On Practice VII 【修行 (七) -英文】

什么叫做庄严？不起无明，身心清净，是名庄严。慈、悲、喜、舍，行止如仪，是名庄严。

What does it mean when we say that someone looks solemn and sublime? When one does not act upon ignorance and delusion, when one constantly purifies one's body and mind, he/she will acquire a natural solemn and sublime manner. When one enacts the ideas of kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity, when one conducts him/herself in good manners, he/she will look solemn and sublime.

 

修行人要有（上求佛道，下化众生）的愿力。但在行愿当中必须要先求自度，才有力量广度众生，所以对衣、食、住、名利、世间情爱、执着等等，都要看破、放下。而身心清净，无所挂碍了，才谈得上弘法利生。否则自身未了，尚受世间名闻利养种种束缚，焉能教化别人，普利众生？

We practitioners should dedicate ourselves to "attain buddhahood and deliver all sentient beings." However, we must work on our own salvation first so that we may acquire the ability to deliver others. The first step is to forgo our desire to eat, dress, and live lavishly, and to forsake our secular affections, attachments, and our incessant pursuit of wealth and fame. Only when our minds and bodies become pure and free of hindrance can we begin to talk about preaching Buddhadharma for the benefit of all sentient beings. Otherwise, with our own minds enslaved by secular attachments, how can we help to free others from such bondage?

 

做为一个修行人，对于日常生活的食、衣、住、名利等，各方面都要看破、放下，也就是要断色、声、香、味、触、法，从这五蕴里面来修，这样才不会受欲望需要的束缚羁绊。而我们的（道行）就是从这里增长出来的。所以出了家要安于清苦、淡泊，才好修行，也才能让众生自然的生信心、恭敬心，才堪作一位真正的人天师范，度化众生，自利利他。

As practitioners, we ought to relinquish all cravings for good food, nice clothing, comfortable housing, wealth and fame, etc. In other words, we can begin our practice by curbing desires stimulated by what we see, hear, smell, taste, touch, and think, thereby shake off the fetters of sensual passions. This is how the strength of our practice may grow. Therefore, we monastic practitioner sought to content ourselves with a simple life and really devote ourselves to practice. Only by so doing can we hope to win the confidence and respect of all beings and become genuine masters who, while liberating ourselves, can guide them out of their sufferings.

 

（吃苦了苦，能忍才有福。）我们修行，吃的苦有多少，了的业就有多少，但看我们修行用功的程度而定，所以福报是自己修来的，不是可以对外求来的。

We ought to recognize that "Only through endurance can we transcend hardships, and only through forbearance can we gain blessed rewards." The amount of karmic obstructions we can reduce is proportional to the hardships we endure and the efforts we put into practice. Similarly, merits can only be earned through diligent practice, not external pursuits.

 

静坐不是枯坐，更不能执着（我在静坐）、（我在念佛）、（我在参禅）等，这些都是（我相）、（着相）修行。如果还有一个（我怎么样），仍是妄想，不得自在；纵使枯坐千年，就像煮石蒸沙，仍如顽石不能了生死。行、住、坐、卧也要如此，不着一切净，不着一切法，心地清净，远离分别，才能超出三界，跳出生死轮回。

Do understand that sitting meditation does not mean sitting there idly, doing nothing. Most important of all, do not cling to the ideas that "I am meditating," "I am reciting the name of the Buddha," or "I am practicing Zen," otherwise, we will be practicing with the omnipresence of the sense of "self." If we continue to dwell on the idea that "I am doing this and that," we are still clinging to erroneous and illusive thoughts and can never be genuinely free. In this way, even if we meditate for thousands of years, the effect will be the same as cooking rocks or steaming sands--all useless in terms of getting ourselves to transcend the cycle of birth and death. Forsake all forms, attach our mind to nothing, and think not of what we are doing. Also, conduct our daily activities (be it moving, staying, sitting, or sleeping) without clinging to any idea of purity, or dwell on any dharma. Only by steering clear of all discrimination and differentiation can we transcend the three realms and break out of the prison of samsara.

 

这个人生就像演电视剧一样，每个人都扮演着各自不同的角色，随着剧情悲欢离合，喜怒哀乐的变化，情绪也随之忽喜忽乐，忧悲无常。而这些喜怒哀乐，其实不过是我们在分别而已。我们看娑婆世界也是这样，无论是顺境、逆境、善的、恶的、好的、坏的，心境常随之起伏不定。再加上我们无始劫以来的染习深重，总是见恶易随，见善难徙。所以看到恶的、契合自己习性的缘境，就心生欢喜，恣心纵意，随顺而去；而听到佛菩萨（难忍能忍，难行能行）的作为，却心生为难。认为那是佛菩萨们的境界，自己只是个凡夫，如何学得来，因此心生退却，对佛菩萨只有空赞叹。结果最可惜的是，好的没学到，坏的却越染越深，这就是凡夫见地，本身没有坚定愿力的缘故。

Real life is very much like a soap opera in which everyone plays a role. We all have the experience of following the emotional swings of the characters of soap operas. However, we rarely sense that the ensuing sentiments, of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness are but distinctions made by our own minds. It is much the same in real life. More often than not, we allow our distinction of circumstances or judgments of people to take charge of our emotions without even being conscious about it. Furthermore, it seems that we always find it easier to emulate bad examples than good one. This is because our delusions accumulated through the eons can easily overwhelm us. Hence, we are often swayed by circumstances befitting our sinister desires. On the other hand, how often have we claimed that "to tolerate the intolerable and practice the impracticable" is the attainment of buddhas and bodhisattvas, thereby excusing ourselves for not following their examples but merely praising them with empty words? The most unfortunate result is that we keep on ingraining bad habits while shunning the good. This is what we called the misconception of an ordinary person, and it is due largely to our lack of firm resolve （to practice）.

 

------Translated from Analects of Master Kuang-chin（编译自《广钦老和尚开示录》）