讲经或说法，先要把“名相”弄清楚，先要把“经文的义理”搞明白，否则就很容易讲错，所谓“差之丝毫，谬之千里。”令听经的人，得不到要领，有莫名其妙之感。依文解义，三世佛怨;离经一字，即同魔说。

讲经说法要谨慎

BePrudentWhenSpeakingtheDharmaandLecturingontheSutras

学佛法的人，不要图快，要细嚼慢咽，品其滋味。

StudentsofBuddhismshouldnottrytohurry.

Weshouldtakeourtimeinsavoringtheflavorofthefoodweeat.

无论是出家人，或是在家人，在讲经说法的时候，一定要十分小心。事前要静坐五分钟，将心安定之后，再翻开经本，合掌恭恭敬敬地读诵经文，然后详细地解释。如果对理论不相应，勉强解说，就不合乎逻辑学。

所以讲经或说法，先要把“名相”弄清楚，先要把“经文的义理”搞明白，否则就很容易讲错，所谓“差之丝毫，谬之千里。”令听经的人，得不到要领，有莫名其妙之感。

Whetheryouareamonkornunoralayperson,youmustbeverycarefulwhenyouspeaktheDharmaorlectureontheSutras.Beforeyoustartyourtalk,sitquietlyforfiveminutes.Afteryourmindiscalmeddown,opentheSutra,putyourpalmstogetherandreverentlyreadtheSutratext,andthenexplainitindetail.Ifyoudon’tquiteunderstandtheprinciplesoftheSutra,youwon’tbeabletogiveacoherentexplanation.ThereforebeforespeakingDharmaorgivingSutralectures,youmustbeclearaboutalltheterms,andunderstandtheprinciplesandmeaningsoftheSutratext.Otherwiseit’sveryeasytomakemistakes.Itissaid,“Ifyouareoffbyahairinthebeginning,you’llmissitbyathousandmilesintheend.”You’llendupconfusingyourlisteners.

学佛法的人，不要图快，所谓“囫囵吞枣，食而不知其味。”要细嚼慢咽，品其滋味。贪多嚼不烂，反而受其害。讲经要注意经的义理，稍有讲错，便与整个经义不相吻合，不但没有功德，反而有罪过，所谓：

StudentsofBuddhismshouldnottrytohurry.Thatwouldbelike“swallowingadatewithoutchewing,eatingitwithoutknowingitstaste.”Weshouldtakeourtimeinsavoringtheflavorofthefoodweeat.Ifwearegreedyandbiteoffmorethanwecanchew,itwillbeharmfultous.Whenyouarelecturing,payattentiontothemeaningandprincipleoftheSutra.Ifyoumakeasmallmistake,yourlecturewillnotmatchthemeaningoftheentireSutra.Inthatcase,you’llcreateoffensesinsteadofacquiringanymerit.Itissaid,

依文解义，三世佛怨;

离经一字，即同魔说。

Explainingthemeaningtooliterally

GrievestheBuddhasofthethreeperiodsoftime;

YetdeviatingfromtheSutrabyasingleword

Makesitthesameasdemonicdiscourse.

后果多么严重，谨之!慎之!

Whataseriousconsequence!Onemustbeverycautious!

至于听经的人，更要聚精会神地听，不管讲经的法师或居士所讲的经或所说的法，讲得好，也应该注意听;讲得不好，更要注意听。要研究，讲得好，好在什么地方?讲得不好，不好在什么地方?好的，就学习;不好的，要改正过来，作为自己的借镜，这样才能锻炼自己的择法眼。

AsforpeoplewholistentotheSutralectures,youshouldconcentrateyourattentionandenergyandlisten,regardlessofwhethertheDharmaMasterorlaypersonspeakswellornot.Youshouldlookintowhytheyspeakwellorpoorly.Thenyoucanlearnfromtheirgoodpointsandusetheirweakpointsasexamplestocorrectyourownshortcomings.Thiswayyou’llbeabletodevelopyourDharma-selectingvision.

择法眼是从修戒、修定、修慧三方面而来。戒定慧圆融无碍，则对于一切经藏，迎刃而解，没有丝毫的障碍。这时候，讲经说法，口若悬河，滔滔不绝，没有穷尽。古人讲经，有天花乱坠，地涌金莲的境界，你们虽然没有这种境界，可是也要有乐说无碍之辩才。

Dharma-selectingvisioncomesfromcultivatingprecepts,samadhi,andwisdom.Whenprecepts,samadhiandwisdomareperfectlyfusedwithnoobstruction,thenyou’llbeabletounderstandalltheSutrasandShastraseffortlessly,withouttheslightesthindrance.Atthatpoint,youwillbeeloquentinspeakingDharmaandlecturingontheSutras.WhentheancientslecturedontheSutras,flowerswouldrainfromtheskyandgoldenlotuseswouldcomeforthfromtheearth.Evenifyoudon’tquitereachthisstate,withDharma-selectingvisionyouwillhaveunobstructed,joyfuleloquence.

一九八三年八月十一日

开示于万佛圣城