You Protect Yourself

　　自我保護

　　”Protecting oneself one protects others”

　　”Protecting others one protects oneself.”

　　保護自己就是在保護他人，保護了他人，也就是保護了自己。

　　Once the Blessed One told His monks the following story:

　　在一次開示會，佛陀對僧衆講述了以下的故事：

　　”There was once a pair of jugglers who did their acrobatic feats on a bamboo pole. One day the master said to his apprentice: ”Now get on my shoulders and climb up the bamboo pole.” When the apprentice had done so, the master said: ”Now protect me well and I shall protect you. By watching each other in that way, we shall be able to show our skill, we shall make a good profit and you can get down safely from the bamboo pole.” But the apprentice said: ”Not so, master. You! O Master, should protect yourself, and I too shall protect myself. Thus self-protected and self-guarded we shall safely do our feats."

　　「有一回，兩位雜耍藝人在市集表演撐杆雜技。師傅對徒弟說：『站在我的肩膀，爬到竹竿頂端。』當徒弟爬去後，師傅又對徒弟說：『現在你要好好的保護我，我也會保護你，我們需要彼此保護，這樣才能做好我們的表演，我們才會有好的收入，你也能夠從竹竿平平安安的下來。』但是，徒弟對師傅說：『不！師傅！你要保護好自己，我也保護好我自己，只有自我保護、自我警惕，我們才能安全的表演我們的節目。』」

　　”This is the right way,” said the Blessed One and spoke further as follows:

　　”It is just as the apprentice said: ”I shall protect myself,” in that way the Foundation of Mindfulness should be practised. ”I shall protect others,” in that way the Foundation of Mindfulness should be practised. Protecting oneself one protects others; protecting others one protects oneself.

　　「這時最正確的方法」佛陀接著說道：「就如徒弟所說的：『我要保護好自己』，保護自己就是保護他人，保護他人也就是保護自己。」

　　”And how does one, in protecting oneself, protect others

　　 By the repeated and frequent practice of meditation.

　　「一個人要如何才能保護自己，又能保護他人呢？只要經常和反覆的修持禅定和內觀就能做到。」

　　”and how does one, by protecting others, protect oneself

　　 By patience and forbearance, by a non-violent and harmless life, by loving kindness and compassion.” (Satipatthana, Samyutta, No:19)

　　「一人要如何既保護自己又保護他人呢？以耐心和寬容過非暴戾和無害的慈悲生活，就能做到。」《相應部經.四念處經》No.19

　　”Protecting oneself one protects others”

　　”Protecting others one protects oneself”

　　These two sentences supplement each other and should not be taken (or quoted) separately.

　　「保護自己，就是保護他人，保護他人，就是保護自己。」這兩句話是相輔相成，不能分開的。

　　Nowadays, when social service is so greatly stressed, people may for instance, be tempted to quote, in support of their ideas, only the second sentence. But any such one-sided quotation would misrepresent the Buddha”s statement. It has to be remembered that, in our story the Buddha expressly approved the words of the apprentice, which is that one has first to carefully watch one”s own steps if one wishes to protect others from harm. He who is sunk in the mire himself cannot help others out of it. In that sense, self-protection is not selfish protection. It is the cultivation of self-control, and ethical and spiritual self-development.

　　如今，當人們大力的強調社會服務時，只傾向于保護他人，這是片面的引用佛典，曲解佛陀的本意。別忘記，在故事中佛陀贊揚那個徒弟，假如一個人想要保護他人，首先他需要保護自己。試想，如果自己陷身于泥沼中，是否有能力幫助別人脫離泥沼呢？在這種前提下，保護自己並不是一種自私的行爲，它是一種自我控製，和發展自我道德和精神領域的行爲。

　　Protecting oneself one protects others - the truth of this statement begins at a very simple and practical level. At the material level, this truth is so self-evident that we need not say more than a few words about it. It is obvious that the protection of our own health will go far in protecting the health of our closer or wider environment, especially where contagious diseases are concerned. Caution and circumspection in all our doings and movements will protect others from harm that may come to them through our carelessness and negligence. By careful driving, abstention from alcohol, by self-restraint in situations that might lead to violence -in all these and many other ways we shall protect others by protecting ourselves.

　　「保護自己，就是保護他人。」這句話是多麼的簡單和實際，不需要多做诠釋。很明顯的，保護好自己的健康，就能保護自己周圍的環境，尤其當傳染病肆虐的時候。如果我們慎重和注意于我們的行動，就能避免他人因我們的疏忽而受到傷害。小心開車、不喝酒、製約自己暴戾的傾向，這樣一來，我們不但保護了自己也同時保護了他…

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