诸法从缘生，诸法从缘灭，
我佛大沙门，常作如是说。

All dharmas arise from conditions;
All dharmas cease with conditions.
Our Buddha, the great Shramana,
Always speaks in this way.

“法”都是从因缘而生，也是从因缘而灭，这是一个轮回的道理，也是一个“物极必反，否极泰来”的道理，也是世间一切的相对法。

All dharmas arise from causes and conditions, and also cease because of causes and conditions. This is the principle of rebirth, and it is also the principle that "When something reaches an extreme, it will turn around. When misfortune reaches an extreme, prosperity comes." This is also true of all dual dharmas in the world.

相对法，就是好到极处则变坏，坏到极点又变好了。好像我们刚生出来是一个好，等到死时又是一个坏。“生住异灭”，生了之后就住，住以后又变异，变异后就灭。生老病死亦是同理，生了之后慢慢就会变老，老了就有病，有病就有死，这都是一种缘。人人都有生，都欢喜生；人人也都有死，但都怕死。你若不欢喜生也不怕死，这就是一种定力。好像人怕鬼，为什么怕？因为鬼很丑陋恐怖，会对人不利，会把人弄死，所以人怕鬼，这是一种怕死的表现。如果你不怕死，什么也不会怕的，不论鬼神或妖魔鬼怪皆不怕，无所恐惧。你若有所恐惧，则不得其正。无所恐惧才是一种正定正受，才是得到定力了。有定力之人是：

纵遇锋刀常坦坦，
假饶毒药也闲闲。 

"Dual dharmas": when good reaches an extreme, it becomes bad. When something becomes bad to the extreme, it becomes good. For instance, at birth we are good, but by the time of death, we are bad. Coming into being, dwelling, change, and extinction: after some-thing comes into being, it dwells, then undergoes change, and finally ceases to be. Birth, aging, sickness, and death follow the same principle. After we are born, we gradually grow old, and in old age we contract sicknesses. Sickness then brings about death. These are all conditions. Everyone undergoes birth and is glad to be born; everyone must die, but everyone fears death. If you are neither glad to be born nor afraid to die, you have samadhi power. Why do people fear ghosts? Because ghosts are grotesque and frightening, menacing and capable of killing people. Fear of ghosts is a form of the fear of death. If you didn't fear death, you wouldn't fear anything. You wouldn't be afraid of ghosts, spirits, goblins, demons, monsters, or anything at all. If you are afraid of something, you cannot be proper. You can attain proper samadhi and reception only if you have no fear. A person who possesses samadhi power has the attitude:

Even if I meet with a knife's point,
    I am always completely tranquil.
If I am given a poisonous drug,
    I am still totally at ease.

这个意思就是，若是有人用刀割去我的头，或用毒药毒死我，我也无所谓，无动于衷。为什么？因为自己的生死已了－－“所作已办，不受后有”，得一万事毕了。

The meaning is, if someone were to slice my head off with a knife, I wouldn't mind too much. I wouldn't be moved. Why not? Because I've already put an end to birth and death－"Everything is done, and there is no more rebirth." When you attain the One, all things are done.

可是单单“得一”还是不行的，要把“一”想法子返本还原，变成○。○是个妙不可言的道理，你们谁明白○，谁就能修行证果。如何明白○？就要先明白一。所谓“得一万事毕”，它是离言说相，离文字相，离心缘相；扫一切法，离一切相。又所谓：“一法不立，万法皆空”。你想要得到这种境界与道理，先要得到“一”，你不要把“一”看得那么简单。

However, attaining the One is not enough. You must find a way to get back to the origin and turn it into a Zero. The Zero is an ineffably wonderful principle. Any person who understands the Zero can cultivate and realize the fruition. How can you understand the Zero? You must first understand the One. "When you attain the One, all things are done." It is beyond the marks of speech, words, and conditions of the mind. Sweep away all dharmas, and separate from all marks. "Not a single dharma exists; all dharmas are empty." If you want to attain this kind of state and realize this principle, you must first attain the One. You shouldn't think the One is so simple.

天得一以清，
地得一以宁，
人得一以圣。

When heaven attains the One,
    it becomes clear;
When earth attains the One,
    it becomes peaceful;
When a person attains the One,
    he becomes a sage.

天为什么能覆盖万物呢？因为得一了。地为什么能载万物呢？因为得一了。若是地没有一，失去一，即刻就有山崩地裂、地震海啸种种地灾会发生。哪个地方丢了“一”，哪个地方就有地灾发生。若是不丢失一，地是平平安安的。

“人得一以圣”，人若是真能得到“一”，就能出轮回，证圣果，开智慧。人失去这个“一”，就在六道轮回里转，就会有种种烦恼无明。八万四千种烦恼都因为失去一，所以都来了。若得一了，首先就是烦恼变成菩提，生死变成涅盘，如反掌之易，毫无困难。可是为什么不能将烦恼生死变成菩提涅盘呢？就因为失去“一”，而跑到“二”上，跑到“三”上……，跑到“十”上，由十就有十十无尽，百千万种的烦恼都来了。所以这个一是很要紧。可是我们失去一，又想得回一，不是一件很容易的事。从一再能返本还原，回到○上，那更是不容易的事。

我再给你们说个简单的譬喻。什么时候叫一？什么时候叫○？从一岁开始，女的到十四岁，男的到十六岁，这段时期都没有失去这个一。什么时候是个○？一入胎到出生，都是在○的位置上，那时候没有什么妄想、烦恼、贪瞋痴。等到会吃饭了，饿了就生贪心要吃饭，贪瞋痴就开始发生了；但是这个时候还没有失去一，这时候是做人的开始。从○字演变成一字，这个一字还是很完整，是一切一切的开始。等到经过人事的变迁，在“一”上又加上东西，就变成二，二又变三，三又变四……，一路一路地增加，增加越多，负担也就越重，人也越变愚痴了。

性，就是个○字，○就是个性；○性○性，是什么也没有，“本来无一物，何处惹尘埃？”修行要修到如浑沌赤子之心，心无一物，就像小孩子似的，返老还童。但返老还童并不是叫你等着吃奶，而是教你贪瞋痴慢疑心都没有了，这时叫返本还原，和小孩子的知见差不多，很天真无邪，一点也没有懒惰懈怠心，也没有占便宜的心，或人我是非的心，这时是“本来无一物，何处惹尘埃？”

The nature is the Zero, and the Zero is the nature. The Zero and the nature have nothing to them at all:

Originally there's not a single thing;
Where can the dust alight?

We want to cultivate until we become as simple-minded as a newborn baby. Our mind should be empty, like a child's. We should return to youth in our old age. However, that doesn't mean you should start drinking mother's milk again. Rather, it means you should cast out all thoughts of greed, anger, stupidity, pride, and doubt. That's called "going back to the root and returning to the source." Your thoughts and outlook are like a child's: innocent and pure, without the slightest bit of laziness, greed for advantages, or criticism of other's faults. At that point, "Originally there's not a single thing; where can the dust alight?"

所以修道若是能真明白这个理，才能真正觉悟。为什么要听经？就是要返本还原。为什么要修行？就是要返本还原。把所有零零碎碎的垃圾，都收拾干净，不要在人我的问题上用功夫。别人讲你一句就不高兴，受不了；动你一根寒毛，你也痛到心里去，甚至拔一毛能利天下，你也不肯；有这种自私心是不能修道的。

If we can understand this principle and cultivate, then we can truly become enlightened. Why do we listen to lectures on the sutras? Because we want to return to the origin. Why do we cultivate? Because we want to get back to the source, and clean up all the miscellaneous garbage, so that we don't spend all our time on the question of self and others. When someone talks badly of us, we get upset and cannot bear it. If someone were to touch even one hair on our bodies, the pain would sear our hearts. And even if we could benefit the world by pulling out one hair, we wouldn't do it. With such selfishness, we won't be able to cultivate.

修道人要无我、无人、无众生、无寿者相。“无我相”，不是做事时，尽教别人去做。“无人相”，不是吃东西时，说我无人相，我多吃一点不要紧，因为无人相嘛！你这时无人相，别人却有人相了。打架时，你就“无众生相”；或者吃肉时，就“无寿者相”。这是不对的，这都是邪知邪见。那么应该怎么样做呢？   

A cultivator should not have the mark of self, the mark of others, the mark of living beings, or the mark of a life span. Not having the mark of self doesn't mean that when it's time to work, you make everyone else work. Not having the mark of others doesn't mean when it's time to eat, you say, "I have no mark of others, so it's no problem if I eat more." You may not have the mark of others, but other people do have the mark of others. Or perhaps when you are fighting, you claim to have no mark of living beings, or when you eat meat, you say you have no mark of a life span. That's wrong. Those are all improper ways of thinking. What's the right way?

（一）无我相：不要有贡高我慢，不要有为自己打算的心。
（二）无人相：不要妨碍或障碍他人，凡对人不利的事都不要做。
（三）无众生相：视万物为一体。
（四）无寿者相：大家都有要求生命存在的权利，不应该夺取他人或其它众生之性命。

所以我们修道是处处不为己求，不为自己打算，要多为他人着想。

So in cultivation, we should never seek anything for ourselves or scheme for our own benefit. We should always try to think on behalf of others.

一九八二年十二月五日中午开示于
万佛圣城