(４２)上一則引生下面的問題：

　　“我們在何處可以止息苦？”

　　42) This subject brings us to the question,

　　42) “Where can we put an end to suffering (dukkha)

　　”

　　我們不可能在寺院、森林、家裏、高山等地方止息痛苦，而必須在苦本身的起因上去止息。我們要做的是，每天在自己的身上檢查並去發現：苦到底是怎麼一回事？苦從何來？而後必須切斷它們各自的因。昨天的苦已經事過境遷了，它不會再回來，而今天、現在生起的苦，才是真正的問題。明天可能生起的苦還不是問題，但今日、現在所生的苦，則必須根絕。那麼，它可以從哪裏根絕呢？它必須從“因”根絕。如佛陀所說，我們必須在生活中學習，直到我們了解——苦的生起只是單純地由于“執著”。

　　WE DON”T PUT an end to suffering in the monastery, in the forest, in the home, or on the mountain. We have to put an end to suffering right at the cause of suffering itself. What we must do is investigate and find out the way suffering arises in us each day and from what root it originates. Then we have to cut off that particular root. Yesterday”s suffering has already been and gone. It can”t come back, it is over and done with. It is suffering that arises today, right now, that is the problem. Suffering that may arise tomorrow is not as yet a problem, but the suffering arising and existing right now must be eradicated. So then, where is it to be eradicated

　　 It must be eradicated at its root. We must study life until we realize that, as the Buddha said, suffering arises simply from grasping and clinging.

　　生、老、死是苦，通常被說得非常誇張而含糊，容易引起誤解。事實上，若不執著“我的生”、“我的老”、“我的死”，生就不是苦，老也不是苦，死更不是苦。此刻，我們執著生、老、死是“我們的”，如果我們不執著，它們就不是苦，它們只是身體的變化罷了。當身體這樣變化我們稱它爲“生”；當身體那樣變化，我們稱它爲“老”；而當身體又這樣變化時，我們稱它爲“死”。但我們只把它當作是身體的變化，而把它看作是“真的生”，甚至還稱它爲“我的生”、“我的老”、“我的死”。

　　這多重的假相，是由“我”的假相開始，進一步對身體的變化生出“我的生”、“我的老”等假相，使我們無法把這些只看作是身體的變化。現在，當我們把這些當作只是單純的身體變化，生、老、死的假相就會消失，同時“我”的假相也不見了，不再有任何“我”，這情形就不苦了。

　　It is usually proclaimed eloquently, but ambiguously, that birth, aging, and death are suffering. But birth is not suffering, aging is not suffering, death is not suffering where there is no attachment to “my birth”, “my aging”, “my death” At the moment, we are grasping at birth, aging, pain, and death as “ours”. If we don”t grasp, they are not suffering, they are only bodily changes. The body changes thus, and we call it “birth”; the body changes thus, and we call it “aging”; the body changes thus, and we call it “death”; but we fail to see it as just bodily changes. We see it as actual birth, and what is more, we call it “my birth”, “my aging”, and “my death”. This is a multiple delusion because “I” is a delusion to start with; so seeing a bodily change as “my birth”, or “my aging” is yet a further delusion. We fail to see that these are simply bodily changes. Now just as soon as we do see these as only bodily changes, birth, aging, and death disappear, and “I” disappears at the same time. There is no longer any “I”, and this condition is not suffering.

　　佛陀說：“生是苦，老是苦，死是苦”。大部分的人——實際上幾乎全部的人，都誤解了佛陀的意思，他們說生、老、死的現象是苦，有些人根本沒辦法解釋；有些人則猶豫、不肯定，解釋得支支吾吾、含含糊糊。這是因爲他們忘了佛陀曾說：“取著五蘊是苦”(sankittena pancupadanakkhandhadukkha)，五蘊既是身和心，身、心組合而成爲人。若執著其中任何一個爲“我”或“我所有”，則五蘊是苦、是重擔、是苦源、是熱火。所以，取著五蘊是苦。

　　The Buddha said, “Birth is suffering, aging is suffering, death is suffering”, and the majority of people, almost all in fact, mis- understand him. They point to the condition of birth, the condition of aging, and the condition of death as being suffering. Some can”t explain it at all. Some, hesitant and uncertain, explain it vaguely and ambiguously, evasively hemming and hawing. This is because they forget that the Buddha said “Sa.khittena pa.cupādānakkhandhā dukkhā” (the five aggregates, when clung to, are suffering). The aggregates are body and mind; together they constitute the person. If there is grasping at anything as being “I” or “mine”, then the five aggregates are suffering. Those five aggregates are a heavy burden, a source of suffering. There is fire and brimstone in those five aggregates. So the five aggregates, if associated with grasping and clinging, are suffering.

　　現在，假設我們的五蘊處在“老”的狀態中，若我們的心不執著五蘊爲“老”或“我老”，那麼它們就不是苦了。我們應視色是空、受是空、想是空、行是空、識是空，諸行旋轉流動的現象也是空，一切皆空，就不可能苦了。這樣的五蘊是清淨的五蘊(pancakkhandha)，我們把它當作是阿羅漢的五蘊，事實上，阿羅漢不會成爲五蘊的主人，因爲這種心境，無論如何都不可能把五蘊執爲“我所有”，但五蘊可以說正是阿羅漢德行的容器，我們姑且稱它爲“阿羅漢清淨的五蘊”(pancakkhandha of an arahant)。

　　Now suppose these five aggregates are in the condition known as “aging”. If the mind does not grasp at and cling to them as “aging”, or as “my aging”, then they will not be suffering. We shall then see the body as empty, the feelings as empty, the perceptions as empty, the willed activities as empty, and consciousness as empty. We shall see the whole flowing and swirling conditioning of everything as empty. Without clinging it cannot be suffering. Such are pure pa.cakkhandha (aggregates dissociated from grasping). Such are the five aggregates of an arahant, or what we presume to call the five aggregates of an arahant. For really, an arahant cannot be described as being the owner of the five aggregates, but we look on those aggregates as being the receptacle of the virtues of arahantship. That type of mind cannot grasp at the aggregates in any way as being “mine”, still we presume to call them the pure pa.cakkhandha of an arahant.

　　何處才可以止息苦呢？我們必須從苦因(執取某種事物)滅苦，苦由執取金錢而來，就得在執取的那兒滅苦；苦由執取權力、聲望、榮譽、名氣而來，也得在執取的那兒滅苦。其實金錢、權力、聲望本身並不是苦。當發現苦從何來，就在那兒止息它，古代有句法語說：“它怎麼起，就叫它那麼落！”

　　Where to put an end to suffering

　　 We have to eliminate suffering at the root of suffering, namely grasping and clinging to things. Suffering due to attachment to wealth must be eradicated there in that attachment. Suffering due to grasping and clinging to the illusions of power, prestige, honour, and fame must be eradicated there in that grasping and clinging. Then wealth, power, and prestige will not be in themselves suffering. So find out where it arises and eliminate it there. In the words if the old-time Dhamma experts, “whichever way it goes up, bring it down that same way.”

《我們在何處可以止息苦？Where can we put an end to suffering (dukkha)

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