The End of All Desires Is a True Blessing

　　私欲斷盡是真福田

　　If you have a bit of purity in your mind, the Buddha”s light will shine upon you, eradicating your karmic offenses and increasing your good roots. Sometimes, it is a kind of movement in which you feel like a bomb is about to explode. It is said, “With movement there is change. With change there is transformation.” When the bomb explodes, it will reduce your afflictions and ignorance. When you encounter states, do not attach to whether they are good or bad. Simply carry on with your work. Eat your fill when you are hungry and after you are done, do not start to analyze how good or bad the food was or how it gets digested in your stomach. Do not think about whether the food tasted good or bad; it will all get digested in your stomach. When a state manifests, do not think about whether it is a good state or a bad one. If you start to analyze it, you will fall into the secondary meaning. It is not the primary meaning. This is because your thoughts stirred. Therefore it is said, “When thoughts move, a hundred matters arise. When thoughts cease, ten thousands events disappear.” “The ceasing of the mind and thoughts is true wealth. The end of all desires is a true blessing.” So, no matter what you cultivate, you must cut off your selfish desires. If you don”t, then whatever state you experience will be superficial.

　　心裏有一點點清淨了，所以佛光來照你，令你業障消除、善根增長；有時你覺得有炮仗要炸似的，這是一種動，所謂「動則變，變則化」；它一爆炸，把你的煩惱無明消了很多。不過遇到境界，不要執著它是好的境界，還是不好的境界，要繼續用功就對了！你餓了就吃飯，吃飽了就不要想：「我吃這個東西怎麼樣好、怎麼樣壞，到肚裏怎麼樣消化；這好的怎麼消化，這不好的又怎麼樣消化……。」不要想這個，不論好吃不好吃，到肚裏一樣能消化，這個境界也是這樣。境界現前，你不要想這個境界是好？還是不好？你一追想好不好，就落成第二義，不是第一義谛，因爲你動念了。「念動百事有，念止萬事無」，「心止念絕是真富貴，私欲斷盡是真福田」。你用什麼功，一定要斷除你的私欲；你私欲不斷，有什麼境界，都是皮毛。