人若不修“戒”而想得到“智慧”，是办不到的。戒是“言顾行，行顾言”，处处都要守规矩，不能踰矩。

If we try to attain wisdom without cultivating the precepts, we will not succeed. Holding the precepts means making sure that our words accord with our actions and our actions reflect our words. Wherever we are, we should abide by the rules and not break them.

戒是出家人的准绳，出家人为何有那么多规矩？就因为在家人不守规矩；所以若出家了，就要有个法度规则。不守规矩就不会有定力；戒定不圆满，绝无真正的智慧。即使有，也是很牵强的世智辩聪，或者令人尽走弯曲小径，投机取巧的小聪明，这不能算是真正的智慧。这是奸诈，好像鬼是很奸诈的。

The precepts are the rules of conduct for left-home people. Why are there so many rules? Because as laypeople, we didn't follow the rules. So, once we leave the home-life, there has to be a system of rules and regulations. If we don't follow the rules, we won't attain samadhi. If our upholding of precepts and samadhi is not complete, then there's absolutely no way we can obtain genuine wisdom. Any wisdom we might have would only be an artificial kind of worldly knowledge and cleverness in debate or a petty intelligence that enables us to always find shortcuts and crooked ways. This cannot be considered genuine wisdom, but merely something fraudulent, characteristic of ghosts.

人若有真智慧，什么事也不怕吃亏上当；对任何事都能一目了然：没有邪知邪见，才是真智慧。

If a person has genuine wisdom, he won't be afraid to take a loss or to be swindled in a deal. If he can completely understand any affair at a single glance, and doesn't have deviant knowlege and deviant views, he has true wisdom.

凡夫所办不到的，就是断欲去爱。为何做不到？就因为没有真智真慧，所以被无明愚痴所支配；若有真智慧，一切事都会迎刃而解的。

The one thing that ordinary people are incapable of doing is cutting off love and desire. Why can't they do it? They lack true wisdom and are dominated by their ignorance and stupidity. If they had genuine wisdom, they would be able to solve their problems quickly and easily.

一九八三年十月十七日晚间开示