修道人要受苦

　　Cultivators of the Way Should Undergo Suffering

　　福不可享尽，享尽就没有福了；苦可受尽，受尽则没有苦。

　　We should not enjoy our blessings to their end, for if we did, we would have no blessings left. On the other hand, we can endure suffering to its end, for then there will be no more suffering.

　　所谓「受苦是了苦，享福是消福。」我们修道人为什么要修苦行？一天只吃一餐，就为要了苦的缘故。苦了了，便是乐。

　　A saying goes: "Enduring suffering puts an end to suffering; enjoying blessings exhausts blessings." Why do cultivators of the Way want to cultivate

　　 We eat only one meal each day because we want to end suffering. Happiness remains once suffering is gone.

　　福，有应享的福和不应享的福。应享的福，是自己工作所得来的代价，能够住好房子，穿好衣服，吃好东西，坐好汽车，可以享受一番。可是，要知道享完之后，就消福了，而在福报的银行就没有存款了。

　　Blessings come in two varieties: those we should enjoy, and those we shouldn”t enjoy. Blessings we should enjoy are those which come as rewards for work we ourselves have done. Such things as living in a nice house, wearing nice clothes, eating good food, and riding in nice cars are blessings we can enjoy. We should recognize, however, that once these blessings have been enjoyed to their fullest, they will be gone, and our bank account of blessings will be all out of capital.

　　不应享的福，就是在本分之外求享受，由侥幸得来的福。好像强盗，抢人家的钱，自己享受，这是不讲道理的享受，必定会受到法律的制裁。在福报银行的户头就透支了。

　　Blessings we should not enjoy includes things gained by seeking beyond one”s rightful share: blessings that come through scheming and trickery, such as money stolen from others. If we enjoy such blessings, then it”s unrighteous pleasure, and the law will punish us. We will have overdrawn our bank account of blessings.

　　应享的福，享完之后，福就消了，何况不应享的福，硬要勉强享受，这不但消福，而且还要亏本。因为这种关系，所以福不可享尽，享尽就没有福了；苦可受尽，受尽则没有苦。我们做人要明白这种道理。在困难的环境中，欢喜接受逆境，这样便无怨恨，也没有不满现实的心在作祟。

　　Once we enjoy all the blessings that are rightfully ours, our blessings will be used up. How much more is it so with blessings that are not rightfully ours

　　 Should we demand to enjoy those as well

　　 Not only will we burn up our blessings that way, we”ll even go bankrupt. For that reason, we should not enjoy our blessings to their end, or else, we will have no blessings left. On the other hand, we can endure suffering to its end, for then there will be no more suffering. We should understand this principle, so that when we find ourselves in distressing circumstances, we happily accept the discomfort. In this way, we avoid all resentment and we don”t become dissatisfied or discontent.

　　研究佛法的人，其思想和行为，与世俗人正好相反。世俗人是顺着生死去造业，修道人是逆着生死来消业。无论在什么境界上，处之泰然，心安理得，便不觉得苦。所谓「吃得苦中苦，方为人上人」，这是至理名言。

　　The thinking and behavior of people who study Buddhism is exactly the opposite of worldly people. Ordinary worldly people flow with birth and death as they create more karma. Cultivators of the Way oppose the flow of birth and death as they wipe out their karma. No matter what situations arise, they calmly endure them, resting securely in their knowledge of the principles; thus suffering does not seem painful to them. A saying goes, "Only one who has tasted bitterness to the ultimate degree can become an extraordinary person." How true it is!

　　现在讲一个受苦的公案，做为参考。明朝最后一位皇帝，名叫崇祯。他虽有皇帝的智慧，可是没有皇帝的福报。为什么？因为他的苦没有受尽。他前生是个沙弥，因为未到受具足戒的时候，就死了，所以还是个小沙弥。他做沙弥的时候，凡是搬柴运水的苦工，都由他来做，任劳任怨，天天做苦工，来护持道场。

　　I”ll now tell you a story of one who endured suffering. The last Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was known as Congzhen ("Noble Portent"). Although he possessed the wisdom of an emperor, he lacked the blessings that an emperor needs. Why was this

　　 Because his suffering had not come to an end. In an former life, he had been a novice monk, but he died before receiving complete ordination as a Bhikshu. Thus he remained a Shramanera (novice). As a novice monk, he had to perform all the menial jobs, such as gathering wood and toting water. He simply endured the toil and swallowed his resentment. Every day he engaged in these strenuou…

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