Lesson of a Trapped Bird 受困小鳥的啟示

◆加拿大英廣班Michele
 
  學習《菩提道次第廣論》逐漸變成顯學,全球各地,各色人種、各種語言,都有人透過各種善巧方便領納宗大師教法,並實踐於日常生活中。以下是北美道場英文廣論班同學的心得受用,本刊將英文原文翻譯如下:
 
 
 

  It was a very cold day in February and I was sitting beside the large picture window in my kitchen. The lower part of this window has a smaller sliding window with an outside screen. There is a wooden platform outside the small window and the screen is slid over about six inches so that when we open the inside window we can put birdseed onto the platform through the opening to feed the birds in the winter. It was a very cold morning and there were a lot of birds in the lilac tree beside the window waiting for their chance to feed.

  I was doing my morning dedication and prayers when all of a sudden there was a great commotion outside the window! I looked over and was shocked to see that in the space between the screen and window, which is about twenty inches wide and two inches deep, there was a large blue jay that had chased a tiny bird in as far as it could go and with loud screeching and much flapping of wings was attacking it! Oh my! What to do?

  I knew the two birds could get hurt in this confined space and felt that I must do something. The window is low to the floor so I dropped to my knees and put my hand up against the inside window to shoo away the large blue jay. This worked! Reluctantly the blue jay backed away to the opening in the screen, flew off to a branch of the lilac tree beside the window and proceeded to scream very loudly. Ah, I felt relief, the blue jay was gone and the tiny bird was safe from the attack.

  The tiny bird seemed very calm now, sitting quite still, until suddenly it panicked trying to fly away through the screen. It was trapped between the screen and window and didn't know how to get to the opening. I wished it would stop before it hurt itself but it ended up clinging to the screen by its feet, its body distorted. Oh dear – what now? I realized that this bird did not know where the opening was or how to get out. I lightly tapped the inside window pointing to the end where the opening in the screen was, trying to communicate with my mind, telling it "This is the way out – this way – this way out! Come this way." But of course the bird could not understand me. It was impossible.

  I became very concerned. The window is at least twenty feet from the ground so I couldn't reach the bird that way and the indoor window was frozen shut and would be that way for some time on this frigid morning so I couldn't get to the screen to open it further to let the tiny bird escape. The way the bird was thrashing about I thought it would surely injure itself or even die if it could not get free. The bird panicked again, fluttering its wings, flying against the screen and then, giving up, it rested on the ledge. I put my hand to the window behind the bird but this did not help. I felt desperate. I didn't know what to do. I asked the Buddha for help.

  I tapped the window again, pointing to the way out but realized that this was senseless and was only frightening the little bird. Instead of helping I was probably creating more fear. So I sat back and calmed my mind. Praying for a good outcome I gently tapped the window behind the bird, coaxing it in my mind to move along. Success! The tiny bird quickly hopped the twenty inches to where the screen was open and flew out to a nearby branch of the lilac tree, unharmed and free! What joy! I felt elated! I was so grateful. I believed that Buddha had helped us. I felt right away that something important had happened in my mind.

  I contemplated what had just occurred. My first reaction was to try to stop the fight and rescue the tiny bird from the immediate danger of the attacking blue jay. Then I saw that this was not enough. The tiny bird was trapped and could be injured or die unless it got free. Finally I realized that even though I had the information and desire to save it, I was helpless to do anything because the bird was incapable of understanding me and that instead of helping, my actions were causing it more distress. Therefore, my compassion was not enough without the wisdom to act correctly.

  The trapped bird with its limitations made me reflect on the reality of all beings in samsara. I think that we all suffer from ignorance, and that most of us are totally unaware of our predicament of being trapped in cyclic existence.

  If we don't know the teachings of Buddha, and if we don't know that there are enlightened beings who have the compassion and wisdom to show us the way to liberation, how can we wake up? Like the bird, we cannot perceive the hand pointing to the way out or hear the directions telling us which way to go. I see how important it is to take advantage of this precious human life to learn and practice the teachings.

  I have spent most of this life in ignorance and delusion. Now, I am so very grateful to the Buddha for his teachings and to the teachers for their compassion and wisdom and their desire to help all sentient beings. I am most grateful to have found the teachings in this lifetime, even so late in life. This is such a rare and precious gift and something to be valued above all else. I pray that all sentient beings suffering from ignorance find the teachings and begin their journey to liberation.

  This small happening had a lot of meaning for me. I see in it a teaching: to feel the suffering, to feel the compassion, to realize that compassion without wisdom is not enough, that I was helpless to do anything to help despite my eagerness, and that compassion without wisdom can be harmful. I reflect that all beings are helpless, but with the opportunity to learn the teachings from those Great Masters and teachers and practice the teachings there is hope for all sentient beings. I am grateful to have the Three Jewels as my refuge and to know that it is possible to one day reach enlightenment with the compassion and the wisdom and the power to benefit all beings. How wonderful this would be for us all to achieve. My wish is for every living being to have the benefit of the teachings.

 
 
中文翻譯
 
  在二月中非常寒冷的某一天,我坐在廚房的大落地窗邊。在落地窗的下方有一個可滑動的小窗戶,小窗外有紗窗,小紗窗外有一木製平台,紗窗可以滑動約六英寸,在冬天我們可以打開小紗窗,在平台上放些飼料餵鳥。早晨非常寒冷,有很多的鳥兒在窗台旁的紫丁香樹上等著吃早餐。
 
  我正在做早晨的祈禱和供養時,突然,窗外有一陣大騷動。向外一看,嚇了一跳,就在紗窗和窗戶間,約有二十英寸寬、兩英寸深的空間,有一隻大藍鳥卯盡全力追逐一隻小鳥,大鳥大聲尖叫舞動雙翅攻擊著。噢,天啊!我該怎麼辦?在這麼狹窄的空間內,這兩隻鳥可能會受傷,我覺得我必須有所行動。我屈身跪地,從小窗伸手作勢驅趕大藍鳥。這招奏效!藍鳥不情願地退至紗窗出口飛走了,飛到窗旁紫丁香樹枝上並繼續大聲地鳴叫。啊,這下我放心了!藍鳥走了,小鳥就安全了。
 
  小鳥現在顯得很平靜,靜靜站著不動,突然間牠開始驚慌失措,試圖穿越紗窗飛走。牠被卡在紗窗及窗戶之間,找不到出口。我希望牠停下來,否則會傷到自己,結果牠的爪卡在紗窗上而且身體扭曲著。
 
  唉,現在怎麼辦?我知道這隻鳥,牠不知道從哪裡脫身,從哪離開。我輕拍內窗,指向紗窗邊緣的開口處,我試著用我的心和牠溝通──這就是出口──這一邊──從這邊出去──向這邊⋯⋯當然,小鳥不可能理解我的。
 
  我非常擔心!這窗戶離開地面,至少有二十英尺高,以至於我根本搆不到那鳥兒。在寒凍的早晨中,室內窗被凍結住,而且這情況還會延續一段時間。所以我無法打開紗窗讓小鳥脫逃。我認為小鳥這樣奮力拍打肯定會讓自己受傷,或者甚至會因為掙脫不出而死掉。牠又再次驚慌失措,拍動著翅膀衝撞紗窗,之後又放棄,停在窗台上休息。我將手置於小鳥身後的窗上,但這沒什麼幫助。
 
  我感到絕望,不知該怎麼辦。我向佛陀請求援助。我又拍了拍窗戶,指著出路,我意識到這毫無意義,這樣只會嚇到小鳥,想幫牠卻可能讓牠更害怕恐懼。
 
  所以,我坐下來冷靜一下,祈願能有個好的結果,並且在牠身後輕拍著窗,在我心中,我哄著、希望牠跟著我的意念移動。成功了!這小鳥很快的跳上離牠二十英寸高的紗窗開口處飛了出去,飛到就近的紫丁香樹枝上,完好自在!何等喜悅啊!我感到歡欣鼓舞!好感恩!我相信這是佛陀幫助我們的。我立刻體會到這件事情的重要意涵。
 
  我思量著剛剛發生的事。我的第一個反應,就是試著阻止這場打鬥,很想拯救陷於立即危難中的小鳥,使牠免於藍鳥的攻擊。之後,我眼見這樣做是不夠的,這隻小鳥被困住,若得不到自由可能非死即傷。最後我明白就算是我了解狀況也渴望救這隻小鳥,我還是無能為力,因為牠無法了解我的想法,而且我的幫助反而更造成牠的苦難。由此,缺乏智慧而行,我的慈悲無法圓滿。
 
  這陷於困頓的小鳥,使我想到現實中輪迴的眾生,我想我們都被無明所苦,大多數的我們對於困於生死輪迴中卻沒有知覺。
 
  假如我們不了解佛法,假如我們不認知那些具有慈悲與智慧的覺悟者,是可以為我們指出解脫之道的話,我們要如何從睡夢中醒覺呢?就像那隻小鳥,我們無法了解那隻手正指向出口之路,或者聽不懂所要指引我們的正確之道。我終於了解善用暇滿人身學習與修行佛法是多麼重要啊!
 
  我的無知與妄想浪費掉我大部分的人生,現在我很感恩佛陀的教法,感恩老師們的慈悲與智慧,以及感恩他們幫助所有眾生的願力。我最感激的是能在今生值遇佛陀的教法,乃至於在這把年紀還可遇到。這真是很珍貴難得的禮物,無與倫比甚於一切。我希望所有在無明中受苦的眾生都可以值遇佛陀的教法,並且開始走向解脫之路。
 
  這一小小事件對我有很大的意義。我從中領悟到:有苦難,有慈悲,但缺乏智慧的慈悲是不圓滿的。儘管我迫切的很想幫忙,卻無濟於事,缺乏智慧的慈悲反而會造成傷害。
 
  我想一切有情都是無助的,若能跟隨善知識修學佛陀的教法,所有的有情就有希望。感恩三寶為我依怙,我知道有朝一日我可以成佛,有慈悲、智慧與能力去利益眾生。我們能如此成就,將會是多麼的美妙!祈願一切有情都能因由佛的教法而受益!

福智之聲第214期