如是降伏其心
Thus Subdue the Mind

文／美国太谷精舍英文高级禅修班学员　传启

　　过去数年在精舍薰修，让我成长了很多，但也知道自己还有很长的路要走。我仍然会生气，乃至去说或做一些我明知道是错误的事，让自己被情绪的自动驾驶仪所控制。

　　我在工作当中与客户相处互动是很有挑战性的。有时我会感到心跳加速、体温升高，看到某些人我就会紧张。但我发现如果随顺因缘，用心得当，也可以像普贤菩萨和观世音菩萨那样的勇敢，好似透过自己的行为体现这些菩萨的精神。

　　每当我发现自己被情绪、愤怒、悲伤、贪婪所淹没时，我会立即尝试停止任何可能导致我产生负面情绪的想法，如同筑起一道墙，防止我的心念攀缘，透过这样的方式来净心，就像乌龟缩回四肢以避免受到土狼的攻击。犹如鸟窠禅师住在树上，我试着用觉性来鸟瞰情况。正如《金刚经》所云：「不入色声香味触法，是名须陀洹。」因为自己诵《金刚经》，常常看开山祖师开示，或者读诵《八大人觉经》、《心经》、《达磨二入四行观》，每天，这些道理总是在我心中现前。

　　《金刚经》云：「不应住色生心，不应住声香味触法生心」，任何心念的执着都是错的。这一切无时无刻不在我的脑海中浮现，但当我不注意时，情绪仍然会影响我。达磨祖师的一苇渡江提醒了我，虽然情绪像波浪起伏，如果我们能够保持静止、集中、专注，我们就不会失去平衡。

　　（I have grown a lot better over the last few years of being a student at the Zen center, but I still know I have a long way to go. I still get angry and say or do things that I know are wrong but allow myself to be taken over by the autopilot of emotions instead.

　　I deal with customers at work who can be challenging to interact with. Sometimes I feel my heart beating fast, my temperature rising, and I get nervous just at the sight of some people. But I find the bravery to be like the Great Bodhisattvas Samantabhadra and Guanyin and realize that when functioning my mind appropriately, according to the conditions, like these Bodhisattvas can manifest in my actions.

　　Whenever I detect myself being overwhelmed by emotions, anger, sadness, greed, I immediately try to stop whatever thoughts may be causing me to feel these negative exemptions and clear my mind by putting up a wall to guard my mind from outflows. Like the turtle retracting its limbs to avoid being attacked by the coyote. Like the Bird Nest Zen Master living on the tree, I try to use my awareness to get a bird's eye view of the situation. Like the Diamond Sutra says, “one who does not enter into form, sound, smell, taste, touch or dharmas is called a Srotapanna.” Because I recite the Diamond Sutra, I always read from Grand Masters’ lectures, or recite the Sutra of the eight Realizations of Great Beings, the Heart Sutra, the Essence of Mahayana Practice, every day, these teachings are always near the front of my mind.

　　The Diamond Sutra says, “ should not abide in form, sound, smell, taste, touch or dharmas to give rise to a mind.” Any attachment of the mind is errant. All of this is constantly going through my mind at all times. But emotions can still distract me when I am not focused. Like Bodhidharma balancing on the blade of bamboo sailing across the Yang Tse river, the wave of emotions rise and fall, if we are able to remain still, focused, and concentrated, we will not lose our balance.）