少說社會應酬話

　　Cut Down on Frivolous Talk

　　不要存著社會上應酬的習氣，希望大家將社會上的應酬話都收回。

　　There”s no need for frivolous speech here. I hope that all of you will cut down on petty small talk.

　　在這個社會上，有很多人說了很多話，可是話說多了，大家聽著反而不注意。爲什麼？因爲社會上的風氣形成人與人之間，不敢說真話，盡說一些假話。爲什麼不說真話？因爲說真話，沒有人歡喜聽；對于法嘛，也是這樣，一般人歡喜花和葉，不歡喜果實。

　　In this society, many people do a lot of talking—so much talking that people do not really pay attention to what”s being said. Why

　　 Because it has become the norm within society that people dare not be truthful with each other. No one likes to listen to the truth. This is also the case with the Dharma. The dharma that most people like to listen to is the dharma of flowers and leaves; but when you get to the actual fruit, people don”t want to hear about it.

　　好像水果樹，在開花的時候，放出一股清香的氣味，令嗅的人覺得比吃果實還要高興；等到水果成熟時，反而沒有那樣大的吸引力。這種道理，就好像社會上的人願意聽假話，不願意聽真話。假話好像樹開花，拐彎抹角說些浮靡不實的漂亮話，可是卻很多人願意聽，聽得津津有味。若是老老實實說如何守戒律，如何守規矩，怎麼樣不爭、不貪、不求、不自私、不自利、不妄語，怎樣做個真正的佛教徒，如果這樣說，不但教外的人不願意聽，就是教內的人聽了也覺得刺耳，心裏不舒服。爲什麼？因爲忠言逆耳，這些話對自己所行所做不方便的緣故。

　　Take fruit trees, for example. When they”re in bloom, they exude an alluring fragrance and people enjoy smelling the blossoms even more than eating the fruit. By the time the fruit ripens, they are no longer as interested. This is an analogy for people in the world who only like to hear false things and don”t like to hear the truth. The false talk is like flowers. If you embellish and speak pretty words that have no real substance, many people are willing to listen. But if you tell them the plain truth, such as how to hold the precepts, how to follow the rules, how to avoid greed and contention, how not to seek, how to be unselfish and not be self-indulgent, how to be a real Buddhist and so forth, not only do non-Buddhists not want to listen, but even Buddhists find it irritating and feel uncomfortable. True words are hard on the ear; when people hear them, they feel that they can no longer act as they please.

　　因爲這個緣故，釋迦牟尼佛在靈山法會時，舍利弗尊者請佛演說《妙法蓮華經》的真理。佛說：「止止不須複說。」這樣說了之後，舍利弗又再請法。佛又說：「止止不須說，我法妙難思。」舍利弗尊者如此殷勤叁請，最後終于感動佛憐愍衆生，故爲大衆演暢開權顯實的道理。可是當佛告訴舍利弗：「你現在要專心一致，洗耳恭聽，我當爲你們詳細解說。」這時會中就有五千人退席。你們看！這些人，有的弟子跟佛修道多年，也有新來學佛法的，都同時離開法會，不願意聽佛所說的妙法。

　　For these very reasons, when Shakyamuni Buddha was on Vulture Peak and his disciple Shariputra implored him to speak the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra, the Buddha said, “Stop! Stop! Say no more. My Dharma is wonderful beyond conception.” Although the Buddha refused to speak, Shariputra entreated him three times. Finally, the Buddha, moved by his sincerity and out of great pity for living beings, “opened up the provisional and revealed the actual.”

　　He told Shariputra, “Pay attention and listen well, for I shall now explain in detail for you.” But right after the Buddha said this, five thousand people walked out of the assembly. Take a look. Some of them had followed the Buddha for years, while others were new disciples, but none wanted to hear the wonderful Dharma the Buddha was about to speak, so they left.

　　由此證明，世人願意聽假話，不願意聽真話。所以我今天對你們大家所說的話，都是假的，不是真的，你可以把它忘掉，但要記住自己願意聽的法，願意行的法。

　　From this incident we can see that people don”t want to hear the truth, but are quite willing to accept what”s false. Therefore, what I have spoken to you today is all false. You can forget all about it. Just remember the Dharma that you wish to hear, and then cultivate according to it.

　　凡是來到萬佛聖城的人，都要遵守萬佛聖城的規矩。無論是住城的人、外來的人，一律不准吃肉、吸煙、飲酒，更不要吸毒；還要注意！不要互相說「謝謝」兩個字，因爲「謝謝」這兩個字是社會上的應酬話，萬佛聖城是佛教的聖地，不要存著社會上應酬的習氣，希望大家將社會上的應酬話都收回。這是我今天所說的話的重點，不管你們願意聽、不願意聽，反正我是這樣說了。

　　Anyone who comes to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas must follow the rules of this Way-place. Whether you are a resident or a visitor, you have to eat vegetarian food while on the premises, and not smoke, drink, or use drugs or intoxicants. Moreover, you can”t say “thank you.” Those two words are small talk and have no place in the holy ground of this City. There”s no need for frivolous speech here. I hope that all of you will cut down on the small talk. That”s what I wanted to say today, whether you care to hear it or not.

　　一九八叁年六月廿六日開示

　　于萬佛聖城

　　A talk given on June 26, 1983,

　　at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas

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