---
title: 平常心 Normality - 以自為依‧如法而行(自依‧法依) Set Out To Work Rightly, By Yourself
description: "1-3-4. SET OUT TO WORK RIGHTLY, BY YOURSELF以自為依‧如法而行(自依‧法依)"
---

1-3-4. SET OUT TO WORK RIGHTLY, BY YOURSELF以自為依‧如法而行(自依‧法依)

In making our minds peaceful of this nature, we cannot rely on anybody to help out. You can't 'depend on ghosts or angels. Ghosts and angels can't help to make our minds peaceful and still, but we ourselves must set out to work. This is in conformity with the principle of ATTAHI ATTANO NATHO - self is the refuge of self. Developing awareness is the method to make the mind reach the state of equanimity. The mind in neutrality is like a weight that holds one back from excessive anger or too much greed, which could easily kill one.

In this sense, it is also destroying delusion, at the same time. It is delusion that concocts up greed and aversion, which are the culprits that make people go wrong. The Buddha stressed that people should have awareness, concentration and wisdom.

要讓我們的心達到這種本來的寂靜安祥是不能靠其他任何人幫忙的。你不能靠鬼魅或神祇。鬼魅和神祇不能幫我們使心安祥與寂靜，我們必須自己去做才行。這與Attahi Attano Natho(自己是自己的庇護)的原則是一致的。培養覺性是能使心達到寂靜狀態的方法。中道心如同砝碼，可以讓我們平衡而不致太過生氣或貪婪，那是能輕易毀掉一個人的。就這點來說，它也同時破除了無明，因為就是無明才會生起人們造惡的元凶——貪與瞋，所以佛陀強調我們必須要有覺、定、慧。

Coming to concentration ; there tend to be teachers who teach to sit with the eyes closed and make the mind peaceful. But in reality, the Buddha teaches concentration by determining to work punctually and straight regarding one's duties. This is not the same as the teachers these days.

I'm talking with right view and so it is necessary to speak straightforwardly. The main teachings of Buddhism emphasize awareness and wisdom, as for concentration: we don't need to talk about it, especially the kind of concentration that is taught. Real concentration is to establish the mind, to be determined to work. Awareness is recollection, before acting, speaking and thinking. As for wisdom, it is thorough understanding.This is how the Buddha teaches.

說到定，一般老師都傾向于教人閉著眼睛坐禪來使心平靜下來，但實際上，佛陀是要我們在平日下決心準時正常上班以及正視自己職責等來教導禪定(亦即在生活中要不怠惰、不輕忽...等，而隨時保持正念)，這是不同于今日一般老師的教導。我要依正知見來談，因此必須直接了當的說：佛陀主要的教導是強調覺與慧，至于「定」就不需談論了，尤其是一般老師教導的那種定。真正的定是要堅定我們的心，是要堅定地去工作(而不怠惰，意即堅定而不為物所轉的心)。覺是在身、口、意造作前能保持正念(中譯注：recollection的巴利文是anussati，中文是隨念，即常常憶念佛法僧戒…等的意思，簡言之即隨時保持正念)。至于慧則是從了解(真相)而來的，這是佛陀教導的方法。

I would like to emphasize once more that the Buddha didn't teach to sit with the eyes closed because doing so yields no results. Suppose we're sitting with the eyes closed in a mosquito net and we have gold at home ; if we're absorbed having the eyes closed, a thief will cone and take away the gold and we don't know or see it. Another example is a true story : A policeman came to see me and told me he wanted to do meditation, he said he had been doing it for 7 years but the mind didn't get peaceful. So I asked him : 'How have you been doing it ?'. He said : 'Sitting with closed eyes'. He was wearing glasses so I made him take his glasses off and do sitting meditation with eyes closed. As soon as he sat with his eyes closed, I picked up his glasses and hid them. Then I told him to open his eyes and asked : 'While sitting with eyes closed your things have disappeared, did you know that ?'. He said no. 'Having stuff disappearing, is it good or bad ?'. He answered : 'It is bad'. This example shows that somebody who thinks he knows a lot and has a degree might believe something that is wrong, taught by a foolish person. So from now on, whoever comes to teach anything, listen to it but don't believe it straight away! We are Buddhists and should really know and consider, reasoning whether things are in accordance with the teachings of the Buddha or not - even when not, just listen to it. There is a lot of wrong teaching going on these days. Nowadays, whenever I give a talk anywhere, I try to tell people about this.

我要再強調一次，佛陀沒有教我們閉著眼睛坐禪，因為這樣做不會有什麼結果。假設我們家里有黃金又在蚊帳內閉眼坐禪，如果我們閉著眼睛而入了定，這時小偷來拿走黃金我們就不能知道或看到。再舉個真實的例子：有位警察來看我，他想學禪修，他說他坐禪七年但心還是不能平靜。于是我就問他：「你怎麼修的呢？」他說：「閉著眼睛坐著。」他戴著眼鏡，于是我叫他拿掉眼鏡然後閉著眼睛坐禪。當他閉眼坐下之後，我把他的眼鏡藏起來，然後再叫他張開眼睛，並且問他：「當你閉著眼坐禪時東西不見了，你知道嗎？」他說：「不知道。」我再問：「東西不見了，是好還是不好？」，他說：「不好。」這例子顯示出：那些認為自己懂得很多又有身份地位的人有可能相信一個愚痴者錯誤的教導。因此從現在開始，任何人來教導任何東西，你們應該傾聽但不應立即輕易相信！我們是佛教徒，凡事必須明確了知並善加思考，判斷它是否符合佛陀的教導？如果不符合，那聽聽就好。今天這個時代有太多錯誤的教導。我現在每次去到任何地方演講，都會告訴人們這個道理。

As far as I've observed, people's intelligence can be divided or compared with 3 types of rice : the first kind are the full, fat and faultless rice-grains, that, having been planted, sprout and grow big, quickly, and when husked, they turn into excellent rice, the grains are beautiful and make a good price, everybody wants it. The second type of rice has small, thin grains, when planted they might sprout but not as well as the first type. As for the third type : It is blighted rice, it doesn't grow when planted, it can only be used as chaff.

You, who have come here,. may you be as intelligent as the first kind of rice, determine to listen well and having listened, practice so that results will arise that are truly satisfactory.

就我的觀察，人們的智慧可以用稻子來比喻而分為三種：第一種是豐滿、肥大又沒有瑕疵的稻谷，它們從播種、萌芽到變大成長快速，經過去皮之後便成了優質的白米，米粒漂亮又有好價錢，每個人都想要這種米。第二種是瘦小的稻谷，它們播種之後也發芽變大但沒有第一種那麼好。至于第三種，這種是壞了的谷子，種下去之後不會長大，只能拿來當做粗糠。在座的各位，希望你們都像第一種的谷子那樣有豐滿的智慧，要下決心好好地聽，而且聽了之後要自己修行，這樣就一定會得到真實滿意的成果。