修行的祕訣，就是要少吃。為什麼？因為少吃少生欲念，少欲就能知足；知足就能常樂，常樂就沒有煩惱；沒有煩惱就生菩提，生菩提就得解脫；得解脫就能任運自在、生死自在、智慧自在，總之，一切皆自在。這是修行人所必經的途徑，共勉之！

The secret of being a cultivator is to eat less. When one eats less, one's desires will lessen. With fewer desires, one feels content. If one is content, one will always be happy. When one is happy, one won't have afflictions. With no afflictions, Bodhi arises. When Bodhi arises, one attains liberation. Once liberated, one will be free, free from birth and death. One will attain wisdom and self-mastery. In short, one will be free from everything. We should encourage one another to take this path, which every cultivator must walk.

修行人要忍耐，無論什麼境界來考驗，都要用忍耐心來忍受，咬緊牙根，衝過難關，那就會風平浪靜，自然安寧。在工作時，不願意做的，也要忍耐著去做，久而久之，習慣就成自然。總而言之，無論做什麼事，都要心安理得去做，不要有躲懶偷安的心理，或者敷衍了事，如果有「當一天和尚撞一天鐘」的思想，那就與道相違背，簡直是指佛穿衣、賴佛吃飯、混光陰，實在沒有出息。

A cultivator must be patient. No matter what state appears to test us, we must grit our teeth and bear it. After we have crossed the three barriers, the wind and waves will calm down, and peace will naturally come. At work, we should patiently do the things we don't like doing. Eventually we will get used to them. At all times and in everything we do, we must have peace of mind. We can't become lazy or negligent. If we have the thought of “being a monk for a day, hitting a day's bell,” this is doing a perfunctory job and going against the Way. If we just rely on Buddhism to provide us with food and clothing, we are simply wasting time and acting spineless.

我一生用「忍耐」二字為座右銘，無論在什麼環境之下，絕對不投降，一切忍受於身，忍受於心。我在東北家鄉時，能忍冷忍熱，在三九天（最冷的時節）我不穿鞋襪，赤足在冰天雪地行走，把腳凍得很痛，我也忍耐著，一忍便不痛了；在三伏天（最熱的時節），熱得頭昏腦脹，眼冒金花，走路時，天旋地轉，眼前發黑。若是普通人，一定熱得發慌，可是我認為無所謂，只要坐下來休息一會兒就好了。我用忍耐二字作為法寶，來克服一切困難，忍寒忍暑，忍風忍雨，忍飢忍渴，一切都忍，絕不豎白旗。

Throughout my whole life my motto has been ‘patience’. I never give up under any circumstances. I practice patience with body and mind. When I was in my hometown in Manchuria, I could bear both cold and hot weather. On the coldest days, I would walk on the ice with bare feet. When my feet hurt from the cold, I bore it. Once I did, they stopped hurting. On the hottest days--when just walking made people dizzy because of the heat, and the earth and sky seemed to be spinning, and they couldn't see straight—ordinary people would lose their heads. But I thought it was okay, as long as you sat and rested for a while. I have always used patience as my Dharma treasure to overcome all difficulties, to bear both cold and hot weather, bear the wind and rain, bear hunger and thirst, to bear everything, never giving up.

我出家之後，專修忍辱法門。若有人罵我，當聽不見，或者當他在唱歌，自然平安無事。如果有人打我，絕對不還手，以心平氣和的態度來接受。又忍受作早晚課，在清早上殿的時間，正在甜睡中聽到打梆聲，即刻起身漱口洗臉，便上殿等候，每次都是先到五分鐘，沒有一次遲到。

After I left the home-life, I cultivated the Dharma-door of patience. If someone scolded me, I would either not listen or else pretend the scolding was a song. As a result, nothing ever happened. If people hit me, I would never return the blow, but would just accept it peacefully. I was also patient with the morning and evening recitations. When it was time for morning recitation and I was sound asleep, I would get up immediately as soon as I heard the wooden boards being hit, then I would wash up and go to the Buddha Hall to wait. I was always five minutes early and never once late.

我從出家，一直到現在，都用忍耐行事。我到外邊參學時，無論作早晚課，或講經說法，或聽經聞法、上殿過堂，沒有落後過一分鐘，都是提前先到。這是我過去的情形，今天告訴你們，這是我現身說法。

Ever since I left the home-life, I've been using patience to deal with things. When I was traveling and visiting Way-places as part of my studies, I was never even one minute late for morning and evening recitations, Sutra lectures, or meal offerings. I was always there early. Today I am telling you about my past, presenting my personal experiences as part of the Dharma.

想要真修行，不可以懶惰，做事要爭先恐後去做，不可以沒有忍耐心；無論什麼不能忍也要忍，無論什麼不能受也要受。忍受一切，這是修行人的指南針，尤其是在學習的階段，更要忍受。就算實在忍無可忍，還是要忍，所謂：

In order to truly cultivate, one cannot be lazy. When it comes to working, we should strive to get ahead. We should not lose patience. No matter how unbearable things are, we should endure them. “To bear all things” is a motto for cultivators. Patience is especially important during the period of learning. We must even bear things that are truly unbearable.

忍片刻風平浪靜，
退一步海闊天空。

Be patient for one moment,
And the wind and waves will calm down.
Take one step back, and you will discover
The vastness of the ocean and the emptiness of the sky.

不可以隨便發脾氣，要曉得無明火能燒功德林，這是至理名言，也是經驗之談。切記！切記！慎勿動肝火。各位！不可隨便發脾氣，覺得這樣也不對，那樣也不對，看什麼都不順眼，世間的事都不如自己的意。可是退一步想，忍！忍！一忍萬事了，什麼麻煩也沒有了。

We shouldn't lose our tempers easily. We should realize that “the fire of ignorance can burn up a forest of merit and virtue.” This is a famous saying, and these are also words of experience. Remember them and be careful not to lose your temper! All of you, don't lose your tempers easily or constantly feel that nothing is right. Don't see everything as incorrect and all things in this world as going against your wishes. If we can just take one step back and think, “Patience, patience, got to have patience,” then everything will be all right and there won't be any problems.

我們修行人，一切要認真去做，不可懈怠，不可放逸，要嚴守道場的規矩；不是說天天來聽經，不缺席，對於其他的事情，就馬馬虎虎，這種思想是要不得的。或者上供，或者早晚課，或者法會，都要早些到大殿等候，將來所得的果報，才能圓滿；否則樣樣遲到，將來會失去開悟的機會。凡是做什麼事情都晚來一步，所得的功德，也不會圓滿。

We cultivators must do everything in earnest and not be lazy or remiss. We must strictly abide by the rules of the Way-place. Your coming here every day to listen to the Sutra lectures doesn't mean that you can be lax with other things. This kind of thinking is totally wrong. Be it for meal offerings, morning and evening recitations, or Dharma assemblies, we should all arrive at the Buddha Hall early, so that the future reward will be perfect. If you are late for every occasion, you'll have the retribution of losing the opportunity of getting enlightened. If you are late for everything you do, you won't be able to attain perfect merit and virtue, either.

我們修行人，不要自己給自己講道理，自己給自己做辯護律師，所謂「如是因，如是果」，種善因得善果，種惡因得惡果，這是天經地義的定律。種圓滿的因，便結圓滿的果；種一半的因，便結一半的果；這一點，大家要真正地瞭解，不可當作耳邊風。

We cultivators shouldn't keep justifying ourselves, acting as our own defense attorneys. We reap what we sow. Planting a good cause yields a good effect; planting an evil cause yields an evil effect. This is a natural law. If one plants a perfect cause, one gets a perfect effect; if one plants half a cause, one gets half an effect. We must truly understand this, and not let it go in one ear and out the other.

一九八三年五月一日開示