贪心过大，就会招致贫穷

“人有财发疯，牛有草发疯”

“Money drives men crazy; lush grass drives cows crazy”

“生死疲劳，从贪欲起，

“The ordeals of cyclic existence come from having greed and lust,

 

少欲无为，身心自在。”

minimizing desire leads to easiness in the body and mind.”

 

“富而不知足，是亦为贫苦；

“Discontentment renders a person poor, even if he is wealthy;

 

虽贫而知足，是则第一富。”

contentment makes a person rich, even if he is poor.”

藏地有这样的说法：“人有财发疯，牛有草发疯。”

A Tibetan saying goes, “Money drives men crazy; lush grass drives cows crazy.”

这句话非常有道理。

This expression speaks volumes.

许多人在缺吃少穿的时候，好像也没有特别大的贪欲，

When people only want food and shelter, their desires are minimal.

可一旦有了钱后，贪欲反而被激发出来，疯狂地追逐财富；

But when people become rich, their greediness can be incited,and they will chase after money like maniacs.

牛也是如此，

It’s very similar to a herd of cows.

放过牛的人都有经验，在没有草的地方，这些牛还比较听话，

Herdsmen know that cows normally behave well in a sparse pas­ture.

而一到了草多的地方，它们就一边吃一边跑，根本不听主人招呼。

But once they are led to a lush pasture, they will run headlong to gorge themselves while totally ignoring their master’s commands.

这个比喻很符合现在某些人的状况。

We see this in contemporary situations.

如今有些人的欲望永无止境，明明享有财富与盛名，

For instance, some people already possess ample wealth and fame,

却依然向更高的目标攀登，内心没有满足之时。

yet, feeling unfulfilled, they still want to achieve higher and higher goals. There is no end to their desire.

就像一则寓言中所说：

A parable says it well:

有一只狗意外获得了一根骨头。

By chance, a dog obtained a piece of bone.

在过河的时候，它发现水中也有一只狗叼着一根骨头，

When crossing a river, the dog saw another dog in the water with a bone in its mouth.

就扑了下去，想要得到另一根骨头。

Immediately, it jumped into the water in order to get the other bone.

结果，它的下场可想而知——不但得不到水中的骨头，

Well, the ending is obvious: Not only was the bone in the water nowhere to be found,

就连自己原本有的那一根，也在慌乱中弄丢了。

but also the bone the dog had in the first place was lost in the rush.

古人说：“贪则近贫。”

The ancients said, “Greediness approximates poverty.”

如果贪心过大，定会招致贫穷。

Excessive greediness will certainly precipitate poverty.

从字形上看，“贪”与“贫”也很接近。

The Chinese characters for greediness (贪) and poverty (贫) appear very similar.

所以，真正有智慧的人，会尽量克制内心的欲望，

Hence, a truly wise person will make every effort to curb his desire.

不奢求不属于自己的东西，过一种知足少欲的生活。

He will not covet somebody else’s property but, instead, will live contentedly with less.

有了这种满足感，纵然住在小小的屋子里，内心也会欢喜无比。

Having this sense of satisfaction, a person can have a very joyous mindset, even when his dwelling is but a tiny place.

否则，就算住五星级宾馆，吃山珍海味，家有万贯黄金，内心还是会闷闷不乐。

Otherwise, no five-star hotels, ex­quisite delicacies, or enormous fortunes will make him happy.

我个人而言，住的木屋只有十平方米，

To me person­ally, my living space is about ten square meters,

虽然扩建成三四层的高楼也没问题，

and although I could have it renovated to three or four stories high,

但我觉得这样的小屋很舒服，

I feel comfortable in my little home.

除了厕所以外，办公室、卧室、书房、厨房都是它，这种感觉非常好。

Except for the bathroom, this place serves me as my office, bedroom, study, and kitchen all in one. Isn’t it wonderful?

孔子曾说：“吃粗淡的饭，喝白开水，以手臂作枕头，虽然生活简朴，但只要有道义，快乐就在其中。”

Confucius says, “As long as I go with the Way, I am perfectly happy, even if I am living a very simple life sustained by humble fare.”

我非常佩服这种精神。

I really admire his gracious spirit.

现在有不少人，经济条件不错，但精神上特别空虚，

Nowadays, many people are rich materially but barren spiritu­ally.

只求吃得好、穿得好，丧失道德人格也无所谓。

They seek only the satisfaction of fancy food and fine clothes, often at the expense of being morally bankrupt.

而古人并非如此，

People of olden times were different;

吃饭不一定有档次，穿衣不一定是名牌，

they asked for neither sumptuous meals nor ostentatious outfits.

只要善良的品行不失毁，活在世间就有意义。

To them, life is meaningful only if it embraces kindness and decency.

《佛所行赞》中有一句话，就说得特别好：

There is an excellent saying in the Sutra Praising the Buddha’s Activities,

“富而不知足，是亦为贫苦；

“Dis­contentment renders a person poor, even if he is wealthy;

虽贫而知足，是则第一富。”

contentment makes a person rich, even if he is poor.”

腰缠万贯的人倘若不知足，天天贪得无厌，

If a billionaire experiences no satisfaction and is pushed around by endless cravings,

这即是在感受贫穷之苦；

he is already suffering from the pains of wanting.

身无分文的穷人，如果有了满足感，那就是世界上的第一富翁。

If a penniless person is content, he is like the richest person in the world. 

索达吉堪布《做，才是得到》

Khenpo Sodargye《Achieve by Doing》