Changes Start from Your Mind

Section Three: Get on Well with Your Mind-Nature

Changes Start from Your Mind

The essence of life is filling up the vast void with your behavior. Besides the significance and value of your conduct, what you can leave to this world is nothing but your images in photos, the deeds you have done, the several books you have written, and the experiences in which you have brought people to understanding and happiness.

Once you start to change your mind, you will find that many things start to change accordingly.

Many years ago, when I was still working at the city Board of Education, any noise would interrupt my writing. At that time, as my family and I lived together, I found it extremely hard for me to concentrate on writing.  I hoped to have a house of my own. When I made this request, our office director said to me, “What’s the problem with you? Why on earth can’t you write when there are people around?” His words were a revelation to me. From then on, I began to train myself so that I could concentrate on writing whether or not there were people around. In the end, I could write in any noisy environment.

 Things like this are, in fact, bad habits. You must understand that a bad habit can be changed. When you discover your bad habit, you must change it. That is what we call “counteraction.” We counteract our habituated tendencies because we should allow nothing to affect our inner peace.

When my father passed away, everyone was crying, but I remained calm. Although I was very sad about my father’s leaving us, it couldn’t affect my inner peace. My mind still stayed in the suchness.

We should begin by changing ourselves and begin with the present moment. Don’t rely on the future, nor on others, especially your family. You must change yourself so that you can enter into your mind under any condition and retain your true mind. When your mind becomes the master of itself, you will get peace, happiness, and freedom and you will become increasingly healthy and peaceful.

If you change yourself first, the happiness you get from it will be much more than that from seeing a book like this published. That is why I often spend much time chatting with people with whom I am bound up. For their behavior may be as important as one of my books. Perhaps this world doesn’t need any one of my books but it needs those people around me. The acquisition of happiness by changing themselves certainly has effects on this world; indeed, it is changing this world.

Whatever you do, whether it is your job or your hobby, from it you can get nourishment, which include: wisdom gained after suffering, happy experiences of encountering beautiful things, and precious life experiences. Don’t treat everything in life as a task; you should know you are getting nourishment from it. You feel very happy when you enjoy your job or your life. Even if bearing a mission, you should enjoy that mission.

As the saying goes, “happy or not, one lives only once, so why not live happily?” It is definitely true. Whether you are happy or not, what will come will come, what will leave will leave. Why not retain your inner peace and enjoy the present moment? We should know that being alive itself is something to be cheered. So many emperors and generals in history had tried every means to live forever but in vain. Now that we are alive, why not enjoy every minute of it?

When you are walking, feel the pleasure of walking. When you are alone, feel the pleasure of being alone. Feel the pleasure, observe it, enjoy it, whatever you are doing at any given moment. One’s mind is like a mirror, which reflects everything in this world faithfully but remains unaffected. This way, you will feel happier and happier. Nobody and nothing can steal your happiness away. Moreover, this happiness is not conditional; you don’t have to make compensation for equal value.

Some people hope that their better half is happy. They comfort her, compliment her, and buying her lots of presents, but their efforts bring her only temporary pleasure. Why is that? Because they themselves are not happy, because they themselves can’t give up many things. Therefore, it is only natural that they fail to light their better half’s mind with the brightness of wisdom.

To change a person, you have to change his mind. It doesn’t mean brainwashing him or pouring your ideas into his mind by force. It is illuminating his mind with the brightness of your life so that he also possesses that brightness.

We must learn to control our minds whatever we do. Bitter or joyous, enjoy your life. Enjoy it even though there is anxiety and affliction. You should always bear this in mind: everything that is before your eyes at the moment will disappear soon.

As long as your parents are alive, it is a good thing, even if they have afflictions. Once they have left us, nothing would bring them back again – even if you no longer mind their troubling you. Liangzhou people often say: “Parents are oil lamps lit in front of Buddha, and once blown out they disappear forever.” Once you figure this out, you will always be happy even when you see your parents in affliction. That’s why we often talk about learning to cherish everything around us.

To be alive itself is happiness. Your father and mother were united by lots of causes and conditions and they gave birth to you. You grew up safely and healthily and began to manage your life. These things are not easy. My father was gone forever. How I wish I could hear again my father and mother quarreling. Sometimes, quarreling can be a very happy thing, as it is an evidence of existence – you are still alive. But life and all these evidences disappear very soon. So do our bodies. The essence of life is filling up the vast void with your behavior. Besides the significance and value of your conduct, what you can leave to this world is nothing but your images in photos, the deeds you have done, the several books you have written, and the experiences in which you have brought people to understanding and happiness.

When you can look at this world you’re your true mind, peacefully and without thought of material gain, you will gradually find yourself enjoying things you haven’t noticed before. Then, your life will be of quite another savor. Whatever taste life brings to you, just enjoy it. Try your best to do what you should do. When it is done, just remain calm and don’t expect it bring you satisfaction. Don’t do things for the sake of satisfaction. Whether successful or not, receive the result with a hearty laugh. This way, you will be very happy. What can’t be buried won’t be buried, and bubbles will always be bubbles. The results will never be affected by your moods.

Let me give you an example. There is a public speaker who is 24 years old. The young man gives speeches everywhere and the audiences applaud his stirring words time and time again. However, when his speech is over, the applause also ceases. If there is nothing unique in one’s speech, the applause and glory will disappear like bubbles. Not a single trace will be left in the current of time. Those things disappear much faster than his body. Everything will die with the human memory.

The people I’ve met before have all been touched by me or have changed. For one thing, my way of life is good enough. So I suggest that you think about the principle. Don’t be anxious. Be healthy and safe. Live peacefully. Do what you should do diligently and don’t be lazy. Do your best and pay no attention to the result. If you do well, then you have reason to be happy; if you don’t do well, it doesn’t matter. What you can do is try your best. Take this attitude and keep it, and you will live a calm and carefree life.

The highest state of a person is desiring nothing. The realized ones desire nothing. That’s why a sage has no dreams. As he has no desire, although he has done lots of things, it seems as if he has done nothing. The Buddha had lectured on the sutras for more than forty years, but he hadn’t said a word, for he had no attachment to what he had said.

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第三辑：与灵性好好相处

改变，从心开始

生命的本质是就在一种巨大的虚空之中，填上你的行为。除了你的行为产生的意义和价值之外，你能够留下的，不过是相片中你的音容笑貌、你做过的那些事情、留下的几本书，或者你帮助别人明白了、快乐了的这些经历。

一旦你真的开始改变自己的心灵，你就会发现，好多东西也跟着改变了。

多年前，我仍在教委工作的时候，一点儿吵杂响动的声音都能让我没有办法写作。那时候我和家人住在一间房子里，实在没办法写作，就希望有一间自己的房子。我去要房子的时候，办公室主任对我说：“哪里这么多的毛病，为什么有人就不能写东西？”他一下把我点醒了。后来我就训练自己，不管有人没人都得能写出东西来。长此以往，无论在多吵杂的环境里，我都可以随心地写作。

诸如此类的东西，其实是一种毛病，毛病是可以改过来的，一定要明白这一点。发现自己的毛病之后，就要改变它。这就是我们所说的“对治”。要对治习气的原因是，我们不能让任何事物改变自己内心的宁静。

我父亲去世的时候，身边一片哭声，但我仍然很宁静。虽然父亲去世我很伤感，但这种伤感仍然影响不了我的宁静。我的心灵还是如如不动。

所以，先要从改变自己做起，从当下做起，不要寄希望于将来，也不要寄希望于别人，更不要寄希望于亲人。一定要改变自己，让你在任何一种状态下都能进入自己的心灵，都能守住自己的真心。当你的心灵能够自主的时候，你就宁静了，快乐了，自由了，一天天更加健康、安详。

如果你首先改变了自己，会比出了这本书还要快乐许多的。这就是我为什么经常花费大量的时间，和一些有缘人聊天的原因。因为，他们的行为可能和我写一本书具有同等价值。这个世界或许不需要我的一本书，但是需要我身边的那些人。他们改变自己而获得快乐的这种行为，自然会对世界产生影响，从而改变这个世界。

工作也好，兴趣也好，任何人在做任何事情的时候，实质上都是在汲取营养，这种营养包括：遭遇苦难后获得智慧，遇到美好事情时的幸福体验，以及宝贵的人生经历。你不能把人生中的好多东西当成一个任务，你要明白自己正在从中汲取营养。你在享受工作，享受生活的时候会非常快乐，如果你背负着一种使命的话，也要享受这份使命。

俗话说：“快乐就这样一辈子，不快乐也就这样一辈子。为什么不快乐地活？”这句话是非常正确的。无论你快乐还是不快乐，要来的总会来，要走的也总会走，为什么不能保持内心的宁静，享受当下？要知道，活着本身就是一件值得喝彩的事情。多少帝王将相百般折腾，就是为了寻求一个能长久活下去的方法。既然我们还活着，为什么不好好享受每一分钟？

走路的时候体会一种走路的快乐，独行的时候得到一种独行的快乐，什么时候都要体会那份快乐，观察那份快乐，享受那份快乐。心，就像镜子一样，对这个世界上的一切都洞察秋毫，但是镜子如如不动。这样，就一天一天快乐了。没有任何人和任何事可以动摇你的快乐，而且这份快乐是没有任何附加条件的，你无需等价交换。

有的人希望另一半快乐，所以不断开导她，称赞她，也买了很多东西送给她，但这样做只能带给她短暂的快乐。为什么呢？因为他自己也不快乐，他本身就有很多东西都放不下，自然没法用智慧的光明去照亮她的心。

改变一个人，你必须改变他的心灵。改变这个人的心灵不是给他洗脑，不是把你的东西强行灌进他心里去，而是用你生命中的一种光明，去照亮他的心，让他自己也拥有那份光明。

所以说，一定要在每件事中调节自己的心，苦也好，乐也好，都要让自己享受人生。即使有焦虑和苦难，也要享受人生。永远都要记住，眼前的一切很快就会消失了。

只要父亲、母亲还健在，哪怕他们有烦恼也很好，因为毕竟现在他们还能感到烦恼，有一天，你想让他们再给你带来烦恼，都不可能如愿。凉州人老说：“父母本是佛前灯，一口吹灭永无踪。”想通这一点之后，就算看见父母烦恼焦虑，你也是非常快乐的。所以我们经常说，要学会珍惜。

活着本身就是一种幸福。那么多的因缘聚合把你的父母结合在一起，让他们生下了你，然后你健康、平安地长大，开始了可以自主的人生，这是很不容易的事情。我父亲已经不在了，我想听听父母的吵架声都听不到了。所以有的时候，吵架也是幸福的，因为这都是生命存在的证据，说明你还活着。但生命以及这些证据很快就会消失，肉体也会消失，一切都会消失。生命的本质是就在一种巨大的虚空之中，填上你的行为。除了你的行为产生的意义和价值之外，你能够留下的，不过是相片中你的音容笑貌、你做过的那些事情、留下的几本书，或者你帮助别人明白了、快乐了的这些经历。

什么时候你能享受一切东西，在超越功利的宁静之中，在超越世俗、无分别的真心中间，宁静地关注这个世界的时候，你就会慢慢享受到许多过去感受不到的快乐。这时候，你的生命就充满了另外一种滋味。什么滋味你都要去享受它。把该做的事情都尽力做完、做好之后，你心里留住那份坦然就好，不要期望它给你带来多少满足，也不要为了得到满足而去做某件事情，不论成败哈哈一笑，就会非常快乐。埋不掉的终究埋不掉，泡沫永远是泡沫，这不是你开不开心就可以控制得了的。

我举个小小的例子：有个二十四岁的年轻人，他老是演讲，他的发言很有煽动性，他无数次被掌声所包围。但演讲结束后，掌声也就消失了，如果他的演讲里没有他独有的东西，那么曾经的掌声，曾经的荣耀，就会像泡沫一样很快消失，被时光冲刷的一干二净，比他肉体消失的速度还要快上很多倍，一切都会随着人们的记忆，很快消失。

我接触过的人，都被我打动或是改变过，因为我的生活方式本身就不错。所以我觉得你也可以慢慢体会这个道理，不要让自己焦虑，一定要健康、平安、宁静地生活，然后不要懒惰，精进做事。做事的时候，认真即可，对它的结果不要太在意。做好了非常快乐，做得不好也没关系，你能做的也只是尽力。保持住这样的心态，你就能生活得非常坦然了。

真正的大境界就是无求。成就者是无求的。所以说，圣者是无梦的。因为没有什么欲望了，所以他做了好多事情，却又像什么事都没做过，佛讲了四十多年经，却又没有讲一个字，因为他心中从来不执著那些东西。

声明：本文系文化志愿者试译，非专业人才翻译，错误定然不少，如出现疏漏及错误，敬请读者见谅。如有任何翻译上的建议及修正意见，欢迎及时与我们取得联系，我们会加以校对、修改，并希望有专业才能的朋友也能加入我们志愿者群体中来。

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