宣公上人講於1975年美國金山禪寺
Commentaries by Venerable Hsuan Hua, 1975, Gold Mountain Chan Monastery
你看這個世間法勝過佛法。我每個禮拜講經，沒有這麼多人來，在今天講這個世間的學問，來了這麼多人，這足見哪世間法勝過出世法。這個世間法很興盛的，出世法人聽了大概是乾燥無味，所以就沒有那麼多人來聽。這一講藥性，就很多人來聽。
As you can see, worldly dharma is more popular than Buddha dharma. Every week, when I lecture on the sutras, not many people come. However, many people came as I was lecturing on this worldly knowledge. From this, you can see that worldly dharma is more popular than dharma for leaving the world. As for this worldly dharma, “popular” refers to its flourishing. When people hear dharma about leaving the world, I guess it is scorched and flavorless to them, and that is why not that many people come to listen.
那麼在沒講＜藥性賦＞之前，我先講一個故事，講個什麼故事呢？這關於這個治病的，醫生。醫生會治病，但是啊人人都還一樣死，這個証明醫生所治的病，都是不死的病。要死的病，醫生也沒有辦法。所以我又有這麼兩句話：我說要治不死的病，醫遇有緣人。藥是治的不應該死的病。應該死的病，什麼藥也沒有法子治。，但是有一樣藥可以治的，什麼藥呢？啊，就是這個甘露。你要是能得到甘露，死了也能不死。但是這是不容易得的。這甘露不容易得。
The moment I lectured on the characteristics of herbal medicine, on this Song of Herbal Characteristics, many people came to listen. But before I speak on the Song of Herbal Characteristics, I will tell you a story. What kind of story? This has to do with treating illness, about doctors. Doctors are able to treat illnesses, yet people still die all the same. This goes to show that the illnesses that doctors treat are all not fatal illnesses. Illnesses that will cause death, even the doctors have no way about it. That is why I have these two sentences. I said, “To be able to treat a non-fatal illness, the doctor has met a destined person. Medicine cures the illnesses that are not meant to cause death. As for illnesses that are intended to cause death, no medicine will be able to cure them. But there is one kind of medicine that can cure it. What medicine is it? Ah, it is none other than sweet dew. If you are able to obtain sweet dew, even if you are dead, you can be revived. However, this is not easy to obtain. This sweet dew is not easy to obtain.
咱們講到這個地方，我先講一個醫生。這個醫生到處給人治病。袁了凡以前他父親就叫他學醫，說這個醫生啊，可以濟世活人，又可以養生。說這個醫生呢可以幫助人，濟世就是救濟這個世界，幫助這個世界的人。濟世活人，令人有病會好的，又可以養生。說你要是會醫生，能給人治病，你自己的生活也不成問題了。我不是來譭謗現在的醫生，現在的醫生不講濟世活人，只講養生。你無論誰有病，他給看一次三天再來過，他就能一副藥叫你這個病好了，他絕對不叫你好。為甚麼呢？你要好了，他沒有飯吃，所以你們現在看醫生的人都有appointment。今天你來，過三天之後一定要來，再過三天之後更要來，等什麼時侯你這個病好的，什麼時候你沒有錢了，你病就好了。你要有錢哪，那你這個病就不會好了。Speaking up to this point, let me first talk about a doctor. This doctor went about everywhere treating people’s illnesses. Yuan Liao Fan was told by his father to study medicine, saying that by being a doctor, he can aid the living in this world and cultivate life. He said that by being a doctor, he can help people. To aid the globe refers to saving this world, helping the people in this world, and healing those with illness. Furthermore, he can also cultivate life. He said that if you know how to be a doctor and how to treat illnesses for people, then your own life will not be a problem. I am not trying to put down doctors of our time, however doctors right now do not talk about aiding the living beings of this world, but only about cultivating life. No matter who is sick, he sees you once and tells you to return three days later. Even if he has the medicine to treat your illness completely, he will not let you recover. Why? If you were to recover, then he wouldn’t have any rice to eat, and that is why those of you who are seeing doctors now all have appointments. Coming today, you definitely have to come back three days later. Another three days later, you should come back even more so. When will your illness recover? When you run out of money, your illness will recover. If you have money, then this illness of yours will never recover.
那麼這樣子，閻羅王就有了病了。閻羅王啊，你們各位認識閻羅王不認識？閻羅王有了病了，派兩個小鬼去請醫生來給閻羅王治病，那小鬼就對閻羅王說了，說我不知道哪一個醫生是最好的。你要給我一個貼士，你給我一個指示，哪一個醫生是最好的。我就請哪一個醫生。閻羅王一想，說我也不知道哪個醫生最好，我告訴您一個方法，你到那個醫生門前看，哪一個醫生在門前的那個鬼，冤魂少，大約那個醫生一定會好的。你就請那個醫生來給我治病。那麼這個小鬼就遵命了。聽了閻羅王的命令就去。到各醫生門口看，啊，有的三千在那兒，冤魂在門口那兒連哭帶叫的。說你給我命來呀，我的命你給我害死了。一邊哭一邊叫。另外一個地方，也是有幾百，那麼找來找去呀，這個醫生門口冤魂最少了。小鬼說這個醫生一定是最好的。好，就請這個醫生去給閻羅王治病了。那麼請去了，到那兒給閻羅王看病。閻羅王就問他說：先生你做醫生做了多久了？這個醫生說：我今天一早就開市，開始給人家治病。閻羅王說：哎呀！阿彌陀佛！你今天一早去開市給人家來懸壺濟世來給人治病就有了三個冤魂，嗷，這真是不可思議！你們誰願意做這個＂doctor＂做醫生啊，就小心這個鬼啊！這個鬼啊，是很不容易擺脫的。
In this way, King Yama fell ill one day. King Yama- are all of you familiar with King Yama? King Yama fell ill and summoned two small ghosts to invite a doctor to treat King Yama’s illness. So the little ghosts said to King Yama, saying I do not know which doctor is the best. Can you give me a clue and a hint on which doctor is the best? I shall invite that doctor. King Yama thought for a while and said, I don’t know which doctor is the best either. I will tell you a method: go to the doctor’s front door to look; whichever doctor has the least ghosts and vengeful spirits, I guess that doctor should be good. You can then invite that doctor to treat my illness. So these little ghosts obeyed. They followed King Yama’s order and left, going to each doctor’s door to look. Some have three thousand vengeful spirits at the door, crying and calling out, saying, “Give me back my life! You caused the loss of my life!” Crying and calling out at the same time. The next place they went to had a few hundred. So in this way, they searched back and forth and found this doctor whose door had the least vengeful spirits. So the little ghosts said this doctor must be the best.
Good, we shall invite this doctor to treat King Yama’s illness. So he was invited over to look at King Yama’s illness, and King Yama asked him: “Sir, how long have you been a doctor?” This doctor replied, “I started business early this morning and started treating people’s illnesses. King Yama said: “Ah! Amitabha! You started business early this morning to be like immortal Hu saving the world and treating people’s illnesses, and you already have three vengeful spirits! Sigh, this is really unimaginable!” Whichever one of you are willing to be this doctor, you must be careful of these ghosts! These ghosts are not easy to get rid of.
我告訴你們，我也是個醫生，讀書的時候，就讀這個＜藥性賦＞，我第一讀藥書，先讀這個＜藥性賦＞。那麼讀完了＜藥性賦＞，又讀的＜脈絕＞＜湯頭歌＞＜四百味＞＜八十一難經＞又是＜傷寒論上＞＜傷寒論中＞＜傷寒論下＞＜傷寒心法要決＞＜雜病心法要決＞＜婦人科＞＜小人科＞讀了有十五本藥書。讀完了，那時候我可以給人治病了。也可以自己給自己保險吶，不會有那麼多的鬼，冤魂。但是我也不敢做這個事情，為什麼呢？我想，一百個人，我能治好了九十九個，把一個人的生命給誤傷，誤殺了。前一個時期，沒有誤醫保險，醫生都罷工了。醫生都罷工，你看這個醫生罷工了即是說，你們這個人都沒有病了。不需要醫生了。所以這個有病的人啊，以後都應該自己學醫生，自己學醫生，自己可以給自己治病。那麼醫生他罷工也沒有問題，也不要緊了。所以這是個好辦法。那麼現在我告訴你們，教給你們這個＜藥性賦＞。也就是要知道一點自己這個怎麼樣用藥。這是這個講這個＜藥性賦＞的一個來源，並且有很多人啊，想歡喜聽，這個中國的藥性。所以呢，今天這個機緣成熟了，我本著我這個一知半解，我知道的不太清楚的，所知道的這個藥性，來呀向你們這個比我想知道更多的人來講一講這個＜藥性賦＞。
Let me tell you, I am also a doctor. When I was studying, I studied this Song of Herbal Characteristics. The first medical book that I studied was the Song of Herbal Characteristics. After I finished studying the Song of Herbal Characteristics, I studied the Book on Pulse, the Song of Decoctions, the Four Hundred Flavors, the Classic on Eighty-one Difficult Cases, also the Treatise on Cold Damages part 1, Treatise on Cold Damages part 2, Treatise on Cold Damages part 3, Treatise on the Root of Cold Damage, Treatise on the Root of Difficult Diseases, Gynecology, Pediatrics, I studied a total of over fifteen medical books. After I finished studying, at that moment I can treat peoples illness, and can have an insurance for myself that i will not have that many ghosts, vengeful spirits. But I still did not dare to do this job. Why? I thought, in a hundred people, if I can treat ninety-nine of them, but wrongfully harm one person’s life, wrongfully killing. There was no malpractice insurance earlier, so all the doctors went on strike. Doctors going on strike: If doctors go on strike, this goes to say that all of you people do not have sickness anymore. There is no need for doctors anymore. So, those of you who are sick should learn to be a doctor for yourself. Learning to be a doctor, you can treat your own illnesses. Then, even if the doctors go on strike, it will not be a problem; it is unnecessary to be concerned with it. So this is a good idea. So now I shall teach you all this Song of Herbal Characteristics. This will let you know a little more about how to use these medicines for yourself. This is one of the reasons for lecturing on this Song of Herbal Characteristics. Furthermore, many people are very happy to listen about the characteristics of the herbs of China. So today, the cause and conditions ripened, and I, with my limited knowledge, with what I don’t understand thoroughly, and with all I know about this herb characteristic, shall tell you all who want to know more than me about this Song of Herbal Characteristics.