按摩

Massage Treatment

遵照医嘱，我必须每天接受按摩。

According to my doctor’s advice, I should get a massage treatment daily.

由于每天接触，这个按摩师已和我混得很熟。他不但手艺高超，而且十分健谈。

As we see each other every day, the masseur and I have become well acquainted. He is quite deft in his profession and is also a good conversationalist.

我刚一躺下，他就开始了滔滔不绝地讲演：“你们学佛的都说因果报应，我观察了很多，真的是不爽啊！你看美国，整天欺负别人，结果世贸大楼就被人炸了。阿富汗塔利班去年毁灭佛教，砸了不少佛像，结果也遭到报复。看来，因果这东西叫人不得不信。我隔壁的主人不孝父母，结果老婆跟人跑了。我也不知前世造了什么恶业，今生变成瞎子，但也不知造了什么善业，让我拥有这份手艺，可以衣食无忧……”

Soon after I lay down, he let out a flood of words: “You Buddhists always talk about karmic retribution. I could see it indeed is infallible through my many years’ observation. Look at the United States, bullying others and its World Trade Center towers were blown to ashes. The Taliban of Afghanistan, destroying the Buddhist religion a year ago and smashing many holy statuses, now they end up meeting revenge. Apparently, karma is something we’d better believe in. My next-door neighbor has been impious to his parents, and he sees his wife run off with someone else. For myself, I must have committed some evil actions in my past lives and as a result, I was born blind this life. On the other hand, I must also have done unknown good deeds so that I could learn my trade and support myself….”

他的话让我沉思良久，世间身体健全的人往往不如一个盲人。他们不知因果，造作恶业。遭遇厄运时，怨天尤人。殊不知：“欲知前世因，今生受者是，欲知来世果，今生作者是。”

His words left me pondering for a while. It’s a shame that many able-bodied people often cannot do better than a blind person. They are ignorant of the principle of cause and effect and indulge in negative actions; when encountering misfortune, they only resent fate and blame others. They reckon not the following adage:

If you want to know what you have done in your past lives,
Just observe what this life of yours has been like.
If you want to know how your future lives are likely to be,
Just observe what you have been doing in this life.

一切善恶因果，皆是自己所为。如果人人都能像这个按摩师一样相信因果，我想世界也会因此而多一些美好，少一些丑恶。

All of our fate, good or bad, results from our own deeds. If everyone could have faith in causality as my masseur does, I believe the world will have one measure more of decency and one measure less of hostility.

想着想着，忽然感到背上被人狠狠地打了一下，痛得我叫了起来：“你可不要乱摸啊！”按摩师连忙说：“对不起！对不起！我把您当成美国人了。不过，天下都已经大乱了，我又为什么不能乱摸、乱说、乱想呢？”一句话，说得我哈哈大笑：“在藏传佛教里，有位十分了不起的大成就者麦彭仁波切说：‘虽此大地满恶人，然自当持高尚行。’你虽不是佛教徒，但这句话对你也会有益的。你可要做出淤泥而不染的荷花啊！”“谢谢您的忠告，我一定照此行持。”

While deep in thought, all of a sudden I felt a heavy blow on my back that made me cry out with pain: “Ouch! Do spare your brute force!” The masseur apologized quickly: “I am sorry, I am very sorry; somehow I was imagining you as an American. Anyway, the world is already in chaos, why is it that I cannot fumble about at will? Why can’t I speak at liberty, or indulge in fancies?” I chuckled heartily and said: “In Tibetan Buddhism, there is a great master called Mipham Rinpoche. He once said, ‘Even if the whole world is filled with evil beings, one should still maintain one’s noble conduct’; although you are not a Buddhist, I believe this saying will benefit you. You should always be like the lotus flower which emerges out of mud without being sullied.” He replied: “Thank you so much for your advice, I shall follow it faithfully.”

今天我挨这一下，也是因果显现。若能因此而让他明白一些道理，那也是值得的。

Well, the heavy pounding landing on me today may well be the result of my own karma. But if this episode can bring my masseur some understanding of the truth, my pain is all-worthwhile.

壬午年三月十三日 　
2002年4月25日 　

13th of March, Year of RenWu
April 25, 2002