人來到這個世界，把真的放下，拿起假的，所以生生世世背覺合塵，醉生夢死。醉生就是在生的時候，好像喝醉酒似的，不知怎樣生來；夢死就是在死的時候，好像在作夢似的，不知怎樣死去。人人皆在夢中，不知何日能清醒，所謂「人生如夢」，以假為真，為名為利，貪無止境。

When people come into this world, they put down the real and pick up the unreal. That is why in life after life we turn against enlightenment, unite with the dust, and muddle our way through life as if drunk or in a dream. When we are born, we seem to be drunk and unaware of how we got born; when we die, we seem to be in a dream, unaware of how we die. People are all dreaming, and there’s no knowing when they will wake up. It’s said that life is like a dream. We take the false for the real, and become insatiably greedy for fame and profit.

你在夢中，又升官，又發財，又有地位，又有名譽，嬌妻美妾，兒孫滿堂，榮華富貴，享受不盡。假設這時，在夢中有人對你說：「這都是虛妄的，不是真實的。」你絕對不會相信。等你的甜蜜夢清醒時，沒有人告訴你這是作夢，你自己也知道原來是在作夢哪！

In your dream, you are promoted and become wealthy; you have high social status, a good reputation, a beautiful wife, lovely mistresses, and a house full of children and grandchildren; you enjoy boundless affluence, wealth and honor. If at some time during the dream someone were to tell you, “These things are all unreal,” you would never believe that person. However, after you woke up from your sweet dream, even if no one told you it was a dream, you would know that you’d been dreaming.

你昨夜在夢中，讀書中狀元，當了宰相，作了皇帝，成了神仙，其樂無窮。今天早晨醒了，啊！原是一場夢呀！這是清醒了；如果沒有醒，認為是真的，就貪戀不捨，不肯放下，執迷不悟。

我們現在就是在作白日夢，沒有清醒，所以糊塗而來，糊塗而去。來，從什麼地方來的？去，往什麼地方去呢？不知道；一輩子也沒有清醒。各位想想看！這有什麼意義？有什麼可留戀？有什麼值得放不下呢？

Last night in a dream, you came out first in the imperial examinations, got appointed prime minister, later became emperor, and finally became an immortal enjoying boundless happiness. This morning you wake up “Oh! It was a spring dream!” That is when you are awake. If you don’t wake up and you continue to think it’s real, then you become enamored of it and can’t let go. Unable to let go, you become deeply attached and deluded. Right now we are daydreaming, not awake. So we come into this world muddled and leave muddled. Where do we come from when we arrive? Where do we go when we leave? We don’t know. During our whole life long, we are never once awake. Think about it: Is that meaningful? What do we want to stay around for? What is so precious that we cannot bear to put it down?

我們一生被「三毒」及「五欲」的繩子綑得結結實實，連轉身的自由都沒有，更談不到解脫。所以發心出家修道，用功打坐，努力拜佛，就是解三毒和五欲的繩子，終有一天，能完全解開。那時候就清醒了，回頭一看，過去所作所為，完全如夢，一切不如法。現在清醒了，便能出離三界，不受生死的限制，生死自由，願生即生，願死即死，這種境界，遂心如意，來去自由，才是真正解脫，所謂「大夢初醒」。

In our lives, we are tightly bound by the ropes of the three poisons and the five desires. We don’t even have the freedom to turn around, let alone be liberated. Hence, we must resolve to enter the monastic life and cultivate the Way, meditating and bowing to the Buddha with vigor. Those are the ways to untie the ropes of the three poisons and the five desires. The day will come when the ropes are completely untied. At that time, you will be awake. Looking back on what you have done, you will find that it was completely like a dream, and nothing you did was in accord with the Dharma. Since you now are fully awake, you can leave the Three Realms and not be bound by birth and death. You will have control over your own birth and death: you can be born if you like to and die when you want to. This state, where everything is just as you wish, where you can come and go freely, is true liberation. It is like waking up from a big dream.

我們現在把假的抓住，把真的忘了。什麼是假的？財色名食睡這五欲的快樂是假的。什麼是真的？涅槃四德──「常樂我淨」的快樂是真的。可是奇怪的人類，真的丟了也不怕，把假的丟了卻起恐怖。為什麼？因為認賊作子，捨本逐末，以假為真，沒有清醒，還在夢中，貪戀夢中的境界。

But now we hold on to what’s false and forget about what’s true. What is false? The objects of the five desires: wealth, sex, fame, food and sleep. What is true? The happiness of the four virtues of Nirvana-permanence, bliss, true self, and purity. And yet we human beings are so strange: We’re not afraid of losing what’s true, but we’re terrified when what’s false is lost. Why is that? Because we take a thief for our son, we reject the roots in favor of the twigs, take the false for the true, and are continually dreaming, hooked by dream states.

我們因為起惑造業受報的緣故，好像一粒微塵，在空中飄上飄下，做不得主，隨著業力在六道輪迴中轉來轉去。所謂「打不破名利關，跳不出輪迴圈」，什麼時候不為名利境界所轉，那時就脫離六道輪迴的樊籠。

Because of delusion, we create karma and then receive the retribution. We are like a dust mote floating up and down in the air, led by the power of our karma, revolving in the six paths, with no control of our own. It is said, “If you can’t clear the hurdles of fame and profit, you won’t be able to leap out of the cycle of rebirth.” When fame and benefit cease to attract you, you’ll escape the trap of rebirth in the six paths.

一九八三年八月二十一日
開示於萬佛聖城