众生总觉得在自己生命中,有一个恒常不变的自我为主宰。所以时时为我着想,处处以自我为中心,一言一行都反映出强烈的自我:我喜欢,我讨厌;我爱,我恨……如果作个统计,我们一天不知要说多少个“我”字?

Sentientbeingsalwaysfeelthatintheirlives,thereisaconstant,,theyalwaysthinkofthemselves,placetheselfatthecoreofeverything,andtheireverywordandeveryactionreflectastrongsenseofego:“I”like,“I”dislike,“I”love,“I”,howmanytimesdoweunknowinglysay“I”inasingleday?

Becausethereisan“I,”,wettobeattachedtoourname,thinkingofitas“I.”Everytimeournameismentioned,“I,”andbelievethatpraisingournameequalspraising“I”ordefamingournameequalsdefaming“I.”Inreality,ournameisnomorethanamarkgivenbyourparents,whichcannotrepresentthetrueself.

否则,我们只需换个名字,就能将自己变成另一个人,而那些有别名、笔名等不同名字的人,又以什么作为“我”的象征?所以说,执名字为“我”,为之忧为之喜,实在是毫无意义的。

Otherwise,ifwechangedourname,,thosewithnicknames,pennames,andothe,itmakesnosensetotakeournameas“I”andfeelworriedordelightedaboutit.

我们也会执身体为“我”。色身乃四大假合,其中何尝有“我”的存在?所以禅宗祖师会让人去参:“父母未生前本来面目是什么?”在这个身体中,究竟什么代表了真正的“我”?

Also,wealwaystakeourbodyas“I.”Infact,accordingtoBuddhism,abodyisjustaprovisionalaggregateofthefourprimaryelements,namely,earth,water,fire,andwind,andnoneofthembearsthemarkof“I.”Forthisreason,theancientChanmastersraisedthequestion:“Whatwasyouroriginalfacebeforeyourbirth?”Asforourbodies,whichpartofitcanreallystandas“I”?

在医学发达的今天,组成色身的许多部件都可以移植、再造,如果其中任何一部分是“我”的话,“我”的概念早已被现代医学所挑战:经历了整容手术的“我”是谁?经历了心脏移植的“我”是谁?

Withtoday’sadvancedmedicaltechnology,“I,”theconceptofselfwouldhavebeenchallengedearlierbymodernmedicine:Whoam“I”aftercosmeticsurgery?Whoam“I”afterahearttransplant?

可凡夫由于无知,将当下这个虚假的色身妄执为我,就会为了容貌的美丽或丑陋,为了身材的魁梧或矮小,为了身体的健康或衰弱而百般思量,徒寻烦恼。

However,duetoignorance,wefalselyclingtothisillusoryphysicalbodyas“I”andworryoveritsbeautyorugliness,itsstaturebeingtallorshort,anditshealthorweakness,thuslesslyseekingtrouble.

所老子说:“吾所以有大患者,为吾有身;及吾无身,吾有何患?”这也从一个侧面反映了佛法所说的“身为苦本”的原理。

LaoTzu,thefounderofTaoisminancientChina,oncesaid,“,whattroubledoIhave?”ThisechoeswiththeBuddhistprinciplethat“thebodyistherootofsuffering.”

摘自《生命的痛苦及其解脱》

版权所有:济群法师

Excerptedfrom:

Life’sSufferingandItsLiberation

ByMasterJiqun