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《菩提田》

 

BODHI FIELD

謙柔和順離驕慢
Always be Gentle, Harmonious, and Not Arrogant

*恆音    文
By Heng Yin

「驕慢」是聰明有才,或家境富裕,生活條 件優厚之人,常犯的過失。這種人覺得自己比 普遍人優越,所以更應該受人尊敬,而且「我 相」特別大,覺得人人皆不如他,因此這種人 沒什麼朋友。由於他常以輕蔑的眼光看人,在 團體裡面,很難把自我放下,所以很難與人和 諧相處。驕慢這種過失,容易自我孤立,又與 人隔絕,自己的慈悲心也因此枯萎了,所以我 們對驕慢的人,應寄予同情,並且以方便法來 教導他們,使之發展出一種與眾生息息相關的 精神。當驕慢的人嚐到了在因幫助他人,而產 生的喜悅時,就會漸漸減低他們對自我的執著 ,同時心量也隨之擴大了。

驕慢的人,獨立性特強,常閉門自守,不與 人交往,所以把他們附屬於一個團體,並且隨 眾活動,才是他們最好的修行法門,但也是最 困難的一個法門。因為要隨眾,所以他就得與 人接觸,就得學習容忍,學著幫助人。但是, 雖然幫助人,還不能著相,覺得自己是幫助人 了,否則又增長優越感了。我們應該將自己所 具有的天賦,後天的福報等等,來幫助人,怎 麼能讓驕慢心來障礙我們,不讓我們全力在助 人方面,發揮我們的才能呢?我們應該對接受 我們幫助的人,生感激心,因為他們給了我們 修行慈悲的機會,沒有他們,我們就沒有這個 修行的機會了。

佛教裡講一切眾生皆是平等,眾生雖在生死 輪迴中受苦,不得出離,但眾生皆有佛性,皆 堪成佛,一切眾生都是究竟平等的。因此,佛 教談修行時,不應執著世間法來生分別心,不 應讓個人的財富、名譽、社會地位、聰明才智 …等等,障礙我們不能見到眾生和我一體,但 是這些話,說起來容易,做起來卻要下苦功夫了。

人就是這個樣子,碰見不如我們的人,不知 不覺中,優越感就升起來了,也不願意幫助對 方,覺得不值得,就說自己另有要緊的事要做 ,啊!這真是一個大過失,錯過了一個助人的 機會,實在太可惜了。

有時候,我們想學習助人的法門,但卻沒有 機會助人,所以當有機會種福的時候,我們應 該心生感謝,不要錯失機會,切不可拿「太忙 」,「有別的事要辦」來搪塞。只要我們有能 力,我們應該盡我們的力量,來滿眾生的願。 也只有這樣子,我們才能除滅「我相」所帶來 的煩惱,才能從生死中求得解脫。不要為了怕 累,怕吃虧而躲懶偷安,踟躇不前。

古來大德聖賢,及師父上人的風範,都是我 們人生學習的好榜樣,雖然這些話講起來容易 ,但真是不容易做到!

Arrogance is a fault of people who, because of their talents, abilities, possessions, or conditions, surpass the average, and feel that they are superior to others and deserve more respect. Arrogant people have big egos, and cannot regard others as having the same or higher worth than themselves. As a result, arrogant people have few friends and are unable to relate to most people. Since arrogant people look down upon others, they tend to be supercilious when dealing with people. It is difficult for them to dwell in a communal group and put down their sense of self to harmonize and comply with the multitude. Arrogance is a fault which isolates a person from the rest of humanity, which causes his sense of kindness and compassion to wither and atrophy. Thus, arrogant people deserve our sympathy and should be taught expediently to develop a stronger sense of interconnectedness with humanity. When arrogant people experience the joy of interacting with and helping others they will be able to gradually reduce their attachment to self and expand their minds.

Since arrogant people tend to be independent and seclude themselves, the Dharma-door of being part of the assembly, of following along with the group, is the most appropriate Dharma-door to cultivate, and also the most difficult. By staying with the assembly, one must deal with other people, and develop a helpfulness toward others. One cannot attach to the mark of helping others, for if one does, one will only feel more superior. We should use our talents or superior blessings to benefit others. We should not let pride obstruct us from utilizing our talents to the fullest to do beneficial deeds. We should also be grateful to living beings who need our help, who are a medium and means for us to cultivate. Out of gratitude, we should always be gentle and harmonious to all living beings. Without them, we wouldn’t have this opportunity to cultivate!

In Buddhism, all living beings are equal. On the one hand, all living beings are suffering in the cycle of birth and death, unable to escape. On the other hand, all living beings have the potential to become Buddhas and end birth and death. Thus, ultimately, we are all equal. When we cultivate in Buddhism, we should not discriminate based on worldly dharmas. We should not let worldly distinctions of education, wealth, age, beauty, strength, social position, occupation, intelligence, and so forth, obstruct us from seeing that all living beings are basically equal, and that we are all one substance, if you trace it to the source. It is often hard to practice this principle.

Often we forget, and feel superior to a fellow cultivator who is not as skilled as we are. When such a person asks for our help, we are very haughty and unwilling to help, thinking that there are more worthwhile and important things to do. But this is a great mistake, for what could be more important than helping someone who explicitly gives us the chanc to do so?

Often, we may want to cultivate the Dharma of benefitting others, but do not see any opportunity to be of use to anyone. So when someone requests our help, we should be extremely grateful to him for giving us the chance to plant blessings. Never should we overlook the opportunity to help them, how much less dismiss his plea with the excuse of being "too busy with more important matters." We must exhaust our efforts to satisfy the wishes of others while we have the strength and ability to do so. We must put into good use our physical body and mental faculties for the sake of fulfilling the wishes of others--only in this way can we get rid of the mark of self which brings us endless afflictions and hinders our liberation from birth and death. We should not hesitate or hold back out of gear a of being too tired, taking a loss, or out of laxness.

We have to take the Venerable Master and the ancient Great Worthies as our models. I have said these words easily enough, but it is really difficult to practice them.

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