Chapter 1924: Chapter 1922: Buddhist Sayings Passed Down Through the Ages (
[Chapter Two Delivered. Warning Proverbs, Must Be Learned, Can Comprehend Many Life Principles!]
8. Obstacles
Forty-Five, Every act of evil harms the perpetrator much more than the victim.
Forty-Six, Do not underestimate a small evil, thinking I will not receive retribution. The water jug fills up from tiny drops of water. Foolish people keep committing small misdeeds, and over time, they become full of evil.
Forty-Seven, Enlightened perception has five obstacles: greed, hatred, sleepiness and drowsiness, restlessness and worry, doubt.
Forty-Eight, When evil deeds have not yet matured (have not yet produced results), foolish people view evil deeds as sweet. But when their deeds mature, they experience sorrow.
Forty-Nine, Those without faith, who are dishonest, love lying, and do not contemplate the afterlife, may commit all kinds of evil deeds.
Fifty, Before evil deeds mature, those who commit them think they are flawless, but when evil deeds mature, evildoers taste the bad consequences.
Fifty-One, Killing, stealing, lying, and adultery, wise people will never praise these four kinds of evil deeds.
Fifty-Two, Lying is the root of evil, causing a person to live in a poor realm, producing a foul odor from their mouth, and their words are disliked and looked down upon by others.
Fifty-Three, All beings long for happiness. Those who seek their own happiness by killing beings with a stick will not find peace later.
Fifty-Four, Unchastity is a woman’s defilement, stinginess is the defilement of giving. All bad words and deeds and thoughts become defilements in this life and the next.
Fifty-Five, Greed, hatred, and ignorance are the three mental defilements. Killing, stealing, and adultery are the three physical defilements. Sowing discord, speaking harsh words, lying, and charming speech are the four verbal defilements.
Fifty-Six, When a person commits evil, their mind becomes defiled. When a person refrains from evil, their heart is pure. Purity and defilement rest entirely in oneself, others cannot help.
9. Suffering
Fifty-Seven, Those attached to the self will have their minds disturbed. Those who only consider themselves will bring worry to themselves.
Fifty-Eight, Those who do not cling to anything have no distress. So I say, in such a realm there is no sorrow, no intense cravings, nor disappointment.
Fifty-Nine, Loving a hundred things means having a hundred worries, loving ninety, ten, five, two things means having ninety, ten, five, two troubles.
Sixty, The world is ever-changing, it is not eternally unchanging.
Sixty-One, Everything that is born must perish.
Sixty-Two, Birth, aging, illness, death, sorrow, disappointment, being with those one dislikes, insatiable desires—these attributes of existence are suffering!
Sixty-Three, Aging and death drive away the lives of beings, like a shepherd with a stick driving cattle to the pasture.
Sixty-Four, Change and impermanence are the characteristics of life.
Sixty-Five, Impermanence is a kind of (very subtle) suffering. Anything that is not eternal will ultimately result in degradation, transformation, and disappearance. Only those with keen perception can detect its imperfection.
Sixty-Six, Even when a person has happiness, this happiness cannot endure forever.
Sixty-Seven, ’All conditioned things are impermanent.’ When a person observes this truth with wisdom, they begin to detach from various troubles, which is the path to purity.
Sixty-Eight, Truly understanding the truth of suffering also means knowing the source of suffering, the realm without suffering, and the path to eliminate suffering.
10. Social Conduct
Sixty-Nine, Treat others sincerely, gracefully conduct oneself, as long as each day is filled with joy, troubles will vanish without a trace.
Seventy, Emotions are produced by past connections and current compassion, like a lotus is nurtured from water and mud.
Seventy-One, In pursuit of happiness, if building it upon others’ pain, one will be troubled by resentment and cannot escape it.
Seventy-Two, Treat everyone equally, regardless of their wealth or status.
Seventy-Three, Visiting the sick should fill patients with hope and happiness.
Seventy-Four, People admire those who are true to their word, have a good attitude, keep their promises, and are responsible in their positions.
Seventy-Five, Husbands should treat their wives in the following five ways: First, praise their strengths. Second, never belittle them. Third, be endlessly faithful. Fourth, grant them the authority to manage household affairs. Fifth, often give them exquisite garments.
Seventy-Six, Wives should treat their husbands in the following five ways: First, manage household affairs orderly. Second, help the husband’s relatives. Third, be endlessly faithful. Fourth, wisely manage and save the husband’s earnings. Fifth, be diligent and not idle.
Seventy-Seven, Service to society has four principles: generous giving; considerate speech; mutual cooperation; behavior appropriate for the occasion and courteous. These four principles are like the axles that make a car’s wheels turn.
Seventy-Eight, Those who serve society get along easily with others, are willing to help and understand others’ needs, teach generously and patiently. Such great individuals will undoubtedly receive good rewards.
Seventy-Nine, You must have patience, be full of compassion, and possess zeal for service.
11. Mental Realm
Eighty, When a person’s speech and actions hold good intentions, joy follows like a shadow.
Eighty-One, All realms are guided by the mind. Mind is the master; all realms are created by the mind. If a person speaks and acts with a filthy mind, trouble will immediately follow them, like a wheel closely follows the hooves of a bull pulling it.
Eighty-Two, Engaging with worldly matters, the heart remains untempted, without sorrow, without flaws, a stable spirit—how happy it is!
Eighty-Three, Wise people often clear out the impurities in their hearts, just as craftsmen cleanse impurities from silver ore.
Eighty-Four, Prevent your mind’s anger, manage the Heart Ape’s impulses, abandon evil thoughts, sincerely practice the Righteous Path.
85. Disciples of Gautama (Shakyamuni’s family name): You should awaken well, both day and night, constantly remember the perfect Saint—Buddha.
12. Good Deeds
86. Practice good deeds promptly, to prevent evil thoughts from rising in your heart. Those who procrastinate in doing good are hard to detach from evil in their hearts.
87. Life inevitably ends in death, so one should perform more good deeds while alive, just like making many garlands from a heap of flowers.
88. Do not underestimate small good deeds, thinking I won’t be rewarded. Continuous small drops will eventually fill a whole bottle, so a wise person gradually accumulates small good deeds, making his whole being full of virtue.
89. Be tolerant among the impatient crowd, gentle among the violent crowd, and generous among the greedy crowd.
90. Avoid doing any evil, cultivate all good deeds, and purify your thoughts—these are the teachings of the Buddha.
13. Implementation
91. Merely speaking good words without implementation is fruitless, just like a beautiful flower that has color but no fragrance.
92. Even if you don’t read and recite many holy scriptures, if you follow the teachings and renounce greed, hatred, and ignorance, possessing correct wisdom, without entanglement in this life and the next, then you are an implementer that inspires the mind.
93. To teach others, you must first lead by example. Only after restraining yourself can you restrain others. It’s indeed difficult to restrain oneself!
94. Do not speak harsh words nor harm any living beings, live according to the Buddha’s admonitions, observe moderation in diet, live in a quiet place, and devote yourself to noble awareness—this is the Buddha’s teaching.
95. For a foolish person, knowledge and fame are of no benefit, not only ruining his happiness but also making him arrogant.
96. It is better to hear one beneficial word that brings peace than to recite a thousand useless phrases.
97. A flower with bright colors but no fragrance cannot bring much joy to the wearer; hearing good words but not practicing them is of little benefit either.
14. Reflecting
98. Do not find fault with others, criticizing what others have done and not done. Instead, frequently reflect on your own faults, and consider what you have done and not done.
99. The wise review their own words and actions daily.
100. Conquering a million-strong army on the battlefield is nothing compared to conquering oneself. The one who conquers himself is the greatest conqueror.
102. Others’ faults are easy to spot, but one’s own faults are hard to perceive. Spreading others’ faults is as easy as discarding rice husks. But hiding one’s own shortcomings is as sly as a gambler concealing his dice.
103. Recognize your own weaknesses and strive to improve.
104. If a person sincerely corrects their errors and begins to do good, it is like the bright moon that’s not shrouded by clouds, able to illuminate the earth.
105. You should bravely admit your mistakes to others!
106. Repentance includes correction!
15. Speech and Action
107. Bad results from one’s own actions, just as rust from iron corrodes it.
108. Actions create differences in lowly and noble beings. Translation note: Here, ’actions’ include thoughts, words, and physical movements.
109. Good actions can help people be reborn in better realms and bring them closer to freedom and liberation.
110. Those with good character and high insight, who live according to the teachings of the perfect Saint and understand the truth, are dedicated and responsible, and are always beloved by everyone.
111. I not only teach external behavior but also emphasize internal intentions and thoughts... I teach my disciples not to act badly physically, nor to think about or discuss dysfunctional and inappropriate matters... at the same time, I also teach disciples to demonstrate good behavior, think, and discuss healthy matters.
112. When conversing, one should avoid using sharp and harsh words to criticize others.
113. Speak with moderation, tact, and reason, and then your words will sound wonderful and pleasing.
114. Do not speak ill of others behind their backs.
16. Learning
115. One who does not learn is like an old ox, although it has much flesh, it lacks wisdom.
116. Keep close to wise, learned, loyal, enthusiastic, responsible people, Saints—always associate with these people who possess both intelligence and virtue.
117. Love of sleep, idle gossip, disinterest in learning, being lazy in tasks, impatience and lack of endurance... are major factors leading to downfall.
118. Not striving to learn diligently, being lazy and useless in youth, with no life goals and thinking, the lazy person will never discover the path of wisdom.
17. Education
119. Before explaining, a teacher should first study the psychological inclinations of the students.
120. Education should match the receptiveness of the learner and suitable timing!
121. A person should use words that are sincere and compassionate.
122. A good teacher should speak pertinently and avoid discussing irrelevant things.
123. Among all gifts, the dissemination of truth is the most precious. Among all tastes, the taste of truth is the best. Among all joys, the joy of truth is the greatest. Eliminating greed will conquer all afflictions. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations or moon tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
