出家人不閒聊 Monks Dont Chatter

Monks Don’t Chatter

　　出家人不閒聊

As for speaking little, saying just what is necessary, if someone asks, ’Where are you going?” simply answer, ’’To get jackfruit wood.” And if they ask further, ’What are you going to do with the wood,” just answer, “I’m going to dye my robes.” Rather than, “Oh, I’ve just come from Umpur Muang, and I’ve heard there’s some good jackfruit wood around, so I’ll cut some and dye these robes, which I just finished sewing last week. Boy, what a job it’s been! Say, what have you been doing this week?”

　　關于寡言，就是只說必要的。如果有人問：「你要去哪里?」只要回答：「去拿波羅蜜木。」就好了。如果他們再問：「你要木頭干什　呢？」也只須回答：「要用來染袈裟。」就好。而不是：「噢，我剛從安波市來，我聽說這附近有很好的波羅蜜木，所以我要砍一些下來染我上星期剛縫好的袈裟。啊，真是件難事!說說看，你這星期做了些什麼?」

Ordained people should not be interested in chattering and socializing. Not that they should not speak at all, but they should only speak what is useful and necessary. In Achaan Mun’s monastery, after the afternoon water hauling, sweeping, and bathing, no noise could be heard save the sound of the sandals of monks doing walking meditation. Once a week or so, the monks would gather for instruction and teaching, then go right back to their practice. The walking paths were well worn in those days, whereas today the only footprints to be found are often those of the village dogs.

　　出了家的人不應當喜于閒聊和社交。並不是說他們應該完全禁語，而是應該只說有用和必要的話。在阿姜 滿的寺院里，過了午後的打水、掃地和淨身之後，除了僧侶們經行時的拖鞋聲外，聽不到任何喧嘩。大約每一星期，僧侶們會聚集在一起聆聽指導及教示，然後又立刻回去修行。昔日，經行的道跡，顯而易見，而現在唯一能找到的，通常只是村落里的狗足跡而已。

Good meditation temples are increasingly hard to find. For most monks, Buddhism is a lot of study without real practice. Everywhere, there is more interest in cutting down forests and building new temples than in developing the mind. In earlier times, this was not the case-meditation teachers lived with nature and did not try to build anything. Now, offering buildings is the religious activity that most interests lay people. So be it. But we must know the purpose of having a~ monastery. The monk’s own practice is 80 to 90 percent of his job, and the remainder of his time can be spent benefiting the public. Even then, those who teach the public should be ones who are in control of themselves and thus capable of helping others, not caught up with their own burdens.

　　優良的禪修道場愈來愈難找了。對大部份約出家人而言，佛教是廣博的研充究而沒有實際的修行。每一個地方對砍伐樹林，興建道場的興趣也都比增長心來得高。然而早期的情況並非如此──禪師們與大自然生活在一起，並不想建造任何東西。如今，最令在家眾感興趣的宗教活動就是布施建廟。世事如此的話，那就讓它去吧!但是，我們必須知道寺院的目的。出家人的職責，百分之八十到九十是他們自己的修行，而剩余的時間可以用做利益眾生之事。即使如此，那些在外教導眾生的人，應當是一些能主宰自己的人，方能有能力去協助他人，而不是那些被自己的負擔所束縛的人。

The occasional talks the teacher gives are an opportunity to check out your state of mind and your practice. The points he teaches are important to work with. Can you see them in yourself? Are you practicing correctly or making certain mistakes? Do you have the right outlook? Nobody else can do this for you, you cannot end doubt by listening to others. You may assuage your uncertainty temporarily, but it will return and you will only have more questions. The only end to doubt is to put it to rest by yourself once and for all.

　　老師偶而的開示，通常是審查自心狀態和修行的機會。他所教導的重點是非常重要而必須去實踐的。你可以在自己身上看到嗎?你修行得正確嗎?抑或犯了一些錯?你有正確的看法嗎?沒有任何人能替你做，光聽別人說也無法斷除你的疑惑。你也許能暫緩你的不定，可是，它還是會回來，到頭來你只會有更多疑惑罷了。唯一能斷除疑惑之道，就是你親自做一次地完全放下。

We must use the physical solitude of the forest to help develop mindfulness, not just for isolation and escape. How can we escape our mind and the three characteristics of conditioned phenomena? Really, suffering, impermanence and no self are everywhere. They are like the smell of excrement. Whether you have big piles or little piles, the smell is the same.

　　我們必須利用森林的獨處來幫助增長正念，而不是為了隔離或逃避。我們怎麼逃得過自己的心和和合事物的三大特質(無常、苦、無我)呢？真的，無常、苦、無我三者無所不在。它們就好像糞便的臭味，不論是大或小，其味道都是一樣的。