On Practice XII 【修行 (十二) -英文】

修行人在修行的过程当中不可能不会有情；有人就会有是非、有烦恼，有一切种种的事情、种种的念头。所以遇到境时，‘愿’要更加坚强，要拿出愿力来！不去感觉它，就能不起烦恼、执着，而心开意朗。

We, as practitioners, can never be without emotion. Where there are people, there are disputes, annoyances, conflicts and all sorts of disagreeable circumstances. When encountering disagreeable circumstances, we have to be stronger, remind ourselves of our vows. Try not to think through the whole matter, then we won’t be bothered. Neither will we cling to it. In this way, we may keep our mind unfettered.

 

六道轮回里面，我们今世做人是要来修行的，所以要把握这人身的机会，不要自己 ‘胡乱走’，‘胡乱做’，不吃不睡，练 ‘不倒单’，空头很多，花样百出，这都是 ‘着相’修行，不仅会把这个身躯搞坏，还会造成身心散乱。若是还没有修到那个境界，怎么有办法行到那里呢？所以修行要有正念，‘平常心’就是道！

Within the six destinies of rebirth, we are lucky to be reborn as human beings and we have to take this opportunity to practice diligently. However, better not wander around in different temples, following all kinds of practice instructions, such as non-stop practice with no food or sleep, namely practicing asceticism, because such practice attaches to "forms". Such practice will not only hurt our health, but also make our mind scattered and muddled. If we haven't achieved those skills, how can we possibly practice like that? Therefore, practice should be guided by right mindfulness; the true Way lays in the wisdom of ordinariness.

 

苦行不是说我们做不动的硬要去做，而是这个愿力 ‘难行能行，难忍能忍。’ ‘人家不吃的我来吃，人家不做的我来做。’

Asceticism does not mean that we should force ourselves to do what are beyond our capabilities. Rather, it is about the resolve to accomplish tasks that are difficult and challenging, to tolerate what may seem intolerable, to eat what others would not eat, and to do what others would not do.

 

信、愿、行，行是从愿来的，若没有愿力就没办法去行。像地藏王菩萨‘地狱不空，誓不成佛’的大愿，他悯念众生，慈悲喜舍的‘宏愿’就已经成佛了。所以行菩萨行的人一直在‘利他’ ，而行持‘利他’的内涵就是‘无我’。这样修持就是‘自度度他’，虽然众生尚未度尽，却已经先自度了。

Regarding faith, vows, and practice, practice comes from vows, without which there would hardly be any practice. Take Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha for example, he vowed not to attain buddhahood until all hell beings are delivered. Because the Bodhisattva has tremendous compassion for all beings, this grand vow he made bestowed on him the buddha quality. Hence, those who tread the bodhisattva-path continue to strive for the benefit of others. The essence of such practice is "selflessness". Even though this path emphasizes delivering others while striving for self-salvation we would have been liberated before all beings are delivered.

 

阿弥陀佛四十八愿度众生，地藏王菩萨地狱不空，誓不成佛。诸佛菩萨都有他们的大愿，要度我们众生了生死。但是众生依然执迷不悟，轮回在‘六道’里而不能解脱，为这些‘七情五欲’，‘贪、瞋、痴’，‘色、声、香、味、触、法’，‘爱别离苦’，种种的事情执着而不能醒悟，把这一切幻化的‘境’都当做是真的。所以阿弥陀佛大慈大悲，怜悯众生故，发这四十八大愿来度我们，希望众生赶快离苦得乐，横超六趣。如果我们的愿与阿弥陀佛的愿相应，临终时就可蒙佛接引，往生西方极乐世界。 

Amitabha Buddha made forty-eight grand vows to deliver sentient beings while Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha vowed not to attain buddhahood until the hells are empty. However, despite all the grand vows buddhas and bodhisattvas made to assist us breaking free of the cycle of birth and death, sentient beings remain unenlightened, roaming among the six destinies of rebirth. They keep on pursuing sensual satisfaction, clinging to their greed, anger, and ignorance, clinging to the six sense-objects as well as the sufferings such as parting from the beloved, mistaking all these illusions for reality, and are trapped in all kinds of attachment without being able to break out. That is why the compassionate Amitabha Buddha made his forty-eight grand vows to deliver all sentient beings, hoping that we would be able to transcend the six destinies of rebirth, shake off our misery, and attain the eternity. If our vows correspond with these forty-eight vows, Amitabha Buddha will guide us along the way; and when we die, we will be reborn in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

 

娑婆世界的众生都是 ‘有所求’ 的心，从 ‘有所求’ 而产生无量无边的烦恼。我们‘有所求’都是从这个身上来的，为这个身躯而生出种种的念头来，而唯有‘知足’才能止贪。‘知足’这两个字不是这么简单的，‘知足常乐’，说出来没什么，但是行起来却不是这么容易。一个人若能随时‘知足’，随时就没有烦恼，不会执着，时时这个心都是清净的，很自在。 

As we know, almost all sentient beings in this world have cravings which in turn generate illimitable and immeasurable vexations. All of our cravings are for physical gratification and can only be restrained if we remain fully contented. There is an old saying: "Contentment leads to ceaseless joy." This may sound simple, but is by no means easy to carry out. Yet, it is undeniable that whenever we feel contented, our minds will be free of vexations and attachments and will stay pure and unfettered.

 

出家人若有知足的心，一定 ‘无所求’，没有种种的执着烦恼。然而我们很容易‘触境生心’，眼睛所见的、耳朵所听的、嘴巴所吃的，心里马上起念头，虽然你没有要求什么，但是你有这个念头就是‘有所求’。所以能‘知足’就是‘无所求’，‘无所求’在我们修行行持当中非常重要，如果时时能‘知足’，这个心就不会被境所转。

If we monastic practitioners were contented, we would crave for nothing and be free of all vexations derived from attachments. Unfortunately, our minds remain easily distracted by external environments, and all sorts of unruly ideas instantaneously come forth as we see, hear, and eat. Even though we make no explicit demand, but the fact that we have these ideas exemplify our cravings. Therefore, contentment means "craving for nothing", a principle crucial to our practice in daily life. If we stay contented at all times, our minds will not be swayed by ever-changing circumstances.

 

 ‘财、色、名、食、睡’地狱五条根！我们都是在贪吃、贪睡的五欲中流转生死而不自觉，所以出家就是要修‘心清净’，来度这‘七情五欲’的束缚。

Cravings for "wealth, lust, fame, food, and sleep" are the roots leading us straight to hell! Not knowing it, we all are entangled in these five cravings, unable to break out of the relentless cycle of birth and death. Therefore, the reason for our leaving home for practice is to purify our minds so that we can be free from the constraints of our own sensual passions.

 

我们今天能够‘看破’来出家，这‘看破’两个字很重要。到底要看破什么东西呢？就是看破‘七情五欲’！ 既不去贪这衣、食、住里的‘色、声、香、味、触、法’种种，还要看破一切情感----父母的情感、眷属的情感，这些都要放下，要放得下！

In order to become monastic practitioners, we all have been disillusioned with this world and renounced the secular way of life. Now, the word "disillusioned" is crucial. What exactly do we need to be disillusioned with? We have to be disillusioned with our physical desires and sentimental attachments. Knowing the truth about them will enable us to eliminate our cravings for good and comfortable clothing, tasty food, desired accommodation, etc., but also for our emotional attachments to our beloved ones such as parents, spouses, and children. All such attachments should go and we are willing to let them go!

 

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