第八辑 把心带回家 Volume 8: Bringing the Mind Home
我说过，禅修是通往觉悟之路，而觉悟是此生命的最终意义。
I have said that meditation is the road to enlightenment and the greatest endeavor of this life.
你要觉悟必须要禅坐。
If you want to attain enlightenment, you must practice meditation.
一个生命如果不觉悟的话，那就是低级动物——没有觉悟的生命，就是很低层次的生命，他就活在自己的很低层次的境界里面，执著眼前的利益、眼前的快乐，目光短浅。
Without enlightenment, one is like a lower-level creature — an unawakened being is at a very low level. They live within their own limited realm, attached to immediate gains and pleasures, with a narrow perspective.
每当我对学生谈到禅坐时，我总是强调禅修必须严谨而虔诚；
Whenever I talk about meditation to my students, I always stress the necessity of practicing it with resolute discipline and one-pointed devotion.
这就是我们有些时候坐不好的原因：我们不够严谨，坐的时候姿势不对，方式有偏差，方法不精准——念咒的时候念两句就开始胡思乱想，就说明你不严谨、不虔诚。
That's why sometimes we can't meditate well: we lack resolute discipline, right posture, or precise method. If your mind starts to run away after chanting a few mantras, it shows you lack discipline and devotion.
虔诚的心会让你不容易打妄想、也不容易昏沉——我们昏沉就是因为不重视，心懈怠，不虔诚。
Devotion makes it less likely for your mind to run away or feel drowsy. Our drowsiness is because we don't value the practice, we slack off, or we lack devotion.
同时，我也总是告诉他们，禅修必须尽可能富有灵感和原创性。
At the same time, I always tell them how important it is to do it in as inspired and as richly creative a way as possible.
禅修的时候，师父给你指点，但是你自己也得有灵感；没有灵感的话，师父指点、你也悟不到——师父天天这样讲，如果没有灵感就没什么觉受。
During meditation, I can guide you, but you also need to have inspiration. Without inspiration, even if I guide you, you won't realize it. Although I give teachings like this every day, if you are not inspired, you won't have much realization.
禅修要有灵感和原创性，原创性的意思就是说你要打破自己的执著，通过师父教的方法自己要去实践，在实践中掌握这种禅修。这是要靠不断地尝试的。
Meditation requires inspiration and creativity. Creativity means eliminating your attachments, putting the methods I taught you into practice, and mastering this kind of meditation through practice. It requires continuous experimentation.
打比方你练枪法，师父就告诉了你正确的方法，然后你就开始练。在练的过程当中，你自己要有灵感和原创性，慢慢地你就掌握了窍诀，方法都不用了。
For example, if you practice shooting, after I share the right method with you, you can start practicing. During the practice, you should have your inspiration and creativity. And gradually, you will master the tips to the extent that you don't even need the method.
你自己寻找到那种在最短的时间内瞄准目标的一个方法，并且能保持；还有身体的稳定性，你都可以自己慢慢地摸索和寻找到最快的、最精准的方法。
You will find a way to quickly and consistently aim at the target in the shortest time. Additionally, to maintain the stability of your body, you can also gradually explore and discover the fastest and most accurate method on your own.
不管做什么事情，你都要富有灵感和原创性，特别是禅修，是开智慧的。
No matter what you do, you should be richly creative and inspired, especially in meditation, as it cultivates wisdom.
从某一个角度来说，禅修是一种艺术，你必须把艺术家的心情和丰富的创造力带进禅修。
In one sense meditation is an art, and you should bring to it an artist's delight and fertility of invention.
没有这种禅修，你怎么开智慧？
Without this kind of meditation, how can you cultivate wisdom?
打坐的时候，师父教了拙火定，方法只是一个引子，你要在这个方法上尽量地有灵感、自己的原创性，
In regard to meditation, I have taught you the method of "Inner Fire Meditation". The method is just a catalyst; you should try to infuse it with your inspiration and creativity.
慢慢地去体验到师父的这个方法：丹田怎么热起来？怎么往外扩散？怎么热到全身去？要有灵感。你身体要是找不到那个感觉，就要不断地调整呼吸、调整身体，找到拙火的感觉。
Take your time to experience this method: how does the lower abdomen heat up? How does the heat radiate outward? How does it spread to the whole body? You need inspiration. If your body can't get that feeling, you need to continuously adjust your breathing and body to get the feeling of inner fire.
就像那天我们看那个在岛上摩擦起火的视频，那个人用了好多方法，最后成功。摩擦起火都听说过，但是真正地叫你去实践、去做到，那很不容易。
Just like the video we've watched of a man creating fire on an island by friction, he tried many methods and finally succeeded. We've all heard of creating fire by friction, but actually practicing it and making it is quite challenging.
他花了很长时间，最后终于摸索出来了，找到了灵感，后来找到了正确的方法。都要一点一点地去想，一边做一边琢磨怎么样能够点着火。
It took him a long time, and finally, he gradually figured it out, got inspired, and eventually found the right method. You need to think step by step, pondering how to ignite the fire while doing it.
做什么事都要有灵感，灵感和原创性太重要了，不能死死板板的。
No matter what you do, you should have inspiration. Inspiration and creativity are so important. Don't be rigid and inflexible.
师父教你的只是一个方法，这个方法要你自己在实践当中去灵活地学习，然后掌握——自己真正掌握了，那是正确的方法，师父教的还只是一个知识性的，只是告诉了你正确的流程。
What I've taught you is just a method, while the method needs you to flexibly learn through practice and then master it. If you truly master it, it becomes the right method. What I've taught is just a knowledge, which conveys the right process to you.
一般你做的过程当中师父也会点化你：哪个地方更用力一点，或者什么时候注意哪个要点，这就是窍诀。
Usually, when you are engaging in the actual practice, I will also guide you: where to exert a bit more effort, when to pay attention to certain key points — these are tips.
你只有去修了，那个时候你来问问题，师父才会告诉你更进一步的一些经验。
Only when you come to consult me after actual practice, will I share further experiences with you.
因为你初步都还没入门，跟你讲后面的没用。
Because if you haven't even started the basic practice, it would be useless to share advanced tips with you.
所以你们要实修，实修了以后问的问题，师父就知道：“哦，你是真修了，你已经进入一种状态了，到了哪一步了。”师父就会跟你讲你下一步应该注意什么、你应该怎么修。
So, you need to engage in actual practice. If you consult me after actually starting your practice, I will know: "Oh, you've truly practiced, you've entered a certain state, and you've reached a certain point." Then I will tell you what you should pay attention to in the next step, and how to carry out the practice.
天天跟你讲大道理，你都没有开始修（很多人都是这样，没有修），跟你讲了没有用，都是重复的，听了也不起太大的作用。所以说一定要去实修。
If you haven't even started practicing (which is the case for many people), it would be useless to share advanced theories with you. That would be just repeating and won't bring about much effect even if you listen. Therefore, you must engage in actual practice.
你们要禅修，不禅修的话，师父讲的都是没用的，变成了一种知识。对你来说就是一种知识，而不是真正的学问、不能实践——一种知识性的，
You should practice meditation; otherwise, what I teach would be useless and become a kind of knowledge for you, rather than genuine understanding that can be applied into practice — it would be merely intellectual.
你知道了、记住了，但不等于你会用，不等于你可以操作、可以实际地行动。没有行动，那不行。
Even if you know and remember it, it doesn't mean you know how to use it or that you can apply it practically. Don't just acquire knowledge without putting it into action.
禅修是一种艺术。艺术是有创作性的、有灵感的。这里说要有“丰富的创造力”。
Meditation is an art. Art is characterized by creativity and inspiration. Here it says, "you should bring to it fertility of invention."
就好像在日常生活中常带点神经质和竞争意识一样，你应该灵巧地全力启发你自己进入祥和之中。
Become as resourceful in inspiring yourself to enter your own peace as you are at being neurotic and competitive in the world.
你要进入那个状态，要启发你自己，找到那个最恰当的状态，走中道嘛，
You need to enter that state, inspire yourself, and find the most suitable state, as we are following the middle way.
随时要调整自己的重心，稍不留神就掉下去了，所以要保持高度的警惕，但是又要会放松。你不放松的话也不行，也无法进入正确的状态。
You need to adjust your balance at any time. A slight slip could make you lose your balance, so we should be highly alert, yet still aware of relaxing. Without relaxation, you won't enter the right state.
既要警惕，又要放松，成功者都是这样的。刚开始我们上去的时候都是很警惕，但是就不会放松，因为没办法保持中道。
Being alert while remaining relaxed — this is the way of successful practitioners. When we first start, we are all alert, but we can't relax because it's hard to maintain the balance.
等你会保持中道的时候自然就放松了，所以这都要在实践中慢慢地练习——练出来的，这没有什么窍诀，只有你自己多练习。
When you are able to maintain the balance, you will naturally relax. So, all of this needs to be gradually cultivated in actual practice. There is no shortcut; it's all about practicing consistently on your own.
易明之光 Mini读书@2023