Get Along with Spirituality No attachment, but be diligent

 

Get Along with Spirituality

No attachment, but be diligent

 

Neither grasp at the past, nor grasp at any thought at the moment, nor any future target. It doesn’t mean we just do things casually. It means, besides of concentration, perseverance, diligence, don’t insist on particular result. Just let things go with the causes and conditions. If we made it, it would be great; if we didn’t, it is not bad as well.

 

Most of the time, the reason why wrong thoughts can harm or affect a man’s heart, is because the man takes the thoughts too seriously. For example, when a man goes to a restaurant, the waitress emphases the minimum charges to him constantly. So he was so absorbed into the thought in the whole morning: do my cloths look so shabby that she thinks I am poor? He keeps review it in the memory, in order to support or deny this idea. If he just laughs it off when the though arises, instead of being obsess with it or trying to confirm it, this thought will flash away and it won’t ruin his good mood for dinner.

 

The same goes for the happiness. Don’t attach to it and try to keep it forever when it comes. Don’t try to dispel the sadness when it comes. In the state of true heart, it is not a big deal to have laughter or tears. Happiness or sadness can’t possibly affect your true heart. It is the same for greed and hatred. Don't hold anxiety to specific things, don’t hold up hatred on a particular man or an affair. When greed or hatred comes, let it come and go, don’t get into it. That is to say, don’t indulge yourself in the sadness, the happiness, the greed and the hatred; don’t let them take over you. You just need to treat them as passengers and watch them come and go. Don’t let them leave any piece of cloud lingering in your life or mind.

 

Some people care much about the comments from others, especially those bad ones. For example, a person got railed by someone else, and he remembers every word of those curses. He constantly renews the memory like watching an old movie over and over again. He gets very upset every time when it replays. As a matter of fact, those words were only said with a particular mood and condition. The other man may have forgotten about it long ago and his angry mood was gone as well. You can’t find a single trace of that scene, like the mist disappears when sun arises. But he still shut himself in the coldness of the mist, which frostbites his soul.

 

Neither grasp at the past, nor grasp at any thought at the moment, nor any future target. It doesn’t mean we just do things casually. It means, we focus on concentration, perseverance, diligence, but don’t insist on particular result. Just let things go with the causes and conditions. If we made it, it would be great; if we didn’t, it is not that bad as well.

 

I used to name my self as ‘big idiot’; for I am doing things, which I know, can’t be made: to hold relative eternity in the impermanence, to establish existence in the void, and to realize the relative immortality in the delusion. But I don’t cling to all of these. I know what I am doing in this world and I spent whole my life to achieve it. You should be like this too. With a general direction, don’t obsess over the trivial details, just do your best along with causes and conditions, focus on every moment; and this is enough.

 

It is like painting in the water with your finger. You will notice that the drawing disappears the moment you complete it. You could say that there is nothing, but there were ripples in the water. You could say that it shows up, but the water becomes calm very quickly. The deluded thought goes as the same and so does every single thought. When a thought rises, don’t follow it too much; if you don’t follow it and extend it, it will disappear soon.

 

In this state, your heart is like a clear sky, there’s no single piece of cloud of attachment. Up to this extend, you need to share your wisdom to the beings in proper situation, like the rosy clouds in the sky; for example, for the people who seeks for wisdom, you should talk to them and explain to them, don’t be afraid of trouble. For the people who needs money, you spare some money to him. For the people who needs encouragement, you comfort him.

 

When you has stabilized your state very well, don’t restrain yourselves on social life. The social activities are necessary. Do your best to benefit the beings and don’t hold you up with the fear that your heart of brightness and emptiness would be affected, for in the social activities, it is also great for you to hone your ordinary mind.

 

The heart of the worldling is not ordinary heart. Only when a sage doesn’t think he owns a sage-like heart, his heart is an authentic ordinary heart. A true ordinary heart means the state that you own heart of brightness and emptiness, but you don’t attach to it; that you own true heart, and you don’t attach to it; that you attain the enlightened heart, but you don’t attach to it. The heart of a worldling isn’t the ordinary heart that we are talking about right now, because they  haven’t attained brightness and emptiness, and they are not enlightened. It still holds worry and attachment.

 

Do worldly things with transcendent heart. When it is done, don’t let it linger over your heart, don’t let anxiety take over you. Furthermore don’t let anxiety affect the people around you.

 

For example, in order to preach the benevolence culture to nourish the world, I would write a book wholeheartedly. When the book is completed and published, I think it is time to do something else. It won’t bother me that how much profit it could bring to me, how it could rank in the list of best sellers, and I would never be hostile to the people who don’t like my book. The purpose I wrote this look is that it could bring happiness to those who drown themselves in the pain, tortures and endless affliction. So I should be very happy and calm when I write this book. If I sink into anxiety and couldn’t feel happy on my own, how come the readers feel happy when they read my book?

 

For the people around me, or the people who keeps a regular contact with me, most of them are very happy and fulfilled. They have no anxiety and are full of power in their hearts. They are eager to have more people in the world live wisely, hoping the people could end the sufferings and gain happiness. It is compassion. It is not frustration and anxiety, but a cool breeze, which brings the coolness of nutrition to the soul.

 

So we say, if you have a faith in something, or a theory, you should follow it and practice it on your own first. Only when you change your attitude and your life, you are able to change the others. Suppose, when I was preaching a culture or a though, but I also busy myself after fame and fortune, then I could hardly have people convinced.

 

There is a very good saying: when we want to change this world, the world spurns us; when we could change ourselves, we win the world.

 

The essence of changing ourselves is to change our conduct and soul. So, changing one-self, sometimes, is more important than writing a book. For there is never lack of book, but lack of people that put the teaching into practice. So, before we start to do something, we need to change our hearts first.

 

The inner peace and brightness rely on the awareness of the heart and it has nothing to do with external world. So, when one of my dharma brothers asked me to be a model for them, in order to build up their confidence, I refused his request. I told him that, confidence comes from his own heart, not from the outside world. No one can give you confidence. In general, don’t reply on others, especially for the real good things – which can’t be given by others.  There is nothing in the world that you can rely on forever, for this world is impermanent as a delusion.

 

I don’t mean, not to trust anything in this world. But you need to understand the truth of impermanence. For example, if you think that you could count on the money, for it could buy food, cloth, room, and transportation. But it can’t resist the death. If you think that you could count on love, and your lover is your soul mate, but people dies eventually. If you think that conversation could release your from negative emotion, it works only temporally. As long as your heart doesn’t change, the root of affliction is still alive.

 

Only when you truly accept that “everything is impermanence”, would you resolve to change your heart without hesitation.

 

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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第三辑：与灵性好好相处

 

不要执著，但要精进

 

不要执著于过去的事情，不要执著于当下的某个想法，更不要执著于自己给未来定下的某个目标。但这并不意味着做什么都要随随便便。不要执著，指的是在专注、尽力、精进的基础上，不强求结果，一切随缘，成了自然好，不成也没什么。

 

很多时候，妄念之所以能伤害或影响一个人的心灵，就是因为那个人跟妄念较真。比如某个人去餐馆吃饭，服务员不断跟他强调最低消费是多少，于是他整个上午都沉浸在一个念头里面：难道我穿得很寒酸，让她觉得我没钱？然后不断回想过往的许多片段，来证实或否认这一点。假如念头来了他只是付诸一笑，不去管，更不去验证，这个念头也就一闪而过了，不会影响到他吃饭的好心情。

 

同样道理，快乐来了不要执著它，不要因为快乐你就想留住它；忧愁来了也不要执著它，不要因为忧愁你就想驱赶它。在真心状态下，笑几下没有什么，哭几下也没有什么，笑和哭都影响不了你的真心。贪婪与仇恨也是这样，不要执著地去渴望某个东西，也不要执著地对某个人与事充满仇恨。贪婪和仇恨来了，就让它自然离去，不要太在乎。也就是说，你不要沉浸在忧喜、贪嗔的这些感觉之中，不能让它们控制你的心。你要把它们当成过客，任它们来去匆匆，不在你的心灵和生活中留下一片云彩。

 

有的人很在意别人的评价，尤其是不好的话，比如几年之前，某个人曾骂过他，他一直记住那些话，像反复看同一出电影那样不断回忆，每当想起，就很生气。而事实上，那句话只不过是对方在某种状态、某种心情下所说的，也许对方老早就忘记了，那种心情也早就过去了，一切都像太阳下的霜一样，早就找不到了，早已蒸发掉了，而他却仍然沉浸于那霜带来的寒冷之中，一直冻伤自己的心灵。

 

不要执著于过去的事情，不要执著于当下的某个想法，更不要执著于自己给未来定下的某个目标。但这并不意味着做什么都要随随便便。不要执著，指的是在专注、尽力、精进的基础上，不强求结果，一切随缘，成了自然好，不成也没什么。

 

我曾经用“大痴”作为自己的号，因为我所做的一切，都是明知不可为而为之：在无常中抓住相对的永恒，在虚无中建立存在，在虚幻中实现相对的不朽。而对这一切，我都并不执著。我知道自己是为了干什么而来的，所以就花一辈子的时间来把这件事做好。你也应该这样，有了大的方向，就不要执著于每一个细节，随缘任运，做好每一个当下，这就够了。

 

这就像用手指在水中画画。你会发现，自己所画的东西在画下的同时就消失了。你说它没起，但水中有了波纹；你说它起了，但水面又很快就归于平静了。杂念也是如此，念头也是如此。不要因为念头生起了，就跟随它走得越来越远，只要不跟着这个思路往下想，它很快就会消失。

 

在这种境界中，心要像天空一样，不要有任何牵挂。做到这一点的时候，你也要把你的智慧，像天空发出闪亮的彩霞一样，传递给和你有缘的众生，以及你遇到的众生。比如，碰上需要明白的，需要你帮的，你就给他们说几句，解释一下，不要怕麻烦；碰到需要财布施的，你就给点钱；碰到需要无畏布施的，你就安慰一下。

 

当你的状态已经很稳定的时候，就不要告诉自己这个也不能做，那个也不能做，这个也怕，那个也怕。需要参与一些世俗的活动，你就尽管去参加，尽量去做一些对众生有益的事情，不要怕影响自己的明空之心，因为在做这些事情的同时，也在调养你的平常心。

 

凡夫之心不是平常心，虽为圣者但不认为自己之心就是圣者之心时，才叫“平常心”。换句话说，你拥有明空之心而不去执著于明空，拥有真心而不去执著于真心，拥有觉悟之心而不去执著于觉悟，这时才是真正的平常心。凡夫俗子随缘对待万事万物的那颗心，不是我们说的“平常心”，因为他没证得明空，还没有觉悟，也许还存在执著与牵挂。

 

要在出世的心态下，做一些入世的事情。该做的一切做到之后，就不要让它影响心的宁静，不要带来一种焦虑，更不要因为这种焦虑影响到身边的人。

 

比如说，我想写一本书，把大善文化传播出去，给世界以精神的滋养，于是专心去写。写完了，书出版之后，我就觉得该干些别的事情了。我不会去追究它为我带来了多少利益，在销售排行榜上排第几，更不会对不喜欢它的人抱有敌意。我之所以写这本书，是为了让沉浸在痛苦折磨、无边烦恼中的人都快乐起来。那么，我写书的时候就必须很快乐，很从容。如果连我自己都不快乐，陷于焦虑状态中的话，读这本书的人又怎么会快乐？

 

我身边的人，或是和我保持联系的人，他们大多很快乐，很充实，没有焦虑，心中充满一种力量。他们渴望让世上的人都活得明白，希望世人可以离苦得乐。这是一种悲悯之心，它不是焦虑，不是热恼，是一缕清凉的风。在它的吹拂之下，你会得到一种灵魂的滋养。

 

所以说，如果你信仰某种东西、某种理论的话，必须自己先照着去做，改变自己的生活，改变自己的心态，才谈得上去改变别人。我举个非常简单的例子，如果我在传播文化，传播思想的时候，整天热衷于一些名利的东西，就很难让别人信服。

 

有句话说得好：当我们想改变这个世界的时候，整个世界都在唾弃你；当我们能改变我们自己的时候，才会赢得整个世界。

改变我们自己，主要是改变我们的行为和心灵。所以，改变自己，有时候比写这样一本书更重要。因为这个世界上不缺书，只缺做的人。所以，我们在做事之前，必须先改变自己的心。

 

心灵的宁静与光明取决于自心的明白，与外部世界没有关系。所以，当一位师兄让我给他们做榜样，让他们有信心的时候，我驳斥了他。我告诉他，信心来自于自己的心灵，与外部世界没有关系，外面的人给不了你信心。同样，好多东西不要寄希望于别人。有时候，好多东西不是别人能给你的。这个世界上没有任何一样东西可以永远的依靠，因为这个世界本身就像梦幻一样无常。

 

我不是叫你别去相信任何东西，而是要你明白无常这个真理。比如，你觉得金钱是可以依靠的，因为它可以给你换来吃、穿、住、行，但它无法阻挡死亡；你觉得爱情是可以依靠的，爱人就是你的灵魂支柱，但是人总会面临死亡；你觉得聊天可以发泄情绪，但这种效果是短暂的，你的心没有改变，烦恼就不会根除。

 

只有当你真正接受了“诸事无常”，才会铁下心去改变自己的心灵。

 

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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