狮吼音·开示集：修持仁爱与慈悲

　　修持仁爱与慈悲

　　首先尊贵的法王传授了观音菩萨修行法门的口传仪轨。观音菩萨修行法门就是为了他人的福祉而修持仁爱与慈悲。

　　Firstly His Holiness gave the Chenrezig oral tranmission.  The Chenrezig practice is related to love and compassion for the welfare of others.

　　对仁爱与慈悲的修持，主要与内心的精神态度有关。那些无益于他人的行为，并不是爱与慈悲的修持。

　　The practice of love and compassion is primarily related to the mental attitude that comes from one’s heart.  To do things that have no benefit for others is not the practice of love and compassion.

　　对于一个初学者，一个像我们这样的普通人，往往很难理解修持爱与慈悲的真谛。同时，要依赖其他人我们才能够修持爱与慈悲，这是必经之路。

　　For beginners, ordinary people like us, it is difficult to understand the true practice of love and compassion.  Also, it is compulsory that we depend on others in order to practice love and compassion.

　　假如我们道出的是充满爱与慈悲的言语，我们就可以从这些言语中得到爱与慈悲的力量。

　　Therefore, if we recite words that are charged with love and compassion then we gain the power of love and compassion derived from these words.

　　根据人们的经验，我们知道言语有一种力量，能够给我们带来强烈影响。例如一些批评性或是无礼的言语就会对我们产生冲击，带来精神上的困扰和负面的情绪。因此，言语是有力量的，假如我们深知那些正面言语的意义并使用它，这会是给我们带来力量和美好体验的特别之道。

　　From one’s own experience, we know that words have a power and an impact on us.  For example, critical and offensive words have an impact on us.  They create mental disturbance and negative emotions.  Thus, words have power.  If we recite positive words of power while thinking of their meaning this can empower us in a very special way and give us a good experience.

　　在这个世界上有很多种宗教，某一些宗教的神祉有着实体的形象，但总的来说所有的宗教在他们的教授里都会提到某类形式或外相。

　　In this world there are many religions.  Some have a physical image of their god but in the totality of all religious teachings they all have some kind of shape or form.

　　学习佛法有三种方法——闻、思、修。为了学习佛法，我们可以投入全部的时间去学习所有的知识，但是挑选出什么是最重要的，并通过这些要点净化我们的生命，或许是一个更实际的方法，这一点很关键。

　　There are three methods for studying Buddhism – listening, contemplating and meditating on the teachings.  We could devote all our time to learn all that there is to learn about Buddhism but it might be more practical to pick what’s important and let this clarify one’s life.  This is very important.

　　通常，每一个个体都是独特的，有着独特的需求，与其他任何人都不一样。当今的世界需要创造一个正面的、平和的、非暴力的社会，这样才能够利益有情，我们需要依靠各种方法来实现这个理想。

　　In general, every individual is unique with unique needs, which are different for everyone.  These days the world needs to create a society that is positive, peaceful, non-violent and that benefits others.  We need to rely on many methods to achieve this.

　　从佛教徒的观点来看，我们需要发展一颗愿意利他的心，而且有很多方法能够帮助生起此愿心。在各种指引和方法中，观音菩萨修行法门中大悲心的修持，所带来的加持力就是其中之一，就像今天各位所领受到的。

　　From the Buddhist point of view, we need to develop a mind which wishes to benefit others  and there are many methods to do this.  Among these instructions and methods is the blessing of the great compassion practice of Chenrezig – like the one you received today.

　　我所说的并不是新的内容，对于那些经常来这里的人也许已经了解，但对于第一次来的人，我要说若能够发展出仁爱慈悲的殊胜思想，那将是很好的。

　　What I’ve said is not new, as those who regularly come know, but for those who have come for the first, it is good to develop the special thoughts of love and compassion.

　　为了生起菩提心以利他，我们必须跟循七个步骤。第一步是要认知到我们母亲的极大慈爱所具有的功德。在我自己的生命里，我很明白对我的母亲应该抱有的正确态度。不过当母亲和子女之间的关系出现问题，那些人们也许就不能够了解我的意思。

　　In order to develop Bodhichitta for the benefit of others then we must progress through seven steps. The first of these is to recognize the quality of our mother’s great kindness.  In my own life, I  understand having this proper attitude towards my own mother.  When the relationship between the mother and child is troublesome then these people may not understand what I mean.

　　所谓"所有众生都是母亲"的概念是什么呢？那就是当众生拥有一种慈悲的感觉，那是母亲才会有的情感。每一个众生都曾经在此时或彼时做过我们的母亲，当然他们也同样曾经做过我们的父亲，所以每一个人都曾经影响过你以及每一个人。一个人要了解和接受这样的信念，他需要相信在此生之前，曾经有过很多过去生。我们之所以能够获得此生以及过去的每一生，都是因为有父亲和母亲的缘故。然而即使是看上去一模一样的双胞胎，他们也会有着不一样的思维构成。

　　What is the correct concept of knowing all as being one’s mother?  It is when all sentient beings have the feeling of compassion which is like that of a mothers.  Every sentient being has been our mother at some time or another.  They also must have been our fathers too and so everyone has affected you and everyone else too.  To know and accept this belief one needs to believe in having had lives which have preceded this present life.  We have gained entry into this and each and every other life, via the vehicle of having had a mother and a father.  Yet even identical twins who look exactly alike have different intellectual make-ups.

　　曾经有过一些的真实例子，人们可以像看到照片一样地认出他们的前世，或是可以想起曾经在母亲的子宫中的情形，所以我们对于前世的存在不用感到怀疑。

　　There are instances of people who recognize their past lives like a photocopy or remember being in their mother’s womb. So we shouldn’t doubt about the existence of former lives.

　　总的来说，去记住我们的前生或者回忆起每一生是很难的，因为轮回是无始的，只要去思维每一个众生都曾经做过他人的母亲就行了。

　　In general, it is difficult to remember our former lives or to recall each one because they are beginningless.  Think about each individual being taking their turns in being the mother to one another!

　　如果你只看当前的情形，很明显不是每一个众生都是我们目前的父母，只有两个人是我们的父母。但是，对于父母的分类有很多种。例如，我们的父母给了我们一个身体，所以就有了生父母，接着我们会有指引的父母——例如我们的上师。

　　If you look at your present day situation then it’s obvious that not every sentient beings is our present day mother and father.  We only have two, but there are various ways to classify parents.  For example, there are our parents who gave us our bodies, then there are the parents who provide for us and then there are the parents who guide us – such as our teachers.

　　因此，由于相互的依赖，这个世界上的每一个众生都曾经身为我们的父母。我们依赖每一个人，需要和所有人合作，这是一个非常宏观又相关的观念。

　　Therefore, due to interdependence, all beings in this world have been and are our parents.  We depend on everyone in totality and need the cooperation of all.  This view is very big and inter- connected.

　　既然曾大大受益于众多相识或不相识的众生，我们应该在他们的利益和仁慈中得到启发。而对于我们的父母，光是受其启发是不足够的，这就意味着我们不但要认取是他们把我们带到这个世上的事实，我们还必须感恩于他们在抚养我们的过程中所付出的努力。现在的小孩子们对这一点认识得并不足够。

　　Since we derive a lot of benefit from so many known and unknown individuals in this world, we should be aware of their benefit and kindness.  This includes our own parents but this is not enough.  We must also be grateful for their efforts in bringing us up.  This doesn’t mean just recognizing the fact that we are here because of them.  These days children don’t recognize this enough.

　　为了加强对父母应有的感恩之情，有很多不同的办法。例如，我们应该照顾好我们珍贵的人身，因为那是父母送给我们的无价之宝，这是我们对父母之爱作出的承诺。他们希望我们能够快乐，因此父母是我们的第一个、也是最好的朋友。有时候父母因为养育了太多的小孩而发现很难付起这样的责任，当代的很多父母都会走家庭计划的捷径。当我们被带到这个世上，如果父母只是丢下我们独自一人，我们可能根本不能生存，我们的父母一次又一次的为我们而牺牲，所以我们应该深爱我们的父母。

　　There are different ways of highlighting the gratitude we should have towards our parents.  For example, we should take care of our precious body which is the priceless gift for our parents.  It is pledged to us out of their love.  They want you to be happy.  Our parents, thus, are our first and best friends.  Sometimes parents have too many children and find it difficult to meet this responsibility.  These days many parents use the short cut of family planning. Having been brought into this world, if they just left us on our own then we might not survive.  Our parents have died for us over and over again.  So we should love our parents.

　　让我们稍微转换一下话题，如果我们真的是在讨论如何利益他人，那么为什么我们会经常受到他人的伤害和困扰呢？我们应该憎恨那些伤害我们的人吗？如果我们需要依赖他们而得到利益，就像他们也依赖我们一样，当我们受到伤害时，是否应该希望反过来伤害他们呢？什么样的态度能带来最大的利益？是愤恨还是仁爱？如果我们爱他人，其结果就是我们将会快乐。所以发展对他人的爱与慈悲才是更好的选择。

　　Just changing the subject slightly, if we are really talking about benefiting others then how is it that we often receive harmful and disturbing causes from others?  Should we hate those who harm us?  If we all depend on others for our benefit, just as they depend on us- if we receive harm from them, should we wish to harm them in return?  Which attitude benefits most anger or loving-kindness?  If we love others, then the consequence is that we will be happy.  So it is better to develop love and compassion for others.

　　我们现在说的是我们所有父母仁爱的总集，以及如何自觉地生起这样的思想。虽然有时候，父母对子女不是十分的好，或者子女对父母不是十分好，这给父母或子女带来了各种问题。随后，父母们发现很难再去爱他们的子女。如果这样的情形一代一代地继续下去，那么很可能，爱将会在即将到来的世代里消耗殆尽。爱是需要彼此交互作用的。

　　We are talking about the collective kindness of all our parents and consciously creating this thought.  Sometimes however, parents are not very kind to their children nor children very kind to their parents.  This causes all kinds of trouble for the parents and/or the children.  Subsequently, the parents find it difficult to love their children .  If this continues from generation to generation then it may come that love is almost extinct in coming generations.  Love needs to be reciprocal.