要知道一切的一切，都是从“一”聚集而成，又要知道多是由很多的“一”而成就的，以前所讲的Ｏ字，那是超出数外，所谓“超出三界外，不在五行中。”三界就是欲界、色界、无色界，五行就是金、木、水、火、土。
Everything is formed from the "one." The "many" are formed from the accumulation of many "ones." Earlier I mentioned that the zero is beyond numbers, "beyond the Three Realms and outside of the five elements." The Three Realms are the realm of desire, the realm of form, and the formless realm. The five elements are metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.
所有的人，都在五行中，每个人的相貌，都具足五行，脸瘦身高，属于木形；头尖下巴宽，属于火形；面方色黄，属于土形；面白属于金形；面黑而肥，属于水形。
All people are included within the scope of the five elements. Our features are characterized by the five elements. For example, tall people with thin faces are predominantly of the wood element. Those with pointed heads and wide chins belong to the fire element. People with squarish faces and yellow complexion are earthy; those with whitish or pale complexions are metal, and those with plump and dark-complexioned faces are of the water element.
有人是木火土，有人是木火金，有的人本身金木相克，自己和自己斗争。水形和火形在一起，木形和土形在一起，便会常发生斗争，但Ｏ字就超出这些数目之外。
Some people are a combination of wood, fire, and earth; others may be wood, fire, and metal. People who are a combination of the mutually destructive elements of metal and wood often fight with themselves. If water-type people are put together with fire-type people, or wood-type people meet earth-type people, many quarrels and arguments may ensue. However, the zero transcends all these kinds of fate.
一般人认为命运有一定的安排，所谓“命有八尺，难求一丈。”不错！但这是指平常人而言，若是修道人，就不在此数中。修道人不要问易经，那是一般凡夫俗子所用的，修道人的生死尚且能了，何况其它的数呢？更应该超出去，所以不要理会这些。
Most people think that destiny is fixed. There is a saying, "If something is fated to be eight feet, it's hard to ask for ten feet." This is true, but only for ordinary people. Genuine cultivators aren't bound by fate. Cultivators don't need to consult The Book of Changes; that's for ordinary people. Cultivators are able to end birth and death; how much the more can they alter other aspects of their fate. Thus, we should transcend fate and not pay attention to it.
讲五行不过明白其理而已，其实认真去修行，什么道理自然而然就会明白。这个Ｏ字是最要紧的法门！各位若对Ｏ字用功夫，仔细研究一番，将来一定会有办法。因为它不在数中，数目一开始，就有个“一”，可是Ｏ字，连“一”也没有了。
We have discussed the five elements to understand their principles, but in fact, if we earnestly cultivate, we will spontaneously understand all principles. The zero is essential. If we work on it and investigate it, we will certainly find a way. The zero transcends all numbers. The numbers begin with one, but the zero is beyond even the one.
要知道“一”多了，就是众多，众多是由“一”成就的，所谓
When there are many "ones," it becomes a multitude. The "many" are formed from "one." As it is said,
“一本散为万殊，万殊仍归一本”，“一为无量，无量为一。”
One root spreads into ten thousand branches, Yet the ten thousand branches return to the one root. The one is limitless; the limitless are one.
为什么有无量？因为有一，为什么有一？因为有无量。若是“一”生出来，就有很多麻烦事，从一生出二三四，乃至八九十，无穷无尽的数目就跟着来了；若是“一”没有了，其它当然也没有了；众多微尘空了，一粒微尘也没有了。
How can there be the limitless? Because of the one. How can the one exist? Because of the limitless. Once the "one" comes into being, there are many troubles. From the one comes two, three, four, ... eight, nine, ten, and all the numbers up to infinity. Without the "one," the other numbers cannot exist either. When all dust motes are gone, then not even one dust mote exists.
诸法没有一个自性，所以无所依赖，但是从互相假和合，而成就一切方便法。
All dharmas (phenomena) have no intrinsic substance, nothing to depend on. They arise expediently through a false process of combination.
天地间一切万事万物，有些人说在冥冥中有主宰操纵，这是能作。一切万事万物，这是所作。有个主宰它能作一切万事万物，一切万事万物是它所作出来的，一般宗教，都是这样说法。可是往真实来讲，没有哪个人能主宰一切万事万物，所以才说无能作所作，没有一个能作者，也没有所作。
Some people say that everything in the universe is invisibly controlled by a Lord. Most religions say that there is a Creator who creates the myriad things, and that everything in the world is created by him. In reality, no one can be the lord of the myriad things. There is no creator and nothing that is created.
那是怎样呢？所有一切的一切，都是起惑、造业、受报。业是从什么地方生出来？是从妄想所感召出来的。在最初是不觉，不觉就是无明，因为无明，就生出迷惑。要是没有无明，就没有迷惑；有了迷惑，就生出妄想；有了妄想，就造出种种的业。所造的业，是善因，就有善的果报；是恶因，就有恶的果报；是不善不恶因，就有不善不恶的果报。
How do we explain things, then? We can explain everything in terms of becoming deluded, committing offenses, and undergoing retribution. Where does karma come from? It comes from deluded thinking. Initially there is non-enlightenment, or ignorance. Ignorance gives rise to confusion. Without ignorance, confusion would not arise. When there is confusion, we engage in deluded thinking, and then create all kinds of karma. If we create good karma, we receive a pleasant retribution. With evil karma, we undergo an unpleasant retribution. If the karma is neither good nor evil, the retribution will also be neutral.
所以众生所遭所遇，无非是自己所造的，并不是其它人所造、所支配的，一切都是自己。乃至在轮回中转来转去，不能出离，随业而受果报，生生死死，死死生生，永不离开生死，都是自己所造的。怎能知道是这样呢？因为要是离开这种道理，就没有其它道理可讲了。
Everything that happens to us is a result of the karma we created ourselves; we are not controlled or created by anyone else. We go round and round on the wheel of rebirth, receiving retributions according to our karma, never managing to escape from birth and death. This is also our own doing. How do we know? There is no other logical explanation of the matter.
有的宗教，主张世间一切是受神的支配；既然是受神的支配，那么造善造恶与自己就没有关系。但是到时候受果报，还是要自己去受，神帮不了忙，可见这是不合理的道理。因为这个缘故，所以说果报是从自己的业感召而生出来的，正所谓“如是因，如是果。
” Some religions say that everything in this world is controlled by God. If that were true, it wouldn't matter whether we did good or evil. But the reality is that, when the time comes, we ourselves have to undergo the retribution for our own deeds and God cannot help us. Therefore it's not sensible to say that God controls everything. Rather, we bring the reward or retribution upon ourselves through what we do. "As you sow, so shall you reap."
好像有人主使别人去杀人，这人虽然犯罪，可是主使人也有罪；如果神来支配我们，一切一切都由神来作主，那么我们所造的业，神应该分一半果报，才合情理。如果不是这样，神教我们所作的事情，罪全归我们受，这就不平等、不合理了！
If one person tells another to commit murder, the first person is also guilty. By the same principle, if we are controlled by God, then it is only reasonable that God share half of our karmic retribution. We simply did what God told us to do, so we shouldn't have to suffer the consequences alone--it wouldn't be fair!
我们自己所造的业，与他人无关，我们所作的是善事，就得善的果报；所作的是恶事，就得恶的果报，这是很合理的因果。所以我们一举一动，并不受任何人或神来支配。如果真是受神支配的话，那神就不应该教我们做种种恶，应该只教我们做种种善，这样才对。因为神不愿意人做恶事，希望人做善事。如果神没有这个能力，那么我们做恶，还是自己受报，做功德是 他的，做恶是我们自己承担的，这太不合逻辑学了。
Actually, the offenses we commit have nothing to do with anyone else. If we do good deeds, we receive good results; evil deeds reap bad results. This principle of cause and effect is very reasonable. We are not controlled by any person or any god in what we do. If we were ruled by a god, he should keep us from doing evil and cause us to do good. Gods and spirits like to see people do good and refrain from evil. But since they don't have the power to control us, we must still take the retribution for our evil deeds. For them to take the credit for our meritorious acts, while we bear the consequences for our evil deeds, is totally illogical!
一九八Ｏ年六月二十日开示
A talk given on June 20, 1980
