即便如此 ，你是否依然百折不挠 【文化释说 • 5.2下 • 英文有声书连载】

达摩祖师一坐就是九年, 九年之后遇到一位慧可法师, 他也是个出家人。他讲经说法非常好, 但是传说他有一天却死过去了。结果到了阎王那边, 慧可说我都讲经说法了, 难道我没跳出生死吗? 我还属于阎王管吗? 阎王说:“你还属于阎王管。你有一天见到个黑脸大胡子, 那个人他不属于阎王管。” 他醒过来之后, 赶快就来找这位达摩祖师。

It was for nine years that Bodhidahmmo sat still and after that, he met Master Hui-Ke, a monk who spoke on the Dharma especially well. However, legend has it that Hui-Ke passed away one day and after meeting King Yan, the ruler of hell, Hui-Ke asked, ‘Since I have been teaching and speaking on the Dharma, why is it that I have not managed to escape the cycle of birth and death and is still being ruled over by King Yan?’ King Yan said, ‘Yes, you are still being ruled over by King Yan; but you will one day meet a person whose face is dark and has thick beard who is not lorded over by King Yan.’ As soon as he came to, he immediately went to look for Bodhidharma.  

找到达摩祖师之后, 慧可大师就跪着。达摩祖师入定, 他就跪在那里,不敢打扰, 一跪就是三天。他不仅仅跪了三天, 当时还刮着风、下着雪, 雪堆在了他身边, 使他成了一个雪人。

Hui-Ke went down on his knees as soon as he found Bodhidharma. As Bodhidharma was in meditative concentration, Hui-Ke did not dare to disturb him but he knelt beside him for three days. As it was also windy and snowing, the snow had built up around him and it piled on him such that he looked like a snowman.

现在到少林寺, 有个殿堂叫立雪亭, 就是纪念慧可大师在雪中跪了三天, 求见达摩祖师的。

There is hence a hall in Shaolin Monastery now which is known as the Pavilion of Standing Snow. It is a monument to the legend of how Hui-Ke knelt in the snow for three days just to seek an audience with Bodhidharma.

所以人学好, 是要有毅力的。唐朝的玄奘大师,《西游记》的主人翁唐僧, 西天取经多有毅力啊。不管遇到什么艰难困苦, 都能够坚韧不拔。

As such, perseverance is needed if one wants to improve oneself. Great Master Xuan-Zang from the Tang Dynasty, who is the protagonist of Journey to the West, had so much perseverance when he travelled to India to get hold of Buddhist scriptures. He was able to steely push on no matter what difficulties and hardships he met.

我们的鲁迅先生尊他为民族的脊梁。国家民族得以昌盛, 需要这种向善的、坚韧的毅力。老实讲, 做好人要比做坏人难。特别是现在这个社会, 做好人没人理解。但是你自己要坚定做好人的信心和勇气。

Our Mr. Lu Xun respectfully acknowledged him as the backbone of the Chinese people. Such steely perseverance towards wholesomeness is necessary in order for a people to flourish. To be frank, it is more difficult to be wholesome than bad. This is especially so in present society where no one understands why you are being good. However, it is you yourself who need to be convicted in your confidence and the courage to be good.

像玄奘大师西天取经, 会遇到很多艰难困苦,《西游记》里面还有一个人物就是猪八戒, 他就不同于玄奘法师, 一遇到困难, 就要回高老庄。

Piggy, another character in Journey to the West, who together with Master Xuan-Zang met with many difficulties and hardships during their journey to obtain Buddhist scriptures, was unlike Xuan-Zang in that he would want to go back to his hometown whenever there was a problem.

所以我们在座的诸位, 不单单心里要有红绿灯, 还要做对自己对别人有利的人。而且要坚持不懈, 遇到困难百折不挠。

Therefore, it is not just traffic signals that every one of you seated here needs in you, you also need to be a person who brings benefits to yourself and others as well; and you need to persevere and not become slack, not giving up no matter how much hardship you go through.

慧可大师就是这样,他来到达摩祖师面壁的洞前, 想跟随达摩祖师学佛。但达摩祖师只是面壁不语, 并不理睬他, 慧可大师就天天从早到晚在洞外敬候。一天天过去, 冬天来了, 寒风刺骨, 天下起大雪, 一连下了三天, 积雪没过了慧可的膝盖。达摩祖师这才开口说话:“你站在雪中那么久了, 有什么事相求吗?” 慧可流泪回答:“我要跟大师学佛。” 达摩祖师说:“佛的无上妙道, 不是轻易就能得到的。” 慧可取出一把刀来, 一下把自己的左臂砍了下来, 呈送到达摩祖师目前。在这种舍生忘死的求佛精神面前, 达摩祖师说:“你干嘛这样?” 慧可说:“我来拜你做师父。” 达摩祖师说:“你为什么拜我做师父啊?” 他说:“我的心不安, 求你为我安心。”达摩祖师问他:“那你的心呢? 你把心拿来。”

Hui-Ke was a person like that. He came to the front of the cave in which Bodhidharma was meditating so that he could learn the Dharma from him. However, Bodhidharma ignored him, continued to face the wall and kept his silence. Hui-Ke did not stop for days to respectfully wait outside the cave first thing in the morning until dark. Days passed and winter soon arrived with bone-chilling winds. It snowed heavily for three consecutive days and the snow had come up to Hui-Ke’s knees. It was only then that Bodhidharma spoke. He said, ‘You have been standing in the snow for so long now; what is it that you want?’ A tearful Hui-Ke replied, ‘I wish to learn the Dharma from the great master.’ Bodhidharma responded, ‘It is not easy for one to be accomplished on the path of the Buddha for it is unsurpassable and profound.’ Hui-Ke then drew out a knife and in an instant, cut away his right arm to present it to Bodhidharma. To such a display of Hui-Ke’s determination in pursuit of the Dharma to the extent that he had disregarded death, Bodhidharma said, ‘Why have you done that?’ ‘I wish for you to be my master,’ Hui-Ke said. To which Bodhidharma said, ‘Why would you want me to be your master?’ Hui-Ke said, ‘I wish to have you calm my mind for my mind is not at peace.’ Bodhidharma asked, ‘Where is your mind then? Bring it to me [so that I can calm it].’  

请问诸位, 我们每个人是肉体指挥心灵, 还是心灵指挥肉体? 应该是心灵指挥肉体。但是最大的问题是, 我们现在的很多人, 已经迷失掉心了, 根本不知道自己的心是什么。

Let me ask all of you: it is our body that is controlling the mind, or our mind the body? It should be the latter. However, the biggest problem for us is that most of us have already lost our mind and do not know at all what our mind is.

达摩祖师后来也收徒弟, 但是达摩祖师有一句话叫: 酒色不断莫问道。大家看, 多少人被酒色困住了。

Bodhidharma accepted Hui-Ke as his disciple in the end. He had however, a piece of advice for Hui-Ke: total abstinence from alcohol and sensual pleasures if one is in pursuit of the Dao. You can see how many people keep themselves in the bind of alcohol and sensual pleasures.

所以我们祖先还有一句话: 酒色财气四堵墙,多少好汉围中央。这句“多少好汉围中央” 很有意思, 我们在座的诸位, 有没有人被围在里面了? 如果“酒色财气”这四堵墙能够超越过去, 就能获得自由。

This is also why our ancestors have such a saying as well: alcohol, sensual pleasures, wealth and anger are four walls within which many good men are enclosed. There is so much meaning to ‘many good men are enclosed within’. Has any one of you seated here been enclosed within the walls? You will gain your freedom once you are able to overcome alcohol, sensual pleasures, wealth and anger.

我们的心千万不要被迷惑, 要心向正道:“ 心不迷时人自正, 终获解脱得圆满。”

We should never let our mind be confused and lost, but should direct it towards the Right Path, as the saying goes: one will be upright when the mind is not confused, and deliverance will finally come such that there is complete perfect wholesomeness.

【未完待续】

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