修道要有恒心

　　Cultivation Requires Perseverance

　　修行非一朝一夕之事，而是要念茲在茲；

　　朝于斯、夕于斯，年年月月都這樣修行。

　　Cultivation is not a one-day affair. Rather, we must cultivate in thought after thought,

　　from morning to night, year after year and month after month.

　　樹一天一天地長，你雖然沒有見到它的生長，但不知不覺中它是在長大。等到十年或百年之後，它就變成有用的材料。樹是這樣子，我們人修道也是如此，不要著急，不要想今天修行，明天就要開悟，不是這麼容易的。必須要天天鍛煉，天天修行，也不管它有什麼進步，你不退步就是進步。你只要一天一天把妄想減少，這就是進步；欲念一天比一天少，這就是進步；貪瞋癡心一天比一天少，這就是進步。不要求快，所謂：

　　Even though you don”t notice a tree growing, day by day it imperceptibly gets bigger. After ten years or a hundred years, it can be made into good lumber. People who cultivate the Way are also like this. Don”t be in a rush, thinking that you can cultivate today and become enlightened tomorrow. It”s not that easy. You must train and cultivate every day.

　　Don”t worry about how much progress you”re making. As long as you don”t retreat, you”re making progress. If you have fewer random thoughts each day, then you”re making progress.

　　其進銳者，其退速。

　　One who makes rapid progress

　　will also beat a hasty retreat.

　　你進得快，退得也快。你必須用恒常的心來修行，天天求忏悔，改過自新，所謂：

　　If you advance quickly, you will also be quick to retreat. Instead, you should cultivate with a constant and steadfast resolve. Each day, strive to repent, correct your errors, and turn over a new leaf. As it”s said,

　　一日無過可改，

　　一日無功可進。

　　A day of having corrected no faults

　　Is a day of having created no merit.

　　所以我們修行就是要去習氣毛病，去骯髒的思想，現出本有的光明，本來的智慧。這些智慧光明，是人人本具的，可惜被無明遮蓋住了，就不能善用自己的智慧光明。無明遮障了，就想往下流；你若露出智慧，就會往上達，即是逆流。所以修行非一朝一夕，而是要念茲在茲，朝于斯、夕于斯，年年月月都是這樣修行，恒常不變，時間久了，才能養成我們的般若智慧。不要「一日曝之，十日寒之。」這樣你永遠也不會有成就。我們要學樹木的成長，一天一天長大，一日一日誠心來修行。

　　We are cultivating to eliminate our bad habits and faults, cast out our defiled thoughts, and reveal our inherent clarity and wisdom. The wisdom and clarity are there, but they have been covered up by ignorance, so we cannot make good use of them. When we are obscured by ignorance, we tend to become petty and mean. If our wisdom comes forth, we will become more noble and go against the common flow. Cultivation is not a one-day affair. Rather, we must cultivate in thought after thought, from morning to night, year after year and month after month, with unchanging perseverance. Eventually our Prajna wisdom will mature. Don”t "sun it for one day and freeze it for ten"－you”ll never accomplish anything that way. We should cultivate sincerely every day, just as a tree grows slowly but surely.

　　在修道期間，遇到任何境界、魔障、逆緣、順緣，都要處之泰然，順逆皆精進，把一切萬事萬物都看成是在爲我們演說妙法。若是我們能了解萬事萬物都在說法，就可以知道那個妙不可言之處。如果能明白這個，就能知道自己本來的面目，就路還家，藉世間法而修出世法。

　　As we practice, we should remain calm whether we encounter demonic obstacles, adverse situations, or even favorable situations. Both in adversity and smooth situations, we should maintain our vigor. If we can recognize all things as proclaiming the wonderful Dharma, we will see ineffable wonders. By cultivating the transcendental Dharma right within worldly affairs, we can take the road home and discover our true identity.

　　不被萬法所迷，不被萬相所惑，當一切境界來了，就能迎刃而解，不被境界所障，這樣子久而久之，我們的智慧就會現前。我們的智慧之所以不現前，就因爲看不破放不下，所以總也得不到自在解脫；就因爲我們不向前進，只想往後退，遇到善緣猶豫不決，遇到惡緣就從而隨之，跟著跑了，所以就流浪在六道之中，總也跑不出去，愈陷愈深，愈深就愈拔不出腿來。在這裏流浪反覺得有點意思，所以生了又死，死了又生，糊塗生來，糊塗死去，中間又不知所做爲何？總是顛顛倒倒，找不出個所以然來。

　　At that point nothing will confuse us. When states arise, we will be able solve the problems easily. No situation will obstruct us. Eventually, our wisdom will come forth. It hasn”t come forth yet because we aren”t able to see through things and let go of them. Thus we cannot be free and at ease. We have been backsliding instead of advancing. When we encounter good conditions, we hesitate and feel unsure of ourselves. Meeting evil conditions, we follow right along and drift aimlessly in the six paths, sinking deeper and deeper, unable to escape. We linger on, thinking it”s a lot of fun, so we go through birth, death, and rebirth. We are born muddled, die confused, and don”t know what we”re doing in between. We can”t figure out what life is all about.

　　各位！這種人生就是糊塗的人生，總以爲自己有名有利，有大成就了。其實人世間的成功，就是聖賢的失敗，所以這個賬應該算清楚，要做一個真正的明白人。你要一明白，永遠明白，打破生死關，跳出輪回圈，這樣才是大丈夫的能事。

　　We lived muddled lives, thinking we have achieved fame, fortune, and success. Sages see our worldly success as failure. We should carefully look into what we have done, examine our accounts, and truly understand the situation. Once we understand, we can be true heroes and leap out from the endless cycle of birth and death.

　　一九八二年六月六日開示于萬佛聖城

　　A talk given on June 6, 1982

　　at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas

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