比賽
On Competition
世間的人們總喜歡參與各種各樣的比賽，從國家的經濟繁榮、政治穩定，到體壇的世界杯、奧運會，再到個人的榮辱得失，無論是扭轉乾坤的大事，還是雞毛蒜皮的小事，都習慣性地與對方較勁。雖然沒有真槍實炮，卻處處彌漫著硝煙的氣息。名義上是比賽，實質與戰爭無異。
Humans love to compete. In all kinds of activities––from national economics and prosperity, government stability, sports such as the World Cup or the Olympics, to personal honor or disgrace, gain or lose––we like to find out who is better. It doesn”t matter if the competition concerns radical transformation or the most trivial matter; people just habitually plunge into it. In all these contests, no real ammunition or artillery is used, yet the smoke of gunpowder is pervasive in all; they are real wars masqueraded as competitions in name.
爲業力所牽的人們，整日爲競爭而奔波，不但搞得自己疲憊不堪，而且常常因此而將目標定得遙不可及，預定的目標難以企及，從而陷入一種難以自拔的痛苦當中。當看到周圍的人升遷、發財、出國,甚至買一件衣服，都會生起難以名狀的失落感，並千方百計超過對方以滿足自己的攀比心理。引發經濟犯罪率不斷上升，增加社會不安定因素。實在是得不償失。
Driven by the force of karma, many people are propelled into competitive activities all day long. Engrossed until total exhaustion, they cannot disengage themselves from suffering and the worry that they will never reach their unrealistic goals. Whenever they see others around them making money, getting promoted, taking foreign trips, or even buying a new outfit, they are seized with an indefinable sense of loss. To satiate the thirst of feeling superior, they will try every possible way to get the better of their opponents, resulting inevitably in the rise of economic crime. By adding more destabilization factors to society, they are doing more harm than good.
最近聽一位去拉薩朝聖的人講，在桑耶附近的亞瑪龍，有一位叫雷工的修行人，他已念了一億蓮師心咒，他告訴去看他的人說，這裏山青水美，山洞裏冬暖夏涼、山泉清澈甘甜、吃糌粑也能品出甘露的味道。真是無憂無慮、悠閑自在。想起那些忙忙碌碌的世間人，爲五鬥米而折腰，整日勞作卻煩惱增盛，真是可憐。
A person who came back from his pilgrimage to Lhasa told me recently about a practitioner by the name of Lei Gong who has recited the Vajra Guru mantra for a hundred million times. Lei Gong told his visitors that his cave is in Yamalong near Samye. Surrounded by mountains and limpid streams, it is warm in the winter and cool in the summer. A sparkling mountain spring provides him with a sweet drink and ordinary tsampa tastes like ambrosia to him. His life is calm and unfettered, free from attachment and worries. In comparison, worldly people are always running around and will compromise integrity for scanty material gains. Their hard work all day long brings nothing but many more negative emotions. How miserable they are indeed!
其實，一些名相上的修行人也喜歡觀看和參與比賽，承受比賽所帶來的痛苦，卻不喜歡獨自修行的快樂。常常奔波于一些表面的所謂善法，內心卻爲名利所誘而躁動不安。
In fact, practitioners with a pretense also like to watch or participate in competitions. They willingly bear the anxiety coming from contest but cannot appreciate the happiness of practicing in solitude. They are always rushing about tending to superficial virtuous activities, but their minds are restless from being tempted by power and money.
作爲修行人，我能否也像雷工一樣，舍棄世間名利，安住法樂。任世界萬千變幻，永葆一顆如如不動的心呢？
As a Dharma practitioner, can I be just like Lei Gong––renouncing worldly fame and wealth, and abiding only in the bliss derived from Dharma
Will I always be able to stay calm and unwavering in this ever-changing world
壬午年四月二十五日
2002年6月5日
25th of April, Year of RenWu
June 5, 2002