積福與惜福 To Accumulate And Cherish Bliss
積福與惜福
第一三六期,美佛慧訊
文/楊釗
TO ACCUMULATE AND CHERISH BLISS
The key to managing an enterprise is to increase income and decrease expenditures. The key to managing a family is diligence and economy. Thus, over the past two thousand years, our traditions have taught us to be diligent and economize on expenses. The path to success is to accumulate and cherish bliss.
經營企業的要訣在于「開源與節流」；維持家庭的要訣在于「勤奮與節儉」，所以二千多年來的傳統，教人要「勤儉」持家；人生成功之道在于「積福與惜福」。
The management from western countries shows that the path to a successful career concludes with luck, knowledge, and effort. Knowledge and effort depend on diligence, learning, and hard work. Therefore, some have said, 「there are no difficult matters if one works diligently.」 Others said, 「There』s no genius; genius comes from diligence.」 So the function of diligence is really important. However, if a family only works diligently but without economizing expenses, even after a few years of hard work, they probably will still not be wealthy.
西方管理學中，總結了事業成功之道，在于「運氣、知識和努力」，知識和努力可以靠勤、靠學習、靠打拼而來，因此有人稱「一勤天下無難事」，又稱「世上沒有天才，天才來自勤奮」，可見「勤奮」的功用是很大的。但是，一個家庭若只有勤奮而沒有節儉，幾年下來，未必會富裕。
Only if a family combines diligence and economy¬¬¬—spending on necessity, and eliminating unnecessary expenses—will it be healthy and wealthy.
只有在「勤奮」之下，又能節省，「應使則使，不應使則省」，這樣的家，才能健康，才能興旺。
As for individuals, if one wants success and a healthy life, one must accumulate and cherish bliss. But what is accumulating bliss? It means to lay up bliss, to build up good fortune. Only fortunate people can be lucky. To be lucky means that opportunities would come to them, but unlucky ones have to search for opportunities. The lucky ones are like sailing on a boat that flows along the river, yet the unlucky ones have to fight against the tide, which obviously is a big difference. Bliss includes: fame, wealth, social status, health, good family and happiness.
對于個人來說，若要成功，若要健康發展，務必「積福與惜福」。甚麼是積福？積福稱之為「積累福氣，積累福份」，有福的人才有運氣，有運氣是機會來找他，沒有福氣的人是他去找機會。一種是順水行舟，一種是逆水行舟，其相差可見有多遠。福氣包括：名、利、社會地位、健康、家庭和快樂。
There are two accounts in life. One includes fame, wealth and social status, which is called the material account. The other one includes health, good family and happiness, which is called the spiritual account. When the material account is poor, one has no money to buy food and groceries. And if the spiritual account is so low to fall to a certain level, it would affect health and family. How could Heaven decide a person』s lifespan? It depends on if this person has assets in his or her spiritual account. When the spiritual account reaches its lowest level and the spiritual assets become negative, he or she can only claim bankruptcy. When the day comes, Heaven determines this as a sign to terminate one』s life.
人生有兩個帳戶，其一是「名、利和社會地位」，稱為「物質帳戶」；其二是「健康、家庭和快樂」，稱為「精神帳戶」。「物質帳戶」貧乏時，會無錢購買食物和日用品；「精神帳戶」若然空乏到一定程度，就會影響健康、家庭。上天如何決定一個人在世上的壽命呢？就是看他的「精神帳戶」有無資產，若然出現負資產，到一定階段，只能「破產」；「破產」的一天，其方法是用「結束生命去表現的」。
There are people that have fame and wealth, yet no longevity. The reason is because they have an abundant material account but a very poor spiritual account. It results in health problems, which might possibly endanger their life.
有一種人，有名有利，但沒有「長壽」，其原因在于「物質帳戶」充裕，而「精神帳戶」貧乏，結果健康會出問題，甚至影響壽命。
How to gain bliss? This can be called to accumulate bliss. Accumulating bliss can be developed from 「not killing, not stealing, not committing adultery, not lying, and not partaking of intoxicating liquors/drugs.」 This is known as the five precepts.
如何可以得到福氣呢？稱之為「積福」；「積福」可以從戒殺生、偷盜、邪淫、妄語、飲酒中來，稱之為「五戒」。
Furthermore, accumulating bliss can be developed from 「not killing, not stealing, not committing adultery, not lying, not harshly speaking, not engaging in double talk, not talking frivolously, not being greedy, not being angry, and not being delusional,」 which is called the ten meritorious acts.
積福可以從「不殺生、不偷盜、不邪淫、不妄語、不惡舌、不兩舌、不綺語、不貪、不嗔、不癡」中來，稱之為「十善」。
Bliss can also be developed from 「generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, meditative concentration and wisdom,」 which is called the six pāramitā, for they are the six means to achieve perfect wisdom, liberation and eternal bliss (nirvāṇa).
福氣可以從「布施、持戒、忍辱、精進、禪定、智慧」中來，稱之為「六波羅密」，即六種到達彼岸的方法。
Not killing can help one obtain health and longevity; not stealing can prevent poverty; not committing adultery can keep a family in harmony; not lying can guard one』s credit; not partaking of intoxicating liquors can keep one』s mind clear.
不殺生，可以得健康長壽；不偷盜，可以防止貧窮；不邪淫，可保家庭和睦；不妄語，可保信譽；不飲酒，可令頭腦清醒。
Not harshly speaking can keep people united; not double talking can guard a team』s spirit; not talking frivolously can help one stand on solid ground; not being greedy can help one know his or her own strength and work step by step; not being angry can keep one healthy; not being delusional can help one find the right methods to solve problems.
不惡口，可保團結；不兩舌，可以維護團隊精神；不綺語，可令人腳踏實地；不貪，可令人「量力而為、按部就班」；不瞋，可令人身體健康；不癡，可令人對症下藥，解決問題。
Generosity can offer one good fortune and numerous benefactors. Following moral laws can decrease obstacles and allow everything to go smoothly in his or her life. Patience can help one decrease the bad karma against one』s will.
Diligence can help one speed up the process in solving problems and achieve goals sooner than usual. Meditative concentration can give one the chance to reflect, introspect and repent. Wisdom can help one to draw up better plans and choose the right path and methodology.
「布施」可令人有財運、貴人運，時時有機會，「持戒」可以令自己減少障礙，事事順利；「忍辱」令自己減少逆緣，「精進」令自己加快解決問題，快速達到目標，「禪定」令自己有機會反省、檢討及懺悔，「智慧」令自己能夠更好的規劃和選擇正確的道路和方法。
How to keep bliss? One must cherish bliss. Cherishing bliss means to keep the five commandments, the ten meritorious acts, and the six pāramitā as faithfully as possible. However, it is easier said than done. It is very hard to put this into practice, because sentient beings on earth are affected by the power of karma, which means they are affected by habits from the past. It is very difficult to change oneself in a short period of time. This is the sentient beings』 original sin: the innate habits. It is said in a Buddhist sutra, 「The power of karma is so tremendous that it can break through the greatest mountain, go through the deepest sea.」 In other words, the power of habit is so strong that even the greatest mountain cannot hold it back; even if one were to run to the deepest sea, he or she still cannot hide from it. It could create tremendous obstacles to people while they are seeking or walking on the holy path.
如何能保持福氣呢？務必「惜福」，稱之「珍惜福氣」。珍惜福氣就是盡量要做到「五戒」、「十善」和「六波羅密」。
然而，說起來容易，但在實踐中做到則很難，因為在地球的眾生，受「業力」影響，也就是過去習慣的影響，要一下子改過來是很困難的事情。這就是地球眾生的「原罪」，生下來就有的習慣；經云：「業力甚大，能敵須彌，能深巨海，能障聖道」，也就是說，習慣的力量是很大的，即使大如須彌山也沒法抵御，習慣的力量，即使在大海的深處也沒有辦法逃避，對于人們追求神聖的道路，往往會產生很大的障礙。
The great masters in Zen school observed and researched karma and the environment of sentient beings, and thus offered mental medicine to cure these problems. For example: 「To rebuke disciples with a rod」, 「Returning as liberation」, and 「Living in the moment」 are some cases from the Zen school』s history.
禪宗的歷代祖師們，觀察和研究了眾生的業障和環境，所以提出了對治的「心理藥方」，其中有「一棒到底」、「回頭是岸」和「活在當下」。
「To rebuke disciples with a rod」 is a means to cure people who have no perseverance. Without perseverance, how can one achieve his or her goals? 「Returning as liberation」 is a means to cure people』s problem of stubbornly adhering to the wrong attitude. 「Living in the moment」 is to cure people』s problem of more talking than doing. They often put too much attention on arguments, and forget the philosophy that 「empty talk causes a country to degenerate, but pragmatic action brings a country prosperity.」
「一棒到底」是對治眾生沒有恆心的根性；沒有恆心，怎麼能到達目標呢？
「回頭是岸」是對治眾生「執迷不悟」的根性。「活在當下」是對治眾生講得多，做得少的根性；只求口舌之爭，忘記「空談誤國，實干興邦」之哲學。
In the case of 「Living in the moment」, the Zen masters summed up three key methods, called The Three Good Virtues. They are: 「keep a good heart, speak good words, and do good things.」 Even just these three methods are enough for us to learn and to practice. There is a Chinese proverb, 「to perform a one minute show requires ten years of practice.」 When we are dealing with people and daily matters, can we truly 「keep a good heart, speak good words, and do good things?」 Only when we practice every day, do it every moment can we gradually accumulate bliss. If we make a mistake, we shall repent it right away. Only repentance can mend mistakes. If we don』t know how to repent, it is easy for us to fall into an abyss of stubbornly adhering to the wrong attitude.
在「活在當下」之中，祖師們又歸納為三招，稱之做「三好人」，即「存好心、說好話、做好事」。只是這三招，已經夠我們學習與練習了；所謂「台上一分鍾，台下十年功」，與人交往，處事待人，能否做到「存好心、說好話、做好事」呢？只有天天做，時時做，我們才能逐步積累福份；若然犯錯，馬上要懺悔，只有懺悔才能補過，若不懂「懺悔」的人，很容易跌入「執迷不悟」的深坑。
Only when we learn how to self-criticize, conclude, and introspect can we discover, confront, and correct our shortcomings. Only those who have fewer flaws and more merits can be considered healthy and blessed.
只有學會檢討、總結和反省，才能發現缺點，正視缺點，改正缺點。只有缺點的少，優點的多，才能稱為健康的人。