So even though we are living in the monastery, we are still far away
from correct practice□very far away. When I went abroad I saw a lot of
things. The first time, I gained some wisdom from it to a certain
extent, and the second time to another extent. On my first trip, I made
notes of what I experienced in a journal. But this time, I put down the
pen. I thought, if I write these things down, will the people at home be
able to bear it?

即使我们住在寺里，还是偏离了正确的修行- 好远好远，身在国外的日子，目睹了
不少的事，先是增长了些许智慧，一段时日後，又增长一些，初次旅行，我记录了
途中的所见所闻，这回，我却停了笔， 心想：要是写了下来，能见容於国人吗？


It’s like us living in our own country and not being very comfortable.
When Thai people go abroad, they think they must have some very good
karma to have gotten there. But you have to consider, when you go to a
place that is strange to you, will you be able to compete with those who
have lived their whole lives there? Still, we go there for a little
while and we feel it is so great, and that we are some special kind of
people who have such good karma.

就好像住在自己的家乡，觉得不怎麽舒适。泰国人到国外，认为自己的福报一定好
得很，才有机会去那里，那你可得想一想，去到一个陌生的国度，你的福报比得上
终其一生都住在那儿的人吗？我们去了一阵子，觉得那儿太棒了，就以为自己是那
种有福报的人。


The foreign monks were born there, so does that mean they have better
karma than we do? This is the kind of ideas people get from their
attachment and grasping. What it means is that when people contact
things, they get excited. They like being excited. But when the mind is
excited it is not in a normal state. We see things we haven’t seen and
experience things we haven’t experienced, and the abnormality occurs.

外国僧人生於斯长於斯，所以他们的福报比我们大？这种想法是一种执著。这意味
著，受到外境的影响，心驰神往。人们乐於如此，但这不是一颗平常心。看到不曾
见过的东西，经历未曾有的经验，一颗异於平常的心於焉生成。


When it comes to scientific knowledge, I concede to them. As far as
Buddhist knowledge goes, I still have something to tell them. But in
science and material development, we can’t compete with them…

我承认咱们的科学常识不如他们，然而论及佛学，个人仍有可教於他们之处，虽然
科学及物质条件不及他们的进步…


In practice, some people have a lot of suffering and difficulty, but
they keep on in the same rut that has been making them suffer. That’s
someone who hasn’t made up his mind to practice and get to the end; it’
s someone who doesn’t see clearly.

有些人在修行上遭遇不少痛苦和艰难，他们墨守著成规，为此而受苦。他们没有下
决心修行并贯彻到底，没法把事情的本末，看得一清二楚。


The practice isn’t steady or continuous. When feelings of good and bad
come, the person isn’t aware of what is happening. “Whatever is
disagreeable, I reject”□this is the view (conceit) of the Brahmin.
“Whatever is pleasing to me, I accept.” For example, some people are
very easy to get along with if you speak pleasingly to them. But if you
say things that disagree, then there’s no getting along. That’s
extreme conceit (ditthi). They have strong attachment, but they feel
that’s a really good standard to live by.

此一修行方式，不稳固，或者难以持续，顺逆现前时，无法正知当下。 「不可意的
事，我排斥。」 这是婆罗门的想法(见)。 「可意的事，我接受」，举个例来说，
某一些人，你挑他们喜欢听的话来说，是很好相处的；要是讲些不顺耳话，那就没
那麽好说话了。这正是「见」(ditthi)。他们有强烈的执著，反而认为本来就该如
此。


So the ones who will walk this path are few indeed. It’s not different
with us who live here; there are very few who have right view. Samma
ditthi, right view (kwam hen chorp): when we contemplate the Dhamma, we
feel it’s not right. We don’t agree. If we agreed and felt it were
right, we would give up and let go of things. Sometimes we don’t agree
with the teachings. We see things differently; we want to change the
Dhamma to be different from what it is. We want to correct the Dhamma,
and we keep working at that.

所以，走在正道的人，真得少之又少，他们和我们一样，拥有正见(Samma ditthi)
的人，十分的稀有：以佛法观之，我们觉得不妥，无法认同。倘若觉得这样没错，
我们便舍弃了正见，打混过去。有时候，我们不同意佛陀所教导的，对事情有不同
的见解，於是想要去改变法的本然，想要去修正佛法，我们一直如此。


This trip made me think about many things… I met some people who
practice yoga. It was certainly interesting to see the kinds of postures
they could get into□I’d break my leg if I tried. Anyhow, they feel
their joints and muscles aren’t right, so they have to stretch them
out. They need to do it every day, then they feel good. I thought they
were actually giving themselves some affliction through this. If they
don’t do it, they don’t feel good, so they have to do it every day. It
seems to me that they are making some burden for themselves this way and
not really being aware.


旅程中想了许许多多的事…我遇见几个瑜珈行者，看到他们把身体弄成那种姿势，
真是有趣极了- 要是我的话，早把骨头弄断了。不知怎得，他们觉得筋骨那儿不
对，所以非得伸展伸展不可，他们每天都要如法泡制，才会舒服。如此为之，无非
是给自己带来痛苦。不这样折磨自己，不会痛快，因此每天都要来这麽一下。对我
来说，这似乎是没事找事做，而且浑然没有觉察。

That’s the way people are□they get the habit of doing something. I met
one Chinese man. He didn’t lie down to sleep for four or five years. He
only sat, and he was comfortable that way. He bathed once a year. But
his body was strong and healthy. He didn’t need to run or do other such
exercises; if he did, he probably wouldn’t feel good. It’s because he
trained himself that way.


他们就是这个样子- 习惯如此。我遇见一位中国男子，四五年来奉行不倒单，只是
坐著睡，他不觉得那里不对劲，这老兄一年只洗一次澡，身体却硬朗的很，不用跑
步或做其他运动，要是他去做运动，说不定会觉得□扭，因为他把自己训练成那个
样子。

So it’s just our manner of training that makes us comfortable with
certain things. We can increase or decrease illness through training.
This is how it is for us. Thus the Buddha taught to be fully aware of
ourselves□don’t let this slip. All of you, don’t have grasping
attachment. Don’t let yourselves be excited by things.

的确，我们训练自己的方法，决定了对某事安适与否。训练可以使我们病得更重，
也可以怯除病痛，它就是这麽回事。所以，佛陀教导我们对自己了了分明- 别漏掉
这个重点。大家不要太执著，别让外境给冲昏了头。


~~未完待续~~

--
  I was empty inside   since somebody came and went..
  I am empty inside    since nobody comes and goes.....
              I will be truly empty inside
  When the day I set free from century-old attachment
   and the day I no longer learn....