Many people come to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas to leave the home-life. They do it of their own free will, without anyone telling them to do it. Whether these people who wish to leave home are American or Chinese, they sincerely request permission to do so several times. It's the same with people who want to take refuge. People who want to take refuge may do so, while those who don't, aren't forced into it. Coercing people into doing things is not an ultimate solution. "Melons plucked before their time are not sweet." Even people who leave home of their own free will sometimes retreat from their resolve and return to lay-life after a while; how much the more would people who were coerced into leaving home return to lay-life.

Leaving the home-life is a righteous and heroic deed; it's not something that can be done by petty-minded people who seek cheap bargains or hope to succeed by chance or by luck. Those of you who have left home should be clear about your role and your principles. Don't wallow in the mire and be the same as worldly people. Don't blindly follow and copy others without having any principles or goals of your own. This also applies to those who take refuge with and protect the Triple Jewel. After taking refuge with the Triple Jewel, you should protect and support it and not expect the Triple Jewel to protect and support you. Do not look for bargains in Buddhism; if you do, you will be disappointed at the end.

Our minds are filled with random thoughts as numerous as dust motes. We're a constant mess, because we can't make up our minds. Why do we have so many random thoughts? Because there are many germs in our bodies big ones and small ones, old ones and young ones.

Some germs have spiritual penetrations, while others have ghostly penetrations, human penetrations, heavenly penetrations, or earthly penetrations. These germs hide in our hair pores and go wild showing off their spiritual powers. They also send telegrams into our minds, causing us to have an endless stream of random thoughts. As soon as one random thought ceases, another telegram arrives and causes us to have another random thought. It's all because bad germs are stirring up trouble in our bodies.

These germs also act as spies. Germs with heavenly penetrations are spies for the heavens; those with spiritual penetrations serve as spies for spirits; those with human penetrations are spies for people. There are also germs with ghostly penetrations and animal penetrations. Everything in the world?hether on land or in the air, including buildings and all material objects?re, without exception, found in our bodies.

Some germs help cultivators bring forth the Bodhi resolve. These are germs endowed with Buddha penetrations. Germs that tell people to do good deeds are germs with Bodhisattva penetrations. Why do we take vitamins? It's to fatten up these germs. We can't eat their flesh, but they certainly do eat ours!

The Flower Adornment Sutra says that a human body is composed of an infinite number of microorganisms. If you think about it, these germs are very messy. Yet you continue to slave and toil on their behalf, wanting to wear nice clothes, eat fine food, and live in a luxurious place. Isn't this delusion?

When the germs get together, they can make you so sick that no doctor can cure you. When the germs see that they have beaten you, they clap their hands and laugh in glee.

Some people hate to do good deeds and only like to do wicked things, thinking they can gain advantages that way. This is because bad germs are stirring up trouble, keeping such people from making the Bodhi resolve and causing their morals to degenerate. If you don't believe it, just cut open their flesh, wait a few days, and watch those germs come alive!

How pathetic it is that we treasure our bodies so! It's such a worthless cause to feed germs! That's what I say, whether you believe it or not. I'm saying it for the germs to hear, want them to know that there's still someone in the world who knows what they're up to!