英文原文
The Four Noble Truths and Life's Bumpy Road - Karen B. Walant, PH.D., L.C.S.W. Hello, everyone! I hope that you are all well, perhaps getting some extra sleep while we’re still in the darkest months of the year, enjoying the warmth of your hearts and homes and, if possible, bundling up occasionally to gaze at the moon and stars in the night’s sky. Before reading any further, I want to invite you to take a moment to pause. To take a breath to arrive fully here—in this moment—releasing thoughts about where you’ve just been or where you’re going after this read. We so often speed through these seemingly small moments, skimming through lines (and life), only offering where, what or who we are with minimal attentional processing. One of my intentions in this new year is to slow (way) down to increase space for true attention and awareness. Slowing down is a powerful way to take in more, process more, be with more, and engage in more of now. The theme of this month is the Four Noble Truths, which is seen as the core of Buddhism. These “truths of the noble one” comprise the essence of the Buddha’s teaching, and the simplicity of these four statements belies their depth. While this teaser into the essence of Buddhism leaves much unexplained, the fourth noble truths points us to the Eightfold Path, which we’ll move into over the next few months. As you read this and move through your day today, gift yourself some time to slow down and breathe while you ponder these universal truths. The Buddha Anticipated What Was Coming... I’m currently enrolled in an intensive Spirit Rock Meditation Center class on Buddhist psychology taught by Matthew Brensilver. In our initial kick-off weekend, Matthew spoke about how 2600 years ago the Buddha anticipated the contemporary therapies that are in use today. Many of the Buddha’s teachings, in addition to meditation, are threaded into cognitive, behavioral, desensitization, attentional, interpersonal, and psychodynamic approaches. It’s no wonder that psychotherapists like myself are drawn to his wisdom and look to the Buddha to help our clients (and ourselves) work with challenges, such as the difficult energies and common blockages (aka The Five Hindrances) that keep us stuck and/or spinning and unable to see clearly. It’s well known that many people come to meditation and mindfulness to reduce stress and assist physical and mental health. Yet, most don’t focus on the wider Buddhist psychology that stretches far beyond these practices. This may be, in large part, because those wonderful teachers who brought mindfulness and meditation to the West decades ago believed that the scope of Buddhism, which is quite large, would be a turn off and too much for the collective Western mind. They may have been correct in the zeitgeist of that era, and mindfulness and meditation are excellent entry points into Buddhist thought. Over many decades, however, interest has deepened and broadened to include the wider philosophy and psychology of Buddhism. This expansion has certainly been true for me. Buddhist psychology informs my perspectives and intentions in both my clinical work and how I try to live my life. And that’s why, over the course of the next year, I’ll be bringing more of the Buddha’s wisdom into our meditation classes and into this newsletter. We’ll dive deeper into his teachings, now considered ancient, and how they are still so relevant (and helpful) to us in our modern lives. The Four Noble Truths In the bi-weekly, online meditation class that I offer, we kicked off 2025 with a short dharma talk on the Four Noble Truths, which is the most basic tenet of Buddhism. These truths are what the Buddha spoke of in his first sermon after achieving enlightenment, and is central to all of his teachings that would follow. The Four Noble Truths are: * There is suffering. This is a truth. And this truth is hard to deny. * The root cause of suffering is thirst—our grasping, clinging, and difficulty letting go. * There is a path to end suffering. There is a truth that dukkha (the Pali word for suffering) can come to an end. * There is a practice—the Eightfold Path— that can be done to fulfill the possibility of bringing suffering to an end. The Four Noble Truths are seen as a kind of prescription. From this perspective, the Buddha was, perhaps, our first psychotherapist. He offered the diagnosis of human unhappiness, and, through his many teachings and lists, gives us the treatment/therapy plan. Life’s Bumpy Roads As mentioned above, dukkha is the Pali word for suffering. Suffering (like pretty much all things) presents on a spectrum and can include anything from mild discomfort and annoyance to the severe pain and distress that often comes through trauma. Dissected a little more, the word dukkha refers to the round axle hole in an ox cart wheel, which was the main mode of transportation when the Buddha lived. When the space inside an axle is uneven, it makes for a bumpy ride. As we all know, life is certainly a bumpy ride, and we see and experience suffering everywhere. It’s part of birth, sickness, old age and death. It’s in not getting what we want. It’s in striving for, clinging to, or avoiding anything. It occurs when we’re with anything that we don’t like. And, it also occurs when with anything that we do like, because we know that it will end. The simple fact is that in being alive, we are all on the bumpy road of suffering. Yet, as we’ll see next month as we begin to explore the Eightfold Path, there are principles and practices for living that can make the journey a little less bumpy. When we turn toward wellbeing and wise principles of thought, action and choice, suffering begins to soften. Cat Tales... What Meditation And Max Teach Us About A Noble Truth On Monday evening, our online group settled into meditation, expecting a quiet respite to digest a short dharma talk on the Four Noble Truths. Perhaps members were reflecting on the first one—that there is suffering that comes in forms of discomfort, distress, trauma, and irritation. Or, maybe they were thinking about the second and how to release from the root cause of suffering—clinging. Either way, from a distance, we all suddenly heard a loud, mournful sounding meow coming from Max. He and his siblings love to be part of meditation time, usually taking their place in chairs near me or on my lap. Max knows the bell sound well, and the stillness that comes next. But, on this Monday night, he had other plans, which included playing with his big fluffy round ball, and he wanted me to throw it for him. So he meowed. A big sound that reverberated throughout the room and into Zoom. With no response from me, he kept persisting for what felt like the entire meditation (although it was really only about 5 minutes). Finally, he stopped, let go of the distress, and resumed the meditation position that he seems to love these days. Meanwhile, as trained meditators, aware that suffering is part of life, everyone made peace with Max’s pleadings. Some labeled it as sound, acknowledged the suffering, and deepened back into meditation. Others felt a curiosity—wondering what had caused this cat to make this sound—and then returned to their breath. And, some heard his meow as a sort of meditation bell that brought them back into the meditative moment. Not one person, however, expressed annoyance or frustration at Max’s clinging. I love the irony here—a cat’s clinging during a meditation following a talk on just that. I also love the exemplified lesson, too—how each member in our group demonstrated what a meditation practice can do for us all. That when there is discomfort, we can find ways to respond that do not add further discomfort. That we can remain mindful of our intentional focus and maintain attention to stay anchored in the present moment. I want to send out a thank you to all of you who were in attendance that night, as well as to Max who led the way on this with his distress, followed by a quick acceptance of the way things are. May we all model Max, especially in these days of activation and uncertainty. As we move into February, the invitation this month is to take note of when suffering, in any measure, is arising. This may be a minor discomfort or frustration, as exemplified by Max’s meow when he wasn’t getting his ball thrown to him at the exact moment he wanted it. Or, perhaps you’re going through a particularly rough period that’s bringing you into a deep suffering. Whether the suffering feels large or small, notice the ways in which you might be clinging to someone, grasping for something, or are having a hard time letting go. Whether or not we understand the cause of our distress, it may somewhat dissipate if we stand aside, note it, and comfort ourselves by reminding ourselves that this is the way it is, and that what arises will also pass away because everything changes. I want to express my deepest appreciation and love to each of you. Thank you for your presence—I’m so happy that you are here! May you be filled with warmth and kindness. May you be happy, healthy and safe. May your heart know peace. In kindness, Karen P.S.: As mentioned above, next up, we’ll be delving into the Buddha’s “treatment plan” for suffering—the Noble Eightfold Path. The Buddha loved lists—here's the Eightfold Path: Wise Intention Wise View Wise Action Wise Speech Wise Livelihood Wise Effort Wise Concentration Wise Mindfulness These practices and principles, which we’ll elaborate on in the coming months, are what the Buddha points us to in the fourth of the Four Noble Truths to help lead us to the end of suffering.
中文翻译
四圣谛与人生的坎坷之路 - Karen B. Walant, PH.D., L.C.S.W. 大家好！我希望你们都安好，或许在这年中最黑暗的月份里多睡一会儿，享受心灵的温暖和家的温馨，如果可能的话，偶尔裹紧衣服仰望夜空中的月亮和星星。 在继续阅读之前，我想邀请你花点时间停下来。深呼吸，完全抵达这里——此时此刻——放下你刚刚在哪里或读完这篇文章后要去哪里的想法。我们常常匆匆度过这些看似微小的时刻，浏览文字（和生活），只以最少的注意力处理我们在哪里、做什么或和谁在一起。我新年的意图之一是（大大）放慢速度，为真正的注意力和觉知增加空间。放慢速度是一种强大的方式，可以吸收更多、处理更多、与更多同在，并更多地参与当下。 本月的主题是四圣谛，这被视为佛教的核心。这些“圣者的真理”构成了佛陀教义的精髓，这四句话的简单性掩盖了它们的深度。虽然这个对佛教精髓的简介还有很多未解释之处，但第四圣谛指向八正道，我们将在未来几个月深入探讨。 当你阅读这篇文章并度过今天时，给自己一些时间放慢脚步、呼吸，同时思考这些普遍真理。 佛陀预见了即将到来的一切... 我目前正在参加Spirit Rock冥想中心由Matthew Brensilver教授的佛教心理学强化课程。在我们最初的启动周末，Matthew谈到2600年前佛陀如何预见了今天使用的当代疗法。佛陀的许多教义，除了冥想，还融入了认知、行为、脱敏、注意力、人际关系和心理动力学方法。难怪像我这样的心理治疗师被他的智慧所吸引，并寻求佛陀的帮助来协助我们的客户（和我们自己）应对挑战，比如那些让我们陷入困境和/或旋转、无法看清的困难能量和常见障碍（即五盖）。 众所周知，许多人开始冥想和正念是为了减轻压力并促进身心健康。然而，大多数人并不关注超越这些实践的更广泛的佛教心理学。这在很大程度上可能是因为几十年前将正念和冥想带到西方的那些优秀教师认为，佛教的范围相当大，会让西方集体思维感到厌烦和难以承受。在那个时代的精神氛围中，他们可能是正确的，而正念和冥想是进入佛教思想的绝佳切入点。 然而，几十年来，兴趣已经深化和拓宽，包括了佛教的更广泛哲学和心理学。这种扩展对我来说确实如此。佛教心理学影响了我在临床工作中的观点和意图，以及我如何努力生活。这就是为什么在接下来的一年里，我将把更多佛陀的智慧带入我们的冥想课程和这份通讯中。我们将更深入地探讨他的教义（现在被认为是古老的），以及它们在我们现代生活中仍然如此相关（和有益）。 四圣谛 在我提供的每两周一次的在线冥想课程中，我们以关于四圣谛的简短佛法讲座开启了2025年，这是佛教最基本的信条。这些真理是佛陀在证悟后的第一次讲道中所说的，并且是他所有后续教义的核心。 四圣谛是： * 有苦。这是一个真理。这个真理难以否认。 * 苦的根源是渴求——我们的抓取、执着和难以放手。 * 有一条止息苦的道路。有一个真理是dukkha（巴利语中的苦）可以终结。 * 有一种修行——八正道——可以实践以实现止息苦的可能性。 四圣谛被视为一种处方。从这个角度来看，佛陀或许是我们第一位心理治疗师。他提供了人类不快乐的诊断，并通过他的许多教义和清单，给了我们治疗/疗法计划。 人生的坎坷之路 如上所述，dukkha是巴利语中的苦。苦（像几乎所有事物一样）呈现为一个谱系，可以包括从轻微的不适和烦恼到通常由创伤带来的剧烈疼痛和痛苦。 进一步剖析，dukkha这个词指的是牛车车轮上的圆形轴孔，这是佛陀在世时的主要交通工具。当轴内的空间不均匀时，就会导致颠簸的行驶。 众所周知，人生确实是一条颠簸的道路，我们到处看到和经历苦。它是生、老、病、死的一部分。它存在于得不到我们想要的东西时。它存在于追求、执着或回避任何事物时。当我们与任何我们不喜欢的事物在一起时，它会发生。而且，当我们与任何我们喜欢的事物在一起时，它也会发生，因为我们知道它会结束。 简单的事实是，活着，我们都在苦的颠簸道路上。然而，正如我们下个月开始探索八正道时将看到的，有一些生活的原则和实践可以使旅程不那么颠簸。当我们转向福祉和明智的思想、行动和选择原则时，苦开始软化。 猫的故事...冥想和Max教我们关于一个圣谛 周一晚上，我们的在线小组开始冥想，期待一个安静的休息时间来消化关于四圣谛的简短佛法讲座。也许成员们在反思第一个——有苦，以不适、痛苦、创伤和烦躁的形式出现。或者，也许他们在思考第二个以及如何从苦的根源——执着中解脱。 无论如何，从远处，我们都突然听到Max发出响亮、哀伤的喵喵声。他和他的兄弟姐妹喜欢成为冥想时间的一部分，通常坐在我附近的椅子上或我的腿上。Max很熟悉铃声和随之而来的寂静。但是，在这个周一晚上，他有其他计划，包括玩他的大毛绒圆球，他想让我扔给他。所以他喵喵叫。一个响亮的声音在房间里回荡并传到Zoom中。由于我没有回应，他坚持了感觉像是整个冥想的时间（虽然实际上只有大约5分钟）。 最后，他停下来，放下了痛苦，恢复了他这些天似乎喜欢的冥想姿势。与此同时，作为训练有素的冥想者，意识到苦是生活的一部分，每个人都与Max的恳求和平相处。有些人将其标记为声音，承认苦，并更深地回到冥想中。其他人感到好奇——想知道是什么让这只猫发出这种声音——然后回到他们的呼吸上。还有一些人把他的喵喵声当作一种冥想钟声，将他们带回冥想时刻。然而，没有一个人对Max的执着表示恼怒或沮丧。 我喜欢这里的讽刺——一只猫在关于执着的讲座后的冥想中执着。我也喜欢这个示范的教训——我们小组中的每个成员展示了冥想练习可以为我们所有人做什么。当有不舒服时，我们可以找到不增加更多不舒服的回应方式。我们可以保持对我们有意关注的觉知，并保持注意力锚定在当下。 我想向那天晚上在场的所有人表示感谢，也向Max表示感谢，他以他的痛苦引领了这条路，随后迅速接受了事物的本来面目。愿我们都以Max为榜样，尤其是在这些激活和不确定的日子里。 当我们进入二月时，本月的邀请是注意苦在任何程度上何时升起。这可能是一个轻微的不适或挫折，正如Max在他想要球被扔给他的确切时刻没有得到时喵喵叫所例示的。或者，也许你正在经历一个特别艰难的时期，让你陷入深深的苦中。无论苦感觉大还是小，注意你可能执着于某人、抓取某物或难以放手的方式。 无论我们是否理解我们痛苦的原因，如果我们站在一旁，注意到它，并通过提醒自己事情就是这样，以及升起的事物也会消逝因为一切都在变化来安慰自己，它可能会有所消散。 我想向你们每个人表达我最深的感激和爱。 感谢你们的在场——我很高兴你们在这里！ 愿你们充满温暖和善意。愿你们快乐、健康、安全。愿你们的心知道和平。 以善意，Karen 附言：如上所述，接下来，我们将深入探讨佛陀的苦“治疗计划”——八正道。 佛陀喜欢清单——这是八正道： 正见 正思维 正语 正业 正命 正精进 正念 正定 这些实践和原则，我们将在未来几个月详细阐述，是佛陀在四圣谛的第四点中指出的，以帮助我们走向苦的终结。
文章概要
本文以“四圣谛与人生的坎坷之路”为主题，探讨了佛教核心教义四圣谛在现代生活中的应用。文章从个人体验出发，强调放慢脚步、觉知当下的重要性，并指出佛陀的智慧如何预见当代心理疗法。四圣谛包括苦的存在、苦的根源（执着）、止息苦的可能性以及八正道作为实践路径。文章通过猫Max在冥想中的执着行为，生动展示了如何以正念应对不适和苦。结合关键词“How to apply the Four Noble Truths to overcome midlife crisis”，文章概要聚焦于四圣谛如何帮助应对中年危机：首先承认中年期的苦（如失落感、焦虑），其次识别执着于青春、成就或身份的根源，然后通过八正道（如正念、正业）找到止息苦的路径，最终实现内心的平和与智慧成长。
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：这篇文章就像一位老师告诉我们，生活中总会有不开心的时候，比如考试没考好或者和朋友吵架，这就是“苦”。苦的原因是我们太想要某些东西或者放不下某些事，就像紧紧抓住玩具不放。但别担心，佛陀爷爷教了我们一个好办法：先承认有苦，然后找到为什么苦（比如太想赢比赛），接着知道苦可以停止，最后学习八种好习惯（比如好好说话、认真做事）来让苦慢慢消失。就像文章里的小猫Max，它想要玩球但没得到，一开始很着急，但后来它放下了，大家也都平静地继续冥想。这告诉我们，当不开心时，我们可以深呼吸，注意自己的感受，然后让它过去，因为一切都会改变。 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：从佛学宗派视角看，四圣谛是大小乘共许的基础教义。大乘显宗如天台、华严强调四圣谛与空性智慧的结合，用于广度众生；小乘如南传佛教注重个人解脱，通过四圣谛断除烦恼。密宗如藏传佛教则融入本尊观想和咒语，加速修行进程。《显密圆通成佛心要集》作为显密圆融的经典，从准提法的视角评价此文：准提法作为显密双修的妙法，以四圣谛为基，通过准提咒和观想直接净化执着种子，快速转化苦因。文章对苦和执着的分析，与准提法“即身成佛”的理念相契合——中年危机的苦可视为修行的增上缘，通过准提法修持，能迅速将中年期的失落感转化为菩提心动力，实证“烦恼即菩提”。准提法的优点在于简易圆顿，不拘形式，适合现代人在忙碌中实践，如文中正念呼吸可融入准提咒持诵，提升觉照力。 在修行实践上可以应用的和可以解决人们的十个问题：在修行实践上，四圣谛可应用于：1. 通过正念观察中年期的焦虑（苦），不抗拒地接纳；2. 识别对青春或成就的执着（苦因），用准提咒净化贪执；3. 修习八正道如正业（职业转型）和正命（平衡生活），找到止息苦的路径；4. 结合准提法日课，持咒观想增强定力，转化危机为成长机遇。可以解决人们的十个问题：1. 中年身份迷失：通过四圣谛看清自我假象，重建生命意义；2. 职业倦怠：以正命指导工作，找到服务他人的价值；3. 家庭压力：用正语和正业改善沟通，减少冲突；4. 健康衰退：通过正念调节身心，延缓老化焦虑；5. 财务焦虑：以正见透视物质无常，培养知足心；6. 社交孤立：依八正道建立善缘，扩大支持网络；7. 死亡恐惧：从四圣谛了悟生死本质，减轻怖畏；8. 意义危机：借苦谛激发求道心，转向精神追求；9. 情绪波动：用正念和准提咒稳定内心，提升情绪韧性；10. 灵性干涸：以四圣谛为导，修准提法开启内在智慧泉源。聚焦佛教显宗和大乘视角，准提法的优点在于统摄显密，以简易咒语和观想直接对治执着，适合现代人快速融入生活，实证离苦得乐。