07/06/2025
回歸土大
Returning to the Element of Earth
宣公上人1976年開示於美國聖克拉拉中央公園
An Instructional Talk by Venerable Master Hua in Central Park, Santa Clara, California in 1976
現在世界處在一個非常危險的時刻。
It is a very dangerous time in the world nowadays.
當你早上醒來，不知道傍晚會發生什麼。有些地方有暴風雨，有些地方有地震。在這個寧靜的國家(1976美國）我們研究佛法，不必擔心這些災難，這表示我們是與佛有緣。
When you wake up in the morning, you have no idea what to expect by the time evening rolls around. Some places have storm disasters, some have earthquakes. Here in this peaceful country, (in the United States of America, in 1976,) we investigate the Buddhadharma and don’t have to be frightened or worried about such accidents. This shows that we have affinities with the Buddha.
原本這個世界非常和平，但由於人們的內心不安寧，危險也就日益增加。一開始，這個世界的戰爭是用泥土來打的。那是怎麼回事呢？最初的時候，沒有刀、矛、劍、戟，也沒有炸彈或槍支，人人彼此和睦相處。
Originally this world was very peaceful, but because people’s minds were not peaceful, the dangers grew day by day. In the very beginning, this world’s wars were conducted by using earth to fight. How was that done? In the beginning there were no knives, spears, swords, or halberds nor were there any bombs or guns. At that time people were compatible with each other.
後來人變得貪婪，認為這個世界容不下別人，只能容下自己，於是戰爭就爆發了。那時候的戰爭是用手、拳頭和腳來打的——「你用拳頭打我，我就用腳踢你。」誰的力氣大，誰就能打敗對方。這種用手腳互相攻擊的方式，就叫做「土戰」。
Later people became greedy and decided that the world was not able to hold anyone else but themselves. This led to war. The wars at that time were fought with hands, fists, and feet. “You hit me with your fist, so I will kick you with my foot.” Whoever had the most strength was able to defeat the other. This use of hands and feet in combat is called, “using earth to fight.”
你可以看到，這個公園裡的鳥兒現在仍然在用「土戰」——「你用翅膀扇我一下，我就用嘴啄你一下。」牠們為什麼這麼做？因為牠們在爭食。人類在某種程度上也跟這些有羽毛的生物差不多，也是為了爭取食物、爭取利益，才會彼此爭鬥。所以，最初的戰爭就是「土戰」。
You can see that the birds here in this park still are using earth to fight. “You flap me with your wing and I will peck you with my beak.” Why do they do it? It’s because they are fighting for things to eat. People are more or less like these feathered creatures. It is also because they want to get things to eat, to gain profit and benefit, so they fight among themselves. The first, then, was using earth to fight.
在「土戰」之後，有些人開始思考其他的方法：「我要怎麼贏？我可以用什麼方法呢？這裡有樹，太好了。」於是他們就拿起一根樹枝，或者一根很長的竹子。他們心想：「你用拳頭和腳來打我，那我就用這根比你手腳還長的棍子來打你，不但能讓你痛得受不了，我自己也不會受傷。」這就叫做「木戰」，也就是「以木戰土」。木能剋土，木在對土的戰爭中取勝。（今天我只是用最簡單的方式來說明，因為沒有時間詳細介紹。）
After earth was used to fight, there were those who tried to think of another way: “How can I win? What method can I use? There are trees, Good.” So they took a tree or a stalk of bamboo, a very long one. They think, “You use your fists and feet to beat me, so I will use this stick which is longer than your reach, so I can then beat you until it hurts. That way I won’t get hurt.” This is called, “using wood to fight.” Wood overcomes earth. Wood wins the battle against earth. (Today I am just explaining this in the simplest way because there will not be time to go into detail).
長棍子被用來作戰之後，一些在聰明人中還算糊塗的人又開始思考：「我要用什麼方法，才能讓你的長棍子失去作用？我要怎麼打敗你？」他們日思夜想，甚至連做夢都在想。最後他們想到了一種東西——鐵。
The long wooden sticks used in battles set some people— the muddled among the intelligent—thinking again: “What method can I use to render your long sticks useless? What can I do to defeat you?” They thought and thought about this and even dreamt about it. Eventually they came up with iron.
「啊……如果我在棍子的末端加上一塊鐵，就可以讓你的棍子無法再用，甚至毀掉它。」於是，他們就在棍子的前端加上鐵頭，從此出現了刀、矛、劍、戟等十八般兵器，以及各種各樣的武器。這時候，單純的棍子就派不上用場了。將鐵加到武器上，這就叫做「金戰」，也就是「以金剋木」的道理。木剋了土，金又剋了木。
“Oh!... if I put a piece of iron on the end of a stick, I can put a stop to your sticks. I can destroy them.” So they put iron on the ends of the sticks and thus came about knives, spears, swords, and halberds—eighteen kinds of military weapons, and all sorts of things. At that point the simple sticks were of no further use. Adding iron to weapons is called, “using metal to fight.” Metal overcomes wood; wood overcomes earth, and metal then overcomes wood.
這又讓人們重新思考：「你有刀矛劍戟，我該怎麼讓這些東西失去作用呢？」於是，又有一些在聰明人中算是愚笨的人發明了槍械。起初是火槍、大砲之類的武器，現在則有機關槍和手榴彈。這是什麼呢？這就是「火戰」，也就是用火來作戰。火能熔化鐵器，火剋金。
This set people to thinking again.“You have knives, spears, swords, and lances. What plan can I devise that will make those things obsolete? Once again there were the stupid among the intelligent who invented guns. At first it was guns and cannons and the like. Now there are machine guns and hand grenades. What is this? It is using fire to fight. Fire destroyed the iron. Fire overcomes metal.
每一種作戰方式盛行了千年左右，然後就會有所變化而被淘汰。火剋金之後，現在我們進入了用水作戰的時代，因此出現了原子彈和氫彈，這些武器是利用科學方法使水分解來殺人。火就這樣被擊敗了。
Each kind of fighting prevailed for a thousand years. Then there would be a change, and that particular kind of fighting would be outmoded. Fire overcame metal, and at present we have reached the point of using water to fight. So there are atom bombs and hydrogen bombs. These things use the breakdown of water through scientific methods to kill people. Fire was thus defeated.
「你的機關槍和手槍射程只有幾英里，但用水作戰，我可以攻擊到數百萬英里之外，甚至超越這個世界。」例如，現在地球上的人已經成功登陸月球，這些各種科學的發現，讓我們進入了「水戰」的時代。
“Your machine guns and pistols only have a range of a few miles, but using water to fight, I can reach several million miles away clear beyond this world.” At present, for instance, we on earth have reached the Moon. These various discoveries have led us into the period of using water to wage wars.
這個時代非常危險。
This period of time is a very dangerous one.
如果想要和平，要怎麼達成呢？這真的是一個大問題。除了破除自己想要殺人的念頭，別無他法。對於學佛的人，實際上就是回歸「土」大。當你回歸「土」，土剋水，便能終止水戰。但這裡的「土剋水」，並不是靠戰鬥，而是我們對佛法的信仰，這就是「土」。相信佛法的人，一定不去殺生、偷盜、飲酒。時時勤修戒定慧，熄滅貪瞋癡。
If we want peace, how are we to achieve it? This is a real problem. There is no other way but to destroy your own thoughts of killing. Those of you who study the Buddhadharma are merely returning to the element of earth. When you return to the earth, the earth can put an end to the use of water to fight. But when earth subdues water in this way, it is not through battle. Our belief in the Buddha represents earth. Belief in the Buddha is the level earth. You who believe in the Buddha must not want to kill, steal, or take intoxicants. You put a stop to greed, hatred, and delusion, and diligently cultivate precepts, samadhi, and wisdom.
因此當務之急，是讓世界重歸和平。人人不應該有貪心，人人不應該有殺心，人人不應該有瞋心，人人不應該有癡心。所有的戰爭，都是因為糊塗的人發明武器互相殺戮所造成的。這將很快導致人類的滅絕。如果我們一直想著發明新的武器互相殘殺，最後人類會同歸於盡。
So now we want to concentrate on making the world peaceful. No one should be greedy. No one should kill. No one should be hateful. No one should be deluded. These various kinds of battles are the result of muddled people inventing weapons to kill other people. This will quickly lead to the extinction of mankind. In the end we will all be annihilated if we keep thinking up new kinds of weapons to kill each other.
想要這個世界和平，就是人人心裏不要有殺生的念頭。不殺生、不偷盜、不邪淫、不妄語、不飲酒，只要好好嚴持這五戒，世界就一定會和平。今天我用非常簡單的方式，解釋一個極為重要的道理：只要人們能持守五戒、不殺生，這個世界自然就會和平。因此說：
If you want the world to be peaceful, it is simply a matter of everyone not harboring thoughts of killing. Do not kill, do not steal, do not commit s*xual misconduct, do not lie, and do not take intoxicants. If you can seriously hold to the five precepts, then this world will certainly be peaceful. TodayⅠhave given a very simple explanation of an extremely important principle: if people can hold the five precepts and not kill, this world will be peaceful. Therefore, it is said:
千百年來碗裡羹
怨深似海恨難平
欲知世上刀兵劫
試聽屠門夜半聲
The pots of stew simmered over hundreds of thousands of years
Have brewed oceans of deep resentment, Boiling over into uncontained hate.
If you want to know the reason for the disaster of weapons and troops,
Try listening at the slaughterhouse door To the haunting midnight cries.
如果你能明白這首偈頌的道理而不再殺生，這個世界很快就會變得和平。世界為什麼還不和平？因為你還沒有停止殺生的念頭。一個人停止殺生，一個人得到和平。十個人停止殺生，十個人得到和平。一百人停止殺生，一百人得到和平。一千人停止殺生，一千人得到和平。一萬、十萬、百萬、十億人停止殺生的念頭，世界就變得和平。世界之所以不和平，是因為人心裡充滿貪、瞋、癡。如果你真心希望世界和平，就必須停止殺生。
If you can understand this verse and refrain from taking life, then this world will very quickly become peaceful. Why is it still not at peace? Because you have not put a stop to your thoughts of killing. One person stops and one person is peaceful. Ten people stop and ten people are peaceful. A hundred people stop and a hundred people are peaceful. A thousand people stop and a thousand people are peaceful. Ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a million, a billion people stop their thoughts of killing and the world becomes peaceful. The reason the world is not at peace is because people have not gotten rid of their greed, hatred, and delusion. If you want the world to be peaceful, you definitely have to stop killing.
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文章出處：金剛菩提海第609期
https://www.drbachinese.org/vbs/publish/609/vbs609p019.pdf
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照片說明：
1976年2月15日的下午，金山寺在加州聖塔克拉拉中央公園舉行法會。參加者多是從未接觸佛法的青年人，大家誦唸大悲咒、繞唸觀音菩薩聖號，聆聽上人開示。
Photo caption:
On the afternoon of February 15, 1976, Gold Mountain Monastery held a Dharma assembly at Central Park in Santa Clara, California. Most of the participants were young people who had never been introduced to Buddhism. They recited the Great Compassion Mantra, circumambulated while chanting the holy name of Guanyin Bodhisattva, and listened to a Dharma talk by the Venerable Master.
