Chung Tai Shan Magazine #64
修行學佛的目標，就是要解脫生死。要解脫生死，必須先了解「解脫」的意義是什麼？「生死」的意義是什麼？
The goal of Buddhist cultivation is to transcend the life and death of samsara. In order to do this, we must first understand the meaning of samsaric life and death, and what it means to transcend it and reach liberation.
有些人以為自殺後，就一了百了，什麼問題都解決了，其實這只會為自己與親人帶來更大的痛苦與煩惱。所以佛法教人要從因上去解脫，不是從果上去解脫；因為今生痛苦、貧窮，是過去種的因，是今生要受的果報。求解脫的方法，要自己承擔，面對現實，努力改善自己的命運。如何改善自己的命運？第一、要慚愧懺悔，第二、要忍耐，第三、要積極修善去惡，第四、要用佛法來轉識成智。透過上述的方法，將煩惱轉過來，對於已現前的業報能夠直下承擔，心安理得；現在積極種善因，福慧增長，未來便會愈走愈光明，如此才是真正的解脫。
Some people see suicide as a way to resolve all their suffering and difficulties in one fell swoop. In reality, suicide will bring nothing but deeper pain and afflictions to themselves and their families. Thus, Buddhadharma teaches us to free ourselves from suffering by working on the causes, not by looking only for the results. Since the pain and poverty we experience in this life are the effects produced by causes we ourselves planted in the past, the way to liberation begins by accepting responsibility, facing reality, and working hard to change our future. How can we change our future? First, is by having contrition and practicing repentance; second, is by having patience; third, is by proactively cultivating wholesome deeds and eliminating unwholesome ones; fourth, is by using the Buddhadharma to transform consciousness into wisdom. By transforming our afflictions and taking responsibility for the karmic effects or retributions that have already manifested through the methods explained above, we will be acting on the right principles and have peace of mind. By proactively cultivating wholesome causes in the present, thus increasing our merits and wisdom, our future path will become brighter and brighter. In this way, we will reach true liberation.
修行學佛，首先要了解生死的根源從何而來，才能知道如何了生死？其實，生死就是煩惱、執著；因為心當中有煩惱和執著，在八識田中遷流不止，植種甚深，死後識神所見便是執著所現的境界，如此又生貪愛、煩惱，隨業力牽引趣生，再來輪迴。所以，煩惱、執著，是生死的因；欲愛、色愛、愚癡不信因緣果報、不知眾生本具佛性，這些就是煩惱。
In the cultivation of learning to realize buddhahood, we must first understand the root source of life and death in samsara—only then, will we know how to transcend it. The truth is that life and death are caused by the afflictions and attachments in our mind. Because the mind has afflictions and attachments, their karmic seeds arise and cease endlessly in our eighth consciousness; these seeds manifest as experiential states, which in turn cause us to plant additional seeds even more deeply. After death, the experiential states we have attachments to will appear in our consciousness. Seeing these states, we consequently give rise to greed and afflictions, which become the karmas that drive us to take rebirth again and again in the cycle of samsara. It is because of this that afflictions and attachments are the root cause of samsaric life and death. Sexual desire, ignorance, denial of causality, not knowing the intrinsic buddha nature of sentient beings—all of these are afflictions.
一般人不了解，認為從母親肚子裡出生，就是生；一口氣不來，兩隻腳一伸，就是死；在這種生死上努力，是沒有辦法得到解脫的，因為這種生死的果報已經現前，要想解脫不能用逃避，也不是自殺，而是從現在開始努力，化除心中的煩惱，消除惡念，將心中的結解開，心開意解，就是解脫。
Ordinary people misunderstand “birth” as the moment they are born from their mother’s womb, and “death” as taking their final breath. If we focus our efforts on this form of life and death, we will have no way to reach liberation. This is because it is a karmic result that has already manifested; if we want to be liberated, we cannot run away or kill ourselves. Instead, we must work on the present causes: overcome the afflictions in the mind, eradiate unwholesome thoughts, and undo the knots in the heart. With untying these knots and awakening to the mind, comes liberation.
受生的原因是因為人往生後識神作不了主，隨業流轉；要能夠作得了主，就要靠定力與智慧，想要不受生死，就要薰修佛法，修定、修慧；這念心清楚、明白、保持正定，知道任何境界都是虛妄不實的，要達到這般程度，就要靠平時禪定功夫的修持，與般若智慧的觀照。明瞭眾生本具不生不滅的佛性，這念靈知靈覺的心性，始終都存在；在日常生活中時時迴光返照，轉化煩惱，思惟緣起性空、因緣果報的道理，破除自己的貪愛、執著，定慧具足，就是在了生死。
The reason we are born is because after we died in our past lives, our consciousness could not control itself. As a result, it was carried along by karmic forces in the cycle of samsara. Thus, we must use samadhi stillness and prajna wisdom in order to master ourselves. If we want to be free from life and death, we have to learn the Buddhadharma—cultivating both samadhi and prajna. This very mind must be clear and lucid, remain in right samadhi, and know that all things are illusory and insubstantial. To reach this state, we should regularly cultivate samadhi stillness and apply prajna wisdom to reflect with awareness. Know that the buddha nature inherent in sentient beings is non-arising and non-ceasing; the mind-nature of our intrinsic knowing and pure awareness is ever-present. Throughout our daily lives, always reflect inward with the light of awareness, transform our afflictions, and contemplate the empty nature of dependent arising, as well as the principle of causality. In this way, we will overcome our greed and attachments to perfect both samadhi and prajna, thus transcending life and death.
所以，了生死要在平時。用功到最後，破除所有的煩惱、執著，就能徹見自己的本心本性。本心本性不生不滅、沒有生死；證到一念不生的境界，才能不受生死輪迴的果報，得到真正解脫。
Therefore, transcending life and death is something we must do at every moment. By cultivating this way until all our afflictions and attachments are eradicated, we will fully realize our true mind, our intrinsic nature. It is the one that is non-arising, non-ceasing, and not subject to life and death. Realize the state where we do not raise a single thought. Then we will be free from the cycle of samsara and reach true liberation.