宣化上人开示录 - 法语摘录

越光宝盒2

宣化上人開示錄(六) - Venerable Master Hua's Talks on Dharma Vol. 6

以貪心來做好事；以好勝心來做好事，都是種子不淨。 做出來的事，不一定是好事。

If you do a good deed out of greed or competitiveness, the seed is impure, and the deed may actually turn out not to be a good deed.

天下本無事， 庸人自擾之。
Ultimately there is nothing happening in the world, but fools make trouble for themselves.

我們人覺得自己在做好事，其實不一定是好事。為什麼？因為種子不清淨。你以貪心來做好事，這就叫種子不淨；你以好勝心來做好事，這也是種子不淨。那要怎麼辦呢？就要行所無事。做什麼事，都是我們的本份，不要向外馳求，不要有所求。我們每天所作所為，都應該行所無事，所謂：

本來無一物，何處惹塵埃？

見事省事出世界， 見事迷事墮沉淪

人在世上，顛倒想不易除去。若能除去，則遠離顛倒夢想，就能證得究竟涅槃，空也不空，色也不色，那就是本地風光，本有家鄉。可是我們人都背覺合塵，不識本地風光，只知顛顛倒倒，東奔西忙地求名求利，等到名成利就的時候，就嗚呼哀哉，胡為尚饗了。這不是「天下本無事，庸人自擾之。」是什麼？

We may think we are doing a good deed, but in reality, it may not be a good deed. Why not? Because the seed is impure. If you do a good deed out of greed, you've planted an impure seed. To do a good deed with a competitive motive is also to plant an impure seed. What should you do, then? You should act as if nothing were being done. No matter what we do, we should do it as our duty, and not seek for something outside of ourselves; we shouldn't seek to get anything out of it. In carrying out our daily activities, we should always act them as if nothing were being done. It is said:

Ultimately there is nothing at all, where can the dust alight?
If you recognize what you see, you can transcend the world;
If you are confused by what you see, you will sink and drown.

When we live in this world, it is difficult for us to get rid of our deluded ideas. If we can get rid of them, we will “leave distorted dream-thinking behind” and realize the ultimate state of Nirvana. Emptiness is not emptiness, and form is not form: This is the scenery of our native land, our inherent hometown. However, we have all turned our backs on enlightenment and have embraced defilement, so we do not recognize the scenery of our native land. Instead, we are totally deluded, and we rush madly from east to west in pursuit of fame and profit. When we finally succeed in obtaining fame and profit, death comes, and all we can do is enjoy the offerings made to the deceased! This just proves that: “Ultimately there is nothing happening in the world, but fools make trouble for themselves.”

越光宝盒2

宣化上人開示錄(七) - Venerable Master Hua's Talks on Dharma Vol. 7

改變命運 多做功德 - To Change Your Fate, Do Many Meritorious Deeds.

「君子有造命之學」；命由我立，福自己求。
A superior person knows how to determine his own fate.
One can establish one's own destiny and seek one's own blessings.

在世界上有很多問題，你認為是好的，可是在這裏頭也會有不好的事情發生；現在你認為是很快樂，將來可能會受痛苦。要想避開這些煩惱，莫如守中道，中道既不太過，也沒有不及；沒有煩惱，沒有快樂。在《中庸》上說：

喜怒哀樂之未發， 謂之中； 發而皆中節， 謂之和。

如果懂得這個道理，無論做什麼事情，不要太過，不要迷惑，不要顛倒。你要認清楚，黑的是黑，白的是白；善的是善，惡的是惡，把它分析得明明了了，就不會做善惡夾雜的事。

In the world, there are many things which you might think are good, but there are also bad things which occur within them. You might think you're very happy right now, but in the future you may experience pain and grief. If you want to avoid these afflictions, you should simply hold to the Middle Way. Holding to the Middle Way means neither going too far nor coming up short. Afflictions are gone, and so is happiness. The Doctrine of the Mean says:

While there are no stirrings of pleasure, anger, sorrow, or joy,
The mind may be said to be in the state of equilibrium.
When those feelings have been stirred and they are moderated,
What ensues may be called the state of harmony.

If you understand this principle, then no matter what you do, you shouldn't go overboard, become confused, or be turned upside-down. You should clearly recognize black as black, white as white, good as good, and bad as bad. If you can distinguish them clearly, you won't do things that are a mixture of good and evil.