The maxim “Know thyself” occupies a central role in Western philosophy. Yet, despite our daily self-attention, self-care, and self-obsession, the question arises: do we truly know ourselves? Let’s strip away all thoughts, concepts, and definitions and ponder: what was the state of our life before a single thought emerged? Have we ever engaged in such deep introspection?

西方哲学有一句重要的名言：认识你自己！我们每天都在关注自己，在乎自己，心心念念都是为了自己，难道还不认识自己吗？那么，抛开所有的想法、概念、设定，当一切念头都没有活动时，生命是什么状态？我们关注过吗？

Chan practice encourages us to explore questions like “Who is actually reciting the Buddha’s name?” “What was my original face before the rise of thought?” and “What was my original face before my birth?” Indeed, if we truly understand ourselves, we will be able to recognize our Buddha-nature.

所以，禅宗修行让我们参“念佛是谁”，参“一念未生前本来面目是什么”，参“父母未生前本来面目是什么”。事实上，真正认识自己，就能明心见性了。

When we explore life with wisdom and continuously question, “Who am I?” and “What defines my existence?” we come to realize that all we have considered as “me” only has a temporary relationship with us. Our body, emotions, identity, or wealth—which of these can we keep forever?

当我们对生命作智慧审视，不断追问“我是谁”“什么代表我的存在”，就会发现，曾经认定为“我”的一切，和我们只有暂时的关系。无论是身体、情绪，还是身份、财富，哪一样是可以永远拥有的？

But due to our ignorance and attachment, we automatically view our body, emotions, identity, wealth, and all sorts of other things that are not “me”as “me,” which creates attachment and dependence. The issue is that these things we regard as “me” are impermanent and constantly changing.

但我们因为无明和贪著，很容易把身体当作是我，把情绪当作是我，把身份和财富当作是我，乃至把种种不是“我”的东西当作是“我”，进而产生贪著和依赖。问题是，所有这一切都是无常变化的。

If we think that the body is “me,” we will fear death and the loss of the physical self. If we believe that identity is “me,” we will dread losing it and be badly shaken without it. Similar to wearing a mask for so long, we mistake it for our actual face; once the mask is removed, we feel disoriented.

把身体当作我，就会害怕死亡，害怕这个色身的消失。把身份当作是我，一旦失去身份，就不知何以自处了。就像面具戴的时间长了，以为面具就是自己的脸，当没有面具时，反而茫茫然不知所措了。

摘自《心灵创造幸福》

版权所有：济群法师

Excerpted from:

Happiness Comes from the Mind

by Master Jiqun