应无所住而生其心

You Should Produce the Thought Which Abides Nowhere

你要行所无事，做出来了，还要不执着你有什么功德。

You have to do things as if not doing them. After you've done something, don't be attached to the merit and virtue that you've created.

作礼无住化往生，

无穷无尽义弥丰；

十方如来同摄受，

离苦得乐出火坑。

Pay homage while abiding nowhere, and transform beings to go to rebirth.

Endless and inexhaustible, the meanings are prolific.

The Tathagatas of the ten directions together gather us in,

So that we can leave suffering, attain bliss,

and escape the pit of fire.

在佛教里常言：「应无所住而生其心」。所以我在讲〈楞严咒〉不是说：「作礼无住化往生」，这个「生」就是生生无定、化化无穷的意思。作礼，就是向佛顶礼。无所住，就是叫你没有执着；你说那么我不要修行就没有执着，这就错了。你修行也不要执着有修行。你说那么我不吃饭时，不去执着没有吃饭，可是肚子却不答应。可是你吃饱了，还想要再吃，那也是不对的。《金刚经》上说：「应无所住而生其心。」

In Buddhism, we often say, “One should produce the thought which abides nowhere.” And so, in explaining the Shurangama Mantra, I said, “Pay homage while abiding nowhere, and transform beings to go to rebirth.” Rebirth refers to undergoing indefinite births and endless transformations. “Paying homage” refers to bowing to the Buddhas. “Abiding nowhere” means you should have no attachments. You say, “Well, I won't cultivate, and then I won't have any attachments.” That's wrong. Although you cultivate, you should not be attached to the notion that you are cultivating. You say, “If I don't eat and I don't attach to the fact that I have not eaten, my stomach won't agree with me.” However, if you've eaten your fill and you want to eat more, that's also wrong. The Vajra Sutra says, “You should produce the thought which abides nowhere.”

今天有一个人，以为这个「应无所住而生其心」，就是不要修行，不要念咒，也不要念经，那就没有执着了。不是的，你要「行所无事」，做出来了，还要不执着你有什么功德，这叫无所住。因为你有所住，就会黏到那个地方飞不动，所以要无住身心，扫一切法，离一切相，生生化化，无穷无尽，所以说：「无穷无尽义弥丰」，这一句咒文的义理是无穷无尽的，意义是多得不得了，再也没有那么多了。

Today someone thought the words, “You should produce the thought which abides nowhere,” meant that if you didn't cultivate, recite mantras, or recite Sutras, you would be without attachments. That's not it. What you have to do is do things as if not doing them. After you've done something, don't be attached to the merit and virtue that you've created. That's called “abiding nowhere.” If you abide somewhere, you will get stuck in one place and be unable to get out. So you must not dwell on the body or mind; sweep away all dharmas and separate from all appearances. Then the process of creation and transformation will be endless and inexhaustible. So the next sentence says, “Endless and inexhaustible, the meanings are prolific.” The meanings of this mantra are endless and inexhaustible. It has an incredible amount of meaning; nothing else has that much meaning.

因为这样，所以你一念这句咒，「十方如来同摄受」，十方诸佛都摄受你，就像哄小孩子似的，说：「你不要哭了，我有糖给你吃；不要哭了，等一等我送你两个苹果。」小孩子一听到苹果，耳朵就伸出来了，舌头在嘴里也装不住了。就是这样，十方如来同摄受你，令你「离苦得乐出火坑」。

Therefore, when you recite this mantra, “The Tathagatas of the ten directions together gather us in.” The Buddhas of the ten directions all draw you in, treating you like a child, saying, “Don't cry anymore. I'll give you some candy to eat. Don't cry. Wait a bit, and I'll give you a couple of apples.” Hearing the word “apples,” the child's ears perk up and he licks his lips in anticipation. In that way, the Tathagatas of the ten directions gather you in, enabling you to “leave suffering, attain bliss, and escape the pit of fire.”