..續本文上一頁ht 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.

　　古人說：「善惡兩條道，修的修，造的造。」修善者能出離叁界，造惡者就墮落叁塗。善惡只在一念之間，有智慧就是善念，有愚癡就是惡念。

　　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.

　　世間一切都在說法，有的說善法，有的說惡法，有的說旁門左道邪知邪見的法，有的說中道了義正知正見的法。換句話說，說善法，就是教人看得破，放得下，得到自在；說惡法，就教人看不破，放不下，得不到自在。人爲什麼顛顛倒倒？就因爲執著，所以一切放不下。古詩雲：

　　古來多少英雄漢，

　　南北山頭臥土泥。

　　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.

　　你們想一想，看一看，世間所有的人，誰能逃出生死關？在一生之中，圖個好名，死了，名也沒有了！貪個大官，死了，官也沒有了！一切都成空了。中國有個秦始皇，他修萬裏長城，爲了保護子孫萬代做皇帝。不料才傳到第二代胡亥時，只做了叁年的皇帝，就被丞相趙高所弒，這不是枉費一番心機嗎？

　　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，發大財、當大官的人，胡塗過一生，爭名奪利，造了多少孽障；等到死的時候，兩手空空去見閻王。由此觀之，我們參禅一定要用功，不可懈怠，不可放逸，錯過機會，就後悔莫及了。所謂「一寸時光，一寸命光。」有人說：「等我功成名就時，再放下一切，專心修道。」可是時光不等待人的，到那時就晚了。

　　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.

　　參禅也好，念佛也好，只要認真修行，都能出離生死關。到臨終時，身無病苦，心不貪戀，如入禅定，含笑往生，這才是對生死大事有把握！

　　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○年禅七十二月開示

　　A talk given during a Chan session

　　in December, 1980

《善惡不離一念心 Good and Evil Are Not Beyond a Single Thought》全文閱讀結束。