灭我执，只能知难而上

第二个必须要放弃的，是只愿利益自己的想法。这种念头必须要放下来，如果放不下，做世间的法是为了自己的利益，出世间的法，也是为了自己，那我们就永远无法跨进大乘的门，永远都在大乘的门外徘徊。自己认为是在修大乘法、修密法，如果还是抱着自利的发心，就根本没有趋入大乘的轨道，更谈不上是修密法了，所以，我们要放下仅仅利益自己的心。

No doubt this is something of great difficulty to do, as we have been drifting endlessly in samsara from beginingless time, all along holding close to our hearts the necessity of benefiting ourselves above all others. Understandably, we cannot hope to discard an old habit like we do an old shirt. But if one wants to practice Mahayana, one must overcome this inherent tendency in spite of the apparent difficulty. Otherwise, one can only be a Theravada practitioner, lacking the requisite capacity to practice Vajrayana or even Mahayana. This is an extremely important point to remember!

这样做的难度是非常大的。从无始以来，我们流转轮回直至今天，自利之心一直都与我们紧紧相随，现在让我们放下根深蒂固的积习，并非一朝一夕就能一蹴而就的。但是，如果你想修大乘佛法的话，即使是不容易的事情也一定要去做。不做也可以，但你就没有办法修密法，没有办法修大乘法，你就只能修小乘的法，这个非常重要。

The preliminary practices have always been the foundation of all practices. Often when hearing the word “foundation,” people tend to think that it means not very advanced and thus not especially important. That is a misunderstanding. As the saying goes, “What can the hair adhere to without the skin?” With respect to the Dharma, the so-called foundational practice is really the root of all practices and hence the most profound.

这些加行的修法，本来就是所有修法的基础。一说是基础，很多人就认为这不是很高的法，不是特别重要。这样就理解错了，皮之不存，毛将焉附？在佛法中，所谓基础的法就是一切法的根本，也就是最高的法。