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前　言

Preface

今逢三曹普渡之时，亦是三期末劫之年。观今世界，科学昌明，而哲学荒弃，圣道废弛；圣道废弛，而世风日下，人心险矣。也由于人心险恶，致酿成劫数频仍，灾祸连连，而生灵涂炭矣。

Now is the time for the final calamity and for the Salvation of The Three Worlds.  Highly developed technology is accompanied by the disregard of the philosophy of life and the teachings of the sages and the virtuous; the tone of the world is getting worse and human hearts deviate.  As a result, disasters and calamities are repeatedly scattered to humankind.

然而，天有好生之德，不忍玉石俱焚，故而道劫并降。师尊、师母同领天命，普渡三曹；诸天仙佛慈心悲愿，打帮助道。班班法会中，恩师与仙佛，化身月影千江，广放莲花百舌，歌咏诗词，皆以人道为前提，以道德为依归；如敲暮鼓，如撞晨钟，无非为唤醒痴迷，挽转人心，复归古道，以消弭劫运耳。

However, merciful God cannot bear to see both the righteous and the stubborn, confused beings perish altogether; thus, the divine mandate has been granted for the Last Salvation.  In 1930, Shi-Zun (Master Zhang) and Shi-Mu (Master Sun) were bestowed the Heavenly Decree and took on the mandate of Dao propagation in the Last Salvation.  Ji-Gong Living Buddha and countless compassionate Buddhas have been giving all the necessary teaching, assistance and guidance in Fa-Hui (Dao Seminars).  Their timely exhortations are to awaken people’s conscience and purify our hearts so as to put an end to the disasters.

光慧文化事业公司蒙前人慈悲指示，仰体天心，委请台北道场崇德学院文学系，英语系合力，将历年仙佛慈悲之白话训，汇编成〔光明的智慧〕系列丛书，并翻译成英文；今又为方便读者，发行袖珍单行本，俾利随身携带，随时阅读。

The Guang-Hui Cultural Corporation was instructed by merciful Qian-Ren to invite the Literature Department of the Chong De College in the Taipei Dao Society to collect the Holy Revelations of the past years and to edit the series called Bright Wisdom, which is translated into English by the English Department of the Chong De College and many volunteers.  For the convenience of the readers, the pocket-sized subject pamphlets are published to make them easy to carry around and read.

“光明的智慧”，文以载道，捧读内容，言言金玉，字字珠玑；以之修身可，以之齐家可，以之治国平天下亦无不可。诚盼有缘读是书者，细心参悟，静养无生，则自性光明，智慧流露；进而劝化世人，齐登大同世界，共享太平之福，方不负　老降道之慈衷，仙佛临坛之谆谆也。

Bright Wisdom is loaded with heavenly Dao teachings, every word a sparkling gem and every phrase a golden wisdom that are beneficial for personal cultivation, for family harmony and also good for making a country or the whole world become better.  We wish the readers to attentively realize the Truth, to nurture one’s true nature, and to give out wisdom and light to guide the people of the world, to reach the realm of harmony and peace as a repayment of God’s mercy and the compassionate teachings of Buddhas and sages.

 

光慧文化事业公司谨志

中华民国九十三年岁次甲申七月

The Guang-Hui Cultural Corporation

July 2004

 

 

修道四门课程篇

Four Subjects for Dao Cultivation

 

品　格　Character

要成就美德之前要具备两项：勤俭、真心。要具备什么样的行为才会具有美德？需要有善行，然得是美德。心得要行才有德，才会真正的真、善、美。

There are two requirements you need before you achieve virtues: frugality and a true heart.  What kind of behaviour should you have in order to be virtuous?   You need to do good deeds to accumulate virtues.  Turn the knowledge of good in your mind into action in order to acquire virtues; then you will really be true, kind and beautiful.

修道人，首先就是要修自己，达己圆满；修身立德，首先要正己。什么叫做“德”？“德”就是博施济众，因为慈悲喜舍才有德，所以，得道还得要培德，还得要修身、正己、成人，才能真正的立德，才能真正的立功。

Being a cultivator, you first need to cultivate yourself to reach perfection.  The first thing in cultivating and building up virtues is to rectify yourself.  What are “virtues”ˀ  Virtues are built up by giving extensively and helping the masses; only when you are merciful and joyful in giving can you have virtues.  Therefore, after receiving Dao, you shall nourish virtues, cultivate your moral character, rectify yourself and help others to do so.  In this way, you are able to truly build up virtues and accumulate merits.

凡事反求诸己，多替他人着想胜于自己，就是所谓的成熟。自己静坐时，就能内省自疚，闲谈时，不要谈人是非。内省不疚则安，祸最大莫过于贪，罪最大莫过于谈人是非。

Examine yourself in everything you do, give more consideration to others than to yourself; this is called maturity.  When talking with others do not be judgmental or talk behind other people’s backs.  When you meditate, you will do introspection and repent.  You are approaching a peaceful state when you do introspection without finding any remorse inside yourself.  There is no greater disaster than being greedy; no greater sin than talking about others’ right and wrong deeds.

学做仙佛，学修养就是一个韧性、韧度。一个“革”字，要洗心革面；一个“刀”字，要快刀斩该斩的。抓的越多就缺少越多，如果说人生的处世哲学，把这韧度、韧性学的好，做什么事都能成功。

Learn to be a Buddha. It requires tenacity to learn; cultivate and nourish to have the nature of tenacity (韧).  The Chinese character “革”means to repent and reform yourself inside and out.  “刀”means a knife, which cuts off those bad habits and tempers you should get rid of. The more you try to get, the less you will obtain.  As a philosophy of life:  learn and practice tenacity well in conducting your life, then you will be successful in everything.

恶习要马上改，不要老是明天再改，有点积习、恶习，就要力改，不要想说明天再来，或许下一分钟，就没有呼吸了。

Get rid of bad habits immediately.  Do not leave it until tomorrow.  When you notice that you are acquiring bad habits or you already have bad habits, you shall discard them right away.  Do not always think that you will do it tomorrow.  Maybe in the next minute you will not breathe anymore.

一个动机、一个念头，就是一个过，再付出行动，就是二个了。

Each wrong motive or thought is already a fault, if you carry it into action, it then becomes a second fault.  Then you have committed two faults.

当自我放纵的时候，就是自我伤害。

Indulging yourself means hurting yourself.

 

功　德　Merits and Virtues

 

现在也是在存无形的钱，知道吗？已经在理天开户了，开了户就要将无形的钱存进去。这无形的钱要如何存？（行功立德）不一定要在佛堂才能行功立德，今天对人说一句好话，给人一个方便，给人一个小小的帮助，这都是功德一件，在生活之中都可以行道，都可以将道好好发挥。

Do you understand that you are saving invisible money now?  You have opened an account in Heaven.  After opening this account, you should deposit invisible money into it.  How do you save this invisible money?  (By accumulating merits and virtues.)  You don’t have to be in the temple to accumulate merits and virtues.  If you genuinely praise someone, provide expediency to somebody, or do someone a little favour; all of these can accumulate merits and virtues, today.  In your daily life, you can put Dao into practice anytime, anywhere.

无怨、无过就是功德，无怨、无过就能无悔，这就是功德。但如果执着于功德，就没有功德。

If you have no complaints and guilt in your heart, you are accumulating merits and virtues.  Without complaints, without guilt, you are free from regrets.  That’s having merits and virtues.  But if you only care about how many merits and virtues you have, and become obstinate in counting them and getting more, then you won’t have any.

修道不可以有功德相，要去掉功德相，才是真功德。

When cultivating Dao, do not pay attention to how much you’ve given to other people or how many merits and virtues you’ve accumulated.  You have to get rid of that kind of thinking so that you can accumulate real merits and virtues.

处处给人希望，就是有功德，不是今天在佛堂做了多少事才有功德，功德是随时给人希望。

Letting people feel hopeful, anytime and anywhere, that’s accumulating merits and virtues.   Accumulating merits is not necessarily how much you have done in the temple, it is giving people hope, all the time.

所谓布施并非施钱而已，真心的布施，不在于钱财的多少，而在于是否真心。

The true meaning of giving does not just lie in donating money, but in whether you have a sincere and honest heart when you are giving  It does not lie in how much money you’ve donated, but in whether you have a sincere and true heart or not.

施舍时，就好像将左手的花交到右手一样，施来施去，都是在自己手上。越施心量越广，这才是施舍的真正涵义。

When you are giving, it’s just like you are handing a flower from your left hand to your right hand.  No matter where the flower goes, it’s still in your own hand.  The more you give to other people, the broader your heart will be.  This is the true meaning of giving.

不管是那种布施，只要有心，都是很好的布施。

Giving and donating are not limited to money.  No matter what kind of giving you do or how much you give, as long as you have a heart, that kind of giving is the best.

心、面、言、身这四种布施，“心”要如何布施？心纯正，没有污染，没有偏念，也是一种布施。因为心正，没有偏，就不会制造心灵垃圾，这也是一种内在的功德。“面施”，面带微笑，带给别人快乐，自己也快乐。“言施”，尽量以鼓励代替苛责、尽量讲好话、尽量不要批评别人。“身施”，以身作则，去推动别人，看到别人有难，要去扶持别人。

Offer your kind heart, face, words, and physical body; these are the four types of donation.

How do you give your “heart”?  Keeping your heart pure, righteous, without pollution or evil thoughts is also a giving.  As long as your heart is righteous and pure, you won’t have any mental garbage in your mind.  That’s also a kind of internal merit and virtue.

What is the donation with your “face”?  Always have a smiling face.  It will bring happiness not only to the people around you, but also to yourself.

What is the giving of your “words”?  Do your best to replace scolding words with encouraging ones.  Speak encouraging words to other people instead of criticizing them.

What is the donation of “physical body”?  Set a good example of your own conduct.  By doing this, you spur other people to follow your example naturally.  When seeing others in trouble or difficulty, offer your helping hand to them.

 

火　候      Tolerance and Patience

 

你要跟得上时代，也要跟得上自己，这不只是指你的肉体而己。外在的环境影响你的时候，不论大与小，你不要被影响。所谓人定胜天，在日常生活中，要记住不急、不燥，终会让你学会，凡事在做时碰到任何困难，如果你有耐困、耐难的心，有毅力，再大的困难都可以完成。在修道过程中，不管你遇到的考验多还是少，大还是小，要记住先定静下来，好好去思虑，然后再去把它破除掉。

You need to keep up with the times and yourself.  This does not refer to your physical body only.  Do not be affected by the outside environment, no matter the influence is big or small.  There is a saying that human beings can conquer nature.  Remember you will learn something when you are not rushed or become impatient in your daily life.  If your heart can endure tribulation and confinements, with perseverance you can overcome any hardship.  During the process of cultivation, it doesn’t matter if the ordeal is large or small, the tests are many or few; first you must be stable and calm, then ponder and contemplate carefully before breaking it down and solving it.

希望我的徒儿们，对众生能够广植善缘、转恶为善，遇到不平的时候，忍耐一下，忍一时风平浪静，记得忍一时风平浪静。耐得住就是你的，耐得住就有你一份，耐不住随风而逝。

Hope my disciples are able to build good affinities with people and improve relationships with others; turn bad into good.  When things are unfair, be patient.  Endure the storms and turbulent oceans, winds will cease and waves will calm down.  Remember this, endure and you will be successful and achieve what is destined to be yours.  Otherwise, everything will be gone with the winds.

省思：当你处在顺、逆环境当中，都要能怀着反省的心，省思自己的病根所在；有否沉不住气、耐不得烦、吃不得苦、受不得诱惑、碰不得钉子、挨不住压力。当有改变自己的决心时，应有如山之定力、如水之德性、如圣贤之心胸、如明月般清净、如暖阳般和煦、如和风般抒情。

Examine yourself carefully: Hold a self-examination heart and inspect the cause of your shortcomings whether you are in prosperity or adversity.  Are you irritable?  Are you impatient?  Can you bear hardship?  Can you resist temptation?  Can you take rejection?  Can you stand pressure?  When you are determined to change your bad qualities, you should be firm like mountains, be virtuous like water, have a great heart like saint and sage, be pure and tranquil like the moon, warm like the spring sun and be as affectionate as the tender wind.

吃得苦中苦，方为人上人。为什么众生就是不喜欢吃苦？不吃苦就少福了。苦尽才会甜来，要忍耐，忍耐才能成菩萨。要当菩萨很简单，把人道做好，因为人太任性了，总是自己好就好，不理别人如何，毛病脾气人人都有，稍不如意就动火气，火气大肝火就大，肝火大毛病就来了，不可不小心啊！

Taste the bitterest of the bitter to be the best of the best.  Why do people not like bitterness?  Those who refuse bitterness will lack good fortunes.  Sweetness begins only at the end of bitterness.  Be enduring.  With endurance, you will become a Bodhisattva.  It is easy to be a Bodhisattva; just perform your human roles well.  Because humans are so wilful, humans always care only about themselves and do not care about others.  All have their own shortcomings and temperaments.  When things do not go the way they wish, rages flare up too easily.  The greater the rage, the more damage to the liver.  When the liver is damaged, other illnesses will follow; you must be aware of this.

一开始学道要用力、要积极，难受也要忍耐，忍耐才有希望，忍耐才能够当神仙。

In the beginning of the cultivation process you must work zealously, be positive and patient while you are encountering hardships.  With endurance, you are a promising candidate to reach sainthood.

要做一个男子汉！流血不流泪。所谓的苦，你要去经历才知道什么叫做苦，当你一经历的时候，你已经忘了什么是苦，因为你已经海阔天空了，仃必去把这些包袱背在你身上。

A righteous man would rather shed his blood than tears.  If you want to know what bitterness is, you need to experience it.  Once you have experienced it, it’s all over.  You already have forgotten what it tastes like, because you are out of the tunnel of tribulation and feel boundless as ocean and sky.  Why should you carry these burdens with you?

“天道逆行”，就是以后若遇到不顺、不如意的事，要常回想岛是修道人，要突破，要冲破这些不顺，不能任自己随波逐流。若觉得很得很痛苦，还是要走过去，忍人所不能忍，才能够有成訧，假使遇到困难就退缩，那就无法登到生命的顶巅。

“Fulfill the Heavenly Way in adversity.”  When you face unwished and tough situations, you need to remember you are a practitioner of Dao.  You have to fight and break through these adversities and difficult situations’ don’t allow yourself to go with the flow and drift with the currents.  Hang on and tread through these hardships even if they are really painful for you.  Endure what others can’t endure and you will certainly achieve accomplishment.  If you retreat when you encounter difficulties, you won’t reach the summit of your life.

人家骂你，你不生气；人家脸色给你看，你还是一样，这是有火候。但是如果自己做错事，要会看脸色，这叫作知进退。这知进退亦叫作“火候”。

When people scold you, you are not angry; when they show you unpleasant faces, you treat them as usual.  Then you have attained the level of maturity.  However, if you are making mistakes, you must be able to read people’s expressions so you can act properly.  To act properly means that you have reached certain level of maturity, too.

逆来顺受忍为高，能屈能伸没烦恼，让人一步宽无限。

When you can accept adversity peacefully, you have the superior quality of endurance.  Being able to take temporary setbacks generates no worries.  Giving way to others makes you boundless.

真正的强是什么？能够降伏其心，能够低心下气，要做到人所做不到的事情，忍人所不能忍的事情，这样修道才会进步。

What is the real meaning of being strong?  It means being able to conquer the foes (e.g. greed, anger, and ignorance) in one’s own mind; to be meek and humble.  Do what others can’t do; endure what other people can’t endure.  Then your cultivation and practice of Dao will improve.

学道就是要心平气和，要心平气和，就要修炼心性，修这颗人心，要去脾气毛病，炼这个性。在人群中，在办事中磨练信心，不管遇到考验，遇到挫折，都要无怨尤、无争辩，一有争辩，就落于是非，一有是非，就沦为极端，就不符合中庸之理了。

In Dao learning, be even-tempered, peaceful and composed.  This can be practiced by cultivating your mind and True Nature.  Rectify this secular mind, eliminate bad temper and bad habits, and nurture the True Nature.  Strengthen your confidence among people and in doing things.  No matter what trials and setbacks you encounter, do not complain or argue.  When there is an argument, it will become a matter of right or wrong.  When people are arguing who’s right and who’s wrong, they go to extremes.  Then the principles of the Golden Mean are not followed.

有时候你们也是一颗皮球，有弹性的球，有压力才会弹得高。所以，当别人给压力的时候，也不需要排斥，如果能够把压力化为助力，那不是很好？

You are just like a rubber ball sometimes, a ball with elasticity.  Apply force and it bounces high.  Therefore, when others force you, there is no need to resist.  Transform the pressure into a helping force.  Wouldn’t that be much better?

 

礼　节      Etiquette

 

膜拜叩头，是拜自己的性命，命怎么写？人一叩。在叩头的时候，就是在告诉自己，要做自我反省的功夫，如果趾高气昂，能够反省出什么来吗？心志高傲，永远认为自己是对的，那有什么好反省的？

When you kneel down and bow, you are showing respect to the genuine dominator – your own soul, your own life.  How do you write the Chinese character “命” (which means “life”)? 人一叩; which means, a person makes one bow.  When you’re kowtowing, you are telling yourself that you have to do self-reflections.  If you’re too proud and arrogant, how can you do introspection?  If you are proud and always think that you are right, then there is no sense to do self-introspection.

人人心中，天赋灵性都是个自性佛，所以面对仙佛时，就好像看到自己的佛性一样，对仙佛鞠躬，就等于等自己谦恭反省，作揖的时候，就好像立身行道于红尘之中，要懂得谦恭，要把腰放低一些，才不会碰到矮门，再来就是左脚向前跨出，好像做事一样，凡事不可操之过急，也不要太莽撞，就如孔老夫子所说的中庸之道。光去做不去思考，是不会合乎中道的；光思考不去做，理想也不会实现，所以为人处世总要一步步踏实的来。

Everybody has one’s innate True Nature, Self-Buddha Nature in one’s heart.  Therefore, when facing Buddhas, it’s just like you’re looking back at your own Buddha-Nature.  When you make bows to Buddhas, it is the same as humbly facing yourself and doing self-reflection.  When bowing with your hand sign, it’s like you’re setting an example to practice Dao in this secular world; you know how to be humble and modest.  Bend your waist lower as if you don’t want to knock your head on the brim of a low door.  Then, step with your left foot forward, as if when you’re taking care of business, you cannot rush things or be abrupt and impetuous.  It is like following Confucius’s teaching of the Golden Mean.  If you just put things into practice without thinking and planning, it certainly doesn’t meet the principle of the Golden Mean.  However, if you keep thinking and planning without action, you won’t make your dream come true, either.  So, when you’re interacting with people and doing business in this world, you should do it step by step and make your foundation firm.

所以当我们在对仙佛叩头时，就是在对我们自己作最好的反省，曾老夫子说过一句话：“吾日三省吾身”。吾日三省吾身方能成就一代圣人。修道、学道的路途中，心要懂得去调伏、去平静，要懂得境随心转，不能心随境转。

So when we kowtow to Buddhas, it’s time to do our best self-reflection.  As Zenfucius, a disciple of Confucius, said, “I do self-reflections in three ways every day.”  Practice self-reflections in three ways daily, then you can become a saint.  On the journey of learning and cultivating Dao, you should know how to adjust and calm your mind and make it peaceful.  Learn to change the environment by changing the way you perceive things.   Don’t let your mind be affected and controlled by the circumstances.

规矩是让你们更成长，塑造你们成为标准的人。

Rules and proprieties are to help you improve and grow, which will mold you into a standard role model.

磕头心要诚，要回光返照，筋脉拉直，头部放松，手和头一起动，力量由脚来支撑，“叩首”非“叩手”，磕头的动作，有发有收，头尾动作一贯，这是一贯道的精神。叩首要诚心，叩首的目的在于养成恭敬谦和的心，而且叩首的姿势正确，可打通经脉，有益身体健康。

When you are kowtowing, be sincere and use your own spiritual light to enlighten yourself.

Stretch your muscles; relax your head and neck.  Move your hands and head together.  Let your legs support the weight of your whole body.  You are kneeling down and making kowtows with your head, not just moving your hands only.  For the action of kowtowing, there are proper starting and ending gestures.  The movements and gestures of starting and ending are consistent.  This is the spirit of Yi-Guan Dao.  When you kowtow, be sincere, because the purpose of kowtow is to nourish a heart of respect, humility and modesty.  Meanwhile, keeping a correct posture helps relax your muscles and improve the blood circulation for better health.

叩首时要能冥想，默想着仙佛，然后把自己也当成是衪，这样叩首才有意义。

When you kowtow, hold an image of Buddha in your mind and imagine yourself as Him, then the kowtow rites will be more meaningful.