死時

　　On Deathbed

　　天氣有點發悶，西邊籠罩著朵朵黑雲，可能又要下雨了。

　　The weather was getting muggy; black clouds hang oppressively in the west. It seemed that it”s going to rain.

　　看到路邊停放著的很多屍體，心情也像天氣一般沈悶起來。“無物能牢，何況蠢茲皮袋？”世上沒有什麼東西是牢固穩定的，更何況這副愚蠢的臭皮囊呢？無論何人也免不了一死，自己不久也會像他們一樣奔赴黃泉，到時候有什麼把握呢？

　　Seeing quite a few corpses lying by the side of the road does not help. My mood darkens just like the gloomy sky. The saying goes: “Nothing is everlasting, let alone this sack of mortal flesh.” There is nothing permanent or stable in the world, what needs to be said about our dull sack of flesh and bones

　　 We are all mortal; sooner or later I will be in the company of these corpses, rushing toward the netherworld. Am I sure what to do when that moment comes

　　雖然獲得人生、跨入佛門並值遇大恩上師。但卻常常被世間瑣事牽絆，沒有認真修持。看盡了人間的悲歡離合、風風雨雨，方知“世味渾如嚼蠟，年光疾于跳丸”。應爲生死之大事做准備了。

　　I am fortunate to have this human existence, have met the Dharma and our incomparable uru. Nonetheless, my involvement in many worldly trivialities has often prevented me from doing spiritual practices seriously. Having witnessed enough human dramas of sorrow and joy, and experienced time and again the vicissitudes of life, now I fully appreciate that: “Earthly vanities are like insipid foods, time passes more quickly than a ball bounces back.” It is high time for me to make preparations for my final departure.

　　無始以來，因無明愚癡，我等所造惡業，難以計數。僅憑自己之力，想了脫生死，難于上青天。所以，如果臨死之時，沒有其他把握，憶念上師一定是最好的。上師是一切叁寶的總集，憶念上師也即憶念叁世十方諸佛。《妙臂請問經》雲：“何人死亡時，刹那憶念師，爲最勝往生，此人定成佛。”所以，不管自己的罪業有多深，臨死時能憶念根本上師，即能往生清淨刹土並獲得佛果。

　　From time without beginning, we have committed innumerable non-virtues due to ignorance and stupidity. If we rely on our own power alone to gain liberation from the rounds of deaths, it will prove next to impossible. Uncertain of what to do when dying, the best bet is to remember one”s guru. Spiritual teachers embody the Three Jewels; to think of them is to think all of the Buddhas throughout space and time. It says in The Sutra Requested by Miao Bi: “As death approaches, remembering the guru even for a mere second is the best way to die. One is sure to be reborn in the Pure Land and attain liberation.” Thus no matter how severe our sins may be, remembering our root guru at the moment of death will bring our rebirth to the Pure Land, as well as the eventual attainment of Buddhahood.

　　如同一粒沙子，入水即沈。縱有數千萬斤頑石，若能裝于大船，即可不沈而抵達彼岸一樣。臨死之時，如果能憶念釋迦牟尼佛、阿彌陀佛、根本上師，就是通往極樂世界最好的往生大船。

　　A grain of sand, when placed on top of the water, will sink down. On the other hand, boulders weighing thousands of tons, when loaded on a giant cargo vessel, will not sink and can be shipped to the other shore. Likewise, by recalling Buddha Shakyamuni, Buddha Amitabha, or our root lama at the moment of death, we will be boarding the best ship that sails directly to the Pure Land of Great Bliss.

　　不知我臨死時能否憶念，喇嘛欽！

　　Can I be mindful like this on my deathbed

　　 Lama chen!

　　壬午年五月十七日 　

　　2002年6月26日 　

　　17th of May, Year of RenWu

　　June 26, 2002