| 中 台 山 月 刊 191 期 |
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| 本期主题：
爱语摄 |
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正语的美德
The Virtues of Right Speech 文／美国佛门寺研经班学员 传惇（Cynthia Hudson） 比起过去，今天我们用了更多的语言文字，却鲜少沟通。从网路传播、线上视频、推特、脸书，乃至透过手机，我们被全年无休的新闻传媒给淹没了。现在更重要的是，重新思考正语的意义。 我们都知道良好的沟通包含了倾听。但，这即使在最佳的情况下，也很不容易做到，更何况处于即时讯息充塞，乃至一心多用的大环境下，我们很少再去倾听了。总是匆匆寄出电子邮件或即时讯息，好接着处理下一件工作，或读取下一则讯息。 将人淹没的传媒讯息，滔滔不绝提醒我们应该注意的最新趋势，该如何去感受、如何去行动、该穿什么、喜欢谁、不喜欢谁、买什么、吃什么、如何去养育孩子，甚至我们该怎么想。这些报导讯息萦绕在心中，成为我们聊天的内容，变成了我们的见解。我们开始用这些见解去定义，然后变成了我们的信念。一旦随着这些讯息潮流起舞，开始跟着说、跟着做、跟着反应每件事，便不再有正思惟或良善的动机了；外在的纷扰导致内心不得安宁，于是便失去了正见。自以为内在的噪音就是我的思想及信念，但实则不然。在佛门寺学佛后，我开始了解：正语，源自于澄静的心。 没有澄静的心，就没有正语；没有禅修的练习，就没有澄静的心。在佛门寺禅修学习，开始觉察到，没有一件事是独立存在的。愈是听法薰修，愈是了解到每一件事都是相关联的。因此，正语，不只是言说，它来自正思惟，有正思惟才有正语，才有正业。要有正语、正业，必须要有正见、正思惟。正见最重要的就是相信因果、无常及中道的真理。正语是八正道其中之一，八者之间密不可分，而又可以延伸至六波罗蜜的菩萨行──布施、持戒、忍辱、精进、禅定、般若。正语在这些行门中，都是不可或缺的，我发愿要信受奉持。 今日高科技快速之便，也让人际往来流于情绪化地疏离。八卦流言、诽谤、霸凌、谣言和不实的讯息充斥，影视、音乐变得愈来愈暴力、堕落。世界各地的暴力行为，全天候地在网路及电视上流传，使人心麻痹、冷酷；不断地争辩谁对谁错，变本加厉的谩骂，亦导致我们的心智状态日益恶化。当内心周旋于种种疑惑、自私、我执的同时，外在的混乱仍持续进行着。 正语很重要，因为它，我们开始平息心中的纷乱，使内心可以作主。这需要有正见，才能生起恭敬、慈悲。正语源自于觉性，是觉性让我们选择道德良善；善业是正语的结果，良善的话语会带来良善的回应，除非是居心不良的滥慈悲。如果无法对某人说出一些正面的话，那么我宁可什么都别说。从谈话中，将闲言闲语剔除，也许会使那些想和我聊八卦的人沮丧，却可以让我们都省思一下，不再批评别人。鼓励的话语可以帮助别人积极修善，而他们也将如此去帮助更多的人。正语鼓舞人们更真心喜悦地善待他人，并减少责骂及批评，同时也降伏了我执及贪瞋痴。正语亦是持戒，如果我们精进行持，将为这个动荡不安的世界带来祥和。 (Today we encounter more words and more talking than we ever have in the past, yet we are communicating less. We are inundated with conversations and communications from the Internet, streaming videos, Twitter, Facebook, and access to news via cell phones 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Now more than ever, it is important to think about right speech and what that means. We all know that good communication encompasses listening. This is difficult to practice in the best of circumstances. But in our world of instant messaging and multitasking we often do not listen. We are in a hurry to send off that email or instant message and get on to the next task or read the next post. We are inundated with communications telling us the new trends we should pay attention to, how we should feel, how we should act, what we should wear, who to like and who to dislike, what to buy, what to eat, how we should raise our children, even what we should think. All of this information swirls around in our mind. It becomes the content of our conversations and becomes our views. We begin to identify with these views and they become our beliefs. We get swept up in this tidal wave of information and begin to say, act and react to each situation without the right thought or the right motivation. There is so much internal noise created by the external noise that we are not even aware that there is a right understanding. Personally, I thought the inner noises were my thoughts and beliefs but they are not. This I have come to realize from the teachings at Buddha Gate. To understand right speech, it all begins with a quiet mind. There is no right speech without a quiet mind and there is no quiet mind without the practice of meditation. Through the teachings at Buddha Gate, I am now aware that nothing is isolated. The more I listen to the Dharma talks the more I understand that everything is connected. So to write about right speech encompasses so much more than just speech. It all begins with the right thoughts; with the right thoughts, we can then have the right speech, which can lead us to the right actions. To know the right speech and the right actions, we need to have both the right views and understanding and most importantly a belief in causality, impermanence and the middle way. To think about right speech brings up the Eightfold Path and how each is not separate but rather they are one. And this connection continues to the practice of the Six Paramitas: Charity, Moral Conduct, Tolerance, Diligence, Meditation and Prajna Wisdom. This is the practice that is integral to right speech. This is the practice that I vow to follow. Today technology enables people to be emotionally disconnected from one another. Gossip, slander, bullying, rumor mongering and untruthfulness are rampant. Movies, TV and music have all become much more violent and destructive. Acts of violence being committed around the world today are streaming over the internet and TV all day long and it desensitizes us to the cruelty towards one another. This is then exacerbated by constant debates of who is right and who is wrong which deteriorates into name calling which leads to a mentality of them versus us. All of this external turmoil is going on while internally we are dealing with our own doubts, selfishness and ego. Right speech is important because it begins to quiet the noise and lets us decide what we will allow in our mind. It requires the right understanding which will cultivate respect and compassion. Awareness is essential to right speech and awareness can lead to choices of moral conduct. Good karma is an effect of right speech. A kind word to someone can make them in turn pass on a kind word to someone else an illicit compassion for others. If I do not have something nice to say about someone, then I will not say anything at all. Eliminating gossip from my own conversation discourages others from gossiping with me which in turn may help us all think about not criticizing others. Encouraging others can help them to take the right action creating good karma and they in turn can do the same for someone else. Right speech encourages being truly joyful in others' good qualities and actions. It helps to ward against blame and criticism which in turn gets rid of the ego and negates greed, anger and ignorance. Right speech is following the precepts, and if we are diligent, allows us to practice and follow the path which in turn will bring harmony to this turbulent world.) |