第三篇 佛教徒的生活

CHAPTER 7 MORAL FOUNDATION FOR MANKIND

第七章 人类的道德基础

What is the Purpose of life?

生命的真正意义

Man is the highest fruit on the tree of evolution. It is for man to realize his position in nature and understand the true meaning of his life.

人类是进化树的果实。人类有这种成果、更应该去了解他在自然界的地位和生命的意义。

To know the purpose of life, you will first have to study the subject through your experience and insight. Then, you will discover for yourself the true meaning of life. Guidelines can be given, but you must create the necessary conditions for the arising of realization yourself.

假如你希望了解什么是生命的真正意义？你必须通过自己的体验和从内观的洞察力去发现。你必须亲自去发现你自己生命的意义，以其他人做为向导，只能为你提供部份的必要条件。

There are several prerequisites to the discovery of the purpose of life. First, you must understand the nature of man and the nature of life. Next, you keep your mind calm and peaceful through the adoption of a religion. When these conditions are met, the answer you seek will come like the gentle rain from the sky.

要了解生命的真正意义，必须先了解人的本性和生命的真相，也必须接受宗教做为向导，并学会如何使你的心宁静、平和。当这些条件都具足时，答案就在你身边。这有如因缘成熟时，雨水就会从天降落一样。

Understanding the nature of man

了解人类的本性：

人类已经有足够的智慧登陆月球了，可是仍然无法通过内观的洞察力了解自己的本性，因此误解了这世间的一切，而这一切见解都建立在误解上，这种错误的见解使他自我膨胀，提高我见，做出一些连他自己都不知道为什么的事。

Man may be clever enough to land on the moon and discover wondrous things in the universe, but he has yet to delve into the inner workings of his own mind. He has yet to learn how his mind can be developed to its fullest potential so that its true nature can be realized.

As yet, man is still wrapped in ignorance. He does not known who he really is or what is expected of him. As a result, he misinterprets everything and acts on that misinterpretation. Is it not conceivable that our entire civilization is built on the misinterpretation? The failure to understand his existence leads him to assume a false identity of a bloated, self-seeking egoist, and to pretend to be what he is not or is unable to be.

人类应该摒除愚痴的无明，努力去了解自己的本性和发展觉悟。所有的伟人都和我们一样从母胎出生，但是，他们根据自己的道路发展而成为伟人。真性或觉悟不能像水一样灌入我们的大脑里。就算是佛陀，也跟普通人一样，必须通过正确的途径，去体悟真正的人性。

Man must make an effort to overcome ignorance to arrive at realization and Enlightenment. All great men are born as human beings from the womb, but they worked their way up to greatness. Realization and Enlightenment cannot be poured into the human heart like water into a tank. Even the Buddha had to cultivate His mind to realize the real nature of man.

一般人，只要他能从自己无明的梦幻中觉醒，都能证悟涅槃。一个人必须明白，他的今天是无数的思维和行动，不断反覆作用的结果，不是现成的，而是经过不断的变化而形成的，而且还在继续变化中。人格也是通过自己的身、语、意的抉择后而奠定的，因此，一个人的思维和行动是自己的决定。人类是进化树的果实。人类有这种成果，更应该去了解他在自然界的地位和生命的意义。

Man can be enlightened _a Buddha? if he wakes up from the 'dream' that is created by his own ignorant mind, and becomes fully awakened. He must realize that what he is today is the result of an untold number of repetitions in thoughts and actions. He is not ready-made: he is continually in the process of becoming, always changing. And it is in this characteristic of change that his future lies, because it means that it is possible for him to mould his character and destiny through the choice of his actions, speech and thoughts. Indeed, he becomes the thoughts and actions that he chooses to perform. Man is the highest fruit on the tree of evolution. It is for man to realize his position in nature and to understand the true meaning of his life.