对经要恭敬----以前的人讲礼、义、廉、耻，行、住、坐、卧不失律仪，所以有圣人；而现代人不讲这一套，故世间比较乱。

We ought to handle the sutras with great respect and utmost sincerity. In the old days, people used to pay a great deal of attention to such ideas as propriety, justice, honesty, incorruption, sense of shame and honor, and they also observed certain precepts, rules, and rituals in their conduct, hence the existence of saints. Nowadays, people tend to ignore such ideas and rules, hence the world in chaos.

 

一般人总是说别人不好，自己最好，听到好听的话就高兴，逆耳的话就难过、生气，这就是‘你我相’。修行如果‘有你我相’，这个心就不能安定，因为存‘我相’修行，每样事都有‘我’，像这样把‘我’看得很重，分别计较，对我们修行很不利，随时都会起烦恼，不仅障道，业障也不会消。

In general, people are prone to criticize others and sing their own praises. Compliments bring them delight; criticism anger and distress. This is because we are attached to the appearance of self. If we carry out the practice without relinquishing this attachment, our mind can never be unleashed and settled. When we cling to the sense of "self", we are bound to see everything in "our own way", and value more our own ideas. The discriminative and calculating thoughts thus arose would in turn hamper our practice, increase our vexations, and keep us from eradicating our karmic obstructions.

 

我们的耳朵总是喜欢‘听’，听看看有没有人在说我们的坏话，有什么新闻？眼睛也喜欢‘看’，看看人家的脸色，分别好坏。这些都是凡夫的通病----‘好事相、爱攀缘’，对修行不利。

Our ears like to "listen" so that we will find out whether anyone speaks ill of us and what is going on around us. Our eyes like to see around, discerning the mood of others and acting upon it. All these are habitual tendency of common people, i.e. we have the tendency to cling to mundane activities and are easily distracted by events that do not concern us. This type of conduct will have an adverse effect on our practice.

 

这世间的一切烦恼都是由你、我在竞争所吊起的，看我们能不能修到没有你、我的分别计较。修行就是要修忍辱，‘忍辱第一道’，这是修行的根本。不要老是说自己对，如果常以为自己做的都是对的，这样就没有正念，还没有脱俗，不算修行。

All vexations in this world are caused by constant conflicts between self and others. One way to benchmark the progress of our practice is to see whether we have eliminated the attachment to the self, whether we have stopped being so discriminative of the self and the others. The first challenge for practice is cultivation of forbearance, which is also the foundation of our practice. Do not insist that what we do is always right or we are always right，for such assertion only indicates that we haven't acquired right mindfulness thereby act more like an ordinary person than a practitioner.

 

不要老是看别人的过错，应该常常回光返照，看看自己有没有过失，才不会与道相违。

Don't always keep our eyes on the faults of others. Instead, reflect more on whether we ourselves have made mistakes or are in the wrong so that we will not deviate from the path.

 

事事逞能干，样样占上风的，最后都会失败。所以不要以为自己是大学生，智识高，样样比人行而不肯接受他人的话，这样反而会被自己的知见所束缚，容易起贡高我慢心，不但障碍自己不再进步，也难与佛法相应。所谓‘谦受益、满招损’，越是能干，越是有才华的人，待人处事更应卑下谦虚，才是真正有智慧。

Most of those who like to show off their talents or want to gain advantage over others end up in failure. Therefore, don’t refuse to listen to other people's advice simply because we have a bachelor’s or even higher degree and feel we are better educated, better informed, or more capable. Otherwise, our education and intelligence will easily foster arrogance, hamper our practice, and make it more difficult for us to correspond to Buddhadharma, as a result. There is an old saying: "Humility gains; arrogance losses." The more talented and capable we are, the more humble we should be. Such is a reflection of true wisdom.

 

不要一直执着这个‘我’，否则会在五浊恶世里打转，仍然落在六道轮回中，无法出离。

Do not keep on clinging to the sense of "self". Otherwise, we will continue to drift within the evil world of five turbidities and among the six divisions of rebirth, with no hope of escaping.

 

如果为这个身躯而执着要吃好的、要穿好的，这一切的执着就是贪念。

When we succumb to our physical desires and insist on having good food and lavish clothing, it means we have attachment and this attachment is a reflection of our greediness.

 

------Translated from Analects of Master Kuang-chin（编译自《广钦老和尚开示录》）