What is purity of mind?
Correcting our minds is the starting point when it comes to cultivating the mind. However, the perception of what is right differs from individual to individual, as two opposing parties can each insist that they are right.
什么是心净？
修正心灵为修心的出发点，但不同的人对正的看法不同，哪怕是对立的两个方面，可能都认为自己是正。
So this is the first question facing us: What is right? And how do we determine what is right? A selfish person may say: “Aren’t all people like this?” A husband who quarrels frequently with his wife may insist that she does not care about him, while a son who has not been in touch with his 80-year-old mother for a decade may defend himself on the basis that she was hostile with his wife back then.
这就是我们面临的第一个题目，什么是正？怎样是正？一个自私的人会说“人不都这样吗”？一个经常和妻子吵架的人会认为她总是这样不关心我，而一个与80岁的老妈十年不相往来的儿子也会振振有词地说：“她当年对我老婆狠得不得了。”
Under such circumstances, and especially for people who have never once thought themselves wrong in a decade or more, will they reflect upon themselves? What would prompt them to do that? Most of the time, it comes from the outside. For example, an insightful speech delivered by the Master during his dharma talk; a sudden realisation while travelling in a car; the sight of a child supporting his elderly mother by the hand while walking; an anecdote related by a colleague, and so on. All of these could be the instant catalyst for repentance.
在这种情况下，十年如一日从来没有认为自己错的人，怎么会突然去反省呢？什么是他们反省的契机？这个契机多来自外界，如某日法会上师父的一句话，有时坐车也能产生一些悟性，一个儿子扶着年迈母亲的一个剪影，或者是同事叙述的一个邻里旧事等都可能是幡然悔悟的契机。
However, for such a spark to occur, an accumulation of merits and virtues is necessary.
As the Chinese expression goes: “Lay a solid foundation and reveal your strength modestly when the right time comes.” Regardless of how you acquire merits and virtues, whether by performing recitation or doing good deeds, an instant awakening is only possible after you have acquired merits to a certain level. Only at that stage will your negative karmic obstacles be eliminated, and the defilements that obscure your inherent nature be removed. Only then will you be able to see your inherently unselfish, loving and tolerant nature, and demonstrate filial piety.
但契机必须有功德的积累做基础，正所谓“厚积薄发”，无论是通过念经还是做其它善事积累功德，只有到了这个层次，才有“一点就破”的可能，这个层次就是导致这种“不正”的孽障消除了，心灵上遮掩你本性的污垢擦掉了，这时候才能见到“不自私”的本性、“爱和包容”的本性、“孝”的本性。
At the same time, it is important to recognise the source of such defilements – greed, hatred and delusion. Life is often less than smooth-sailing, and such imperfection may be largely attributable to greed, hatred and delusion. This is why they are referred to as the three poisons.
同时要心中认识到还有制造这些污垢的源头：贪瞋痴，人生不如意十有八九，这十有八九大多数都因为贪瞋痴，所以称为“三毒”。
For example, although you’ve managed to subdue your selfishness for a while, you may be back to your old self again. When a reward or a promotion is up for grabs in your department, you may find yourself thinking: “Who is more qualified than me?” Or just as you have managed to resolve the decade-long lack of communication between you and your mother, one of her comments may send you into a rage once gain. Under the influence of these three poisons, your inherent and burgeoning kind nature is once again nowhere to be found.
刚对自己的自私心理批了好一阵，转眼单位里评职称，又是当仁不让，舍我其谁；刚把老妈妈接回来，10年冰冻得以化解，妈妈一句话又暴跳如雷……刚刚见到的一点善的本性又无影无踪了。
Therefore, if the three poisons have not been eradicated, cultivation of the mind will be less effective despite all the hard work. Even experienced and famous practitioners are likely to fail to eliminate the three poisons completely, and this can only be resolved through one’s own efforts. External intervention such as advice or help from others have no decisive role to play here. This is true even if it is the Master who is giving you personal advice, and telling you not to be greedy or delusional. It will be futile if you fail to see the true nature of things for yourself.
所以三毒不除，修心则是事倍功半，甚至寸步难行，即使久负盛名之有修，也有不能尽除三毒的可能。这一点只能由自己解决，别人的劝告，别人的帮助等外来之力是起不到决定作用的，哪怕是师父耳提面授让你别贪让你不要痴，自己看不破也没用。
So many infatuated couples continue to pine miserably for one another, unable to accept the fact that the karmic affinity between them has come to an end. There are so many who are enjoying such high social status and great wealth that they put all of it at risk in pursuit of even more material gains to satisfy an insatiable greed. These are examples of people who are unable to see the true nature of things as they fail to realise that life is brief and impermanent.
有多少痴心男女缘分已尽了，还要苦苦思念，有多少荣华富贵之后不能安于现状反而孤注一掷，变本加厉后，贪得无厌……这些都是看不破，看不破人生苦短，念念无常。
They may understand the concept of karmic conditions and the law of karma, but it is another matter entirely when it comes to putting it to practice. It is no longer a matter of the arising and ceasing of affinities, but rather the result of cause and effect from past lives that change through the passage of time. Once the affinity has ended, the karmic shackles will also vanish accordingly. Like falling leaves and petals, everything in the world is fleeting and illusory. The wealth and honour enjoyed in this life are interrelated with the good deeds performed in your past life. If you wish to continue to reap these benefits in subsequent lifetimes, you should step up and perform more meritorious deeds.
虽然说到缘分因果都明白，但用到自己身上就是另一回事，不再是缘起缘落都是因往世的因果随着时间的推移而变化，缘分已了，一分羁绊就没了，不再是人间一切落叶飞花，皆为虚幻，命里的富贵和自己的往世善业相联系，喜欢就应加紧修功德以期来世荣耀一生。
The three poisons are ubiquitous in the process of our cultivation of the mind, and also the biggest challenges faced constantly by every practitioner.
所以三毒之害伴随着修心的全过程，也是修心之人时刻面临的最大挑战。
发表于 2021-11-4 13:49:58
