正見 2 The Right View 2

I constantly run into the same type of differences in view with anicca and anattā when reading other Buddhist materials.

在讀其他佛教作品時，我也常常碰到對「無常」和「無我」有不同見解的情形。

I know we have not really discuss anicca and anattā in detail so far, only hinted at them. This is because unless you really understand Śūnyatā, it is hard to discuss anicca and anattā in such a way that you can accept them.

我知道，到目前為止，我們還沒有真正討論過 「無常」和「無我」。這是因為，除非您真的了解「空」，否則您不會接受我對「無常」和「無我」的說法。

If I tell you anicca (impermanence) simply means that every phenomenons changes constantly and continuously. Anattā (not-self) means that "I" changes constantly and continuously. And that's it! Can you accept these answers?

如果我說，「無常」，是每一個現象不斷的在變。 「無我」是「我」不斷的在變。 就是這樣而已，您能接受嗎？

You might not, because this is so obviously, that everyone is intuitively aware of these "facts". You might think that whatever Buddha realize must be more profound than these.

您也許不能，因為這太明顯了。 每個人都直覺的去了解這些「事實」。 您可能會認為佛的覺悟應該比這些更深奧、更難懂。

But remember that Buddha was educating people two thousands years ago. They have a drastic different living environment and knowledge than we do today. Just like today, you don't need to teach your 3 years old child how to use a computer, but need to buy a lot of book and constant tutoring to teach your grandparent how to use a computer. It's the same with Buddha's teachings. If Buddha is alive today, he would probably use different words and phrases to tell you what he knows.

但佛陀是在教兩千年前的人。 兩千年前的人跟我們有很大不同的生活環境和知識。 就像今天，您不需要教3歲孩子如何使用電腦，但需要買大量的書籍和不斷指導來教您的祖父母電腦。 佛陀的教誨也是一樣。 如果佛陀活在今天，他也許會使用不同的詞和字來告訴您，他覺悟了什麼。

But I digress. A lot of teachers and writers cannot accept such a simple definition of anicca and anattā either. They might agree on what it means, but they differs on implications. They all seems to think that anicca and anattā must imply something that transcend humanity as we know it.

言歸正傳，回到主題。 很多教師和作家也不能接受這麼簡單的定義，他們也許會同意，但觀點會不一樣。 因為他們覺得佛陀說的「無常」和「無我」應該有一些超越人類的東西。

Because of this, they come up with, to me, seemingly strange ways to Practice.

所以，他們會有一些（對我來說）很難理解的修行。

One method seems to think that anattā is a tool, a strategy that will help a practitioner achieve enlightenment. I do not disagree with this approach. However, in this method, a practitioner is suppose to create some good qualities, such as self-reliant, responsibility, and heedful, and use these qualities as crutches to help the practitioners to get to anattā, at which point, the practitioners is suppose to throw all these good qualities away, because he would no longer need them.

例如，有一種修行是用「無我」作為一個工具或一種策略來幫修行者覺悟。 我可以同意這種想法。 但是這種修行是要修行者去創造一些好的素質，如：自力更生、責任感、細心，來幫修行者達到「無我」，然後，把這些好的素質全部丟掉，因為一個「無我」的人不需要這些東西。

But my real question is why? Why throw away good qualities that we so carefully cultivate? Of course this method wants you to throw away your bad qualities too. So if you do end up at anattā, you would have no qualities? I suppose they would say the quality that remain is anattā, which is unconditional happiness. Happiness itself is an emotion, whether conditional or unconditional, right? So there is still something that is attached to this unconditional happiness, and the five Skandhas are still needed feel this happiness, right? So what has changed? And how do you really go about throwing away all qualities about you any way?

為什麼？ 為什麼要丟掉精心培育的素質？ 當然，這種修行也要您扔掉壞的素質。 所以，「無我」的人都沒有素質？ 他們也許會說「無我」，就是無行的快樂。 但是，快樂本身是一種情感，不論有行或無行。 所以仍然有東西存在來接受，仍然有五蘊來感覺這種無行的快樂，不是嗎？ 這個境界是「無我」嗎？您要如何去丟掉所有的素質？

Is it possible that the fact that they are able to create good qualities themselves is anattā in and of itself? That is, they are Practing anattā without knowing it? Because of anattā, they are able to change themselves.

是否有可能：他們能夠創造好的素質就是因為「無我」？ 也就是說，他們在不知覺的情況下修行「無我」，因為「無我」，他們才能改變。

What do you think which one is the right view?

您覺得哪個才是「正見」呢？

It is correct that Right View is very important. But it is more than just knowledge, but how you handle the knowledge. It is useful to ponder a knowledge from different angles in order to figure out the right way to look and treat a knowledge.

「正見」很重要沒錯。 但「正見」不是「正知識」，是如何看待知識。用不同的角度去思考，才能找出正確的觀點，這才是「正見」。


上一篇 Previous Part

放下 3 Detachment or Letting Go 3

So to me, this is what it all means. To empirically understand anattā means to have the ability to control the intensity and duration of emotions.

所以對我來說，體會「無我」能啟發控制情緒的能力。

But the ability to control emotions is merely a mechanical tools. What is important is to also to have the wisdom to know the appropriate intensity and duration for a given situation.

但控制情緒的能力只是一個工具。
最重要的是也要有智慧，才能知道在某一個情況下，
什麼是適當的情緒、適當的強度和情緒要維持多久。

If someone is bullying you, and you can raise your anger or meanness to a level surpass that of the attacker, would you not be able to scare the attacker away?

如果有人在欺負您，可以增強您的憤怒、兇惡來超越攻擊者，
難道他不會被嚇跑嗎？

If a con-man is trying to elicit your greed, and you can shorten your greedy instinct to nano-seconds, would you fall for this person con?

如果騙子想要引起您的貪婪，
但您能縮短貪性在剎那（那一秒）裡，
您還會落入這個人的騙局？

If you see a pleasing appearance, would your lust hang around long enough and strong enough for you to get into trouble?

如果您看到一個賞心悅目的外觀，
慾望會在您的心裡強到、久到而產生麻煩嗎？

Would you ever need to let your level of compassion because you are losing motivation or are burning out?

您會讓慈悲心消弱，因為您失去動力嗎？

If you have the ability to control your emotions, and the wisdom to apply them, can you imagine what type of person you will be? You will know when to raise your emotions and when to extinguish them. You will know when to laugh and when to cry; when to be angry and when to be compassion.

You past emotions will no longer be a baggage that you have to carry around, because you have already seen the inside and throw away anything you no longer need.

如果您有能力去控制自己的情緒，也有智慧知道如何應用，
您能想像您會是什麼樣的人嗎？
您會知道什麼時候需要提高情緒，及何時會消滅。
您會知道什麼時候要笑，要哭， 要生氣，要同情。
您過去所有的情緒不再是一個包袱，
因為您已經知道裡面有什麼東西，也已扔掉不再需要的東西了。

Would you not have control of your own life?

您不會有能力控制自己的生活嗎？

This is the ultimate implication of anattā; 
to live a fuller life than anyone else.
Laugh when you want to. Cry when you want to, 
and be angry when you want to as well.
You won't create "The Dark Side" because of runaway emotions.
And once the emotion pass, it goes away forever.
You no longer need to live with the emotion of the past, 
you can live in here and now.

這是「無我」的終極影響：活個最充實的生活。
要笑就笑，要哭就哭，要生氣就生氣。
不會因為情緒，而產生黑暗面。
情緒過了，就沒有了。
不再活在過去情緒裡，只活在當下。

How do you start? As we keep repeating, you start by understanding yourself.

該如何開始呢？正如我們不斷重複的，從了解自己開始。

上一篇 Previous Part 
 

放下 2 Detachment or Letting Go 2

In the previous article, I presented our logic regarding Śūnyatā which is that Śūnyatā implies impermanence. Impermanence implies mutability . Mutability implies that we have a mean to control the change. I will now discuss this in more detail, using "Anger" as an example.


在前篇文章，我介紹我們對「空」的想法，
那就是「空」意味著「無我」跟「無常」。
「無我」跟「無常」代表易變性，
易變性表示我們有控制變化的空間。
現在，我將更詳細的討論這一點，以「瞋」為例子吧！

Fig. 1 A person's emotional progression,　圖 1 一個人情緒的發展

Figure 1 shows the progression of anger in a person. X-axis is the progression of time from left to right. Y-axis is the level of anger; higher the Y, more angry a person is. The curve that I have drawn is just an example of what I think a typical anger changes over time. Note that the anger level shown here is not what people can observe externally, but what a person really felt inside of himself. Because people can be good at acting, they can be smiling at you while be really angry at you all at the same time.


圖1顯示了一個人憤怒的進展。 X軸代表時間由左到右的進展。 Y 軸是憤怒的強度，越高代表越生氣。
我畫的曲線是一個普通人生氣的變化，從時間＝０開始。
請注意，這裡畫的憤怒強度不是外表所觀察的，
而是個人內心所感覺的。
因為有些人是可以同時對您生氣也跟您微笑。


At time = 0, a person start to feel angry. The anger proceeds quickly to its peak at point A, then it slowly fall backs down. Note that I didn't not drawn the anger back to zero, or no anger because most of the time, the anger still reside within us and we can never completely destroy it. This anger will sit in our subconscious, until next time we are angry. Then, it will surface, making us even more angry and say things like "You did this last time too!"


在時間＝０，一個人開始生氣了。
這個生氣的強度越來越高，達到它的最高點在Ａ，
之後，氣就慢慢消失。但我沒有畫氣消到０。
因為有時，這個氣會一直留在我們心裡，下一次有機會的話，
它就會再次出現，我們就會說類似「上一次，你也是一樣」的話。

Fig. 2 Emotional progression of a person empirically understood anattā , 圖２　一個體會無我的人情緒的發展

Figure 2 is another profile of anger. However, this one is totally different. The anger level quickly elevates and falls back to zero just as quickly. This means that this person, while feels anger, is able to quickly dissipate it and remove the anger from him permanently.


圖2是截然不同的憤怒進展圖。
生氣的強度迅速升高，也一樣快速的降回到零。
意味著：這個人雖然會生氣，但他能夠迅速，
也永久刪除這個氣，且徹底的從內心消除。


On the graph, I showed that the anger starts at time = 0, and the anger ends time = T. If T is less than a microsecond, and you are looking at this person, would you even be able to notice this person's anger?


在這個圖裡，我畫這個人的憤怒從時間 = 0開始，
在時間= T而滅掉。
如果0到T是不到一微秒的時間，
您會注意到這個人的憤怒嗎？


We can replace anger with any other emotions on these graphs, and they will all mean the same thing. The first graph shows how our emotions, as human beings, evolve within us. That we cannot control the duration and intensity of these emotions, we can only ride with it. The second graph shows how a person who empirically understand anattā can handle their emotions.


簡而言之，我們可以用其他的情緒來取代「瞋」。
第一張圖代表我們無法控制情緒的強度和時間的長度。
第二張圖顯示一個體會「無我」的人是如何處理自己的情緒。


If you can do this with all emotions all within a microseconds, would an observer think you have fully detached from your emotions? Of course! But what they don't know is that you have decided that the emotion is not worth exhibiting for all to see, and that's the topic of the next article.


如果您能在一微秒內起滅所有的情緒，
大家能觀察到您的情緒嗎？
當然不能！他們會以為您已經「放下一切」。
但他們不知道您在那短暫的時間，
已經決定這個情緒是不必要被人家看到的，
這將是下一篇文章中的主題。


上一篇 Previous Part                                            Next Part 下一篇 

放下 1 Detachment or Letting Go 1

Earlier, I was translating Master Ban Ji's book. She had a section on "Detachment." and I would like to expand on this topic. She had some issues with the common teaching that if one is able to let go of everything, one would immediately become Buddha. She questioned that if we let go of everything, will we still be able to live?


早些， 當我在翻譯半寄師父的書，
對師父寫關於「放下」的內容有些想法。
師父對「放下一切，立即成佛」的說法有點疑問。
她質疑：如果真的放下一切，我們仍然還活著嗎？


If we let go of all our worldly possessions, would we be running around naked looking for things to eat ?


我在想：如果我們放下所有的身外之物，是否需要赤裸裸的跑來跑去找東西吃呢？


If we let go of all our emotions and senses, wouldn't we become like stones on the field?


如果我們放下所有的情緒和感覺，不就變成跟石頭一樣？


Then I had a thought. Don't every one and every Buddhist books all expound on the idea that Bodhisattva is full of compassion? And that we need to be full of compassion. So that means Bodhisattva didn't have let go of compassion. Does that mean that we can keep out compassion too? Why don't we need to let go of compassion? If we get to keep compassion, what else do we get to keep?


那麼，我有一個想法。
大家跟所有的佛教書籍都說菩薩都充滿了慈悲心，
而且我們也需要跟菩薩一樣有慈悲心。
這不表示菩薩放不下慈悲這個情緒嗎？
為什麼我們不需要放下慈悲？不是要「放下一切」嗎？
如果我們能留慈悲，那還有什麼情緒可以保留？


Let us try to solve this issue by applying Śūnyatā to this issue.
Śūnyatā implies impermanence of one-self. To us, impermanence implies mutability, and mutability implies that we have a mean to control the change.


讓我們嘗試用對「空」的瞭解來解決這個問題。
「空」意味著「無我」跟「無常」。對我們來說，
「無我」跟「無常」代表易變性；
易變性表示，我們有控制變化的空間。

Next Part 下一篇