平常心 Normality - 果報：心地清淨 The Result : Purity Of The Mind

1-3-2. THE RESULT : PURITY OF THE MIND 果報：心地清淨

Now, I’d like to talk about results. Just imagine, if doctor Jivaka was with us here today, and volunteered to be a delegate, he would certainly get the highest marks. This could be taken to be a result of doing good. Another thing is, that we could compare doctor Jivaka’s wafting goodness with an opening flower ; whoever sees it feels refreshed and admires it. Or we could compare him with gold or a diamond that may have other minerals attached to it but, the gold or the diamond still maintains its 100% purity. This refers to the value or fruit of working according to one’s duty. Caring for the sick, even when nobody sees it, maintains its purity of the mind and its goodness, fully.

接下來，我想談談果報的問題。想象一下，假若齊瓦哥醫生今天和我們同在一起，並且自願做代表，那他必定會得到最崇高的評價，這可看成是一種善行的果報。另外，我們可以把齊瓦哥醫生飄送的善行比喻為盛開芬芳的花朵，任何人看到它都會神清氣爽和讚美，而這也可看成是一種善果。或者我們也可以把他比喻為混雜其它礦石的黃金或鑽石，雖帶有其它雜質但黃金或鑽石本身仍然是100%的純淨，這個比喻是指一個人善盡職責的價值或果報。如果，即使沒人看到，你也一樣地照顧病患，這樣你的心地和善行就能圓滿清淨。

So all of you officers, whether you are policemen or nurses in the hospital, when we do our duties properly, the results will follow. Don’t want anything or expect any results. When we work according to our duties we are one person who practices straight and respects the regulations and oneself. Therefore our Buddha teaches that doing good is good and doing bad is bad. That’s what He said. We, officers and government officials, especially policemen should look after virtue in practicing our duties : wrong is wrong and right is right. Those of you who are doctors and nurses have to look after virtue by following your duties. When everybody follows their duties, the work will prosper in all its aspects, no matter what angle, it will progress.

所以，在座的全體工作人員，不管你是警察或護士，當我們正確地履行責任時，果報自然會跟著來，切莫要求任何東西或期待任何果報。當我們依我們的職責盡心工作，我們就是誠正修學的人，而且是尊重規定和尊重自己的人。因此，佛陀教導我們：「行善就是善，做惡就是惡。」佛就是這麼說的。我們所有工作人員或政府官員，尤其是警察，都應該要在執行任務時注意自己的德行：錯就是錯，對就是對。你們當醫生或護士的也必須依循職責，注意自己的德行。當每一個人都能盡一己之責，那工作就會全面的成功，不管任何方面都會有所進展。

My vision is that the first cause for the arising of results is the firm determination to work as good as possible, with kindness and generosity, using one’s knowledge and brains fully, and to work with a Dhamma-mind. When it’s like this, those who are given service will be impressed, the hospital and doctors will be famous and this fame will spread in all directions. Or at least, on the level of the individual, it will go from mouth to mouth among villagers that that is a good doctor this is a good nurse. This is the result that you will recieve. I want to emphasize all sides to be sincere in your duties.

我的看法是，果報現起的第一個原因是具有盡心盡力做好工作的堅定決心，也就是要仁慈慷慨、善用知識與頭腦、以及帶一顆「法心(Dhamma-mind)」來工作。當能做到像這樣時，那些服務人員一定會讓人感動，醫院和醫生都會出名而且聲譽遠播。或至少就他們個人而言，村民們會口口相傳說：「那是個好醫生，這是個好護士。」而這就是你會得到的果報。我再強調：要對你的職責忠誠。

Right here, I want to make reference to the Buddha ; the Buddha used to teach people to work honestly, not to work corruptly. Uprightness is something white, clean and bright and it brings peace, that is, brightness in the midst of the mind. If we have a dirty mind, defiled with stains, the mind is rotten and stinks.

現在，我要舉佛陀為例，佛陀常教導人們：「忠誠地工作，不能貪污腐敗」。誠正是指潔白、清淨、光明，而且能帶給我們安祥，也就是一種心地的光明。假若我們有一顆骯髒的心，被污點給染污了，那我們的心就是腐敗與惡臭的。

Instead of the word result, we might use the word merit, and it is real merit too. The real fruit or merit lies in our mind ; it is the cleanliness, brightness and peace of the mind. We have all studied Buddhism to some extend but contrariwise, we’re not interested in the Buddha’s teachings, because we tend to be interested in external things. But we still claim to be one who is a Buddhist and practices according to the teachings of the Buddha. Looking at it another way : We are the one person that practices Buddhism. Please reflect on what I’ve said and see which side you belong to. If we’re really interested in the teachings of Buddhism, even if we’re only a few, we will make the world prosper. It’s these few people that can revive the Dhamma in people’s minds.

除了「果報」這個字以外，我們也會用另一個字「功德」，當然這也是指真功德。真實的果報或功德是在我們的心中，也就是心地的清淨、光明與安祥。說起來，我們都已修學佛法達到某種程度，應該都很看重佛法，但實際上正好相反，我們並沒有真正看重佛陀的教導，因為——我們都傾向于看重外在的事物，都從外在來談佛法，虧我們還自稱是佛教徒、是依循佛陀的教導在修行呢？！如果從反面來檢視自己，你會發現——我們正是那樣在修學佛法的人。請反思我所說的話，然後誠實地看看：你是屬于哪一種修學者(心外求法或心內學法)。如果我們真的看重佛陀的教導，哪怕我們只有一小撮人，我們必定可以讓這世間向上提升，因為這一小撮人他們能夠從自己內在心中來領悟正法。

The first step of the method to do this is for everybody to study and practice their duties very well. If we can do this, it will be a warning to people who are going wrong, in itself. It won’t encourage harm or degeneration. When we are confident in ourselves we could warn others little by little. This is because, if we don’t warn people, they will become rotten and stink. And it will be a cause for damage to the public in an inappropriate way: As in the old saying : If one doesn’t quickly remove a single rotting fish from a fish-container, all of the fish will become spoilt. The Buddha’s teachings play an important role in society, from this angle; they protect society from becoming rotten and stink. Therefore it is highly appropriate for us to grasp the teachings of the Buddha. I am one who dares to guarantee the Buddha’s teachings.

想讓這世間提升或想要從心中來領悟正法的第一步就是：每一個人好好地學習並實踐自己的責任。如果我們能做到這點，那它本身對不盡責的人就是一個很好的警示，而且能不促成傷害或惡化。然後當我們實踐到對自己有信心的時候，就可以一點一點溫和地去警示他人，這是因為——如果我們不警示別人，他們將變得腐敗並發臭，並且會以一種不當的方式成為大眾的危害因子。正如一句老話所說：「如果不快速地把腐臭的魚從魚罐中拿出來，所有的魚也都會腐臭。」從這個角度來看，佛陀的教導在社會中扮演著一個重要的角色——它保護這個社會不致腐敗及發臭。因此，我們每個人都應當要領悟佛陀的教導，我敢向你們保證佛陀的教導。

When we are someone without suffering, wherever we go, we don’t have suffering but if we ourselves have suffering, how can we help anybody, other than increasing their suffering even more ?

當我們成為一個滅苦的人，那麼不管我們到哪里都不會有苦。但是，如果我們自己都還有苦，我們如何能幫助他人而不是反而更增加他們的苦呢？