魔 Mara

In the article, "Diary", I wrote about obstacles that one faces on the path to enlightenment. what are these obstacles? In Buddhist Texts, they are normally called Mara.

在〈日記〉這篇文章，有寫到修行的障礙，但這些障礙究竟是什麼？在佛經上，這些障礙通常被稱為「魔」。

We had written that to reach enlightenment, one needs to be balanced rationally and emotionally. These two aspects of oneself need to be mature enough to stand on their own. When both your rational and emotional self both reached maturity, you can become a "Great man". As a great man, you can become enlightened. And when you are enlightened, you can be liberated.

之前有寫過學佛需要理智和情感的平衡，這兩點需要成熟到能讓自己站穩。 當您的理性和情感都成熟了，您就可以有「大人相」。 有了「大人相」，您也就能明白真相； 明白真相，您就能解脫。

What are Maras? Where do they come from, and what do they want?

什麼是「魔」？它們從哪裡來、想要做什麼？

Maras can come from within and without, but it doesn't matter where they came from. Their purposes are the same. Their purposes are to prevent you from becoming a great man. They do this by limiting your intellectual freedom; they do this by preventing you from thinking critically.

「魔」可以來自自己心裡或外面。 但它們來自何處不是很重要，它們的目的是相同的，那就是防止您有「大人相」。 「魔」想盡方法去限制您的思想，防止批判性思維，不讓您有思考的自由來阻礙您的修行。

You need your rationality to identify your emotional weaknesses so you can improve them. Maras seek to confuse you to take away your rationalities. Sometime, they do so directly, by attacking your rational mind with false information. You will need your critical thinking ability to defeat them.

您需要理智才能知道情感的弱點，也才能消除這些弱點。 「魔」試圖拿走您的理性來混淆您。 有時，它們用不對的知識、文章和理論，直接攻擊您的理智，您需要批判性思維來擊敗它們。

Other times, Maras will attack you through your emotions. They make you fear, they make you addicted, they make you lazy and they make you make mistakes and produce bad karma. They make it so that you are afraid to think and to act. They could attack a weakness that is already within you, and amplified it, so that you are afraid to act. They could attack from without, by using authorities, peer pressures and cultural standards to paralyze you.

其他時候，「魔」攻擊您的情緒。 它們讓您恐懼、讓您上癮、讓您偷懶、讓您做惡業，它們讓您害怕去思考和採取行動。 它們可以攻擊您已經有的弱點， 讓這個弱點控制您的思考和行為，使您不敢動。 它們也可以用權威、同儕壓力和文化標準來麻痺您的思想。

The results are the same: you cannot grow and cannot change.

結果都一樣，您無法成長、無法改變。

This is why we keep talking about understanding yourself, about critical thinking and emotional maturity. To become enlightened, you will need to have a balanced rational and emotional self as a foundation. Once a foundation is in place, then you can talk about becoming liberated.

這就是為什麼我們不斷討論批判性思維和情感的成熟。 要知道真相，您將需要有平衡的理智和情感做為基礎，一旦基礎穩了，就可以來談論如何解脫。