对症下药“轮回病”

An analogy used by Maitreya Bodhisattva in the Uttaratantra Shastra aptly defines the Four Noble Truths. When treating any illness, doctors need to take four steps: 1. to ascertain the nature of the illness; 2. to eliminate the cause of the illness, since it would be ineffective to treat only the symptoms; 3. to prescribe remedies; 4.to heal. All doctors must go through this four-step process to treat an illness. Not knowing the cause of the illness, the doctor cannot prescribe a cure. Even knowing the cause of the illness but having no suitable medicine or the requisite pharmacological knowledge, or worse, giving the wrong prescription, the doctor will still be rendered ineffective. Nevertheless, everything that is concerned with treating a patient starts with identifying the cause of the illness. The Four Noble Truths also correspond to the four steps of treating an illness. The nature of suffering is what to be ascertained, the origin of suffering to be eliminated; the path leading to the cessation of suffering is what to be practiced (prescription), the cessation of suffering to be attained (cure).

弥勒菩萨在《宝性论》中，用了一个恰如其分的比喻来诠释四谛：从一个人生病、看病、吃药，到最后重获健康，医生治病的过程一般有四个步骤：一、必须知道病的本质；二、必须要断除病源，如果不将病源根治，想直接阻止病痛是没有用的；三、给药；四、药到病除。任何医生给人治病，都必须经历这四个阶段。首先，如果不知病因就无法下药，知道病因但没有药、不懂药理，或下错药也起不到作用，所以这一系列的问题都必须从知道病因入手。同样，四谛也和治病的四个步骤相对应：“苦谛”是所知，“集谛”是所断，“道谛”是所修，“灭谛”是所获。

At the same time, we should also find out what samsara means, what the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, death and, in fact, the world as a whole signify. But all these questions can simply be summed up in the first Noble Truth—the nature of suffering. Once understanding the nature of suffering, we will have a better grasp on how to deal with the cycle of birth，aging，sickness and death，of which the root cause is the origin of suffering. How then can this cause be uprooted? As physical illness needs the right medication to be cured, cyclic existence can only be stopped with practice of the Dharma. To counteract defilements and attachment, one must exert a sharply opposing force in order to be effective. The process of exerting this counteracting force is the path leading to the cessation of suffering. In other words, the purpose of undertaking Dharma practice is to cease the endless cycle of rebirth and death, not unlike what the right medicine is to a patient.

我们首先也必须知道轮回到底是什么？人的生老病死以及这个世界究竟是什么？以上所有的问题都可归纳为两个字——苦谛。了解苦谛以后，就对如何解决生老病死有了一定的认识，而它们的根源就是集谛，要断除这个根源，该采取何种方法呢？生理上的病症需要适当的药物，医治生老病死则需要修习正法。对治烦恼执着，必须利用某种与它针锋相对、尖锐对立的东西去将它推翻，不然起不了作用，这就是道谛。其结果就如同对症下药后病人能重拾健康一样，我们修行的目的，就是要解决生老病死的问题。

Theravada practitioners aim to free only themselves from samsara, while the bodhisattvas aspire to do that for themselves and all other sentient beings. Frankly, to single-handedly lead all sentient beings to liberation is an extremely difficult task, one that not even the Buddha could have accomplished in a single lifetime. But the infinite power and aspiration of the Buddha have continued to benefit all those who are receptive to his teachings until this day. Even so, he cannot deliver all sentient beings. What matters is not that everyone can be saved but that we all strive toward that worthy end. It was for this purpose that the Buddha expounded the Four Noble Truths.

小乘修行人只希望解决个人的生老病死，大乘菩萨的发心，是不仅为了解决自己的问题，更要解决所有生命的生老病死。要完全做到这点是极其困难的，单凭个人的力量去度化所有的众生，即使是佛陀，在一世之中都无法完成。但佛的能力和愿力是永无止尽的，他时时刻刻都在度化有缘众生，即便如此，佛也无法度尽所有众生。能否度尽不是首要问题，关键在于是否在为此而奋斗。四谛就是为达到这些目的而宣说的。