英文原文
Ageing: the Great Adventure - A Buddhist Guide
It was the shock of witnessing sickness, old age and death at first hand that moved the youthful Prince Siddhartha Gautama, the future Buddha, to search for a way out of suffering. Those of us who are no longer young are faced with the same challenge more directly. How can we best respond to it?
Ageing is the supreme challenge of our life. Physically we begin to deteriorate. Socially we may now find ourselves discounted and patronised in various subtle and not so subtle ways. Ageism is the last and most difficult of the discriminations to be rooted out. These physical and social discomfitures combine to threaten and undermine our self-image and how we value ourselves. Commonly old age is viewed as a time when the best of life is behind us. What remains is to enjoy the “compensations” of old age, and even these are customarily presented in a sentimental and patronising light.
I offer here a very different perspective, a Buddhist perspective, together with some practical proposals about how to embody it. Ageing can be the culminating adventure of our lives, up to which the earlier years may be seen as a preparation. I do not refer here to the promise of perpetual youth peddled by golden oldie consumerism. That is more evasion than adventure. The adventure of ageing is nothing less than the opportunity to transcend the self which has lived its life up to now, and hence to transcend the decrepitude and death of that self. At its simplest that grand word “transcendence” is about being totally at ease with ourselves, and hence at ease with others. Freed from self preoccupations and anxieties we can wholeheartedly serve others.
The essence of an adventure, however, is that it is scary and unpredictable, a venture into the unknown which demands courage and risking ourselves. The more we resort to safety-nets, diversions and evasions the less of an adventure it becomes. We sell ourselves short.
Moreover, an adventure requires training, skill and practice. So if we are to make an art of growing old and dying we need a practice, a way of cultivation, not as a part-time hobby, but with all our heart all our time. What I shall offer here is a number of perspectives and practices which readers can adapt to their own situations and needs. They will be around four themes: ageing, physical embodiment, dying, and celebration.
Many of those who strive to keep young find that being actively involved in service to others helps them to do this. Thus life continues to appear meaningful and they have the status of the helper who assists the needy. But for people of any age, helping others can be a major distraction from truly seeking to help ourselves. True, the aged have many opportunities to be of service to others in ways not possible when younger. However, what that service really means depends on motivation. How far are we really serving ourselves and how far are we selflessly serving others? Only the cultivation of scrupulously honest insight can give a clear answer. For if we are predominantly serving our selves then the quality of our service is likely to be flawed. This is a difficult and delicate matter. We should certainly not be deterred from helping others if they are in need and we feel we can be of assistance. It is by the actual experience of helping that we have an opportunity to observe what underlying motivations are at work. And certainly if we are helping older people one of the most valuable services we can offer is to become an example of how to age in an inspiring and creative way ourselves.
Freed of self-preoccupation we are freed wholly to respond to others’ needs. The wisdom of bare awareness thus manifests itself as compassion in the world. Laughter and tears mingle when we become aware of the tragi-comedy of our unavailing struggle to be free of this or that without being able to see that struggle as itself the greatest of our problems.
This, then, is how we can transcend ageing as it is conventionally experienced. And it is with ageing that this practice achieves its greatest potential, when all the customary evasions to which we may have become habituated in earlier years begin to wear thin and we are obliged truly to confront our human condition.
Finally, let us not neglect the celebration of old age, which gets less prominence in our culture than either the bad news or the ever-youthful evasions of it. What we celebrate is the accumulated wisdom of just having lived so long. As opposed to the negativity of ageism this is our contribution to a fast moving culture which is becoming increasingly disorientated.
For my part I am deeply grateful to have made it through seventy-three years. There’s doubtless more to come yet, but I do feel a sense of completion in looking back down the travelled road, and all that has been learnt, achieved and contributed.
There is much to celebrate about the inner resources we now have and which we probably lacked in earlier years. There is the self-reliance which comes from having weathered so many of the storms of life. There is also a deeper appreciation of the complexity of life’s situations, and of their problematic character. This makes for greater tolerance, wiser solutions, and amused detachment. And for many, life is lived more of a piece, in contrast to the separate and sometimes conflicting roles which we may have had to sustain when younger.
There is an old French proverb, vient la mort on danse, as death approaches we can dance. By now we have probably done most of the things we are supposed to do and ought to do. At last we are free, variously, to idle, to contemplate, to explore, to take risks, to take off, -- all in a relaxed and creative way. How very sad if we continue to drive ourselves with all our old habitual imperatives, on which we may have covertly become so dependent that we may have difficulty giving them up.
What a pity to have had the good fortune to have lived to be so old and yet to remain trapped in whom we were, without being able to step out into the new life that awaits us!
中文翻译
衰老：伟大的冒险——佛教指南
正是亲眼目睹疾病、衰老和死亡的震撼，促使年轻的悉达多王子——未来的佛陀——寻找解脱痛苦之道。我们这些不再年轻的人更直接地面临着同样的挑战。我们该如何最好地应对它？
衰老是我们生命中的至高挑战。身体上，我们开始衰退。社会上，我们可能发现自己以各种微妙或不那么微妙的方式被轻视和居高临下地对待。年龄歧视是最后且最难根除的歧视。这些身体和社会上的不适结合起来，威胁并削弱我们的自我形象以及我们如何评价自己。通常，老年被视为生命中最美好的时光已经过去的时期。剩下的就是享受老年的“补偿”，甚至这些补偿通常也以感伤和居高临下的方式呈现。
我在此提供一个非常不同的视角，一个佛教的视角，以及一些关于如何体现它的实用建议。衰老可以是我们生命中的巅峰冒险，之前的岁月可以被视为为此做准备。我在这里指的不是那些“黄金老人”消费主义兜售的永葆青春的承诺。那更像是逃避而非冒险。衰老的冒险正是超越迄今为止生活的自我的机会，从而超越那个自我的衰老和死亡。简单来说，“超越”这个宏大的词就是完全与自己自在相处，从而与他人自在相处。从自我关注和焦虑中解脱出来，我们可以全心全意地服务他人。
然而，冒险的本质在于它是可怕和不可预测的，是进入未知的冒险，需要勇气和冒险精神。我们越是求助于安全网、转移注意力和逃避，它就越不像冒险。我们低估了自己。
此外，冒险需要训练、技能和实践。因此，如果我们要将变老和死亡变成一门艺术，我们需要一种修行，一种培养的方式，不是作为兼职爱好，而是全心全意、全时投入。我在此将提供一些视角和实践，读者可以根据自己的情况和需求进行调整。它们将围绕四个主题：衰老、身体体现、死亡和庆祝。
许多努力保持年轻的人发现，积极参与服务他人有助于他们做到这一点。因此，生活继续显得有意义，他们拥有帮助需要帮助者的助人者身份。但对于任何年龄的人来说，帮助他人可能成为真正寻求帮助自己的主要干扰。确实，老年人有许多机会以年轻时不可能的方式服务他人。然而，这种服务的真正意义取决于动机。我们到底是在服务自己，还是在无私地服务他人？只有培养极其诚实的洞察力才能给出清晰的答案。因为如果我们主要是服务自己，那么我们的服务质量很可能是有缺陷的。这是一个困难而微妙的问题。如果他人需要帮助且我们觉得自己能提供帮助，我们当然不应该被阻止去帮助他人。正是通过实际的帮助经验，我们才有机会观察潜在的动机是什么。当然，如果我们帮助老年人，我们能提供的最有价值的服务之一就是成为如何以鼓舞人心和创造性的方式变老的榜样。
从自我关注中解脱出来，我们完全自由地回应他人的需求。赤裸觉知的智慧因此在世界上显现为慈悲。当我们意识到我们徒劳地挣扎着摆脱这个或那个，却无法看到这种挣扎本身就是我们最大的问题时，笑声和泪水交织在一起。
这就是我们如何超越传统经验中的衰老。正是在衰老中，这种修行达到其最大潜力，当所有我们早年可能习惯的常规逃避开始变得薄弱，我们被迫真正面对我们的人类处境。
最后，让我们不要忽视对老年的庆祝，它在我们的文化中得到的关注少于坏消息或永葆青春的逃避。我们庆祝的是仅仅活了这么长时间所积累的智慧。与年龄歧视的消极态度相反，这是我们对一个日益迷失方向的快速变化文化的贡献。
就我个人而言，我深深感激能够活过七十三年。无疑还有更多未来，但回顾走过的路，以及所有学到的、成就的和贡献的，我确实感到一种完成感。
我们现在拥有的内在资源有很多值得庆祝，这些资源可能在我们早年缺乏。有来自经历生活许多风暴的自立。还有对生活情境复杂性及其问题性质的更深欣赏。这带来了更大的宽容、更明智的解决方案和有趣的超脱。对许多人来说，生活更加完整，与年轻时可能不得不维持的分离且有时冲突的角色形成对比。
有一句古老的法国谚语，vient la mort on danse，当死亡临近时，我们可以跳舞。到现在，我们可能已经做了大部分我们应该做和必须做的事情。最终，我们自由了，可以闲散、沉思、探索、冒险、起飞——都以一种放松和创造性的方式。如果我们继续用所有旧的习惯性命令驱使自己，那将是多么可悲，我们可能已经暗中变得如此依赖这些命令，以至于难以放弃它们。
多么可惜，有幸活到这么老，却仍然困在过去的自己中，无法踏入等待我们的新生活！
文章概要
本文从佛教视角探讨衰老，将其视为超越自我、服务他人的伟大冒险。文章指出，衰老带来身体衰退和社会歧视，但通过佛教修行，可以转化为超越自我、实现自在的机会。作者强调，服务他人是保持年轻和意义感的重要方式，但动机需真诚无私。文章围绕衰老、身体体现、死亡和庆祝四个主题，提出实践建议，鼓励读者以觉知和慈悲面对老年，庆祝积累的智慧，并最终从自我关注中解脱，全心服务他人。
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
这篇文章就像在说，变老其实可以像一场大冒险！就像玩游戏一样，一开始可能会害怕，因为身体不像以前那么灵活了，别人也可能不太重视你。但佛教告诉我们，这其实是个好机会，可以学会不再只想着自己，而是去帮助别人。比如，你可以去社区做志愿者，帮助老人或其他需要帮助的人。这样，你不仅感觉更快乐，还能学到很多智慧。文章说，变老不是结束，而是新的开始，你可以庆祝自己活这么久，积累了这么多经验，就像打游戏通关一样！
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，本文体现了大乘佛教的慈悲与智慧核心。在显宗方面，文章强调通过觉知（如“赤裸觉知”）超越自我，这与禅宗和净土宗的修行相契合，倡导在日常生活中实践放下执着。密宗视角下，衰老可视为转化能量的机会，通过观想和持咒（如准提法）将身体衰退转化为修行资粮。《显密圆通成佛心要集》强调显密圆融，本文的实践建议——如服务他人作为慈悲体现——正符合此集成的精神，将显宗的戒定慧与密宗的即身成佛结合。准提法的优点在于其简便易行，适合中年人在社区服务中持诵，快速积累福德，净化业障，提升觉知力，从而在衰老中实现自我超越。
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，本文内容可应用于解决以下十个问题：1. 自我价值感下降：通过服务他人重建自信。2. 孤独感：参与社区活动建立连接。3. 对衰老的恐惧：以佛教视角看待为冒险。4. 身体疼痛：用觉知练习转化痛苦。5. 社会歧视：以智慧回应年龄偏见。6. 生活无意义感：在助人中找到目标。7. 焦虑未来：专注于当下觉知。8. 自我中心：培养无私服务心态。9. 死亡恐惧：通过修行准备面对。10. 缺乏庆祝：感恩生命积累的智慧。准提法在此可提供具体修行支持，如持咒净化心念，增强慈悲，帮助实践者在服务中保持觉知，快速积累功德，解决上述问题。