小朋友！你們想盡救世救人的責任嗎？首先要「敦品立小朋友！你們想盡救世救人的責任嗎？首先要「敦品立德」。

Young friends! Do you want to fulfill the responsibility of saving the people and the world? Then first of all, you should develop good character and virtue.

何謂敦品？「敦」是敦厚；「品」是品格，就是要學識豐富，品格高尚，不吸煙、不飲酒、更不吸毒、不賭錢，完全沒有不良的嗜好。不要學過去那些無知識的人，對國家不負責任，對社會不盡義務，隨隨便便不守規矩，成為害群之馬。人間的阿修羅，只知鬥爭，不知和平，這種惡人只會成為國家的大包袱。

What does it mean to develop good character? If you want to be a person of learning and integrity, then don't smoke, drink, take drugs, or gamble; be free of all bad habits. Don't learn from ignorant people who aren't responsible to their country, who don't fulfill their duties in society, who are careless and don't observe the rules. They are the black sheep of the flock and asuras in the human realm. They know only about fighting, not about peace. Those kinds of unwhole­some people will merely become a great burden for the nation.

你們現在正像欣欣向榮的小樹，要時時將不正的枝椏砍去，令其向上發展，將來成為大樹，可做有用的大材料。所謂「十年樹木，百年樹人。」你們現在正是學習的時期，不要沾染種種的不良習氣。切記！養成高尚的品格，保持廉潔的操守。若能這樣，將來能作世界人類的領袖。

Now you are just like young, flourishing trees. Your crooked branches must constantly be trimmed so that the trunks can grow upright. Then you can become great trees, providing useful lumber in the future. It is said, "It takes ten years to grow a tree, but a hundred years to educate a person." You are now in the learning phase. Don't get defiled by bad habits. Remember to cultivate an honorable character and maintain honest conduct. Then you can be leaders in the world.

何謂立德？「立」是建立，「德」是德行。建立好的德行，也就是孝順父母，所謂「百善孝為先」。不孝順父母的人，就是天天拜佛，也沒有用處。關於這一點，小朋友！要特別注意。

How do you build virtue? Be filial to your parents. It is said, "Among the hundred good deeds, filiality is the foremost." People who aren't filial to their parents will be useless even if they bow to the Buddha every day. You should pay close attention to this, young friends! .

你們的德行，一天比一天多起來；做人的基礎，一天比一天堅固。該說話的時候，要說正當如理的話，不說不合理的話。總而言之，你們要努力學習，將來成為世界上有用的人，不可做世界上的壞人。這是我對你們的期望。

Your virtue is increasing day by day, and your foundation for being a person is getting more solid day by day. When it's time to talk, you should say proper and decent things, not improper things. You should always study hard and become a productive person in the future, not a bad person. That is my expectation for you.