去妄心存真心

Get Rid of False Thoughts; Hold on to True Thoughts

心要正大光明，方能照破一切黑暗。

When your mind is proper, great, and bright, you can shine right through all the darkness!

《华严经》上说：

若人欲了知，三世一切佛。

应观法界性，一切唯心造。

The Flower Adornment Sutra says,

If someone wants to understand

All Buddhas of the three periods of time,

Simply contemplate the nature of

the Dharma Realm:

Everything is made from the mind alone.

你行佛心，就是佛；你行菩萨心，就是菩萨；你行缘觉心，就是缘觉；你行声闻心，就是声闻；你行天人心，就是天人；你行人心，就是人；你行阿修罗心，就是阿修罗；你行畜生心，就是畜生；你行饿鬼心，就是饿鬼；你行地狱心，就是地狱。

If you put the Buddha's thoughts into action, you're a Buddha. If you practice according to thoughts of a Bodhisattva, you're a Bodhisattva. If you put the thoughts of Those Enlightened to Conditions into practice, you are One Enlightened to Conditions. If you put Hearers' thoughts into practice, you are a Hearer. If you think the way gods do, you're a god. If you have thoughts typical of humans, you're a human being. If you think like asuras, you're an asura. If you have the thinking of an animal, you're simply an animal. If you think the way a hungry ghost thinks, you are a hungry ghost. And if you think the way hell-dwellers do, you are a hell-dweller.

所谓「十法界不离一念心」，由此可知，一切的一切，都是由心所造出来的。有一首关于「心」的偈颂，说得很有道理：

三点如星布，弯钩似月牙；

披毛从斯起，作佛也由它。

So it is said, "The Ten Dharma Realms are not apart from a single thought of the mind." From this, we can know that absolutely everything is made from the mind alone. There is a verse that discusses the mind quite well:

Three dots like a cluster of stars,

And a hook shaped like a crescent moon;

Furry creatures come from the mind;

All Buddhas arise from it, too.

仔细研究，这说得很恰当。人在世上，要存正心，不可存邪心。什么是正心？就是菩提心、平等心、大慈心、大悲心、怜愍心、布施心、惭愧心。什么是邪心？就是自私心、自利心、嫉妒心、怨恨心、骄傲心、妄想心。我们修道的目的，就是去妄心存真心，也就是除邪心生正心。

Look into the verse in detail, and you'll find it describes the mind perfectly. We people here in the world should preserve proper thoughts and not cling to deviant thoughts. What thoughts are considered proper? Thoughts of great kindness, great compassion, sympathy, charity, shame, and remorse are truly proper thoughts. What are considered deviant thoughts? Selfish thoughts, thoughts of benefiting oneself, thoughts of jealousy, hatred, pride, and idle thoughts. Our goal as we cultivate is to get rid of false thoughts while preserving true thoughts. In other words, we want to banish deviant thoughts and foster proper thoughts.

我们一举一动，若存正念，就是正知正见；存邪念，就是邪知邪见。有邪念的人，以是为非，以非为是，将黑作白，将白作黑，颠倒是非，黑白不分。他所作所为，自己认为是对的，结果造成罪业，要堕地狱，自己还不知道。因为这样，所以诸佛苦口婆心来规劝，不怕麻烦一次又一次地叮咛：「不要走错路！不要误入歧途！」也就是告诉我们修道人，在道场中不可造恶业。所谓：

毋以善小而不为，

毋以恶小而为之。

We must preserve a proper attitude in every thing we do. These thoughts are proper knowledge and viewpoints. Don't cling to crooked thoughts, or deviant knowledge and viewpoints. A person with deviant views mixes up right and wrong and doesn't distinguish between black and white. He assumes his actions are correct, and so creates evil karma and falls into the hells without knowing why. Therefore, all the Buddhas spare no pains to warn us over and over: "Don't take the wrong turn in the road. Avoid going down dead-end paths!" They want to tell all of us who cultivate the Way not make bad karma in the Way-place. That is to say,

Don't assume a good deed is too small to

do, and fail to do it.

Don't assume an evil deed is too

insignificant to matter, and go do it.

时时要战战兢兢，深省警觉，如临深渊，如履薄冰，来改善自己的习气毛病，改善自己的恶劣行为，改善自己的聪明鬼、伶俐虫。要把自己弄清楚，不可糊胡涂涂混日子，以盲引盲，互相欺骗，搞得世界乌烟瘴气，令世界一天比一天危险，最后成了世界的末日，同归于尽。

We should act with caution at all times and take great care. As we get rid of our bad habits and faults and reform our bad behavior, we should be "as if standing near the edge of a deep abyss; or as if treading on thin ice." We should reform in particular our habit of relying on our excuse-maker: the clever, rationalizing "smart-bugs." Take stock of yourself; see yourself clearly. Don't simply pass the days in confusion, blindly following blind men, cheating each other as you go. This attitude has brought the world to its present state of utter, murky chaos, so it grows more dangerous with each passing moment, leading us inevitably on to doomsday and the extinction of the human race.

有正念的人，能引导世界的人，走向正大光明之路。人人有同情心，人人有互助心，你帮助我，我援助你，大家互相帮忙。所谓「助人为快乐之本」，又可以说：「为善最乐」，你发善心做善事，这种快乐，无言可以形容，只有行善者，才能体会其中意味。各位不妨试试行善事的滋味如何？它有妙不可言的乐趣。千万不要走黑暗弯曲的路，不但自己会有失足之忧，也会引人误入歧途。所以心要正大光明，方能照破一切黑暗。

People who possess proper thoughts are able to guide the citizens of the world onto proper, broad, well-lit roads. On these right roads, everyone shares similar feelings; everyone helps each other along. It's said, "Helping others is the well-spring of joy." Another adage says, "The greatest joy comes from action done for goodness' sake alone." There are no words to fully describe the happiness that results from a good-hearted resolve to do deeds that are purely good. Only someone who actually does such good deeds knows the flavor of this happiness. Do you want to sample a taste of good deeds? It's truly wonderful, joyful beyond description. By no means should you walk down dark and twisting side roads. Not only can you trip and fall on those crooked paths, but you can easily lead others to the same dead end. Only when your mind is proper, great, and bright can you shine right through all the darkness!