【中英专栏】如何规划自己的晚年幸福生活？
有归宿感的人，晚年不会苦
Having a faith eases you from the pains of later years
老年人不念佛，真的很可怜。
Old people who do not practice recitation of the Buddha’s name are indeed pitiful.
他们到了晚年，天天指望子女来看望自己。
In the Han area, many older people look forward to their children’s visits.
但现在这个社会，子女因为太忙碌，很少有空去看父母，
But in today’s society, sons or daughters can be too busy to find time to call on their parents,
于是他们非常失落：“我老了，所有人都不管我……”
who, in turn, are disappointed, thinking, “I am getting old, no one cares for me anymore.”
其实，他们若能像藏地老人那样念佛，
Actually, if the Han elders can become mindful of the Buddha like the Tibetan elders do,
心里有一种归宿感，内心自然不会有这样的波澜。
they will develop a sense of belonging, which will free their minds from emotional ups and downs.
在我的记忆中，凡是见过的藏族老人，没有一个不念佛的。
In my memory, I have never seen an old Tibetan who does not practice the recitation of Buddha’s name.
很多藏地老人不喜欢子女常来看自己，怕打扰自己念佛。
Many old Tibetans prefer fewer visits by their children, lest their recitations be disturbed.
比如自己每天要念两万遍佛号，
For instance, if the parents have committed to reciting Buddha’s name twenty thousand times daily,
如果子女来了，就不得不陪他们聊天，佛号就不一定念得完。
a visit paid by their children can easily upset their goal, as they have to stop in order to chat and keep company with their children.
所以，很多老人要求子女没事千万别来，
Therefore, many old parents request that their children refrain from calling on them unless absolutely necessary.
只要定期送点食物就行，甚至送完食物也要赶紧离开。
The parents only want their children to send food regularly, and a prompt departure is expected once food is delivered.
我小时候认识一个人，叫桑当嘎洛，我对他的印象比较深，平常有空的时候，脑海里经常浮现他的笑容和慈祥的目光。
When I was little, I knew a person called Songdon Gyalol whose smile and kind glances often come back to me unexpectedly.
我们之间的交往，可能有十几年。
We have stayed in touch for over ten years,
每次看到他，他总是坐在屋子里念佛，用一个大大的手动转经轮。
and each time I see him, he is sitting in his room reciting mantras and turning a big prayer wheel.
他每天只吃一顿午饭，一般跟家人不接触，要求他们送进来。家人也是非常孝顺，中午好好地供养他，
His family respected him and rarely disturbed him, except for once a day to deliver him a good lunch, his only meal of the day.
除此之外，他一天中不见任何人。
At other times of the day, he received no visitors,
因为我们两个在行持善法方面，有共同的见解，
but since we saw eye to eye on the issue of practicing virtue,
小时候我经常去他那里，听他讲一些佛经的公案。
in my young age I was allowed to go to his place to listen to him tell Buddhist stories.
我认识的这位老人，只是个普普通通的在家人，
This old man is but an ordinary householder.
他十几年如一日，每天都是转经轮、念佛，
For a dozen years he has been turning the prayer wheel and reciting mantras every day,
行为与现在的很多老人完全不同。
a routine that is vastly different from that of his Han contemporaries.
现在的老人是什么样呢？
What are the Han elders like?
要么终日茫然地等待着，要么在家里吵吵闹闹、说是道非，
They mindlessly worry about things unforeseen, argue with each other or gossip endlessly.
管孙子、管儿子，
They can’t help overindulging their grandchildren and they nag at their adult children constantly.
经常参与没有意义的事，如何度过晚年从来没有一点点预计。
In short, they only attend to frivolous matters and neglect to map out how best to use their twilight years.
如果他们能念佛，就不会浪费剩下的宝贵时日了。
If they can turn their minds to the Buddha, the precious hours of their remaining life won’t be wasted.
每天在清净的念佛声中度过，心里会非常清凉，临终时也会十分安详。
By immersing themselves in the pure sound of the Buddha’s name, their minds will become fresh and calm, up to the very moment of their final departure.
索达吉堪布《做，才是得到》
Khenpo Sodargye《Achieve by doing 》