第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑，對於他的上師第十四世法王昆津夏瑪仁波切圓寂的開示

10 June 2023

親愛的法友

根據西曆，明天是我們偉大的上師，第十四世法王昆津夏瑪仁波切圓寂九週年。如往年一樣，我們許多人都會用祈禱、點酥油燈、誦經持咒和修習上師瑜伽來紀念這一日。

我一直在思考我們為什麼要紀念大菩薩如夏瑪仁波切他們的圓寂週年日，在此我想與大家分享我的一些想法。

諸佛菩薩不需要別人紀念他們，只是因為我們這些希望能夠覺醒的人去憶記佛菩薩和他們所謂的覺醒。

我們不斷被自己對明日的夢吞噬。

然而，必須要知道佛菩薩並沒有說沒有明天，也沒有說有明天。作爲熱切渴望修行的行者，我們經常感到困惑，認為他們的意思是我們不許做夢。這正是修行的意義所在。

他們如何覺醒在某種程度上比我們想像的要簡單和微妙得多。我們可以做夢，但我們需要明白，沒有醒覺就沒有夢。夢和覺醒是相互聯繫的。

如果我們不強迫去覺醒，那麼夢就會變得諧和。要注意「不強迫」並不代表我們不修行。幾乎可以說的是「我們一定要修行來看看有沒有必要修行」，也就是說通過熱切的修行，我們會認識到修行是一種善巧，讓我們明白到覺醒是不需花力氣的。

不能叫做夢的人不去做夢，但可以給做夢者一種方法，讓他們認識到夢是透過覺醒而結束。故此，他可以很榮幸地說：「哇！是怎樣的一個夢啊！」

所以如果有什麼需要紀念的話，那就是你自己的業力和佛陀的加被，並了解這兩個相互依存的因素產生了做夢和覺醒。

我們可能夢到自己為痛苦的眾生、沮喪的眾生、冷漠的眾生、清醒的眾生、憤怒的眾生或狂喜的眾生，所有這些夢境既不是由於時間也不是由於其他力量。所有這些都是我們自己造就的。而所謂的諸佛就如慈母一樣，已完全包容了我們千差萬別的夢境。而這種完全的包容印證於諸佛菩薩以大悲心再迴入娑婆出現於六道，象徵著他們長住不滅和永不減弱的加持。佛陀既不是法官也非行刑者，你可以看到他們讓有情眾生能自我察覺，最終會因所有這些虛幻的夢而感到無意義。

因此，如果我們「必須」要專注的話，那麼我們就必須專注於夢的本質。沒有醒覺我們能稱它為夢嗎？為什麼我們害怕覺醒？醒來會令我們的身份消失嗎？

當然，佛陀的加持是存在的，如果沒有的話我們就不會做夢了。所以做夢沒有錯，覺醒也沒有錯。做夢與覺醒都是我們的榮幸。

親愛的法友們請謹記好好修行。

致上祈禱
第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, shares the following message regarding the Parinirvana of his teacher, His Holiness the 14th Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche.

Dear Dharma friends,

Tomorrow marks the 9th anniversary of the Parinirvana of our great teacher, His Holiness the 14th Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche, according to the Western calendar. Like every year, many of us will mark this day by offering prayers, lighting butter lamps, reciting mantras, and accomplishing the practice of Guru Yoga.

I have been giving some thought to why we commemorate the Parinirvana of great Bodhisattvas such as Shamar Rinpoche, and I would like to share some of my thoughts with you:

Buddhas or Bodhisattvas for themselves have no motive to be remembered. It’s only for the sake of those of us who wish to be awakened that we remember them; that we remember their awakened state, so to speak.

We are constantly consumed by our dreams – our dreams of tomorrows.

However, it’s important to know that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas haven’t decreed that there is no tomorrow, nor that there is. We, as fervent practitioners, are often puzzled, believing that they meant to say that we aren’t allowed to dream; that that’s what the practice is about.

But how they have awakened was or is somehow far simpler and subtler than we think. We are allowed to dream – but we need to understand that without awakening there is no dream. Dreams and awakenings go hand in hand.

If we allow awakening by not forcing it, dreaming becomes harmonious. Mind you, ‘not forcing it’ doesn’t mean that we don’t practice. One could almost say, “We must practice to see if we need to practice at all” – meaning that through practicing fervently we come to realise that practice was a method for us to realise that awakening doesn’t require effort.

One can’t teach a dreamer not to dream – yet one can give the dreamer a method to realise that dreams end through awakening. And, therefore, give him the privilege to say, “Wow! What a dream!”

So if anything, commemorate the allowance of yourself (your karma) and the acceptance of the other (Buddha’s blessings), and understand that these two interdependent factors give rise to both dreaming and to awakening.

We may be dreaming as tormented beings, frustrated beings, ignoring beings, sober beings, angry beings, or beings of ecstasy – all of these dream states are neither due to time nor due to some other force. All of them were allowed by none other than ourselves. And the so-called Buddhas have completely accepted our allowance of these various states, like loving mothers. Their complete acceptance is indicated by the depictions in the Wheel of Life, where a Buddha is shown to be present in all the six realms, as a symbol of their ever-present, never-waning blessing.
Buddhas are not judges and executioners, you see – they let sentient beings be, knowing that by themselves they will eventually be bored out of their minds by dreaming all these fantastic dreams.

So if we ‘must’ focus, then we must focus on the nature of our dreams. Can we call it a dream at all without awakening? Why are we afraid of awakening? Will awaking somehow cause our identity to cease?

Surely, the Buddhas’ blessings are present – if they weren’t we wouldn’t be dreaming, so to speak. So there is no fault in dreaming, nor is there a fault in awakening. It’s our privilege to both dream and to awaken.

With that in mind, dear Dharma friends, kindly practice.

With prayers
His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje

9th anniversary of the Parinirvana of Shamar Rinpoche

(中文翻譯由本中心翻譯小組負責。若有錯漏，請見諒。節錄或載列文章內容以原文為準。）

4 June 2023

第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑，對最近在奧裡薩邦發生的火車事故分享以下消息

親愛的法友

當我得知上週五奧裡薩邦火車事故的悲慘消息時，我深感悲痛。 這是印度二十多年來最嚴重的鐵路災難，造成近三百人死亡及1一千多人受傷。

我為這場悲劇的所有受害者包括死者、受傷者和失去摯愛的人獻上懇切的祈禱。

除了火車事故之外，在過去的幾個星期和幾個月裡，我們目睹了世界各地一連串的自然災害包括毀滅性的洪水、山泥傾瀉、龍捲風和颱風、山火、地震。幾乎每個星期我們都聽到這類悲劇的消息，更不用說各種人為災難如戰爭、大規模槍擊事件、恐怖襲擊以及不斷升級的氣候危機。

所有這些悲劇令無數眾生包括人類和非人類帶來巨大的痛苦，面對這樣的苦難和損失，我們不禁感到悲痛和無助。

然而，作為修行人，我們不應該就此絕望，而應該視這些事情為當頭棒喝，加深我們對佛法的理解，尤其對生命短暫和死亡必然的領悟。

如果我們能善用這種思維方式， 這類無常的提醒可以幫助我們接受現在的處境，並讓我們明白根深蒂固的控制欲一直以來都只是一種幻覺。 因此，即使是最具挑戰性的情況，也能成為趣向解脫的增上緣。

同時，讓我們想著所有正在經歷巨大痛苦和損失的有情，將我們的祈願和功德迴向給他們，讓他們找到一直在渴求的平靜和快樂。

致上祈禱
第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, shares the following message concerning the recent rail disaster in Odisha, India.

Dear Dharma friends,

I was deeply saddened when I learned of the tragic train accident that took place in Odisha last Friday. It was the worst rail disaster in over two decades in India, with nearly 300 people dead and over 1,000 injured.

My fervent prayers are dedicated to all the victims of this tragedy – the deceased, the injured and the bereaved alike.

Apart from the train crash, over the past few weeks and months, we have witnessed a host of natural disasters across the world – devastating floods, landslides, cyclones and hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes: hardly a week goes by without news of such tragedies reaching our ears, not to mention the various man-made disasters, such as wars, mass shootings, terrorist attacks, as well as the ever-escalating climate crisis.

All of these tragedies are causing tremendous suffering to countless sentient beings, humans and non-humans alike, and in the face of such pain and loss we cannot help but experience a sense of grief and helplessness.

However, as practitioners of the Buddha Dharma, we should never give in to hopelessness completely, but rather use such happenings as prompts to deepen our understanding of the Buddha’s teachings, in particular the ephemeral nature of life and the inevitability of death.

If we can use them in this way, such reminders of impermanence can help us accept the condition we are in and lead us to the understanding that our deep-rooted sense of control has always been an illusion. In this way, even the most challenging conditions can become our friends on the path towards liberation.

At the same time, let us think of all those who are experiencing tremendous pain and loss, and let us dedicate our aspirations and our merit to them, so that they may find the peace and happiness they were always yearning for.

With prayers

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa

www.karmapa.org/on-the-rail-disaster-in-odisha-india/.

(中文翻譯由本中心翻譯小組負責。若有錯漏，請見諒。節錄或載列文章內容以原文為準。）

洽美仁波切禪坐共修開示 (續 2022 年 8 月 22 日)

法友問：

關於下座後的問題，在岡波巴的書中，說到我們應該避免無目的的談話和無用的喋喋不休，我如何
將之與社交區別？

寧波車答：

是的，基本上是講是非。講是非或無用的談話等等都是被包含在十不善業之中。這些談話的結果會
使你遠離修行，與修行之路越來越遠。這就是負面的結果。但若果你說，你需要因為社交而談話，
那有一個頗為有用的做法：當你知道將要講無意義的談話，其實有善巧的方法，可以在特定的時候
運用，或在我們日常的生活中應用，因為我們都在社區裏生活。若果我們察覺到我們要講無意義的
話、無聊的話題、 要講是講非時，就要去認出它。若果它不是出於妒忌、憤怒、嗔恨，那是可以
的，當然是若果你能察覺到的話。因為當人們談話、講是非，通常都是出於妒忌、嗔恨，或憤怒，
它常常都是基於這些負面的心態。當我們談及別人，這是因為妒忌、嗔恨，或憤怒。所以，若果你
的心不是帶著這些負面的東西，這就是你如何區別出是不是在講是非。須然依然是閒話，但不是在
講是非。當你與人社交，然後所有人都在說這樣，說那樣，你可以搭上幾句，只是為了令別人開心。
因為若果你不說話， 若果你只是聽著，然後甚麼都不說，那你的朋友、其他人或你的同事，都會
覺得你很奇怪。這是我說善巧的方法可以應用到每日的生活的意思。善巧的方法是覺察，不過同時
也是適應。若果你可以習慣使用這種方法，你就可以對別人帶起相反的作用，你可以對別人有正面
的影響。若果你講閑話，而負面的情緒沒有在你身上生起，那是可以的。可以的意思是，這是對你
好的，因為你沒有那些不良的質素。

法友問：

若果我做分析的禪修，是不是只是分析當下，或者，我可以在佛陀的故事上作禪修嗎？

寧波車答：

分析心識，我的意思是，任何過往發生過的事就像你的記憶，那些記憶可以製造情緒和執著等等。
不過如果你分析一個故事，這就不是心識，而是不同的東西了。也許你可以用專注力，但這不會是
分析。當我們嘗試分析時，我們分析的對象是，以為有一個「我」的想法、自我、與自我聯繫的一
切，以及執著我的所有東西。據說只有三種心識執著的方式。 執著的意思是執著外界事物。當你
看見一些東西，你覺得這是好的，對於那樣事物的執著就生起了。第二種是你覺得這是壞的，然後
你的心識亦執著它了。以上是兩種不同的看法。第三種是中性的，不作好或壞的標籤，而標籤它是
中性的，這意味著你的心識不清晰，不知道如何是好，所以這變得中性。以上是三種執著生起的方
式。這對於你來說合理嗎？這只會助長自我。從外界接收資訊、將它們標籤成三個種類的方式，某
程度上是助長自我。當你分析時，就把它分成這三類，如此類推。就如我上次說的，當它是屬於好
的類別，然後你就嘗試去想，嘗試去分析這是甚麼。基本上，你可以嘗試去找出執著某項事物的優
點和缺點。這只是一種方法，你可以應用這種方法，試想想我們對多少事物有那樣的感覺，有些也
許是好的，有些也許是有益的，有些也許是不好的，有些我們以前覺得是好的也許是不好的。

再次地，我們可以嘗試從事物上開始分析，然後慢慢地，繼而分析情緒。你可以想像這可以有多快，
是因為我們生活
中有太多的經歷。心有所執是未曾一刻停止過的，心識忙碌到它從來不曾在平靜的狀態，當你分析
的時候，視乎你的禪修和心識的質素，你可以分析很多東西。

法友問：

我覺得它非常快。

寧波車答：

是的，這是非常快的。若果你可以分拆成我所說的兩個種類，然後在開始時專注在最明顯的東西，
就如個人物品、你的習慣、興趣，每個人都有興趣，好的興趣、壞的興趣，好的習慣，壞的習慣，
以及中性的事情。分拆成那些種類後，首先著手於最明顯的部分，然後你就會開始熟習那樣子作禪
修。

法友問：

有時好的東西也有壞的一面，壞的東西也有好的一面。

寧波車答：

是啊，你從來不會知道。

法友問：

所以，分析的目的是甚麼？有時好的東西也有壞的一面，所以分析的目的究竟是甚麼？

寧波車答：

是理解你的心識。我告訴過你，因為你在分析你的心識。當我們分析，我們是在分析心識，它是怎
樣而成的，它是怎樣被塑造成當下的模樣。
當我們作分析，特別是在分析情緒時，我們要在沒有新的情緒生起下做。當你分析任何東西，無論
是在情緒，事物或是在人物上，分析過去的東西時都不應有新的情緒生起。基本上，分析心識是它
過去的經驗。新的情緒不應該生起。若果這發生，那就不是邁向證悟，或獲得智慧。若果有很多情
緒生起，那麼我們就是再次感受到自我。所以，若果我們很憤怒，我們是一個憤怒的人，當我們禪
修，然後情緒生起，而我們不意識到這件事正在發生，那麼那個憤怒的人會不知不覺地變得更加憤
怒。所以，當我們分析，應該是在完全自然的狀態。如我之前所說的，禪修應該是盡可能地自然，
以及不讓新的情緒在禪修時生起，讓情緒取替了禪修。這是錯的。然而，若果你可以認出它，新的
情緒沒有生起，而你只是專注在你所嘗試明白的東西上，即是你的心識。若果我們有核心的理解和
對它全然專注，那麼你的禪修將會很到位，然後嘗試去分析，那麼你就能獲得智慧。那個憤怒的人
不會變得更加憤怒，而是變得更加有智慧，和沒那麼憤怒，這只是一個例子。
首先，基本上這就是我們如何練習，我們如何理解禪修。接著，要非常自然的，沒有任何額外的標
籤，如那三個種類：好的、壞的、中性的。所以，當我們作任何的修持，我們都應該這樣去做，以
這樣的理解去做。
若果我們能夠做到，那麼甚麼的修持也好，我們修持時就會變得很自然。當我們做分析性的禪修，
情緒也不會來，因為我們是用那種理解和認知去做。所以，那種對禪修的理解或做法就像泥土中的
肥料。若果你有一
個花園，若果你想你的花園變得又好又漂亮，那麼你就要在泥土中施肥，花園才會變得那樣。所以，
正確的理解就如禪修中的肥料。若果你用一種不同的方法去做，用帶有標籤以認為它是好的概念去
做，那麼很多情緒會開始生起，這只是因為在開始時有那樣的概念。我認為察覺是很重要的。我們
應常常提醒自己要自然地禪修，不去想「這是好的東西，這是會利益我的東西」。若果我們不是這
樣做，如我所說的，禪修時情緒就會開始生起，或者當我們禪修時有些外界的騷擾，也會引發情緒。
所以，我們每次禪修時都要提醒自己「我不應那樣做」。

法友問：

我想問關於打坐身體的氣脈的問題，如果氣脈比較順暢的話，是否禪修也會比較好？身體的痛楚是
否阻礙到氣脈，導致進步很慢？

寧波車答：

我想當我們談及打坐的姿勢、神經系統、氣脈、我們的本質，這與我們想的有點不一樣。當我們想，
可能這只是呼吸，吸氣至肚臍，去到我們的肺，然後再呼出。可能我們這樣理解氣脈。我們是由地、
水、火、風四大元素組成。這些組合基本上令東西變得實質、造成身體、造成形態。所以，我們身
體有風。所有的元素，基本上，我們說是造成這種型態、這個身體的元素。所以若果你覺得有點不
舒服，我認為那與禪修的進度有點不同。因為那是兩種不同的東西，我意思是，在華人地方，我們
稱之為氣。我的理解的「氣」，是像一種平衡的能量，如要有適合的溫度、適合的氣脈、適合的生
活方式、從你吃的食物等等，都會影響我們的氣。在禪修之中的氣脈，我認為是比氣更微細的，它
是不可被看見的。所以若果你覺得不舒服，這是身體上的事，可能與你的進展沒有任何關係。進步
會慢慢來，但它絕對會來。我們不應該在修習時對進度帶著期望，同時也不應該覺得氣餒。
氣脈只是讓你的心識在一個最自然的狀態之中，所以這跟進度完全沒有關係。

(中文翻譯由本中心翻譯小組負責。若有錯漏，請見諒。節錄或載列文章內容以原文為準。）

February 20, 2023

第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑，在2023年藏曆新年分享的訊息

值此陰水兔新一年的開始，我謹向大家送上新春祝福。

所謂的”生命”，完全取決於我們如何看待它。然而，振奮人心的看法可能就是，藉著人身創造和享受暫時與究竟的快樂，並且認為這些快樂來自我們的努力和佛陀的加持。

因此，為了美好的法脈傳承和完滿眾生的幸福，願我們能毫不費力地了悟佛性。

( 如果我們認為有意義的生命，就是通過努力能獲得快樂的話，那麼我們確實可以讓這種“實行”的感覺存在。

如果我們認為有意義的生命，就是從別人的護佑下獲得快樂的話，那麼我們也可以讓這種“發生”的感覺存在。

若果我們以清淨的心去觀察這個“實行”，我們根本就無法說從哪裡是開始；若果我們以清淨的心去觀察這個”發生”，我們根本就無法說從哪裡是結束。它們兩者的融合就像夢境一樣。

順其自然的美妙之處，就是無論它會帶我們到哪裡，只需要安心地隨順因緣，就是人生的美好和奢侈的地方。

難道你從來不懷疑如來或佛陀以無窮的方式向我們正在暗示類似的事情嗎？那不正是傳承覺悟者的修持嗎？這種修持難道不就是在撫慰和安撫「急急忙忙苦追求」的眾生嗎？

我願意這樣認為。）

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, shares the following message on the occasion of Losar, Tibetan New Year, 2023.

On this occasion of the beginning of the Female Water Hare year, I would like to offer greetings and a wish for all of us.

It is completely up to us how we would like to view this so-called “life”. Nevertheless, it may be inspiring to view it as our opportunity to generate and enjoy both temporary happiness and ultimate happiness, which arises from the combination of our effort and the Buddha’s blessings.

Therefore, may our realisation of Buddha-nature grow effortlessly for the beauty of the enlightened lineage and to complement the happiness of sentient beings.

(If we feel that life has meaning when happiness is acquired from our efforts, then we can indeed allow that sense of “doing”.

If we feel that life has meaning when happiness is acquired from the blessings of others then we can allow that sense of “happening” too.

If we view the “doing” with a calm and clear heart, we can never say from where it begins, and if we view the “happening” with a calm and clear heart we can never say where it ends.
They both seem to blend with the other like a dream.

The beauty of these allowances of flow is that, no matter where they may lead to, simply letting them flow in a carefree way may be the beauty and the luxury of human life.

Don’t you wonder if the Tathagata or the Buddhas are hinting something like that to us, in infinite ways? Isn’t that practice the lineage of the Awakened Ones? Wouldn’t that practice caress and soothe the busy, busy sentient beings?

I would like to think so. )

Losar 2023: Karmapa’s message

(中文翻譯由本中心翻譯小組負責。若有錯漏，請見諒。節錄或載列文章內容以原文為準。）

February 10，2023

第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑，於敘利亞和土耳其邊境最近發生地震後發出的哀悼信息

親愛的法友

上週一土耳其和敘利亞邊境地區發生毀滅性地震後，我一直懷著最深切的悲痛關注事態的發展。

在我寫下這些文字的時候，死亡人數已經上升到兩萬一千以上，受傷的人數更是數以萬計，更不用說那些無家可歸和失去基本生活物資的人了。

言語無法表達我們對那些正在經歷這種災難的人的感受，面對這樣的苦難，即使是祈禱也似乎顯得無力。

唯一能記起的是，生命真的很脆弱。 令人遺憾的是，似乎只有如此震撼人心的悲劇才能喚醒我們對無常的覺受。

然而，這可能是一個機會，讓我們認識到無常這個事實，而且以一種特別的方式，我們可以在無常中找到慰藉。無常向我們清楚說明，由一開始我們從來沒有人在這裡，因此沒有人真正死亡，原因是沒有人真正在這裡會死去。

我們往往認為我們失去的親人“去了”一個不知名的地方，而我們“還活著”在一處跟他們不一樣的地方，因此我們感到分離、相隔和被困。
我覺得無常是生命其中的一面，透過我們自身，向我們闡明了一個事實，試圖挽回我們失去的東西和我們必須忍受失去的痛苦都是徒勞的。

我覺得生命通過無常在喚醒我們，教育我們“失去”這個詞或“分離”想法，都只是一個字、一個想法而已，沒有別的。

所以請嘗試找一種方法，讓我們不僅知道，而且要感覺到我們只是被文字、想法和概念而分開。
概念確實象徵著在一起、活著、相互聯繫，那是它美麗之處。

然而，沒有人真正活著，存在，徘徊在“這裡”。 沒有人真正死去、失去、消失在“那裡”。

“這裡”和“那裡”都只是我們人類的觀念。 以這種方式表達並沒有錯，這正是我們所做的。

然而，作為人類也代表有勇氣去理解，不能要求我們的觀念能帶我們所愛的人回來，倒帶回到過去或糾結於“假如”。我們必須放下所愛的人和失去他們這種觀念。

與其哭泣和乞求我們的觀念可以讓事情回到原來的樣子，我們必須找到一種方法打破觀念，並珍惜觀念給過我們的東西，它們為我們帶來的所有美好回憶。

通過這種方式，我們可以明白，如果我們感到分離，那只是一種表達，表達我們永遠不想分離以及我們希望永不分離。

但我們不必相信我們真的分開了，因為沒有觀念的存在，從一開始我們就不會分開。

然而，作為人類，我們有這個奢侈，仍然有機會說“我愛你”。 即使我們從未分開過，我們仍可以奢侈地說“我不想和你分開”。
例如，當我們要求某人為我們祈禱時，祈禱根本從來不缺少，儘管如此，我們仍然提出願望。 在某種程度上，這就是它美妙之處。
就是這樣，概念幫了我們很多，因為沒有概念，我們永遠不會知道我們有多愛彼此。 事實是，在我們有概念之前，我們一直彼此相愛，但正是這些概念幫助我們理解到這些事實。

生活各方面都是如此，不幸的是，我們只有被巨大的悲劇所震撼時才會意識到這一點，而生活中的小事、小細節並沒有動搖或喚醒我們。

因此，我們現在經歷的分離是概念的另一種幫助，讓我們有機會認識到我們從未真正分開過。

簡而言之，我想傳達的是，欣賞你的概念，但不要乞求它們把事情帶回原來的樣子，不要要求它們倒帶。 不要錯用概念試圖找出誰對你的痛苦來負責，不要用它來指責。

如果我們以這種方式誤用概念，試圖讓事情回到原來的樣子，或者加以指責，我們將得不到任何安慰或控制感，因為概念從來就不是這樣子。

像“我現在將如何生活？”這樣的想法，以及在這種時候出現的孤獨、害怕、迷失和分離的感覺，都是很自然的。當這些想法和情緒生起時，我們可以由它出現，因為它們只是以獨特的方式來真正表達“我希望我永遠不會分開，我非常想念你。”

因此，我們能找到的唯一慰藉或安慰是要理解到我們從未分開。

如果你記得你所愛的人的眼神，如果你記得他們的觸摸，尤其是在沒有言語的時刻，那麼這些記憶可以讓我們瞥見真相，就是我們從來不需要概念來明白愛一直都在那裡。

所以，我並不是要說你必須堅強，你必須活下去，你必須要勇敢，這樣的話就好像悲劇是真實的，好像你和你所愛的人真的分開了，你真的被遺棄和迷失了一樣 。

這樣，我們可以理解到概念只是在裝飾本來已經很漂亮的花朵。

我們不必試圖變得堅強，好像我們很虛弱一樣。 我們不必努力活著，好像我們正在死去一樣。 我們不必勇敢，好像我們缺乏勇氣一樣。 我們從來就不需要如此。

相反，我們可以簡單地珍惜和感激概念帶給我們所有的美好回憶。

而且，也讓我們跟概念說一聲衷心的“再見”，是它令我們明白到一直以來我們不曾分開。

致上祈禱
第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, shares this message of condolence after the recent earthquake on the border of Syria and Turkey.

Dear Dharma friends,

It is with deep sorrow that I have been following the developments after the devastating earthquake that hit the border area between Turkey and Syria last Monday.

As I write these lines, the death toll has risen to over twenty-one thousand, and tens of thousands more have been injured, not to speak of all those who have become homeless, and have lost the very basis of their material existence.

Words don’t do justice to how one feels for those who are experiencing such calamity, and even prayers seem to feel weak in the face of such suffering.

The only thing that one can recall is that life is truly fragile; and it’s sad that only such potent tragedies seem to be able to wake us up to a genuine sense of impermanence.

However, this may be an opportunity to realise that impermanence is the reality and that, in a curious way, this impermanence is also the place where we can find solace: impermanence shows us that none of us were ever here in the first place, and that therefore no one truly perishes, as there is no one really here to perish.

We can’t help but feel that the loved ones we have lost are ‘gone’ to an unknown place, and that we are ‘alive’ on a different plane, and that therefore we feel separated, apart and stranded.
I feel that impermanence is one of the aspects of life that indicate to us – and in a way through us – that it is futile to attempt to bring back what we have lost, and that we must live with the pain of loss.

I feel that life is calling to us through impermanence, indicating that the word ‘lost’ or the thought of ‘separation’ is only that – a word, a thought – and nothing else.

So please try to find a way to not only know but feel that we are only separated by words, thoughts, and concepts.
Concepts do symbolise being together, being alive, being connected. That is their beauty.

However, no one is truly living, alive, lingering ‘here’. No one is truly dead and lost, gone ‘there’.
Being ‘here’ and ‘there’ are concepts only expressed by us humans. And there is nothing wrong with expressing ourselves the human way. That’s what we do.

Nevertheless, being human also means having the courage to understand that we can’t ask our concepts to bring back our loved ones, to rewind or to dwell on ‘what-ifs’.
We have to let go of the concepts of the loved ones and the concept of them being lost.

Instead of crying and begging our concepts to bring back things to the way they were, we must find a way to let the concepts go, and cherish what they gave us, all the beautiful memories they have provided us.

In this way we can come to realise that if we feel apart it’s only an expression: an expression of how we never want to be separate and how we wish to never be apart.

But we don’t have to believe that we are truly apart, because without concepts we were never apart to begin with.

Yet, it is our luxury as human beings that we have opportunities to say “I love you” still. We have the luxury of saying “I don’t want to be apart from you”, even though we have never been apart.
For example, when we ask somebody to pray for us, it is already a given that there will never be a shortage of prayer – nevertheless, we still formulate the wish. And in a way, that’s the beauty of it.
In this way, concepts have done so much for us, since without concepts we will never know how much we love each other. The reality is that we have always loved each other, way before we knew concepts, but it’s concepts that have helped us understand that very fact.

It’s the same for all aspects of life, and it’s unfortunate that we come to this realisation only when shaken by great tragedies, and that the small things, the small details in life didn’t manage to shake us or wake us.

And so therefore, the experience of being separated that we are getting now is yet another help from our concepts: the opportunity to realise that we are never truly apart.

In short, what I’m trying to convey is this: appreciate your concepts, but don’t beg them to bring back things to the way they were, don’t ask them to rewind. And don’t misuse concepts by trying to find who is responsible for your pain, don’t use them to cast blame.

If we misuse concepts in this way, by trying to bring back things to the way they were or by casting blame, we will not find any sense of solace or control, because concepts were never meant to do that.

It is natural for thoughts like “How will I live now?” and for feelings of being alone, afraid, lost and apart to arise at times like this. When these thoughts and emotions arise we can allow them, because they are just unique ways of really saying, “I wish I was never apart, and I miss you dearly”.

Therefore, the only solace or comfort we can find is in the understanding that we never were apart.

If you remember the looks from your loved ones’ eyes, if you remember their touches, especially during moments when no words were being said, then these memories can give us a glimpse of the truth: that we never really needed concepts to know that love was always there.

And in this way, we might come to realise that concepts were just decorating the already beautiful flowers.

And so, I’m not trying to say that you must be strong, you must live, you must be brave, as if the tragedy were real, as if you and your loved ones were truly apart and you were truly left behind and lost.

We don’t have to try to be strong, as if we were weak. We don’t have to try to live, as though we were dying. We don’t have to be brave, as if we lacked courage. We were never meant for any of that.

Instead, we can simply cherish and appreciate all the beautiful memories that our concepts have given us.

And say a heartfelt ‘fare well’ to the concepts for letting us realise that we were never apart in the first place.

With prayers
Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa

https://www.karmapa.org/karmapas-condolence-message-for-the-syria-earthquake/




(中文翻譯由本中心翻譯小組負責。若有錯漏，請見諒。節錄或載列文章內容以原文為準。）

16 January 2023 於新德里

第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑分享有關尊貴的祿頂堪千仁波切圓寂的訊息

親愛的法友

尊貴的薩迦哦支派傳承領袖金剛持祿頂堪千仁波切(蔣揚殿貝尼瑪）已入般涅槃。

與諸菩薩摩訶薩一樣，以涅槃示現應化身證入法界是利益我們的善巧方法，這都是源於他們的菩提心、大悲心。

我們因仁波切入般涅槃而感到悲痛是自然的，没有什麼不對的。藉由如此大菩薩的加持，有力量將我們對永恆的錯覺喚醒，使我們趣入佛法行持菩薩道。

因此，我們不用壓抑悲傷的感受。然而，我們也不應該讓這種悲傷被痛苦的情緒所影響，例如覺得迷失在這個世界和感到孤獨。相反，我們必須讓這種悲傷打開我們的心扉，了解到在輪迴世界並沒有什麼可執著的。

儘管如此，從我對這位偉大而珍貴的上師作為榜樣的記憶，觀想仁波切安住於我祈請的壇城中央，並以這種方式將他的加持帶入我們每個人的心中。

我們所有的僧團都在祈禱和進行法事，並盡心盡力地修持佛法充實地過他們的精神生活，以實現上師的願望。

這是我們的幸運，能夠從他這樣的一位示現菩薩形象的開悟精神上師處領受佛法、灌頂和教導。

願我們能夠以某種方式追隨他的腳步。

致上祈禱
第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, shares the following message on the passing of His Eminence Luding Khenchen Rinpoche.

Dear Dharma friends,

The supreme Luding Khenchen of Ngor, Dorje Chang Jamyang Tenpei Nyima, has entered Parinirvana.

As is the case with great Bodhisattvas, this departure-like display of the resorption of their Nirmanakaya into the Dharmadhatu is a skilful method applied for our sake, and stemming from none other than their Bodhicitta or Bodhi heart.

The feeling of sorrow we experience due to this Parinirvana is natural and in no way wrong. The blessings of such great Bodhisattvas have the power to wake us up from our delusion of permanence, and push us to seek the path of the Bodhisattvas – the practice of the Buddha Dharma.

Therefore, we must not hinder ourselves from this experience of sorrow. Yet, we should also not let this sorrow be tainted by our afflictive emotions, such as feeling lost and alone in this world. Instead, we must allow this sorrow to open our heart to realise that there is nothing to hold on to in this cyclic world.

Nevertheless, from my humble recollection of the life example of this glorious and precious teacher, I meditate his enlightened presence at the centre of the mandala of my prayers, and in thisway draw his blessings into each of our hearts.

All of our monastic communities are performing prayers and rituals and trying to live their spiritual lives to the best of their abilities, so as to fulfil the intent of the aspirations of the teacher.

It is our fortune to have had the opportunity to be able to receive teachings, initiations, and instructions from a being like him – a spiritual master who is in essence an enlightened being but in presence displays the form of a Bodhisattva.

May we, in one way or another, be able to follow in his footsteps.

With prayers,
Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa

On the passing of Luding Khenchen Rinpoche

(中文翻譯由本中心翻譯小組負責。若有錯漏，請見諒。節錄或載列文章內容以原文為準。）

22/8/2022 Chagmay Rinpoche’s 3^rd Talk on Meditation (2)

二零二二年八月二十二日洽美仁波切的禪修開示 (2)

Audience:

About post-meditation, in Gampopa’s book, it says that we should avoid idle talk and useless chatter, how do I distinguish it from socializing?

觀眾：

關於下座後的問題，在岡波巴的書中，說到我們應該避免無目的的談話和無用的喋喋不休，我如何將之與社交區別？

Rinpoche: 

Yeah, I mean, basically, gossiping. Gossiping, or useless talk, everything, is also included in the ten unvirtuous deeds. Basically, the result of all these talks, useless talks, and gossiping, it takes you further and further and further away from practice. That is the negative result of these qualities. But when you say, when you have to socialize, and then talk, there is one saying, that is quite useful: if you know it is useless talk, there is always skillful methods that can be applied towards that certain moment, or every day in our lives. Because we live in a community, so on. If we recognize that we have to use the useless talks, useless topics, you know, just gossiping, to recognize that. If it is not coming from jealousy, anger, or hatred, that is fine, I mean, if you notice. Because when people talk, usually, gossiping, it is either coming from jealousy, or hatred, or anger, or you know, it is always coming from these. When we talk about someone else, it is either because, there is some jealousy, or hatred, or anger. So if these qualities is not within your mind, this is how you distinguish gossiping…but, still gossiping, but not gossiping. When you socialize with people, and then everyone is talking this and that, I mean, you can add on a few sentences, just to make everyone happy too. Because if you don’t talk, and if you just listen, listen, listen, and then don’t say anything, that would be weird too with your friends, or anyone, your colleagues. That’s why I say, skillful methods can be applied in our everyday lives. Skillful methods is knowing, but at the same time, adapting. And then if you can become skillful, I mean, if you can become used to using these kinds of methods, then you can have opposite effects on the others too, you can have positive effects on others as well. If you are gossiping, and then if the negative qualities are not arising within you, then it is okay. Okay meaning, it is good for you, because you don’t go into that quality. 

寧波車：

是的，基本上是講是非。講是非或無用的談話等等都是被包含在十不善業之中。這些談話的結果會使你遠離修行，與修行之路越來越遠。這就是負面的結果。但若果你說，你需要因為社交而談話，那有一個頗為有用的做法：當你知道將要講無意義的談話，其實有善巧的方法，可以在特定的時候運用，或在我們日常的生活中應用，因為我們都在社區裏生活。若果我們察覺到我們要講無意義的話、無聊的話題、 要講是講非時，就要去認出它。若果它不是出於妒忌、憤怒、嗔恨，那是可以的，當然是若果你能察覺到的話。因為當人們談話、講是非，通常都是出於妒忌、嗔恨，或憤怒，它常常都是基於這些負面的心態。當我們談及別人，這是因為妒忌、嗔恨，或憤怒。所以，若果你的心不是帶著這些負面的東西，這就是你如何區別出是不是在講是非。須然依然是閒話，但不是在講是非。當你與人社交，然後所有人都在說這樣，說那樣，你可以搭上幾句，只是為了令別人開心。因為若果你不說話， 若果你只是聽著，然後甚麼都不說，那你的朋友、其他人或你的同事，都會覺得你很奇怪。這是我說善巧的方法可以應用到每日的生活的意思。善巧的方法是覺察，不過同時也是適應。若果你可以習慣使用這種方法，你就可以對別人帶起相反的作用，你可以對別人有正面的影響。若果你講閑話，而負面的情緒沒有在你身上生起，那是可以的。可以的意思是，這是對你好的，因為你沒有那些不良的質素。

(中文翻譯由本中心翻譯小組負責。若有錯漏，請見諒。節錄或載列文章內容以原文為準。）

October 9, 2022

第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑分享有關白雅仁波切圓寂的消息

親愛的法友

我們以非常悲痛的心情宣布，持有佛陀教法的偉大上師，蔣揚索南旺波白雅秋楚仁波切，於藏歷水虎年（2022 年 10 月 3 日）八月八日在成都圓寂。

上一世的宗薩欽哲確吉羅卓認證白雅秋楚仁波切為轉世上師，並任命他為西藏德格地區白雅寺的住持。

年輕時期白雅仁波切的訓練教育，宗薩欽哲確吉羅卓扮演了重要的角色。但後來，由於當時國家的變動，白雅仁波切在德格地區貢欽寺不遠的一個僻靜地方，在洞穴禪定修行二十年。

徒眾們不時會請求他作開示，在這些接觸中，白雅仁波切會要求可信賴的弟子從該地區的寺院中取回聖物，例如佛像和繪畫。然後，他將這些珍貴文物保存在他修行的洞穴中，在情況穩定後，將它們歸還給合法機構。總而言之，已故的白雅仁波切因此守護了超過一千尊佛像。

從1980年到圓寂為止，白雅仁波切孜孜不倦地傳授佛法，在西藏各地及海外傳授灌頂。但是，由於眾生缺乏善根，這個世界上可能再也沒有像他這樣的上師了。

因此，我請他的弟子，積集善根發無私大願。 我本人也為他迅速乘願歸來祈願。

泰耶多傑
第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴

October 9, 2022

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, shares the following message regarding the passing of Pewar Rinpoche.

Dear Dharma friends,

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of the Buddhist master Jamyang Sonam Wangpo Pewar Chogtrul Rinpoche, who departed on the 8th day of the 8th month in the Water Tiger year of the Tibetan calendar (the 3rd of October 2022) in the city of Chengdu.

The previous Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro recognized Pewar Chogtrul Rinpoche as a reincarnated master and installed him as the Head of Pewar Monastery in the Derge region of Tibet.

In terms of the young Pewar Rinpoche’s education and training, Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro played a major role. However, later on, because of changes in the country at the time, Pewar Rinpoche settled in an earth-cave in a secluded place not far from the Gonchen Monastery in the Derge region for a period of twenty years, which he spent in meditation.

From time to time devotees would seek his instructions, and during these encounters Pewar Rinpoche would ask trusted disciples to retrieve sacred objects such as statues and paintings from monasteries in the region. He then safeguarded these objects in his cave and later returned them to their rightful institutions once circumstances were stable. All in all, the late Pewar Rinpoche thus saved more than a thousand sacred images.

From the year of 1980 till his passing Pewar Rinpoche tirelessly taught the Buddha Dharma, gave transmissions and empowerments throughout the various regions of Tibet and abroad. However, due to sentient beings’ lack of good karma there may not be a master like him again in this world.

Thus, I hereby request all of his disciples to engage in virtue in order to acquire goodness and to cultivate the path of selfless aspirations.
And I myself pray for his swift return and the fulfillment of all his intentions.

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa

Passing of Pewar Rinpoche

(中文翻譯由本中心翻譯小組負責。若有錯漏，請見諒。節錄或載列文章內容以原文為準。）

於新德里2022 年9月20日

第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑，於台灣地震後分享的訊息

親愛的法友

得悉上週日台灣東南部發生地震，我深感悲痛。雖然，僥倖的是死亡人數低，但這樣的災難給所有直接受影響的人帶了來巨大的痛苦。因這次的地震，有很多人受傷，更多的人失去了生計。

而這只是我們最近在全球看到的眾多天災和人為苦難之一。從巴基斯坦的毀滅性洪水、日本的颱風，以及影響世界許多地區的災難性森林大火，以至各種人為災害，如戰爭和不同形式的暴力。

看到周圍所有這些苦難，我們很容易變得灰心沮喪，感到不知所措和無能為力。

然而，正如修心教法（Lojong）教導我們，佛法可以幫助我們將所有的困難轉化為解脫、覺醒之路。

通過我們的修行，我們可以將痛苦和障礙轉化為機會，這樣就能更清楚地了解我們人類存在的本質。

我們可以獲得智慧，從而看到生命的本質是轉瞬即逝的，我們唯一可以依靠的，就是全然接受這個不斷變化和反覆無常的世界。

我們可以放下根深蒂固的一廂情願看法，放下錯誤認為我們的體驗是永恆的，以為生命只不過是為了享樂的，以為幸福是永久的。

同時，這種見解將幫助我們自然地對，其他同樣陷入一廂情願看法的眾生生起慈悲心，並使我們發願利益他們，這並不是出於使命感，而是出於真心想幫助眾生的願望。

因此，親愛的法友，請善用你寶貴的人身和身處這充滿挑戰時代的機緣，盡所能將每一次的體驗轉化為燃點智慧和慈悲的力量。

請與我一起將你的修行和功德迴向給所有受到不幸和災難影響的人。

致上祈禱
第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑

New Delhi, 20 September 2022

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, shares the following message after an earthquake in Taiwan.

Dear Dharma friends,

It is with great sadness that I learned of the earthquake that struck in the southeast of Taiwan last Sunday. While the death count has remained mercifully low, nevertheless such calamities create tremendous sorrow for all those directly affected by them. Thus, as a result of this earthquake many people have suffered injuries, and many more have lost their livelihood.

And this is just one of so many natural and manmade disasters that we have been seeing around the globe in recent times: from the devastating floods in Pakistan, the typhoon in Japan, and the catastrophic forest fires affecting numerous parts of the world, to the various man-made disasters such as war and different forms of violence.

In view of all this suffering around us it would be all too easy to be disheartened; to feel overwhelmed and powerless.

However, as the teachings on Mind Training (Lojong) tell us, the Buddha Dharma can help us transform all difficulties into the path to liberation, awakening.

Through our practice we can transform suffering and obstacles into opportunities to gain a clearer understanding of the nature of our human existence.

We can gain the wisdom to see that life is, by its very nature, fleeting and impermanent, and that the only thing we can rely on is the complete acceptance of this ever-changing and fluctuating world that is ours.

We can let go of our deep-rooted wishful thinking that our experience is permanent, that life is nothing but pleasure, and that what we consider as happiness will last forever.

At the same time, this insight will help us to naturally develop compassion for all other beings who are caught up in the same kind of wishful thinking, and give rise to the genuine wish to benefit them – not out of a sense of mission, but out of a genuine aspiration to be of support.

Therefore, dear Dharma friends, please utilise your precious human life and these challenging times we live in to the best of your ability, by transforming every experience into fuel for generating wisdom and compassion.

And please join me in dedicating your practice and your virtue to all those affected by misfortunes and disasters.

With prayers
Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa

Taiwan earthquake: Karmapa’s message

(中文翻譯由本中心翻譯小組負責。若有錯漏，請見諒。節錄或載列文章內容以原文為準。）

7月10日

第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑，分享以下有關桑巴多傑教授圓寂的消息

親愛的法友

我們敬愛的「根拉」，桑巴多傑教授，已進入這一期生命的最後禪定。他於昨天晚上即農曆十日（藏語稱為tsechu）圓寂。

我將永遠懷念他的存在，我的生命中再也不會有像他這樣偉大而獨特的菩薩了。

他是我最偉大的上師之一，也是我已故根本上師，第十四世昆津夏瑪仁波切送給我的最偉大禮物之一。

「根拉」是一個簡單的敬愛尊稱，我曾經用它來稱呼桑巴多傑教授。這個詞的意思是「長者」，但不一定是指年齡，指的是這個人的知識和他能成就我們速證菩提。

很多同修和我一樣，都曾經擁有珍貴的機會向他學習，從他身上汲取
很多寶貴的佛學知識。我希望我們能夠將他對我們的教導加以實修來懷念他。

今天下午 大約6 點 30 分，小雨從沒有雨雲的天空落下。也許這是我情感的投射，也許不是，但這就像是告別的祝福。這並不代表什麼都真正結束了，而是一種溫柔的感情。

願我們追隨他以及許多偉大上師的腳步，學習他們生活與去世的方式。

像許多偉人一樣，從今以後他的道路將會是我們無數的道路。 但我們不會在有生之年，以我們認識的方式遇見他們。

然而，如果我們將他傳授給我們的知識認真修行，那麼我們可以肯定他將會與我們一起直到證悟。

致上祈禱

第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, shares the following message after the passing of Professor Sempa Dorje.

Dear Dharma friends,

Our beloved Genla, Professor Sempa Dorje, has entered the final meditation of this rebirth. He passed into Parinirvana yesterday evening, on the 10th day of the lunar calendar, which is known in Tibetan as tsechu.

I will forever miss his presence, and there will never be another great and unique Bodhisattva like him in my life.

He was one of my greatest teachers, and one of the greatest gifts made to me by my late root teacher, His Holiness the 14th Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche.

‘Genla’ is a simple term of endearment, by which I used to call Professor Sempa Dorje. The meaning of this term is ‘elderly’, not necessarily in terms of age, but more referring to the person’s knowledge and his paving the way to our realisation.

Just like myself, many fellow practitioners have had the precious opportunity to learn from him and absorb his treasures of Buddhist knowledge. I hope we will be able to honour him by being able to put into practice what he shared with us.

This afternoon around 6:30pm a light drizzle of rain fell from a sky that contained no real rain clouds. Maybe it’s my emotion, and maybe it’s not – but it was like a farewell blessing. Not that anything truly ends, but it was like a gentle touch of affection.

May we follow in his footsteps, and the footsteps of so many great masters – the way they live and the way they pass away.

His path from now on will be a myriad of paths, like that of so many great beings.

But we won’t witness them in our lifetime, not in the way we think we will. Yet, if we put what he has passed on to us into practice, then we can be sure that he will be with us all the way to enlightenment.

With prayers,
Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa

Passing of Professor Sempa Dorje

(中文翻譯由本中心翻譯小組負責。若有錯漏，請見諒。節錄或載列文章內容以原文為準。）

第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑，分享有關最近發生的自然和人為災難的訊息

親愛的法友，

僅由今年年初開始，短短幾個月的時間，我們就目睹了世界各地發生了許多自然災害，如洪水、山泥傾瀉、颶風、乾旱和山火，所有這些都給人類和動物造成了無法估計的痛苦。

除了這些自然災害之外，我們還看見很多意外和人為災難，最近的一次是上週日在尼泊爾發生的飛機失事和德克薩斯州烏瓦爾德的悲慘學校槍擊事件，這兩齣悲劇奪走了二十多條生命。

面對這些慘劇，加上當前許多全球性的挑戰，如烏克蘭戰爭、氣候危機和仍在持續的疫情，令我們感到無助和絕望。

然而，作為佛法的修行者，重要的是我們不要向絕望屈服。相反，讓我們藉著這些事件來思維佛法的教義，尤其是死亡必然和人生無常。

讓我們也提醒自己，無常和死亡並不是我們普遍認為那麼可怕，它們從來都不是終結。讓我們嘗試理解，在生命中 並沒有絕對的結束、失去、或死亡。生命只是隨著因緣和條件而相續不斷。

同時，讓我們想著所有遭受巨大損失和悲痛欲絕的人，和讓我們為所有因為自然和人為災難的受害者，死者、傷者和喪親者，致以祝福和祈禱。

我請所有行者與我一起為他們供燈、儘力念誦大悲觀世音菩薩之六字大明咒，並將功德回向給他們。

致上祈禱

第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑

——

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, shares the following message regarding recent natural and man-made disasters.

Dear Dharma friends,

Since the beginning of this year alone – over the space of just a few months – we have witnessed so many natural disasters across the world: floods, landslides, cyclones, droughts, and wildfires, and all of these have caused immeasurable suffering to humans and animals alike.

On top of these natural calamities, we have also been seeing a number of accidents and man-made disasters, most recently the plane crash in Nepal last Sunday and the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, both of which have cost more than twenty human lives.

The accumulation of such events, against the backdrop of the many current global challenges, such as the war in Ukraine, the climate crisis, and the still-ongoing pandemic, can leave us feeling helpless and hopeless.

However, as practitioners of the Buddha Dharma, it is important for us to not give in to despair. Instead, let us use such happenings as a basis to reflect on the teachings of the Buddha Dharma, in particular the inevitability of death and the impermanent nature of life.

Let us also remind ourselves that impermanence and death are not the terrible news we often consider them to be – they are never the finale. Let’s try to understand that in life, there is no absolute end, loss or death. Life simply flows in a series of pulses, in accordance with causes and conditions.

At the same time, let us think of all those who have experienced tremendous loss and are grief-stricken and devastated, and let us extend our wishes and prayers to the victims of all disasters, both natural and manmade: the deceased, the injured and the bereaved alike.

I would request all of my fellow practitioners to join me in making lamp offerings dedicated to their benefit, and to recite the six-syllable mantra of the Buddha of Compassion, Avalokiteshvara, as much as possible.

With prayers

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa

On recent disasters

中文翻譯由本中心翻譯小組負責。若有錯漏，請見諒。節錄或載列文章內容以原文為準。）

第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑，於衛塞節的開示

親愛的法友，

下週一，5 月 16 日，是衛塞節（也稱為佛陀 Jayanti或佛Purnima 的日子），這是一個紀念我們歷史上的釋迦牟尼佛誕生、成道和入滅的佛教節日。

當然，摘自《華嚴經。入法界品》的《普賢行願品》，總結了它的精髓，揭示在我們這個宇宙的每一個粒子之上，都有與宇宙中的原子一樣多的清淨界，而且每一個淨土中，都安住著無量數的佛菩薩。

這不僅僅是一個比喻，它確實描述了事物的實際情況。但是，由於我們人身條件的限制，我們只能以線性的方式一次看到一件事物，因此我們談論的一系列古佛，是一個接一個地出現。

當然，在當今時代，我們有幸稱自己為無數佛之一的佛弟子，他以悉達多太子出世，於菩提迦耶菩提樹下圓滿覺悟，其後成為人所共知的釋迦牟尼佛。

作為佛教徒，我們認為衛塞節是農曆年中最殊勝的日子，我們會盡最大努力以至誠心慶祝它。

我們會嘗試利用這一天來憶念和行持佛陀的教法。

而且我認為善用這一天最實際和最相關的方法之一，就是專注於皈依的修行。我相信你們大多數人一定從你們的上師獲到了皈依戒。

皈依是趣入佛教徒道路的第一步，也是整個菩提道的基礎。皈依佛、法、僧而趣入這條道路，即是個人承諾停止惡行，這是走向解脫和圓滿覺醒、成佛的基石。

因此，我想鼓勵大家在衛塞節淨修皈依，同時念誦普賢行願品。

這是我對所有同修的請求。

除此之外，對於熟悉八關齋戒的你們，和過去曾接受過八關齋戒並理解其解釋的人，我鼓勵你們在衛塞節受持八關齋戒。

一如概往，請不要將我的這個建議誤認為是命令，誤以為有義務遵守的命令。我很清楚你們許多人都有非常繁忙的事務，承擔著無數的責任。

但是，如果你感到有所啟發，並有時間和機會的話，在 24 小時，即是從一個日出到下一個日出的時間，我會鼓勵你全身全意投入這個修持。

我相信它有莫大的好處，因為它讓我們有機會，至少在一年之中的一天，觀察沉默。我在這裡說的不僅僅是嘴巴上的沉默，更重要的是心的沉默。

只需花 24 小時進行練習，就能讓我們的身語意從平時的忙碌中放鬆下來。我並不是暗示我們的社會責任和我們生活中的各種責任是不重要或毫無意義的，完全不是這個意思。這些責任與別人、個人、社區、社會有關，所以它們當然很重要。

只是，如果我們能夠透過這個修行獲得更清晰的視野和更深刻的洞察力，那麼我們的社會責任就會越來越不那麼沉重。

社會責任是人類重要的一部分，但我們可以以最輕鬆、最自然的方式來處理它們，而不會導致焦慮或掛礙。如果我使用太陽及其「職責和責任」來比喻，我想要傳達的訊息會更容易比理解。形像化地說的話，就是每天太陽升起，傍晚落下，它為植物、動物和人類提供溫暖和生命，這是太陽重要的職責。毫無疑問，太陽日復一日地履行這些「職責」，卻從不陷入困境或壓力，也沒有任何掛礙。

我覺得，這就是這個修持的好處之一，它讓我們變得好像太陽一樣，它幫助我們完全沒有障礙、焦慮、牽掛，任運自在地升起和落下、活著和死亡。

當然，如果你不能在衛塞節修持八關齋戒，總有第二天，如果沒有，那就是後天。所以，總會有機會的。

對於那些還不熟悉八關齋戒的人，我建議如果有機會，找一天嘗試一下，是一種很好的體驗。畢竟，每個人都喜歡嘗試新事物，而八關齋戒的練習不需要付出很大勞力，因為它是一個既簡單且平靜而愉快的體驗。

在這背景下，有兩個經常會引起誤解的題目，我想藉此分享一些我的看法。

第一個是，「戒律」一詞及其所傳達的內涵。這個英文單詞，就像它的藏語對應詞 sdom pa 一樣，似乎帶有一種限制、封閉或約束的語氣。我認為這會給我們帶來錯誤的想法。並不是說 sdom pa 這個詞本身有什麼問題，「束縛」或「禁閉」實際意思是關閉我們通往惡行之身語意之門。

儘管如此，對某些概念的理解方式在很大程度上取決於我們當時所處時代的精神、那個年代的心態。因此，對於過去的幾代人來說，聽到「對惡行之門關閉」的說法可能是完全有效的，甚至是鼓舞人心的。這是描述「戒律」的一種清晰而實在的方式。

然而，以現代主義、環境問題和全球化為標誌的當今時代，既有其自身的優勢，但也有其缺陷。一方面，我們比以往任何時候都擁有更多的自由和機會，但另一方面，我們面臨著如此多的選擇、如此多的壓力，以及前所未有的責任和挑戰。我個人認為，當代人類的狀況是，我們沒有任何空間可以聽到問題或挑戰。因此，如果我們聽到「惡行之門關閉」之類的話，我們可能不會感到鼓舞或激勵，作為當今時代的孩子，我們總是喜歡聽到事情美好的一面、積極的一面，甜蜜的一面。

可幸的是，藏語sdom pa 與許多佛法術語一樣，具有廣泛的含義、語調和內涵。因此，我們可以簡單地注意一硬兩面的另一面，並利用另一個可能更適合我們這個時代的文化，「解束」這個解釋可能就更合適我們。畢竟，每當我們關上一扇門時，另外一道門就會打開，由於我們總是喜歡聽到事物積極的一面，所以當我們從打開、解綁的角度理解「戒律」或 sdom pa 時，我們可能會感到更有動力和鼓舞。

這可以幫助我們了解，修行戒律或任何其他佛法的修持，並不是限制我們、禁止我們、束縛我們。其實恰好相反：佛法的一切修行，都是為了解脫、開啟、打開我們的心。

所以誰知道，也許有一天我們會想出一個新的詞語，又或者下一尊佛會創造一個新詞而不是「戒律」，縱使只是暫時的，如果有意義的話，我覺得我們可以將它們不當作「戒律」看待，而是「解束」。

我想簡單的談第二點，是我們經常帶入佛法修行的使命感。

我一直受到《入菩薩行論》啟發，寂天菩薩說他這部作品不是為了他人，而是為了自己的利益。他說這話並不是說他沒有菩提心，他也不只是謙虛。他只是很踏實、沒有誇大其詞。他只是在做他正在做和喜歡做的事情。所以沒有感到負擔，沒有為什麼要寫這部論的使命感。他這樣做不是為了榮耀或名聲，也不是為了拯救世界。

任何一個頭腦清醒的人都會明白，這個世界還在繼續，沒有必要為個人或集體的使命，為救度眾生，為拯救世界而操心。這些只是激勵自己的方法，如果我們發現它們有幫助和能鼓舞人心的話，那麼我們當然可以利用它來專注我們的皈依或八關齋戒的修行。

但我覺得沒有必要揮動大橫額、懸掛巨型海報，也沒有必要用擴音器在屋頂上宣揚「我的修行是在普度眾生或拯救世界」。

對我來說，所有這一切都歸結為製造另一場情緒的混亂。而如果你製造這樣的情緒混亂，如果你承諾和發誓「從這一刻起直到我最後一天，我將致力於拯救世界」，那一刻你可能會感到解放。但實際上，這樣做與這個世界並沒有太大的關係。除了給自己製造不必要的壓力、負擔和焦慮之外，它不會有任何收穫。

相比之下，寂天菩薩只是享受他正在做的事情，就是如此簡單。當你做你喜歡做的事情時，一切都會變得容易；即使你必須拯救世界，它也會變得容易。

中文詞語裡，代表「喜悅」或「高興」的字是「開心」，這個詞語的字面字意思是「打開心扉」。

我認為這就是修持「戒律」的真正目的，解開我們的束縛，幫助我們敞開心扉。

因此，親愛的法友們，這是我在衛塞節這一天對你們所有人的祝願，希望你們能抽出一些時間來修行佛法，找到快樂和打開心扉。

致上祈願
第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, gives the following message on the occasion of Vesak, 2022.
Dear Dharma friends,
Next Monday, May 16th, marks the day of Vesak (also known as Buddha Jayanti or Buddha Purnima) – the Buddhist festival that commemorates the birth, the enlightenment and the Parinirvana of our historical Buddha Shakyamuni.
Of course, Samantabhadra’s King of Aspiration Prayers (which is extracted from the Gaṇḍavyūha chapter of the Avataṃsaka Sutra, and sums up its essence) tells us that atop every particle in our world there are as many pure realms as there are atoms in the universe, and that in each of these pure realms reside myriads of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
This is not just an analogy – it describes the way things actually are. However, due to the limitations of our human condition we are only able to witness things one at a time, in a linear manner, and accordingly we talk about a series of historical Buddhas, appearing one after the other.
And of course, in our current era we have the good fortune of being able to call ourselves the disciples of one of these countless Buddhas: the one who started life as Prince Siddharta, attained perfect awakening under the Bodhi Tree in Bodhgaya, and thereafter became known as Buddha Shakyamuni.
As Buddhists we consider Vesak to be the most sacred day of the lunar year, and we do our best to celebrate it with as much sincerity as possible.
We recall the Buddha’s teaching, and we try to use this day to implement however much of it we are able to.
And I think that one of the most practical and relatable ways of observing this day is by focusing on the practice of refuge. I believe that most of you must have received the Buddhist refuge vows from one of your teachers.
The taking of refuge marks the first step on the Buddhist path, and it’s also the foundation for the whole journey. An individual entering this path by taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha promises to give up non-virtuous actions, which is the very basis for journeying towards liberation and perfect awakening, Buddhahood.
So therefore, I would like to encourage all of you to observe the day of Vesak by focusing on the refuge practice, and along with this, please also recite Samantabhadra’s King of Aspiration Prayers.
This is what I would like to ask of all my fellow practitioners.
Besides that, for those of you who are familiar with the practice of Sojong, who have taken the Sojong vows in the past and have received explanations on them, I would encourage you to devote the Vesak day to this practice.
As always, please don’t mistake this suggestion of mine for a command, an order that you are obligated to follow. I’m well aware of the fact that many of you have very busy schedules, with countless obligations and responsibilities.
But should you feel inspired and have the time and opportunity, then – for a period of 24 hours, from one sunrise to the next – I would encourage you to devote yourselves to this practice.
I believe that it has great benefit, because it gives us an opportunity to observe some sort of silence, at least for one day in a year. I am not just talking about verbal silence here, but, more than that, also silence from thoughts.
Dedicating just 24 hours to this practice will allow our body, speech and mind to relax from their usual busyness. I don’t mean to imply that our social duties and the various responsibilities we have in our lives are unimportant or meaningless. Not at all – they are related to people, to individuals, to communities, to society, so of course they are important.
It’s just that if we could gain greater clarity of view and deeper insight through these practices, then our social duties will become less and less heavy and burdensome.
Social duties and responsibilities are part and parcel of being human, but it is possible to go about them in the most relaxed and natural way, without anxiety or hang-ups. Maybe what I’m trying to convey here will be easier to understand if I use the analogy of the sun and its ‘duties and responsibilities’. Figuratively speaking, it’s part and parcel of the sun’s duties to rise every morning, to set every evening, and to give warmth and life to plants, animals and human beings alike. And without fail, the sun goes about fulfilling these ‘duties’ day in, day out, without ever getting stuck or stressed, without any hang-ups.
This, I feel, is one of the benefits of this practice – it allows us to become more like the sun: it helps us to function, to rise and to set, to live and to die, without being stuck, without anxiety, without hang-ups.
And of course, if you can’t practice Sojong on the day of Vesak itself, there’s always the next day, and if not, then the day after that. So, there’ll always be another opportunity.
For those of you who are not yet familiar with the practice of Sojong, I would suggest that it might be a good experience to try it one day, should the occasion arise. Everybody likes to try new things, after all, and the practice of Sojong doesn’t require any great exertion or effort – it’s simple, peaceful, and enjoyable.
In this context, I would like to share a few reflections on two topics that I feel can sometimes be a source of misunderstanding.
The first one is the term ‘vow’ and the connotations it transports. This English word – just like its Tibetan counterpart sdom pa – seems to carry a tone of restriction, of closing or binding; and I think this can give us the wrong idea. Not that there is anything wrong with the term sdom pa itself – what the ‘binding’ or ‘closing’ actually implies is shutting the doors of our body, speech and mind to non-virtues.
Still, the way in which certain notions are perceived is very much dependent on the spirit of the time we live in, the contemporary mentality, and the prevailing trends. Thus, for past generations it may have been perfectly valid and even inspiring to hear about ‘shutting the door to non-virtues’. It’s a clear-cut and down-to-earth way of describing the vows.
However, the present time, which is marked by modernity, environmental issues and globalisation, has its own advantages as well as its own drawbacks. On the one hand we have more freedom and opportunities than ever before, but on the other hand we are faced with so many choices, so much stress, and an unprecedented number of tasks and challenges. It seems to me that the contemporary human condition is such that we don’t have any room to hear about problems or challenges. And so therefore, if we hear about ‘shutting the door to non-virtues’ and so on, we may not feel encouraged or inspired. As children of our current era, we always like to hear about the bright side of things, about their positive aspect, their sweet part.
Fortunately, the Tibetan term sdom pa – like so many Dharma terms – has a wide range of meanings, tones and connotations. And so we can simply focus on the flip side of the coin and tap into another nuance that may be more appropriate for our era, and that could very well be something like ‘unbinding’. After all, whenever we close one door another one opens, and since we always prefer to hear about the positive side of things, we may feel more motivated and inspired when we approach the vows, or sdom pa, from the angle of opening, unbinding.
This can help us gain a sense that the purpose of practising vows, or doing any other Buddhist practice, is not to constrain us, close us, tie us up. In fact, it’s quite the opposite: all the practices of the Buddha Dharma are meant to liberate us, unbind us, open our heart.
So who knows, maybe in time we’ll come up with a new term – or maybe the next Buddha will invent a new word instead of ‘vow’. But just temporarily, if it makes sense, I feel that we might think of them not as ‘vows’ but as ‘unbinders’.
The second point I would like to talk about briefly is the sense of mission we often bring to our Dharma practice.
I have always felt inspired by the beginning of the Bodhicaryāvatāra, where Śāntideva says that he’s not composing this work for the sake of others but for his own benefit. When saying this he doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have bodhicitta; nor is he just being modest. He is just being practical, down to earth, not exaggerating things. He’s simply doing what he’s doing, and he enjoys doing it. So there is no sense of a burden, a mission of why he is composing this text. He’s not doing it for glory or fame, or to save the world.
Any one of us who has a clear mind will understand that the world just goes on, and that there’s no need to worry too much about a personal or a collective mission, about saving all sentient beings, or saving the world. These are just ways to motivate ourselves, and if we find them helpful and inspiring, then of course we can dedicate our practice of refuge or Sojong in that way.
But I feel that there is no need for waving big banners, hanging gigantic posters, or having loudspeakers proclaim from the top of the roof that “I’m dedicating my practice to saving all sentient beings”, or to saving the world.
To me all of this just comes down to creating another commotion. And if you create such a commotion, if you curse and promise and swear that “from this moment onwards until my last day I will devote myself to saving the world”, it may feel liberating at that moment. But actually, the weight of that commotion doesn’t have much relation to the world. It will not achieve anything, besides creating unnecessary stress, burden, and anxiety for yourself.
By contrast, Śāntideva just enjoying what he’s doing is so simple and relatable. When you enjoy doing what you’re doing, everything becomes easy; even if you do have to save the world it becomes easy.
In Chinese, the word for ‘joyful’ or ‘happy’ is kāixīn – which literally means ‘open heart’.
And I think that’s the real purpose of the practice of vows: unbinding us and helping us open our heart.
So therefore, dear Dharma friends, this is what I wish for all of you on this day of Vesak – may you be able to spare some time to use the practice of the Buddha Dharma to find joy and open your heart.
With prayers
Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa
https://www.karmapa.org/karmapas-message-for-vesak-

(中文翻譯由本中心翻譯小組負責。若有錯漏，請見諒。節錄或載列文章內容以原文為準。）

第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑對反思人身的開示

暇滿此身極難得，既得成辦人生利

倘若此生利未辦，往後怎得此圓滿

猶如烏雲暗夜中，剎那閃電明亮顯

如是因佛威神力，世間偶生福與慧

— 寂天菩薩《入菩薩行論》

寂天菩薩的形象總是令人著迷。他第二段用閃電作比喻的偈頌，可以與我們自身經驗聯繫起來。他引用漆黑一片暴風雨之夜的形象，在黑暗中無法找到你的路，甚至無法看見在你眼前的手掌。突然，一道閃電照亮了這個漆黑的夜空，僅僅一瞬間，你就可以清楚地看到周圍的環境，好像白天一樣。

寂天菩薩在這裡用這個比喻來描述我們腦海中在瞬間浮現的美德、功德的念頭，他將它們形容為極其罕有和難以獲得的。為什麼？因為我們的生活中有太多的干擾，那麼多看似重要的事情，日復一日，時時刻刻在發生，隨之而來煩惱情緒也不斷湧現。

由於這種永無休止的煩躁，我們的心幾乎沒有任何一剎那可以讓善念生起。即使有機會瞥見善念，發生的機會只是百萬分之一！但是，如果能排除萬難，讓善念生起的一刻，寂天菩薩告訴我們，這都是由於諸佛願力、慈悲和加持。

所以這就是偈頌明顯的含義，但是今天早上我閱讀和思惟這兩段偈頌時，我心裡想：「如果我們將寂天菩薩的比喻更進一步帶到另一個空間，另一個範籌會怎樣？如果我們把它運用到我們整體人類的存在會怎樣？」

我並不是要暗示寂天菩薩沒有提及人身的珍貴，而事實上，在介紹的偈頌中的一開始就談到了身依難獲的道理，以及好好善用暇滿人身的重要。

儘管如此，我還是想分享一些我對閃電的譬喻與我們的人身怎樣可以聯繫起來，希望它對你們有所啟發。

如果我們將人類的存在與其他時間尺度和維度進行比較，我們不禁會震驚我們的存在是多麼短暫渺小。

讓我們以星系及其壽命為例，它是多麼令人震撼、多麼神奇、多麼浩瀚！

相比之下，即使我們將整體人類歷史作比較，都是多麼微乎其微。那還有什麼必要談論一個人的生命，談論他或她的成就？從宇宙尺度上看，它們根本沒有任何意義。他們沒有任何重要性。它們是如此短暫和微不足道，就好像它們從未發生過一樣。無論他們取得什麼成就，無論是攀登過珠穆朗瑪峰、消除飢荒，還是成為一位普世君主，這些都是沒有任何意義。

從這個角度看，人的一生不過是一瞬間；實際上，甚至不是片刻，甚至都稱不上是一納秒，它是如此短暫，以至我們根本無法稱它曾經發生過。

談完我對人類存在的看法後，讓我們先回到寂天菩薩的閃電譬喻。確實，由於我們的人身條件所限，我們的眼根和眼識能力都是有限制的，所以，我們對閃電的體驗都是非常短暫的。但是，如果我們的眼根作用有所不同，如果我們能夠像一部超級慢動作相機一樣，放慢閃光燈的速度，我們也許可以將這一瞬間分割成數百萬幀，我們可以拍攝那一刻的閃電，並重播成一分鐘甚至一小時（如果我們有所需的超級工具），我們所看到的不是靜態照片而是一個動態的圖像。

因此，我認為我們能獲得人身是非常奢侈且殊勝的事情。而這種奢侈是由於兩個因素：一方面是諸佛的加持，另一方面是我們自己積累的功德。

正是由於這兩個原因，儘管事實上人類的生命只是片刻的短暫，不比一道閃電的時間長，但我們實際上並不認為它是短暫的。我們能夠放慢速度，以慢動作生活，看待它就像可以分成幾個部分：年、月、週、日、小時，我們能夠感覺到我們在生活和呼吸，我們能夠感覺到我們有諸如此類的經歷，各式各樣的體驗。我們理所當然地認為我們將有 80 或 90 歲的平均壽命。

我們經歷漫長而驚險刺激的生命，這簡直就是一個奇蹟。而這個奇蹟正是由於自我累積的功德和諸佛的加持。

而且我認為，如果我們可以經常從以下兩個角度去反思我們寶貴的人身，這是一件很有趣的事情。

一方面它是如此渺小短暫，如此微不足道，以至於我們甚至不能說它真的發生過、出現過。

但是，另一方面，它又是如何令人難忘和奇妙，就算明白到它的微小，但我們卻又可以體驗到它是漫長而刺激的，甚至感覺「比生命更偉大」。

首先，我覺得從這方面作反省很有意思，再者，如果你覺得我們需要有一個理由，解釋為何發生這種情況，那麼你可以根據過去諸菩薩所說的，唯有諸佛加持與自己的功德或努力這雙重原因，才有可能這樣子。

因此，如果你專注並反思這兩點有關人類生命的有趣本質，以及它發生的原因，那麼一旦你能夠用相當的時間細心思維，你就會自然而然地有意樂善用人身精進修行。

而充分利用它的方法是進一步積累功德。你會好奇和去探索：「如果我繼續積累功德，會發生什麼？它將把我引導到何方？」

換句話說，你將有動力提升你的生活素質，你會自然而然地樂於修行，無論是正式和非正式的。修行不一定是在閉關房裡面，而是在你的日常生活中，從舒適的家中或工作場所。

總之，請明白我分享這些看法，並不是要你做任何事情，我不是給你任何功課，所以不要覺得有任何責任。

我給你的唯一課題是，對你的人生懷著好奇心，並親證你的好奇心會把你引向何方。

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, shares the following reflections on human life:

“These leisures and endowments, which are so difficult to obtain, have been acquired, and they bring about the welfare of all. If one fails to take this favourable opportunity into consideration, how could this occasion occur again?

Just as lightning illuminates the darkness of a cloudy night for an instant, in the same way, by the power of the Buddhas, occasionally people’s minds are momentarily inclined toward merit.”

– From A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life (Bodhicaryāvatāra) by Śāntideva.

The imagery of Śāntideva is always captivating. His analogy of lightning in the second Śloka is something that we can all relate to from our own experience. He’s evoking the image of a pitch-black, stormy night, so dark that there is no way of finding your path, no way of even seeing your palm in front of your eyes. And then suddenly, a flash of lightning illuminates this dark night, and just for a fraction of a second you can see your surroundings as clearly as if it were bright day.

Śāntideva uses this analogy here to describe the tiny moments of virtuous, meritorious notions that come up in our mind, and he portrays them as being extremely rare and hard to come by. Why? Well, there are so many distractions in our lives; so many seemingly important things, occurring day after day, moment after moment, and, along with them, disturbing emotions constantly arise.

Due to this endless agitation, there is hardly any instant where there is space in our mind for even the tiniest glimpse of a virtuous thought to arise; the chances of such a moment occurring are one in a million! But if, against all odds, such a moment does occur, Śāntideva tells us that this is due to the aspirations, the kindness, and the blessings of the Buddhas.

So this is the obvious meaning here, but when reading and contemplating these two Ślokas this morning I thought, “What if we took Śāntideva’s analogy further, into another dimension, onto another scale? What if we applied it to our entire human existence?”

I don’t mean to imply that Śāntideva doesn’t talk about the preciousness of this human existence – in fact, the first of the two Ślokas in the introduction talks about the unique opportunity such a rebirth represents, and how important it is to make good use of it.

Nevertheless, I would like to share some of my own reflections on how we might relate the image of the flash of lightning to our human life, in the hope that it might be meaningful to some of you.

If we consider our human existence by comparing it to other timescales and dimensions, we can’t help being struck by just how short and temporary it is.

Let’s take the example of a galaxy and its lifespan: how impressive, how amazing, how enormous it is!

By comparison, how insignificant are the lives of human beings, even if we look at all of humanity as a collective? And what need then to even talk about one individual’s life, of his or her achievements? Seen on a cosmic scale they mean nothing at all; there is nothing significant about them. So short and insignificant are they that it’s as if they never even happened. Whatever their achievements – whether they climbed Mount Everest, put an end to hunger, or became a universal monarch – none of them mean anything.

From that perspective, the entire lifespan of a human being is nothing but a fleeting moment; actually, not even a moment, not even a nanosecond – it’s so brief that we can’t even declare it to have occurred at all.

Having talked about that perspective of human existence, let’s go back to Śāntideva’s flash of lightning for a moment: it is true that due to our human condition – the limitations of the capacity of our eye faculty and the state of our consciousness that goes with it – the experience that we have of a flash of lightning is very momentary. But if our eye faculty were somewhat different, if we were able to slow down the flash, like a super slow-motion camera, we might be able to divide up that one split second into millions of frames. We could film that moment of lightning and play it back for a whole minute or even for a whole hour (in case we had the required super-gadgets for it), and still get the sense that what we are seeing is not a still photograph but a moving image.

And this, I feel, is the very luxury that we have with our human lifespan, and this luxury is due to two factors: the blessing of the Buddhas on the one hand, and our accumulation of merit on the other hand.

It is thanks to these two causes that even though in truth this human life lasts only for a moment – no longer than a flash of lightning – we do not actually perceive it as being momentary. We are able to slow it down, live it in slow motion, as it were, divide it into fractions: years, months, weeks, days, hours… We are able to feel that we are living and breathing, we are able to feel that we have this and that experience, this and that adventure. We take it for granted that we will have a certain number of years to live, that we will have an average lifespan of 80 or 90.

We experience our life as long and adventurous, and that’s nothing short of a miracle. And that miracle is due to none other than these two causes of merit and blessing.

And I think that it might be really interesting if, from time to time, we could reflect on these two perspectives of the precious human existence that is ours.

How on the one hand it’s so minute, so momentary, so insignificant that we cannot even say it actually happened, that it really took place.

But how, on the other hand, it’s so impressive and miraculous – especially in view of its minuteness – that we can experience it as long and adventurous, as significant and even ‘larger than life’!

I feel that first of all it’s very interesting to reflect on these aspects, and then furthermore, if you feel that we need a reason for this occurrence, then you can rely on what the Bodhisattvas of the past have said: that such an occurrence is only possible thanks to the double cause of the Buddhas’ blessings and your own merit or effort.

And so, if you focus and reflect on these two points – the interesting nature of this human life, and the causes for its occurrence – then once you have spent enough time reflecting on it, you will be naturally motivated to try and make the most of it.

And the way to make the most of it is by furthering the accumulation of merit. You will become curious and want to explore for yourself: “If I continue to accumulate merit, what will happen? Where will it lead me?”

In other words, you will be motivated to improve the quality of how you live your life. You will be naturally inclined to practice, both formally and informally. Not necessarily in retreat, but in your everyday life, from the comfort of your home or your workplace.

In conclusion, please understand that having shared these reflections, I’m not asking you to do anything; I’m not giving you any homework to do, so don’t feel under any obligation.

If I’m asking anything of you it’s only this: be curious about your human life, and see for yourselves where your curiosity might lead you.

https://www.karmapa.org/some-reflections-on-human-life/ ‎

中文翻譯由本中心翻譯小組負責。若有錯漏，請見諒。節錄或載列文章內容以原文為準。）