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.
戒为菩萨之本，一个真正能学佛的人首先要学会守戒。我们人生所有的种种苦难和不能克制的欲望，都是因为没有守戒造成的。大家想想看，家庭的破裂是不是因为没有守戒？如果懂得守戒，懂得克制，懂得相互原谅，就是把自己的戒律牢牢地放在心中，你就不会去造种种的恶业。所以，一个不懂得守戒的人，就会造成自己心中时时刻刻的不安宁。好比一个人活在世界上，如果你不懂得遵纪守法，你任何时候都可能会让自己犯法和犯罪。
The precept is the foundation of a Bodhisattva. A Buddhist who aspires to do well must first learn to observe the precepts. The various hardships we experience are due to our inability to control our desires. It developed because we are unable to observe the precepts. Think about it, when family members are divided, isn’t it because they haven’t observed any precepts? If they did, and if they learnt how to control themselves, and learnt how to forgive each other, then they won’t commit unwholesome deeds. That’s why those who don’t observe the precepts are mentally restless. It can be compared to somebody who doesn’t observe and abide by the law, and so they would regularly let themselves commit crimes.
实际上，“戒”犹如自己头上住着一位菩萨，时刻在观照着我们。很多人的毛病就是没有感觉到菩萨在自己的心中，所以才时时刻刻地会有恶念出来，如果一个学佛人时刻都知道、想着头上三尺有菩萨，就不会任性地去贪瞋痴，去犯这些有情众生的罪孽。有情众生的罪孽实际上就是构成了业障，因为当你去伤害别人的感情的时候，就是你心中有业障。很多人以为在戒律上没有明确地讲伤害对方的感情，但实际上因为你没有戒律，所以你已经伤害了别人并构成了业障。
In reality. ‘precepts’ are akin to the feeling of a Bodhisattva watching over us. Many people’s problem is that they don’t feel that God or a Bodhisattva is closely watching them in their mind; that’s why they casually let their unwholesome thoughts develop. If a Buddhist regularly alerts themselves that a Bodhisattva is constantly watching over them, then they won’t recklessly develop greed, hatred and delusion, and commit the sins of sentient beings. The sins of sentient beings form negative karma. That’s because when you hurt other people’s feelings, then negative karma has already formed within your mind. Many people think that the precepts didn’t specify clearly regarding the conduct of hurting other people’s feelings. But in reality, you have already accumulated negative karma because you didn’t observe the precepts and have hurt others.
我们要有很大的慈悲心去去除我们自己心中这种不干净的、有恶业的报应。在末法时期，人如果不能守自己的戒律，不能让自己的心常常干净，在人间会受到两种业报。这两种业报我们都已经看见了：第一种业报是短命，第二种业报是生病。想一想，如果一个人不停地去杀生，不停地去吃活的东西，是不是会吃出病来？很多人生肠癌就是吃出来的，很多其他的癌症也是吃出来的。很多人不守戒，天天发脾气，天天恨、难过，跟他讲要学会化解冤结，他还是天天生气，最后就生病了，这些病和短命实际上就是我们说的“你犯了戒”。当一个念经学佛的人突然之间脾气很大，突然之间不能控制自己，实际上他已经在犯戒了。所以，学佛人不能发脾气，学佛人不能有自私的想法，学佛人心中要有着众生。
We require a great compassionate and merciful mind to get rid of the impurities that linger within our mind that contribute to the development of negative karma and karmic retribution. In the age of Dharma decline, if somebody doesn’t observe the precepts or if their mind isn’t regularly pure, then they will experience two kinds of karmic retribution. These two kinds of karmic retribution are things we regularly see. The first kind is a short lifespan, and the second kind is to be plagued with illness. Think about it, if somebody constantly kills or slaughters other sentient beings, or if they constantly eat meat from freshly killed animals, then aren’t they going to develop some serious diseases? Many people develop bowel cancer or other kinds of cancer because of that. Many people don’t observe precepts and constantly throw their temper or constantly embroiled in hatred or depression. When you try to persuade them to let go or try to resolve their issue, they still act the way they do. In the end, they fall ill. These illnesses or shortened lifespan, in reality, is the result of you violating your precepts. If a Buddhist who recites sutras throw a large temper suddenly or suddenly find themselves unable to control themselves, then they have also violated the precepts. That’s why Buddhists must not throw their temper, nor have selfish thoughts. They must also think in the best interests of other sentient beings.
师父还要告诉大家，不正当的起心动念都是犯戒。今天你可以让我不打人、不骂人，嘴巴不动都可以，但是你心里在打人，心里在骂人，心里恨别人，你已经犯戒了。学佛人修心是修的内心，就是要把内心修干净。意念起了贪爱，其实就是犯了淫戒。所以，当看见同修也好，当看见异性也好，只要你有了贪爱，你已经犯了淫戒。师父跟你们说，学佛人不要盯着异性多看，因为这是一个犯戒的根啊。过去说六根不净，就是心不清净，所以，少看少烦恼。很多人说，我只是听着人家在讲那些不好的下流的笑话，我在边上没有讲话，但是你心里在笑、在开心，你已经犯戒了。所以学佛非常难，学到后来完全是一种境界和意识的转变。一个人能够变得高尚，一个人能够成为菩萨，他不是靠的外在的样子，而是靠的内心。
Master always wants to mention that those who develop unreasonable thoughts are also considered as violating the precepts. You may haven’t hit somebody nor scold at somebody, and you may have even kept your mouth shut. But if you are imagining yourself hitting somebody, or if you are scolding at them in the back of your mind, then you have already violated the precepts. Buddhists cultivate by cultivating their mind. They sought to purify it. If you develop any kind of desirous feelings towards something, in reality, that’s already a violation of the precepts. That’s why, when you look at a fellow practitioner or person of the opposite sex and develop some kind of desirous feelings, then you have violated the precept of sexual misconduct. Master has mentioned that Buddhists must not look at people of the opposite sex too much, as that is the root of violating precepts. There’s a past saying called ‘the six sensory faculties are impure’; what it refers to is that the mind is impure. That’s why the less you see, the fewer afflictions you’ll develop. Many people say that they only heard others make indecent jokes, and they’ve never contributed to it. But if you laughed at the joke inside your mind, then you have violated the precepts. That’s why it’s so difficult practising Buddhism. In the end, it’s all about transforming one’s spirituality and consciousness. For somebody to become nobler or a Bodhisattva, it depends on the person’s inner mind, not external influences.
要控制好自己的意念，连意念当中的大妄语、小妄语都要去除。很多人脑子里喜欢说谎，所以他就说“是的，我对你真的很好”，心里却想“我很恨你，我恨你恨得不得了”。这就是大妄语。所以，讲不真实的话，想不真实的事，就是妄语，这些菩萨都会来管的。要懂得意念干净是最难的，因为意念不干净会影响到你的思维，之后就影响你的行为，行为之后就会影响到你的口业、身业。想一想，任何事情不都是从乱想开始的吗？每个人都是先想了，然后再做的。有些人想过之后而且想得很深就做了，这就是人为什么会常常活在后悔当中。学佛要忏悔，而且要大忏悔，人才能要回自己的净，就是干净。一个人不彻底地把自己的毛病忏悔，你的人是不会干净的。
One must control their thoughts well. They must even eliminate the major and minor lies that occur in those thoughts. Many people like to lie. For example, if somebody says, “Yes, I really do like you,” but in their mind, they actually hate you a lot. That’s a major lie. That’s why anything that isn’t consistent between one’s mind and action is a lie. All of that are things that the Bodhisattvas manage. One must understand that to maintain their thoughts pure is difficult because not only does it affect their mental process but also their behaviour. Then their behaviour will also affect their verbal karmic vehicle and bodily karmic vehicle. Think about it, doesn’t it all begin from one’s thought? Everybody thinks about something first before taking action. Some people ponder very deeply before taking action. That is why people must regularly repent. One must repent in the course of practising Buddhism, and they must repent greatly in order to recover their purity. If a person doesn’t thoroughly repent their shortcomings and problems, then they would never be pure.
我们在人间学佛真的很难。当你听到一则消息，如果没有证实这则消息的来源和可靠性，你就去传播了，这也属于妄语。很多人都不懂，他们以为妄语就是自己吹牛，实际上，你去传播你听到的东西，如果你听到的这句话本身有问题，你去传播了，你就有问题，你就已经有业障了。所以学佛后已经难到很多人连话都不敢讲，因为他知道出口就是业，所以境界修得越高的人话越少。为什么法师开口就是“阿弥陀佛”？就是这个道理。他们无语了，他们没有办法讲，任何的话只要讲出来就会有业障。不要说讲了，就是当你听别人说的时候，如果你的脑子在动，你就是犯戒了。所以很多有智慧的人就会说：“你不要跟我讲，我不要听，因为听了之后，我会乱想的。”这个“乱”就是杂念，杂念一多，这个人就修不好了。
It’s very difficult to learn Buddhism in the Human Realm. When you hear the news, if you didn’t verify the authenticity of the source of that news, and you spread it, then that’s also considered a lie. Many people don’t understand. They thought that lies only consist of boasting or bragging, but in reality, if you spread whatever you hear without verifying or thinking whether that’s the truth or not, then the problem lies with you, and you will develop negative karma. That’s why those who are dedicated and serious in the practice of Buddhism find it difficult to even speak because they know that by speaking, they will develop karma. That’s why the higher the level of spirituality a person cultivates to, the less they speak. Why do monks only say the words ‘Amitabha’ when they open their mouths? That’s the reason. They are speechless; they have no ways of speaking because when they do, they will have negative karma. Putting aside speaking, if you hear something and your mind starts to think, then you have already violated the precepts. That’s why many wise people say, “Don’t tell me, I don’t want to listen. Otherwise, my thoughts will wander.” This ‘wander’ refers to distracting thoughts. When one’s distracted thoughts increase, then that person won’t cultivate well.
一个人最难的就是不要去听，不要去说，不要去传话，不要去乱想。人的很大的一个毛病就是乱想。无中生有是怎么会有的呢？就是想的。他越想越像，他就把想象的当成事实了，最后贻笑大方。所以人很可怜，自己以为很对，拼命地去想那些能够适合自己思维的一些理念，能够凑合自己、让自己心中得到宽慰的那些杂念、那些垃圾，只要是对自己有用的，他全部放在心中，这就是人为什么会害死自己的原因。很多忧郁症病人就是不停地去想自己认为是对的事情，而且不停地去想象自己明明不对但是他又认为自己是对的事情，还有一个最危险的就是，不停地去想象那些没有但是在他心中已经存在的一些幻想。
What’s the most difficult is to stop oneself from listening, from saying, from and from overthinking. How does one create something out of nothing? By thinking. The more one thinks about something, the more it seems to be like so, and one begins to think that what they imagined is real. Then, in the end, they make a fool out of themselves. That’s why humans are pitiful. They think that they’re always right, and they constantly think of concepts and ideas that suit themselves and their way of thinking, so they feel comforted. But these concepts and ideas may be deviated and are trash, but because it’s useful to them, they keep it in their mind. That is the reason why so many people ruin themselves in the end. The problem with many sufferers of depression is that they constantly think about the things that they think are right, even though it may be wrong or misunderstood. But what is the most dangerous is that they may keep thinking about something that is fictitious and untrue, but they think that it’s real.
要懂得，我们人不能因为自己已经有了这个因，就对果听之任之。因为你种了不好的因，所以当你的果要业报的时候，你必须来改变它。就是自己种的因不好，有果了，你也要想办法把它改变。所以，人在这个世界上，有的人家里不穷，心里很穷，经济上不是很穷，但是心里特别的伤啊。精神上的不踏实，就是心里贫穷。当一个人心里觉得这个世界对他没有希望的时候，实际上他就失去了这个世界；当一个人认为自己活在这个世界上已经没有意义的时候，他就失去了这个世界。师父跟大家讲，我们自己这辈子很穷，而且这辈子继续舍不得去帮助别人，不喜欢和别人交往，你这个人就是在造下辈子很穷的因，所以很多人就是没有广结善缘的缘分。
You have to understand, just because we already created a karmic cause, we shouldn’t just follow with and accept the karmic consequence. If your unwholesome karmic consequence is about to trigger, you must find a way to change it. Some people’s financial circumstances aren’t poor, but their mind is impoverished and hurt. If one’s spirit isn’t grounded, then it means they’re mentally impoverished. When a person feels that there’s no hope in this world, in reality, they have lost this world. When a person feels like there’s no meaning to life in this world, it means that they have lost this world. Many people are poor in the current lifetime, but if they continue not to help others or be in contact with others, then you are sowing the karmic cause of being poor in the next lifetime. That’s the reason why so many people don’t have many wholesome karmic affinities.
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