Chapter Five: LEARNING TO BE TRUSTWORTHY

凡出言，信为先，诈与妄，奚可焉。
话说多，不如少，惟其是，勿佞巧。
苛薄语，秽污词，市井气，切戒之。
见未真，勿轻言，知未的，勿轻传。
事非宜，勿轻诺，苟轻诺，进退错。
见人善，即思齐，纵去远，以渐跻。
见人恶，即内省，有则改，无加警。
凡道字，重且舒，勿急疾，勿模糊。
彼说长，此说短，不关己，莫闲管。
惟德学，惟才艺，不如人，常自励。
若衣服，若饮食，不如人，勿生戚。
闻过怒，闻誉喜，损友来，益友却。
闻誉恐，闻过欣，直谅士，渐相亲。
无心非，名为错，有心非，名为恶。
过能改，归于无，倘掩饰，增一辜。

这一段话的思想，源自《论语‧里仁篇》孔子的两句话﹕「见贤思齐焉，见不贤而内自省也。」而更进一步表明了「有过则改」的积极态度。孔子自己是随时随地都能跟任何人学习，而且是活到老学到老的人。他常说﹕「三个人在一起，其中就一定有值得我学习的人。」这就是说﹕只要一个人有任何一方面比他强，他一定向对方求教或效法；至于那些不好或不如他的，也可以在反面作为自己的鉴戒，所以还是值得称做老师。

The ideas in this section come from a quote of Confucius found in the Liren Chapter in tile Analects: "When you see worthy ones, strive to equal them. When you see those who are not worthy, reflect upon yourself." This section goes further to say that if one has faults, one should correct them. Confucius was someone who was able to learn from whomever he was with. He continued learning into his old age. He often said, "Among a group of three, there is bound to be someone worth learning from." If anyone was better than him in any skill, he would seek instruction and learn from that person. Those who are inferior to one can also serve as mirrors in which one can look for faults in oneself, so they also deserve to be called teachers.

好像佛在《法华经》上说的，佛的堂弟提婆达多，虽然屡次嫉妒陷害释迦牟尼佛，其实这正是以反面的形相，来帮助释迦牟尼佛修行，以至于成佛；提婆达多因为这样的功德，将来也会成佛的。所以不管他人品德好不好，对我们友善不友善，只要我们秉持「见贤思齐」，「有过则改」的信念，他们都是成就我们的道业的老师。

For example, in the Dharma Flower Sutra, the Buddha says that although his jealous cousin Devadatta tried time and again to hurt and kill him, he was really helping the Buddha to go forward in his cultivation and accomplish Buddhahood. And it is primarily because of this merit that Devadatta will also become a Buddha in the future. Regardless of how good or bad people are and how well or poorly they treat us, as long as we have the attitude that we should emulate worthy ones and change our own faults, they can all be teachers to help us accomplish the Way.

美国万佛圣城开山祖师宣公上人就认为﹕法界就是一所大学校，无人不是老师，无处不是学问。所谓「众人是我师，我是众人师；时时师自己，自己是常师。」甚至誓愿度一切诋毁辱骂他的人比自己更早成佛。上人也经常阐示忏悔的法门，强调不嫉贤能，勇于改过；并称引《论语》中「子路，人告之以有过，则喜。」和孟子里所说的「禹闻善言则拜」，苦口婆心地来教化弟子。若是弟子中有嫉妒障碍的情事，上人也必定严厉地予以斥责、训勉。

The Venerable Master Hua, founder of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, regarded the Dharma Realm as a huge school in which everyone is a teacher and knowledge is everywhere. He said, "All people are my teachers, and I am everyone’s teacher. I always teach myself, so I am also my own constant teacher." He even vowed to take across people who slandered him so that they would accomplish Buddhahood before he did. The Venerable Master often spoke about the practice of repentance and stressed that we should not be jealous of talented people, but should bravely change our own faults. He earnestly remonstrated with his disciples, often quoting the phrase from the Analects, "If people told Zilu about his faults, he was delighted"; and from the Mencius, "When Yu heard good words, he would bow." If any of his disciples were jealous or obstructive, the Master would sternly chastise them.

唐太宗李世民是中国历史上少有的明君，历代文治武功都盛的皇帝不是没有，但是如汉武帝、清高宗等，都免不了好大喜功的毛病，因此周围也就出现了一批谄媚的弄臣；唯独唐太宗是从谏如流，广开言路，所以敢谏之臣特别多，最出名的首推魏征。魏征本来是唐太祖太子建成的策士，曾经献谋教太子早日除去功业显赫的二弟李世民，可是太子不懂得用他，以致于在玄武门兵变时反而败死，让李世民当上太子，不久又受禅继位为帝。后来唐太宗问起这段往事，魏征还大言侃侃地说﹕「假如当初事成，陛下今天也登不上皇帝宝座！」言下之意，自己的建议没错，错的是太子建成不听忠言。

Li Shiming, the Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, was a ruler of rare wisdom. Although there have been other emperors skilled in both literary and military arts, such as Emperor Wu of Han dynasty and Emperor Gaozong of Qing, they all had the fault of arrogance and so most of their ministers were flatterers. Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty alone allowed his officials to speak freely and easily accepted criticism. Thus, he had many ministers who dared to say what they thought was wrong. The most famous of these was Minister Wei Zheng. Wei Zheng was an advisor of the late Crown Prince Jiancheng of the Emperor Taizu and had advised the late Crown Prince to get rid of Li Shiming -- the Crown Prince’s younger brother--as soon as possible because his merits were too overpowering and outshone the Crown Prince. But the Crown Prince didn’t employ him and consequently lost his own life in the coup of Xunwu Gate. Li Shiming subsequently became the Crown Prince and before long was crowned as emperor. Later when Li Shiming asked him about this event, Wei Zeng wasn’t the least bit apologetic and said matter-of-factly, "Had he listened to me, your Majesty would not be on the throne today." In other words he didn’t think that his idea had been wrong. What was wrong was that Jiancheng, the former Crown Prince, had not listened to him.

唐太宗对魏征择善固执的精神十分欣赏，不但没治他的罪，反而升了他的官。魏征也相当钦佩唐太宗的器量，从此只要唐太宗的言语行为有任何不当，魏征都直言进谏，唐太宗也都能虚心接纳。唐太宗之所以能成为一代明君，正因为他不但能知贤任贤，更能法贤自贤；不像许多帝王将相，自己才识不足，不懂用人，偏又嫉贤害能，终至毁身败家亡国。唐太宗真不愧是才智兼备的贤君啊！

Emperor Taizong fully appreciated Wei Zeng’s obstinate adherence to what he thought was good, and not only didn’t punish him, but promoted him to an official position. Wei Zeng also admired Taizong’s broadmindedness, and if the emperor ever said or did anything inappropriate, he would frankly tell him. The emperor also humbly accepted the criticism. Emperor Taizong was such a wise ruler because he not only recognized and employed worthy people, he also learned from them and became worthy himself. He was not like many emperors, generals, and ministers who lacked talent and knowledge themselves, didn’t know how to employ others’ abilities, and regarded those of talent with malicious jealousy, thus ruining themselves, their families, and the nation. Emperor Taizong was truly a worthy ruler endowed with both talent and wisdom.

所以我们应该常存学习的心，有不如人之处，就应珍惜时间，努力学习，力求迎头赶上，毋须把宝贵的精神和时间浪费在对他人的嫉妒上。其实嫉妒他人是很傻的 ；因为你一旦嫉妒他人，不啻已承认自己输定了，永远也赶不上他人了，何必这么没自信心呢？

We should always be open to learning. If you are not up to others, you should use your time well and apply effort in learning so that you make great strides and even surpass others. Don’t waste your precious time and energy being jealous of others. Actually it’s very foolish to be jealous. If you are jealous, you are just acknowledging your inferiority to others and you’ll never be able to catch up to them. Why should you have so little self-confidence？