On Practice XXVI【修行 (二十六) -英文】

做事情是在磨练我们的心，训练我们的头脑灵活。一个人是否专心、用心，看他做事情就知道。做事‘一心’的人，学佛念佛也会专心、用心，而我们就是要从做事情当中去体会修行的意思。

Through carrying out daily chores, we may discipline our minds to become sharp and deft. The way a person performs his/her duties reflects the degree of dedication and concentration of his/her mind. Those who carry out their tasks with an undivided mind can also concentrate on their practice. That's why we should try to comprehend the essence of practice through executing the tasks.

 

要欢喜接受别人的指导、劝告。例如在擦椅子时，师父说再擦干净点，我们如果想：‘已经擦得很干净了，怎么还这么说？’这种想法就是社会人的见识，还没有脱俗，会起烦恼。修行要直心，应该说：‘好！好！我再擦干净。’这也是在考验我们的心，让我们藉境修心。

Be cheerful when given instructions and advice. For example, the Master might ask you to wipe again the chair you just cleaned. Our spontaneous reaction might be: "Why? I have wiped it. It is clean enough!" If so, you still react like a lay person rather than a practitioner, and vexations arise with the thoughts. As a practitioner's mind is straightforward, we should just answer: "Sure, sure, I'll clean it again." This is a test on where our mind is dwelling on and it gives us a trial to cultivate our mind.

 

办事情除了要有‘定力’外，还要‘不执着’、才能把事情办好。办事情‘不执着’，并不是随随便便做就可以，也是要尽心尽力做好它，但做过了，就没事了。如果心一直挂碍、放不下，就是执着；而一‘执着’就没有智慧，容易起烦恼，反而成不了事。

In addition to skills of concentration, a mindset of "no clinging" is also necessary for us to do a job well. "No Clinging" does not mean indifferent or careless when doing our duty, but rather we should do our best and not worry about the results. If our mind lingers on the task after it is done, it is a sign of clinging. Such clinging will obscure our wisdom, generate vexation, and even ruin our practice.

 

做事要有耐心，譬如扫地时，不但要把环境扫干净，也同样要把自己的心洗涤清净，边做事、边念佛、不放逸、不散漫，这样藉事修心，才能达到身、口、意清净。

Be patient when performing all our tasks. For example, when we are sweeping the floor, not only should we clean the floor but also purify our minds. We can recite the name of the Buddha while working. Keep our minds reined in and don’t cut them a slack. Practice disciplining our minds through circumstances so as to purify our physical, verbal, and mental acts.

 

做事要有耐心，边做边念佛，心不要有烦恼，道业自然会成就。

Be patient while working. Also, recite the Buddha's name when working and free our mind from vexations. By so doing, we will naturally make progress in our practice.

 

‘爱护常住物，如护眼中目。’做事要有计划，不能随随便便地说做就做，草率了事。要把常住的事、物，做最适当、圆满的处理。

"Treat everything of the monastery with care, as if protecting our own eyes." Plan carefully before taking any action, rather than doing it at will and carelessly. Take care of the possessions and affairs of the monastery in a most proper and flawless way.

 

每天做事，把事情做得圆满，一心都用在佛道上精进。能这样，即使只是扫地，也会开悟。

Do our best on our daily chores and practice diligently with an undivided mind. Were we able to do so, even sweeping the floor can lead us to enlightenment.

 

做事情可以训练我们摄心专注，头脑灵活。所以有事情做才不会打妄想，空过光阴。

Work can train us to concentrate our minds and make our reactions deft. Therefore, it's good that we have something to do in the monastery lest we should be overrun by erroneous and illusive ideas and waste our life in vain.

 

‘少用头脑’不是说不用头脑做事，而是说遇到事情时，做过了就好，不要再去分别、挂碍，免得徒增烦恼。

"Don't think too much" does not mean that we should not use our brain and make plans when carrying out a task, but that we should not dwell on it once the job is done. Do not linger on past successes or failures lest our vexations should increase.

 

不要执着，一切随缘。比如人家帮你做事，你觉得承担不起，会损福报而感到不自在，这就是‘执着’。其实若要让人得福，自己本身也要福、慧具足，修行功德圆满，才可以感召众人来种植福田，增长善根，而这也是菩萨‘自利利他’的行愿。

Don't cling to any possessive pursuit; go along with the conditions! For example, when someone does you a favor, if you feel uncomfortable because you either think you are unworthy or fear it might cost you some merit, then you are rigidly clinging to the possessive pursuit. In fact, if we wish others to gain merit, we ourselves have to acquire abundant merits and wisdom, and have attained an impeccable level in our practice. Only by then can we convince others to follow us, to plant the field of blessings thereby increase their positive affinity with Buddhism. And such efforts are in accord with the bodhisattva vow that quests for self-elevation while benefiting others.

 

执事人关心我们，才会骂我们，纠正我们的过失，这是我们的善知识、指导者。不要人家一骂，烦恼就来了。

At times, those who are in responsible positions may reprimand us or correct our mistakes. They do so because they care about us. Regard them as our valuable mentors; don't be upset or be vexed upon hearing any reproach.

 

念佛要能动中用功，与自己的工作配合，边做事、边念佛，念到整个心能静下来，一句句佛号听得清清楚楚，清净无杂染,‘自性念来自性听’，念到‘一心不乱’。

We should incorporate recitation into our daily activities, i.e. recite the Buddha's name while working to the extent that our minds clam down, and we can hear distinctly every word we recite. "Recite wholeheartedly and listen whole heartedly" until the mind is "undivided and unperturbed".

 

念佛要一心。但是专心工作，别无妄想时，这也是‘一心’。因为此时只有利益他人的正念，所做的、所表现出来的，就是慈悲；所见解的，自然也是正知正见，所以也是佛心。

Recite the name of the Buddha with an undivided mind. When we concentrate on work and are free of illusive thoughts, our mind is also undivided. In that state, we would have no other thoughts but how to benefit others and whatever we do would be based on kindness and compassion; also all our understandings would naturally be right views hence our mind a Buddha-mind.

 

我们要藉做事情来调心，心有寄托才不会散乱。所以出家人做事和在家人不同，因为所用的心不同，目标不同。在家人做事是为了赚钱，出家人做事是为了修行。所以外表上看起来虽然和在家人一样，都是吃三餐，需要衣、食、住，但实质上是完全不同的。

We use work as means to help us discipline our minds and and keep them from being distracted and dispersed. Therefore, to monastic practitioners, the meaning of work is different from that to lay people because our inspiration and goal are different. Lay people work to earn profit, monastic practitioners to cultivate the practice. Maybe there does not seem to be much difference as monks/nuns also need three meals a day along with proper clothing and housing, but the essence is completely different.

 

------Translated from Analects of Master Kuang-chin（编译自《广钦老和尚开示录》）