〖空〗

    人们响往涅槃，不过，一旦你告诉他们那儿空无一物时，心里马上起第二想。但那儿什么也没有，空无一物。看看这儿的屋顶和地板；屋顶代表“有”，而地板也代表“有”，你可以站在屋顶上，也可以站在地板上，但是，在屋顶和地板之间的空间却无处可站。没有“有”的地方，就是“空”的所在；直接地，涅槃即是“空”。人们一听到这儿便退却不想去了。他们怕会见不著自己的孩子和亲戚。

    这就是为什么当我们祝福在家人的时候，会说：“祝你们长寿、美丽、健康、快乐。”他们就会很高兴，可是，一旦你谈起“放下”和“空”时，他们便不想听了。但你是否见过一个外表美丽、体力充沛或非常或非常幸福的老人？没有！然而我们却说：“长寿、美丽、健康、快乐。”他们也非常欢喜。他们执著“有”，执著生死轮回。他们欢喜站在屋顶和地板上面，很少有人敢“站”在中间的“空”间。

People want to go to Nibbana but when you tell them that there is nothing there, they begin to have second thoughts. But there's nothing there, nothing at all! Look at the roof and floor here. Think of the roof as a "becoming" and the floor as a "becoming", too. You can stand on the roof and you can stand on the floor, but in the empty space between the roof and the floor there is no place to stand. Where there is no becoming, that's where there's emptiness, and to put it bluntly, we say that Nibbana is this emptiness. People hear this and they back up a bit. They don't want to go. They're afraid that they won't see their children or relatives. That's why whenever we bless the laity by wishing them long life, beauty, and strength, they become very happy. However, if we start talking about letting go and about emptiness they don't want to hear about it. But have you ever seen a very old person with a beautiful complexion, or a lot of strength, or a lot of happiness? No! But we wish them long life; beauty, happiness and strength, and they are all pleased. They're attached to becoming, to the cycle of birth and death. They prefer to stand on the roof or on the floor. Few are they who dare to stand in the empty space between.