12月11日

真正的自由
佛光星雲 ( 1927~ )

人因為有情愛牽絆，所以輪迴生死；
人因為有情感，因此稱為「有情眾生」。
假如能將感情淡化一點，就可以
求得人生的自由自在。

倘若只淪陷在二人的感情世界，
天天過著被感情誘惑、束縛的日子，
還有什麼獨立的人生可言？

如果能將愛昇華為慈悲，則「慈
息瞋恚,悲止害覺」。《增一阿含經》
說：「諸佛世尊，成大慈悲，以大悲
為力，弘益眾生。」慈悲是諸佛菩薩
度眾不倦的原動力，人人若能以慈悲
相待，則愛如冬陽，可以溶化冰雪寒
霜，可以激發人性的真善美，愛實不
失為一種鼓勵向上的力量。

因此，學習淨化身心，擴大心胸去關愛
更多人事，生活就能過得安樂富有。

──《佛教對「青少年問題」的看法》

December 11

True Freedom
Venerable Master Hsing Yun (1927 - , Fo Guang Shan)
English translation: John Balcom

Due to the ties of love, the wheel of samsara turns.
Because human beings have feelings, they are termed
“sentient beings.” By learning to tone down our
emotional attachments, we can live a life that is more
at ease. Where is the freedom in living if people are
bound together by selfish and ordinary love?

However, if love can be elevated to compassion,
then “loving kindness will extinguish anger, and
compassion will eliminate thoughts of harming others”
(Sutra of Bodhisattva Stages [Bodhisattvabhumi
Sutra]). The Gradual Discourses of the Buddha
[Ekottarikagama Sutra] states, “All Buddhas manifest
great compassion and, with the power of great
sympathy, spread benefits to all sentient beings.”
Compassion is the untiring motivation used by the
Buddhas and bodhisattvas to liberate sentient beings.
If people could treat each other compassionately,
then love would be like the sun in the winter, melting
the snow and ice. It can inspire truth, goodness, and
the beauty of human nature; love is a force that can
encourage us to rise to greater heights.

Through purifying our bodies and minds, as well as
opening our hearts to embrace everyone, we can live
in peace and happiness.

── from Humanistic Buddhism: A Blueprint for Life