97. Three “Must-Dos” for Meditation
九七、靜參三要
1 To reap rewards from quiet sitting, you must do the following three things:
1 希望靜坐功夫日有增長，必須做到下列三點：
2 (1) To purify the mind and diminish desires: How to purify the mind? How to curb desires? Use the “Code of Life” to purify the mind and cleanse your thoughts and body. Also use the two chosen Watchwords to work on yourself. As long as you fulfill the requirements from one of them, you can enter the stage of “purified mind.”
2 (一)清心寡欲：如何清心？如何寡欲？就是用人生守則洗心滌慮，潔淨身心；並從認定的兩個字做起。只要做到一個字，就可以進入「清心」的階段。
3 Becoming temperate means curtailing your desires. This is also a difficult condition to meet. All humans have desires. Saints want to save the world and its people. This, too, is a desire, but they do not have selfish hearts. They do not want it for themselves. To curb desires is to lessen desires or to be able to purify the desires.
3 寡欲，就是沒有欲。這也是很難。凡是人類都有欲望。聖人的救世救人，也是欲望，但他們不是有私心，不是為自己。希望能寡欲，就是要減少欲望或者做到潔欲。
4 (2) To examine your behaviors morning and evening: carry out the “Code of Life.” Examine your conduct in dealing with people and matters to see if you have violated your conscience, and check against the two Watchwords you have chosen in particular. If you have, admit the mistake immediately and correct yourself. Correct your mistakes each day.
4 (二)早晚反省：力行實踐人生守則，天天檢討做人做事有沒有違反自己的良心，尤其是有沒有違反自己從廿字真言中所認定的兩個字？如果有，立刻要認錯改過。天天有錯天天改。
5 If you are able to meet the requirements of one Watchword, you will, as Confucius said, “be able to apply the same principles to the rest” nineteen Watchwords.
5 只要能做到一個字，其他的十九個字，就等於孔夫子講的「吾道一以貫之」，就都能做到了。
6 (3) To build up external merits: This is referring to offerings of wealth and dharma. Every religion wishes that their believers extend themselves in giving. Offering of dharma is not necessarily done by using personal experience as an example. We need to be able to guide others based on needs and circumstances, and encourage people to do good.
6 (三)培外功：不外乎財施、法施兩方面。財施，每個宗教都希望教徒盡自己的心力佈施。法施，不一定要現身說法，但須在不同場合，隨緣度化，勸人為善。
7 We should at least know that the foundation of happiness stems from lending a helping hand. Your help becomes most effective when people are in dire needs of assistance.
7 最起碼要懂得助人為快樂之本，在人家迫切需要的時候助人，才能有莫大的功效。
Spiritual Talk about the Practice of Chinese Original Quiet Sitting, July 29, 1979
中國正宗靜坐傳習精神講話－民國六十八年七月廿九日