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?

即使我們住在寺裡，還是偏離了正確的修行- 好遠好遠，身在國外的日子，目睹了
不少的事，先是增長了些許智慧，一段時日後，又增長一些，初次旅行，我記錄了
途中的所見所聞，這回，我卻停了筆， 心想：要是寫了下來，能見容於國人嗎？


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鄉，覺得不怎麼舒適。泰國人到國外，認為自己的福報一定好
得很，才有機會去那裡，那你可得想一想，去到一個陌生的國度，你的福報比得上
終其一生都住在那兒的人嗎？我們去了一陣子，覺得那兒太棒了，就以為自己是那
種有福報的人。


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.

外國僧人生於斯長於斯，所以他們的福報比我們大？這種想法是一種執著。這意味
著，受到外境的影響，心馳神往。人們樂於如此，但這不是一顆平常心。看到不曾
見過的東西，經歷未曾有的經驗，一顆異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…

我承認咱們的科學常識不如他們，然而論及佛學，個人仍有可教於他們之處，雖然
科學及物質條件不及他們的進步…


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艱難，他們墨守著成規，為此而受苦。他們沒有下
決心修行並貫徹到底，沒法把事情的本末，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，不穩固，或者難以持續，順逆現前時，無法正知當下。 「不可意的
事，我排斥。」 這是婆羅門的想法(見)。 「可意的事，我接受」，舉個例來說，
某一些人，你挑他們喜歡聽的話來說，是很好相處的；要是講些不順耳話，那就沒
那麼好說話了。這正是「見」(ditthi)。他們有強烈的執著，反而認為本來就該如
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，他們和我們一樣，擁有正見(Samma ditthi)
的人，十分的稀有：以佛法觀之，我們覺得不妥，無法認同。倘若覺得這樣沒錯，
我們便捨棄了正見，打混過去。有時候，我們不同意佛陀所教導的，對事情有不同
的見解，於是想要去改變法的本然，想要去修正佛法，我們一直如此。


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.


旅程中想了許許多多的事…我遇見幾個瑜珈行者，看到他們把身體弄成那種姿勢，
真是有趣極了- 要是我的話，早把骨頭弄斷了。不知怎得，他們覺得筋骨那兒不
對，所以非得伸展伸展不可，他們每天都要如法泡製，才會舒服。如此為之，無非
是給自己帶來痛苦。不這樣折磨自己，不會痛快，因此每天都要來這麼一下。對我
來說，這似乎是沒事找事做，而且渾然沒有覺察。

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.


他們就是這個樣子- 習慣如此。我遇見一位中國男子，四五年來奉行不倒單，只是
坐著睡，他不覺得那裡不對勁，這老兄一年只洗一次澡，身體卻硬朗的很，不用跑
步或做其他運動，要是他去做運動，說不定會覺得彆扭，因為他把自己訓練成那個
樣子。

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.

的確，我們訓練自己的方法，決定了對某事安適與否。訓練可以使我們病得更重，
也可以怯除病痛，它就是這麼回事。所以，佛陀教導我們對自己了了分明- 別漏掉
這個重點。大家不要太執著，別讓外境給沖昏了頭。


~~未完待續~~

--
  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....