愛欲是修道的絆腳石

　　Love and Desire: The Stumbling Blocks in Cultivation

　　我們還有這口氣在，就要對人好，可是不應有情愛的思想摻在內。

　　As long as we still have a breath left, we should be good to people, but there shouldn”t be any thoughts of emotional love involved.

　　生死愛情的海，就是障道的根本。修道人，無論對人或對物，生出愛欲之心，都會障礙修道的發展。詳言之：愛欲就是生死，生死就是愛欲，愛欲就是生死之根。若是不破愛欲無明，終不能離開生死大愛海。如何能離開生死？簡單得很，就是「斷欲去愛」，別無他法。

　　The sea of the emotional love of birth and death is the fundamental obstacle to the Way. If cultivators feel love and desire, whether for people or objects, it will hinder them from making progress in cultivation. To discuss it in detail, love and desire are just birth and death, and birth and death are just love. Love and desire are the root of birth and death. If you don”t break through the ignorance of love, you can never escape the great sea of love which is birth and death. How can you escape birth and death

　　 It”s simple─just cut off desire and get rid of love. There is no other way.

　　修道人，不要有情愛的思想，更不能有情愛的行爲。對任何人，不要生出一種情愛心；有了情愛，苦根不斷；有了情愛，生死不能了。

　　Cultivators shouldn”t have thoughts of emotional love, even less should they engage in acts of emotional love. Don”t give rise to thoughts of emotional love for anyone, no matter who it is. Once you have emotional love, you cannot cut off the root of suffering. Once you have emotional love, you cannot put an end to birth and death.

　　有人說：「人是有感情的動物，食色性也。」就因爲這樣，所以才要修道！在《四十二章經》上說：

　　想其老者如母。長者如姊。少者如妹。

　　稚者如子。生度脫心。

　　息滅惡念。

　　Someone says, “Humans are creatures of emotion. The desires for food and sensuality are part of their nature.” Precisely for that reason, we must cultivate the Way! The Sutra in Forty-two Sections says,

　　Think of those women who are elderly as your mothers, those who are senior to you as your elder sisters, those who are junior to you as your younger sisters, and those who are young as your children. Resolve to save them, and quell unwholesome thoughts.

　　我們修道人，就須存這種的觀想。如果無情無愛，見到人是不是就把嘴堵起來，不理睬人呢？這樣也不對。我們不執著情愛，不生情愛之心，但還不能討厭人，也不能說我不愛人，我就憎恨人，這樣也不對。那麼，要怎樣才對？就是不愛，也不憎。不愛不憎爲中道。

　　Cultivators should contemplate in that way. Does having no emotion and love mean we should keep our mouth shut and ignore people when we see them

　　 No, that”s also wrong. We shouldn”t cling to emotional love, or have thoughts of love, but we shouldn”t loathe people, either. You can”t say, “I don”t love people, so I”ll hate people.” That”s wrong, too. Well, what”s the right way to act

　　 Neither love nor hate. Not loving and not hating is the Middle Way.

　　修道，修什麼道？就是修這個中道，對誰都是平等相待，慈悲爲懷，但要謹慎行事，不可落在情愛樊籠裏。

　　What is the Way that we are cultivating

　　 We cultivate the Middle Way, by treating everyone equally, showing kindness and compassion to all. But we must be careful not to get trapped in the cage of emotional love.

　　各位注意！不要被情愛所迷惑。有人寫封信給你，你的心就好像小兔子在懷中，亂蹦亂跳，以爲有人愛你，這是好事，其實這是想把你拖到地獄去！

　　All of you should pay attention! Don”t let love confuse you. If someone writes you a letter, your heart thumps like a bunny hopping wildly in your chest─you think it”s wonderful that someone loves you. In reality, that person is just trying to drag you into the hells!

　　各位善知識！要在這個地方用功夫，要真真實實地了解：「愛欲，是一件很麻煩的事。」從無始劫以來，生死不了，爲什麼？就因爲被「情愛」二字所害。若能「斷欲去愛」，才能超出叁界，了生脫死。

　　All Good and Wise Advisors! You must apply your efforts here, and truly understand that love is a very troublesome affair. From beginningless eons until now, we have failed to end birth and death. Why

　　 It”s because we have been harmed by emotional love. Only by cutting off desire and getting rid of love can we transcend the Triple Realm and be liberated from birth and death.

　　凡是你所願意的，就是愛；你所討厭的，就是憎恨。我歡喜這個，就生出愛心；我厭惡那個，就生出憎恨心，這都是感情用事。修行人不應該用感情來處理一切事。可是也不能像關帝公似的，坐在那裏蹦著臉，給他叩頭，他也不理睬。對人要和藹，要有禮貌，不可貢高我慢，目空一切。

　　Whatever you are fond of, you love, and whatever you dislike, you hate. If I like this, then I have a thought of love. If I am annoyed by that, then I have a thought of hate. This is to deal with things on an emotional level. Cultivators should not handle matters emotionally. But nor should they be like Lord Guan Y

　　 sitting there with a wooden expression. Even if you bow to him, he”ll ignore you. We should be amiable and courteous to people. We cannot be arrogant and look down on everyone.

　　總之，對人要以慈悲爲懷，方便爲門，處處爲人著想，令人生歡喜心，我們還有這口氣在，就要對人好，可是不應有情愛的思想摻在內。各位！切記切記！這是很重要的法門。

　　In general, we should treat people with a spirit of kindness and compassion, and use expedient methods. We should always be considerate of others and make people happy. As long as we still have a breath left, we should be good to people, but there shouldn”t be any thoughts of emotional love involved. Each one of you should be sure to remember this! This is a very important Dharma-door.

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