靜住

　　Staying Put

　　如今科學領域的迅猛發展，給人們的生活帶來了日新月異的變化。人們在盡情享受現代化所賜予的各種方便的同時，卻從未抽出一絲閑暇，思考如何讓自己如狂象般飛馳的心得以休憩。人們的希求越來越高，總是爲永不滿足的欲望而奔波于仕途經濟。許許多多的修行人，也爲外境所轉，爲了自我安慰、自我陶醉，整日忙于一些毫無意義的散亂之事。

　　The rapid development in all fields of science has brought ever-changing new amenities to human daily life. While taking full advantage of what modern technology has to offer, people do not spare a moment”s leisure to reflect on how to rest their minds that are running wild like crazed elephants. In order to satisfy their never-ending, ever-stronger desires, they are totally engrossed in chasing higher positions or piling up more wealth. Many practitioners, sadly, are likewise dominated by external affairs, gleefully spending all their days in meaningless distraction, and feeling rather proud of their own prowess.

　　作爲修行人，應甘于寂寞，遠離喧嘩場所，調柔叁門，時常安住一處。

　　As spiritual practitioners, however, we should accept loneliness willingly and feel at ease being alone. Staying away from places bustling with disturbing activities and noises, we should settle down to a quiet place and concentrate on taming our body, speech, and mind.

　　記得阿底峽尊者曾說：“如今五濁之惡世，非爲裝模作樣時，乃爲策勵精進時；非爲尋求高位時，乃爲置于卑位時；非爲攝受眷仆時，乃爲依止靜處時；非爲調化弟子時，乃爲調服自心時；非爲隨持詞句時，乃爲思維意義時；非爲到處遊逛時，乃爲安住一處時。”

　　I remember Master Atisha once said:

　　This degenerate time is no time to make a pretense; it is a time to work diligently;

　　This is no time for seeking high positions; it is a time for keeping a humble profile;

　　This is no time for amassing servants and retinues; it is a time for living in solitude;

　　This is no time for taking care of disciples; it is a time for taming your own mind;

　　This is no time for reciting words; it is a time for pondering the meaning of those words;

　　This is no time for being out and about; it is a time for staying put in one place.

　　意爲在五濁猖獗之今日，那些自心尚未調服，僅僅背誦了一些事相名詞，根本沒有理解其深刻含義，爲了尋求高位，卻裝模作樣，打著度化衆生的旗號，到處遊逛、攝受弟子、眷仆的行爲必須舍棄。

　　What he meant is that in degenerate times, there are impostors who memorize a few stanzas or some Dharma phrases but have neither tamed their minds nor realized the profound meaning of the Dharma. For the sake of seeking high positions, they make a pretense traveling about in the name of benefiting beings, accepting students, as well as keeping an entourage of servants. All such activities are wrong and must be cast off.

　　《楞嚴經》指出：“末法時代，邪師說法，如恒河沙。”我們不應做這樣的邪師，而應當如噶當派前輩大德一樣不依外緣，依止靜處，策勵精進，自視低微，反複思維佛法的深刻含義，一心一意調服自心。只有這樣，才能使正法真正融入自相續。

　　It has been pointed out in The Surangama Sutra: “At the time of degeneration, charlatans preaching the Dharma will be as many as the grains of sand in the Ganges River.” We should not become one of them but follow the old-time great masters of Kadampa—staying in places of solitude, cutting off external contact, practicing with tenacity, taking a low place, meditating again and again on the profound meaning of the Dharma, and concentrating only on taming the mind. Through these actions, and only these, can the Dharma truly infuse the mind.

　　在許多人樂于棲身的城市，到處充滿了蠱惑的能量。若沒有修持到一定境界，就應到曠野無人之境，“身體恒時應有心，床榻恒時應有身”，直至證得真如境界。如果身爲一名修行人，卻樂于在人山人海的大城市中毫無意義地閑逛，那就完蛋了！

　　Big cities that attract many people to come to stay are filled with poisonous, swaying energies. If our practice has not reached a high enough state, it is best to go to a barren and solitary place. Until we attain the level of perfect realization, we should “always link mind and body together, and let the body stay put at home.” If one calls oneself a spiritual practitioner, yet still finds great pleasure in wandering senselessly in big cities with huge crowds, then he is all done for!

　　壬午年五月初一　　

　　2002年6月11日

　　1st of May, Year of RenWu

　　June 11, 2002