聖嚴法師  自在語《第四集》

心靈環保 Environmentalism of the Mind[g1] 

1. 用平常心面對不平常之事。

Use the ordinary mind to face extraordinary things[g2] .

2. 得理讓三分，理直氣要柔。

Even if you are 100% correct, give others the benefit of doubt; stick to your principles but express them politely (with savoir-faire).

3. 察覺自己情緒起伏、不穩定時，要馬上回到呼吸。體驗呼吸、感覺呼吸，就能漸漸安穩下來。

When you feel agitated or disturbed, immediately meditate on your inhalation or exhalation.  Concentrate on the breath (going in or out), feel the air, and your will gradually calm down.

4. 心不安，主要是受到環境或者身體因素的影響。如果能夠照顧自己的心，瞭解自己的身心狀況，便能自在平安。

If the mind is unsettled, it is mainly the influence of external and/or physical conditions[g3] .  If we can be mindful, understanding the conditions of our body and mind, we will have inner-peace and inner-freedom.

5. 環境是我們的鏡子，發現自己的言行舉止讓他人不舒服、驚訝，或者不以為然，要馬上反省、懺悔、改進。

External circumstances are the mirror to reflect upon our speech and behaviors that have made others uneasy, shocked, or disagreeable.  We should immediately introspect, repent, and reform them.

6. 心是我們的老師，我們的心隨時隨地與當下所做的事、所處的環境合而為一，就是在淨土之中。

The mind is our teacher.  When our mind, at any time and place, merges with the immediate conditions and things, we are in pure land.

7. 不管高興或痛苦，只要是因為他人的評斷，而使我們的心受牽動、被影響，就是沒有好好保護我們的心，沒有做好心靈環保。

Whether we are in pain or joy[g4] , so long as it was caused by other’s comments, which in turn influenced our mind or stirred up our emotions, we are not doing a good job protecting our mind; we have failed to protect our spiritual environment.

8. 生氣，可能是身體上、觀念上或其他因素引起的煩惱，不一定代表修養不好。如果能夠向內心觀照，用智慧來化解煩惱，也就不會自害害人了。

Anger is an affliction, which can be caused by bodily, conceptual, or other factors, not necessarily a lack of cultivation or manners.  If we can introspect and use wisdom to dispel this affliction, we will not harm ourselves and others.

9. 任何狀況下，都要照顧好自己的心，保持內心的平穩與安定，就是心靈的健康，就是心靈環保。

The environmentalism of the mind is to take good care of our mind under all circumstances and to maintain inner-peace and serenity.  This is spiritual health.

10. 遇到不舒服、不愉快的事要調心，調心是調我們自己的心，不是調別人的心。

Tune (Temper) the mind when we encounter uncomfortable or unpleasant things.  Tuning the mind means tuning our mind not others.

11. 不論對方是喜歡的人或討厭的人，不管遇到任何開心或麻煩的事，都要心平氣和地處理事、對待人，這就是「是非要溫柔」。

We should treat people and things with equanimity, whether the person is someone we like or despise, whether the thing we encounter is pleasant or troublesome, this is called “facing right or wrong with gentleness.”

12. 溫柔，是以柔和的心、柔順的態度來對待人、處理事，但並不等于柔弱。

Gentleness is to treat people and things with a soft heart and docile attitude, but it does not equate to weakness or fragility.

13. 自在的人生，並不是沒有挫折，而是在有挫折的狀況下，仍能保持身心平穩，從容以對。

A carefree life does not mean a life without frustrations but the ability to still the body and mind and calmly face life’s challenges.

14. 如果人人向自然環境求滿足，向社會環境求公正，向他人求平等，儘管會有若干程度的效果，但是終究無法真正化解衝突。

If everyone seeks to find satisfactions[g5]  from nature, justice from society, and fairness from others, conflicts can never be completely and truly reconciled even if there may be some degrees of effectiveness.

15. 「放下」不等于「放棄」。「放下」是不想過去、不想未來，心不執着；「放棄」是什么都不相信，完全失去信心和勇氣。

“Letting go” does not equate to “giving up.”  “Letting go” means a heart without any attachment, not thinking about the past or future. “Giving up” means totally losing faith and courage, not believing in anything. 

16. 有信心，有希望，就能有未來。

With faith and hope, there is a future.

17. 后悔是煩惱，懺悔是修行。

Regret is an affliction, repentance is cultivation.

18. 擔心、憂心沒有用，留心、用心卻是需要的。

Worry or anxiety is totally useless, but attentiveness or contemplation is a necessity.

19. 把心情放輕鬆，生病時還是一樣地生活，一樣地做該做的事，就能病得很健康。

Live your illness with a healthy attitude: relax the mind, live as usual, and do what you are supposed to do.

20. 病不一定苦，窮不一定苦，勞動不一定苦，心苦才是真正的苦。

Sickness need not be painful, poverty need not be sorrowful, physical labor need not be agonizing/fatiguing; the real suffering is the suffering of the mind.

21. 把生病當成是一種體驗，也就不苦。

Treat illness as an experience, then it will not become a suffering.

22. 把不如意的事當成是有意思的體驗，就會有不同的收穫。

The outcome will be different if we treat undesirable things as an interesting experience.

23. 心理上準備受挫折，就不怕有挫折。

We will not be fearful of frustrations (failures) if mentally prepared for them.

24. 人生不可能一帆風順，身體難免有病痛，工作難免受阻礙，自然環境難免起災害；只要心安，就有平安。

Life is never a smooth sailing.  Our body cannot avoid its aches and pains; our career is never short of obstacles, and our environments always have natural disasters.  Nonetheless, as long as our mind is tranquil, there is peace and security.

25. 這個世界隨時可能發生災難，平時做好預防工作和心理準備，就能在災難發生時，把傷害減到最低。

Disasters can happen anytime in this world.  Being prepared mentally for disasters and in preventive works (Have emergency drills and prepare an emergency kit) at normal times can reduce the damages of disasters to its bare minimum (when it happens).

26. 如果觀念正確，知道生老病死都是自然現象，就不會怨天尤人。

If we have correct views, knowing that life, old age, sickness, and death are normal phenomena, we will not complain to heaven or blame others.

27. 多想兩分鐘，還有許多活路可走；只要還有一口呼吸在，就有無限的希望。

Contemplate for two more minutes and we will discover that there are many options open to us.  So long as we have one more breath left, there is infinite hope.

28. 只要有一口呼吸在，心念一轉，環境就會跟着轉變，因為環境是無常的。

As long as we have one breath left, we can reverse our thinking, and our circumstances will change as well, because circumstances are never permanent.

29. 不論外在環境如何改變，只要內心安穩、冷靜面對，一定能找到解決問題的辦法。

No matter how the external environment changes, so long as we tranquilly and detachedly face our problems, we definitely can find the solutions.

30. 無論忙碌與否，獨處或群居，內心經常保持着安定、祥和、清明，就是修禪，便是落實心靈環保。

Whether busy or at leisure, in solitude or in groups, constantly keep our inner-peace, harmony, and clarity, this is the cultivation of Chan; this is actualizing the environmentalism of the mind.

31. 反對、阻撓的聲音並不可怕，能夠面對、包容，反而是幫助自己成長的一種助力。

The voices of oppositions and obstructions are not frightening.  In contrast, they can be a supportive power to help us grow if we can face them, tolerate them, and embrace them.

32. 處理問題要心平氣和，心不平、氣不和，則容易說錯話，讓問題更複雜。

Solve problems with a calm mind and an amiable attitude.   Without a calming mind and an amiable attitude, it is easy to say the wrong things and making the problem more complicated.

盡責盡分  Fullfill One’s Responsibilities and Act One’s Roles

33. 要和外在環境和諧相處，首先要跟內在的自我和平相處。

In order to be harmonious with the external environments, first harmonize oneself with the inner-self.

34. 放鬆身心、體驗身心，才能夠與自我和平相處。

Relax the body and the mind, experience the body and the mind, we can then live peacefully with our ego.

35. 能夠與自我和諧相處，就能夠深切地瞭解自我，包括自我的優點和缺點。

Once we are able to live harmoniously with our ego, we can truly and deeply understand ourselves, including our strength and shortcomings.

36. 不要自以為是，也不必小看自己。

Don’t be self-righteous (overvalue yourself).  Don’t underestimate yourself either.

37. 不跟自己比，不跟他人比，只知努力于現在，隨時準備着未來。

Don’t compete with yourself or others.  Simply strive for the present and always be ready for the future.

38. 通常人都喜歡彰顯自己的優點，優點要發揮、要成長，不必誇張。

People usually like to show off their strength.  Strength should be utilized and developed, not exaggerated.

39. 人往往會隱藏自己的缺點，不大願意去面對或承認；若能坦然面對自己的缺點，缺點就會愈來愈少，問題也會愈來愈小。

People, unwilling to face or admit their shortcomings, will often hide them.  If we can honestly face them, we will have less and less shortcomings, and smaller and smaller problems.

40. 清楚知道自己的優缺點，瞭解生存與生命的意義，是肯定自我的開始。

Understand the meaning of life and (the reason for our) existence, clearly acknowledge our strengths and weaknesses, is the beginning of self-affirmation.

41. 肯定自我而對自己的優缺點不執着，不因此驕傲、懊悔，而持續不斷地精進努力，便是一種無我的態度。

Self-affirmation is an egoless attitude, which is without any attachment to one’s strengths or weaknesses, not prideful or remorseful because of them, but continuously, endless, and vigorously polishing oneself.

42. 每個人的條件不同、智慧不同、環境不同、體能不同、背景也不同，不必相提並論；只要腳踏實地，步步穩健，就能走出一條路來。

We all have different capacities, intelligence and wisdom, living conditions, physical strength, and backgrounds.  It is not necessary to mention them together.  So long as we put our feet on the ground, walk steadily and strongly step by step, we can find our own way.

43. 人的一生之中，如果能有一個明確的價值觀並且堅定不變，則生命過程中的每個階段，都將是相乘相加的人生饗宴。

If we can relentlessly uphold a clear and definite value system our whole life, without wavering, then every stage of our life will be a banquet of multitudes (a bouquet of flowers).

44. 自私自利，看起來是保障了自己，其實不然，損人者終將害己。

On the surface, being selfish may seem to be protecting our self-interest. Nonetheless, it is not so.  Harming others inevitably (eventually) will harm us.

45. 人之所以自私自利，貪得無厭，是因為缺乏安全感。

People’s endless avarice and selfishness for personal interests are caused by a lack of security.

46. 衝突的產生，往往是因為過度強調自我中心。

Usually, conflicts are caused by the over emphasis of self-centeredness.

47. 自我中心原是一種生命的動力，不見得是壞事，但是如果自我中心太強，經常自以為是、貪得無厭、傲慢或自卑，自己是快樂不起來的。

Self-centeredness is one of life’s vital forces, not necessarily a bad thing.  However, if one is too self-centered, becoming self-righteous, having an inferior- or superior-complex, with endless greed, one can never be happy.

48. 超越了自私自利、利害得失的自我中心，就能讓心胸開闊、包容心增加，得失心也就減少了。

Once we surpass our self-interests or selfishness and detach from self-gain or loss, which are all caused by self-centeredness, we can open our minds, becoming more tolerant, and decreases the minds’ attachments to gain or loss.

49. 如果能超越個人的利害得失，便會把整體社會、全人類的利害得失，當成是自己的利害得失。

If we can overcome self-interest or personal gain or loss, we can regard the interests and the gain or loss of the whole society or the entire human race as one’s own.

50. 我們希望自己健康、快樂、平安，也希望他人健康、快樂、平安的這種願心，其中也有自我中心，但與自私的自我中心不同，乃是利他的菩提心。

Our wish to be healthy, happy, and peaceful, and wishing the same for others, is part of our egocentrism.  However, it is different from the selfish egocentrism; this is the Bodhi heart that benefits others.

51. 人生的價值在于奉獻，在奉獻之中成長，廣結善緣。

The value of life is in our contributions and to grow and make beneficial karmic conditions in our contributions.

52. 天生我材必有所用，每個人出生時，就已帶着責任和價值來到世上。這份「用處」，是對人類歷史負責，對全體社會盡責。

“Heaven made us all useful (We all have our usefulness).” We all come into this world, at the moment of our birth, with our self-worthiness and responsibilities.  Our “usefulness” is to be responsible for the entire society and the human history.

53. 個人生命雖然渺小，只要發揮所能所長，克盡一己之力，就是扮演了人類歷史承先啟后的角色。

The value of our life maybe small (miniscule), but as long as we do our utmost and develop our potential to the fullest, we are playing a pivotal role in the heritage, continuation, and sequence of human history.

54. 凡事心存感恩，努力當下，把自己當成是承先啟后的「輸血管」，一方面接受先人的養分，也把自己的養分往下傳，就是善盡生命之責。

Be grateful to all things.  Give your all to the present.  Treat yourself as the “blood vein” that connects the past to the future.  Accepting the nutrients from our ancestors on the one hand and giving our blood to the next generation is being fully responsible for life.