修道要念念清净

In Cultivation, Every Thought Must Be Pure

善人有一股白光，恶人则有一股黑气；

所以做善做恶，自然会现出形相来。

Virtuous people have auras of white, while evil people are surrounded by darkness.

Whether you do good or evil shows in your appearance.

往昔所造诸恶业，

皆由无始贪瞋痴；

从身语意之所生，

一切我今皆忏悔。

Of all the evil karma I have ever done,

Based on beginningless greed, anger,

and delusion,

And born of body, mouth and mind,

I now repent and vow to reform.

我们人在往昔所造的业，有善有恶，善恶夹杂不清，所以有时生了善心，有时又生了恶念。一念善，就「诸恶莫作，众善奉行。」但起了恶念，就想「诸恶皆作，众善不行。」因为从无量劫以来，就是这样善善恶恶，今天做些善事，明天又做些恶事，后天又造做些不善不恶业，因此当修道时，就不易摆脱业报。所以有时想修行，有时又不想修行；有时想清净，有时又想染污。如此随波逐流，不知漂流到何处？这都是往昔所生的念，所以今生结这种果。前念想修行，后念又想还俗；前念想弘扬佛法，后念又想灭佛法。啊！复杂得很；这要怎么办呢？就要学习般若智慧。所谓：

Due to the confused mixture of good and bad karma that we have created, sometimes we have wholesome thoughts and sometimes unwholesome ones. With wholesome thoughts, we avoid evil and do good. With unwholesome thoughts, we do evil and avoid goodness. We have been vacillating between good and evil for endless eons, doing a few good deeds one day, committing some bad deeds the next day, and doing some neutral deeds the day after that. As we cultivate, it's not easy to escape the retribution from our karma. So, at times we feel like cultivating. At other times, we don't.

Sometimes we want to be pure, and sometimes we prefer defilement. We drift along, letting the waves of life carry us where they will. Our present condition results from our thoughts in past lives－thoughts of cultivating mingled with thoughts of returning to lay-life, thoughts of propagating Buddhism mingled with thoughts of destroying Buddhism. What can we do? Learn Prajna wisdom.

择善而从，不善而改；

是道则进，非道则退。

Choose what is good and follow it;

Take what is bad and change it.

If it's the Way, advance upon it;

If it's not the Way, retreat from it.

要时时提高警觉，如临深渊，如履薄冰，这么小心来修行。所谓「差之毫厘，谬之千里。」所以修行是：

At all times we must be as cautious in our cultivation as if we were walking on the edge of a cliff or on the brink of thin ice. Off by a hair at the start, we will be off by a thousand miles in the end. Cultivation means:

举动行为管自己，

行住坐卧不离家。

In every move and deed, watch yourself.

Whether walking, standing, sitting,

or lying down, be mindful of yourself.

要念念清净、念念光明；不要念念染污、念念黑暗。我们每一念都要很小心的，每一念若是善的，则光明增多；但若是念恶，则越来越黑暗。善人有一股白光，恶人则有一股黑气，所以做善做恶，自然会现出形相来。你能瞒得了人，但瞒不了鬼神、佛菩萨。所以无论出家人或在家人，不要在佛教中不但不立功，反而造罪业。要知道为什么从无量劫来，总不能脱轮回苦，仍是迷迷糊糊的？就因为糊涂账算不清，是非混淆，清净和染污一半一半的，所以超不出六道轮回。

Every thought must be bright and pure rather than dark and defiled. We must be careful in every thought. Wholesome thoughts increase the light, while evil thoughts darken all. Virtuous people have auras of white, while evil people are surrounded by darkness. Whether you do good or evil shows in your appearance. You may be able to fool other people, but you can't fool ghosts, spirits, Buddhas, or Bodhisattvas. Therefore, whether you are a left-home person or a layperson, you should create only merit and not offenses. Why have you suffered in samsara for limitless eons, lost and confused? Because you haven't cleared your accounts. You can't escape the six paths because your deeds are a mixture of good and evil, half pure and half defiled.

我们若想真正修行，若想要成佛，那在未成佛之前，一定要勇猛精进，不能随便。要知道：

If we truly want to become Buddhas, we have to cultivate bravely and carefully. We must realize that,

是日已过，命亦随减；

如少水鱼，斯有何乐？

With the passing of this day,

Our lives are less by that much.

Like fish in an evaporating pool,

What joy is there in that?

无常鬼就快来了，我们怎么能这么散乱，不修行呢？

The ghost of impermanence draws nearer. How dare we be scattered and careless in our cultivation?

大众！

当勤精进，如救头然；

但念无常，慎勿放逸！

Great Assembly!

Be diligent! Be vigorous!

Cultivate as if trying to save your own head!

Remember the transitory nature of life!

Take heed! Don't be lax!

有人怀疑：「是否真有阎罗王和无常鬼？」这要看你能否不死？你能不死，就没有无常鬼；你若觉得很有把握，不受果报，那就没有阎罗王。你是否能不死呢？若不能，就有阎罗王；你若不能主宰自己的因果，就有阎罗王和无常鬼。你不要以为自己很聪明，在那儿掩耳盗铃，自己欺骗自己。要知道从无量劫以来，就因为不信这个，所以现在还在六道轮回里转，闯不出这个生死关。

Someone is wondering, "Do King Yama and the ghost of impermanence really exist?" Well, are you free from death? If so, there is no ghost of impermanence. If you are certain you won't have to undergo retribution, there is no King Yama. If, however, you cannot avoid death, then King Yama exists. If you cannot control your own destiny, then King Yama and the ghosts of impermanence exist. Don't try to be too clever and cheat yourself. Your disbelief in King Yama is the very reason you have not escaped birth and death for these endless eons past!

一九八二年五月三十日开示于万佛圣城

A talk given on May 30, 1982

at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas