V 1-19 The Buddha-Dharma and the Maintenance of Health 佛法与养生

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.

给大家谈谈佛法养生之道。你们要经常观想，就是用自己心里的眼睛来看自己的身体，对身体非常有益。

观想头，经常观想自己的头脑非常清醒。人的头脑一定要清，常言道，头脑要清醒。

观想心，经常观想自己的心是红色的。心是被血包围着的，血是红色的。

Let me discuss how to maintain health using the Way of the Buddha-Dharma. You must regularly practise visualisation, which is to use your mind’s eye to look at your own body. That is very beneficial to your body.

Visualisation of the head: Regularly visualise your head as being mentally clear. A person’s head must be clear, regularly talk about the Way (of the Buddha-Dharma) and you remain clear-headed.

Visualisation of the heart: Regularly visualise your heart being red and surrounded by red blood.

观想肺，观想自己的肺很白净，当你观想自己的肺时，自己感觉很白，这个肺会越来越好。抽烟、肺积水、有炎症等时肺是黑色的。

观想肾脏，观想自己的肾脏是温的。肾脏一定要保持温，不要让它过热。过热或过凉泌尿系统就会出问题。

观想精，精要元固（指男性）。女性讲的是精神，男性讲的是精。精元固，这个固不是真正坚固的固，是要用你的元神守住你的精。元神很重要，许多男人的眼睛没有光亮，无神，其实是精已经不好了，精不好就影响神气，即精不固，神不爽。男人如果不动坏脑筋，他的精力就会很旺盛，这个人就有精神。眼睛没有神的人，实际上他的精就不固了。

Visualisation of the lungs: Visualise your lungs as white and clean, feel that it’s white and your lungs will get better. When you smoke, or have lingering water inside the lungs or suffer from inflammation in the lungs, it becomes black.

Visualisation of the kidneys: Visualise that your kidneys are temperate, not hot. When the kidneys are overly hot or cool, then the urinary system will develop problems.

Visualisation of the essence: The essence must be firm (sperm for men). For women, it’s vigour. For men, the essence is the sperm cells. The essence must be firm. Firm doesn’t literally mean firm, but it’s for your natural constitution to firmly retain your essence. Our natural constitution is very important; many men have eyes that look dispirited or a lack of vigour; in fact, it’s because their essence is bad. If the essence is bad, then it has a negative effect on their energy levels. If the essence is not firm, energy levels are weak. If men do not have unwholesome thoughts, their essence would be very strong, and they have a lot of vigour. People with dispirited eyes indicate that their essence is not firm.

观想胃，经常观想自己的胃很和，即很平和。平时不能吃的过多或过少。

观想肝，观想自己的肝很舒畅。中医上常讲肝气不舒，就是说不舒畅，肝很重要，肝是造血的，所以肝一定要舒，胆石一定要消，经常观想消掉胆石。医学上讲一个人经过二十年后，胆一定会有结石。

观想肠，经常观想自己的肠子很柔润，如果肠子不润，一定会有病症，所以肠子要永远都很润滑。

观想脾脏，经常观想自己的脾脏很健康。脾脏不健康就会带来很多后遗症。

总结起来就是，头清，肺白，心红，肾温，精元固，胃要和，肠要润，肝要舒，脾要健，胆石要消。

Visualisation of the stomach: Regularly visualise that your stomach is gentle. At normal times, refrain from eating too much or too little.

Visualisation of the liver: Visualise that your liver operates smoothly. The liver is very important; it’s the place that breaks down old or damaged blood cells so it must operate smoothly. If you regularly visualise it, then the formation of gallstones will reduce. Medical science once mentioned that when people are over the age of twenty, their gallbladder will develop gallstones.

Visualisation of the intestines. Regularly visualise that your intestines are soft and moist. If it isn’t moist, then the disease will likely occur. It must always be moist and lubricated.

Visualisation of the spleen: Regularly visualise that your spleen is very healthy. If it’s unhealthy, it will create a lot of side-effects.

In conclusion, visualise a clear head, white lungs, red heart, temperate kidneys, firm essence, gentle stomach, moist intestines, smooth-operating liver, healthy spleen, and dissolving gallstones.

大家要经常想“吾善养吾浩然正气，浩浩乎塞乎天地之间”。谁都要养自己的气，但一定要养自己的浩然正气，要做一个堂堂正正的人，接天地之正气。我们人脚踏在地上，头顶在天上，接天地之正气，做人一定要有浩然正气。

You must regularly think that ‘we are skilful at nourishing our great and righteous energy so that it fills up all between heaven and earth’. Everybody must maintain their energy levels, but you must certainly maintain great and righteous energy. You must be a virtuous person to receive the right energy found between heaven and earth. Our feet must be planted on the ground while the crown of our head faces the sky to receive the energy around us. We must possess a great and righteous disposition.

怎样念咒有效果？念咒语，其实就是念经。短的称为咒，长的称为经。念咒语要清静语，要无量意，要密不可译。念经要念得干净，心要安静，经文要听得清楚。心静的时候念经的效果最好。用无量意念经时，你的意念是无量无边的。

How should we recite mantras for it to be effective? Reciting mantras is reciting Buddhist scriptures. Short scriptures are known as mantras, while long scriptures are known as sutras. When reciting mantras, the voice must be soft; intentions must be boundless and perceive it as mysterious and profound. When reciting sutras, thoughts must be pure; the mind must be peaceful, the sutra must be heard clearly. The effect is the best when reciting sutras while the mind is calm. When you use boundless intentions to recite sutras, your intentions are expanded to be boundless and limitless.

为什么经文不一定要去理解它？因经文密不可译，密不可解。它像一个密码一样，不要去理解它的意思，只要照着念就可以了。菩萨的心咒不是凡人能理解的，犹如发电报的密码，不用知道为什么这几个数字要放在一起，是什么意思。如果理解错了，反而会影响念经的效果。只能音译，不能意译。经咒都是菩萨的真言，怎能用人间的智慧来解释？念经的人千万要记住只能音译，如字的发音。高僧大德给你们讲解的经咒，也只不过是表面上的含义，菩萨经咒的真正内涵能有几人理解？

Why is it not compulsory to understand the sutras? It’s because it’s mysterious and profound, and very difficult to analyse. It is like a code; you don’t have to understand what it says, just reciting it is alright. The core mantras of Bodhisattvas isn’t something that mortals can comprehend, likened to relaying code over a telegram, you don’t have to question why the code numbers are arranged in the way that it is and what it means. If your understanding is incorrect, it would negatively affect the effectiveness of the recitation instead. You can only phonetically transcribe it; you mustn’t translate it. Sutras and mantras are the true words of the Bodhisattva; how could anybody use the wisdom of the human realm to explain? People who recite sutra must seriously take note that you can only phonetically transcribe it, and use the phonetic sound of each character. When senior monks explain about sutras and mantra, they are only explaining the superficial meaning of it. How many people can comprehend the true meaning embedded within the Bodhisattvas' sutras and mantras?

每个人念经的效果为什么会不一样？

第一，因果不同，孽力不同。因每个人的孽力不同，念经的效果就不同。造孽很多的人念经的效果就不好，即孽力越深，念经效果越差。

第二，意念不同。念经时脑子里想的东西不一样，念经的效果就不一样。如果念经时脑子里乱想，杂念多，念出的效果就差。

第三，音声海不同。念经的声音不同，传出的声波不同，念经的效果就不同。念经的声音要像洪钟，像大海的波涛一样汹涌澎湃。譬如：身体不好，念经时就没有力量，没有力量念出的经就没有效果。如果你很开心时，就会越念越开心，念出的经效果就好。开口念诵，当嘴巴开始念经时，眼睛要睁开，因为你要把你的想法，你的心，你的灵和自然界融为一体。也就是说要睁开眼睛念经，因经文是接天地的，让你自己与自然融合为一体，然后你的眼前会呈现出一片光明。因此开始念经时先把眼睛睁开，然后慢慢念，慢慢把眼睛闭上。念经想要有效果，就要念到身心俱忘，也就是说念到心不去想，身体也没有了，这时不是你自己了，就会和天地融为一体。

Why is the effect of each person’s sutra recitations different?

1) Each person’s karmic causes and consequences are different, so their level of negative karma is different. Thus this leads to differences in effectiveness in recitations. The greater the negative karma, the less effective the mantra recitation would be.

2) Differences in thoughts: When reciting sutras, differences to what you think during the process will lead to differences in the effectiveness. The more your mind wanders and distracted during the recitation, the less effective it becomes.

3) Differences in vocal sounds: Difference in the vocal sound you make when reciting sutras causes differences in the sound waves emitted. Thus the effectiveness of the recitation is different. There must be vocal resonation when performing recitations, like how you can hear the surging waves of the sea. For example, when your health is bad, there is a lack of energy in your voice when reciting. When you are happy, you become even happier, so the recitation effect is greater. When you openly chant, in the beginning, your eyes should be wide open because you want to integrate your thoughts, your mind and your spirit with the external environment. In other words, you must open your eyes at the start of reciting sutras because the scriptures act as a conduit between heaven and earth to help you unite with nature. Afterwards, a ray of light will appear in front of your eyes, that’s why you should start reciting with your eyes opened. Then gradually, as you recite, slowly close your eyes. If you want your recitations to be effective, you must be a state where your body and mind has forgotten about everything else. In other words, you must recite until your mind no longer thinks, your body becomes empty, your concept of ‘self’ has disappeared, then you would integrate with heaven and earth as one.

怎样念经才能起效果？

1）要对症下药，你念的经不对症下药，就没有效果，没有用。

2）要放松，要安静，要微笑。念经要念到法喜充满，要念到心花怒放。

3）要观想，听声音。观想就是念经时，思想集中，观想观世音菩萨，然后自己听自己的声音。听到自己念经的声音，脑子就不会乱想。

4）金光万道上身，要把菩萨的光照着自己，你们这些徒弟念经能想到金光万道？要把菩萨的金光万道全部接到自己的身上，照到你的肺白，心红……这就叫现实与佛法结合起来应用。智慧像一团光，人心散乱，不易成状。你的聪明才智实际上就像光一样是一团，如果散乱了，杂念多了，就不可能有智慧了。要想有智慧，这个心必须要静，心静才能把智慧之光聚集起来。

How to perform recitations of sutras so that it show effects?

1) You must suit the remedy to the case. If the sutra that you recite doesn’t suit the problem that you want to deal with, then it won’t have any effect,

2) You must relax, be at peace and smile gently. When reciting sutras, you must recite until you are filled with Dharma joy and elated.

3) You must visualise, listen to your voice. When you are reciting sutras and concentrating, visualise Guan Yin Bodhisattva, and then listen to your voice, listen to the pronunciation of each character, then your mind won’t be distracted.

4) Visualise that you are empowered by innumerable golden bright lights emanated by the Bodhisattvas. You must visualise that the lights penetrate throughout your whole body. That is to integrate reality and the Buddha-Dharma. Wisdom is like a group of light. The mind is usually scattered and hard to form into shape. Your cleverness and intellect are like a group of light; if it’s scattered and there are many distracting thoughts, wisdom won’t develop. If you want wisdom, you must first be able to calm yourself down. Only when you’re calm, could you gather the lights of wisdom together.