积福与惜福

第一三六期,美佛慧讯

文/杨钊

TO ACCUMULATE AND CHERISH BLISS

The key to managing an enterprise is to increase income and decrease expenditures. The key to managing a family is diligence and economy. Thus, over the past two thousand years, our traditions have taught us to be diligent and economize on expenses. The path to success is to accumulate and cherish bliss.

经营企业的要诀在于「开源与节流」；维持家庭的要诀在于「勤奋与节俭」，所以二千多年来的传统，教人要「勤俭」持家；人生成功之道在于「积福与惜福」。

The management from western countries shows that the path to a successful career concludes with luck, knowledge, and effort. Knowledge and effort depend on diligence, learning, and hard work. Therefore, some have said, “there are no difficult matters if one works diligently.” Others said, “There’s no genius; genius comes from diligence.” So the function of diligence is really important. However, if a family only works diligently but without economizing expenses, even after a few years of hard work, they probably will still not be wealthy.

西方管理学中，总结了事业成功之道，在于「运气、知识和努力」，知识和努力可以靠勤、靠学习、靠打拼而来，因此有人称「一勤天下无难事」，又称「世上没有天才，天才来自勤奋」，可见「勤奋」的功用是很大的。但是，一个家庭若只有勤奋而没有节俭，几年下来，未必会富裕。

Only if a family combines diligence and economy¬¬¬—spending on necessity, and eliminating unnecessary expenses—will it be healthy and wealthy.

只有在「勤奋」之下，又能节省，「应使则使，不应使则省」，这样的家，才能健康，才能兴旺。

As for individuals, if one wants success and a healthy life, one must accumulate and cherish bliss. But what is accumulating bliss? It means to lay up bliss, to build up good fortune. Only fortunate people can be lucky. To be lucky means that opportunities would come to them, but unlucky ones have to search for opportunities. The lucky ones are like sailing on a boat that flows along the river, yet the unlucky ones have to fight against the tide, which obviously is a big difference. Bliss includes: fame, wealth, social status, health, good family and happiness.

对于个人来说，若要成功，若要健康发展，务必「积福与惜福」。甚么是积福？积福称之为「积累福气，积累福份」，有福的人才有运气，有运气是机会来找他，没有福气的人是他去找机会。一种是顺水行舟，一种是逆水行舟，其相差可见有多远。福气包括：名、利、社会地位、健康、家庭和快乐。

There are two accounts in life. One includes fame, wealth and social status, which is called the material account. The other one includes health, good family and happiness, which is called the spiritual account. When the material account is poor, one has no money to buy food and groceries. And if the spiritual account is so low to fall to a certain level, it would affect health and family. How could Heaven decide a person’s lifespan? It depends on if this person has assets in his or her spiritual account. When the spiritual account reaches its lowest level and the spiritual assets become negative, he or she can only claim bankruptcy. When the day comes, Heaven determines this as a sign to terminate one’s life.

人生有两个帐户，其一是「名、利和社会地位」，称为「物质帐户」；其二是「健康、家庭和快乐」，称为「精神帐户」。「物质帐户」贫乏时，会无钱购买食物和日用品；「精神帐户」若然空乏到一定程度，就会影响健康、家庭。上天如何决定一个人在世上的寿命呢？就是看他的「精神帐户」有无资产，若然出现负资产，到一定阶段，只能「破产」；「破产」的一天，其方法是用「结束生命去表现的」。

There are people that have fame and wealth, yet no longevity. The reason is because they have an abundant material account but a very poor spiritual account. It results in health problems, which might possibly endanger their life.

有一种人，有名有利，但没有「长寿」，其原因在于「物质帐户」充裕，而「精神帐户」贫乏，结果健康会出问题，甚至影响寿命。

How to gain bliss? This can be called to accumulate bliss. Accumulating bliss can be developed from “not killing, not stealing, not committing adultery, not lying, and not partaking of intoxicating liquors/drugs.” This is known as the five precepts.

如何可以得到福气呢？称之为「积福」；「积福」可以从戒杀生、偷盗、邪淫、妄语、饮酒中来，称之为「五戒」。

Furthermore, accumulating bliss can be developed from “not killing, not stealing, not committing adultery, not lying, not harshly speaking, not engaging in double talk, not talking frivolously, not being greedy, not being angry, and not being delusional,” which is called the ten meritorious acts.

积福可以从「不杀生、不偷盗、不邪淫、不妄语、不恶舌、不两舌、不绮语、不贪、不嗔、不痴」中来，称之为「十善」。

Bliss can also be developed from “generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, meditative concentration and wisdom,” which is called the six pāramitā, for they are the six means to achieve perfect wisdom, liberation and eternal bliss (nirvāṇa).

福气可以从「布施、持戒、忍辱、精进、禅定、智慧」中来，称之为「六波罗密」，即六种到达彼岸的方法。

Not killing can help one obtain health and longevity; not stealing can prevent poverty; not committing adultery can keep a family in harmony; not lying can guard one’s credit; not partaking of intoxicating liquors can keep one’s mind clear.

不杀生，可以得健康长寿；不偷盗，可以防止贫穷；不邪淫，可保家庭和睦；不妄语，可保信誉；不饮酒，可令头脑清醒。

Not harshly speaking can keep people united; not double talking can guard a team’s spirit; not talking frivolously can help one stand on solid ground; not being greedy can help one know his or her own strength and work step by step; not being angry can keep one healthy; not being delusional can help one find the right methods to solve problems.

不恶口，可保团结；不两舌，可以维护团队精神；不绮语，可令人脚踏实地；不贪，可令人「量力而为、按部就班」；不瞋，可令人身体健康；不痴，可令人对症下药，解决问题。

Generosity can offer one good fortune and numerous benefactors. Following moral laws can decrease obstacles and allow everything to go smoothly in his or her life. Patience can help one decrease the bad karma against one’s will.

Diligence can help one speed up the process in solving problems and achieve goals sooner than usual. Meditative concentration can give one the chance to reflect, introspect and repent. Wisdom can help one to draw up better plans and choose the right path and methodology.

「布施」可令人有财运、贵人运，时时有机会，「持戒」可以令自己减少障碍，事事顺利；「忍辱」令自己减少逆缘，「精进」令自己加快解决问题，快速达到目标，「禅定」令自己有机会反省、检讨及忏悔，「智慧」令自己能够更好的规划和选择正确的道路和方法。

How to keep bliss? One must cherish bliss. Cherishing bliss means to keep the five commandments, the ten meritorious acts, and the six pāramitā as faithfully as possible. However, it is easier said than done. It is very hard to put this into practice, because sentient beings on earth are affected by the power of karma, which means they are affected by habits from the past. It is very difficult to change oneself in a short period of time. This is the sentient beings’ original sin: the innate habits. It is said in a Buddhist sutra, “The power of karma is so tremendous that it can break through the greatest mountain, go through the deepest sea.” In other words, the power of habit is so strong that even the greatest mountain cannot hold it back; even if one were to run to the deepest sea, he or she still cannot hide from it. It could create tremendous obstacles to people while they are seeking or walking on the holy path.

如何能保持福气呢？务必「惜福」，称之「珍惜福气」。珍惜福气就是尽量要做到「五戒」、「十善」和「六波罗密」。

然而，说起来容易，但在实践中做到则很难，因为在地球的众生，受「业力」影响，也就是过去习惯的影响，要一下子改过来是很困难的事情。这就是地球众生的「原罪」，生下来就有的习惯；经云：「业力甚大，能敌须弥，能深巨海，能障圣道」，也就是说，习惯的力量是很大的，即使大如须弥山也没法抵御，习惯的力量，即使在大海的深处也没有办法逃避，对于人们追求神圣的道路，往往会产生很大的障碍。

The great masters in Zen school observed and researched karma and the environment of sentient beings, and thus offered mental medicine to cure these problems. For example: “To rebuke disciples with a rod”, “Returning as liberation”, and “Living in the moment” are some cases from the Zen school’s history.

禅宗的历代祖师们，观察和研究了众生的业障和环境，所以提出了对治的「心理药方」，其中有「一棒到底」、「回头是岸」和「活在当下」。

“To rebuke disciples with a rod” is a means to cure people who have no perseverance. Without perseverance, how can one achieve his or her goals? “Returning as liberation” is a means to cure people’s problem of stubbornly adhering to the wrong attitude. “Living in the moment” is to cure people’s problem of more talking than doing. They often put too much attention on arguments, and forget the philosophy that “empty talk causes a country to degenerate, but pragmatic action brings a country prosperity.”

「一棒到底」是对治众生没有恒心的根性；没有恒心，怎么能到达目标呢？

「回头是岸」是对治众生「执迷不悟」的根性。「活在当下」是对治众生讲得多，做得少的根性；只求口舌之争，忘记「空谈误国，实干兴邦」之哲学。

In the case of “Living in the moment”, the Zen masters summed up three key methods, called The Three Good Virtues. They are: “keep a good heart, speak good words, and do good things.” Even just these three methods are enough for us to learn and to practice. There is a Chinese proverb, “to perform a one minute show requires ten years of practice.” When we are dealing with people and daily matters, can we truly “keep a good heart, speak good words, and do good things?” Only when we practice every day, do it every moment can we gradually accumulate bliss. If we make a mistake, we shall repent it right away. Only repentance can mend mistakes. If we don’t know how to repent, it is easy for us to fall into an abyss of stubbornly adhering to the wrong attitude.

在「活在当下」之中，祖师们又归纳为三招，称之做「三好人」，即「存好心、说好话、做好事」。只是这三招，已经够我们学习与练习了；所谓「台上一分钟，台下十年功」，与人交往，处事待人，能否做到「存好心、说好话、做好事」呢？只有天天做，时时做，我们才能逐步积累福份；若然犯错，马上要忏悔，只有忏悔才能补过，若不懂「忏悔」的人，很容易跌入「执迷不悟」的深坑。

Only when we learn how to self-criticize, conclude, and introspect can we discover, confront, and correct our shortcomings. Only those who have fewer flaws and more merits can be considered healthy and blessed.

只有学会检讨、总结和反省，才能发现缺点，正视缺点，改正缺点。只有缺点的少，优点的多，才能称为健康的人。