斷疑 Ending Doubt

Ending Doubt

　　斷疑

Many people who have studied on a university level and attained graduate degrees and worldly success find that their lives are still lacking. Though they think high thoughts and are intellectually sophisticated, their hearts are still filled with pettiness and doubt. The vulture flies high, but what does it feed on?

　　很多擁有大學文憑和世間成就的人，發現他們生活似乎仍然少了什麼。雖然他們思想高深，聰明世故，心卻依然充滿了小氣與疑惑。兀鷹雖然飛得很高，但它吃的又是什麼?

Dharma is understanding that goes beyond the conditioned, compounded, limited understanding of worldly science. Of course, worldly wisdom can be used to good purpose, but progress in worldly wisdom can cause deterioration in religion and moral values. The important thing is to develop super mundane wisdom that can use such technology while remaining detached from it.

　　「法」，是超越因緣和合事物和世間科學的有限知識之領悟的。當然，世間的智慧可以用在好的目的，但是，世間智慧的進步會造成宗教與道德的腐敗。重要的是，要去增長能夠運用這些技術，同時仍保持不執著它們的超俗智慧。

It is necessary to teach the basics first-basic morality, seeing the transitoriness of life, the facts of aging and death. Here is where we must begin. Before you drive a car or ride a bicycle, you must learn to walk. Later, you may ride in an airplane or travel around the world in the blink of an eye.

　　剛開始教導基礎是必須的──基礎的戒，徹見生命的短暫，徹見老、死的真相。這里就是我們必須開始的地方。在你開車或騎車以前，必須先學會走路。未來，一眨眼間，也許你已會乘坐飛機或遨游世界了。

Outward, scriptural study is not important. Of course, the Dharma books are correct, but they are not right. They cannot give you right understanding. To see the word hatred in print is not the same as experiencing anger, just as hearing a person’s name is different from meeting him. Only experiencing for yourself can give you true faith.

　　外在的經典研究並不重要，當然，經典是正確的，但它們也不盡正確。它們無法給予你正確的知見。看見文字上的「嗔怒」和經驗嗔怒是不同的，就好像聽到一個人的名字和遇見其人並不一樣。唯有親自經驗方能給你帶來真實的信心。

There are two kinds of faith. One is a kind of blind trust in the Buddha, the teachings, the master, which often leads one to begin practice or to ordain. The second is true faith-certain, unshakable-which arises from knowing within oneself. Though one still has other defilements to overcome, seeing dearly all things within oneself makes it possible to put an end to doubt, to attain this certainty in one’s practice.

　　信心有兩種：一種是盲目地信賴佛、法、僧，通常因此而導引一個人開始修行或出家。第二種是真實的信心──穩定、不動搖，是從認識自己內心而生起的。雖然我們仍然有其他的煩惱(雜染)須去克服，但是，我們還是得清楚地徹見自我內在的一切，使我們能夠斷疑，進而達到個人修行中的穩定。