如何追随佛陀的足迹

In March 2015, Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche went yet again on pilgrimage around some of the most important sacred sites of India; only this time as a facilitator for Sogyal Rinpoche and a group of Rigpa students.

2015年3月，乌金督佳仁波切再次前往印度一些最重要的圣地朝圣；这一次，是为索甲仁波切及一群 本觉会 学生提供协助。

It was a glorious morning and the last day of the pilgrimage, which we spent at the Anathapindika Grove, the very place where the Enlightened One spent the most time. So, of course, talking about the Dharma is considered to be especially auspicious, and Rinpoche did not miss the precious opportunity. There he tells with his usual directness what it means to actually practise, and how we must make sure we approach Dharma practice. A roving tour of the Dharma, past, present and future.

那是一个灿烂的早晨，也是朝圣的最后一天。我们来到给孤独园，正是觉者驻留时间最长的地方。因此，在这里谈论佛法，当然被认为尤其吉祥；仁波切没有错过这宝贵机会。他以一贯的直率，讲述真正修持意味着什么，以及我们必须如何对待佛法修持。这是一趟遍历佛法过去、现在与未来的巡礼。

Today we’ve all come to the Grove of Anathapindika, in Shravasti, India, the Land of Aryas, which was presented to the Buddha by King Prasenajit. The Buddha only ever benefits sentient beings and has been accomplishing that benefit for three incalculable kalpas, since the moment he conceived the precious mind of enlightenment until he reached complete awakening. All he has ever done is help others, which is easy to say, but if you really think about what it means, it’s extraordinarily vast and profound. Why easy? You just say the words, “The completely enlightened Buddha perfected accumulations and eliminated obscurations for three incalculable kalpas to reach enlightenment”. Easy, right? But now, think about it. First imagine the length of one kalpa, or aeon. Then multiply that by three ‘incalculable kalpas’ and you’ll arrive at the amount of time Buddha spent working towards enlightenment. He wasn’t merely roaming around in samsara. Motivated by his compassion, he worked to benefit sentient beings, to take care of their welfare, mainly by perfecting the six paramitas – generosity and so on. We, on the other hand, have just been going round and round and round...

今天，我们都来到祇园——给孤独园，位于舍卫城，在圣者之地印度，是波斯匿王供养给佛陀的。佛陀所做的一切，唯是利益有情；从最初生起珍贵菩提心，直到圆满觉悟，三个无量劫以来，他一直成办这样的利益。他所做的一切，都是帮助他人。这话说来容易，但真正思考其意义，就会发现极其广大、深奥。为什么说容易？只要说出：「圆满觉悟的佛陀，历经三个无量劫，圆满资粮、净除障蔽，证得觉悟。」很容易，对吧？但现在，想一想。先想象一个劫的长度，再将它乘到「三个无量劫」，就得到佛陀为趋向觉悟所付出的时间。他并非只是在轮回中漂泊，而是以悲心为动机，利益有情，照顾他们的福祉，主要通过圆满布施等六波罗蜜多。相比之下，我们却只是不停地转啊、转啊、转……

The first of the six paramitas is generosity. So how did the Buddha perfect generosity? For example, he cut off his own head then offered it; then he cut off his limbs, gouged out his eyes, and offered them too. This is a very difficult practice, yet he did it more times than we can count. And this was how he perfected all six of the paramitas, always motivated by the wish to benefit sentient beings. It was this activity that led him to the attainment of enlightenment.

六波罗蜜多之首，是布施。佛陀如何圆满布施？例如，他割下自己的头颅作供养，又割下肢体、挖出眼睛，也一并布施。这是极难的修持，但他做过的次数，多得无法计算。他就是这样圆满六波罗蜜多，始终以利益有情的愿望为动机。正是这些事业，使他证得觉悟。

When undertaking any task, first we set an objective, then we accomplish the task. Likewise, the Buddha accomplished an ocean of bodhisattva activities for the benefit of all sentient beings as vast as space, and the result was that he attained enlightenment. When you invest time in worldly business, the result is that you become wealthier. The result of the ocean-like bodhisattva activities the Buddha accomplished as a bodhisattva, was the inconceivably vast merit of an Enlightened One. What kind of merit is ‘the inconceivably vast merit of an Enlightened One’? It’s the kind of merit that means he is able to bring about the benefit all sentient beings. How does he do it? He tames sentient beings with the great merit of his body and his speech, and the great equanimity of his enlightened mind, and with his great enlightened qualities and enlightened activities. These five are called the Five Inexhaustible Wheels of Ornaments. From the perspective of the Buddha, they never disappear and never come to an end. But for sentient beings, sometimes they appear, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they help beings, sometimes they don’t, depending on the individuals involved and the times. It’s like the sun and the moon. They are always in the sky, but sometimes we see them and sometimes we don’t. A Buddha accomplishes the benefit of sentient beings by manifesting the enlightened body, by turning the Wheels of the Dharma with his enlightened speech, by resting the enlightened mind in the meditative equipoise of great equality, and through his omniscience by seeing all beings. And this is what he was doing during the twenty-five summer retreats that he spent in this very grove at Shravasti. Plus he had, of course, manifest all the enlightened qualities and enlightened activities.

做任何事情，我们都先设立目标，再完成任务。同样，佛陀为了利益如虚空般广大的一切有情，成办如海的菩萨行，其结果就是证得觉悟。将时间投入世间生意，结果是更加富裕。佛陀在菩萨位成办如海事业，其结果，是觉者不可思议的广大福德。什么是「觉者不可思议的广大福德」？是使他能够成办一切有情利益的福德。他如何成办？他以身、语的广大福德、觉悟心的大平等性，以及广大的觉悟功德与事业，调伏有情。这五者称为五无尽庄严轮。从佛陀方面说，它们从不消失，也永无穷尽。但对有情而言，它们有时显现，有时不显现；有时利益众生，有时没有，取决于所涉个体与时机。这就像日月，总在天上，但我们有时看得见，有时看不见。佛陀通过示现觉悟身、以觉悟语转法轮、觉悟心安住大平等性的禅定等持，以及以遍知照见一切众生，成办有情的利益。佛陀在舍卫城这座园林里，度过二十五次夏安居时，所做的就是这些。当然，他也示现了一切觉悟功德与事业。

That Buddha spent time here is very significant. According to the teachings of the Shravaka vehicle, a patch of ground on which just one of Buddha’s feet stepped is extraordinarily sacred. So in a place like this where he spent twenty-five years, it is even more important that we think of him and receive his blessings. Followers of the bodhisattva vehicle, and many sutras like the Prajnaparamita Sutra, describe the world as having four continents, and this perspective has endured until today. The Secret Mantra Vajrayana’s perspective is that everything that appears is simply the natural manifestation of primordial wisdom as perceived by the Buddha – meaning everything that appears is without the slightest impurity, completely pure. Since impurity is impossible, the naturally-appearing mandala of primordial wisdom is the pure land of Akanishtha, endowed with the five perfections. And Akanishtha is here, now. It’s where we all are.

佛陀曾在此驻留，这一点意义重大。依声闻乘教法，即使只是佛陀一只脚曾踏过的一小块土地，也极其神圣。因此，在这样的地方，他住过二十五年，我们忆念佛陀、领受其加持，就更加重要。菩萨乘的行者，以及《般若波罗蜜多经》等许多经典，将世界描述为具有四大部洲；这一观点延续至今。秘密真言金刚乘的观点则是：一切显现，只是佛陀所见本初智慧的自然显现。也就是说，一切显现，没有丝毫不净，完全清净。既然不可能有不净，智慧自然显现的坛城，就是具足五圆满的色究竟净土。而色究竟就在此时此地，就是我们所有人所在之处。

We are extremely lucky to have the opportunity to come to such a place, and now that we’re here, we’re extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to talk about the Dharma.

有机会来到这样的地方，我们极为幸运；既然已经来了，又有机会谈论佛法，更是极为幸运。

First we must admit to ourselves that we are dharma practitioners. In this world there are two kinds of people: those who agree with the Dharma teachings and those who do not. What we must do is think, “I am a dharma practitioner.”

首先，必须向自己承认，我们是佛法修行者。世上有两种人：认同佛法教导的人，以及不认同的人。我们必须这样想：「我是佛法修行者。」

There are many different kinds of teaching available these days. One of them, the one we follow, is the teaching of the Buddha. Of the many approaches offered by the Buddhadharma, we follow the Tibetan approach, which sees no contradiction between any of the three vehicles and therefore practises all three together. If you’re not certain that you’re a dharma practitioner, and if you don’t admit to yourself that you are a dharma practitioner, nothing will work. You might look like a dharma practitioner, but you won’t be one. So admit it. Think carefully, to check whether it’s true or not, then admit to yourself, “I am a dharma practitioner”. To do so is extraordinarily beneficial and really helps you abandon negative actions. It also helps if you try to accomplish the ten positive actions. In fact, thinking “I am a dharma practitioner” should bring great benefit. Even if you’re not absolutely convinced, thinking that you are a dharma practitioner will definitely help. The moment you act negatively – and everyone slips up sometimes – you’ll probably regret it. But even if you don’t, joyfully and earnestly apply yourself to being a dharma practitioner so that you will become the kind of person who never acts negatively. Whatever happens, you will know what to adopt and what to reject. So, start thinking of yourself as a dharma practitioner.

如今，有许多不同教法可以接触。其中一种，就是我们追随的佛陀教法。佛法提供许多途径，我们追随藏传的途径，认为三乘彼此没有矛盾，因此三乘同修。如果不确定自己是修行者，也不向自己承认是修行者，那么什么都不会奏效。你可能看起来像修行者，却并不真是。所以，承认吧。仔细想想，检查这是否属实，然后向自己承认：「我是佛法修行者。」这样做，极有利益，确实有助于舍弃恶行。努力行持十善，也有帮助。实际上，想到「我是佛法修行者」，应该带来很大利益。即使还未完全确信，认为自己是修行者，也一定会有帮助。做了恶行的那一刻——每个人偶尔都会失误——你大概会后悔。即使没有后悔，也应欢喜而认真地投入，成为修行者，最终成为从不作恶的人。无论发生什么，你都会知道应取什么、舍什么。因此，开始把自己视为佛法修行者。

We must therefore give the dharma its due importance in our lives. The main thing is that dharma benefits others, which means you don’t only think of yourself, but act for the benefit of all sentient beings. Then with this motivation, practise the dharma as much as you can.

所以，必须在生活中，给予佛法应有的重要地位。主要的是，佛法利益他人，这意味着，你不只想到自己，而是为了利益一切有情而行动。然后，以这样的动机，尽可能修持佛法。

What I want to say today is that when it comes to dharma practice, we sometimes engage in dharma activities as a way of showing off, so we can boast about our practice, for example. This kind of activity doesn’t bring much benefit. Dharma must be applied to the mind. Only when the Dharma has become fully mixed with the mind are you a true dharma practitioner.

今天我想说的是，在佛法修持上，我们有时参加佛法活动，是为了炫耀，例如可以夸口自己如何修行。这种活动，利益不大。佛法必须运用于心。只有佛法与心完全融合，才是真正的修行者。

All the learnèd and accomplished masters, starting with the Buddha, have said the same thing: at its heart, the point of the dharma is that it tames each individual’s mind. This is extremely important. To practise the dharma for one hundred years, yet see no change in your mind, is a waste of time. Positive activities, like prostrations and making offerings, etc., will bring results in the future.

从佛陀开始，所有博学与成就的上师，都说同一件事：佛法最核心的目的，是调伏每个人自己的心。这极其重要。修了一百年佛法，心却毫无改变，就是浪费时间。顶礼、供养等善行，将来仍会带来果报。

If you want to integrate these teachings into your mind, the first thing that you must think is, “I want to be freed from samsara”. That is the first key step. There is no form of buddhahood that can be attained while we remain in samsara, which is why the teachings tell us very clearly that renunciation – developing renunciation mind – is one of the most important steps on the path to enlightenment. And as we need to feel genuine renunciation, we must therefore reflect on the sufferings of samsara. By thinking about how much suffering there is in samsara, renunciation will definitely arise in your mind. The teachings add that our renunciation mustn’t be fabricated. We must cultivate a natural sense of renunciation.

若想将这些教法融入心中，首先必须想：「我要从轮回中解脱。」这是第一个关键步骤。没有哪一种佛果，可以在仍陷于轮回的同时获得。因此，教法非常清楚地告诉我们，出离，也就是生起出离心，是觉悟之道最重要的步骤之一。既然需要真正的出离感，就必须思维轮回的痛苦。思考轮回有多少痛苦，心中一定会生起出离。教法还说，出离心不能是造作的；必须培养自然的出离心。

How? Begin by fabricating renunciation. Reflect on the sufferings of samsara. Eventually, you will see that in samsara there is nothing but suffering. Think about that, and create a sense of it in your mind. By the power of fabricating that sense of renunciation again and again, at some point a natural renunciation will arise. That is one of the crucial points of the path. And no matter which of the three yana dharma approaches you follow, you must have renunciation. It’s absolutely crucial.

如何培养？开始时，要造作出离心。思维轮回的痛苦，最终会看见，轮回中除了痛苦，别无其他。思考这一点，在心中建立这种感受。藉由一再造作这种出离感的力量，到某个时候，自然的出离心就会生起。这是道上关键的要点之一。无论追随三乘中的哪种佛法途径，都必须有出离心。这绝对至关重要。

Once you have established renunciation, the best and most powerful approach to liberating yourself and others from samsara is bodhichitta. Bodhichitta has two aspects: the bodhichitta of aspiration and bodhichitta in action – you know this. This is bodhichitta.

一旦建立出离心，让自他从轮回中解脱的最佳、最有力途径，就是菩提心。菩提心有两个方面：愿菩提心与行菩提心，这你们知道。这就是菩提心。

There are three approaches to practising bodhichitta for those of the greatest, middling and lesser capacities. You can attain enlightenment first, then bring all sentient beings to enlightenment after you; or you can do both together by practising to reach enlightenment for yourself, while working to bring all sentient beings to enlightenment with you. Or there’s the approach of sending all sentient beings to enlightenment before you, and only after the last of them is enlightened, attaining the state of liberation yourself.

依上、中、下三种根器，修持菩提心有三种方式：可以先自己证得觉悟，再令一切有情随后觉悟；也可以二者同时进行，一面修持以使自己觉悟，一面努力带领一切有情，与自己一起觉悟；还有一种，是先让所有有情觉悟，直到最后一个众生觉悟后，自己才证得解脱之境。

This is easy to talk about – we could discuss it for days – but to really integrate it into your mind is incredibly difficult. Think: “I will first lead sentient beings as numerous as space is vast to enlightenment, then I shall attain buddhahood myself.” But to genuinely feel it is difficult. And we always tend to think about our own enlightenment first, which, in itself, isn’t easy. And if that’s how you think, you’re practising the Hinayana. But what we’re discussing here is the Mahayana. In any case, “I must stay behind” is the root of this attitude, which makes truly integrating this approach into our minds extraordinarily difficult. And more than that, we must motivate ourselves with this thought, without wavering, while we perform the activities of a bodhisattva. What benefit is there in just thinking “I must stay behind”? None!

这说来容易，可以讨论好几天；但真正融入心中，却难以置信地困难。想一想：「我先带领数量如虚空般广大的有情觉悟，然后自己才成佛。」可要真正感受到这一点，很难。我们总倾向于先考虑自己的觉悟，而这件事本身也不容易。如果是这样想，你修的就是小乘。但这里讨论的是大乘。无论如何，这一态度的根本是「我要留在后面」，因此，真正将此途径融入心中，极为困难。不仅如此，行菩萨行时，还必须毫不动摇地以这一念头激励自己。只是想「我要留在后面」，有什么利益？没有！

The more we study the teachings, the more we understand. And the more we understand, the more difficult practising the dharma actually becomes. If it doesn’t, it means you’re not really practising.

教法学得越多，就越明白；越明白，实际修持佛法就越困难。如果并非如此，就说明没有真正修行。

Once a person has understood how incredible a challenge practising the activities of a bodhisattva really is, and that the result is unimaginable enlightenment when your activities as a buddha are even more daunting than those of a bodhisattva, if they then makes every effort to follow that path, that person is called a ‘bodhisattva’. Reflecting on the suffering of samsara and accomplishing the activities of a bodhisattva are necessary if you are to perfect bodhichitta. Otherwise, just saying, “Oh, poor you! I am so sorry!” is no more than a ploy used by salesmen to fool people!

当一个人明白，行菩萨行实际上是多么不可思议的挑战，而其结果是难以想象的觉悟；到那时，身为佛陀的事业，比菩萨事业更加艰巨。明白这些后，如果仍尽一切努力追随此道，这个人就称为「菩萨」。若要圆满菩提心，就必须思维轮回痛苦，并成办菩萨行。否则，只是说：「哦，你真可怜！我真替你难过！」不过是推销员用来骗人的手段！

To be able to meditate on the ‘mind of enlightenment’ you need a vast and expansive mind. So you must extend that kind of vast mind to everyone, and generate the precious mind of enlightenment. Of course, at first you must contrive and fabricate. But the moment an uncontrived, natural sense of bodhichitta arises, you will have become a bodhisattva.

要禅修「觉悟之心」，需要广大开阔的心。因此，必须将这种广大的心，延伸到每个人，生起珍贵菩提心。当然，起初必须刻意造作。但不造作、自然的菩提心一旦生起，你就已经成为菩萨。

Remember, bodhichitta has two aspects: relative bodhichitta and absolute bodhichitta. Only by first meditating on relative bodhichitta will you be able to generate absolute bodhichitta. If you have no idea about relative bodhichitta, how can absolute bodhichitta arise? So, meditate on relative bodhichitta for a long time; eventually, the result – absolute bodhichitta, which is basically the realisation of emptiness – will arise. It’s a little bit like walking without stopping until you finally reach your destination. Bodhichitta is the true Mahayana path.

记住，菩提心有两个方面：世俗菩提心与胜义菩提心。只有先修世俗菩提心，才能生起胜义菩提心。如果对世俗菩提心毫无概念，胜义菩提心怎能生起？所以，应长久修习世俗菩提心；最终，其果——胜义菩提心，根本上就是证悟空性——便会生起。这有点像不停地走，终于抵达目的地。菩提心，是真正的大乘之道。

There are two main traditions for performing the ritual of taking the bodhisattva vows: Manjushri’s ‘profound view’ tradition, and Maitreya’s ‘vast conduct’ tradition. Even if you haven’t taken the vow formally, but have received an empowerment, you have taken the bodhisattva vows, because no empowerment is given without recipients first making the bodhisattva vows. So, there’s no one here today who hasn’t taken the bodhisattva vows.

受菩萨戒的仪轨，主要有两种传统：文殊的「深见」传统，与弥勒的「广行」传统。即使没有正式受过菩萨戒，只要领受过灌顶，也就已经受过菩萨戒，因为没有哪一个灌顶，会不让受者先发菩萨戒誓愿。因此，今天在场，没有人未受过菩萨戒。

‘Bodhichitta’ is ‘the mind of enlightenment’, and each one of us must check our own minds to see if we really do have a sense of bodhichitta. If you find that you do, you must now increase it. Initially, our bodhichitta is like a new moon on the third night of the lunar month – like the thin crescent moon in paintings, which the Buddha is pointing at. But however little we start with, it can always be increased. A lama doesn’t know whether you have bodhichitta or not, and reading a text won’t tell you either. No one else can know whether or not you have bodhichitta, only you.

「菩提心」就是「觉悟之心」，我们每个人都必须检查自心，看看是否真的有一点菩提心。如果发现有，现在就必须使它增长。最初，我们的菩提心，像阴历初三的新月，像画中佛陀所指的那一弯细月。但不论开始时多么微小，总可以增长。上师不知道你有没有菩提心，读一篇法本也不会告诉你。除了你自己，没有别人能知道，你究竟有没有菩提心。

But as you check your mind to evaluate your bodhichitta, you will need a little of the knowledge and understanding that comes from receiving the teachings and studying the text – which really isn’t easy. Nowadays, everyone thinks of themselves as a bodhisattva, don’t they. But it’s not like that. One crucial point you need to know is that when genuine bodhichitta arises in a person’s mind for just one instant, that person becomes greater than a thousand fully ordained monks and worthy of the prostrations and offerings of gods and men.

不过，在检查自心、衡量菩提心时，需要一点从领受教法、研习法本而来的知识与理解，而这确实不容易。如今，人人都把自己当成菩萨，对吧？但不是那样。有一个关键点，你必须知道：真正的菩提心，只要在一个人心中生起一刹那，这个人就超胜一千位比丘，值得天、人顶礼供养。

So there is a great deal to understand. Of course! But what’s more important is that you check your own mind! If you do, you might find that you don’t have any bodhichitta at all! And that’s probably the best thing that could happen, because it means that you have an understanding of what bodhichitta really is.

因此，有许多东西需要明白。当然如此！但更重要的是，检查自己的心！如果真检查，也许会发现，自己一点菩提心也没有！这大概反而是最好的事，因为它说明，你已了解菩提心究竟是什么。

Bodhichitta and compassion take on many hues. And these days there are many different kinds of so-called bodhichitta practices. Some people say, “Oh, I am a bodhisattva, so I don’t eat meat”. Others say, “Oh, I’ll pay for you!” and imagine that means they are practising bodhichitta. But what you need is true bodhichitta, the kind of bodhichitta Shantideva explained in the Way of the Bodhisattva, which is to cherish others more than you cherish yourself. Not just one or two others, all sentient beings throughout the vast expanse of space. And not just to feel compassion for them, but to genuinely wish to establish them in buddhahood. That is what you need. Once you have bodhichitta, then you must act upon it, meaning that you help in any way you can, right? Do anything and everything that is beneficial – all the ‘activities of the four kinds’, pacifying, enriching, magnetizing, subjugating. Once you have true bodhichitta, you can lie, you can steal and you can kill people. This is what Buddha himself said.

菩提心与悲心，呈现许多不同面貌。如今，也有许多不同的所谓菩提心修法。有些人说：「哦，我是菩萨，所以不吃肉。」另一些人说：「哦，我替你付钱！」便以为这就是在修菩提心。但你需要的是真正的菩提心，是寂天在《入菩萨行论》中所解释的那种：珍爱他人，胜过珍爱自己。不是只对一两个人，而是对遍满广大虚空的一切有情。不仅仅对他们有悲心，还要真心希望令他们成佛。这才是你需要的。有了菩提心，就必须付诸行动，也就是尽一切可能提供帮助，对不对？凡有利益的事情，都去做——息、增、怀、诛，一切「四种事业」。一旦有真正的菩提心，你可以说谎，可以偷盗，也可以杀人。这是佛陀亲口所说。

Right now, in these degenerate times, it’s particularly important to check that you have bodhichitta. The dharma of transmission and the dharma of realisation are on the wane, but if you can meditate on and generate a little bodhichitta, it will still have some benefit.

如今在这浊世，检查自己是否有菩提心，尤其重要。教法与证法正在衰微；但如果能够修习、生起少许菩提心，仍会有一些利益。

I’ve had some very candid talks with people who have taken the bodhichitta vows and who try to follow the instructions. Some of them have told me that they commit the root downfall of abandoning sentient beings five or even ten times in a single day! I said I thought that was very good, because it shows they are aware of what they’re doing.

我曾与受过菩提心戒、努力遵循教授的人，作过非常坦率的谈话。其中一些人告诉我，他们一天之中，犯舍弃有情这一根本堕罪，竟达五次，甚至十次！我说，我认为这很好，因为这表明，他们知道自己正在做什么。

Anyway, the bodhisattva vows can easily be taken again if you break them. But you need to be aware of breaking them. If you are, it’s a sign that you are checking your mind. “What use to me are many disciplines, If I can’t guard and discipline my mind?”^[1] But most of us don’t. If you do, many more thoughts start appearing about all sorts of things. But when you think, “I am a bodhisattva, I have never broken one of the root bodhisattva vows”, it means you definitely don’t know what you are talking about. It’s your pride talking. You’re just fooling yourself. Therefore, checking your mind is crucial.

无论如何，如果破了菩萨戒，很容易重新受持。但你必须觉察自己已经违犯。如果能觉察，就表明你在检查自心。「若不能护持、调伏自心，众多学处于我何用？」^[1]但我们多数人不检查。若真检查，对各种事情会开始出现更多想法。可是，当你想：「我是菩萨，从未违犯过任何一条菩萨根本戒」，就说明你根本不知道自己在说什么。那是傲慢在发言，只是在欺骗自己。因此，检查自心至关重要。

When you practise bodhichitta, you have something to identify, whereas in Dzogchen there is nothing to see. Bodhichitta is something we can identify in our minds, and if we find we can identify even a little ‘bodhichitta’, we can then cultivate joy, and so on. “May gods and demigods and all the rest rejoice!”^[2] If we find we have no bodhichitta, we must give birth to it. We can do something.

修菩提心时，有某种东西可以辨认；而大圆满中，却没有任何东西可见。菩提心，是我们能在心中辨认出来的。如果发现自己哪怕能辨认出少许「菩提心」，就可以培养欢喜等等。「愿诸天、非天及其他众生，皆大欢喜！」^[2]如果发现自己没有菩提心，就必须生起它。我们可以有所作为。

Dzogchen isn’t like that, is it? If you are not resting in the state of Dzogpachenpo, then all you can do is pray that it arises. But there is nothing you can do to produce it. When you receive an empowerment the lama introduces you to the nature of mind, but if you don’t recognize it, all you can do is pray to recognize it. Which is why I am telling you that practising bodhichitta is different from practising Dzogchen.

大圆满不是这样，对吧？如果没有安住大圆满境界，你能做的，只是祈祷它生起，却不能做什么来制造它。领受灌顶时，上师直指心性；但若未认出，能做的只是祈祷认出它。因此，我才告诉你们，修菩提心，与修大圆满不同。

Anyway, what I’m saying is that you need to check your mind, using your intelligence. All sentient beings have some degree of intelligence and the capacity to know a little. There are differences between various beings and, of course some are more intelligent than others. For example, human beings have great intelligence. How do we know this? Because they are able to adopt what is positive, and recognize and abandon what is negative. When you are intelligent, you are able to work things out; you are able to use your intelligence to check your mind.

总之，我说的是，你需要运用智慧，检查自心。一切有情都有某种程度的智力，以及少许认知能力。不同众生之间有差异，当然，有些比另一些聪明。例如，人类有很高的智力。如何知道？因为他们能取善，也能辨认并舍弃恶。当你有智慧，就能够弄明白事情，能够用自己的智慧检查自心。

Who has the greatest intelligence? The Buddha inseparable from Manjushri! He is omniscient, which means he knows everything. After Buddha, those who have greater intelligence are considered to be wiser. Particularly if that intelligence is gained through meditation. If it is then used to understand things, you can understand everything. The Buddha said that the first five paramitas – generosity, discipline, patience, diligence and concentration – are all secondary to the sixth, wisdom.

谁有最高的智慧？与文殊不可分的佛陀！他是遍知，也就是知道一切。佛陀之后，人们认为智力越高，就越有智慧，尤其是从禅修而得的智慧。再用它去了解事物，就能明白一切。佛陀说，前五种波罗蜜多——布施、持戒、安忍、精进、禅定——相对于第六种智慧，都是次要的。

When we talk about emptiness – the great simplicity free from all conceptual elaboration – ultimately, we have to admit that it is beyond words, beyond thought and beyond description. “Unborn, unceasing, the very essence of space.”^[3] That’s all that can be said about it, and all we can think about it. If you want more than that, if you want deeper insights into the truth of emptiness, you will need the intelligence that arises from meditation – genuine wisdom. The Buddha can understand emptiness. The problem is, he can’t explain it to sentient beings in a way that they can understand. So my point is, we should develop the wisdom that comes from meditation. And with that wisdom, we will be able to understand emptiness.

当我们谈空性——离一切概念戏论的大离戏——最终必须承认，它超越语言、思维与描述。「不生不灭，犹如虚空之本性。」^[3]我们能说、能想的，仅此而已。如果想超越这些，更深入地洞察空性实相，就需要由禅修而生的智力，也就是真实智慧。佛陀能够理解空性；问题是，他无法以有情能够理解的方式向他们解释。因此，我的意思是：应培养从禅修而来的智慧。凭这样的智慧，就能理解空性。

So many teachings and texts present the Prajnaparamita. The sutra teachings always say, “Thus have I heard, at one time...” Here, ‘at one time’ refers to the time when the wisdom that comes from meditation is aware of emptiness in the mind. Such a realisation is the result of the incredible effort that’s made to listen to and reflect on these teachings, which is then used to meditate on emptiness. When any phenomenon meditated upon is then ‘destroyed’, or seen to be non-existent, the practitioner realizes genuine wisdom. That is emptiness, and there is nowhere else to go.

许多教法与论典，都在讲般若波罗蜜多。经教总是说：「如是我闻，一时……」这里的「一时」，指修所生慧在心中觉知空性的时刻。这样的证悟，是通过极大的努力，听闻、思维教法，再以之禅修空性，所产生的结果。当所禅修的任何现象，被「摧毁」，或被看作不存在，修行者便证得真实智慧。这就是空性，也再无别处可去。

The relevant quotation here is:

这里相关的引文是：

When something and its nonexistence
Both are absent from before the mind,
No other option does the latter have:
It comes to perfect rest, from concepts free.^[4]

有与无二者，
俱不现心前；
此心无余途，
离念寂然住。^[4]

When this seems to happen, you must again check your mind thoroughly, and ask, has it really happened, or not? It’s easy to sit with your mouth hanging open, staring blankly into space and think, “This is emptiness...”. But if something smacks you on the cheek, however lightly, you’ll react immediately – so there’s no emptiness there, right? If the moment your cheek is slapped, the slap is dissolved in its ‘Thwapp!’ sound, then that is emptiness. You are aware of the slap and of your tingling cheek, of course. Your wisdom recognises it. But not a trace of clinging is involved. If then, the slap is liberated within the expanse of wisdom, that’s it! The slap has been liberated. That is ‘true’ emptiness. And this is the example you should apply to every possible thought and situation.

当它似乎发生时，必须再次彻底检查自心，问一问：真的发生了吗？张着嘴坐在那里，茫然望着虚空，心想「这就是空性……」，很容易。但如果有什么东西打在脸颊上，无论多轻，你都会立刻反应，那就没有空性，对吧？如果脸颊被打的那一刻，这一掌消融在它的「啪！」声中，那就是空性。当然，你知道被打，也知道脸颊发麻，你的智慧认得这一切，却丝毫没有执著。如果这一掌就在智慧的广阔境界中解脱，那就对了！这一掌已经解脱。这才是「真实」的空性。对于一切可能的念头与情境，都应运用这个例子。

Westerners often seem to think that when they meditate, they should enter a state that’s without a single thought. But just think about it. One of the qualities of a buddha is to have the omniscient knowledge of all things. How could a buddha have that omniscient knowledge without thoughts? So, do you really think we should have no thoughts?

西方人常常似乎认为，禅修时，应该进入一个连一念都没有的状态。但想一想，佛陀的功德之一，是遍知一切。如果没有念头，佛陀怎能拥有那种遍知？所以，你们真的认为，我们应该没有念头吗？

Most beginners find when they start meditating, that they have more thoughts, right? So they try again to sit still, hold their breath, close their eyes and do all sort of things. But they quickly give up and walk away when they decide that what they’re doing isn’t achieving anything – people say, “My meditation was no good today.” And if there’s noise, or any disruption while they are trying to meditate, they complain.

多数初学者刚开始禅修时，会发现念头更多，对吧？于是，又试着静坐不动、屏住呼吸、闭上眼睛，做各种事情。但一旦觉得所做的一切毫无成果，就很快放弃、走开。人们说：「我今天禅修得不好。」如果在试图禅修时有噪音，或任何干扰，他们就抱怨。

Instead, when a thought arises, just let it. Like a snowflake instantly dissolves into a vast lake the moment it touches the water, when a thought arises, positive or negative, if it dissolves into the expanse of rigpa – the one who is aware – that is meditation. That is genuine wisdom. 

其实，念头生起时，就让它生起。如雪花一触及浩瀚湖水，立即消融；善念或恶念生起时，如果消融于觉性——那觉知者——的广阔境界中，这就是禅修，就是真实智慧。

This is why Manjushri is so important to us. And here too you must check yourself. There is no need to accomplish an external Manjushri deity: it is the Manjushri inside us who does the checking. So we ‘use’ Manjushri. When we ‘meditate’, the absence of the inherent existence in phenomena is identified by wisdom.

因此，文殊对我们如此重要。这里也必须检查自己。无须成就一个外在的文殊本尊；作检查的，是我们内在的文殊。因此，我们「运用」文殊。「禅修」时，是由智慧认出诸法无自性。

To do this there are two approaches: the analytical meditation of the panditas; and the settling meditation of a kusali, a ‘beggar’. Panditas are people who read many scriptures, they think about what they’ve read over and over again, to finally establish emptiness. ‘Beggars’ are people whose lamas have introduced them to the nature of mind and they have recognized it. They then abide by that recognition, or ‘settle’ their meditation on that recognition.

做到这一点，有两种途径：班智达的观察修，以及古萨里，即「乞者」的安住修。班智达广读经论，反复思维所读内容，最终抉择空性。「乞者」，则是上师已直指心性、而他们也已认出的人。此后，他们安住于这一认知，或将禅修「安住」在这一认知上。

Anyway, in both cases, the two accumulations of merit and wisdom are necessary. When the accumulations are perfected, the obscurations are eliminated. When the obscurations are eliminated – therefore no longer there – then you see. This is also important.

无论如何，两种途径都需要福德与智慧二资粮。资粮圆满时，障蔽便净除；障蔽净除、不再存在时，你就看见了。这也很重要。

So, first you need renunciation for samsara, which you develop by going through all the stages of the path for individuals of lesser capacity. You then come to have a strong sense that, “I need to be free from samsara”. And for example, monks keep their more than 250 vows motivated by this thought. Actually all levels of Dharma practice are inspired by this drive to be free from samsara.

因此，首先需要对轮回生起出离心，方法是依次修习下士的一切道次第。之后，你会强烈地感到：「我需要从轮回中解脱。」例如，僧人就是以此念头为动机，持守二百五十多条戒。实际上，一切层次的佛法修持，都由这种脱离轮回的动力激发。

If you meditate on twofold bodhichitta, then you are a bodhisattva. Chinese and Tibetans scriptures explain this, and a little of that teaching has even reached Europe and America. In any case, you need to be a bodhisattva. Wherever there is a bodhisattva, an heir of the Buddha, then the Mahayana teachings are also present and the Mahayana path is practised.

如果修习两种菩提心，你就是菩萨。汉文与藏文经典都解释这一点，甚至少许这样的教法，也传到了欧洲与美洲。无论如何，你需要成为菩萨。哪里有佛陀继承者——菩萨，哪里就有大乘教法，也就有人行持大乘之道。

I have been to Burma, where I spoke to a good monk. He had attended an English school, and he said that bodhichitta is very good, but nowadays very hard to find. He said no one these days seems able to practise bodhichitta.
I said, “ I think there might be some who do.”
“Where?” he asked. And I was stuck!
Someone with me said, “The Dalaï Lama!”
The Burmese monk laughed at that. Then I asked him,
“Do you know of a pure, genuine fully-ordained monk?”
“That is also difficult,” he replied. “But there are some who get quite close.”
“What makes you say that?” I asked.
“Because now is the time of degeneration – the degeneration of the teachings.”
“Why are they degenerating now?” I asked.
“Because the merit of sentient beings is being exhausted,” he replied, adding, “So it is very difficult to be a genuine monk. And even more difficult to generate pure bodhichitta.”
“These days, we don’t hear about any of you Tibetans walking around holding skull cups filled with blood – like the mahasiddhas; you don’t have practitioners like that anymore. Mahasiddhas used to fly around in the sky, didn’t they? But now? The dharma teachings still exist, the dharma is the same, but we’re living in a time when the teachings degenerate.”
That’s what he said. He brought up the subject himself, I didn’t say anything about it.

我去过缅甸，与一位很好的僧人交谈。他上过英语学校。他说，菩提心很好，但如今很难找到，今天似乎已没有人能够修菩提心。
我说：「我想，也许还是有人在修。」
他问：「在哪里？」我顿时答不上来！
与我同行的一人说：「达赖喇嘛！」
那位缅甸僧人听了笑起来。我接着问：
「你知道有哪一位清净、真实的比丘吗？」
他回答：「这也困难。但有人相当接近。」
我问：「为什么这么说？」
「因为如今是衰败的时代，教法衰败的时代。」
我问：「为什么现在会衰败？」
他回答：「因为有情的福德正在耗尽。」又说：「因此，要成为真实的僧人，非常困难。要生起清净菩提心，就更加困难。」
「如今，也没听说你们哪个藏人，像大成就者那样，手持盛满鲜血的颅器行走，你们不再有这样的修行者。大成就者从前会在天上飞行，对吧？现在呢？佛法教导仍存在，佛法还是一样，但我们生活在教法衰败的时代。」
他就是这么说的。是他自己提起这个话题，我没有说什么。

To me, the Mahayana approach is still a little easier than the Hinayana. To start with, the Mahayana isn’t complicated by the Hinayana’s hundreds of vows; and there’s no need to pay attention to different traditions. Also when the vows are broken, they are easier to restore – Mahayana vows can actually be restored. When your bodhichitta lapses, you can take the vows again and again and again. The root of bodhichitta is not to abandon sentient beings, which, at the very least, benefits you, so it’s already positive. “I must liberate all sentient beings” is ‘big talk’, but we are not yet at that level. If I am not able to liberate all sentient beings, will that inability bring me harm? No. Of course we need bodhichitta, but if we can’t generate it, well we can’t, and there’s nothing we can do about it. We need to think like a bodhisattva, even if we can’t really do it.

对我而言，大乘途径还是比小乘稍容易一点。首先，大乘不会像小乘那样，由数百条戒律造成复杂性；也不必关注不同传统。而且，戒律违犯后，较容易恢复，大乘戒确实可以恢复。当菩提心退失时，可以一再、一再地重新受戒。菩提心的根本，是不舍弃有情；这至少会利益你自己，所以已经是善的。「我必须解脱一切有情」，是「大话」，但我们还没达到那一层次。如果我不能解脱一切有情，这种无能，会给我带来伤害吗？不会。当然，我们需要菩提心；但若生不起，那就是生不起，也无可奈何。即使不能真正做到，仍需要像菩萨一样思考。

Eventually we must be able to offer our head and limbs as an act of generosity. But the instruction for beginner bodhisattvas is that to start with, it’s better not to try. If you did, it could cause problems. Meaning that cultivating bodhichitta is a long-term project, and you should build up your bodhisattva practices slowly.

最终，我们必须能够布施头颅与肢体。但给初学菩萨的教授是：开始时，最好不要尝试。如果尝试，可能造成问题。这就是说，培养菩提心，是长远的事，应慢慢建立菩萨的修持。

Today, the true teachings are disappearing fast, but they do still exist, because there are still people who know about the dharma and can talk about it. The problem is that no one actually practises it. To tell the truth, amongst Vajrayana practitioners, there are no mahasiddhas any more. Noone who can show signs of realisation – if there were any, we would know. But that’s how it is.

如今，真实教法正在迅速消失，但它们仍然存在，因为还有人了解佛法，能够谈论佛法。问题是，没有人真正修持。说实话，金刚乘修行者之中，已经没有大成就者，也没有人能展现证悟征相；如果有，我们会知道。事情就是如此。

And these days you can also forget about finding a real arhat. Good, fully-ordained monks, bikshus, are extinct – at least in the Tibetan tradition. I don’t know about the Theravadin monks, but Tibetans who wear robes are disappearing fast. And this is why I think the teachings will flourish more widely through the bodhisattva approach.

而且，如今也别想找到真正的阿罗汉。良好、受具足戒的僧人——比丘——已经绝迹，至少在藏传传统是如此。我不知道上座部僧人如何，但穿着僧衣的藏人，正在迅速消失。因此，我认为，教法将通过菩萨途径，更广泛地弘扬。

Besides, bodhichitta vows can be first made in the presence of a teacher, but also in front of a support, like a statue. Which makes bodhichitta a slightly easier practice.

此外，初受菩提心戒，可以在老师面前，也可以在佛像等所依面前。因此，菩提心是稍容易一些的修法。

On top of that, as we have all received empowerments, we must practise the Secret Mantra Vajrayana as much as we can. The root of the Secret Mantra Vajrayana is to train in pure perception, which is the most important point for a Vajrayana practitioner. And then there’s Dzogchen meditation. You Westerners like to meditate, right?

再者，我们都已接受灌顶，便必须尽力修持秘密真言金刚乘。秘密真言金刚乘的根本，是训练清净观，这是对金刚乘修行者最重要的一点。然后还有大圆满禅修。你们西方人喜欢禅修，对吧？

I think the tradition of empowerment will disappear very soon. Why? Because there are so few lamas nowadays who have the capacity to give empowerments. Who is there? You can count them on the fingers of one hand. Why are there so few? Can’t all lamas give empowerments? Yes, all lamas can go through the motions of giving empowerments, but those who can actually meditate on the mandala of the infinite purity of all that appears and exists, and release students’ dualistic clinging through the empowerment, are rare. When the lama gives the empowerment, he must be indivisible from the main deity of the mandala. Unless he can do that, he cannot grant empowerment. If the empowerment cannot be granted, then that’s the end of the Secret Mantra Vajrayana – that’s the end of these teachings.

我想，灌顶的传统很快就会消失。为什么？因为如今，有能力授灌顶的上师太少。有谁呢？一只手的手指就能数过来。为什么这么少？不是所有上师都能授灌顶吗？是的，所有上师都能做出授灌顶的仪式动作；但能真正禅修一切显有无量清净的坛城，并通过灌顶，解除弟子二元执著的上师，却很稀少。上师授灌顶时，必须与坛城主尊不可分。如果做不到，就不能赐予灌顶。如果无法赐予灌顶，秘密真言金刚乘就到了尽头，这些教法也就结束了。

Yet, these days, all the Tantras can fit into one computer – but what’s the point? Therefore, we are in the final kalpa – the final period of time during this age that these teachings, which are still reasonably intact, are available but far less accessible. Although we are approaching the end, the teachings are still present in the world. So for those born in times like these, to meditate, or to think about the teachings in the way I’ve just explained, can be really beneficial.

可是，如今全部续典，都可以放进一台电脑里，那又有什么意义？因此，我们处于最后的劫期，也就是这个时代最后一段时间：这些教法还算完整，尚可获得，却已经难以接近得多。虽然正在走向末尾，教法仍存在于世。因此，对于生在这样的时代的人，按我刚才所说的方式禅修，或思考教法，确实能有很大利益。

If, as you meditate, you reflect again upon the sufferings of samsara and develop a sense of renunciation, it will be beneficial. If based on renunciation, you meditate on compassion, then you will become a bodhisattva, an heir of the Buddha. You also need to know that there are different levels of bodhisattvas. First you’ll become a small-time bodhisattva, and as such you must meditate on and give rise to wisdom. Then you must develop your wisdom, your intelligence. How? By thinking! By checking yourself! If you spent as much time with your mind as you do on your electronic devices, there’s no doubt that you’d actually see progress, from one week to the next! Your mind will improve, thanks to wisdom. So you must use your wisdom and intelligence. And as you are all probably practitioners of Secret Mantra Vajrayana, you must also cultivate pure perception.

禅修时，若再次思维轮回痛苦，培养出离心，就会有利益。如果以出离心为基础修悲心，你就会成为菩萨、佛陀的继承者。你也需要知道，菩萨有不同层次。起初，你会成为小菩萨；作为这样的菩萨，必须禅修、生起智慧，之后增进智慧与智力。如何增进？通过思考！通过检查自己！如果你花在自己心上的时间，能和用电子设备的时间一样多，毫无疑问，从一周到下一周，就真能看见进步！由于智慧，你的心会改善。因此，必须运用自己的智慧与智力。而且，你们大概都是秘密真言金刚乘修行者，所以也必须培养清净观。

Rigpa people always begin their practice with the Verses of the Eight Noble Auspicious Ones. In the first verse there’s the line, “...all appearance and existence is completely pure, its nature spontaneously perfect”, which means that everything that appears and everything that exists is primordially and utterly pure. The text goes further by saying that the Victorious Ones, and all the great bodhisattvas reside in the ten directions. So, we invoke and prostrate to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas – the eight tathagatas, the eight bodhisattvas, the eight symbols, the eight goddesses, and all the series of ‘eights’. In return, we ask that everything we do will work out well. Only if everything that appears and exists is pure can a blessing ‘make’ it pure; if there were no purity, how could a blessing make anything pure? Who could give the purity? That is what you need to understand.

本觉会 的人，总以《八圣吉祥颂》开始修法。第一偈有一句：「……一切显有完全清净，其性任运圆满。」意思是，一切显现、一切存在，本初即完全清净。文中进一步说，诸佛及一切大菩萨，住于十方。因此，我们祈请、顶礼一切诸佛菩萨：八如来、八菩萨、八种象征、八天女，以及所有的「八」。作为回应，我们祈求所做的一切都能顺利成办。唯有一切显有本来清净，加持才能「使」它清净；如果没有清净，加持怎能使任何东西清净？谁能给予清净？这就是你们需要了解的。

I promised to help Sogyal Rinpoche on this pilgrimage and I’ve done as I promised. He asked me to teach and I said I’d do my best. Whether it’s been beneficial or not, that’s it! Today is the end of our pilgrimage. This afternoon we do the tsok together and that’s the end. Tomorrow we’ll be in Delhi.

我答应在这次朝圣中协助索甲仁波切，现在已履行承诺。他请我开示，我说会尽力。不论是否有利益，就是这样！今天朝圣结束，下午我们一起作荟供，然后就结束。明天我们会在德里。