追逐
Crazy Pursuits
站在都市五光十色的街頭，我看見世間八法的彩虹。
Standing at the corner of a dazzling city street, what appears in front of me is the rainbow of the eight worldly preoccupations.
透過紅燈綠酒，映出人們的一臉倦容。爲了五花八門的目標，熙熙攘攘的大街上，人潮洶湧的股市上，推杯換盞的酒桌上，爾虞我詐的生意場上……到處都是尋求的身影。世人對金錢和妙欲享受的追逐，已到了難以控製的程度。
The glaring lights of the high life expose everyone”s weary looks. Chasing after their desires, the seekers rove everywhere—the hustling and bustling streets, the stock exchange floor, parties with wining and dining, cutthroat business dealings, etc. People”s pursuit of money and pleasure has been so fervent that it is almost out of control.
騎自行車的向往摩托車，有摩托車的渴望汽車，然後是沙漠王子、奔馳……；住一室一廳的想換五室二廳，住五室二廳的又野心勃勃地爲別墅而奔波，擁有別墅的，更夢想著：春天，推開窗戶就能欣賞東京街頭千樹萬樹櫻花開的盛景；夏天，足不出戶就能享受阿爾卑斯山的習習涼風；秋天，在自家的花園裏，便能觀賞日內瓦湖的清涼月影；冬天，走出房門便能踩在夏威夷海灘細軟的金沙上面……；對金錢的貪婪也到了無以複加的地步，有一萬想十萬，然後是一億，反正是多多益善……
A person who owns a bicycle dreams of a motorcycle, while one who owns a motorcycle desires an automobile. Then the car has to be upgraded to a Land Cruiser, a Benz… A one-bedroom, one-living room apartment has to be replaced by a five-bedroom, two-living room condo. Having lived in the five-bedroom, two-living-room place, one gets busy to add a villa. In addition to the villa, one keeps on dreaming: In spring, I shall open my window to the spectacular cherry blossoms in Tokyo; in summer, I could enjoy the cool breezes from the Alps right at my doorstep; in autumn, I shall marvel at the moon”s reflection in Lake Zurich leisurely in my own backyard; in winter, I easily walk out from my patio onto a Hawaiian beach of fine sand…. The greed for money, likewise, is just at its extreme—owning $10,000 makes one want to have $100,000, and then to $100,000,000 and so on. Anyway, “the more, the better” can never be wrong.
追求的方向令人眼花缭亂，追求的對境也是令人難以企及。然而，卻從未有人考慮過貪欲的副作用，不知道這一切完全是作繭自縛。要知道，欲望的溝壑永遠也無法填平。只能令自己爲之所囿。忙忙碌碌，徒增煩惱。然而，不論如何苦心經營，風光一世，到頭來也不過“一抔淨土掩風流”而已。
The courses of pursuit make one dazed while the goals get harder for one to reach. Yet, few have thought through the untoward effects of craving; people don”t see that they are becoming ensnared in a web of their own spinning. It should be understood that the pit of desire could never be filled to the top; it only buries oneself. Endless toil and drudgery only pile up defilement. No matter how painstakingly one has schemed or how glorious one”s life has been, in the end there is nothing left but a pile of earth over ashes of splendor.
《聖經》中也記載，亞當因爲有了欲望而不得不離開伊甸園，以辛勤勞作維持生計。夏娃不得不付出生孩子的痛苦代價。可見痛苦是人們咎由自取的結果，沒有欲望也就沒有痛苦。
The Bible tells the story of how Adam was forced to leave the Garden of Eden after he became desirous. He then had to make a living with hard labor. Eve had to pay the price by going through the pain of childbirth. Hence suffering is no one”s fault but one”s own. If there were no desire, there would be no suffering.
心寬何須室大，智淵何求財多？千百年來，爲了追逐享受，人們付出了沈重的代價，實在應該記取這一慘痛教訓。
Who needs a big house when one”s mind is spacious
Who needs a lot of money when one is rich in wisdom
Since time immemorial, humans have paid dearly for chasing after pleasure. Isn”t it about time that we take lessons from bitter experiences
無垢光尊者在600多年前就知道人們的這一病患，留下了《大圓滿心性休息》，希望精疲力竭的人們能依此而得以休憩。前輩大德凝聚著智悲精華的教言，如何不被我們白白浪費，的確是值得深思的問題。
Longchen Rabjam, a sage living 600 years ago, clearly saw this affliction of humans. He left us Finding Comfort and Ease in the Nature of Mind; hoping that our weary and exhausted souls could find some respite therein. A teaching like this condenses all the wisdom and compassion of sublime masters. We need to think carefully about how not to squander this precious treasure.
壬午年叁月初一
2002年4月13日
——書于一落英缤紛之櫻花樹下
1st of March, Year of RenWu
April 13, 2002
Under a cherry tree with falling flower petals flying around.