你的心，是玻璃还是金刚

What does it mean to practice Buddhism?

It means that amidst adversities, one learns to

find the calling in one’s life,

amidst the various phenomena of life & death,

one finds one’s Buddha-nature that neither dies nor gets born. 

这个世界由不得你做主，古人说“人生不如意事十之八九”。如何避开伤害，乃至学会在伤害中获得生命的平衡，收获生命的喜悦，这是需要有智慧来指导的。而佛教的智慧能够打开我们的心量，带领我们找到自己的本来面目。

You don’t get to make the decisions in this world. As per what the ancient ones said: “Many a times, things don’t turn out the way we want them to be in life”. How to avoid hurt, seeking the equilibrium of life amidst hurt and reaping the joys of life – wisdom is required as navigations. And the wisdom in Buddhism has the ability to open up our hearts, leading us back to our True Self.

像我师父悟公上人，在那个特殊时期深受法难二十年。袈裟、念珠、佛经、佛像，这些最最珍视的东西一律失去了，但是依然能安住在佛弟子的位置中，靠什么？就是靠戒、靠定、靠慧。在非同一般的逆境中不放弃，显现出的就是一个宗教修行者超越苦难的能力。

Like my master, Ven. Grand Master Wu-gong, he went through twenty years of dharma tribulations during that particular period. The kasaya, mala beads, sutras, Buddha statues – while all of these precious items were wiped out, what did it take for him to be still rooted within the state of a Buddha’s disciple? It was through the reliance on Precepts, Samadhi and Wisdom. Not giving up during the exceptional period of tribulations brings about the manifestation of a practitioner’s ability to overcome sufferings. 

在逆境当中能修行，不为它所动，不为它所伤，安住在内心的平静、吉祥中，这就叫道心坚固。这颗修道的心，稳固、坚韧、强大、安定，所以时时能得欢喜得清净。

Practicing in times of adversity, not to be fazed by it, not to be hurt by it, abiding in the peace & auspicious of the inner mind – this is termed as the unwavering mindset of the practitioner. Because this practicing heart is firm, tenacious, strong & calm, it has the ability to be joyous & peaceful round the clock.

没有智慧，心是随境而转的，遇到烦恼就是烦恼。股票涨了你的心跳也高了，股票跌了你的心跳也跌了；得到肯定了欢欣雀跃，被批评了灰心丧气。甚至别人一个无心的眼神都能变成你心里的一把刀。脆弱、胆怯、敏感、多疑，所以总是紧张、焦虑、惶恐、痛苦。这其实就是凡夫心，危脆易碎。

In the absence of wisdom, the heart gets swayed by external circumstances, being troubled when faced with troubles. Your heart rises as the stock market rockets, your heart drops as the stock market takes a nose dive; one gets as happy as a lark when there is affirmation, but gets disheartened when there is criticism. Even an unintentional glance from others will turn out to be a stab in your heart. Fragile, timid, sensitive, suspicious, always nervous, anxious, fearful & in agony--this is actually the heart of a mortal, extremely fragile, at risk of being shattered to pieces easily. 

尤其在一个道场里，如果智慧不够，烦恼粗重，又没有惭愧和忏悔的心，不仅自己生烦恼，还四处扩散烦恼，使个人的烦恼变成道场的烦恼，你就很容易破和合僧。这个时候，不仅道场的风气会受干扰，连善知识的福报和寿命也会被你影响。这样的罪业是很重的。

Especially at the Bodhimanda, when one has inadequate wisdom, is laden with worries, and lacks remorse & shame, the heart knows not of repentance, one’s worries will spread widely, making one’s problems the problems of the Bodhimanda, then you will break up the harmony within the Sangha group easily. During this time，not only will the atmosphere of the Bodhimanda be disrupted, the blessings & longevity of Kalyāṇa-mitta (wise masters) will take a hit as well. Such act brings about great sins. 

我们来学佛，其实就是为了建设最积极的人生。把逆境变成修行，把那些不管是自己的业障还是他人的业障，变成修行的资粮，化痛苦为智慧，转烦恼为菩提。

Our practicing of Buddhism is actually to build the positivity in one’s life, turning adversities into practice, turning karma into a resource for one’s practice whether it is from self or others, transforming sufferings into wisdom, and transforming worries into Bodhi. 

我们皈依后大家就互称“师兄”，优婆夷也不例外。为什么？因为修行是大丈夫行为。而出家更是如此，“非王候将相所能为”。因为王候将相攻城掠地，是征服别人；修行戒恶修善，是征服自己。

We address each other as “elder dharma brother (inclusive of lay women)”, after taking refuge. Why? Because practicing is what a man of character will do. It is even more so as one became a monk – “Even the Prime Ministers will not be able to do so.” Because the generals’ invasion of cities and seizure of lands is the subjugation of people while practicing means to cease all deeds that are vile and do all that is good, it is to subdue oneself.  

征服我执、我见，超越我、我所，降伏自己生命里“负面的我”，让那颗玻璃心放射出金刚的光芒。这就是修行。

Subduing the atma-graha (ego of oneself), our own erroneous doctrine thinking that this Self is permanent and real, surpassing this Me, Mine, and conquering the “negative Me” that is in one’s life, allowing the heart of glass to emanate the glows of vajra-- This is practice. 

我们每个人的心就是金刚，但我们这个金刚被埋没得太久，我们的金刚上面有眼耳鼻舌身意，有色声香味触法，还有太多的虚妄、虚荣，这些假的生灭的负累埋葬了我们的金刚体性。

The hearts of each & every one of us is the vajra. However, this vajra of ours have been buried for eons, not only has the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body & mind settled upon the vajra, there is also the form, sound, smell, taste, touch & objects of mind, as well as overwhelming falsities & vanities. The fallacious production and cessation of such burdens had the nature of our vajra buried. 

修行，就是一个找回本来面目的过程。所以不仅要把别人给你的一切逆境当成是加持，有时候还要自己逼自己，因为“行到水穷山尽处，自然得个转身时”。像我们在寺院修行，哪一天“业净情空”，那个“我”一下就没有了，所有的是非、浮沉、荣辱都归零了，这就叫根尘双亡。我就是根，外面的对境就是尘，根尘双亡的时候，就是圆瑛大师所说的“千差万别一时通”。可以说，我亲近的那么多善知识，基本上每一位都是这样修过来的，都是有这种修行体验的。

Practicing is a journey to finding the True Self. Thus, not only do you have to regard the adversities brought about by others as a form of blessings, one will also have to push oneself to the limit at times, just like this saying “One naturally has to make a U-turn when one reaches the dead end”. It’s just like us practicing here at the monastery, when the day comes when “karma are purified & attachments are emptied”, that “Me” will vanish. All those rights and wrongs, ups & downs, honour or disgrace– they will all be zeroed out, and thus, termed as the death of both the indriya & guna. “Me” is the indirya; the external circumstances are the gunas. When both the indriyas and gunas are dead, it will be like what Great Master Yuan Ying said: “All differences are resolved with this moment of comprehension”. It is safe to say that basically, every one of the Kalyāṇa-mitta (wise masters) to whom I have been close, have all built their practice & experiences upon these.

你自己修成功了，看待世界和众生的眼光就不一样了。所以对于我们凡夫来说，想的是怎么从这个娑婆世界逃离到佛国净土，而菩萨呢？菩萨是逆行的。

After you have succeeded in your practice, you will view the world & sentient beings in a different light. Thus, to mortals like us, our thoughts are fixated on fleeing from this Saha World to the Pure Land of Buddha’s. What about the thoughts of Bodhisattvas? Bodhisattvas walk against the flow. 

社会上很多人对我们出家人是不理解的，觉得出家就是消极避世，是懦弱的表现。实际上出家人才是生命的勇士啊，我们敢于挑战自我生命的缺陷，敢于把自己活得“不像人”——好的不吃，好的不穿，还要剃个光头。为什么这么做？就是想给人类的轮回打开一道口子，让大家能有途径思考自己的生命。

Many people in the society do not understand monks like us and deem monks as passive & reclusive and that these are acts of cowardice. In actual fact, monks are the true warriors of life! We dare to challenge the flaws of our lives, dare to put ourselves in “non-human” conditions – not eating the good food, not donning the good clothes, and even shaving our heads bald. Why are we doing all these? It is to provide an exit from the Samsara of humans, to help pave the way for all to contemplate our life upon this path.

所以我们现在依止三宝学佛修行，就要静下心来，好好修正自己的贪嗔痴，然后慢慢地从对人我是非的敏感，转变到对万事万物本性的体认——当你对凉风、夏雨、鸟鸣、溪流，甚至对蚂蚁、蚊子同体的敏感度提高了之后，你生命的幸福度就提高了。以前快乐才是快乐，学佛之后连痛苦都变成快乐。

Hence, as we now abide in the Triple Gem, practicing Buddhism, we should let our minds settle down, rectify our greed, hatred & ignorance and subsequently, to transform the sensitivity of our rights & wrongs toward self and others into realizing the inherent qualities in everything – when your sensitivity of oneness toward the cool breeze, summer rain, bird chirpings, rivers flowing and even ants & mosquitoes are heightened, the blessings in your life are uplifted. In the past, happiness would have to be from experiencing happiness. After practicing Buddhism, even sufferings will be transformed to happiness.

人的命运刹那之间都在发生变化，我们的生活和修行很多时候都要在逆境中进行。所以，快乐是否越来越多，心量是否越来越广博，信念是否越来越坚定，这可以作为衡量我们佛弟子修行是否进步的很重要的标准。

The fate of man changes all the time, many a time, we have to live our lives and practice in adversities. Thus, whether happiness has grown, the heart has grown more broad-minded, and the faith solidifies – these are paramount to measure whether we, disciples of Buddha, have made any improvement in practice. 

我们都可以这样来自我衡量一下。

We can all use them as the yardstick to keep ourselves in check.

——摘自传喜法师开示

- Extracted from preaching of Ven. Master Chuan Xi

学习佛教英文词语：

悟公上人- Venerable Grand Master Wu-gong

金刚– vajra

学佛- to practice Buddhism

不生不灭– neither dies nor gets born / undying & undiminishing

法难二十年– twenty years of dharma tribulations

逆境– adversity

道场– bodhimanda  

善知识-Kalyāṇa-mitta (wise masters)

业障– karma

戒恶修善- to cease all deeds that are vile and do all that is good

我执– atma-graha (ego of oneself),

我见–our own erroneous doctrine thinking that this Self is permanent and real

我所– Mine

根– indriyas