修道的秘诀：节食、寡欲
The Secret to Cultivation: Eat Less and Reduce Desire
无明为何不能破？烦恼为何不能断？智慧为何不能现？
就因为贪吃、好色。
Why can”t we demolish our ignorance, eliminate our afflictions, and reveal our wisdom
Because we crave food and sex.
世界有成住坏空，人有生老病死，这是很自然的一种道理。你明白这个道理，成就是住，就是坏，就是空；生也就是老，就是病，就是死。若无成，就无住、无坏、无空；若无生，就无老、无病、无死。
The world goes through the stages of formation, dwelling, decay, and emptiness. People undergo birth, old age, sickness, and death. These are very natural phenomena. If you understand, you will see that formation includes dwelling, decay, and emptiness; and that birth includes old age, sickness, and death. Without formation, there would be no dwelling, decay, or emptiness. Without birth, old age, sickness, and death would not occur either.
可是众生用妄想执着来分别这些事情，分别几个大劫，也分别不清楚，时时还是那么糊涂。刚刚要明白一点，又糊涂了，所以在轮回中，总是出不去。若想出轮回，打破这条道路，就可以修行成佛，证得本来的佛果，无来无去，无垢无净，不增不减，不生不灭，什么忧愁烦恼也没有，什么五浊也没有了。可是我们人都放不下假的，所以找不到真的，所谓：
Living beings, however, use their discursive thoughts and attachments to analyze these phenomena. But even if they spent several great eons analyzing them, they would still be just as muddled as before. Right when they are about to understand a little, they get muddled again. In this way, they remain within transmigration and cannot escape. If we wish to escape transmigration, we must cultivate to discover our inherent Buddhahood. Then, there will be no coming or going, no purity or defilement, no increase or decrease, and no birth or cessation. There will be no worries or afflictions whatsoever. The five turbidities will cease to exist. But, since we cannot let go of the false, we fail to discover the true.
舍不了死，换不了生；
舍不了假，成不了真。
If you can”t give up death,
you can”t exchange it for life.
If you can”t renounce the false,
you can”t obtain the true.
你不把狂心野性降伏，那么真正的智慧就不能现前，因为你总用无明覆盖着自性。
If we don”t calm our false, wild natures, then genuine wisdom cannot manifest. Our inherent nature is covered by ignorance.
无明有两个帮凶，两个伙计，究竟是什么呢？就是食与色。一个食欲，一个色欲，这两个帮着无明做种种坏事。所以儒教中说：「食色性也。」好吃、好色是天然的生性。要知道，我们这个无明为何总也不能破？烦恼总也不断？智慧总也不现？就因为贪吃、好色。
Ignorance has two accomplices—the desires for food and sex. Food and sex support ignorance in perpetrating all sorts of evil. A Confucian proverb says, "Food and sex are part of human nature." We are born with the craving for food and sex. Why is it that we have not been able to demolish our ignorance, eliminate our afflictions, and reveal our wisdom
Because we crave food and sex.
食就是帮助欲，欲就是帮助无明。你看人生来就会吃，小孩子一生出来就会吃奶，没有奶就哭起来，吃了奶就不再哭，也不叫了，所以这是与生俱来的。
Food gives rise to sexual desire, and sexual desire gives rise to ignorance. We are all born knowing how to eat. Once a baby is born, it cries because it wants milk, and it doesn”t quiet down until satisfied. Thus, the desire for food is something we are born with.
有了食欲之后，就生出色欲，男好女色，女好男色，互相迷恋贪着，放不下，看不破。因为饮食所有的精华就变成「精」，精一足，就生出色欲了，所谓：
Once the desire for food arises, the desire for sex arises as well. Men are attracted to beautiful women, and women are charmed by handsome men. People become infatuated and obsessed and cannot see through their desires. The nourishment from the food we eat is transformed into reproductive essence; and once that essence is full, sexual desire arises.
饱暖思淫欲；饥寒起盗心。
When warm and well-fed,
one entertains thoughts of lust.
When cold and hungry,
one considers stealing.
人若是饱暖了，男人就想女人，女人就想男人，就搞这一套。若是穷了，就想去偷盗。你吃有营养的东西，吃得肥肥胖胖的，就会打淫欲的妄想。人先有了食欲，想吃好味道，想吃帮助身体健康的食物，可是吃少了，又觉得不够；吃多了，色欲就生出来了；色欲生出来，就不顾生命了，尽去贪色，所以色与食是死党。若是无明没有食、色的帮助，它就不会作那么多怪。
When well-fed and well-clothed, men think about women and women think about men. It”s always the same old thing. When one is poor, one thinks about stealing. One gorges oneself on rich food until one is overweight, and then entertains thoughts of lust. But first, people have the desire for…
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