善恶不离一念心

Good and Evil Are Not Beyond a Single Thought

一念为善，天地增加正气；一念为恶，天地增加戾气。

A thought of goodness increases the proper energy in the world;

a thought of evil increases the world's bad energy.

诸恶莫作，众善奉行；自净其意，是诸佛教。这是佛教的真谛。人人都明白这个道理，可是人人都不能行这个道理，所以天下大乱。

"Do no evil deeds; practice all good deeds; purify your own mind: this is what all Buddhas teach." This is the truth of Buddhism. The world is a mess because, although everyone understands the above statement, nobody puts it into practice.

我们在打禅七，就是「改恶向善」，是「改过自新」最好的机会。一念恶，天地会有狂风暴雨发生，造成灾害。如果全世界所有的人类，都能受持五戒，奉行十善，天地会风调雨顺，世界会国泰民安。简言之，上自元首，下至老百姓，守五戒，行十善，这个国家一定会丰衣足食，过着安居乐业的生活。若是犯五戒，造十恶，毫无疑问地，这个国家必定家庭不和睦，社会不安宁，国家不富强，百姓过着颠沛流离的生活。

In this meditation retreat, we are engaged in reforming our evil ways. This is a perfect chance to turn over a new leaf and start anew. A single thought of evil can cause gales, deluges, and tragic disasters. Yet if every person in the world could uphold the Five Precepts and practice the Ten Good Deeds, the world would enjoy seasonal rains and gentle winds, and all nations and their citizens would be at peace. To put it simply, if everyone from the national leader down to the ordinary citizens could observe the Five Precepts and practice the Ten Good Deeds, they would surely be blessed with ample clothing and sufficient food, and their lives would be satisfying and happy. But any country whose people break the Five Precepts and violate the Ten Good Deeds will, beyond a shadow of a doubt, be full of broken families and civil strife; it will be a poor and weak nation whose citizens suffer deprivation and hardship.

参禅，就是不杀生、不偷盗、不邪淫、不妄语、不饮酒。在禅堂里，专心参禅，拿得起，放得下，一念是谁？时刻在寻找，其他妄念就停止下来了，这就是守五戒，也是行十善。所以在禅堂一坐，五戒十善都具足了。因为这个，所以不要浪费时间，打一些无益的妄念，要把握时机来参「念佛是谁？」

Investigating Chan is simply a process of refraining from killing, stealing, lustful conduct, lying, and using intoxicants. In the meditation hall, we concentrate our minds on the investigation: raising a question, then letting it go. We busily ask the question "Who?" and look into it at all times, putting a stop to all other thoughts. Doing this is nothing less than holding the Five Precepts and putting into practice the Ten Good Deeds. Thus, as soon as we sit down in the meditation hall, we are replete with the Five Precepts and the Ten Good Deeds. For this reason we must not waste time on useless idle thoughts. We should instead seize the time and ask, "Who is mindful of the Buddha?"

参禅时，要努力用功，勇猛精进。要回光返照，反求诸己，问问自己，生了多少善念？生了多少恶念？打了多少妄想？要统计一番。

未生善念，令生善念；

已生善念，令其增长。

未生恶念，令其不生；

已生恶念，令其消灭。

这就是修行初步的基础。

During your meditation, you should work hard and advance with determination. Reflect inwardly, seek your true self. Ask yourself, "How many evil thoughts have I created? How many good thoughts? How many idle thoughts have I let arise?" Take an inventory.

Bring forth the good thoughts that have not yet arisen; Increase the good thoughts that have already arisen.

Suppress the evil thoughts that have not yet emerged; Wipe out all the evil thoughts that have already occurred.

This is the foundation of a beginner's career in cultivation.

世界为什么会毁灭？因为人们的「善念少、恶念多」的缘故。一念为善，天地增加正气；一念为恶，天地增加戾气。所以我们要转戾气为祥和，戾气就是毒气，生一念贪心，宇宙间的毒气就多一点；生一念瞋心，宇宙间的毒气就多一点；生一念痴心，宇宙间的毒气就多一点。如果用贪瞋痴三毒来处理事情，就会天昏地暗，发生灾难。如果用戒定慧来处理事情，天会清，地会宁。所以说，恶人多的地方，灾难就重；善人多的地方，吉祥就增加。总而言之，灾难或吉祥，都在人为。

The world faces imminent destruction because peoples' evil thoughts outnumber their good thoughts. A thought of goodness increases the proper energy in the world; a thought of evil increases the world's bad energy. We want to transform bad energy into auspicious, peaceful energy. Bad energy refers to noxious, toxic energy. Each thought of greed increases the harmful energy in the universe. Each thought of hatred increases the harmful energy in the universe. Each thought of stupidity increases the harmful energy in the universe. If we do things using greed, hatred, and stupidity, then the world will be a murky, dark place, and disasters will occur. If we use precepts, concentration, and wisdom to solve our problems, then heaven and earth will be pure and peaceful. That's why it's said that wherever evil people prevail, calamities will abound. Wherever good people prevail, good fortune will abound. In general, both disasters and good fortune are made by people.

古人说：「善恶两条道，修的修，造的造。」修善者能出离三界，造恶者就堕落三涂。善恶只在一念之间，有智慧就是善念，有愚痴就是恶念。

The ancients had a saying that goes, "Good and evil are two different roads; you cultivate the one or commit the other as you walk." People who cultivate goodness can leave the Triple Realm; evildoers can fall into the Three Evil Destinies. Both good and evil lie with a single thought. Wisdom is the occurrence of good thoughts; stupidity is the occurrence of evil thoughts.

世间一切都在说法，有的说善法，有的说恶法，有的说旁门左道邪知邪见的法，有的说中道了义正知正见的法。换句话说，说善法，就是教人看得破，放得下，得到自在；说恶法，就教人看不破，放不下，得不到自在。人为什么颠颠倒倒？就因为执着，所以一切放不下。古诗云：

古来多少英雄汉，

南北山头卧土泥。

All things in the world are constantly expounding the Dharma. Some things expound wholesome Dharma, while others expound unwholesome dharma. Some things speak of the deviant knowledge and views of heretics and cultists; other things speak of the proper knowledge and views of the Ultimate Meaning of the Middle Way. In other words, those that speak wholesome Dharma teach people to see through things, to let them go, to become free. Those that speak unwholesome dharma teach people to preserve their illusions and cling tightly to them. They do not allow people to get free. Why are people muddled and disoriented? It's simply because they're attached and unable to let go of things. An ancient verse reads,

How many of the great heroes from times past

Are lying in the mud beneath the mountains.

你们想一想，看一看，世间所有的人，谁能逃出生死关？在一生之中，图个好名，死了，名也没有了！贪个大官，死了，官也没有了！一切都成空了。中国有个秦始皇，他修万里长城，为了保护子孙万代做皇帝。不料才传到第二代胡亥时，只做了三年的皇帝，就被丞相赵高所弒，这不是枉费一番心机吗？

So think it over carefully, all of you, and take a good look: of all the people in the world, who can avoid entering the gate of death? Our lives are spent in seeking good reputations; but after we die, where does a good name go? We long for a powerful political office; but after we die, that position vanishes. Everything returns to the void. The First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty of China built the Great Wall to protect his descendants, so that they could continue as emperors for many generations. Unluckily for him, the rule passed only into the next generation, when his son Hu Hai lasted a mere three years as emperor before being murdered by Zhaogao, the Prime Minister. Wouldn't you call this a waste of effort?

古今中外，发大财、当大官的人，胡涂过一生，争名夺利，造了多少孽障；等到死的时候，两手空空去见阎王。由此观之，我们参禅一定要用功，不可懈怠，不可放逸，错过机会，就后悔莫及了。所谓「一寸时光，一寸命光。」有人说：「等我功成名就时，再放下一切，专心修道。」可是时光不等待人的，到那时就晚了。

From ancient to modern times, from East to West, people who strike it rich or who occupy high status, for the most part, run through their lives in confusion, striving for name and gain and creating huge karmic obstacles in the process. But when they die, they go empty-handed to pay a visit to King Yama, Lord of the Underworld. When we look at it from this perspective, it compels us to work hard here in our Chan meditation. We must not be lax, nor can we be careless, or else we will miss our chance, and our regrets will come too late. It's said, "An instant of time is an instant of life." Someone may suggest, "Wait until I make a name for myself and get some success, and then I can put it all down and concentrate on cultivating the Way." Unfortunately, time does not wait for people; by then it will be too late.

参禅也好，念佛也好，只要认真修行，都能出离生死关。到临终时，身无病苦，心不贪恋，如入禅定，含笑往生，这才是对生死大事有把握！

Whether you practice Chan meditation or recite the Buddha's name, what matters is that you get serious about your cultivation: then any method can lead you out through the gate of birth and death. Then, when you approach your end, your body will suffer no sickness, your mind will not be fettered by craving, you'll be as if in Chan samadhi, and you'll go off to rebirth with a smile. That's called taking charge of your own birth and death!

一九八○年禅七十二月开示

A talk given during a Chan session

in December, 1980