你现在的修行，其实是对生死关头的一场预演

当然，如果在疲劳当中还能懂得调整身心，这就是功夫了。广钦老和尚就是这样调教弟子的。有时候徒弟们干活到半夜，拖着疲惫的身体刚回到房间，老和尚就把一大堆不同号的洋钉往徒弟面前一放，“捡，分类。”你想想这时候徒弟们心里肯定就会嘀咕：我们都这么累了，这会儿就想喝茶、想睡觉、想躺在床上。老和尚就像知道弟子们的心思，说道：“我们死亡的那一天比现在不知道要累多少倍！”

一个生命即将凋零的时候，身心是不堪的。所以，如果我们在疲劳的时候不能振作精神，不能把师父交待的任务细心地去完成，你就很难在死亡的时候提起正念。

If we cannot muster our spirits in times of fatigue, unable to meticulously complete the tasks entrusted by our master, it will be very difficult to bring forth right mindfulness at the moment of death.

所以，修行，实际上就是一种预设，是一种提前的训练。在活着的时候去预备后事，在精神还好的时候为临终做准备。如果功夫修到死亡的时候能提起正念，进一步，在中阴的险狭、种种不定的幻境中能提起正念，那可喜可贺，你这一辈子就成功了。但那个时候的功夫是从哪里来的？就是你活着的时候师父帮你预期演练的。

Thus, practice is essentially a form of preparation, a kind of pre-training. It is about preparing for what comes after life while we are still alive and making arrangements for our final moments when our mind is still clear. If our practice is strong enough to evoke right mindfulness at the moment of death, and further, maintain it amidst the various changing realms in the perilous state of the bardo, then it is a cause for celebration; you have succeeded in this lifetime. But where does that strength for that moment come from? It arises from the preparatory training that your master has provided you while you are still alive.

我们在道场的每一天，听的每一堂课，都是生命中无法重复不能替代的。今天过去了就是过去了，永远也不会有这一个“今天”。所以，你少来一场你的修行里就补不了这一堂课。

Every day we spend in the dojo, every lesson we attend, can never be repeated and is irreplaceable in our lives. Once today has passed, it is gone forever; there will never be another "today" for eternity to come. Therefore, if you miss even one session, you cannot make up for that lesson in your practice.

在修行中，修福和修慧哪个更重要？修慧更重要。只修福不修慧，那就只是增加了轮回路上的福报。想要出轮回、成佛道关键取决于智慧。如果你能把福报回向自己的修行，那还好，你的福报能成就你修行的顺缘，能转换成为你学习、开智慧的一个“垫脚石”；否则，有福只是让你的轮回更滋润一点，甚至还会变成你放逸、远离佛法的因。

Which is more important in our practice: cultivating merits or wisdom? Cultivating wisdom takes precedence over the former. The mere accumulation of merits without the cultivation of wisdom only adds to the blessings on the path of samsara. The key to liberation from samsara and the attainment of Buddhahood lies in wisdom. If you can direct your merits toward your practice, that is beneficial; your merits can create favorable conditions for your cultivation and serve as a "stepping stone" for learning and developing wisdom. Otherwise, having blessings may simply make your samsara more comfortable, and it could even become a cause for your indulgence and distance from the Buddha's teachings.

对我们而言，白天干活是修福，晚上听法是修慧，所以我们不仅有智慧，更是一群精进勇猛的修行人。

把我们短暂的人生最大化地发挥——“在有限的时间里积累最大的福报”；同时，这也是我们佛教徒精进修行乃至切实苦修的一种具体体现。

Maximizing the potential of our brief lives—"accumulating the greatest merits within a limited time. At the same time, it is also a concrete manifestation of the diligent practice and earnest cultivation that we, as Buddhists, strive for.

我们中的很多人，在家都是养尊处优，但到了这里，真的是俯下身子、卷起袖子，好像什么活都能干。收获的时候掰玉米、收小米、刨土豆；一转身修桥梁，打地基；再一转身又上房头。连自己都不敢相信，我有这么强大吗？

这就是我们的潜力。我们把自己的生命置换成修行的资粮，变成我们在极乐世界的那朵莲花的滋养。我们在这里天天干，西方的莲花就天天长。这个莲花父母是你自己修出来的，以后品位高下也由你现在的修行所决定。同样的，以后佛菩萨能不能拉到你、帮到你、托到你，也是今天的你决定的。实际上，诸佛菩萨救护我们，有一个很重要的因缘就是我们的身口意在三宝门中的参与度。

We transform our lives into resources for our practice, nourishing the lotus flower that will blossom in the Pure Land. While we diligently work here every day, the lotus in the West grows each day as well. This lotus, your parents are cultivated by yourself; its quality in the future will be determined by your current practice. Similarly, whether the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can save, assist, and support you in the future also depends on what you do today. In essence, a significant factor in the protection offered by all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is the level of our engagement, through body, speech, and mind, within the Triple Gem.

英语翻译：妙莲（新加坡）