圣伯铎广场

一一三　自　然

一位演说家口沫横飞地向人们解释：当前世界只需要由庞大的军备经费中拨出极小的一部分，就能解决所有人类的生活问题。

弟子们听了这番演说后的第一个反应就是：「人类怎么会变得如此愚蠢？」

大师面色凝重地说：「因为人们学会了读白纸黑字，而失去了阅读无字天书的艺术。」

「什么是无字天书，请给我们一个实例。」

但大师不给实例。

一天，大师终于拗不过他们的追问，便说：「鸟鸣虫噪都在宣告真理；花红草绿，都在为我们指示人生之道：好好地听，好好地看，这才是真正的学习之道。」

NATURE

A lecturer explained how a fraction of the enormous sums spent on arms in the
modem world would solve all the material problems of every member of the human race.

The inevitable reaction of the disciples after the lecture was, “But why are human
beings so stupid?”

“Because,” said the Master solemnly, “people have learnt to read printed books. They
have forgotten the art of reading unprinted ones.”

“Give us an example of an unprinted book.” But the Master wouldn’t give one.

One day in response to their persistence, he said: “The songs of birds, the sounds of
insects are all trumpeting forth the Truth. The grasses and the flowers are all pointing out
the Way. Listen! Look! That is the way to read!”

一一二　入　世

大师虽对自己的弟子很慈悲，但也毫不隐瞒地表示他更偏爱住在「世界」中的人，基于寺院中的弟子，也就是指那羣成家立业的商人、农人等等。

当弟子们质询此事，他答复道：「在行动中的修持，远超过退隐的修行。」

INVOLVEMENT

The Master white being gracious to all his disciples, could not conceal his preference
for those who lived in the “world” — the married, the merchants, the farmers — over those
who lived in the monastery.

When he was confronted about this he said, “Spirituality practised in the state of
activity is incomparably superior to that practised in the state of withdrawal.”

　　　111　闭　塞

一羣大学院士来访，大师极度慇懃地招待他们，却从不正面答复他们的问题，也不加入他们的神学研讨。

弟子们知道大师内具深意。他说：「你怎能向井底之蛙谈论浩瀚的大海？你怎能向被困锁在自己的槪念中的人谈论超凡之境？」

RESTRICTION

The Master was exceedingly gracious to University dons who visited him but he
would never reply to their questions or be drawn into their theological speculations.

To his disciples who marvelled at this, he said, “Can one talk about the ocean to a frog
in a well — or about the divine to people who are restricted by their concepts?

一一０　解　脱

「我如何才能得到解脱？」

「先去找出谁束缚了你。」大师说。

一周后，弟子返囘覆命：「没有人束缚我。」

「那么有什么好解脱的？」

弟子顿然醒悟，自此即变得自在洒脱了。

LIBERATION

“How shall I get liberation?”

“Find out who has bound you,” said the Master.

The disciple returned after a week and said, “No one has bound me.”

“Then why ask to be liberated?”

That was a moment of enlightenment for the disciple who suddenly became free.

一０九　幻　灭

一位弟子恳求大师指示智慧之道。大师说：「不妨试试这个方法：闭起你的眼睛，观想自己和一切生物都从悬崖的边缘被抛出去；每当你想攀住一样东西，阻止自己下坠时，心里明白那东西本身也正向下坠落……。」

这弟子尝试这个方法，立刻身心荡然，脱胎换骨。

MORTALITY

To a disciple who begged for wisdom the Master said, “Try this out: close your eyes
and see yourself and every living being thrown off the top of a precipice. Each time you
cling to something to stop yourself from falling, understand that it is falling too...”

The disciple tried it out and never was the same again.

一０八　赌　注

大师谈论的主题是「生命」。

一天，他提到一位飞行员的经历。这位飞行员在第二次世界大战期间专门载运工人由中国到缅甸的丛林中修路。这段航行漫长又单调，所以工人就聚在一起赌牌，由于他们都是一贫如洗，无钱可赌，于是就用自己的生命做赌注－－输家应不带降落伞，跳出飞机外。

「多么可怕的事！」弟子听了惊吓万分。

「确实可怕。」大师说：「但这种赌法才过瘾。」

当这一天即将消逝，大师说：「当你用自己的生命做赌注时，你才是道道地地的活过。」

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

大师即将圆寂的迹象愈来愈明显。弟子们十分忧伤。

大师微笑地说：「你看见没有，死亡带给生命孤独？」

「不！我们宁愿你永远不死。」

「凡是真实活过的东西都会死亡，看那些花朶，只有塑胶花永远不死。」

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　何处无芳草

大师常常劝阻那些打算住进寺院的人。

他会说：「即使你想由书本获益，也不用住在图书馆里啊！」

他甚至说：「即使你从未踏入图书馆，仍然可以读得到书；同样的，想要修行的人，也不必走进寺庙。」

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

一位失意的股票经纪人，又一次赔本以后，来到寺院，寻求内心的宁静，然而他却心烦意乱，无法祈祷。

他离开后，大师简短地投下一句警语：「安心睡在地板上的人，从无由床上摔下来的痛苦。」

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

「对我这类俗人，灵修有何助益？」一位商人道。

「它会助你更加富裕。」大师答。

「助从何来？」

「它教你减少欲望。」

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.”