善書圖書館

前　言

Preface

今逢三曹普渡之時，亦是三期末劫之年。觀今世界，科學昌明，而哲學荒棄，聖道廢弛；聖道廢弛，而世風日下，人心險矣。也由於人心險惡，致釀成劫數頻仍，災禍連連，而生靈塗炭矣。

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，故而道劫並降。師尊、師母同領天命，普渡三曹；諸天仙佛慈心悲願，打幫助道。班班法會中，恩師與仙佛，化身月影千江，廣放蓮花百舌，歌詠詩詞，皆以人道為前提，以道德為依歸；如敲暮鼓，如撞晨鐘，無非為喚醒癡迷，挽轉人心，復歸古道，以消弭劫運耳。

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.

光慧文化事業公司蒙前人慈悲指示，仰體天心，委請台北道場崇德學院文學系，英語系合力，將歷年仙佛慈悲之白話訓，彙編成［光明的智慧］系列叢書，並翻譯成英文；今又為方便讀者，發行袖珍單行本，俾利隨身攜帶，隨時閱讀。

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」，文以載道，捧讀內容，言言金玉，字字珠璣；以之修身可，以之齊家可，以之治國平天下亦無不可。誠盼有緣讀是書者，細心參悟，靜養無生，則自性光明，智慧流露；進而勸化世人，齊登大同世界，共享太平之福，方不負　老降道之慈衷，仙佛臨壇之諄諄也。

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.

 

光慧文化事業公司謹誌

中華民國九十三年歲次甲申七月

The Guang-Hui Cultural Corporation

July 2004

 

 

修道四門課程篇

Four Subjects for Dao Cultivation

 

品　格　Character

要成就美德之前要具備兩項：勤儉、真心。要具備什麼樣的行為才會具有美德？需要有善行，然得是美德。心得要行才有德，才會真正的真、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，達己圓滿；修身立德，首先要正己。什麼叫做「德」？「德」就是博施濟眾，因為慈悲喜捨才有德，所以，得道還得要培德，還得要修身、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.

凡事反求諸己，多替他人著想勝於自己，就是所謂的成熟。自己靜坐時，就能內省自疚，閒談時，不要談人是非。內省不疚則安，禍最大莫過於貪，罪最大莫過於談人是非。

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.

學做仙佛，學修養就是一個韌性、韌度。一個「革」字，要洗心革面；一個「刀」字，要快刀斬該斬的。抓的越多就缺少越多，如果說人生的處世哲學，把這韌度、韌性學的好，做什麼事都能成功。

Learn to be a Buddha. It requires tenacity to learn; cultivate and nourish to have the nature of tenacity (韌).  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.

惡習要馬上改，不要老是明天再改，有點積習、惡習，就要力改，不要想說明天再來，或許下一分鐘，就沒有呼吸了。

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.

一個動機、一個念頭，就是一個過，再付出行動，就是二個了。

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.

當自我放縱的時候，就是自我傷害。

Indulging yourself means hurting yourself.

 

功　德　Merits and Virtues

 

現在也是在存無形的錢，知道嗎？已經在理天開戶了，開了戶就要將無形的錢存進去。這無形的錢要如何存？（行功立德）不一定要在佛堂才能行功立德，今天對人說一句好話，給人一個方便，給人一個小小的幫助，這都是功德一件，在生活之中都可以行道，都可以將道好好發揮。

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.

無怨、無過就是功德，無怨、無過就能無悔，這就是功德。但如果執著於功德，就沒有功德。

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.

處處給人希望，就是有功德，不是今天在佛堂做了多少事才有功德，功德是隨時給人希望。

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.

所謂佈施並非施錢而已，真心的佈施，不在於錢財的多少，而在於是否真心。

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.

施捨時，就好像將左手的花交到右手一樣，施來施去，都是在自己手上。越施心量越廣，這才是施捨的真正涵義。

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.

不管是那種佈施，只要有心，都是很好的佈施。

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、身這四種佈施，「心」要如何佈施？心純正，沒有污染，沒有偏念，也是一種佈施。因為心正，沒有偏，就不會製造心靈垃圾，這也是一種內在的功德。「面施」，面帶微笑，帶給別人快樂，自己也快樂。「言施」，盡量以鼓勵代替苛責、盡量講好話、盡量不要批評別人。「身施」，以身作則，去推動別人，看到別人有難，要去扶持別人。

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

 

你要跟得上時代，也要跟得上自己，這不只是指你的肉體而己。外在的環境影響你的時候，不論大與小，你不要被影響。所謂人定勝天，在日常生活中，要記住不急、不燥，終會讓你學會，凡事在做時碰到任何困難，如果你有耐困、耐難的心，有毅力，再大的困難都可以完成。在修道過程中，不管你遇到的考驗多還是少，大還是小，要記住先定靜下來，好好去思慮，然後再去把它破除掉。

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.

希望我的徒兒們，對眾生能夠廣植善緣、轉惡為善，遇到不平的時候，忍耐一下，忍一時風平浪靜，記得忍一時風平浪靜。耐得住就是你的，耐得住就有你一份，耐不住隨風而逝。

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：當你處在順、逆環境當中，都要能懷著反省的心，省思自己的病根所在；有否沉不住氣、耐不得煩、吃不得苦、受不得誘惑、碰不得釘子、挨不住壓力。當有改變自己的決心時，應有如山之定力、如水之德性、如聖賢之心胸、如明月般清淨、如暖陽般和煦、如和風般抒情。

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，方為人上人。為什麼眾生就是不喜歡吃苦？不吃苦就少福了。苦盡才會甜來，要忍耐，忍耐才能成菩薩。要當菩薩很簡單，把人道做好，因為人太任性了，總是自己好就好，不理別人如何，毛病脾氣人人都有，稍不如意就動火氣，火氣大肝火就大，肝火大毛病就來了，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.

一開始學道要用力、要積極，難受也要忍耐，忍耐才有希望，忍耐才能夠當神仙。

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.

要做一個男子漢！流血不流淚。所謂的苦，你要去經歷才知道什麼叫做苦，當你一經歷的時候，你已經忘了什麼是苦，因為你已經海闊天空了，仃必去把這些包袱背在你身上。

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」，就是以後若遇到不順、不如意的事，要常回想岛是修道人，要突破，要衝破這些不順，不能任自己隨波逐流。若覺得很得很痛苦，還是要走過去，忍人所不能忍，才能夠有成訧，假使遇到困難就退縮，那就無法登到生命的頂巔。

“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.

人家罵你，你不生氣；人家臉色給你看，你還是一樣，這是有火候。但是如果自己做錯事，要會看臉色，這叫作知進退。這知進退亦叫作「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.

逆來順受忍為高，能屈能伸沒煩惱，讓人一步寬無限。

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.

真正的強是什麼？能夠降伏其心，能夠低心下氣，要做到人所做不到的事情，忍人所不能忍的事情，這樣修道才會進步。

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.

學道就是要心平氣和，要心平氣和，就要修煉心性，修這顆人心，要去脾氣毛病，煉這個性。在人群中，在辦事中磨練信心，不管遇到考驗，遇到挫折，都要無怨尤、無爭辯，一有爭辯，就落於是非，一有是非，就淪為極端，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.

有時候你們也是一顆皮球，有彈性的球，有壓力才會彈得高。所以，當別人給壓力的時候，也不需要排斥，如果能夠把壓力化為助力，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?

 

禮　節      Etiquette

 

膜拜叩頭，是拜自己的性命，命怎麼寫？人一叩。在叩頭的時候，就是在告訴自己，要做自我反省的功夫，如果趾高氣昂，能夠反省出什麼來嗎？心志高傲，永遠認為自己是對的，那有什麼好反省的？

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，天賦靈性都是個自性佛，所以面對仙佛時，就好像看到自己的佛性一樣，對仙佛鞠躬，就等於等自己謙恭反省，作揖的時候，就好像立身行道於紅塵之中，要懂得謙恭，要把腰放低一些，才不會碰到矮門，再來就是左腳向前跨出，好像做事一樣，凡事不可操之過急，也不要太莽撞，就如孔老夫子所說的中庸之道。光去做不去思考，是不會合乎中道的；光思考不去做，理想也不會實現，所以為人處世總要一步步踏實的來。

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.

所以當我們在對仙佛叩頭時，就是在對我們自己作最好的反省，曾老夫子說過一句話：「吾日三省吾身」。吾日三省吾身方能成就一代聖人。修道、學道的路途中，心要懂得去調伏、去平靜，要懂得境隨心轉，不能心隨境轉。

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.

規矩是讓你們更成長，塑造你們成為標準的人。

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

磕頭心要誠，要迴光返照，筋脈拉直，頭部放鬆，手和頭一起動，力量由腳來支撐，「叩首」非「叩手」，磕頭的動作，有發有收，頭尾動作一貫，這是一貫道的精神。叩首要誠心，叩首的目的在於養成恭敬謙和的心，而且叩首的姿勢正確，可打通經脈，有益身體健康。

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.

叩首時要能冥想，默想著仙佛，然後把自己也當成是衪，這樣叩首才有意義。

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