The End of All Desires Is a True Blessing

　　私欲断尽是真福田

　　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.

　　心里有一点点清净了，所以佛光来照你，令你业障消除、善根增长；有时你觉得有炮仗要炸似的，这是一种动，所谓「动则变，变则化」；它一爆炸，把你的烦恼无明消了很多。不过遇到境界，不要执着它是好的境界，还是不好的境界，要继续用功就对了！你饿了就吃饭，吃饱了就不要想：「我吃这个东西怎么样好、怎么样坏，到肚里怎么样消化；这好的怎么消化，这不好的又怎么样消化……。」不要想这个，不论好吃不好吃，到肚里一样能消化，这个境界也是这样。境界现前，你不要想这个境界是好？还是不好？你一追想好不好，就落成第二义，不是第一义谛，因为你动念了。「念动百事有，念止万事无」，「心止念绝是真富贵，私欲断尽是真福田」。你用什么功，一定要断除你的私欲；你私欲不断，有什么境界，都是皮毛。