[自囚牢中解放即是自由]

Freedom is Salvation from Prison

所有宗教最终的目标不外乎得救、解脱，想想各宗教常使用的“得救”、“解脱”等词，或在其他语言中可恰当表达此涵意的字眼，其实这些字眼都具有相同的意义，那就是──得到救度。所有宗教都在教导如何得救，然而到底要超越什么才能得救呢？要超越心灵的囚牢才能得救。

You must recall the words "salvation" or "liberation" that are used in all religions. The final goal of all religions is salvation, or emancipation, or whatever word is most suitable in each language. But all these words have the same meaning -- getting saved. All religions teach salvation. Yet, from what are we saved?

大家随时随地乃至此时此刻，都需求的一件事，就是所谓的“自由”，简单地说就是脱离囚牢，不论是实体的、物质的，或心灵的、精神的囚牢。因而不论在什么情况下，我们都需要自由。

We are saved from spiritual prison. The thing that all of you want and need even right at this moment is the thing called "freedom" or "liberty," which is, simply, escape from prison. Whether a physical, material prison or a mental, spiritual prison, the meaning is the same. In all cases, we want freedom.

缺乏智慧的人只看得到物体的或一般的囚牢，并对它产生畏惧，但那些具有智慧的人，就可以更深入地看出精神囚牢有多么恐怖和危险。

Those who lack wisdom can see and fear only the physical, material prisons. But those who have the wisdom (pa耨a) to look more deeply will see how much more terrifying and dangerous the spiritual prison is.

事实上，难得会有人被关入一般牢狱，而世人却都被心灵的囹圄所系缚。举例来说，现在各位坐在这里听讲，虽然是置身于一般的囚狱外，但却都被禁锢在心灵的囚牢中，也正因为这种被禁锢的苦迫与压力，驱使我们学习佛法和修习禅定。至于你是否已察觉到上述情况，这并不重要，因为无论如何，它都会迫使我们从挣扎中挖掘出一条逃脱心灵囚牢的路来。不管你是否知觉心灵受到系缚，它都迫使我们不断去寻求心灵的解脱。正因为如此，大家才会来这里或到其他地方学习佛法。

Really, we can see that hardly anybody is locked up in the ordinary jails, while everyone in the world is caught in the spiritual prison. For instance, every one of you sitting here is free of the ordinary prison, but you all are incarcerated in the spiritual prison. That which drives us to be interested in Dhamma, to come to study Dhamma, to practice mental development, is the oppression and force of being caught in this spiritual prison. Whether you feel it or not isn't important. It forces us, no matter what, to struggle and search for a way out of spiritual imprisonment. Nonetheless, it's forcing all of you, whether you realize it or not, to find spiritual freedom. So you come looking here and other such places.

虽然禁锢我们的就只是“执著”，但它却以各种不同的形式展现，共有好几十种形形色色的囚牢。如果我们去研究各类型的囚牢，就会更了解这现象，更了解执著，同时也会更加明白佛法所说：苦的根源是“爱欲( tanha )”与“烦恼”( kilesa )。 如果能够清楚而且彻底地了解“囚牢”，就能够了解“苦”是怎么一回事了。

Although that which imprisons us is only one thing, namely, upadana all by itself, this prison takes on many different forms. There are dozens of styles and kinds of prison. If we take the time to study every type of prison, it will help us to understand this phenomenon much better. Then we will understand upadana better, and we also will better understand tanha (craving) and kilesa (defilements of mind) which, according to the Buddhist teaching, cause dukkha. We will understand the issue of dukkha if we understand the issue of prison clearly and thoroughly.