Disclaimer: The translations are not official nor endorsed by 2OR, so please just treat it as a ‘fan-based’ translation. 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】. Please enjoy, and I hope it serves as a good filler until the official English version comes out.
人的天性本能有两种，一种是食，即天生就会吃。一种是色，即男女之色。都是本性在人间后所造成的——食色性也。碰到食色之后如何定？因为只有定，才能稳住食色。“欲中离欲，火中生莲”。在欲望当中离开欲，就像佛灯里的火中生莲一样，很难做到，这就是许多人做不到修持五戒的原因。欲中离欲，犹如火中生莲，在家修行要花好几倍的功力才行。和尚在寺庙里修行，比较清静，不接触外尘，不会遐想，而我们在家修行必须接触外尘，接触就会想，在家修行不容易啊，什么都要克制。师父常常告诫你们，要想定下来，必须持戒。持戒要配上一贴药，就是“慈忍”。一个人要想戒，戒掉自己身上的习气，一定要慈忍，即慈悲的忍耐。比如：非常恨一个人，如果能在心里想，其实这人也蛮可怜的，这慈悲心一生起，就不会恨了，这就是慈忍。
Humans have two natural instincts—food and sex. In other words, the desire for food and sex is part of human nature. Appetite and lust are aspects that our inherent nature becomes tainted with when we transmigrate into the human realm. How do we resist temptations from our appetite and lust? This can only be accomplished through remaining steadfast. “To achieve dispassion in the midst of desire is like a lotus blooming amidst a fire”. In other words, similar to a lotus blooming in the fire of a Buddhist lamp, it is very difficult to overcome our desires in an environment rampant of such temptations. It is a feat and the reason why many practitioners fail in their adherence to the Five Precepts. It is why lay practitioners need to expend much more energy in their cultivation as they are susceptible to external influences which lead to the development of stray thoughts. On the other hand, monastics cultivating at a monastery, have a serene environment free of external influences that prevent them from being lost in wild and fanciful thoughts. Thus, it is not easy to cultivate as a lay practitioner due to the restraint that must be displayed. Master would like to warn you: to maintain steadfastness; you have to uphold the precepts. Additionally, upholding the precepts should go hand in hand with a supplement known as ‘compassionate tolerance’. Should a person wish to rid themselves of their bad habits, they must possess this virtue of compassionate tolerance. That is, to be able to exercise restraint with compassion and mercy. For example, if you can sympathise and feel pity for someone that you extremely dislike, you would have displayed compassionate tolerance as the hatred in your heart would have been substituted with compassion and mercy.
“意见”像颗钉子，越敲越深。我对你有意见说出来了，我无所谓，我不是存心的，可是别人就会种在心里。不要对人有意见，人常说“有意见讲出来就好”，那是骗人的。因为我们是人而不是神，这种“意见”一定会造成其他人“恨”的根基。
Opinions are like nails. The more you hammer them, the deeper they tunnel in. If I express an opinion against someone, I may remain nonchalantly indifferent as it was not my intention to hurt this person's feelings. However, the other party may have taken this opinion to heart. Hence, they do not develop opinions regarding others. It is a misconception that one should always speak their mind. It’s because we are humans and not deities. These kinds of ‘opinions’ would certainly become a cause of hatred in others.
如果一个修行人把善恶分的太清楚，实际上这个人在犯一个大错误，即大瞋心。如果这个人说：我这个人嫉恶如仇。实际上这个人是有恨心。学佛的人不能把善与恶分辨的太清楚。因为人间的一切全都是假相，全是由因果所生。今世被人家欺负，是前世你欺负人家。如果你认为他这个人怎么这么坏啊，要去为人家出头报冤，你这个恨心已经在心中种下了不好的因，会增加你的瞋心，应该明白这都是前世所造的因。前世所造的因，今世只有修心才能改变。人间善恶也是因缘果报的持续。
It is a grievous mistake for a Buddhist practitioner to differentiate between good and evil excessively as it will give rise to great hatred. If someone regards themselves as somebody who loathes evil as if it were one’s enemy, hatred already exists in their heart. Hence, as Buddhists, we should not draw a distinct line between good and evil as everything in the human realm is but an illusion; everything is created from the karmic cause and effect. If you are treated unfairly by others, it’s because you had treated others unfairly in the previous life. Even if you see the evil in someone and thus wish to speak out against injustice on behalf of the opposite party, these feelings of hatred would plant a negative karmic cause in your mind, thus increasing the propensity for hatred in your mind. You should understand that this is all due to the karmic causes sowed during your past lives which can only be changed through cultivation. After all, good and evil in the human realm is a continuation of predestined karma.
人间没有什么对与错，只有因与果。师父教你们高僧传下的克制方法：谤我，要忍他；欺我，要让他；辱我，要避他；轻我笑我，要由他；贱我，要敬他。
There is no such thing as ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ in the human realm, only the law of causality prevails. Master will now impart a method on practising self-restraint passed down by a senior monk: if somebody slanders me, I must forbear them; if somebody bullies me, I must let them; if somebody humiliates me, I must avoid them; if somebody belittles me, I must let them be; if somebody looks down on me, I must be respectful towards them.
如果你今天想做善事，是从心里发出的意愿，好的想法，好的意愿，那是一种非常有价值的资产。因为当你有好的意念，从心里发出时，在你的八识田中就种下了一颗善良的种子，它是一种资产，是一种无声而又非常重要的力量。
If you wish to perform good deeds today, these positive thoughts, ideas and aspirations that emanate from the mind are very valuable assets. This is because when positive thoughts emanate from the mind, a seed of kindness will be planted in your eighth consciousness. It is an asset, a seemingly inconspicuous yet incredibly important source of strength and energy.
一个人只有外在的自由而没有内在的自由，是没有价值的。自由，即自在。外在的自由，比如：今天外环境很好，今天上班老板不在，无人管制我，想做什么就做什么，想休息就休息，这叫外环境的自由。但是，当你坐在办公室时，有时候又觉得很可怜，没有事情做时，就开始惆怅或妄想，我的家人怎么样了？妈妈得重病了，老板回来会对我怎么样？会不会知道我今天的所作所为？感觉自己活得好无奈等等，这种内心的痛苦还有内心的无知，就造成了内在的不自由和无知；因此内在的罪恶、自私就会接踵而来，就会感到恐惧，无法控制自己的心灵。只有内在的自由和外在的自由合为一体才是真正的自由。外在的自由永远不能掩盖内在的不自由。
It’s useless if a person only has outer freedom but not inner freedom. This freedom refers to being unrestrained and at ease. Here’s an example of outer freedom when external conditions are favourable: Your boss is not around at work, so there’s nobody present to supervise you. Hence you can do as you please and take breaks whenever you feel like it. This is known as environmental freedom. However, sometimes in the office, you may start to feel pitiful. When there’s nothing to do, you may start to become melancholic and start to have distracting thoughts. “How is my family doing? My mother has contracted a serious illness.” “How will my boss treat me upon his return? Will he know about what I did today?” You may feel that you are leading a meaningless life amongst other thoughts, and such internal pain and ignorance would lead to a lack of inner freedom and wisdom. As a result, your latent evils and selfishness will manifest one after another. This then causes fear and paranoia, leading to your abilities for independent thought and emotions being incapacitated. True freedom can only be achieved through the unity of outer and inner freedom. Outer freedom alone will never be able to conceal the lack of inner freedom.
本觉与无明，非一也非二，实相无明，即是佛性。本来自己拥有的那个心，即是佛心，加上你现在对任何事情的不明白，不理解，实际上不是一和二，不是分开的，实属一个道理。我们的人身称为相，实相无明，就是我们的肉体是无明的，是不知道的，不明白的，实际上也是佛性，犹如镜子染尘，也就是说你的本性被污染了，犹如水至起波。无明实性，就是说你的无明加上你的实性，你本来的实性就是实实在在的本性。虽然你的无明遮住了你的本性，但是，这两个实性与本性实际上是同为一体的。犹如：太阳是你的本性又光又亮，光彩夺目，乌云过来了遮住了你的太阳，那你的太阳还是不是光明的？太阳还是不是很干净？乌云是你暂时沾染的许多习气，是你在人间所沾染的不好的东西，当这个乌云走掉之后，雨过天晴，乌云散去，阳光灿烂，你善良的本性就出来了。
Self-realisation and ignorance are a concept of non-duality. Ignorance and our Buddha-nature are one; both are stemmed from the mind, which is inherently the mind of a Buddha but with the additional of ignorance. They can’t be separated from each other as they are established on the same principles. Our physical body is a form, while its true form is ignorance. It refers that our physical body is why we’re ignorant, not knowing anything and not understanding anything. In reality, it is also our Buddha-nature. The defilement of your inherent nature is likened to a mirror that has been tainted with dust and dirt; it is also like the waves that arise from the water. Ignorance is the true nature, in other words, ignorance and your true nature are inseparable, they are integral to your inherent nature although your ignorance has covered up your inherent nature, both your true and inherent nature form an integral whole. For example, take the sun as your inherent nature metaphorically, bright and dazzling. If a dark cloud drifts over to shroud the sun, does that mean the sun ceases to be bright? Is the sun still considered pure? The dark clouds represent temporary defilements; like the unhealthy habits and mannerisms, you acquired in the human realm. Once the dark clouds drift — just like the sky clears after the rain, the sunlight is splendid again, and your inherent kind-hearted nature emerges.
