“Our emotions propel us through extremes, from elation to depression, from good experiences to bad, from happiness to sadness: a constant swinging back and forth. Emotionality is the by-product of hope and fear, attachment and aversion. We have hope because we are attached to something we want. We have fear because we are averse to something we don’t want. As we follow our emotions, reacting to our experiences, we create karma: a perpetual motion that inevitably determines our future. We need to stop the extreme swings of the emotional pendulum so that we can find a place of centeredness.”
情緒總是驅使我們在兩個極端之間搖擺 ── 從雀躍到沮喪，從歡樂到悲哀，從好感覺到壞體驗。情緒是由希冀和憂慮、喜愛和厭憎衍生的副產品。我們滿懷希望，只因我們執著於想要的東西。我們心存憂慮，只因我們執著於不想要某件東西。當我們任由情緒起伏，隨波逐流做出種種反應，我們便不斷製造因果: 永無休止的動盪，帶來永續的輪迴。我們必須停止這種情緒的鐘擺，以便找到中心所在。
“Young people think their lives will last a long time; old people think life will end soon. But we can’t assume these things. Our life comes with a built-in expiration date. There are many strong and healthy people who die young, while many of the old and sick and feeble live on and on. Not knowing when we’ll die, we need to develop an appreciation for and acceptance of what we have, while we have it, rather than continuing to find fault with our experience and seeking, incessantly, to fulfill our desires.”
年輕人以為人生還很長，老年人以為生命即將結束。但這種事是說不定的，很多健壯的人英年早逝，很多老弱病殘一直活著 ── 每個生命有各自的到期日。無法確知我們何時離世，我們必須培養一種知足心態，而不是一再吹毛求疵。
“When someone insults us, we usually dwell on it. It’s as if someone shoots an arrow at us and it falls short, but then we pick up the arrow and repeatedly stabbing ourselves with it, saying, ‘He hurt me so much. I can’t believe he did that.’ Instead, we can use the method of contemplation to think things through differently, to change our habit of reacting with anger. Next time when someone insults you, you can say to yourself, ‘This person makes me angry. But what is this anger?’ It is one of the poisons of the mind that creates negative karma, leading to intense suffering. Meeting anger with anger is like following a lunatic who jumps off a cliff. Do I have to go likewise? While it’s crazy for him to act the way he does, it’s even crazier for me to do the same.”
受到抨擊時我們往往難以釋懷。彷彿有人朝我們射箭後，箭本已落到地上，我們卻又撿了起來，用它反復刺戳自己，忿忿不平地想: “他怎能那樣對我，太傷人了!” 其實我們可以換個方式，改變憤怒的習慣。下次有人抨擊你時，你可以對自己說: “這個人使我生氣。但生氣是什么? 它是有毒心態，會導致負面因果。以憤怒對付憤怒就像跟著瘋子跳進懸崖。瘋子是因為瘋了才那樣做，我跟著做的話就比他更瘋。”
“Always recognize the dreamlike qualities of life and reduce attachment and aversion. The trick is to have positive intention during the dream. This is the essential point.”
時刻記住人生彷如一個夢境，放下喜憎吧。最重要是心存善意。
~ Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche (恰度祖古仁波切) ~
Buddha Mind 