聖嚴法師  自在語《第三集》

慈悲行願 Compassionate Vows and Practices

1. 為善為惡在一念間，修福修慧于方寸中[g1] 。

To do good or evil hinges on one thought, to cultivate merits and wisdom start within the heart.

2. 星星之火足以燎原，小小善願能救世界。

A spark of fire can burn down a forest; a small good wish can save the world.

3. 天地有作育大德，我豈無慈悲宏願。

Since heaven and earth have the grand virtue of nurturing all things, how can I not have the great vow of compassion and loving-kindness?

4. 救度眾生是提起，不住着相是放下。

To deliver all sentient beings from sufferings is picking up, without attachment to such deliverance is letting go.

5. 漫天紅塵心勿染，遍地荊棘杖竹行。

The secular dust filling up the sky shall not defile my heart; supported by a bamboo cane, I can traverse in[g2]  this secular world of thistles and thorns.

6. 慈悲必春風化雨，智慧當日光普照。

Compassion should transform like the spring shower and breeze, wisdom should enlighten like the omnipresent sunlight[g3] .

7. 悲善拔苦慈予樂，智火滅罪慧斷惑。

Loving-kindness delivers us from sufferings, compassion grants us joy, the fire of wisdom extinguishes transgressions, and the diamond-like prajna[g4]  wisdom severs delusions.

8. 有大智慧有大願，無量福德無量壽。

Attain great wisdom, make great vows, immeasurable merits and infinite lifespan[g5] .

9. 若見心中如來藏，三界火宅化紅蓮。

If we can see the hidden[g6]  Tathagata within our mind, the three realms, like an inferno, will transform into the red lotus pure land.

10. 應無所住而生其心，是入慈悲門。

“Without attachment rises the (Bodhi) heart[g7] ” is the gate to compassion and loving-kindness.

11. 道心之中有施無畏。

In the mind’s pursuit of the Path (to Enlightenment) rests the charitable act of making all sentient beings fearless[g8] .

12. 放下萬緣時，眾生一肩挑。

Let go of all concerns, shoulder all sentient beings[g9] .

13. 安寧身心靈，安定家與業。

Still[g10]  one’s body, mind, and spirit, stabilize one’s family and career.

14. 南山老松早已衰老，北斗壽星尚甚年輕。

When the old pine tree on the south mountain is withering, the North Star is still young.

15. 神龍潛藏深潭大澤，猛虎高臥危崖險窟。

In the deep lake and great waters the supernatural dragon hides, on the steep cliffs and precipitous caves the ferocious tiger crouches.

16. 佛法無他，只有一味，自利利人的解脫味也。

There is nothing to Buddhism except one thing--to liberate all sentient beings through benefitting the self and others.

17. 常念觀音菩薩，心安就有平安。

To have inner-peace, constantly chant the name of Guan Yin Bodhisattva; a peaceful mind leads to a peaceful life.

18. 朝山禮拜來修行，祈福消災願易成；口唱耳聽心恭敬，三步一拜向前行；身心舒暢好感應，業消障除福慧增。

To cultivate through the pilgrimage practice can make your vows, prayers for blessings and wishes to eliminate misfortunes come true: listen to your chanting with a sincere heart, march forward by one genuflecting after walking every three steps; your body and mind will feel exhilarated with good responses (from the Triple Jewels), karma and obstructions vanquished, merits and wisdom increased. 

19. 一钵乞食千家飯，孤僧杖竹萬里遊；隨緣應化莫擁有[g11] ，緣畢放身撒兩手。

One bowl with alms from one thousand families, a lone monk traveling ten-thousand miles with a bamboo cane; flow with the causal conditions and accept all offerings without ownership; when all the causal conditions extinguish, release the body and withdraw both hands.

20. 放下不等放棄，是為脫困，是為提起；要能放下才能提起，提放自如是自在人。

Letting go is not quitting[g12] , it is to break the bondage, to take on new challenges/responsibilities; only after letting go can one pick up, a person who can let go and pick up smoothly (with savoir-faire) is free (at ease).

人間智慧 Secular Wisdom

21. 遇事正面解讀逆向思考，成事確立方向鍥而不捨。

Face everything with positive interpretation and reverse thinking (consider all angles); set the right goal[g13]  and never give-up in order to accomplish something.

22. 路遇懸崖峭壁走過去，巧過人間仙境莫逗留。

When hanging cliffs or steep ridges are on the road, walk past them; when fortuitously dropped in secular paradise, never linger.

23. 權勢財富屬社會共享，禍福苦樂乃各人因緣。

Power and wealth belong to the public to be shared by all, the joy and sorrow brought by personal merit and misfortune belong to individual karma.

24. 誘以名利權位不動心，陷于千軍萬馬無所懼。

The lure of fame, fortune, and power shall not move[g14]  the heart. Trapped in a troop of one thousand soldiers and ten thousand cavalries, the mind is without fear.

25. 天不錯地不錯是心錯，他有理你有理我沒理。

The heaven is not at fault, the earth is not at fault, it is the mind that is at fault.  He has his reasons, you have your reasons, I am without any excuse.

26. 莫怨孝子賢孫何其少，但問養育兒女怎么教。

Don’t complain about the meagerness of pious children or sagacious grandchildren, but ask how to teach and nurture children.

27. 學問的領域重在研究，經驗的範疇則為實踐。

The bounds of knowledge hinges on research, the expansiveness of experiences depends on implementation.

28. 漫漫長夜無夢春宵短，茫茫苦海有船彼岸近。

The dark lonely nights, if dreamless, makes the springtime short; the immense sea of bitterness, with a boat, makes the shore near.

29. 倚般若杵碎萬千障礙，運福德斧建人間淨土。

Relying on the of Prajna pestle, all obstructions can be crushed, moving the axe[g15]  of merits, secular paradise can be constructed.

30. 駕行般若船苦海普渡，常登涅槃山心性不動。

Steer the Prajna boat to help all sentient beings to cross the sea of sufferings, climb the nirvana mountain with a heart unperturbed.

31. 河山猶在，景物遷移；日月長運，人事全非。

The mountain and river are still there, but the sceneries alongside have changed; the sun and moon are still orbiting, however, everything underneath is already history.

32. 天上人間樂與苦，自心造作自身受。

Paradise in heaven[g16]  or sufferings on earth, all are created from our mind and for us to experience individually and alone.

33. 青山綠水廣長舌，鳥語花香說妙法。

The verdant mountains and azure waters are the magnificent tongue (speech) of the Buddha, the singing birds and fragrant flowers all speak the profundity of Dharma.

34. 教育為千秋大業，賢能乃百代楷模。

Education should be a grand enterprise that lasts for thousands of years to come; the sages should be paradigms for hundreds of generations to follow.

35. 水深千丈終見底，山高萬里海中昇[g17] 。

The bottom of the sea, even with a depth of a thousand kilometers, can still be reached, mountains, as high as ten-thousand feet, rises above the sea.

36. 雲門日日是好日，行腳步步履芳草。

Everyday is a good day in the monastery, every step of cultivation is like walking on the fragrant grass.

37. 世間本無垢與淨，祇緣自起分別心。

Originally, there is no purity or impurity in the world, their ascension is caused by the differentiating mind.

38. 夕陽西下明天見，旭日東昇近黃昏。

The sun rising in the East is approaching dusk, the sun setting in the West will be seen tomorrow.

39. 戲外看戲忘了戲，夢中作夢不知夢。

The audience, mesmerized by the show, forgot it is a show, the dreamer, deep in the dream, forgot it is a dream.

40. 雨露霜雪本無主，風雲雷電應時現[g18] 。

Rain, dew, frost, and snow have no masters; wind, cloud, thunder, and lightning respond seasonally, timely???

41. 危機化為轉機時，絕路走出活路人。

Turn a disaster into an opportunity; find a way through the dead-end.

42. 天堂地獄由心造，成佛作祖心外無。

Paradise or hell is created in the mind, to become a buddha or a patriarch is not outside the mind, either.

43. 驚覺執迷已近悟，知迷不悟錯中錯。

Awakened to one’s attachment is near an epiphany, knowing one’s delusions without repentance[g19]  is doubling the mistakes.

44. 人生若夢誰都會說，終生作夢怎么不醒。

Everyone can say “life is like a dream,” but why not awaken from a lifetime of dreaming?

45. 百千計劃忙碌一生，萬緣放下前程似錦。

We can busily plan everything[g20]  our whole life, or we can let go of everything and have a future full of glory.

46. 臨渴掘井緩不濟急，即時學佛即時解惑。

Digging a well when dying of thirst is too late to quench the need; but the study of Buddhism in desperation can provide immediate solutions.

47. 勿因有事而憂，寧為無事而喜。

Don’t worry when faced with life’s vissistudes; rather, be happy because of the ability to have no concerns.

48. 禪法即是心法，萬法由心生滅。

The practice of Chan is the cultivation of the mind, all phenomena manifest or de-manifest from the mind.

49. 大夢誰先覺，離夢想顛倒。

Who awakens first from the long dream, distance[g21]  from illusions and delusions.

50. 人上有人，山高水長。

There are always higher mountains, longer rivers, and men above other men.

51. 走路健康鍊身，更可修行鍊心，快走驅遣妄情，慢走發慧習定。

Walking is a good exercise to make the body healthier as well as training the mind; a brisk walk dispels false emotions/thoughts, and a slow walk awakes the (innate) wisdom and stills the mind.

52. 月缺月圓日，若晦若明時；風雨無月夜，月亮本常明。

The Moon is forever bright, whether waning, waxing, clear, dim, or totally blocked by a raining windy night.

53. 世俗境：身如玉樹臨風，心如平湖秋月。

In the secular stage: body like an evergreen tree facing the wind, mind like a placid lake reflecting the autumn moon.

54. 修行境：身是菩提樹，心如明鏡臺。

In the cultivation stage: body like the Bodhi tree, mind like a clean mirror with a mounting.

55. 悟后境：菩提本無樹，明鏡亦非臺。

The enlightened stage: Bodhi is without any tree; clear mirror is not the mounting.

56. 有相無相有無相，真空假空真假空。

Phenomena, no phenomenon, with or without phenomenon, true emptiness, illusory emptiness, true and illusory emptiness.

57. 交友應交直諒多聞，信佛當避怪力亂神，學法幸勿到處摸門，敬僧切忌盲從個人。

Make friends with those who are straightforward, tolerant, and erudite; have faith in the Buddha not the supernatural powers and deities; learn Buddhism but avoid a myriad of practices from different sects; respect the Shanga without the idolatry of any individual monks.

感恩培福The Cultivation of Gratitude and Merits

58. 多福少福當培福，知恩念恩必報恩。

Merits, whether more or less, should be cultivated; the kindness of others, know them, remember them, and must repay them.

59. 慈悲心化解怨敵，智慧心驅除煩惱。

A compassionate heart dissolves animosity, the sagacious mind dispels afflictions.

60. 恭敬心護持三寶，清淨心弘法利生。

With a reverent heart uphold the Triple Jewels; with a pure mind propagate the Dharma to benefit all sentient beings.

61. 感恩心體驗生活，精進心善用生命。

Experience life gratefully, actualize life zealously.

62. 慚愧心增長福德，懺悔心消滅罪障。

Remorse enriches merits, repentance annihilates transgressions.

63. 懷恩報恩恩相續，飲水思源源不絕。

Drink the water without forgetting its source, the spring will never dry out; be grateful and repay other’s kindness, such kindness will never end.

64. 堅韌心易度難關，長遠心可成大事。

The relentless mind can overcome adversity easily; a visionary mind can accomplish great things.

65. 你心我心同佛心，知福惜福多培福。

Your heart and my heart are one with[g22]  the Buddha’s heart. Recognizing and appreciating our blessings, we should cultivate more blessings.

66. 涓滴之恩湧泉以饋，一飯之施粉身相報。

Repay the kindness of a sip of water with a fountain of water; repay the kindness of a bowl of rice with a lifetime.

67. 取水飲水以水飲人，受恩謝恩用恩謝人。

Dig well, drink the water, and provide water to every one; receive kindness, thank the kindness, and repay the kindness by being kind. 

68. 解開愛恨情仇心結，學習慈悲喜捨心量。

Untie the knot of love and hatred; learn to have a mind that is compassionate, loving, joyful, and detached.

69. 父母之恩重于天地，三寶之德多過恆沙。

The loving-kindness of our parents is heavier than the merits of heaven and earth, the virtues of the Triple Jewels are more than the grains of sands along the Ganges River.

70. 知恩報恩是飲水思源，恩情糾結會相互傷害。

Recognizing and repaying other’s kindness is like drinking the water and remembering the source, the tangles of love and hatred will cause mutual harm.

71. 感恩是終生受用的福報，懷恨乃永世糾纏的魔障。

A grateful mind is a blessing for a lifetime, a vindictive mind is an evil obstruction for countless lifetimes.

72. 若不善用財富利益世人，便像錦衣夜行暗自驕矜。

Without the skill to use fortunes to benefit the world is like a vainglorious person all dressed up but walking around alone in the dark.

73. 布施是經營財富的價值[g23] ，種福乃過手財富的原因。

The value of enterprises is in philanthropic work, the reason for the transient possession of fortunes is to cultivate merits. 

74. 家業百年不墜因為積福，富貴不過三代由于自私。

A family fortune that can last for more than a hundred years is due to the accumulation of merits; a fortune or nobility (social status) that cannot last for more than three generations is due to selfishness.

75. 隨時服務他人，終生幸福；有力不結善緣，后悔莫及。

Be ready to serve others at any time will result in a lifetime of happiness; it will be too late to regret if one fails to create good karmic conditions when able.

76. 看天播種時，耘草施肥日，豐收感恩月，祈求年年好年。

Plant the crops seasonally, pull weeds and fertilize the land, be grateful at harvest time, and pray for more good years to come.

77. 人生所求四大美事為：求福當先種福，培福，惜福；求祿當先廣結善緣；求壽當常保健；求喜先應笑面迎人。

The four wonderful things as a lifetime pursuit are: (1) to seek merits, first cultivate, nurture, and appreciate merits; (2) to seek fortunes, widely create good karmic conditions first; (3) to seek longevity, maintain health first; and (4) to seek joy, smile at people first.

78. 以慚愧心反觀自己，時時覺得于己于人總是努力不足奉獻不夠。

To introspect oneself with shame and regret; constantly have a sense of insufficiency in one’s efforts in self-actualization and benefiting others, and the lack of contribution.

79. 以慚愧心觀照本身為人，做人若不自我省察檢點邪正，隨時有失足之危。

Contemplate one’s behavior with a sense of remorse and shame. Without introspection and the scrutiny of right and wrong, one is constantly in danger of going astray.

80. 用感恩心看待世界事物，做人若不感恩圖報以奉獻世界，活水便會枯竭。

See everything in the world with gratitude.  A[g24]  person, contributing to the world without a grateful mind in order to repay others’ kindnesses, will dry out his resources.

81. 百年相守，相互尊敬感恩，相互學習所長，相互原諒缺失，相互關愛扶持。

Maintain a relationship over a lifetime[g25]  with mutual respect and gratitude, learn from each other’s strength, forgive each other’s shortcomings, love, care, and support each other.

積德修福 Accumulate Merits, Cultivate Virtues

82. 真誠必有應，精勤萬事成。

Sincerity invokes response, vigilance accomplishes everything.

83. 寧以勤勉補笨拙，勿仗聰明而懈怠。

Rather be ordinary and diligent than smart but dilatory.

84. 嚴以律己不虧損，寬以待人受益多。

Disciplining oneself strictly will not make one lacking; treating everyone with leniency will bring great benefits.

85. 守貧望富當勤儉，處亂守安不動心。

Aiming to be rich while poor, one should be frugal and diligent; amidst chaos and wishing to be safe, one should keep a still mind[g26] .

86. 菜根清香布衣暖，勤勞健康節儉富。

Delight in the refreshing vegetarian meals and the warmth of cotton clothing, diligence, health, and frugality will enrich one’s[g27]  life.

87. 及時行樂乃浪漫，隨處修善積功德。

It may be romantic to enjoy life while one can, but cultivating merits wherever possible is accumulating the true blessings of virtue.

88. 能中更有能中手，各自努力莫羨人。

There is always someone more capable, just do one’s best without envy.

89. 聽諍言未必順耳，嚐苦味的是良藥。

Truth is hard to swallow, just as the best medicine tastes bitter.

90. 枯旱祈降及時雨，隆冬願作送暖人。

Pray for timely rain in drought; vow to be the person who brings shelter to people suffering in the bitter cold of winter.

91. 鳳凰好棲富貴宅，白鶴喜落福壽家。

The phoenix, a symbol of royalty[g28] , loves to perch on the house of the rich and noble; the white crane, a symbol of longevity, loves to alight the home of the fortunate and the elderly.

92. 心中不存得失想，常作世間無事人。

Keep the mind without any thought of lost or gain; always be the person free from any concerns in this secular world.

93. 才德兼備是賢良，有能無德害群馬。

Be the sage with both talents and virtue, don’t be the black sheep (rogue) with talents but no morals.

94. 知過即改不為恥，放下屠刀立成佛。

It is no longer a shame if one rectifies the mistake immediately once known; when the butcher puts down his knife, simultaneously, he is enlightened.

95. 警惕富貴不出三代，小心權勢令人墮落。

Be warned riches and nobilities cannot last for more than three generations; be careful of power as it makes one corrupt.

96. 自古將相多出寒門，捨己為公天下太平。

Historically, generals and prime ministers came from poor families; sacrifice oneself for the equality of all to bring world peace.

97. 少些人我是非的執着，多點成人之美的言行。

Less attachment to the right or wrong of mine and others, more words and actions that help others succeed.

98. 若望常保富貴，培福要緊，富貴多從積福來。

If one wishes to keep riches and social status forever, it is crucial to cultivate merits.  Riches and social status usually comes from the accumulation of merits.

99. 受持觀世音菩薩名號，得無量無邊福德之利。

Constantly chant the name of Guan Yin Bodhisattva will result in the benefits of immeasurable and boundless merits and virtues.

100. 爭奪他人飯碗莫如自家耕田，自家無田可耕幫人耕田也好。

Till your own land rather than reave[g29]  other’s rice, if you don’t own any land to till, work for other’s land[g30]  is also beneficial.

101. 常喫謙虛恭敬恕忍寬厚的飯，多喝誠實禮讓勤勞節儉之湯。

Eat often from the bowl of modesty, reverence, mercifulness, tolerance, and forbearance, drink more from the soup of honesty, sincerity, courtesy, diligence, and frugality.

102. 一夜致富是暴富，一夕成名乃虛名，暴富暴發富難守，虛名不實名累人。

Become rich overnight is transient fortune, become famous overnight is ephemeral fame. Transient fortune that comes suddenly is hard to keep; ephemeral fame is flitting and troublesome.

103. 知音難遇正常事，勿因孤獨不理人；少煩少惱福德長，多思多慮障礙增。

It is normal that soul mates are hard to find, don’t be unsociable because of loneliness; less worries and afflictions result in long-lasting blessings, the more considerations and calculations, the more obstructions and obstacles.

104. 多心防人易遭鬼，知己知彼逢貴人，富貴貧賤皆布施，自利利人利眾生。

A sensitive and defensive person easily encounters the devil; those who know themselves and others will have benefactors (in time of need); be charitable whether rich or poor, noble or lowly; benefit oneself, others, and all sentient beings.

105. 人生在世，當備四得：生得其所，老得其福，病得健康，死得其時，萬千幸福在其中矣。

Aspire to “achieve[g31] ” four things in life:  born at the right place, be blessed at old age, recover always from illness, and die at the right time.  All blessings are in those four things.

106. 富貴未必只三代，賢哲未必生于寒門；富貴當積德，寒門須勤勉。

The rich and noble families may last for more than three generations, the sages do not always come from poor families; the rich and noble should accumulate virtues, the poor should be diligent.

107. 行善沒有條件。

Do good deeds unconditionally.

108. 珍惜生命，為自己加油。

Treasure life, cheer yourself up!