What the world needs is your additional value

The first episode: Packed for mind journey

 

What the world needs is your additional value

 

Every single mind endows its unique weight of value to things .What we need is the additional value of things rather than the thing itself. It happens that we have the similarity with these things.We are needed by the world because we provide additional values.

 

Behavior of Goodness itself is the aim whatever its result is .It is similar to one’s whole life regarding this point - Death is the destination while living is the course. But we cannot say that we live in a bid to death.”Living” is the purpose,”To live better” is another purpose, too. All that we have done as well as everything written in this book are aimed to make everyone’s life better. It is the same situation with the behavior of goodness. The process of behavior weighs over its result. When we cannot change the result, we should turn to change our attitude toward life because attitude reflects the state of spirit.

 

Nowadays, it appears that chasing brilliant future, fame, money and worldly enjoyments is the generally accepted rule of life. One who does not follow suit is considered as an unambitious person.

 

However, the lumps of fetish that have cost the whole life of a person to pursue will vanish in a very brief moment as well as the “Happiness “they brought. All of them are like dew under the sun which evaporates very soon.

 

Everyone would approach death for different reasons in different ways and time. The only common point is that everyone has a live beginning and a dead end. The promising future that so many people are pursuing is illusory and inconstant which is different from the real future. One day when you realize that the Future for everyone is nothing but a casket, you might stop pursuing any other Future from then on. What you should pursue now is how to make the most of your life before you fade away into the casket. The biggest value of life is contribution. We should keep asking ourselves throughout our lives: what have I done for the world? This question is one of the meaningful ways which can help us smash the fetters of material obsession in front of death.

 

Those who contribute idea to the world are thinkers. Those who devote themselves to charity are philanthropists. Those who light up the world with their wisdom and personal charisma are sages. Those who write excellent works are great litterateurs.

 

Anything itself does not have an invariable meaning. The so-called Meaning always manifests itself through the value created by it, like paper money, food and even love.

 

Before human beings realize that paper money can be used to exchange for many more things, it is just a piece of paper, which has not too much difference from other forms of paper. So when an infant takes the paper money, he would be fairly happy to tear it up. When you don’t hanker after the delicacy of salmon, you could appreciate their happy swimming as a behavior of art. If you don’t know that love can make people happy, you won’t need someone warm your lonely mind and arms, let alone a woman to chase.

 

In the same way, a ton of copper can be made into many things. When we use it to receive urine, it is a urinal. Its stinks awfully that makes people frown upon it. When we use it to make the bronze statue of Buddha, it serves as a Buddha avatar which will be prostrated by millions of people and becomes invaluable. All of us are like copper. What we can be made into depends on our choices and decisions.

 

 I have a Mahamudra Vihara in Zhangmutou in Guangdong which focuses on giving lessons on Mahamudra culture. Once upon a time I met a very exquisite woodcarving which was sold as a coat-hanger. But in my eyes, it is a piece of artwork beyond comparison. It contains the essence and spirit of Picasso’s paints which can inspire boundless imagination. I put it right beside the rostrum. Someone asked me why you put a coat-hanger there. I answered that to me it is the most beautiful artwork rather than a normal coat-hanger. Later, with my illumination, many friends found its unusual beauty. So we see that each single mind endows its unique meaning for a same thing. What we need is the additional value of things, not the object itself. Coincidentally, we have the similar with these things as regard this point. You are needed by others because you provide additional values.

 

  On the contrary, if you just ask for things endlessly without any contribution, your value would disappear gradually. For example, if Bill Gates didn’t contribute his treasure to the society, he would be considered as nothing but a Super millionaire. Then people are more concerned with the ways how he makes money instead of the value in him. The behavior of philanthropy made him a great man. So does Buffett. He donates large sums of his property to repay and benefit the society. The pity is that there are too many people who only care about how to keep his own account safe instead of bringing out their value. When life comes to an end, the treasure will exactly become mere a length of dramatic numbers-and they will be transferred to others.

 

Maybe someone think it is not propitious to care too much about death. In contrast, the reason why so many people do not feel happy until their death because they always think that death is far away from them. When you have wisdom and mercy, even you were a naked man in a cave, you would become Milarepa. Milarepa was never worried about his future during his austere practice in a cave. So don’t go too deep into these nonsense. What you should ask is how to do more meaningful things at present to sublimate the quality of our lives; how to make ourselves more pure, happier, refreshed, selfless, humane and kind .If you can make it, you are up to success.

 

On the premise of a peaceful and healthy living environment, we should do more things worthwhile, including reading books and sublimating our lives. Don’t consider too many irrelevant affairs. You should not jump-start navigation for the future as soon as you have stopped regretting for the mistake made yesterday. You have to know that this is how many people get caught by insomnia. Let tomorrow come tomorrow.

 

 In "Diamond Sutra", it says “the past mind cannot be grasped, the current mind cannot be sustained, the future mind cannot be determined”. That is right. Don’t feel regretful for things which have happened. Let it go and everything will be ok; Don’t try to contemplate on things which has not happened yet, or you will feel nerve-racking; Concentrate on the thing which you are doing now, but don’t get entangled by it. Whatever you are trapped with, they will become your burden. If you are able to let it go, there is nothing on earth can destroy your inner peace even diamond. At that time you will feel happy even you are accompanied by a wild dog.

 

Therefore, please don’t get infatuated with the secular future. Many people keep chasing the Future for different purposes. For example, to offer a better life to the family, to make parent feel proud of me and so on. But at last they are overwhelmed by desire and greed. In fact, sometimes the Future itself is a kind of greed.

 

 

 

Notice

 

Translated by non-professional volunteers, there would be some inaccuracies in the translation. You are welcome to offer us some advice for emendation. Please feel free to contact us.We also look forward to you joining our voluntary translation team.

 

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第一辑：为心灵之旅收拾行囊

 

世界需要的，是你的附加值

 

不同的心灵，会赋予事物不同的价值。我们每个人需要的，只是这些东西带给你的‘附加值’，而不是它本身。而很凑巧的是，我们人类也跟这些东西有相似性。你被这个世界所需要，往往是因为你所带来的附加值。

 

“善”的行为本身就是目的，至于它的结果怎样，那是次要的事。这一点，很像人生，死亡是结果，生命是过程，可是并不能说人每天的活着，就是为了死去。“活着”就是目的，“活得更好”也是目的，我们所做的很多事情，这本书里的所有内容，无一不是为了让众生活得更好。善的行为也一样，它的过程重于它的结果。当我们不能改变某些结果时，我们就首先改变自己的人生态度。因为这态度是一种精神的体现。

 

时下，追求美好前途、功名利禄和安乐享受，仿佛是默认的法则，不好此道者往往被认为是胸无大志。

 

但是，这些很多人用了一辈子来追求的东西，往往很快就消逝了，连同它们带来的“快乐”，也是转瞬即逝的，就像炎阳下的露珠，很快就被蒸发了。

 

所有人，都会因为不同的原因、以不同的方式、在不同的时间走向死亡。唯一相同的是，有生就有死，有始就有终。好多人追求的前途，其实是虚幻无常的，不是真正的前途。当我们明白，每个人最终的“前途”其实是那个骨灰盒时，你也许就不再去追求一些其他的“前途”了。这时候你应该追求的是，如何在接近骨灰盒之前，让你的人生发挥最大的价值。这个最大的价值就是奉献。我们永远要追问：我对这个世界奉献了什么？面对死亡时的这种追问，是能够让我们超脱物欲束缚而活得相对有意义的方法之一。

 

为这个世界奉献了思想的人，是思想家；奉献了慈善事业的人，是伟大的慈善家；奉献了一种人格力量和智慧的人，就是圣者；奉献了好的文学作品的人，就是伟大的文学家。

 

事物本身没有永恒不变的意义，那所谓的“意义”往往是通过它所产生的价值来体现的，就像纸币、食物，甚至爱情。

 

在人们意识到纸币可以交换到更多的东西之前，它不过是一张纸，跟其他纸没有很多区别，所以婴儿拿到纸币的时候，也许会非常高兴地把它撕烂；当你不贪恋三文鱼的美味，就会把它的快乐回游当成一种艺术行为来欣赏；如果你不知道爱情能让人幸福快乐，也不需要别人来温暖你孤独的心灵与臂弯，你就不需要追求一个美丽的女人。

 

同样道理，一吨铜可以做许多物件，当我们用它来做尿壶时，它便是尿壶，只能用来盛尿，壶中臭气熏天，让人屏息皱眉；当我们用铜铸佛像时，它便成了佛像，得到万人敬仰，甚至价值连城。我们每个人都是铜，我们能成为啥物件，其实是自己选择的结果。

 

我在樟木头有个大手印精舍，专门讲授大手印文化。一天，我碰到了一个非常精美的木塑，厂家把它当成衣架出售，但在我眼中，它却是一件无与伦比的艺术品，它有着毕加索绘画的神韵，会令人产生无数的联想。我将它摆在了讲坛的旁边，有人说，你咋把衣架摆那儿呀？我说：在我眼中，它是最美的艺术品，根本不是衣架。后来，在我的启发下，许多朋友真的发现它非常美。可见，不同的心灵，会赋予事物不同的价值。我们每个人需要的，只是这些东西带给你的“附加值”，而不是它本身。而很凑巧的是，我们人类也跟这些东西有相似性。你被这个世界所需要，往往是因为你所带来的附加值。

 

    相反，如果不断索取，而不给予任何东西的话，你的价值就会渐渐消失。举个简单的例子，假如比尔•盖茨没有把自己的财富回馈给社会，那么在人们眼中，他只是一个普通的超级富翁。人们关心的，将是他如何赚到了这笔钱，而不是他本身，是财富的回馈让他升华成了一个伟大的人物。巴菲特也很伟大，他把自己很大一部分财产捐了出去，他也在回报社会。可惜，有很多人，他们执著于保护自己帐户上庞大的数字，而不让它们发挥价值。当生命走到尽头的时候，那就真的只是一串天文数字了——而且这串天文数字还会转移到别人的名下去。

 

也许有的人会觉得，时常惦记着死亡太不吉利或者太消极，但是事实恰好相反，很多人之所以到死都过得不快乐，就是因为他们总以为死亡很遥远，都是自己奋斗努力而来的。当你有了智慧和慈悲之后，哪怕你只是山洞里一个赤身裸体的人，也会变成密勒日巴。密勒日巴在山洞里苦修时，决不会去追问什么是他的前途。所以说，不要追问这些东西，没有意义。你应该追问的是，如何在目前的生存状态下，尽量多做一些事情，让我们的人生产生一种质的升华；如何让自己变得更清净、更快乐、更清凉、更无私、更博爱、更有善心。如果做到了这些，你就成功了。

 

在我们的生存环境平稳安定、身体健康的前提下，尽量多做一些自己该做的事，包括读一些书，升华自己。至于别的不要考虑太多。不要刚惦记完昨天发生的事情，为自己的失误而懊恼，转眼又开始盘算起未来。要知道，好多人就是这样患上失眠症的。明天的事情交给明天去想吧。

 

《金刚经》里说：“过去心不可得，现在心不可得，未来心不可得。”没错 。如果事情已经发生或者完成了，就不要再去后悔，放下就是；假如事情还没发生，就不要一心惦记着它，过于伤神；正在做的事情，要专注，但也不能执著。无论执著过去、现在还是未来，它都会变成你的累赘。当你放下所有执著的时候，连金刚都摧毁不了你的坦然。这时候，哪怕和野狗为伍，你都一样快乐。

 

所以说，不要过于在乎所谓的前途，好多人出于各种不同的原因追求那前途，比如要让家人过得好一点，要让父母以我为傲等等，但最后都被欲望吞噬了。其实，所谓的前途本身，有时也是一种欲望。

 

 

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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