..续本文上一页tthavo yaavajiva.m ussahokaraniiyo."
We could express this in our own words:
"Look, over there! There”s a mountain and a deep jungle; mountainsides and gorges, brooks and streams, cliffs, peaks and mountain slopes. There are the water courses and banks of mountain rivers. These are places of ease and quietude, free from all forms of entanglement. Seek for such areas and strive there amongst such scenes."
"The Tathagata attained his Buddhahood from these settings and surroundings, not through socializing and mingling together. He didn”t become enlightened by indulging in frivolity and merriment, by trailing in the flow of desire, self-seeking ambitions and obsessions, and allowing himself to be dragged away under the authority of defilements and desires. On the contrary, the Tathagata came to his Enlightenment in secluded and deserted places. Those were the spots where he made his great effort, escaping from his palace and city and all their manner of peoples. The Tathagata went through hardship and adversity that was born and derived from his exertion in those secluded and remote places. Enlightenment didn”t come to him amidst the grandeur and magnificence of palaces, or amongst the crowds at crossroads or market places. It came to him in solitude and seclusion, totally retired from the world. The Tathagata accomplished and arrived at the state of purity of a Buddha in these outlying places."
"May all of you therefore turn towards these places that the Tathagata has described. The mountains, hillsides, caves, and shady trees; the deep forests and the distant open spaces where the air is light and clear. These spots are deserted and quiet, free from confusions and troubles, forsaken by people. If you all aspire to the state free from suffering then you must follow the route of the Tathagata to those places. Then you too will definitely, one day, also reach the ending of lives and existences, the (quenching) of the glowing coals in the pit of repeated births and deaths."
What I”ve just explained was, in fact, the second of the basic guidelines. The first directive was:
"Pa.msakuula ciivara.m... "
"All of you who have gone forth should seek for discarded materials left in cemeteries or along the road sides. Stitch and sew them together to make your lower robe, upper robe and outer robe; so they may be used to cover and protect your body, sustaining the holy life from day to day. This will accord with your recluseship and spartan life following the way of Dhamma. Subsist frugally on the four requisites of living — food, shelter, clothing and medicine — and be content with little, satisfied with whatever requisites accrue without indulgence in excess and lavish wastefulness. You may however, accept the gift of robes presented by lay devotees as long as it is the way of simplicity and moderation. One causes oneself to be easily fed and cared for without causing problems and concerns for the faithful supporters."
The third of the guidelines was:
"Pi.n.diyaalopabhojana... ."
"Having gone forth in the religion3 you can”t afford to be lazy. Go on an almsround,4 feeding yourself by your own effort and on your own two feet with a pure and honest heart. The faithful devotees willingly and happily offer the gift of food following the samana”s tradition, avoiding the usual worldly bargaining with money. The going for alms in order to support yourself is the pure and impeccable livelihood for one who has gone forth. You should try to maintain this practice for the rest of your life. Any occasions of abundance and excess should be considered exceptional circumstances, when you need to oblige the laity. Any shower of gifts, however, must never be taken heedlessly, complacently thinking that they indicate your honor and dignity. They would…
《To the Last Breath - 7· The Middle Way》全文未完,请进入下页继续阅读…