世界小史 第99期:主人
I can already hear you saying: "That's all very well, but people can't help wanting things!" The Buddha1 thought otherwise.
我已經(jīng)聽到你說的：“說得不錯(cuò)。但是人們對(duì)自己的欲望是無能為力的呀。” 釋迦牟尼不這樣認(rèn)為。
He said that it is possible to control our desires, but to do so we need to work on ourselves, perhaps even for years,他說控制我們的欲望是可能的，但做到這些我們需要自我修煉，也許要修煉數(shù)年，so that in the end we only have the desires we want to have.
所以到最后我們只有我們需要什么的欲望。
In other words, we can become masters of ourselves, in the same way that an elephant driver learns to control his elephant.
換言之，我們可以成為我們自己的主人，像馭象人駕馭象那樣駕馭自己的欲望。
A person's highest achievement on earth is to reach the point at which he or she no longer has any desires.
一個(gè)人在塵世所能達(dá)到的最高境界是沒有任何欲望。
This is the Buddha's 'inner calm', the blissful peace of someone who no longer has any wishes, someone who is kind to everyone and demands nothing.
這就是釋迦牟尼所說的“內(nèi)心清靜”，一個(gè)在塵世無所渴求的人至高無上的、寧靜的歡樂，此人對(duì)一切人都同樣仁慈，對(duì)誰也無所要求。
The Buddha also taught that a person who is master of all his wishes will no longer be reborn after his death.
釋迦牟尼還教導(dǎo)說誰這樣駕馭了一切愿望，他死后將不會(huì)轉(zhuǎn)世。
Only souls which cling to life are reborn – or so the Buddha's followers2 believe.
只有留戀生命的靈魂才會(huì)轉(zhuǎn)世——釋迦牟尼的信徒大概相信這些。
He who no longer clings to life is released from the unending cycle of birth and death, and is at last freed from all suffering.
誰不再留戀生命，誰就在死后不再進(jìn)入無盡的生死循環(huán)，最終他就擺脫了苦難。
Buddhists3 call this state "Nirvana".
佛教稱這種境界為“涅槃 ”。
