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世界坏的根本
THE BASIC CAUSE OF THE WORLD'S DEMISE
宣公上人一九九三年八月二十二日开示于法界佛教总会总办事处
Venerable Master Hua's Talk on August 22, 1993
at the Administrative Headquaters of Dharma Realm Buddhist
Association
法喜 记录 Transcribed by Dharma of Bliss
我们学佛的人，不要好奇，不要好高骛远，平常心是道。人法地，地法天，天法道，道法自然。你勉强做出什么事情来，都与道不相应的。所以我们无论做什么事，最好是任运而行，不加造作。有的人学佛学了一辈子，贪心比谁都大，我也不知道他是学的什么佛。学佛，一切时，一切处，一切事，都要任运而行，不勉强，不要存着一种贪心，不要争心，不要在那儿学佛，学来学去总是有所求；也不要自私，也不要自利，最要紧不打妄语。我们人若能不打妄语，这诚实的根就扎下去了。
有父母的人好好孝顺父母，有兄弟的家庭要和气，不要争吵，一争吵就没有家庭的温暖和快乐了。你们看一看，现在全世界，每一个国家，每一个家庭都坏了。家庭分崩离析，不能和乐相处。「男女居室，人之大伦」，可是你要安于室，不安于室，就是天天争争吵吵的，虽然有家庭，可是没有家庭的温暖和快乐。
这个温暖快乐并不是说不知足。有的家庭互相不满意，不知足，说我怎么生到这么一个家庭？就有一股怨气，怨天尤人，就搞得夫妇离婚了。所谓「父不父，子不子，妻不妻」，家庭没有一天和气的时候，整天吵吵闲闲。这样一来，就离心离德，然后就离婚了。你看看全世界现在离婚的人有多少？离婚的比结婚的人还多。离婚不要紧，却把整个世界每一个国家都破坏了。你看这个世界坏的开始，追源祸始就是从夫妇不和气来的，因此造成天地灾祸都发生了。
天地为什么有天灾人祸？就因为离婚的人太多了。这些离婚的人，家庭都破碎了
，生孩子也不会教育出有用的人才。家庭破碎，子女也都变成问题儿童了。这个孤儿、孤女，没有爸爸妈妈的在在皆是。小孩子这么无拘无束，没有一种教育的方法来教育他，所以他就杀人、放火、贩毒，无所不为了。这样一来，国家也不像个国了，世界也都不像一个世界了。这追源祸始，就是夫妇不懂得治理家庭的业务，常常闹离婚，所以这些问题都来了。
天灾人祸，好像飓风、地震、水灾、火灾，这种种不一而足，瘟疫流行、战争，什么灾难都不知不觉就发生了。甚至于飞机失事、火车撞车、船在海上航行就沉了
，淹死不知多少人，伤了不知多少人，这个祸源都是因为离婚，因为这个造成的。离婚，这是阴阳错乱，阴阳错乱就一切一切都不顺利，不正常了。
所以你们各位想要知道世界怎么不好的，你要追源溯本，研究研究是从什么地方坏起来的－就是从夫妇间不和谐，不能相敬如宾，不能举案齐眉。现在人都说自由，你讲自由啊，就越来越不像人了，人都不如畜生了，所以这个时代就坏了。各位要深深明白这一点！不是学佛学了几十年，学了一辈子，找不出世界坏的根本。
这个夫妇间一坏，你这一争吵，往上来说，就是不孝顺父母，不忠于国。往下来说，生的子女都是一些有问题的儿童。往上也坏了，往下也坏了，这都是有连带关系的。你们各位学佛的人，要真正懂得这个世界从什么地方坏的？从外面来说，就是从夫妇那儿坏的：往里边来说，就是从人心那儿坏的。人心一坏了，外边就都不正常了，都不符合规矩了。你无论到哪个地方，你可以观察观察，看一看：家庭若不好，吵吵闹闹的，社会也不会安定，国家也不会出人才了。你们每一个人都有什么意见，我不知道我说的话，你们认为有没有一点道理？
We disciples of the Buddha must not crave new experiences, nor be overly
curious and always seeking for the unusual and the unobtainable. The ancients
said,
"The ordinary, every-day mind is the Way."
They also said that,
"People follow the Earth, the Earth follows Heaven.
Heaven follows the Way, the Way follows Nature."
Anything, done in a forced manner, will not bring a response with the Way.
Therefore, no matter what we do, it is better to let things take their own
course, and not be artificial and pretentious. Some people may have been
studying Buddhism all their lives, but their greed is greater than anyone
else's. I don't know what kind of Buddhism they have been learning. As
Buddhists, at all times and places, and no matter what we do, we should let
events take their own course, and not be contrived or artificial. We must not be
greedy or contentious. We shouldn't always be seeking things while we study
Buddhism. Neither must we be selfish, nor after self-benefit. Above all, we must
not lie. If we can avoid telling lies, we are planting down the roots of
sincerity.
Those of you who have parents at home should show them filial respect.
Families where siblings dwell together must live in harmony, and not fight among
yourselves. Once you start to quarrel, the family loses its atmosphere of warmth
and happiness. Look around us: families in every country of the world are
falling apart! Families split up and go their separate ways, people no longer
get along peacefully and happily. The ancients said,
"Man and woman together form the
fundamental relationship among humans.
We should however, be satisfied with our family and not be discontented;
otherwise, you will quarrel everyday. A family like this, although it exists,
lacks an atmosphere of warmth and happiness. This feeling of kinship and joy
does not permit us to be discontented. In some families, people feel always
dissatisfied, and discontent with each other. They ask, "Why was I born into
such a family!" There is an atmosphere of enmity at home. Then people blame
others for their problems, until finally the husband and wife get a divorce. In
this way the situation becomes
"Fathers don't resemble fathers, and sons don't act like sons; wives do not
act like wives any longer. "
There is no peace in the home then, not even for a single moment. The
family fights day and night. The marriage of people who don't share the same
mind or the same resolve will soon fall apart. Do you realize how many people
are getting divorced these days? There are many more of them than married
people. Divorce itself is bad enough, but the consequences of divorce are
destroying every country in the world. The source of the destruction of the
world lies in disharmony between married couples, which then brings about all of
the disasters that we experience.
Why do these natural disasters and calamities occur? Simply because there
are too many divorcees filling the world. A divorce breaks up the family and the
children who come from these families can easily become "troubled adolescents."
These youngsters lack a mother and father at home, and thus they have no way to
learn to become productive and stable in society. Children with single parents
or without parents are pervasive now in the world.
Such children grow up unrestrained, and because there is no way to teach
them properly, they learn to kill people, destroy property, and take drugs and
act out their every selfish desire. In this way, the nation can no longer
resemble a nation, and the world is no longer like a world. After you
investigate the cause of this phenomenon, you will see that because married
couples don't know how to manage their family business and think only of getting
divorced when problems arise.
Natural disasters and calamities, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods,
fires, epidemic plagues, and wars will start to occur more and more frequently.
Furthermore, countless numbers of people will drown or be injured in airplane
crashes, train collisions, and the shipwrecks. The cause for all these
calamities is divorce between couples. Once people get divorced, Yin and Yang in
the world fall into disorder. Then nothing goes smoothly any longer, and the
world gets out of shape.
So if we want to understand what turned the world bad, we have to
investigate its source. We have to search for the place where it went wrong. The
answer is the disharmony among married couples. We failed to respect each other
and forgot all about the proper courtesy between husband and wife. People these
days talk about freedom, but the more we demand liberation, the farther our
behavior strays from the standards for humans. It gets to the point, where
people are no better than animals. Therefore, the age has gone bad. All of you
must clearly understand this point! It shouldn't be the case after you study
Buddhism for several tens of years or for all your life, you still can't find
the root cause for the corruption of this world.
When the relationship between husband and wife goes wrong, seen from above,
it's due to a lack of filial respect for parents. Because of quarreling and
fighting, we are unable to truly be filial to our parents nor steadfast in
service to our country. Seen from below, the children that come from quarreling
families all become troubled adolescents. The damage brought on above leads to
damage in the next generation, so the problem is inter-related.
All you Buddhists, to really understand where the world goes bad, you
should know that externally, things turn bad first between husband and wife.
Internally, the problem begins with our bad minds. If the minds of people are
rotten, then the outside environment grows abnormal, and does not accord with
the rules. You can take a look around wherever you go to see if this is true--if
a family is out of order, and full of conflict, the society won't be peaceful,
and the country will not bring forth any talented people or people of worth.
Does anyone have a comment? I don't know whether you feel that what I said makes
any sense or not.
