宣化老和尚开示(中英文双语)：长青老人志不老 混沌赤子天真佛

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宣化老和尚开示(中英文双语)：长青老人志不老 混沌赤子天真佛

　　长青老人志不老 混沌赤子天真佛

　　Old Folks, Young at Heart, Have the Original Childish Innocence of Buddha

　　颐龄记录 Transcribed by Yi Lin

　　宣公上人于一九九二年十月七日为长青大学开示

　　各位善知识：

　　现在世界大同的开幕，是万国一家，百万人都要集成一体，像一个人似的，互相不争、互相不贪、互相不求、互相不自私、互相不自利、互相不打妄语。到这个时候，这个世界也太平了，各处的人都是和平共处了，不像今天这样子，勾心斗角、你抢我夺、杀人放火、贩毒，到处都是这样子。那么这样子人应该厌烦这种生活了，要改变方针、改变作风、改变行为、改变思想，那么能以不争、不贪、不求、不自私、不自利、不打妄语，都能这个样子，这世界就是和平了。

　　至于我们人为什么要做人？做人的天职是什么？做人的义务是什么？做人的责任是什么？我们要把这个问题弄清楚了它。如果不知道我们天职是什么，不知道我们应尽的义务是什么，不知道我们应负的责任是什么，这就是枉做这个世界的人，所谓没有价值。

　　人人都免不了生、老、病、死苦，这生来了，怎么样生的？我们到底是天生的？地生的？或者是人生的？或者是自然而生的？生出来又为的是什么？我们的责任是什么？我们应尽的义务是什么？我们的天职是什么？这个事情要弄清楚了，才不辜负做人一场。如果我们不知道这个问题，啊！糊涂生了；又糊涂长成了；又糊里糊涂老了；不久又糊里糊涂死了。这生老病死苦是人人都免不了的，我们要弄清楚这个问题，我们才没有白做人一次。做人的义务天职是什么？责任是什么？

　　我们做人就应该合群爱众，对大家都和合相处，不要有纷争，不要彼此啊贪而无厌、你争我夺的，不要向外驰求。我们应该得的，我们就得到；不应得的，我就不要去妄贪。各守各的岗位，各尽各人的责任，也不自私、也不自利、也不打妄语，能以这样子，这世界就太平了。你不叫它太平，它也太平了；你不叫它平安，它也平安了。那么为什么现在不平安？为什么不太平？就因为人人都向外去找去，不知道回光返照，反求诸己。每一天都放纵这个眼、耳、鼻、舌、身、意这六根，跟着这色、声、香、味、触、法来跑，来转转，被这个色、声、香、味、触、法支配得我们人啊颠颠倒倒，就把做人的本分都忘了，所以你们各位年轻的朋友和幼小的朋友和经验阅历丰富的人，都能以认清自己的天职，认清了自己的义务，认清了自己的责任。那么，这样子对于世界就是一个大转变，这叫翻天覆地，把这个天地啊这种空气都改变了，改变这虚空的空气，把这个染污的空气都变为清洁的空气，我们有清洁的空气，呼吸清洁的空气，这个人啊，都会健康长寿的。

　　我方才所说的不争、不贪、不求、不自私、不自利、不打妄语，有的人啊！我不知道这个人啊是年轻的？是小孩子？就是反对我这个说法，说是人在世界上啊，你若不争，怎么样会生存？你若不贪，怎么可以生存？不求，怎么样可以生存？不自私，在这个世界又怎么样生存？不自利，在这个世界上又怎么样生存？不打妄语，又怎么样生存？这个问题啊！我不同意你这个说法，你这个说法啊，是没有智慧的人说的。你说得很对，我就是因为没有智慧，所以要说这个没有智慧的法。你看看那初生的婴儿，他争过什么？他贪过什么？他求过什么？他自私过什么？他自利什么？他怎么样打妄语？那就是天眞无邪，自性本来的表现。可是人一长大了，「性相近」，性啊和佛性是相近的；「习相远」，我这个习气毛病有的时候就离这个道远了。争也现出来了，贪也现出来了，求也现出来了，自私也现出来了，自利也现出来了，也学会骗人了，这是习相远了！我们人啊要时时能保持混沌赤子之心，小孩子似的，时时都不会老的，时时都不会死的，所以我说健康长寿嘛，只要把世间的财、色、名、食、睡放下了，那个眞的自然就现前了。你财、色、名、食、睡这五欲，你不放下，你不把它撇离开，这离道越跑越远，跑来跑去就跑老了，老了又跑死了，这是必然的道路。你要把这六种毛病(争、贪、求、自私、自利、妄语)都去了，时时都是年轻的，时时都是天眞无邪那个样子，所谓老顽童，你能这个样子，虽然活到八百岁，也就像小孩子一样，不失其赤子之心。虽然老了，还要变小孩子，变婴儿那种的性情和行为，也不争第一，也不挂着发财。你看看，这个你第一了，又能有什么用？你发财了，又能有什么用？

　　所谓「鱼在水里跃，人在世上闹，不知为善德，亏心把孽造，金银堆成山，闭眼全都撂，空手见阎君，悔心把泪掉。」

　　说这个鱼啊！它在水里也是生活着，它跳上跳下的，游水啊觉得快然自得，觉得很喜欢的，其实被打鱼的打去，被人吃了它还不知道呢！这「鱼在水里跃，人在世上闹」，人在世上啊！忽东忽西，忽南忽北，忽上忽下的，这一生什么时候死，他也不知道，你看这是不是胡闹呢？人在世上就胡闹着。

　　「不知为善德」，他不知道做善做德，其实人的一生啊！我们是应该给他人谋福利的，不是为自己。那么自己一个人是有限的，众人是无量无边的，你若能叫大家都沾到自己的福利，这就是佛光普照，这就是雨露均沾。「不知为善德」，不知道做善做德，「亏心把孽造」，他尽做一些个亏心的事情，一生啊骗人啊，来欺负人啊，来害人啊，做种种犯法的事情。你看，这个是不是在世界胡闹呢？

　　「金银堆成山」，金子、银子堆得像山那么样高几堆，几个大山。「闭眼全都撂」，你两个眼睛一闭，手一伸啊，腿一伸的时候啊，什么都撇下了，什么都没有了。

　　「空手见阎君」，空着两只手去见阎罗王去了。「悔心把泪掉」，到那儿才知道后悔，说：「唉哟，阎罗王啊你原谅我，我在世界上啊，不懂得做人，尽犯过错了，现在我知道后悔了，请你不要惩罚我了。」可是阎罗王说：「不行！不行！照罚可也。」

　　The Venerable Master's Lecture to ElderHostel on October 7, 1992

　　All Good and Wise Advisors:

　　The world must now unite; all nations must come together as a single family; all people must come together as if one person, and mutually cease from all fighting and greed, from all seeking, selfishness, pursuit of self-benefit and dishonesty. When we can do this, the world will be at peace. People everywhere will live in harmony. It won't be like today, where all we know is to compete and contend, to kill and rob, to deal in drugs...that's how it is everywhere. Since that's the case, shouldn't we detest that kind of lifestyle, and change our direction, alter our lifestyle and modify our behavior and thinking, so that we no longer fight, act greedy, seek, act selfish, pursue personal advantage, or tell lies. If everyone can do this, the world will be peaceful.

　　Now, why are we people to begin with? What is our inborn duty? Our innate responsibility? We have to be clear about this. If we don't know what our destiny is, what our goal is, what our duty and responsibility is as people, then we will have lived in vain, and there would be no value to our lives.

　　Everyone must undergo the suffering of being born, growing old, getting sick, and dying. How are we born? Are we born from the heavens? Or from the earth? Are we born from amidst people, or spontaneously? Beyond that, what do we come here for? What is our duty? What is our calling? If we are not clear on this, then we will have wasted our chance as a person. If we do not understand this matter, then having been born muddled, we grow up and get old in confusion, and before long we pass onto a bewildered death. Birth, old age, sickness and death cannot be avoided by anyone; only if we can understand them will we not have lived in vain. What is our inborn duty as people? What is our responsibility?

　　We should live in harmony as a group, and get along with everyone. We should not quarrel or split up, or greedily steal from one another, or seek from outside. We will naturally obtain that which rightfully should come to us; there's no need to be greedy for that which should not come to us. We should just hold to our own position, fulfill our own responsibilities, and not be selfish, self-benefiting, or dishonest. If we can be this way, the world will be at peace. Even if you don't tell it to be at peace it will be. Even if you don't tell it to be in harmony, it will be. Why isn't it peaceful and harmonious now? It's because people seek outside, and don't know to return the light and reflect within themselves. Every day, they let their six organs - the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind, run after sights, sounds, smells, tastes, objects of touch, and dharmas. Chasing and turning in circles, they get all upside-down over these sights, sounds, smells, tastes, objects of touch, and dharmas, and forget their basic duty as people. That's why all of you young friends, little children as well as those rich in life experience, should clearly recognize your heavenly destiny, your responsibility and calling. Then the world will turn around. There will be an earthshaking change; the atmosphere will be different, and the polluted air will become pure. Then when we have this clean air to breathe, we will become healthy and live a long time.

　　Just now I talked about not fighting, not being greedy, not seeking, not being selfish, not wanting personal advantages, and not telling lies. And someone, I don't know if it was a young person or a child, objected, "In the world if you don't fight, how can you survive? If you're not greedy, how can you survive? If you're not selfish, how can you make it in this world? If you don't want personal advantages, how can you survive? If you also don't tell lies, how can you last? This is certainly a problem! So I disagree with what you said, and think only someone with no wisdom would say this." What you say is absolutely right - it's just because I have no wisdom that I speak in this stupid way. Look at a newborn baby - What does he contend about? What is he greedy for? What does he seek for? What is he selfish about? What personal benefits does he want? How can he tell lies? He manifests the original innocence and purity of the self-nature. But as soon as people grow up..."Natures are close": our natures are close to the Buddha-nature. "Through habits they deviate": our bad habits and faults sometimes take us far from the Way. Learning to contend, to be greedy, to seek, to be selfish, to want self-benefit, and to deceive others, with such habits we really leave the spiritual Way far behind! If we can always safeguard our primal innocence, and be childlike, we will never grow old or die. That's why I said if you can relinquish the five desires for wealth, sex, fame, food and sleep, then health and longevity will naturally be yours. If you cannot put down these five desires for wealth, sex, fame, food and sleep, if you cannot see through them, then you will run farther and farther away from the Way, running until you become old, until you die - this is what will inevitably happen. If you can get rid of these six faults (fighting, greed, seeking, selfishness, wanting personal benefit, and telling lies), you will always be young, innocent and pure in appearance. Just like a mischievous old "boy" - although he lives to be eight hundred years ago, he is still like a child, not losing that pure heavenly true nature. Although we grow old, we still want to become children, and have the nature and behavior of a baby, in the sense that we don't fight to be number one, or scheme to become rich. What's the point of being number one? What's the use of being filthy rich?

　　It's said,

　　Fish jump in the water;

　　People stir up trouble in the world.

　　They don't know enough to do virtuous deeds,

　　But create bad karma with a callous heart.

　　Pile up gold and silver as high as a mountain,

　　But when you close your eyes, it's all gone.

　　Empty-handed you go see King Yama,

　　And with a regretful heart, your tears fall.

　　"Fish jump in the water": These fish live in the water, jumping and swimming about happily and freely, unaware that they will be caught by the fisherman and eaten for dinner. "People stir up trouble in the world": People in the world! Now we run off to the south, and now we come back to the north. We go up, we go down, and we don't even know when we will die. Wouldn't you call this stirring up trouble? People cause trouble in the world.

　　"They don't know enough to do virtuous deeds": They don't know to do deeds of wholesome virtue. Actually, in our life we should work for the benefit of others, not for ourselves. One person's strength is limited, but the strength of the assembly is boundless. If you can benefit other people with your work, this is what's known as the Buddha's light shining everywhere, and the rain moistening everything equally. "But create bad karma with a callous heart.": We do all kinds of callous things, such as deceiving, bullying, and harming people, and breaking the law. Isn't this creating trouble in the world?

　　"Pile up gold and silver as high as a mountain.": We may heap up mountains of gold and silver. "But when you close your eyes, it's all gone.": When we close our eyes and stretch our arms and legs out to rest, everything is gone.

　　"Empty-handed you go see King Yama": With two empty hands we go off to see King Yama. "And with a regretful heart, your tears fall": Only when we get there do we say regretfully, "King Yama, please forgive me. When I was in the world, I didn't understand how to be a person, so I did a lot of wrong things. Now I know better and regret it, so please don't punish me." But King Yama says, "No way! No way! You still have to be punished."

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