以感情學佛，不能開智慧，反增煩惱，情生智隔。所以要離情尚義，依法、依戒為師。 When passions for learning from the Buddha arise, you are unable to cultivate wisdom, and afflictions caused by passions will obstruct you. Therefore, learning from the Buddha means departing from passions and devoting to the righteousness, depending on the Dharma, and depending on precepts as your master.
菩薩道上，善惡參半，修學菩薩者，當知離善離惡。 While practicing the bodhisattva path, there are good and evil things you will encounter, thus when learning from the bodhisattvas, you should know to avoid good and evil.
知「道」，是知「成佛之道」的道理，但是知「道」後，要求道、行道、證道，最後還要捨道。 By knowing, it means you know the “path” of becoming a Buddha, and once you know the “path”, you must pursue, practice, and testify to the realization of the path, and then, at the very end, you must renounce the path as well.
慈悲心，就是使眾生歡喜、不害怕，這就是菩薩的心。 A compassionate and kind mind will provide all beings with delight and fearlessness. This is the mind of a Bodhisattva.
身體有病，也是由心生起，故治病要身、心兼治，才能藥到病除。 The ill health of physical body also originates from the mind; for a cure, both body and mind should be treated at the same time, so as to use the right medicine to cure the disease.
鬼神也是眾生，不要和祂對立，要敬而遠之；若起對立心，就是自己的眾生心生起了。要學菩薩四攝六度，讚歎祂所做的一切善行，祂就會歡喜。懂了這個道理，就不會迷信，到鬼神廟，也都要保持光明覺照。 Ghosts and deities are also sentient beings, you must not stand in opposition to them. Instead, just be courteous and pay respect, and keep an appropriate distance. By standing in opposition to them, you give rise to a mind of an ordinary sentient being. Therefore, you must learn from bodhisattvas practicing the four methods of pacification (almsgiving, loving words, conduct and action that benefits others, and cooperation with others) and six paramitas (charity, keeping precepts, patience, zeal and progress, meditation, wisdom), to give praise to their good deeds, so that they would be delighted. By understanding such reasoning, you will not have blind faith in ghosts and deities; and you must maintain bright awareness when you meet a temple of ghosts or deities.
業障，要真心懺悔才能消除，別人只是助緣，不能代你消業障。同樣地，修福，也是要自己修，別人是無法將福報轉移給你的。 The hinderance from karmic retribution can only be eliminated by sincere confession, what others can do is just a helping factor, however, it would never be able to eliminate the hindrances for you. Similarly, to cultivate merits and karmic rewards, you must do it by yourself, no one can transfer such rewards to you.
會聽話的人，就是會說話的人；會觀察的人，就是會做事的人。 Those who know how to listen to others are people who really know how to speak to others. Those who are good in observing are ones who can do things well.
學佛第一要斷習氣，第二要多多原諒別人，第三要盡量幫助別人。欲斷習氣，要先學會「捨」，所謂「難捨能捨」，不「捨」的話，永遠不會進步。 To learn from the Buddha, we must first break off our habitual behaviors; second, we must be understanding and forgiving of others; third, we must try to help others as much as possible. To break off habitual behaviors, first, we must learn renunciation, leaving nothing in your mind to attach to. It is said to renounce what is hard to renounce, without actually doing it, you will never make any progress.
修行要將自己的習氣改好，好好學習做人處世的道理，不要老是執著，認為自己所想、所說、所做都是對的，而不肯接受別人寶貴的建議，這樣是會損福的，將來吃虧的還是自己。 As we practice the teachings of Buddha, we should correct our habitual behaviors to make them good, to learn well the principles of dealing with people and things, do not maintain a mind of attachment so as to insist that all of what we think, what we say and what we do is correct, and reject the precious advice and suggestions from others. In doing so, we will damage our merits and karmic rewards, and, in the end, it is ourselves who suffers loss.
受業報時，要歡喜承受，請示善知識，給予功課修持，才能了宿業。未來的，不再造新殃，才能防患於未然。 When receiving karmic retribution, we should accept it with a peaceful and delighted mind. We should ask a person of good virtue and knowledge for advice on practice and conduct so we can work toward clearing the previous karma and refrain from making future bad karma that would cause troubles.
一個修行人受到讚歎時，要趕緊生慚愧心，當觀是他人愛語鼓勵，而非自己實有此德，如此才不會得意忘形。 Upon receiving praise from others, as practitioners, we should give rise to a humble mind; thinking that this praise comes as encouragement from the loving words of others, rather than from our virtues, allows us to avoid the feeling of pride that may cause us to lose our manners.
別人的事做得怎麼樣，我們不要批評，可以在心理想，這件事如果由我來做，可以怎麼做。 Do not criticize things that others have done, instead, within our mind we should think about what we can do if we are the ones to do it.
做人，要做一個任何地方都需要的人，不要做任何地方都使人覺得多餘的人，更不可做任何地方都使人覺得討厭的人。 Conducting oneself in society, one should make oneself be needed everywhere, never become an unnecessary person anywhere, or even become a person detested by all others.
花園裡沒有一朵花，會中傷、排擠其他的花朵，大家各盡本分，彼此互容地相處，使大地欣欣向榮，成就和諧的世界。 Look at the flowers in the garden, none of the flowers speak ill of, or squeeze out, other flowers. If we can learn from the flowers so that all people do their own duties and get along with each other in tolerance, we will joyfully prosper over the earth, and make a harmonious world.
上人法語 