【慧灯中英文连载】《Are You Ready for Happiness?》(78)痛苦转化为慈悲心

6.Transform Suffering into Compassion

6.痛苦转化为慈悲心

The essence of Mahayana Buddhism is bodhicitta; the basis of bodhicitta is compassion. Without compassion, there can be no bodhicitta.

大乘佛法的灵魂，是菩提心；菩提心的基础，是慈悲心。没有慈悲心，就不可能有菩提心。

What allows us to develop compassion? It is precisely suffering. When we truly understand all sentient beings have to undergo great suffering in samsara, we can be comforted in knowing there is a law of cause and effect. We know that all of our suffering is created by negative deeds we committed in past lives and that we must bear the consequences. But other sentient beings may not understand these concepts; they perpetuate in hatred and resentment which bind them further in suffering. Seeing this, we easily develop empathy and compassion, sincerely hope all sentient beings can be freed from suffering, and willingly trade our happiness for their suffering - this is compassion.

什么东西能让我们不由自主地产生慈悲心呢？那就是痛苦。当深深体会到轮回众生都会面临巨大痛苦，自己哪怕再痛苦，还听过一些佛法，懂得一些佛教道理，知道所有的痛苦都是自作自受，是过去罪业造成的因，可以用因果道理来安慰自己；但其他众生却不懂这些道理，所以就会仇恨满腹、怨恨不休，同时更加痛苦不堪，更没有自由回避和逃避痛苦。这时，我们很容易产生同情心和慈悲心，诚心诚意地希望所有众生远离痛苦，愿意将自己的幸福与他众的痛苦相交换，这就叫做慈悲心。

The most important thing at this time is to cultivate compassion. In cultivating compassion, there are two kinds of outcome and benefit: first, since we understand the workings of cause and effect, we are able to relieve our suffering; second, having developed great compassion because of our own hardship, we can be unperturbed when we confront suffering again.

此时最重要的，就是修悲心。在修悲心的过程中，会有两种结果和利益：第一，在修慈悲心的过程中，因为懂得这些道理，所以能减轻我们的痛苦；第二，通过面对痛苦而产生大悲心，再面临痛苦时，也能应付自如。

Judging from the current situation most people are in, what we need to learn the most is neither the advanced tantric practice like Dzogchen nor the profound theories of Middle Way and logic, but how to manage our problems in real life - illness, aging, difficulties at work, disharmony in the family, etc.

就目前很多人的现状来看，我们最急需学的，既不是大圆满或其他密宗大法，也不是中观和因明等高深理论，而是如何处理现实生活中的一些问题——病痛、衰老、工作不顺利、家庭不和谐等等。

We should be serious about practicing these methods on a regular basis; otherwise, they cannot be of use to us when we come upon suffering.

这些修法平时要认真对待，如果平时不修，遇到痛苦的时候，临时抱佛脚，是不会有任何效果的。