經典中常教導我們要去妄證真，明心見性。《華嚴經》云︰「統萬法唯一理，貫萬古為一心，心也者，萬德之源，眾妙之本。」真心，如同虛空一般廣大無邊，能夠涵容萬物，包併天地；真心，好比一座寶山，蘊藏無比豐富的資源，取之不盡，用之不竭。只要有心，鐵杵也能磨成繡花針，因此，學生讀書要求專心，做事工作要求用心，佛子行道要求發菩提心。佛光會員應該要有什麼心呢？
(一) 佛光會員要有靈巧慧心︰佛教是覺悟之教，如果沒有靈巧慧心，就不能進入佛法之堂奧，當然也就無法斷惑證真。佛教講究般若自性，般若不是一般的世智辨聰，而是內心智慧、慈悲、潛能的開顯，所以唯有以內在的靈巧慧心，才能展現出我們本具的般若本性。
我們身為佛光會員，肩負利生濟世的神聖使命，因此必須具備「靈巧慧心」的先決條件，才能有效率地朝遠大目標邁進。為什麼呢？因為有了「靈巧慧心」，則能看清自己無量劫來積集的煩惱習氣，從而設法對治去除；有了「靈巧慧心」，則能隨時照顧關心別人的感受和需要，從而建立良好的人際關係；有了「靈巧慧心」，則能對佛法有深切的體悟，從而將世出世法融匯貫通，並且靈活地運用在生活上；有了「靈巧慧心」，則能洞察眾生的憂悲苦惱，而能平等無私地伸出援手。所以，佛光會員有了「靈巧慧心」，就能使佛光會成立的意義更加彰顯，使會員與會員之間，會員與眾生之間的關係更加和睦，使會務進行更加順利，使弘法利生的目標更加開展。
(二) 佛光會員要有道念悲心︰佛教不同於一般知識學問、一般宗教，因為佛教重視道業上的信念及對眾生的悲心，所以一個想在佛門有所進步的人，必定要對自己選擇的道業有堅定的信念，不因外在環境而退失初發心。而使道念堅定不移的最好方法，則是培養對眾生的慈悲心，常行菩薩慈心利他之行，道念與悲心，兩者相輔相成，才能在漫長的佛道中不致退轉。反之，一個沒有道念悲心的人，必定流失於佛門之外。所以佛教常說，一個佛教徒可以沒有能力，但是不可以沒有道念悲心；四肢五官可以百般殘缺，但道念悲心不可以絲毫殘缺。因為道念是佛弟子修行的根本，而悲心乃佛弟子利行的原動力，也是發起菩提心的根本。
一個有道念的人是愛護團體、愛護常住、忠於師門、忠於佛教的，所以當他遇到毀謗、冤屈時，能超越過去；遇到困難、危險時，能直下承擔；當他違犯過失時，能勇於認錯；遇到挫折、阻難時，能堅持百忍……，總之，無論外境如何，他都能本著「因果不會辜負我」的道念，對佛教依舊護持奉獻，不遺餘力；對團體仍然忠誠發心，以眾為我。
一個有悲心的人，在消極方面，是寧可自己吃虧犧牲，也不去傷害侵犯他人；在積極方面，則是以六度四攝關愛一切眾生。所以道念悲心不只是理念上的了解，更行動上的實踐。
如果各位會員都能秉持「但願眾生得離苦，不為自己求安樂」的悲心，在心甘情願、犧牲小我中，長養自己的道念；在無私奉獻、服務利行中，培養自己的德操，相信佛光會利生濟世的工作必定能夠恆久綿延，佛法真理也必定能夠永久住世。
(三) 佛光會員要有大志願心︰儒家有言︰「堯，何人也？禹，何人也？有為者亦若是。」儒者要成聖成賢，尚且要立大志願心，何況佛子從事弘法利生的重責大任，以成就無上正等正覺為目標，怎可不立大志願？所以有一句話說︰「沒有自然的釋迦，沒有天生的彌勒。」此即意味著諸佛菩薩之所以成為諸佛菩薩，不是天生成就的，不是造物主賜予的，而是歷經百千萬劫修行而成，其間所遭遇的困難、阻礙不知多少，而之所以支撐其奮力不退的原動力，就是靠著大志願力。像阿彌陀佛在因地為法藏比丘時，因為發了四十八大願，願願皆為濟度眾生，所以後來成就莊嚴殊勝的極樂淨土；觀世音菩薩、地藏王菩薩等在因地時，也立下誓度無量眾生的大志願心，所以能成就道果。佛光會員應以諸佛菩薩的恢宏氣度為榜樣，發起大志願心，盡形壽跟隨佛光會弘法利生的腳步前進，常行四弘誓願，常發無上菩提心，如果大家都能如此，相信佛光會弘法利生的大業將更穩健、更圓滿。
(四) 佛光會員要有愧意慚心︰學佛之人最怕的就是趾高氣揚，驕傲下人，因為這樣的人將不再力求上進；反之，一個有愧意慚心的人知道奮發圖強，肯力爭上游，所以慚愧是進德修業、敦品勵學的原動力，是人間最好的美德，是佛教入道要門。《大般涅槃經》云︰「諸佛世尊，常說是言︰有二白法能救眾生︰一、慚，二、愧。慚者，自不作罪；愧者，不教他作。慚者，內自羞恥；愧者，發露向人。慚者，羞人；愧者，羞天。是名慚愧。無慚愧者，不名為人，名為畜生。有慚愧故，則能恭敬父母師長；有慚愧故，說有父母兄弟姊妹。」慚愧之重要性，可見一斑。
清末民初的蓮宗十三祖印光大師就常自謙為「常慚愧僧」，對於佛法未興，眾生未度，德業未淨，感到非常慚愧。祖師大德尚且如此，身為佛光會員應常慚愧自己學問不夠如果能時時如此慚愧，發心不夠，慈悲不夠，對父母的孝心不夠，對子女的教育不夠，對朋友的道義不夠，對社會國家盡力不夠，對佛教的護持不夠，對佛法的弘揚不夠，對眾生的參與不夠，對佛光會的奉獻、參與、支持、熱心不夠……，如果能時時如此慚愧，則何患佛光會會務不蒸蒸日上？何患眾生未能度盡？何患佛道無成？「卑為勝者所居，唯心能卑，並行使高。」願佛光會員皆應本此愧意慚心，奮發向前，勇猛精進。
(五) 佛光會員要有精進恆心︰《佛遺教經》云︰「若勤精進，則事無難者，是故汝等常勤精進，譬如細水常流，則能穿石；若行者之行，數數懈廢，譬如鑽火，未熱而息，雖欲得火，火難可得。」彌勒菩薩在因地時，發心向道雖比釋迦牟尼佛早，可是成佛卻晚了九劫，主要是因為釋迦牟尼佛比較精進。「龜兔賽跑」的寓言中，動作慢的烏龜反而先馳得點，贏得勝利，也是由於烏龜的精進恆心遠過於兔子。所以，世出世間，任何一個人想要成功立業，必先具有精進恆心；佛光會員要深入佛法，濟世度眾，也必須具備精進恆心。唯有精進恆心，才不會遇難則止，退失道心，才不會自暴自棄，因循懈怠。
中國四大翻譯家之一的玄奘大師西行取法時，因有「寧向西天一步死，不回東土一步生」的精進恆心，才能學成歸國，攜回經典，不但利人無數，也使中國佛教得以輝煌燦爛；又佛陀六年苦行，若沒有精進恆心，怎會成就佛道？六祖惠能大師臼米八月，若沒有精進恆心，何能大徹大悟？而菩薩化度有情，亦需經三大阿僧祇劫，若無精進恆心，堪忍一切，積集無量福德，如何成就等覺？所以，佛光會員應將菩薩披精進甲，著忍辱鎧的精神，應用在佛光會上，勉勵自己辦會務時要有精進恆心，參與活動時要有精進恆心，慈悲喜捨要有精進恆心，服務犧牲要有精進恆心，斷惡行善要有精進恆心……，能如此則事業堪就，佛道堪成。
(六) 佛光會員要有忠誠信心︰國父曾說︰「信仰是一種力量。」又說︰「宗教是人類心理的枴杖。」把這兩句話合起來闡述，即是︰一個人若能對其信仰的宗教忠誠不二、信心具足，則能產生出很大的力量來克服種種障礙，得到心靈的依靠。佛光會員都是抱著對佛法的信仰而參加佛光會，投入服務大眾的行列，如果大家都能抱著忠誠信心，在佛教裡定能有所成就。因為有了忠誠信心，便能打從內心產生一股很大的力量，能夠耐苦、耐煩、耐無、耐氣、耐利衰榮辱、耐毀譽稱譏。此外，一個有忠誠信心的人，必定品德高尚，為人尊敬，因此外在的力量也就增大了。佛教的十大弟子跟隨佛陀四處弘法，就是靠著一腔忠誠信心；孔門七十二賢跟隨孔子，也是憑著一股忠誠信心；古今中外的英雄豪傑、沙場名將報效國家，也是憑著一股忠誠信心；過去以來的佛門倫理更是靠著忠誠信心來維繫。所以忠誠信心是做人之本、處事之基、成功之力，在團體中，不要計較得失，不要嫉妒排他，只要自己堅秉忠誠信心，何慮不能得道多助，自他二利！
最後再度呼籲各位佛光會員要有靈巧慧心、道念悲心、大志願心、愧意慚心、精進恆心、忠誠信心﹗大家能發此六心，必能使個人道業大為增長，佛光會務進展迅速。
Six Things to Be Mindful Of
Buddhist sutras constantly exhort us to dispel our delusions and see the truth. Buddha asks us again and again to be mindful of everything we do so that our Buddha nature can be found.
The Flower Adornment Sutra says, “All phenomena and all things are nothing but mind. Mind is the source of all virtue and the root of all wonder.”
The true mind is as vast as all space. It contains all things in the universe. True mind is like a mountain of treasure; it holds all bounty, and no matter how much of it is used, it can never be used up. When we know our minds, we can do anything.
The mind is trained through concentration and mindfulness. Students must concentrate on their work if they want to learn quickly. In our professional lives, we must also concentrate and be mindful of everything we do. As Buddhists, we must apply ourselves to the Dharma with concentration and mindfulness, as well.
In the following sections, I will discuss mindfulness and concen- tration as they apply to members of the BLIA.
Agile and adaptable wisdom
Buddhism is a religion of enlightenment. If we do not learn to be agile and adaptable in our wisdom, we will not succeed in finding the depths of Buddhism, and we will surely not succeed in achieving enlightenment.
The Buddha taught prajna wisdom. Prajna wisdom has little to do with the calculation and cleverness that typify intelligence in this Saha world. Prajna wisdom is found deep within the heart and mind. It is something that is uncovered, discovered or found within. It is something that is revealed. Once one becomes aware of prajna wisdom, the eventual uncovering of one’s Buddha nature begins to follow naturally.
Prajna wisdom is characterized by a kind of agility and adaptabil- ity. Since it is everywhere, it can adapt to anything. Since it is every- where, it appears agile. When we apply wisdom of this sort to our lives, we quickly learn how to disentangle ourselves from suffering and delusion, and we quickly learn how to get along with others in a way that is beneficial to them and to ourselves.
When our wisdom is agile and adaptable, it also helps us learn the Dharma quickly and well. The Dharma has many levels, and when we approach it with an open mind at every level, we will not fall into the traps of intellectual attachment or over-conceptualization.
Wisdom of this sort also encourages us to be very effective when we employ skillful means in teaching others.
The BLIA needs members who are adaptable and agile in their wisdom. We have high ideals and great aims, and for us to achieve them, we need members who are adaptable and wise.
Intelligent compassion
Compassion is the highest virtue. If one has compassion, the other virtues will follow. If one does not have compassion, Buddhism will soon lose its luster. Since compassion is so central to Buddhism, it is difficult to remain a Buddhist for long without it.
I have spoken about compassion often in this letter. Compassion is a state of mind, and it is a state of the heart. Human beings possess both minds and hearts. When we talk about intelligent compassion, we mean a mature compassion that listens to promptings from the heart and the head.
For example, if we listen only to our hearts, we might not do that hard work necessary to teach our children the discipline and skills they need to acquire if they are to become productive members of society. If we listen only to our heads, however, we may over-train our children and cause them to reject our values entirely. Intelligent compassion requires that we consider our children’s feelings as well as their needs.
Whenever we try to help others, our emotions usually spring from compassionate sources. In small matters, no further thought is necessary. However, in large matters, we need to think much more about what we are doing. We need to ask ourselves if our compas- sion will generate feelings of shame or worthlessness in the recipient. How would we feel if we were them? Are we prepared to allow our compassion to become the start of an ongoing relationship, or are we just acting out of pity, or to allay our own guilty feelings? If you do not want to have any further relationship with the person toward whom you are directing your compassion, there is a good chance you are looking down on him. This should not be an excuse not to be compas- sionate! On the contrary, this is an opportunity to ask yourself why you want to exclude someone from the circle of your larger concern.
The highest compassion can hardly be called compassion since it makes no distinction between the giver and the one given to. Until we reach a full understanding of that, however, we need to practice intelligent compassion.
Purposive vows
In Buddhism there is a saying: “Sakyamuni Buddha was not born from nature, and Maitreya Bodhisattva will not be born from the sky.”
This means that Buddhas are not produced in the natural course of life. They are produced only after many ages of hard work. First the goal of becoming a Buddha is conceived, then many kalpas of purposive activity must follow. The path to enlightenment is a conscious path. The work of removing defilement from the mind is conscious work. In addition to following the morality of the path leading to enlightenment, a bodhisattva must make thousands of conscious decisions to desist from evil and do good instead. There is no one watching over the bodhisattva’s shoulder, and no one to tell him what to do. These decisions must be made in the privacy of his own thoughts. The bodhisattva’s entire world can change in “a swift moment of thought.” It can change for the better or it can change for the worse, depending on the morality of his intentions.
Buddhist practitioners are well aware of the difficulty of watching the mind so closely that progress toward Buddhahood is not impeded by self-delusion, which usually takes the form of deluded self-jus- tification. In the small moments of private decisions, human beings usually can find many ways to justify their behavior even though a larger part of them may actually realize they are doing wrong. This condition is the same for all of us. Morality is not easy.
To help us make the right decisions in as many situations as possible, Buddhism uses vows. vows are taken for the purpose of sealing our commitment to the bodhi mind. When our prajna wisdom is developed enough for us to see that, though we desire good, we may do evil, this is the time to take vows.
Vows make us stop and think about our behavior much longer than we would if we did not take vows. Vows remind us in moments of weakness that our lives have a purpose that transcends all delusion and all deluded self-justification.
Vows are like guardians that lead us toward a higher level of awareness. All of the Buddhas and all of the great bodhisattvas took vows. Sakyamuni Buddha himself preached the Dharma in this saha world for forty-five years on the strength of a vow. Without his vow, we would not have the Dharma!
If you want to progress in Buddhism, eventually you must take vows. I hope all members of the BLIA will consider these points very carefully.
Humility
Buddhists must have a sense of shame and a strong sense of humility. There is nothing worse than a Buddhist who becomes proud of his progress and starts looking down on others. When people do that, they begin backsliding immediately. The truth of all reality is emptiness. How can anyone erect a complex fantasy of arrogance and still hope to make progress?
In contrast, humility and shame speed the path like nothing else. Humility is a state of unimpededness. Humility has no hard edges, and so it moves gracefully with the promptings of wisdom.
The Great Nirvana Sutra says, “All the great Buddhists say this often: There are two inner methods that can save all who practice them – one is humility and the other is shame. Those who have a sense of shame will not do evil, while those who have a sense of humility will never lead others to evil. Those who are humble feel their humility in their hearts, while those who have shame show their humility before others. Those who have shame feel shame before others, while those who have humility feel humble before the heavens. This is what is meant by shame and humility. Those who do not have these virtues cannot be called people; they should be called animals. Those who have humility and shame are respectful to their parents, their teachers and their elders. Only those who have these virtues are fit to have parents, brothers and sisters.”
In the early years of this century, Master Yin Kuang called himself “the eternally humble monk.” He said that because he knew Buddhism needed to grow, and because there were many sentient beings who had not yet been saved. The world was still full of defilements, and he felt humbled by that.
All the saints of the past have expressed similar feelings. I hope that members of the BLIA will contemplate the work ahead of us with emotions like these. If we are not sufficiently humble, we will not approach our task with the dedication and purity it requires.
We all should feel that our learning is insufficient, our compas- sion weak, our vows but feeble. Toward our parents we need to have a sense of shame for not having fulfilled their desires for us, while toward our children we must feel humbled by the fact that we have not taught them well enough, and that we have not provided them with the skills necessary to be confident and independent.
Without a sense of humility toward those who are near to us, we will never succeed in understanding the magnitude of the task before us. How can we possibly expect to save all sentient beings from delusion without first having a well-developed sense of shame? How can the BLIA possibly be of service to Buddhism if its members have no humility?
“Humility is the abode of the victor. If you can be humble, you can climb high.”
I hope that all members of the BLIA will vow to be humble before the task we have set for ourselves.
Constant progress
The Sutra of Bequeathed Teachings says, “If you make a constant effort to progress, you will find that nothing is too difficult. This is because your constant effort is like running water; it can even cut through stones. Contrariwise, if you frequently abandon your effort to progress, you will go nowhere. You will be like someone who tries to start a fire by rubbing sticks together but stops before the wood gets hot. You may desire to start a fire, but you will never succeed.”
While they were both on the “casual ground,” Maitreya Bodhisat- tva vowed to become a Buddha before Sakyamuni Bodhisattva. His Buddhahood will be accomplished, however, nine kalpas later than Sakyamuni Buddha’s. The main reason for this delay is Sakyamuni Bodhisattva made greater effort to achieve enlightenment than Maitreya Bodhisattva.
The story of the tortoise and the hare reminds us of this truth as well. The hare was naturally much faster than the tortoise, but since he was lazy, he lost the race. The tortoise won because he persevered and did not give up.
Everything in life is like this. If we want to succeed at anything, we must keep at it and do our best all the time. How could Buddhism be an exception to this rule?
I hope all members of the BLIA will make the effort necessary to progress quickly in Buddhism. Constant effort is a form of energy that grows on itself. Coupled with proper vows, constant effort becomes a way of life that brings goodness to the self, as well as to all others.
The great Chinese translator Xuanzang vowed to walk to India to bring sutras back to China. Then he vowed to translate them. His vows were constantly reinvigorated by his tireless efforts to fulfill them. Because of his work, millions of people were able to learn the Dharma, while the sutras he translated formed a foundation on which all later Chinese Buddhism has grown.
If Sakyamuni Buddha had grown tired and decided to quit during his six years of austerity, do you think we would have achieved Buddhahood?
It takes a long time to become a Buddha. Without the application of constant effort to the task, there is no hope of succeeding. All of us need to make the effort, while at the same time enduring hardship, insult and improvident conditions. The BLIA must depend on the commit- ments and efforts of its members to succeed. All of us must make the effort to be productive members of the BLIA by attending meetings, practicing compassion and willingly taking on new responsibilities.
Faith
Like hope, faith is a higher function of the human mind and heart. Faith is based on higher intuitions that we can feel even in times of hardship. It is important that all of us learn to rely on these higher intuitions in time of need and to reaffirm them in times of certainty.
Sun Yat-sen once said, “Faith is strength.” On another occasion he said, “Religion is the staff of life.” When we allow ourselves to rely on our faith, we release very powerful energies that lie deep inside of us. Faith gives us strength, patience, endurance and the capacity to persevere.
Faith also teaches us to respect other people, because it draws on an intuitive understanding that completely transcends the individ- ual self. When we have faith in the Dharma, we naturally learn to have faith in other people. This kind of faith forms an enduring bond between friends. The trust that gradually develops among friends who share the same faith is very deep, and it is a foundation on which profound cooperation can be built. If there is faith in the Dharma, there can be trust among people. If there is trust among people, truly wonderful things can be accomplished.
Buddha’s disciples all followed him because they had faith in him. Buddhism has flourished as a religion because people through the ages have believed it. Nothing great is ever built in the absence of great faith. Offer trust and it will be returned. Depend on faith and you will be strengthened.
As you work to serve Buddhism, don’t let yourself be blown back and forth by transitory moods and setbacks. Outward conditions are never more than means for us to learn more about ourselves and the Dharma. As you go through life, don’t waste your time looking toward outer things you think you may gain or lose; look instead toward the vast ocean of faith rising within you. This ocean is the source of our motives and the goal of all our practice.