The Path of Practice P35

It is generally said that we Kagyus are the practice lineage. Therefore , it is certainly important  to practice.  The Abhidharmakosha says :

总体来说，噶举派是注重实修的传承。 因此， 修持是很重要的。 

就像阿毗达磨俱舍论所说

Holding the disciplines of study and contemplation, Apply yourself in meditation. 

持守闻思之学处，将己用于禅修中。 

The purpose of study and contemplation is to encourage meditation on the dharma. Surely, it is not appropriate to separate meditation practice from study and contemplation. The buddha gave eighty-four thousand different classes of teachings and benefits of these authentic teaching are many. Approximately ten percent of these teachings benefits studying and contemplation and approximately ninety percent benefit the quality of meditation practice. 

闻思的目的是为了鼓励佛法的修持。当然，如果把禅修与闻思分离开也是不恰当的。佛陀传授了84000种不同层级的教法，这些真实教法的益处非常之多。近乎百分之十的这些教法有助于如何闻思，约百分之九十的教法对禅修练习的质量有助益。 

For example, the many benefits of eating lie in filling our stomachs, bringing about strength, sustaining our life, and so forth . If you eat , these benefits will come about . However, through merely preparing the food and not eating , these benefits will not arise. 

举例来说，进食的大部分意义在于填饱肚子，带来力量，维持生命等等。 只有在真正吃了东西， 这些利益才会产生。 然而，如果仅仅是准备食物但不进食，那么那些吃东西的利益也就不会发生了。 

In a similar way , if you practice in accord with what the Buddha taught , the benefit of the teaching will come to fruition. However, if you merely study and contemplate, aside from merely knowing the teaching, there will be no significant benefit other than the potential benefits called the four liberations through seeing , listening to, remembering , and contacting the teaching of the Buddha. 

类似的，只有依据佛陀所教导去实践，教法才会结出受益的果实。然而，如果你只是闻思，还不谈只是知道这些教法，除了有透过见、闻、念和触佛陀教法的四种解脱的潜在益处，将不会有显著的利益产生。 

However, if you do not practice meditation but merely look at, study, and recall the teaching , it will be exceedingly difficult for great benefit to come about. The main purpose of the Buddha's teaching is to tame one's mind and if you do not practice meditation , you will not be able to tame your mind. As Milarepa said: 

I don't know the philosophy of calming and taming, if you tame your wild mind, that is taming. 

Thus, It is very important to practice in that way. 

然而，如果你不练习禅修，只是看，学习，回忆有关禅修的教授，要想有显著的效果也是极其困难的。 佛陀教法的主要目的就是调伏自心，而如果你不进行禅修的修持，你也无法降伏自心。

就像米勒日巴所说：我不懂沉静和调伏的哲学，而如果你能将狂野的心降伏，那么这就是驾驭。 

因此，如此修持是非常重要的。

Some people think that what is called practice is not that difficult, Mainly, they practice for this life in order to subdue enemies, protect friends, make themselves famous or fill their stomachs. Thus They place the teachings off in a corner. If they want to practice, they do a little, if not they discard it. If you practice in such a manner it's not so good. The reason is stated in one of our worldly proverbs: 

If you do not do the difficult that causes one to shed tears, You cannot attain the accomplishments of complete happiness.

有些人认为我们所说的修持其实并不是那么难，大部分人，他们修行是为了在此生能够征服对手，保护朋友，让自己更出名或者是填饱肚子。 因此，他们把佛法放在一边。如果想起来想要修行的话，就修一下，想不起来的时候则置之不理。这不是什么好的修行方法。有句世间谚语阐明了原因：

如果没有尝过哭泣的滋味，便无法知道什么是圆满的幸福。 

Likewise, the teachings of the Buddha say:

If you want to taste sugarcane, You need to eat it. If you only take off its husk, You will not be able to experience its tastes. 

同样地，佛陀的教导也说：

如果你要尝到甘蔗是什么味道，你需要吃甘蔗。如果你只是脱下甘蔗皮，你将不可能体验到它的味道。 

Similarly, if you merely study the teachings you cannot savor the experience of the teaching in your being. So what you need to do is the following :

Having put the teaching into practice. You will experience their taste. 

类似的， 如果你只是学习佛法的知识，你也无法领会到佛法在你生命中所能发挥的作用。 

Therefore, in order to practice the teachings we need to take on a little difficulty. We need to let go of a little happiness of this life and accomplish the happiness, liberation, and omniscience of the next life. Again, Some think that when we say we need to exert ourselves with difficulties, we have to like Milarepa and Naropa, who underwent major hardships. But that is little bit too far; we need to exert ourselves in accord with our different capabilities. Otherwise, if we try to go beyond our capability and lack sufficient skill, we will not be able to gain accomplishment and our effort will be useless. 

因此，要修持佛法我们需要接受一些困难。我们要放下此生的幸福，实现无尽来世的幸福和解脱。此外，有些人还认为，当我们说需要让自己尽力克服困难时，我们必须要像米勒日巴和那洛巴那样，历经千辛万苦才能去修行。其实这有些多虑了，我们需要根据自己不同的情况和能力将自己置身于法道之中克服修法上的困境。 否则，如果我们超出自己的能力范围并且缺少足够的技能，那么我们也不能达至圆满的成就，我们的努力也是无用的。 

In brief, in practice the authentic dharma, even if you are not able to abandon all worldly activities of subduing your enemies and protecting your friends, you should lessen such ambitions --- this is very important. If you do not turn you mind to dharma, you will not be able to gain experience. Therefore, to turn you mind to the dharma, you need to lessen your ambition of subduing enemies and protecting friends . 

总的来说，要修行真正的佛法，尽管你还不能抛下战胜对手，保护朋友这类世俗的事务，你也需要在这方面的投入有所减少，这是非常重要的。如果你不转心向法，就不会有修持的体验。因此， 转心向法，就要减少在世俗事务中成就的野心。 

As I said before, everyone is allowed to put the teachings into practice. It is not the case the some people are allowed to practice and others are not. Mainly, people practice meditation by staying in retreat or setting boundaries and doing sadhana practice. However, these days, many lamas stay in retreat like going to school. Afterwards,  they will say, "I have finished my three year retreat" and go away. If you practice that way, it is not appropriate. Why? Generally, it is said by the learned:

就像我之前谈到的， 所有人都可以修行。并不是说有些人可以，而另一些人不允许，没有这样的事情。大部分情况下，人们在通过闭关禅修，或者是设定一些边界进行某种成就法的修持。 然而，在今天，很多喇嘛一闭关就像是去学校一样。然后，他们会说：“ 我已经完成了三年的闭关，然后就离开了。 如果你这样修行的话，是不恰当的。”

 为什么这么说呢？总的来说，如教法说言：

The sign of study is mind being peaceful and tamed.

The sign of contemplation is cutting through doubts.

The sign of meditation is the absence of mental afflictions. 

学习进步的征兆是心智调柔平和；思考正确的征兆是断除怀疑；禅修进步的征兆是没有烦恼。

This is the way in which we need to practice, but these days someone may exit retreat with greater afflictions , greater anger, and greater desire. In that case, I wonder what they were practicing. 

这才是我们正确的修持之道，但是当今有些人出关后，却有更多的烦恼，更容易生气，并且更多欲望。这种情况，我在想他们修行修的是什么？

Such an outcomes is in contradiction to the Buddhist teachings. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition there are many excellent ways of practice. Non-Tibetans are amazed about this and say that we have such a bounty of practicing in the teachings . That is good, but if they ask, " Show me the  person who is practicing," there is nobody can point to and it is almost as if no one is practicing. This is most pitiful. Thus. it is very important to demonstrate to others the fruition of one's practice. If you stay in a mountain cave for twenty or thirty years with nothing to show for it, what is the point ?

这样的修持成果和佛陀所教导的是完全矛盾的，在藏传佛教的传承中有很多很绝妙的修行方法。非藏人都会说我们有如此之多的修行方法，并且对此赞叹不已。这很好，但是如果他们问：“让我看看哪些人是修行者吧。”  这时没有一个人能够指出哪些人在修行，就好像没有一个人是修行者一样。这种状况多么让人惋惜啊！因此，展现一个人的修行成果是很重要的。 如果你呆在一个山洞里修持二三十年却一无所成，没有可以展现的成就，那么你修的是什么呢？ 

When you practice meditation, there should be some signs of accomplishment. It is not a matter of trying to see whether you can fly or not, or trying go under the ground or not. You need to practice with some persistence, otherwise there is no benefit. 

当你练习禅修，应该会有一些成就的征兆。但是这些征兆并不是看你是否能飞檐走壁，或是是否能穿地而行。 需要的是坚持不懈的修持，否则的话没有任何助益。 

Those of you who are students in the monastic colleges study all the teachings of the Buddha and theirs commentaries. But if you don't practice, these studies just make you good and words. Other than that you are simply an ordinary person. In this case, there is the danger that the teachings and the individual will go in separate directions. Thus, those who have entered the college should chiefly study, but at the same time , they need to practices as much as they can -- this is very important. It should not happen that monastics come together and practice simply to abide by a schedule or a set of rules. 

那些在佛学院学习的学生，你们所学习的所有佛法以及释论。如果你不付诸实践于修辞，那么所学习的这些只是让你看起来像一个很好的佛学院的学生，只是停留在文字表面上。其实和一个没有学过佛法的普通人没有什么不同。 如此一来，教法的作用和个人的实际的情况将会背道而驰，这是非常危险的。因此，那些进入佛学院的佛子们应该首先学习，但与此同时，他们需要尽己所能的修行，这点是非常重要的。僧侣们的修持不可能像寺院教学的作息和规则那样统一制定，一起进行。 

For example , in a practice liturgy, we begin with refuge and bodhicitta, then go through all the stages of creation and completion and end with the concluding dedication. During the practice it is very important that you are able to understand and concentrate on all these stages as much as possible. When male and female lay practitioners do their individual chanting recitation, they first need to know the meaning of their recitation. Some people do many recitations but know neither what they are chanting nor what they doing. If you practice like that, practice and not practicing end up being the same. Therefore, first. when doing practice and recitation, you need to understand the meaning. Then it is very good if you practice as much as possible. Since the Buddha's teaching are impartial, it is permissible for anyone to practice. If you think about how to practice, that will be good. 

举例来说，大礼拜的修持，我们从皈依和发菩提心开始，然后再进入到创造和圆满的各个阶段，以结行献词为结束。在练习中，所有阶段都尽可能的理解并专注是非常重要的。当男女成为修持行人，进行个人的修法诵经时，首先要知道所诵法本的意义。很多人念诵很多遍法本，但是既不知道他们持诵的意思，也不知道修的是什么。如果你这样修行的话，有没有修持结果都是一样的。 

因此，当你修行和持诵时，你首先要知道它的意义。然后，如果你能够尽可能多的修持那就非常好了。 因此佛陀的教法都是平等的，任何人都可以修持。如果你能够思考如何去修持，那么也是很好的。