..續本文上一頁Healthy self-esteem comes from living up to a set of standards that are practical, clear-cut, humane, and worthy of respect; the five precepts are formulated in such a way that they provide just such a set of standards. 這便是五戒的用處所在: 它們是爲了治愈這些傷創與疤痕而設計的。健康的自尊來自于踐行一套實用、明確、合乎人性、值得敬重的准則; 五戒的製定方式，正是爲我們提供了這樣的一套准則。

　　Practical: The standards set by the precepts are simple — no intentional killing, stealing, having illicit sex, lying, or taking intoxicants. It”s entirely possible to live in line with these standards. Not always easy or convenient, but always possible. I have seen efforts to translate the precepts into standards that sound more lofty or noble — taking the second precept, for example, to mean no abuse of the planet”s resources — but even the people who reformulate the precepts in this way admit that it is impossible to live up to them. Anyone who has dealt with psychologically damaged people knows that very often the damage comes from having been presented with impossible standards to live by. If you can give people standards that take a little effort and mindfulness, but are possible to meet, their self-esteem soars dramatically as they discover that they are actually capable of meeting those standards. They can then face more demanding tasks with confidence. 實用: 戒律所定的標准可謂簡單——不有意地殺生、偷盜、行不當性事、說謊、用醉品。遵照這套准則生活，是完全有可能的。盡管並不總是容易、方便，卻總是可行的。我見過有人把戒律譯解成聽起來越發崇高、聖善的標准——舉第二戒來說，把它讀成不濫用地球的資源——但是，就連那些如此另解戒律的人自己也承認，奉行那些標准是不可能的。凡是與心靈受創者打過交道的人都知道，那種傷創常常來自被要求奉行一套不可能達成的標准。如果你能夠給出一套需要付出一些努力和念住，但有可能達到的標准，那麼當人們發現自己的確有能力達到那些標准時，他們的自尊感將會大幅度提升。接下來就能夠懷著自信，面對難度更高的任務。。

　　Clear-cut: The precepts are formulated with no ifs, ands, or buts. This means that they give very clear guidance, with no room for waffling or less-than-honest rationalizations. An action either fits in with the precepts or it doesn”t. Again, standards of this sort are very healthy to live by. Anyone who has raised children has found that, although they may complain about hard and fast rules, they actually feel more secure with them than with rules that are vague and always open to negotiation. Clear-cut rules don”t allow for unspoken agendas to come sneaking in the back door of the mind. If, for example, the precept against killing allowed you to kill living beings when their presence is inconvenient, that would place your convenience on a higher level than your compassion for life. Convenience would become your unspoken standard — and as we all know, unspoken standards provide huge tracts of fertile ground for hypocrisy and denial to grow. If, however, you stick by the standards of the precepts, then as the Buddha says, you are providing unlimited safety for the lives of all. There are no conditions under which you would take the lives of any living beings, no matter how inconvenient they might be. In terms of the other precepts, you are providing unlimited safety for their possessions and sexuality, and unlimited truthfulness and mindfulness in your communication with them. When you find that you can trust yourself in matters like these, you gain an undeniably healthy sense of self-respect. 明確: 戒律的條文不帶假如、而且、但是之類的虛詞。這意味著給出的指南是極其明確的，無可適從的含糊與不足誠實的強辯，在此並無余地。一件行爲要麼符合戒律，要麼違背戒律。如前所述，這類標准奉行起來是十分健康的。凡是有過教養孩童經驗的人都知道，孩子們也許會抱怨嚴格刻板的規矩，但實際上，這種規矩比起那些含糊不明、多有回旋余地的規矩，他們覺得更有安全感。明確的規矩不允許隱秘用心的存在。舉例來說，假設殺生戒允許你在其它生靈的存在對你不便時把它們殺死，那樣就把你的方便放在了高于你對生命的慈悲的位置。方便與否即成爲你的潛在標准——我們都知道，秘而不宣的潛規則爲虛僞和否認的滋長提供了大片的沃土。不過，你若是堅守戒律界定的標准，那麼如佛陀所言，你就給衆生提供了無量的安穩。沒有任何條件能讓你奪取生命，無論機緣何等不便。你所持的另外幾條戒，也讓你對衆生的財物安全和性安全，提供了無量的保障，也讓你在與衆生的交流之中，爲他們提供了無量的誠實和念住。當你發現，自己在這類事情上能夠信任自己時，便獲得了一種自尊感，無可否認，它是健康的。

　　Humane: The precepts are humane both to the person who observes them and to the people affected by his or her actions. If you observe them, you are aligning yourself with the doctrine of karma, which teaches that the most importa…

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