学佛要修戒定慧

To Study Buddhism, We Must Cultivate Precepts, Samadhi, and Wisdom

常常拿「戒定慧」来警惕自己，这对于修行是会有所帮助的。

Always use precepts, samadhi, and wisdom to alert yourself; this will help you in your cultivation.

戒、定、慧三无漏学，是修行人所必须具有的。

Every cultivator needs to have the Three Non-Outflow Studies of precepts, samadhi, and wisdom.

戒，虽然有五戒、十戒、菩萨戒等等，然而最基本的，要算是五戒，那就是戒杀、戒盗、戒邪淫、戒妄语和戒饮酒。能持戒，就不会造罪。

Precepts: Although there are the Five Precepts, the Ten Precepts, the Bodhisattva Precepts, and so on, the Five Precepts are the most fundamental. They are: do not kill, do not steal, do not engage in sexual misconduct, do not engage in false speech, and do not take intoxicants. If one can hold the precepts, one will not make transgressions.

什么是「定」呢？照普通来说，就是禅定。范围广一点来说，就是不变的意思。有些人修行，妄想很多，今天参禅，明天听说念佛的功德大，于是便舍参禅而念佛，过两天又听说念咒的功德殊胜，于是又不念佛而念咒，诸如此类。今天修这个法门，明天又修那个法门，结果一事无成。又有些人对于念佛和念菩萨，一曝十寒，今天念，明天便不念，这都是没有定力的缘故。定力对于我们修行，是非常重要的，如果没有定力，那么，修道一定不成，而且也会因为缺乏定力、道心不坚的缘故，很容易受到外来的引诱而堕落。

What is samadhi? Ordinarily, samadhi refers to Dhyana (Chan) samadhi. Generally speaking, it means “unchanging.” When some people cultivate, they do a lot of idle thinking. Today they practice Chan meditation, but tomorrow they hear that reciting the Buddha's name has a lot of merit and virtue, so they give up Chan and go recite the Buddha's name. Two days later they hear the merit and virtue of reciting mantras is supreme, so they stop reciting the Buddha's name and start reciting mantras instead. In general, that's how they carry on. Cultivating this Dharma-door today and that Dharma-door tomorrow, they end up achieving nothing. There are also some people who recite the Buddha's or Bodhisattva's name with the attitude of “sunning it one day and freezing it for ten.” They recite today, but quit tomorrow. This is because they have no samadhi. Samadhi is extremely important in our cultivation. If we have no samadhi, we will surely have no success in cultivation. Moreover, if we do not have sufficient samadhi and we lack a firm resolve in the Way, external temptations can easily influence us and cause us to fall.

其次，说到「慧」，就是智慧。世界上的人，有贤愚之分，究竟为什么有些人聪明，而有些人却愚痴？当然有其中的因果，凡是在过去生中修行念佛的人，今生较有智慧，反之，不曾种下善根的，智慧便逊人一筹了。

Next there is “wisdom.” In the world, there are wise people and stupid people. Why is it that some people are smart and some are stupid? Of course, it involves cause and effect. All those who cultivated by reciting the Buddha's name in former lives have comparatively more wisdom in this life. But those who didn't plant good roots in the past have less wisdom than most people.

《大学》里说：

定而后能静，

静而后能安，

安而后能虑，

虑而后能得。

The Great Learning says,

When a person has concentration,

he can be still.

When he is still, he can be at peace.

When he is at peace, he can reflect.

Upon reflection,

he can obtain what he wants.

所以由「定」中，也可以产生出「慧」，若是不「定」的话，那么杂念丛生，奔波劳碌，又怎能冷静地判别是非、明白真理呢？

If you are in samadhi, you can produce wisdom. But if you are not concentrated, if you produce droves of scattered thoughts, if you are hasty and flighty, then how can you calmly distinguish right from wrong and understand the truth?

「戒」，是一种规律，防止我们犯罪的；在不犯罪中，我们又要修道。而修道的秘诀是「定力」。有了定力，便能产生智慧，更能进一步地了道，成佛。所以，「戒定慧」这三个字，是修行人所必须具有的条件。不持戒，就会造罪招业；缺乏定力，就会修道不成；没有智慧，便会愚痴无知。

Precepts are rules which keep us from committing offenses. While refraining from committing offenses, we should also cultivate the Way, and the secret to cultivating the Way is samadhi power. Once you have samadhi power, you can develop wisdom, and if you can progress one step further, you can understand the Way and become a Buddha. That is why the three studies of precepts, samadhi, and wisdom are the essential requirements which all people who cultivate the Way should possess. If you do not hold the precepts, then you can create offenses and call forth karma. Lacking samadhi power, you will not be able to accomplish cultivation of the Way. You will not have any wisdom and will become dull-witted.

我劝在座各位，都能把「戒定慧」这三个字，作为修道的座右铭，常常拿来警惕自己，那么，我相信对于修行，是会有点帮助的。

I exhort you all to take special note of the three studies of precepts, samadhi, and wisdom in your cultivation; always use them to alert yourself and I believe it will help you in your cultivation.

一九五八年六月十八日下午开示

A talk given on the afternoon of June 18, 1958