V 2-1: To Unite our Knowledge and Actions with the Virtues of Buddha 【谈佛德与知行合一】

Disclaimer: My translations are not official nor endorsed by 2OR, so please just treat it as a ‘fan-based’ translation based on my personal understanding of his teachings. The Buddha-Dharma is profound. No matter how you convey it, it won't be completely perfect. Because the Buddha-Dharma is an experience, it’s an awakening 【佛法深奥无比，怎么写， 都不会是究竟圆满。佛法是一种悟】. I am not an enlightened being like Master Lu, but I will treat his teachings with my utmost respect and do my best to convey and translate it to the best of my (limited) abilities for my friends and people who can’t read Chinese. Please enjoy and I hope it serves as a good filler until the official English version comes out.

佛德就是具有佛的品德，我们做人要具有佛的品德，要具有佛的道德和具有佛的性德。佛果就是具有佛的果报和果位。无我果，真正修得好的人连这个果都是空的，无我果就是没有果，没有果就是真正有果，而有果就是没果。佛的品德，道德和性德都是最高的境界，是无上正等正觉，修成的是大觉圆满，就是完全觉悟了，智慧圆融了。要用肉身之光加上智慧之光，把两个光合二为一，就是佛之光。肉身之光是吃素，脑子干净，不动坏脑筋，身体干净等，即肉身干净。要修成肉身之光，即把肉身修出光，然后再开启智慧之光，智慧之光加上肉身之光，就是佛之光。如果身上肮脏，脑子里肮脏，行为上肮脏，灵魂上肮脏，那里会有佛之光，佛光也无法普照进去。尤如一个包着的东西，阳光能照进去吗？如果是玻璃透明的，阳光自然就照进去了。

In our everyday conduct, we must act and behave as if we are a Buddha, and express the character, virtues and nature of a Buddha so that we create the karma to attain Buddhahood. That’s because to attain Buddhahood; you must possess the karmic consequence of becoming a Buddha and also the qualifications of becoming a Buddha. Diligent cultivators who possess a highest level of spirituality would view Buddhahood as something that is also empty. This is because the highest level of spirituality is about pure selflessness. The karmic consequence of selflessness 【’无我’果】 is to be free from karma 【没有果】 because you’re selfless. Thus your nature is empty and unaffected by karma. Hence you will achieve the true karmic consequence of becoming a Buddha 【’真正’有果】. But if you are not completely selfless, you’ll be affected by karma 【果】, and you won’t attain the true karmic consequence of becoming a Buddha 【没果】.

Andywin08’s commentary:

Just thought that it would be best to illustrate this concept using an example. Let’s assume that you were walking down the street and accidentally bumped into somebody. They then decided to scold and shout racist and hateful remarks at you. From a Buddhist philosophy’s point of view, this was just a just a karmic consequence of something you did to them in one of your previous lives.

Because you still have a strong sense of self, you become offended and start arguing back at them and maybe even start punching and attacking each other. Hence you were affected by this karma due to your sense of self. Thus you’ve missed a chance to cultivate the karmic consequence of becoming a Buddha.

Now let us assume that the same scenario happened again but instead, you are completely selfless. The other person starts to scold and shout hateful remarks at you because this is the moment when that karma is triggered. However, because you don’t have a sense of self, you don’t take it personally, and you start thinking to yourself, “Maybe they had a bad day and just wanted to let off some steam. How pitiful, fine let them, I’m merciful. Everything is impermanent anyway; everything will pass.” Then although that particular karmic consequence has been realised, you are unaffected by it. Hence you’re able to accumulate the karmic consequence of becoming a Buddha.

The character, virtues and nature of a Buddha is one with the highest level of spirituality and is thus perfect enlightenment. If we want to achieve this Buddha-state, we must possess both a pure body and pure wisdom. To cultivate a pure body, one must adopt a lifetime vegetarian diet, a mind free from distracting thoughts, and keep the body well maintained regularly. When the body is purified, and after cultivating wisdom (as instructed in Volume 1:1), then you’ll awaken the Buddha-state. If your body is dirty, your mind is dirty, your conduct is dirty, and your spirit is dirty, how can you awaken the Buddha-state? Even Buddha’s light won’t be able to penetrate through.

Andywin08’s commentary:

To clear some misunderstanding, Master Lu here actually talks about two kinds of Buddha. One that is within us (as we all possess a Buddha-nature) and then there are also the Buddhas that exists in the outside world that blesses sentient beings (with light). I translated it as Buddha-state because our Buddha-nature is the qualities of a Buddha that resides within us, but when we can manifest it via our conduct, speech and thoughts, then we enter into a Buddha-state (temporarily).

For example, if you put an object inside an opaque case, how could sunlight reach it? It’s only if the case was made of glass, then sunlight could reach it.

知行和一，就是知道道理要去行动，学佛法如果知道了很多道理，不去行动，不去做，就不是知行合一。行为和知识要合二为一，你所修的行和你所学的佛菩萨的知识，要合二为一，就是要用知识去为行为服务，在修行中，求知识，一边在做善事，在劝导人家时，会学到更多佛法的知识的，在一边做善事的同时，一边悟道理，增佛理，长知识。你们每一个人在劝说人家学佛法的过程中，都能增长佛的智慧，用行为，行动来得到知识。知识再多而不行动，你有再多的佛法知识讲，说出来一套一套的佛理，有了这么多知识而不去做，不去应用，等于无知，视为无知。记住你们学了之后，要去救度众生。

To unite knowledge with our actions 【知行合一】 means that once you understood the principles of something, you must put it into action. If after you learned Buddhism and understood a lot about it, but you don’t practise it, then there is a disconnection between your knowledge and your actions. Conduct and knowledge must work in harmony, what you practise and what you learnt from Buddha’s knowledge must work in harmony. In other words, knowledge serves as a motive force behind your actions, and while practising, you will desire for more knowledge. While doing good deeds and advising others, you’ll experience a few awakenings to certain life principles and expand your knowledge in the process. That’s why you’ll receive knowledge by practising as well. If you know a lot, but you don’t put it into practice, then it’s the same as not knowing it at all. So please take note that after learning Buddhism, you must rescue other sentient beings far and wide.

佛说：“凡执著某一见解的人，而藐视其他见解，视为卑劣。”也就是说执著于自己的观点，执著于自己认为的事情是对的，而认为他人的见解都是错的，藐视他人，即视为卑劣。世上有太多的人执著于自己的理论，执著于自己的观点，执著于自己所学的东西，而藐视其他的东西，智者称他为缠裹，聪明的人说这些执著于自己的观点，而不肯接受他人观点的人是缠裹，就是把自己缠起来，裹起来捆帮起来。佛法不是纯理论，佛法是实实在在要去做的，如果学了佛法之后，不实实在在的去做，就不会相应佛菩萨。

Buddha once said, “If a person is obsessed with a certain viewpoint and deprecates other people’s viewpoint, then they are despicable.” Unfortunately, in this world, there are too many people who hold on to their view, opinions and what they’ve learnt too strongly, and deprecates other things. The wise and intelligent people describe them as being crippled by their own mind. Buddhist philosophy is not purely about theories and concepts, but a very pragmatic science. If after you learnt it, you don’t practise it properly, then you won’t resonate with the Bodhisattvas.

知道不是闲人，闲不得。如果这个人不是闲人，闲不得。是闲人，非等闲人。从这几句话悟出一个道理，做事情要做在功上，要做在德上，如果做任何事情是做在善上，做在一个事上，你是没有功德的，你要做在功上，要做在德上，这才是有益身心健康的，功就是从心里发出的，超出正常善事范围的才称为功。用你的佛心去做善事，用佛德，德就是道德，佛菩萨的德性。在加上你自身的佛德，所做的事情称之为功德。

You must understand, if you are not an idle person, you mustn’t be idle. When you are doing something, you must strive to do the best that you can and complement it with virtues. If you’re only doing a simple and momentary act out of kindness, it doesn’t count as meritorious. If you did something persistently with the best of your abilities out of the pure sincerity and virtues of your heart, because this has exceeded the limits of what can be considered as just a good deed, it is deemed as meritorious.

人应当自做皈依，皈依自性三宝，自己皈依自己的佛、法、僧，佛在心中，法在行中，僧在戒中，还有谁可以做你的皈依？你本身已经是佛菩萨了，皈依谁呀？学佛不能贪爱，贪爱能令人无恶不作，因为你的贪心，你的爱，可以令你无恶不作。所以圣人，贤明是克念做圣，有修为的人称为圣人，能克制自己的念头才能成为圣人，凡夫则以妄念做凡，凡夫就是因为妄念太多，才会成为凡人，最后告戒徒弟们的是，愚者求师之过，而智者从师之长，就是在社会上不要去看人家的短处，要看别人的长处。三人之中，必有我师，十步之内，必有芳草，今天时间关系，就讲到这里，合十。 

People should take refuge in the three Dharma treasures that lie within them; they are the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Buddha, as we know, lies within us as our Buddha nature. Dharma lies in the realisation and practise of the Buddha nature. Sangha lies in observing precepts to keep our Buddha nature from being defiled. Thus, why should you take refuge in anybody else? You were originally a Buddha. During our path of Buddhism, we mustn’t indulge in things, because indulgence will lead us astray on to a path of evil. It’s because greed and the need for gratification are able to tempt you to commit evil. A person who’s able to use their wisdom to subdue their distracting thoughts and possess a high level of cultivation and virtues were called a sage in the past. While an ordinary person is ordinary because they let their distracting thoughts overwhelm them. Here is an advice to my disciples: The foolish will pay attention to the flaws of their teacher while the wise will pay to attention to the strengths of their teacher. Thus, there’s a Chinese saying: In a party of three people, there’s always someone whom I can learn from 【三人之中。必有我师】. There must be fragrant grass within ten steps (which means talented people can be found anywhere)【十步之内，必有芳草】.