Just That Much

　　如此而已

When you take a good look at it, this world of ours is just that much; it exists just as it is. Ruled by birth, aging, sickness, and death, it is only that much. Great or little is only that much. The wheel of life and death is only that much. Then why are we still attached, caught up, not removed? Playing around with the objects of life gives us some enjoyment; yet this enjoyment is also just that much.

　　当你好好地去看我们这个世界时，其实它只是“如此而已”，它是如是存在的。被生、老、病、死所支配，也只是“如此而已”；伟大的或渺小的也只是“如此而已”；生死的轮转也只是“如此而已”。那为什么我们还执著、还黏著不肯远离呢?游戏於生活中的外境所给予我们的一些乐趣，然而，这些乐趣也只是“如此而已”。

Whatever is pleasurable, delicious, exciting, good, is just that much; it has its limit, it is not as if it is anything outstanding. The Buddha taught that everything is just that much, of equal value. We should contemplate this point. Just look at the Western monks who have come here to practice. They have experienced much pleasure and comfort in their lives, but it was only that much; trying to make more of it just drove them crazy. They became world travelers, let everything go-it was still only that much. Then they carne here to the forest to learn to give it all up, all attachments, all suffering.

　　无论是愉快的、美味的、兴奋的、美好的，都只是“如此而已”，都有其限制，并役有任何特别之处。佛陀教导，一切事物都只是“如此而已”，都是平等的。我们应思惟(观)这点。再看看来这里修行的西方僧侣，他们在他们的生活中曾经验了许多享乐和舒适，不过那也只是“如此而已”，试图去要求更多，只会使他们发疯。他们於是成为环游世界的旅客，他们抛开一切──那也只是“如此而已”。後来他们来到这里，到森林里来学习放下一切──放下所有的执著及所有的痛苦。

All conditioned things are the same-impermanent, caught up in the cycle of birth and death. Just look at them; they are only that much. All things in this world exist thus. Some people say, ''Doing virtuous deeds, practicing religion, you grow old just the same." This may be true of the body, but not of the heart, of virtue; when we understand the difference, we have a chance to become free.

　　所有因缘和合的事物都一样──无常，束缚於生死的轮回之中。看看它们，它们只是“如此而已”，这世界上的一切都是如此存在著。有些人说：“种善根、信奉宗教，还不是一样会老。”这对色身来说，也许是的，可是心和德行并非如此。当我们了解到它的差别以後，我们就有机会得到解脱了。

Look at the elements of our body and mind. They are conditioned phenomena, arising from a cause and therefore impermanent. Their nature is always the same, it cannot be changed. A great noble and a common servant are the same. When they become old, their act comes to an end; they can no longer put on airs or hide behind masks. There is nowhere to go, no more taste, no more texture. When you get old, your sight becomes dim, your hearing weakens, your body becomes feeble-you must face yourself.

　　看看我们身和心的元素，它们都是因缘和合的现象，都是由因而生起的，所以无常。它们的本质永远都是一样的，永不会改变。一个伟大的贵族和一个平凡的仆人都是一样的。富他们年老时，当他们的表演将尽，他们再也不能伪装或隐藏在面具之下。没有一处可逃，也不再有味觉，不再有触觉。当你年老时，你的视觉会变得模糊，你的听觉逐渐减弱，你的身体变得衰弱──你必须面对你自己。

We human beings are constantly in combat, at war to escape the fact of being just that much. But instead of escaping, we continue to create more suffering, waging war with good, waging war with evil, waging war with what is small, waging war with what is big, waging war with what is short or long or right or wrong, courageously carrying on the battle.

　　我们人类一直都在不断的斗争当中，为了逃避“如此而已”的事实而斗争。可是，逃避反倒使我们制造更多痛苦──为正义而战、为邪恶而战；为了什么是人、什么是小而战；为了什么是长、什么是短而战；为了什么是对、什么是错而战，而且勇敢地继续战斗。

The Buddha taught the truth, but we are like buffalo-unless they are tied down firmly by all four legs, they will not allow themselves to be given any medicine. Once they have been tied down and cannot do anything-aha, now you can go ahead and give them medicine, and they are unable to struggle away. In the same way, most of us must be totally bound up in suffering before we will let go and give up our delusions. If we can still writhe away, we will not yet give in. A few people can understand the Dharma when they hear it taught and explained by a teacher. But life must teach most of us all the way to the end.

You can pull on the end of a rope, but if the other end is stuck, the rope will never budge. In order to make it come free, you need to find out where it is stuck, you need to seek out the source or the root of the problem. We must use our practice fully to discover how we are stuck, to discover the heart of peace. We must follow the ox's tracks from the beginning, from the point at which it left the corral. If we start in the middle of the trail, we will not be able to tell whose ox's tracks they are, and thus we could be led anywhere.

　　我们必须全力以赴，用修行去掘发平静的心。我们必须打从一开始就追随公牛的足迹──从它离开畜栏的那一点开始。如果我们从路途的中间开始，我们将无法告知那是谁的公牛足迹，如此一来，我们是会被带到其他地方去的。

Therefore, the Buddha spoke of first correcting our views. We must investigate the very root of suffering, the very truth of our life. If we can see that all things are just that much, we will find the true Path. We must come to know the reality of conditioned phenomena, the way things are. Only then can we have peace in our world.
 
　　所以，佛陀说：首先要纠正我们的知见，我们必须观察苦的根本、生命的真理。如果我们可以看到所有的一切都只是“如此而已”，我们将会找到真正的“道”。我们必须明白因缘和合现象的真理，事物的本然。唯有如此，我们方能在我们的世界中拥有平静。