如是降伏其心
Thus Subdue the Mind

文／美國太谷精舍英文高級禪修班學員　傳啟

　　過去數年在精舍薰修，讓我成長了很多，但也知道自己還有很長的路要走。我仍然會生氣，乃至去說或做一些我明知道是錯誤的事，讓自己被情緒的自動駕駛儀所控制。

　　我在工作當中與客戶相處互動是很有挑戰性的。有時我會感到心跳加速、體溫升高，看到某些人我就會緊張。但我發現如果隨順因緣，用心得當，也可以像普賢菩薩和觀世音菩薩那樣的勇敢，好似透過自己的行為體現這些菩薩的精神。

　　每當我發現自己被情緒、憤怒、悲傷、貪婪所淹沒時，我會立即嘗試停止任何可能導致我產生負面情緒的想法，如同築起一道牆，防止我的心念攀緣，透過這樣的方式來淨心，就像烏龜縮回四肢以避免受到土狼的攻擊。猶如鳥窠禪師住在樹上，我試著用覺性來鳥瞰情況。正如《金剛經》所云：「不入色聲香味觸法，是名須陀洹。」因為自己誦《金剛經》，常常看開山祖師開示，或者讀誦《八大人覺經》、《心經》、《達磨二入四行觀》，每天，這些道理總是在我心中現前。

　　《金剛經》云：「不應住色生心，不應住聲香味觸法生心」，任何心念的執著都是錯的。這一切無時無刻不在我的腦海中浮現，但當我不注意時，情緒仍然會影響我。達磨祖師的一葦渡江提醒了我，雖然情緒像波浪起伏，如果我們能夠保持靜止、集中、專注，我們就不會失去平衡。

　　（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.）