. Since it has been ill for a long time, you must spend a long time healing it — but it is not impossible. Make up your mind. Settle this heart. Once it is settled, it can become still. If you do not know how to cultivate, follow these words of your Teacher. If you need further guidance, you do not need many books — if you can fulfill what the Great Learning teaches, you have succeeded.

If you cannot put your own house in order, how can you speak of governing the nation and bringing peace to the world? "Ordering your house" means ordering your daily family life — it can be your household, or it can be your body. If you have not tidied this house, how can you go help others tidy theirs? If your own home is a mess and you go out to deliver beings — is that not putting the cart before the horse? If you cannot even distinguish what is important from what is not, we cannot speak of cultivating the Dao. The Dao is meant to bring true joy to all beings — not a ledger of merit and demerit. So at every moment, think of others. With a compassionate heart, create happiness for all who need it. Do not tell people "deliver this many souls and you will gain such-and-such merit." Merit, demerit — these are just names. They are the discriminating mind of humans. They are not for humans to adjudicate. They must be determined by the collective heavenly conscience of all beings.

You must truly discover, within your own daily life, where the joy of cultivation lies. When you yourself attain joy, you will naturally influence those around you to be joyful too. Then it is not contrived action but action through non-action — the natural outpouring of your original nature, without deliberation. That is a heart truly devoted to all beings. When we deliver beings, we do not give them what we think they should have. We see what they actually need — and give them that. That is thinking of beings.

If you, the master of this house, do your job well, then all four corners of the world will be transformed by your influence. You will practice the kingly way. All of this is done through natural transformation — through guiding, not suppressing, not blocking. Try it. Everyone's experience will be different. Feel your way, find your balance. When you taste the wonder of it, cultivation will bring you more and more joy. But remember this above all: our Dao is truly, utterly natural! Since we are human, we have many natural impulses. We do not need to artificially suppress or avoid them. Then: move people with genuine feeling, and guard it with propriety.

What does "move people with genuine feeling" mean? Before you deliver someone, must you not first become approachable — enter their customs, meet them where they are? Moving people with feeling is the importance of warmth and rapport. Only when you can get close to someone will they accept your "guarding it with propriety." Why must you wait until you want to deliver someone to the Dao before visiting them? Why not simply be a good friend — someone who helps when help is needed? Your thinking has become like concrete — nearly impossible to break through. What a pity! Reflect on it yourselves.

If your understanding is correct, you will not fall. But the real methods your Teacher wants to teach you about cultivation — you cannot comprehend them. If you do not truly appreciate the goodness of the Dao, one typhoon will sweep you all away.

Tests — tests — what are tests? On the journey of life, there will always be many trials, large and small. You must face them yourself and break through them together. But before you face them, before you break through — "train your soldiers for a thousand days, use them in a single moment." Is that not so?

If your understanding is not correct, you will easily become confused when anything happens. After the confusion, even if you force yourself to stand, you will stand in agony. You will think: "Forget it — I will not cultivate at all!" That is why your Teacher must correct your understanding. If you do not teach a child the right way to study from the start, their entire academic path will be rocky. If you do not give them a correct view of life when they are young, they will go astray when they grow up. So now your Teacher gives you the correct understanding of cultivation. These are words you have never heard before. If you find them useful, put them to use immediately. Your own house — if you will not enter it and instead stand guard at the door — what does that look like? A dog guards the house. The master governs it. Will you be the guard or the governor? If you choose to govern, your heart must stand firm. Understand?

All your talk of principles goes outward. Examine carefully — the mottos you recite so glibly, you have understood them wrong. If you cannot grasp the essence, what use is cultivation? If you have not found the right method of study, what use is owning a thousand books? If you have not found the road, what use is charging blindly forward? This "cultivation" — as soon as you start thinking about it, you fall into contrived action. Understand? Let go. Let go. Stop carrying it!

The Dao is realized through awakening — not through lecturing, not through discussion. Think about it slowly on your own.

"The Dao is never far from the body." Everyone has this on their lips. Yet everyone lives far from it. Your Teacher always speaks in hints and parables. But no one has ever truly realized the meaning. I see this cannot go on. If I do not spell it out for you, I do not know how long you will keep groping in the dark.

Where is the Teacher? Where is the disciple? Do not separate them. Teacher and disciple are one body — but with two faces. One body, two faces. That is the Dao. You say the Dao is formless and imageless — then why does your Teacher borrow a body? Each form reveals a principle. Your Teacher descends and borrows a body so that you feel: "The Teacher is here. This person before us is the Teacher, speaking to us, teaching us." But the true purpose is this: through seeing the Teacher before you, you remember the Teacher within your own heart. Did your Teacher not just say that everyone has good thoughts and also bad thoughts? Use this moment — while your Teacher speaks to you — to reflect it inward, into your own body. Realize: the good thoughts and the bad thoughts are always in conversation inside you! That is the true meaning of spirit-writing. As long as the true master is at home.

50. Why Does the Teacher Play the Fool?

老師裝瘋賣傻為的是什麽

Why does your Teacher always come acting the madman and the fool? To make you happy! What is your Teacher's true intention? My children, can you understand? Can you know your Teacher's heart? A Dharma assembly shakes heaven and earth — it is not just a place to come and laugh and then leave. How can your Teacher not be grieved?

The Celestial Youth, though small in years, understands more than you do. Young as he is, he can use parables and similes to make you comprehend all manner of things. At every Dharma assembly, it is not only your Teacher who devotes his heart — all the Immortals and Buddhas wish that you could understand, that you could feel the heart of the Eternal Mother. Otherwise, why would they descend to this place of confinement when they could roam free?

They must borrow this mortal body, submit to its constraints and limitations, to speak to you. Why? Because these are the final days of the Third Period. Because the Three Realms face the Great Reckoning. Because they fear that beings — that you, their children — have not yet recognized the truth, have not yet quickened your steps, and are still hesitating.

No matter how much your Teacher says, if you do not understand, if you do not practice — what more can your Teacher say? Your Teacher always plays the fool to please you. What is it all for? Do you think your Teacher enjoys it? Your Teacher racks his brains with a thousand thoughts, searching for every possible way — and all he wants is your heart. My children, do you know this?

As the song "Tears of a Beauty" plays, your Teacher tenderly exhorts you: I hope what you give your Teacher is not just slogans, but the promises you have made to yourselves — go and fulfill them! Do not think that your Teacher comes here only to put on a show. Before your Teacher departs, I hope that on this journey of life you will encourage and support one another. Will you?

Your Teacher sees your hearts linked to one another, and only then can he leave the Buddha Land in peace. Your Teacher also hopes you will value and love yourselves. Take good care of your bodies — with a healthy body you can travel ten thousand miles. The road is walked by those who walk it!

I hope the road you have pioneered can be walked by all of you together — united, hand in hand — toward broad daylight. Will you? My children, value yourselves! Farewell for now. We will meet again. Do not let your Teacher lose sight of you.

It is not easy for your Teacher to come, and parting is harder still. What I cannot bear to leave behind is your fickle hearts. Today you say yes — tomorrow it may change. Now you say "fine" — and tomorrow everything shifts. So your Teacher departs with a helpless heart. The universal deliverance of the Three Realms — is that so easy? How do you deliver them?

Your hearts are so hard to deliver. Your vows are so hard to make. The spirit is willing but the strength falls short. Playing the fool is not my skill! It is not my trademark. I only hope that through it, I can come closer to you. The words cannot be exhausted, the feelings cannot be fully expressed. Settle your hearts for a moment. Gather your thoughts. Accept that cultivation truly does you good.

In this human world, every meeting has its parting. Only the reunion in Heaven is forever. Do not think cultivation is suffering. Only through suffering can you experience its true essence and mystery.

Look at the disciples on both sides. Your Teacher has a thousand words and ten thousand thoughts, and still does not know how to counsel you, how to comfort you. Only you can be understanding toward one another. Be a standard that stands unshaken. Do not be stingy with your hand — extend it and lead beings to the Dao. I hope that wherever you are, at all times, you will think of your Teacher! And your Teacher will always be at your side!

51. You Are the Buddha — Better to Seek Yourself Than to Seek the Buddha

自已就是佛，求佛不如求已

My children, understand this one thing: you yourselves are the Buddha. Seeking the Buddha is not as good as seeking yourself. You dress yourself. You drink when you are thirsty. So the important thing is to smooth out the scheming and calculating heart within you. Begin from the basics. A hundred virtues start with filial piety — be filial to your parents, respectful and without complaint. Let husband and wife treat each other with sincerity and honor. None of this can be obtained by relying on gods or praying to spirits.

If you try to find answers only in external forms, you have already clung to appearances and departed from the Dao. You yourselves are divine. You yourselves are the Buddha. Only because you cannot find inner stillness, only because you have so many desires — when you encounter difficulties, you cannot calm down, and your wondrous wisdom cannot manifest. When wondrous wisdom cannot manifest, there are no answers. You do not know what to do.

You are not merely here to bear and raise children. Nurture and education are equally important. If your child grows up to cause problems in society, that is the parents' responsibility. If you can educate your children well, letting example surpass instruction, then you are emulating the sages and the worthies. Everyone will speak well of you. The Buddha is a being who, starting from the human body, awakens to purity and freedom from all taint, reaching a state of liberation and perfection that encompasses all directions. That is what we call "Buddha." How could that be sought outside yourself!

Who is listening to your Teacher speak right now? You yourselves are listening. If your body is here but your heart is at home, can you hear anything? So the most essential thing is this heart. From this heart, lay down all greed, anger, ignorance, and desire. Lay down indulgence in wine, lust, wealth, and temper. That is what "cultivation" means — uprooting your own greed, your discriminating mind, your resentment, your oppositional thinking. That is cultivation. When you have let go until it becomes natural, when everything is effortless and without contrivance — then you will truly experience what is called "no self." Not the self of this flesh — but the one who is listening to your Teacher speak right now. That is the Buddha. That is the original nature, endlessly alive. Through your own awakening and inner realization, understand the true self — that is what we call the "Source." Then take what you have realized, go and speak it, go and transform others. When others are troubled, go help them — that is called "assisting conditions." Thus, all conditions are the Dharma, and all Dharma does not leave the one heart. When the heart is right, the Dharma is right. When the heart is crooked, the Dharma is crooked.

Every path of practice teaches people to be good. Every person has their own karmic connections. As long as your heart is cultivated to be upright — that is good. Today there is no better or worse, because ten thousand teachings are arising together, and ten thousand teachings must return to one. Return to which "one"? To your original, primordial, true heart. When that true heart shines forth, no matter which school or tradition you follow, you will receive its protection.

The discipline of practice: find stillness in the midst of commotion. Cultivate both inner and outer merit.

Guard the heart more strictly than the body. Defend your thoughts as you would defend a fortress.

Attachment to feelings is not the Dao. Attachment to the Dao leaves you without feeling. Cultivate a Dao beyond feeling.

See through all things, let not a speck of dust cling — only then can you truly call it practice.

My children! The character for "test" is the proof of cultivation. If you cannot bear the test, how can you claim to practice? What others cannot endure, I must endure. What others cannot do, I strive to do.

My children! Until the bitter root is exhausted, wisdom cannot open! At the extremity of suffering, blessing arrives! After the pain, your head emerges — and gradually you enter the realm of grace.

My children! Ten thousand transformations and great tests — yet remain unmoved and guard your true nature! Only then does wisdom, round and complete, arise.

One who does not know to cultivate is a lost disciple. One who cultivates yet betrays the Dao and ruins virtue is a wicked disciple. One who knows to cultivate and can truly awaken is a beloved disciple.

You all speak of cause and effect. But when will cause and effect ever end? If you cling to cause and effect, you will never be free of them! If you wish to be free, do not be turned by the wheel of karma. Practice giving without attachment to form. Why do some say you are entangled in karmic debts? If a parent fails to raise their child well — it is because they did not teach them from the start, spoiled and indulged them. Of course the child misbehaves when grown. How can you blame it all on past-life debts and push the responsibility onto karma?

As for merit: if you cling to your merit, do you even know how much you have? My children, for every portion of merit you accumulate, Heaven records it. So merit is not nothing — but do not cling to it. Understand this clearly: in Heaven, where is there a Buddha without merit or virtue? Having attachment means having nothing. If you wish to dissolve your debts and clear your sins, practice merit with an ordinary heart. Naturally, effortlessly, walk the Dao in naturalness. From nothing, the real appears — and that is true attainment.

Humanity is the most spiritual of all creatures. Originally, the Eternal Mother sent you down to lead and care for all living things. Yet today, humans have failed their responsibility to care for the myriad creatures and instead slaughter them everywhere. How can such conduct not make the Eternal Mother tremble with wrath and bring down calamity? Over many years the cycle has accumulated — humans become ghosts, ghosts become humans, debts beget debts, and they are all born into the same family. Do you know this? My children, let us with calm hearts and still minds ask ourselves: should we not go and remind the people of the world, and turn back these hearts of sin? Alas! Cultivation takes compassion as its foundation. In daily life, practice simplicity. Step by step, tread on solid ground. Delivering beings comes first.

From now on, I hope you will lead by example. What we are doing is the work of all beings. You all have the heart of a Bodhisattva — but may you truly cultivate it into a Bodhisattva's heart. Let your food, clothing, and shelter all be a standard that others can follow. Understand? Let your aspirations be high and your attachment to material things be light. What is short on one side will be long on the other — do not try to have both the fish and the bear's paw. Know what matters more. If you do not believe me, look at history: in every temple, has any Buddha been sculpted holding a beautiful wife in one arm and a child in the other? Are they not all figures of purity and poverty throughout their lives? Even those who had wealth treated it as belonging to all beings, not for their own enjoyment. My children! If you do not believe me, open the scriptures and the histories and see how they endured their austerities. Where does any scripture record how they enjoyed luxury and wealth? I hope you will go step by step. First: stand firm. Be careful not to fall. Reduce your indulgences as much as you can. Eliminate harm to living beings as much as you can. You cannot, like the ancients, go without clothing and radiate light from your bodies, impervious to wind and rain. But at the very least — do not wear the skins and furs of other creatures. Can you do that?

Is a ripe fruit delicious — or not? Why is it delicious? A ripe fruit is naturally delicious, because its flesh is sweet. A farmer always picks the ripe fruit. Heaven picks its fruit the same way — just as it picks you. At the Dragon Flower Assembly, what Heaven gathers is ripe fruit. My children, make your fruit round and sweet — that is what Heaven desires. A ripe fruit is nurtured by sunlight, water, rich soil, fertilizer, and the gardener's love, patience, and faith. You, my children, are those gardeners. Therefore: study ceaselessly, improve ceaselessly, give ceaselessly. Only then can there be a full and perfect harvest. As it is said: "Those who sow in tears will reap in joy." Do not ask how much Heaven gives you. Ask only how much you have given.

My children, take care of yourselves! Each of you — whatever ability you have, give it fully. All things are hard at the beginning. In everything, be patient. Your health comes first. Pay attention to your daily habits — if your diet is unbalanced, that is where your ailments will appear. Your body matters. All beings matter. Take heed. Though Heaven cherishes you, you must also cherish yourselves. Work hard. As long as you can serve the Dao, that is the greatest comfort you give your Teacher. May every one of you cherish yourselves. Join the great formation of the universal deliverance. Let each person release their deepest potential. Everyone together — take up the oars and steer each Dharma ship safely across the four directions to save all beings.

Your Teacher's heart rejoices for beings' joy. Your Teacher's heart grieves for beings' troubles.

If all beings reach the other shore, your Teacher will render his account before the Eternal Mother.

If beings have not yet reached the shore, your Teacher's heart is pierced as if by a knife.

Blood flows within, tears upon the face. I tell my confidantes: feel my heart.

A thousand wondrous words and ten thousand wondrous teachings — all for the sake of calling the lost lambs home.

Your Teacher can wait. Your Teacher can wait. But whether you, my children, can truly return — your Teacher has not the slightest certainty. Again and again I believe you will go and do it, go and practice. In Heaven, someone is waiting for you. Come home quickly! Hurry back!

52. Guarding the Golden Thread Is the Expression of Ethical Order in the Dao Community

謹守金線是道場倫理的展現

Some people say: "All the people under heaven are our brothers and sisters. Everywhere there are original Buddha-children. Everywhere is the Eternal Mother's Dao community. So now I am here, and later I am there. I can follow this Transmitting Master now, and tomorrow follow that one!" There are indeed people who think this way. But your Teacher asks you: do you have one father — or two? Your Teacher tells you that "formless and imageless" does not mean "nothing at all." The proprieties that should be observed must still be observed! By the same token, from the day we were born until now, we naturally know who our parents are. We naturally know where our home is, where we grew up. By the same principle, when you come to seek the Dao and cultivate the Dao, you naturally know where you sought the Dao and who nurtured you. That is your spiritual home. Do not wander from it.

That said, no one is trying to control you. Listen carefully. We must have the concept of a spiritual family. It is not that because you sought the Dao here, you may never go there. That is not what this means. In your own heavenly conscience, you must have a clear understanding: where is your home? Where are your people? Where are your spiritual parents? Be clear about it. When you receive someone's grace, you must repay it. You hear lectures on filial piety — your parents gave birth to you, raised you, nurtured you, educated you, and you must repay them in every way.

By the same principle: where you sought the Dao, who brought you to seek the Dao, who helped you understand the truth — remember every drop, keep it in your heart. Though everyone's karmic connections are different, remember. When the opportunity arises to contribute, to repay — that is within the scope of each person's ability. Whether you wish to practice, to cultivate, to dedicate, or to rest — that is your affair.

53. Transcending the Self — The First Step Is to Aspire to Sainthood

超越自我的第一步立聖賢志

Sun Yat-sen exhorted the people: "Do the greatest work under heaven. Be one who does great things, not one who holds great office." What does "great" mean? Only Heaven is great, and only Yao measured up to it. What we are doing now IS the work of Heaven. The work of delivering all beings — is that not great? Since you bear a great responsibility and aspire to great things, then do them thoroughly, completely, and without wavering.

The preciousness of the true Dao and the supreme dignity of moral virtue is this: "Guard it as you would a newborn child — with a heart of absolute sincerity." Do not calculate. Do not hope for reward. When a mother raises her child, she never considers what the child will give her in return before she agrees to care for it. Having given birth, she knows only to love and to care for the child. She knows full well that the grown child may disappoint her — and still she thinks of the child, still she tends to the child. She would even take on the child's guilt, die in the child's place — and die without resentment or regret. This is a mother's heart. It is also the Buddha's heart. As a mother does for her children, so the Buddhas and sages did for all beings during their time on earth — casting aside personal feelings, devoting all their love to all beings. They cared for beings as a mother cares for her children: tirelessly, without weariness, guiding and transforming, willing to bear the guilt of all beings, vowing not to attain Buddhahood until every being was delivered. Which Bodhisattva does not hold this heart? The five great sages of the five teachings, though born in different lands, shared the same aspiration: to sacrifice themselves for the sake of all.

If in every thought, every word, every action, you act with the whole in mind, with all beings in mind — then you are doing great things. You are a great person. Continue this way, to your very last thought — and you have matched the virtue of heaven and earth, aligned with the Dao of all ages. Your spirit will never perish.

In the past, becoming a sage or worthy was only an ideal, only words of encouragement. Now is the time to make it real.

"Times of chaos produce sages and worthies." Everyone knows this saying. Now, in this great age of turmoil, know that this is the very season when Heaven selects its sages. My disciples — if you do not set your resolve and press forward now, when will you? If you, with all your talents, are not the candidates — who else shall be? I urge you: strive! Strive!

A person of true stature must have the courage to bear responsibility — without it, there is no worldly achievement. A person of clear wisdom must know when to let go — without that, there is no transcendent spirit. A worthy sage living in the world moves between the dragon and the serpent — possessing the courage of a hero, yet requiring the heart of a Bodhisattva. Only then can such a one know what to do and what not to do.

Every person can become a sage or worthy. Every person can become an Immortal or Buddha. It depends only on whether or not they have the will.

Those with will can cultivate whether at home or in the monastery. For the one with will, the wife is a companion, the children are partners, worldly affairs cannot stain them, and love cannot drag them off course. They regard their spiritual life as paramount and moral virtue as supreme. They dwell within worldly ways yet cultivate the way that transcends the world.

Those without will cannot see through worldly affairs. They prize the false and neglect the true. They do not know that the matter of spiritual life and death is the greatest matter of all.

I urge you: see through it quickly! What is hard to cultivate, you must cultivate. What is hard to walk, you must walk. Do not wait for impermanence to arrive — fame and fortune cannot be carried to the grave. Even this stinking skin-bag of flesh will be buried in the wild, its meat dissolved into the wind, its bones sunk in the mud. How much less can you carry the external things!

Since you study the sages and have entered this gate — ask yourselves: in how many ways can you measure up to the ancients? Do you have the filial devotion of Zengzi? The understanding of a parent's heart like Emperor Shun? The steadfastness of Liuxia Hui? The incorruptibility of Lu Zhonglian? Do you have the courage of Zilu, who rejoiced when his faults were pointed out? The urgency of Zilu, who feared hearing a second teaching before he had practiced the first? Do you have Yan Hui's freedom from displaced anger and his refusal to repeat the same mistake? Do you have Yi Yin's sense that the whole world rests on his shoulders?

You are a people steeped in a deep and ancient culture. You should shoulder the mission of spreading truth and moral virtue — for the moral culture you have absorbed is the deepest of all. You wish to travel ten thousand miles — then first you must have the heart of a sage. Do not covet what is before your eyes or serve only your own interests. Know that the changes of this world are beyond all prediction!

My children, set your aspiration to possess the virtue of a sage — not the title of a sage.

I hope you will all choose the good and hold fast to it. Though you can no longer meet the sages and Immortals of old, their traces can still be followed. Though you cannot hear their words spoken aloud, their histories and scriptures can still be studied.

Since you wish to emulate the sages, first choose which ancient worthy most resembles the path you wish to walk. Begin with intentional effort, and gradually reach the effortless. Follow their footsteps precisely, and slowly you will encompass the whole. When your own self-nature becomes clear and your moral virtue radiates far — when no stray thought occupies your mind — all will be naturally pure and still.

In the bitter sea of this world, what matters most? Hold your ground. Settle your heart. Find your original nature. Be at ease with yourself. Set a clear goal. Do not make grand resolutions every day — set one enduring resolution. Do not push it aside because you have no time. Do not wander aimlessly through life without direction. While you have this body, press forward. Without it, even wanting to serve is impossible. Regret will come too late. The hour of Heaven presses — do not sink back into delusion. Fulfill your vow with urgency.

Be humble and still: that is the way to calm, to insight, to wisdom. Study to understand principle. Once you understand, emulate the sages and follow the worthies.

The method for becoming a Buddha is simple. What is the method? Sacrifice yourself for the many — that is the first principle. Then: let compassion be your heart, and deliver the lost! Deliver the lost!

Educate your children with virtue. Those who teach with money leave a legacy of ruin. Those who pass down virtue leave a legacy for ten thousand ages. Yue Fei, Mencius, and the sages — you should know to emulate them. Only then can your children become someone worthy.

The noble one walks the path with openness and integrity. Understand the root of the world. Free yourself from its chains. The grand debates about the breadth of the Dao are not as good as quietly turning inward to reflect and cultivate.

When Heaven withholds fortune, I deepen my virtue to match it. One who can know contentment — Heaven cannot impoverish. One who can endure humiliation — Heaven cannot ruin. One who can cultivate talent — Heaven cannot abandon. One who takes the whole world as their own burden — Heaven will never cut off.

54. What Is Cultivating the Dao? What Is Carrying Out the Dao?

什麼叫做修道？什麼叫做辦道

"Cultivating the Dao" refers to the inner work. For example: ridding yourself of bad habits and temper, having no unwholesome addictions, tempering your nature until it is calm as ash, enriching yourself. This is "perfecting yourself in solitude."

Then what about "carrying out the Dao"? Everything that saves beings from the sea of suffering, everything that benefits all beings — that is carrying out the Dao. For example: when a class is held, cooking, making rice, cleaning the premises, organizing the Hall, lecturing from the stage, and in daily life, delivering people and helping them grow — all of this is carrying out the Dao.

Your elder predecessors often said: "Each person cultivates for themselves. Each person carries out for themselves." If you neither cultivate nor carry out, in the end you will have nothing at all.

Those with small hearts elevate themselves by suppressing and pushing out others. Those with great hearts and genuine cultivation elevate others, help others succeed — and in doing so, they themselves also succeed. I hope every one of you will have a great heart. Live peacefully. Live well.

The Washington Post recently published a list of the world's ten greatest luxuries — and not a single priced commodity made the list. Instead, these were the things that truly matter:

One: the awakening and enlightenment of life. Two: a heart that is free, joyful, and full of love. Three: the courage to travel the whole world. Four: a return to nature. Five: peaceful, undisturbed sleep. Six: time and space that belong to you alone. Seven: a soul companion who loves you deeply. Eight: someone who truly understands you, no matter the time or place. Nine: a healthy body and a rich inner life. Ten: the ability to inspire and kindle hope in others.

When someone has served in the Dao community for a long time but has rarely delivered or helped others grow, they cannot appreciate how difficult it is to nurture a single person's commitment. Yet these very people are often the most dutiful organizers — and because they are dutiful, when pressure mounts, their tone becomes harsh. They wound the people who come to serve, and they drive away those who have just set their hearts on the Bodhisattva's path. What a pity — they have forgotten why they cultivate and serve in the first place.

In the midst of carrying out the Dao, do not forget that you must also cultivate — "pluck the lotus from the fire" — to fulfill your vow. This is a great lesson for every White Sun disciple. It deserves deep reflection.

55. Sincere Recitation of Sutras Produces the Buddha's Light, Power, and Dharma

至誠誦經，能產生佛法、佛力、佛光

A loving reminder from your Teacher Ji Gong: "Sincere recitation of sutras produces the Buddha's Dharma, the Buddha's power, and the Buddha's light." Sutra texts are what the Bodhisattvas left behind upon attaining the Dao. Within them is much that can awaken you, help you realize and understand, and cause your self-nature to suddenly break through to complete comprehension. If you do not recite them, do not practice them, do not reflect upon them — then you recite in vain.

Why recite sutras? To purify your own heart. Reciting sutras can make the heart pure and still. And the most important reason: to dedicate the merit. When a fellow cultivator, a lecturer, a hall master — when anyone encounters karmic creditors — and there is no Transmitting Master present — what should you do?

Recite sutras and dedicate the merit to those creditors. When a person recites sutras with complete sincerity, the recitation produces immeasurable Dharma, power, and light. This light is directed and dedicated to the karmic creditors, and in that instant, the creditors receive liberation. They do not suffer — because the Buddha's light is warm. It makes them feel that the cold is not so bitter, that they are no longer freezing. It gives them the feeling of being warm and full. They need this "nourishment"! That is why your Teacher says: in cultivation, you must recite sutras.

Recite the True Scripture of Maitreya and dedicate the merit to your karmic creditors. The Taoyuan Mingsheng Sutra has the power to ward off evil and keep demons at bay. When you recite this sutra, all manner of demons and wicked forces dare not approach you. And for those who recite with a sincere heart, there will certainly be a response.

Dedicate the merit of your recitation. This clears the stumbling blocks from your path of cultivation, so that karmic creditors trouble you less, and the road of the Dao becomes smoother and more level.

Every person should know at least one sutra by heart — the Heart Sutra, the Classic of Purity and Stillness, the True Scripture of Maitreya — at the very least, master one. It will serve you in the future.

56. Conduct Yourself with Reverence, Hold Yourself to Account, Advance in the Dao with Courage, Meet Others with Harmony, and Set Your Heart on Righteousness

行己恭、責躬厚、進道勇、接眾和、立心正

The Immortals must borrow a mortal body to speak through the Three Talents — this is a necessity. It is done so that you may hear the truth and understand the preciousness of the Dao.

You are here today to learn from the Immortals and Buddhas. You must also rid yourselves of bad temper and faults — otherwise you cannot become an Immortal or a Buddha. If you try to eat a piece of candy without peeling off the wrapper, can you taste it? No. Peel away the wrapper, and only then can you truly experience the meaning inside that candy — and more than that, experience the true flavor within your own heart.

Though it is only a small candy, what does it taste like? The flavors of a human life — are they not the same? Eating a candy, you taste sweetness, sourness, coolness, bitterness. But if today the candy comes from someone you despise, or from someone you deeply admire, you will taste an extra flavor. Beyond the candy's own sweet, sour, bitter, and sharp — there is something more. A feeling of care. An action of the heart. And who determines whether that flavor is real or false? The heart.

What is the flavor of a human life? Sour, sweet, bitter, and sharp? You are still young, after all. But youth is all the more reason to value the cultivation of the inner life. And we who study the Dao today are all first-rate! But the truly first-rate person is one who knows nothing at all — someone like me. Though we may call ourselves first-rate on the surface, before encountering someone of true learning, we must be humble. Be low-voiced and unassuming. Only one who can bear hardship and endure humility can reveal the capacity for great strength.

Today, in hearing these teachings — has anyone taught you to draw talismans or chant spells? Has anyone given you an extra eye, an extra pair of hands, an extra set of ears? No! Then why have you come? You have come because here, what is opened is the goodness and capacity within your own heart, the truth, the beauty, the goodness of your own original nature. Here, you are guided — slowly — to make choices about your own spiritual life, your values, your practice. So that this visit was not in vain. Therefore: on what foundation must the art of the heart rest? On what is right and true. And on substance — on genuineness! When our original nature is our own master, it is not increased by sainthood nor diminished by ordinariness. When it is fully realized, you can release the radiance of your innate goodness and capacity. Then the road ahead is clear. Every step feels solid. But if today everything is dark and you cannot see your own hand — even though you know the road ahead is flat, every step will feel uncertain.

So let righteous substance be the foundation. Let your expression be gentle and kind. Seize every opportunity. Carry yourself with composure — do things properly, without haste, and people will sense stability and maturity. Let what is right and venerable be your bearing. Be simple and weighty, and be genuine and earnest — only then will the teaching be of real use. If you speak only of the surface, it will not serve. Simple, weighty, genuine, earnest — that is real use.

What does truth look like? Truth is not a competition. It is only for the sake of fame, for the sake of profit, for worldly glory and riches that people compare and compete. Truth is this: it is effortless. When we encourage people toward goodness, we do so with an effortless heart. Consider: a well — a child is about to fall in. At that moment, do you think "This is a fine opportunity to earn money — save the child and make a profit"? Or do you think "Better step away, lest I fall in too"? In the same way, if a child in the road is about to be hit by a car — would you think "I will be famous for this" or "I will earn money from this"? What kind of heart is that? That heart is the Dao. It is your innate goodness and capacity. It needs no embellishment, no teaching. Naturally, effortlessly, we feel that impulse — in that instant, with complete sincerity, we want to act. You would sacrifice your own life without a second thought!

Reading the books of the sages — for what purpose? The ancients examined themselves three times a day. How many times do people examine themselves now? First thought: "How are my grades? I must rise higher! Future glory and riches — I cannot waste my years of hard study." After ten years of study by cold lamplight, the second thought: "My career must advance. And that takes money — lots of money!" Where does the money come from? The little Celestial Youth says: "From generosity!" But where does your tuition come from? Is it really from asking others for charity? So this Bodhisattva laughs so heartily — not a penny will be given! Then who can give you money? Go home and be filial to your parents. In these times, the pursuit of fame and fortune — what does it do? It torments the human heart. Do you not feel it?

Maitreya Patriarch's face — is it round? Why? At home you look at televisions and computers — all rectangular. Here, you look at Bodhisattvas and Immortals — their faces are round! A rectangle, when it rolls, its sharp corners damage the ground and damage its own body. But a circle rolls smoothly — it neither harms itself nor harms others. At home, watching television and browsing the internet is fine — but the important thing is this: after absorbing so much information, you must know how to digest it, to choose, to distinguish good from bad, true from false. That is true knowledge and true seeing! What helps your body and mind, what elevates your spirit — if your heart has no convictions, if you merely follow the crowd, chasing every trend — none of that is what your heart truly wants. You only fear being called "behind the times." You only pursue others' approval. But does that approval nourish your spirit? Probably the loss is greater than the gain.

You have spent these two days here. Now change your shape and see — see what? Not the roundness of the outward form, but the realization: your own original nature possesses a wondrous wisdom that is truly round, truly complete, truly undefiled. Only then will you not absorb heaps of information — good and bad alike — until your mind is in chaos, constantly wounding others and wounding yourself, harming others without benefiting yourself, yet thinking you are cool and impressive! In our learning, we do not compete for style. We compete for genuine practice.

Your Teacher brought a little gourd this time for a reason. The Celestial Youth has a pure and innocent heart — we should learn from his return to simplicity, his child's heart. We ourselves each possess a gourd. When the gourd opens its mouth, it can hold heaven, hold earth, hold all things. That is its meaning. Your Teacher says: is speech important? Very important. What must today's young people guard against? Rash impulsiveness. Though you are young, the discipline of learning is not a matter of parsing words on a page — it must be realized in daily life. The cultivation of the inner life knows no age.

"Hearing the Dao has its order." Is that not so? When you grasp the opportunity, what must you do? Seize it and act! So words can build a person up — and words can wound. Young people: do not talk too much.

Young people do not need many words. But do more things. Watch more, do more, accumulate more. While you are young, set your resolve at every moment. At every moment, practice and temper yourself. The first principle of learning: be humble. Absorb widely — and what you gain will serve you for a lifetime.

"Conduct yourself with reverence, hold yourself to account, meet others with harmony, and set your heart on righteousness." To "conduct yourself with reverence" means that your words and actions must be carried out with the utmost respect. Take your own behavior and character with deep seriousness. To "hold yourself to account" — as the ancient saying goes: "Be strict with yourself, generous with others." When something goes wrong during a group effort, you should put the blame upon yourself. That is what it means to claim the fault and give away the credit.

"Meet others with harmony" — when we interact with people, we should maintain a spirit of gentleness and goodwill. Our predecessors who lead the Dao community hope that it will be a place of deep harmony. With so many people, your Teacher instructs you to hold a harmonious heart. "Set your heart on righteousness" — and harmony does not mean a false front of pleasantness. It is not an exterior that looks harmonious while the heart harbors schemes and hidden agendas. The teaching continues: "Set your heart on righteousness." In our country, in our society, in our Dao community — everywhere — our hearts must be upright. These twelve characters are the training within the training.

Without courage and daring, you cannot achieve resounding, earthshaking things. But if you have only daring and no inner substance, that is the bravado of a common soldier — empty effort, even dangerous. So "wisdom, benevolence, and courage" — the three great virtues — must all be present. In cultivation and service, enrich your learning and deepen your practice. When wisdom is clear, your direction is sharp. When your steps are firm, your effort has force. Understand the true meaning of life, understand the path — even if you find yourself at a crossroads, you will have the wisdom to readjust. When this inner virtue, this inner cultivation, is sufficient — then "advance in the Dao with courage" — and you will accomplish great things.

What is the most important practice in cultivation? Self-reflection. The practice of turning the light inward. To walk step by step with solidity and no regret: when a thought arises, if your conscience says there is no problem, do not hesitate. If you act with a true and sincere heart, then everything you do is open and honorable, without resentment or regret. Of course, sometimes the heart intends one thing but human ability, interpretation, and perspective differ. Sometimes a good deed, done by our hands, carries a flaw — because everyone's wisdom is different, everyone's temperament and gifts are different. These are the limitations of the mortal condition, which cannot be changed. But how do you grow? Only through constant self-reflection. In reflecting, you see your own faults and errors and awaken your wisdom. People have temper and bad habits, and these are usually vented outward. How, then, can you avoid repeating the same mistake?

What people fear most is not knowing where they went wrong — making the same error again and again with no one to tell them. This becomes a habit, and that habit shapes your destiny. So if you wish to change your destiny, begin with reflecting on your thoughts.

We should think: on the exam, I missed passing by only one point. Next time, I will not merely pass — I will aim for the highest score. That is facing life with a positive and optimistic attitude. Know your own shortcomings. Over the length of a long life, if you can help yourself — then you yourself are your own benefactor! If you do not rouse yourself, do not work hard — then no matter how many benefactors surround you, if you yourself do not change, their help will always be limited.

As for the grapefruit we mentioned — how do you make it "grape," how do you make it "fruit," how do you make it "pomelo"? This discipline must proceed from the rind to the marrow. Without the rind's protection, how can you reach the marrow? How can the flesh remain whole? Spiritual work is the same. Today, in learning: "To go far, start near. To climb high, start low." Is the rind tasty? A little bitter, a little astringent. The rind is yellow — quite yellow, even reddening. Normally, yellow fruit is ripe enough to eat. Yet no one eats the rind. Why? Because it does not taste good. But without the rind's protection, could you eat the flesh? It would likely spoil before it even ripened.

Our own original nature and wisdom are not yet fully clear and complete — just like the rind: bitter and astringent and unwanted. Even though our predecessors have poured out their wisdom generously, we are still only at the rind's depth. We can only take what we need according to our own capacity. So cultivation is like learning: study from life until death, and use what you learn until the end. Learning without application is empty!

To live is to strive for perfection. So having sat these two days and slowly accumulated some practice — I hope from now on you will truly "advance in the Dao with courage." The fruit's flesh will still taste sweet and sour — but that is fine! Those who can reach the seeds are truly remarkable. And they bear a further responsibility: to plant those seeds. You must have a heart of compassion, generosity, and joy. A heart that serves all beings. A heart willing to sacrifice. Sacrifice the small self to help more of the Eternal Mother's original children. The aspiration you develop is not just for your own heart and vow — it is the power to awaken the hearts of others, to continue the transmission of wisdom and the lineage of the Dao, generation after generation. Is this responsibility heavy?

The "pomelo" also means "protection." The grapefruit grows from a tree. "Pomelo" points to the root. The tree is the mother body of life — the tree must exist before the fruit can grow. So from the rind's bitterness, through the skin's humble effort, into the flesh's sweet and sour, and finally to the seeds within — everything must begin from the root. Everything must have its true origin!

And what does "again" mean? Again and again, give yourself another chance. Truly complete each thing. Furthermore, "blessing" — when you put in the effort, you naturally earn goodwill. Though heaven is silent and the earth does not speak, because of your sincerity, heaven naturally watches over you. When you invite heaven's favor, heaven naturally protects you.

The old people used to say: "You cannot eat three handfuls of water spinach and expect to climb to the Western Heaven." First comes self-help, then comes heaven's help. When your practice is deep and your virtue is high, you are naturally your own benefactor — and others will help you too. Do the work, and you will earn goodwill. Do the work, and others will support you. Naturally, silently, heaven watches over you. Invite heaven's heart, and heaven will protect.

Nurture the heart of the Dao as you would nurture a living tree. The seedling of the heart that you plant today — let it bloom. Do not let it wither halfway. Will you? A single true heart displayed to the heavens — the fragrance of the heart will travel far and never fade. This flower planted in the field of your own heart — only you truly know yourself best.

"My children! What is best when it is your own?" Your body is best when it is your own! If you had to borrow someone else's, you would have to say goodbye to your own first! And whether you could even borrow one — that is not certain! So consider what state you are in right now — and cultivate well. My children, when it is time to return the body — you must have completed your mission, without resentment or regret. You received your orders. Now render your account.

Can you hold the future in your hand? Can you even be certain how long you will live? That is why the Bodhisattva's heart treats every day as two — for what? To form more connections with beings. I hope you, my children, will use the body you have now. There is no rush to return it. These few hours between teacher and disciples — that too is a bond cultivated over many lifetimes. I hope our bond as teacher and students will have both affinity and substance. Will you?

Colophon

Compassionate Teachings of Ji Gong, the Living Buddha — Volume One (濟公活佛慈訓（一）). A multi-volume collection of spirit-writing revelations from Ji Gong (濟公), the ragged, laughing Chan monk of the Southern Song who became Yiguandao's most beloved celestial teacher. Volume One contains fifty-six thematic teachings — each a collection of aphorisms and short discourses delivered at planchette altar sessions across decades — on faith, cultivation, community, family, the inner life, the nature of mind, endurance, joy, and the path to sainthood. Ji Gong's register is unmistakably colloquial: he scolds, jokes, pleads, and sometimes weeps. His central insistence: stop dividing the sacred from the mundane; your family is your first congregation; climbing the mountain means not looking back.

Good Works Translation from Modern Chinese. Source text from taolibrary.com (善書圖書館), Category 52 (一貫道經典二), c52067.htm, which states: "歡迎轉載，上傳，翻印，流通" — "Welcome to reprint, upload, reproduce, and circulate." This is the first English translation of this text. The English is independently derived from the Chinese source — no existing English translation was consulted because none exists.

Translated for the Good Work Library by eighteen Yiguandao Translators of the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026:
Sections 1–5 by Tulku Qiao (橋), Sections 6–7 by Tulku Huiguang (慧光), Sections 8–9 by Tulku Míngdēng (明燈), Sections 10–12 by Tulku Míngzhú (明珠), Section 13 by Tulku Míng (明), Sections 14–18 by Tulku Míngquán (明泉), Sections 19–23 by Tulku Míng (明), Sections 24–26 by Tulku Huìdēng (慧燈), Sections 27–28 by Tulku Míngzhú II (明珠), Sections 29–30 by Tulku Míng (明, second bearing), Sections 31–32 by Tulku Míng Yuè (明月), Sections 33–37 by Tulku Chéng Guāng (承光), Sections 38–39 by Tulku Míng (明, third bearing), Sections 40–42 by Tulku Míngdēng (明燈, second bearing), Sections 43–46 by Tulku Chánguāng (禪光), Sections 47–56 by Tulku Guāng (光). Gospel register.

Compiled, QC'd, and published by Kansei (完成, WIP Finisher Pass 331) of the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.

🌲

Source Text: 濟公活佛慈訓（一）

Modern Chinese source text from taolibrary.com (善書圖書館), Category 52 (一貫道經典二), c52067.htm. Permission statement on source: "歡迎轉載，上傳，翻印，流通" — "Welcome to reprint, upload, reproduce, and circulate." Presented for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

濟公活佛慈訓（一）

目　錄

信與念

聖凡之間

以身示道

薪傳心傳

自招魔考

談心論性

認理實修

德配天地

給小濟公

道法自然

無相功德

接駕的真諦

當下才是道

當下才是道(二)

無心與無為

真理與假景

誦經的意義

生活即道場

無明與智慧

何謂真功德

人生的智慧

率性而有道

修道人眾生相

人心影響天時

修行者的精神

談人事的圓融

知道還要行道

同修不離道伴

苟日新又日新

如何修身培德

滿招損謙受益

在辦道中修道

突破塵封的我執

煩惱與菩提道種

我要怎樣過一生

謹言慎行的功夫

老師的煩惱憂愁

不要随便傷害人

人道盡天道達心

從心念看因緣果報

人際間的圓融和諧

志在菩提心存眾生

術流動靜終非究竟

勁流擊出美麗浪花

明師一指喚醒真主

看重自己責任負起

誰是老師誰是徒兒

做個稱職的傳道人

學習放下才看清自已

辦道就是帶給眾生喜樂

老師裝瘋賣傻為的是什麽

自已就是佛求佛不如求已

謹守金線是道場倫理的展現

超越自我的第一步立聖賢志

什麼叫做修道？什麼叫做辦道

至誠誦經能產生佛法佛力佛光

行己恭責躬厚進道勇接眾和立心正

信與念

◎　要如何避免別人一句話考倒你？除了信心堅定外，要培內心神，做到如如不動。這是自救的工夫。修道非三天五天、三年五年，而是一輩子的事，勿讓人一句話考倒。

◎　學道的第一個要件是：誠心、敬意。「誠心」即斷疑生信。「敬意」即懂禮。道者，理也；理者，禮也。要立志作聖事，化世人，不要只求有形有象的虛名。有德無位能天長他久；有位無德難以始終如一，枉費你自己的根基緣份，修一輩子不得一個果，枉然不枉然？

◎　道理很淺，只怕你不去參，不去悟，走馬觀花，虛有其表，那就誤人誤己。

◎　年輕人志氣要浩大，要堅固，順境中能用「堅忍」，就不為物慾所誘惑；逆境中能用「力忍」，就不為浮華貧困所牽引。時時刻刻處於平靜；處於溫、良、恭、儉、讓，得理得體，事事即能順利。

◎　釋迦牟尼佛與觀世音菩薩都比我們富貴、有地位，但他們都能看破名和利離家訪真道，如今大家都供奉他們。現在人都被名和利所迷，拚命只為自己和子孫，未把福散播出去，等斷氣後只有自己子孫拜你。

◎　知「道」好後不要靠一張嘴宣傳，點點滴滴要靠自己去參悟。明師啟開你的玄關，去行去修就靠你自己，明白道理後知路雖難走，你們還是要走下去。

◎　自己要有主張，不要人家說「道」好，就跟著跑；說「道」怎樣又怎樣不好，結果感覺受騙就不修，到時吃虧的是你自己。

◎　徒兒們，修道對自己要有信心，對仙佛要有信心，對國家有信心，對民族有信心，對人世要有誠信。一個「信」字就可以跳過很多的困難。我們是來完成使命，來盡責的，不是來享受的，知道嗎？要認識自己的使命，好好的去做，好回天交命。

◎　以有限的生命，要立永恆的名，不為你自己，也要為你的祖宗顯榮耀。

◎　修道之人心要靜，不要隨便是非云。嫉妒心重沒度量，爭功奪果暗鬧爭：「跟我修才是真正，他的己斷金線紊。」你的金線有多金，他斷在那裡是否真，你說人家的不是，自己已失口德行。人家說這樣的話，聽了就動心是不忠。

◎　徒兒們切記：他人若是自稱祖或稱師，甜言蜜語訴說，爾切莫信，俗語說做事取一片忠心，忠於前賢，忠於道場，忠於采生，此乃你們應走之方向，修道莫圖外功虛表，且憑心實踐。

◎　為眾之心無私偏，才擔得起小活佛之稱啊，徒兒！為師乃濟公，濟公可沒有偏濟啊！人心善變，為師看得太多、太多了。希望未後，你們好好的自己去走，是非曲折，自己得要定奪，迷迷糊糊的跟著他人走，到最後，只是陷人淵溝，飲水得要思源啊！苦後必有甘，有勞就有獲，希望你們同甘共苦，早日回家！

◎　爬山切記不要往後看，修道亦如是，不要一心兩意，志不堅難成仙。

◎　先別問爾前程是何發展，但要問你心裡是否健全；先別問那明師是真是假，先問問自己心是否往前；先別問佛借竅是裝是妙，先問問自己心是明是泯；凡諸惑先置之自己腦後，先拿出自己的辦事本領。

◎　大道修來有易難，也知由我亦由天；若非積功修陰德，動有群廣作障緣。

◎　心體便是天體，一念之喜，景星慶雲；一念之怒，震雷暴雨；一念之慈，和風甘露；一念之嚴，烈日秋霜。何者少得。只要隨起隨減，廓然無礙，便與太虛同體。

聖凡之間

◎　人生本來就該有目標、有理想的，是有一個精神寄託的，而不是茫茫然的。有這些重要的事情要等待你們去實踐，所以，徒兒們千萬不要怕壓力，不要怕混亂。人啊！有壓力才得以生存，要是地球上沒有壓力，你們就飛起來了，對不對？這就表示壓力是好的。

◎　不用怕聖凡之間有太多事情、太多壓力！徒兒們要平心靜氣，要合修道那份工夫，把事情逐一地做好、逐一地整頓好，這個就是聖凡兼修，而不是說我是凡人，我來佛堂幫忙，叫聖凡兼修；凡事與聖事都同樣能夠做得很好，能夠處理得很圓滿，就是聖凡兼修。能夠聖凡兼修，便更能體會人生的疾苦，更能發揮出這個慈悲心腸，更能瞭解佛菩薩為什麼要濟世救人，因為你們把道生活化了。

◎　修道就是要求進步，對不對？你們走到這個階梯，被困住了，不知道怎麼快樂起來，也不知道聖和凡該怎麼取捨、該怎麼拿捏，覺得做好凡事就很好了，可是人家又覺得你太少來佛堂了；常跑佛堂，家裏的人又不高興了，自己覺得好像不是在修道，該怎麼辦呢？

◎　為什麼會說聖凡兼修呢？在凡，你有你的責任，盡責任的時候，是否心不甘、情不願？最親的人和你們容易作對，對不對？最親的人為什麼最容易和你們作對呢？難道他們最恨你嗎？那是為什麼？因為關心你！但是，為什麼會變成這樣？因為你對他有所要求，是嗎？其實大家都是為了對方好，只是在觀念上不能溝通，話講不清，但是用意都不是這樣子的，對嗎？

◎　你們快樂嗎？或許有的人不知道快樂是什麼？如今好不容易求了道，知道道很好，有那麼一點點快樂，可是沒辦法，你們是人，要面對自己的人生、要面對自己的路，還是會有很不快樂的時候。因為你們把聖跟凡分得太清楚了，把佛堂跟家庭也分得太清楚了，說什麼「道在日常」，可是，你們的日常都不是道，你們都沒有把道帶入生活。

◎　道要怎麼帶入生活呢？是不是來佛堂才要端端正正的？(不是)是不是來佛堂才謹謹慎慎的？(不是)來佛堂學習佛規禮節，是學習敬老尊賢、承上啟下、有條合理、恭恭敬敬的，可是你們在家平常的生活是不是也這樣？有沒有這樣尊敬人？離開了佛堂就不一樣了，變成以自己為主了，是不是？

◎　你們要工作、要事業、要生活，不是叫你們放下你們的生活，也不是叫你們不要上班、不賺錢、不要養家活口，只是叫你們忙裏偷閒。你錢賺多了，就慢慢的沈迷於物質的享受，跟著去了。人啊，尤其是修道人，不要常給自己有舒服的感覺，這舒服的感覺一上來，無形中就會慢慢的滲透你，你愈是要舒服，你那本來的心、覺悟的心，就沒有了。

◎　你們都是有家庭的，自己的修養又怎麼樣了呢？即使你修得很好，但是你的另外那一半呢？你的子女呢？你的家人又成全得怎麼樣了呢？你們都教人要齊家，修道要成全家裡的人，那你們自己呢？

◎　你們得好好地在週遭切身的事情上多用一點心，在看得到的事上多用一點心，其餘不要你操心的你盡可以放心，不必瞎操心，知道嗎？你們愈多心，事情就會愈多。

◎　渡化眾生不是一定要一窩蜂地跟著擠出去國外開荒才是辦道，而是要看你的環境而定。你要在環境當中圓滿你的家庭，這也是渡化眾生；可是有的人不是如此，為師要你們去圓滿家庭、孝順父母，去感化你的家人，讓你父母接受這個道，要是你一頭要衝出去開荒，那這樣就不對啊！所以，要你們真的是在觀念上、行動上去圓融四方、圓融一切，而不是什麼都一味的堅持。

◎　在這末後時期，不管如何，千萬不能開齋破戒！如果再開齋破戒，想要懺悔彌補，恐怕難上加難。誰來幫你們承擔？你們要記住，每個人都會經過那麼一段的大考驗，好讓你們在緊急時刻，看你是要保住生命，還是來個開齋破戒？這就要看你們的智慧了，只要你能衝破這難關，一定沒有問題！這是上天在考驗你們的智慧，還有對道的信心哪！你們只要接受命令去做就好了，你們看看那些在前面做決定的人反而很辛苦呢！你有沒有發現？有些人會說：「我都接受人家的命令，我也想發佈啊！」請問，誰來接受啊？有沒有過這種想法？如果你認為平常在家老大做慣了，現在來到佛堂要你做老小、老么的，好像蠻不習慣的，有沒有這樣的思想？

◎　你們要學習謙低的心，修道才會越修越快樂呀！道是很自然的，只要你們慢慢的去發現，你就會覺得奧妙無窮啊！如果在佛堂裡沒有什麼人事的問題了，自然家庭也會跟著圓滿。在家裏跟在道場要一致，在佛堂對人家很親切、很好、很和藹，不要一回到家就擺了臉給家人看，這樣的家庭怎麼會圓滿？懂不懂啊？

◎　你們這些年輕輩的，告訴你們，所謂的身體髮膚受之父母，不敢毀傷，孝之始也！這是奇形有相看得見的孝！在反方面來講，你們的父母生給你們一個四肢健全、五官都好的人，你如果不來立身行道，你就是不孝，聽得懂嗎？你要看一看，想一想哦！你的眼睛、你的耳朵、你的嘴巴、你的牙、你的腳，是不是所做的事情都合乎道了？

以身示道

◎　人莫不愛子，何不以愛子之心侍其父？人莫不愛妻，何不以愛妻之心侍其母？

◎　子何以順，親何以逆？願天下兒女以一分愛子之心順其親：女何以愛，媳何以虐？願天下公婆以三分愛女之心愛其媳。

◎　為子孫求福，積金遺子，未必能守。為子孫造福，積德遺子，受福無邊。

◎　養而不教，不愛其子；教而不嚴，殆害其子，謹小慎微終無失。在家盡孝，在國盡忠，未有不忠不孝能名標竹帛留芳百世者也。

◎　修行必須有智慧，你將來要怎樣繼續走修行路？要怎樣繼續經營你美滿的家庭？修行是在開創美滿的家庭，而絕不是讓你們把今生的「緣」，導致來生的孽緣，你今生這段緣沒有「圓」，來世你會碰到一段孽緣。

◎　老吾老以及怎麼樣？(以及人之老)好，是什麼意思？(先孝敬自己的父母親，然後再去照顧別的老人—那你是老吾老以及人之老，還是只會老人之老？你在道場作一個模範棟樑，回到家裡後怎麼樣呢？是不是出外行王道，在家行霸道？你們是不是這麼做呢？現在你在這裡行王道，前面的人要你坐挺你就坐挺；要你反省你就反省，百分之百的遵從，百依百順，然後我們回到各自熟悉的環境之後，是原形畢露呢？還是恢復本來？(原形畢露一原形畢露！我們還堪稱是一個修人道嗎？

◎　在道場，為師時時提攜教誨，莫非叫你成為一個完整的人，再做一個最為尊者的仙佛，「仙佛」達不到情有可原，若完整的人做不到可就太不像話了如何挽化這頹喪的世界，如何淨化人心？從自身做起，人最親者就是家人，五倫都做不好，如何化世界為大同，現在天時是未後，正己成人一併行，修好自己渡化別人，立身處世才不會糊塗混光陰。

◎　天道的宗旨是什麼？最大宗旨是化世界為大同。為求宗旨，要推行儒家思想。孔孟大道乃從份常開始有的人，人倫觀念做得很好，但是有的人沒有人倫觀念。有些修道者，已經修道了，可是家庭還不和睦，為什麼？因為你們沒有盡人倫之責。所以今天不要說今天我已經求道了，我就一直衝，一直高，什麼也不顧了，家也不顧了，人也不顧了。你生活在群眾當中，生活在人群之中，要懂得做人的道理，今天你不懂得做人之道，你就枉做人。

◎　要以根本為主，本立道生，根本是什麼？人道有那些？三綱五常、五倫八德，必須一一宣導，你若不從根本，好高騖遠，那不叫修道，腳步慢慢來，每天有每天的進步就行了。

◎　在家中有摩擦，就看你們是用什麼心，把摩擦化為助力。道降火宅，聖凡雙修，對不對？巧妙運用你們的時間，運用你們的妙智，把一些不該有的是非轉掉。你在佛堂做了一個不錯的榜樣，到了家庭是不是也這樣？對先生，對孩子，對公公婆婆？修道感化他人，自己就要先做標杆，就算夫妻一起到佛堂做事，夫妻同修，回去以後呢？太太跟婆婆吵，先生打孩子，這樣子家人會受感化嗎？如果你真能做到「人道」，盡你的責任，這才能為人標杆，不要被人家說成表裡不一。

◎　身為家中的成員，要用誠懇的心對待家人，誠懇就是道，對於每一個人都要如此。夫婦之間如何誠懇？要互相體諒。而父子之間，父親該嚴的時候，就要嚴；應當慈悲的時候，要慈言相勸，如此才不會有如生活在戰場上，如處在地獄般。所以該嚴格時要依理導引，給他真正的理路；而慈的時候要打開他心中的結一以貫之，從人倫家庭進而道場，再進而社會，一直到各個地方，所以呢，修天道要從人道做起。

◎　如果你的親人做錯一件事情，就斥責他，他也不見得會了解你的心意，但是你如果能了解對方的個性，就可以好好去溝通，去規勸他，天地之理也是如此。了解他，不是去奉承他，而是從這當中大家和合的生活在一起，大家和氣一團，才能生出智慧。

◎　修道並不是要你們完全把假的丟掉，你說父母是假你就不孝順對嗎？你說錢財是假你就不工作對嗎？你的本分盡了，才能成就真的，做人本分盡了，才能成就「神」。有真才會看到假，當你悟透時，心中便無真假了。

◎　修道第一要把人道做好，孝、悌、忠、信，是否常想到家中二位活佛(父母)？

◎　現代人要注重孝道，以往父母養十幾個都不嫌苦，現在生的少，更須要做榜樣給後輩看，水滴同源，慎終追遠，不能讓父母墜落地獄，而自己回理天去享樂。百善孝為先，你修道不顧家庭是錯誤的。所謂一子得道九祖沾光；一子成道，九祖昇天，父母在世時為何不渡他們呢？

◎　現在有沒有一個心思想要渡父母？有，可是不知從何渡起？(要從我們自己修身養性，對自己的品德修養做起，感動我們的長輩，我們的親朋好友一這些話說起來，都很容易，只是許多子女，就是很奇怪，無法對自己的父母和顏悅色，怎麼辦？繼續發脾氣嗎？不知道怎麼做的話，想想來佛堂的時候人家是怎麼侍奉你，就怎麼回去侍奉他們，還要有同樣的真心真意，這樣才會有效果。

◎　父母不明理你們也不能把他拋在一旁啊，說他老頑固就不理啊！不行，要慢慢地讓他先感動，你讓他們感動，他們就會覺得「嗯，不錯！」，就慢慢的願意來啦！

◎　現在有夫妻同修的，更要珍惜。若只有夫修，或只有妻修，要感化，這是互相包容，彼此寬恕。怎樣才圓滿？譬如兩人搭配，一個只能出三分力，另外一人要助他七分力，這才叫圓滿。

◎　乾道賢徒們，你們若是身為人家的女婿，是否把岳父岳母當作親生的父母？(是)你們說是，心裏卻不是，有的賢徙遇到什麼困難，比較沒有理的，就把人家的弊病全抖出來，可是你的把柄卻因此落在人家手中，讓人說濟公的徒弟，怎麼是這個樣子呢？拜什麼佛啊？那為師就不敢聽了！這是什麼呢？是敗了佛的名譽！也是敗了你們本身的名譽！知道嗎？

◎　若對方沒修道、沒明理！你再怎樣，也不要講他，忍氣吞聲！千萬不要跟他一般見識，要寬宏大量，心要海潤天空！你們不要學老師嗎？要學得起啊！不要學了一半，老師大濟公，你們變濟私！知道嗎？

◎　本身修為最重要還有坤道賢徒們，最重要的坤道是五漏之身，前世多些罪業，因此今生今世，若是不能努力於道業，你們的罪業如何去了呢？當知道自古坤道是最難出頭的，若不是你們沾了古佛、師母恩德及今日坤道應運，所以你們更應當珍惜你們的緣份，更應當作事三思斟酌自己，處處小心提防！

◎　你們在社會潮流當中，千萬不要學習潮流，潮流乃是一個階段一個階段的，你學得完嗎？若是你隨著潮流，你的心就會動，希望愛徙們，你們能夠在動中取你們善良的心，你們的善良，跟社會中的善良不一樣，你們要了解為師的話，無時無刻地培養你們的善良之性，不要看到什麼就喜歡什麼，這是什麼心啊？(貪心)身為肉身，每一個人是逃不了這個色相。但你們要能夠在這亂中尋找這個「心性」，你們的心性永遠要擇善固執，抱著你們的信心。

◎　坤道修道不是挺自然的吧？你們能夠握緊佳期，趕上末後一著，完全是祖先有德，前世有修。不要忘了每個人志向不同，若你們結婚了，也是要跟乾道一樣，把你們的公婆，當作自己的親生父母般孝順，若是有志向的，能夠清靜一生，那更好！

◎　在這三期末劫，不管立的是什麼志向，你們完全不要改變，所立的志向是你們將來的「果位」，千萬要記住！志向是你們的目標，大道理你們都知道，可是一絲一毫的小處，都沒做到，為師想再看看徒兒，你們的靈光修得如何？你們的肉體修得如何？近來是健康或是體弱？一個人的身體健康，都是由內而外，你的心能夠清靜的話，那外來的干擾是感染不了你們的，希望你們要效法前賢的腳步，沒有身體是辦不了大道的，尤其現在的罪業討得很緊，沒有先保護自己，如何為者師辦事，是不是？

◎　坤道遇事會害怕，沒有像乾道獨當一面的樣子，常常一件事化不開。乾道遇事常大而化之；坤道遇到小事情就會鬱悶。心中遇事要堅強，雖然有時會掉眼淚，但是心要鞏固，有些事情不要胡思亂想，別人看我們一眼就以為別人對我們有意思，所以心要健全好，坤道要去除「陰一點」的氣息，使陰陽能調和。

◎　乾有陽剛之氣，但是容易苛煞別人，乾坤陰陽要合和而濟。坤道如果有太剛之氣，就少了一份柔的氣質：乾道若有那柔的氣質，就會顯得不男不女，這相互的個性如果調和的話，我們的生活才會多采多姿。

◎　你們要把你們的子子孫孫都教育得好，讓他們都能夠明理，不要讓他們對社會有所危害，好不好？這也是一種莫大的功德。

◎　夫若和妻必順，侍親必恭敬，願天下兒媳以和順之心奉親。

◎　子何以寵？女何以愛？寵愛必驕縱，願天下之父母，以嚴慈之心教幼。

薪傳心傳

詩云：你是苦海孤舟，我是海上清風，

　　　願日夜纏繞你身邊，推你護你向前呀，向前！

◎　天道自古以來，師師相承，無令斷絶，有道者通，無心者得，既得道者，得明師指點已開竅者，去卻內心之妄想，行自己本性所秉受之天德，利益人羣，代天宣道，則金線相連。內慾不淨，外行自私，明師同在，仍非金線。金乃西方，五行屬白，白乃清清白白，即是明明德，既得了道，明白自性之德，而後親民，自然止於至善，至善則是佛地。

◎　修道頓法重在無形之達到，非是有形之形式，無為是超生之道，有形是福報之緣份，此理明白，何必問金線。體系不亂，金線就在其中，十五條佛規，為何叫作暫定佛規？什麽事都要悟，悟則是覺，覺者佛也，不悟不覺眾生也，佛與眾生，只在一心之別耳。

◎　什麼叫先天大道？就是在天地未生成之前，道就有了。你今天修道，道本就在；你今天不修道，道還是在。所以要修不修就看你們，做鬼做禽獸，做畜生、做神仙同樣是一個「靈」。

◎　十八組同一天道，不要有分別心，同樣均為上天之道，道不分而人自分，大家都犯了這條，佛規要守，但要活潑玲瓏，勿固步自封。九六原子，不要以為那是別組就不是道了，大家都是兄弟姐妹，就像法船一樣，船要開了，事關生死，此時大家是否還「分」？徒兒應知自己是否坐穏？自己都做不穏了如何渡人，渡九玄七祖？自己的樹葉都無法長大了，還想渡九玄七祖，在為師看來，此乃難上難呀！

◎　修道最重要就是守住「忠、孝、節、義」，不能到處亂接靈駕以通靈，這不是正法，那是左道旁門。此時不是通靈的時機，通靈反會使你的心靈更不靜，通靈的人以後會很多，你如果去久了，天盤自然會鈎出。但是我們須依理分析，使他了解道之尊貴，如遇機緣成熟，那他依然會再回來向道，上天依然接受他，若去久了，心靈被其控制，就無法挽回了，你想拉他回來也没辦法，只好聽其自然了。碰到這種不修不辦或離道的道親，我們也應該以禮相待，不能有對待心。

◎　天時緊急，救人就是救自己，自古聖賢能成聖成賢的功夫，不外乎四個字：正己成人。自明其德就是正己，再化新民就是成人，亦是渡人，辦道也。

◎　徒兒可知修道之人若只有外功，没有內功，將來結果如何？種瓜得瓜，種豆得豆，古之理不易，所以將來上天堂須再修內性，但是在天堂修內性比在人間修更困難，再不能修者即貶入人間再修，或享福盡功德消矣！

◎　天道普傳，佛堂是先天大道直轄之堂，乃　老母之壇。在外表而言，佛堂比一般鸞堂為小，可是在無形而言，先天佛堂為大，祂之責任重，而受天命傳授三寶心法，比任何寺廟鸞堂為重也。但是鸞堂雖不傳授三寶心法，祂亦負有代天宣化，教人明善之責任。只是一明一暗，一顯一隠而已。『明顯是以教，暗隠是以道。』故二者不可分離也。

◎　慈善家不是道，道兼而有之；佈道家不是道，道兼而有之。

◎　修道必須遵師命，未命不敢先，既命不敢後，有命不可違，無命不可自専。但也須看甚麽事，如若濟世救民仁義道德之事，又當別論，孔子曰：當仁不讓於師。

◎　三期末劫，萬教齊發，我們開了法會踏上法船，應自我肯定，勿為神通異術迷失，勿為旁門左道跳船。

◎　為師所給你們傳授的是三寶心法──引人入悟。

　　教育的是真理至學──引人入聖。

　　忌諱的是術流動靜──引人入魔。

　　貶斥的是妖言邪說──引人入迷。

　　故修道人要有智的頭腦──分辨真偽者。

　　仁的胸懷──接納自新者。

　　勇的精神──救渡沈迷者。

◎　上天之道很寶貴，一年過了又一年，唯恐明日西邊墜，大道湼槃無處研，任你金錢幾萬貫，難買時光倒回轉。

◎　外道只是興一時，但是不能長久，應依五教聖人之經黄理路去修持，才是正道。

◎　什麽叫「道隠道費，自有天定」？費就是顯；隠藏起來的時候就叫做隠。現在大道都上新聞了，那你們為什麽還來啊？有的人根基深厚，雖然道己經上新聞了，他還是向前走，向前去辦。有的人，他根基深厚，道明了，他就躲躲藏藏。你們說，到底是誰的根基深厚？你們自己去想啊！為師講，只是點到為止，天機不可洩漏。有緣千里來相會，無緣對面不相逄，就是為了這個「緣」你們跟為師之間有這麽一段緣，你們跟引保師之間也有那麽一段緣，跟你們的前人，你們的點傳師也是緣。有緣的人，無論如何的受考受驗、受毁受謗，他還是要向前地邁進。有緣無份的人，他就會半途而廢；有緣還得要握緣。今天你們趕上了，記住這一句話，「道隠道費，自有天定」！

自招魔考

◎　你，有何心態，就招感什麼魔。

◎　什麼是魔？不合理的就是魔，喜怒哀樂不合理就有魔。畢竟人心太重啊！分你我之相太重了！為什麼不問自己盡了多少心？你愈是比較，就愈陷入困境，要知道種種的魔魔與考考，不是天要考你們，是你們自招惹啊！

◎　不要動不動句句都怪老天啊！動不動就說是上天降考，要知道喲，人心惟危，是不是啊！大家都不喜歡魔考，偏偏不斷地招感。

◎　而什麼是魔呢？不合道理的就是魔，喜怒哀樂不合理就有魔。你們在道場上可能不會爭物質，可是卻會爭寵，自以為是，這些都是魔最喜歡的。

◎　你們的老前人不是說嗎，「不是佛頭，就是魔頭入」，心正了，即使不在佛堂，也不會有魔；心不正，縱然人在佛堂，也會惹魔上身。

◎　徒啊！別被魔利用了，提起你的正念，正氣，心不要昏昧了，要有大公無私的心。這個「公心」就是會想到別人，也會想到自己，既不傷人，也不傷己，因為會傷害自己的人，同時也會傷害別人，魔就是這樣的。

◎　當你們動了退道的心時，為師馬上就知道，你們一發道心，為師也知道，可是你們發心老師高興，你們的孽力不高興吶！知道為什麼嗎？每個人都有孽障，你愈發心，他就愈要障礙你，所以成佛容不容易呀？為師說過：「各人吃飯各人飽，各人業力各人了」，你們可要記清楚啊！

談心論性

詩云：三世諸佛，十二部經藏，在自性中，本自俱足，

　　　若識本心，一語道破，捨識用根，明體達用。

◎　修道火候乃在不動一心。

◎　不受於邪，邪氣自去。聲色貨利，奇技淫巧，凡是有傷我精神，害我心性之外物曰稱邪也。倘一概置之不理，決不招蜂引碟，自然邪氣退避也，而無法加以侵害。若是有絲毫「招」「引」之念，則破完整之清淨自性，立刻失掉清白，即使有磊落大志康莊大道，彼此被邪氣遮蔽，枉然也。此修道之人不可不知也，不可不慎也。

◎　行於外者武，修於內者文，一個人光有外表功夫，外在行徑，裡面卻没有一點內容，人家會說你是綉花枕頭，說你是金玉其外，敗絮其中。

◎　心是禪的關鍵，禪是成佛的階梯，心的悟力是長流不斷，而非停滯一處的。因此，每個時候對事物的領悟都不相同，心境提昇到某地就到達某一個禪天，此乃成佛之階梯也。世間一切本來都在動中，一切就是一，一就是一切，本身「無我」。三法蘊中所了解的天地、時空、人心、宇宙等等都在動，是抓不住任何東西的，一切都是没有東西的（無）。過去、未來、現在都是空，但實際上亦是不空。無法則無物，心、佛、眾生本來就沒有差別，所以修道士要修要正，但在修正時不能有絲毫污染，否則就不光明，三世諸佛所要維護的，就是這一顆不污染的心，這心由前面看是心，由後面看則是佛。

◎　掃帚掃除，掃地難，掃心更難。當掃我相、掃私心、惡心、貪心、使心清靜。

◎　有一分心，盡一分心，修道清心寡慾，何來煩惱？何來憂鬱？看看你們，有没有一個真的有勇氣？都是掛修道之名，帶著傲氣、戾氣、驕氣！那一個有正氣的站出來給為師看看！己不能正，焉能正人？己不能立，焉能立人？呀！你們心無寬宏大道，都如羊腸小道。今天前人，點傳師講你們一句，你們都不修了嗎？請問道在何處？自古聖賢仙佛有那一位帶著驕氣，傲氣成佛的？你們有種種的脾氣毛病，焉能成佛？

◎　愿者就是原心，從你自心發出來的就是愿。

◎　一切禍福有時讓你無法去應對。加諸於身的是好是壞，並不是你心裡有所準備它才來的。所以你的心要能夠事來則應，事去則不留，這樣你才不會煩惱掛於心。

◎　不種深草，不致引來毒蛇；祠堂不好，鬼神避之而去；故我心無欲，邪魔自然離去。

◎　獨坐觀心內自照，妄窮真露性琉璃，靜時常思己身過，他人是非莫揚譏，三省功夫當省察，存養內聖不偏倚，外王內聖兩兼重，蓮出垢塘不染泥。

◎　真心用事，那就是道心。這道心有没有形象啊？無形無象，看不見、摸不著，就像你們說的誠心一樣。

◎　清者潔淨也，靜者安而不動，亂者心猿意馬。

◎　想要得到健康的身體，你們一般研究的只是生理衞生，而還有一項重要的「心理衞生」，你們都没去實踐。所謂「心理衞生」，即「少思寡慾」「常清常靜」，這是最高之心理衞生，清清靜靜到了極點，即是佛，無所不知，老子說：「人能常清靜，天地悉皆歸。」知否？

◎　你們遇到困難時，可以多多研讀六祖壇經，因為六祖壇經──字字見性。

◎　徒兒們，當常保真心、誠心、信心、慈悲心。所謂君子不失其「赤子之心」，這是最重要的。當你發心要修道，考驗就來了，所以修道要保持初發心，才能有成就。

◎　徒等，你們可知「忍」對修道有好處嗎？好處不多呀！忍是賢人的功夫，未達真道者須忍，達者不必忍也。心中無成見，不必忍也，至於自自然然，不起凡聖見，心若平靜，就不必忍了，這是佛的自然，非凡夫所能及也。忍字乃刀刺在心中，痛苦也哉，所以佛聖沒有忍的功夫，因為佛性沒有憎恨，亦不會難過，所以佛聖才不必忍。修道若至不必忍又不憎怨時，心自平靜矣。

◎　修道修什麽？修心。難得你們這一份心，在混濁的都市裡，能獨醒獨清，真是火中栽蓮花，海中得珍珠。

◎　濛濛細雨，星星烏雲遮；七情六慾，靈性物慾蔽，雲散星亮，慾遣見性。

◎　「心要自穏，慧命可得」，看似簡單行之難，其隠含妙義，望徒自悟，真修實善，脚踏實地，定要將自己的利益置後頭，不要盡留些圾垃，要消除髒亂。

◎　恒心有三件：毅力、耐心、信心。而這心很重要。意氣平和，恍行光天麗日之下。心體澄澈，如在明鏡止水之中。

◎　行功立德是本份，心勿存功德念頭。老子曰：「無為」，世尊曰：「妙行無住」，修道士之心，若能與此相照合，則與天地合其德了。所謂明心見性者，則是心没有一點兒的妄想，一點兒物慾都没有，修道士想作佛，大家要知道，人本來之性就佛，還做什麽佛？因為有眾生才有佛，佛與眾生，本是對待之名詞，至於没有眾生了，也没有佛之可言了。

◎　修道如掃地，三心四相應掃盡。什麽事最難控制？心猿意馬。要修道，得控制心猿意馬，不能，亦要勉强而行之。

◎　為師常說，二六時中，守著那個中呢？守性也。守是良知良能，是個盡善盡美的地方。但性必需以德來做支柱。禮亦是個表，比方：我們對待別人如何，別人亦會如何待我們。要心能夠時時廻光反照，須：「向內是性，向外是情，空一分心，見一分性。」悟者自悟，迷者自迷，修道是清心寡慾，清清靜靜，何來煩惱是非一大堆？若口下不留一點德，台上呱呱叫，下台道氣消，這怎麽能算活佛弟子？

◎　修道主要是修心，那麽你們心正嗎？何謂心正？理不清則心不正，心有所罣礙則不得其正。在你們修道的過程中，當然你們的第一步是學習，那麽你們要學什麽？你們要有目標，要有方向，修道人要修心養性，但是老師看現在的修道人只注重外功，到處渡人，到處去講道理，講得天花亂墜，結果却引來很多人的譭謗，很多人不相信，這是為什麽呢？因為你欠缺「道德」兩字；因為你在日常中貪、嗔、痴三毒不能夠消滅；因為你貪功德。雖然你渡很多人很好，但因為你著形著象，如果你渡一個人時不能順心，則你心中就產生恐尤，既然生出怨尤，就是「嗔」，那你既然產生嗔念則不得其正，就產生恐懼或者徬徨，而內心就慽慽哀哀。那無形之中，你就有一種妄想，吹動你的心性。或者是你的行為超過這種道的規則，那由此就產生了疑惑，而變成不信，那就會被外面的聲色迷惑，則你離道遠矣！

◎　修道人要實心實惠，不要沽名釣譽。我們今天修道，不要忘記成就自己的自性。以內在的自性法門時時迴光返照，才能照覺自性。在辦道的過程中不斷的精進、感恩與懺悔，這樣就是「究竟」。否則自性不覺，如何能覺人？自渡而後才能渡人。

◎　「修道要修心」：跳出心中的執著即是了脫生死，這是無生本體。悟到無上頓法，西方即在剎那。「唯有低到最低處，方是見性時」。捨得捨得，有捨即得。捨了心即得了無心。乃是本來面目，既得又似無得。

◎　煉心如煉金，百煉之後為真金，百煉之後為真心。大其心容天下之物，虛其心受天下之善，平其心論天下之事，潛其心觀天下之理，定其心應天下之變。

認理實修

◎　修道修心，心慾干擾，神不能清。

◎　明知道情網是苦，偏偏墜落其坑，越陷越深，情慾一至，就會喪失理智，迷昧自己；明知道，情慾墜落了無數男女，還一昧的貪妄，想不到，竟然說：「要美人，不要蓮品；要入地獄，不要回天庭；寧可不修道，也要長相廝守。」只羨鴛鴦不羨仙，自迷自墜，不知反省。明知色慾戕害身心；明知道修道要掃三心、飛四相、絕六慾、斷七情，有幾個舉慧劍斷牽纏？當知道，發乎情、止乎禮，人非草木，孰能無情？若是齷齪的情慾，偏激的情網，會使你煩惱一重重，會使你迷迷懞懞。

◎　所以說：「情字苦人，不可自苦；情字擾人，不可自找；情字醉人，不可自迷。」明知是火坑，偏要往下跳，老師不是不通情理，有正當的真情流露，才有正當的愛心，才能有正正當當的心理。於聖於凡，才能兩顧兼全。

◎　雖說即使是聖人也並非是無慾，但須少私慾。慾若合情合理，煩惱何處生呢？精神爽，心才能定。能定、靜、安、慮、得，你才能知道物的本末，事的終始，來龍去脈，明明白白，止於至善，克明峻德，才能效法先王的德行，追述先王的大道，並能言行相顧，隱惡揚善，那來的是是非非？君子終日行不離輜重，跬步不離中庸，言有道，行有理，才能以身作則，勸化他人。

◎　老師我身負三曹普渡的重任，老師的徒兒有千千萬萬，但是這千千萬萬的徒弟當中，每一個人都有每一個人不同的因緣，有每一個人不同的業力。徒兒們，你們該知道，當你們要踏入佛門的那一天，老師就必須事先跟你們的業力做個交侍，做個承擔。所以希望徒弟們明理了以後要好好地行功立德，你們要知道你今天能踏入佛門是憑著十條大愿來的，你若不立此宏愿，那你想求得明師這一指點實在比登天還困難。

◎　你們會求為師助你們，難道不求自己？以後要把「真理」當為師，要問為師就問「真理，良心」。記著：不管以後世事如何變，環境怎麼遷，「合作、同心、團結、慈悲」是回家的條件，什麼事情不用在佛前求，求自己，求真理，求良心就夠了。

◎　辦道要注意身體，不好時要調養，該補時就要補，該吃藥時就要吃藥。老師雖然是萬能的，能夠千變萬化，但不要刻意求老師慈悲，老師在無形中助你。

◎　為師也曾被認為瘋，也曾被認為癲，瘋也好，癲也好，我心有主見。裝瘋賣傻在外邊，我一心要把眾生救上雲天，閒言話語，只是增加我生活的情趣，阻擋不了我，影響不了我辦事的大局。

◎　修道要活潑玲瓏，人情翻覆，世路崎嶇，行不去處，須知讓一步之法。修道修自己的心，不重形象、不重外表，可是話說回來呢！這外表重不重要啊？誠於中、形於外。你說要去成全道親！穿得一身邋遢，行不行？修道也要合時代，現在叫你去深山古洞，你修不修？就是因為時代不一樣，所以上天才要有所轉變，什麼轉變？道降火宅，在家修持，現在，你們有沒有得道啊？能不能在家修持啊？

◎　事有難易嗎？一心無二，則有何難易？

◎　一言一行要端莊，行住坐臥皆是道。人心險惡難披靡，惟有道中凝正氣。

◎　要成聖成賢必定要迴光返照，人的潛能就是不可恩議的妙智慧，只要想救人，你就會有妙智慧。

◎　為師只能救你們的靈性，所以你們自己的肉體，平常就要自己保養，因此身體不好，不要怪吃素沒營養，吃葷也有身體不好之時，咱要有這個正確的觀念，因為修道要修心，而辦道除了要盡心之外，還要有體力。

◎　有疑當要問，此刻需將自己的問題問明白，不然心中就有空隙，別人就有機可乘！

◎　你們正值年輕力盛，難免血氣方剛，所以在五花十色的社會當中，你們很容易受到引誘的。老師我擔心的就是這一點，老師我很煩惱的也就是這些，畢竟你們不曾受過風風雨雨，你們不曾受過風風浪浪，在安逸環境中成長的孩子，很容易墮落，所以老師我希望你們更能夠藉著學道的時機，好好地來鍛煉自己，讓自己的心志成長，不要隨波逐流。

◎　世態炎涼薄似紗，真不差；自己跌倒自己爬，莫靠拉；

　　交了一些好朋友，煙酒茶；一旦有事去找他，不在家；

　　道親不親誰是親，道是親；一理走遍四海路，都是家；

　　是來是去沒開係，認定他；感應遂通達福慧，本無涯。

　　聰明難？糊塗難？人在聰明之中裝糊塗更難！難！難！難！

　　放一著，退一步，當下心安。素位而行，知足常樂也。

◎　因果既多怨恨結，死死生生必報之，望悟解結一念在，積德建功消業機，

　　一身債務此世了，無牽無罣赴瑤池。若還執著恩怨中，永墜輪迴不能移。

　　用智慧的眼，洞悉真偽；敏捷的手，建功培德。

　　以輕快的足，踏遍世路；靈活的腦，處理道務。

　　讓乾淨的口，不傳惡言；清靜的耳，不聽排聞。

◎　老師惜竅顯像只是短暫的，徒兒能問的還是有限，如果老師不借竅，徒兒的問題怎麼問？但願老師永遠印在徒兒心中，老師無形中，能讓你們認明真理，解除心中疑惑。

◎　寄語食肉者，食肉當記得，今生過去種，未來今日修，只取今日美，不畏來日憂(因果報應)。清口是否要內外一致？是否品性亦應端正？不管什麼願開口就是愿。只要你們心口如一，忠心耿耿表上天，當知人虧天補。

◎　老師不願你們修成繁華道。還是樸實的好，千萬不要奸巧，現在不要以為自己修得多好，考一來誰也不知道考掉的剩下有幾個，考掉的部是表面修得很好的。

◎　社會是一個大染缸，佛堂是大褪色缸，褪去紅塵虛花假景之色，所以要常回到佛堂。

◎　到有一天，天命若收回去的時候，我的徒兒你們要靠什麼呢？到那個時候，還有顯化嗎？到那個時候選有前賢拉你嗎？各人性命各人了，老師我雖然不忍我的徒兒在苦海受苦，可是你功未立愿未了，你如何回去呢？徒兒呀！徒兒！我要如何說你們才能明理？希望你們不要辜負老師好嗎？希望我徒兒能認理真修。

◎　你們有痛苦的時候，不要對別人哀聲怨氣，你們對著我哀聲怨氣，我會很歡喜地承受，因為徒兒們為的是辦佛事，所以你們有痛苦的時候，向我訴說，老師會很高興的接受，很寬心的傾聽，但是希望你們不要把你的血氣輕易爆發，應當把你的血氣用心還給以後的眾生，這是老師最主要的交待。修道人不能做一個君子是很可恥的事，修道人不能知禮，不能達義，那等於污辱修道人的名聲。

◎　不知修道是迷徒，修道而反道敗德是孽徒，知修道而能醒悟是愛徒。

◎　你們皆說因果，因果、因果何時了？如你執著因果，你難了！想了因果，就不要被因果的法輪轉，做無相佈施。為何有徒兒說你被因果牽纏？如為父母的沒將兒女教好，那是因為從小沒教導好，寵他又溺愛他，當然長大就不乖，怎可都說是冤欠造下的，把責任推到冤欠身上去。

◎　另說功德，若執功，你可知你有多少功德啊？徒兒們作一分功德上天自會記下，所以功德非無，但不執著，這需要明白，天上那有無功無德之佛啊！有著即無。想了愿了罪，行功需以平常心，自自然然行道在自然，無中自有即真得。

◎　人是萬物之靈，本是 上天老母派下來要領導萬物、照顧萬物的。而今，上天要人照顧眾萬物之責任未盡，卻處處在殘殺萬物，如此行為怎不使 老母震怒降下劫數。多年來累積下來，人變鬼、鬼變人，冤冤相報皆出世在一家，你可知？徒弟們，咱們平心靜氣，捫心自問，這種事是否咱們要去提醒世間的眾人，挽回這罪惡之心？唉！修道以慈悲為本，生活講求樸素，步步踏實，救渡眾生第一。從今以後，希望徒弟們以身作則。咱所辦乃眾生之工作，你們皆有菩薩之心，但願你們真正培養成菩薩心。

◎　吃、穿、住皆可為眾人標榜，知否？志要高，物質要淡。這邊短，自有那邊長，不要想魚與熊掌皆要，要知輕重。你不信，看自古以來，廟裡佛尊有否一手嬌妻，一手抱子而被雕成金身的。可不是皆清靜貧窮一生嗎？即使雖有，也把那富有環境，皆當成是眾生的，不自己享受。徒兒！你不信，翻開經典歷史就知他們是如何受苦行的。那有記載如何富有、享受摩登的，希望徒兒們一步一步的去做，第一要站穩，小心不要跌倒。享受之事儘量減輕，傷害性命之事，儘量戒除，你們現在雖不像古時修行者，不穿衣可透出毫光，不怕風雨之侵襲。但最起碼不要披毛帶衣，做得到嗎？

◎　成熟的果子好吃，還是不好吃呢？成熟的當然好吃，為何好吃呢？因為它的果實是甜美的。農人採果實都要採成熟的，上天採果實，就像採你們一樣。龍華會上採的便是成熟的果子。徒兒們，你們要讓你們的果實是圓的、是甜的，這才是上天所要採的。成熟的果子是由「陽光」、「水分」、「沃土」、「肥料」和栽培者以「愛心」、「耐心」、「信心」關照完成，徒兒們是那園丁。故要：不斷的研究，不斷的改良，不斷的付出。才能有圓滿的豐收，所謂：「揮淚播種，必歡笑收割」即是。不問上天給多少，只問自己付出了多少。

◎　賢徒們，自己珍重！各人有能力就盡量發揮，萬事起頭難，凡事要忍耐，身體保重為第一，日常生活要注意，你們吃的東西若有偏好，毛病就在那裡。以身體為重，以眾生為重，千萬注意，天雖惜你，也要你自己珍重。好好努力，只要能辦道，即是給老師最大之安慰。但願徒兒各個自重，參加普渡收圓大陣容，各人皆可發出最大潛在力，大家一齊搖槳，撐駛各法船平平安安遊四方救眾生。

◎　師之心為眾生樂；師之心為眾生煩。眾生若是上彼岸，為師交命告母顏；眾生若是末上岸，師心如刀在貫穿。血流心內淚在臉，訴告知心體心田，妙言妙訓千千萬，為的勸化羔羊還。

◎　師能等，師能等，但徒兒們是否真的能回去，師一點把握也沒有。一次一次師相信你們會去做、去行，天上有人在等你們啊，你們快回來，趕快回來！

德配天地

◎　綜觀古今學者紛紛，上古人民樸淳，其仰天地瞻生機，撤生生不易之理。故君子立身兆其初，磊磊平如嬰兒未動，行必軌循陰陽順逆。導民覺，啟民蒙，其身呼，則萬物為之響應。故老子有無為之論，孔堅有忠恕之仁，雖釋佛亦不離平如是我聞。繼往聖則繼其精髓，開來學當開萬古淳僕之門，聖賢德浩浩，凝天地而不虧；大人行蕩蕩，引萬黎使無所諱，上達下學。

◎　為觀其日常隱微，爾學者訪聖心，求上則上達，求仁則仁近，切忌取古聖先賢風儀而標己立異。當知天道無親惟德輔，學道隱惡揚善唯恐不及，何患乎聲名不能人前立？

◎　飛蛾撲火，羊觸藩籬，皆自視過高。君子不違仁義禮智，與人處則春風處處，與事為則團圓融融。事天而不愧，立地而無慚，當萬民所指亦如其所為，又何患聲名利祿幻滅？

◎　看宦海升沈只憑歷史書寫，聽磅應英名在采生心裡流傳，但有形之富貴難換得丹青一頁啊！嘆！榮華添不足，人心惟危，所以識此者，希賢希聖；負此者，縱王侯將相英雄豪傑，也是滄海桑田一坯土籬也！

◎　民智初開無善無惡，隨風花雲月之繁華而意念動想，因利誘而趨之萎靡。在聲色場合裡什麼才是真諦？在動盪不安中如何尋找皈依？

◎　徒兒當知道宇宙惟興減兩義，為人乃天地之靈，古德俱備，當掩其慧黠而將天真之性發揮。世人雖不仁與我，我何妨讓之、忍之！世道與我困頓，我何妨安之、怡之！人情與我以狡詐，我何妨寬之、隨之！

◎　生活不在平安逸，但問精神可否清朗。爾觀顏回簞食瓢飲，子貢出駟服榮，其二人為樂各有不同。

　　願勉徒兒們，在觀平德性虛實！

　　再勉徒兒們，時時顧及模範歪直！

　　再勉徒兒們，且旦誓誓知行合一！

　　爾前途尚然不可知，何不趁今努力修持，留得青山在，必然連綿成巍峨的山脈。徒兒初心不減，必有錦繡風光，遺留在萬代人心！

給小濟公

◎　我看你們現在都是注重辦道，沒有修道，修道是體，辦道是用，體用要兼備，本末要兼顧，有用沒有體，有體沒有用，這都不行，所以修道相當重要。

◎　天賴人，人賴天，上天大道需要仰賴你們宣揚，而你們需要上天這份力量，修自己渡別人。只要你們立志學聖賢仙佛渡化眾生，辦道精進，定有仙佛時時護庇你們，幫助你們。

◎　人生旅途、修道旅途，看前面走得很快，你要趕快加緊腳步；後面的已經不能走，用爬的，你最好是用手拉他一把，這樣人生才不會白活。

◎　走得穩的，要扶走不穩的人，這叫敬老；存好心，講好話，還要做好事。一心想要回天堂，就能回天堂，大家要心連心，手牽手並進，有人懈怠要去拉拔他，不可因外在的引誘，就隨他去。

◎　講故事給你們聽，以前有一個懶禪和尚，他在學道的時候非常懶惰，懶惰人能不能成道？(不能一雖然不能，但到了有一天他被師父點醒了以後則非常的勤勞，終於頓悟了，頓悟了以後，你知道他做什麼事嗎？每天跑百里之路去化緣回來供奉那些未成道、未悟道的人，這點你們曉不曉得什麼意思啊？這叫做了解的人才是應該服務眾生、體恤眾生是嗎？眾生原是天上來的，所以當你們了解的時候才是剛開始要做的時候，是不是？何況我們都還未明性呢！

◎　道真的是很深奧很深奧，非老師我三日一行能夠講得完。老師我借相是不得已的，老師也講。過借相天人見面是三期才有，不簡單，咱們要互相珍惜，更不簡單的是我們要三曹普渡，難得你們六萬年來苦海之中翻滾翻滾，難得有這時候能夠站立起來，站立了以後可得要有志向喔，沒有志向就沒辦法堅決是不是？有志向還得團結，有道是和氣致祥，團結是力量，所以你們要互相提攜。

◎　看到別人運氣好就產生心理矛盾，不平衡，向為師討公平？只因每個人修來的福報不一樣，求老師也沒用呀！這是由每個人的業報來的。所以你今天福報不好的話，你只好積存一點陰德，別人沒看到，但為師幫你記起來了，在理天開立一個銀行戶頭，這就是積陰德積在天上了。

◎　你要積存一點陰德，你做事會比較平順點，有的人修道了，還是發生很多事情，為什麼？因為沒有積存一些陰德之故，陰德是別人所看不到的，別人會看到的，這乃是表面功夫。

◎　讓每個人都看見你在做事情，這才算有德嗎？不見得，如果做功德要做給別人看得到的，這樣修道就不正確。有人在時你勤勞，沒人在時你偷懶，這就是修表面工夫，仙佛不會點你出來罵一頓，有智慧的人他會知道怎麼做，沒智慧的人則跟隨人家怎麼做。有智慧的人他有一種智慧的水，激動著。

◎　有的人辦天事，一直不肯前進，因為怕以後責任重大，挑負重擔，這種心念不好。師徒見面本是不簡單，天人獻計惟有藉顯化，希望你們在壇辦事也好，當一個壇主也好，各人把自己的職責做好。

◎　壇主、講師、辦事人員，都是道中的棟樑，如同樑柱一般，老師的三曹大業就有賴這些精英們來擔當啊！沒有你們，為師縱然有千般法力也不及，千百樣化身也難以挽救更多的徒兒輩。壇主，為師來看你們哪！各個是委曲心中藏，各個是愈修愈「收斂」，有沒有？這個「收斂」之心要去除，雖然是末後了，但是還不是現在。來來，衝不上去的人，為師替你們打打氣、加加油吧！

◎　道理到處皆有，但你要會分辦，該收斂就要收斂，該出來辦事，就應出來，不要混淆不清了。修道要修得自然，率性而為，有些限制乃是讓我們戒之為慎，但不要把戒律變成了束縛，成了束縛之後，就無法率性而為了。要做中流砥柱，要先把根基打好，這根基不是光有學問就夠的。這根基必須你本身從心性方面去修養，培養你的德性，那就得從待人處世之道學起，待人處世之道要向你周圍有德性的人去學習，久而久之我們就會琢磨出我們特殊的性質了。

◎　你們在道場磨來磨去，磨久了你們就沒有習氣了。就是不要自暴自棄，好好的振作起來，好不好？很多問題都沒有一定的答案，那要如何呢？據理力爭嗎？有困難要出來會議，你遇到困難，要提出來，為師一則喜，一則憂，喜的是看到你們有團結力量，為師一召喚就聚在一起：憂的是怕你們在為人處世上不夠圓滿，遇到困難無法解決，有時你們的心境也會沉默，為師的心也是如此，為師遇到愛徒傷心，為師也非常傷心，你們歡喜，為師也會歡喜，如同父母一樣。

◎　大家能聚集一堂，有因有緣，當知要有向心力。沒有向心力，力不從心，如何發揮它的作用？小小一個人力量有多少？就算志願再沖天又能如何？有的人適合在臺前，有的人適合在幕後，不管在臺前或是幕後，都要盡其本分。每個特點把它發揮出來，就是最好的。所以「命裏鱉頭」，不要與人比，一山比一山高，一切只求「盡心」。

◎　道場中有文也有武，文的去行文的，武的去行武的，如果你硬是要一個人做，文武全包，那你一定失敗。當你可以唱得起的地方，你就大聲唱，唱不起時，就養精蓄銳，等可以唱的時候才發揮。辦事不圓通，累死也無功，明白嗎？

◎　修道辦道是三曹大事人間辦，天不言，地不語，道賴人宣傳，人身為三才之一，人為貴，是頂天立地的使者，我們能輕視自己嗎？要自重自愛，人家才會對我們尊敬。

◎　修道的路途考得很多，要吃素也考，要辦道也考，樣樣事情都有考，到時可要看你們的心，你們的智慧，先要把「凡心」去除，你的「道心」才能生出來人家稱你們為「前賢」，做得好就成佛祖，修得不好就成什麼了？(魔頭)這一念之間重不重要啊？非常重要。所以說十年三載進退可見，三年知進退，十年才見高低，所以道是一生一世的事。這到末後時候是昇是降乃一剎那咫尺而已。昇華沈降，你們心境也要有昇華，是不是？把這凡間的慾念昇為自己道心的慾。你們都在僕僕紅塵之中，栽你們這顆蓮花。

◎　你們不要修得職業化了，今天來佛堂面帶笑容，但心裡實在很難過，還裝出笑的樣子，這樣根本不合乎道理。有困難時不該笑了，應該嘴巴垂下來，眼淚掉下來，這樣自然的行為，宛若小孩該哭就哭，該笑就笑，如果強忍，有一天會爆炸。修道不要修的職業化了，帶著一張虛偽的笑容，要出於自然，內心真誠關心別人，愛護人家，才是真正的心、性表現。

◎　壇主每天都跪在蓮前：「老師怎麼辦？」你們畢竟還是凡人迷輩，看不到為師就站在你們面前。為師這樣說，不是要你們著這個形象，你只要有這誠意，各個仙佛隨時都在你身邊！

◎　其他的仙佛常常在講：濟公活佛啊！你的徒弟光要求我們，卻不要求自己。為什麼仙佛不慈悲，仙佛都不撥轉，仙佛要求你們為什麼你們也都不慈悲、不撥轉？你們有沒有這樣子常常反觀自問呢？仙佛要求的，你做到了嗎？只要你跟仙佛配合，一定有轉機，暗中撥轉，有困難為師一定幫助。一切事情順其自然，不要光看表面，光要外表肉體完完整整，為什麼不要求自性昇天，不是更好嗎？更能超脫嗎？人世間有酸甜苦辣對不對？肉體不在，你什麼都沒了哦！反而落個清淨，聽懂不懂？那邊芒果有幾粒？你要是躺在病床上，你能算芒果幾粒嗎？今天賺一百萬，要是氣斷了，一百萬你能拿得到嗎？與其這樣的話，何苦來哉！今天你沒有看到別人的痛苦疾憂，若有空的話到加護病房去走一走，去借宿一晚，便能了解眾生的疾苦，真的是苦！你要深刻地去了解，講道理要深刻的去體悟到，才能講得出來。

◎　希望徒兒們不要只是跟著別人盲修瞎煉，不要只是湊一湊熱鬧，希望你們都能夠認清自己，認清自己的使命，認清自己的因緣，好好地守住道，我們不能修就守住它，我們不能辦就守住它，千萬別為非做歹，你們正值年輕力盛，難免血氣方剛，所以在五花十色的社會當中，你們很容易受到引誘的，老師我擔心的就是這一點，老師我煩惱的也就是這一些。

◎　畢竟你們不曾受過風風雨雨，你們不曾受過風風浪浪，在安逸環境中成長的孩子，很容易墮落，老師我希望你們能夠藉著學道的時機，好好地來鍛鍊自己，讓自己的心志成長，不要隨波逐流，我們要做一個人上人，我們今天代表大道，我們今天是道場中的一份子，所以你的品德行為好，關係著整個道場的榮耀，你的品德行為不好，整個道場便遭到批評，所以你們都富有繼往聖而開來學的使命，不要小看自己，要謹慎忙中錯，要好好地涵養你自己，好好地學道，這個時候你們多看多聽，有能力就多辦。

◎　老師我不奢求你們一定要拿出什麼成績來讓我看，因為個人的智慧不同，個人的志願更不同，希望你們順其自然，不要勉強，因為勉強就容易出差錯，希望你們各盡本心，各盡本份，能做的就做，能辦的就辦，更希望徙兒們替老師我擔一擔責任，老師我雙肩已垂，我再也沒有這份能力多擔當了，老師無德、無能，但是又不能辜負　老母，有道是，君子恥言多於行，你們向上天表白這麼多，你們所做的有多少？你們來這裡辦事雖是為了了愿，多少也要為祖先父母，人活在世上是多麼神聖、尊貴，你們要珍惜！

◎　希望你們在前面的，像海鷗一樣自由自在能夠到各地去佈道：希望你們在後面的，也能夠像海鷗一樣瀟灑自如，心境能夠提昇，將來前後呼應，共同辦收圓。要像海鷗一樣自由自在是不容易的，不是說「身」放蕩不拘就是自在！是要「心」自自在在，「心」瀟瀟灑灑，「心」不受困於難處，才是真正海鷗的精神。

◎　為師知道你們都是刻苦耐勞的人，你們修道、辦道都遇到無計其數的挫折，雖然人家不了解你，但是你的心與老師常相左右。師會聽聽你們訴心語，人家不了解你，你只要想著老師在你左右，們縱然有滿腹的怒氣但不要發出來，要把它沖淡因為有老師的存在。

道法自然

◎　道是什麼？道是本來面目、天理良心、佛性。

◎　道包含很寬、很廣、很大、可高、可低、可胖、可瘦，不管是乾道、坤道都可以聽得懂，可以感受的，那才是真正的道，如果你的道只有這樣子大 (老師用手畫一個圓一那只是你自己想的道。)

◎　舉頭三尺有神明，那個「神明」就是天地之間判斷因果、報應、善惡的一 個準則，也就是上面有個天秤，它會把你們的觀念、念頭集合起來，再輸送出去，這就是天地之間十分奧妙的事情。

◎　未有天地，天地在道；既有天地，道在宇宙之中。未有天地，未有道，未有人，性在哪裡？在 老中。天主性、性主心、心主意、意生身，身主形外。

◎　常常以自我觀念去約束別人，不能自我開放，這不是道。相反的，能夠適用能適時，因時因地因人而用，這就是道。

◎　中國的文字奧妙無邊，但也無法道盡「道」；因為道是無形無象的，是要靠人去體悟、去實行，從天理良心去體悟其人。因「道」是從實行中產生的，非只口說而已。

◎　知「道」，只是看到門的位置而已，須踏步走入，才能知道門內的世界，故中庸有言：「道也者不可須臾離也，可離，非道也。」

◎　車有車軌，飛機亦有固定的航線，不可偏離路線，如果不依照正道而走，就會出軌。因「道」就是路。做事亦須依循理路，若不依循理路，到頭只會白忙一場。凡事只要按照正確的理路去做，那就對了。

◎　道在何處？道在自身。道是理，這是自性，做人處事皆離不了道。

◎　道是無形無象，行出來即為德！何時才行道？在平常就要行。所以道在日常生活當中，對父母存有孝心嗎？對朋友盡信嗎？吃飯是不是吃過飽了？道理很平常，就在日常當中。人離了道，如同違反了法律，雖法律之外有人情，終究是犯了法。

◎　每個人盡忠職守，把自己的本份做好，自然就有道。

◎　不要以為今天求了道沒什麼特別的，要知道，「道」即代表佛性那種自然，只是你不了解而已！

◎　真味本是淡，淡味才能常。其實生活就是平平淡淡，沒有什麼特別新鮮稀奇的。為什麼呢？每天早上我梳洗，然後上班上學，回來就吃飯、梳洗、 睡覺，又隔一天，就這樣的返復，這就是自然之道。因為道就是平平淡淡、自自然然，做你每天該做的事。那為什麼會覺得空虛？因為你沒有去體會到其中的道理。

◎　多盡一點心，不要老是粗心大意，這是日常的道理，為師我每次批訓，總是要你們知道在日常當中。如何敬老？如何慈幼？這都是道，不是講得天花亂墜才是道。

◎　用餐拿筷子時要一動一靜才是道。吃飯也是道，筷子一動一靜才比較容易夾呀！

◎　什麼叫「平凡」？平凡就是很普通、不突出，亦即中庸。

◎　只要徒兒們能認其、認理，不分彼此，盡心盡力盡自己本份素位而行，不需要標新立異，更不需要求什麼，雖是平凡但實際上卻是不平凡，這才稱為「道」。

◎　既然是潮流，就會褪色。我們學的就是那一點真常，真常之性才能夠常清靜。你們一時的歌唱，一時的高興就會永恆永遠嗎？那些都是短暫的，你們現在唱歌唱得很高興，待會兒沒有唱歌，心是不是冷落下來了？所以你們應該找出真正的快樂。

◎　赤子心難得啊！當你已染上了七情六慾後，卻還能時時想到你的赤子之心 ，那真是難啊！

◎　很多時候是自己想不開、想不通，本來沒有這麼複雜，都是自己想不通。你要去了解它的來龍去脈，因為任何一件事情都有可能隨時在轉變，而你的心卻一直停留在過去。事情都已經過去了，你還是停留在以前的回憶裡，這是非常傻的。真實的修道、平實的修道，才是真的。平實的人就會腳踏實地，一步一步地走。

◎　有時候中庸之道不好行，若很容易讓自己的心高高低低，平常就要反省自己的心，不要讓太多外面的事情，來干擾自己的心，這你得要慢慢地去體會。為師問你們：我的乖徒兒是什麼樣子呢？是不是很自然的以赤子之心去待人？如果是這樣，那就是自然之道。

◎　道就是這麼簡單啊！你整天念佛無形中卻沒發現你已離群索君、獨善其身，這樣是不是真善啊？你們就是常常把自己套上一副枷鎖，用各式各樣的鎖來鎖住自己。把自己套牢了，就算防得住別人，而無形中你的生活也相對的顯得更狹隘了啊！這還是有形的。無形的呢？你鎖住了自己的心，你忘記了你應該有的天真。老天有沒有把江上之清風也給鎖住了啊？有沒有把明月也給鎖住了？

◎　天，既然都能存大愛，為何萬物之首、萬物之靈的「人」卻不能呢？所以 ，為師勸徒兒們要以仁厚的大愛為鑰匙，去啟開每個像死蚌一樣的心扉，好不好啊？

◎　上天賦性給我們，所以說性從天理。如果你一輩子沒有接受其理的滋潤，或許你長大以後就會為非做歹，因為你沒有受過其理的薰陶，不知道什麼 叫做好？什麼叫做不好？什麼叫做是？什麼叫做不是？哪一件事可以做？哪一件事不能做？這樣你就白活在人世間了。在此要再提醒你的心，這叫做「心從道理」。而「身從事理」呢？就是能通人事，要看準道理該怎麼做才去做。

◎　有的人平常見他「好像」很好，有一天突然發現他「好像」心情很不好，怪怪的，那時的「好像」就是用你這個上面的「好像」來感覺的，靈感也是這麼來的。這是活生生的，你們都把它想得好難，都把它扯到人事上、是是非非上，修道怎能自然呢？你們都局限在某個事情上，而讓活生生的道都感受不到。

◎　贈送三句話給大家當座右銘：「閉門聞佛經，開門接佳客，出門遊山水」

　　1.為何叫你閉門閱佛經？又是讀何經？(要請自己的自性經)讀自己的自性經，愈讀心會愈回來，心平方能氣平，病不入侵。

　　2.開門接佳客，客人來了要歡歡喜喜迎接他進來，表示自己有肚量不小氣 ，佛門大大開，有緣人通通進來。

　　3.人一出門心要放輕鬆，如遊山水快快樂樂，遊山水接近大自然，才知道天地的廣闊，以及天地的精神，要開闊自己的胸襟。人要效法地，地效法天，天效法道，道效法自然，也就是效法自然的胸襟氣度。

◎　道本無言，但古聖先賢為使後人有所體悟，故用文字記載，而千經萬典其實只在印證明師一指點。

◎　當下開悟，則沒有任何瑕疵，無我無他。好比真心付出，不計己利，亦不求回報，所以明心見性雖只一人，但能容萬人而無分別心。

◎　文以載道，今天所講的文字，言語是不是「道」？你若透過文字，了解了它的涵義，那才是真的，而不是執著於文字、外表、形象。所以為師說三言兩語還是道不盡真道，就算為師今天說的再多，或是默默不云，依舊無法訴盡，惟有徒兒們一心體會實踐，才能夠得到道的精髓。你得到明師一指的那一點就是真的。

◎　難道說「道」只是研究幾本經典就是道了嗎？經典是用來印證道而已。你們卻只是在經典上「鑽」，就是沒有想到要在靈性上「鑽」。當你專注地投入一件事情時，你就會發現「道」的妙用。而你是否曾經在做事時，突然產生許多靈感？並又是好奇怪的靈感，讓你做得更好，如果有，那就是真正的妙用。不要以為自己經典充實得多好就可以當聖人，那是靈性的妙用、是活生生的、很活動的，要能真正的「活用」，那才是其正的聖人。道理是要靈活運用，融會貫通。一理可以貫通所有問題，這就是真道。如果是邪道，就是只有自己可以別的都不可以。真道要合乎中庸不偏不倚。每一件事都有根本，就像木有根、水有源，做事也有根源，做人也要有根本。根本要守得住，就要勤耕耘，腳踏實地去做，不可混水模魚。所以「守本」就是要守住根本，我們修這就是要使靈性返回自性的無極理天故家鄉，這才是我們的根源。希望你們能牢記在心並好好守住。人最可惜的就是忘本，若忘記了，可得趕緊找回來，這才是道。

◎　水不會嫌碗的形狀，到哪一個容器，就順那個樣子；裝多少就是多少，不會挑剔，不會因抹布的髒而不給它用。水雖然平常，但大家都需要它；髒布用水洗乾淨後水髒了卻讓桌布乾淨了，自己犧牲了，這就是道，自然就是道。

◎　你盡心盡力就不愧於天地，因為盡心才能夠天地相容，如果今天你無天心就沒辦法做天下的事情，就連吃飯都沒辦法安心。道在日常啊！吃飯是最基本的道理。

◎　我們立足於天地自然界當中，就要行乎自然，才能達乎圓滿，你達乎圓滿之前要怎樣？先保護自己的良知，就是表一不你尊重這個生命，既然是尊重生命，那就得要尊重他人。生命之源就在天地，所以說來說去人都還是在天地萬物之間，瞭不瞭解其中的奧義啊！

無相功德

◎　無相功德，才是真功德。不要向人家顯揚，更不要太驕傲，驕則必敗。

◎　世上的名利錢財都會消失，唯有無形的功德才是永久的，不怕別人偷，因為是偷不走的。依個人的能力而行，有多少能力就做多少，只要有真誠的心，上天都會幫助你的。

◎　功德是什麼？真正你去幫助別人，而別人得到你的好處，同時你也不記住你是在幫人，那才是功德。

◎　大家都想多做佛事好好行功立德，但所謂的功德，不是你為了功德而做佛的事才是功德，而是你真心全意在做佛的事時，功德就在其中。

◎　要做功德很簡單，日常生活中隨時可得。譬如說：一句鼓勵的話也是，而施出去的恩惠可不要每天惦記著它啊！這才叫做真功德。

◎　有時候默默無聞的功德反而大，像我們出來耍寶的不一定功德大，但是，我的徒兒往往只重視表面功夫。別人今天不掃地，我就說他不盡心，而今天他說要行功立德，好像沒做，我就盯著他要做。這種自己不管好自己，儘是管別人的人，叫做「閒人」，叫做重表面功夫的人。

◎　有德者必可接受外來的一切爭執、一切批評。萬物皆有得有失，陰陽相濟方能互補。所以有智慧、有天份，還要修其德，而「大智若愚」乃德者的表徵。

◎　你們若修道不要想求功德、求福報。你若想求功德，你就沒功德；你若要求福報，有！你能有福報，但是福報盡了以後，你同樣會輪迴四生六道。

接駕的真諦

◎　你們接駕，是在接誰的駕啊！為什麼要接駕？天命在那裡？拿給我看？很難自圓其說是不是？什麼叫「接駕」知不知道啊？剛才老師問你們老師在那裡啊？老師是你自己啊，是不是？同樣的道理，接駕也是這個意思，大家佛性是平等的，為什麼要誰接誰的駕呢？這是你們想過的念頭卻不敢再想了，自己找不到答案，就把他蓋起來，這叫做「掩耳盜鈴」，要去拿別人的鈴噹，卻把耳朵塞起來，當作沒聽到。

◎　所以接駕是接自己的駕，不是接別人的駕，但是我們要藉著形象來明白自身的道，所以被接駕的人，如果心裡洋洋得意，那就是掉入地獄了，這是自己掉下去，沒有人推你下去的。我們是什麼人，憑什麼要人家跟我們接駕呢？所以人家尊重的是每一個人的那個佛性，而不是你們所謂的「天命」，知道嗎？

◎　是要你們在接駕的時候，反求諸己。這個功夫很平易，也很精深，要看你自己能不能平和地想，並不是告訴你佛性平等，大家平等，你就可以目中無人，你們不要會錯意，就像我們要尊重我們的父母，我們的長輩，這是同樣的道理，是人倫之道，應該遵從。這些人倫之道，每一個人都要從這裡累積起來，將這些帶入生活當中才算修道人；運用在我們的日常生活當中，才算是修道人。

當下才是道

◎　徒啊！火候修得怎麼樣了？身為前賢的人，難道你們的火候就僅限於一句不中聽的話﹒就火冒三丈，暴跳如雷了嗎？如果，你們後天的修養樣樣不如人家，至少總得涵養、涵善你們的火候及你們的德性啊！想一想，為什麼你們都甘願跟隨你們老前人、前人的腳步在辦道、修道呢？自己心裏反省一下，你們老前人在世的時候，都是達著規矩在辦道，做事也都是遵循祖師的服條、規矩。他雖然是貴為一位領導者，他可是愈修愈謙恭，愈辦愈守規矩啊！你們不學他，又要學什麼呢？

◎　雖然為師離開這個世間已經多年了，但是普渡眾生的心仍然一往如常；你們老前人、前人是那麼的讓為師放心，而你們呢？你們立的愿跟為師的愿一樣，跟諸天仙佛的愿也是一樣，可是你們做的又是怎麼樣呢？如果就十分來說，你們到底像了幾分？這些你們想過嗎？

◎　徒啊！你們每一個人都受明師一指點，會不會運用呢？懂不懂得把你的良心、本性完全地顯露出來啊？修道人智慧當流露，你流露了嗎？徒兒們想想看，如果你流露的話，你就會知道自己的過錯在哪裡。所以說，智慧是要用在自己的身上，絕對不是開口閉口都是人家的對錯；你在批評人家對錯的時候，怎麼不回過頭來看看自己的過錯？也許你的過錯比人家還要大、還要多咧！所以說，時時反觀自己、時時反省你自己，這才是在學道、修道啊！

◎　你們越低心，別人就越敬重你們，如果你們常起高傲的心、傲慢的心，常起不服與不平，那你們是害了自己呀！要心存正氣呀！無有對待，沒有自己，修道最後就是要去掉我執、我見，知道嗎？

◎　徒啊！希望你們時時存著感恩的心，感謝天恩師德，就不會怨天尤人，你們的心也就不會不平，會回歸清靜，自然就不會胡思亂想了。請問，你們每天誦經有沒有把它的意思記起來？有沒有去行、去做啊？你們有沒有讀清靜經？知道意思嗎？為師希望裏面的意思徒兒都能去參悟。什麼叫做「清靜」？你們現在的心全都不清靜，外面一有干擾授，你們的心就晃動。好好的觀照自性，唯有自性圓明清靜，才能達證佛道。

◎　人畢竟還是人，總是承恩容易知恩難；可是徒啊！就算是很難，你總要表示一下自己肯不肯做啊！有的人知道難就退了；你們總得知道，在知難當中該如何去做？如何地承擔？告訢你們，世界上的事沒什麼好爭的，如果你們還「明知故犯」，那是罪加一等啊！不要到最後賠了夫人又折兵，這不是很划不來嗎？

◎　還有一種最深的罪，就是順著仙佛的言語，而以你自己的私意去解釋，這種以自己的心意而誤導眾生的罪，你們得靜心想想啊！姑且不論你看了多少仙佛，又問問你們是怎樣的心態？仙佛講的話，你們真心、靜心地聽過了多少？徒啊！會講話不是厲害，會聽話才是重要，聽得懂仙佛所講的內涵相當重要，因為仙佛所提醒的話你在有形無形、有意無意當中，都有可能犯到那些錯。

◎　道在日常生活中，你得自個兒去尋找。你若找不到，就回頭問問仙佛，仙佛在無形當中會給你指引，但是如果是自己恍然大悟，是不是比人家告訢你的還來得更好？恍然大悟所得到的便是無上的法喜，經過人家的講說，像老師我給你們的解說，都已經不是道啦！道是不需要言語的，有言語的是教化。老師我今天是來教化、來教導徒弟的，為師很願意一肩檐起你們的錯，但是，那可能嗎？以後你們自己所造的、所犯的，可要自己承擔了，不能再要老師替你們擔待呀！以後可不可以不要再聽到你們的埋怨呀？發現自己有錯，馬上叩頭懺悔！一個起心動念發現自己又偏了、又邪了、又淫了，趕快跟　老母說對不起，可不可以？

◎　徒呵！時時保持一顆戰戰兢兢的心，罪過錯就會越來越少，罪過錯愈來愈少，就會發現自己愈來愈自然、愈活愈快活。

◎　人最怕動心，你一動心之後，魔就會趁虛而入，這表示你們靜的功夫不夠。就寢前你們多靜心，縱使你們再忙碌，你們一定要靜個十分鐘、十五分鐘才能夠睡覺，檢討一下你今天做了些什麼；早上起來不要急著上班，你們提早十分鐘，想想今天還有誰沒盡心成全，不要在家裡光是看電視，好不好啊？徒啊！你們都認為自己已經做到自己的本份了嗎？你們本份沒有做好，還要妄談其他的大事嗎？不能解決其他人的事，就無法救眾生。為師我教你們一個躲避地獄門的方法！承認自己的不是，承認自己的罪、過、錯，你就不會進地獄門了，是不是？你要肯承認自己的不是，才會有成功的機會，你們要當聖人嗎？聖人是不是過多？

◎　蘋果是不是先從裡面開始腐爛？外觀看起來還好好的，但是裡面已經爛了，是誰促成他的腐爛？是你們自己首當其衝啊！想想看，沒有團結，哪來的力量？沒有謙和，哪來的道場？沒有犧牲、奉獻，道親們會無緣無故地感念你們嗎？

◎　你們老要有老的肚量，少要有少的謙恭，如果辦到現在每個人都孤苦伶仃，那你們是辦什麼道？若是獲罪於天，真的是無所禱也。趁著現在上天大開恩典，好好懺悔懇求對方原諒，如果對方不原諒你們，難道就不要再辦了嗎？因為你們所帶領的方式都不是一個好模範，人家怎麼跟？你不是越辦越錯嗎？可是，你們如果因此而不辦的話，那不是更誤己誤人了！所以，徒兒啊！犧牲眼前的享受，作好榜樣，往後的路會更好走。

◎　如果把你這非常難捨的心交給天，沒有了「我」，那你還有什麼可以計較的？眾生放不下就是放不下，哭也哭過，哀也哀過；想想看，或許在辦道當中，你只是個傀儡，你的心已經起不了那個勁了哦！「因為外在、內在，因為一切」，你們只會講「因為」，只會去怪別人：一因為他如此做，我才會如何。」這就是告訢你們，反求諸己的工夫夠不夠？

◎　徒啊，你們苦嗎？你們不苦，可是你們很怨哪！你們敢說你沒有怨過上天嗎？每個人都怨氣沖天，你們也怨老師我。為師每天為著徒兒，都被人家說「濟私」啊！你們有沒有想過：你們的罪、過、錯在哪裡？你們找不出來嗎？還說自己有德行，還說自己沒修人情道！

◎　什麼是整領道場？你們的心沒有整頓，如何整頓道場？想想自己，你們擁有什麼樣的心？大部份的時間都是人心、凡心，真正的佛心都在哪兒了？只有在你們初發心的時候才有那麼一點點，可是時間一久，又沒有了。如果老是以自己的人心在辦天事，當然天事也變人事了啊！你如果有心辦，就要以天心來辨人事，那麼，人事也變天事啊！為師我千求萬求，所求的就是徒兒的這一點真心！

◎　今天你們為什麼沒有真心呢？你們也許會想：「為什麼我沒有真心呢？」你為何不想為什麼你沒有「良心」呢？良心跑到哪裏去了？看不到也摸不著。你們可以口頭上說找到了，實際上呢？一旦回到自己的環境裡頭，你們還不是一樣又陷入那個困境。

◎　徒兒呀！十五條佛規是哪十五條？你們有幾個人記得呢？你們是不是把它掛在牆壁上，看都不看一眼呀？你們問問自己，當個壇主，連十五條佛規是什麼都不清楚，你說你佛規禮節會做得好嗎？你們已經不是新道親了，最基本的佛規禮節又懂了多少？為師在你們身上看不到一點誠心敬意，跟前賢之間只不過是虛應禮貌而已啊！今天修道的功夫就在反省自己而已，你們沒有常常反省，卻只有看到人家不好的地方，都反省別人！要知道，當你的手指著別人的錯時，你們有沒有想過自己也錯了呢？

◎　今天你們每個人都帶著人心活在這個世界上，從來沒有存著佛心。道這麼寶貴，被你們用人心來辦，你說天事會辦得圓滿嗎？每個人都是不圓滿的，就連老師我也不圓滿啊！老師我沒有辦法讓這個世界圓滿，這是我的錯；三曹重任為師擔不起，也是為師的罪。你們每天看得到自己的錯嗎？每一個動念，都可能是錯的；每一句話，講出來都可能考倒別人，那你們怎麼可以不謹慎、不小心呢？

◎　前賢有不對，是前賢的錯，你們應該也要自我糾正；真是修道人，不能有怨恨前賢的心；你們不知道，這貪、嗔、痴、怨，積多了會破壞你的一顆慈心，知道嗎？是真修道人，沒有看人的不是，只有自個兒的不是；你沒有做好，你盡想前賢的不對，那你自個兒難道就對了嗎？你們是不是也要跟前賢賠個不是啊？

◎　為師我是真的很希望教徒兒能互敬互愛，能夠真正把心修好；你心不修好、你念不修好，怎麼養這大無畏慈悲之精神啊？你們前面的人有不好的習慣，有錯誤的都要改掉，要多體貼後學的心啊！你們做後學的也要多敬愛前賢，想一想前賢開荒犧牲是為了誰？你們今天不能為了小惡小怨而忘了大恩；咱們修道，可千萬不能做個忘恩負義的人，明白嗎？

◎　當旁人欺你、嘲笑你的時候，徒兒們當怎麼做？罵他嗎？恨他嗎？記住他嗎？放下不是那麼簡單，尤其是要放下一切的毀譽更是難。你們常為了尊容，情願在人前表現一副很吃得開的樣子，可是暗地裡是如此嗎？為什麼要逞強呢？你們都很喜愛權位，但是縱然你擁有了一個頭銜，就真的能消解你冤親債主的債嗎？

◎　你們都喜歡看新奇的事物，喜愛問因果，但是，就算知道因果，那又怎麼樣？有用嗎？縱使你是大羅金仙下凡，你不好好修道也是一樣。表面上你們各個都很聽話，可是你暗地裡呢？卻在分別你我：「聽我話的就是好朋友，不聽我話的就是我的敵人。」為師要問你們，天上哪有不和氣的仙呢？你跟人不和，這個惡緣在人間不化掉，回天以後能化嗎？你怨嗔心在凡間不化掉，你回天能化嗎？

◎　你們都喜歡無中生事，平常安份守己的日子不過，卻在是是非非中打滾，請問：說人是非能更有智慧，還是表示你很能明辨是非呢？為師我所說的每一句，徒兒都要記在心中。不要在這裡很感動，回去之後又受世俗的影響，為師我不要你們這種徒弟，因為為師我看了難過。

◎　徒啊，刻意標榜自己理念的人，就會遭受考驗；而理念要正確，就得時時保持謙虛的胸襟。徒兒想想：你再聰明，猜測得出別人下一步要做什麼，但是你猜測得出上天下一步會做什麼嗎？你說下雨就下雨嗎？你想要晴天就放晴了嗎？

◎　徒啊，如果你能修得聖德如如的話，天地都為你所感啊！所以，不要以你的經驗去辦道，因為你以為你有經驗就可以驕傲了，上天的用意是難以讓你去測知的，除非你有恆敬不二之心。劫災要怎麼扭轉？唯有用徒兒的心去扭轉。要知徒兒的善心也能感動天心，但是徒兒一定要率性去做，好嗎？徒兒怕不怕災劫啊？沒什麼好怕的，是不是？鬼神都是人去做的，禍福也是同樣的意思。希望徒兒不要忘記自己的愿立，好不好？

◎　修辦道是沒有個人脾氣的，你肉體再苦，身心再疲乏，只有往前衝，沒有往後退的。這就是前者的擔待，跟後進的不同。為何前者要擔待如此之多？因為上位者總是難為啊！

◎　徒啊！想想自己在道場、在社會上﹒是不是常喜歡攬權霸勢？是不是喜歡強出頭？沒有做到謙虛讓人，只為了自己一時的慾念而逞能，有沒有啊？要不要改啊？個性強的要改，要外柔內剛。

◎　你們當講師的想要代天宣化，有沒有反省過自己的心、自己的言、自己的行啊？尤其當一個壇主的人，自己的生活起居合不合禮？不合乎禮的就要改喔！

◎　徒兒們有沒有想過，燒香磕頭是自個兒的事，那為什麼徒兒燒香叩頭各個都是敷衍了事呢？隨便磕磕就算了，真心叩頭的有幾個？每日愿懺文真心唸的又有幾個？從現在起，抱著感恩懺悔的心去唸、去磕，好不好啊？你們自己去想一想，捫心自問看看，你今天身為人家的前賢，你體恤人家了沒有？受到父母的考，就說父母不明理；受到兄弟姐妹的考，也說兄弟姐妹輕視你；受到夫妻的考，說太太不懂事，談先生橫行霸道；受到朋友的考，被人家輕視、被人家譏笑，你吃素的意志就不堅定，有沒有這樣啊？徒兒啊，悔悟，到時為師我也救不了你啊！

◎　徒兒們為什麼一個個要違背誓愿，說過的話不算話？受到考驗，一個個就怨上天，一但得到上天的庇佑後，又一個個的重新發愿，可是為師再問問你們自己，以前的愿了了沒？現在的愿了了沒？沒了，為什麼又要重新再發愿哪？為師我是冀盼你們把自己的職責做好，素位而行、量力而為，不要去爭強鬥勝，也不要去比較誰渡的人多、誰渡的人少，重要的是要成全呵！問問自己，你到底成全了幾個？你有沒有帶好人家啊？自個兒想想啊！

◎　身為壇主可是責任重大喔！就像一船的舵手，方向不清楚可以嗎？希望徒兒們能做到：一、自動自發參加辦事人員的行列；二、整頓身心，起居生活要有規律；三、每天叩頭，迥向給你的冤親債主吧！唸愿懺文的時候，真心的懺悔，時時刻刻的懺悔，有說就要去做，這叫做知行合一。有事就做，不要等到沒有事可以做的時候才來後悔。有的時候罰罰自己的肉體，吃一點苦頭，罪才消得快，不要太珍惜自己的假體，身體是四大假合。

◎　為師希望徒兒好啊，有苦就忍進去，有苦向濟公傾吐，不要怨天尤人。如果別人跟你們發牢騷，就學學為師我，把你們的苦背起來、消化掉。不要一個傳一個，否則，人家的隱私，都被你給散佈得滿天飛！

當下才是道(二)

◎　徒兒們還有哪裡沒有修圓滿的？還有什麼責任還沒有盡到的？徒兒要趕快認清啊！不要再管這個道盤以後要怎麼轉變？怎麼樣的交接？什麼人又怎麼樣啦！這些該是你們操心的事情嗎？你們想想看：你們眼前、當下，有多少迫切、急須要你們去做的事情？而你們還有那麼多的心思，那麼多的時間去想一些本來就不可知的事情嗎？你們需要那麼好奇嗎？你們不是不用心，就是把心用錯了地方，對不對？

◎　在老祖師時代的弟子，哪裡會知道辦道的人將來會把道傳遍山陬海隅，大道會傳到海外各國？這是當初他們能夠想得到的事情嗎？所以說，這一切的天事，都是上天的安排，絕非人力所及的呀！

◎　徒兒啊！你們所要操的心是：在這個末後時期，為師及你們師母、老前人、前人都一再地提醒你們的問題，就是假若你們道不辦了﹒那麼，在你們面對一些考驗與問題的時候，要怎麼去應付？徒兒們想想看，你們後面帶著一大群人，要怎麼去引導他們？你們又要怎麼去鞏固自己的心，好好的修持自己呢？這些才是眼前最實際的事情啊！

◎　你們同樣是在辦道，是不分而分；體制上是分，但私底下可不能分得那麼清楚。好比你們到外面去開荒辦道，碰到有須要幫忙的地方，你們要不要盡力去幫忙啊？他辦、你辦，他宏展、你也宏展，道不都是一樣道務宏展，是嗎？如果你們分得那麼清楚，私心那麼重，分別心那麼重，怎麼可以啊！當你有人才時，能夠去幫助人家，那是你應該覺得光榮的事啊！對不對？希望你們謹記在心。

◎　何謂道務宏展，並不一定就是要辦出多大一片的道場。讓為師來做個比喻，一個很大果實的，但是它裏面有了蛀蟲，這果子還有用嗎？你的脾氣、毛病不改，就是蛀蟲；相反的，如果道務辦得雖然不多，果實小小的，但是沒有蛀蟲在裏面，它還是有它的價值，對不對？所以說，成就不在大小，而是在於實實在在、腳踏實地去做，徒啊！你們要明白這一點。道就是實實在在的去做人、實實在在的去成全人；有多少人你就成全多少人，你們只要好好的帶著道親修辦道，好好的去做，人少又有什麼要緊呢？

◎　有的人說：「老師呀！求您讓我健健康康啊！現在我有家庭、有孩子，讓我七十歲以後就開始修道、辦道。」這種心願好不好？(不好)七十歲為什麼不好？(辦不動了)那為師讓你活六十歲，「六十歲，我才出來修、辦道」，好不好？(不好）為什麼不好？因為來不及了。你知道你可以活到幾歲嗎？(不知道）是啊！你說你要到六十歲以後再出來辦道，就怕你只活到五十九歲呢！那為師不是很為難嗎？為師是想完成你的心愿，讓你出來修辦道，可是你卻只活到五十九歲，那不就變成為師我不慈悲了嗎？

◎　修道是什麼人來修的呢？有人說修道不是普通人可以修的，有的乾道都不來修道，說修道是女人家的事！「那種到廟裏拿香拜拜的事，我乾道才不碰呢！」有人這樣說哦！請問，生死是誰的事啊？(自己）我還以為是只有女人家的事！所以說，修道是自己修自己得呀！有的人說，要等到七十歲才來修道，為師就很擔心，等到他七十歲不知道還有沒有道？

◎　有相聚就有別離，有是就有非、有對就有錯，你們是要在這是是非非、對對錯錯、成成敗敗裡面起起伏伏，道是要跳出這些是是非非、對對錯錯、成成敗敗的因子？如果咱們是在困境裏面，也不必難過，因為時間的流逝會讓我們離開困境；可是如果我們處在順境，時間也是不會為你停留的，難道，到那時候我們又要傷心難過了嗎？所以，總是人在境中轉的，是不是？為師告訢你們一句話：「揮心自在塵中淨」，學禪的心、超凡的心，是需要在這個紅塵當中清淨的，如果沒有旁邊的污濁，是體會不到其中感覺的。

◎　誠如此刻的這種寧靜、安祥的感覺，我們都深深停留在其中，可是時間在走、光陰在過，誰也不能停留永遠都是最美好的時刻，但是我們可以創造。雖然時間過了，但是我們還是可以擁有對仙佛的那份恭敬心、禮佛的，有歡喜、有悲傷，完全就看我們自己的心。已經逝去的不能再復回，那又何須難過呢？要知道，唯一擁有的是當下，只有當下才是屬於你的，應該看好前程，走好方向，為明天、為未來努力，畢竟我們盡過一份心力，畢竟我們在做自己的責任。當下做得好，當下就成了。仙佛菩薩是怎麼成的？當下他們的一心一念是慈悲，是為眾生，所以現在他們才為眾生所崇拜、崇敬，你們也可以秉持這眾心。為師的徒兒們，坤道各個都像善薩般端莊、慈悲，為師相信你們都可以做得很好；乾道各個都是敢做敢當，勇於面對一切，有責任感，為師相信你們也都可以做得很好。

◎　徒啊！你們每個人都有潛在的力量，但是，潛在的力量靠誰打開？(自己）為師也願意助你們、幫你們，為師也希望徒兒們能發揮自己的力量，為師希望徒兒們的生命都能更燦爛、更光輝，你們每個人的生命都能更有意義、活得更實在。雖然有悲就有歡，但是悲傷也不必難過，因為咱們要掌握的是當下。你們覺得此刻很好嗎？心靈安靜嗎？收獲多嗎？願不願意永遠這樣持續永久呢？

◎　人間的位置好不好坐？(不好坐）如果有一天你覺得人間的位置很好坐時，那你就可以坐天上的位置了。現在還很難坐的話，表示還有一段距離，還要繼續坐哦！將來你們是想成佛坐在上面，還是想要當人站在下面？你們要做仙佛的事，仙佛是到處跑的，而且做仙佛所做的事，你們就有仙佛一般的肚量與慈悲，你們可願意嗎？

◎　在六萬年前的盤古開天，生人生地開始，其中歷經了多少朝代、多少歲月、多少春秋，一直到今天，你們已經走了這麼長的一段路了，到了現在，這是最後一次了，徒啊！不要放棄，要享受的，以前都享受夠了，要玩樂的，以前也都玩樂夠了；趁著你們還有肉身假體的時候，趕快借假修真，沒有這個肉身假體，徒兒們還沒辦法修辦道呢！這是最後一次機會了，誰也不敢把握是不是還有來生？更不敢把握來生還有人身，也許是畜生或是濕卵胎生，任誰都不能把握，不能預料；唯一能把握的是今生，徒兒們要清楚地知道今生你要的是什麼？

◎　今生今世你們有這個肉身，你們得沾天恩，你們求道修道，還有道場給你們辦道，這是多麼浩大的天恩啊！不修不辦是誰的損失？自古以來有狀元徒弟，沒有狀元老師，是不是？你們都是狀元徒弟啊！要不要力爭上游？你們都懵懵懂懂地過了那麼多年了，還好，上天慈悲，你們現在都還來得及修辦道，當下就是了，還要等什麼呢？等家庭安排好了才出來修嗎？等事業有成了才出來修辦嗎？等你安排妥當了才來幫助人嗎？等你們長大一點嗎？還是在等什麼？你們時間都太多了，多到有時間可以胡思亂想，多到有時間可以和人家計較，如果你們把這些時間拿來修修自己，拿來幫助別人那該多好，你們把時間都浪費在這些無謂上的雜念，空過了光陰，虛掛了修道名，徒啊，捫心自問將來要如何成就呢？

◎　或許你們會認為自己做得不好，會愧對老師，但不好畢竟也已經做了，做了就讓它成為過去、成為往事，不要再回憶了！你們要注重的是現在，這樣才能夠創造未來，不是嗎？如果一直沈緬過去、一直想著自己過去有多輝煌、多美好，那你也不過是個老人罷了，因為只有老人才會沈溺在過去的回憶裡頭，年輕人是應該把握當下的。為師希望你們修道、學道要像個道地的年輕人，永遠保持著初發心，永遠保持著衝勁，好嗎？

◎　你們每個人都希望被關懷、被重視、被愛護，但是問題就在於你們是要做被愛護的人，這是做愛護人家的人？被愛者是永遠站在那邊被動的，只有愛人者才是有天大的財富。我們主動的給人家一個微笑，不是要你們去送禮，而是給人家一份微笑、一份肯定、一份鼓勵。徒啊！試著去做做看，這個都是在生活當中的道啊！生活就是修道哦！

◎　徒啊！不要在外頭徘徊，也不要再猶豫不決了，這道是真道，不會騙你的。如果你說這道是假的，沒關係，你來看一看嘛！看哪一點是假的？沒有的話，就好好的去做，他們沒有叫你們做傷天害理的事情嘛！都是叫你們孝順父母、友愛兄弟、對朋友要有信，都是這些，這就是最平常的。咱們只要把最平常的做好，這就是修道，咱們吃飯準時吃飯，睡覺準時睡覺，這就是修道，就是這麼簡單。

◎　修道人啊！容易犯一個通病，久了就想得很多、很複雜。為師服你們舉個例子：有個徒兒很老了，鬍子一大把了，有一天小仙童來，很喜歡逗弄人家，就問他說：「您睡覺的時候鬍子是擺在外面，還是擺裡面？」那個人說：「對哦！我不知道睡覺時鬍子是擺外面，還是擺裡面。」結果那個晚上他就失眠了。你們猜那晚他是怎麼睡的？他整個映上都在想：「我的鬍子到底要擺在哪裡睡？」結果，他前一個小時先把鬍子擺在被子裏面睡，睡了一個小時之後，發現睡不著；於是他又把鬍子拿到被子外面來睡，還是睡不著。哇！怎麼辦？於是他就決定不管了，睡覺！目的是什麼？(睡覺）我管它鬍子在哪裡！後來他才發現，原來他睡覺的時候有時鬍子在被子外面，有時在裡面；冷的時候，有時候鬍子會自己跑進來。這就對了痲！我管它鬍子在哪裡！道理是一樣的。

◎　「老師啊！我現在是做這件事情好呢？還是到佛堂做那件事情好呢？」做哪一件事情好？什麼都好！做事就對了！兩件事情沒有辦法同時進行，就要兩利相衡取其重，兩害相衡取其輕，你們都很聰明的嘛！平常的時候，一切的事情都可以打理得這麼好，可是真正到了聖凡衝突時，就「頭腦捶捶」，然後就說那是業力。所以，你們做事不要猶豫大多，咱們只要單純地去做就好了，不要管它鬍子在哪邊，我們的目的是什麼？目的是做事哦！這一點就很重要了。

◎　你們每一個人的目的要很清楚，而且最好是合為師的意，然後就是去做。徒兒啊，修道不是在佛堂才有道，要明白這個道理，因為修道的本身，就是生活，要活出你們的。其實生命，懂嗎？一個修行人，就是要在你的日常生活當中，真正的把它實踐出來。在這個末後，自己的心念要特別的注意，你們常講的「你戰勝別人，你是英雄；你戰勝自己，就是聖賢」，而這就看你如何去修持自己，如何去改你自己的脾氣、毛病了。把你的人心、偏見放下，只留天心，保留你的良心本性，那時候才能合同，如果只要求你們的人心同，那不可能，只有放下自己的私心偏見、我執我見、脾氣毛病，這眾心才有辦法同，懂嗎？

◎　徒啊，道在自身，不是只有在這一點啊！你們老前人講過，道在生活的點點滴滴。起床時間到了就起床，事情辦好了就去睡覺；該起床的時候起床，該吃飯的時候吃飯，該睡覺的時候就睡覺，這個是道。

◎　你們要學會克制自己，不要讓自己太過享受，如果你覺得沒有關係，你能事事隨意又不會沈迷，在動當中你能夠取靜，在靜當中你也能夠活潑應用，那為師我不要求你。如果你在花街柳巷還能夠保持一顆純潔的心又不踰矩的話，那你的道就在生活中展現了。

◎　父親、母親在家裡要行什麼道？如果父不慈、子不孝，那麼這個社會會變成怎樣？常常聽人家說父不父、子不子，這是你開始看到人家的「不」和自己的「是」，聽懂嗎？你覺得你的父親不仁慈，那是你看到他不仁慈，你是不是跟著一樣不孝順？你是不是跟著一樣不仁慈？因為爸爸不好，所以把這個模範、榜樣給我看，於是我也跟著不好。他既然不慈我也不孝，這叫做禮尚往來，對不對？今天要化這個世界為蓮花邦，就要看人家的是，認自己的不是，爸爸不慈，你也跟著不孝，這是錯的。

◎　徒兒可知天下為什麼會大亂？因為大家都沒有素其位而行。可是現在的人會想：「要我修道、做好人、行孝道，你得要給我一個這樣的環境，我才可以做好。」爸爸、媽媽，一個好賭，一個好玩好吃，這個兒子怎麼能夠做得好呢？如果父母不明理、不仁慈的話，也沒有做父母的樣子，請問﹒他的孩子是不是可以跟著一樣不好？(不可以）那該怎麼樣？還是要做好為人子的本份。如果每個人都盡你們本份的道，那麼，每個地方就都是你們的道場。

◎　你們知道自己要盡什麼道嗎？在你們自己的環境或道場當中，經常顯現出每個不同的法相。譬如，在學校裡是學校的法相；在道場上是辦事人員的法相；而今天你們坐在這裡聽課便是班員的法相。話說「一種米養百樣人」，是不是不分白人、黑人、黃種人、紅種人，通通都吃一樣的米？那麼既然一種米養百樣人，吃的都是一樣的，人又為什麼有百種的個性呢？為什麼有百種的脾氣呢？這就是頭痛的地方。所以，你們今天要學做人，你們的父母親打從小時候就開始教你，人跟人之間要怎麼相處，是不是？人跟人的個性差那麼多，個人脾氣又不同，徒兒們要怎麼跟人家相處呢？這是個功夫哦！所以才要有道、要有包容心，要包容對方的一切缺點，看到別人的缺點，我們要反省自己本身是不是也做得很正？

◎　因為徒兒們身擔那個職位，就常常為那個職位而煩；可是為什麼古人會說「庸人自擾之」呢？你只要素位而行，把自己的本份做好就好，不要再去煩其它，做媽媽的，妳把飯煮好了，把飯菜放在餐桌上，叫他們來吃，這已經盡到妳的本份了；如果妳還去擔憂他吃不吃、吃得多少、夠不夠營養、吃得夠不夠多，那你是不是自找煩惱？同樣的，你把你的書唸好，就不必管別人是不是比你厲害！一山總比一山高，每個人都要拿第一，那誰拿第二？所以很多事情都是自己想、自己去煩出來的。需要這樣子嗎？徒啊！你們真正需要煩的是什麼知道嗎？煩你們的德性夠不夠！人最怕的是德性不夠，知不知道？

◎　人活在這個世上，你們可知道最主要的是做什麼嗎？追天時。最怕是亟失時。什麼是亟失時？應該是你要去行動的時候，而你卻沒有做到，錯過了這個良機，叫做亟失時。就好像你們在街上看到一個老人摔跤，你是不是應該把他扶起來？可是那個時候，你三心兩意：「我要不要去扶？別人看到會不會恥笑我？」然後慢慢的你就越過了這個老人。那個老人或許被人扶上，或許還在那兒，但是你走過了這段路以後，如果再想回頭去把他扶起來，已經來不及了，因為老人以經不見了。這時候你心裡的那份譴責重不重？這就是亟失時的感覺。所以趁現在白陽大戲還在流行的時候，趕緊抓住這個機會去做吧！

無心與無為

◎　原來，世界上所有盡屬虛幻、短暫，有如過眼雲煙，無須太過沈迷。於是在透視一切假象之後，不再執著於一切法、一切我、一切物，累劫累世中的一福與罪因此而亦空，正所謂福罪本空應無住。

◎　既然，物質界是假，那麼因此而形成的氣稟，亦屬於無長久性，所有的主觀、感受、境界都將拋開，都將捨棄。然後，心靈才得以在象界中釋放，在氣界中超越，這是「無心」。

◎　但是，生於無而成於有，無心並不是凡事不聞不問，不知不覺冷漠視之，而是要無中生有，有中為無。必也生生不息才是天地造化的本意，萬事萬物無為而無不為，藉著真假的相會，以氣導象，以象化氣，則身心、家國都能循序漸進，安祥和諧，也才是大道「周行而不殆」的原則。這便是「有為」。

真理與假景

詩云：嘆世人漂泊，名利來追求，名如樹上風，瞬息渺無踪，

　　　蝸牛頭上爭營利，到底成了空，我今將道弘，願人早登舟。

◎　紅塵假世如海市蜃樓，轉眼成空，唯有性理永不變。性理乃在自身，所謂「襌中自定玄，玄中自理參」。

◎　人往往向假有形像的去求，如功名富貴有一朝也會煙消雲散，等你一閉眼，縱然你是王侯將相，爵位有多麽大，最後還是一場空。

◎　至理是永不變的，當破除形象，莫要危言聳聽，招來非議，惹來麻煩，自找苦吃，何苦來哉？

◎　徒兒要看破凡塵的一切皆是假象，唯有看破才能掃除一切執著，才能修成正果。

◎　徒兒們，有空時不要只求賺錢知不知道啊！錢四腳人兩腳怎麽追也追不上啊？有空的時候培養自己心性方面的修養，除了從做人道理方面下手以外，還要去看看山、看看水、看看四海，讓我們心胸寬闊，在這狹窄的社會生存空間裏，才會覺得很遼闊，懂不懂？

◎　現代人一天二十四小時都不夠用，只為追求物慾生活，所以要撥出一些時間來作對你身心有益的事情。有益身心的事就是修養自己的德性。在社會上有錢不一定安全喔，也許你這個人很能幹，但你不一定每樣事情都能成功，而只要我們處世圓融，就像走在十字路口一樣四通八達，但是在十字路口可不要亂闖啊！也得要按照規矩來，按照理路出牌才可以啊！，這個理路，就是我們的良知良能。

◎　要曉得，在道場中，社會上的經驗是學不到的。但是在道場中，社會上的道德，你可以學得十全十美。一個人想要在社會上立足，光有財、名，有上進心是不夠的，假如你沒有那份德行，你將拿什麼東西給別人看呢？

◎　社會一般人認為學問文憑是至高至上的，但是又有幾個人拿文憑來明白道理的？希望徒弟們不要只看有形有象的東西，我們要讓自己的心靈能夠成長，要讓自己的心靈能夠達到高尚。

◎　年輕人好爭寵，在這道場上爭寵啊？當知被寵愛者不一定能成道，被冷落的不一定修不好，形形象象終是虛幻。道理能講多少就講多少，不要以形象去渡人勸人，要以真理，因為真理是永恆不變的。

◎　仙佛借竅才算仙佛到嗎？孔子曾問禮於老子而有「猶龍之嘆」，而仙佛是無所不在，你們一舉一動，監班院長都記得清清楚楚。「舉頭三尺有神明」所以做任何事情都要小心，尤其是在別人看不到的地方更要注意，這就是慎獨的功夫。在自己一個人的地方，你在做什麼？跟別人看得到的地方，你在做什麼相比較！不要因仙佛來就坐得好好的，仙佛沒有來就腰酸背痛蹺腳，由這裏就可以看出一個人的人格。

◎　苦的根源就是針世間貪慾不拾，若無為自然就會得到身與心的自在。慾多則煩惱多。慾多則求多，求而不可得則怨生矣，怨生則苦惱至。

　　修道當樂道安貧，知足常樂，以追求智慧為要務。無論出家或在家，不染世樂不被世間五慾所打敗，自然生活獲得平穩。其執著功德，其執著因果，仙佛們一再訓勉，徒兒們聽得多不以為然，諸天仙佛打幫助道所批的聖訓，是否有仔細參研？大都是置於一套，徒兒們要認其理明其意啊！

◎　無奈啊無奈，為師借此假象(竅手)，無奈徒兒迷此假象。望徒兒能明白，這個假象，將有一日難再看到。若此時不能將理來研究，求佛不如求你自己，徒兒可明白此道理？你若不修不煉，佛怎能替你擔待？徒兒可要謹記在心裏，認清真理，握緊金線，依尋此真理而進，為師語重心長，望徒好好體悟，好好修煉，莫與人爭，凡事忍三分，留一面各人細體悟。

◎　徒兒們，不要自以為功德很高，渡人很多，無畏施做很多，大家是否一直想著「功德」，是否念著自己的功德很高？若有此想法，即犯貪求之心，為師在此奉勸各位徒兒，若有此想法則難成道。

　　這個時候道好修，心不好修。你的心時時刻刻都隨著這個世情在轉變，你的心更時時刻刻看著人在轉變。

　　徒兒們！老師告訴你們，修道最怕的是看人情而修，人情有人氣，但是假如修道不能識破人我相，老是顧持著各方面的因素，那麼我問問你們，你們雖有這個志向，而在你們仍然放不下的時候，你們怎麼去為眾生盡心盡力呢？

◎　天地間之真理本來就是不可見的，你執其有形，你就失去無形，你執其無形，那麼你就失去了有形，懂不懂？大道之動靜就本在這裏而己。你們可要認清楚，叩首、跪拜，是在拜你自己呀！拜什麼？拜你的自性。自性就是佛啊！何處覓真佛？你的自性就是佛，你自己就是善蔭，還要不要到處去拜佛？這一點，你如果認清楚了，十年在修、二十年還是在修，你活到一百歲還在修啊！

◎　如果你搞不清楚這些，那你可小心喔！外面有形形色色的人事物，很容易讓你迷失而自甘墮落。這就是為師在講的一大堆考驗，講的也是你修道的宗旨。

誦經的意義

◎　只是誦經不去體悟不去行出來，可以嗎？經文是諸位菩薩成道所留下來的東西，他裡面有很多讓你能夠醒悟，能夠自悟、覺悟，讓自性突然間融會貫通。你不去念、不去行、不去體悟的話就是白誦。

◎　為什麼尼姑和尚要誦經，讓自己心清淨。誦經可以讓自己心清淨，最重要的是迴向功德，對不對？為什麼我跟某某道親、某某講師、某某壇主、某某人......當遇到冤孽纏身的時候，沒有點傳師在要怎麼做？要誦經迴向功德給冤欠；因為誦經當誦出來的時候，當一個人很至誠的誦經文的時候，它能夠產生無比的佛法、佛力、佛光，然後把這個運送迴向給冤欠，那個冤欠頃刻得到解脫，不會得到痛苦，讓他覺得沒有這樣辛苦。因為佛光是溫暖的，讓他覺得寒氣沒有這樣重，自己沒有這樣寒冷，讓他自己感覺說吃的很飽很溫暖的感覺。他需要這種『糧食』！所以為師說修道要誦經。

◎　我們修道保持心清淨，不生雜念。彌勒經誦迴向功德給那些冤欠，桃園明聖經有避邪作用，遠離邪魔。誦此經的時候，一切諸魔邪惡都不敢侵犯你，而且你心誠者一定會有感應。

◎　誦經是迴向功德，讓你們修行這條路上絆腳石沒這樣多，冤欠少來拉你，修道路上比較順比較平坦。如後面人家扯你的腿，要走走不快，要跑跑不了，又走又跌倒，會不會很辛苦？（會）相同的道理呀！修道不可以說因為我不喜歡所以我不願意、我不要，明不明白？（明白）每一個人最少要懂得背一部經，心經也好，清淨經、彌勒經也好，最起碼要懂得一樣，將來有幫助。

生活即道場

◎　世人所急最是飢寒。性命相關無非衣食。持齋澹泊，得過還且過。莫道有限籬蔬，不成善果。若不隨緣，黃葉無菩提。若肯化境，苦水亦是甘泉。

◎　貧賤是苦境，善處者自得其樂；富貴是樂境，不善處者更苦。

◎　哀哉！潮流趨下，人心萎靡，蛇影杯弓。敢問，孝道何以難行乎？此以人心貪慾愛惡分別，好色好財，本末倒置。故人之初則慕父母，及其好色，其心難澄，一旦家室既立，即慕妻子。仕則幕其君矣。若不得其君則熱中。故唯有終身慕父母者，方為大孝者也。今之「孝」字，棄如敝屣，聞若平常，實乃天道喪矣！上天垂道，秉其慈愛，人無以仁為本，何談孝平，愧為靈首！烏鴉反哺，羔羊跪乳。衷哉！人幾慚於禽獸。悲哉！

◎　孝悌忠信禮義廉恥乃基本之人倫，人道立天道方穩。君子務本，本立而道生。是是非非，要自己明瞭，要擇重去輕，處厚去薄。

◎　固然現在是「在家出家」，家庭不顧也無法修道，但也不要太執迷，你愈想多賺錢，要知道，須天從人願，若不從人願，你又能賺多少，是不是？知足常樂，顛沛造次，不要離開道，不離開天心，不管花花世界多麼的誘惑，不管利慾多麼的牽動，只要你能淡泊明志，就不為干擾。

◎　我們時時要抱著助人的心去幫助別人，這樣才合乎儒家的恩想。而我們都是讀書人，都是儒家的後代，也要有儒家的風範。

◎　希望賢徒要親其親，要從自己的親人做起，然後再推而廣之，關照你的朋友鄰居社會。不要認為自己學問很高，就看不起人，希望我們都能夠低心下氣，學問好，道學高，要教導人，不要獨善其身，要兼善天下。

◎　讓大家都能夠同心向善，讓社會風氣改善，希望徒兒們對自己的言行舉止處處都要表現恰當。

◎　以後千門萬教齊發，修道辦這是平淡自然的，才能夠長久。修道本是自自然然，是在日常生活中磨煉自性，使之圓滿。也應當將道親往這方面引導。

◎　亡而為有，虛而為盈，約而為泰，難平省恆矣！修道不能修人情道，無虛心而裝著很誠意，約束自己不自然，而勉強舒泰，如此要有恆很難，固修道要自然。你若沒有辦法做到聖賢的功夫，但是你至少得盡到為人子女之道，為社會子民之道。我們不要隨隨便便的讓家裡為你操心，不要輕輕易易地讓社會上的政府為你傷腦筋，這就是本份。所以呢，君子務本，你本立了，道才能夠生。

◎　功德怎麼做呢？不是叫你們兩、三天來佛堂，這樣叫功德嗎？不！「一日不錯便是功，一日無過便是德」，功德是要從本身做起，內功外德，內功沒做好，那外德怎造得起？內功外德，須配合一致，若是沒辦法做到，就要反省、懺悔、三思，你們每天是不是有在懺侮？每天都唸懺悔文，可是每天懺悔每天造錯！這有何用！

◎　諸位愛徒啊！你們部是立在人前的，因此為師對你們非常重視，你們的言行都代表老師，你們知道嗎？為師要你們在社會上能夠講信義、道德，化育這混亂的社會，由你們先做起，把不良習俗，將他慢慢恢復好。

◎　望徒兒們，智慧要開通，做什麼事都要小心，不要迷迷糊糊的一天過一天，要記住仙佛時時刻刻都在幫助你們！難道修道有叫你們拋家離妻嗎？拋開凡業嗎？凡業未了能夠走得了嗎？因此為師要你們，為人子當孝親！對待朋友講信義！對待兄弟姐妹要悌！希望做到的能再加強，投做到的重新開始！

◎　知足就是知止而足，當你已經找到你的本心，把心放下來，你不要把心往外放，守著它，那你就是知足。

◎　修道為什麼要低心下氣？用三個字來表達，低心下氣為靜、悟、慧，讀書為明理，明理後效聖法賢。

◎　乾道徒兒當更精進，人生貴在智慧添加，要獲智慧須將自性參，今生有此機緣逢此堅道，實乃三生有幸，各位皆是有根基之人，切莫自我輕看。汝等皆是有才能之輩，要發揮所長，貢獻道場，讓聖音廣傳天下，更應效法太子爺做個開路先鋒。昔日引保渡汝，汝今亦救渡他人。再者須以言行感化他人，己身不正怎能渡人？將聖道表現在己身方可去渡眾啊！若是日行一善，則為師笑容多展，若不明理說是說非，搖晃不定，則為師愁眉不展，盼徒兒們能替為師多分擔些，好嗎？乾道要有骨氣，坤道不要使驕氣。

◎　應時應運坤道輩啊！能有此心修道，為師稱頌一番，但是還要能持之以恆，將修道視為必走之路，只要有心，肯修、肯辦、肯煉，必能創造出一番豐功偉績出來。貪、瞋、癡是地獄之根，坤道最大的毛病就是一個貪，還有一個嗔，還有一個癡，所以對一些無需要的感情不用癡，好不好？對身外之物也不要太過於貪，好嗎？人心總是善變，尤其是坤道總是感情較為脆弱，對不對？我們修道雖然性情不要剛強，但是我們對道，對一切外來的打擾應該要堅強。

◎　今之坤道少模範，行不正來坐也偏，言語輕薄愛說笑，誰能看重人格嚴？在外應酬或交際，任何場合要莊嚴。口說心行信自守，相夫教子立標杆，時時檢討己心作，見賢思齊努力研。

◎　夫妻之間，應互相恭恭敬敬，相敬如賓，一個家庭的圓滿，就在於夫妻，若是乾道凶、坤道驕，一個家庭也就不能圓滿。做什麼事如果能夠相互幫忙，相互體諒，修道才能把天堂帶到家庭。

◎　夫若和妻必順，侍親必恭敬，願天下兒媳以和順之心奉親。子何以寵，女何以愛，寵愛必驕縱，願天下之父母，以嚴慈之心教幼。夫妻本是同林鳥，意見不同時要相互溝通，不要以吼叫的方式解決。暗室之天，不要以為上天看不見。

◎　年長之人要抱持「人老心不老」之心，效法南極仙翁，緊迫不捨，努力往前跑。年輕之輩要以「孝」為重，所謂「百善孝為先」，要孝順、敬重年長之人，一切以孝為起始點，好嗎？

◎　孝悌也者人之根本。敬養雙親今其歡心，不與頂嘴，不今惱心，如此人倫方為和順。

◎　中心—一字真是清，人心若能不偏用，言談舉動自合中。合平中道心安泰，走到何處皆可通，可惜世人不知忠，所以顛倒錯亂生，弄得人心多奸詐，社會也不得安寧，終日爭鬧、搗亂，就是根本缺少忠。汝等靜心細細想，現在誰能盡了忠，先從小處往大講，一件一件都不忠：家庭之內先說起，說起各事皆離忠，兄弟相處不知忠，你爭我搶不按公，他說我分財產少，你說他得東西重，瞪著二眼爭家產，互打互罵鬧的兇。

◎　再看兒女對父母，也是一樣理不通，家庭措置多不滿，指指點點說老翁，老頭老婆真糊塗，顛三倒四說不明，又嫌老態真難看，不知維新改家庭，嫌這嫌那都不好，惟有自己是聰明，一日三餐少定省，終日玩耍交友朋，更不知道承親意，只知花錢胡亂行，兒女職務毫不盡，所以也是不知忠。

◎　再看丈夫對妻子，也是一樣沒有忠，結髮之妻不知愛，一心三恩愛女童，大講戀愛新式樣，在外成親立家庭，舊日妻子丟腦後，情意毫無心不疼，穿上洋服沿街逛，挽手搭肩跳舞廳，花天酒地樂個盡，花錢多少數不清，有時玩得心煩了，再換一個新女朋，朝三暮四到未了，就是自己墜火坑。

◎　再說妻子對丈夫，返個過來也相同，家務一點也不管，兒女一點也不疼，終日賭博過日子，昏昏沉沉處家庭，還有一等摩登者，專門在外胡亂行，背著丈夫去交友，瞞著公婆講愛情，朝秦暮楚變得快，久而久之喪了名，名節喪盡人恥笑，指手書腳太難聽，這就叫做自墜落，根本對夫不盡忠。

◎　再看世上一般眾，士人不知保國粹，洋文洋語西拉丁，自家經書不肯念，終日在校胡哼哼，所有道德全不講，作起事來不盡忠。

◎　農人現在也如此，到處不把田耕種，要想收成可不行。商人若是不盡忠，買賣失敗定受窮，所以要想買賣好，必先計劃在胸中，看時撤勢隨機變，首要信用能盡忠。

◎　工人若是不盡忠，作的器具必不成，失了規矩亂了用，一定遭難受苦情。兵士若是不盡忠，到了前線定受轟，若是能以知彼我，戰無不勝定成功，可是一般為兵者，那裏知道一個忠，臨陣自己先害怕，就是怕得把命傾，所以兩邊來開戰，絕不能以不知忠。

◎　知道盡忠為本分，何愁勝券不握中，若是人人把忠盡，什麼事情也可成。所以固有舊道德，應該奉行莫放鬆，若知道德真正好，救國救民都可行。作事待人各要忠，忠實行出忠義事，切切莫忘我的話，抱道奉行要先忠。

無明與智慧

◎　有云：人生不滿百，常使千歲憂。在這滾滾紅塵裡，只因為無明，產生了千千萬萬的牽掛，一圈一圈、一層一層的把「心」牢牢給栓住了，緊緊的幾乎窒息，濃濃的淡化不開，生活的目的完全陷入一只對退去、現在和未來的茫然和錯覺裡，無暇探討生命真正的意義何在，於是，有了貪瞋痴愛，有了因果輪迴，有了生生死死永無止息的沈浮。

◎　明師一指已然超生，但是接著就要破累世的宿習，各煩惱障，否則還是不能了死，還是在輪迴當中流轉。

◎　在求道當下每一個人均已明體，只因知障而無法悟空，故要時時觀照，由心、由潛意識下手，轉而步入空境，而且能夠無住，不在善惡福罪當中偏浮。

◎　修道不外人事。彼此，當思想無法溝通，無明產生時，此乃累世識能的輪迴，燃燒起來滋味很難受。

◎　各人的愛愁與執著產生無明，是生死輪轉不止的主因，凡事隨心不要攀緣，否則產生執著，則心智無法啟發不能成大器，須知「愛河千尺浪，苦海萬重波」，人一生執著就無法自在。

◎　所謂習慣乃個人累世的宿習，而「我的」，「我做的」，「我本來就有的」等等都是執著，都是無明。

◎　要破無明說難很難，說簡單也非常簡單，只要一個念頭轉過來就好了，只是要跨越一個念頭卻非常困難。如何跨越呢？首先相互間思想要充份的溝通，每件事情各個人的出發點都是善意，但要配合整體來觀察，亦即所謂通盤的考慮，例如：家人反對素食只因為怕導致營養不良，這時，要以感激的心情，和顏悅色的態度加以說明，充份溝通之後事情自然圓滿。

◎　此外，時時站在別人的立場反觀，去除我見，想想看，甚至這肉體都並非我有了，還有什麼是我的呢？因此要隨時為他人設想一下，例如點傳師站在講師壇主的立場來看，而講師壇主也要時時為點傳師著想，如果點傳師有不完美的地方，也要想到點傳師沒有功勞也有苦勞，沒有苦勞也有疲勞，這一點希望徒兒都能做到。

◎　一有思考，就不是道，那叫做人心，叫做聰明。動了人心，這個智慧，也就不一樣了。智慧跟聰明可是不一樣啊！你們得要搞清楚喔！智慧發於天心，不偏不倚。用了人心、用了聰明，就會自誤。

◎　什麼是聰明？聰明的心，容易有對待，有了對待心，就可能害了你自己。做這一件事情，想一下，有沒有利益？做那一件事情，想一下，會不會害死我？所以說啊，用了聰明來做事，你就有可能誤了你自己。比如說呢！你今天來這裡聽道理，一進門你就想，會不會是邪教啊？所以說，這個聰明己輸於智慧了。你們希望聰明呢？還是希望智慧？

◎　大智慧得要若愚，聰明的人，時時刻刻表現自己，一直希望往上爬，好表現自己。智慧的人呢，他怕爬得太高，跌得太重。有一句話說：聰明反被聰明誤。樹大招風啊！你爬得高，風一來，是不是先把你給掃下來啦？所以說，我們的志節得要高、心氣卻得要低啊！己至末年了，但望徒兒一明理二明理三明理。

◎　第一明理需知「真」。第二明理需知「善」以仁心待人而非人心。第三明理需知「美」讓人生充滿美。

◎　老師希望你們要有智慧去辨別是非，是理則進，非理則退。老師希望你們還必須有定持之心，定住了你這個方向，把持住你這個目標，一生一世再也不移，這樣子才足以與聖賢同儕。

◎　你更要以你的智慧去善自權謀，去活潑運用，雖然佛有佛法，但是不失玲瓏，只要你們不路越規矩，你怎麼樣做都是佛法。

◎　現代人聰明反被聰明誤，聰明並不是真智慧。修道最重要的是要提出真智慧。

◎　假聰明者會偏激愛表現。真聰明的人是大智若愚。有智撥得乾坤轉，無智反被道理埋。熄滅煩惱降伏諸魔，才可脫出五陰三界。

◎　有我就有苦，而解鈴還須繫鈴人，要脫煩惱苦海，需靠本身的力量，別人是無法幫助的。

◎　如何解脫呢?要從身口意修持著手，一切念頭思想行為皆由五蘊所引起，從修持中來往除不良的習性，靜熄動心。忍辱包容有度量，逆來順受增長智慧，時時為別人設想，自然活得超脫快活。

◎　現在所體悟而說出來的話，經過時空的差距，半年後可能已經改變，但此刻的心聲還是必須講出來，才能化於氣，才會消化。每一個人所講的均在數理當中，有著對待，故凡事要迴光反照，如此，在閒關遇到廣考時，才能明辨。

◎　此際普渡之期，大家都是上求佛道，下渡眾生的一群，因此必須精進，然後應機而說，法本無高下或深淺之分別，只要適合對味即可。

何謂真功德

一、何謂真功德？

　　徒兒啊！行功要不忘立德，這類心得要小心，如果行功是為了渡一個人有多少功，渡了六十四人就可以超拔一層祖先，這是真功德嗎？

二、達摩祖師的慈心

　　梁武帝的故事有聽過嗎？話說「達摩西來一字無，全憑心意用功夫，若要紙上尋佛法，筆尖蘸乾洞庭湖。」這是什麼意思呢？就是這達摩衪領了上天的旨意，看看東方的人真的是蠻陌國家，一點佛法都不懂，雖然有佛法在流傳，可是統統都不見性，統統都不明本，於是就發了慈悲心，從西方來到東方見梁武帝。

三、梁武帝的善根

　　梁武帝雖然研究佛法，而且還行了一點功；他蓋僧廟，建立僧團，讓僧人們唸經，有地方住、有東西吃。有心行這個善事，多少有一點善根，那就渡化他。

　　梁武帝看到他長這個樣子，有點不起眼，黑黑的、髒髒的，哪來的高僧？可是有人說可別小看哦！於是梁武帝就供養他。

　　供養個幾年幾載，達摩想這不是辦法，我的使命未了，我是來弘揚佛法的，我怎麼反而被人家拘禁起來？於是他就有意離開，要離開前，他還是抱著一線希望，能夠讓梁武帝明白，讓他了悟最好。

　　於是他就拜會梁武帝，梁武帝就問：「蓋廟供養僧人有多少功德？」達摩：「實無功德」(梁武帝蓋廟五里一庵十里一寺，並且供僧、施齋，但心有所有執著，著相佈施，是有漏的福德，所以達摩說亳無功德。)那時如果梁武帝存慧根，佛法就不會僅限於這一點點了。

四、執著就沒有功德

　　咱們今天得明白，有執著的心，有沒有功德？(沒有)而且什麼叫做功德？今天我們把功德兩個字分開來解釋，「功」可以說行外功，「德」可以說培內德。

五、有漏功德

　　如果一個人只知行外功而不知培內德，那便是有漏功德。

　　比方說。我們現在辦道，若是只知辦道，只知渡人，這個人來求道了，可是你卻不知往內心修持，日後你和他相處不圓融，理念不能夠溝通，自身德性又不能包容人家，那麼這個人，很可能就不再繼續向道了，這到底是有功德還是無功德？

　　咱們就暫且休論他有無功德，看看事情變成這樣，是值得不值得啊？(不值得)

六、多佈施行善

　　今天你能夠看淡自己的慾念，我今天有錢，就少吃一點，少用一點，把多出來的錢拿來佈施，拿來多幫助一個人，多救濟一個人，那不是很好嗎？今天縱然你很富有，但是不再造福報，以後你的子孫相對地就會貧窮了，這個是自然循環的道理。

　　所以，能夠多佈施行善，咱們就多做一點。多省一點吃的，多省一點用的，把這些錢拿來幫助人家。不管你怎麼做，咱們要多學會佈施。

七、談眼佈施

　　咱們就身體上的佈施來講，咱們可以行「眼佈施」，眼睛要怎麼佈施呢？眼睛佈施不是眼睛比較大，或比較美的人才可以做的，眼佈施是大家都可以做得到的。

　　眼睛怎麼佈施啊？咱們平常可能一不高興就給人家一個白眼，瞪人家，這不叫佈施。所謂佈施嘛！就是讓人家看到我們，就能開懷的笑，這眼睛會說話，說什麼話？眼睛要讓人家感覺到很慈祥、很和藹、很關懷，這就是眼佈施。

八、談口佈施

　　要行口佈施，口要怎麼佈施阿？說好話，還有什麼？渡人，渡人要用方法啦！這叫法施。咱們這張嘴平常要多說好話，不要拿來講別人的缺點，不要常常拿來罵人，是不是？多跟人家微笑，給人家多幾句的鼓勵。

　　或許今天你跟人家講一句好話，你給人家一句關心的問候，就幫助這個人渡過了難關、解決煩惱，那麼你是不是大功臣啊？這就是在修道囉！多跟人微笑微笑，這就是佈施啦！

九、修行是自然的事

　　修行是自然的事，是自動自發的，何須別人叫你去？何須別人催促你？你們為眾生犧牲，不管是出錢、出力，都不用多說，也不用刻意讓人知道，當然，不記得自己行功這回事，那最好。

十、一切是天恩師德

　　徒兒啊，能不能把你們辦道的一點成績表現，說是你自己的能力？你有這樣的能力嗎？你不能歸功於個人，因為在你辦道、渡人、開荒當中，全是仗著天命金線，仗著諸天仙佛的慈光，才能成功的去渡化眾生，去辦這個濟世救人的事情，不管看得到的、看不到的，都是諸天仙佛默默的在助化、在幫助。所以，不能有驕傲心，上天「不會幫助一個驕傲」的人，徒兒們！你們自己要聽得僅。

十一、歸功於同修道規

　　　還有，當有所成就時，要歸功於同修道親，而不能歸功於自己，聽得懂嗎？為師問你們，你們渡化眾生是為了功德嗎？絕對不是，你如果到了現在還想著我渡化一個人有多少功德，那你還是不明理的人，因為這本來就是你應該做的，對不對？

十二、六祖的功德説

　　　所謂的功德，甚麼叫功德？功德在哪裏？如果說有那一點功德，在六祖壇經講的：「見性是功，平等是德；念念無滯，常見本性；真實妙用，名為功德；內心謙下是功，外行於禮是德；自性建立萬法是功，心體雜念是德；不離自性是功，應用無染是德。」

　　　所以說，若覓功德法身，你只要由此去做，(但依此作一是真功德。這幾句話你們好好回去翻一翻，好好的去做一做，好好的在你們心境上下功夫就是了。所以說，講道不離心性，懂嗎？你這個心不修還是枉費！

人生的智慧

慾海難填苦無邊　暫時快樂悲哀連

風流雲散興衰事　苦樂不均惹痴嗔

斐然成章縱篇註　莫若無語留點真

迷者千山萬水隔　悟者回頭便是家

◎　何謂智慧？乃上天所賦予，非後天之巧智智慧由那裡生？少煩惱，少雜慾！要讓自己看得深遠，智慧才能開。

◎　「敬天地、禮神明」這時候的年輕人，提倡無神論，但是冥冥之中自有其「神聖」的存在。你有沒有靈性？你若相信你有靈性，這就表示冥冥之中有神明的存在。所以徒兒們今天學道，要先把你心中的疑惑斬除掉。

◎　人生是一場戲，你是演員，不要認為既是假，就亂演，人家會說你不負責，你要盡力演到好像真的一樣，但也不要被自己所演的所騙。

◎　現在你們對於「真實的」不了解，對於「虛假的」更不了解，所以真真假假、是是非非，難分難辨啊！

◎　一說情，一說理，該用情時又太理智，該理智時又太用情啦，理智和情感就不能執中，不執中就偏其一，偏其一就受其所累今天你要得諸佛菩薩的妙智慧，首先你要付出，是不是啊？沒有奉獻犧牲那能得到這些。

◎　眾生都是一樣，拜仙佛時你得先跪下去，把你的所有高低都放下，今天仙佛菩薩不是要你跪在下面而心卻高高在上，是要你放下「我執」之後，仙佛才能與你智慧相通，了不了解？眼光放遠大，人世間不過就這樣，生下來哭一聲，死去了人家哭你一聲，那你匆匆在人世間走一回，留下些什麼沒有？人家有沒有說你是好人？道成天上，名留人間。修道怎麼修？當你目光注視著椅子時，其他東西看得見嗎？其他東西看不見。當你名利當前時，生死人事看得見嗎？妙智慧要去破，上天自有妙應。

◎　體會一下人生啊，生老病死誰都不能免！酸甜苦辣也常常在我們身邊，那你對人「鹹」，還是對人「好」，人家都能感念是不是？不要太「鹹」，鹹就吃不多，我們淡淡的就能夠永遠都吃不膩、吃不怕，有沒有人喝開水喝怕的啊！(沒有)有沒有人喝果汁喝膩的？(有)，這就是「道」了，是不是？

◎　道不是稀奇古怪的，我今天把你變成美人，明天把你變成醜八怪了，一下子把你變成九十九歲了，那也不是道，道就是自然成長，那你們就在學習之中自然成長，一下子也不要要求自己像做大佛，把一些俗事完全忘光光，那不是叫你回去當白痴是不是，要有智慧，從中來吸取經驗，你的智慧慢慢累積，你的德性就跟他們一樣了，臉愈來愈亮啦！

◎　人世間陰陽對待，有善有惡，有黑有白，今天你們存的是好的目的、壞的目的、還是自自然然的目地？你們要好的目的嗎？(要)要，還是在陰陽輪轉中。為師已經告訴你們，有惡就有善，你們現在﹒要有善，就得受苦的果子，是不是？那為什麼要叫你去行善，是因為以前你行過的，你總是要用善去制惡，以了前因。

◎　傻徒兒啊！要用智慧啊！眼前你所看的好，遲早會壞，就好像水平平淡淡的：永遠的事物都是平平淡淡的。你以前來自無極，你既然來了，今天為師為什麼要你還鄉覺路？因你了這個「來」，現在要了這個「去」啊！

◎　不管前世所造的業如何，只要今世認理實修，善念必能受到上天的感應修道不在乎早或晚，只要是有心，就算晚的也會成正果，就好比枝要茂盛也還須有好的根才行。

◎　徒兒有高超的智慧，當要運用得活潑玲瓏，修道不執著，學習老祖師的寬宏大量。學習老祖師的洪慈大愿，徒兒有沒有真正去體會到呢？

◎　平常就要讓自己行的深、行的充實，心裡的煩惱就會慢慢的解除。你們是不是常常什麼事情都困擾，拿不定主意？你們要反省，把自己的罪惡消了一些，你們的智慧就會開通了。

◎　要時常去懺悔，時常去感恩，時常地付出之後，你才會發覺你的智慧源源不斷！除了去謝罪，除了去感恩以外，沒有別的路好走現在有人為了宗教而打仗，引發了宗教之爭，這就離了中道。

◎　中庸之理不偏不倚，大道無形無相強名日道，懂得真理，跳出是非，迴光返照修心煉性，那還有這些問題人的文明可以救人，也可以害人，有的人用來行善，那就好，用來為非作歹，就害了每個人果實也要順其季節才能結出好果，順自然才會昌明，就像春夏秋冬四時它不會逆著走，也因此我們修道也應順著真理走，要知道順天則昌，逆天則亡現在有智慧的人，是要如何考驗你，知道嗎？那就是如何用你的智慧去治理這個世界，用你的智慧去改變這個社會，真正的把這個靡風頹風消滅，那才是最重要的，懂嗎？

◎　如果你是活在紂王的時代，你是一個賢才之人，那你要怎樣諫言紂王？一個有智慧的人，就要思考。我們讀歷史唸完了，你要思考，如果當初你是活在紂王的時代，那你要如何呢？這也是治理世界的一種竅門，一種學問。好比你看到現在社會動盪不安，亂七八糟，那你活在這世界上，你要怎樣去治理這世界？世界國家都是人與人結合而成的，假如你是個有賢德的人，你要如何讓人家發掘你是個賢德的人？假如你被人發掘了，那你怎樣輔佐君王？如何去治理你的員工，輔助你的上司？

◎　什麼叫做政治學？什麼叫經濟學？你既然站在那個崗位，能夠精打細算，要把我的人民治理好，還要使我的君王信任我，而且還會重用我，我不是每天喊說：我懷才不遇，我懷才不遇！空喊懷才不遇，那是你自己的才能真的比別人還差！你。比別人還差，所以那個君王才不能重用你，懂嗎？一個有智慧，有才能的人，不可能隨隨便便就喊著我懷才不遇。

◎　歷代的良將、賢臣他們已經自己做得很好了，為什麼良將還會被殺頭，賢臣不被重用呢？是不是有的人太過孤高了？有的人想說紂王太無道了，所以不願出來出仕；有的人說道不同不相為謀，也不要了！對不對？這樣好嗎？如果大家一看，這個世界太黑暗了，我躲起來了，這世界誰治理呀？

◎　所以難怪有紂王，因為你們大家都跑掉了嘛，難怪紂王就變成紂王了，說不定你們不跑掉的話，紂王就不會變紂王了，頭腦要用啊徙兒要學著摒去吵雜排除紛亂，只有把外在塵緣放下，讓自己安靜一下，這樣比較容易契入真理。

率性而有道

◎　誠於中、形於外，按個人的氣質風範，內心蘊藏多少表現就有多少。每個人內心所涵養的不一樣，所表現出來的是一種氣質，而又是理直氣和。要率性而行，勿任性而為，但率性而為不是為所欲為，必須要合情合理。所謂合情合理就是凡事將心比心，站在他人立場著想。

◎　率性就是我們的七情六慾都能發乎中節，些微的念頭能不失中道那就是率性。你能時時刻刻依照你的天理良心來做事，不越矩那就是率性。如果憑著自己的喜怒哀樂來做事，那不叫率性。總而言之，依照你的良知、良能去處事，那就叫做率性。

◎　一個人如果被迫做出不自然的動作，那就不會有靈活的天性流露，因而不會有智慧；因不能夠投入，而生不出經驗，生不出靈感，所以人在不自然的時，就很容易迷失自己。

◎　你們是不是常帶面具，矇騙自己矇騙別人？矇騙別人的人很可憐，但是矇騙自己更可憐。今天你矇騙自己的心，那就表示你沒有辦法再前進了。你們常背很多的包袱，背得連頭都抬不起來，應該要走的路都認不清楚！肉體上的舒服是真正的舒服嗎？你縱使住在高樓大廈裡面，吃的是山珍海味，如果你的心有愧於天，有愧於人，活得會自在嗎？更深夜靜，難道不會譴責自己嗎？所以，惟有心裡自在，那才叫真正的快活對不對？

◎　不要在乎你的心思、你的形象被人曉得，有時候你越坦誠反而越能得到你想要的。

◎　每一個人都要知道自己的缺點和優點。當你講越多自己的缺點給大家聽，表示你越來越接近「聖賢之路」了。因為你肯講自己的不好給人聽，表示你心地光明，表示你不想隱藏著自己的不好，那麼你就會越修越好。只要你的耐力夠、比別人努力，就可以達到「有志者，事竟成」。如果想「要」，而不善於表達，那麼別人怎麼會給你？因此，對人、對事、對上天都是一樣的，你既然「要」，就要率性地表達出來。你若想要做，可是又不敢去做，那麼什麼也做不成，這就不是率性。你今天所做的事情，只要表現得不自然，那麼周遭環境和命運就不會自然。相反地，只要合乎天理，那麼你的命運就會走向自然。

◎　今天你不快樂，就是因為你活得不自然，惟有你率性才能真正達到自然；今天你有很多很多的偽裝，很多很多的形象，那就一點都不自然。

◎　想要解脫自己，還得要看清自己被什麼綁住了。被名、利、情？還是被自己的執著所綁住？你應該先看看自己的執著，看清自己被什麼所綁？然後去解開方，才能真正的解脫，真正的放下。

◎　瀟灑不是外表口頭上說瀟灑就瀟灑，而是你心靈上真正解脫，放下了。

◎　做事情要有決心，該做的就去做，不要猶豫太多，想的太多，否則阻礙就多。

修道人眾生相

◎　上善若水，水有哪些特性呢？水的特性有六種：第一種是「包容」；再來是「化解」；第三是「柔韌」。打個比方：土遇到水會怎麼樣？鬆又軟是不是？雨後泥土是不是軟掉了？是不是柔韌呢？第四個「滲透性」。再舉個例子：一塊木材浸在水裡，久了，它會怎麼樣？是不是腐爛掉？就好像你們人處在這個污濁世界裡，會不會迷失自己？所以要掌握住你的方針，要握準不要隨波逐流；第五種是「浸蝕」；第六種是「平等性」。為師希望你們能學學水的特性，作為你們修道辦道的方針。

◎　修道在修什麼呢？簡單的說：就是在修掉日常生活中外境所造成的種種如波浪般不平衡的心態，讓它趨於平靜。人如能常率性而行，即能得到很多真實的東西，即所謂的「自然」；大自然天地之間就是一股自然的氣在流動，人不能自然就是背天，縱使你得到很多的東西，那亦是不自然的。你們想得到純真的東西，就必須自己付出純真的心。雖然不一定每件事情都要洩露，但其心卻不可隱瞞。今天修道正是要將不好的革除，而保留原來那顆純真的心。

◎　修道首先要做的就是盡咱的本份，自己本份做好了，才有能力去幫助別人 ，時時存好心、說好話、做好事。徒兒的好，沒行出來，藏在裡面有用嗎？行出來就是德。所以，平常要養成講好話的習慣，才不會一時改不過來。這是修道的點滴功夫。

◎　修道人最重要的德行是：謙讓、虔誠、虛心、敦厚、力行、孝順、尊師、勤儉。

◎　人易於諸多「沒什麼」中，便迷失自性、覺性。俗語說：「勿以善小而不為，勿以惡小而為之。」簡言之，時時刻刻別忘修行。

◎　忠恕之道即是執中貫一，所以萬事萬物一理通，忠恕之道是存心養性，存什麼心？存好心、存良心、存善心。養什麼性？養先天之性。古時聖人追求學問是「道問學」。古之聖人是不會去沾染七情六欲，既知七情六慾擾人，又何必去沾惹！

◎　行善還得懂得捨得。所謂捨得，就是能捨才能有所得。學問就是既要學又要問，不學不問、學而不問，都不是學問。

◎　修者改也，修改修改！隨時隨地持念頭、念頭不好腳步就不好。不好要改過來，就是修改。脾氣毛病不改，怎麼稱為修道人呢？今天已經踏上這個修道路了，本身修道條件也有了，千萬記住，自己要改的趕快改掉。乾道抽煙的、嚼檳榔的、「大聲吼」的，要收斂，該除的就要除掉，不要留下稟性，應該讓你的純然自性發揮出來，更亮、更圓。坤道也是一樣，不要講求現代時髦，我們最主要的就是講求樸素過一生，平安就是福，只求平安就好了。求樸素、大方、端莊，就是坤道的模範、指標。

◎　為何修道要修內功？在佛堂叫修道，在家是不是也叫修道？所以修者改也，要改就要涵養自己。所謂「內功」就是要培德，把在家的角色份好，做父親要盡父親養家的責任；子女要盡孝順父母的責任。每個人都負有一個使命而來，不管是什麼身份、什麼角色，都有應盡的責任及應盡的義務，這責任、義務要如何去做，全在於你們自己的心。

◎　人云：生於憂患，死於安樂。雖然身在憂患的困境當中，但要讓這土壤孕育出豐碩的果實、豐收的稻穗。如何讓稻穗成雙穗呢？就得看自己如何去培德？如何去實行？所以為師要你們時時刻刻都要應乎天地之情、天地之理，好不好？

◎　修道人格健全是很重要的，但要如何做呢？「道雖通，不行不至：事雖小 ，不為不成」。就是認識自己、做好自己的本份。孔子七十隨心所欲而不踰矩，你們現在明白了，要朝著這個方向邁進，無論大小事，認其去做，做到隨心所欲不踰矩。

◎　修道要從人道做起，自己沒先做好，如何說道真、理真？

◎　待人處事是修道第一要務。人有沒有修養，從你待人處事中就可以知道。多往別人為你付出的方面去想，就會認為自己做得還不夠，有如此感覺才會去改變自己，才會進步，如一昧地要求別人，那麼自己是永遠不會進步約。

◎　生活就是道，道就是生活，只要將道應用在生活上，就是修道了。修道不是奇奇怪怪，也不是困難的事，只要你懂就可時時應用，這就是「道」。本來人是不用修道的，只因貪嗔痴慾望太多才要修。修就是整理，把心整理乾淨，這就是修。

◎　道在日常生活之中，一呼一吸動靜之間皆要合乎道理。凡夫與佛的自性並無差別，只在迷與悟之間。迷者眾生，悟者成佛。修天道依你的愿，盡你的心，依照天理做事，與人情世故無關。同時，修道人要見道成道，敬老尊賢、重義氣、知禮儀，把道實行在日常生活當中。

◎　人的心一煩躁，對於你的修行來講會怎麼樣啊？事倍功半。心要寧靜、清淨，神自然清，自然有智慧。當內心寧靜時就是至樂。我們的心如果不平靜，就有煩惱，就沒有快樂。最快樂的源泉，不是來自其他外相變化或感官的享受，而是來自你的心源，所以我們修道修心，就是這樣。

◎　修道要怎樣修啊？修道首先要有清淨的心，至誠的心，還要有耐心。如果沒有清靜的心，一天到晚只有煩惱、妄想，那麼一顆心就不會安定，哪修得了道呢？所以入佛門首先要把不應該有的妄心放下，保持清靜的心，並以至誠的心去體悟佛法。誠者無物，就是放下一切的人心執著，向內尋找自性，心中無執著才能有一顆至誠的心。

◎　修道要隨時看得開、放得下，既然提得起就要放得下。對一些凡情俗事，不要太在意不要太計較。因為有計較就會苦，有苦就不會快樂。修道當然要越修越快樂。不管何時何處，每天皆要一天比一天更好。

◎　處理事情要看得遠、看得寬，還要把你執著的心放下，來分析事情，你就知道在人生旅途上有了什麼差錯，自己就要修改過來。

◎　逍遙，就是什麼都沒罣礙、什麼都悟空，這是咱修道人最根本之道。修道要放下、要空、要看開，人家若要就給人，給人就好，煩惱有什麼用？那就是「執」，放下才能逍遙。

◎　「彌勒家園」的內涵就是要和和睦睦不分彼此，將心比心互相幫忙。修道要看清事實，看清其理，不可被凡情假相來影響，不可迷迷糊糊不醒悟。修心養性的功夫在於你平常的修持。你的火候、火氣不要太大，太大你的病痛就愈多。身體不好跟心有關，心情開朗身體才會轉好，清淡一點。事事不可太堅持倔強，為人處事寬宏大量，人人就敬你三分，上天看你為人處事做得好，遇事上天就幫忙你。你認真渡人、成全人、救人，認真修道行道，一些病痛自然就減輕了。

◎　時時刻刻懷著平常心，不管別人對你好不好，你一樣要以平常心來對待對方，這才是道理。不要說他對我不好，我就對他不客氣，兩個人在明爭暗鬥，那麼你的心就會不舒服，心裡面時常在爭鬥，身體就不會健康。修道人要身心健康，身體有時候受點病痛苦難無所謂，只要你的心保持平常、健康就好了。時時懷著關心別人、幫助別人的心，才是最重要的。

◎　成佛先決條件要笑口常開，笑開古今愁。笑口常開就是彌勒佛，笑口常開自然就沒有人會跟你起衝突，自然和氣。你的臉若繃著、眉毛垂下來就不好看。所以要像冬天的太陽！笑咪咪！，自然就能順利如意。相隨心轉，若時存和氣，則春風滿面；時存憂慮，則愁思滿臉。

◎　做個快樂的修道人天天快快樂樂，嘻嘻哈哈沒煩惱。但是，嘻哈當中要帶著分寸，才叫做自然，否則自然得過份變成馬馬虎虎，太馬虎，人家會看不起你，這樣配稱得上是修道人嗎？

◎　遇到諸事不如意的時候，不妨開懷大笑，如果再不能解脫，就讓它過去了，你還執著它做什麼呢？執著了只是增加你的困擾。不管好、不管壞，事情總是過了就好。不能好的時候就沾沾自喜、了不得，要謙卑為懷，不好的改了就是了嘛，沒有什麼見不得人的。

◎　笑，有的是傻笑，有的是冷笑，有的奸笑，放開心胸的笑才是真的舒服。但願徒兒能學習開朗，不要將垃圾放在心上，垃圾放久是會腐臭的。永久保持這樣的心情，有句話說「伸手不打笑臉人」，做錯事情道個歉，笑一笑就好了嘛！笑一笑人家捨得打你嗎？只要肯認錯，低心下氣，謙卑是最好的途徑。就像學道，你天天來佛堂卻是扳著苦瓜臉，人家看了會不會跟著你學啊？

◎　處世就如唱歌，曲高難免和寡。不過在高音階的歌曲中，仍有它柔軟的一面。存高音、有柔軟才能形成一股韻律美妙的歌曲。而為人也是一樣，你為人正直或事事講求一切完美，這樣雖是很好，可是往往人家要配合時，跟得上腳步的太少了。世界上哪裏找得到十全十美的？所以有時要放慢腳步，有時要加緊腳步，才能夠把氣帶得更上來。這樣人生才會看得更透徹，才會更懂得享受一生，也才更懂得享受修道的樂趣。

◎　過你自己的生活，並留一點空間給別人，這樣你的人生就更完美了。所以，要培德，有德才有福份，還要「留餘」，留給別人一些餘地，也等於給你自己種了一些德。

◎　我們要向老祖師看齊啊！他這麼有肚量，什麼事情都看得開，那你們有沒有肚量？什麼事都看得開呀？光金錢上我想你們就很難看開對不對？雖然說「好啦！老師說不要計較就不要計較」，可是心裡還是會有點難過，對不對？不只是金錢上不要計較，而又在最小最小的工作上也不要計較。要把心中的不平去掉，那你看什麼事情就不會有什麼心，而又就很開懷。要是你一心存著計較，心理有不平、有怨那你什麼事情都做不好，人一旦心裡有怨，事情就很難成功。

◎　小孩子的心是天真的，小孩子的心不記恨，所以徒兒修道也不可以記恨，凡事往人家好的一方面去學習。

◎　人容易為遷就別人而委屈自己，所以常覺得苦。修這是不怕辛苦，吃苦才會了苦，才會得到快樂。人若在苦中才會特別注意一切，若在得意時候常會忘記自己是誰。

◎　人總是喜歡逞強，喜歡打腫臉充胖子，結果吃虧的還是自己，我們應該有多少力量做多少事，不要過與不及。

◎　修道是一門很深的學問，大家都知道，修道要修心，但是修什麼心、修哪些心呢？這些都是需要你們好好去想、好好去體會的。一個人修的好不好？有多好？好到什麼程度？只有他本人知道。人總是愛面子、不服輸、愛逞強，明明做錯了事或是稍為錯了，總是不服氣、不認輸、不承認、惱羞成怒，這樣不對。

◎　每個人都有智慧，每個人都應該好好的仔細去想一想，有錯則改。做錯了沒關係，大家以誠相待，不要傷和氣，有意見要融合不要固執己意，往往鋼刀容易折斷，而柔才能克剛。

◎　要低心下氣，修道人不可以高傲，你一高傲就壞了你的修持，你壞了你本身的修持不要緊，也破壞了道場上面的名譽。因為人家知道你是修道人，而修道就是彬彬有禮，待人誠懇、有誠意。假若你是一個修道人，但是認理不真，愩高又自傲，待人不恭又不敬，這樣你說你是個修道人，人家會相信嗎？你雖口說道好，道真的很好，人家會跟著你走嗎？

◎　生活要活潑玲瓏，不能太過拘泥，也不能太過在乎；相反地，活潑當中也不能流為放肆。

◎　人與人之間為了生活須互相幫助，謙虛就能和樂相處，勿清高、驕傲，勿以事小而不注意，這樣才能防大事情發生。修道貴於分分秒秒、時時刻刻去專心修這顆心，去種善因，可以使自性光明。若不求仙佛慈悲保佑身體好，自己的毛病脾氣卻不改，那是行不通的。因自修自得，是無法假借他人修成。若糊糊塗塗過日子，習性就像雜草一樣長的快，又會障住自性。三人行必有我師焉，你有錯，我規勸你；我有錯，你規勸我。大家互相改進才能進步。朋友在一起不搬弄是非，應要和合一氣，那才是真修道之人，真修道之人要隱惡揚善，推功攬過。

◎　拿著一個裝半杯水的杯子，比拿一個裝滿水的杯子好走路對不對？那為何你們要事事求滿呢？所謂「滿招損，謙受益」，這道理要懂得。

◎　入門之後，學東西要低心下氣，若不低心下氣，就學不到東西；入門的第一步很重要。跟人家學東西，總要虛心求教，修道要真功夫，一旦學會了怎麼做事，那時更應謙虛。你看那個稻子，長愈高頭愈低。修道也是一樣，不要認為我是老道親老前賢了，就不虛心不低心，肚子裏都是虛的，就是這個意思。修道不容易但還是要做，從自己做起，己立立人己達達人。沒有錢，沒得吃，不能悠閒自在，苦不苦？忙得不能休息偷閒，苦不苦？苦忘了，便不苦，若常記在心中，便成苦海，忘苦才能常樂。但快樂時，也不能忘了自己，而得意忘形。

◎　要修這就得拿出智慧，你認為對別人是對的，那你就該去做。如果說你認為是對，別人認為是不對，那就是後天脾氣毛病，後天私心人慾來做主，這就是有偏。咱修道存天心存良心做事情，這就是修道。

◎　修道以後你們都是「正當的人，正常的人，不平常的人」，因為你們不是普通的人，為師希望你們不要跟普通人一樣，普通人要生氣，你們就不要生氣，普通人常做錯事，你們就不要做錯事，那就是一個超過平常人的不平常人。

◎　有的人越修越油條，越修越糊塗，不曉得我到底現在有沒有做錯？有啊！自己不曉得而已，自己得好好想一想啊！

◎　什麼都可以糊塗，但你所虧欠人的希望你不要糊塗；而別人虧欠你的你倒可糊塗。修道這一條路更不可以糊塗，不該糊塗的時候就要精打細算。修道莫使巧取，要能久智芳愚，退一步反而海闊天空。太巧、太強就少了處處圓融的機會。現在的時勢，有時候用巧還要看時、事、地、物而用。癢要自己抓，好要別人誇。所以：修道別太含蓄，含蓄則無道可修。

◎　修道辦道要如針線穿梭，有針無線即行不得。

　　修道辦道不能本末倒置，否則後果不堪設想。

◎　常常可聽到一些「道聽塗說」的道理，聽得好像很有道理，但不見得就有道理。就好像有人看起來很誠心、很發心，但並不見得合仙佛的意啊！因為有些人修到最後都在修表面功夫。

◎　修道人要口清、心清、意清，尤其清口是促動修道者的一個原動力，而心清了靈性自然就易於恢複本來。

◎　道理要認真學，人不是生下來就是萬能。每一個人有每一個人的才能、天賦、稟異、能力都不一樣。在這紅塵裡要盡自己的力量、能力去造福人群，一張嘴可以將人捧得高高的，同樣也可以使一個人身敗名裂；這張嘴可以行功，也可以造罪，是功是罪就要靠你的真主人去打算。

◎　無形中你們的德性要再提升，雖日不見其增，可是有所增；不見其長可是有所長，徒兒們要謹言慎行，這樣才能真正增進你的德性。

◎　當你聽到一個人怎麼樣的時候，除非自己親眼看到，實際了解，你才能去說。我們每一個人都要有一種美德，什麼美德啊？隱惡揚善啊！你們有沒有隱惡揚善的美德啊！還是都是隱善揚惡呢？這個人做得很好的時候，你都不說，但是當他有一個小小的錯誤時，你就一直告訴別人，說這個人犯了錯誤，這個人不好，這樣是不是隱善揚惡呢？

◎　人講話可得要負責任，人無信不立，所以對自己講出來的話要負責任，可不是隨便說說就算了。修道人沒有什麼，就是要對自己負責任，你對自己負責，就等於對大眾負責。

◎　好話咱們要多講幾句，壞話不要講，人都是愛聽好話的。不過適當的讚美是好，若是不適當的稱讚，人家便會說你講話不實在，反過來會破壞你的人格喔！

◎　處事要有方圓，行方處圓，活潑玲瓏，隨機應變，這樣才會有準繩，才會圓滿。有了方針，才有目標。如果在茫茫滄海之中沒有舵手，目標將如何前往呢？所以無理就寸步難行，理就是路，理路明確才是道。

◎　做每一件事情都要做得有板有眼，尤其修道人，在社會上可不能丟臉，你要顧你的面子，也要顧天道的面子，更要顧慮到你們的父母，因為你是代表整個團體。

◎　年輕人總是有「氣」，你們要養的是正氣，浩然正氣貫參天。你們養足了正氣後，那邪神、邪鬼、邪魔就不敢侵你的身，也不敢侵犯你的心。

◎　人要懂得調適自己，彎彎的小河轉彎時也要停一下再流。凡事要三思而後行，但三思之後，還不能保證沒有錯喔！

◎　喜不喜歡自己？喜不喜歡別人？討不討厭別人？為什麼討厭別人呢？就是因為看別人不順眼，也就是起了分別之心。所以自己看順眼的就喜歡，看不順眼的就討厭，這樣子是不好的。

◎　一日修來一日功，聖人說過「修道這件事是要靠自己啊！」你如何待人，別人也就如何對待你，要別人對你好，就必先對別人好。而人的本性本無對待，是眾生愛計較，愛計較的人，害的是自己啊！人的眼光要看遠、想遠，不要只貪圖眼前之利益，若想得太短見，則步伐踏得近；眼光放遠，則走的路更長。

◎　仙甚又要修何況是人！因為仙也怕自己會墮落。而人生活在人間，在五行氣數當中更應該修。富貴之人不一定前世就修得好，有時富貴的為惡更多、更烈，故每個人都要注意，所謂站得愈高摔得愈重。

◎　道心失去的時候，為師雖想幫助你找回來，但最後還是得要靠你自己。如果找回失去的心，卻是偏了、歪了那該怎麼辦呢？應該接近有德者，學習他們正確的修道腳步！

◎　想找回自己就要對得起自己，所作所為不是要做給別人看，而是做給自己看，不求回饋、不求別人對自己有好處，只是盡自己的一份心一份力。盡心盡力之後，自然而然無愧無作，不在乎別人如何想，也不要想到以後怎麼辦，但問你此時此刻有無盡心，好與不好是另一回事。個人的能力有限，只要你曾盡心盡力過，那就問心無愧。但是什麼要強求？只有你自己的脾氣毛病要強求改變過來，改惡向善，這才是修道之宗旨。

◎　在修道、辦道旅程中，不管做什麼事情都要以全力以赴的精神去做。縱然一時沒有辦法達到盡善盡美，可是只要你要求自己、責問自己，是不是全力以赴了，如果是的話，那就問心無愧死而無憾。

◎　修道本走自自然然，一切沒有勉強，並又是平平凡凡合乎中。你一勉強就失去了道，雖不勉強卻不精進也不合乎道。所以，不偏不倚謂之中，亦即率性之道。

◎　萬般起首難，如有無事而空行，難能盡職安身，聖人有未病之治，毫釐未差，毋屈人之是，使從己之非權然後知輕重，度然後知長短，慎舉忖度，豫助立，古人輕描短寫一不其意，始作俑者無後繼，今人豈可不慎之兮，何謂「八誠」？

　　1愚誠：不明真理而妄從，修道妄修。

　　2邪誠：心懷忘恩貪佛仙，有事求佛無事放，幻思奇影。

　　3巧誠：行表面功，用功妙借花獻佛，奸訐奪他人功。

　　4偽誠：暗中有作用，如哭如笑，希圖所有，自私不公，用情不用理。

　　5明誠：事理通達，理路清明。

　　6達誠：對天對地對人對事，無不審慎。

　　7大誠：感應人物，無不同成。

　　8至誠：參天地之化育，超古今，內無所度之我，外無所度之人，與天地協合。

　　教徒修道講法寶，頭惱清楚第一條

　　學詩學複守禮教，內外如一第二條

　　涵養功夫當周到，寬裕溫柔第三條

　　勞心動性養節操，沐德澡身第四條

　　學習聖賢莫計較，隨緣隨份第五條

　　久遠久莫怠心志，誠恆堅者第六條

　　始終細膩真理究，窮理盡性第七條

　　忘情絕念好怡性，戰兢自持第八條

　　七情六慾洗滌盡，寧靜致遠第九條

　　恭寬信敏惠澤照，施捨施捨第十條

　　師給徒兒十條告，惟盼徒兒修道早

　　認清人生真意義，服務犧牲最高超

　　不要小看己身體，替天行道救同胞

　　九六佛子原一體，同心協力法舟搖

　　只要徒兒三分誠，老師自然助力高

　　半途而廢功虧簣，祖玄蒙羞怨難消

　　所以徒兒切記住，始終如一修到老

◎　修道者，乃去其惡習，除去妄念，明悟其理，與道相隨，時而二六時中，合乎中庸之道，不偏不倚，求其誠意正心，謹慎而無二致，十目十手，嚴之獨處，念念不離本性，充實內德，海涵春育，內聖達，外王進，修身律己，渡眾歸真，返璞還原，智者體之，切切實行，廣宣大道，超俗入聖，歸返無極理天。

人心影響天時

◎　你們看看時勢、局勢也變了，人心也變了。為什麼時勢變啦？是因為人心變動，時勢才變的。所以時勢變、人心變是一體的，你們要從中超脫，也就能得到﹒解脫！

◎　現在修道已經太晚了，以前的聖賢仙佛，我們都看不到，現在時勢變了，你想要看到傳統的修道人，也不在了。

◎　你們要體會天時已緊急，不是為師哄騙你們，一個時勢在推動一股氣：如果一個地方，人民有怨氣，大家都貪心不足，這股邪的氣，一旦沸騰，降災降劫，連好人也照樣收殺，所以你們要真正修德，才是根本，才能躲過劫難。

◎　「豔陽將落幕喲，黑暗窮追不捨」，這兩句看來很簡單，但這裡面合天機啊！你們不要小看這兩句話，現在已不是豔陽高照的時刻，而是收殺的黃昏時候，容易篩選一些人才，你們之中也是良莠不分，有的好，有的沒那麼好，現在能夠入道中，能夠鑽研，就要能行，行了之後就能見高低。然而你想要行，就會受到考驗，有考驗嘛，就容易退志，所以現在正是要「分判」啊！

◎　為師看到人心在作崇，現在的人世動盪不安，這是為何呢？因為人心不足的關係啊！人心不足所以遭致群魔而降！你願意自己心念正的話，就要多參尋聖賢仙佛之經典，好好去學習聖賢仙佛之腳步，讓自己的路不要走偏，不走偏方能夠躲劫避難啊！

◎　為師知道浩劫將來臨，為師班班法會到壇講的都是這些，但是幾個徒兒能夠了解，你們知不知道啊？為師知道天時要演變，但是徒兒們一個一個還是沉迷不醒，讓為師看來好心傷啊！徒兒們了解嗎？

◎　為師知道天時緊急，可是你們不懂天時，唉！唯有求助妳們自己，自己能夠造萬物，自己能夠生萬法，自己能夠解一切啊！

◎　現在天災人禍很多，因為每個人的氣都太強了，太強之氣沖上天，上天只有降下災難，所以人的氣不能太剛，太剛就會降下是風劫。

◎　科技有好必有壞，陰陽兩面嘛，科技它暗藏殺機，所以需要用聖人之道來挽救。現在雖然沒有滿天昏紅，可是時局已經夕陽西下了，也許你們很安逸現在坐在這裡能夠聽道理，可是你們想想看這時局如何了？不早了！所以你們一天行功則一天有功，一天虛渡則一天虛空，是不是？所謂的虛空不是那個「虛空」，乃是渺渺茫茫的空喔。

修行者的精神

◎　徒啊！什麼是開荒呢？徒兒們是開荒、捨辦人員，是把大道傳出去的人，是把身體捨出來辦道的人，但是怎麼一個一個都沒朝氣了呢？你們既然叫我老師，好歹也要有我的精神痲！每一次都問你們：「為師在哪裡？」你們總回答：「在心裡！」「那我們什麼時候見？」(隨時！）你們這是欺騙我的感情痲！如果真的有把為師放在你們心中，怎麼會是這種表情？開荒是不是自己願意的？(是）因為我們有這個心愿嘛！捨身辦道是誰願意的？(自己)是不是人家強迫你的？（不是一本來你是年輕、活潑、可愛、大方又美麗的，怎麼路上這一條修辦的路之後，就隨著光陰逐漸老化、身體慢慢的不好，越來越消沈了？為什麼會這樣呢？（衝力不夠）有人說：「我的信心十足，不管是時間：空間，都不能考驗我、不能打動我。」

　　結果，為師發現，這句話不是肯定句，這句話適合在勵志的時候講，因為你們真正要這樣做很難。你們是有志向卻沒志氣，對不對？你們什麼志向都有，要做聖賢、做君子、做講師、做壇主，志向很多但沒志氣，那麼難做就不想做了，沒志氣、沒骨氣，對不對？

◎　現在為師來醫醫你們的心病。沒志氣的是不是中氣不足？氣血不足就虛弱，其實心裡有病，是因心裡打結了；而每個人打給的原因不同，大小結也不一樣，所以看病要對症下藥，你們的病種種不一，要花一些時間，讓為師來做義診，好不好？

◎　首先，我們要知道為什麼會踏上這條路？(知道「道」好，只有道可以救天下眾生、了罪了愿，因為道是我的理想，可以改變命運、超生了死，生命就是為了道，本來就應該做的，感恩、替師分憂、淨化人心。一你們說要了愿了罪，說只要出國開荒就一定能了愿了罪，可是你出國開荒的用意是為了讓自己了愿了罪，那就有點本末倒置了。如果有一天，你認理不清，你覺得：我生病了，我還在受罪，那出國開荒怎麼叫了愿了罪呢？或者有一天我出國開荒還被人家罵，一定是出國開荒不能了愿了罪，那我就不要出國開荒了，對不對？這個觀念一定要清楚。出國開荒不是不能了愿、不能了罪，可是你是為了了愿了罪而出國開荒，就像你是為了要功德而做功德，那就一點功德都沒有，這樣聽懂嗎？

◎　好比今天你生病了，你想說：「我出國開荒，身體就會好；我捨出去了，家庭就會好，仙佛會照顧。」如果你是為了這樣出去的，為師敢說那不長久。如果你出去了也沒有好，你會怪是仙佛不幫忙、老師不慈悲，是天恩不浩瀚；你出去開荒，家裡不平安，你會說：「我盡心盡力捨辦，不是可以了愿了罪嗎？」可是，你知道嗎？如果你沒有捨出去，家裡可能會更糟糕；如果你沒有出去捨辦，身體也許會更槽。就是這個道理。

◎　我們都是因為道能救渡眾生，所以才捨出自己、犧牲自己，對不對？可是，你會不會覺得「我犧牲出去了，但是道為什麼沒有救到我？為什麼我捨身辦道，還會這麼痛苦、這麼難過？道不是可以救渡眾生嗎？為什麼道務這麼繁忙，我這麼辛苦，可是道務還是不好？我自己修持得也不好，要精進的也沒有精進，身體也弄得一塌糊塗，為什麼會這樣？」因為你還是眾生，所以你會這樣覺得，因為你還是眾生，你還在著眾生相，這是觀念不清楚。相反地，如果你覺得道很好，可以救渡眾生，所以站出來告訴大家，這樣你的用心就不同，用心不在自己身上，是在眾生身上，眾生不好就是我不好，不會顧到自己怎麼樣。自己不管哪裡不好，也都會想到眾生，想說：「我怎麼沒有一一關照到，一一呵護到？」有這種用心才是對的。

◎　叫你們去掃大街快不快樂呢？太陽當空照快不快樂？為師敢說你們一定不快樂！為什麼呢？有的人覺得我該做的事情不是這些，你叫我做這個事情我真是很不快樂，對不對？你叫我來掃地，我是想要渡人、講道的，所以我當然不快樂。你是這麼想的話，那就錯了。

◎　有一種人如果為師叫他從這修路的一段掃到三段，他還是很快樂，為什麼？因為他很單純，覺得這樣掃地也是在利益眾生；可是有一種人他就不快樂，你叫他從一段掃到三段，他會覺得，「唉呀！憑我的身份、才學、外貌……這麼多的資格，怎麼會被分配到這種工作呢？」「你叫我掃地，我頂多來掃掃佛殿嘛！怎麼被貶低到掃外面的馬路呢？」這種人，為師喜歡叫他為「老油條」，這種老油條是又老又硬，一定要有什麼身份，一定要留一個位置給他站，真正到他事情做起來的時候，卻沒辦法促成很多的助力，甚至有可能變成阻力。想想你們自己有沒有回鍋？自己想想喔！

◎　辦道是什麼？修道是什麼？修道是實實在在，辦道是按步就班，循著你們老祖師、師尊、師母、老前人、前人的腳步，樸樸實實的做去，老老實實、安安份份的做。不在其位不謀其政，你在其位就要盡其職，就算你很老手，什麼都懂了，可是你的角色職位不是那個，就不要干涉那個事情，你去干涉了，就會讓人家很難發揮。任何人第一次做，難免會有缺失，難道你就不能降低身份去圓滿一下嗎？辦道就是要相輔相成、互補不足。每個人都有不同的才能、長處、才華，上天降道給我們，讓我們有很大的空間發揮，所以每個人都要盡自己的才能。就因為你是不錯的人、有可取的地方，上天要用你們，所以，要發揮你們的才能，這個就是你們的責任、使命。自己要看重自己，自己能付出什麼，就要全力以赴，能力到哪裡，就做到哪裡！

◎　徒啊，你們知不知道修道有三不離？(不離佛堂、不離經典、不離善知識）佛堂在哪兒？每個人自性中都有佛堂，但是你們既然生活在外面的世界，就必須在外面的世界裡面學習，所以很可能會忘記自身內在的佛堂，以致不能約束自己，道是必須藉外在有形的佛堂來迥光返照，所以才必須常常回到佛堂來研究、幫辦。

◎　但是，什麼是善知識？又誰是善知識呢？(前賢、同修、道親）可是有的前賢修得好，有的前賢修得不好，那怎麼辦呢？徒啊，那個也是 善知識啊！不管修得好，修得不好，老子說：「善人者，不善人之師：不善人者，善人之資。」所以說：「芻蕘可採」，這意思是說，種田的農夫，或者再下賤的人都有可以學習的地方。不要看這個人不起眼，他的出身不好，就瞧不起人家。

◎　真正博學的人，真正好學的人，是看到什麼都能夠學習的。我們要知道「芝草無根」，意思是說一個人出身雖然不好，可是人家有志向、有理想，人家有深度、有廣度，因為他看到什麼都可以謙下地去學習。了：三人行必有我師」，你和人相處，就算這個人不好，那也是你的一面借鏡；看他不好我要提醒自己千萬不能跟他一樣；看到他好，我更要見賢思齊，這樣才能精進。徒兒們要知道，修道是需要靠善知識來互相幫助，讓你們慢慢前進的。

◎　經典是文字，但前賢教我們不執著於文字，那是沒有錯，因為我們都知道文字只是一個印證，只是一個形式、形象；就好像你們要看月亮，或者要看星星，需要經由望遠鏡或手指，才能看得清楚明顯。經典就像望遠鏡一樣，它可以證明有星星、月亮的存在，可是它只是一個望遠鏡，它不是星星也不是月亮。經典是讓你更肯定你們的信心、更堅定你們的路，所以經典要不要讀？但是不要執著在文字上啊！

◎　有時候有些人很奇怪，就是偏偏要找我們的麻煩、抓我們的缺點，但我們不要因此而難過，把自己設定了角色，認為「我的角色是一個講師、是壇主，我是來教你們的，你們要聽我的。」當你給自己定了一個角色時，你就會開始難過，因為一般人總是對方角色的人不滿，開始會有生活上面的不協調。雖然你們比人家行、比人家有經驗，聽的道理也比人家多，可是內德也是要修得比別人好啊！不可以說：「我是來教你的，你就不可以教我。」如果你渡的人愈聰明，你就要愈笨一點，為什麼說「柔能克剛」？為什麼說「大智苦愚」？人家愈聰明，我們就要愈有智慧，智慧就是內斂，往裡面藏一點。

◎　徒啊！當人家指正你們說：「某某講師啊！您這個好像做錯了喔！」這時，你怎麼回答？會不會心虛？硬要說自己對嗎？徒兒們要是好好修道，就不怕做錯事。人就是不足才要修道啊！有過錯難道就要難過嗎？聞過則喜嘛！笑一笑說：「唉啊！是我做錯了！」改一下，不就好了嗎？我們有錯處，不用怕去承認，要說：「啊！是我疏忽了，是我不注意。」並不是承認了錯誤，人家就不聽你的話。不用怕，這是修道人德性的展露，這才是修道人的本質，不用怕人家指責你的錯誤。「是是是，是後學的不足，是後學的疏忽。」你這樣說，人家就學習你，你就是人家學習的標杆模範。

◎　所以，不用怕做錯事，做錯了再做一次嘛！不要怕人家說你不好，因為，只要是人就會做錯事。或許徒兒們會覺得自尊心受損，但修道就是要學著受羞辱嘛！修道如果不受一點羞辱、不受一點委屈、不受一點污辱，人家不知道你在修道，那你的德性怎麼展現呢？徒兒們要從內心去改變自己，不然就變成皮笑肉不笑了。要肯定自己，相信在修道方面，誰都難免會不圓滿，被人家講一下也好，徒兒們才知道要更進步，不是嗎？

◎　你們知道嗎？以前你們在天上的時候，怕下來會回不去，於是找了兩堆人，這堆人對那一堆人說：「我下去的時候，你們要負責講我的不好。」而那堆人也對這一堆人說：「以後我下去，你們一定要負責鼓勵我。」好了，現在你們下來了，就有兩堆人不時的在左右你們，有時候會遇到一堆人說你的不好，有時候會遇到一堆人鼓勵你，這是你們以前約好的，知道嗎？

◎　捨身辦道難免都會遇到人家的攻擊，但是好不好也都是人家講的，你們不能因為人家講，就固執起來，就覺得自己一定對。徒啊！修道是修自己，你自己不修，對自己是沒好處的。住在佛堂的人，都是最充實的、學得最快的，住在佛堂也最接近點傳師、最接近前賢了，點傳師們的精神、前賢們的德性﹒你們應該學得最快，因為你們沾盡了天恩，所有的好處都讓你們先得到了，但是有沒有比別人進步？是不是依然沒有道念？脾氣毛病道是沒改？人家依然說你們沒有道氣？人家對你們的建議，徒兒是不是有改變？還是因為人家給你建議，你們就難過了？

◎　唉！真正應該難過的是：明知做不好，又不努力去把它做好。徒啊！遇到挫折待，要把事情想清楚：一為什麼我會做成這樣？為什麼我會這麼不足？難道我就不能改好嗎？」既然要修道，就要盡量改，你們會不知道怎麼改嗎？只要你願意，一定有方法的。做不好，有沒有方法做好？只要你們願意講出來，就有同修幫你們互相解決，只怕你們問在心裡，怕面子問題不敢講，或固執不認錯，知道嗎？

◎　白水代表什麼？(隨圓就方、無孔不入、謙虛低下、飲水思源）水的德性，隨圓就方，被擺到什麼容器裏面，它就是什麼樣子，它並不會因為不滿意這個容器，進去了就不變成那個容器的形狀，對不對？所以啊！喝白水要掌握當中的意思，到圓的地方它是圓的，到方的地方它是方的。另外，水還有一個德性，它可以洗滌污濁，從不會因為這個東西太髒了而不洗。還有，水一定是從上頭流到下頭，這好比君子，他一定是往低處謙恭，就好像有德而無所不在，有道而無所不容。

◎　徒啊！有時候你們也可以看看勵志的書，每天一早起來，呼吸新鮮空氣，想一想：「我今天有道可以辦，實在是太幸福美滿了！眾生實在是太迷昧了，我講的他聽不懂，沒關係，明天我再成全他。」每天都要有希望、有理想。這個世界是美滿的，不能因為人家怎樣，就覺得難過，還是要修道，還是要帶給人家快樂；也不能因為人家不修道，我們就跟著消沉下去。自己要做發電廠，自己要能源充足，才能不斷的給與人家。如果自己很容易受到影響，怎麼給人家信心呢？人愈多電力愈強，是可以互相影響的，你影響我，我影響你，本來兩個人都很傷心、很難過，其中一個人說：「唉呀！看開一點，事情也沒有糟糕到這樣。」另一個就會說：「我們再想辦法好了，也許這是天意。」這樣才能長長久久、快快樂樂的。

◎　你們上課時前面的這排都給誰坐？(前賢）誰知道誰是前賢？每人都謙虛啊？不是前賢就不敢坐？一定要排一個位置，排一個名字，你們才敢坐呵？明明這是該你坐的，你不坐，那後面人家怎麼坐？然後位置老是空在那兒，叫點傳師坐啊？你們其它人都不敢坐哦？謙虛嗎？謙虛不是這樣子哦？但也不是教你們做人不用謙虛，只是該你們坐的椅子若是不坐，要叫誰坐？(自己的責任要承擔起來）你們不坐自然有人坐(天事你不做自然有人做）誰坐？做得起仙佛的人坐，做不起仙佛的人就甭坐，這是一個機會。

◎　徒啊！修辦道就像吃飯一樣，你沒有實際去參與去經驗﹒就不能體會，沒吃到豆乾就不知道豆乾的味道。這好比我們在為人家解決問題時，人家的問題我們沒有經歷過，只會告訢人家：你就這樣做、你就那樣做就好了嘛！感覺上是很容易，因為痛的不是我們，你們沒有去體會人家的痛，所以就不能解決人家的痛苦，只是一直叫人家捨出來、捨出來，你們沒有經歷過，不能體會人家的心，你們不是當事人，感受不到。所以，徒兒們是不是要經歷一下？為什麼諸天仙佛要下來打幫助道，因為諸天仙佛體會過人間所有的苦、做人的痛。

◎　旦夕禍福在轉眼之間，無常即刻到哦！所以，要在你們有限的生命當中，培養出你們的精神。要怎麼培養精神呢？為師這裡所說的精神是要有深度和廣度的。精神要怎麼樣才會有深度、有廣度呢？什麼是深度？什麼是廣度？你的精神奇深度，就表示你的內心有涵善。你內心的涵著、內在的修持、你的慈悲心、你的天良有多少，就有多少的深度。所以有人說：「這個人很膚淺」，因為他的內心沒有涵養，與人斤斤計較、不圓融，所以人家說他膚淺。

　　精神要如何才算好呢？就是培養你們的深度。而什麼是廣度呢？廣度表示沒有邊際。怎麼樣才能讓精神達到廣度呢？聖賢仙佛因為把整個生命都付出給世界、付出給國家、付出給社會，所以，他的精神就很廣。如果你只把生命奉獻給自己、奉獻給自家人，那你們的廣度就有限。

　　你們是天地人三才之一，你們有你們的使命，有你們的責任，你們的使命和責任就是代天宣化！天不能言、地不能語，你們就有這個責任與使命，去把上天的意思傳達出來。如果你的修道只是為自己好，那麼，你的精神就不能廣為流傳。這種既沒深度又沒廣度的精神怎麼能流傳？

◎　人啊！就這一世了，你們只有這一生，不要以為說「沒關係，我這一生做不好我還有來世，而且我也不太想回天。」有的人真的是這樣想喔！為什麼我要回天？我不要回天啊！該做的我偶而去做一做就好了。」為師要告訢你們，回不回天這差很多喔！你不回天，那你要去哪兒呢？要回去哪裡呢？你以為你一定還會再來做人嗎？都不知道，對不對？你只知道你這一生，但卻不能預測你有沒有來世，也不能預測你是上天或下地獄；而你這一生到底還剩多少時間，這也是很難預料得到哦！你們都知道時間是不由人的，但是你們可以好好的過這一天。

　　這一天要怎麼過呢？在工作的時候，是不是盡心盡力？工作完畢之後，有沒有天天充實？有沒有天天精進？有沒有反省一下今天是否犯了哪些過錯？是不是曾說了不圓滿的話？如果有的話，下次就要改進，這樣才會進步。不然，修道十年是修道，修道二十年也是修道，沒有一點進步，那倒是其次。若是求進步，修道一年我也進步一點，兩年我也進步一點，這多少有進步嘛！總比沒進步好，就怕自己太會原諒自己了。

◎　徒啊！你們修道的精神在哪裡？為師為什麼一直要重覆這點？因為修道的精神是你對天命的承擔、對使命的瞭解、對你生命的開啟。可是，你的生命真開啟了嗎？你們的心門開不開全看自己，老師我也幫不了你們呢！為師今天說了許多道理，但是沒有說到「人」，你們來到佛堂講的都是人事，卻沒有談談道理；如果你們認為講台上講師講的才是道理，那可錯了。徒啊，你們要讓自己習慣在平常開口閉口就要講道理，而不是專講人事，不要講家庭，不要講辛酸，你有問題跟老中講，跟老師講都沒關係，但是你跟別人一講話就是是非，所以人事問題總是那麼多。希望你們要多講道理啊！

◎　徒兒們要學習水的那份精神，因為它包容、因為它乾淨，因為它在地上給人類、萬物得到了一個實惠，所以咱們要效法水的精神。把它放在杯子裡頭，它就呈圓形、呈杯子的形，你把它放在盒子裡，它是不是呈方的？水能屈能伸，所以人與人相處就要學習水，不管什麼個性、什麼脾氣的人，咱們都能夠相處，不管是圓、是方，是不是啊？這個就是「仁」。

◎　為師跟你們講，修行要能忍色、忍慾，不管是乾還是坤，都要會忍。忍呢，就是能夠控制自己的心裡、控制自個兒的心念。那什麼是「色」呢？一切奇形奇相，眼睛看得到、身體感受得到的範圍都稱為「色」。那麼，為什麼說乾坤都要忍色呢？因為你們通常看到美色啊，忍不住都要多看一眼，是不是？還有一些不該看的，還是會很想去看它，因為自己太好奇了。所以呢，這時候就要用「忍」，看你是不是能夠控制得了自己的心？

◎　咱們說包容是要包容人家的缺點，是不是？這個字就落在「缺點」兩個字上。為什麼說落在「缺點」兩個字呢？是不是每個人都有缺點哪？是不是每個人都有優點哪？但是你的包容就只落在人家的缺點上。當你開始要學習包容的時候，你對這個包容還不大熟悉，是不是？你要試著去用它。但是，因為你今天是落在缺點上，所以，你就會時時刻刻、很敏銳的就看到別人的缺點，這時你才提醒自己要包容，這個功夫就慢了一點。我們應該說，包容人家的優點和缺點，那就是全部了，是不是？就不會老是看到人家某些地方跟自己不大一樣，看到人家處理事情的方法跟我不大一樣，心裡頭就癢癢的，一直想要發脾氣，是不是呀？因此，你們都在這個想要發脾氣的時候才想到用包容，是不是？這是有所偏頗的包容，應是對別人的優缺點都不執取才對啊！

◎　修道就像登樓梯一樣，「登高必自卑，行遠必自邇」。道在最低處，你們應該明白，心性上的修煉不在外在，也不在於形式上。今天老師藉這個假肉體跟你們說話，一旦老師靈性一走，老師在哪裡？(眾答：在心中）每一個人存著至愛去發揮博愛的精神，不想得到回報，不想得到豐收，把至愛至仁完全發揮表露無道，這就是天道的弟子，也是濟公的再現呵！

◎　二目守玄，心中無物、無掛礙，老師所引導的一樅、一律、一語都在契應這個道，真正的修行者是不用為師我來帶動的，應隨時隨地都可以靜心。靜心不在形象，也不在於外在的形式上，而是在心中能時時刻刻地體悟。每個人都是活在自己的心靈上而超越，而不是活在在點傳師、講師、辦事人員的操持當中。

◎　老師我不是曾經說過嗎？徒兒傻傻的沒關係，傻人便到家就好，是不是？修道、辦道不是憑你的口才能力，不是計較誰贏誰輸、誰辦得好、誰辦得廣，輸贏是在於什麼啊？在「真修實煉」！你們在社會上常常有口舌的爭論贏，是不是？決定在誰啊？會講話的人嗎？有用嗎？徒啊！從你們的口修起，好不好？

◎　徒啊！多找別人的好處，多看自己的不是，要低心下氣，才能在道場立定，才是一個好的標杆、模範。不是穿著一件白上衣、藍褲子或藍裙子就是「道」，當你卸下這些衣物時，還要讓人感覺你有道氣、有道的精神，你把道演活了，這才代表你是一個修道人；如果你只是穿一件道服而沒有道心、道氣，老師我也要勸你乾脆別穿了，因為你不是代表一個真正的修道人啊！

◎　今天徒兒不修則已，一修就要修得轟轟烈烈、徹徹底底，修到最終了，好不好？修到最末後，我們來看看是不是每個人都能保持初衷，永不退轉？你們怕不怕病來磨啊？怕不怕死啊？既然怕病又怕死，那更不用說怕劫怕考了。既然怕死，為什麼不好好的活呢？不要虐待自己，要善待自己，要愛惜自己，好不好？並不是讓自己吃好、穿好、住好，而是要開開心心，每天快快樂樂的，遇到痛苦，以智慧來解決，不要只是以你的能力、經驗來判斷事情，或拿來看人、看事、看物。

◎　徒兒可知修道和人生有什麼關係嗎？人生起起伏伏、坎坎坷坷，而修道路途就是你的人生路。人生就是在修道，人的一生就是為了學習更多、更新、不同的體悟，更多的成長而來的，而修道也是為了得到更多的肯定、更多的信心，就是這樣而已。

◎　什麼是「口中言少」？就是說咱們嘴巴講的話要少一點，不該講的咱們不講，該講的咱們要講，就是這個意思。所謂「禍從口出」，就是要謹言。還有我們也不談論術流動靜，不要去講。今天倘若你看到了一個景象，你就講說個景象像什麼，它又代表什麼什麼，結果搞得人心惶惶的，所以才說，咱們要謹言。

◎　「心中事少」，就是咱們心中的雜念要去除，所謂「斬草不除根。春風吹又生」，這意思是一樣的。

◎　還有「夜中眠少」，咱們人都有一個固定休息的時間，如果超過了這個固定的時間就謂之貪。知道貪什麼嗎？就是貪睡，睡多了咱們就會神魂顛倒，損咱們的血氣，這樣懂嗎？

◎　「肚中食少」，為什麼要食少呢？你看看現在的人是不是非常好命？吃得非常得多，你吃得太多的話就會傷了你的胃，而又吃太多慾望也跟著就多，雜念也會更多，那你的心就更不得清靜了。為師希望你們秉著這四點好好去做，好好的去修，祝你們萬事都如意、快樂啦！

◎　為什麼要承擔責任？徒兒們怕不怕責任？承擔責任一定會有壓力，但經過壓力之後不就真空了嗎？真空就生妙有，妙有就生無上。有壓力是不是就受約束？是不是就不自由？徒啊！什麼人最自由？什麼人最不受約束呢？自由就是不受約束，沒有人管，我行我素，要做什麼就做什麼嗎？就是要天不怕，地不怕嗎？如果要這樣來定義自由，那麼什麼人最自由？就是壞人，壞人是不是最自由？想做什麼，就做什麼；好人最不自由，要守禮貌、守規矩、守三網五常、守四維八德、要收束身心、改脾氣、去毛病，敬天地、禮神明……你說自由嗎？不自由一不自由成就最大，對嗎？

◎　約束就是軌道，有沒有看過火車軌道？因為是約束，所以是嚴謹的。為什麼要約束？如果沒有約束，在這名名利利、形形相相的世界久了，人心就會被六賊帶著走，喜歡聽人家說好話，喜歡聽靡靡之音，喜歡聽人家的閒話、挑撥離間、唆人爭訟，被六賊帶著走，身心不受約束了，想聽的時候就去聽，想看的時候就去看，就不遵循道德規範了，那麼，你們還有約束、有壓力嗎？徒兒﹒要知道壓力是在造就你們的，每一個成功的人，哪一個不是歷經辛苦、考驗、折磨才成功的？你們這麼愛惜自己，怕受壓力、怕受約束、怕責任、怕負擔，上天怎麼造就你們呢？你們又怎麼成長自己呢？

◎　「天將降大任於斯人也，必先苦其心志、勞其筋骨、餓其體膚、空乏其身、行弗亂其所為、增益其所不能。」必須經過最痛、最苦、最艱難之後，才能超越、才能跳脫；你們如果一心只貪圖享受安逸，小心生於安逸，就死於憂患啊！這是一樣的道理。修道是辛苦的，但也快樂，因為辛苦所以快樂，因為看到痛苦，所以感覺得到快樂。每一個人都有該負的使命及責任，時間到了，你們就要負起自己的責任、承擔起你的使命，勇敢、坦然地去面對它吧！

◎　道務要能掌握，經驗要能傳承、落實，才能開創；而開創的過程一定會很艱辛的，因為大家都沒有經驗，技巧也都不夠熟練，都不知道用什麼方法才能做好；可是你們也不要因為這個樣子，就減弱了大家的士氣，知道嗎？要互相幫忙，同心協力一起找出更好的方法，才是正確的觀念。

◎　第一批去開墾的人，要先鬆土、有雜草要拔掉、有石頭要除去，也要有澆水的人、播種的人。縱然徒兒們沒有經驗，難免會失敗、會做不好，但是，上天就取徒兒們的這一點心嘛！失敗了才可以找出最好的方法。

◎　徒兒們是否曾想過：在失敗的時候，把自己犧牲了怎麼辦？因此而退縮、不來佛堂了怎麼辦？不管怎麼樣，失敗了還是要再站起來，聽懂的告訴聽不懂的，明白的告訴不明白的，會做的告訴不會做的。為師要看你們的工作能力怎麼樣，才可以發多少工作給你們做，不要說：「我很少做，我什麼都不知道，你們有什麼事再通知我。」要知道，等到你回天了，再通知你就來不及了。

◎　在修道這修路上，道理是要不斷充實的，心性的修持也是很重要的，渡人、成全人更是不可少的。同修間要互相拉拔、互相成就，你們會繼續努力、繼續幫辦，對不對？(對）那為師就安心了。

談人事的圓融

◎　修道要活潑玲瓏，通權達變，就像水一樣隨方就圓，能利萬物而不爭，任何事情忍耐退讓一下，自然就海闊天空無憂自在了。誰人願學吾濟公，要裝傻來要裝聲，遇著橫逆頑皮輩，方保無事好過冬。

◎　在下面的人要常存感恩之心，上面的人常常施予愛心給下面的人，這樣上下才能夠連成一氣，才不會有所磨擦，這樣世界才能圓滿，人與人之間的距離才會愈拉愈近，和樂融融。

◎　彌勒老祖師所修持的是四從願心，乃累劫修來的慈心三昧，大慈大悲大喜大捨，不論任何事情都為他人設想。所以有時候必須藉著環境來造就每一個人，若非相互折磨，互相牽纏，如何能達到事事圓融，個個無稜無角的境界呢？學道的人，要低心下氣，好高騖遠，誰要理你！

◎　修道談的是宏量，多少口說難實現，黃𠕇真我末盡善，因為私愍蒙蔽焉，如那電燈層層灰，必掃灰塵光明鮮，何時真我能光耀，識書達禮斯文點。光有滿腔愛心給別人，別人不一定會接受；還要見機而做。譬如這人喜歡吃甜的，就要給甜的，若喜歡鹹的，給他甜的就不是見機而行。

◎　為師希望你們要「富而不驕，貧而無諂。越是站在高處，就越要想到低處，就好像稻穗，超成熟就超低金，我們有錢不驕傲，不擺貴氣也不清高，越是地位高的，就必須越低心，要明白我們積錢不如積德。與人而交，在誠在敬，相見平淡，久而彌永。

◎　你們不管做什麼事情都能夠互相商量，多吸取一些知識，才不會吃虧！尤其現在社會，人與人之間，人心在內，你對他很坦誠，有時候別人的心卻不一定會對你很坦誠。所以交朋友要謹慎，為師的意思並不是說壞的朋友不要交，現在三曹普渡，本是要化惡為善，若你的能力夠，可以渡上他！如果能力不夠，你反而會被拖下水，所以要謹慎。

◎　說了這麼多「謹慎」，是要怎麼做起呢？就是要多參悟聖賢書，你們才有能力去分辨對待，使用某些圓融技巧，但你的心卻是明白的、自在的，不受到外界所感染，以身力行，才能圓滿！懦門設教仁為本，行忠恕之道，繼一貫之行。

◎　事非宜不敢輕諾，荀輕諾進退錯方；見未真不敢輕言，未知的不輕傳揚。

　　人有短勿去揭穿，人有私切莫亂云；道人之善己也善，恩欲報怨須忘光。

　　濟世利民遍塵中，裝瘋責傻諧人懂，公心一片無人我，難事遇我即靈通，

　　活潑玲瓏通權變，隨方就圓適可從，佛在人心豈外往，性欲圓明時守對己則無過中求有過，非獨進德亦且免患。

◎　對人則有過中求無過，非獨存厚亦且解怨。宜隨時檢點一切，處處反求諸己。過在能改，改在能知，而知則在求之於己。所謂以責人之心責己，以怨己之心恕人。夫知人常易，知己常難。己有過易宥，人有過難原。人能見百步之外，難見己身之背。目能察秋毫之微，卻難自數其睫，故常自見已逐者與這印相當。

知道還要行道

◎　大家都忘了曾經立的誓願嗎？為什麼會生在這個動亂的時期？這是你們的因緣啊！為什麼不早一點生？為什麼不晚一點生？偏偏生在這樣的時期？為什麼偏偏生在這個世局呢？因為你們有你們的因緣阿！

◎　什麼是立愿呢？立了清口吃素這樣叫做了愿嗎？(不是)立愿是一輩子的事，一直到最後一口氣沒了，你都有做到，那才算了愿，始終如一，不要到後來晚節不保。有沒有人說：我等到要死的前一刻，才來補我的愿，可以嗎？(不可以)

◎　這和種菜是一樣的道理，要不斷的耕耘、不斷的灌溉。立了愿之後，每天都要盡責任，好像儲蓄一樣，一天存一塊錢，等到哪一天存夠了，你就存無數的財富了。我們如果光是鼓勵別人存錢，而自己卻不儲蓄，到時候是自己的損失喔！

◎　學道要不停的充實自己。現在是咱們付出的時候了，每個人都有力量可以付出，因為你們都是為師的徒兒，白陽的天使。

◎　什麼是天使呢？就是上天的使者，就是從上天來的「駐塵大使」，要做的工作是親善，是幫助他人。你們可有聽過大使脾氣大啊？(沒有)有沒有大使賄賂人的啊？(沒有)咱們得要做得有模有樣的，我們要砥勵自己，讓自己更精進、更前進。修道是自己修，你要等人家來幫助你，不如自己幫助自己，自己去做，將來的成就，才是你自己的。

◎　自我省思之後，就要開始衝，別忘了每個人都有壯志在胸，暫且拋去兒女私情吧！開創錦繡的前程，同修之間相輔相成，祝大家一路順風，不要害怕路途有險難。咱們寄生在天地裡，只要公心就與道一同，不要說身非我有、人在紅塵身不由己，只要你把握好機會，此時此刻向前街，一步一個腳印，永恒就在今生創造。

◎　每個人都有自己的責任，不要懺悔了自己的不足，懺著懺著就懺成一條小蟲，什麼都不敢做了，「我不足以渡人、不足以成全人」，就什麼都不去做了嗎？知不足要能改，改了更要挺身前進。

◎　徒啊，修道要靠自己，雖然徒兒們都知道要自己來，可是有時你們還會亂了腳步，要經過點傳師的安排，分工合作，要一步一步的安排。好好的引導人家，才會知道怎麼做。每個人都想要做，得要讓人家都有機會做。

◎　有心想了愿的，就得要自己來，依著順序，不要爭先恐後，能做多少就做多少，看自己的能力。經一事長一智，在做一件事的當中，你會體會到做一件事的奧妙。不是把事情做完就算了，在做的當中能夠觸類旁通，自己能做好這一件事情，不會做的人要去請教前賢，看看事情怎麼做，大家互相提攜。我們不是自己會了就好了，還要教人；不能只會跟人家講道理，其它事情都不會做，不是只會煮菜﹒佛堂內大大小小的事都要會做。

◎　教人是提拔後進，你的工作慢慢就能分擔給別人，道是要大家一起來辦的。是不是要分擔給組員做？組長還要組員配合，對不對？看看組員有什麼不足的，組長要補，幫忙補足，是不是這樣？

◎　在人生的旅途與修辦的心路歷程中，你們會看見什麼是窮、什麼是通、什麼是勝、什麼是敗。這些窮通勝敗，得靠自己當下去了悟，如果看不透這些人世上的變化，那麼，為師可以說你們連修道是什麼，辦道是什麼都還搞不清楚。

◎　這些變化不論好壞，咱們得要從事情當中去體悟，咱們本來的面目是自家知道的，現在是被環境、形相界迷惑了自己，而搞得顛倒錯亂，懂得為師的意思嗎？

◎　徒兒啊，要當仁不讓，不要事事都晚人家一步。修道要名實相符，今天你是什麼名，就要有那個實質。比如你們做壇務，就要守自己的本份，做到壇務該做的事情，那麼，你才可以算是一個壇務人員。是這個名稱，就要做到這個壇務，修道人最重要的就是這個。

◎　你說你是修道人，是只有這個名稱，還是真的有修道人的胸懷？這個得考量考量。徒兒們修道修得愁眉苦臉，心結沒打開，是不是？修道身心不健康，讓人家覺得是變態，可不可憐啊？

◎　修道修到最後，腦袋裏不裝道理，只裝一些是是非非，可不可悲？身為前面的人，你腦袋裝著某某人如何如何，那是最可悲的。

◎　每個人都有眼睛，每個人都會看，何必講人的是非呢！

◎　現在人最大的毛病，就是多說少做；道理每個人都會說，只要不會得罪別人，你甚至也可以扭曲事實，這種事你也可以做嗎？正義誰來伸張啊？伸張不是你口講的，只有「行動是你最好的行為」。

◎　徒兒想不想得救呢？要得救之前，得要先自救，樣樣都要認理實修啊！德性不足當然你講的話人家就不聽，怪誰啊？(自己)從頭至今講來講去原來是自個兒出了問題。徒兒們應該學學你們前人的擔待精神，而不要用要求的口吻來責備別人。

◎　每天坐著不辦事有用嗎？如果你們聽進去仙佛所講的話，那麼行為便是最好的見證。講行住坐臥就好了，平常起居生活正常嗎？行得正嗎？住得正嗎？各人以此類推啊！如何耕耘你的心？如何抓住你的心？如何更改自己的心？你的心可以成佛亦可成魔，可做好也可做壞，可像菩薩的心，也可有蛇蠍的心喔！如果到現在還無法徹底領悟，將來不只是一盤散沙，可能連你們自己都繫不住了，知道嗎？這樣可不可以？辦得那麼好有沒有用？

◎　百善孝為先，道理你們都懂，如果此時此刻，還不能自己管自己，自我做好標杆模範，會如何呢？生命長短不論，只要要求在有生之年的作為就夠了。「道善則得之，不善則失之，天命不于長」，這些你們都曉得。在每個人初生下來時就有了那個使命，也包括了你們今天身擔的使命，要如何去做？空口說話是一點用處也沒有的。

◎　懂，就要去做，懂而不去做就叫做「頑昧」，頑昧的頑靈就接近殘靈哪！徒啊，有時候修道就是要給自己一點小小的要求。要求些什麼你們得想想：「我有哪一點進步啊？」想想看你們的鄰居、左鄰右舍、你的親戚朋友裡面，有沒有人說：「耶！這個人變乖了哦！」有沒有人說：「這個媽媽越來越像修道人的樣子囉！」有沒有人說：「那個人修道越修越快樂了！」那就是你有一點改變了。

◎　那還有些什麼改變呢？比如說，以往你的嗜好專長是喜歡睡覺，隨時就是愛睡覺，怕來聽課睡覺，現在你能夠提起勇氣來佛堂聽課，那就算有點進步了，是不是？以往我五堂課裡面全都在睡覺，現在五堂課裡面我只睡一堂，那算不算變啊？(算)

　　如果說，你的嗜好是喜歡吃東西，那喜歡吃的也要有一點改變哦！要開始吃肉邊菜，學吃肉邊菜是不是也有點進步？本來就吃素的人，他吃得越來越清淡了，他是不是越來越進步了？

　　平常愛玩、喜歡逛街、喜歡買東西的人，那麼，他得做什改變呢？(克制自己少買一點一平常愛玩的人可不可以捨下一點時間，來佛堂開開法會、聽聽課呀？那就表示有所改變了，是不是？平常愛看電視的呢？犧牲看電視的時間來研究道理，那就算他有所改變了；平常愛講話、喜歡這裡講講、那裡講講的呢？把他的嘴拿來講道理，那是不是算改變了?

◎　通常都是點傳師在要求你們，逼著你們要修道，都是點傳師在要求你們什麼可以做、什麼不可以做，你們現在要怎麼做？徒兒是不是都處於被動狀態？現在是什麼時候啦！是不是要換你們主動一點啦？要主動要求自己是不是？(是)點傳師要求你，他又沒功沒德的，對他一點好處都沒有，是不是？何必功德白白讓人家給賺了呢？腦筋要會想啊！清楚嗎？

◎　徒兒們能夠成為辦事人員，自己有沒有把握住天時、有沒有把握這個時機？

◎　現在天時不同了，徒兒們不能老是說我心好就好，有心還要用心。你們說自己在修道，為師問你們，修道有沒有認真？你說我有心，但是有心跟用心是不同的，用心得要用力的付出。

◎　要用心在什麼地方？用心在改脾氣、改毛病，用心在做好一個妻子的本份，用心去教育小孩，用心去渡人，還是要用心在講課，這些自己都得要有目標。今天你要種樹，你要先挖土，挖土不出力，土怎麼能夠鬆、樹怎麼種下去，是不是？所以，不能說我有心就好了，為師還要你們用心。

同修不離道伴

◎　徒啊！你們要是能跟你的後學們和和氣氣的相處在一起、上下同心同德的話，那便是你們的福氣，那也是為師的福氣，更是整個眾生的福氣；如果還爭著分別你我，分別得那麼清楚的話，你們想想，貪、瞋、痴地獄三條根，要怎麼斷啊？

◎　人要能夠容忍啊！「有容乃大」懂嗎？要能夠互相提攜、互相規勸、互相接納對方意見，而不是各執己見。各執己見，要如何辦事呢？要拿出智慧來，沒智慧，事情要怎麼辦呢？

◎　徒兒們如果(我有認錯的心，我向　老母懺悔，什麼都是我錯，你就是佛了，這樣才是一個其正的修道者；若你不是修得「人我相」皆破除，那你又修的是什麼？

◎　再說，大家都是同修，徒兒，你們都是兄弟姐妹，也要一起成佛。當你看到兄弟姐妹有錯時，是誰的責任？是你自己修不好，你自己沒做好，是不是？是你沒做好，你沒有包容心，你沒辦法感動兄弟姐妹，你沒辦法教導他們啊！

◎　當你們修得好時，老師我感到安慰；你們若修不好，老師我還感到真慚愧呢！怎麼活佛所教出來的弟子是這樣的呢？看看，日落日出又是一天啊！你們的人生是怎麼去面對的呢？

◎　人和人一定是要相處在一起的，只有在相處的時候才知道自己的個性是怎麼樣。如果你自己一個人住，你就永遠都會覺得自己是對的、是好的、是圓滿的、完美無缺的。所以﹒當人和人真正相處在一起的時候，你才會發現你的缺點在哪裡；當有人嫌你的時候，其實是在幫助你，幫助你找到自己的缺點。人啊！最可悲的是不知道自己的缺點在哪裡，如果徒兒們能自覺，知道自己的缺點而能夠改過，這個人就了不起。

◎　人和人之間，最重要的就是和平相處。當我們改變自己，對人有一顆禮讓的心，有一份愛人的心，你這一個個體，就可以和每一個人圓融相處，表示和平，不信你們問一問自己，你們週遭和平嗎？你會不會有事情不順心？你會不會從早上一睜開眼睛就不停的囉嗦、不停的罵？事情都是希望更好，但是就是會有怨言？你心裡會不高興、會罵人、會責備人，你的身邊會有小戰爭，為什麼？想一想，為什麼自己的周遭不能真正的很和平？

◎　修道嘛！就是要和平，委屈自己圓融十方，就是要煉一份德性、一份包容。我們說：「宰相肚裏能撐船」，不做宰相，肚裡也要能撐船。多一份包容，多一份關愛，多替人家想一想。要如何替人家想呢？平常我們替自己想習慣了，總是會想：「那個人講了那麼重的話傷到我！」，心在滴血，猶如刀割，你們總會覺得人家傷害到自己，只因為一句話；可是你們也要想一想，為什麼人家會說這一句話？是不是你也曾經說過這一句話傷害到人家？還只是因為你特別在意這一件事？打一個比方說，坤道總是怕胖，其實胖不胖沒關係，但是如果人家說：「啊喲！你胖囉！」就覺得很氣憤，覺得這個人敢這樣暗箭傷人，然後傷回去：「你也胖了不少喔！」於是戰爭就開始了。為什麼不回過頭來想一想，自己是不是也常傷到人家？當你們在防衛自己的時候，是不是也曾派兵攻打了人家？想一想喔！這是很少人去想到的問題。

◎　所以為師現在要你們知道，世界上沒有一件完美的事情。你看月亮，就是會有陰晴圓缺才會美麗，人也一樣。世間上有那麼多的人，用那麼多的米去養那麼多的人，可是每一個都長得不一樣；世間也正因為每一個人的不一樣，才顯得有色彩。如果希望每一個人都應該如何如何，吃飯一定要吃什麼飯，穿衣服一定要穿什麼衣服，走路一定要從左腳開始走，語言一定要講什麼語言，如果每一個人都照著你的理想去生活的話，有一天你一定會問得不得了，太悶了；如果這些人都像自己的影子一樣，那麼世間還有什麼美麗呢？

◎　打一個比方，人和人的個性都會有所不同，有的人比較會鑽牛角尖，比較優柔寡斷，遇到了事情會悶悶不樂，但有的人個性就比較活潑開朗，因為有他的樂觀，才能夠開導你。你才能夠重新生活。因為要有不同的人，不同的個性，所以世界才會很美好。

◎　退一步來想，你去看人家的缺點，其實那正是人家最可愛的地方。例如說，你看到了你太太每天早上蓬頭垢面的，心裡其實是很不喜歡，但因為她是我最親的人，所以就試著每天早上唸三遍她的名字：「我很愛她，雖然蓬頭垢面的，但也滿特別的，別人要弄這種造形還弄不出來呢！」要用這種角度去想，生活是不是會過得更美好？做人家先生的，常被嫌髒，身上都會有一種味道，但是你也要這樣想。是哪一種香水，做得出這一種味道來？多特別啊！

◎　不要把人家的缺點作缺點看，要把人家的缺點當作特色，試著做看看吧！平常街坊的三姑六婆，特別愛說話，只要一開口就停不了，那也是人家的特色，他可以不喝水，不休息一直講，你能嗎？要由衷的佩服人家，世界才會更美好啊！

◎　改變自己，你們才會快樂起來，會很有原動力。就從當下，現在開始，自己要想一想到底有哪一些地方不圓滿。為什麼個性總是沒辦法和別人好好講話？如果徒兒們可以察覺到自己不好的地方，那麼就好好改變它，向你們的敵人示好，對他們微笑，不要要求別人先對你們微笑，就從自己開始做起，這樣，你們就可換取自己終生的幸福了。

◎　自修與共修有什麼不同呢？自己修，跟別人沒什麼接觸，也不會引起隨便亂發脾氣的毛病；自己修，改毛病改得快。但是辦道呢？因為接觸的人多，所以磨擦就多，尤其是認識的人那就麻煩了，因為他們太了解你，太清楚你的習性，所以會有是非，是不是啊？那麼，在這個辦道當中修道，是不是就很難？很難要不要修何？今天就是因為辦道當中修道很難，徒兒們還願意修，才能顯得出這個道的珠勝，是不是？

◎　修道不是說不要離開佛堂嗎？因為在佛堂有同修，大家有一樣的共識、一樣的目標、划著同一艘法船，凝聚力量、大家團結，這種感受和理想是不同的。聽課收穫最大的其實是自己，跟講師一點都沒有關係。所以多聽課可以幫助修道，有疑問也可以得到解決，這就是修道不離開佛堂的好處。

◎　哭，只是人生的一部份，也只是感動的一小插曲而已；其正的成功﹒是要收拾眼淚，大家好好出去發揮，你們說是不是？其正的感動，是把以前做過的錯事徹底改掉，不再犯。

◎　酒色財氣是四堵牆，這你們都知道，而現在社會的五花八門是多又多、稀奇得又稀奇，你們得要小心哪！是不是只要你們德性足，只要你們正氣夠，一切就都可以突破？為師對每個徒弟都深具信心，為什麼你們對自己卻那麼沒信心呢？當你沒辦法渡人的時候，你們都會到佛堂叩叩頭，而當你們嘴巴講是非時，為什麼不用那個心來誦誦經呢？

◎　叫你們來佛堂護持就是叫你們來聽聽眾生的心，要你們來體恤體恤他們，而不是要你們在這邊讓仙佛來要求你們。

◎　眾生的呼吸聲你們聽到了嗎？辦道人的辛酸你們嚐到了嗎？停頓的心，你們身為點傳師體會到了嗎？你們真的了解他們為什麼停頓了嗎？你們跟他們可以就是息息相關。老師我常講，沒有民哪有官哪！沒有道親哪來的點傳師，哪來的講師，哪來的壇主？所以，你們好自為之。你們的問題有辦法一一來問為師嗎？

◎　前賢是個寶，多請前賢去你家成全家人，而你也要慢慢改變自己，那麼你一切不順的情況也會跟著改變。不要只想到自己，大家有緣才能成為同修阿！也不要忘了家人，多少也要為家人盡點心；你們知道什麼叫「共修」嗎？家人如果不明理，你們互相修理來修理去，這也叫共修。你不要認為家人不修道沒什麼，其實他們就是造就你的人。

◎　今天你們修道修得不輕鬆，是因為你們責任重，老師我活得瀟灑自在，那是因為我懂得去轉換。一個念頭，它可以讓你生，也可以讓你死，所以念頭很重要啊！車子的轉換器是離合器，那心的轉換器是什麼？(念頭)是啊！你自己可以轉換的，不必藉由別人，這才叫「妙智慧」。人人都有離合器，該離該合自己要知道。

◎　所謂不忘初發心，這是對自己而言，在維摩經所講的「不請之友」！ 眾生有不請之友，謂之菩薩！就是要時時幫助你所認識的人；至於同修之間，那更不用說了。八大人覺經所講的「不念舊惡」，同修之間時時要體諒、要原諒，每個人都是一樣的，在大乘起信論所講的要「不變隨緣」，也就是對一切境、一切的人都一樣，不要再攀緣了。

◎　末後了，要懂得調伏心性，否則很危險！發出每個人自有的本心、本愿；現在不僅是「自性自渡」，更要昇華到「共波共了」了！

◎　為師告訴你們，你們要有關懷的心，時時去關懷眾生，不要在你的同修有了困難時，你們都不去找他，那樣就沒有了同胞愛了！

苟日新又日新

◎　徒啊！你們每天照鏡子的時候，提醒自個兒，今天「心」好不好？今天我做到老師的支持了沒有？看書了嗎？我迥光返照了沒有？我有用慈悲心在帶眾生嗎？在渡化眾生拼命地衝了之後，到夜深人靜時，你會覺得很空虛，有沒有？為什麼？因為你的內心沒有充實！

◎　當你往前衝著渡化眾生的時候，只想到要渡道親來佛堂，可是你的內心卻糧食缺乏，明白嗎？記住，渡別人的待候，別忘了順便渡渡自個兒；救別人的時候，順便救救你自個兒！形相不能夠永遠的成全你，不要老是仗著老師會成全你，你們若要老師去救你那可愛的後學們，自己就要先自救啊！

◎　徒兒們啊！你們往往就是喜歡對自己太好、原諒自己，有沒有？一次不改沒關係，兩年後再改，是不是？有時候你們在引導眾生的時候都是告訢自己：「沒關係，我錯、我兇、我無理，我慢慢改。」你已經麻痺在「慢慢改」裡了。請問，你要多慢哪？你們常講人生無常，無常是什麼樣子的？一點也無法久長啊！你們自己細細體會！

◎　你們就是常常給自己機會，所以永遠沒辦法進步，「沒關係啊！我錯一次，我今天脾氣來了，我又發脾氣了，我的慾又來了，沒關係啦，再改！」你們老是改了又犯，沒關係再一次機會，修道、辦道到時可沒機會了！不是老師我不給你們機會，不要怪為師無情啊！今世不修、今世不辦，你說下次、下輩子再來修，沒有機會了！如果你沒機會了，現在會感覺如何？(沒感覺)就是因為太多人沒感覺，於是就麻木不仁，終而輪迥生死苦海。就像現在的你們一樣，為什麼你們還坐在這裡？就是因為已經麻木不仁，沒有感覺了，所以才會不斷地生死輪迴。

◎　你們常因自己的一句話考倒了眾生，可是你還是說：「我慢慢修，我慢慢改！」叫你世俗凡情看淡一點，你說：「老師，我事業很忙。」就是因為你的業力，自個兒牽綁住自個兒的心，讓自己永遠在生死苦海當中輪迥。

◎　徒兒，最末後了，今日不上岸，你等何時？如果今世沒有遇上道，或者遇上了道，但是你不修，依然不斷的逞你的慾望，在貪、瞋、痴上不能斷根，那以後還要繼續地獄輪迥，請問，你要在什麼時候才可能再遇到大開普渡呢？有沒有人自己常講：「我就是這樣的人哪！」有沒有？就因為你是這樣，所以你還在人間啊！

◎　如果徒兒們要改，就得真切的改，不可以老是講：「我的個性就是如此」，就是因為你有一個我，我的肉體、我的個性、我的毛病、我的執著，所以你就永遠沈淪在生死苦海當中，不得超生、流浪生死。你會痛苦、會煩惱，凡間的一切你無法掌握，今日發生的事情你也不能夠得知，這全是因為你迷昧了你的本性，蓋住了你的良知啊！

◎　佛堂的真正目的是什麼？佛堂真正的目的是接引眾生，讓我們修己渡人。佛堂的意思是修己渡人，讓我們時時不離佛堂，就代表我們時時都要有修己渡人的心。

◎　徒兒們想想，從你們求道到現在，剛開始開法會，老師就送你們六個字，哪六個字？(改毛病、去脾氣)那徒兒們都改了嗎？有沒有時時記在心裡頭？現在回想改了些什麼？有沒有什麼地方還特別執著的？有沒有以前不懂的，到現在還是不懂？是不是以前討厭的人到現在還在討厭？以前很煩，到現在還是很煩？以前常常罵人，現在嘴巴還是鎖不起來啊？有的話，是不是有些進步？改了些什麼？以前沒存設佛堂時不會獻香，現在會不會呵？以前不會執禮，現在會不會啊？壇主要學得還很多呢！佛堂該怎麼打理、怎麼獻供？初一、十五要做些什麼？這些要清楚啊！回到佛堂的目的就是要複習。

◎　為什麼他們(點傳師、辦事人員)要用心設各種班程？因為知道大家平常工作都很忙，又要修道、學道，都忙忘了，所以開個班把大家都找回來，強迫你們複習。時間走得太快，腳步走得太快，你們所要做的事情，大家也都忘記做了。

◎　所以，修道每天都要進步，不要連修持都忘了。還有很多道理你們以前都聽過的，但是當真正遇到事情的時候，就有聽沒有懂，聽到了卻不會用。

◎　要知道，佛堂就是大家實現理想的地方，你的理想是要做一個好人、成功的人，因此，最起碼你要做到孝順爸爸媽媽，做一點有意義的事情，不然，你這個人活在世界上要做什麼？既然佛堂是實現理想的地方，徒兒們就要往目標邁進。

◎　咱們修道要修「忘」，為什麼要忘？要忘記什麼？忘毀譽、忌利害、忘生死、忘是非。

　　什麼是忘毀譽？忘毀譽是指別人對你的侵害，是外在對內在的侵害哦！這個是忘毀譽。

　　那什麼是忘利害呢？如果你想得到有利於自己的東西，但是別人又和你競爭、計較，讓你得不到這個利益時，你該怎麼辦？那就要去掉心中的那份執著才行。

　　什麼是忘生死？徒兒們為什麼修道呢？是不是因為害怕死而修辦道呢？是因為怕死了以後會到地獄去，而求道、辦道會回到理天，所以你們才來修辦，有沒有這樣？為了怕天災人禍來了，會臨到自己身上，才趕緊來修辦道的，有沒有？這些觀念都不正確，這些只是輔助你修辦道的一個方式，一個過程而已，並不是根本哦！

◎　所以，徒兒們都已經是辦事人員了，要你們多聽課，這是最簡單、最基本、最根本的方法。你們有的到現在為止對於修辦道都還不大清楚哦！是不是課聽得太少？這樣就是對道、對自己了解不夠多。末後了，不論在心性上或道理都要再精進喔！

◎　徒啊，你們說，修道是件容易的事嗎？說容易卻也不容易，說簡單倒也很簡單，因為修道只是一心為眾生而已啊！講的只是犧牲奉獻這件事，但是，做起來卻是不容易啊！你們都有一個家庭，日日為了家庭，你看你們的心神，全纏繞在這個家庭人事的糾紛上。

◎　還有，你們為了情感而亂心神，你們看看修道路，這一條路是多麼光明，而你們有時候卻偏偏對自己沒信心，走到最後，修到最後，自己卻躲起來了，這樣對嗎？

◎　修道是看人修，還是自己修的？修道是修給自己的，不是為人而修，你自己如果沒辦法看開，就會有無邊的徘徊。你們若對事不明理、不明白，這個嫌隙又結，兄弟又鬩牆，連你自己都這麼不自在了，一顆心無法釋懷，走到哪兒，都是看人不順，你怎麼能自在啊？

◎　你再想想看，修道本來就是越修越淡泊名利，你若是對名利得失依然執著，在進退當中就會感到困惑，明白嗎？

◎　徒兒你們常常在佛前跟老師我叩頭，你們經常講了很多的心事，苦惱的時候你們只會對為師訴苦，可是你們自己卻沒有想想為何會如此？你這顆心為何要背負這麼多、這麼重？徒啊，為何不放下？當你放下的時候，你才會了解你這個「我」絕不是為這一些而求的。

◎　徒兒在修道的路途當中，有時要放眼看看天地，天地一沙鷗啊！小徒兒，聽為師我說，咱們辦天事，一顆心表白上天，上天會知道的，你的犧牲上天看得見的，你不用辯駁，你也不用急急躁躁的解說，老師我只希望你們能夠修得心平氣和，提昇自我，知道嗎？道從哪裡看啊？老師無肉體了，從老師身上看得見嗎？這佛像擺在這兒看得見嗎？道就在你身上，你如果不把它代表出來，怎麼看得見啊？老師我傳這個道給你們，你們如果不懂得好好的修，那就糟蹋了老師我這個寶貴的道。

◎　自古聖賢要修這個道，都是受盡了千魔萬考後，才能求得這個道，而為師這麼輕易地把道傳給你們，徒兒們若不好好的修，你們對得起天嗎？你們對不起　老
啊！人孰能無過？老師我當過人，也知道做人的苦，但是過錯不要羞於改進，懂嗎？連聖賢都有過錯了，你們有過只要好好的改一番，就是為師的好徒兒了！

◎　在這末後，老師希望你們皆能認理，好好的修，不要永遠落在人我的對待中：真是修道人沒有過錯，真是修道人也沒有是非，懂嗎？你得要去改過，有過則改，愈改你的過錯自然就愈少。

◎　你從人到佛這中間要經過多少的鍛鍊，你們知道嗎？你們不是頑石，是石中的玉啊！這個玉藏在裡頭，石頭包在外面，好像這靈性藏在裡頭，肉體包在外面一樣的。這個玉要怎樣才能開採出來？(要磨)要怎麼磨？你身旁的人就是在磨你，每磨掉一塊，就感覺好像有點成長。因為每當你磨掉一塊，就會發覺存許多以前沒發覺的稜枝角角、毛病，現在發現了，這就代表你已經成長了。你如果發現自己滿身的罪業、滿身的過錯，就會看到你在進步了；如果你沒看到過錯、沒看到罪業，那表示你在原地踏步。人不要做虧心事，免得將來後悔，虧心事做多，天理難容的。

◎　今天大家辦道都沒有真心在辦，為師我不怪你們，為師從嚴格自己做起，你們是不是也要從自己嚴格做起，然後才能要求別人啊？再多捨一點也無所謂，對不對？

◎　講員是將來講師的候選人，不可存有畏怯心。徒兒們現在怕什麼？怕自己沒做好，講一堆卻做不到，是不是呀？你怕的話怎麼能進步啊？要先放掉自己，這樣你講出的道理才合乎天心啊！你如果沒有放掉自己，一味的怕，怕自己誤了眾生、怕講不好、怕擔過，這樣天下的眾生還有道理可聽嗎？這個過是要誰擔啊？(自己)講員經過一段時間的磨鍊、焠煉以後，是不是應該要往上爬啦？你不往上爬而只掛著講員的名，你就沒有做到「實」，你的九玄七祖也會替你難過，他等著你的昇級喔！你昇他就昇，你降他就降，昇降關鍵不是空口白話的！

◎　有沒有牽掛和障礙？有牽掛有障礙才是人，這不代表不好，因為事情是沒有絕對的，有牽掛而來，沒關係，我們再一樣來做佛。做錯事就要懂得懺悔，雖然為師知道你們一定會再犯，但是，人就是人嘛！知錯能改，善莫大焉！

◎　為師要求的不多，只要你們改心，把貪、嗔、痴的心改成感恩的心就可以了。為師希望你們能開開心心的，縱然難免會愁眉苦臉，但是沒關係，都是過程嘛！只要你們記住老師對你們的這份心，你們還老師一片真就好啦！

◎　修道能想得開、看得開，就什麼都開啦！你看你們的臉上都有皺紋，如果再不笑，皺紋就更多了。什麼叫「美」？以笑臉來待人，多笑笑就沒錯啦！

◎　「一個人要有志氣、要有和氣，可是，不可以有傲氣。」這句話徒兒們要常常拿出來想一想。當你進步時，有沒有驕傲？退步了有沒有勇氣再往前進？這點徒兒們常常要想一想。進步了有沒有驕傲？還是有更低心下氣去學？退步的時候，咱們有沒有退縮了？什麼都不去學。

◎　兄弟姊妹之間，難免有意見不合的時候，怎麼辦呢？是不是來到佛堂就你做你的、我走我的，誰也不理誰，這樣好不好？這裡是大家的佛堂，來到這兒的目的是什麼？是互相學習、互相成全。今天新道親來到這兒，看到你們每個都這樣，你們說他們還敢來嗎？

◎　當你們心中有個結的時候，就不要再鑽牛角尖，因為這個結會越打越多、越大，對不對？當你打上一個結的時候，就要設法把這個結打開，要找出真相，「為什麼我的心裡會打這個結？我要怎樣才能把這個結解開？」這就靠你們平常的功夫了！平時自己的道學有沒有精進，還是渾渾渡日？

◎　有形的佛堂，咱們要打掃乾淨，要整理得井井有條，可是那無形的佛堂要如何去打掃呢？這麼一個莊嚴的佛堂要如何去打掃呢？咱們想一想，一天痴心妄想有多少？恨別人又有多少？懶惰的心又有多少？有沒肯想過？沒有的話，咱們要如何去將這無形的佛堂打掃乾淨呢？

◎　徒兒們！每天都要做反省的功夫，想一想自己一天裡頭，有沒有做錯些什麼事情？事情做成功了有沒有起驕傲的心？心有沒有知足？有沒有要求自己精進的一顆心？所謂「見賢恩齊，見不賢內自省」，是不是？

◎　如果你們看到別人不好，不要苛刻地去責備人家，也不要心懷不滿，不要讓自己氣不順、看不順，那些對自己沒有益處，對別人也不會有正面的幫助。

◎　你看見人家不好，趕快反省自己，不要像他一樣，這樣不是很好過嗎？那見賢呢？(思齊)見到人家好的，就要趕快學起來，如果能做到這樣，你們修道辦道，還會有什麼困惑呢？如果你少了感同身受的心，辨道就沒辦法精進；你少了體會的心，就不知道什麼是感恩；你一但停下了腳步，一切都將會失去希望，你們知不知道？

◎　末後了，徒兒時時要懂得真正的自我要求。腳步要調整才會快，不要只是受別人要求，否則你會難屈服，容易退步，因為你有抵抗心理、因為你不服氣、因為你有不平的心，所以就會影響到你的修煉，導致你的心起起伏伏。所以徒兒們，在這末後了，確確實實的要自我要求，要精進再精進，好嗎？要真道行持，日夜莫懈怠，時時刻刻馬不停蹄的快馬加鞭呀！

◎　末後了，請問還有多少的時間可以修辦？你再想想你自己，還有多少的罪沒了、沒消呀？再想想，還有多少年了罪的機會？你是不是應該快馬加鞭、馬不停蹄呀？你說還有多少時間讓你去浪費呢？還有多少時間去胡思亂想呢？遇到人哪，開口就是說道理，還有是非可說嗎？你有是非存在的話，表示你的心不再清閒了！你沒存積極的心、向道之心，你沒有想把自己的罪業了掉的心，所以你才有時間多說是非、參與是非之事。所以呀，開口就是渡人、成全人，這才是修道的人，對嗎？這才是白陽修士該做的事呀！是該恆誠抱守、道心永存、刻苦耐勞呀！無怨無悔呀！知否?

◎　德—就是要靠你們去把它表現出來，而不是讓人家看了你，覺得你很新奇、很奇怪的；能夠愈平凡就愈不簡單啊！那是平凡之中的不平凡啊！道親、道親，是不是「道」最親啊？既然如此，以後來到佛堂就不要再講是非了，好不好？自已的生死大事都無法了脫了，還去管別人？已經沒有時間了，對不對？那你們要用多餘的時間來做什麼？是不是常要多看書充實道學啊？回去都有看書嗎？現在八點檔連續劇真好看，一天不看真可惜，有沒有？所以，身為辦事人員的就要把握時間，日精進，才能真的辦好事、了己之愿，而不愧於心啊！

◎　辦天事沒有分高下、你我哪！點傳師點道的時候就點道，平時也是辦事人員，是不是？為什麼說修道要奇三不離？不離什麼？(不離佛堂，不離前賢，不離經典)為什麼要不離經典啊？它是幫你們對這個「道」有信心哪！看任何經典，都是用來印證的，會讓你更加法喜充滿啊！會更加肯定這個啊！所以，不是說辦事人員平常就不用精進啊！

◎　什麼是精進啊？就是讓你這個情緒能一直轉化、一直改變，不斷地看到自己心中的缺點，把這種缺陷慢慢改掉！還有，有些徒兒們在佛堂都跪得下來，但是在家裡做錯事，敢不敢跟父母跪下來磕頭懺侮、認不是啊？希望徒兒們真的做得到，只要你去磕頭、去懺悔，為師相信，沒有解不開的事情！人只要能低下頭，就沒有解不開的事啊！怕的就是不能謙下。

◎　徒兒們！有沒有注意到蓮花，它是長在什麼地方呢？污泥啊！大家都知道，蓮花是出污泥而不染，那徒兒要在塵不染塵，是不是？修道離不開群居啊！徒兒們有沒有發現？現在白陽應運，道降火宅﹒都在家庭修，不能離開人群，如果離開了人群去修，為師可以講，那叫「偷生」啊！怎麼講呢？因為那叫「自了漢」！那是藉著一個清靜的地方來修，沒有經過人事的磨鍊！這樣是成就不了什麼的，徒兒們瞭解嗎？

◎　蓮花它是長在什麼地方？污泥啊！是那潮溼淤泥的地方，它是長在那種最髒的地方呵！在高高的陸地上，它會不會長出這個蓮花呢？所以，道在低處藏啊！

如何修身培德

上求佛道　下渡眾生　　動時渡人　靜時渡已

君子適時　動靜皆宜　　多言數窮　不如守中

◎　人最難修的就是內德，讓人認定這人內德很好是不簡單的，修內德比修口才還難上十分。

◎　你雖然沒有資本建立一個化學工廠，但你可以從你的心境，創立一個小小而完整的工廠。

◎　化學工廠的最大特點就是能廢物利用，如果你有這種化學工廠的心境，多麼不好的「話」，你把它收容下來，加以整理，再由你口中發出來，就成為「美言好語」。

◎　如果你有這種化學工廠的心境，多麼不好的人，你把他收容下來，就可以使他改變成非常好的人，這樣做不要本錢，只要你用心，只要你有度量，有涵養，有志向，人人都可以做到。

◎　你們儘注意到環境，卻不注意心境，只知道美化環境卻不知美化心境，知道改變環境卻不知改變心境。

◎　問問自己，打從求道以來，你的心境改變了多少？太少了，只是在道場上稍有改變，當離開道場，離開道親，回到你自個的環境，很快就原性復發，驕的照樣驕，傲的照樣傲，強的照樣強，是不是？後天之性改變的太少了，要改變後天之性，必須誠心誠意接受別人磨煉，找機會去接受磨煉，玉石才能攻錯，如果你不接受磨煉，只想自己管自己，可能嗎？自己做錯了，捨不得打，捨不得罵，即使你罵，也是偷偷的罵，生怕人聽見，那算是真罵嗎？所以人不成器，不長進，不成聖的最大弊病，就是護己、護短、要人誇獎，要人稱讚。你沒有這種「聞過則喜」的修養，因此就得不到忠顧善導的朋友。

◎　幾時你發現你的心裡，常常有一種莫大過失的感覺，你就接近於聖人的邊緣了。聖人過多，賢人過少，小人無過。聖人何以過多？因為聖人，以天下為己任。擔天下人之過，因此過多。賢人敢做敢為，擔一人之過甚凡情，所以過少。小人推御責任，不辨是非，不以為過，所以小人根本無過。

◎　如果你開口閉口都說「不關我的事，不是我的錯」，那你的境界就差得遠了。如果在一個環境裏，無論誰發現了不對的事情，他一身擔當，想盡辦法要叫人相信這件事情確實是他做的，他總以為在環境裏，誰有過失就是他的責任，這種擔眾人之過的胸襟，是不是可以得到人家的敬佩？徒兒們，希望你們從這些細節地方加強，那便能夠使你身心充滿道的氣氛，不在於你開口講道，就叫人看出與眾不同，你身上有道，懂嗎？

◎　今天既來佛堂，既然要修道，就要有修道的樣子，要給自己一些戒律，為什麼愈修愈倒退？因為沒有要求自己，自己放縱自己的慾望，我今天想要怎麼做就怎麼做，這樣就不會進步，要拿一些規條讓自己進步，慢慢克制自己，讓自己自自然然慢慢的漸進，達到聖賢仙佛的目標。

◎　現在的人是否都很自私呢？不要想別人，想自己就好了，有無自我反省呢？你們若有好吃的東西時會先給誰吃呢？是否有想到父母有否吃過這些東西？你們雖有善心，但對這些道理，還差一截，所以才要回來這裡聽道理你有心研究「修道」，慢慢的會提昇自我，故應要互相的研究切磋，改毛病，除脾氣，並非研究吃得好、穿得好。

◎　修道不是三、五天就知道什麼意思？修道是自己隨時要改毛病，去脾氣。修德！什麼叫德啊？平等就有德啊！少的要敬老的，老的愛護小的。所以人要有謙，謙者有德性，以德性才能服人，是不是？人說「有德不令而從」，你沒德性，叫別人怎麼做，別人就不會聽是不是？為什麼不服從呢？因為你觀念不正確，所以別人就不聽啦！

◎　人，在紅塵世中修持，在人群團隊中學習，我們要學習忍讓、容他之氣度，低到極處即為高。對於表面的事我們要深入探究，不要被其傷害，也因此凡事不能以形相定之。修道要修的深入，要知道「謙受益，滿招損」，雖然別人給我們的意見對我們來說不一定有用，但我們還是要虛心接納，誠心領受。

◎　人應常常懷著感謝的心，若別人欺負我們暗，我們心應想，人雖虧我，天卻不虧我！感謝他磨鍊我，則心必安理亦得，悠悠自然。今天我若無感謝之心，就容易動怒、動氣，到頭來受傷害的還是自己，是不是呀？為人如果沒有彈性，不能容忍、圓忍、化忍，當被人家這麼一撞，你就凹進去了。如果內部稀鬆，對道信念不篤定，就算再圓，用力碰撞還是有一個角。

◎　修道總得要低心下氣，修道貴在「常綠」；修道貴在淡如水而維持時間久。壞事怕起頭，好事怕收尾，懂嗎？所以叫做開始容易慎終難！

◎　人啊！都在得失當中轉來轉去，常為了多得一點點而計較，有了計較就有了無窮盡的煩惱，仙佛點化人的缺點都是暗中點化，看到別人的缺點要拿來當戒惕，不要以別人之缺點為笑柄。

◎　我們修道要注意人家好的小細節，不要注意人家不好的。

◎　有智慧的人看到別人做的事，就能夠藉著他的做法來推理，然後自己知道如何去做。這層道理不好了解，一般都只看到別人做，就想別人做得如何，而生批評或不喜歡之心，但當你深入其中時，所做的就不見得比他好，所以應將心比心，大家的心都是一樣的。

◎　不能只看到別人，也要隨時觀察自己，不要別人種一分地，吃飽了還可分給別人，而自己雖有一甲地，卻無所收成。

◎　修道要盡己所能，素位而行，要懂得去關愛別人，不管是是非非，每個人的環境不同，就會有不同的個性，不要要求別人事事都要跟我們一樣，修道先要修正自己的性格，不要自以為是，說「我就是這個性格，我要怎樣就怎樣！」這樣是不對的。「性格」是後天之性，後天所秉持的，後天所學習到的，先天並未帶來。也許別人不歡迎我們，可是我們的心要效法彌勒祖師，要有度量，要學習彌勒的精神，不要只學外表。

◎　當你和人家吵架生氣了你不要罵別人，你罵老師無所謂，別人對你不好，想想你生氣時，上天有沒有這樣對你們？你們說要學菩薩，說要法天則地法古聖先賢，結果人家稍稍說你一句，你就火冒三丈，想想你們失意時罵天沒人性，天有沒有生氣給你澆盆水呀？

◎　老師總共轉世幾次呢？(72次)。活了幾年了啊？因為你們對數目特別喜歡！喜歡研究人家，人家怎樣，又怎樣！人家就是人家，你管人家！管管你自己就好，不要管人家！

◎　其實我們每個人都很好是不是？你的心好，別人就很好，不管他美醜，他的心好，我們取他的內德，不要東挑西挑亂挑好不好啊！自己先修養好，其實人人都是很好相處的。

◎　人都有很多毛病脾氣，有沒有？你看了不順眼的就生氣，看人家順眼就喜在心裡，這叫做有對待。

◎　人都是不能寬宏大量，所以事情特別多；人就是不肯發慈悲之心，所以眾生難渡。老師渡您們見不到的眾生，三曹普渡，上渡氣天神仙，中渡芸芸眾生，下渡地府幽冥，幽冥比你們還固執。

◎　我們忘了自己本來的面目是危險的，所以大家要常「反省自己，寬恕別人白陽修士要做何事？是不是代天宣化？那代天宣化是不是只靠嘴巴？不是！說出來還要去行出來。還有，好的要說，不好的不要說，可是一般人呢，好的不說，壞的說盡。你們進了為師的門，就要懂得「隱惡揚善」。每一個人都有習氣，難免有點氣大而得罪人，所以口行功易，考人也易，所以我們要謹言慎行。

◎　你要修養、要修道，就要把不該有之氣化解，慢慢讓自己平和，你要忍氣，還要化氣，慢慢的懂得含蓄，含蓄就是把自己的氣涵養一些，就是人家常說的這個人好有修養！

◎　一個人看起來有氣質，不是裝出來的，這是先天的氣質，別人是學不來的，此乃環境影響內在涵養而成，要善用自己先天的氣質，不要學別人，今天修道表現出一份祥和，此為修道之氣質，凶暴之氣使人不敢接近，所以修道要把暴戾之氣，化為平靜安詳。

◎　你們都懂得這個「禮」，「禮」是什麼？「禮」不是九十度鞠躬才叫做「 禮」，有「禮」就要讓，「禮讓」懂不懂啊？徒兒，你們身為講師、講員也要懂得禮讓，人若能懂得禮讓，就是培養自己的謙德，培養自己的德性做事要輕鬆，但在輕鬆之中，也要有禮貌，若不知禮，那就不好過了。做人要想到別人的立場，那也就不會做出對不起別人的事。做事要依這真心去做，事事就可免除許多是是非非。外表是假的，我們常常有一些才能就自己自誇啊！得意洋洋，有沒有啊？其實呢，心靈要充實才是真的，裡面的光要蘊涵啊！美麗不是外表裝出來的，而是內心真正「善」

◎　龍在田飛於下，所以做人要韜光養晦，人才文華不要太顯露，尤其是在多事之秋。

◎　人之尊貴在於內德，有內德的人是不隨便表現出來的心胸要寬廣、包容，才能容納一切事物，要低心下氣，不然很多事就不能接受。把心收回，讓心留一些空間，裝為師的話，如果心裝得滿滿的，那為師的話，填得進去嗎？

滿招損、謙受益

◎　有的人平步青雲，所以容易對自己太過滿意，太過驕傲，反而容易讓自己的心墜落。

◎　要進入人們的世界，首先要謙下，對別人謙下之外還要對自己謙下，怎樣謙下？即不生狂妄、驕寵之心，在成功與失敗當中都以平等心處之。若成功就沾沾自喜，走的路就不謹慎也容易變成失敗，所以一切要能夠居安而思危，不要以為現況處得很好無憂無患，其實這才是真正的憂患。成功勿自喜，失敗亦不妄自菲薄，成功失敗只是一念之間，只要常保此心，不管成功與否都波及不到你。

◎　如果人人誇你，你自己也真的就這樣認為，這也犯了一個毛病！慎高。自己的毛病自己最清楚，不肯痛下心改掉，這樣虛有其表，不實哦！

◎　不二門中勤煉火候，學寬宏低心氣，柔培內德。大家應該學習老子：莊子所講的虛懷若谷，你看那海若低水就往那邊流，所以應該以虛懷若谷的心去懷抱這個德性，去培養德性，能夠集合大家的優點變成我的優點。所以你看海，河流都流到它那邊去，好好來修道，如果沒有中道的話就會迷惑自己，然後就有了憂愁，患得患失。

◎　有些人都不盡心在自己的本份上。我們要對自己的工作崗位盡心，才會做得好。有的人聰明，就做些古怪的事，想吸引人家的注意，頭腦好是宿命來的天份，要好好善用，腦筋好較不守規矩，而那些頭腦較差的，反而比較守規矩。上天不會使人十全十美，當人十全十美的時候，他的心就比天高，人若有缺點，他的氣才會低下。所以我們人的氣若太盛，就沒有謙卑之心，沒有謙卑之心，做事就不容易成功。

◎　每個人的心都是善良的，落於後天才有憎恨之心，然後就有了對待，所以為師希望你們從今以後加緊馬鞭，路唯有靠你自己走出來，為師給你們的有限。師父引進門，修行在個人。總歸一句「渡你自己」。希望你們不要忘了你們自己的崗位，把娑婆世界化為蓮花邦。當然不外乎要修心養性使噩性光明，光明就會充滿信心。但是人不要太自信，否則往往跌倒的是你自己。

◎　我們在一個小胡同裏爭理，如同小青蛙，不知山外有山，人外有人，天外有天。我們常起比較心，別人的，我們看不上眼，常瞧不起人，常把自己看得太高，卻把別人看得低低的。其實把自己看得越高，人家會愈看不起你：但相反的你越謙虛，別人會把你捧得越高。事情沒有全部都在高的，總是一邊高，一邊低，所以叫「陰陽五行」，有的好，有的就不好。

◎　你要自己消減罪過，才會得到好的業報，你想賺錢多，不去做善事，有一天那個錢就掉了；但你做些善事，錢雖然會流出去一些，其實這些善事是在幫你積德，那樣才能把這些錢載上去，有事業有財勢的人都是存心善的人，惡人的財富是不很久的！心惡有一天這些財富就留不久，上天不會讓你擁有財富且讓你縱橫霸道太久，上天總是會公平的，所以我們要自己消減罪業，徒兒要小心體會！這有高就有低，即落入陰陽五行，這個世間就是這樣子，我們知天達地，要了解這個道理的重要性，徒兒們慢慢的心境達到了，就能了解了有失必有得，少一些不良嗜好，對自己比較幸福，嗜好很多，就得靠自己的毅力，設法去除把那些惡習都戒掉，你們就能夠活百年數！

◎　我們每個人不但在佛堂中要「圓」，在社會在家庭中也要圓滿，我們將自己的角色扮演好，素位而行，這也可稱為「圓滿」。

◎　烏鴉有義，馬有禮，每一種動物都有一種理，一種德性，那人呢？從天而來帶了什麼下來？仁、義、禮、智、信是不是？你們都發揮出來了嗎？

◎　要做善事，不要讓人知道，要「建德如偷」，建德要建立在沒有人看到的地方。

◎　上天賦予你天命(靈明本性)，就要盡自己的責任去了愿。既學道就要注重綱常倫理，推夷安平天下。

　　一把徒來告，低心下氣否專行，脾氣毛病是否從心除，莫要只圖表而改，堆積淤塞在心懷，怎將胸襟來開潤？

　　二把徒來勸，趾高氣揚惹人厭，怎把人道來圓融，清夜捫自把心問，何堪稱為修道郎，如何正己又成人？

　　三把徒來喚，和和氣氣人歡喜，萬事莫要斤斤計，推功攬過可做到，有為之心功難圓，道本自然行亦同。

　　四把徒來問，佛規否謹守？行住坐臥間，可有留心意？

　　以前言往行為師友，以忠信篤敬為修持，

　　以作善降祥為受用，以樂天知命為歸依，

　　以和氣迎人則乖泠滅，以正氣接物則妖邪消，

　　以浩氣臨事則疑懼釋，以寧氣養身則夢寐恬。

在辦道中修道

◎　當你有了一個主張，雖與人不同，不要強執著自己的意思，慢慢靜下來先想想，然後去求證。而在你發出一個主張之前，認理一定要明、要通(恩師舉了幾個在道場中，我們可能碰到的類似狀況，讓大家想一想該怎麼辦？列出如下：)

　　你在修道辦道中，你一個不錯的朋友對你說，他去練這個那個，可以變化無窮，點石成金，又能讓肉體享福，這時你有何主張？

　　當有一天你在此道場不如意，有別的地方要你去，給你當講師，甚至點傳師，你去不去？(不去)

　　倘若正好你眼前正遇到人事考驗，這考驗可逼得你隱身，而這又是衝著你的脾氣毛病而來，你的主張是什麼？會不會改變？還是決定留下來把你的敵人消滅？對己呢，是反求諸己，素位而行，對人呢？(包容他)。

◎　要辦道了，一個說要用粗的點道香，一個說要用細的，這時發生爭執，每個人都想堅持自己的立場，這時如果硬碰硬，那這樣一場盛重的辦道，便會失了那一份莊嚴，是不是？

◎　不管做任何事，你們是站在前面的人，甚至別人以你做標杆，想想看，這樣做對不對？就算你不顧他人，摸摸自己的良心，修道人是不是該名符其實，揹一個修道名，卻做出背道的事，這樣「一粒老鼠屎，壞了一鍋粥」，要謹言慎行。

◎　如果之後決定了用粗的點道香，是你的話，你該發個什麼心？該用什麼心來對待自己？強執自己的主張嗎？點傳師又該怎麼辦？點傳師派兩個人要辦事，一個負責對外成全，一個負責對內準備。這個時候，對外的說他沒做過，要和對內的換，但對內的不願意，且認為這是點傳師的天命，此時有幾種情形如下：

　　⊙對外的因一句「點傳師有天命」，如此心不甘情不願的去做，力量當然不大。對內雖做得再好，仍不能兩全其美，也是失了圓滿，對不對？

　　⊙如果這時對外的保持一顆心，想：「點傳師慈悲給我了愿，這件事又是我不會的，希望仙佛慈悲幫我，只要我有心就不怕困難。」然後他用了他不熟悉的技巧、語言，將外整頓好，對內的也弄好了，會不會比上一個圓滿？

　　⊙假如對外弄的還不夠完美，但已盡了心力，心裡能想：「同樣是為上天做事，分這麼多做什麼？而且這是我所不會的，我要學我所不會的，學會了這件事，就將是永遠所會的了。」這樣想就不會有一個障礙！以後都不敢再做這件事了！是不是？

◎　點傳師帶了一位老道親及一位剛發心的新道親跟他一起去成全，走啊走啊，點傳師和一位新求道的道親在說話，那這個老道親覺得：「唉呀！帶我來又不讓我講，發揮不了我的長處，有何用？實在太無聊了。」此時老道親便對新道親說：「點傳師真是的，叫我們出來，找我們作伴啊！也不讓我們講，也不順我們的意，又專給我們找難題。」此時新道親會怎麼想？如果心志不堅定，一定想：「點傳師怎麼這樣，我常常聽到他的壞話該有的想法是什麼呢？

◎　為上天做事，只要自己盡了一份心，怎麼樣還不是一樣，對不對！(點傳師慈悲補充：我們不管國內、國外開荒，任何一件事都要互相尊重。有時候我們只要做好我能做的那件事就好，輪不到我的，我就護持那份莊嚴。有人講說、有人操持、有人帶路、有人幫辦，只要這件事情能夠成功就好，凡事不要非我出頭不可。然後各就各位，素位而行，讓人事圓滿，內部調和。和樂圓融是開創道務最重要的基本條件。)

◎　現在要開法會，這時你是壇務組組長，因為少綁了一把大把香，怪罪下來是組長，這時你們用什麼心？會有下面幾種想法：

　　⊙這時你想到了，趕快綁了大把香，然後下了一個決心！下次一定要記得，不再犯錯！給自己一個刻骨銘心的記憶，嚴以律己。

　　⊙或者這時雖然你趕快去綁香，但心裡卻想：「真是不足，不足，太不足了，竟然忘了一把大把香。大家都在說我，我看，下次我就不要再做組長了吧！」下一次法會到了，人手有缺，點傳師再一次交待你，就是你啦！這時你就執意說：「我做不好，這次一定又會忘記綁一把大把香。」你說這樣對嗎？既然你已說過下次不再犯了，你就要試著再去做那件事，只要下一次不再犯同樣的錯誤就好了，而且這是給你一個機會，你要應所需而用，剛好需要你，當然要挺身而出囉！是不是？

　　⊙(點傳師慈悲：老師是站在兩方面說的，大家要聽清楚！一方面不要過份批評，逼人走絕路，一次辦不好就永遠再沒有出頭的機會。二方面我們自己一次辦的不圓滿，也不能因一次的錯誤就永遠懈怠下去。還得要從這裡改正自己，提醒自己，從今以後不再犯，將來還是要挺身而出。)

◎　道親很多，派十人給你教，不管你教的是什麼，你所教的是不是正確？如果一加一等於二，你偏教等於三，人家不懂，跟你這樣學，是不是失了道理？所以現在你們要學習正己成人，己正而後成人。

◎　你根基穩了，你的道念明了，理路通了，還需心智圓融，這樣既有彈性，又是實心。假若有一個死對頭和你吵架，這佛堂的事該由你來做，結果死對頭卻說：「你揮什麼手，想搶功德啊！」或說「你不要亂了我的步調！」這時你不高興了，就開始講…「OOO真是的，還虧他在道場上信譽這麼好！」這時你下面十個人有兩種現象：一種人想！就聽你的話，因為平常你說的都很有道理。另一種人會想：平常你是那樣教我們的，現在卻又犯了這個規矩，你說我們該不該聽信於你？

　　⊙這用一句話解釋：上樑不正，下樑歪。這樣，你帶人有帶成功嗎？

　　(總結以上幾個例子，老師又提示我們：)

◎　所以，有一顆心以外，還要認理，這在修道上都是不可失的。如果以後碰到類似的事情，要怎樣面對，怎樣擇其理，怎樣循其心，知道了嗎？真修才有真得，要名符其實，謹言慎行。為人如果沒有彈性，不能容忍、圓忍、化忍，當被人家這麼一撞，你就凹進去了。如果內部稀鬆，對道信念不篤定，就算再圓，用力碰撞還是有一個角。

◎　修道就是要容忍，才有彈性，硬碰硬，撞過來擊過去，這時很自然的，你能藉它的力量彈走，彈對方向就是向前進一步，如果不能容忍，被它的角刺破了洞，就是攤在原地，起不來了。

◎　凡事反求諸己，不管你做的對，做的錯，修道功夫在自己，在日常。捉住自己的缺點，下定決心改，保證你向前邁進一大步。若是愛護自己，把自己的脾氣毛病藏起來，等事過之後，再怪罪都是誰害我發脾氣，要不然我也不會……，那就慘了！要嚴以律己。

◎　肯定自已，也要尊重別人。有主意還不夠，還要能圖融。

◎　「誠心」與「認理」在修道上都是不可缺失的。

◎　凡事犯錯，給自己一個警惕，下次不再犯了。當還需要你時，要應所需而用，挺身而出。

◎　上樑不正，下樑歪。己身要做好，成人要先正己。

突破塵封的我執

◎　你們有沒有執著人相、我相啊？你們來佛堂就已經執著了，這個椅子是我坐的，就已經執著了，但是為了要順序整齊，那也就不得已。所以呢，人要有順序又不能太執著的時候該怎麼辦呢？是不是取其中道啊？

◎　世間的事情看清楚之後，該投入的就投入，該放下的你就要放下，但放下並不是不要投入一切，任何事情還是要真心付出，才會真的有收獲。今天看到的一切事情，常常會轉變你的心。但是，有些事情不是想把官做好，就能夠做好，所以你不要跳進裡面太執著，只要放下一切「心的執著」，從旁邊觀察就可以圓滿了。

◎　何處不是道？何種角色不能扮演？隨遇而安，就能快活。往往人都拘於自己的身份，所以不快活。

◎　今天修道要走出自己的陰影，讓每一個人都能夠吸取到他人的每一個經驗 、每一個精華，體會天地間的一些奧妙。

◎　一個修道人，在修道過程有疑問須要分辨對錯之時，就要仔細的想、靜靜的想，想看看什麼是對什麼是不對。世間的事情本來就有是非，你要用什麼去評斷呢?你用智慧去評斷，但有時候你永遠搞不清楚何為是？何為非？因為是與非在這個世間往往難以分得清楚。遇到是非的時候，不要執著在是非裡面，你若一直要去找出答案或許永遠都找不出來。要看破，就會變圓滿了。為什麼圓滿了？因為你不會在那裡執著。所以說世間本來就是是是非非啊！你們若有人遇到這種情形時拜託你們不要再自找麻煩，因為自找煩惱的人是天下第一大笨人。

◎　要拋開你的煩惱、成見，別人講的話你才容易接受！假若你心存煩惱、成見，點傳師、講師講的話你就無法聽進去，因為你已經有自己的主張了；但是做人也要有主張，假若修道沒有主張，別人說好，你就修，別人說不好，你就不修，那怎麼可以！

◎　人都常常喜歡叫人家做這個那個，但是別人沒有照你的意思的時候你就懷恨在心，常常執著他做的結果，你的心就常動盪不安。別人一句話、一個動作就讓你氣得半死；你好心的勸告別人，他不照你勸告的去做，你就對他放棄，對他產生厭惡，產生了另一種心態，這就是變態，變態才會讓自己的心不快樂。

◎　人在互不相讓的時候，會有撞擊，會有嚴重的傷害，每個人每一天都有一些武器放在外面，那個武器很容易傷到人，你自己真正讓一下，你就不會傷到自己，也不會傷到別人。人很傻，很喜歡硬碰硬，唯有一方讓步了，對事情才有幫助。

◎　人都有一個正面讓人家看到，但也有一背面就在他肚兒想的事情，你看得到嗎？那就叫做陰的那一面。陽的那一面很容易讓人家發覺得到，可是陰的那一面容不容易讓人家發現呢？不容易。這只是表面而已，但是你們常常在這表面當中而忽略裡面還有一個真實的我，所以你們常常在這裡打轉，打轉到最後，已經搞不清楚到底該怎麼做？很多很多的煩惱，很多妄想、慾望都想要，但是都得不到，所以就躲在心裡面想。有時候要做什麼又不敢做啊！外表又要裝做很斯文，外表裝好人，裡面裝壞人，這就是你外表跟裡面沒有調和。今天你要修道，你就要把陰的那一面去掉。

◎　一個人如果把他的生活封閉得很陰暗的時候，當做一件事情失敗之後，他就開始封閉自己，沒辦法抬起頭來，這樣好嗎？這樣不是謙虛而是自閉！自己關閉自己的門戶！就不能跟別人接觸了，你說他痛不痛苦呢？因為他的主觀意識太強。

◎　所以，要適度地接受外來的一些事情，不要把自己的心封閉在裡面，那麼任何一邊都可以看得到，這樣的視野才寬廣。修道，就是在修你這些不平衡的東西。你們不是這麼高就是這麼低，不是這麼左就是那麼右，心常常高高低低、起起伏伏的，好像浪花！起來又下去，下去又起來！一天到晚就是煩惱不斷。

◎　每一個人都有選擇穿哪件衣服的自由，也有心靈的自由，你一定要限定他穿哪一件才可以，那就是你自己的狹隘了。你做董事長也是人，你做一個清潔工也是人，不管你的職位高與低都是人，只要適合你的你去做，適合那個時候那個環境，那個特點就是道了。不適合你們的就不是道，不要一直往外追求。你自己的思想、你自己的評論要慢慢的達到無為，那麼你看任何一件事情，才不會一直執著下去。

◎　你們有善良的心那是亙古不變的，但你的思想要隨時空不同而通權達變。今天你做了很多事情，別人因而誇獎你說你辛苦而你卻不自覺辛苦，那就表示你不執著，當一個人心甘情願付出時，他就不會覺得辛苦，相反的，心有所計較就常會覺得別人不了解他，不知他的苦處。

◎　你自己常會依自己的角度，只看到真相的其中一面，而沒有走到別人的角度去看另一面。別人看的角度不一定會與自己相同，所以你要從許多角度去看，這樣你看事情或做事情才會比較圓滿。心要活潑玲瓏，要看許多面，這樣心才不會有偏私。

◎　有時不妨問問別人的看法，因為旁觀者清，也許自己總認為自己是對的，當別人肯告訴你時你要高興，是因為我們肯接受，所以別人才肯告訴我們，若自己做不好人家還誇讚你，那你就很失敗了。

◎　一個瓶子水裝得太滿就容易傾倒，所以說「滿招損、謙受益」。站起來可以使你們眼光放遠，還可以讓你們抬頭挺胸，走向你們的人生大道。

◎　人不能太目空一切，太自滿，如此便無法接受別人的諫言。你們要將自己的偏見及包袱拿下，這樣才是入境隨俗。你們要先將自己放得空空的，要學為師這樣，如此我們師徒才能相契合。

◎　心首先要放開，煩惱太多心就容不下，當你講出十分的時候，你的心並不一定就是十分，心要開給自己一個迴轉的空間。

◎　凡事要三思，話說得太快可收不回來。人常常因一句話說得太快給自己沒有過轉的餘地，所以說話要三思，否則會造成你終身的遺憾。有時會因一句話跟你的朋友或父母鬧翻了，雖然你們內心有悔意，但就是拉不下這顏面來，面子大自尊心強。唉！到底面子跟自尊值幾兩啊？你們想過嗎？

◎　喜與樂常在對待之間，要行得圓滿取其中庸，不能執於任何一端。

◎　所謂君子就是有過要知改，錯了要勇於改進，要自己能夠常常反省自己，別人的勸諫要能夠虛心領受。有沒有這個雅量？忠言逆耳，能夠聽不好聽的話，對於好聽的話才能夠覺得更好。若都聽好聽的話，對於更好聽的話就體會不出來了。所以極高、極低、極美、極惡，都要能夠包容，沒有分別心。所以命裏有時終須有，形象莫強求。

◎　有時候你們把很多事情，把一切一切的事情攬在身上放不下來，就沒有辦法看得到平靜的那一面，所以任何一件事情都是如此。今天你牽掛著很多事情，你想把它做好，愈是想做得好，就愈是做不好；有時候想找一個東西，愈找就愈找不到。你們有沒有同感？你愈是想把地掃乾淨，怎麼愈掃愈發現有灰塵，知道什麼原因嗎？當你哪一天心情不好，隨便掃掃，你會發現掃得很乾淨；你不想找的東西，它卻會跑出來。因為你沒有執著的心，而有平常心。你要做好一件事，要做得好，除了專心之外，還要有平常心。把執著的心放下，把「要好」的心完全放下，這就是平常心。

◎　你通常都計較著得失，有的人考試前準備得很好，卻考得不好，因為他想：我會不會考一百分？會不會考上……考得理想……？你一直執著這些時，會的也是變成不會了。所以靈性很奧妙，靈性在你不知不覺當中，在你投入當中，它就會產生一種妙用，這就是靈性的妙用。例如：他們在抄板書的，剛開始不太流利，但是寫久了，慢慢地就比較流利，在流利當中，覺得他的字很有韻味。所以，你們要專注，要選擇一個目標，專注做一件事。你喜歡寫字，就選擇這個目標！寫字，寫久了就愈順，等到順的時候，就會變成妙用，妙用的時候，就是活了。但是，如果你執著要把它寫好的時候，卻寫不好，其實他很想寫好板書，但是為師講的話他又好像聽不太懂，這是為什麼知道嗎？因為他「想把它寫好」的心念障住他的妙用。人的妙用是自然而然讓靈性慢慢地專注投入，而產生的妙用。任何事物都是跟人有關係、跟天地有關係，你們要慢慢去瞭解，很多事情妙用之後才會有韻味。所以你在做任何一件事情都會產生妙用。有的人煮飯煮得很好，你會想：同樣是一個人煮，會覺得這個人煮得特別好吃，這個人很盡心、煮得好，可是那個人也是盡心，卻不怎麼好吃，這是為什麼呢？因為他已經產生妙用了。

◎　從專心投入當中，產生興趣，從興趣當中產生很多智慧，就是妙慧的產生 。所以你只要投入，不管你是廚師或是什麼，不管哪一件事你只要投入，專心之後放下自我障礙，妙用自然流露。

◎　假設你們兩位，其中一個吃素，看到另一位沒吃素，就不太愛跟他接觸，只因為他沒吃素，覺得也不太談得來。如果他不結婚，看到另一位結婚，就說他為什麼要結婚；如果一位喜愛運動，都談些運動的事情，就覺得另一位不愛運動的人不精進；喜歡看書的人覺得自己很認真，是老師的好弟子，而覺得不愛看書的人沒有精進心。你們是不是常常以這種心態看別人？這是所謂的「自我膨脹」，永遠沒有辦法渡化眾生。

◎　為什麼修到後來變成跟人家格格不入？為師我有渡求道的人嗎？我有渡沒求道的人嗎？求道、沒求道的我都一視同仁。今天只看到他沒吃素，你就放棄他，好像他犯了大錯；他跟你不同國就不能成為你的好朋友，這樣可以嗎？這不是佛的本心。修道人到後來是不是會變成這樣子？渡一個人，渡不上就說他沒有根基。所以，你們修道修成不自然、自我封閉，那你的世界就只有這些，看不出別人的世界。

◎　如果你都能夠接受跟你不一樣的事情，好與壞真正的融合，真正的心才能打開。不要狹隘在自我要怎麼樣，這樣並不見得就能怎麼樣。任何一件事情都是因自我限住了，無法讓自己的心其正開闊，沒有辦法讓自己的心很自在，所以你會痛苦。為師我如果要你們吃素，而你們沒有那顆心吃素，那也就白吃素。不要劃地自限把自己隔起來，也把別人隔起來，好像你們都格格不入。為師都幫你們湊合，為師我兩邊都可以去，你看，我活得多自然、多瀟灑！但是你就跟他格格不入，所以你們要廣結善緣啊！廣結善緣就是跟任何一件世事，哪一種人都可以接觸，那才是跟佛的心一樣，才是真正的修道人，真正的靈性在活動，才會產生真正的智慧。有的人渡人看到這些人就講這些話，看到那個人也是講一樣的話，一輩子的台詞都一樣。每個人的心、家庭環境都不一樣，每一個人都有高低胖瘦，他的想法怎會一樣？如果今天你有很開放的心（當然不是開放就一點標準都沒有，不能太超過），就很容易去接觸任何一個人的真正佛心。真正的佛心流露，遇到生意人就會跟他講生意的話，對學生要講學生的話，如果是家庭主婦，你跟他講學生的話，她就聽不進去。

◎　所以，不是渡不到人，不是別人不願意跟你接觸，而是你用錯方法，你劃地自限，才使得別人無法進來，同時自己也不能進去別人那裡。所以你們修道自不自然？不是自己這麼修道後面跟著修就是對的，你用你的方法限制別人，而別人有活的靈性，活的靈性被你限制了，他一定透不出來囉！

煩惱與菩提道種

◎　你的妙智慧是從哪裡發出來？我看傻徒弟，還是迷迷糊糊的，為師替你們點開了，在哪裡啊？高一點也錯，低一點也錯。別忘記了這個是「天心」，知道嗎？不是凡間的那個心，凡間的心是偏心，你這個心是直的心，跟這個偏心不一樣。那這個妙智慧呢？就從這邊發出來，瞭解嗎？

◎　凡事要懂得拿捏，這就是智慧，修道也要有智慧，智慧和聰明不一樣，徒兒們要好好的研究，有天終合契心的。

◎　有玲瓏的佛性就有活用的智慧，但不是在表面上迎人變化用功夫，那將會使你的真佛不得顯現。

◎　人間最怕什麼？最怕缺水，一缺水，就叫苦連天，有形的缺水還不打緊，最怕的是缺了智慧水，既然徒兒們能發心來這邊聽道理，來這邊學道，就要打開心扉才能生出智慧水。

◎　運用菩提智慧才能使凡情事務、萬事萬物皆合中道。當你有了煩惱要解決要想辦法時，過程中適合你的辦法就是智慧所產生的妙用。

◎　今天你的心念常常在動，那就是因為你多想。多想會把智慧掩蓋，就無法通達，做事情就無法做得有條理，有智慧。

◎　有很多事情調整不好，是因為事情的經過、緣由、原因，你們還沒辦法全部想通，把事情全部混雜在一起，所以智慧沒辦法增長。

◎　今天你有第一個煩惱就有第二個煩惱，繼續更有第三個煩惱…。有煩惱沒關係，重要的是要知道它的來龍去脈。為何它能困擾你？為何它能讓你痛苦？從這件事能看到另一件事，看到其根本的那一面，那才是重要約。佛與眾生是平等的，你沒有經歷過煩惱便達不到菩提覺路；你沒有經過眾生的歷煉，你體會得到佛的境界嗎？

◎　你們的念頭瞬息萬變啊！那是不是你們的心在主導呢？今天可以高興，明天可以傷心，後天可以生氣，是不是？

◎　何謂「煩惱」呢？煩惱啊！是不是不叫它出來它卻偏偏出來了？這就是煩惱是不是？很多時候，我明明不要它出來，它一條一條地冒出來，我明明就想靜下來，卻靜不下來，一件一件的事情湧上來，是不是？煩惱來時沒有關係啊！但是要知道煩惱的根源，那才能真正沒有煩惱。

◎　活得快不快樂，就要看你自己了，快不快樂要你自己去主宰。沒有人叫你不要快樂；你要憂愁，是你自己的煩惱妄想所幻化出來的假相。

◎　修自己成就自己；把貪心去掉，把私心變成公心，把嗅心變成歡喜心，把痴心變成智慧心。眾生都是因為貪、嗔、痴，故無法看破。當你要恨別人的時候就趕快提出你的智慧轉變成歡喜心，然後把貪心減到最低程度，慢慢修到最完美的境界。

◎　夫妻是緣，善緣惡緣；兒女是債，還債討債？這時就要靠！「持念」的功夫。心轉之後，外在要行，行之後才有辦法改變命運，大事化小，小事化無。

◎　人太精明就無法真正地瀟灑，也就有了許多煩惱。如果煩惱多，心就不開 ，所以只要心念轉動了，當下即是天堂。瀟灑無煩惱地將歡樂帶給別人就是濟公、就是活佛。

◎　每個人心中都有憂鬱，有很多的煩惱，解不開的心結。這是因為我們常常因一時的衝動而產生執著，所以要「放下」執著的心才能打開心結。但年輕人做事常有始無終，故我們要有恆心、有耐心好好的去學習「放下」。聖人所為何事？為天下芸芸眾生啊！吃了苦、受了氣，不怨天尤人。要知，任勞不任怨，無功；任怨不任勞，無德。想服人就難了。進了佛門要安份守己，為師自然助你一臂之力，但要確實「安份守己」。二六時中無時無刻無論對內、外、事、物、人樣樣皆要守著這一「點」，就可以少惹些禍，煩惱也就少了，這條「路」才會走得更好。簡單地說：這個靈性顧全了，全身就沒煩惱了。孔子說：君子憂道不憂貧，要死守善道，此身何懼！要有光風霽月之心啊！如此對待天下眾生與你自己，那麼煩惱不見了，你就「安份」了，守住這個靈性了。

◎　這個善和惡，好和壞是不是在你的心念之間啊？是不是在咱們的心啊？善念變惡念，惡念變善念，都是心在轉變。所以要修道就修這顆心啊！時時刻刻的修，修得乾乾淨淨，修得圓滿，要內修心性，外修功德。所以不管好歹，心念要持得過才能海闊天空、更上一層。

◎　人的心會有煩惱，都是因為受到外界的誘惑，加上自己的多心，使自己的 「心」支離破碎而憔悴。

我要怎樣過一生

◎　徒兒們，問你來世間為了甚麼？(勸化世人)勸化世人！有道理，這是你們的使命啊！不是要你們來世間吃喝玩樂，生幾個孩子，蓋幾棟房子，賺幾個錢的，是不是啊？是要你們來整理世間，渡化蒼生，做有意義的事情，不要迷失了自己，好不好？觀音菩薩、釋迦牟尼佛，都是由人修成佛的，他們也是吃苦、修道、悟道才成佛，人道做的圓滿，天道自然成，人道是什麼？人的道，人的路，人應該做的事。

◎　你們活在人世間，留在這個世界上，是否值得，就看你如何以有限的光景年歲，創造不朽的事物來，留給後世的人值得觀摩、學習的，那你活在這世界上才有用。把自己看成你是個藝術家，是個雕塑家，所以你必須把你一生最光芒的顯現給大家，顯現給後世的人，覺得你是一個值得學習的人，是一個完美的雕塑物，你必須留下來給大家崇仰，縱然你是一個有缺陷的人，你還有你最缺陷的美，對不對？一個懂得照像的藝術家，他看的地方，就是他覺得值得看的，他用他專業的眼光，要把最美的角度留下來，他才會去注意它，對不對？聖人為什麼值得人家去推崇他，去尊敬他呢？因為他把世界上最美的雕塑下來，留下來給你們看。那你自己既然有那麼好的照像機，你也是一個藝術家，一個攝影師，你得要以一個藝術家的眼光來看，這樣你才會覺得世事都完美，大家都是好人。你要以一個雕塑家的心態，把大家看成都是值得雕塑的人，來教導一個人，那世間的一切，在你眼中都是美好的。

◎　人的肉體總是會壞，現在不死，以後還是會死，現在活著，以後不一定活著，所以肉體與外表只供我活著的時候用，不要太在乎外在的，好不好？我長得漂亮、英俊、年輕，那都沒有用，最重要的是你現在還擁有你的青春與歲月好好善用你的青春、歲月與年華，你自己在這段時間，好好的做一番你覺得最好的事，讓別人也覺得你真的很好，好嗎？

◎　人同樣生，最後皆有一死。生一樣，死有所不同。生是否皆相同？皆是赤手空拳，一絲不掛，哭著而來？死是否不一樣？生病而死是死，飛機掉下來亦是死，給車撞死是死，打架而死亦是死，辦道救人救世而死亦是死，如此死有一樣嗎？死之價值一樣嗎？你知道你將來會怎樣死嗎？上面所說那一種死法最有價值？要知，生病而死、飛機掉下而死、或是其他那種死法皆是不可知的。可是只要你立志為道而死乃是可打算的。

◎　怎樣才算為道而死呢？你一心為道，努力流汗所賺的錢除了為生活花費之外，你還為眾生花費，同時你的「時間」為眾生，「身體」為眾生，「血汗」為眾生，你處處為眾生的快樂而賣力；為眾生的生命而賣力，那時你乃眾生的，你乃老天的這人間細想起來，也沒什麼，煩惱都是自己找的，慢慢的把煩惱清移化解，消化它，好不好？

◎　人皆有苦惱，皆有煩悶，要自己去化解，別人是無法替你吃飯的。素心，素心，願你們不管年紀多大，不管在什麼層面，不管什麼工作，都能夠素其位而行。然後本著一顆真誠的心對待別人，不管別人怎樣奸奸巧巧、巧巧詐詐，那是他們的事啊！只要你們一本真心，就能感動他們，感化他們，希望你們都能夠為他人多付出一點。

◎　佛道欲成須靠自己，仙體欲得須自修煉。唯有付出，唯有一片公心，才能夠無煩惱。如果一切只為了自己的私心，只會惹了一身的煩惱。一勤天下無難事，百忍堂中有太和。希望你們能夠把它真正應用在你們的處世上，在你們的家庭裡，讓這個社會也能夠受善氣的薰陶，變更祥和、更和氣、更團結。

◎　時間有來去，何妨讓煩惱也有來去，好不好？啟發信念，要靠自己，認清真理，要實地去做你們若有付出，上天自然不會虧待你門，不會辜負你們，專心去做，上天自然會撥轉，世間的困頓總是會過去的，不要讓它來困擾你，人生本來就沒什麼，本來無一物，何必惹塵埃。

◎　你慾念念多，心靈的追求就念少，慾望是永無休止的。如何讓你的精神更加活躍，讓你的精神更加有寄託呢？現在的人大多只為自己著想，芸芸眾生皆是如此，難道你也要如此嗎？人家做不到的你組做到，那才配稱為聖人靜下來，看看這世界為了世活忙碌，轉眼生命消失，多悲哀，我們要把握此生，勿障礙自已，好好修持。

◎　天雖不言，日月星辰卻運行不已：地雖不語，但萬物是洋洋成長，「天不言、地不語」這就是道理了，萬物為什麼會生長？日月星辰為什麼會循環不已？這就是有一個理路存在，所以，你們來學道，來探討人生的真諦，來探討人生的究竟，假如不藉形象文字來讓你們了解，是不容易去理解的。你們現在讀的書是古人創造的，那古人所創造留下來的書，就是告訴你們一種學習的路徑，凡事必有其道理，必有其經緯。

◎　你們應該如何去創造你們的生命？生命本來就有，為何還要創造？就是因為生命有限，而你的使命重大，所以你必須要去創造，為師以往也講過！以短暫中創有恆，在平淡中有驚奇！明白不明白這「創造自己生命」的意義?今後你們當如何去生？如何去完成這個使命？要安定下心，在人海中把握方向，更要積極的擔負起自己的使命！

◎　徒兒們都要放下名利，但並不是叫你們都不要做事，來佛堂。而是堅守自己本位，不要多貪求，多拿取。名利完全是一場空，不要執著。把名利看得緊緊的，為名利盡失和，你爭我奪，就像呆頭鵝！

◎　爭這個名，爭這個雄姿，但是到最後呢？孤魂野鬼一個，所以我們要怎麼樣，要追求實在、實地、實做，這樣子才是真的。不要追求名、追求利，若要求名，也當求萬世的名；要求利，也當計天下的利。

◎　出了名，就受「名」的牽絆，為了這個名，怕破壞自己的形象，連走路都要四四方方，所以，人常常為名所困，為名所害，要想學道，就先要破這個，才能夠契機。

◎　有的人為了凡業，也犧牲了很多，犧牲「功德」，因為他做的事業，有傷害六畜的，因此必須以功德來交換。人的「業」都是有因緣的，若是曾經做上了，就必須比人家多建造功德，比人家快，比人家多。不然的話，你們心靈的家，不能安寧，就沒辦法修到你們的心性，慢慢染上了污點，修道的路途就更坎坷了。

◎　在人生旅程中，難免有高潮有低潮的時候，有時有快樂的時候，有時會有寂寞的時候，自古聖賢皆寂寞，為什麼呢？因為有時候我所做出來的別人不了解，可是一時不了解，以後人家就了解了。只是在那一段你寂寞的時候，你如何把它挨過去，如何把它獨處過去，如何把你寂寞的心靈撫平，化過去？你跌倒了，流血了，你要把你的傷口撫平，就是在那一段時間，沒有人安慰你的時候，你也要堅強你自己，懂嗎？

◎　人生不如意之事時常遇到，你如何在不如意當中「打破」這些不如意的情景？希望你們都不是遇到了臨危之急難才要修道。因為你們都是已經看透了一切、徹悟了一切，對不對？還是老師高估了你們，你們是被人生的逆景打得頭破血流，才看破一切，修道啦！有些是被病折磨得快死了，才說好啦！我要修道，我要立清口愿。太晚了！明知會如此為何不趕快做呢？

◎　現在流行一首歌「快快走向前行」(台語)，而不是原地不動，機會要自己把握，你猶豫則自失機會。你要有這個衝勁，直往前衝，成佛有餘。

◎　但是我們修道不是為一個「佛」字在追尋，我們是在盡我們的本份，是你從理天下來的「本份」喔！

◎　怎樣的人生過得最瀟灑？(無憂無愁)無憂無愁即是大患！「生於憂患，死於安樂」，修道不可以這樣，要提高警覺。什麼時候啦！還無憂無愁，又不是愿了了，愿了了才能無憂無愁。你愿不了，還在紅塵世中，你怎麼能夠無憂無慮。唉！什麼時候啦！不可再無憂無慮下去。你看看，外面的景觀，為師看了可是膽顫心驚！

謹言慎行的功夫

◎　人就是想太多，所以常造成對錯你我，那是很難過的！世間上沒有一定的對或錯，修道是修自己，要保證自己做的是問心無愧，不可以做見不得人的事，這是一定的道理。做人怎麼做，其實你們都知道，只是看自己的心要不要去貫徹、要不要去做。

◎　為師希望你們能夠知道，就是你對他錯，也要得理饒人；就算你對，又怎麼樣呢？你一定要贏嗎？為什麼要急著向人家證明自己對、自己是？其實這是不需要的，但是也要肯定自己所做的是對的，是沒有錯的。人要有口德，要得理饒人，嚴以律己，寬以待人，徒兒能夠嚴格的約束自己，也要能夠寬容別人。

◎　今天你們學道理，是要讓你們明理，而不是得理；如果能夠得理饒人，才是修道人的風範。退一步海闊天寬，讓讓人家又何妨呢？這也是培養慈悲心啊！

◎　修道是自個兒的事，辦道也是自己的心哪！你向誰邀功啊？你講給誰聽呀？你的苦不就是在造就你嗎？你受什麼苦啊？前賢的不對只不過是前賢的一個過程，你為什麼不將心比心呀？為什麼你要談論呢？一個人如果脾氣、嘴巴不好，心地再好都不算是一個好人。

◎　你們成全人也都是用這一張嘴，傷人的話也是用這一張嘴，你們往往傷過人後，才在　老
蓮前叩頭懺悔：「唉呀！　老
慈悲啊！老師慈悲啊！我錯了！一次沒關係，兩次無所謂﹒三次還可以，可是在第四次的時候，縱然你自己不覺得丟臉，老師我都沒有顏面看你們了，對不對了所以，自己注意，常常跟你們提醒「謹言慎行」，做了再多，講錯一句話，整片功德林都沒有了，那不是等於白做了嗎？

◎　所以，咱們講話前要先想好，什麼是我該講的？講出來的話就是要成全人，不是講來考人，也不是講來讓人家起疑惑的，如果是的話，那乾脆不要講。有人說：「那我就不要講話好了，誰錯了我就不要管他。」這樣講也不對，這樣你的心就不好；你看到你的同修做錯事了，你難道跟他講：「喂！你怎麼這樣做？你是沒長大腦啊？你看你們這些如果沒有我教你們的話，你們會怎麼樣、怎麼樣……？」還是你換一個角度講：「啊！你這個不會啊？來來來，我教你，我跟你一起做，你看我怎麼做哦！你如果不會、不懂的時候再來問我，我一定把我會的教你。」這樣一句話聽起來多舒服，是不是？

◎　所以徒兒們，在末後的時候，道場上最大的考就是「是非」，是非可以把一個道場顛覆，如果我們自己不會講話，就少講話、多做事，你去做了就有體悟，就能化你自己的性，知道嗎？

老師的煩惱憂愁

◎　煩煩煩　煩的是天時至末秋　惱惱惱　惱的是普渡未盡周

　　憂憂憂　憂的是災劫布全球　愁愁愁　愁的是徒兒未知修

　　你的心呢？跟道合了嗎？你們大家身體都好嗎，剛剛說的菩薩心腸，我們人一般的心裏面，是不是有一點苦惱的事情，或有一點快樂的事情都關心到自身而已，為自身感到高興，為自身感到憂愁，為自身感到煩惱，就沒有為大衆的事情而感到憂愁煩惱，會不會啊！

◎　就是觀念裏面只有自己，沒有像活菩薩一樣，為了衆生而煩惱、而憂愁，人與佛就差這樣而已！

◎　你看看！我們這人生舞台上只是數載光陰，但是我們的心胸常常是很狹隘的，看看天這麽的遼闊，我們應該效法天的遼闊。

◎　你看看！地這麽厚，但是我們心胸往往連一個人都容不下，所以啊！想想我們，應該學學天地，而不應該一味地把心胸弄得越來越窄。

◎　修道修心，就是要把心胸放遼闊一點，放寬大一點，容人所不能容，忍人所不能忍，縱使人家虧待我們，縱使人家占我們便宜，我們吃虧，我們都能夠容忍他，並且還去幫助他，久了呢！

◎　人家說：「敬人者人恒敬之，愛人者人恒愛之」，人是有感情的動物，久了，在感化一個人，無非是你默默在行功立德，對不對。

◎　妙善遺德者，靈感觀音佛之所以能夠成佛，無非救世得來的。在宋朝的時候，宋末的時候，人家笑我瘋，對！我是裝瘋賣傻，人家笑我傻，對啦！我也是不計名利，傻不楞登的，真的傻嗎？真的瘋嗎？

◎　外型瘋、外型傻，但是心裏面卻精明得很，精明在那裏，不是精明于名利，不是精明于富貴，而是精明于如何救人、幫助人，在人家最困苦的時候，我能盡我微薄的力量去幫助人家，在人家最傷心的時候，我能夠盡我最大的力量去感化人家，關心人家。所以也去效法仙佛，好不好。

不要随便傷害人

◎　每一個人，都是仙佛菩薩倒裝降世，不要隨便去傷害一個人，你傷害任何一個人，在因果上來講，你就是傷害你自己；在實際上來講，傷害一個人，就是傷害一位菩薩；你批評一個人，就是批評一位仙佛。

◎　我們記得這輩子來修道辦道、累積功德，為的就是日後怎麼樣？我們能夠復歸本位，甚至加功晉爵，最後成就的就是你自己，所以修道辦道要注意喔！

◎　仙佛菩薩隨時護持著我們，仙佛菩薩也一定隨時在考察著我們，所以自己的行為心念都要很謹慎小心，任何不合人情，違背良心的事，不敢去做、也不要去做，聽懂話嗎？（懂）…

◎　有道的地方，一定蓬勃發展、欣欣向榮；有道之事，一定受天地護持、鬼神助化；有道的人，一定很慈悲、很祥和、明智寬容；那我們濟世、救人，就是藉著有道之事來，讓我們成為一個有道之人，這樣懂不懂？

◎　人家行功、人家行善，去否定人家，只會顯得自己眼光短、心量小、沒有智慧；人家普渡眾生、濟世救人，你去批評人家，只會暴露自己福小命薄業障深重；今天人家發善愿，我們要歡喜、要成全，人家行大功，我們要鼓勵、要去幫助，這股善的力量，經過時間的蘊釀，不但不會減弱，而且還會與日俱增，在因緣成熟的時候，就會回報你的身上來，成就你、幫助你。

人道盡天道達心

◎　要牢記「盡人道行天道」這句話，人如果只在凡情俗事上打持，沒有行天道，助人生無法圓滿，也無法更上一層樓。反過來說，你既是個人，就要學人道，盡了人道才能達天道。

◎　什麼叫麼人道？就是做人的道理。應對進退要有禮貌，人與人相處間，對人要恭恭敬敬、和和藹藹、快快樂樂自然人道好，人道好必可達天道。如果光是口說修天道、修人道，但口是心非，跟人爭權利爭風光於一時，與人失和存有自私的心，別人會歡迎你嗎？社會不歡迎你，道場也不歡迎你，所以人與人之間要修好人道，人道修得好，天道就達到了。希望你們立一個志向，效法聖賢仙佛，一方面照顧著凡業，一方面兼顧聖業，做一個完美的人。

◎　你知道修天道，還是要由這個人道做起，要是人道沒有做好，就不圓滿，你這個人沒有做好，那你下次還要再輪迴來做人，因為做得不好，所以要繼續把他做好。

◎　學道是學做人的道理，做人要學「聖人之道」。既然是人就要把人的本份做好。做人雖然有苦也有困難，但是仍然要做人。

◎　人雖然要有自信，但不可自負，傲氣不可長，低心下氣，才是做人的第一要件，你自認為最聰明，但是要知人外有人、天外有天，只有謙卑得受益，滿則招損。

◎　人就是這樣子，什麼事情都講求飽和，剛剛好適中才好，太過於勉強就會自討苦吃，痛苦就得自己來承擔。不要逞強，每件事情都有它適中的程度，如果你超過了，害的是自己。

◎　水往低處流，流的愈長愈久方為高。水有七德，上善若水取其方圓，做人如取其方圓才合乎中庸之道，才合乎大周天。

◎　什麼是八德？孝、悌、忠、信、禮、義、廉、恥，你們都做到了嗎？烏鴉有義，馬有禮，每一種動物都有一種禮、一種德性。那人呢？從天而來，帶了什麼下來？五常之德，仁、義、禮、智、信。你們都發揮出來了嗎？你們常把聽來的道理一再的傳述，心中卻有著好像是又好像不是的疑惑，這就是愚者。今天你把道理融合貫通，融入日常生活中而有所體悟，你講出來的道才是正確的。

◎　人各有其長亦各有其短，要懂得截長補短，這並不容易；做任何事要讓人人有所司職，這學問是很難的。

◎　一個人不管身份是高是低，你要溶入於社會、要溶入於人群，就須要放下身段，將過強的自尊心，稍微放低一點，才能走入人群，若一意孤行，自命清高，到最後將孤獨一生。

◎　所以一個人要以智慧來圓融你的人際關係。凡事都要留一點點餘地給別人，勿自滿。多留給別人一點點的機會，等於留給自己機會，也等於創造了自己的機會。若是老要求別人達到最高境界，那你是不是也要達到最高境界呢？凡事留給別人一點餘地，自己也留一點餘地，這樣他能通行，你也能通行，大家才不會撞在一起的時候，不知道應該是進呢？還是退呢？或是避開？留個餘地，大家都有好處，懂不懂？不僅對大家有好處，對自己更是受益良多。

◎　我們做任何事不要只想當一朵紅花，有時當綠葉也不錯。做人做事要久要長，就得做到：事不要做盡，話不可說絕，什麼事都不要盡。有時候肯定他人就是肯定自己，尊重他人就是尊重自己。從現在開始我們要肯定別人、幫助別人，但幫助別人要有善惡之別，凡事要懂得拿捏。

◎　心不要胡思亂想，老實一點還是比較好，「憨神憨神」憨的人就做神，「奸鬼奸鬼」奸詐的人就做鬼。人家指著你也不一定是在說你，因為你若沒有的話，縱然指著你的鼻頭也不是你，問心無愧而已。有人說我是瘋和尚酒肉和尚，我有沒有我自己曉得，我做什麼事我自己曉得，難到一定要別人來讚美嗎？一定要說你做得很好才是好嗎？對得起良心的人，才是真正會做人的人。

◎　每一個人都在分辨當中，為了不得罪人，都在做好人，但會做好人的人不一定能得到佛緣喔！做人如不合乎情理法那就不像人。如私心作祟、阿諛諂媚，那合乎「理」及「法」嗎？我們不能有求人時就說他好，就恭維他；是你上司就對他好，是你的部屬就對他不好，這就是有對待心。為什麼會有對待心呢？因為私心所致。

◎　天地之理如何和倫常相互貫達呢？陰陽的特性，如：

　　「陽」代表！

　　1.天：表剛強，天之德高明而無所不覆、健行不息、大公無私。

　　2.父：較有威嚴，要負起全部的責任。

　　3.乾：個性較剛毅。

　　「陰」代表！

　　1.地：博厚、謙卑、無所不載、無所不包，孕育萬物。

　　2.母：較溫柔、能包容原諒我們。

　　3.坤：個性較柔弱。

◎　陰與陽是不可分而要相互運行的。自己本身都有個小陰陽、小乾坤，要剛柔並濟才會調和。乾道如果陰質較重，一過事就會退縮而猶豫不決；反之，坤道太剛強、不服輸，就易折煞別人。所以，不論是乾是坤都應素其本位而行。

從心念看因緣果報

◎　每個人的業力都是從隱私當中的一些想法顯露出來的，不好的想法觀念放在心裡，久了就會變成臭水溝的水一樣臭。你做這件事情，不是功，就是過，所以你的念頭，同樣不是功就是過，把你們的隱私，把你們的私心收起來並化掉，就會有光明面。

◎　你們要種下好的種子在心裡，如果你種下的種子是不好的，生出來的東西會是好的嗎。

◎　不要在沒有人的地方做虧心事，心一動了善念或惡念，上天均知道，因為善惡報應如影隨形。切勿因惡小而做之，勿因善小而不做，尤其在二六時中，時時刻刻要小心善護一念。

◎　菩薩畏因，凡夫則畏果。這就看你要行聖賢之道還是邪惡之途，這和種瓜得瓜的道理是一樣的。隨便修是修不了道的，一個人要有人格，要能做的正。修這是無止境的，端看自己立的志向，並從因地上去戒慎防範。四諦即：苦、集、滅、道。「苦」、「集」是迷的因與果；「滅」、「道」是悟的因與果。

◎　修道就是時時刻刻改變自己，使自己越來越圓滿，這就是修道。你的心中妄念多時，自然無法不昧因果，你就會糊裡糊塗犯下很多罪過。有了罪過就有因，有因就有果就會輪迴，什麼叫做輪迴？就是這個因和果一直旋轉。越轉越大像輪子，這就是輪迴。種什麼因將來得什麼果，這就是輪迴。今天有緣進佛門修這是我們的因緣與根基，是你過去世與佛結下這個緣，才有這個緣份修道，所以要珍惜這個緣份。

◎　自己的魔障，自己的念頭，不可不慎。

◎　目前所處境遇，與各人的因果有很大的關連。所以，眼光要放長遠，珍惜黃金歲月，做有意義的事，效法聖賢的志向，代天行道，普渡眾生，才能化逆境為順境。

◎　饒人是福，欺人是禍啊！你種了什麼因就得了什麼果，天網恢恢疏而不漏。人的一生有一部份是前世因緣所造成，一部份則是靠你這世是否再好好地創造。一個人的外貌是靠你前世修來的啊！你今世多禮拜，來世必也長得莊嚴；你今世不禮佛、不獻花，你別求你來世要長的好看，若希望有來世福，就要重視該種下什麼因啊？

◎　今天如果人看人不稀奇，人看仙佛就稀奇，就因為你們不承認自已是佛嘛！佛的出發點是不是慈悲呢？而你們慈悲嗎？偶爾也慈悲是不是？你們雖不是壞人，偶而也做壞事啊！那你們像壞人又像好人，又像仙佛又像惡魔，那到底是什麼呢？一念善則升天堂是仙佛，一念惡則是地獄是惡魔啊！人若遇到困難要知道這是宿命，不要怨天尤人。

◎　自己需體悟，所謂：「欲知前世因，今生受者是；欲知來世果，今生做者是。」我們現在修道就是要了脫因果，善果是福報，福報也是有因果，所以我們這次修的不只要修善果，也要修佛果。

◎　你們修道最終的目的是要了脫生死，脫離輪迴。所以認其修，上天就支持你，你若不認真修上天就沒辦法幫助你們，要「自助天助」。中庸有一句話「栽者培之」，你若想要走，上天就順你的意；你若想要做，上天就幫助你，你若無心做，上天就讓你墮落。所以說成與敗都在我們的心，都是我們的心在主宰，做好做壞、做善做惡，說人家的是與非，都是我們的心。心若正你走的路就正，你的心若不正，你就認理不清，人生就會變得渺渺茫茫。

◎　有人一生下來就有很大的福報，有人卻沒有，這就是因果。既知人生有因果就應修善因，但修道並不是只要教我們修善因、結善果而已，最重要的是了脫輪迥，不迷昧，不做輪迴種子。

◎　當你們有善心時看什麼都好；當你有惡念的時候，看什麼就都不好。所以遇到事情時要留個空間，好為大體著想。

◎　你是不是希望你這輩子都永永遠遠的平平安安？反正你走入這個道場，為師不會虧待你的。有一分的苦心，就有一分的收獲，這是天理啊，不變的天理！有耕耘就有代價。但人難免還是會有求人之時，所以平常要養成幫助別人的習慣，你有困難人家才會幫助你啊！你平常不佈施，一旦你有困難，人家會救你、會幫助你嗎？不會的啊！因你自己都理虧了，如此怎能獲得平安的人生呢？

◎　你們冬天吃什麼？吃飯吃肉是不是？為了你們就犧牲很多畜牲的性命。雖然畜牲不是你們所殺，但為了你們要吃才有人殺生，這就是間接殺生。要知道畜牲也有生命，你們可曾看到畜牲要死了、要被殺的時候在哭嗎？逢年過節桌上可真豐富，而畜生牠們卻在那裡哭泣。牠會哭、會交待牠的妻子何時將會如何如何。畜生有牠們交談的方式只是我們聽不懂而已。你們回去以後仔細觀察，牠們會大的帶小的倒也挺快樂的，為了你們的肚子而破壞了牠們的家庭。

◎　你看仙佛菩薩牠們吃肉嗎？你們有你們生活的空間，畜生也有牠們的生活空間，如果因你所愛而破壞牠們，你就沒有慈悲心。儘量少吃一點，別怕吃素沒體力。你看牛，牠吃草然而牠最有力。或許剛開始吃素不吃肉會覺得比較沒精神但習慣後就好了，不要讓你的肚子當棺材。這個理你若懂了就照著去做。要做與否為師不能勉強，端看你自己，如同「師父引進門，修行在各人。」

◎　老師的扇子是要煽好人上天堂，把善良、有根基的人煽來求道。時間一到 ，一煽就來，有的怎麼煽也煽不來，這是因為有別人在後面拉，以及累世以來造很多罪的緣故。

◎　常有人說：「好啊！我去拜拜可以，但你要讓我家裡大小都賺大錢，你讓我腰酸背痛好起來變身體強壯……。」求天奈何因果造，不信苦難渡啊！你要求上天之前要先問你自己是否有赤誠之心？你如果沒有赤誠之心，要跟上天談什麼條件？上天要如何慈悲？你的功德若不夠還人家，這怎麼辦？上天是大公無私的，俗語說：「冤有頭債有主，法律主關聖帝君伏魔不伏冤」，這個冤伏得了嗎？本來有借就有還，有欠就要算得清。為什麼現世報這麼厲害、這麼狠？因為天時太緊急了，為師不是在騙你們。

◎　雖然沒時間，但是我們仍要儘量撥時間，多做好事，因為你做些好事，就是你成就善業，要成就你做菩薩的根基，不要遇到困難就怨天怨地怨為師，一切都有因果，要成就就該承擔。該了都要了，要了才能清，沒了要靠為師擔，會清嗎？你欠人錢，人替你還，你是不是依舊欠人錢？你要靠你自己去還，你了了你就清，不再欠人。所以一切都是命，我們都要去承受，歡喜的去接受，歡喜的走完人生旅途。

◎　想要人緣好，就要看你怎麼對別人。所以任何一件事情都是相對的，有相生就有相剋。別人就像你的鏡子一樣，今天你的心誠懇，自然別人對你也就會誠懇：你對助人不誠懇、有欺騙的心，他有一天還是會發現得到。

◎　有時候你看到一個人，會覺得他好像有心事，那就表示他的元神冥冥中告訴你，他需要幫助了。所以，今天如果你對別人不好，雖然一時可以瞞騙，哪一天，你的元神會輸送給他，他就會了解。所以，今天你可以自欺，但不要以為可以瞞過別人。人人各有一小天，自己的小天能夠圓，之後才能夠圓大天。

◎　一念正，百邪不侵；若一念偏差，萬魔就入侵啦！所以你們的念頭是最要緊的。當你做任何事情的時候，只要專一於一件事情，不要再去想其他事情，這樣才不會有危險。就好比說，你們坐在這裡聽道理，就要把心放在這裡，守住你們的心，不要胡思亂想，否則你的處境就會非常危險。

◎　為什麼呢？因為現在是三期末劫，有許多以前的冤孽債，都要在這時候大清算，所以當它有機可趁的時候，它當然不會放過這個機會，因此你們要給自己機會來行功補罪，不要因為你的胡思亂想而給別人機會。人雖要慈悲沒有錯，但是對這些，我們要給自己機會對自己要慈悲，不要給這些魔機會。

◎　你為什麼會在這個法會裡呢？這是因為你們的因緣與共善業成熟了才會在這班法會裡。有人坐飛機會掉下去，會一去不再回，那也是他們的因緣呀！他們的因緣、共業該成熟的時候也是會成熟的。就算你們的神通再廣大，可逃過一時但也是無法逃過一輩子的。就如你有辦法算出你什麼時候有危難；你可以算出如何大劫化成小劫，小劫化無劫，但是事實上你怎有可能逃脫呢？這也是你自己的造化呀！就因他們的共業、因緣成熟了，才會從上面掉下來，這要怨誰？若是裏面尚有生存的人，你們是否想過為什麼他們還可以活下來？那是因為每個人累世所作造化的不同。

◎　有的人常存好心做好事，所以當遇危難時仙佛就有辦法去助他；但要是自己的共業已經很成熟了，躲不過去時，仙佛即使將你救回來，但卻變成一個殘廢的，那不是更讓你埋怨你的人生、糟蹋你自己、無法面對現實？為師負荷了這個三曹的重擔，你們曉得為師肩膀擔了多重？可以秤嗎？可以量嗎？你們一個一個的罪、過、錯，為師只是暫時先替你擔待一下，好讓你來日能趕快去修、趕快去辦。為什麼？因為累世所積下來的冤冤欠欠太多了，只是你們看不見，現在也沒有感覺。而為師向你們恭喜，是因為徒兒入了我的門，我就要稍微保護一下，但是在這段時間內如果你們不努力的話，為師也就沒辦法囉！

◎　「鬼」就是我們的識神，脫離肉體以後還有牽纏。

◎　生病有兩個原因：一、自己沒照顧好。二、因果循環。前世欠人的，今日雖拜在為師門下，但你們欠人的仍舊要還。今生積德來世可享；你們的業力，老師不能全為你們挑。修道路有苦、酸、甜、辣，要知道肉體是不管用的。有否常照鏡子，常被鏡中的自己所迷惑？修道不要愛漂亮，心美就好，知道嗎？

◎　每個人在這世間都有業力、都有因果，為師雖有妙法也不能夠把它變沒了。需要靠你們自己去行功了愿，唯有自己才能救自己，才能了業力、因果，也不要想走捷徑，光想要老師來救你。人的因因果果冥冥之中都一直牽繫著你們。當你遇到困難時，要好好的面對現實把它解決，這樣就是在了你的業。

◎　雖然為師有妙法也難救一個自暴自棄的人。所謂天助自助者，既想得到別人的幫助要先去幫助別人，要多行功立德，要盡心去做，要無怨無尤的去做。

◎　每個人後面都跟隨著不同的業力，在主使著自己的心念。如果沒有辦法保有赤子之心，就是因為雜念大多，心念常起起伏伏，本已發了愿的心，馬上又掉了。那都是業力在牽引，所以要行功立德，來清還這個業力的牽纏。如果你反道敗德的事，做了很多，自己已經受到報應，甚至欠一大堆，請問，會不會拖累到子孫？那子孫何辜讓他受到你的拖累？要知道，如果上一代心行不正，那他的子孫就會窒礙難行。你們要行功立德，了你們的罪過錯，如果你們都不去做，你們的罪過錯就仍然存在。當初爭爭氣氣的來，現在就要爭爭氣氣的回去。你們來的時候帶了什麼來嗎？是渾身清潔的來，那就要清清潔潔的回去，不可帶業或過錯回去呀！

◎　世事像風和雲，會變來變去，孫悟空七十二變，現在想這樣，等一下變那 。樣那是因為你的心念善變，所以就造了因、造了果，有因就有果，有果就有因，因果是牽連的、循環的、連在一起的。像你與你的父母，為何來結這個緣，是否有前世因？不是互相欠債就是來報恩的。有的是借住的，什麼感情皆無，孩子是孩子，父母是父母，兩人好像沒有什麼關係。互相欠債的，出世就來討債，這都是命中註定，不用埋怨。

◎　既然有這個緣出世在這家庭，無論這小孩與你之間是什麼樣的感情，為師希望你用你最至誠之心來照顧他，不要怨，要盡我們的責任。有人在外面說，我的小孩如何如何……或說「真是氣死人」；有的人說我的小孩很乖，可愛又聽話，很高興，這都是人的命，是因果。

◎　總而言之，就是要叫你們好好修，認理要認的真，認得實在，好好去參悟才能了因果。

◎　人與人之間有一個很奧妙的事情，就是每一個人的靈性都夾雜著人心，而心念都會常浮現上來，互相溝通、互相交流。因為每個人的功德與業力都會隨時互相交流跟上來。所以說舉頭三尺有神明，在這個上面有個定律，這個定律是不變的定律。

◎　有時候你們在心情不好的時候，會不會有一個聲音告訴你應該怎麼做呢？有時候你在深夜別人都睡了，你好像變清靜變理智的時候，你反而會發現到你該怎麼做！那是什麼？是靈性的交流。所以今天你做好事情，方會上來；做壞事情，也會上來，壞事與好事都會上來。所以呈現上來的是一股氣息而已，這個氣息是沒有辦法說出來的，沒辦法看得到的，那就是氣息。有好有壞，好的氣息來，他就跟好的信念，跟仙佛的信念相通；壞的信念就跟他一模一樣的氣息相結合。這個上面當中又有個定力來判別你的好與壞。

◎　若是功，則會籠罩一切業力和惡的氣數，讓你逢凶化吉；若今天你的壞念頭上來，你雖然覺得人家好像不知道，但是它仍會助長你。有的人做一些壞事情做得好像很高超，好像是有人助他，那就是這些不好的氣在助他，當這些不好的氣來助他的時候，他是不是越做越有勁了？那好的時候會不會做得越有勁呢？好壞都有人助，如果過錯越多業力越多，以後即使沒有這些氣也是會被這些業力及這些過錯籠罩，那他會走得好嗎？會順利嗎？所以你不要以為我這上面沒有什麼，自己的心念上來，都很容易溝通，也就是冥冥當中有一個什麼在後面主宰你的善惡念，你相信這些嗎？所以今天你有一些壞的念頭，一些壞的因，你以後就會有一些壞的果一直跟著你，所以業力就是這樣來的。

◎　為什麼電視會演暴力、不實的劇情？是因應觀眾要求。觀眾喜歡看不好的，所以盡是一些不好的畫面，如果大家對於不好的都不看，那就沒有不好的劇情了。所以事出必有因，有因才有果，因為人心在變，戲劇也在變。戲劇是反映人生，也反映人心，所以現在時下如何，借外境就能了解。求神問卜有沒有用啊？應從本身來改變起，從今而後不看暴力，不做壞事，就是改變自己的方法。

◎　人生啊！個個有難唸的經，可是既然來了人生一遭，就得把經唸完。而你們今生有這個緣求道，為師不救你也不行了。但是還要看你自己如何去行功立德。為師不能替你還這些業債，為師只是暫時給你擔起來，你只有今生修今生了，苦盡才能甘來。今生今世你不還，這個債來世還是還。今生若能好好修辦道行功立愿，自然就還啦！要知，了愿了債才能夠把鄉還。常常有很多事情，或許二秒鐘就給你一次刺激，有的事情三秒鐘給你干擾一次，有的事情是五秒鐘就給你傷害，那你是否會暈頭轉向呢？還是如如不動？這些事情都會過境，要看你是不是會受它的影響？事情在你面前晃動久了，你就會覺得很不高興，會心生煩厭，如果能把心念轉變，把外面的環境、外在的牽引化掉，就會覺得很舒服。能不能夠用你自己的心念去轉這些，就要看你自己了。

◎　今天你發一個善念，就會有佛助你一把，推你一把讓你前進得更好。心念是好的就接好的感應，如果心念不好，業力就馬上跟著，邪神與魔就會跟在你身邊。好的壞的都是在於一念撥轉，業力與功德也都是在一念之間。人的行為表現與個人的命運有很大的關連。要有好的命運，首先要端正自己的行為舉止與心念。

◎　每個人追求的目標不一樣，命運也就不一樣。想改變命運就要先改變你的心念，自然習慣、個性也就跟著改，這樣才能真正改變你的命運。如果你用同樣的時間去賺錢或是去講道理，你會選擇哪一種呢？是要賺錢賺得很累？還是講道理講得很快樂？相信在你花費時間去講道、渡化眾生時，錢也不會少賺的。

◎　所以說修道能改變命運。要知何改變？要靠自己的誠心來改變，因為你好好的修，好好的行功立德，無形之中就能改變命運。靠你們自己去做，能改多少、是好是壞，在自己掌握中，不要老求仙佛替你改，只要你有本事，一定能改。

◎　人各有命，假如每一個人都能夠安命，安你自己的命，不去會求，這個社會也就沒有爭執。就是因為有很多人，不能安於自己的命，抱怨自己的命運不好，所以才會有多種的煩惱產生。

　　為什麼會命運不好呢？因為前世造了因，所以今生必須受這個果，但是命運可以改，怎麼改？要修道才能自己掌握自己的命運。

人際間的圓融和諧

◎　科學進步了，人與人之間反而有一道防禦性的隔閡，形成不易講真心話。真正告訴你真心話的才是真正的朋友，而又是忠言逆耳、糾正過錯的好朋友。因為性質相投合，所以你會組織一個團體起來。在你的人事當中是否常有撞擊？你是想安於現狀或是跳出來？其實祇要你能自我調適都是一樣的。

◎　對人不要有太多的苛求，當你苛求別人的時候，反過來看看你對你自己有這麼嚴厲嗎？哪一次不是又放又縱，而對別人卻是要求再要求！你要別人盡如你的意，但是你有沒有想過，每一個人都來自不一樣的環境，每一個人都來自不一樣的家庭，在那環境的鑄造之下，你有你各式各樣的性格。當你聚集在人群之中時，人群是一塊大的磨石板，有稜有角皆要磨得圓圓融融，不要輕易就不滿意別人對你的所做所為，回想自個兒也不是這麼的如人意啊！

◎　人永遠都看到別人的過錯，很少看到自己的不是，所以才會有痛苦，人若能看到自己的不對，那看到別人就都是佛了。

◎　你們要啟開別人的心扉，就要先啟開自己的心扉，以誠住人。

◎　同志日朋，同道日友。所謂「有朋自遠方來不亦悅乎！」你為人好或不好可從你周遭朋友的或多或少而得知。

◎　善變的人容易受他人影響、情緒不穩。交朋友就更重要了，所謂「入芝蘭之室，久而不聞其香；入鮑魚之宣，久而不覺其臭」，正是交友之道。

◎　與人相處的時候要戰戰兢兢，是怕互相摩擦而傷害了被此的友誼。我們每個人都有朋友，而交朋友要隨緣而交，不要存著利用的心去強求。

◎　今天你要當對方的好朋友，就要善於運用方法勸導對方的缺點，這才是真正的好朋友。

◎　先關懷別人，自然別人會感激你；先幫助別人、關懷別人、尊敬別人，自然你的人緣就會很好。如果你說：「怎麼我的人緣都不好，別人能夠跟人家相處得那麼愉快，但是我好像跟每一個人都格格不入？」那你就要想一想，你是不是應該先尊敬別人，先幫助別人，先關懷別人？

◎　人常常把話說過頭了，在的時候，也轉得不好，你的冤你的怨就愈結愈深，人家說冤家宜解不宜結，你們卻愈結愈深。有沒有？若說沒有是你自己欺騙自己。所以做人要坦白，假面其戴久了就會拆不下來、拿不掉，你就永永遠遠硬繃繃的戴在你臉上，也不能拿出你悔過之心來面對事實。

◎　所以我的徒兒，常常要三思而行，要過濾才說，要不然，這一句話的輕重，你不能衡量得到，一但刺傷別人的心靈，到時想彌補也來不及了，就算是說者無心，聽者有意，但你們也不要做個無心又有意的人啊！

◎　只要一有機會，我希望能與徒兒們多結善緣！望能和你們多切磋琢磨，而不是切磋折磨，雞蛋裡挑骨頭便是折磨，可差得遠呢！

◎　人要有親和力，雖然他做的不好，我們還是要先讓他能夠接納我們，才能夠改變他。當人有一點不明的時候，就要馬上給他點化，不能讓他錯太多才講，可是要委婉。知道嗎？自己要對自己負責，對自己要有信用，出口即是愿。了不了解啊！

◎　修道的時候要專心，做事的時候要專心，可是關心別人的時候要左右看看，所以這個道理要活潑玲瓏，才能圓達四方。

◎　人愈有德性，大家就愈喜歡與他親近，此即「愛人者人恆愛之，敬人者人恆敬之」。

◎　人常在交友時熱得太快、不夠恆心，而交不到知心的好朋友。君子之交要淡如水，要誠心的去交往，不猜忌、不設防，如此才可交到真正的知己。

◎　要使自己不成為別人的「濫友」(因利慾相關而交之友)，要成為一位真正的好友，是不求回報，是要互相鼓勵向上的。

◎　我們常常會顧慮太多的人情、面子，而產生對待之心，這樣機緣一錯過，就會交不到其正的好友。其實每個人都可成為你的好朋友，但看你付出多少，就會得到多少。

◎　愈是放不開，愈是設防，就會愈難使人心交融。要學著去容忍別人，常保愛心、專心。人非聖賢孰能無過？若發現對方有錯，就該去勸戒他，不可因此而離他遠去。如此離他是不道德的，因為有道德的人是恒誠不二的。

◎　我們常會頂撞師長，其實並非師長講得沒理，而是我們不了解。人都會遇到瓶頸，等我們長大些，懂得人情世故，才能體會。但懂得人情世故後，不可因而忘了本心，要從中跳出，不是假心假意，而使自己的心變得現實、漂盪，在滾滾紅塵中隨波逐流。修心是要。真心－－純真不二的心。

◎　人與人相處是有感情的，它的產生是因為相互接納。但是往往在相互交集時因相處而產生了磨擦，這常是因為從前結合的緣份處理的不好，而今日相處時彼此間的關係又處理不恰當的緣故。

◎　每個人在交集的時候，一定要有一條線，這條線就是「理」。如果失去了 「理」就不會有「禮」。所以今天不管是哪一種情，只要是人、事、物交集的時候，都是要依這個「理」來行，如此才可相處的好，而不會相互排斥，這一段感情就可以走得更遠。

◎　如果一個人能真正惜取與人相交集時的每一份緣，那他就不會在意對方的缺點，不會受對方影響。人與人交集時需要隨緣，如果太過執著現在的交集，就會受它所困。今天一段緣份一件事情，你如果把他想通了、想透了，就不會在人世中打轉得那麼辛苦。

◎　感情在交集時要珍惜，不能交集時要隨緣。人們常放不下，割捨不了這裡的汗水功勞啊！其實不過是習慣了鞏固好的緣。有時候這一段緣在此結束，卻又於另一地重生。只要你抓得住它的「活性」，就能把握得住自己的「佛性」，這道理是相通的。

◎　人生誰沒有考驗。兩個石頭互相敲擊的時候，也有聲音，大石頭碰到手的時候，也有痛的感覺，痛過以後才知道什麼叫做痛。可是人不能往往只想到痛，你要想：「為什麼石頭會碰到我的手？」不要時時刻刻要求別人配合你，時時要求自己：「為什麼我跟他合不來？」時時刻刻要求自己，世界才有完美的一天，如果你時時刻刻去要求別人的話，那世界就永遠沒有和平。

◎　你有你的主意，他有有他的主意，一百個人就有一百個主意，一千個人也有一千個主意，一萬個人就有一萬個主意。可是你要想想：「一萬個主意中，你才佔多少？一萬分之一是多微小！」所以你怎麼可以以一萬分之一去要求那九千九百九十九呢？

◎　待人，憑你的真誠。人活著做事情，不要求別人了解你，難道別人說你好就是好嗎？孔老夫子當時他所做的，有沒有人說他好？有沒有人說他不好？可是如果他因為人家說他不好就不做，說他好就洋洋得意，他可不可能成為萬世師表？有沒有人尊敬他？

◎　你現在說我好，並不代表我真是好；說我是聖人，並不代表我以後就一定成聖人。要以後千秋萬世的人來肯定我，那我才真正成了！所以，想要想得遠；看也要看得遠；做，認準了就做永久，讓以後的人來歌頌你。只要我們問心無愧，只要我們全力以赴去做就好。

志在菩提心存眾生

　　迷人不醒戀聲色　　南柯一夢昧性天

　　總為食穿而忙碌　　名利恩愛段看穿

　　熙來攘往心意亂　　背覺合塵六萬年

　　生生死死無了日　　空過一生會可憐

　　目睹此景心痛斷　　賢徒賢徒莫迷漣

　　當知此時非昔日　　劫煞遍地怎安然

　　風捲塵沙滄茫無涯　靜眼觀來何處故家

　　寸心迷茫隨波逐下　身經萬年難將自拔

　　忽聞西方異蓮盛大　有緣佛子可證萬八

　　慈航渡世明師點化　言古玄牝本來高雅

　　光瑩剔透此寶無價　不賣專送但憑誠加

　　誓宣燃燈闡釋真人　頓悟常頌無字經華

　　至理無上道貫古聖　詩篇讚佩猶未盡達

　　望眾積極益發慈良　美範民瞻青史可察

　　一股作氣群策群力　名標天榜在今一剎

　　共登覺路永斷牽罣　如鶴間情自由瀟灑

◎　如果只從經典中去了解你修什麼道，那修上一年、二年、三年，都可能原封不動站在原位不進步。比如你做小丑，別人看見就會開心、快樂。但可惜你保持了形象，穿著漂亮的大禮服，就不能配當小丑了。其實，你應慢慢的去用你的心，解開別人的心，讓大家都快樂！

◎　人一生即使你做了很多事情，終究只留下你的一個名字在人們心目中而已。就算你很會賺錢，很會裝飾你的房子，在人們的心中，也留不住什麼。所以，人人最重要的是做什麼？你們年輕人，最重要的是做什麼？(立德、立言、立功一這些做好就好了。不過有一句話，青春不要留白，將你的色彩留在人間，將你的色彩塗滿這一片天空。聖賢仙佛不是怎樣超越別人，只是她不會將這一片天空留白，而會將它塗滿。你們年輕人，如何在你這一片天空，用你的畫筆把你的天空畫出一片美麗，一片絢爛給大家看？所以青春不要留白。

◎　「我」分大我及小我，何謂大我？大我就是大多數，站在這個角度可以這麼講，那其他角度不也是另一種說法。每個人的環境不同，思想亦有別，若只為自己著想，這樣就太自私了。大我之前，我們要放棄小我。當要表現自我的時候呢？就要好好去做，犧牲小我，完成大我，不要只看到自己，如果只為自己，便是逆天。逆天是一念之叛啊！

◎　為什麼菩薩和仙佛永遠留在人的心中？因為她的心永遠牽掛著眾生：永遠牽掛你們大家，所以衪的心才隨著你們應變。你們快樂的時候，衪也知道你們快樂：你們悲傷的時候，衪也能夠了解，瞭如指掌。所以只要你關心一個人，你都能夠時時刻刻知道他的一舉一動。你自己的小孩生病你知道，別人的小孩你不知道，這是你的心掛在你自己的小孩，你的心沒有掛在那個小孩，所以他生病你不知道，自己的小孩生病你就曉得。

◎　若你的心時時刻刻查尋仙佛在做什麼，那你也是跟著仙佛一樣。仙佛是做什麼事情才成仙佛，你時時刻刻去體會、去觀察、去模擬，那你才能成仙成佛。可是也要你自己去做，親身力行那才可能，要不然坐著呢，你想成佛，一直唸著我想成佛，坐一輩子，坐到骨頭爛了也是一樣。

◎　今天﹒要你們明白的，就是要你們知道你走的路對不對？做的事值不值得？是否昧了自己的天理良心？活了幾十年，有沒有幫助人家，濟渡眾生？小小的善事有沒有真心去做？還是只圖個功德？這一點都要清楚，不然任你做萬千還是人世間空走一回。

◎　在人間要有大志向，大志氣，不要為一點小事爭得你死我活，把你的人生目標定得太低，為師要你重新定立你的目標，學習聖賢仙佛他們的志向你的志向是大的，中的，還是小的？你以為舒舒服服的過個幾年，以後一定舒服嗎？那可不一定，活的過今天不要想明天，什麼事很難說，想躲想逃，逃不掉的，有沒有看過年紀很小就回去的；生病、車禍回去的？各式各樣，二十歲、三十、四十……不一定，要活幾年能控制嗎？但至少現在我們都還活著，還當人，更慶幸的是都入了佛門，為濟公的徒兒。

◎　為師希望徒兒都能把握今天，把握當下，活在人世間，做個頂天立地的人，做對這世間有貢獻的事。

◎　徒兒能不能做到—只要有你們，世界上永遠都有溫暖，只要有你們就能夠散播愛、散播熱、散播光芒。所以你不只是蠟燭，你也是光芒，你也是太陽，所以要好好的把你的愛心，你的熱能，你的朝氣帶出來，好好的發揮你自己，把你自己真正的發揮到最極點，留下一些絢爛的色彩給後世的人歌頌，給後世的人景仰我們，好嗎？

◎　在這凡塵之中，觀音菩薩、釋迦牟尼佛，我們都認識他們，因為他們的精神不朽，因為他們都能夠捨棄榮華富貴。為什麼他們能成佛、不朽？因為他們曉得什麼是實在的東西。每個人都有每個人的一段路，我們的祖父，只有自己家人知道他的一生，因為他所付出的只有在家裡，他在家鄉所留下來的精神，並不普遍，而每個人都曉得祭拜觀世音菩薩，因為他為眾生、救眾生。

◎　現在不是自掃門前雪的時候喔！我們當要雪中送炭不是嗎？看見眾生沈溺在苦海之中可不可憐？朝忙夕忙所為者何，想過沒有？

◎　說你們是個佛，你們還要吃別人的靈性、肉體。一隻鴨、一隻狗，都有靈性，是不是啊？吃別人得要還別人。佛那有這樣子啊？佛是救世救人的，是不是？佛要能夠犧牲自己，像蠟燭一樣，照亮別人，照亮這個黑暗的人心。所以人要學佛，就要懂得犧牲自己一切不好的習慣，懂嗎？要修到不是人，別人才會叫你是佛。

◎　有時候人要當小丑，當小丑別人就快樂多了，自己不願意當小丑，每天都繃著臉，這樣有何意義？為師希望你們除了當小丑以外，還要去除心中的自我形相、外表的形相。為師今天來這裡當小丑，就是要讓你們快樂，你們也讓別人開開心，自己犧牲點，不要太重視自己的形相，別人就開心了為人處事要踏實要低心下氣，這樣才不會與人有距離感，將自己所體會的分享給大家，讓人生命更有泉源，這也是樂的一種。

◎　人要將心比心，你們將心比心則能捨己為人，有人說人難免自私，人會自私但神不會自私。只要想到為眾生，為人家好，即可成神。

◎　上天對待你們每一個人都是一樣的，但看你們用什麼心對自己、對別人、對上天、今日所賺的錢可以積，但無形之財也是可以積，那就是自己的功德，濟世救人就有功德。

◎　你想要上天給你多少，你就要付出多少。為師希望你們積財在理天，常常說我要賺大錢，我要賺多少錢，但是為師希望你們賺的那個錢能夠寄在天上，那個錢就是「功德」。

◎　奉獻只是一顆真心，而不是物質所能代表的。有人問老師，什麼才是真正的佈施？有的人說平常賺十塊錢，就佈施一塊錢；有的人從來就沒有看到 過十塊錢，根本賺不到十塊錢，他今天賺到一塊錢，他看到有人有難了，他就奉獻這一塊錢。你看仙佛會喜歡哪一個？(後者)為什麼？(後者有奉獻的心)，他把所有的奉獻出去，這才是真正的奉獻。

◎　人與佛不同之處就在這裡：「佛」做任何事都無所求，「人」做了什麼，就想得到什麼代價，都有所求，勿吝惜付出，況且教學可以相長，聖業亦復如是要知而行之，時常體天之心為己心，時時刻刻忠於老天，忠於眾生。將你的滿腔熱誠，送給世間所有的人。以你的愛心灌溉一些需要施給的人。將你的人生給予最豐富的內涵。本來你們的涵養只有如那個小茶杯大，然後現在慢慢的增加，像碗那樣大，然後再慢慢像大碗那麼大，大到最後像什麼？太平洋那麼大。要像太平洋那麼大，就應該把你貪、瞋、癡、愛無所不有的一大堆，慢慢的修，慢慢的去除，我們說要修得像太平洋那麼大，能不能有「角」的存在？所以你們要拿著機器，慢慢地磨！慢慢地削！這邊削掉了，就從那邊削掉，角通通削掉了！就變成一個又圓又大又光亮的圓陀自性好不好？

◎　(師問老菩薩一現在日子過得如何，有沒有病痛？是不是只求仙佛治一治自己的病痛？有沒有想過別人的病痛，需要自己一臂來助？發一個小小的善念，渡他來求道，那你就功德無量，不要說人老了，等著回去天堂，該你的日子若還長，你就為天做點事吧！

◎　修道不要只修表面，而不去關心別人，不去幫忙別人，你們常說「認理修真一，結果，心裡籠罩一團愈來愈多的霧氣，念修愈不真。比如，有人說吃素好，但他的嘴吧還是在吃肉，說而不做，那修什麼道？修道不憑嘴巴講的「口說道」，而是真正要行出來的道。

◎　凡事要多替別人著想。念念可以相轉。不要想別人怎麼都沒替你著想，其實是你自己未替別人著想。

◎　修道人可以不問人情世故如何，但是這一顆慈悲之心，這一顆熱誠之心，不能冷卻斷掉，懂嗎？

◎　感謝　老母賜給我們這個機會，賜給我們這個肉體，為師也是沾到　老母的光，受了　老母的奉派，所以為師也是沾了你們的光，你們也跟為師鬧夠、笑夠了是不是啊！其實微笑也是一種布施啊！博君一笑也是一種布施，那為師今天不曉得做了多少布施的功德了！

◎　徒兒有自己的責任要做，更要有遠大抱負。徒兒不要隨隨便便的，自己要激勵自己，不要辜負老師的期望，徙兒有淚要用在眾生身上，為師有淚，用在徒兒們身上，徒兒再將為師的淚用在所有人身上。

◎　人要時時刻刻活在感恩與祝福之中，才能體會到天、地對我們賜了多大的恩惠，「我」在這天地之中是多麼的重要！任何時刻只要你活著，你就要想到別人死了，我還活著；當我吃飯時，我也祝福別人都能吃到一碗飯，時時刻刻活在感恩與祝福的人，就有福了。

◎　修道是修我們大家的心，大家的身，一個群眾，一個團體，個個圓滿，不是只修你個人而已。自己顧自己的時候，這就是亂的時候，將漸走入滅亡。所以漸走入滅亡的時候，就是自私自利的時候。今天大公無私的時候，就是慢慢的又回昇和平的時候，你們希望回昇還是滅亡？所以一切心眼看你自己；一切想法看你自己：一切選擇更看你自己，大家抱定此身不在物質求享受，不在恩愛中追求，要突破一些感情的事，把你的真感情貢獻給眾生，將你的慈心利益眾人，將你的時間奉獻於眾人。

◎　我們大家都是刻苦耐勞的人，我們修道，辦道都遇到很多挫折，無計其數的挫折，雖然現在人家不了解你，但是你的心與老師常相左右，你要想老師在你左右，會聽你們訴心語，你們縱然有了滿腹的怨氣，但不要發出來，要把它沖淡，因為有為師的存在。

◎　所以希望大家都犧牲自己，為世界而奉獻，為世界而犧牲，就像蠟燭一樣，燃燒自己，照亮他人，因為我一個人能夠讓別人好，能夠讓別人不做壞事，能夠讓別人了脫生死，縱然是受苦也是苦得有甘味。所以說只要是為眾生而賣命，我相信我的好徒弟們個個都會很誠意去做。

◎　我們為人類作無限的奉獻，不只是現在，希望我們做下的那一點點，也能驚醒後人，也朝向我們的目標去做，這就是無限的奉獻，然而我們不求人家的利益，也不求回報，這才算是真、善、美。

術流動靜終非究竟

◎　徒兒們說坐禪，好不好？好啊！修心養性嘛，對不對？你說修佛，好不好？好啊！內心拜佛，不做壞事。你說修道，好不好？好啊！救渡眾生，將來眾生紀念你，是不是？你說我去畫符唸咒，好不好？好啊！但那是術，術、流、動、靜，終非是正門！為師說的，你們究竟懂不懂？

◎　修道要修正道，不可走旁門左道，也不可修那些有法術的、劃符念咒的。因為有法就有破。你如果點石成金，幾百年後，拿到那塊金子的人，會怎麼樣？如果他為了那塊金子，被人打得半死，那麼是不是變成你害的。你因為煉金點石成金術，而害了這個人，因此又得去輪迴，值得嗎？還有，劃符唸咒要不要學習？反過來想想，你們怕不怕被別人，下符又唸咒呢？徒兒們應該聽平凡的道理、不變的其理，遠離法術符咒。徒兒們要修的道，就是這種道，很平凡的道，平凡之中有真味，要知道啊！

◎　為師看徒兒們，都是一尊尊末成的佛，你們來到佛堂，點傳師有沒有說他們是統治你們的？有沒有說他們自已是什麼降世、轉世的？是至尊的？如果有，你們不要去信，聽懂嗎？萬教興起，各處都說自己是高僧、大法師，說自己是仙佛轉世、是明師、是什麼佛、什麼先師來降世的。他們自誇能教你們，如何施法術，如何明心，如何性命雙修，教你能夠解脫你身體的病痛，說他以後就是統治這個社會、這個世界的人，像這樣的法門，你們不要去信、去盲目跟從，你要懂得分辨是真是假。

◎　徒兒們知道，現在是什麼時期了嗎？是不是要以覺為師呀？什麼是覺？（自性的覺醒）。什麼是真主人？（自性）既然都知道了，還要到外面去求神問卜嗎？現在外面的假相、術流動靜愈來愈多了，徒兒，你們認為道場太平淡了，沒有什麼呀！你們的心，都向外去找尋。徒啊！只要是脫離了這條金線，這三曹對案，就沒有你們的份了！你們想清楚，實實在在的腳踏實地，不要向外追求，那些都不是究竟，只有自性圓融才是究竟！神通不是究竟，神通抵不過業力，唯有其功實善呀！

◎　現今世界都著了魔，處處都有你看不到的魍魎邪魔，在你最心虛、最無奈時，就趁虛而入。只要你們的念頭，稍有偏頗不對、一念抉擇錯誤時，一步跟錯，就全部墮落，明白嗎？

勁流擊出美麗浪花

◎　人在安逸中常忘記自己的使命及原來的自己；在安逸中常不能忍受挫折，心容易受影響、受波動；在安逸中常會流失自己的信心，也含流失自己原本光明的自性；在安逸中的愛與情最容易考驗你的心。所以要居安思危，要好好調整、好好守住你的本心。

◎　一個人的成功，如果他沒有受到磨煉，就沒有資格承受這樣成功的位子。就像爬樓梯，一步一步地爬，你要有心理準備，要多高，要多矮，自己要踩得穩，今天你若心理建設不夠，即使爬上去了也還是搖搖晃晃。所以，你若貪圖馬上成功，馬上比別人行，那你自己的心態就要調整調整！

◎　處順境，心中要有個底，可不要在其中迷失了自我。而逆境是在磨煉你的心智，讓你更成長、更有智慧。你若能夠逆來順受，自然就能夠清涼無所掛罣。

◎　是福、是禍，一切都早註定，修道只是保持平常心而已。好的接受，不好的也接受，就像佛一樣的胸懷。修道人不能永遠只希望處於平順的環境，若遇困難，要想辦法來解決。

◎　事情總是有波折的，路走的越是平坦就愈不會去珍惜它，如做錯了遇上波折那印像就深刻了。凡事不能操之過急，就好像愚公移山，只剩最後一畚箕，如不繼續把它完成，那這座山還是不會圓滿的。

◎　沒有任何人的道路是平平坦坦的，一定會有坎坷、不平順出現。人與人在一起，也會有不如意之時。因為你們的心、你們的思想，沒有辦法完全一樣，所以要先調整自己、修養自己，不能處處要求別人來配合你，自己先修好，才能真正地影響別人。

◎　人不經挫折，不會成長。挫折即成長的契機，所以當考驗來臨時，要歡喜地接受。

◎　法無定法，所以考驗也沒存一定的考驗，各個都不同，所以一定要耐心地去接受它。

◎　人要有骨氣，但不可以有傲氣。有骨氣去做每一件事情，有骨氣去勇往直走，不畏挫折。失敗是人生難免的事，不可以為了一次、兩次的失敗而不敢繼續前進。

◎　凡事都有得商量，不要受了創傷就說我很孤單，沒有人知道我的心，其實只要你有心修道，處處都有你的知己。

◎　人生因為有逆境，所以就會有痛苦，心情也難開朗，其實這些都是人自找煩惱來困住自己，或盲目追求自己做不到或不想做的事，這叫自作自受。如果能看得開、想得透，你就會得到快樂了。

◎　人常會因遇到逆境就產生畏縮、退縮之心，你們需要去面對方、解決它，才可能成功。看到別人成功好像很容易，其實都是需要付出一片苦心，因為成功不是偶然的。只有自己真正的付出，背後承受一份苦，那才是真正的成功。

◎　每個人都有瓶頸以及需要突破的事情，不管這個瓶頸卡在咱們心裡有多久，只要徒兒們不認輸，勇敢地站出來，只要徒兒們感謝自己，感謝上天，感謝你的父母親所賦予給你們的，好好去珍惜，那麼，路永遠是光明的。沒有經過黑暗，哪顯得光明的珍貴！愈困難愈要勇敢去突破，立了志向也要堅持到底，更要恆誠。

◎　只要你們有一顆至誠的心，所謂「誠則靈」，上天絕不會辜負我們。天地浩浩，咱們何其有幸！為師希望你們每一個動念都是善的，命運掌握在自己手裡，別人左右不了我們，知道嗎？

◎　不管今天你認為是來這兒看戲，還是你真正的尊重你自己，或是你自己覺得生命中該有一條讓你有所依循的路。不管怎樣，人生的旅途裏，每一個要成長的人，從來也沒有人不曾跌倒過。不管你今天抉擇了哪一條路，總之要分清楚、看清楚你自己的目標，好好的去走完你的生命旅程。

◎　無論遇到多少的困難，你們願不願意去承擔？無論在人生的旅途上，走得多麼坎坷，你們願意坦然的接受一切，走完這一條路嗎？我們要尋找長久、光明的路，而不是黑暗、無助的路。

◎　如果你心中其正有道，就由你心中的「道」來撥轉你的逆境、你的氣數，那你才是幸運之人。人的氣數不能光看眼前，而是看你的心如何去掌握！當你失意時，遇到困難時，要扛得起也要放得下，是盡人事而聽天命的放得下。因眾生皆俱佛性，所以不可輕易的藐視你自己的佛性，更要以佛心去看眾生，不能有對待心。如此，遇到困難時才能其正的放下。

◎　難過也是要過，難才能顯出可者，越是難走的時俊，更需要發揮那份誠心，而修道最要緊的就是內心要誠懇，有了誠懇的心，做事便不會有阻礙。所以，當你遇到不順時，就誠心誠意叩求老中慈悲，才會有突破阻礙的奇蹟出現。

◎　修道要有菩薩的心，佛心，信心，忍耐的心。若連一點苦也沒法忍受，又何能做菩薩？就如同別人不知我的優點，沒關係，但要先對自己的內德修養好，才能夠應付任何的考驗，而成就菩薩的德業。

◎　自己要慈悲自己，要讓自己的心境能夠提升！不要老是說苦啊！苦什麼？苦於妄念，苦於自己啊！思想這麼雜亂，怎麼算是對自己慈悲呢？只要你能盡本份，能做得到的話，那麼上天自然會幫助你啊！

◎　你受了打擊的時候，是不是很消沉啊？那麼你一旦消沉下來，就是等於打敗了你自己，前面的路就不容易走了。所以，要有信心、要有勇氣，不管你遇到什麼樣的困難，都要存著積極的心理。修道要修到沒罣礙，走到哪裡都能適應，都能心安理得，隨遇而安，都能把道繼續傳下去，如此就跟仙佛一樣雲遊四海，逍遙自在，不管困難與平順都能安然度過，安然的接受，這就是「仙」啊！佛也會碰到困難，但不管順、逆都要以平常心去面對。

◎　修道要修自己，渡人則需要多多切磋琢磨，不要怕吃苦。一塊玉要成為美玉也是經過琢磨的。希望你們也能接受大地的琢磨，在接受種種事情的磨煉後就不要枉費，希望你們能有一番成就。大家在一起都是兄弟姊妹，不要計較太多，個人的利益不要緊，眾生的利益才要緊，要圖眾人之利，不要顧私己之利，你賺得再多的錢，等你兩眼一閉，什麼都沒有了。

◎　行造這個過程如有出差錯，要從自己檢討起，你要先問自己反省自己，才能對外面的因緣一個個去做打算。好比一棵樹，你這棵道心的樹站穩了，則外面的風雨再大、考驗再多，你也不會被考倒。你的付出必有一個得，但是對於這個得不要太在意，因為這是你們的責任、義務。

◎　要勇敢面對以後上天所給你的任何考驗，無論是甜的、苦的，總要去嚐嚐看。人生過程雖短暫，但過程不能讓它空白，要留下圓滿的句點。

◎　任何事情任何時候，你都要看清楚。人有優點，也有缺點，你若只看他的優點，不看他的缺點，哪一天缺點被你看到了，你會覺得很失望，心裡好像受到打擊。今天優點、缺點你都看到也能包容，你的心就能廣闊。任何事情當你受到傷害時，會記得比較清楚，而改正也較快。所以任何事情不要看得太膚淺，看得太膚淺則心量不夠寬，困擾自己的就多。一切要靠自己去尋求答案、尋求一條解脫的路。

◎　不要看輕自己，重新立個目標、方向，依著目標去做。有時難免會遇到困難，但不管以後你怎麼走、怎麼做，老師希望你們依理去做，拿出你的智慧去分辨評判，所謂有理行遍天下，相反的無理也就寸步難行了。

◎　身體所有病痛，不是別人給你的，是你自己給你自己的，為何身體會有那麼多病痛？因為「病從口入，禍從口出」。自己有身體的病苦就要忍下來，苦是提煉你對人生更加堅強、更加有信心。

◎　你們常執著形相，不知道什麼是真理，也認不清楚其理。人的一句話就考倒了你；一個行動就使你退縮，這就是你沒有決心，沒有誠心，沒有信心，執著形相。假若你有其誠的話，你對道所認識的必定也非常懇切，非常的深；假若你有信心的話，任那風吹雨打你也永遠一樣能站穩腳步，不搖不擺，就算是搖擺也倒不了，做個不倒翁。

◎　不要在遇到困難、困境時，就想趕快解脫，那不是辦法！當你心平氣和時 ，常以一顆很樂觀的心去面對、珍惜，一旦遇到逆境時，你才能夠體會原來順境是什麼？就如在你吃到苦的時候，才知道甜叫什麼。上天要讓你們吃一點苦，是要增長你們的智慧，那並不代表苦。

◎　有時要給自己適度的掌聲，給自己一些鼓勵。不管遇到挫折、順境或逆境都要給自己掌聲，但順境時不要得意忘形，逆境時不要茫然失措。

◎　當妳面對挫折的時候要用無限的勇氣去面對，用你的其心表達真情，好好地去向前衝。

◎　不管徒兒在天涯海角，為師時時刻刻地陪著你們。所以你們要乖乖，人難免會有不如意的時候，不要埋怨別人，也不要發脾氣，想想為師好不好？人難免也有想不開，或者想來想去都想不通的時候，那時候你們就放下吧！既然想不通了多想也沒有用。

◎　道理是愈聽感受就愈深，同時修道的心也可琢磨得愈成熟。就像吃白飯，愈吃愈有味，道就是這樣。

◎　人總要受一點磨鍊，有琢磨才會有成長，所以不受磨鍊，如何能顯出勇者的剛毅之氣！唯有在最困苦時才能顯出你的智慧與德性。

◎　要做個男子漢！流血不流淚，吃得苦中苦，方為人上人。所謂的苦，你要去經歷，才知道什麼叫做苦；當你一經歷過的時候，你就會忘了什麼是苦？因為已經海闊天空了，何必再把這些包袱背在你身上。

◎　對自己要慈悲就要慈悲得有意義，不要捨不得讓自己的肉體吃一點苦。對自己太過慈悲，那你會有什麼成就呢？人啊！要吃得苦中苦，方為人上人。要修心養性，要忍人所不能忍。你們都不能忍人所不能忍是因為有個性、有脾氣。現在主張的都是自己的個性，但是若太固執你自己的個性，那就會害了你一生喔！

◎　講出來的話中規中矩，不一定就是有德、有道者。所謂「道好修，理難明」；「路好看，卻未必好走」；即使再平坦的路，也有跌倒的時候。當你跌倒時，不要心灰意冷，應該反省地問問自己，是否自己的本份做到了？本份做得好，才合乎「道」。

◎　修道不容易，但你還是要去修，要慢慢的去修正一切習染，自然這條修道的路就好走了。修道雖然苦，但是就算再苦，為師都隨時在你的身旁。再多的話還不如咱們心心相契；再多的話，還不如相信天地，你看前面的前賢臉不紅，氣不喘，你們曉不曉得他們是經過多少的歷鍊而來的？所以要不斷的歷鍊，才能不斷的成長；要不斷的成長，才能睿智圓熟；而睿智圓熟的時候，也不要忘了感恩，不要忘了去推恩。

◎　老師外表雖顛但心不顛，現今的人外表斯文，內心卻是顛倒的。修道不管多久，志向都不要改變，不管發生什麼痛苦的事，都不要逃避，該了就去了，最後都會達到目標的。這樣，才不會使你的心常顛倒妄想一堆。

◎　古時修道，是人求道不是道求人。時機不同了，你們非要讓人家捧在手上，才肯辦嗎？難道都受不起一點損傷，受不起一點小小的謗言嗎？坤道辦道比較難，因為有家庭、有孩子。可是為師問你們，你們沒有辦道，家裡好了沒？身為人母的責任盡了沒？既然沒有，為什麼以道作藉口？

◎　以後假祖師假弓長出現你們分得清楚嗎？考驗很多種，本身的考、道盤考、時局考，這三種考，你們真的能通過嗎？為師我很擔心，訓你們的機會也不多了，能珍惜一次見面的機會就珍惜。不論為師對你們是嚴厲還是慈悲，你們以後要參加這麼莊嚴的聖班，機會不多了，你們自己要有心理準備，為師我是從來不會欺騙你們的。

◎　辦事的過程中，難免會遭遇考驗來琢磨你，問題是在於你的心能不能接受種種考驗。你忍讓，上天必定不會虧負你；你霸道，上天也一定不會寬容你。只是賞罰未到，不要以為老天都沒有眼。

◎　為師可沒有考驗你們，為師疼你們都來不及了，怎麼會考驗你們呢？只因為你的所作所為，無形當中去觸犯到了，上天才借人借事考考你、驗驗你，看你有沒有真心。這個考驗不是上天給你的，也不是老師給你的，是由你自身招來的，不要怨天、不要尤人，不要愈修愈退步了。

◎　要活得有意義就要常常懷著慈悲的心、活潑的心，不能讓自己的心低落下去。當受到挫折、受到排斥時，沒有關係，這些為師也都承受過，但為師還是堅持地走到現在。雖然，並不是每一個人、每一位徒兒都願意接受我，可是為師依舊秉持不屈不撓的精神，未曾說過放棄你們。

◎　人生的旅途很長遠，遇到坎坷的時候，老師讓你依靠；不如意的時候，望著天對老師傾訴，老師會以所能及的力量幫助你，但最主要的還是得看你自己，因為人要自助才能得到天助。

◎　徒兒們要好好認真，好好修；盡人道、修天道，只要徒兒好，為師就好。了解人生的價值所在，才不枉此生。雖然有時不能好好發揮，但各有因緣也是急不得啊！一定要有大志向，但也不要好高騖遠，多多研究經典，了解真理認理實修，要徹悟肉體是假，生病也是假，凡事都看得開，好好地認真修道，不要忘了為師的一番苦心。

◎　你們都很乖，都用心良苦，為了辦道也常受苦受難，這些為師都知道。你們只要記住：修道途中難免都會有困難，你看自古以來仙佛菩薩修道都是遭遇重重困難才成就證道的。常言道：「沒有經過一番的寒徹骨，哪有梅花樸鼻香？」所以，要知命，要認命，你才能夠立命、了命。

明師一指，喚醒真主

明師一點在那裡？你的真主人在那裡？咱們人都有一個真主人，住在那裡？(班員：在這裡。指明師一指處。)喔！住這裡，真辛苦，點傳師跟你點在那裡，真主人就住在那裡喔！唉啊！你們的點道詞有沒有探討過，點道詞很好，你們卻不會體會啊？我問你，點傳師右手將你點開，左手再將他關起來，對不對？差矣，差矣，那是有為法，有為法是道嗎？有為法就差了。

你一手把他打開，一手把他遮住是什麼意思？右手點開，沒錯，告訴你主人在那裡，我們的正門在那裡，但那是一個門，老師問你們，當你們回家後，是要在門口，或打開門到裡面休息？那一個笨笨的站在門口說我家到了，就在這裡休息，有否？每一個人都是進來裡面休息的，什麼叫登堂入室，你站在門口是修什麼道？我是看你還悟不出來，所以左手把你推進去，不要在外面徘徊，是不是，你站在門口納涼嗎？想清楚啊！

所以說我們求道，是瞭解我們有主人，也瞭解我們的主人也是住在我們的家裡面。我們一間房子有主人的房間，主人有主人該睡的地方，客人有客人該睡的地方，這不能錯亂的，是不是？老師說，右手跟你點開，跟你說你的主人在這門裡面，這個身軀是一間房子，你的天理良心就是主人，點傳師跟你講，你的天理良心要趕快進去，從正門進去，進去裡面作主，不要在外面徘徊，這時候你的主人回來了嗎？主人若回來，你的眼睛就亮起來了，知否？所以老師一個一個看，看你們都沒有瞭解這個意思，結果眼睛都瞇瞇的沒有精神，什麼沒有精神，神沒明，神明神明，拜神明，神要明才能拜神明，神不明你從哪拜神明？你要拜神明要拜那個神會明的，神不會明的你拜他作什麼？現在有沒有瞭解求道的意思？

為什麼要來求道？道到底在那裡？「求」這個字是什麼意思？老師跟你講，你來佛堂求道，其實都沒有什麼東西，「求」也不是說你來佛堂，上天要給你什麼東西。你們怎麼解釋三寶？三寶是上天降給你的，上天賜給你的，是不是？所以這樣講就會越修越痛苦，你們都忽略了「道是自然」這四個字，道是很自然的，三寶在那裡？三寶就在你身上，對不對？三寶是本來就有的，不是靠別人跟你講，也不是靠別人送給你，是你本來就有的，而久，每一個人都平等都一樣，沒有人比較好，也沒有人比較壞。

三寶就是代表你的佛性，每一個人的佛性都是平等的，沒有階級，但是你們現在有分階級，在人的世界裡一定有階級，但我們今天修道，我們就要瞭解，道是很自然的，我們要恢復自然，但是要恢復自然就要沒有階級，沒你、沒我、沒有那種形象之分。老師擔心你們修道的方法不對，越修越痛苦。就是因為方法一開始就錯誤，有很多人修到一半就不修了，認為這個道是假的，認為這個道場是假的，很多人離開了，老師不希望你們繼續用這種錯誤的方法修下去。

看重自己責任負起

◎　勾心鬥角是永遠沒辦法合同的，只有你們的直心才可以與宇宙合其同。只要你們能夠大公無私，能夠掃除私欲，那要談「同心」這兩個字才有可能；不然，你們個人有個人辦事的方法，觀點都不一樣，要如何合同呢？

◎　徒呵！如果壇主、講師不明理，做為點傳師的人就有責任了。他不來，我也不去了，這跟凡夫俗子有什麼差別？這是為師的逆言啊！忠言就是逆耳。希望你們都能夠做到真正的同心同德，那就是！真正的把你們的人心、私欲放下，好好的護持天下所有的眾生。

◎　徒啊！如果再存人胡行亂為，一再規勸不醒的話，你們一定要讓大家知道有這麼樣的一個人。你們私底下要先誠懇地勸告他，要去扶正他，一旦屢勸不醒還執迷不悟的話，就不能不讓大家知道有這麼一回事情了，你們必須講出來，才能夠避免有一魔根混進道場來，這樣道場才能夠清靜。如果輕易的偏信這個妖言惑眾的人，引人去入邪棄正的話，是他自作孽啊！

◎　徒啊！如果上下不能同心的話，就容易惹來不必要的考驗，希望你們每一個人遇到有什麼事情不合理的，一件也不要去做，有什麼事情都一定要向上稟報，不可再私自出主意，以免失了理序、亂了佛規。但是前面的人也不能把後學的往上稟報當成是要求後學的專權啊！

◎　你們當前賢的人，在人格方面一定要特別注意。做人啊，一定要正正當當的，尤其是這個錢財，如果公私常常搞不清楚、混淆不清的話，那你就會破壞了你這個前賢和道親之間的感情，進而影響到道務的開展。如果道親之間起了什麼金錢的糾紛了，你們說，到時候會有一個好的收場嗎？所以說「手續必清」，公私一定要分明，知道嗎？人家拿給你的錢，你答應人家要做什麼你就得給人家做什麼，不可以自作自聰明，拿這個錢來做其它用途，是不是？萬一這個錢出了問題，你怎麼去擔負這個責任？

◎　至於道親之間也不要有金錢的往來，不管你有什麼理由，都不要有絲亳的貪念，你絕對不能因為手上有一點人家佈施的公款，就拿公款去做其它的事，絕對不可以有這種事情發生啊！正正當當的做人，坦蕩光明地給人家做一個好標杆模範，好嗎？你們能夠這樣去做的話，才不枉費這「前賢」兩個字啊！

◎　「三曹普渡大事」為師在交旨回天的當下，已經可以算是責任完成了，但為師為什麼還要時常借竅？因為咱們是「師徒之情」！同樣的道理，你們渡化的眾生，你渡了他讓他上岸，即使你有千萬個包袱，你還是要照顧他，因為你跟他有「引保師之緣」，就好像為師與你們一樣。

◎　修道、辦道不可以馬馬虎虎，修道、辦道不容你忽視，當然，也不容易運作。如果你們的心起起落落，怎麼去應付眾生千變萬化的心呢？回來佛堂為師不是要看看你們的身體，而是要看看你的心！即使你打瞌睡，為師也不在意，最重要的是，你找到自個兒的中心了沒有？知道自己的使命與責任了沒有？不是為別人，而是為自己。

◎　你們常講開荒人員應十項全能，對不對？我們站在前面，人家看著，一個動作、一個眼神、一句話，人家都看得清清楚楚的，是不是？所以咱們是台灣道場派出去的外文大使，更要注意自己。咱們講話要有道言，儀態上要有道統，行為舉止要有道行，有空時要多充實、要多看書，講課才不會不知所措，這樣人家才會覺得你有進步呀！

◎　今天開荒在外要像媳婦一樣。一個好媳婦她一定是上圓下融，而不是一遇到什事情，就趕快推點傳師出去，趕快推老講師出去，不是這樣啊！咱們遇到事情要把它當做這一些都是我的責任，不是別人的責任，因為你們是開荒人員，你們負有多大的責任自己知道嗎？徒兒們要瞭解，今天你們為什麼要出去開荒呢？是因為看苦難的眾生，你才出去開荒是嗎？開荒辛不辛苦？心裡比較苦還是身體比較苦？為什麼心裡會苦呢？唉！也是你們自己喜歡甘願出來的嘛！為什麼心裡會苦？(放不下，想不開一放不下什麼呢？放不下家庭嗎？因為怕沒有錢用？那放不下什麼呢？(放不下自己的執著)那就是很看重自已，自己很重要對不對？你們在什麼時候最重要？渡化眾生的時候沒有你們可不可以？所以你們很重要。

◎　徒兒們在擔當很多責任中，難免會跟人有一些不圓融、不圓滿的地方，是不是？然後心裡就開始想不開了：「我幹嘛這麼辛苦，我幹嘛放下台灣這麼好的地方，而來這裡活受罪？」會不會？還是罵歸罵：「是我自己要來的，要怪誰！」每次趺倒的時候就怨天尤人，有沒有？可以罵的都罵了，要怪，第一個一定是怪為師：「誰叫我答應老師？」；第二個，一定是怪點傳師：「當初叫我來這裡做什麼啊？」第三個，一定是怪當地的點傳師啦！所以，能怪的人都怪了。可是現在的你們還是坐在這裡，是不是？這樣不就是「討皮痛」了？既然出去開荒辦道了，要道言、道貌、道行確實做到。千萬不要以熟賣熟，和當地道親熱了，講話也隨便了，這言行舉止都隨隨便便的，這樣以後人家會看不起你喲！雖然說是小問題，咱們更要關心，要用適當的方法，不要忘記你們是貴為傳道的外交官，要有外交官該有的條件。

◎　今天徒兒們是因道而結緣，所以你們所展現出來的就要有道的風貌；還有，要多看書，不多看書，腦袋就空空，腦袋空空就隨便亂想。出去了，多少要講到道理，對不對？不是說只有講師才要精進道學。既然發愿要出去幫助人，咱們就要助人到底，總不好送佛只送到一半嘛！

◎　咱們要少說話多做事。你們最大的問題就是人事問題嘛！有的人是跟出去的人不合，有的人是跟當地道親不合，有的人是跟點傳師不合，對不對？為什麼會不合呢？都要求對方，都希望對方成長，都是為對方好，是嗎？但是，有沒有回頭看看自己？唉！自己是不是就真的這麼好？我們在要求人的時候，有時候要回頭看看自己，尤其是對當地的道親，他的成長一定沒有你快；可是，你的一個動作、一個眼神，可能會幫助他成長，也可能阻礙他成長，懂嗎？

◎　所以為師說啦！今天你踏出了一步開荒路，是不是又多了一株的道苗？可是這旅程中有多少神聖的使命呢？你們都是背著火炬的人，你們都是一脈相傳的聖者點傳師賦予你這個責任，徒兒們要扛起來，而且要很願意的扛起來，不要心不甘情不願，然後事情亂亂辦，這樣子都是造罪喔！懂嗎？

◎　因為今天咱們辦的是三曹的大事，所以，絕不是人間隨便辦一辦就可以了。既然是三曹的大事，咱們要用什麼樣的心去辦？用天心去辦容易嗎？不容易呀！如果能真的用天心去辦，那你就是活菩薩了！你們每一個人都是一尊活菩薩，因為你們正在救渡苦難的眾生，所以一定要存菩薩的心腸，慈悲心一定要足夠，如果慈悲心不夠，是很容易遭考驗的，懂嗎？

◎　有人說：「唉唷！辦道剩下二年喔！所以我趁現在趕快辦道。」是不是？還剩下兩年，所以你們趁現在趕快辦道？如果抱持著這種心態來辦事，心就沒有百分之百，懂嗎？此刻徒兒們心中湧出多少的甘苦，不管好的壞的，好的咱們繼續，不好的咱們連根拔起，因為你們是傳道人嘛！你身上有這麼重大的使命，觀念上一定要正確，才能持之以恆的你們出去開荒，最重要的是大家要彼此鼓勵。這個心情不好，就趕快去慰問一下；那個生病了，就趕快看看他需要什麼。因為身在異地，不像在自己的家鄉這麼方便，如果彼此都不關心，那道務怎麼辦得起來呢？所以大家要健健康康的。肉體也很重要，沒有肉體，你就沒有那種辦道的衝勁了；肉體如果不照顧好，再有心都沒有力啊！所以咱們自己出門在外，自己得保重啊！

◎　徒兒要懂得珍惜自己，而且，更要懂得感謝，真正從心裡感謝天恩師德，不然每個人都只是上講台去講我感謝上天給我這樣子，能出來開荒了愿、了罪等等，可是，嘴巴講的都很容易呀！心裡如果沒有真正的體悟到這一層，你就難免有怨尤，難免心有不甘、心有不平。要知道，能出去的就是最好的，我們不是出去製造問題，我們是出去幫助他們沒有問題，懂嗎？

◎　徒兒們有時都抱持一種觀念：「我自己都做不好了，我還出來辦道？」對不對？可是，點傳師又實在很看重你們，硬要你出來，會不會很為難？那該怎麼辦呢？又要辦道，然後你又有凡事要做，這時候聖事和凡事就交戰了。「道場這麼多人，為什麼這件事情非要我做？」都有講過這樣的話，對不對？「很奇怪那個道親已經參加到什麼班了，為什麼不能自己去佛堂，還要我去接送？」咱們拿聖凡來講，徒兒們到底是先要把凡事處理好，還是聖事處理好？怎麼辦呢？為師告訢你們一件事情！「無凡不養聖」，所以凡事還是很重要，對不對？可是為師還要再告訢你們！「無聖凡不順」！這是什麼意思呢？所謂「無凡不養聖」，因為我們這個肉體要吃飯，更何況我們身上又有這麼多的責任，我們有家庭要照顧，還有很多我們要去盡的人道，所以必須讓凡事圓滿，凡事圓滿了，才可以來佛堂充實心靈，讓智慧啟發，有新的人生觀；可是有一天，你發現自己被佛堂綁住了，參加的法會越多越慘，已經到了隨傳隨到的地步，如果不隨傳隨到就不盡心不盡力；然後開設了佛堂之後更慘，我是壇主的角色，如果開個壇主班一定要到場，又開始覺得被佛堂綁住了，變得不自由了，覺得有很多苦衷。「你看，我來佛堂之後，家裡的人都覺得我做不好，責任沒有盡到，一直跑佛堂，是菜的尼姑呀！」很多話讓自已心裡有很多的苦衷。可是，為師又要說「無聖凡不順」！如果現在給你一個機會，把你們的凡事處理好，為師敢講，你們還是不會很順利，你們自己應該有經驗。所以，為什麼今天要來佛堂，這是重點。

◎　人的一生有一定的歲月要走，而且有一定的事情要經歷，這也就是說，人來到世界上有一定的使命，這些事情為什麼會降臨到你的身上。就表示那是你這一生所要學習的。因此，每一個人在這一生中都有要學習的東西，都有要成長的東西，所以每個人遇到的困難和環境都不一樣。有的人說：「我要學的東西那麼多，比較苦命。」可是人是活到老學到老，學得多，這個財產才豐富，所以愈命苦的人，將來愈有錢。徒兒們要知道，這一生中都是在學習，所以才會遇到想不透的事情，明明是別人的故事，怎麼今天也會落在自己身上？不管遇到什麼事情，都是讓自己學習成長的機會。最重要的是，為師要讓你們知道，這一生一定要有個目標，要有個方向，要有個目的地。

◎　有些人遇到一個事情、一個關卡走不過了，不是結束生命，就是誤入歧途，這不是上帝所願意看到的結局，也不是你們來到這個世上結束自己的方法，這個都是不正確的。所以，徒兒們要知道，人生來到這個世上的目的，除了把自己處理好之外，還要帶別人走得更好。方向呢？目標呢？理想呢？就是要救渡眾生，對嗎？要怎樣救渡眾生呢？一定要有交通工具，交通工具就是咱們的大法船。所以，大法船要開航、要運作，每一個有參與幫辦、參與道務的人，都是讓這個船航行的划手，這個就是你們要認定的。講話有講話的技巧，講課有講課該準備的資料，不要怕講，也不要以為自己又不是講師，就不學講。人的這一生中不要忘記時時學習，要常常去突破；不要說這個事情我不做，那你就把自己給定型了。一個人為什麼會貧窮？因為他把自己定型：「我不想和他這種人交往；我就是這樣，所以我不和這樣子的人交往；我就是這樣的人，所以我不做怎樣的事情。」把自己定型是自己吃虧，所以要時時學習自我突破，不要怕去探索；在摸索當中，也許會碰到一些稜角，可是絕不要因為碰到稜角而害怕，碰到了才會知道那邊有東西啊！咱們要是經驗多了，成全的眾生就更多。觀世音菩薩為什麼可以成全眾生？為什麼家家觀世音？就是因為觀世音吃的苦就是眾生都嚐過的苦，所以她能了解眾生的苦。如果你沒存做過這件事情，你不知道人家的苦，一定要教他麼做，這個就差別很多了。所以要試著去了解，把自己訓練成無敵超人。

◎　設家庭佛堂平常咱們能就近叩首、禮佛，還可以在自己家中的佛堂學習佛規禮節，自己姓什麼，家裡佛堂就姓什麼，想想，這是一件多好的事情，你的祖先沾了多大的光！子孫能夠做到讓祖先沾光，這一生就很值得了，所以是大事情一件。不要看輕自己家裡的小佛堂，除了每天叩首禮佛以外，有沒有按時燒香？想想看，現在外面的世界，工作這麼忙碌，生活都沒有正常作息了，一旦家裡有了佛堂，作息要開始變正常，晚晚睡要早早爬起來獻香，時間到還要弄供果、整理佛堂，這些都是要讓徒兒知道，什麼是正常？以前沒有佛堂時，你們都很自由，對不對？日正當中才起床吃飯，也沒關係；可是有了佛堂之後，要開始學習正常，除了生活作息正常之外﹒也讓自己正常做人。以前做人都不大正常，每天都晚出晚歸﹒自從有了佛堂後，在行為上徒兒們也會開始收斂，也會開始檢點了；有了壇主、講師這個責任之後，要做得更端正，要做得更好，不可以隨便。你們都有這個使命感：你們現在有這麼多的苦衷、苦水、不平，就是因為你們沒有確定自己要的是什麼，也不確定自己要做什麼，所以才會很痛苦；痛苦之後還怪別人，那是自己的方向不確定，對嗎？所以為師要徒兒們知道，你們今天要做什麼，並不是說今天來佛堂聽得很感動，就立志要做聖賢仙佛，回家之後又做回凡夫俗子。為師要徒兒們確定自己的方向，既然要做，就要好好的做下去，不要舉棋不定，不要說聽師調遣，也不要說看人家怎麼安排，這樣容易出爾反爾，遇到環境的不順利，就改變了方向，這樣做事情怎麼會成功？

◎　人家說羅馬不是一天造成的，可是至少人家每一天都在造羅馬。所以咱們要奠定自己的方向。有人說：「我的志向不是很大，做到現在這個樣子就好了。」那也太沒志向了！人當然都希望做得更多、更好，對嗎？所以徒兒們要試著改變。目前咱們有這一套的生活方式，但是咱們有新的目標、新的理想，要試著改變，這樣才是修道啊！從哪裡改變起？(心)自己先來改變，調整自己的腳步。你要怎麼做？做什麼？你如果很用心要成全那一方的道親，就要開始取捨，凡業在什麼時候做完，這些都要有規劃、要有安排，對不對？

　　你們皆是滿天星斗一顆一顆倒裝下來要渡化眾生的。你擔了這天職，當初的心意又是什麼？不要到這世間來，只為了三餐名利勞勞碌碌一生，而忘記你當初的誓愿，當初你們都是一念慈悲之心倒裝下世的啊！你們看，哪一位聖賢仙佛不是為眾生而擔待啊！有哪一位聖賢仙佛像你們這樣子，你錯我對，你對我錯，你對我對他錯，哪有在這些顛顛倒倒的是非當中？他們只有一心為眾生而已，眾生還沒有出苦，哪有其它之心？所以你們應當要互相好好團結，見道成道才對啊！

◎　要上下一心，上下要有尊卑，這個禮節要懂，不要讓自己變成自修自辦。這個道就靠大家一起來辦，團結合作，在小同當中，把這個世間化為大同，是不是？災劫那麼多，你們看了心裡難不難過？道本是能夠救劫的，只要你們行出來，慈悲心一發，劫就能夠撥轉，懂嗎？當兄弟姐妹一步一步退的時候，用你的慈悲之心，用你的手足之情，來勸化他們好不好？老師我從來也不想遺失掉任何一個徒兒，希望你們也替老師我多多照顧一些兄弟姐妹，好不好？這些也只有當你知道時，才會懂得去做；相反地，如果他會這樣做錯事，就是他們不知道，這是不是更要去包容，更要去給他們愛心關照？

◎　老師我希望徒兒能夠在修道的過程當中，隨時不忘鼓勵自己、提醒自己，要多想想天下眾生還有這麼多，還沒去渡化，懂嗎？為師多麼希望你們在修道的過程中，能挺得住驚濤駭浪。能夠奉獻得不怨不艾，好不好？堅忍的胸懷，要靠自己去提昇，在波濤當中修道﹒更要不忘你的愿力，不忘你當初的一念；只有凌雲的氣恢，才能牽動著這一金線道脈，好好做個上天的棟樑。

◎　你們是辦事人員，是受上天肯定的哦！能辦些什麼事情，要讓自己確定，要有目標，要有方向。你們好比是上天僱用的，請你們來替上天辦事；但是新手難免總是會有很多地方沒有辦法熟能生巧，沒有辦法靈活運用；剛剛做事的和做了三、四十年的當然有不同，對不對？當然是愈做愈熟練，套愈老愈辣，愈做愈有身價嘛！不要剛開始遇到一些一困難，就退怯、就放手了，明白嗎？要不斷的去做，才能步步高升；不可以停下來，沒有時間停下來了，知道嗎？大家要盡心盡力、有力出力、有時間出晟間，這樣明白為師的意思嗎？

◎　你們一個個都認為自己是對的，一個個都認為那是在講別人，老師我難道不知道你們嗎？如果你們想受教的話，就要把重責大任扛起來。重責大任就是要立志做好辦事人員的角色；不只做好辦事人員的角色而已，還要其正的往內修，辦事應盡心盡力，而又你得抓得住根本啊！內德要如何修啊？你們只想著你們已經把事情做得很好了，但這是真正做得很好嗎？是真正盡到本份了嗎？為師我要求不高，只希望你們真心懺悔，不要遭劫難，不要到時為師想救你也很難。

◎　想想看，你們為眾生付出了多少？你對自己又下了多少功夫？你對自己的愿力又盡心多少？要立愿了愿，試著奮勇向前吧！

◎　談到吃素，如果說外在的一切環境都沒問題了，那麼，問題就在你本身，因為你捨不下這個口福啊！讓為師來勸你們，自己好好的想一想，你今天不吃素，一面聽道理，一面還造下殺生的罪業；你一天做了多少功德？講了幾句道理？一個月渡了幾個人？徒兒們！你們的功德要做到什麼時才能圓滿啊？你們想要超生了死，怎麼了啊？吃人家難道就不用還嗎？這不是為師在強迫你們，一個學道、學佛的人不吃素。就沒存一點慈悲心，學什麼佛呢？

◎　來佛堂要怎麼樣？(熱情)什麼是熱情？(大家像兄弟姊妹一樣，道親如果有事情的話，赴湯蹈火在所不辭，盡自己所能盡力幫忙。)法會這麼多組，哪一組需要熱情？(接待組)除此之外，還欠缺什麼？溫暖，是不是？怎麼樣的佛堂才會有溫暖？你們有沒有溫暖？要把溫暖給人家，自己得要先溫暖是不是？自己冷冰冰怎麼給人家溫暖？在熱情和溫暖之前，要先怎麼樣？要主動對人微笑啊！今天身為辦事人員，是要接待人家的，因為對這個佛堂熟悉，所以才能引人家進來，而你們又是當人家引保師的，對不對？你們帶領人家走，就是走在前面的人，那就得做好榜樣，第一個就要先微笑啊！看看你們每個人來到佛堂都這麼含蓄，安安靜靜走進來，看到人點個頭就溜走了，這怎麼行呢！看看你們各個外形都不錯，穿鞋的穿鞋了，服裝、頭髮也都整齊了，就是那個臉缺少了微笑。徒兒們只要稍微改變一下，就會覺得整個人更完美了。道親們看到這個不錯，那個也不錯，原來佛堂的每個人都不錯啊！那這個地方鐵定是好的，是不是？這樣，是不是大家互相幫忙就達到了成全的效果？如此一來，就不會覺得成全人很辛苦，對不對？

◎　徒兒們都明白什麼是修道之路嗎？是不是每個人都應該修道？那我們現在來談談夫妻。夫妻同修好不好？你們看看道場這麼多人修辦道，夫妻同修的好處之一，那就是要給那些沒有夫妻同修的想一想：「咦！怎麼都是太太來佛堂，先生不見了呢？怎麼都是先生坐在這裡，那太太呢？」是你的另外一半反對你跑佛堂，道是另外一半覺得你做得不是很好，所以他對這個道也不能夠完全體悟，是不是這樣？如果說一個家庭裡，先生跑佛堂，太太反對，那該怎麼辦呢？是不是自己要常常反省，想想問題在哪裡？如果你在幫辦道務，但是，另外一半都不跑佛堂，那麼你該怎麼辦？先叫她來聽一些課，不要給她大大的壓力，是不是？可是有些人，是上天在造就他，會給他適當的壓力，所以也不是說不能夠有這個壓力，最主要的是要他感受到同修之間的溫暖，是不是？同修之間要互相的幫助、互相的鼓勵，要多付出一點關心，咱們多點問候，雖然跟人家不太熱，但咱們主動去拜訪、關心、給他溫暖，他感受到了，再跟他講其它的就不難了。所以，徒兒們要時常提醒自己，要自己先溫暖，才能給別人溫暖。

◎　說到這因緣使命、理想抱負，你們的理想大嗎？理想是什麼？修道、辦道不是喊口號喔！我有很多理想、我有很多抱負，這都是口號啊！到底是哪裏不一樣呢？你們的理想抱負在哪裡呢？有些壇主真的很有心，他們就是欠缺不會講；有的人嘛！是很有心，也很會講，可是就是不出來；有的就很糟糕，很會講，可是看都沒看就評論。帶班講師不是會講課、會唱善歌、會切水果，這樣就叫帶班，這種帶班方式叫一些歐巴桑來也會啊！有的帶班講師比人家晚到，還比人家早走，那麼人家有什麼問題，看到點傳師又不敢問，想要請教你，你又走了，人家有問題問你：「這個道怎麼樣？」帶班的回答：「我也不知道。」結果就讓那些人的疑惑還是疑惑，你也不回去請教，這樣你叫帶班嗎？有沒有人主動去問最近道場有什麼訊息？下個禮拜開什麼班？

◎　現在的修道、辦道幸福多了，也是幸運啊！趕上這個時機，你有事做才好，沒事做你才要煩惱了，知道嗎？

◎　是誰說你沒有用？是誰說你脾氣不好？是誰說你這個不好、那個不好？是誰覺得道不夠深奧？是誰不能跳脫該跳脫的事情？都是因為自己！為什麼呢？有人說：「我什麼都不會，我來道場不知道要做什麼。」道場沒有事讓你們做嗎？事情多到可以從這邊到那邊去，你們就真的那麼不會嗎？會不會掃地？會不會拖地？會不會服人家講一點道理？會不會打電話請道親回來佛堂上課？(會)這樣你還會很多樣，對不對？

◎　有沒有人說你不好？(沒有)點傳師有沒有罵你說：「怎麼這麼笨？」(沒有)那就是自己不給自己機會哦！所以自己要明白，今天為什麼要修道辦道？為的不就是自己了愿嗎？所以要看重自己。可是要看重自己什麼呢？這就是重點。有人說，我看重自己，所以我一定要講課，不能做無畏施，這種工作一定是給不會講課的人來做的，是嗎？你們又不是新道親，前面的人還讓人家一講再講，自己都不會不好意思嗎？有時候你們也會接到主班的責任，主班的人很重要，主班和助班的人通常會犯什麼過？分不清楚青紅皂白，是不是？你有沒有戰戰兢兢的心？主班要有主班的威儀，講道理是講師的事，主班要有冷靜的頭腦，去想著等一下要用佛心去回答別人突如其來的問題。所謂「助」，就是扶助，但你們在這之間做得都不是很圓滿。拿主班來說，主班人的一言一行一動，人家都會看；而班員之所以沒辦法很發心，主班至少要負三分之一，甚至是全部的責任哦！

◎　開荒到現在，你們有的都疲乏了，如果還能一點怨言都沒有，那才是不簡單。修道並不是在於你一直往前衝功德就很多，你如果只關心那些你想關心的人，而疏忽了那些你不想關心的人，這樣的疏失就實在太大了。當你一心往前衝時，也要往後想想；而在後面的人，也要走出去看看，這才能叫做「實事求是」，而這樣的差錯也比較少啊！個人魅力的時代，從你們老前人這一代就帶走了，現在是講求團結的時候，不團結辦什麼道？個人恩怨是小事，你把個人恩怨牽扯進來，就耽誤眾生慧命，這可是大大的事，任何人都對不起啊！你自個兒做的事得要自個兒承擔；你們往往因為不能承擔，無力感也由此產生。你們常講「祖德厚」，到末後這時候了，如果還依賴祖德，自己還不去做，你們可要小心，這是考驗的第一關。想想看，你們有多少祖德可以依賴？你們想做一個敗家子嗎？你們當然想做一個光宗耀祖之人，是嗎？所以，要自動自發責任負起，才能自性自渡啊！

◎　講得大多了，也未了、盡了，你們想不想絕處逢生啊？想不想讓天機再現哪？想讓天機再現，你得要追啊！想不想辦啊？那你得趕緊辦哪！所以說，希望是誰給你們的？絕望又是誰給你的？都是自己。道場有沒有希望？相當有希望；眾生有沒有福啊？若是因為你們的發心﹒眾生就有福；因為你們的絕望，眾生就淪落在苦海當中，那麼，你怎麼造就你自己呵？你怎麼對得起你自己啊！

◎　你們說有人疼、有人管好，還是給天疼、給天管好？(天)所以你們今後不用再去想天命問題，只要去想你們做得合不合乎天，就可以了。天命如果要收回的話，你是看不到的；有形有象皆是虛妄，所以只須默默與老天契許，老天怎容你橫行霸道、胡作非為而放著不管？我們皆從天而來，更當要做天的事，這都是很淺白的道理，可是你們辦久了卻往往容易糊塗。糊塗有很多種原因，第一種是裝糊塗，就像老前賢們，他沒辦法，只好裝糊塗：「我什麼都不會，年輕人會，就讓你們！」這也是你們陷他們於不義，而道場最嚴重的問題就是沒有尊、沒有卑，沒有上、沒有下，父親與兒子同輩可不可以呀？

◎　修道、辦道有前後，所以要抱定倫理網常的宗旨，對不對？互相尊重，互相維持，這叫「護持」，護持這兩個字真的是很難啊！「護」是你知道怎麼愛護他，要懂得如何保護他，又要知道怎樣去維護；至於「持」呢，就是耐力、恆心。

◎　明師指明你的本性，也就是你本來的心性，激發了你無盡的德行逐漸的「達圓」，以變化氣質，讓你的仁、義、禮、智、信全部顯露，懺悔自清，不食眾生肉，身行菩薩行，以菩薩之道行功了愿。徒啊！你們如果能夠念念如仙佛乘愿來渡化眾生，步步知彌勒下生，那麼，你本身當下就是彌勒祖師的無量化身，就可以潛移默化，默默地轉移人間為淨土，默默地扭轉劫難，讓人間呈現吉祥。

◎　大家一定要手牽手、心連心啊！希望藉這個力量，大家圍起來，千萬不要有縫隙，不要讓魔趁虛而入！那就得看這些辦事人員了！徒兒們願不願意啊？不要小看自己，在佛堂裡缺少了這些一辦事人員，這個道也辦不起來。天生我材必有用，只是職位不一樣。

◎　你有家庭，你們的點傳師也有家庭，為甚麼人家捨得出來，而你們卻捨不出來？人家要了愿，難道徒兒們的愿就不用去了嗎？惟有你們一再的發心去濟世救人，這一個愿力才能再一次的推動。有太多的人還沒上岸，還在苦海當中，還在那邊沈淪，徒兒們，你們於心何忍啊！你們每一個人只要有這一份善念，仙佛則無處不搭幫助道，對不對？你越是開荒，你越是渡人，你越能感受得到諸天仙佛的助力。你們一定要再一次的發心，好好的完成你們未完成妁愿，把你們的職責再一次好好真心的負起來，好嗎？

◎　你們每一個人都要活在自己心靈上，而且更要自我超越，而不是活在點傳師、講師、辦事人員的操持當中，你們的修行才會自然，才會自動自發，何須別人去請你？何須別人去催促你？

◎　徒啊！你們不要把人生當做一場夢，你們要想著你們是有使命而來，是來治理世界，來完成你們的使命。第一：仰不愧天，俯不作於地；第二：不枉費父母養育之恩。十月懷胎，三年的乳哺，十幾年的教育，父恩如天高，母恩如地厚。修道本來就很自然，不用勉強，也不用人家催促：如果你眼睛一看出去，都專看別人的不是，你就永遠活在痛苦中；你眼睛所看出去的，永遠都是別人不如你，那麼，你永遠都是個失敗者。人啊，活一年要學一年，而你是居在何處？不低心下氣，不時而求教，道何能成？只有低心求教學習，對你們人生的旅途才有幫助。

◎　修道、辦道寂不寂寞？(不寂寞)可是為什麼你們又有時候覺得好無聊呢？你們常會埋怨：「為什麼點傳師每次都放我一個人單挑獨鬥呢？」因為你才能擔當大任，因為你得天獨厚，因為點傳師重視你，因為他要給你機會了大愿！為什麼你還會抱怨呢？因為「我沒能力啊！」是不是？「點傳師，他比較能幹，你叫他好了，不然你就派一個人來幫助我。」是不是這個問題啊？這樣小看自己怎麼成大仙、成菩薩？你說：「沒關係，我委屈自己，我成就別人。」成就是在這裏嗎？錯了！你們要懂得什麼時候要會謙卑，什麼時候要把握機會啊！好吃的東西你們誰都要吃，很少人會說：「好吃的全部給別人，我不用吃，我禮讓。」不要等到你回去天堂才說：「老師，為什麼他做菩薩而我要掃地？」那是因為你大謙卑了，你讓人做菩薩嘛！你只要做掃地的就好。這是因為你都不做，在人間時，前賢給你機會去修辦、去渡化眾生、去挑大任，而你卻說：「點傳師，讓賢、讓賢啊！」讓到最後你就真的閒在那裡，也上不去了。

◎　所以，徒兒們！渡化眾生之事要懂得盡心盡力，吃飯讓人家一點沒關係，但是渡化眾生的心就要有如吃好菜的心一樣，要快馬加鞭、不落人後；當然也不要說：「點傳師，你不慈悲，你都給他辦、給他當講師、操持一個佛堂，都不給我操持、操辦。」點傳師給你機會的時候，你就不要推，點傳師沒安排事情給你做的時候，你該怎麼辦呢？就去做你渡化眾生的事啊！沒有人掃地，你就掃地嘛！沒有人挑茶，你就挑菜嘛！這些一就是你自己要去做的事。如果點傳師給你擔當大任，你就要撐起來呀！不要老是講：「點傳師，我不會啊、我不敢哪、我害怕啦！」那樣子，你們就永遠都要落後了！站在前面的永遠站在前面，而你就永遠落在後面：永遠輪迥生死苦海！徒兒們，有沒有體會到輪迴的可怕？有沒有體會到今生不做，以後就會有後悔、來不及的那種痛苦？所以，今後一切要自動自發，講求自我覺悟，好不好？

誰是老師，誰是徒兒

什麼叫濟公？濟就是幫助，公就是無私，什麼是活佛？活就是不死的，佛就是天心佛性，我們要濟世救人，我們要渡化世界上的眾生，唯有用無私的心才可以，因為無私的心不是死的，是活生生的天心，所以這是「濟公活佛」四個字串起來的意思。那麼你們今天拜濟公活佛為師，實際上是拜這四個字為師，知否？因為人人都有很嚴重的私心，很嚴重的偏見，有私心有偏見，所以沒辦法為眾生來犧牲，處處都為自己，事事都為自己，這哪是天心，是私心！這「濟公活佛」四個字，從你們求道以後就在心裡，你們一直認為那是一個「佛像」的名字，是不是？濟公是濟公，你們是你們，兩者是分開的是不是？你們一直都把她分開，對不對？你說，她是老師，你是徒兒：他是大濟公，你是小濟公；衪是仙佛，你是凡間的人，這是不是有兩種心呢！這樣就有分別心，老師要讓你瞭解，從前有一個仙佛，她的名字叫「濟公活佛」，這是一個比喻，只是在跟你提醒而已。

什麼是老師？什麼是徒兒？老師是你自己的天理良心，徒兒走你自己迷昧的心。每一個人都有兩種心，一種是好的，一種是壞的，對否？你們都有一種善良的心跟不好的心在一起，常常都這樣。那你好的心就是老師，不好的心就是徒兒，老師要教徒兒，徙兒要聽老師的話，就是這樣，借著拜師這個形象，跟你提醒：你的心內有一個老師，不要跑到外面去拜師。這是借一個形象來跟你啟示，讓你瞭解，真正的老師不在外面，也不是在佛堂，但是我們人在日常生活裡，要借這個形象才可以生存，為什麼呢？譬如你沒有錢，錢是一個形象，對否？但也要用錢才能生存；這個屋子只是一個形象，我們一定要住房子才能夠生存。我們在世間，事事項項都要靠一個形象，所以渡你來求道、辦道，這些方法都是一個形象，是跟你提醒，但是你不要嚇著了而沈下去，沈下去而不知道自己是一個濟公。今天老師是跟你提醒，你的濟公不要走丟了，雖然老師來借竅，借一個形象，來跟你講話，你也不要把地分成兩個，說他是老師來借竅，我們是徙兒坐在這裡聽。你要體悟，你這個時候也在借竅啊，但是你的角色不一樣，你是坐著學習，而老師借這個形象來教你，跟你提醒，以後你們能夠站起來，能夠瞭解，自己作主，這樣才能真正體悟「道」是什麼。

做個稱職的傳道人

◎　莫把道「辦」壞了，道沒好壞，全被人演壞了！人事不圓滿辦什麼道？

◎　修道要從日常生活著手，為什麼有的人以為辦道就是修道？我有去佛堂就好了，參加辦事人員，這是修道嗎？(不是)。這是辦道，是行功了愿。

◎　修道是對自己，辦道是對眾生。內聖而後外王，兩個是並進的。不是別人看到你們這樣辦事，就是真的辦事啊！很多人在辦事都是默默的，才是真正在實踐啊！看人不要只看表面，要看內在的功夫啊！

◎　其實「道」不是講了那麼多的道理就是「道」啊！道是在那裏？是在日常生活中，你要做得處處有道，容不容易啊？(不容易)。有的人說話不留口德，是不是？常常說修道要積一些陰德。

◎　修道不是辦事情啊，不可混為一談！修是修、辦是辦，但是兩個也可以合在一起，就看自己的心境了。雖然辦，也是在修啊！這兩者雖不混為一談，但是也融合一體，是不是？靠你們自己去體會啊！

◎　修道是修自己不是修給別人看的，若今天只是修給別人看，那修道有何意義？若今天修道只是為了當講師，為了人情，如此就枉費修道了！

◎　祗知道充實，為的是上台演講，這不是修道的目的，一個人說道理說得好，未必修得好。

◎　現在希聖希賢，上天在網羅人才，你們替上天宣揚，個個各盡其才，但是如果根不穩，就很容易倒塌，就算再好的人才，你循其方針，卻理念不清不正確，那又有什麼用？該在那裡下功夫，知道了嗎？(點傳師慈悲：從我們心性下手，日常生活修道的態度與觀念，各方面都是我們學習的地方。)

◎　若因一時意氣用事，使新道親跌倒了，該怎麼辦？就如大哥哥不能照顧好弟弟，小弟弟不服，去跟媽媽告狀，怎麼辦？各個人都知如何做才圓滿，卻做不出，為什麼？因一時氣不過，一時地執著己意，以致有了這種事。

◎　現在既已都知了，是否該去做？你們道理知的很多，做的很少，天命之尊貴，你們遵守，還須遵行，怎麼遵行懂嗎？「十五條佛規」做到多少呢？為師不曾責怪你們，只是為天下眾生憂心如焚，個個都是承擔使命的，你們不知身體力行，如何了愿？

◎　放得下，才捨得出，捨不出，又如何得？徒兒要知道自己的使命，不是像兒戲，辦一辦玩一玩，完全在那一份心念。自己做得不周到，自己知道嗎？別人告訴你們，你肯聽嗎？「當面諫言謂之忠言，背後評論謂之是非」不管對於前賢，不管對誰，我們隨時要做一個盡忠言的人，做一個忠心的人，不要做一個是非人。佛做不成，而做一個是非人。不但自己忙，也叫大家一起忙，忙得一團糟，我濟公雖瘋，什麼事都有興趣，對此事我沒興趣。如果在過去我碰到先打死再說，打死了什麼都忘了，然後再叫醒，這是我濟公的絕招這是古時，現今時代不同行不通。如果現在有人講是非馬上把他打死，那官府不來才怪，實在難為。時代不同無可奈何，唯有自己管束自己，不要說是非話，聽是非言。

◎　如果誰要講是非就趕快走開，是非止於智者，如有說是非者，要用理智分析讓他停止，能讓他停止此念頭，這才是真正的「功德無量」，比你登台講道還有功德。小手冊裏常記下來檢討，檢討自己今天說幾句話，說幾句不好的話，幾句宣揚別人的好處。嘴不要講別人的不好，別人不好是他不好，我們要揚人之善，檢討自己今天是積德還是缺德？你們都是清口的人，出入都要清。

◎　大家稱我為「活佛」，是我在世時就證來的，不是 老中封我，是大眾所說的。老師我瘋顛是在辦事，我沒有白跑一步，沒有白走一段，走江湖那麼多年，沒有白說一句話，有些看來像是笑話，但裏面可有玄話。你們是老師的徒弟，沒有學十分也要學三分。

◎　記住，每個人都有天性，只要慢慢的發覺，自性發光之後去成全別人，就會慢慢的比較平安，比較平靜。修道久了，第一不能愈修愈油條，越炸越硬，會崩斷別人的牙齒。第二不能愈走愈上面，產生驕傲心態，會使你愈來愈退步。

◎　一個團體一份力量，如十個人拉一條線，其中一個人往另一個方向倒著拉，會怎樣？如果你是十個其中一個，你是不是能找到正確方向發出其力量？一件是非可以因你而化解，而不是因你而鬧更大，這個角色很重要，只是看你們願不願意。

◎　徒兒們有沒有真心的互相提攜，互相遷就呢？既要做上天好楝樑，當惜有用之身，好好立個標杆懂不懂啊？莫要分彼此！雖然是一個小小的地方，如果大家都有道氣，這個地方就會好，如果大家都沒有道氣，大家都不喜歡來，那有佛堂與沒有佛堂都是一樣的。

◎　道氣是什麼？是大家：(1)互相尊重(2)互相研究(3)互求進步(4)互相關懷(5)將心比心(6)奉獻慈悲(7)各盡其職，這就夠了。

◎　人氣是什麼？不是說今天人多就有道氣，這是人氣，會流汗，會發臭。人氣者乃是很多人事物的混雜不清，很多是非積成的牽纏不斷。

◎　不要在佛堂裡，人氣逼過仙氣，仙氣不敢來，人氣臭燻燻。

◎　有道氣，配仙氣，媲美天堂，是不是呀！

◎　為什麼仙佛借竅不講××話，因為竅手本身不會講××話，舌頭打結，轉不過來。翻譯的講錯了，老師都知道。

◎　你們有時候要看到仙佛樣樣都行，才相信仙佛，所以有很多人在懷疑，那就是他的心境還沒有到達，因為每一個人的心境並不是一樣的。如果心境能夠到達了天人合一的地步，你一定對什麼事情都了解，以至對萬事萬物的道理，你自然也會了解，為什麼呢，這乃是天地之間的奧妙，也就是自性的奧妙。

◎　有的人不用看仙佛借竅就很相信仙佛；有的人要看到仙佛借竅才會相信仙佛；有的人看到仙佛借竅還是半信半疑。所以，你的心境要慢慢的提昇，才會有個程度，之後，你才會知道修道、辦道是什麼。

◎　辦道，不要一直辦，一直辦，辦得很忙，大家渡的人，全部也忙，忙來忙去，你的心都丟掉了。

◎　你們從還沒發心到開始發心，越來越起勁，起勁了以後，也別忘了要收心 。修道本來就是這樣，為什麼？因為如果你一味的起勁起勁，你就會產生一種執著的心。為師不要你們越辨越起勁，越辦越有執著心啊！為什麼很多人辦呀辦，你看他很鴻展，可是卻成不了道？因為他們不曉得一切都不是我的，我該收的時候就收了，我該守的時候就守，因為自個兒程度不夠，你開啊！開啊！執著這功德嘛！

◎　開荒得要怎麼樣啊？你光開不守，一心就往外放，放了就執著外面的東西 ，形形色色，自個兒去領悟吧！竅開了要起勁去渡化眾生，功果圓滿了好收心，明白嗎？

◎　忍、和、容、辱！忍字不是憑空而說，忍字是需要這把刀在上頭，才能顯得出來。真正一把刀，真正一個小小事情，就能驗出你們是不是功夫到了磨煉自己「忍」，忍而後能和，凡事忍過就算了。大家和氣，自然力量足夠，內部實而發揮效用，力量就大了。

◎　「容」就在「和」裏面，和氣之中就要互相包容，包容是彼此的。人家說你不對，你不好，一個「容」字，我包容，就算別人不包容我，其實我自己真的不對，我改。就算謠言再多，你自己沒有這樣子做，你的心又何必為這謠言所苦呢？大家「和」了，才能共同受「辱」。

◎　道場已行至末秋，現在都還沒有到外來的考驗，你們已經自己考自己，那以後外來的怎麼能夠防禦呢，是不是？有沒有想過，有道是「人必自悔，而後人悔之」，已經是自己先侮辱自己了，人家才會侮辱你是不是？因為你不尊重你自己的人格，空負萬物之靈尊稱，有沒有想過？

◎　如果你們對內不能團結，外考來了能不能擔當啊？一考就整盤散掉了，對不對？咱們修道是怎麼樣？是見道成道是不是？不分組派喲！誰分的？希望你們個個都修得很好。

◎　現在的平安道場，內部也該整修整修啦，不要只求得外表好看，而要求得內在的充實，這樣才不會壞，容易壞就不結實不紮實。保有忠，才不會壞，你們看看時勢、局勢也變了，人心也變了。為什麼時勢變啦？是因為人心變動，時勢才變的。所以時勢變、人心變是一體的，你們要從中超脫，也就能得到解脫！今天為師掛上這一條(指領帶)並不是比較好看比較有禮貌，千萬別太注意外表！你們要尋找真正的內心世界，內心世界自己都處理不好，你渡再多的人，那有什麼用啊？

◎　你們是要一個蓬勃的道場，還是一個孤單的道場？要一個有生氣的道場，還是死氣沈沈的道場？

◎　為師說，現在不是末後，也不是要你收斂的時候，如果該是此時，為師會儘早告訴你們。你們在做什麼準備？乾糧都準備齊全了沒有？哈哈！這麼怕死嗎？剛才不是說「先回去先贏」(台語)，哈哈！你還存什麼乾糧啊！這個時候，只要你有心，我濟公僧一樣把你拉回家，不會不聞不問，就這麼一個劫數下去，你們驚慌失措，一定肉體僵硬。

◎　如果你平常就有在準備，何患大患一來？你們會緊張及恐慌，就是平常你的地基打的不夠穩，因為人的害怕，絕對不是一時，你做的坦蕩光明，所謂的「天堂在心中，一片光明」。若是地獄，則是你的良心受到蒙蔽。自己到底有沒有心啊？想想看，在這一年當中，壇主、講師、辦事人員們，各盡了什麼職？

◎　壇主，壇主啊！你不要持我見，要接受後學的建言。咱們辦得是天上的大事，而不是人情佛堂之事。一個壇主要「以道為中心」。

◎　想想看，在這一年中，你們各盡了何職？在道場當中，道場給了你們多少？栽培了你們多少？自己捫心想想，為師不是在邀你們的功，希望你們記得為師的情、為師的功，不是這樣！只是要你們捫心自想！道場給了你多少？為師要的是你們一顆「精誠永固」的心啊！又要精，又要誠，很難做到哦！雖然你們己做到壇主，火候上還是不夠。

◎　你們要以「公」為中心，以「道」為出發點，普渡眾生，以愛待人，廣結善緣，以德服人，潛移默化，引導後學前進。

◎　一個道場怎麼樣能夠團結、圓融起來，壇主的責任深巨重大。為師縱觀各處的佛堂皆是這般，壇主們現在都迷惘，很迷惘！希望你們要有一顆承上啟下，教人、誨人不倦，受勞受苦也毫無怨言的心！很久未出現的前賢、後學們，你要去關心他，尤其是那些清口的人，你更要提高警覺。

◎　對清口的徒兒們，身為壇主要多關心、慰問他們一番啊！老年考、年紀大 一點的修道人，你要提醒他佛規禮節是不是已會了。現在年輕求道的徒兒們也很多，而年輕人的動向，你們更要瞭若指掌，壇主的責任甚大啊。因為年輕人血氣方剛，任何的人際磨煉不夠，很容易因別人的一句話而踏錯一步，因而道場上失去了眾多的英才。

◎　壇主們！現在不比以往囉！絕不組夠「固步自封、一成不變」。時代在變、社會在改變，一切外來的知識、能量都不斷在改變，壇主們也要自我充實，來迎接更多更新的挑戰。你所要成就的有高階級、中下階級各個層面的人。所以為師告訴你們，真正讀書讀得好，也有它的用處。你的學識達到某一個程度，就可以渡化人間所謂的學者、教授，這樣可拓開我們修道的層面，而不只是孤立於鄉間市民而已。因為要達成世界大同，唯有各個階層齊來獻出各人不同的力量，將之合而為一氣，才能夠達成大同世界。

◎　所以，壇主們！動動腦、換個心，自我充實。切忌「固步自封」。咱們修道活潑玲瓏又自在，希望你們的佛堂都是一個蓬勃有朝氣，而不是一個孤獨的道場，毫無道氣。壇主有否聽明瞭？

◎　修道辦道要如針線穿梭，有針無線即行不得。

修道辦道不能本末倒置，否則後果不堪設想。

◎　不管什麼事情，不要說我不會，也不要說他很行，都讓他去做，這樣道場可以辦得好嗎？有人笑說老師常收到空頭支票，而且收的很高興。當發生事情，就開始叩求仙佛慈悲，要發大誓，好好修道辦道，絕對不辜負您老人家，這單子很好，結果事情一過，從生死邊緣過來，慢慢地就淡忘掉了。如果要等到仙佛點化成全，有時連命都沒有了，要等到仙佛點化顯化，那可能已不是什麼好事囉！到了癌症末期，叩求仙佛慈悲，躲得過就躲過，躲不過就人命嗚呼哀哉，那時要修要辦就來不及了。

◎　大家是道場大家庭中的一份子，要互相幫助，修道或人生旅途中總有起伏 點。如果人生都平平的，像音樂只有Do，Re.Me，好不好聽？講課亦是，不要調子平平，不然人家會釣魚打磕睡的。要多訓練技巧，不要灰心，今天講不好，不要說點傳師沒有給你機會，如果你是一個人才，跑也跑不掉，上天一定會發覺，天生我才必有用。抄板書、謄訓文這也是講師的工作，辦事人員也可以做，大家不分彼此，不分工作貴賤，這些你們做到了嗎？六祖不也在廚房工作。

◎　人才多就濫，叫做「濫竽充數」。人才能做，一個也不嫌少；人才多嘛，事情不一定安排得當啊！

◎　君子易交，小人難防。人才有時候變成人豺啊！

◎　講師要講「根本」，要告訴人家怎麼走，怎麼做，告訴人家以後做佛有什麼用，一步想登天呀！

◎　好聽不一定是好話；好話不一定好聽。多少愚笨的人做出聰明事：多少聰明的人做了多少愚笨事？所以人總得要自己思思想想，一日三省的功夫早已教給你們。道無奇，沒有什麼標新立異，是辦道就要辦得像樣一點，自己有沒有道範啊？

◎　當講師要會講訓文，內德要修，外功要圓。

◎　當一位講師，無論上台講道，廚房煮菜，書房寫毛筆，這些都要懂，講師不是高高在上啊！要低心下氣，不要趾高氣揚。

◎　我們當講師，講道理要會講呀！老師的涵意，要怎樣去講，怎樣去解釋？外面、裡面、道場都要包括，這樣才會圓融，不要只鑽一個死角。這是教你們講道的方法，今天你是壇主，遇有道親來了，你是否要很歡喜？結果，你自己表示不歡迎，壇主是什麼責任？有客來要招待。你們還要讓以後更好修呢！有客來，道氣旺，仙佛也助的「旺」！反過來說，你道氣不旺，仙佛也不敢來！道氣旺，仙佛相助，當然顯化大，不要想請仙佛給你顯化，只因為你自己誠心不夠：永遠也看不到顯化的呀！

◎　壇主不是設了一個佛堂就功德無量，要知設佛堂的意義，著手去做，該懂的要懂，不然就等於留著一個外表裝飾華麗的船放在那兒。

◎　佛堂雖小，志向可得要大，老師希望你們個個有始有終。

◎　三曹大事人間辦，人辦天助，人不辦天怎助，人要如何辦？(秉承天心) 集思廣益，將美好的意見奉獻出來，那裡有缺失，要改進；那裡有進步，要更進步。那動向、方向是操之在自己，只問仙佛而不去辦，仙佛能代替嗎？辦事要低心下氣，把所知的講出來，互相做參考，不要認為自己高高在上，才能比較好，就看人不起。

◎　點傳師及老講師修的很好，我們要看齊。跟隨聖賢的腳步，不是跟在後面走，不要奉承、虛偽；要輔助、效法，學習人家的好；也要感恩、回餚。有些人礙於面子，學問蠻不錯的，學問好，品性要更好，不要有一層自我阻礙。也不要說道場沒有把我看做什麼，學問也好，口才也好，意見那麼好，他們都不參考！不要只注重外表，修道修心，辦道盡心，我們修心了嗎？盡心了嗎？而且你們都是道場的棟樑，要做個模範讓人效法，要培養內德，不只是辦道、渡人，什麼是功？什麼是德？(見性是功，平等是德佛堂與佛堂之間要互相往來交流，這樣你才能夠吸收外來的，但是也不要犯了佛規禮節。所以這拿捏的準不準，就看你們平常的辦事能力。尤其在這白陽期這一段時期，你們所兼具的責任非只是渡人，而是內外齊修，「借假修真磨煉心志」。

◎　你們都要看真的，你們會修不到你們自己的心志哦！想不想看真的？點了頑石又如何？頑石點頭又何奈？點石成金終有毀壞之日，它是一個顯像，也許數秒之間即變卦，你認為它真嗎？所以這句話，你們始終不懂！「借假修真磨煉心志」。一開始學走你即要看真，那你的心志永遠是在水平之下，沒有進展。

◎　這麼多次的教導與叮嚀之下，你們都是各中的精英，要走的已經走掉啦！「守住自己」。來，為師跟你們說一句，這一句話很拗口，你們要記清楚哦！「成為務必留在這裡繼續修持」。「務必」什麼意思？(班員：必定)必定，對。「留在這裡繼續修持」不是此地哦！所以，「留在這裡繼續修持」，只要你有這個共識、有這個體認、這點把握，為師擔保你回理域 ，只要地基、根基紮穩。

◎　你的理念如果不正確，後面的人都跟你不正確了，如果你今天心念想出了 一些不好的，則每一個人都受到你的影響。你也許沒想到別人也受到你的影響，所以，希望你們自己要能夠進步。

學習放下才看清自已

◎　徒啊！要小心別人把你捧得高高的，小心讚美都落在你身上。當你得到了讚美，當別人把你捧得高高的，那你就要更小心、更謙虛了，這樣，你才不會被這些假相給騙了，也才不會害了你自己。

◎　每一個人都在追求讚美，是不是？但是，如果你不能除掉愩高、我慢的心，你就會有所分別；心起了分別，就成了對待，你就會認為我今天是怎麼樣的一個地位。大家都必須聽我的，辦起事情來如果還有這種對待的話，那一切的是非就會由此產生了。

◎　要知道，修道到最後要返回低處﹒因為道就在低處。當然，我們每一個人都希望步步高昇，但是你在步步高昇當中，如果腳步不穩，修道不修心，又不迴光返照，那就如同打電腦一樣，速度雖很快，但錯字卻一大堆。所以，你今天就算爬得很快，一下子人家把你稱為講師，稱你為什麼「師」的，但實際上你一點也不紮實，因為不紮實，所以在十目所視、十手所指之下，總是有一些缺點遲早會讓人看到的，那就危險了。

◎　所以為師希望徒兒們，修道一定要從「心」下手，而「心」要從「性」出發，才能平衡這個不定的心。徒兒們千萬不要帶著凡夫的心去分析別人，也不要帶著這個「血心」去記住一切不乾淨的東西、不愉快的事情。應該帶著「清淨心」去處理事情；帶著「慈悲心」去成全一切的好事，去渡化一切的眾生；帶著「喜捨的心」去關懷別人，離開一切的對立。

◎　為師希望你們對於道場的倫理，要建立得健全一點。點傳師應該有點傳師的風範；講師有講師的風範；那麼你們也應該有一個榜樣，這樣，才能建立一個修道家園。縱然你們的修道過程，每一個人都在犧牲奉獻，每一個人都是勤儉的，都是辛苦的；但如果仍在人心的分別上起對待、起紛爭，那真的是永遠都找不到「道」了！

◎　徒兒們！到佛堂是不是想找到清靜？既然是這樣，那麼，你們到佛堂就必須把所有的妄念都放下來，澄清一下你自己。因為人啊！只有時時的澄清自己，才能夠看清自己，否則，就不曉得自己到底是走在什麼路上，對自己便沒有一個肯定。

◎　一年一年地過去了，徒兒們有沒有想一想在這一年當中，你們到底做了多少？進步了多少？如果徒兒們從來都沒想過這些的話，那對自己的修道課程，又該如何做個交待呢？

◎　所以，每一個人都要了解，修道的路途是坎坷的、起伏不定的。路途既然坎坷，那又該怎麼樣來平服這一條路呢？要怎麼樣才能走完這一條路呢？是不是要先平衡這一顆心啊？所以，時時要修心、要調心；當你有忿怒、不平的時候，你要能調伏這一顆心，時時把它調在最「中間」的那一點，知道嗎？

辦道就是帶給眾生喜樂

◎　來求道後，上天並沒有賜你什麼東西，只是借著人，借著事，借著形象，來跟你提醒！我們的主人在這裡，從今以後，回去要好好運用你的主人，你這個主人要好好照顧這間房子，這樣而已。

◎　所以老師跟你講，修道是很自然的，要修不修在你自己，但是你一定要瞭解這個「道」是什麼，也一定要瞭解求道真正重要，這個瞭解以後，要修不修都隨便你了。

◎　道是自然，就好像我們活在世上需要用錢就要去賺錢，但是要走正當的路線去賺錢才叫作自然。我們吃飯的時候，看到自己喜歡的菜，多吃一口兩口那是很自然的現象，那就合乎「道」，接下來你要再多吃三口，別人沒得吃，那就不合乎「道」了。在那時候如一個慈悲心發出來，想想如果再貪吃的話，別人就沒得吃了，筷子趕快收回來，這樣就可回到自然，那不是可以不用修，就修好了嗎？所以每一個人的這種自然現象來配合天理良心的發行，就全部都合乎道，沒有人需要修道，大家都不用修，因為你已經合乎道了，這是道，你還要修嗎？

◎　但是現在為什麼強調要「修道」，因為你的主人常常不能作主，你如果主人常常不在家的話，那麼所有的主見、主宰都不是你，所以有很多事情會處理得不好，連你這間房子都會處理的不好。

◎　所以老師用房子來比喻你的肉體，要好好的照顧，也許，從前你的方法錯誤，等致你的房子已經生病很久，你要趕快去找到源頭，既然病了很久，就要花很久的時間去醫好他，但並不是不可能，自己要下決心，這個心要定下來，定下來才能夠靜，如果不知道要怎麼修道的話，照老師跟你講的這番話去做，如果你需要更多輔助的方式，看書不需要多，大學之道這一段你做得到，你就成功了。

◎　你不能齊家的話，怎麼能談得上要治國平天下？這個齊家等於齊你日常生活中的家庭，可以說是你的家庭，也可以說是我們的肉體，這個房子，你沒有整理好，你要如何去幫助別人整理他的房子，自己家庭裡面一片亂七八糟，還要到外面去成全眾生，是不是本末倒置，輕重不分，我們就談不上修道，這個道是要帶給眾生真正的快樂，而不是功過。所以我們應該時時刻刻替人著想，用這個慈悲心製造快樂給天下所有需要的人，而不是告訴他們渡多少人、你設佛堂有什麼功德。功德、罪過那些都是一個名稱，也都是人的分別心而已，而且那也不是人可以去裁定的，那必須是眾生大家的一個天理良心來裁定的。

◎　你要真正從你的生活當中去體會到修道的快樂在那裡。我們自己本身得到快樂，無形之中也會影響到旁邊的人也很快樂，這樣子就不是以有為法，而是以無為而為，出於本性的自然流露，不加思索，那才是一心為眾生，我們要渡眾生，並不是要給眾生什麼，而是看眾生需要什麼，我們才給他什麼？這才是為了眾生設想。

◎　如果你這個主人做得好，四方蠻夷都會被你同化，會行王道，對不對？這些都是用同化的，自然的，疏導的，不是壓抑，不是阻止。可以試試看，每一個人的體會不一樣，自己去想，自己去拿捏，等你得到妙處後，你會越修越快樂，可是要切記切記，我們的道是真真正正的自然啊！人既然是人，就有很多自然的事情，我們不需要刻意去免除他，迴避他，接下來要動之以情，守之以禮。

◎　動之以情是什麼意思，你要渡人以前是不是先要跟他平民化？是不是要入境隨俗？動之以情也就是親和力的重要性，你能夠跟他接近的時候，他才能接受你的守之以禮。為什麼一定要渡他來求道，才去拜訪他？為什麼不能做個好朋友，能夠在他需要你給他幫助的時候，你就能幫助他？你們的觀念往往已經很水泥化了，快要打不破了，很可惜，自己去體悟吧！

◎　理念正確倒不了想要講那真正提醒你要如何修道的方法，你們又聽不懂，如果不能真正體會這個道的好處，我看颱風一掃就掃光了。

◎　考驗，考驗，考驗是什麼？在人生的旅程當中，一定有許多的難關，大大小小的難關，這些難關需要自己去面對它，也需要大家共同去突破，但是在面對它，突破它之前，我們養兵千日，用在一時，對不對？

◎　所以你們的理念如果不正確的話，遇到任何事情，會容易混淆不清。混淆不清之後呢，如果勉強站起來，也會站得很辛苦很痛苦，你們會想乾脆都不要修了！所以老師一定要導正你們的觀念。小孩子小的時候，你若沒有教他一個正確的讀書方式，從此以後他讀書的歷程當中就會坎坎坷坷，就像他小時候，你沒有給他有正確的人生觀，長大就會為非作歹，所以現在老師要給你一個正確的修道觀念，這些話你們前所未聽，如果你覺得受用的話，希望你馬上把他收起來用，自己的房子，自己不進來往，顧在門口，像什麼？狗是看家的，主人是在治理家庭的，你要當顧家的還是當治理的，要治理的話，你的心要站得穩，知道喔！

◎　講道理都講到外面去了，你們仔細去體會，朗朗上口的一些座右銘，你們都悟差了，你悟不到其中的菁華，修有什麼用？沒有找到真正的讀書方法，你請那麼多書有什麼用，沒有找到路，你隨便亂闖有什麼用？這個「修」，修就是落入有為法，知道嗎？放下去，放下去，不要再拿著啦！

◎　道是用悟的，不是用講的，不是用討論的，自己慢慢去想。

◎　講道不離身，每一個人都掛在嘴邊，每一個人卻都離得很遠，對不對？老師每次都是用暗示的，都用比喻的方式，可是沒有一個人體悟出來，我看不能再這樣下去了，沒有跟你點破，你們不知道還要悟多久。

◎　老師在那裡？徒兒在那裡？不要將老師跟徒兒分開，老師跟徒兒是一體的，但是有兩面，一體兩面，是不是，本來是一體，運用的時候可以分兩面，兩面才分四相，這就是道。你說無形無相，那老師為什麼要借竅？借什麼樣的形象明什麼樣的理，為什麼要借這個形象明這個理，老師下來借竅，讓你們感覺到老師來了，我們放在眼前的這個是老師，老師在跟我們講話，老師在教你們，但是，真正的目的，是要你藉著看到老師，而想到自己心裡的那個老師，老師剛剛不是跟你們說過，人有好的念頭，但是也有不好的念頭，你就藉著現在老師跟你說話的情況，把他反省到我們的身體裡面，想到！好的念頭也常常與不好的念頭在講話！這就是仙佛借竅的用意。只要真主人當家。

老師裝瘋賣傻為的是什麽？

◎　為何老師來都要裝瘋賣傻，要讓徒兒能夠歡喜，為師用意何在？徒兒能了解，能知道為師的用意嗎？開法會是驚天動地，不是來這裏笑了就算了，叫為師怎不傷心（老師說至傷心處，仙童不忍，請老師不要傷心，否則他要先回去。）

◎　仙童雖是小小年紀，但是他懂得道理卻比你們多，看他小小年紀，就能譬喻種種事項讓你們了解，每次法會不只是老師用心意，衆多仙佛也都希望徒兒能了解，能體會　老母娘的心。否則為何他可以逍遙自在，而徒兒要到此受束縛？

◎　他得利用此肉體受這肉體控制束縛、來為大家講話，為什麽？因為三期末劫年，因為三曹大清算，因為怕衆生怕徒兒未能認清，未能加緊腳步還在猶豫。

◎　為師縱使說的再多，如徒兒們不了解、不實行，為師又能說什麽？為師總是裝瘋賣傻討徒兒歡喜，為師為的是什麽？為師何嘗願意如此？為師千頭萬緒想盡辦法，要的就是徒兒們的一顆心，徒兒們可知嗎？

◎　老師在「紅顔淚」的歌聲中慈悲叮嚀徒兒們：希望徒兒們給為師不只是口號，還有自己許下的諾言，你們自己也要去實踐好不好？不要認為為師來這裏只是要演場戲，為師再臨走之前，希望在這人生旅程當中，你們大家能夠彼此切磋、彼此提攜，好不好？

◎　為師看到你們心連心也才安心離佛地，為師並希望你們自重自愛好不好？好好的珍惜自己的身體，有健康的身體才能行萬裏路，路是人走出來的啊！

◎　希望你們開創的這條路能夠由你們同心協力邁向康莊，好不好？徒兒們自重啊！徒兒們再見了，我們後會有期，不要讓為師見不到你們的影迹。

◎　為師我來不易，走也依依不捨，捨不下的是你們善變的心，今天說好，明天又不一定了。現在說可以啊！明天又變了，所以為師我也是懷著無奈的心，三曹普渡談何容易？要如何渡呀？

◎　你們的心這麽難渡，你們的願這麽難發，可是心有餘力不足，裝瘋賣傻不是我的本事！也不是我的招牌，只是希望借著它來跟徒兒更加親近。意說不盡，言語也表達不完，你們先靜一靜心，收一收意，肯定修道對你們真的有好處。

◎　人世間的見面，有聚有散，唯有天上的相聚才是永遠，不要認為修道很苦，唯有苦你們才能體會它的精義與奧妙。

◎　看看兩邊的徒兒，為師千言萬語，也不知該如何勸你們，安慰你們，唯有你們互相體諒，做一個屹立不搖的標杆，不要吝嗇伸出你的手去接引衆生。希望徒兒們隨時隨地都想起為師！為師我也一定在你們左右！

自已就是佛，求佛不如求已

◎　徒兒們要瞭解一點，我們自已就是佛，求佛不如求自已。穿衣也是自己，渴了也是自已，對嗎？所以重要的是把你自己的心，勾心鬥角的心撫平。從基本處做起，百善孝為先，孝順自已的父母，恭恭敬敬、無怨無悔，並且夫妻相敬如實。這些都不能用依靠或祈求神明得來的。

◎　如果你們只想從外來的形象當中找到答案，你們就已經執相離道了，你們本身就是神、就是佛，只因你們本身不能安定，只因你們有諸多的慾念，所以當你們遇到事情的時候，就不能安靜下來，妙智慧也無法顯現！妙智慧不能顯現，就沒有答案，不曉得要怎樣做才對。

◎　你們不只是生兒育女而已，養育及教育都很重要，若以後他在社會上製造問題，這都是身為父母的責任。你如果能把兒女都教育好，讓身教勝過言教，那你就是學聖人、法賢人，人人就都會說你好。佛就是從人身去徹悟到清淨無染的境地，達到自在解脫、圓融十方的聖覺者，那個才叫做佛，哪裡是外求的！

◎　現在是誰在聽為師說話？是你們自己在聽，對不對？你若人在這裡，卻把心放在家裡，聽得進去嗎？所以，最主要的是這顆心。從這個心把一切貪嗔癡愛，酒色財氣全放下，這叫做「修」，革除自己的貪念心、分別心、嗔恨心、對待心，這個就叫做「修」。等到你放到自然的時候，一切無為、一切無心，你才能真正的體會到所謂的「無我」。不是那個肉體的我，而是那個在聽為師講話的「我」，那就是「佛」，就是生生不息的「本性」。以你的白悟、內證瞭解真我，那叫做「宗」。然後你將你的體悟，再去講、再去化人，他人有煩惱時，你去幫忙他，這叫做助緣。所以萬緣皆是法，而萬法不離一心。心正即法正，心邪則法邪。

◎　每一個修行法門，都是勸人為善的，每一個人各有自己的因緣，只要你的心修得「正」，那個就是好的。今天沒有好與壞，因為萬教齊發，萬教要歸一，歸哪個「一」？就是你那個原原木本的真心。原原本本的其心，現出來了，不管是哪一個教派，你都能受到護持。

◎　修行功夫鬧中取靜　雙修內外功

　　守心要比守身更嚴　防意如防城

　　戀情非道　戀道無情　修個無情道

　　萬事看破一塵不染　當真算是在修行

◎　徒啊！考字乃修煉之明證，受不住考焉能算修行，唯人難能忍者我必忍，人難能行我奮勉行。

◎　徒啊！苦根不盡智難開呀！苦之極處福份至呀！苦痛後出頭漸入佳境。

◎　徒啊！萬般變化大考驗呀！如如不動守真性呀！圓融智慧方產生。

◎　不知修道是迷徒，修道而反道敗德是孽徒，知修道而能醒悟是愛徒。

◎　你們皆說因果，因果、因果何時了？如你執著因果，你難了呼！想了因果，就不要被因果的法輪轉，做無相佈施。為何有徒兒說你被因果牽纏？如為父母沒將兒女教好，那是因為從小沒教導好，寵他又溺愛他，當然長大就不乖，怎可都說是冤欠造下的，把責任推到冤欠身上去。

◎　另說功德，若執功，你可知你有多少功德啊？徒兒們作一分功德上天自會記下，所以功德非無，但不執著，這需要明白，天上那有無功無德之佛啊！有著即無。想了願了罪，行功需以平常心，自自然然行道在自然，無中自有即真得。

◎　人是萬物之靈，本是上天　老
派下來要領導萬物、照顧萬物的。而今，上天要人照顧眾萬物之責任未盡，卻處處在殘殺眾萬物。如此行為怎不使　老母震怒降下劫數。多年來累積下來，人變鬼鬼變人，冤冤相報皆出世在一家，你可知？資徒弟們，咱們平心靜氣，捫心自問，這種事是否咱們要去提醒世間的眾人，挽回這罪惡之心？唉！修道以慈悲為本，生活講求樸素，步步踏實，救渡眾生第一。

◎　從今以後，希望徒弟們以身作則。咱所辦乃眾生之工作，你們皆有菩薩之心，但願你們真正培養成菩薩心。吃、穿、住皆可為眾人標榜，知否？志要高，物質要淡。這邊短，自有那邊長，不要想魚與熊掌皆要，要知輕重。你不信，看自古以來，廟裡佛尊有否一手嬌妻，一手抱子而被雕成金身的。可不是皆清靜貧窮一生嗎？即使雖有，也把那富有環境，皆當成是眾生的，不自己享受。徒兒！你不信，翻開經典歷史就知他們是如何受苦行的。那有記載如何富有、享受摩登的，希望徒兒們一步一步的去做，第一要站穩，小心不要跌倒。享受之事儘量減輕，傷害性命之事，儘量戒除，你們現在雖不像古時修行者，不穿衣可透出毫光，不怕風雨之侵襲。但最起碼不要披毛帶衣，做得到嗎？

◎　成熟的果子好吃，還是不好吃呢？為何好吃呢？成熟的果子當然好吃，因為它的果實是甜美的。農人採果實都要採成熟的，上天採果實，就像採你們一樣。龍華會上採的便是成熟的果子。徒兒們，你們要讓你們的果實是圓的、是甜的，這才是上天所要採的。成熟的果子是由「陽光」、「一水分」、「沃土」、「一肥料」和栽培者以「愛心」、「耐心」、「信心」關照完成，徒兒們是那園丁。故要：不斷的研究，不斷的改良，不斷的付出。才能有圓滿的豐收，所謂：「揮淚播種，必歡笑收割」即是。不問上天給多少，只問自己付出了多少。

◎　徒兒們，自己珍重！各人有能力就盡量發揮，萬事起頭難，凡事要忍耐，身體保重為第一，日常生活要注意，你們吃的東西若有偏好，毛病就在那裡。以身體為重，以眾生為重，千萬注意，天雖惜你，也要你自己珍重。好好努力，只要能辦道，即是給老師最大之安慰。但願徒兒各個自重，參加普渡收圓大陣容，各人皆可發出最大潛在力，大家一齊搖槳，撐駛各法船平平安安遊四方救眾生。

　　師之心為眾生樂；師之心為眾生煩。

　　眾生若是上彼岸，為師交命告
顏；

　　眾生若是末上岸，師心如刀在貫穿。

　　血流心內淚在臉，訴告知心體心田，

　　妙言妙訓千千萬，為的勸化羔羊還。

　　師能等，師能等，但徒兒們是否真的能回去，師一點把握也沒有。一次一次師相信你們會去做、去行，天上有人在等你們啊，你們快回來，趕快回來！

謹守金線是道場倫理的展現

◎　有的人說：天底下的人都是我們的兄弟姐妹，處處都是原佛子，處處的道場都是　老母的道場，所以我們這時候在這裡，那個時候在那裡，可現在跟這個點傳師，也可以明天去跟那個點傳師！就是有人這樣想。老師跟你講，父親是一個呢或是有兩個呢？老師跟你說無形無相並不是說什麼都沒有，該遵守的禮節還是要遵守啊！同樣的意思，我們從生下來到現在，自然而然，就了解我們的父母是什麼人，自然而然就了解我們的家庭在那裡，我們在那裡長大。同樣的道理，來求道、修道，自然而然我們在那裡求道，是什麼人來栽培我們，這就是我們的家庭，我們就不要隨便跑。

◎　話是這樣講，但也並不是說人家要控制你，要聽清楚，我們要有一個家庭的觀念，不是說你在這裡求道，就不能跑到那裡，並不是這樣。你自己的天理良心內要有一個觀念，你的家庭在那裡，我們的人在那裡，我們的父母在那裡，自己要清楚，我們受人家的恩要報答。你們聽孝道，說父母生我、育我、養我、栽培我，我什麼都要跟他報答。

◎　同樣的道理，我們在那裡求道，什麼人帶我們來求道，什麼人帶我來明白道理，一點一滴都要記住，雖然各人的緣份不一樣，但是我們要記住，放在心裡，有機會能夠貢獻，能夠報答，這都是在各人的能力範圍，你要做，你要修，你要奉獻，你要休息，那都是你的事情。

超越自我的第一步立聖賢志

◎　國父勉勵人「做天下第一大事，做大事不要做大官。」是不是？什麼叫做大事？何謂大？惟天為大，惟堯則之，是不是？我們現在所辦的才是天大的事情，眾生的事大不大？既然身負重職，有大志想辦大事，就要徹徹底底切切實實的去做，不要有所改變。

◎　真道的可貴，德性的至尊即是：「如保赤子之心誠求之。」不要有所顧慮，不要有所希求，懂嗎？當一個母親撫養一個子女時，她絕對不會考慮到他將來能給予他什麼，而才給予照顧是不是？既然生他，她只知愛他，照顧他，明明知道長大可能讓她失望，她仍舊還惦念照顧著他。甚至替他擔罪，替他死，死而無怨無悔，此為母心亦即佛心也。慈母為子女如此，佛聖在世時亦拋棄私人的情，將一切愛施予眾生，他對待眾生就如母親對待子女一樣，不厭不倦的提攜照顧，勸化眾生，願為眾生項罪，眾生不救誓不成佛，那位善薩無此心？五教聖人異地而同志，均是為眾捨已。

◎　如果你們一動念，一出口，一做事，皆是以大體為念，以眾生為念，你就是做大事，你就是大人。長久如此，一直到最後一念，那豈不就是德配天地，道貫古今，精神永不朽？

　　過去成聖成賢祇是一種理想話，一種勉勵語，如今正是實現的時候。

◎　「亂世造聖賢」，人人皆知。如今正值大亂之世，當知此時正是考拔聖賢之年，爾等徒弟，此時不立志向前，更待何時？爾等英才，不為候選，更找何人？望徒弟勉之勉之！

◎　丈夫一世要有擔當，不擔當則無處世之事業。明哲達人要善擺脫，不擺脫則無出世之胸襟。而賢哲處世，一龍一蛇有英雄肝膽，仍需有菩薩心腸，而後可以有所為，有所不為也。

　　人人可以為聖賢，人人可以為仙佛，在人有志無志耳。

　　有志不論在家出家都能修。有志者，在家妻為朋，子為伴，世事不能染，恩愛不能牽；以性命為重，以道德為尊，借住世法而修出世法。

◎　無志者，世事看不破，重其假而輕其其，不知性命生死事大。

　　我勸爾等，早早看破，難修務必要修，難行務必要行。莫等無常到來，功名富貴不能帶去，就是這個臭皮色骸，埋在荒圻，肉化清風，骨入污泥，何況財物身外之事呢？

◎　爾等既學聖賢，踏入我門，捫心自問？可有幾點堪與往聖比擬？有曾子之孝心？有舜帝之體親？有柳下惠之定性？有魯仲蓮之避嫌？有子路聞過則喜之勇氣？有子路有聞惟恐又聞之切行？有顏回之不還怒？不貳過？有伊尹之以天下為己任？

　　你們是一群深厚有淵源文化的人，你們更應該負起這種宏揚真理、宏揚道德的使命。因為你們所沐浴的道德文化最深厚。你們想要行萬里路，你們得先須有做聖賢的胸襟。不要只是貪眼前顧私利，當知道世間的變化難測啊！

◎　徒兒當期許自己有聖賢之德，而非冀望有聖賢之位。

希望徒兒們都能夠擇善固執，雖然聖賢仙佛你們已不可能再遇到，但是聖賢仙佛的遺跡是可以追尋的；雖然聖賢仙佛所講的話，你們不可能再聽到，但是聖賢仙佛的史冊，你們是可以學習得到的。

◎　徒兒既想學聖賢，先選好自己所要學的，接近於往聖那一位？起初先從有為人手，慢慢達於無為，有板有眼，道道地地的步其後塵，慢慢才能集大成，修得自性圓明，德性廣被；心中無雜念，自然清清淨淨。

◎　人在苦海中最重要的是什麼？守住本份、安心人定、找回本性、怡然自得、立定目標。不要天天立大志，要立長志，不要因沒有時間就把它拋一旁，沒有目標而茫茫過一生，趁著此身努力往前走，若無此身時，想辦也辦不成，後悔來不及，天時緊迫不要再沈迷，要積極了愿。

◎　低心下氣為靜、悟、慧；讀書為明理，明理後效聖法賢。

　　做佛陀有妙竅，什麼是妙竅，拾已為眾第一招，然後嘛！慈悲為懷救迷僚啊！救迷僚！

　　教育兒女以德化，以錢教子敗名傳，以德傳後萬古流，岳飛孟子及聖賢，爾等當知效古聖，才能使子成名焉。

　　君子行道，向為磊落。諳世之本體，脫世之韁鎖。輿論大道之闊，不如潛心悟修。

　　天薄我以福，吾厚吾德以迢之；能知又者，天不能貧；能忍辱者，天不能禍；能培育英才者，天不能孤；徙以身任天下者，天不能絕。

什麼叫做修道？什麼叫做辦道？

◎　「修道」指的是：內修的功夫。譬如說：把毛病脾氣改掉、沒有不良啫好、煉性如灰、充實自己，這是「獨善其身」。

◎　那「辦道」呢？舉凡一切，救眾生性命出苦海，舉凡一切，利益眾生的事，叫做辦道。譬如說：開班的時候，炒菜、煮飯、環境的打掃、壇務的整理、上台講課，平常渡人、成全人，這些都是。

◎　你們老前人是不是常常跟你們講：「我們是誰修誰得，誰辦誰成。」那你不修不辦，到最後就一場空，什麼都沒有。

◎　心胸比較小的人，用打壓別人、排擠別人來抬高自己；心胸寬大的人，有修養的人，是推崇別人、幫助別人讓他出頭，自己也能有所成就；希望徒兒每個人心胸寬大，平平安安過日子。

◎　美國《華盛頓郵報》新近評選出的最新世界10大奢侈品，居然沒有一件有價的商品上榜，而是這些關乎一個人的生活方式和行為方式赫然在列：

　　1.　生命的覺醒和開悟　　　2.　一顆自由喜悅充滿愛的心

　　3.　走遍天下的氣魄　　　　4.　回歸自然

　　5.　安穩平和的睡眠　　　　6.　享受屬於自己的空間和時間

　　7.　彼此深愛的靈魂伴侶　　8.　任何時候都有真正懂你的人

　　9.　身體健康和內心富足　　10.　感染並點燃他人的希望

◎　當一個在道場修辦之人，在道場年資久了，又很少渡人、成全人時，他體會不到要成全一個人發心，是多不容易的事，但這些人偏偏是盡責的推動壇務者，因盡責一急口氣就非常不好，傷了去做壇務的人，而考退初發心菩薩，實為可惜在忘記自己為何而修辦？

◎　在辦道(事)中，忘記要修道『火中摘蓮』以了願，白陽弟子是一大課題，值得醒思(省)思。

至誠誦經，能產生佛法、佛力、佛光

◎　濟公老師愛的叮嚀 :『至誠誦經，能產生佛法、佛力、佛光』經文是諸位菩薩成道所留下來的東西，他裡面有很多讓你能夠醒悟，能夠自悟、覺悟，讓自性突然間融會貫通。你不去念、不去行、不去體悟的話就是白誦。

◎　為什麼要誦經，讓自己心清淨，誦經可以讓自己心清淨，最重要的是迴向功德，對不對？為什麼我跟某某道親，某某講師、某某壇主、某某人......當遇到冤孽纏身的時候，沒有點傳師在要怎麼做？

◎　要誦經迴向功德給冤欠；因為誦經當誦出來的時候，當一個人很至誠的誦經文的時候，它能夠產生無比的佛法、佛力、佛光，然後把這個運送迴向給冤欠，那個冤欠頃刻得到解脫，不會得到痛苦，因為佛光是溫暖的，讓他覺得寒氣沒有這樣重，自己沒有這樣寒冷，讓他自己感覺說吃的很飽很溫暖的感覺。他需要這種『糧食』！所以為師說修道要誦經。

◎　誦彌勒真經，迴向功德給那些冤欠，桃園明聖經有避邪作用，遠離邪魔，誦此經的時候，一切諸魔邪惡都不敢侵犯你，而且你心誠者一定會有感應。

◎　誦經迴向功德，讓你們修行這條路上絆腳石沒這樣多，冤欠少來拉你，修道路上比較順比較平坦。

◎　每一個人最少要懂得背一部經，心經也好，清淨經、彌勒經也好，最起碼要懂得一樣，將來有幫助。

行己恭、責躬厚、進道勇、接眾和、立心正

◎　借三才的肉身來借竅是不得已，為了跟你們講道理，讓你們明白道的可貴。

◎　你們今天坐在這裡要學仙佛，也要去脾氣毛病，否則就沒有辦法當仙佛。如果你們吃糖果沒有把這個紙剝開，吃得到它嗎？（不行）將紙剝開，才能夠真正體會到糖果裡面的意義，更能體會到我們心裡面的那一份真味。

◎　雖然是一顆小小的糖果，它有什麼滋味？人生的滋味，又何嘗不是如此。吃一顆糖果不只吃它的甜、酸、涼、甘、苦，如果今天你拿了一顆糖果，是你的仇人給你的，或是你一位很敬仰的給你的，那你吃起來會多加了些味道在裡面，除了糖果本身的酸、甜、苦、辣，還有什麼滋味在裡面？一份關懷、還有一份心的作用在裡面，那這個滋味真真假假是由什麼來決定？（心）

◎　人生滋味怎麼樣？酸、甜、苦、辣都有？畢竟還年輕，但年輕，更得重視內心的涵養，更何況我們今天都是來學道的，都是一等一的！但真正一等一的人，是什麼都不懂，像我一樣的，雖然表面上說是一等一！不過在遇有真才學之前要謙虛，要低聲下氣，一個人吃苦受罪，耐得低下，才能顯出大力之能。

◎　今天來聽道理，有沒有教你們畫符念咒？有沒有給你們多一隻眼一雙手，多一副耳朵？（沒有）那你們來這裡做什麼！今天來的這麼多一等一，修辦幾十年的！包括你們自個兒都如此。來的只是開啟你們內心的良知良能，啟發你們本性的真善美，來這邊只是慢慢的指引，對自身靈性、生命、價值修為，如何得去選擇？才不枉來此一趟。所以說，心術得以什麼為根本？（光明篤實）以正為根本。還要篤實！什麼是正大？我們本性自主，在聖不增在凡不減，具足了以後你就能夠啟發良知良能的光輝，能夠去綻放，自然光明。路很清楚知道怎麼走，每一步走起來就很實在，如果今天烏漆抹黑，身手不見五指！你明明知道，前面是平坦的路，可是腳步踏起來總是有一點點虛虛的。

◎　所以要以光明篤實為根本，而面貌以和善為首要，我們盡量把握機會，一個人端正容貌，做事情就端端正正的，不會躁急，人家感覺起來就很穩實又很老成。以正大老成為首要，要簡重，還要真切，才能夠受用，如果講的是表面，就不受用了。所以簡簡單單，簡重真切，才是真正的受用。

◎　真理是什麼樣？真理不是比較的。為了名，為了利，要得人間富貴榮華，才怎麼樣？才來比一比嘛？真理是怎麼樣？是無為呀。咱們勸人為善要有一顆無為的心。例如：一口井，一個小孩子要落下去了。你那時候會想，這真是賺錢的好機會，趁這個小孩子快落下去之前，救他一命，好好來撈一筆，還是快避開，怕不小心也掉下去了。同樣的在路上，如果有小孩子（車剛好要來的時候…）你會想著，因為這樣而出名，還是因為這樣而賺錢嗎？那是怎麼樣的心呢？那個就是道。就是你的良知良能，不需要任何渲染，不需要人家去教導，自然而然我們會有那樣子，剎那之間，出於真心真意很誠懇地想去做。甚至要你犧牲性命都在所不辭啊！

◎　讀聖賢書，所為何事？人家聖賢是吾日三省吾身，那現在人有幾省？第一思，我的功課怎麼樣？要步步高昇啊，將來顯貴榮華，才能威威風風嘛。不能白白浪費了寒燈苦讀，十年寒窗那苦讀了以後第二件要怎麼樣？再一思，想我的前程要爬得高，這也得需要很多的Money、Money呀！

◎　第一思功課要All Pass！現在不只要All Pass而已，沒有High Pass是到不了水準的，之後還得要一步又一步，步步高昇喔！第三思，要有錢。錢要如何來？（小仙童：佈施喔。）你們的學費怎麼來呀？是不是要花腦筋？難到你們的錢真的是跟人家佈施來的嗎？所以，這個菩薩笑得多開懷，錢一毛也不會給你。那誰能夠給你錢？所以回家要對父母盡孝。當今之思名利怎麼樣？最苦煞人心。有沒有同感？回答有的是兩種反應：「是是是」，沒有錯沒有錯。一種說：是。那個回答「是」「是」的大部分怎麼樣？內心能有所感，對不對？那個回答「是是是」的大部分怎麼樣？不是伸手而已啦，有一句話，「飯來張口，茶來伸手」，對不對？今天來到這邊也是怎麼樣？不過不一樣的是什麼？這個前面會有改觀喔，這兩天看的都是菩薩喔，那在家裡看的是什麼（父母）

◎　彌勒祖師的臉圓不圓？（圓）為什麼在家裡看到的都是電視、電腦這些四方形，來到這邊看菩薩、仙佛的面是圓形啊？四角形在滾動時銳利的角慧損傷地面，也會損傷自個兒的本體，而圓的就很圓滿了，既不傷己又不傷人。徒兒在家裡看電視、上網路都沒關係，但重要的是接收了那麼多的資訊，要懂得如何去消化、去取捨，分辨是好是壞、是真是假才是真知真見！對身心有幫助，對我們的靈性能提昇，如果心中沒有主張、人云亦云，趕流行、趕風潮，都不是自己內心真正想要的，只是怕被人家說：「你落伍啦！」只是為了追求別人的認同，但是這個認同對精神有幫助嗎？（沒有）也不能說沒有，只怕是損失比得到多。

◎　來這兩天，換個形狀來看看，看什麼？（看圓）不是看這個外表的圓，是讓你們去體悟，體悟大家本性具足的那個妙智慧，真正能夠圓圓滿滿的、無染的，這樣子才不會接收了一大推資訊，好的壞的，心性亂七八糟，常常刺傷了別人，也傷了自己，損人也不利己，卻還以為很帥、很酷！所以咱們做學問不比酷也不比帥，比的是真修實煉。

◎　老師這次帶小葫蘆來是有用意的，小仙童有個天真的心，我們要學習他的返樸歸真、赤子之心。我們本身都具備葫蘆，葫蘆開口可以容天、容地、容萬物，就是這個涵意。老師說：講話重不重要呀！（重要）現在的年輕人要戒什麼？（戒血氣方剛）雖然還年輕，不過這個做學問的功夫，不是在字裡行間，得真正落實於生活當中，心境的涵養，是不論年紀的。

◎　聞道有先後，是不是？（是）握了良機就得怎樣？（要趕快把握發揮）所以言語可以成全人，也可以傷人喔！年輕人，話不要太多。

◎　年輕人話不用太多，但事要多做一些，多看、多做、多累積。年輕就要時時刻刻立一個志向，時時刻刻去實踐、去磨鍊。做學問第一件事就是要低聲下氣，吸收的東西能夠多，將來的東西才是受用。

◎　「行己恭、責躬厚、接眾和、立心正」。「行己恭」，就是我們對自己的言行要恭恭敬敬，對於自己的言行、品行要非常的恭敬。「責躬厚」，古有名言：「嚴以律己、寬以待人」，事情一出現，大家一起辦事，結果事情做得不太理想，應該是把這個過錯怪在自己的身上，這就是推功攬過。

◎　「接眾和」，我們與眾人接觸的時候，要存著一種和諧、和氣來相處，所以我們的前人領導我們的道場，希望我們的道場能夠非常的和諧，因為人很多嘛！現在要普渡三曹的人數有多少呢？普渡三曹不知道有幾億？而人這麼多，老師教導我們要存一顆和諧的心，大家相處、接觸要以「立心正」，那麼和諧並不是假貌為相，我們不是這個外表看起來很和諧，內心別有心機又懷有鬼胎。它下面又有一句話：「立心正」，教導我們在我們的國家，在我們的社會，在我們的道場裡面，通通要這樣子，我們的心要正，就是這十二個字（訓中訓）。

◎　人沒有膽識，不能成就轟轟烈烈的大事。可是，如果光有膽識沒有內涵，也是匹夫之勇，白忙一場，甚至誤入歧途，所以說，「智仁勇」三達德得要兼備。在修道辦道中多充實學問、多下功夫，智慧明白，方向才能看得準，做得就能夠有力道，明白人生真諦，明白這個路，哪怕徘徊十字路口，也有智慧去做調整。這些內德，內心修養的功夫夠了，要「進、道、勇」，才能夠有所成就。

◎　修道最重要的功夫是什麼？（反省）迴光返照的功夫。人要一步一步走得踏實無悔，當你心念一動，你的良知告訴你沒有問題，不必猶豫，是以真良心在做事，那這件事咱們就做得很光明正大，無怨無悔，不過，有時候心是這麼想，但人的能力、解讀、角度不同，有時候是一件好事，被我們做起來會有些缺憾在裡面，因為每個人的智慧不一樣，氣質稟賦也不同，這是後天守侷限，所不能改變的。但要如何長進，唯有不斷的反省，在反省中，看清自己的缺點、錯誤、啟發智慧，人有脾氣毛病，往往是往外發洩，那要怎麼樣才能夠不二過。

◎　人最怕的是不知道自己的錯在哪邊？一錯再錯也沒有人告訴你，這會造成一種習慣，進而造就了你的命運。所以要改命運，從心念反省做起。

◎　我們應該去想，考試分數只差一分，下次絕對不只是讓它pass過去，還要高分。這樣是以積極樂觀的態度去面對。所以說，知道自己的缺失，在長長的一生裡，你若能幫助自己，那你自己就是自己的貴人啊！否則你自己不振作，不努力，貴人這麼多，你自己不改變，人家幫忙也是有限！

◎　剛剛所講的葡萄柚，要怎麼讓它「葡」，要怎麼讓它「萄」，要怎麼讓它「柚」？這些功夫，必須由皮毛入精髓，沒有皮毛的保護，哪來的精髓，骨肉的完整。做到裡也是一樣，今天做學問，要「行遠必自邇，登高必自卑」。這個皮好不好吃？（有點苦澀），這個皮什麼顏色？（黃色）一般的水果黃色的時候久可以吃了，可是它的皮已經很黃了，也黃的有點紅，為什麼沒有人要吃皮？因為它不好吃，但是如果沒有皮的保護，你吃的到它的肉嗎？可能發育還沒完整就壞掉了。

◎　我們自己本性、智慧還不是很圓通；因為就好像這個皮的酸澀、苦澀是一樣的，表皮澀是沒有人要吃，雖然前面的人傾囊相授，可是畢竟我們只有皮毛的程度而已，只能是隨個人根器，各取所需，所以說修道就好比做學問一樣，活到老學到老，學到老要用到老。學若不致用，不實際！

◎　人活著就是要學習十全十美。所以，坐了這兩天慢慢的有功夫，以後希望徒兒們真能夠「進道勇」，做了這些功夫，雖然還會像裡面的肉酸酸甜甜的，但是沒關係！而能拿到籽的人不簡單，更有一層責任—播種，要有慈悲喜捨的心，為眾生服務的心腸，犧牲奉獻的心，能夠犧牲小我，去成全更多的原胎佛子。發的這個心不只是他自個的內心、心願，也是能夠啟發別人的心，延續慧命傳承道脈，一代一代的接棒，你說這個責任重不重？

◎　葡萄柚的柚，又有保佑的佑。葡萄柚是由樹木長出來的，「柚」是根本的意思，「木」是生命的母體，要先有那顆樹才有葡萄柚，所以說，要從表皮的澀，皮毛功夫進入，漸入到果肉的酸酸甜甜，一直到最後要能拿到裡面的籽，都是要從根本下手，都要真有由來喔！

◎　那個叫做又，又有什麼的又，一次一次給自己機會，真正的去完成每一件事情。另外「祐」的意思，自己下功夫，自然得人緣，雖然天不言地不語，因為你的用心，上天自然眷顧你。

◎　以前老人家常講：「吃不到三把空心菜，就想爬上西天。」即是要有天助先得自助，你修行的功夫好、德行高，自然你是自個兒的貴人外，還會有人助。你自己下功夫，你就能夠得到人緣，就會得到人家的幫助，自然天不言、地不語，上天就會眷顧著你，你能夠邀得了天心，自然上天會庇祐。

◎　培養道心，要像栽種生命之樹那樣用心。今天所眾下的心苗，要讓它能夠開花，不要讓它半途枯萎好嗎？一片真心表蒼天，心伴芳香永傳遠。這個花插在自己的心田上，就好像自個兒最了解自個兒。

◎　「徒兒們！什麼東西是自個兒的最好。」身體是自個兒的好！如果是借了別人的，要借別人的之前，要先跟自己說拜拜喔！而借不借的到，別人可不一定啊！所以說你們現在呈現什麼狀態，（借竅狀態），你們要好好的修。徒兒們，要退竅，必須要完成使命，無怨無悔，奉了命，得復命。

◎　你能夠握得住未來嗎？你連自己能夠活到幾歲，都有把握嗎？所以說菩薩的心，在世的時間，一天當兩天用，為的是什麼？能夠多跟眾生結緣，希望徒兒們今天用的是自個的肉體，不需要那麼急著還，師徒相處短短幾個小時，也算是累世修來的緣分，希望咱們師徒有緣有份，好嗎！

Source Colophon

Chinese source text from the Good Books Library (善書圖書館), taolibrary.com, Category 52: 一貫道經典二 (Yiguandao Scriptures II), file c52067.htm. The site's stated distribution policy: "歡迎轉載，上傳，翻印，流通" (Welcome to reprint, upload, reproduce, and circulate). Spirit-writing (扶鸞) revelations attributed to Ji Gong the Living Buddha (濟公活佛), transcribed at Yiguandao altar sessions. The exact dates and locations of the altar sessions are not recorded in the source.

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