真實 Truthfulness

若我們決心修行—— 

何時該經行，便去經行； 

何時該禪坐，便去禪坐。 

起初或許需設鬧鐘提醒， 

久而久之，自會形成自然。 

甚至睡夢中亦會覺知： 

「快三點了，該起身了。」 

醒來時，往往恰在鐘響前數分鐘。 

接著經行，再靜坐至天明， 

日日如此，便養成良善習慣—— 

只因我們持有「真實之語」。 

言出必行，心念與行動一致； 

除非身體不適，方可稍作調整。 

曾能長時經行、久坐， 

如今若體力稍衰，便暫緩腳步。 

身體如同工具，損壞時便修復， 

修好後繼續前行， 

因修行之路尚未圓滿，豈能中途放棄？ 

如同拳手在擂台上， 

回合未盡、勝負未分，便不可停歇。 

修行者的真誠亦然—— 

每日實踐，每日觀照， 

怎會無知無見？ 

我們所願知、所願見的真理， 

本就存於此世間， 

不在遙遠天外。 

我們觀照的，正是這身心聚合之體—— 

煩惱與法性，皆蘊藏其中。 

如同金礦初時混雜沙土岩石， 

待我們逐一揀擇分離， 

沙仍是沙，石仍是石， 

而真金自現光芒。 

我們取走黃金，其餘留歸自然。 

色身終將隨順自然法則； 

而我們的心識， 

則將趨向涅槃。 

不再返歸塵土，因為軀體本屬大地。 

這一切成就，皆源於我們心中 

那份堅定不移的真誠誓言。 

If we are determined to practice meditation— 

walking meditation at this time, 

sitting meditation at this time— 

at first we may set an alarm clock, 

but over time, it becomes natural. 

Even while asleep, 

we dream that the clock is about to strike three and we must rise— 

and we wake up exactly on time, 

sometimes with just ten or five minutes left until three. 

Then we walk in meditation, 

followed by sitting until dawn, 

before emerging from stillness. 

Doing this daily, it becomes a wholesome habit, 

because we hold to **truthfulness**. 

Our words are sincere—what we think, we do. 

Except when unwell, we may ease a little. 

If we used to walk long, sit long, 

we may now reduce, for the tool is worn. 

The body is like a work tool— 

when it is damaged, we repair it; 

once fixed, we continue, for the work is not yet done. 

How can we abandon it midway? 

Like a boxer in the ring— 

if the round is not over or one is knocked down, 

one cannot stop. 

The sincerity of a meditator is the same. 

Practicing daily, 

reflecting daily— 

how could we not know, 

not see? 

For what we seek to know and see 

exists right in this world, 

not somewhere beyond the universe. 

We contemplate 

this very body, 

this aggregation— 

the lump of Dharma, 

the lump of defilement, 

is embedded right here. 

A gold nugget 

is at first mixed with stone, soil, sand. 

Once we separate them, 

soil remains soil, 

stone remains stone, 

gold remains gold. 

We seek the gold; 

we take only the gold and walk away. 

The physical body is left to follow natural law. 

As for our mind, 

it enters Nibbāna. 

It will not return to earth, for the body is earth. 

This attainment comes 

because we possess unwavering sincerity. 

🍁🍁🍁 

Luang Phro Somkiat・Chitmāro 

(Wat Pa Tham Phra Thep Nimit, Udon Thani) 

March 13, 2025

cred. to วัดป่าถ้ำพระเทพนิมิตร-หลวงพ่อสมเกียรติ ชิตมาโร

若人持守誠信(真實）， 

道德始終如一， 

無論從事何事…皆能增長繁榮… 

因戒律正是 

我們最珍貴的寶藏。 

佛陀、法、僧， 

願你用心謹記、實踐不懈啊… 

Whoever upholds truthfulness, 

maintains morality consistently from beginning to end, 

in whatever they do... will flourish and prosper... 

For this virtue is 

the supreme treasure of us all. 

Buddho, Dhammo, Sangho – 

may your heart remember and preserve this steadfastly... 

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 

Luang Pu Jee Pantamutto 

Wat Khao Ta-ngoh Utomphon, Nong Bua Rawe District, Chaiyaphum Province

cred. to Dhamma by Ajahn Golf 阿贊高爾夫法語

我們持戒總喜歡走精面（法律漏洞）😂

這已經不是持戒、修真實語了；因為是人都知道這是不兌現承諾

不想兌現承諾時就想找方法玩文字遊戲

We Always Try to Find Loopholes in precepts 😂** 

This isn't truly upholding precepts or practicing sacca (truthfulness) anymore – everyone knows it's just dodging commitments. 

When we don't want to keep our promises, we play word games to weasel out. 

image cred. to 陳勝

有許多人覺得不信守承諾，沒有真實語，並沒有破不妄語戒

但並不是這樣的

很簡單，那些騙徒都是這樣的。

叫我們給錢給錢，過後就會兌現給我們。結果總是百般推搪，就是不給錢，最後還要失踪去。

另外就是那些政客，在未當選前總是給出許多承諾。一旦當選後，卻無視了所有的承諾。 

一開始可能並沒有欺騙之心，但後來放棄了承擔諾言；在人民的眼中，還是騙子。

我們這時說自己沒有犯到不妄語戒，一般人會信服嗎？ 還是犯了

男女之間也是這樣。’寶貝，我會愛你一生一世，我會娶你的‘ 但最後卻沒有；讓對方痛不欲生。

一般人已經會標籤這是愛情騙子了，我們這時說自己沒有犯妄語，有說服力嗎？

我們明明說好要3pm 在這裡等，但卻4pm 才到；等到別人心煩氣躁；我們這時不是騙子嗎？

因此假如這個不妄語戒要持得乾淨，人生要過得心安理得；必然要說到做到。重點是不要傷害任何人，讓任何人難受，蒙受損失。那我們說自己持守不妄語戒才能讓人信服。

有時我們沒有存心欺騙，但因為疏忽大意沒有考證清楚，而發布了錯誤信息。 別人一發現資訊錯誤，第一個感覺也是會覺得自己受騙了；或許會憤怒、 不爽。  只會覺得我們是騙子

而我們的戒已經不清淨了

老子曾說：’輕諾寡信‘。 太過草率地答應別人，只會增加自己未能兌現的機會，導致誠信破產。

如果要讓自己的說話有威力有公信力；必然要考證清楚自己說的內容是否真確、自己能否兌現承諾

不然戒還是有污染

Many people think that not keeping promises does not violate the precept of not lying. However, that is not the case.

It's simple; those scammers always act this way. They ask us to give them money for investment, promising to pay us back later. In the end, they always make excuses and don't return the money, ultimately disappearing.

Politicians also do this. Before being elected, they make many promises. Once they are in office, they ignore all those promises. Initially, they may not have intended to deceive, but later they abandon their commitments. In the eyes of the people, they are still considered liars. If we claim we haven't violated the precept against lying, would ordinary people believe us? we  have indeed violated it.

This is also true in relationships. “Darling, I will love you forever, and I will marry you,” but in the end, they don’t follow through, causing the other person great pain. Generally, people label this as a love scam. If we say we haven't lied, is that convincing?

If we clearly agreed to meet at 3 PM but only arrive at 4 PM, making others wait and feel frustrated, aren't we being deceitful?

Therefore, if we want to keep the precept against lying cleanly and live a life of peace of mind, we must only promise  what we can fulfil. The key is not to harm anyone or cause discomfort or loss. Only then can we claim to keep the precept against lying convincingly.

Sometimes we don't intend to deceive, but due to negligence and failing to verify information clearly, we spread incorrect information. When others discover the inaccuracies, their first feeling is that they have been deceived; they may feel angry or upset. They will only see us as liars, and our precepts are no longer pure.

Laozi once said, "Those who promise lightly are not trustworthy." Being too hasty in agreeing only increases the chances of failing to fulfill those promises, leading to a bankruptcy of trustworthiness.

If we want our words to have power and credibility, we must carefully verify the accuracy of what we say and whether we can fulfill our promises.

Otherwise, our precepts are still polluted.

我們有類似的經驗嗎？

有人對我們說：“二號請你吃自助餐！”

“好啊.好啊😋”

等了半個月後，一號時他突然說：

“啊，不好意思，明天突然公司要開會，我們改九號”

我們又苦苦等了一個星期，到九號時他突然說

“不好意思，我媽媽剛剛進了醫院，我們改十六號”

我們又備受煎熬地等了一個星期，然後到十六號時我們正要出門時說“不好意思，剛剛遇到一個辣妹，我要和她飲一杯，我們再約”😂

如是者希望總是落空，備受煎熬

為什麼會這樣？

因為過去我們不守信用😂

我們也一樣，給予對方承諾和希望，但卻狠狠地讓它們破滅，讓對方難受；這樣的惡業成熟時就會這樣咯～

做生意也一樣道理

有些人預期能賺那麼多， 但最後卻血本無歸

有些人預期能賺那麼多，但卻賺得比預期少

有些人預期能賺那麼多，就賺那麼多

有些人預期能賺那麼多，卻賺更多

為什麼會這樣？

佛陀說啊，有些人邀請師父說出所需， 但師父說完後卻不布施， 這些人未來做生意時便血本無歸

有些人邀請師父說出所需， 但師父說完後卻布施得比師父所說出的少， 這些人未來做生意時便賺得比預期少

有些人邀請師父說出所需， 師父說完後就如師父所說那樣布施， 這些人未來做生意時便賺得如預期一樣

有些人邀請師父說出所需， 師父說完後布施得比師父所說出的多， 這些人未來做生意時便賺得比預期多 （AN4.79)

道理就是這樣

所以有些人喜歡狡辯，說自己許下承諾時是真心的，所以沒有破不妄語戒云云。

就算沒破戒又如何？ 未來做甚麼都希望落空咯～

所以許下承諾前要想清楚啊

那些甚麼“我愛你一生一世”啊，小心啊😂

Do we have similar experiences? 

Someone says to us, "2th next month will treat you to a buffet!" 

"Great! Great! 😋" 

After waiting half a month, on the 1st, they suddenly say: 

"Ah, sorry, I have an unexpected company meeting tomorrow. Let’s reschedule for the 9th." 

We endure another agonizing week, only for them to say on the 9th: 

"Sorry, my mom just got hospitalized. Let’s change it to the 16th." 

We suffer through yet another week, and just as we’re about to head out on the 16th, they say: 

"Sorry, I just met a hot girl, and I’m going for a drink with her. Let’s reschedule again." 😂 

And so it goes—hopes repeatedly dashed, leaving us in torment. 

Why does this happen? 

Because in the past, we failed to keep our word. 😂 

We, too, have made promises and raised others’ hopes, only to cruelly shatter them, causing them pain. When such bad karma ripens, this is the result. 

The same principle applies in business. 

Some people expect to earn a certain amount but end up losing everything. 

Some expect to earn a certain amount but make less than expected. 

Some expect to earn a certain amount and make exactly that. 

Some expect to earn a certain amount but end up making even more. 

Why is this? 

The Buddha said: 

- Some invite a monastic to state their needs but fail to offer what was requested. In the future, their businesses will suffer total losses. 

- Some invite a monastic to state their needs but offer less than requested. In the future, their businesses will earn less than expected. 

- Some invite a monastic to state their needs and offer exactly as requested. In the future, their businesses will earn as expected. 

- Some invite a monastic to state their needs but offer more than requested. In the future, their businesses will exceed expectations. (AN 4.79) 

This is how it works. 

So some people like to argue, saying they were sincere when making promises and thus didn’t break the precept against lying. 

But even if they didn’t technically break the precept, so what? In the future, all their hopes will be dashed. 

That’s why we must think carefully before making promises. 

As for declarations like "I’ll love you forever"—be careful! 😂 

Ajahn Brahm also has a story like this.

A female devotee promised to ordain as a nun if Ajahn Brahm successfully helped her with something.

And then.. Ajahn Brahm did!😂

When the female devotee is panicking, a lawyer told Ajahn Brahm, 'but she didn't say when !'😂

Of course these are just jokes.

In reality, if we want to make progress in our practice, we must cultivate the parami of truthfulness. Or else, when we determine to practice for an hour, but we stop after 15 minutes. Once this becomes a habit, our mind will become very weak and is unable to fulfil our determination afterwards. Nibanna thus become very far from us

Ajahn Golf once said,'If one possesses such parami of truthfulness, usually everything they do will be successful. But for those who lack parami of truthfulness, no matter what they do, it is often very difficult for them to succeed.

Moreover, those who have such true paramis—when they speak, others will believe them, and there will also be people who respect and honor them.'

Ajahn Brahm也有一個這樣的故事。

一位女信徒承諾，如果Ajahn Brahm成功幫她完成某件事，她就出家為尼。

然後...Ajahn Brahm真的做到了！😂

當這位女信徒驚慌失措時，一位律師告訴Ajahn Brahm：「但她沒說是什麼時候啊！」😂

當然這些都只是開玩笑。

實際上，如果我們想在修行上進步，就必須培養「真實波羅蜜」。否則，當我們決心要禪修一小時，卻在十五分鐘後就放棄，一旦這成為習慣，我們的心會變得非常軟弱，往後也無法堅持自己的決心。這樣一來，涅槃就離我們非常遙遠了。

Ajahn Golf 曾說：「若一個人具備這種真實波羅蜜，通常所做的一切都會成功。但缺乏真實波羅蜜的人，無論做什麼，往往都很難成功。」

「此外，擁有真實波羅蜜的人——當他們說話時，別人會相信，也會獲得他人的尊重與敬仰。」