Sam

In Buddhism, the term “no-thought” (無念) means being free of delusive thoughts and mental afflictions—having a mind that “abides nowhere.” To see is simply to see, to hear is simply to hear, without giving rise to likes or dislikes. Once the mind discriminates between good and bad, attachment arises: we want to possess what we like and reject what we dislike, becoming entangled in gain and loss, and thus, afflictions arise.

Using “thought-cutting” to deal with afflictions—meaning thinking of nothing at all—might let the mind rest for a while and may work temporarily for those mentally exhausted, but it is by no means the ultimate way to resolve afflictions. To truly cut off afflictions, one must face them, accept them, deal with them, and then let them go—not escape from them.

A poet once said, “If life is nothing more than a glass of clear water, I would rather it be a cup of bitter wine.” From the perspective of Buddhism, this is a rather negative and pessimistic outlook. Many people mistakenly believe that Buddhism is a form of world-renouncing thought, confusing it with the reclusive philosophy of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove in the Wei and Jin dynasties. In fact, such thinking is not true Buddhism. Of course, even today, some Buddhists think that long hours of meditation, simply quieting the mind, is spiritual cultivation. But thinking this way can easily lead to a world-weary attitude and even a wish to leave the secular world.

However, Buddhism is in fact the most positively engaged with the world. The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch says, “The Dharma is in the world; enlightenment is not apart from the world.” In the Vimalakirti Sutra, it is also said, “Just as on a high plateau no lotus flowers grow, but in low, muddy wetlands they bloom,” meaning that the lotus grows from the mud, not from high mountains. Amid the afflictions of sentient beings, one contemplates causes and conditions, clearly realizing that all worldly phenomena are illusory and, in that very moment, empty. Thus, afflictions do not arise.

Yet, though many understand these principles, they do not know how to apply them. The difficulty of encountering the Dharma and practicing it lies not in its depth or complexity, but in the fact that most people, even when they hear it, regard it merely as theory to be spoken of but not practiced. In truth, Buddhism is very simple; when all is said and done, it is only a few essential principles. What matters is practicing them faithfully. Since childhood, I have felt that Buddhism is immensely practical, so I have dedicated myself wholeheartedly to spreading the Dharma, with unwavering faith.

佛法裡說的是「無念」。所謂「無念」，是沒有妄念，沒有煩惱心，也就是「心無所住」。看到了只是看到，聽到了只是聽到，而不產生好惡。因為心裡有了好惡的分別，就會有執著，喜愛的就想佔有，討厭的就會排斥，患得患失，煩惱就來了。

所以，用「斷念」來對付煩惱，那是什麼都不想，讓腦筋暫時休息一下，對想得很累的人來說大概有效，但絕非解決煩惱的根本之道。真要斷煩惱，是要面對它、接受它、處理它、放下它，而不是逃避它。

有一位詩人說：「如果生命只是一杯清水，我寧可它是一杯苦酒。」這種想法以佛法的立場來看，是相當消極悲觀的。很多人以為佛法是一種遁世的思想，跟魏晉時期竹林七賢的隱遁思想混為一談。其實，那種思想不是真正的佛法。當然，現在也有些佛教徒以為長時間打坐、讓心安靜下來，就是修行，如果是這樣想，就很容易產生厭世思想，也很容易出家。但是，佛法其實是最積極入世的。《六祖壇經》說：「佛法在世間，不離世間覺。」《維摩經》裡也說：「譬如高原陸地，不生蓮華；卑濕淤泥，乃生此華。」即蓮花是出於污泥而不出於高山，在眾生煩惱之間做因緣觀想，清清楚楚的瞭解世間一切現象都是幻化，當下即空，所以，不會起煩惱。

不過，這些道理很多人都明白，但是不會用。佛法難聞，佛法難行，倒不是佛法深奧難懂，而是一般人即使聽到了，也當它只是能說不能行的理論。其實佛法很簡單，說來說去只有幾句話，貴在能確實的做。我從小就覺得佛法很好用，所以一心弘法，信心堅定。

摘自- 聖嚴法師《人行道》