每一個組織團體對於會員有不同的要求，有的希望會員為人練達，能為組織募集更多的資源；有的希望會員做事能幹，能促進組織的發展擴充；有的希望會員積極進取，能為組織帶來蓬勃朝氣；有的希望會員善於籌畫，能使組織日益壯大。國際佛光會對於所有會員有什麼樣的期許呢？「七佛通戒偈」云︰「諸惡莫作，眾善奉行，自淨其意，是諸佛教。」佛光會秉持佛教理念服務大眾，我們認為一個優秀的佛光會員應該具備下列條件︰
(一) 佛光會員要存心好︰佛陀曾說︰「一切壯無過於心，心是怨家，常欺誤人。心取地獄，心取餓鬼，心取畜生，心取天人。作形貌者，皆心所為。能伏心為道者，其力最多。吾與心鬥，其劫無數，今乃得佛，獨步三界，皆心所為。」我們的心如同國王，具有無上的權力，能統帥行權，然而一旦被客塵所惑，任憑煩惱魔軍指使六根造作諸業，則念念之間，六趣輪迴，甚至倒行逆施，導致社會不安。我們學佛修行，應該立志做一個能征服魔軍的統領，以信仰、道德、慈悲、戒律、忍耐、禪定作為護身盔甲，戰勝貪瞋愚癡，長養善法功德，建設人間淨土。
(二) 佛光會員要說話好︰佛教裡要人戒除的十惡當中，身犯的惡行有殺、盜、淫三事，心犯的惡事有貪、瞋、癡三念，而口犯的兩舌、惡口、妄言、綺語卻占了四項，可見口業的過失比身心造業還要來得快、來得多。經云︰「人心是毒根，口為禍之門，心念而口言，身受其罪殃。」「諦觀一切擾擾紜紜，但諍咽喉不急之事，禍從口出，千殃萬罪，還自纏繞。」心念固然變化迅速，但嘴巴最容易造罪惹禍。翻開歷史，世間上多少善緣美事因為一句話而破壞殆盡，多少忠臣良將因為一句話而慘遭陷害，再看看當今社會，多少鬥亂紛爭也往往是由於人們逞一時口舌之快所造成。佛陀曾說︰「口誦佛名如吐珠玉，口宣教化如放光明，口談無信如嚼木屑，口好戲謔如掉刀劍，口道穢語如流蛆蟲，口說善事如噴清香，口語誠實如舒布帛，口言欺詐如蒙陷井，口出惡氣如聞臭味。」這九種譬喻貼切地描繪出口業的得失，值得我們引以為戒。
在日常生活中，言語是我們人際和諧、事業成敗的關鍵，在傳教使命上，言語是我們弘揚佛法、廣度眾生的利器，所以佛光會員們尤應養成說好話的習慣，常常讚美三寶，稱揚善事，解憂慰苦，勸勉向上，並且隨時記住︰口邊就是功德，口邊就是道路，口邊就是方便，口邊就是結緣。
(三) 佛光會員要行事好︰自古以來，佛教各種法門、各個宗派均注重實踐，不尚空言。《六度集經》云︰「夫有言無行，猶膏以明自賊，斯小人之智也。言行相扶，明猶日月，含懷眾生，成濟萬物，斯大人之明也。行者是地，萬物所由生矣。」一個真正的佛子不但要說話好，也要行事好。好事的種類很多，如出錢布施、排難解紛、濟貧救苦、修橋鋪路、施燈施茶、捐贈器官……都是好事，但我覺得最好的事莫過於來做佛光會的義工，因為佛光會不但善加統籌佛教各項資源，有計畫地以文教、慈善各種方式弘法利生，而且也是大乘菩薩的修行學處。佛光會員抱持服務奉獻的精神，跟隨佛光會的腳步，或愛護環保，或領養公園，或義診施藥，或倡導反毒，或撿收廢紙，或關懷殘障，或宣揚法義，或展覽文藝……，這些好事不但能夠淨化自己的煩惱，擴大自己的胸懷，長養自己的福慧，莊嚴自己的世界，而且可以美化社會，報效國家，裨益人群，造福世界。
所謂「好事不怕多」，希望各位會員們能為自己規畫有意義的生活方式，每週至少抽出半天時間，參與佛光會的活動，為道場、為佛教、為社會，為人群獻身服務！
(四) 佛光會員要做人好︰學佛修行，首先需學做人，否則人道有虧，如何奢言佛道？所以身為佛光會員最重要的就是要將人做好。
如何才能將人做好呢？佛陀說︰「世上有五種非人，即應笑而不笑，應喜而不喜，應慈而不慈，聞惡而不改，聞善而不樂。」孟子也說︰「無惻隱之心，無羞惡之心，無辭讓之心，無是非之心者，都是非人。」比照之下，聖賢所見，並無二致，可見隨喜結緣，慈悲應世，改過向上，與人為善，見義勇為，謙下忍讓，……都是做人應有的修行。
十方諸佛都是從人道證悟佛果，因為十法界中，唯有人道才可以「整心慮，趣菩提」。將人做好，成佛也就不遠了。憨山大師說︰「佛法以人道為磁基，人道以佛法為究竟。」希望佛光會員都能秉持佛陀的本懷，在生活落實佛法，從人間趣入菩提。
各位會員如果都能時時存心好，常常說話好，處處行事好，個個做人好，必定能為自己留下光輝的歷史，為本會留下不朽的事業。
The Four Pillars of Goodness
Every organization must ask something of its members. Some organi- zations ask their members to meet people, others ask them to accumu- late information, and still others ask them to develop their talents. The BLIA is based on the teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha, and because of that, our main goal is to aid all sentient beings. To accomplish this goal, we must ask all members of the BLIA to try to achieve a very high standard of behavior.
The Verse of the Seven Ancient Buddhas says:
Do nothing that is unwholesome, Do all that is wholesome, Purify the mind. This is the teachings Of all the Buddhas.
In the following sections I will discuss the principal responsibili- ties we must ask BLIA members to take on.
Purify your mind
The Buddha said, “There is nothing outside of the mind. The minds of people who are resentful constantly play tricks on others. The mind selects its own hell, its own realm of hungry ghosts, its own realm of animals, and its own heaven. Even our appearances have resulted from the workings of our minds. If you can control your mind and bring it to the Way, immense power is gained. I have contended with my own mind for many kalpas, and now I have succeeded in becoming a Buddha. Everything in the Three Realms is created by mind.”
Our minds are like kings who have absolute power. They can do anything when they are concentrated. However, if we become distract- ed by the allure of the world, even for a moment, then we run the risk of being assaulted by the demonic army of the six senses. In a moment, we may become lost and create terrible karma. In a moment, it is possible to turn completely from the good.
All Buddhists must know this. Our entire future can change in a moment of weakness and delusion. All of us must be prepared for moments like that, and we must be prepared to prevail. Those are the times when we most need to rely on what we have learned. Those are the times when everything we are counts the most. Those are the times when we must draw on our own belief, our faith, our virtue, our compassion, our moral sense, our patience and concentration. We can be sorely tempted in one moment, but we can also be completely victorious in the next.
Proper use of language
Buddhism often speaks of the ten unwholesome acts of human beings. These defilements are divided into three basic categories; those of body, mind and speech. Bodily defilements are three in number: killing, stealing and sensual indulgence. Mental defilements also are three in number: greed, anger and ignorance. The defilements of speech, however, are four in number: duplicity, harshness, lying and flattery.
The fact that speech accounts for the greatest number of defilements among these three types shows the importance, and danger, of how we choose to use language. Most of us create more problems with our mouths than with our bodies and minds.
The Pratibhana-matipariprccha Sutra (Bianyi Zhangzhezi Jing, 辯意長者子經) says, “The human mind is the source of poison. The mouth is the door through which calamity goes. It is the body, however, that receives the karmic retribution brought on by the mind and the mouth.”
The Sze Tsu Ch’in Sutra says, “Through the eyes of wisdom, the turbulence and troubles of the world can all be seen to arise from argumentation over unimportant matters. Calamity issues from the mouth causing a thousand crimes and errors to bundle up and revolve among themselves.”
The mind moves very quickly, and in a flash it can order the mouth to say terrible things that cannot be taken back. In the history of the world, there are many stories of excellent deeds being ruined in a moment of misspeaking. All over the world today, we hear angry words, and all of us well know the kinds of unforgiving responses they can produce. My guess is most of us have had similar experiences ourselves.
We must guard against the evil that is set in motion through bad speech. At the same time, members of the BLIA should also recognize that the tendency toward intemperate speech is almost universal. If we are spoken to harshly or lied to, we should be quick to forgive the speaker. We must do our best to stand above the drudgery of resent- ment and revenge. Bad words usually are not meant to be as bad as they sound. A good part of the defilement of bad speech often can be laid to the ears of the hearer.
The Buddha said that chanting his name was like spewing pearls from the mouth, and that preaching the Dharma was like having light shine from the mouth. He also said that speaking of doubt was like chewing wood shavings, that sarcasm was like a dropped sword, and that filthy language was like pinworms. The Buddha said that speaking of good things was like emitting fragrance from the mouth, and that honest words were as comfortable as soft silk. He said the deceitful language was like a thin cover over a pit trap, and that bad language was like a horrible smell.
These metaphors show clearly what the Buddha thought of defile- ments of speech.
In our daily lives, language is the means by which we express our willingness to cooperate. In our professional lives, language is the crucial factor in determining whether we are successful or not. As Buddhists, language is the main way we communicate the Dharma to others, and it is the main way others learn about Buddhism. It is very important that all of us in the BLIA pay close attention to our use of language.
I am not trying to encourage weakness here, or passive habits of agreeing with everything we hear. That kind of language also sends the wrong message to others. We should be confident in our beliefs and confident in the truths of Buddhism. When we communicate with others, we should convey this confidence just as much as we convey our compassion and our willingness to establish harmonious relations with everyone we meet.
The mouth can produce great evil, but it also can create great good. Our mouths are our temples, and they are the best means we have to express the joy we find in Buddhism.
Proper activity
Buddhism has never been a strictly mental religion wherein we talk all the time, but do nothing about what we say. It is very important that we speak well, but it is just as important that we follow through on what we have said.
The Dharmapada says, “One who speaks but does not act is like someone who has stolen light and smeared himself with it. This is the wisdom of a small person. One who does what he says, however, is radiant like the sun and moon. He cares for all sentient beings, and he comes to the aid of all dharmas. This is the light of a great person. Action is like the ground, and all phenomena grow from it.”
A Buddhist must be careful to act in accordance with his words. There are many good things we all can do every day, and all of them are important. In my opinion, however, the best thing any of us can do is participate in the BLIA. The BLIA is an environment in which we can practice Buddhism, and it is a place wherein the effects of our good deeds can be magnified many times. When we act purely as individuals, our energies are scattered and often redundant. When we act through the BLIA, however, the effects of what we do can be maximized. A group of people can always do much more than an individual. Furthermore, the very purpose of the BLIA is to draw Buddhists together into a worldwide society. In this kind of group, we will find the most opportunity for personal growth and development. At the same time, we will bring the greatest help possible to others.
The BLIA has many projects. Each member can select the projects that inspire him or her the most. We have groups that work for the good of the environment. We have groups that visit prisons, schools, and hospitals. We have publications and translation projects. The BLIA makes films and recordings, and it produces radio shows. We need help in all of these areas. If you see something that needs to be done in your community, if it is in harmony with the ideals of the BLIA, try to find others who will do it with you. There are endless numbers of ways all of us can use our creative energies for the betterment of the world.
The beneficial effects of our actions are increased many times when we join with others in harmony and compassion.
When we become involved in worthwhile projects, everyone benefits. We ourselves will grow in understanding as we feel that our lives have become more useful, while others will benefit from what we have done. Active participation in a dedicated group like the BLIA confers merit on all of us, even as it works toward improving the world. There is no better way to repay our communities and nations than to unite within the embrace of the Dharma for the good of people everywhere.
There is a saying, “Don’t be afraid of doing too much good.” I hope all members of the BLIA will take this saying to heart. The world needs our help, just as much as all of us need to grow through the act of helping. I hope all members of the BLIA will try to budget at least half a day per week to participate in BLIA activities. The time you give is a gift that never can be measured. It is like compassion or light. It can be seen and felt, but it can never be calculated.
Morality
The foundation of all Buddhism is human nature. You cannot be a good Buddhist if you are a bad person. This point is obvious, and yet it is frequently ignored or minimized. People fool themselves in many ways. Don’t wait for the weekend to practice Buddhism. You must practice every moment of your life.
The Buddha said that there are basically five inhumane things people do. These are: when they ought to laugh, they do not laugh; when they ought to be joyful, they are not joyful; when they ought to be compassionate, they are not compassionate; when they hear of evil, they do not stop it; when they hear of goodness, they are not happy.
Mencius said something similar. He said that people are inhumane whenever they lack pity and shame, whenever their words are unyield- ing, or whenever they have lost their abilities to discriminate between right and wrong.
Saints and sages all over the world have said much the same. These truths have been repeated many times in many places for the simple reason that they are true.
The difference between morality and immorality is not so hard to see. All of us are capable of phrasing difficult moral questions that are hard to answer, but at the same time, we all are equally capable of knowing the difference between right and wrong in our own lives. In most cases, it is clear what we should do.
The knowledge of our own humanity is the basis of Buddhism.