“Mind-substance separate from thought is virtue.” View the mind as a kind of energy-substance. If your mind can be devoid of thoughts, that is virtue. You must know your mind: what does it contain within? What does it do? If the thoughts and actions that go inside are wholesome, then your mind is Buddha. If what goes inside is defiled, then your mind is a demon.
心体离念是德，即把心作为一种能量体。如果你的心能够没有念头就是德。要知道你的心，里面包含的是什么？做的是什么？这个能量体的摄入量（即各种念头及行为）如果进去的是好的东西，你的心就是佛。进去的是肮脏的东西，你的心就是魔。
You must understand your mind, and what it does. In Buddhism, the concept “Mind-substance separate from thought is virtue” means that your mind must be completely separate from your thoughts. You must put your heart into everything you do. If what goes inside your mind is wholesome, then it’s virtue. That’s because once it’s inside, you will know about your morality. Accepting wholesome things makes you a virtuous person, but if contaminants enter your mind, it means you are lacking in virtue.
你要了解你的心，要知道你的心到底在做什么。所以佛法上讲“心体离念”，就是你的心要完全离开你的念头，做任何事情要用自己的心做，如果你的心里进入了好的东西，就是德，因为好的东西进去了之后，你就知道你自己这个德性，接受了好的东西你就是有道德的人。如果你的心里进入了肮脏的不好的东西，就是缺德。
How can you be free of distracting thoughts? First, you must distance yourself from all thoughts, which is known as “non-thought’”. Non-thought is virtue. What that means is that you will become a virtuous person when you have no thought, or you are able to separate out the thought. When you have any thought, your mind will fluctuate. Just like a pendulum, your mind will swing back and forth and be unable to settle when you have thoughts. But when you have no thoughts, the pendulum becomes completely still. With thoughts, there will be deviation of thoughts. That’s why you must understand that having “no thought” is virtue. If you are frequently devoid of thoughts, it will transform into another kind of thought called “no non-thought”. If you have any thoughts at all, afflictions will arise. Afflictions arise because of thoughts, and so the ability to transform thoughts into non-thoughts is virtue.
怎样才能使你没有杂念？首先要离念，离念就是无念，无念就是德。你没有念头了，你离开这个念头了你就有德了，有任何的念头，你就会有参差上下，就像一个钟一样，你有念头时，你的心就会摇摆不定，如果没有念头时，摆针就不动了，定住了，有念头就会有念差，所以要记住无念就是德，因为你经常无念就会转换成另外一种念，叫无无念。如果有念就会有烦恼，有烦恼就是有念头，把有念头变成无念头，就是德。
The truth of the universe is that, despite the myriad of different changes, the principle remains the same. It’s just like the cycle of rebirths in the Six Realms of Existence. Humans are trapped and unable to get out of the endless cycle of rebirths. Getting out of it requires the guidance of an enlightened teacher. Many people follow my teachings and there seems to be some progress in their cultivation, but they then get dragged into the cycle again. Life is like a great vortex – when you manage to come out a bit, you get sucked back in again. Note, therefore, that you must make the transformation from having afflictions to having no afflictions. That way, your virtues emerge.
这个宇宙的真相就是万变不离其宗，就跟六道轮回一样，人在六道转，转不出来，要有明师指点把你们拉出来，但是很多人跟着师父刚刚修出来了一点，又进去了。因为人生就像一个大漩涡，刚刚出来一点，又转进去了。要记住把有烦恼变成无烦恼，你的德就出来了。
All sentient beings have thoughts, but thoughts do not interfere with the Buddha-nature, and the Buddha-nature does not interfere with our thoughts. The reason your thoughts do not affect your Buddha-nature is because they cannot reach the deepest part of your mind, where the inherent nature and Buddha-nature reside. The Buddha-nature that you inherently possess will not interfere with your thoughts. Whether good or bad, the Buddha-nature remains in its same, original form. Even if someone has been put in jail, their Buddha-nature still exists. That’s why we should allow the Buddha-nature to stay permanently, whilst keeping positivity alive in our hearts.
众生都有念头，但念头不干扰佛性，佛性不干扰念头。你有念头不会影响你的佛性，因为影响不到你内心最深处的本性佛性，你本身具有的佛性不会干扰你的念头，不论是好念头还是坏念头，佛性还是原来的佛性，哪怕这个人进了牢狱，但是他的佛性仍然存在。所以佛性要让它常住，好的东西要常住在心里。
The thought of non-thoughts is virtue. When you already have no thoughts, you obviously won’t even think of them. For example, someone might say: “I have no opinion on this matter.” But in fact, their opinion still exists. This is called the “thought of having no thoughts”. The thought of non-thoughts is the Buddha-nature.
没有念头的念就是德，你已经没有念头了，你连想都不去想，比如，有人说对这件事我没有想法，其实还是有想法存在，这个叫无有念的念，无念的念就是佛性。
“Not being separate from our own nature” means that we should never separate from our inherent nature – our Buddha-nature. That is merit. Our own Buddha-nature is not defiled. If we can apply it freely, it’s virtue.
不离自性，即我们做人要永远不离开自己的本性，不要离开佛性，就是功。自性的佛性不污染，而且能够应用自如就是德。
I’ve now mentioned two different meanings with regard to merit and virtue. Firstly, merit and virtue emanate from within. You must possess the Buddha-nature and learn the merit and virtue of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Secondly, your Dharma body must possess merit and virtue. As I said before, if you have obtained merit and virtue, your body becomes the Dharma body – or the body of merit and virtue. And it is true merit and virtue. The Dharma body of merit and virtue is true merit and virtue, and then the true Buddha-nature will appear. How? Because after your mortal body has created something from your inherent nature, the true Buddha-nature appears from the depths of your mind. The Buddha-nature that appears is the foundation upon which you can truly learn Buddhism. Only with the true Buddha-nature as the foundation can the good deeds you perform be considered merit and virtue. Otherwise, everything you do remains good deeds, and you receive worldly blessings.
刚才给大家讲了功德有两种意义：一、功德是从内心发出的，要具有佛性，要学佛菩萨功德。二、你们的法身要有功德，就是师父前面所讲的，如果你们把功德做到了，你们这个肉身就是法身，也就是功德身，而且是真功德。功德法身是真功德，然后真佛性也就出来了。因为你这个肉身创造出最本性的东西之后，你内心真正的佛性就出来了，出来的这个佛性是基础，就是你们真正学佛具有佛性的基础，在真正佛性的基础上做出来的事情才叫功德，否则全部为善事和福报。
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas protect and bless those who are willing to help themselves. In other words, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas bless those who are willing to correct their shortcomings. People who aren’t willing to do that will never receive blessings from the Bodhisattvas. First, they must have a sense of remorse before they can be saved. In other words, they first must repent, and only then can they be saved. If one does not even have a sense of remorse about their bad habits, how can they be saved?
佛菩萨保佑那些肯帮助自己的人，就是佛菩萨保佑那些肯改正自己身上缺点的人，因为不肯改正自己身上缺点的人，菩萨是不会保佑的。也就是说这个人要有忏悔心才有救，先要忏悔，你才能得救，你连自己身上的习气都不知道悔改，怎么能得救呢？
The Buddha is the most ordinary person in the world, because he recovered the original state of the Buddha-nature. We are kind-hearted people, and so as we continue to cultivate our minds, the Buddha-nature will emerge at the end of the day. That is when we recover the original state of the Buddha-nature, which is the primeval soul of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
佛是世界上最平凡的人，因为他恢复了佛性的原状态，因为我们是善良的人，修心修到最后，把佛性都修出来了，就恢复到佛性的最原始的状态，即佛菩萨原来的元灵。
All phenomena occurring in this world – everything, all of it – is a prison of the Human Realm. If you believe them and take action accordingly, it’s akin to entering this prison and becoming unable to get out. It’s a prison we enter ourselves, and we lock ourselves into. For example, imagine that someone treats you badly, so you hate them and keep thinking about how they will hurt you. Didn’t you just enter your own prison?
世界上一切现象，所有的一切事情，全部都是人间的牢狱。你如果相信它，你去做了，你就如同进了监狱，进了这个事物的牢狱，被它锁住了，出不来了。这个监狱是自己把自己关进去的。比如：有人对你不好，你就会恨这个人，而且在心里总想他会害你，你这是不是进了自己的监狱？
Showing respect to other people is to make yourself dignified. If you are a refined and cultured person, you know about the Buddha-dharma and you know about courtesy – and so you are dignifying yourself. Not only do you benefit from it, you also elevate your character.
对人家恭敬就是庄严自己，你是有修为的人，知佛法，懂礼貌，这是在庄严自己，自己受益，并在提高自己的人格。
Ultimately, the Buddha-dharma is the method for attaining the awakening of life. You must get enlightened – you must hurry and wake up! The method is the Buddha-dharma, and it will help you to understand the truth of the universe and of life.
讲到最后佛法就是完成生命觉醒的方法，你要觉悟啊，要赶快醒过来啊，因为这个方法就是佛法，它让你真正明白宇宙人生的真相。
Let me say this: “The world is one big joke”. This world is a stage that makes you a laughing stock. Think about your seniors; think about your past; think about your future; think about everything you have done until now. Isn’t it all a joke? Everything is illusory. When you can’t catch your breath, everything is gone. Each and every thing in this world is illusory. You came empty-handed, and you will leave empty-handed.
师父今天给你们讲一句话：“这个世界就是一场大笑话。”这个世界就是造成你笑话的舞台。想想你的长辈，想想你自己的过去，想想你的将来，想想你所做过的事情，可笑不可笑，什么都是假的，一口气上不来，什么都没有了，所有人间的一切全部都是假的，来也空空，去也空空。今天因为时间关系，师父就讲到这里。
发表于 2023-3-20 07:05:04
