按摩

　　Massage Treatment

　　遵照醫囑，我必須每天接受按摩。

　　According to my doctor”s advice, I should get a massage treatment daily.

　　由于每天接觸，這個按摩師已和我混得很熟。他不但手藝高超，而且十分健談。

　　As we see each other every day, the masseur and I have become well acquainted. He is quite deft in his profession and is also a good conversationalist.

　　我剛一躺下，他就開始了滔滔不絕地講演：“你們學佛的都說因果報應，我觀察了很多，真的是不爽啊！你看美國，整天欺負別人，結果世貿大樓就被人炸了。阿富汗塔利班去年毀滅佛教，砸了不少佛像，結果也遭到報複。看來，因果這東西叫人不得不信。我隔壁的主人不孝父母，結果老婆跟人跑了。我也不知前世造了什麼惡業，今生變成瞎子，但也不知造了什麼善業，讓我擁有這份手藝，可以衣食無憂……”

　　Soon after I lay down, he let out a flood of words: “You Buddhists always talk about karmic retribution. I could see it indeed is infallible through my many years” observation. Look at the United States, bullying others and its World Trade Center towers were blown to ashes. The Taliban of Afghanistan, destroying the Buddhist religion a year ago and smashing many holy statuses, now they end up meeting revenge. Apparently, karma is something we”d better believe in. My next-door neighbor has been impious to his parents, and he sees his wife run off with someone else. For myself, I must have committed some evil actions in my past lives and as a result, I was born blind this life. On the other hand, I must also have done unknown good deeds so that I could learn my trade and support myself….”

　　他的話讓我沈思良久，世間身體健全的人往往不如一個盲人。他們不知因果，造作惡業。遭遇厄運時，怨天尤人。殊不知：“欲知前世因，今生受者是，欲知來世果，今生作者是。”

　　His words left me pondering for a while. It”s a shame that many able-bodied people often cannot do better than a blind person. They are ignorant of the principle of cause and effect and indulge in negative actions; when encountering misfortune, they only resent fate and blame others. They reckon not the following adage:

　　If you want to know what you have done in your past lives,

　　Just observe what this life of yours has been like.

　　If you want to know how your future lives are likely to be,

　　Just observe what you have been doing in this life.

　　一切善惡因果，皆是自己所爲。如果人人都能像這個按摩師一樣相信因果，我想世界也會因此而多一些美好，少一些醜惡。

　　All of our fate, good or bad, results from our own deeds. If everyone could have faith in causality as my masseur does, I believe the world will have one measure more of decency and one measure less of hostility.

　　想著想著，忽然感到背上被人狠狠地打了一下，痛得我叫了起來：“你可不要亂摸啊！”按摩師連忙說：“對不起！對不起！我把您當成美國人了。不過，天下都已經大亂了，我又爲什麼不能亂摸、亂說、亂想呢？”一句話，說得我哈哈大笑：“在藏傳佛教裏，有位十分了不起的大成就者麥彭仁波切說：“雖此大地滿惡人，然自當持高尚行。”你雖不是佛教徒，但這句話對你也會有益的。你可要做出淤泥而不染的荷花啊！”“謝謝您的忠告，我一定照此行持。”

　　While deep in thought, all of a sudden I felt a heavy blow on my back that made me cry out with pain: “Ouch! Do spare your brute force!” The masseur apologized quickly: “I am sorry, I am very sorry; somehow I was imagining you as an American. Anyway, the world is already in chaos, why is it that I cannot fumble about at will

　　 Why can”t I speak at liberty, or indulge in fancies

　　” I chuckled heartily and said: “In Tibetan Buddhism, there is a great master called Mipham Rinpoche. He once said, “Even if the whole world is filled with evil beings, one should still maintain one”s noble conduct”; although you are not a Buddhist, I believe this saying will benefit you. You should always be like the lotus flower which emerges out of mud without being sullied.” He replied: “Thank you so much for your advice, I shall follow it faithfully.”

　　今天我挨這一下，也是因果顯現。若能因此而讓他明白一些道理，那也是值得的。

　　Well, the heavy pounding landing on me today may well be the result of my own karma. But if this episode can bring my masseur some understanding of the truth, my pain is all-worthwhile.

　　壬午年叁月十叁日 　

　　2002年4月25日 　

　　13th of March, Year of RenWu

　　April 25, 2002