第二天 问答

Questions and Answers

问： 谁是神？
 
Q: Who is God?

答： 实相是神，了解到实相你就会了解神。
 
A: Truth is God. Realize the truth and you will realize God.

问： 请解释催眠术与禅修有何不同？

Q: Please explain the difference between hypnotism and meditation.

答： 古印度真正禅修的技巧，与催眠术是完全不同的。其它有些技巧使用到催 眠术，但这是完全与法相违背的。法使你自立，催眠术绝不会使你自立，因此这 兩者是无法相提并論的。
 
A: The true meditation techniques of ancient India were totally against hypnotism. Some techniques did use hypnotism, but this is totally against Dharma. Dharma makes you self-dependent. Hypnotism will never make you self-dependent. Therefore these two do not go together.

问： 内观与逃避现实有何不同？

Q: How is Vipassana different from escapism?

答： 内观是面对这个世界，内观是不允许逃避这个世界的。

A: Vipassana is to face the world. No escape is permitted in Vipassana.

问： 目前是否有任何解脱的圣者仍在这个世间呢？

Q: Are there any liberated people living presently?

答： 是的。这是一条步向解脱的正道；你远離几分的不净烦恼，也就获得几分 的解脱，而有的人已经完全地净化自心。

A: Yes. It is a progressive path to liberation. As much as you are free from impurity, that much you are liberated. And there are people who have reached the stage where they are totally free from all impurities.

问： 建造寺庙、发心服务、义务教导的工作或在医院服务，哪一个比较好？

Q: Which is better: temple construction, service, teaching or hospital work?

答： 所有这些社会服务都是重要的！这些工作都是好的。但是要以清净的心去 做。如果你以不清净的心來从事服务性的工作，來增长自我，对自己和他人是没 有多大益处的。以清净的爱心、慈悲心來做这些事，那么你将会发现，它开始帮助你，也开始给予他人真正的利益。
 
A: All these social services are important; there is nothing wrong with them. But do them with purity of mind. If you do them with an impure mind, generating ego, it does not help you and it does not help others. Do it with purity of mind, with love, with compassion and you will find that it has started helping you, and it has started giving real benefit to others also.

问： 我们应该过着道德的生活，但道德在今天的世界上已经堕落败坏了！

Q: We should lead a moral life, but morality is deteriorating in the whole world.

答： 当道德日渐败坏时，正法在此时的兴起就显得格外重要了。在黑暗籠罩的时候，就是该破晓的时候。太阳应该要升起了！
 
A: It is all the more important that Dharma should arise at this time, when morality is deteriorating! The time when there is darkness all around is the time when the day should break, the sun should rise.

问： 如果我们所做的负面行为是为了使他人受益，这样是否不好呢？

Q: If a negative act is committed for the good of others, is it bad?

答： 当然这是不好的！当你一产生负面行为时，你就开始伤害你自己，这个时 候你是无法帮助其他人的。一位生病的人本身是无力去照顾另一位病人的。因 此，首先你必须使你自己健康起來，那么你会发现你已经开始在帮助别人了。
 
A: Certainly it is bad. A negative act starts harming you. When you have harmed yourself, you can never help anybody else. A lame person can never help another lame person. First you have to make yourself healthy, and then you will find that you have started helping others.
 
问： 我们要如何避免像抽烟、嚼槟榔等等不良的习惯呢？

Q: How can we avoid bad habits like smoking cigarettes and chewing pāna?

答： 不仅是在抽烟或嚼槟榔––––还有许多其它形式的不良癖好也要避免。当你 修习内观时，将会了解到你上瘾的其实不是某种东西。看起來好像是你对香烟、 酒、毒品或槟榔上瘾，但其实是你对身体的某种感受上瘾。当你在抽烟、嚼槟榔 或吸毒时，在你身体上会产生某种感受；相同地，当你生起了忿怒或悲伤的习性 反应时，在你身体上也会生起某些感受––––你是对感受上瘾的。透过修习内观， 你可以脱離那种瘾，也远離对外界事物的执取。这是多么的自然、多么科学，只 要试着去做，你将会发现它是如何产生效果的
 
A: Not only smoking cigarettes or chewing pāna—there are so many different types of addictions. When you practise Vipassana, you will understand that your addiction is not actually to that particular substance. It seems as if you are addicted to cigarettes, alcohol, drugs or pāna; but the real fact is that you are addicted to a particular sensation in the body. When you smoke a cigarette, there is a sensation in the body. When you chew pāna, there is a sensation in the body. When you take a drug, there is a sensation in the body. Similarly, when you are addicted to anger or passion, these are also related to body sensations. Your addiction is to the sensations. Through Vipassana you come out of that addiction. You come out of all outside addictions also. It is so natural, so scientific. Just try and you will find how it works.

问： 是否只有人類充满了痛苦与不幸呢？是否其它众生就过着和谐的生活呢？

Q: Are only human beings in misery? Are other beings living a harmonious life?

答： 痛苦无所不在，但其他众生无法从痛苦当中解脱，因为它们无法观察到它 们自身当中的实相。自然的法则(或者也许你想要称它为「全能的神」)，只赋 予人類这种观察自身实相并解脱痛苦的绝妙能力。因此，让我们好好地利用我们 所具有的这种绝妙力量吧。
 
A: Misery is everywhere, but other beings can’t come out of their misery because they can’t observe the reality within themselves. Nature—or if you want to call it "God Almighty"—has given this wonderful power only to human beings, to observe the reality within ourselves and come out of misery. Make use of this wonderful power that is given to us.

问： 如果你是一位军人，殺害敌人是否违反道德呢？

Q: It is against morality to kill an enemy if you are a member of the Armed Forces?

答： 是的。但是，基于保卫国家和人民而言，军队是需要的。军队不应该只是 用來消灭敌人而已，它同时要显示出国家的强盛，使对方甚至不会有想要侵略和 伤害自己国家人民的念头。因此，军队的存在是必要的，但决不是殺戮，而是要 显现出军队的强盛。如果某人侵害这个国家，第一件事要做的是警告，万一警告 没有用，到了绝对必要的时候，就应该采取行动。但是我们必须知道，要将军队 训練成没有忿怒与憎恨；否则他们的心会变得不平稳、不平静，所有的决定都会 出错。反之，如果以平稳、平静的心，就能做出正确、良好的决定，不仅是有益 于自己也有益于他人。
 
A: Yes. But at the same time, the Army is necessary for the protection of the country, for the protection of the civilians. The Army should not be used just to kill others. It should be used to show the strength of the country, so that an enemy cannot have even the thought of being aggressive and harming people. Therefore, the Army is necessary. But not to kill, just to show strength. If somebody is harming the country, then the first thing is to give a warning. Otherwise, if it becomes necessary, action has to be taken. But then again, the soldiers have to be trained not to have anger, not to have animosity. Otherwise their minds will become unbalanced, all their decisions will go wrong. With a balanced mind, we can take good decisions, right decisions, which will be very helpful to us and helpful to others.

问： 心智障碍的人可否经由修习内观而获得自我控制呢？

Q: Can a mentally retarded person gain control over himself by Vipassana?

答： 这要看情况而定。如果他无法了解所教的，那么当然不能获益。这个方法不是魔术，也不讲奇迹。这只是一种心的训練；就好像你做不同的健身运动來锻鍊身体一样，你是在做这个心的运动。一个人至少要有足够的心智來了解修习的是什么，并且去練习它。有些心智障碍的人曾经受益，但我们无法說每一个人都会受益。

A: It depends. If one cannot understand what is being taught, then there is no magic, no miracle in the technique. It is a mental exercise. Just as you do different physical exercises, so you do this mental exercise. One should be at least intelligent enough to understand what the exercise is, and then to practise it. There are some who have been helped, but we can’t say that everyone will be helped.

问： 为什么婆伽梵歌当中說要遵循 swadharma(自法)，而不是 paradharma(他法)。

Q: The Gītā says swadharma [our own Dharma] should be followed, not paradharma [the Dharma of others].

答： 这要看你如何解释。对我而言，所谓的「自法」是指人類的法，人類具有 能够观察自身，并且从中解脱出來，远離一切束缚的绝妙能力。动物是无法做到 的，一只小鸟或昆虫就无法做到这些。如果你仅仅是活在世间，而不善用这个能力，那么你过的是动物的生活，过的是小鸟、昆虫的生活。你与这些众生并没有 什么差别––––你过的不是合乎自法(swadharma)的生活，你过的是他法 paradharma 的生活。为了遵循「自法」，你必须经由观察你自身之内的实相，学习如何从束缚当中解脱出來。

A: It depends how you interpret it. To me, swadharma is the Dharma of human beings. A human being has been given this wonderful faculty to observe oneself and come out of the misery, come out of the bondage. An animal cannot do this, a bird cannot do this, an insect cannot do this. If you are just living the life without using this faculty, then you are living the life of an animal, the life of a bird, the life of an insect. Then no difference between you and that being—you are not living the life of swadharma, you are living the life of paradharma. For swadharma, you must learn how to come out of your bondages, by observing the truth within yourself.

问： 在过去的十到十二年之中我一直无法很安稳地入睡，怎么办呢？

Q: For the last ten to twelve years I haven’t been able to sleep properly.

答： 内观将会有助于此。不过，还得看你修习得正不正确。如果你來參加内观课程唯一的目的是为了睡得安稳，那么还是不來參加得好。你來修习内观应该是 为了将内心所有的不净去除。你的混亂不安是因为你的心中充满了这么多的负面心态与忧虑；而所有的忧虑、负面心态和不净烦恼将在你修习内观之后逐渐地消除。你就能够安稳地入睡了。

A: Vipassana will help, depending on how properly you work. If you come to Vipassana with the sole aim of getting sound sleep, then it’s better that you don’t come. You should come to Vipassana to come out of the impurities of your mind. There is a disturbance because there is so much negativity in the mind, so much worry. All those worries, negativities and impurities will start getting eradicated by Vipassana, and you will start getting very sound sleep.

问： 是否应该将内观介绍到学校的教育当中呢？

Q: Is it necessary to introduce Vipassana into education?

答： 当然！这是一种生命的艺术，一种生活的艺术。我们的下一代必须在年轻时就学习这种艺术，他们才能过着一种非常健康而和谐的生活，从种种派别的形式、包袱当中解脱出來。如果他们了解纯净的法、了解自然的法则，他们就会依循自然的法则來生活。如果孩子们在学校之中学习内观，一定会有很好的成果。

A: Certainly. This is an art of life, an art of living. The next generation must learn this art at a young age, so that they can live a very healthy life, a harmonious life, free from all the other things which are going on in the name of Dharma. If they understand pure Dharma, the law of nature, they will live according to the law of nature. When children are taught Vipassana in the schools and colleges, there are very good results.

问： 如果修习正法是必要的，我们是否同样地要采取相对的反应來面对非法呢？

Q: If what is needed is to start practising Dharma, do we have to face adharma as an equal and opposite reaction?

答： 是的，当你开始修习正法时，非法是存在着的；非法的力量、振动，这些是你必须要面对克服的。而你有足够的力量，最后正法将会赢得胜利；如果你瞭解什么是正法，并且知道如何应用正法在你自己身上，那所有的非法将会被击溃––––这是无庸置疑的。
 
A: Yes. When you start practising Dharma, the adharma is there. The forces of adharma, the vibration of adharma—you have to fight them. But you have the strength. Ultimately, Dharma wins. If you understand what Dharma is, and if you understand how to apply Dharma within yourself, all the adharmas will get defeated—there is no doubt about that.

问： 你总是谴责宗教仪式，但是我们表达尊敬及感恩有何不对呢？

Q: You always condemn ritualism, but what is wrong with expressing our respect and gratitude?

答： 没有什么不对，尊敬及感恩并不是宗教仪式。宗教仪式是指：当你不了解自己在做什么，或者当你只是因为别人要求你这样做就做。比如說，你自己认为：
「我在向一位特定的神或女神致敬」或者「我正在向我的双亲致敬」––––这个时候，你要问问自己，什么是这位神的特质呢？什么是这位女神的特质呢？我是否 以在自身当中发展相同的特质，作为向神或女神真正的致敬呢？我是否在自身当 中发展和我双亲一样的美德而真正地向他们致敬呢？如果这些答案是肯定的，那么你对所做的一切都有正确地了解，这就不是典禮或仪式了。但是，如果你是机械性的做这些事，那么这些就仅仅是典禮或仪式。
 
A: There is nothing wrong with that. Respect and gratitude are not rituals. Rituals are when you don’t understand what you are doing, when you are doing something just because somebody asked you to. If deep inside you understand, "I am paying respect to my parents" or "I am paying respect to a particular god or goddess"—then, see: What are the qualities of that god? What are the qualities of that goddess? Am I giving real respect to that god and goddess by developing the same qualities within myself? Am I giving real repect to my parents by developing their good qualities? If the answer is yes, then you are doing these actions with understanding, and they are not rites or rituals. But if you perform something mechanically, then it becomes a rite or ritual.

问： 生命在死亡之后是什么呢？

Q: What is life after death?

答： 一个人无时无刻都在出生、都在死亡，了解生命和死亡的这个过程，这将会使你充满了喜悦，并且很容易地了解到死亡之后到底发生了什么。
 
A: Every moment one is taking birth, every moment one is dying. Understand this process of life and death. This will make you very happy and you will easily understand what happens after death.
 
问： 如何破除非法呢？

Q: How to break adharma?

答： 发展正法，那么非法将被破除。

A: Develop Dharma, and adharma will get broken.

问： 请慈悲地谈谈，内观对在校学生的意义是什么。

Q: Kindly give a few words on how students can use Vipassana.

答： 我们已经发现，即使学生开始練习的，只是内观的第一个部分––––训練心的专注，也都得到了很好的结果。他们的记忆力增强，对课业的理解力提高，心 的領悟力变好，紧张的情形减低––––这些改变，对他们的学习会有很大的帮助。 而同时，也帮助他们培养良好的品性。

A: We have found good results from students who have started practising even the first part of Vipassana, concentration of mind. Their memory has become sharper, their ability to understand a subject has improved, the comprehending part of their mind has gotten better, and their nervousness has decreased. All these are very helpful to them in their studies. And along with those, character-building starts from the very beginning.

问： 印度教的法与回教的法有何不同呢？

Q: What is the difference in Dharma between Hindus and Muslims?

答： 要了解：我并不是反对印度教或回教。我对每一位教徒都是友善的，但是 我并不赞成所谓的「印度教的法」、「回教的法」等等的这些称呼。你可以称呼 他们是某一个群体、某一教派，但是如果你称呼某一教派为「法」，那么你只会造成你自己或他人的迷惑与混淆。因为法是普遍性的。所谓印度教的法仅仅是属 于一个特定的小区或特定的教派，所以它并不是普偏性的法；回教、佛教或基督 教也是一样。事实上，他们都应该要继续留存下來，都应该要彼此亲善。如果每一个人都是如法的人，那么称呼他自己是回教徒或印度教徒并没有什么差别–––– 他们都会真诚恳挚地生活在一起，因为他们都是如法的人。成为一个如法的人比 成为一个忠实的印度教徒或回教徒來得更为重要。

A: Understand: I am not against Hindus or Muslims. I am friendly to everyone, but I am against calling them Dharma. Call them a group of people, call them a sect, but when you call that sect "Dharma," you are just deluding yourself and others. Dharma is universal. Hindu-dharma is only for a particular society or a particular sect, so it is not Dharma. It is the same with Muslim, Buddhist or Christian. They should all survive, they should have goodwill for each other. If everybody is a Dharma person, then it makes no difference whether one calls oneself a Hindu or a Muslim—they will live in a very cordial way, because they are all Dharmic people. To be a Dharma person is more important than to be a staunch Hindu or a staunch Muslim.

问： 你是一位无神論者吗？

Q: Are you an atheist?

答： (笑)对我而言，神并不是一位想象的人物；对我而言，实相是神，最究竟的实相就是最崇高的神。如果你說的「无神論者」是指一个人不相信神，那么我不是，我相信神。

A: (Laughs.) If by "atheist" you mean one who does not believe in God, then no, I am not. I believe in God. But for me, God is not an imaginary person. For me, truth is God. The ultimate truth is ultimate God.

问： 如果有人从小就是个聾、哑或瞎的人，他们要怎么办呢？

Q: If a person is deaf, dumb or blind from childhood, how can he live?

答： 这是因为过去的一些业力所产生的不良果报。内观无法改变这些事实。但是練习内观的人都学过慈悲观，以爱心和慈悲心來回向，这对这些人是有所帮助的。

A: This is some bad fruits of past karma. Vipassana cannot help that. But those who practise Vipassana are taught another technique, to give vibrations of love and compassion. These are helpful to such persons.

问： 是否有一位神创造了地球呢？

Q: Is there a God who created the earth?

答： 我从未看过如此的一位神。如果你見过神，你可以相信；但是对我而言， 实相才是神、自然的法则是神、法就是神，而且依据法、依据自然的法则，所以一切都在演变。如果你了解到这些，并且以自然的法则來生活，你就会过得很好； 不論你是否相信神，都没有什么差别。

A: I have not seen such a god. If you see God, you are welcome to believe. But for me, truth is God, the law of nature is God, Dharma is God, and everything is evolving because of Dharma, because of the law. If you understand this, and live according to the law of Dharma, you live a good life. Whether you believe in God or you don’t believe in God, it makes no difference.

问： 什么是生命的目标？

Q: What should be the aim of life?
 
答： 过着安详美好的生活，健康的生活––––对自己有益，也对他人有益。

A: To live a good life, a healthy life—good for yourself and good for others.