自利

Self-Cultivation

实修的人先应调服自己的烦恼，获得一定境界，不为环境所转后，方能到人群当中行利他行为。这是佛教的必然规律。

Before walking into a crowd to bring forth benefit, any spiritual practitioner must first tame his or her own afflictive emotions and gain a realization unshakable by circumstance. Such is the inexorable order in Buddhism.

如果自己烦恼未调，自己还处于“泥菩萨过河，自身难保”的阶段，又何谈利他呢？如果以利他为借口，心里却是希求财产、名声，即使表面看来是利众，实际上却毫无意义。发心不纯正，即使是讲经说法也不开许。

When negative emotion is still rampant, one is like “a clay statue of Buddha attempting to cross the river.” When one can hardly save oneself, what is there to say of liberating others? Furthermore, selfish greed for fame and money can hide under the guise of benefiting others; such superficial activity is totally meaningless. In fact, without pure motivation, teaching the Dharma is not allowed.

无垢光尊者在《窍诀宝藏论》中云：“虽勤利众若为私欲缚，终成骗子危险当谨慎。”

The Omniscient Longchenpa says in The Precious Treasury of Pith Instructions:

If one is ensnared by selfish desires while trying to benefit beings,
One is liable to turn into a charlatan, beware of this pitfall!

又说：“无有神通利益他众难。”

And again:
Without having attained clairvoyance in the first place, performing the task of benefiting beings is tough.

卓衮巴大师也说：“对修行人而言，应当身着缀满补丁的衣衫，手持诃子 念珠，门口印满清晰的鸟迹 。在修行之时，无论是谁为懈怠懒散之人讲经说法，都绝对没有利益。格西是不会欢喜的，我也会将此人视为精神癫狂者。”

Master Dro Gompa comments: “Spiritual practitioners must wear patched-up garments and constantly hold a mala in hand. The fronts of their retreat huts are covered with distinct footprints of birds (meaning they do not go out). While one is still at the stage of learning and practicing, it is utterly useless to teach the Dharma to indolent students. I doubt our Geshe will be pleased; likewise I’ll regard this person as frenzied.”

藏巴加惹也告诫后人：“没有春天的播种，而希冀获得秋天的果实是饿鬼(的痴心妄想)；时机没有成熟，而企图度化众生实在是徒劳无益。”

Tsangpa Gayre also left this advice: “Hoping to harvest crops in the fall without having sowed in springtime is nothing but the wishful thinking of hungry ghosts. Trying to tame beings without the coming together of ripening conditions is nothing but a senseless endeavor.”

博朵瓦也叮嘱我们：“修行人应当励力调服自相续，首要之举就是如此。以他利为主的行为并没有开许。只需在心里想着利益他众，除此之外，身语不一定亲自而为。”

Geshe Potowa also urges us: “When one starts spiritual practice, the most important task is to direct effort toward training one’s own mind. Other activities centered on helping others are not permitted. One needs only to generate in the heart the aspiration of benefiting others; other than this, it is not absolutely necessary to take actions in body or speech.”

布顿大师也谆谆教诲弟子说：“过去众多佛陀未调化，所有大力菩萨亦未调。呵责怀恨称赞生骄慢，于强生嫉均者相比拼，傲视低卑执持粗暴心，纵宣法语亦作贪嗔行。如此凡夫愚众于现今，吾无力化故当调自心。利他乃法根本之密意，当观所调化者之根器，知其随眠多寡前后际，不贪自利能调方调御。己尚追寻名利及乐赞，不具神通若欲行他利，犹如无翅妄想遨蓝天，他利未成自利衰败因。纵言讲闻乃为持胜法，必依净戒无伪出离心，应为公正求义聪睿者，智士方宣胜藏乃密意。虽聚追逐今生名利眷，无信无欲纵演殊妙法，亦不实修徒生贪嗔因，此类听闻实乃轮回绳。”

The great master Buton Rinpoche has also taught earnestly and tirelessly the following: “Multitudes of Buddhas of the past have not saved many confused beings of this world, nor have the compassionate great Bodhisattvas tamed them. They harbor resentment of criticism and become conceited when praised, are jealous of superiors and competitive with equals, despicable of inferiors and ruthless in bearing. They do not give up covetousness and hatred even though they have received Dharma teachings. Having no skillful means to tame such beings yet, we should train ourselves first. The ultimate essence of the Dharma is to benefit beings. However, it should be applied according to the need of each individual. Become aware of their afflictive emotions, their past and future tendencies, then teach only when you are capable and have no more self-interest. If you still chase after fame, wealth, pleasure, and praise, if you possess no clairvoyance but want to help others, it will be like wishing to fly freely in the blue sky with no wings. Not only will you fail helping others but also you’ll ruin yourself. Although teaching and learning the Dharma are extremely important, the teacher must have kept pure precepts and genuinely renounced earthly strife. And the students must be earnest, intelligent, have unbiased views and yearn for the Dharma. To teach the supreme Dharma only to worthy ones is the secret. Having a large retinue who chase fame and wealth of this life, having delivered wonderful teachings but lacking faith and aspiration, neglecting actual practices and having a mind full of avarice and hatred, these kinds of teachers and students will be tightly bound by the ropes of samsara.”

当然，如果因为可怜众生，并没有自利之心，即使没有调服相续，而向人宣说佛法，也只有功德，没有危害。

Of course, if a person is free from self-interest and feels compassion for miserable beings, he or she is permitted to convey the Dharma even before having tamed the mind. This kind of teaching is meritorious, and will not be harmful.

壬午年三月二十四日　
2002年5月5日　　

24th of March
May 5, 2002
At Wu Lau Mountain, Xiamen