生活需要适当保持危机感

The Two “Should’s”:

两个"应该":

Fourth, establish the right view on life. Do not idealize life, or see it as perfect. If we are not alert to impending crises, we will be greatly disappointed when confronted with birth, aging, sickness, and death and various kinds of suffering. We may take extreme steps if we cannot handle the suffering. Hence, the right amount of precaution is necessary to surmount life’s difficulties. When accidents happen, we should always remind ourselves: birth, aging, sickness, and death; sadness, joy, parting, and reunion are all part of life. None of us are spared or can escape, so we must not be overly weak. In life, there are many complications and misfortunes which cannot be avoided; some happen for objective reasons, some are caused by our past karma. Whatever the reason, we cannot run away from them. As long as we have a body, we will experience birth, aging, sickness, and death. If we are not strong enough to deal with this, we will incur a great deal of suffering.

第四，应该正视人生。不要把现实生活太过理想化，以为一切都很美好，没有任何危机意识，这样在面临生老病死和各种痛苦的时候，就会感到极大的失望。当无法面对的时候，就会走上极端。所以，适当的危机感是战胜困难的必要装备。一旦发生任何意外，都能提醒自己：生老病死、悲欢离合，都是生命的自然规律，谁都不可避免、无法逃避，所以不要太过脆弱。生命中，难免会有很多曲折坎坷。其中，有些是客观因素造成的，有些是自己过去造业所带来的，不管哪一种，都是无法回避的。只要有身体，就有生老病死。如果心灵太过脆弱，就会痛苦不堪。

Buddha Sakyamuni handed down many methods to face birth, aging, sickness, and death, and always taught us to confront, not run away from our suffering.

所以，释迦牟尼佛永远都不会教我们如何逃避生老病死，而是给我们传授了很多面对生老病死的方法。

Fifth, cultivate the mind. The best way to regulate or cultivate our mind is to practice meditation. In Chinese Buddhism, among the several schools that are most influential, including Pure Land and Ch’an，Ch’an Buddhism places great emphasis on meditative practice; in Tibetan Buddhism, there is also a rich diversity of methods in meditation. These practices are intended for liberation and Buddhahood; even if we do not aspire to this ultimate goal, they can help cultivate the mind.

第五，应该调节心灵。调节心灵的最佳方法，就是修禅定。汉传佛教最有影响力的几个教派，包括净土宗与禅宗等等。其中禅宗就十分提倡禅修，藏传佛教也有非常丰富的禅修方法，这些禅修都是为了解脱、成佛。但即使没有如此崇高的意愿，也可以仅仅为了调节心灵而去修禅。