Finding your buffalo

尋找你的水牛

7th Dzogchen Penelope Rinpoche

第七世 竹慶本樂仁波切

There is a story about a farmer who owns a buffalo. Not knowing that the buffalo is in its stable, the farmer goes off to search for it, thinking it has strayed from home. Starting off on his search, he sees many different buffalo footprints outside his yard. The footprints of buffalo are everywhere! The farmer then thinks, “Which way did my buffalo go?” He decides to follow one set of tracks and they lead him up into the high mountains, but he doesn’t find his buffalo there. Then he follows another set of footprints that lead way down to the ocean. However, when he reaches the ocean, he still doesn’t find his buffalo. His buffalo is not in the mountains or at the beach. Why? Because it is back home in the stable in his yard.

這是個故事，主角是位擁有水牛的農夫。這個農夫不知道水牛在牛棚裡待著，他離開去尋找他的牛，想著牛可能在外面迷路了。他開始動身找牛，他看到在他院子裡有很多水牛的腳印，到處都有腳印。農夫想著，那個才是我家牛的腳印啊？他決定跟著某一組腳印走著，走著走著就到了高山上，但是沒有在那找到他的牛。然後他又跟著另一組的腳印走著，後來走到了海邊，但他依然沒找著他的牛。他的牛不在山上，也不在海邊。為什麼? 因為牛已經回家待在他的牛棚裡了。

Like the farmer, we search for happiness and peace of mind outside ourselves. We search for freedom from our troubles high up in the mountains, at pristine, beautiful beaches, and in the serenity of retreat settings. In all of these places, there are footprints everywhere, signs of like-minded seekers searching for happiness and a more enlightened existence. In the end, you might find traces of the contentment and illumination they realized. What you will not find, however, is the one thing you are looking for—your own happiness, peace of mind, and enlightened nature. You may find someone else’s version of it, but it is not the same as finding your own.

就像那位農夫，我們在身外尋找著快樂與平靜。我們在高山上，原始與美麗的海岸邊，在閉關的聖地，尋著如何從困頓中解脫。在這些地方，充滿了足跡，與我們志趣相投的尋找者尋找過快樂與覺悟的徵兆。到最後也許我們可以發現他們所了悟到的滿足與明光。但是你卻找不到一件東西，那件你正在找尋的東西，就是你自心的快樂與平靜，和已覺醒的本性。你會找到其它人的版本，但那卻不是你自己正在尋找的。

No matter how much you may admire and long for the happiness and freedom of mind you perceive in someone else, whether it’s a great spiritual master, a bestselling self-help guru, or a true, modern-day hero or heroine, finding your own wakefulness, your own enlightenment within, is much different. It is like finding your own buffalo. Your buffalo recognizes you and you recognize your buffalo. The moment you meet your own buffalo is a very emotional and joyful moment.

無論你多麼的讚嘆或渴求，那些從別人那邊接受到的自心快樂與解脫，可能是心靈的大師，最暢銷的自助上師，或是現代的英雄(英雌)，尋找自己的覺醒與覺悟是非常不一樣的。那就像是找自己的水牛一樣，你的水牛認得你，你也認得他。當你們二個碰面的那個瞬間，是很感動與愉悅的。

In order to make our own discoveries, we have to start right here where we are. We have to search inwardly rather than outwardly. From the Buddhist point of view, ultimate happiness—the state of freedom, or enlightenment—is within our minds and has been from beginningless time. Like our buffalo comfortably resting in its stable, ultimate happiness has never left us, although we have developed the idea that it has left home. We think it is somewhere outside and we have to find it. With so many footprints leading in different directions, so many possibilities for where it could be, we may start to imagine things. We could think that it was stolen by a neighbor and is gone forever. We start to have all kinds of misconceptions and mistaken beliefs.

為了要開始你自己的尋找，你必須從你在的地方出發。我們要向內尋找，而不是向外尋找。從佛教的觀念來說，無上的快樂就是解脫的狀態，覺悟早在無始已來就在我們的心中。就像水牛一樣，他一開始就在牛棚中舒服的待著，無上的快樂不曾離開過我們，僅管我們自己捏造了很多他已經離開的理由。不同的腳印都指示著不同的方向，有太多的可能性了，我們就開始捏造。開始有著各式各樣迷思與誤解。

From the Buddhist point of view, there is nothing within our ordinary life that we need to reject or leave behind, and the state of enlightenment is not a place we go to from here. It is not a place that is found outside of where we are right now. If you wanted to find a perfect get-away from all your stress and unhappiness, where and how far would you go? To the other side of the world, to the International Space Station, or just the nearest bar? Your body would be somewhere else, but still, you would be taking your stressed, unhappy mind with you. What we are actually trying to leave behind is the mind’s confusion, which keeps us from being happy. It is how our minds function when we are in those mountains, at the beach, at work or at home, that determines whether we are happy or unhappy, awake in our life or sleeping through it.

從佛教的觀點來說，在我們的日常生活中是沒有任何東西是需要被拒絕或丟到一邊的，證悟的境界不是個要從這邊走過去的地方，也不是個在你現在所在地以外你可以找到的地方。如果你想要找到一個可以遠離這些壓力與不快樂的完美地方，你要跑多遠？到世界的另一邊，到國際太空站，還是就到最近的酒吧？你的身體雖然可以到處去，但你還是帶著壓力與不快樂。我們真正應該試圖遠離的是心的迷惑，它導致我們遠離快樂。不管我們是在那些山上，在海邊，在工作，或是在家中，心的功能決定了我們是要快樂或不快樂，是要從生命中覺醒或是沉睡。

According to the Buddha, the actual point of all our efforts on the spiritual path is simply to return to the state of complete wakefulness, which is the true nature of our minds. Our minds are brilliantly clear and aware naturally, but that brilliant wakefulness is hidden from our view by clouds of confusion. These clouds are caused primarily by the turbulence of our thoughts and emotions. There is so much commotion going on in our minds that our view of who we are and what the world is like is distorted.

根據佛陀所說，我們在心靈修持上所做的努力都是為了回到圓滿覺醒的狀態，那種我們自心的真實本性。我們的心是清明的與自然覺醒的，但這種清明的覺知卻都隱藏在迷惑的雲霧之中。這些雲霧是由我們念頭與情緒的亂流所造成的。我們的心中太多的暴動正在上演，導致我們扭曲了對這個世界，與對自己的了解。

If that’s the case, then how can we recognize the wakeful nature of our minds? The Buddha taught many methods of meditation, which bring stability, peace, and clarity to our agitated minds. Through the practice of meditation, we begin to relax; we feel like we’re waking up and coming to our senses. It’s a very ordinary, but profound, experience that deepens over time and transforms our view of life. When we start to work with our mind in meditation, there’s a sense of effort, but as we go along, it becomes more effortless. A good example of this is a bird taking off from the ground. When the bird wants to fly, it first has to run a little bit and then push down against the ground, so it can leap up into the space of the sky.

如果真的是像剛剛說一樣(扭曲)，那我們如何能認出自心本性？佛陀教導過我們許多禪修的方法，禪修可以為我們焦躁不安的心帶來穩定，平靜，與清明。透過練習禪修，我們開始放鬆，我們感覺我們好像開始覺醒，也接近我們的感知。這是非常平凡，但又非常深遠的經驗，這些經驗隨著時間加深也同時改變了我們對生活的看法。我們在開始在禪修時與自心一同工作時，這是要些努力，但隨著時間增長，就會不需要再多花力氣了。舉個例子，就像小鳥要學著起飛。當他想要學著飛，第一次他要多助跑一點，然後用力的跳起來，這樣才讓幫他離開地面飛到天空。

So long as we are looking outside of ourselves, there is no place to go, no end of the road, where we will one day find perfect happiness. Ultimately, the awake and peaceful mind that we are looking for is with us right now, in this very moment. We don’t have to pack our bags or follow someone else’s trail to discover the true nature of our mind—the buddha within us. That buddha is always within our reach.

只要當我們向外去尋找自己時，是找不到的，這條尋找的路是沒有盡頭的，也就是說我們永遠找不到完美的快樂。終究，我們在尋找的覺醒與平靜的心，現在就有，在每個剎那之間。我們不用帶著我們的背包，或著跟著別人的足跡，去尋找這個自心本性，這個佛性，我們都有。我們到哪，都具有這個佛性。

Do you see it? Where are you looking for your buffalo?

你看到了嗎？你在哪找你的水牛呢？

原文出自：http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2010/04/finding-your-buffalo/
中譯出自：http://ponlop7.blogspot.com/