死时

On Deathbed

天气有点发闷，西边笼罩着朵朵黑云，可能又要下雨了。

The weather was getting muggy; black clouds hang oppressively in the west. It seemed that it’s going to rain.

看到路边停放着的很多尸体，心情也像天气一般沉闷起来。“无物能牢，何况蠢兹皮袋？”世上没有什么东西是牢固稳定的，更何况这副愚蠢的臭皮囊呢？无论何人也免不了一死，自己不久也会像他们一样奔赴黄泉，到时候有什么把握呢？

Seeing quite a few corpses lying by the side of the road does not help. My mood darkens just like the gloomy sky. The saying goes: “Nothing is everlasting, let alone this sack of mortal flesh.” There is nothing permanent or stable in the world, what needs to be said about our dull sack of flesh and bones? We are all mortal; sooner or later I will be in the company of these corpses, rushing toward the netherworld. Am I sure what to do when that moment comes?

虽然获得人生、跨入佛门并值遇大恩上师。但却常常被世间琐事牵绊，没有认真修持。看尽了人间的悲欢离合、风风雨雨，方知“世味浑如嚼蜡，年光疾于跳丸”。应为生死之大事做准备了。

I am fortunate to have this human existence, have met the Dharma and our incomparable uru. Nonetheless, my involvement in many worldly trivialities has often prevented me from doing spiritual practices seriously. Having witnessed enough human dramas of sorrow and joy, and experienced time and again the vicissitudes of life, now I fully appreciate that: “Earthly vanities are like insipid foods, time passes more quickly than a ball bounces back.” It is high time for me to make preparations for my final departure.

无始以来，因无明愚痴，我等所造恶业，难以计数。仅凭自己之力，想了脱生死，难于上青天。所以，如果临死之时，没有其他把握，忆念上师一定是最好的。上师是一切三宝的总集，忆念上师也即忆念三世十方诸佛。《妙臂请问经》云：“何人死亡时，刹那忆念师，为最胜往生，此人定成佛。”所以，不管自己的罪业有多深，临死时能忆念根本上师，即能往生清净刹土并获得佛果。

From time without beginning, we have committed innumerable non-virtues due to ignorance and stupidity. If we rely on our own power alone to gain liberation from the rounds of deaths, it will prove next to impossible. Uncertain of what to do when dying, the best bet is to remember one’s guru. Spiritual teachers embody the Three Jewels; to think of them is to think all of the Buddhas throughout space and time. It says in The Sutra Requested by Miao Bi: “As death approaches, remembering the guru even for a mere second is the best way to die. One is sure to be reborn in the Pure Land and attain liberation.” Thus no matter how severe our sins may be, remembering our root guru at the moment of death will bring our rebirth to the Pure Land, as well as the eventual attainment of Buddhahood.

如同一粒沙子，入水即沉。纵有数千万斤顽石，若能装于大船，即可不沉而抵达彼岸一样。临死之时，如果能忆念释迦牟尼佛、阿弥陀佛、根本上师，就是通往极乐世界最好的往生大船。

A grain of sand, when placed on top of the water, will sink down. On the other hand, boulders weighing thousands of tons, when loaded on a giant cargo vessel, will not sink and can be shipped to the other shore. Likewise, by recalling Buddha Shakyamuni, Buddha Amitabha, or our root lama at the moment of death, we will be boarding the best ship that sails directly to the Pure Land of Great Bliss.

不知我临死时能否忆念，喇嘛钦！

Can I be mindful like this on my deathbed? Lama chen!

壬午年五月十七日 　
2002年6月26日 　

17th of May, Year of RenWu
June 26, 2002