《大象与苍蝇》

A disciple and his teacher were walking through the forest. The disciple was disturbed by the fact that his mind was in constant unrest. He asked his teacher: "Why most people's minds are restless, and only few possess a calm mind? What can one do to still the mind?"

一位弟子与他的师父正在穿越一片森林。弟子为自己内心中持续不断的不安状态而感到心神不宁。他随即向师父问道：“为什么大多数人的内心总是无法安宁，只有少数人拥有冷静的头脑？一个人需要做些什么才能让自己的内心平静下来？”

The teacher looked at the disciple, smiled and said: "I will tell you a story. An elephant was standing and picking leaves from a tree. A small fly came by, flying and buzzing near its ear. The elephant drove it away with its long ears. Then the fly came again, and the elephant drove it away once more.

师父看着弟子，微笑着说道：“我给你讲个故事。一头大象正站着从树上摘树叶吃。一只小苍蝇飞过来，在大象耳边飞来飞去，嗡嗡作响。大象用自己长长的耳朵把它赶走了。然后，苍蝇又飞了回来，大象又把它赶走了。

The elephant drove it away with its long ears. Then the fly came again, and the elephant drove it away once more. This was repeated several times. Then the elephant asked the fly: “Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can't you stay just for a while in one place?”

大象用自己长长的耳朵把它赶走了。然后，苍蝇又飞了回来，大象又把它赶走了。这情形重复了好几次。然后，大象问苍蝇：“你为什么如此不安，如此吵闹？你为什么不能在一个地方好好待着？”

The fly answered: "I am attracted to whatever I see, hear or smell. My five senses, and everything that happens around me, pull me constantly in all directions, and I cannot resist them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still?"

苍蝇回答说：“我被自己看到、听到或闻到的东西所吸引着。我的五种感官，以及发生在我身边的一切事情，都不断地把我拉向各个不同方向，我无法抗拒它们对我的诱惑。你有什么秘诀吗？你怎么能保持如此平静不为所动？”

The elephant stopped eating and said: "My five senses do not rule my attention. I am in control of my attention, and I can direct it wherever I want. This helps me to get immersed in whatever I do, and therefore, keep my mind focused and calm. Now that I am eating, I am completely immersed in eating. In this way, I can enjoy my food and chew it better. I control my attention, and not the other way around, and this helps me stay peaceful."

大象停止吃东西，说道：“我的五种感官不会支配我的注意力。我的注意力完全由我掌控，受我支配。这可以帮助我沉浸在我所做的事情中，从而，让我保持专注与镇静。既然我正在吃东西，我就会完全沉浸在吃东西这件事中。这样，我就可以在享受美食的同时，把食物嚼得更烂些。我只不过控制住了我的注意力，没有什么其他方式，而且这有助我保持平静。”

Upon hearing these words, the disciple's eyes opened wide, and a smile appeared on his face. He looked at his teacher and said: "I understand! My mind will always be in constant unrest, if my five senses, and whatever is happening in the world around me, are in control of it. On the other hand, if I am in command of my five senses, able to disregard sense impressions, and able to control my thoughts, my mind will become calm, and I will be able to disregard its restlessness." "Yes, that's right," answered the teacher, "The mind is restless and goes wherever the attention goes. Control your attention, and you control your mind."

听完这个故事，弟子睁大眼睛，脸上露出了微笑。他看着师父说：“我明白了！如果我的五种观感，以及我身边发生的事情掌控了我的内心，我的内心将永远无法安宁。但，如果我能够掌控自己的五种感官，不去理会感官的影响，并且能够控制自己的思想，我的内心就会平静下来，也就不会让不安的情绪影响到自己。”“是的，没错，”师父回答说，“内心不安，思绪就会受到注意力的干扰。控制住自己的注意力，你就可以掌控住自己的内心。”

The Meaning of peace

《最宁静的画》

There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them.

曾经有一位国王向艺术家们悬赏征集看谁能画出一幅最宁静的画。许多画家献上了自己的作品。国王过目了征集上来的全部作品。但其中只有两幅他真正喜欢，于是他要从这两幅画中做出最后的选择。

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

其中一幅画描绘的是一片平静的湖泊。湖水中清晰倒映着四周寂静且高耸的山脉。湖水上方的蓝天中挂着一团团棉絮般的白色云朵。所有看过这幅画的人都认为它是最平和的画作。

The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest—in perfect peace.

另一幅画中同样出现了山脉。但与上幅画不同，这幅画中的山脉不仅崎岖不平，而且光秃秃的。山脉上方的天空乌云密布，大雨倾泻而下，同时伴随着电闪雷鸣。从山上飞奔下来的瀑布，砸在山脚下泛起了一层又一层的水花。这画面看起来并不平和。不过，当国王仔细观察时，他发现在瀑布后面岩石的一条裂缝中生长着一颗矮小的灌木。一只鸟妈妈在这颗灌木中筑了巢。而且，与此同时，在这汹涌的水流中，这只鸟妈妈正十分平和地趴在巢中。

Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the second picture. Do you know why? "Because," explained the king, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work.Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."

你认为哪幅画会获奖？国王选择了第二幅。你知道为什么吗？“因为，”国王解释说，“平和并不意味着身处没有噪音、烦恼或辛勤劳作的地方。平和意味着，即便身处所有这些外境之中，你的内心中仍能保持平静。这才是平和的真正含义。”