◎ 破戒怎么办？

◎WHAT IF I BREAK THE PRECEPTS?

“戒为成佛之母”，想要成佛就要持戒，不能犯戒的。犯戒就好像船有窟窿，你说这个船是不是要沉到大海里去？所以犯戒就好像船沉到大海一样，所以不是受了戒不持戒。你受了戒，就要守着戒；你不守着戒，那就是漏了。你这一漏，就成了有漏，不是无漏了。无漏就是你不破戒；你破了戒，就是漏。漏了怎么办？就要补。怎么补？就要做功德，用钱或是用力量来做功德，在三宝的面前立功德赎罪，你立功就没有罪了。

Precepts are the mother of Buddhahood. If you want to become a Buddha, you must uphold precepts and not break them. Having transgressed the precepts is just like drifting in the ocean in a leaking boat. Won't the boat sink? Violating the precepts is just like causing the boat to sink in the ocean. When you have received the precepts, you must uphold them. If you don’t, it’s the same as having leaks. When you leak, you are not free of outflows. Having no outflows comes when we do not break the precepts; when you break the precepts, you have outflows. What should you do if that happens? You must mend the precepts. How? You may create merit and virtue either by making monetary donations or by doing volunteer work. By redeeming your offenses and establishing merit before the Triple Jewel, you will wipe out your offenses.

◎ 老修行的故事

◎THE STORY OF AN OLD CULTIVATOR

以前有个老修行，是在家人不是出家人。他受了五戒，另外又受了一个“食不语”的戒。可是他把五戒都犯了，就剩这个“食不语”的戒未犯。护这条戒的戒神就希望他快点犯这条戒，祂也好走了，不保护他。但是这个人始终也不犯这条戒，吃饭的时候，他总不讲话。以后这个戒神就给他托梦：“你什么戒都犯了，为什么吃饭这个戒你不犯呢？你快点犯，我好离开你了。”

Once an old lay cultivator had received the five precepts and an additional rule of “keeping silent while eating.”However, later he broke all five precepts and only kept the rule of "keeping silent while eating." The precept-protecting spirit that protected this rule hoped that the lay person would violate it so that he could also leave. This person, nonetheless, never broke that rule. He always ate in silence.

Later, that precept spirit appeared in a dream, “You have transgressed all the precepts. Why haven’t you broken this rule of "keeping silent while eating"? Please break it quickly so I can leave.”

这个老修行心想：“噢！我就持一个食不语的戒，果然有戒神保护着我。”于是他后来又找了一个有道德的法师，又重受过，结果他也修行成道了！这每一个人有每一个人的因缘。

The old cultivator thought to himself, “I only hold this one rule of eating in silence and still I have that precept spirit protecting me.”Thereafter, he found a virtuous Dharma Master and received the five precepts again. Consequently, he cultivated and realized the Way. Each person has his own set of causes and conditions.

所以受戒在佛教里是很重要的事。

Therefore, receiving precepts is a very important matter in Buddhism.（待续 To be continued）