了生死要做內聖外王的功夫
To End Birth and Death, One Must Have the Skill of Being a Sage Inside and a King Outside
內聖就是格物、誠意、正心；外王就是修身，就是要立功。
Inner sagehood consists of investigating things, rectifying the mind, and making the will sincere.
Outer kingliness means cultivating the body by performing meritorious deeds.
人修道要將基礎打穩，想要了生死就要做些功夫。什麼功夫呢？就是「格物、誠意、正心、修身。」什麼是格物？就是格除物欲，格除自己的私欲、雜念。物欲包括一切財、色、名、食、睡的欲，你都要將它革除。
In cultivating the Way, we must lay a solid foundation. If we want to put an end to birth and death, we must exert effort. This effort consists of “investigating things, making the will sincere, rectifying the mind, and cultivating the body” [The Great Learning]. What does investigating things mean
It means getting rid of our lust, random thoughts, and materialistic desires. Materialistic desires include the desires for wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep. We should get rid of all those desires.
「誠意」，就是永遠都是如此。信佛要永遠信，拿出真心來信，要有堅定的信心。不要總是狐疑不信，怕自己會吃虧上當；又懷疑有沒有佛或菩薩，怎麼我都沒見過？好像狐狸走在冰上，兢兢業業的，若是冰一響，就趕快向後轉，所以說「如履薄冰」。人信佛不要戰戰兢兢、如臨深淵、如履薄冰，而要有堅定的信心。然後要「正心」，也就是不自私，你若有自私心，就不是正心。「修身」，凡是對身體有害的東西都不用它，要時刻謹慎小心，
Making the will sincere means being always the same. Your faith in Buddhism should be everlasting, true-hearted, and firm. Don”t be so cynical, as if you”re afraid you might be swindled and have to take a loss. You doubt the existence of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, wondering, “Why haven”t I seen them
” You are just like a fox treading across the ice, running back onto solid ground as soon as it hears the ice crack. We should not be so fearful in our belief, as if we were walking along a cliff or over thin ice. Our faith has to be firm.
Next, we should rectify the mind, which means being unselfish. If we are selfish, we cannot rectify our minds.
In cultivating our bodies, we should avoid using things that harm the body. We have to be cautious and alert at all times.
身體發膚，受之父母，
不敢毀傷，孝之始也。
My body, hair, and skin were given to me
by my parents,
And I dare not harm them.
This is the beginning of filiality.
修行是修內聖外王的功夫，內聖就是格物、誠意、正心，修身是外王的工作，就是要立功。要勤勞工苦作，不怕活計多。要什麼事都能做，不是說我天天打坐就是修行，我不做旁的。若真懂修行的人，起居動作都是修行。
We should cultivate the skill of “being a sage inside, and a king outside.” Inner sagehood consists of investigating things, rectifying the mind, and making the will sincere. Outer kingliness means cultivating the body by performing meritorious deeds. We should diligently toil and labor, and not be afraid of too much work. We should be able to do every kind of work, not just meditate all day long and call that cultivation. If a person truly understands how to cultivate, he can cultivate in everything he does.
修行，就是心裏時刻平平靜靜，沒有煩惱，沒有無明，沒有貢高我慢，沒有妒忌障礙。如果你有這些毛病，即使你坐八萬大劫，還是那麼大脾氣、那麼多妒忌障礙，這樣你也不會修成功的。
Cultivation means being calm and peaceful at all times, without affliction, ignorance, arrogance, jealousy, or obstructiveness. If you still have those problems and are still hot-tempered, jealous, and obstructive, you wouldn”t succeed in your cultivation even if you sat in meditation for eighty thousand great eons!
修行，是要真正地去習氣毛病，檢點自己，才是用功人的態度。所以說「君子不器」，君子不是只像個器皿，如茶杯只能喝茶用，飯碗只能吃飯用，而不能用在其他地方。君子是文武雙全，高低都能做，他能治國平天下，也能拿刀上陣，殺退敵人，所以修道是要天天打起精神來努力。
In cultivation, we must get rid of our faults and bad habits, and examine ourselves. That”s the attitude of a diligent cultivator. It is said, “A superior person is not a utensil that has just one use.” A superior person is not like a teacup, which is only used for drinking tea, or a bowl, which is only good for eating and cannot be used for anything else. Rather, a superior person has both literary and military skill. He can operate at a high level as well as at a low level. Not only is he able to govern the country and bring peace to the world, he can also take up the sword and charge onto the battlefield, slaying his enemies until they retreat. We should rouse our spirits and work diligently at our practice.
精進就是修行，修行最大的毛病就是怕有煩惱；若無煩惱就得自在解脫，就是大修行人。最要緊的是在任何情形之下，都要很有定力，不生煩惱，這就是修行得力處。
Vigor is essential to cultivation. The greatest thing to be feared in cultivation is affliction. If we have no affliction, we will obtain mastery and liberation and be great cultivators. The most important thing is that we must be very concentrated and calm in all situations, and not give rise to afflictions. This will give us strength in cultivation.
沒有煩惱，真正智慧就生出來了。君子可大可小，小如微塵，大如須彌、如法界。大丈夫志能屈能伸，誰冤枉自己，也不生煩惱，伸屈自如，方的、圓的、直的都可以，所以說「君子不器」。
If we are free of affliction, true wisdom will come forth. A superior person is able to be great as well as small; he can be as small as a speck of dust, or as great as Mount Sumeru or the Dharma Realm. With great heroic spirit he can adapt to any conditions. People may accuse him unjustly, but he does not become afflicted. He is always flexible and can meet every need. That”s why he is not like a utensil that has only a single use.
「君子不重則不威，學則不固。」就是你若不檢點自己，就無威儀，所學的也都是假的。君子是不茍言笑的，絕不輕舉妄動，這都是君子的行爲。我們修道人要學佛、學菩薩、學聖人，更應該超過君子的程度。學佛法的人要天天如此，不可有絲毫躲懶偷安。
“If a superior person is not serious, he will not inspire awe, and his learning will not be solid.” If you don”t examine yourself critically, your deportment won”t inspire awe, and the knowledge you gain from your studies will also be false. A superior person does not thoughtlessly laugh or make careless gestures. A cultivator should transcend the level of a superior person and learn from the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and sages. People who study the Buddhadharma should be this way every day and not be the least bit lazy.
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