修道人要受苦

　　Cultivators of the Way Should Undergo Suffering

　　福不可享盡，享盡就沒有福了；苦可受盡，受盡則沒有苦。

　　We should not enjoy our blessings to their end, for if we did, we would have no blessings left. On the other hand, we can endure suffering to its end, for then there will be no more suffering.

　　所謂「受苦是了苦，享福是消福。」我們修道人爲什麼要修苦行？一天只吃一餐，就爲要了苦的緣故。苦了了，便是樂。

　　A saying goes: "Enduring suffering puts an end to suffering; enjoying blessings exhausts blessings." Why do cultivators of the Way want to cultivate

　　 We eat only one meal each day because we want to end suffering. Happiness remains once suffering is gone.

　　福，有應享的福和不應享的福。應享的福，是自己工作所得來的代價，能夠住好房子，穿好衣服，吃好東西，坐好汽車，可以享受一番。可是，要知道享完之後，就消福了，而在福報的銀行就沒有存款了。

　　Blessings come in two varieties: those we should enjoy, and those we shouldn”t enjoy. Blessings we should enjoy are those which come as rewards for work we ourselves have done. Such things as living in a nice house, wearing nice clothes, eating good food, and riding in nice cars are blessings we can enjoy. We should recognize, however, that once these blessings have been enjoyed to their fullest, they will be gone, and our bank account of blessings will be all out of capital.

　　不應享的福，就是在本分之外求享受，由僥幸得來的福。好像強盜，搶人家的錢，自己享受，這是不講道理的享受，必定會受到法律的製裁。在福報銀行的戶頭就透支了。

　　Blessings we should not enjoy includes things gained by seeking beyond one”s rightful share: blessings that come through scheming and trickery, such as money stolen from others. If we enjoy such blessings, then it”s unrighteous pleasure, and the law will punish us. We will have overdrawn our bank account of blessings.

　　應享的福，享完之後，福就消了，何況不應享的福，硬要勉強享受，這不但消福，而且還要虧本。因爲這種關系，所以福不可享盡，享盡就沒有福了；苦可受盡，受盡則沒有苦。我們做人要明白這種道理。在困難的環境中，歡喜接受逆境，這樣便無怨恨，也沒有不滿現實的心在作祟。

　　Once we enjoy all the blessings that are rightfully ours, our blessings will be used up. How much more is it so with blessings that are not rightfully ours

　　 Should we demand to enjoy those as well

　　 Not only will we burn up our blessings that way, we”ll even go bankrupt. For that reason, we should not enjoy our blessings to their end, or else, we will have no blessings left. On the other hand, we can endure suffering to its end, for then there will be no more suffering. We should understand this principle, so that when we find ourselves in distressing circumstances, we happily accept the discomfort. In this way, we avoid all resentment and we don”t become dissatisfied or discontent.

　　研究佛法的人，其思想和行爲，與世俗人正好相反。世俗人是順著生死去造業，修道人是逆著生死來消業。無論在什麼境界上，處之泰然，心安理得，便不覺得苦。所謂「吃得苦中苦，方爲人上人」，這是至理名言。

　　The thinking and behavior of people who study Buddhism is exactly the opposite of worldly people. Ordinary worldly people flow with birth and death as they create more karma. Cultivators of the Way oppose the flow of birth and death as they wipe out their karma. No matter what situations arise, they calmly endure them, resting securely in their knowledge of the principles; thus suffering does not seem painful to them. A saying goes, "Only one who has tasted bitterness to the ultimate degree can become an extraordinary person." How true it is!

　　現在講一個受苦的公案，做爲參考。明朝最後一位皇帝，名叫崇祯。他雖有皇帝的智慧，可是沒有皇帝的福報。爲什麼？因爲他的苦沒有受盡。他前生是個沙彌，因爲未到受具足戒的時候，就死了，所以還是個小沙彌。他做沙彌的時候，凡是搬柴運水的苦工，都由他來做，任勞任怨，天天做苦工，來護持道場。

　　I”ll now tell you a story of one who endured suffering. The last Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was known as Congzhen ("Noble Portent"). Although he possessed the wisdom of an emperor, he lacked the blessings that an emperor needs. Why was this

　　 Because his suffering had not come to an end. In an former life, he had been a novice monk, but he died before receiving complete ordination as a Bhikshu. Thus he remained a Shramanera (novice). As a novice monk, he had to perform all the menial jobs, such as gathering wood and toting water. He simply endured the toil and swallowed his resentment. Every day he engaged in these strenuou…

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