---
title: "了凡四訓 · 改過之法"
description: "了凡四訓是明代居士袁了凡所著的家訓文集，融合儒家與佛教思想，成書於十六世紀。內容以立命之學、改過之法、積善之方、謙德之效四部分，闡述命運可通過行善修德改變，強調因果與自我革新。該書雖非正統佛經，但深受佛教界推崇，被視為居士修行的重要指南，對中國民間信仰與道德教育影響深遠，體現了人間佛教的實踐精神。"
url: "https://rushiwowen.co/en/r/cmcy56sj900cpl404js9ob7zp"
---
### 改過之法
> The Method of Correcting Faults
春秋魯史名記衰周列國大事諸大夫。見人言動。億以意揣度而談其禍福。靡同無不驗者。左左傳國國語諸記可觀也。大都吉凶之兆。萌芽也乎心而動乎四體。其過於厚者常獲福。過於薄者常近禍。俗眼多翳。遮障也謂有未定而不可測測度者。至誠合天。福之將至。觀其善而必先知之矣。禍之將至。觀其不善而必先知之矣。今欲獲福而遠禍。未論行善。先須改過。
> In the Spring and Autumn period, many officials could observe a person's words and actions, then predict their fortune or misfortune, and their predictions always proved accurate. Records in the \*Zuo Zhuan\* and \*Guo Yu\* show this clearly. Generally, the seeds of good or bad fortune sprout in the heart and show in the body. Those who are generous and kind tend to attract good fortune, while those who are shallow and unkind tend to attract misfortune. Ordinary people's eyes are often clouded, so they think fortune is uncertain and unpredictable. But when one's sincerity aligns with heaven's way, then before good fortune arrives, one's good deeds foretell it; before misfortune comes, one's misdeeds reveal it. If we wish to gain good fortune and avoid misfortune, we must first correct our faults before we can practice good deeds.
但改過者。第一要發恥心。思古之聖賢。與我同為丈夫。彼何以百世可師。我何以一身瓦裂。如瓦墜地而碎裂言結果惡劣也耽染耽甘願染受污塵情。塵聲色貨利等一切外誘情喜怒哀樂等一切內惑私行不義。謂人不知。傲然無愧。將日淪於禽獸而不自知矣。淪沈溺也世之可羞可恥者。莫大乎此。孟子曰。恥之於人大矣。以其得之則聖賢。知恥則勇於改過而德業日新失之則禽獸耳。無恥則肆意妄行而人格消失此改過之要機也。
> But for those who wish to correct their faults, the first essential is to cultivate a sense of shame. Think of the sages and saints of old—they were fellow human beings just like us. Why should they be worthy of reverence for a hundred generations, while we crumble like broken tiles, shattered and useless? We willingly wallow in worldly temptations—external allurements like luxury and pleasure, internal confusions like joy and anger. We secretly commit wrongdoing, thinking no one knows, and remain arrogant without any sense of shame. Day by day, we sink deeper into a beastly existence without even realizing it. There is no greater shame or disgrace in this world than this. As Mencius said, "The sense of shame is of utmost importance to a person. With it, one can become a sage or a worthy—because knowing shame drives one to courageously correct faults, and virtue grows daily. Without it, one is no better than an animal—because shamelessness leads to reckless behavior and the erosion of one's very humanity." This is the crucial key to amending one's faults.
第二要發畏心。天天帝地地神在上。鬼神難欺。吾雖過在隱微。而天地鬼神。實鑒臨之。重則降之百殃。輕則損其現福。吾何可以不懼。不惟獨也是也閒居指私室也之地。指視昭然。雖在私室中亦如有十目監視著十手指點著十乃多數慎勿泥解吾雖掩之甚密。文飾也之甚巧。而肺肝早露。終難自欺。被人覰破。暗裏看破也不值一文矣。烏義同何得不懍懍。含畏敬危懼意不惟是也。一息一呼一吸為一息尚存。彌天之惡。徧滿曰彌猶可悔改。放下屠刀立地成佛苟有悔罪之心便開自新之路古人有一生作惡。臨死悔悟。發一善念。遂即也得善終者。修不嫌早悔不嫌遲臨終安詳超拔之徵謂一念猛厲。多少修士敗於悠悠忽忽之中苟發心痛切進修猛厲雖罪積如山亦得解救可不知所勉哉足以滌。洗除淨盡百年之惡也。譬如千年幽黑暗而進深也谷。一燈纔照。則千年之暗俱除。故過不論久近。惟以改為貴。但塵世無常。肉身易殞。落地也歿也一息一呼吸也不屬。一氣離身不為己有也欲改無由矣。一切攜不去惟有孽隨身明則千百年擔負惡名。雖孝子慈孫。不能洗滌。幽則千百劫沈淪獄報。諸想輕舉情欲沈淪純想即飛純情即沈昇沈因由具詳楞嚴第八卷文長不備引雖聖賢佛菩薩。不能援引。烏得不畏。代行己不到代食己不飽欲求超拔惟恃自力諸天方在快樂障中修羅方在煩惱障中欲求解脫亦頗不易其至不幸而沈淪三惡道中無數眾生類皆神識昏迷益少自拔機會其最易醒覺最便修持者惟有人道但生老病死息息遷謝百年之久轉瞬即去此身一失千生百劫永為夙罪所驅不知經何長劫夙罪消盡再得人身清夜自思能不懍然汗下急作自拔之圖哉
> Second, we must cultivate a sense of reverence and awe. Heaven and Earth are above us, and spirits and gods cannot be deceived. Though my faults may be hidden in the subtlest ways, Heaven, Earth, and the spirits truly see them all. For grave offenses, they bring down a hundred calamities; for lighter ones, they diminish one's present blessings. How can I not be afraid? This is not all. Even in the privacy of my own room, I am openly seen and pointed at. Though I may conceal my misdeeds with great secrecy and cover them with clever excuses, my innermost heart is already exposed. In the end, I cannot deceive myself. If others see through me, I am not worth a single penny. How can I not tremble with reverence and fear? Nor is this all. As long as one breath remains, even sins that fill the sky can still be repented and amended. The ancients say that a person who did evil all his life, yet at the moment of death awakened and harbored a single good thought, could still die a good death. This is because one intense and urgent thought is enough to wash away a hundred years of evil. It is like a dark valley that has been dark for a thousand years—when one lamp is lit, the darkness of a thousand years is instantly dispelled. Therefore, when it comes to faults, it matters not how long ago they were committed; what matters is the resolve to amend them. But the mundane world is impermanent, and this physical body is easily lost. When one breath no longer belongs to us, there is no longer any way to change. In the open, we would bear the burden of an evil name for hundreds or thousands of years, which even filial sons and loving grandsons could not wash clean. In the hidden, we would sink into the torments of the underworld for hundreds of thousands of kalpas, and even sages, saints, Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas could not rescue us. How can we not be afraid?
第三須發勇心。人不改過。多是因循得過且過毫不振作也退縮。退後不前也吾須奮然含勇往振作意振作。不用遲疑。不煩等待。小者如芒刺在肉。速與抉剔。拔去也大者如毒蛇嚙嚙同咬毒蛇咬指不斬指則身必死指。速與斬除。無絲毫十忽曰絲十絲曰毫十毫曰釐絲毫微小之數也凝滯。遲疑不決之意此風雷之所以為益也。風雷益為周易卦名言風行雷厲直捷痛快容易成功也
> Third, we must arouse courageous resolve. People often fail to correct their faults because they procrastinate, drift along, and shrink back. We must rouse ourselves with determined vigor, without hesitation or delay. For minor faults, treat them like a thorn piercing your flesh—pull it out immediately. For major faults, treat them like a venomous snake biting your finger—cut it off at once, without the slightest hesitation. This is why the hexagram Wind and Thunder represents benefit: it acts with swift, decisive force, and success comes easily.
具是三心。指上文恥心畏心勇心則有過斯改。如春冰遇日。何患不消乎。然人之過。有從事上改者。有從理上改者。有從心上改者。發恥畏勇三心為改過之因示事理心三路詳改過之法工夫不同。效驗亦異。
> If you possess these three minds—referring to the sense of shame, the sense of reverence, and the courageous mind mentioned above—then whenever you have faults, you will correct them, just as spring ice melts when it meets the sun. How could such faults fail to dissolve? However, people’s faults can be corrected in different ways: some correct them through their actions, some through understanding the principles, and some through transforming their minds. These three minds provide the foundation for correcting faults, while these three approaches—action, principle, and mind—detail the methods of correction. The efforts differ, and so do the results.
如前日殺生。今戒不殺。前日怒詈。音利正斥曰罵旁及曰詈以惡言侵犯也今戒不怒。此就其事而改。之者也。強制於外。其難百倍。且病根終在。東滅西生。非究竟廓然拔除一空之謂之道也。
> If yesterday we took life, today we vow not to. If yesterday we gave in to anger and abusive speech, today we vow not to. This is changing our actions on the surface, controlling ourselves from the outside. And that is a hundred times harder. Moreover, the root of the problem remains—suppress it in one place, and it sprouts up in another. This is not the ultimate way of clearing it all away completely.
善改過者。未禁其事。先明其理。如過在殺生。即思曰上帝好生。物皆戀命。貪生怕死物物皆然殺彼養己。豈能自安。且彼之殺也。既受屠割。復入鼎鑊。種種痛苦。徹入骨髓。徹透達也己之養也。珍貴品膏厚味羅列。陳列滿前食過即空。乍過三寸舌誰更辨鹹酸貪饞造殺業報復足心寒疏食菜羹。儘可充腹。何必戕傷害彼之生。損己之福哉。又思血氣之屬。皆含靈知。即靈性也既有靈知。皆我一體。縱即使不能躬修至德使之尊我親我。豈可日戕物命使之仇我憾我於無窮也。一思及此。將有對食傷心。不能下咽者矣。如前日好怒。必思曰人有不及人各有不到之處豈可苛為刻責情所宜矜。矜憐憫也悖理相干。悖逆也干犯也於我何與。與關係也本無可怒者。又思天下無自是之豪傑。大勇若怯大智若愚自暴所長適形淺陋亦無尤人之學問。尤怨也尤人怨恨於人人無涵養所以出此惟有大學問人有大涵養善於克己止見自己工夫之未到感化之未深淺人則反是行有不得。皆己之德未修感未至也。吾悉以自反。人無禮於我恐我之尚有失禮於人處人不忠於我恐我之尚有未忠於人處如此一一自檢自責自策之不暇尚何敢輕於責人以重己之罪哉則謗毀之來。皆磨煉玉成之地。我將歡然受賜。何怒之有。又聞謗而不怒。雖讒燄薰天。如舉火焚空。終將自息。滅也止也聞謗而怒。雖巧心力辯。如春蠶作繭。自取纏綿。自縛也怒不惟無益。且有害也。其餘種種過惡。皆當據理思之。此行文該括法此理既明過將自止。
> A person who is truly committed to correcting their faults begins not by forcing themselves to stop the behavior, but by first understanding the reasoning behind it. For example, if the fault is killing living beings, one should reflect: "The Creator cherishes all life, and every creature clings to its own existence. To kill another being to sustain my own life—how could I feel at peace with that? The creature that is killed suffers not only the blade but also the boiling pot, experiencing pain that penetrates to the very marrow. Meanwhile, the fine foods that sustain me—delicacies laid out in abundance—are gone the moment they pass my lips. A simple meal of vegetables and broth is enough to fill my stomach. Why must I take another's life to nourish my own, only to diminish my own blessings?" One should also reflect: "All living beings with blood and breath possess consciousness and awareness. Since they share this awareness, they are, in essence, one with me. Even if I cannot cultivate such perfect virtue that they naturally respect and revere me, how could I daily take their lives and cause them to resent me endlessly?" When such thoughts arise, one may find themselves looking at a meal with a heavy heart, unable to swallow another bite. Similarly, if one tends toward anger, one should reflect: "People often fall short in various ways, and such shortcomings deserve compassion rather than harsh criticism. When others act against reason, what does that have to do with me? There is genuinely nothing to be angry about." Furthermore, reflect on this: "There is no truly great person who is arrogant, and no true learning that blames others. When things do not go as I wish, it is because my own virtue is not yet cultivated and my influence has not yet reached others. I should examine myself fully. When others are rude to me, perhaps I too have been rude to others. When others are disloyal to me, perhaps I too have been disloyal to others. With all this self-examination and self-correction to attend to, how dare I lightly blame others and add to my own faults?" When criticism or slander comes, see it as a grinding stone for polishing your own character—a place of refinement and growth. Welcome it as a gift. What room is there for anger? Moreover, when one hears criticism and does not get angry, even vicious slander that seems to scorch the sky will fade on its own, like fire burning in the open air. But if one hears criticism and reacts with anger, even clever arguments and elaborate justifications will only ensnarl oneself further, like a silkworm spinning its own cocoon of endless entanglement. Anger is not only useless—it is actively harmful. As for all other faults and misdeeds, one should examine them in this same way, according to reason. Once the underlying principle is clearly understood, the fault will naturally begin to dissolve.
何謂從心而改。過有千端。惟心所造。一切惟心造吾心不動。過安從生。一切惟心滅學者於好色好名好貨好怒此好字去聲作嗜好解有貪得意輕舉妄動意種種諸過。不必逐類尋求。但當一心為善正念。不提正念空過春秋離却一切邪念一切差別念止念無念也現前邪念自然污染不上。念起是病不續是藥時刻觀照邪機止息如太陽當空魍魎潛消。木石之怪曰魍魎又水怪亦曰魍魎始則潛伏不敢出現繼則直至消滅無蹤此精一之真傳也。精精密一純一執中守正此攝心之法也過由心造。亦由心改。如斬毒樹。直斷其根。奚同何必枝枝而伐。葉葉而摘哉。
大抵最上治心當下立見也清淨。纔動即覺。覺之即無。苟未能然。須明理以遣之遣發派也不待直攻惟事遣散又又設或也未能然。須隨事以禁之取斷然之處置遣乃釜底抽薪法禁則直捷制止法以上事而兼行下功。未為失策。執下而昧上。則拙矣。顧但也發願改過。明須良朋提醒。幽須鬼神證明。如遇雲谷幻余為之指示以決趨向又如為疏通告發露己罪力圖自新一心懺悔。伏罪自新之謂晝夜不懈。至誠無息勇猛精進是修持成功不二訣經一七七天二七十四天以至一月二月三月必有效驗。或覺心神恬曠。恬安適曠開展或覺智慧頓開。或處宂沓。而觸念皆通。宂沓事務宂細重沓也或遇怨仇而回瞋作喜。此大福德大智慧相或夢吐黑物。或夢往聖先賢提攜接引。或夢飛步太虛。或夢幢幡寶蓋種種勝事。勝稀有也皆過消罪滅之象也。然不得執此自高畫而不進。畫言截斷進程也昔蘧伯玉當二十歲時已覺前日之非。而盡改之矣。至二十一歲。乃知前之所改未盡也。及二十二歲。回視二十一歲。猶在夢中。歲復一歲遞遞。更迭也改之行年五十。而猶知四十九年之非。古人改過之學如此。解見第一篇序文中今不再贅吾輩身為凡流。過惡蝟集。蝟身有叢刺其大如兔其狀如鼠性𤢆鈍物少犯近則毛刺攢起如矢蝟集喻叢集也而回思往事。常若不見其有過者。心粗而眼翳也。然人之過惡深重者。亦有效驗。有證據可查考也或心神昏塞。轉頭即忘。或無事而常煩惱。或見君子而赧然懷慚而面赤消沮。精神頹喪也或聞正論而不樂。或施惠而人反怨。或夜夢顛倒。甚則妄言失志。皆作孽之相也。苟一類此。即須奮發舍舊圖新幸勿自誤。
> The highest level of practice is to govern the mind directly. In that very moment, clarity and purity arise. As soon as a thought stirs, you are aware of it. The moment you are aware, it dissolves. If you cannot yet achieve this, then you must understand principle to let go of thoughts. If even that is not possible, then you must use specific practices to restrain them. Combining the higher approach with the lower one is not a mistake. But clinging only to the lower while remaining ignorant of the higher is clumsy. Note, however, that when you make a vow to reform, you need good friends to remind you in the visible world, and gods and spirits to bear witness in the unseen realm. Single-mindedly repent, confessing your faults and resolving to start anew. Persist day and night without rest. With sincere, unceasing effort and courageous determination, this is the one essential key to successful practice. After one week, two weeks, and up to one, two, or three months, results will surely appear. You may feel a peaceful expansiveness of mind, or wisdom suddenly opening. You may find that even amid busy affairs, thoughts flow freely without obstruction. Or you may encounter enemies and transform anger into joy. This is a sign of great merit and great wisdom. You may dream of vomiting black substances, or of ancient sages guiding and supporting you, or of soaring through space, or of banners and canopies of precious adornment—all kinds of auspicious signs. These are all indications that faults are dissolving and karma is clearing. Yet you must not grasp these experiences to feel self-satisfied and halt your progress. In ancient times, Qu Boyu at the age of twenty already recognized the mistakes of his past and corrected them all. But by twenty-one, he realized his corrections had been incomplete. At twenty-two, looking back on his twenty-first year, he saw he was still dreaming. Year after year, he kept refining his reform. By the age of fifty, he still recognized the errors of his forty-ninth year. Such was the practice of reform among the ancients. We are ordinary people, with faults gathering like porcupine quills. Yet when we look back on the past, we often seem unable to see our own faults—because our minds are coarse and our vision clouded. However, those with deep and heavy faults will show certain signs. They may feel mentally blocked and forget things as soon as they turn around. They may be troubled without reason. They may feel ashamed and deflated when meeting virtuous people. They may feel displeased upon hearing honest discourse. They may do good for others yet receive resentment in return. Their dreams may be chaotic, and in severe cases, they may speak deliriously and lose their composure. These are all signs of wrongdoing. If any of these appear, you must rouse yourself, abandon the old, and embrace the new. Take care not to mislead yourself.