忍辱

　　Practicing Forbearance

　　今天在一家星級賓館看到了一幕令人難忘的情景。一位顧客暴跳如雷、怒發沖冠，硬硬的拳頭幾乎揮到了女服務員的身上，但女服務員卻始終保持著職業性的微笑，令我欽佩不已。

　　I witnessed an impressive scene today at an all-star hotel. A patron got upset and with fuming rage and bristling hair, he almost punched a female hotel employee. Throughout the rampage, however, the attendant retained her graceful professional smile. Her composure was really admirable.

　　在六度中最難守持的即是忍辱，作爲佛教徒時時熏習的也是要對一切衆生修習安忍，佛經雲：“持戒及修定，安忍爲主因，一切諸善法，因安忍增長。”然而，包括我在內的很多佛教徒卻比不上這位服務員。世間的服務員爲了前途和飯碗可以將忍辱修到如此地步，作爲大乘佛子，爲了自他的究竟安樂，卻爲什麼在修持忍辱方面反而不如一位服務員呢？這不能不令我生大慚愧。

　　Among the Six Transcendent Perfections, the most difficult one to uphold is patience, or forbearance. To exercise patience when dealing with all kinds of sentient beings is every Buddhist”s never-ending practice. The scripture says: “The foundation of keeping pure precepts and attaining quiescence is patience. The growth of all good qualities relies on patience.” However, many Buddhists, myself included, cannot compare with this female attendant. An ordinary hotel employee is able to display such a level of patience for the sake of her paycheck and career. Why does a Mahayana practitioner, who is supposed to work for the temporary and ultimate happiness of self and others, lag behind her in the practice of patience

　　 Shouldn”t I feel quite ashamed

　　從理論上我們都知道，衆生因各自業力而感受苦樂，遭遇嗔恨對境，應歸咎于往昔之惡業，而不應抱怨外境。無垢光尊者曾講：“衆生感受各自之業力，爲了父母等親友、眷屬不應生嗔，甚至爲了堪布、阿阇黎、上師、叁寶等也不應嗔恨他衆，如果有受害的宿債，是無法避免的，如果沒有宿債，則不會受害。並且，僅由他人的贊毀，也不能造成重大利害。”

　　On a theoretical level, we all know that what causes us to experience happiness or suffering is the good and bad actions that we ourselves have accumulated. When confronted with an outraged person, we should not blame anything else but our own past evil deeds. Longchen Rabjam says:

　　All sentient beings have to experience their own karma.

　　We should not get angry for the sake of our parents, loved ones, friends, or retinues.

　　Nor should we hate others in defending our khenpos, masters, spiritual friends, or the Three Jewels.

　　If there is a karmic debt to be repaid, no one can escape its retribution.

　　If there is no karmic debt, one will not suffer its consequences.

　　Praise or slander from others carries little weight in benefiting or harming us.

　　對于打罵我們的人，我們不應像世間人一樣視其爲冤家，而應將彼視爲善知識，世間的人不明因果，但依眼前是非，而爲恩怨友敵。這位服務員能將安忍修到如此境界，實在難能可貴，將來也一定能感受安忍所帶來的樂果。

　　When we are punched or scolded by someone, instead of seeing that person as an enemy, as most people would do, we should instead regard the person as a spiritual friend. Worldly beings, ignorant of the effect of actions, often hastily make demarcations between friends and foes according to immediate circumstances. That this attendant has attained such a remarkable quality of forbearance is quite something. She is certain to be rewarded in the future with happiness resulting from her patience.

　　佛經雲：“安忍能斷除，一切諸惡根，亦名能斷除，責難诤訟者。”若能在菩提心的攝持下修持安忍，將打罵視爲消除宿債的良方，就一定能徹底根除惡根，得到究竟安樂。

　　The scripture says: “Patience cuts off all evils at their roots; it also pacifies all those who are quick to reproach.” If we can practice patience with bodhichitta and understand that forbearing abuses is an excellent means to clear our debts, we will definitely uproot our past evils and attain ultimate bliss.

　　壬午年五月初叁　　

　　2002年6月13日

　　3rd of May, Year of RenWu

　　June 13, 2002