少眠

Limiting Sleep

偶尔偷得闲暇，得以翻阅别人送我的《顶果钦则法王传》，其中一段描述道：“仁波切每天总是在4点半就起床。用好几个小时禅定和祈祷。然后一连串的活动就开始一直到深夜。仁波切每天都得完成极其繁重的工作量。”看到这里，令我惭愧万分。

By chance I had a little spare time that allowed me to browse through a book given to me, The Biography of His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. A passage in it says: “Dilgo Rinpoche gets up every day at 4:30 a.m. He then dedicates a few hours to meditation and prayers. This is followed by a series of activities all day long until midnight. Rinpoche has a tremendous workload to finish every day.” Reading it, I was overcome with embarrassment.

最近几个月，常常以身体为借口，舍弃了以前早起的习惯。有时日起三竿，仍在被窝里打滚。看到仁波切几十年如一日，从不给自己任何借口，始终保持少睡的习惯，真是令我汗颜。

These past few months I have forsaken my habit of early rising on the grounds of health. Sometimes I still lingered in bed when it was already late in the morning. The fact that Dilgo Rinpoche managed to maintain his habit of sleeping very little over decades, never giving in to any excuse, really makes me feel deeply ashamed.

作为一名发愿利众的修行人，我必须珍惜时光，减少睡眠，精勤修习自利利他之善法。

As a practitioner who has vowed to serve all beings, I must value time, limit my sleep, and diligently practice the path that brings true benefit both to myself and to others.

佛经云：“勤者不多睡，而常习醒法，弃惰谄悦戏，色欲及饰身。”“他人放逸时，贤者不放逸，他睡自己醒，如良马超劣。”也就是要减少睡眠及一切无义之事，常行警醒觉悟之法。当他人昏睡时，唯有贤者独醒。宛如良马奔驰，能远远地超胜劣马一般，毫不懈怠，常保清醒的贤者，也能首先达到目的地。

The scripture says: “Great sages sleep less and constantly engage in ways of awakening, they give up indolence, entertainment, earthly desires, and physical adornment.” And: “While others are indulging in pleasures, the wise remains diligent. Staying awake while others are slumbering, the wise like a fine steed overtakes those who are inferior.” In other words, we should cut down on sleep, eliminate meaningless pursuits, and practice vigilantly toward the unsurpassed Awakening. While others are in oblivious slumber, the wise are wide-awake. Like a fine steed galloping way ahead of lesser horses, a practitioner who never slacks off and always stays fresh will be the first one to reach the finish line.

世间云：“一切事情即模仿，模仿之中能生巧。” 虽然我是一名凡夫，贤者的其他胜绩我不能模仿，但少睡的精神应该是可以效法的。我不应该丢弃少眠的习惯。

It is commonly said: “Everything is imitation; he who does best imitates best.” As an ordinary person, although I am unable to emulate the many other sublime activities of the sages, but at least I can follow their example of sleeping less. I shouldn’t drop my habit of sleeping sparingly.

壬午年五月初十于米亚罗
2002年6月20日 　

10th of May, Year of RenWu, at Miyaluo
June 20, 2002