修道的秘訣：節食、寡欲

　　The Secret to Cultivation: Eat Less and Reduce Desire

　　無明爲何不能破？煩惱爲何不能斷？智慧爲何不能現？

　　就因爲貪吃、好色。

　　Why can”t we demolish our ignorance, eliminate our afflictions, and reveal our wisdom

　　Because we crave food and sex.

　　世界有成住壞空，人有生老病死，這是很自然的一種道理。你明白這個道理，成就是住，就是壞，就是空；生也就是老，就是病，就是死。若無成，就無住、無壞、無空；若無生，就無老、無病、無死。

　　The world goes through the stages of formation, dwelling, decay, and emptiness. People undergo birth, old age, sickness, and death. These are very natural phenomena. If you understand, you will see that formation includes dwelling, decay, and emptiness; and that birth includes old age, sickness, and death. Without formation, there would be no dwelling, decay, or emptiness. Without birth, old age, sickness, and death would not occur either.

　　可是衆生用妄想執著來分別這些事情，分別幾個大劫，也分別不清楚，時時還是那麼糊塗。剛剛要明白一點，又糊塗了，所以在輪回中，總是出不去。若想出輪回，打破這條道路，就可以修行成佛，證得本來的佛果，無來無去，無垢無淨，不增不減，不生不滅，什麼憂愁煩惱也沒有，什麼五濁也沒有了。可是我們人都放不下假的，所以找不到真的，所謂：

　　Living beings, however, use their discursive thoughts and attachments to analyze these phenomena. But even if they spent several great eons analyzing them, they would still be just as muddled as before. Right when they are about to understand a little, they get muddled again. In this way, they remain within transmigration and cannot escape. If we wish to escape transmigration, we must cultivate to discover our inherent Buddhahood. Then, there will be no coming or going, no purity or defilement, no increase or decrease, and no birth or cessation. There will be no worries or afflictions whatsoever. The five turbidities will cease to exist. But, since we cannot let go of the false, we fail to discover the true.

　　舍不了死，換不了生；

　　舍不了假，成不了真。

　　If you can”t give up death,

　　you can”t exchange it for life.

　　If you can”t renounce the false,

　　you can”t obtain the true.

　　你不把狂心野性降伏，那麼真正的智慧就不能現前，因爲你總用無明覆蓋著自性。

　　If we don”t calm our false, wild natures, then genuine wisdom cannot manifest. Our inherent nature is covered by ignorance.

　　無明有兩個幫凶，兩個夥計，究竟是什麼呢？就是食與色。一個食欲，一個色欲，這兩個幫著無明做種種壞事。所以儒教中說：「食色性也。」好吃、好色是天然的生性。要知道，我們這個無明爲何總也不能破？煩惱總也不斷？智慧總也不現？就因爲貪吃、好色。

　　Ignorance has two accomplices—the desires for food and sex. Food and sex support ignorance in perpetrating all sorts of evil. A Confucian proverb says, "Food and sex are part of human nature." We are born with the craving for food and sex. Why is it that we have not been able to demolish our ignorance, eliminate our afflictions, and reveal our wisdom

　　 Because we crave food and sex.

　　食就是幫助欲，欲就是幫助無明。你看人生來就會吃，小孩子一生出來就會吃奶，沒有奶就哭起來，吃了奶就不再哭，也不叫了，所以這是與生俱來的。

　　Food gives rise to sexual desire, and sexual desire gives rise to ignorance. We are all born knowing how to eat. Once a baby is born, it cries because it wants milk, and it doesn”t quiet down until satisfied. Thus, the desire for food is something we are born with.

　　有了食欲之後，就生出色欲，男好女色，女好男色，互相迷戀貪著，放不下，看不破。因爲飲食所有的精華就變成「精」，精一足，就生出色欲了，所謂：

　　Once the desire for food arises, the desire for sex arises as well. Men are attracted to beautiful women, and women are charmed by handsome men. People become infatuated and obsessed and cannot see through their desires. The nourishment from the food we eat is transformed into reproductive essence; and once that essence is full, sexual desire arises.

　　飽暖思淫欲；饑寒起盜心。

　　When warm and well-fed,

　　one entertains thoughts of lust.

　　When cold and hungry,

　　one considers stealing.

　　人若是飽暖了，男人就想女人，女人就想男人，就搞這一套。若是窮了，就想去偷盜。你吃有營養的東西，吃得肥肥胖胖的，就會打淫欲的妄想。人先有了食欲，想吃好味道，想吃幫助身體健康的食物，可是吃少了，又覺得不夠；吃多了，色欲就生出來了；色欲生出來，就不顧生命了，盡去貪色，所以色與食是死黨。若是無明沒有食、色的幫助，它就不會作那麼多怪。

　　When well-fed and well-clothed, men think about women and women think about men. It”s always the same old thing. When one is poor, one thinks about stealing. One gorges oneself on rich food until one is overweight, and then entertains thoughts of lust. But first, people have the desire for…

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