挽回劫运

　　Averting a Crisis

　　世界上所有人不食众生肉；都吃斋、戒杀、放生，

　　这样世界灾难就会消灭于无形，就能挽回劫运。

　　If all people would free the creatures instead of eating them－if all would practice vegetarianism－

　　then all the world”s disasters would disappear and a crisis would be averted.

　　一切有为法，

　　如梦幻泡影；

　　如露亦如电，

　　应作如是观。

　　All conditioned dharmas

　　Are like dreams, illusions, bubbles and shadows;

　　Like dewdrops and lightning flashes.

　　One should contemplate them in this way.

　　一切有为法，就是一切有所作为，有表现，有形相的法，也就是世间法。世间一切一切都叫有为法，它的相对就是无为法。无为法不是如梦幻泡影，亦非如露如电。有为法是不究竟、不彻底，是无常的；无为法是无起灭，没有开始，也没有结束，它是无形、无相，无可表法。无为法有很多种，这里说的是无为而无不为，大造大化，这种无为法是很不容易修行，也不易明白的。

　　Conditioned dharmas refer to dharmas that are acted out, expressed, and have visible form; these are worldly dharmas. All worldly phenomena are called conditioned dharmas. Their opposite is the unconditioned Dharma. The unconditioned Dharma is not like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow, a dewdrop, or a lightning flash. Conditioned dharmas aren”t ultimate; they don”t penetrate to the root of things, and they are impermanent. The uncondi-tioned Dharma, on the other hand, neither comes into being nor ceases to be; it has neither a beginning nor an end. It is devoid of shape or form, and cannot be expressed. There are many varieties of unconditioned Dharma; here we are discussing the type that is unconditioned and yet conditions everything. It gives rise to creative transformations on a vast scale. This type of unconditioned Dharma is very difficult to cultivate and very difficult to understand.

　　一般人都着住到有为法上，迷恋于世间法，所以从早到晚求名逐利，在飘荡的业海中随波逐浪，一不小心就被业风吹得无影无踪，而不知堕落到哪一道去？世界上人类这么多，但其他畜生类也不少，地狱、饿鬼更多。所以在人道里不容易站得住脚，因为业海浮沈飘荡，就把我们人吹得头昏脑胀，东西南北都分不清。

　　Ordinary people are attached to conditioned dharmas. They find worldly dharmas fascinating. From morning to night, they pursue fame and fortune, tossed and turned by the waves of karma. Careless for even an instant, they might be blown away without a trace, leaving everyone to wonder what realm of existence they have fallen into. There are so many beings in the human realm, and in the animal realm as well. There are even more beings in the hells, and in the realm of hungry ghosts. Therefore, it”s not that easy to get a foothold in the human realm. As we bob up and down in the sea of karma, we are blown about in dizzy confusion.

　　现在我们地球这个时代是末法时代，所谓「末法」，就是法快没有了，已经到末梢上了。因为人人都忘了根本的法，都在皮毛上追逐，结果愈追愈找不到真理。找不到真理，就想抓一个东西，抓一个假的东西──有为法，而对于无为法根本都不知道，连名词都忘了，所以就成为末法。

　　The planet is presently in the Dharma-ending Age. The term "Dharma-ending" means that the Dharma”s extinction is imminent. The Dharma has already reached its final stages. People have forgotten the fundamental Dharma, and only pursue its more superficial aspects. The more they pursue, the farther they stray from the truth. Unable to find what is true, they end up grasping at what is false: conditioned dharmas. They know nothing about the uncon-ditioned Dharma. They have even forgotten the name. That”s why this age has become the Dharma-ending age.

　　不但佛教是末法，其他的宗教也都往末法路上走。天主教从一九六三年起，有很多传教士都不守规矩，修女、神父、牧师也都变了。佛教也是如此，都跟着时髦时代转，这一转就转到末法时代了。所以我常说：「世界到了末法，所有宗教人士要负全部责任。」

　　Not only Buddhism, but other religions are declining as well. Starting in 1963, many Catholic priests have failed to abide by their rules. The sisters and fathers changed their style. The same thing has happened in Buddhism. Buddhism changed with the times, and that change ushered in the Dharma-ending Age. Therefore, I have always said that the leaders of all religions should assume full respon-sibility for the decline of religion in the world.

　　现在社会的教育也走样了，不像以前从事教育的人为教育而教育，想将青年人培养成世界的栋梁。古时候学者们兢兢业业，为研究学问而白首，不会想：「如何能在社会上出风头，做有名的学者或教育家？」他们完全没有这种思想。他们是研究怎样造就栋梁之材，移风易俗，将世界改造，这是古来学者的作风和精神。而现在的学者与教授呢？他们教青年人如何得到好名、利益。

　　Also, in modern society, education has gone astray. In the past, educators worked to …

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