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一0八 賭 注

大師談論的主題是「生命」。

一天,他提到一位飛行員的經歷。這位飛行員在第二次世界大戰期間專門載運工人由中國到緬甸的叢林中修路。這段航行漫長又單調,所以工人就聚在一起賭牌,由於他們都是一貧如洗,無錢可賭,於是就用自己的生命做賭注--輸家應不帶降落傘,跳出飛機外。

「多麼可怕的事!」弟子聽了驚嚇萬分。

「確實可怕。」大師說:「但這種賭法才過癮。」

當這一天卽將消逝,大師說:「當你用自己的生命做賭注時,你才是道道地地的活過。」

ADVENTURE

The theme of the Master’s talk was Life.

One day he told of meeting a pilot who flew labourers from China into Burma during
World War II to work on jungle roads. The flight was long and boring so the labourers
would take to gambling. Since they had no money to gamble with, they gambled with
their lives — the loser jumped out of the plane without a parachute!

“How terrible!” said the horrified disciple?

“True.” said the Master.” But it made the game exciting.”

Later in the day he said. “You never live so fully as when you gamble with your
lives.”

一0七 逝者如斯

大師卽將圓寂的跡象愈來愈明顯。弟子們十分憂傷。

大師微笑地說:「你看見沒有,死亡帶給生命孤獨?」

「不!我們寧願你永遠不死。」

「凡是真實活過的東西都會死亡,看那些花朶,只有塑膠花永遠不死。」

FLOW

When it became clear that the Master was going to die the disciples were depressed.
Said the Master smilingly. “Don‘t you see that death gives loveliness to life?”

“No. We’d much rather you never died.”

“Whatever is truly alive must die. Look at the flowers: only plastic flowers never die.”

一0六 何處無芳草

大師常常勸阻那些打算住進寺院的人。

他會說:「卽使你想由書本獲益,也不用住在圖書館裏啊!」

他甚至說:「卽使你從未踏入圖書館,仍然可以讀得到書;同樣的,想要修行的人,也不必走進寺廟。」

UNIVERSALITY

The Master ordinarily dissuaded people from living in a monastery.

“To profit from books you don‘t have to live in a library,” he would say.

Or, even more forcefully. “You can read books without ever stepping into a library;
and practise spirituality without ever going to a temple.”

一0五 真 福

一位失意的股票經紀人,又一次賠本以後,來到寺院,尋求內心的寧靜,然而他卻心煩意亂,無法祈禱。

他離開後,大師簡短地投下一句警語:「安心睡在地板上的人,從無由床上摔下來的痛苦。」

BEATITUDE

The disconsolate stockbroker lost a fortune and came to the monastery in search of
inner peace. But he was too distraught to meditate.

After he had gone the Master had a single sentence by way of wry comment: “Those
who sleep on the floor never fall from their beds.”

一0四 富 裕

「對我這類俗人,靈修有何助益?」一位商人道。

「它會助你更加富裕。」大師答。

「助從何來?」

「它教你減少慾望。」

RICHES

“How would spirituality help a man of the world like me?” said the businessman.

“It will help you to have more.” said the Master.

“How?”

“By teaching you to desire less.”

    一0二 智 慧

大師最感欣慰之事,卽是人們體驗到自己的無知。

「智慧的成長與人們對自己的無知的自覺能力常成正比。」大師說。

弟子請求解說。大師說:「如果今日的你覺得自己並非如昨日想像中那般聰明,你今日確是聰明一點了。」

WISDOM

It always pleased the Master to hear people recognize their ignorance.

“Wisdom tends to grow in proportion to one’s awareness of one’s ignorance,” he
claimed.

When asked for an explanation, he said, “When you come to see you are not as wise
today as you thought you were yesterday, you are wiser today.”

一0一 無 我

一位富裕的企業家問大師:「你會如何發展一門企業?」

「無為。」大師說。

企業家輕蔑地笑了:「那豈不是懶惰?」

「絕非如此。對一個積極的人而言,懶惰是最大的罪過。」

後來,大師向弟子說:「若人真能無為,則一切事均能因此而成就。要費盡多少心思,才能達到無為之境啊!你們不妨試一試。」

SELFLESSNESS

An affluent industrialist said to the Master, “What do you do for a profession?”
“Nothing.” said the Master.

The industrialist laughed scornfully. “Isn’t that laziness?”

“Heavens, no. Laziness is mostly the vice of very active people.”

Later the Master said to his disciples. “Do nothing and all things will be done through
you. Doing nothing really takes a lot of doing — try it!”

一00 極 權

有囘,大師竟向一位主教說:「宗教人士常不知不覺地變得很殘忍。」弟子們覺得此話很失禮。

主教囘去後,弟子們追問其因。

「因為他們為了完成某種目的,輕而易擧地就把別人犧牲掉了。」大師道。

TOTALITARIANISM

To the disciples ‘ embarrassment the Master once told a bishop that religious people
have a natural bent for cruelty.

“Why?” the disciples demanded after the bishop had gone.

“Because they all too easily sacrifice persons for the advancement of a purpose.” said
the Master.

九九 熱 忱

有個婦人發現財富並不能帶給她快樂,而滿腹牢騷。大師說:「由你的話中,好似肯定豪富與舒適是構成快樂的因素。事實上,朋友,如果你想快樂,只需找件事讓自己熱忱地獻身就夠了。」

ENTHUSIASM

To the woman who complained that riches hadn’t made her happy the Master said.
“You speak as if luxury and comfort were ingredients of happiness: whereas all you need
to be really happy, my dear, is something to be enthusiastic about.”