Robot Monk Xian'er

Let go of paranoid, accept impermanenceIt will eventually pass regardless it is the happiestmoment or the biggest agony. Those we love dearly will be gone, so will those we hate greatly.All will ultimately be gone.Taking a temporary situation as permanent, one becomes paranoid.放下偏执，接受无常再快乐的时光也会过去，再大的痛苦也会过去；再爱的亲人也会离开，再恨的仇敌也会离开，一切终归于无。把一时的境界当做永恒，就会产生偏执。

Whatever comes, face it; whatever goes, let it go.【Xian’er says so: “I’m gonna break down!” 】One morning, Xian’er saw Xianyi and said, “Don’t talk to me. If you start talking, I am gonna collapse.”Xianyi said: “Did I do something wrong?”Xian’er responded: “Shifu asked me to clean 22 toilets, 22 urinals, and repair 2 broken toilet rings.In addition, he asked me to make 22 buckets of ice cream, learn cooking from Xianwu, study English and African history, and act as the main character in a cartoon.Now that I remember it was like this last year.Shifu only mentioned one thing,where that last straw was. I was completely broken down.”This year, history repeats itself,and I’m afraid that you are going to ask something of me.  Next year, I won't be able to come out of this crazy cycle.I’m gonna break down.Below are quoted from my Shifu’s new book, Say Good Things—Master Xuecheng’s insight on the path to speaking like a Buddha.Whatever comes, face it; whatever goes, let it go.When there are a lot to do, try not let it

Bear small grievances, and accumulate great merits.【Xian’er says so: “I have been through a lot of grievances.” 】Xian’er went to worship the Buddha at Yuquan Monastery in Dangyang Hubei. The moment he entered the monastery, he shouted “Er ye, Er ye……” Others were confused how come Xian’er has gotten an uncle here. They have come to find out that Er Ye is Lord Guan, a.k.a the Second Uncle.Lord Guan was happy to see Xian’er and asked him:“Dear Er, what’s up? Who bullied you? Tell me, I will take care of it...”Xian’er said: “Wang Xiaowu always gives me a hard time.I have been through a lot of grievances......”Lord Guan said: “Here’s the thing. I’m now a Dharmapala and Garan Bodhisattva.I am no longer a general. In this case, you ought to listen to your Shifu. You have to learn to tolerate and be a bigger person ......”Xian’er listened attentively and felt relieved. Below are quoted from my Shifu’s new book, Say Good Things—Master Xuecheng’s insight on the path to speaking like a Buddha.Living in this world, One

When caring too much about the outcome, one becomes stressed.【Xian’er says so: “what if I can’t do it well?】Xianyi is teaming up with Xian’er,and Xian’er feels stressed;Shifu is going abroad and taking someone with him. Candidates are being selected.  Xian’er is anxious;Guests of Shifu want to taste some ice cream Xian’er made,and Xian’er is stressed out.Anyway, Xian’er has been under a lot of stress lately. Below are quoted from my Shifu’s new book, Say Good Things—Master Xuecheng’s insight on the path to speaking like a Buddha.When caring too much about the outcome, one becomes stressed. There is no need to worry “what if I can’t do it well”,as it is just a delusion. Illusions are not to be attached to. Things are impermanent. Regardless it is good or bad, it will eventually pass.It is just a process in life. What is most important is that we make progress alone the way. 压力大，是对结果太在意了【贤二如是说：做不好怎么办 】最近要搞卫生大检查，检查负责人是王小五，让贤二感觉有压力；寺里要举行英文读经活动，和贤二一起上场的是贤一，让贤二感觉有压力；师父最近要出国，正在选人，让贤二感觉很有压力；师父的客人要尝尝贤二的冰激凌，让贤二感觉更有压

How to keep the initial aspiration【Xian’er says so: “the highest state of cleaning toilet is... ”】Xian’er heard that the highest state of cleaning the toilet is that the water becomes drinkable.Xian’er thought to himself that he could do it. Then he told Wang Xiaowu,That he would make tea for him using toilet water. Not to worry, Xian’er has got it. Wang Xiaowu was very touched.Xianyi told Wang Xiaowu not to listen to Xian’er,and never to drink toilet water.Wang Xiaowu wondered why. Xianyi said: “Because Xian’er is like many others who are highly enthusiastic in the beginning but could not last.Later they will lose their aspiration.” Below are quoted from my Shifu’s new book, Say Good Things—Master Xuecheng’s insight on the path to speaking like a Buddha.It is aspiration that determines the beginning and ending of an endeavor; it is wisdom that determines whether the endeavor is a success or a failure.Perseverance and wisdom are equally important; with both one becomes invincible.怎样才能做到坚持不退心【贤二如是说：刷马桶的最高

You cannot please everyone.【Xian’er says so: “so much stress!”】Xian’er is making a cartoon for the Children’s Day.He wants to please Wang Xiaowu, Zhao Xiaocui,Boss Qian, Zhang Xiaosi, Ma Xiufeng, and Wu Meili.He also wants to please Xian’yi, Xian’san Xian’si, and Xian’wu.Furthermore, he wants to please Mama, Shifu, and patriarchs of the past. All of this makes Xian’er collapse.He cannot get up and has no appetite for meals. Everyday he gets by with a bit of ice cream.Below are quoted from my Shifu’s new book, Say Good Things—Master Xuecheng’s insight on the path to speaking like a Buddha. Nothing in this world can please everyone. Being result-oriented,One needs to differentiate short term and long-term results,No matter what we do,it must come from the goodness in our heart.不可能所有人都满意你【贤二如是说：压力山大 】贤二做六一的动画片，想让王小五满意，想让赵小翠满意，还想让钱老板满意，还想让张小四满意，还想让马秀芬满意，还想让吴美丽满意。还想让贤一满意，还想让贤三满意，还想让贤四满意，还想让贤五满意。还想让妈妈满意，还想让师父满意，还想让历代祖师满意。贤二就崩溃了，起不来床，吃不下饭，每天只能靠吃冰激凌，才能有点精神。以下来自我师父的《好好说话》世上没有事情是可以让所有人都满意的。以结果为导向，也有一时的结果和长远的结果之分，不管怎么

Reflect more on one’s own shortcomings, and take other people’s strengths into account.【Xian’er says so: “why not taking me abroad?”】Xian’er asked Xian’san: “Tell me, why did Shifu take Xian’yi abroad, not me. Am I that bad?”Xian’san said nothing.Xian’er asked Xian’si:“Tell me, why did Shifu take Xian’san abroad, not me?”Xian’si said nothing.Xian’er asked Xian’wu:“Why did Shifu take Xian’si abroad, not me?”Xian’wu said nothing.Xian’er asks Xian’liu:“Why did Shifu…”. Xian’liu passes a book to Xian’er and said: “Er, stop asking. Go read and find out what Shifu says there.”Below are quoted from my Shifu’s new book, Say Good Things—Master Xuecheng’s insight on the path to speaking like a Buddha.Reflect more on one’s own shortcomings, and take other people’s strengths into account. The mind will less likely be out of balance. 多想想自己的不足，多看看他人的长处【贤二如是说：为什么不带我出国】贤二问贤三：”你说，师父为什么带贤一出国，不带我，难道我有这么差劲吗？”贤三沉默。贤二问贤四：”你说，师父为什么带贤三出国，不带我？”贤四沉默。贤二问贤五：”师父为什么带贤四出国，不带我？”贤五沉默。贤二问贤六：”师父为什么......”贤六递给贤二一本书，说：“二，别问了，看看师父在书里是怎么说的吧

Don't seek excuses for the lazinessLaziness simply means seeking a little comfort at the cost of losing the great benefits.Gradually it brings decadence rather than happiness.As a result, we waste our time and get older.We only have confusion and bad habits remain for us.The serious bad habit is like a train advancing on a railway with high speed.Even though you brake it, you can't stop immediately.Because the power of inertia is still strong.Only when people's minds are consistent with their bodies can they be peaceful and calm.Feeling pain means you need some changes.Although obsessions and bad habits are strong, they can still be overcome.Don’t take the karma as the excuse of not working hard.别为不努力找借口懒惰，就是贪图一点点享受而失去大益，久而久之，非但不会带来快乐，反而令人颓废，失去了时光与青春，只剩下茫然与恶习。习气重，就像列车在一个轨道上高速前进，即使踩了刹车，也不能马上停下来，因为惯性的力量还很大。人只有身心一致，才可安定、泰然。痛苦时，就意味着自己需要改变了。烦恼和恶习气虽然强大，但是不是不可战胜的，不能把业力当做自己不努力的借口。

Don't wait until the last minute to work hardWhen we grow, our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind are kept stimulated by the outside world.The six senses are gathering dust.Without the right views and vows, we will lose our way easily.We need mindfulness homework for purification.We eat every day, otherwise we will be hungry; we also need to have food for the minds every day, otherwise the vexation will be accumulated.If there are no right views to nourish our minds, the accumulated vexation and afflictions will cause problems.We would be led by the impetuosity, emptiness, fidget, greed, blames and obsessions.The Buddhist Dharma is not a medicine for quick relief.Result doesn’t appear in sudden, result comes from cause , we should make effort on how to change cause.If we are not practicing the Dharma in our daily life, examining our thought, how can we transcend our mind when things get more difficult?不要等遇到事情再努力随着人渐渐长大，眼耳鼻舌身意接触到的六尘越来越多，这些外尘落入内心，若无正念的觉照、愿力的主导，心就容易变得越来越沉重和迷茫，所以我们很需要精神的功课。人每天都要吃饭，不然身体就会垮；精

Let your wisdom drive the suffering awayInferiority leads to the isolation while the isolation results in more inferiority.It simply forms a vicious spiral.When your mind keeps searching for your own happiness and removing the sorrows, you are understanding the world with your won delusions.The suffering and vexation cannot be abandoned in this way.To have the right views to guide your wisdom, the suffering and vexation are decreased gradually.With fewer affliction, you can find the right direction of your life and growth.    Wrong views lead to suffering; right views lead to liberation.When you feel suffer, your thoughts are wrong in some way.To examine the system of thought and to see the truth, clinging on the suffering is useless. Thinking about your aspiration, finding the right role models, you can have the right views and to discard the wrong views. Our judgments are always altered differently according to various positions.Try to comprehend more from others' point of views, rather than simply opposing

Confront others with truth and kindnessWhen we are worried and scared by various illusions, we can hardly pay attention to comprehend, appreciate and understand the others.This makes us become more isolated from others.The result is the increasing difficulties for communicating with the outside world.It forms a vicious spiral in this way.Therefore, we should always engender good thoughts with behaviors of appreciating, understanding, helping, encouraging and praising others, as well as learning advantages more from others.We should inspire the truth and kindness in others' minds with our own truth and kindness.We interact and closely relate to other people and the nature.Thus, we need to treat everything around us with a benevolent and grateful mind.We do not live in a fragmentation world. Taking care of the others is to consider their characters, habits, and their causes and conditions rather than the bare consideration of one ‘self’.‘Outside of the mind there is no Dharma’ does not equal to act according to

What should we do when the emotion arisesWhen strong emotion come in, we should realize that it is not permanent and it constitutes only a tiny part of our life.Don’t be frustrated by certain circumstances.Maybe we were exhausted and tired, so that, we would perceive everything driving us round the twist.If we take the feeling of that moment as real, drawing a conclusion on the feeling and clinging on the strong feeling, we will be desperate.On the contrary, we must see that our perceptions and the circumstances keep changing.Abandoning the negative thought, your mind becomes peaceful.  We are hurt by someone’s behavior easily.It is because we consider the problem barely from one perspective.If we can see things from different perspectives, we will put down lots of hatred and gain more wisdom.To transfer bad thing to life’s nutritions, you can nourish your life and have a better future.We need to accept and confront all circumstances, be brave.We must withstand the results of the difficult situations, no matt

Thinking from others’ perspective does not equal to arbitrary imagination Putting self in others’ shoes does not mean one can act accordingly to his own imagination.For instance, when face to face discussion is necessary, one cannot avoid such discussion using not bothering others as an excuse.Sometimes, not bothering others is indeed thinking from others’ perspective.Other times, it is just one’s own imagination such that one does not have to get out of comfort shell.   不要妄自“代人着想”当然，换位思考、代人着想也不能限入妄想。例如相互之间的必要交流，不能以“代人着想”，怕打扰别人的名义而不去交流。怕打扰别人，有时候是代人着想，有时候是自己的妄想，为了保护自己而把自己装在套子里的借口。

Addressing laziness and procrastinationNowadays people receive a great deal of information in a passive fashion. Internet search makes it easy to acquire whatever information one needs, which leaves us less opportunity to think on our own. While technological advancement makes life more and more convenient, opportunity for human labor becomes increasingly less. With that, people become lazy and lose their aspirations.Diligence becomes a rare commodity and procrastination becomes a habit.对治懒惰与拖延现代人被动接受信息太多，想得到什么信息一搜索就出来了，看别人做比较轻松，自己主动思考的时候越来越少；科技的进步让生活越来越便利的同时，人劳动的机会也越来越少。渐渐地，人的惰性就越来越强，主动的理想愿力缺失了，勤快的好品质成了稀缺物，拖延症成了习惯。 

Try not to worry and do your best Worrying about not being able to perform well at work, one should work on improving his own capabilities and treating every task with great earnest.   Failing to trust co-workers, one should focus more on their strengths and develop good rapport.We usually emphasize much on “what I want” and strive for such direction.  We should not let ourselves set in certain situation, be stuck in our own feelings, speculations, and worries, and do nothing. 不要乱担心，努力去做担心工作做不好，就努力学习，提升自己的业务水平，认认真真对待每一件事；对同事缺乏信任，就多去了解他的优点，多结善缘、磨合性格。我们做人做事，重点都是“我希望怎样”，并为此努力，而不是总停留在某一个境况中，停留在自己的感受、猜想、担忧中，什么也不做。

Buddha nature in usThere is no simple good or bad when it comes to human nature. The so called good people or bad people are labels we put that are over simplified and rough.Buddhism talks about afflictions and Buddha-nature.Everyone has Buddha-nature which is deeply covered by various afflictions such as greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and doubts.When troubled by afflictions, we tend to act in a way that creates evil karma. Even such, those with a great deal of evil karma may come to realize his Buddha-nature.Therefore, everyone should make a dedicated effort to eliminate afflictions and uncover his Buddha-nature.人人都有佛性人性不是简单分为“好”与“坏”，所谓好人、坏人，都是我们内心的脸谱化标签，过于简单而粗暴。佛法讲烦恼与佛性，每个人都有佛性，但被种种烦恼所覆蔽，譬如贪嗔痴慢疑。人起烦恼的时候就会造恶业，而造很多恶业的人也有佛性开显的时刻。所以，每一个人都应该努力净除烦恼，开发佛性。

Khanti (Sanskrit)We need to understand what is “Khanti” and why to practice “Khanti”.It is absolutely not about being a nice guy who does not discriminate between right and wrong or is timid and overcautious.The Six Perfections of Mahayana Buddhism, generosity, ethics, patience, enthusiastic perseverance, concentration and wisdom, work closely with and complement each other. The practice of Six Perfections serves both as a boat carrying self and others to the shore of enlightenment, and as a wholesome recipe to cultivate virtue and eliminate sufferings.“Khanti” includes eliminating sufferings and non-virtuous deeds for self; it also includes vigorously cultivating virtuous deeds for others.Therefore,a comprehensive approach must be taken toward understanding “Khanti”.  忍辱要懂得什么叫“忍辱”，为什么“忍辱”，绝不是不辨是非的糊涂，也不是胆小怕事的老好人。菩萨六度，布施、持戒、忍辱、精进、禅定、智慧，相辅相成、环环相扣，是自度度人之舟楫、断恶修善之良方。对自己断烦恼恶业，对他人修勇猛善行，都涵摄其中，绝非片面执取一点来看待“忍辱”。

Make Efforts on CausesBuddhist Dharma teaches us to focus on making vows and making effort on causes, rather than clinging to one’s suffering on a given situation in life.No matter what result to seek, we ought to focus on the thought which is a cause in the present Just be in control of this thought, nothing else. Cultivating the mind means correcting one’s inner mistakes and shortcomings under the guidance of the right view.It is to make us happier till we attain completeness, and make us suffer less till we are free of sufferings.Change of mind influences change of actions, solving the problem of making nonvirtuous karma.Cultivating the mind allows for gradual elimination of afflictions, which is the way to eliminate sufferings.Often people talk about activating Bodhisattva statues.As a matter of fact, it is not us activating Buddha statues, but discovering our inner wisdom under the guidance of Bodhisattva. Buddhist Dharma is the Dharma of the mind that all teachings are to enlighten the mind. 因上努力佛法教给我们的

How to eliminate AfflictionsThe practice of endurance is to eliminate afflictions.The practice itself is not the goal.When there is no longer affliction, we are able to benefit self and others with the practice of compassion and kindness.Kindness does not equal to unconditional tolerance.There are many virtuous Dharma to learn and wisdom and blessings to cultivate.Afflictions from self and others are what we need to address.Eliminate afflictions from self before helping others. Buddhist practice of endurance is not to tolerate external humiliation and to indulge others’ mistakes, but to address inner affliction with tranquility and loving compassion.When there are no more afflictions, one is ready to handle situations and help others.ultimate enemy is not someone but the evil within.It takes loving compassion and wisdom to overcome the evil.Hatred and violence will not work. 如何降伏烦恼忍辱是为了降伏自己的烦恼，并不是最终目的。在内心不起烦恼的基础之上，我们才能真正用善去自利利他。做一个善良的人，不等于简单的忍让，还有许许多多善法要去学习，福德智慧要去培养。自他的烦恼，都是我们要调伏的对象，先自调伏，再帮助他人。佛法之忍，并非忍受外在的侮辱、

Don’t care so much about othersWhen thinking only from one’s own perspective, one feels that nothing is going well.This is because of our obsession with the self as if a hedgehog being against everything. Try to put ourselves in others’ shoes and take a holistic perspective.We will then be able to pull the thorn out of our mind and have a broader mindset. When caring too much about others’ words and feelings, we are not really into how others feel.We are however into how they see us.We want to please others in order to gain our own satisfaction in return.We care about our own happiness and sufferings by looking and exploring outwards.Whereas Bodhisattvas care about happinessof all sentient beings, they do so by accumulating wisdom and blessings. This is why we are miserable while they are joyful and at ease. Make a daily vow: May my words bring happiness, hope and help to others.Do not worry about losing face, failure, and how others see you. 别那么“在乎”别人凡事只从自己的角度考虑，就很容易觉得事事不顺心，“我执”膨胀，犹如一个刺猬般处处对立。多代人着想，观顾大局，拔掉自己