善知識依照佛法修行,惡知識依照魔法修行。
A good advisor cultivates in accord with the Buddhadharma;
an evil advisor cultivates in accord with demonic dharma.
淺言之,善知識就是有智能的人,惡知識就是愚癡的人。善知識有正知正見,惡知識有邪知邪見。合乎佛法就是正知正見,不合乎佛法就是邪知邪見。善知識依照佛法修行,惡知識依照魔法修行,善惡的關鍵在這個地方來分別。
A good advisor is someone with wisdom; an evil advisor is an ignorant person. A good advisor has proper knowledge and views; an evil advisor has deviant knowledge and views. Proper knowledge and views accord with the Buddhadharma; deviant knowledge and views do not. A good advisor cultivates in accord with the Buddhadharma, an evil advisor cultivates in accord with demonic dharma. These are the criteria that differentiate good and evil.
善知識用“四攝法”來教化人。何謂四攝法?就是布施、愛語、利行、同事。這四種法容易和眾生打成一片,令眾生對於佛法發生興趣,深信佛法。
A good advisor teaches and transforms people with the Four Methods of Conversion: giving, kind words, beneficial conduct, and cooperation. With these four methods, you can get along easily with living beings, inspiring their interest and eventually their deep faith in the Buddhadharma.
(一)布施:要想令人相信佛法,必須布施財和法給他,令他對你發生好感。
(二)愛語:就是不違背人情,不違背佛法,說些慈愛的話。
(三)利行:隨起身口意行,令眾生各沾法益。
(四)同事:對於應度的眾生與他做同樣的工作。
1. Giving: For people to have a good impression of us and to enable them to believe in the Buddhadharma, we give them both wealth and Dharma.
2. Kind words: We speak kindly, following the principle of not going against human feelings or against the Buddha-dharma.
3. Beneficial conduct: With our body, mouth and mind, we bring the benefits of Dharma to living beings.
4. Cooperation: We work alongside the same living beings we want to liberate.
這四種法,是聯絡感情的方法。你能言行一致,大公無私,以身作則,見義勇為。眾生自然相信你所說的話,也就相信佛法是度生死海的寶筏。
These four methods are means to get in touch with and develop rapport with living beings. If you can be consistent in your actions and words, be selfless, set an example with your own conduct, and act courageously and righteously, then living beings will naturally believe what you say and will also believe that the Buddhadharma is a precious vessel for crossing the ocean of birth and death.
你們來到這裡聽經研究佛法,都是有大知識的人。要知道菩提自性本是清淨的。本來清淨,就是一法不立,一塵不染,不假造作,本來現前,本來具足。這個菩提自性,也就是佛性。這一點,各位要特別注意!
You people who come here to listen to Sutra lectures and investigate the Buddhadharma are all great learned ones. You should know that the inherent, enlightened nature is fundamentally clear and pure. Within the inherent nature not a single dharma is established, nor is it defiled by any dust. This nature is not produced; it is fundamentally apparent and fundamentally complete. This enlightened nature is the Buddha-nature. Everyone pay close attention to this!
每個人的佛性和諸佛是一樣,沒有什麼分別。不過,我們太愚癡,被無明妄想所覆蓋,所以佛性不現前。若能用智慧來處理一切事情,佛性現前,那就是善知識。
Everyone’s Buddha-nature is the same as that of all Buddhas. There is no difference. But because we are too deluded, shrouded by ignorance and idle thoughts, the Buddha-nature fails to manifest. If we could use wisdom to handle all of our affairs, our Buddha-nature would manifest, and we would be good advisors.