舍众

Abandoning Beings

如果发了菩提心，则意味着无论众生如何加害于我们，我们也不能有舍弃之心。

Having generated bodhichitta means never forsaking sentient beings, no matter how they may be harming us.

此话说起来容易，做起来却困难重重。业障深重的人们常常令人失望，即使你对他恩深如海，他却视而不见，甚至恩将仇报。这就会使一些菩提心不坚固的人心灰意懒，滋生出舍弃众生的青苔，蜷缩进利己的蛋壳中，原本摇摇欲坠的菩提心，也在顷刻间化为齑粉。

These words are easier said than done. Repeatedly, we have been disappointed by people who, due to their heavy obscurations, never care to show any appreciation, even though we have gone to great lengths to help them. Worse, they return our kindness with enmity. Thus with only a feeble bodhichitta, we are likely to become disheartened and recoil back into a shell of self-interest; as the thought of abandoning sentient beings creeps in, our wobbling bodhichitta collapses into fine dust in no time.

金厄瓦曾想闭关，但又怕舍弃众生，就带着舍弃众生界限的问题，专程赶到热振询问仲敦巴尊者。尊者回答说：“一旦你生起对此等众生不饶益的心，就是舍弃众生。众生遭遇损害，甚至全部毁灭，自己也幸灾乐祸。无论黑茶、白茶也不给，就犯了舍弃众生罪。对自己周围的眷属，你尽心利益他们，换来的却是仇视。这样，你就会发愿再不利益他们，就舍弃了菩提心。所以，即使对此等人，也应恒时以大悲心利益他，以善妙心摄持他。”

When Chengawa was contemplating a retreat, he was worrying it might constitute abandoning sentient beings. To make sure he would not step over the fine lines of bodhichitta, he made a special trip to Radreng to request Dromtonpa’s advice. The master explained to him: “The moment you think of not benefiting beings is the instant you abandon them. When beings suffer or are losing everything, if you take pleasure in their calamities and offer nothing, great or small, to help, you are committing the downfall of abandoning sentient beings. From your relatives and friends you have assisted wholeheartedly, you get nothing but hostility in return. Discouraged, you swear never to help them again. In this case, you’ve lost your bodhichitta. Therefore, your compassion should be vast enough to embrace even these sorts of beings, accepting them with your good heart. ”

《大日经》云：“佛法以菩提心为正因，以大慈悲为根本。”与众生乐，除众生苦是我们义不容辞的责任，没有任何附加条件。正如慈父不因顽子的难教而失教子之念，我们也不能因众生的难度而懈度生之心。即使阻碍重重，即使道路崎岖，也要沿着利益众生的道路披荆斩棘、勇往直前。

The Mahavairocana Sutra says: “The source of all the Dharma is bodhichitta, its root is the great compassion.” Our obligatory responsibility is to bring happiness to sentient beings while removing their misery with no strings attached. A father does not give up the tough task of educating his unruly son; likewise, we must not shrink from the difficult task of benefiting beings. Even if this path is winding and full of thickets and obstacles, we must forge ahead by blazing a new trail through the brambles.

如果你已视某人为仇敌，那么就应扪心自问，自己相续中是否还具有菩萨戒？

When you start regarding someone as an enemy, you should search your soul, “Do I still uphold the Bodhisattva’s Vows in myself?”

壬午年七月十六日 　
2002年8月23日 　

16th of July, Year of RenWu