【中英专栏】死是最大的苦，如何摆脱这种恐惧？

 死是大苦，请佛来帮你解脱

Only the Dharma is useful at the time of death

我曾看过一篇文章，是一名在校研究生写的。

I once read an article written by a graduate student.

他说自己本是个乐观主义者，后来突然想到死亡问题，

He says he used to be an optimist, but one day the issue of death occurred to him.

觉得自己死后就会永远消失，现在所拥有的快乐也会烟消云散，

He realizes that after he dies he will disappear completely, and none of the happiness he has enjoyed will remain.

因而感到极为恐怖，整日萎靡不振。

He is terrified and feels downcast all the time.

同时，他一想起爷爷、奶奶、爸爸、妈妈，觉得他们迟早都会死，

Furthermore, he sees that his grandma, grandpa, father and mother will also die sooner or later;

谁也无法超越这个规律。

no one is above this inescapable rule.

想到这些就很难过，但又无法停止这种念头，

Such a prospect makes him extremely sad, but he can’t stop thinking about it.

于是他到处询问：“在这个世界上，谁能帮我消除这种忧虑？”

Thus, he has been asking around, “In this world, who can help me dispel my worries?”

我倒是很想告诉他：“如果你学了佛法，就会明白人死后心识是不灭的，

I want to tell him, “If you have studied the Buddhadharma, you’ll know that when a person dies, the consciousness is not extinguished;

它依然会跟随你的善恶业报，不断流转于轮回中。”

it will continue to take rebirth countless times according to one’s good or bad karma.”

当然，他也算是不错了，至少有勇气正视死亡，
In a way, this student is commendable—at least he has the courage to think about death.

不像许多人一样讳疾忌医，提起“死”马上就转移话题。

Many others, on the other hand, refuse to face this harsh reality and will quickly change the subject when hearing anything related to it.

但遗憾的是，由于他没有接触过佛法，一旦真正面对死亡，仍然无力摆脱这种怖畏。

But regrettably, this student has not encountered the Dharma and is powerless to rid himself of his fears.

人到了临终之时，躺在病床上不能起身，

When a person approaches his final moment, he cannot get up from his sickbed;

见到美食无动于衷，

no delicacies will whet his appetite;

面对美色视若无睹，甚至听别人开玩笑也毫无反应，

no attractive women can draw his attention, nor can he appreciate any tales that others may tell.

即使亲友团团围绕，也不能延缓自己的死期，

Even if his friends and relatives crowd around him, the time of his departure cannot be postponed;

此时的痛苦，唯有自己一人感受。

he must endure the suffering all by himself.

这时候不要说一般人，就算是拥有几千弟子的上师，

Everyone—even a high master with thousands of disciples,

或几亿子民的国家元首，

or the head of state with hundreds of millions of subjects

在离开世间时，也是独自感受死亡之苦，他人根本不可能代受。

—has to go through the dying pro­cess all alone It is an experience that absolutely no one else can take over for you.

诚如《无量寿经》所言：“人在世间，爱欲之中，

This situation is aptly described in the Large Sutra of Buddha Amitabha, “Living in this world, human beings are forever entangled in love and desire.

独生独死，独去独来。”

Alone they go through life and death, and alone they drift, hither and thither.”

不要说生死，就算是生病，别人想帮，也帮不上忙。

Not just at the moment of death, even at the time of illness others are just as helpless, despite their good intentions.

以前我在医院看到一些领导，他们条件很不错，住院时有许多豪华的轿车来送，

Once when I was in the hospital, I saw a well-off official who was chauffeured to the hospital in a limousine.

可是一旦入了医院，只剩一些亲属帮他拿行李、拎包、背电脑，

But once hospitalized, his retinues could only help bring in his bags, belongings and laptop computers.

除此之外，谁也没办法代他受苦。

They could not take away his horrible suffering.

生病尚且如此，死的时候更是这样了。

Such is the condition of being ill, to say nothing of dying.

纵然你拥有无法估量的财产、眷属，也不能带走一分一文、一人一仆，

You may have limitless wealth and countless subordinates, but you can’t bring anything with you: not a single penny, a dime, another individual or a servant.

虽然对此难以割舍，但这些不可能随身而行。

It’s heart wrenching for you to leave all of them behind, but you have no other choice.

尤其是罪孽深重的人，在弥留之际，忆起以前所造的罪业，此时一定害怕堕落恶趣。

When a wicked person dies, he is overtaken by tremendous fears when he recalls all his misdeeds.

回想自己自由自在时，没有修持对临终有利的正法，真是追悔莫及，

Intense remorse fills his heart as he realizes that he has missed his golden opportunity to practice the Dharma, the only thing that would have been helpful at the moment of death.

禁不住手抓胸口，在留下深深的指印后完结了一生。

Facing the imminent prospect of being reborn in the lower realms, he cannot but clutch his chest, covering it with fingernail scratches while his life ends.

曾经我在藏地就见过这样的人，他生前特别喜欢打猎，杀过的野兽不计其数。

In Tibet, I’ve been at the deathbed of someone who used to enjoy hunting sprees and had killed many animals.

他在临死时恐惧异常，还没有咽气前，就看见很多鹿子、獐子来追他，

On the brink of death, this person saw many antelopes and musk-deer chasing after him.

口里不断地喊着：“我杀过多少多少动物，它们正在向我索命……”

Frightened, he cried out in terror, “Oh no, I have killed this animal and that animal; now they are all seek­ing vengeance and snatching my life away!”

我们在旁边听到这些，都觉得胆战心惊。

Witnessing such a scene beside his bed, we were all struck with horror for him.

索达吉堪布《做，才是得到》

Khenpo Sodargye《Achieve by doing 》