英文原文
Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh has said that our fear of suffering keeps us stuck in suffering, and that acknowledging and embracing the presence of suffering is the key to our liberation from suffering. With this teaching in mind, I have been pondering how to embrace and work with suffering when my chronic pain flares up and literally and figuratively brings me to my knees.
The Four Noble Truths taught by the Buddha immediately come to mind as a framework for working with the suffering that accompanies my physical pain. The First Noble Truth recognizes the existence of suffering, but if we don’t even acknowledge suffering’s existence, then there’s no way to enter the path toward liberation from suffering (which is the Third Noble Truth), let alone experience the cessation of suffering (the Fourth Noble Truth). As my teacher Ponlop Rinpoche has said, “You have to let it come to let it go.”
My knee-jerk reaction, when my pain flares up, is self-pity. Working mindfully with the Second Noble Truth — the cause of suffering being ego-clinging — has helped me tremendously over the years to let go of self-pity and know that we all experience pain and suffering. When I remember this, there is an immediate sense of relief and spaciousness around my pain, as well as compassion for myself and all others.
Working directly with the energy of physical pain has become my path out of the suffering that accompanies my pain. Here is an exercise I’ve created for working directly with physical pain:
- Focus on the pain and breathe into it.
- Explore the pain with a sense of curiosity: Where is the pain located? How big is it? What is its shape? If it had a color, what color would it be? Is it hot or cold? Is it static or does it move or vibrate?
- As you explore the pain in this way, notice how it shifts and moves. This is a good reminder that everything is impermanent.
- Remember that we all experience pain during our journey on the Four Rivers of Life – birth, old age, sickness and death.
When I work with my pain directly in this way, I am fully in the present moment. My thoughts, judgments and resistance are gone, and so is the suffering that I’ve added to the pain with those thoughts, judgments and resistance. In that present moment, I experience the cessation of suffering, the Fourth Noble Truth. As the old adage goes, “Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.”
Beth Patterson is a psychotherapist specializing in grief, loss and life transitions. In her work, Beth relies on Buddhist psychology, mindfulness based cognitive therapy and body-centered therapies. Her articles and ebook are available at www.bethspatterson.com. Beth is a longtime Buddhist practitioner and a student of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche.
中文翻译
禅宗大师一行禅师曾说，我们对痛苦的恐惧让我们困在痛苦中，而承认并拥抱痛苦的存在是我们从痛苦中解脱的关键。带着这个教导，我一直在思考当我的慢性疼痛发作，字面上和比喻上让我跪倒时，如何拥抱并处理痛苦。
佛陀教导的四圣谛立即浮现在脑海中，作为处理伴随我身体痛苦的苦难的框架。第一圣谛承认痛苦的存在，但如果我们甚至不承认痛苦的存在，那么就无法进入从痛苦中解脱的道路（第三圣谛），更不用说体验痛苦的止息（第四圣谛）。正如我的老师彭洛仁波切所说，“你必须让它来才能让它去。”
当我的疼痛发作时，我的本能反应是自怜。多年来，正念地处理第二圣谛——痛苦的原因是自我执着——极大地帮助我放下自怜，并知道我们都经历痛苦和苦难。当我记住这一点时，我的痛苦周围立即有一种解脱和开阔的感觉，以及对自己和所有其他人的慈悲。
直接处理身体疼痛的能量已成为我摆脱伴随痛苦的苦难的路径。以下是我创建的用于直接处理身体疼痛的练习：
- 专注于疼痛并向它呼吸。
- 以好奇感探索疼痛：疼痛位于哪里？它有多大？它的形状是什么？如果它有颜色，会是什么颜色？它是热的还是冷的？它是静止的还是移动或振动的？
- 当你以这种方式探索疼痛时，注意它是如何变化和移动的。这是一个很好的提醒，一切皆无常。
- 记住我们在生命四河——生、老、病、死的旅程中都经历痛苦。
当我以这种方式直接处理我的疼痛时，我完全处于当下。我的想法、判断和抵抗消失了，我通过这些想法、判断和抵抗添加到痛苦中的苦难也消失了。在那个当下，我体验到了痛苦的止息，第四圣谛。正如老话所说，“痛苦是不可避免的；苦难是可选的。”
贝丝·帕特森是一位专门从事悲伤、失落和生活转变的心理治疗师。在她的工作中，贝丝依赖佛教心理学、正念认知疗法和身体中心疗法。她的文章和电子书可在www.bethspatterson.com上找到。贝丝是一位长期的佛教修行者，也是大圆满彭洛仁波切的学生。
文章概要
本文探讨了如何运用佛教正念和四圣谛框架来管理中年慢性疼痛，将其转化为解脱之道。作者结合一行禅师和彭洛仁波切的教导，强调承认痛苦、放下自我执着，并通过直接观察疼痛的练习（如呼吸、好奇探索无常）来减少苦难。文章指出，痛苦是不可避免的，但苦难是可选的，通过正念实践可以在当下体验痛苦的止息。
高德明老师的评价
用12岁初中生可以听懂的语音来重复翻译的内容：这篇文章讲的是，当我们身体有长期疼痛时，比如膝盖疼，我们可能会害怕和难过。但佛教老师说，如果我们承认疼痛存在，不逃避它，反而去好好看看它在哪里、是什么感觉，就像玩一个探索游戏，我们就能不那么痛苦。因为疼痛来了又会走，一切都在变化，而且每个人都会疼，所以我们不用太担心自己。这样，我们就能在疼痛中感到轻松和慈悲。
佛学的各个宗派视角评价，突出《显密圆通成佛心要集》的视角：从大乘显宗视角，本文强调四圣谛和正念，契合菩萨道利他精神，通过处理自身痛苦培养慈悲，利于众生。密宗如大圆满注重直接体验心性，本文的疼痛观察练习类似密宗“直指心性”的简化，但未深入密续修持。《显密圆通成佛心要集》倡导显密融合，本文以显宗基础（四圣谛）结合密宗实践元素（直接能量工作），体现了圆通精神。准提法作为密法，优点在于简便高效，本文的练习可视为准提法“观照”的日常应用，帮助中年人在疼痛中快速安住，减少苦难，促进修行。
在修行实践上可以应用的和可以解决人们的十个问题：1. 减少对慢性疼痛的恐惧和焦虑，提升心理韧性。2. 增强当下觉知能力，避免陷入过去或未来的痛苦思绪。3. 培养自我慈悲和对他人的共情，改善人际关系。4. 通过观察疼痛的无常性，加深对佛法无常教义的理解。5. 在疼痛发作时提供具体正念工具，如呼吸和好奇探索，即时缓解苦难。6. 帮助放下自我执着和自怜，促进心灵成长。7. 将日常疼痛转化为修行机会，加速菩提心发展。8. 适用于忙碌中年人，无需复杂仪轨，随时随地可实践。9. 结合身体感知，促进身心整合，预防心理问题。10. 作为准提法修行的补充，增强专注和清净心，解决生活压力。