Inspriration from all walks of life
八四 覺 醒
「救恩應由行動獲得，還是由祈禱？」
「都不是。救恩來自於正見。」
「見什麼？」
「看見你所盼望的項鍊正掛在頸項上；看見你所畏懼的蛇，不過是地上的一根繩子而已。」
AWARENESS
“Is salvation obtained through action or through meditation?”
“Through neither. Salvation comes from seeing.
“Seeing what?”
“That the gold necklace you wish to acquire is hanging round your neck. That the
snake you are so frightened of is only a rope on the ground.”
八三 投 入
「如何才能除去我的恐懼？」
「你怎能除去一樣自己緊抓不捨的東西？」
「你是說，是我自己緊抓不捨恐懼？這恕我難以苟同。」
「只要想一想，你的恐懼所能帶領你逃避的麻煩，你就會同意我的話了。而且你會看到自己有多蠢！」
INVESTMENT
“How shall I rid myself of fear?”
“How can you rid yourself of what you cling to?”
“You mean I actually cling to my fears? I cannot agree to that. “
“Consider what your fear protects you from and you will agree! And you will see your
folly.”
八二 遙 控
有個弟子個性怯懦，他想尋回自信心，大師說：「你想由他人的眼神中獲得肯定，而且認為這就是自信。」
「難道我不該重視別人的意見？」
「正好相反，重視別人所說的，但不受它的箝制。」
「該如何突破別人的箝制？」
「你該問：如何突破自己的錯覺？」
REMOTE CONTROL
To a shy disciple who wanted to become self-confident the Master said, “You look for
certainty in the eyes of others and you think that is self-confidence.”
“Shall I give no weight to the opinion of others then?”
“On the contrary. Weigh everything they say, but do not be controlled by it.”
“How does one break the control?’
“How does one break a delusion?’
八一 錯 覺
「開悟的最大阻礙是什麼？」
「畏懼。」
「畏懼由何而起？」
「錯覺。」
「什麼是錯覺？」
「把身邊的花朶想成毒蛇。」
「我怎能獲得悟境？」
「張開眼睛看清楚。」
「看什麼？」
「身邊一隻蛇也沒有。」
FANTASY
What is the greatest enemy of enlightenment?
“Fear.”
“And where does fear come from?”
“Delusion.”
“And what is delusion?”
“To think that the flowers around you are poisonous snakes.”
“How shall I attain to enlightenment?” “Open your eyes and see.” “What?”
“That there isn’t a single snake around.”
八０ 倫 理
弟子們常常熱中探討對與錯的問題。有時答案很明顯，有時卻擧棋不定。
如果大師湊巧在場，他通常都不表明立場。
一次，大師面對這樣的挑戰：「如果我殺了一個正想謀害我的人，是對還是錯？」
他說：「我怎麼知道？」
弟子詫異不已：「那麼我們怎能分辨對或錯？」
大師說：「當你生時，能死於自我，且徹底地死去。然後隨心所欲地去做，一定是對的。」
MORALITY
The disciples would frequently be absorbed in questions of right and wrong.
Sometimes the answer would be evident enough. Sometimes it was elusive.
The Master, if he happened to be present at such discussions, would take no part in
them.
Once he was confronted with this question: “Is it right to kill someone who seeks to
kill me? Or is it wrong?”
He said. “How should I know?”
The shocked disciples answered, “Then how would we tell right from wrong?”
The Master said, “While alive, be dead to yourself, be totally dead-Then act as you
will and your action will be right.”
七九 意識型態
一批活躍的政客，想向大師顯示，他們的觀念足以改變世界。
大師仔細地聽着。
第二天，他說：「一種意識型態的好壞，端賴於它的製造者。難道一百萬隻狐狸組織起來，推行公義，狐狸尾巴就不見了嗎？」
IDEOLOGY
A group of political activists were attempting to show the Master how their ideology
would change the world.
The Master listened carefully.
The following day he said, “An ideology is as good or bad as the people who make
use of it. If a million wolves were to organise for justice would they cease to be a million
wolves?”
七八 激 將
有個一向愜意度日的門徒開始抱怨：他從未經驗過大師常論及的寧靜。
大師說：「這種寧靜常發生在奮發進取的人身上。」
CHALLENGE
An easy-going disciple complained that he had never experienced the silence that the
Master frequently -commended.
Said the Master, “Silence only comes to active people.”
七七 離題
那天的集會中，所有的問題都是針對死後的生命而發的。
大師卻只笑而不答。
弟子們一再追問他拒答的原因。他說：「你們難道看不出，那些追求另一個永恆不朽生命的，都是那些不知道該如何度過此生的人？」
有個門徒仍然鍥而不捨：「究竟死後有沒有生命？」
「究竟死前有沒有生命？這才是問題所在！」大師留下一個公案。
IRRELEVANCE
All questions at the public meeting that day were about life beyond the grave
The Master only laughed and did not give a single answer.
To his disciples who demanded to know the reason for his evasiveness, he later said.
“Have you observed that it is precisely those who do not know what to do with this life
who wants another that will last forever?”
“But is there life after death or is there not?” persisted a disciple.
“Is there life before death? — that is the question!” said the Master enigmatically.
七六 暴 戾
大師常開示：罪惡感就像惡魔一樣，是一種邪惡的情緒，該盡量避免。
「可是，我們不該恨自己的罪過嗎？」一位弟子問。
「當你犯罪，你恨的是自己，而非你的罪。」
VIOLENCE
The Master was always teaching that guilt is an evil emotion to be avoided like the
very devil — all guilt.
“But are we not to hate our sins?” a disciple said one day.
“When you are guilty, it is not your sins you hate but yourself.”
七五 自 重
「怎樣才能成為一位偉人－－像您一樣？」
「為什麼要成為偉人？」大師說：「成為一個人，已經是很偉大的成就了。」
ACCEPTANCE
“How can I be a great man — like you?”
“Why be a great man?” said the Master. “Being a man is a great enough achievement.”