2009年5月2日 星期六

由馬拉松開始....

當年中一時讀西史,講到馬拉松熱血愛國,為左儘早通知雅典城有敵人偷襲,所以長跑過去,講完戰報之後,力歇而死。

當年,一直以為馬拉松係跑左幾日幾夜的....原來,應該只係大概兩小時。依家最快既馬拉松記錄都係埃塞俄比亞既跑手Haile Gebrselassie在2008栢林馬拉松創出既2小時03分59秒。馬拉松路線條條唔同,無得直接比較,栢林馬拉松出名係大平路,易跑,但由馬拉松依個小鎮到雅典有很多斜路的,馬拉松當年可是為左成千上萬雅典人生死猶關的問題,發揮小宇宙博晒命咁跑的。

但,S看到一個好像很科學的報導,一開始就講,你睇馬拉松就知,無做好準備去跑馬拉松會死的。跟住有個無講名稱既醫生就講,唔好以為「慢慢跑」就無事,咁樣去跑馬拉松,一樣會有筋骨勞損的。

Well,依位「醫生」好明顯無跑過長跑,香港馬拉松有時限5.5小時,要跑完42.195公里,平均時速可是起碼要去到7.8 min/km的。7.8min /km有幾「慢」?「醫生」大可以試下自己落街去運動場跑返十個圏,仲要計時一定要在31.2分鍾之內跑完依4公里囉;嘿嘿,「醫生」仲要明白自己不過跑左全馬既唔夠十分一,自己要有辦法keep住依個「好慢」既速度跑多38公里囉。(又,香港馬拉松已經係好鬆嫁啦,好多地方只比五個小時全馬嫁咋。)

如果S唔係練緊跑既話,都會比依篇「專家」文章大到嫁,人地係「醫生」喎,又點會乜都唔知就隨口亂講呢?「醫生」仲講話跑馬拉松會死喎,又真係有人跑死左喎,馬拉松好危險嫁,我緊係唔會跑啦!

嘿嘿,「醫生」都係人囉。S心諗自己仲有唔知幾多野係比「專家」、「權威」、「科學家」大左而唔知嫁囉。


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法師上堂時教我地,乜野係觀點(View)呢?

觀點其實係對事實不完全的知識(knowledge of partial truth),比如,法師拎起一隻杯,我地以為我地已經見到晒隻杯,但其實我地只見到隻杯既正面,見唔到杯既背面、杯頂同杯底。本來嘛,我地肉眼無辦法睇到全息影像係無問題的,只要我地明白自己只見到杯既一部份就得啦,但偏偏我地又好自我地,以為自己已經見到隻杯之全部....咁就出事啦。佛說:

Saññaŋ ca ditthiŋ ca ye aggahesuŋ,
te ghattayantā vicaranti loke

持有感官*知識同觀點既人,就係在世界製造問題既人。

(*感官包括:眼看,耳聽,鼻聞,舌嚐,膚觸,心想)


法師講左一個故仔,話說佛時有一個仕女好出名善良有教養,一講起佢,人人都樹起手指公,贊佢温文爾雅。但依位仕女既一個妹仔就懷疑啦,到底仕女真係咁好脾氣,定係因為我地一個二個都好乖,佢根本唔駛發脾四呢?

於是,妹仔就開始日日都仲遲過仕女起身。第一日,仕女只係好温柔地話妹仔,叫佢要早過主人起身;第二日,語氣無咁温柔啦;第三日,仕女失儀地大聲呼喝佢;第四日,仕女乾脆爆粗(!);第五日,我同你一樣,好驚訝妹仔竟然咁唔怕死,仲係遲起身....仕女嬲到攞起枝大掃帚打落妹仔個頭到!

妹仔被打得頭破血流,跑出門口向鄰居哭訴:「你睇,因為我遲起身,仕女打成我咁呀!」

鄰人們大驚,消息一傳十,十傳百;人人都講話,仕女係一個臭脾氣殘酷暴力女!


到底,邊個觀點岩?仕女到底係温柔淑女定係河東暴力女呢??

人人其實都只係知事實既一小部份,但係就個個都以為自己係全知;明明個個都只係見到事實的表面(what the truth appears to be),但係就以為自己以經係如實觀之....你話,又點會唔世界大亂呢?

*****

又話說,兩個僧人見到旗幟飄揚,佢地兩個就開始爭辯,到底係動,定係動呢?兩人爭持不下,於是走去襌師處要佢評理,禪師就話:「係你地個動。」

依個時候有個南傳法師行過,就講:「三樣都唔係,係你地把動。」........
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*****

今日係佛誔的好日子,S把口同手都係唔好動咁多,我地不如去片,睇下真正有智慧既人點講:

The Healing Power of the Precepts
by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

The Buddha was like a doctor, treating the spiritual ills of the human race. The path of practice he taught was like a course of therapy for suffering hearts and minds. This way of understanding the Buddha and his teachings dates back to the earliest texts, and yet is also very current. Buddhist meditation practice is often advertised as a form of healing, and quite a few psychotherapists now recommend that their patients try meditation as part of their treatment.

After several years of teaching and practicing meditation as therapy, however, many of us have found that meditation on its own is not enough. In my own experience, I have found that Western meditators tend to be afflicted more with a certain grimness and lack of self-esteem than any Asians I have ever taught. Their psyches are so wounded by modern civilization that they lack the resilience and persistence needed before concentration and insight practices can be genuinely therapeutic. Other teachers have noted this problem as well and, as a result, many of them have decided that the Buddhist path is insufficient for our particular needs. To make up for this insufficiency they have experimented with ways of supplementing meditation practice, combining it with such things as myth, poetry, psychotherapy, social activism, sweat lodges, mourning rituals, and even drumming. The problem, though, may not be that there is anything lacking in the Buddhist path, but that we simply haven't been following the Buddha's full course of therapy.

The Buddha's path consisted not only of mindfulness, concentration, and insight practices, but also of virtue, beginning with the five precepts. In fact, the precepts constitute the first step in the path. There is a tendency in the West to dismiss the five precepts as Sunday-school rules bound to old cultural norms that no longer apply to our modern society, but this misses the role that the Buddha intended for them: They are part of a course of therapy for wounded minds. In particular, they are aimed at curing two ailments that underlie low self-esteem: regret and denial.

When our actions don't measure up to certain standards of behavior, we either (1) regret the actions or (2) engage in one of two kinds of denial, either (a) denying that our actions did in fact happen or (b) denying that the standards of measurement are really valid. These reactions are like wounds in the mind. Regret is an open wound, tender to the touch, while denial is like hardened, twisted scar tissue around a tender spot. When the mind is wounded in these ways, it can't settle down comfortably in the present, for it finds itself resting on raw, exposed flesh or calcified knots. Even when it's forced to stay in the present, it's there only in a tensed, contorted and partial way, and so the insights it gains tend to be contorted and partial as well. Only if the mind is free of wounds and scars can it be expected to settle down comfortably and freely in the present, and to give rise to undistorted discernment.

This is where the five precepts come in: They are designed to heal these wounds and scars. Healthy self-esteem comes from living up to a set of standards that are practical, clear-cut, humane, and worthy of respect; the five precepts are formulated in such a way that they provide just such a set of standards.

Practical: The standards set by the precepts are simple — no intentional killing, stealing, having illicit sex, lying, or taking intoxicants. It's entirely possible to live in line with these standards. Not always easy or convenient, but always possible. I have seen efforts to translate the precepts into standards that sound more lofty or noble — taking the second precept, for example, to mean no abuse of the planet's resources — but even the people who reformulate the precepts in this way admit that it is impossible to live up to them. Anyone who has dealt with psychologically damaged people knows that very often the damage comes from having been presented with impossible standards to live by. If you can give people standards that take a little effort and mindfulness, but are possible to meet, their self-esteem soars dramatically as they discover that they are actually capable of meeting those standards. They can then face more demanding tasks with confidence.

Clear-cut: The precepts are formulated with no ifs, ands, or buts. This means that they give very clear guidance, with no room for waffling or less-than-honest rationalizations. An action either fits in with the precepts or it doesn't. Again, standards of this sort are very healthy to live by. Anyone who has raised children has found that, although they may complain about hard and fast rules, they actually feel more secure with them than with rules that are vague and always open to negotiation. Clear-cut rules don't allow for unspoken agendas to come sneaking in the back door of the mind. If, for example, the precept against killing allowed you to kill living beings when their presence is inconvenient, that would place your convenience on a higher level than your compassion for life. Convenience would become your unspoken standard — and as we all know, unspoken standards provide huge tracts of fertile ground for hypocrisy and denial to grow. If, however, you stick by the standards of the precepts, then as the Buddha says, you are providing unlimited safety for the lives of all. There are no conditions under which you would take the lives of any living beings, no matter how inconvenient they might be. In terms of the other precepts, you are providing unlimited safety for their possessions and sexuality, and unlimited truthfulness and mindfulness in your communication with them. When you find that you can trust yourself in matters like these, you gain an undeniably healthy sense of self-respect.

Humane: The precepts are humane both to the person who observes them and to the people affected by his or her actions. If you observe them, you are aligning yourself with the doctrine of karma, which teaches that the most important powers shaping your experience of the world are the intentional thoughts, words, and deeds you choose in the present moment. This means that you are not insignificant. Every time you take a choice — at home, at work, at play — you are exercising your power in the on-going fashioning of the world. At the same time, this principle allows you to measure yourself in terms that are entirely under your control: your intentional actions in the present moment. In other words, they don't force you to measure yourself in terms of your looks, strength, brains, financial prowess, or any other criteria that depend less on your present karma than they do on karma from the past. Also, they don't play on feelings of guilt or force you to bemoan your past lapses. Instead, they focus your attention on the ever-present possibility of living up to your standards in the here and now. If you are living with people who observe the precepts, you find that your dealings with them are not a cause for mistrust or fear. They regard your desire for happiness as akin to theirs. Their worth as individuals does not depend on situations in which there have to be winners and losers. When they talk about developing loving-kindness and mindfulness in their meditation, you see it reflected in their actions. In this way the precepts foster not only healthy individuals, but also a healthy society — a society in which the self-respect and mutual respect are not at odds.

Worthy of respect: When you adopt a set of standards, it is important to know whose standards they are and to see where those standards come from, for in effect you are joining their group, looking for their approval, and accepting their criteria for right and wrong. In this case, you couldn't ask for a better group to join: the Buddha and his noble disciples. The five precepts are called "standards appealing to the noble ones." From what the texts tell us of the noble ones, they are not people who accept standards simply on the basis of popularity. They have put their lives on the line to see what leads to true happiness, and have seen for themselves, for example, that all lying is pathological, and that any sex outside of a stable, committed relationship is unsafe at any speed. Other people may not respect you for living by the five precepts, but noble ones do, and their respect is worth more than that of anyone else in the world.

Now, many people find it cold comfort to join such an abstract group, especially when they have not yet met any noble ones in person. It's hard to be good-hearted and generous when the society immediately around you openly laughs at those qualities and values such things as sexual prowess or predatory business skills instead. This is where Buddhist communities can come in. It would be very useful if Buddhist groups would openly part ways with the prevailing amoral tenor of our culture and let it be known in a kindly way that they value goodheartedness and restraint among their members. In doing so, they would provide a healthy environment for the full-scale adoption of the Buddha's course of therapy: the practice of concentration and discernment in a life of virtuous action. Where we have such environments, we find that meditation needs no myth or make-believe to support it, because it is based on the reality of a well-lived life. You can look at the standards by which you live, and then breathe in and out comfortably — not as a flower or a mountain, but as a full-fledged, responsible human being. For that's what you are.

11 則留言:

黑人 提到...

以偏概全是人類求生本能
無得改,亦唔需要改
知道呢種能力有其局限便可

某些傻鱷鱷之人,最喜歡話:「你只望到事情的一部份,又點能夠以偏概全呢?八九年強國廣場可能無死過人呢?」

Derek 提到...

6.5km/min??

咁咪七分鐘跑完﹖

Samsara 提到...

黑人哥哥:中啊,只能夠見到部份事實無問題,唔通你要求我連杯入面有有水都要有透視眼睇埋咪....但係一定要記得自己只知道部份事實。

記得當年連打手級既發言人袁木都話廣場入面死左幾個人嫁喎...袁木實在太爆,比香港傳媒笑佢緣木求魚不特止,因為形象太差,依家都唔去左邊。

Derek:哈哈,我今次真係錯晒,唔止寫錯unit,仲計錯時間呀!

咁都好d,我剛剛出儘力去到6.5min / km...結果只捱到3.3km...仲好panic,唔知點可能跑得完全馬添。

1516 提到...

samsara姐姐, 借問聲你番緊邊個地方有法師教書咁好?

Barry 提到...

師姐,請問上一堂法師講左咩內容,你有筆記嗎?

Samsara 提到...

1516:我在志蓮淨院上緊堂啊,好正嫁,可以睇Barry師兄既notes ar: http://studybuddhism.blogspot.com/

師兄:你上堂無來既?notes嘛...都有既,好亂囉,我仲諗住錄音比你嫁,但係中間斷左一大節...咁囉。

Barry 提到...

師姐,上星期屋企人身體有少少不適,所以冇上堂。不如麻煩你將筆記同錄音email俾我,等我再寫番。

Barry 提到...

師姐,呢個係我個email: barrywcng@gmail.com

1516 提到...

samsara: 謝謝! 請問下一期什麼時候報名/開課?

Ven. Dr. Kakkapalliye Anuruddha Thera 還會繼續講課麼?

Samsara 提到...

1516:來緊九月底十月頭法師會再開班繼續講法句經的,法師年紀大,所以要花多一d時間在斯里蘭卡培養當地學僧。

所以來緊既學年應該會好似今次一樣,法師親自教授法句經到聖誕節,然後下學期繼續睇埋我地依家睇緊既影帶班。

人同人既緣分,唉,係有限期的。

我有幸可以一直上法師既堂真係好高興。

上年志蓮有另一位老師過身,我不得不提自己要珍惜,法師唔會永永遠遠地教我地的。我再上唔到法師既巴利文中班,以後要學就仲艱難。

報名方面,其實唔駛特登去報名的,我次次都係第一堂時早d到,既時報名。年年都係憑星期四上堂,到法師開班時間確定左我會post出來。

1516 提到...

謝謝 /\

聽說巴利文很難, 加油呀!