钱财

On Money

城市里的人们，脸上都挂着疲倦和痛苦的表情。究竟为什么会这样呢？经过我的详细观察，发现大多是因为钱财。

City dwellers usually wear a look of weariness and worry. Why is that so? After my careful observation, I find money issues are largely to blame.

众生赖以生存的这付臭皮囊，如果不幸降临于都市，就时刻需要钱财的支撑，否则就会轰然坍塌。也许有的人会说：“不可能吧？”但在都市里，你会处处感觉到钱财的重要性。无论吃饭、穿衣、看病、睡觉，甚至上厕所，也离不开钱。真的应了那句话：“钱不是万能的，但没有钱是万万不能的。”

This sack of flesh and bones that we humans survive in, if it fatefully lands in a city, will need the constant support of money. Otherwise, it will fall with a thump. Some of you may argue: “That’s not quite possible!” But in the city, one is forced to be keenly aware of the power of money. Any activity—be it eating, buying clothes, and seeing the doctor, sleeping, even going to the toilet—calls for money. It is exactly how the saying goes: “Money is not almighty, but without money nothing can be done.”

没有钱，都市人的一切生存活动都不得不停滞。为了五蕴所构建的这部机器能正常运转，人不得不像奴仆一样，为这部机器的能源——钱财而搏斗。我时常在想，如果人能像蚯蚓一样吃土也能生存该多好啊！但现实无情地告诉我，城市人要寻求生存的因是异常困难的。

With no money, all living activities in the city have to come to a halt. In order to have our body machine, the composite of five aggregates, function normally; humans have to struggle like slaves to garner the source of its fuel—money. I often think, wouldn’t it be wonderful if humans could survive just by imbibing soil like the earthworm! But cruel reality tells me otherwise: for people living in the city, the provisions to survive are by no means easy to come by.

所以，城市的人只有忙忙碌碌。不论他是谁，都会感受为钱财奔波而带来的痛苦。以前以为城市人过着天人一般的日子，现在方知，他们更是备受煎熬啊！这一切，令我想起山里的修行人。在山里，除了食物，不需要为更多的事操心，生存的因自然具足。同样是1000元，在山里，就是腰板挺直的大富翁；然而在城市里，却有捉襟见肘、相形见绌的感觉。

Consequently, city folks are reduced to being always on the run. The anguish of having to work hard for money is felt by practically everyone. Previously I had the illusion that people in the city live like celestial beings; only now do I come to see the extra agony they have to endure. This reminds me of those spiritual seekers deep in the mountains where the environment is naturally conducive to survival. Other than food, there are not too many things to worry about, and a person with 1,000 yuan can stand tall and be considered a rich person. While in the city, the same amount of money won’t go too far; one is unable to make ends meet and will feel a sense of inferiority.

作为修行人，就是应当以积累圣者七财为荣，积累世间钱财为耻，视清贫为最好的伴侣。噶当派大德们最推崇的教言就是：

A spiritual seeker should be defined as one who is proud of accruing the seven noble riches, who is ashamed of amassing worldly possessions, and who regards poverty as a dear companion. The most celebrated teaching among the Kadampa masters is:

“心依于法，法依于贫，贫依于死，死依于壑。”

Base your mind on the Dharma,
Base your Dharma on a humble life,
Base your humble life on the thought of death,
Base your death on a lonely cave.

富贵荣华足以使人痴迷，而贫贱却足以使人睿智。

Wealth and power make one obsessive and indulgent, while poverty and humility impart to one vision and wisdom.

汉地也有“一等和尚轻飘飘，二等和尚一大包，三等和尚压弯了腰”的说法。

There is also a saying in the Han area: “The monk of the highest caliber is light and at ease, the monk of the second rank holds a big sack, the monk of the third rank stoops with weight.”

一位藏地的大德，在英国作学者期间，每月发工资前，就将上月的节余全部布施，自己却穿着破旧的衣衫。很多慕名而去拜见他的人，都难以将眼前这个外表寒碜的人，与修证圆满、学富五车的藏地著名大成就者的名称联系在一起。这种行为，实在令人赞叹。

Some time ago, an erudite Tibetan went to England as a visiting scholar. Each month before payday, he would offer all the money he saved from the previous month to charity, keeping for himself only old ragged clothes. When visitors sought him out with admiration, they found it hard to match the humble, scrubby person they saw with the famous Tibetan siddha of perfect learning and accomplishment. His conduct deserves our highest praise.

无数的大德们都为我们做出了表率，我们实应心无旁骛地依止于贫穷。

Innumerable sages have shown us perfect examples; we should abide in poverty without the slightest second thought.

壬午年三月初八　　
2002年4月20日 　

8th of March, Year of RenWu
April 20, 2002