会死

Inescapable Death

无等塔波仁波切的首座大弟子秋雍，是藏地公认的大成就者。一位康巴的修行人听闻其美名，特地前来拜见，他向成就者供养了布匹后，便乞求传法，成就者什么也没传。经过再三的请求，成就者拉着他的手诚恳地说：“我也会死，你也会死！我也会死，你也会死！！我也会死，你也会死！！！”就这样重复了三遍，并告诉修行人：“上师的教言没有别的，我也发誓没有比这更殊胜的窍诀了。”康巴人听完后，依此教言精进修持，终获成就。

Choyon, a foremost disciple of the peerless Dagpo Rinpoche, is recognized throughout Tibet as a great siddha. A practitioner from Kham, upon hearing so much about Choyon, made a special trip to request his audience. After offering fine linens and fabrics to the siddha, the visitor besought teachings. But the siddha remained silent. The visitor continued to implore until finally, the siddha reached out to hold the visitor’s hands, and poignantly he exclaimed: “I am certain to die, you too are certain to die! I am certain to die, you too are certain to die! I am certain to die, you too are certain to die!” Thus he repeated, and continued: “There are no other teachings than this from my teacher. And I swear neither do I have any better pith instructions than this” The man from Kham took the siddha’s words to heart, practiced accordingly, and attained accomplishment.

作为修行人，应时常忆念死亡，印光大师在他的禅堂里，挂着一副很大的“死”字中堂，并时时告诫后人：“人命无常，速如电光。”“光阴短促，人命几何，一气不来，即属后世。”可见这些成就者们对死亡的重视。

As spiritual practitioners, we should always keep death in mind. The great Dharma master Yin Kuang hung a central scroll with a super-sized “DEATH” written on it in his shrine room. He left this advice: “Human life is impermanent; it passes as swiftly as the lightning.” And: “Short and brief is the time we have. How long is this human life? By merely missing one breath, immediately it becomes the next life.” Indeed, all these accomplished masters have taken death seriously.

前辈的成就者们，为生死之大事，历尽千辛万苦，以坚固的信心、勇猛的精进心，朝如斯、夕如斯，方得明心见性。

The certainty of death is a matter of paramount importance. Keenly aware of this, masters of the past strived vigorously in their spiritual pursuits with unshakable faith. Working day and night and enduring enormous hardships, they finally realized the nature of the mind and became enlightened.

只可惜现在的人，对世间的一切事无不斤斤计较、绞尽脑汁，对死亡之大事却置之不理，仿佛以为死神已将自己忘却，这实在是掩耳盗铃的自欺之举。我等无始以来，因由二取执著，而迷失本来面目，原有光明被妄想覆盖、尘劳缚着，以致长期流转生死苦海。人生若不悟禅道，难越生老病死关。如果想重见光明，永脱生死，必须下一番工夫，“宝剑锋从磨砺出，梅花香自苦寒来。”只有放下一切，时刻忆念死亡，苦苦修习，方能嗅出本有的菩提芬芳。

Regrettably, people these days care only about profane affairs for which they don’t mind racking their brains or haggling over every detail. As to the truly major issue of death, they would rather brush it aside, imagining that the Lord of Death might have forgotten them––a self-deceiving behavior just like burying one’s head in the sand. Since time without beginning, our dualistic grasping has obscured our true nature and its clarity. Ensnared by mundane issues, we have been revolving in the suffering ocean of life and death endlessly. Unless we awaken to the truth and attain realization, there is no escape from the abyss of birth, aging, sickness, and death. If we want to see the light again and be freed from cyclic existence, we must make great efforts. “Only by strenuous milling on the whetstone can swords be sharpened; only through the bitterly cold winter will the plum blossoms emit their sweet scent.” Only by unrelenting practice with total renunciation and constant reflection on death, will we come to perceive the fragrance of our innate Bodhi.

壬午年四月二十九日　
2002年6月9日

29th of April, Year of RenWu
June 9, 2002