打破成见，从此不再随波逐流

How do we go about destroying the root cause of samsara now that we have identified it? Will burning incense, doing prostrations and reciting mantras work? They may, to some extent, if performed with genuine renunciation and bodhicitta. Renunciation can help us deal with the more obvious defilements while the subtle ones can be subdued by relative bodhicitta. However, the subtlest self-grasping can only be eradicated by the practice of not-self and emptiness, hence their inclusion in the four characteristics. As for impermanence and suffering, why are they part of the four characteristics? They are appointed so as to help us form an aversion to samsara and thereby stop all worldly pursuits.

既然找到了轮回的根源，该如何消灭它呢？烧香、磕头、念咒能办到吗？如果有出离心和菩提心的帮助也许有一定的效果，出离心可以帮助我们处理一些比较粗大的问题，再由世俗菩提心来解决较细的枝节。但最细微的我执，唯有无我和空性的修法才能尽除，所以四种行相必须有无我和空性。那么无常和痛苦为什么包括在四种行相中呢？就是为了让我们能对轮回产生厌离，不再追求轮回中的圆满。

Basically, impermanence and suffering enable us to generate renunciation of the desire for worldly existence, while absence of an inherently existing self and emptiness lead us to affirm the view of anatta or “not-self.” These four characteristics reveal the true face of samsara. Only by knowing what samsara really is can we engender the necessary will, courage and ability to transcend it.

归根结底也就是说，无常与痛苦这两个行相能让我们生起出离心，无我与空性则让我们有无我的见解，这四种行相，将轮回的真面目彻底地暴露于光天化日之下，使我们能够一目了然，从而产生超越的愿望、勇气和能力。

Before receiving the Buddha’s teachings, we did not understand samsara correctly, and we coveted and greedily pursued wealth and fame without any regard for the consequences. If one were to show no interest in such pursuits, one would most likely be considered abnormal. As a result, most people just follow others blindly and become slaves to money and fame. But the teachings of the Buddha destroy many of our deep-seated ideas about the world and life, and give us a brand new perspective which is above and beyond that of the uninitiated. No doubt others will try to refute the new standpoints, but they will not succeed as no other theories or philosophy can better the teachings of the Buddha.

以前没有佛的教导，对轮回没有正确地认识，对世俗的金钱名利常存非分之想，不计后果地贪婪追求。如果有人对此表示没兴趣，反而被认为是不正常，所以一般人也就随波逐流，成为了金钱名利的奴隶。学佛以后，佛教打破了我们牢固的成见，给予了我们超越常人的，对世界、对人生的全新认识，虽然这些知识，会遭到世人的反驳，但它却是任何理论都无法战胜的。