在探索极限修改语境的征途中，我们直面生死，追寻着那些被时光掩埋的真相。

In the journey of exploring the limits of modified contexts, we confront life and death, pursuing those truths buried by time.

1. 佛教讲了生脱死，是最彻底的终极关怀。许多年老的人跟我说：「我要到极乐世界去，再也不要来到人间啦！人间的苦难太多太多……」这种实际情况，是绝大多数人的亲身感受，这就关系到要怎样解决生命的去向问题。

1. Buddhism discusses the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, which is the most fundamental ultimate concern. Many elderly people have told me, "I want to go to the Pure Land and never come back to the human world again! There are too many sufferings in the human world..." This kind of actual situation is the personal experience of the vast majority of people, and it is related to how to address the issue of the direction of life.

2. 死亡是所有生命的对立面，但它毕竟是自然规律，是天道，谁也不能避免。

2. Death is the opposite of all life, but it is still a natural law, the way of the heavens, which no one can avoid.

3. 宗教是人类不可缺少的治疗人生疾病的一味良药。我们人都是一群有病的生命体，谁有药来治疗？宗教这一服药在人的生命过程中是绝对不可缺少的。一个没有宗教的社会，就是没有灵魂的社会；一个没有宗教的社会，就是人伦道德没有保障的社会；一个没有宗教的社会，就是人没有最终追求目标的社会。

3. Religion is an indispensable remedy for the diseases of human life. We are all a group of sickly beings, and who will provide the medicine to treat us? This medicine, religion, is absolutely indispensable in the process of human life. A society without religion is a society without soul; a society without religion is a society where ethical and moral values are not guaranteed; a society without religion is a society where people have no ultimate pursuit.

4. 既然死亡是一个必然会降临的节日，那我们就思考怎么活的问题。不要让一些不值得的人和事消耗自己，不要为不值得的东西自找痛苦。做自己想做的事，活出想要的精彩，让可以掌控的日子翩翩起舞，就够了。

4. Since death is an inevitable festival that will inevitably arrive, let's ponder how to live. Do not let yourself be consumed by people and things that are not worth it, and do not seek pain for things that are not worth it. Do what you want to do, live out the wonderful life you desire, let the days you can control dance gracefully, and that is enough.

5. 把孔子和鲁迅的态度归结起来，就是活着就要追求幸福和价值，死了拉倒。

5. Summarizing the attitudes of Confucius and Lu Xun, it is that one should pursue happiness and value while living, and it's no big deal when one dies.

6. 埋在泥土里的人，尸体已经腐烂，骨肉千疮百孔，而我虽然苟且于人世但已经步入老迈之年，死神的镰刀已经逼到自己的喉咙。

6. The person buried in the soil, whose body has rotted away, with bones and flesh riddled with holes, while I, though barely surviving in this world, have already entered my old age, and the scythe of death is hovering over my throat.

7. 所谓分段生死，是指我等凡夫在轮回六道当中，由于自己的有漏善恶因果不同，由烦恼所感招，最后所得的果报，就是我们的身体寿量各不相同，各有分段，各有界限，这就叫分段生死。

7. The concept of segmented life and death refers to the fact that among us ordinary beings, due to the varying causes and effects of our own defiled good and evil karma, and influenced by烦恼 (distress), the final retribution we receive is that our bodies have different lifespans, different segments, and different boundaries. This is what is called segmented life and death.

8. 看过全球最通透的话：

8. Seen the most transparent words in the world:

9. 一般人在讨论生死问题的时候，总是截然地把生和死放在一个固定的时间点上，认为从娘肚子里出生那一刻是生，临终咽气那一刻才是死。这种看法是有片面性的。生和死实际上贯穿在生活的每一念当中，所谓「念念生死」。没有生活中每一念的生死，也就不会有阶段性的生死。如果仅仅把生死看做是生的一刻、死的一刻，就没有因果的相续。生死是因果念念相续的过程，佛教在处理生活问题、生死问题时，把它们摆在一个点上做统一的思考、统一的处理。这一个点就是历代祖师所说的--当下一念。当下一念，既有生活问题，也有生死问题，把当下这一念处理好了，生活问题解决了，生死问题也解决了。

9. When most people discuss the issues of life and death, they always starkly place birth and death at a fixed point in time, considering the moment of birth from the mother's womb as life and the moment of death when one's breath is last drawn as the moment of death. This perspective is one-sided. In reality, life and death permeate every thought in life, what is referred to as "each thought being a birth and a death." Without the constant life and death in every moment of life, there would be no阶段性 life and death. If one only views life and death as the moment of birth and the moment of death, there would be no continuity of cause and effect. Life and death are a process of continuous cause and effect, with Buddhism viewing and handling life and death issues by placing them at a unified point for unified thought and action. This point is what the ancestors have spoken of as the "present thought." The present thought encompasses both life and death issues; by properly dealing with this present thought, both life and death issues are resolved.

10. 人都有最终追求的目标。基督教鼓励人们要去见上帝。说上帝是人类的主宰，见到上帝，人生才有价值，生命才不会死亡，才能获得永生。佛教说人人都有佛性，人人都可成佛。人人都可以成佛，就不必去见上帝，不用舍近求远，而且人人都可成佛是当下就能体验的。道教是叫成仙，成仙就天人合一，长生不老。所以，宗教对于人类来讲，不管你有没有这个终极的需求，宗教的意识没有一个人没有。

10. Everyone has a final goal to pursue. Christianity encourages people to seek the presence of God. It says that God is the master of humanity, and seeing God gives life value, prevents death, and allows for eternal life. Buddhism teaches that everyone possesses the Buddha nature and can become a Buddha. Since everyone can become a Buddha, there is no need to seek God, no need to seek distant things over nearby ones, and the experience of becoming a Buddha is available in the present. Taoism speaks of becoming an immortal, which is the unity of heaven and man, and eternal youth. Therefore, for humanity, whether you have this ultimate need or not, the consciousness of religion is something that no one lacks.

11. 对凡夫来说，生死是无始无终的；对圣人来说，生死是无始有终的，那就是所谓的了生死，生死大事了毕了。圣者的生命和凡夫的生命有两种生死：一种叫分段生死，一种叫变易生死。

11. To an ordinary person, life and death are endless without beginning or end; to a sage, life and death are endless without beginning but have an end, which is what is referred to as the realization of the end of life and death, the great matter of life and death being resolved. There are two kinds of life and death in the life of a sage and that of an ordinary person: one is called segmented life and death, and the other is called changing life and death.

12. 不以烦恼为烦恼，并不是一件简单的事。古来有位祖师，皇帝叫他到京城去，他总是说有病不去。皇帝第三次派来的人对老和尚说：「你老人家可要识抬举呀，皇帝三次召你都不去，你知道后果是什么？你人不去，就要把你的头拿去见皇帝。」祖师说：「那很好。」马上说了一首偈子：「四大原无我，五蕴本来空。将头临白刃，犹如斩春风。」在这位祖师看来，杀头好像刀子割风。风是不知道痛，也不知道痒的。祖师已经把自己的生死置于度外，这就是将烦恼转化了，将生死转化了。烦恼成了菩提，生死就成了涅槃。

12. Not taking烦恼 as a burden is not an easy thing. There was an ancient patriarch who, when the emperor summoned him to the capital, always claimed to be sick and refused to go. On the third occasion, when the emperor sent someone to invite the old monk, he said to the old monk, "You old man, you should know how to value an opportunity. The emperor has summoned you three times and you haven't gone. Do you know what the consequences are? If you don't go, your head will have to be presented to the emperor." The patriarch replied, "That's fine." He then recited a verse: "The four great elements have no self, the five aggregates are originally empty. To place one's head before the blade is like cutting the spring breeze." In the eyes of this patriarch, being executed was like cutting through the wind with a knife. The wind feels neither pain nor itching. The patriarch had already put his own life and death beyond concern, which is to say he had transformed his烦恼 into enlightenment, and his life and death into Nirvana.

13. 我们这个生命，就像一块沾满油腻的布。要把布上的油腻洗掉，那就得找到方法。现实中的布，可用清洁剂、洗涤灵、肥皂粉去污。生命中的油腻是什么？一个叫烦恼障，一个叫所知障。障，就像墙壁一样，阻挡人前进的道路，所以叫做障。所谓烦恼障，就是天天有烦恼在障碍着我们。烦恼这一道墙壁将我们的生命隔成为两个部分：一是污染的部分，一是清净的部分。

13. Our life is like a cloth stained with grease. To wash off the grease from the cloth, we need to find a method. In the real world, we can use detergents, washing powders, and soaps to remove stains. What is the grease in life? There is one called the "obstacle of烦恼," and another called the "obstacle of所知." Obstacles, like walls, block the path of progress, hence the name "obstacle." The "obstacle of烦恼" refers to the daily烦恼 that hinders us. This wall of烦恼 divides our life into two parts: one part is polluted, and the other part is pure.

14. 活着的事情都弄不明白，哪有精力去管死亡的事情。

14. If you can't understand the matters of living, how can you have the energy to concern yourself with matters of death.

15. 所谓四大不调，就是其中某一大能量偏多或者不足。年轻人往往是火风二大超过地水二大，年老的人往往是地水二大超过火风二大。火风二大向上，是浮动的，地水二大向下，是沉重的。只有四大的上下升沉处于一种非常协调的状态，才是身体健康的人。身体健康的人，就是四大调和的人。所以每天要喝适量的水，要有充足的休息，要呼吸新鲜空气，衣服不能穿多了，也不能穿少了，饭不能吃多了，也不能吃少了。人体就像是一部机器，经常要补充原料，进饮食就是补充原料。原料的补充及时、适当，身体就健康；原料的补充不及时、不协调、不适当，就有可能生病。

15. The so-called "four imbalances" refer to a situation where one of the four elements has an excessive or insufficient amount of energy. Young people often have an excess of the fire and wind elements over the earth and water elements, while older individuals tend to have an excess of the earth and water elements over the fire and wind elements. The fire and wind elements are upward and floating, while the earth and water elements are downward and heavy. Only when the rise and fall of the four elements are in a highly coordinated state is a person's health considered to be good. A person with good health is one whose four elements are balanced. Therefore, it is necessary to drink an appropriate amount of water every day, to have sufficient rest, to breathe fresh air, not to wear too many or too few clothes, and not to eat too much or too little. The human body is like a machine that needs to constantly replenish its materials, and food and drink are the sources of these materials. If the replenishment of materials is timely, appropriate, and coordinated, the body remains healthy. However, if the replenishment is not timely, not coordinated, or not appropriate, illness may occur.

16. 世俗的文化怎么帮助我们了生脱死呢？人活着的时候，要生活得美满一点：有房子住，有钱花，病了有医疗保障，这就可以了生。了生在这里的意思就是了却此生，安度晚年。提供物质上的保障，使生活无所匮乏，精神上能够开朗，能够少一些烦恼，少一些忧虑。死了以后，所谓慎终追远，搞个告别仪式，送几个花圈，然后把骨灰放到公墓里供起来，这也是终极关怀的表现。这是世俗层面的了生脱死。

16. How does secular culture help us with the concepts of life and death? When a person is alive, they should live a more fulfilling life: have a house to live in, money to spend, and medical care when sick. This is considered as achieving a good life. "Achieving life" here means coming to the end of one's life and enjoying a peaceful old age. Providing material security to ensure that life is not lacking in any way, and being able to maintain a cheerful spirit, with fewer worries and anxieties. After death, the so-called "being careful in the end and looking back to the past," organizing a farewell ceremony, sending off a few wreaths, and then placing the ashes in a cemetery to be venerated, this also shows the ultimate concern for life and death. This is the secular aspect of achieving life and transcending death.

17. 不要去考虑死后的事情，顺其自然，才是符合天道的智慧。

17. Do not concern yourself with matters after death; going with the flow is the wisdom that conforms to the Way of Heaven.

18. 生命最深的恐惧就是死亡。

18. The deepest fear in life is death.

19. 佛家的终极关怀，是从生命的当下做起，不是等到生命要结束的时候再来做。所以，既然知道有了生脱死这件事，就要心心念念地莫忘此事。怎样才能做到莫忘此事呢？要随时随地提起正念，随时随地地提起觉照，随时随地断恶修善，随时随地地觉悟人生，奉献人生，善用其心，善待一切。如果这种善心善念连续不断地占据心灵的空间，一旦死亡到来，我们就能够从容面对，生死一如。

19. The ultimate concern of Buddhism is to start from the present moment of life, not to wait until the end of life to act. Therefore, since we know about the transition from life to death, we should always keep this in mind. How can we keep this in mind? We need to cultivate mindfulness at all times and in all places, to maintain awareness at all times and in all places, to eliminate evil and cultivate goodness at all times and in all places, to awaken to the meaning of life at all times and in all places, to dedicate our lives, to use our hearts well, and to treat everything kindly. If this kind of good will and good thought continuously occupies the space in our hearts, when death comes, we will be able to face it calmly, treating life and death as one.

20. 我们要怎么对待死亡呢？

20. How should we treat death?

21. 要想把这个方案落实好，那还是要在了生当中去落实。生得不好，死也死不好。只有生得好，才能死得好。生的时候要了生。怎么了呢？生意味着烦恼，意味着种种的痛苦，意味着种种的责任和义务，意味着种种的追求和目标。怎样面对这一切呢？一切应该尽的责任和义务要尽到，那就是了生。一些不应有的追求和想法，都要决然放弃，那也是了生。这两个方面加到一起，就是我们平常所说的「断恶修善」。断恶修善，是了生的最佳选择。不知断恶，不知修善，不可能了生。不知断恶，不知修善，也不可能脱死。因为不能了生，就不能脱死。

21. To properly implement this plan, it must be carried out in life. Living poorly means dying poorly as well. Only by living well can one die well. One must face life head-on. What is the issue? Life means烦恼 (annoyance), it means various kinds of suffering, it means various responsibilities and obligations, it means various pursuits and goals. How to face all this? One must fulfill all the responsibilities and obligations one should have, that is facing life. All pursuits and ideas that are not needed should be resolutely abandoned, that too is facing life. These two aspects combined are what we commonly call 「断恶修善」(cutting off evil and cultivating goodness). Cutting off evil and cultivating goodness is the best choice for facing life. If one does not know how to cut off evil, or does not know how to cultivate goodness, one cannot face life. Similarly, if one does not know how to cut off evil or does not know how to cultivate goodness, one cannot escape death. Because if one cannot face life, one cannot escape death.

22. 孔子的态度是：未知生，焉知死！

22. Confucius' attitude is: If one does not know life, how can one know death!

23. 死亡之后会怎么样，那是宇宙的神秘法则，天道的不言之谜，我们不应该武断地做出任何评论。

23. What happens after death is a mystery of the universe, a silent enigma of the Tao, and we should not make any arbitrary comments on it.

24. 阿罗汉、大力菩萨，由于以无漏业为因、愿力为缘，所感招的界外生死也各不相同。界外之身叫意生身，意生身没有身体的形质，只有生命的活动。意生身是由于意念而产生的身体，变化无穷，可以变大可以变小。这是从身形来说。从寿命来说，则可长可短。一切根据愿力而定。由此所感得的身体叫变易身，这种身体的寿命有时候有，有时候没有，随因缘而定，这就叫变易生死。这是界外圣人根据自己的愿力和众生的因缘而有的一种生死。从凡夫的立场来说，我们现在所感招的生死是分段生死，我们要解决问题的就是分段生死。

24. The Arhats and Great Bodhisattvas, due to the influence of unexcelled meritorious actions as the cause and vows as the condition, the transcendent rebirth they attract is also different. The body in transcendent existence is called a "vijnapti-body," which has no physical form, only the activity of life. The vijnapti-body is a body produced by thought, it is ever-changing, can become larger or smaller. This is from the perspective of physical form. From the perspective of lifespan, it can be long or short. Everything is determined by one's vows. The body thus perceived is called the "changing body," and the lifespan of this body may or may not exist, depending on causes and conditions, which is referred to as "changing rebirth." This is a kind of rebirth that transcendent sages have based on their own vows and the causes and conditions of sentient beings. From the standpoint of ordinary beings, the rebirth we now attract is "segmented rebirth," and the problem we need to solve is the segmented rebirth.

25. 君埋泉下泥销骨，我寄人间雪满头。

25. You are buried in the spring under the earth, your bones are consumed by the mud; I am left on earth, snow covering my head.

26. 人生的价值，体现在人的整个生命活动当中。人从生到死都应该受到关爱、关怀、重视与保护，即有所谓维护生存的权利。当人的生命将要结束之际，已经走到人生的终点站了，面对这样一个问题，他人有必要给予关爱。因为人来到社会、来到人世间，承受了种种苦难，为自己、为他人做出了种种贡献，都希望在临命终时有所安慰、有所关怀、有所帮助，解除生命垂危之际的种种困苦。我们要给他一个帮助，给他一个指引，给他一个提示，让他能够得生善处。一般的终极关怀到此为止。

26. The value of life is reflected in a person's entire life activities. From birth to death, people should be loved, cared for, valued, and protected, which is what is called the right to survival. When a person's life is approaching its end, when they have reached the final station of life, in the face of such a problem, others are obligated to show concern. Because people come to society and to the world, they bear various hardships, make various contributions to themselves and others, and all hope to find comfort, care, and help at the time of their death, to alleviate the various sufferings when life is at its last stage. We should offer them assistance, guidance, and advice, allowing them to live well. General ultimate care ends here.

27. 死后到底有没有灵魂，一个人的精神主体能不能脱离肉体独立存在，是人死如灯灭，还是灵魂永生不朽？

27. Whether there is a soul after death, whether a person's spiritual entity can exist independently of the body, and whether it is the end of life like a lamp extinguishing or the soul is eternal and imperishable, are questions that have puzzled humanity.

28. 施一公教授说，每时每刻都会有成吨的暗物质暗能量穿过我们的身体，但我们无法感知到它们的存在。

28. Professor Shi Yigong said, "At every moment, tons of dark matter and dark energy pass through our bodies, but we cannot perceive their existence."

29. 鲁迅先生的态度是：认真活，随便死。

29. Mr. Lu Xun's attitude is: live seriously, die casually.

30. 学禅的目的，一般来讲，就是了生脱死。了生，就是在人生旅程之中怎样活得更好；脱死，就是在走完人生旅程之后，怎样死得更好。人要想生存得好，就要了生，想要死得洒脱，就要脱死。脱死不是不死，脱死是在了生的基础上，死得潇潇洒洒、自在安乐。许多禅师临命终时，预知时至，来去自由，就是了生脱死的典范。

30. The purpose of practicing Chan Buddhism, generally speaking, is to transcend birth and death. "To transcend birth" means to live a better life in the journey of life; "to transcend death" means to die a better death after completing the journey of life. To live well, one needs to transcend birth; to die freely and comfortably, one needs to transcend death. Transcending death is not to become immortal; it is to die carefree and at ease on the basis of having transcended birth. Many Chan masters, as they approach the end of their lives, know the time of their death in advance, have the freedom to come and go, and serve as exemplars of transcending birth and death.

31. 我们面对的这个世界千头万绪，我们面对自己的心灵也是千头万绪。种种的问题概括起来，就是一个生死问题、一个生活问题；或者说，一个迷的问题、一个觉的问题。这两个问题的存在和表现不受时空的限制，不受一切条件的限制。迷就是有烦恼。然而，烦恼也可以让步，那就是在觉者面前。觉者能够把烦恼转化为菩提，转生死为涅槃。这一点，在佛典上，有时叫做「灭除烦恼」、「断烦恼」。断也好，灭也好，实际上都是转化。觉者不以烦恼为烦恼，就是断了烦恼。

31. The world we face is complex and intricate, and so is the inner world we confront. Summing up all the issues, they boil down to a matter of life and death, and a matter of living; or, to put it another way, a problem of confusion, a problem of enlightenment. The existence and manifestation of these two problems are not restricted by time and space, nor by any conditions. Confusion is synonymous with烦恼 (annoyance or trouble). However,烦恼 can be overcome, and this happens in the presence of an enlightened being. An enlightened being can transform烦恼 into wisdom, turning life and death into Nirvana. This point is sometimes referred to in Buddhist scriptures as "extinguishing烦恼" or "cutting off烦恼." Whether it is cutting off or extinguishing, in fact, it is all about transformation. An enlightened being does not regard烦恼 as烦恼; this is the cutting off of烦恼.

32. 读过《金刚经》的人知道，佛陀在因地的时候，被歌利王割截身体，节节肢解，他在那个时候没有嗔恨心，更没有烦恼，他彻底地了了生死。在什么地方了生死呢？就是在生活中了生死。将刀子来割他的头，那就是他面对的生活，然而，他不起烦恼，不动念头。学禅的人就没有烦恼吗？烦恼是不择手段的，也是不论什么情况的。关键是看学禅的人以一种什么样的心态来面对，以什么样的方法来处理。你处理得好，烦恼就是菩提；处理得不好，烦恼就成了生死。

32. Those who have read the "Diamond Sutra" know that when the Buddha was in the stage of cultivation, he was dismembered by King Goli, his body cut into pieces, yet at that time he had no resentment or烦恼, he completely understood the nature of birth and death. Where did he understand birth and death? It was in his everyday life. When the knife came to cut off his head, that was the life he was facing, yet he did not feel any烦恼 or move a single thought. Do those who practice Zen have no烦恼?烦恼 is relentless and it does not discriminate against any situation. The key is to see how the practitioner of Zen faces it with what kind of attitude and what kind of approach. If you handle it well,烦恼 becomes wisdom; if not,烦恼 turns into birth and death.

33. 生从何来，死归何处，这就是一个生死问题。一般的哲学、宗教把它叫做终极问题。对于这个问题所进行探讨、关注，叫终极关怀。

33. Where does life come from, and where does death lead? This is a question of life and death. In general philosophy and religion, it is called the ultimate question. The exploration and concern for this question is known as ultimate care.

34. 这一道烦恼的墙壁阻碍了我们通向解脱的道路，我们天天用锄头来挖、用手来推、用水来洗、用水来冲，就是要把这一道烦恼的墙壁去掉。不管烦恼的墙壁多么坚实，就用「愚公移山」的精神，天天孜孜不倦地做功夫，专心致志地做一个功夫，守一不移。

34. This troubled wall obstructs our path to liberation. Every day, we dig with hoes, push with our hands, wash with water, and flush with water, all in an effort to remove this troubled wall. No matter how solid the troubled wall is, with the spirit of Yu Gong Moving Mountains, we diligently and tirelessly work day by day, focusing our minds on a single task, steadfast and unyielding.

35. 生死是人生的一件大事。每一个宗教要解决的问题都是这个问题，一切哲学要解决的问题都是这个问题。世俗的学问也是从精神和物质两方面来解决人的终极关怀，解决人的生死大事。

35. Life and death are a major event in human life. The issue that every religion seeks to address is this, and the issue that all philosophies strive to solve is also this. Secular scholarship also addresses the ultimate concern of humans from both spiritual and material aspects, solving the major issue of human life and death.

36. 这个能量是什么？是热量。热量帮助体内的风大，把息或者气从气海里顶出来；然后又通过内在风大的力量，把外在的空气吸进去。吸进去呼出来，吸进去呼出来，都是因为内外四大的能量密切配合，才能够呼吸畅通。一般情况下，除真空的环境外，外在的能量不会断绝，存在于宇宙空间，随时都有。我们内部四大的能量，是有限的。内部四大不调，才会引起呼吸的不畅通。

36. What is this energy? It is heat. Heat helps the wind within the body to become strong, pushing out the chi or breath from the Qi Sea; then, through the power of the internal wind, it draws in the external air. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale—this is all because of the close coordination of the energies of the four natures within and without, which allows for smooth breathing. Generally speaking, except in a vacuum environment, external energy does not cease, existing in the cosmic space and always available. Our internal energies of the four natures are limited. Disruption in the balance of the internal four natures is what causes difficulty in breathing.

37. 许多学医的人掌握有很多关于调养身体的科学理论。特别是那些老中医，一般身体都很健康。因为他懂得怎样调理自己的身体，使身体四大调和。如果归纳四大成一个字，那就是色。精神现象虽然也是多种多样，归纳起来也是一个字，那就是心。我们的生命，就是色心二法的组合。怎样才能使色心二法处于一个调谐的状态，这就是修行所要解决的问题，也是医生所要解决的问题。医生的责任是帮助我们身体健康舒服；宗教的责任是帮助我们在身体健康舒服的前提下，如何更加有觉悟，更加安详自在。

37. Many people studying medicine have a wealth of scientific theories about body cultivation. Especially the old Chinese doctors, who are generally very healthy. This is because they know how to regulate their own bodies to achieve the harmony of the four treasures. If we summarize the four treasures into one character, it would be "color." Although spiritual phenomena are also diverse, when summarized, they can also be represented by one character, that is "mind." Our life is a combination of the "color" and "mind" methods. How to maintain a harmonious state between these two methods is the problem that spiritual cultivation and doctors aim to solve. The responsibility of doctors is to help us maintain a healthy and comfortable body; the responsibility of religion is to help us, on the premise of a healthy and comfortable body, to become more aware and more tranquil and free.

38. 人类的智慧无法回答这个问题。我们对宇宙了解实在微乎其微。牛顿和爱因斯坦都相信上帝的存在，大物理学家杨振宁在一次节目中说：如果没有上帝，宇宙的秩序怎么会如此有条不紊，毫无漏洞？

38. The wisdom of humans is unable to answer this question. Our understanding of the universe is truly minuscule. Both Newton and Einstein believed in the existence of God. The great physicist Yang Zhenning once said in a program: If there is no God, how could the order of the universe be so well-organized and without any flaws?

39. 要解决生死问题、生活问题，用什么方法最好呢？那就是时时觉照、念念觉照。只有很好地去体会，才能做到「在生活中修行，在修行中生活」，「在生活中了生死，在了生死中生活」。

39. What is the best method to solve the problems of life and death? It is to be constantly mindful and to be aware of each thought. Only by deeply understanding can one achieve "practicing in life and living in practice," "realizing life and death in life, and living in the realization of life and death."

40. 怎样把生命中的烦恼慢慢淡化、让它一天一天地减少呢？怎样把这道墙壁推倒？那就要用方法。推倒了烦恼的墙壁，淡化了所知的障碍，就能显示本有的光明，那就是真如佛性，或者说法身慧命，或者说本来面目。

40. How can we gradually fade away the troubles in life, letting them decrease day by day? How can we knock down this wall? It requires the use of methods. Once the wall of troubles is knocked down and the known obstacles are faded away, the inherent brightness can be revealed, which is the true Buddha nature, or the body of wisdom, or the original face.

41. 佛陀主要讲了两个问题：一个是生活，一个是生死。简单地来说，生活问题，如果不包括精神生活的话，主要靠物质来解决；而生死问题要靠精神来解决。有时候，佛教是把这两个问题糅合在一起，放在同一个位置、同一个点上来思考和处理的。

41. The Buddha mainly discussed two issues: one is life, and the other is life and death. Simply put, life issues, excluding spiritual life, are primarily solved by material means; while the issue of life and death requires spiritual resolution. Sometimes, Buddhism combines these two issues, placing them for consideration and treatment at the same position and point.

42. 关怀什么叫做终极关怀？佛教把它叫做「了生脱死」，叫做「解脱涅槃」，现在的名词是叫「终极关怀」。人生走到最后一站，走到极限，再没有地方可走了，所以叫「终极」。

42. What is meant by "ultimate care"? Buddhism refers to it as "liberation from birth and death," or "nirvana," and in modern terminology, it is called "ultimate care." When life reaches its final station, its limit, there is no further place to go, hence the term "ultimate."

43. 烦恼在生命的每一念当中，每一念都有生死，烦恼是「念念相续，无有间断」的。所以，修行也同样要「念念相续，无有间断」，而且还要「无有疲厌」，不能有满足感。学禅的人，无论是年老的，还是年轻的，无论是出家众，还是在家众，一定要把生死问题和生活问题同时来解决。要在生活中解决生死问题，在解决生死问题的同时来生活。这才是我们学禅者的生活。若能如此，一天二十四小时都观照自己，那就是时刻生活在圆满、幸福、安详之中。

43. Trouble is present in every single thought in life, and every thought involves life and death. Troubles are 'continuous thoughts without any interruption.' Therefore, the practice should also be 'continuous thoughts without any interruption,' and even more so, 'without any fatigue or weariness,' and cannot have a sense of fulfillment. Those who study Zen, whether they are old or young, whether they are monks or laypeople, must address the issues of life and death simultaneously. They should resolve the problem of life and death while living, and live while resolving the problem of life and death. This is the life of Zen practitioners. If one can do so, they will be able to observe themselves for 24 hours a day, living in a state of wholeness, happiness, and tranquility at all times.

44. 人是拥有理性和智慧的生物，但死亡向自己赶来的时候，仍然难以接受。我们害怕肉体的消失，精神的沉寂，害怕焚尸炉里面的熊熊烈火，以及泥土底下亘古不变的黑暗潮湿。

44. Humans are beings with reason and intelligence, but it is still hard to accept when death comes upon us. We fear the disappearance of the flesh, the silence of the spirit, the raging flames in the crematorium, and the eternal dark and dampness beneath the earth.

45. 牛在知道自己被宰杀的时候，觳觫不安，泪流不止。猪被按在宰杀板上的时候，拼命挣扎，歇斯底里。

45. When cows know that they are to be slaughtered, they tremble with anxiety and shed tears ceaselessly. When pigs are pressed onto the slaughtering board, they struggle frantically, going into a frenzy.

46. 对于这两个问题，分析的时候，作两点来分析是可以的；解决的时候，就不能分成两次来解决了。解决生死问题，就是解决生活问题，解决生活问题，就是解决生死问题。为什么呢？因为众生或者人类的一切活动，就是生活，就是身口意三业的活动，它既包括生活问题，也包括生死问题。生死问题就存在于生活之中。

46. For these two issues, it is acceptable to analyze them into two points when conducting the analysis; however, they cannot be resolved in two separate steps. Resolving the issue of life and death is the same as resolving life issues, and resolving life issues is the same as resolving the issue of life and death. Why is that? Because all activities of sentient beings or humans are life, which is the activity of the three bodies—body, speech, and mind. It includes both life issues and life and death issues. The issue of life and death is inherent within life itself.

47. 活着的时候，认真过好每一天，不辜负每一刻的生命。如果死亡降临，就坦然接受，不惊不惧，听天由命。

47. While living, take each day seriously and do not waste any moment of life. If death comes, accept it calmly without fear or panic, leaving it to fate.

48. 生活禅帮助我们如何对待人生的终点站。人固有一死，这是一切法无常的必然规律，用不着怕。如果有真诚的信仰，坦然面对，死生一如，当下就体会到如来如去，你就真正能够视死如归，就真正能够进入到无住涅槃。我的主张是：无论在临死的时候，还是现在活着的时候，都要做到「安住当下，一念不生，从容面对，死生一如」。时时刻刻安住在这样一种现法涅槃之中，才是真正地了生脱死，才是禅宗或生活禅所提供的终极关怀的方案。

48. Zen helps us understand how to treat the end station of life. Death is inevitable and a natural law of the impermanence of all things, so there is no need to fear it. If there is sincere faith, one can face it calmly, treating life and death as one, and thus immediately experience the coming and going of the Buddha. Then you can truly view death as a return home, and truly enter into the state of Nirvana without abiding. My proposition is: whether at the moment of death or when alive now, one should strive to 'remain rooted in the present, without any arising thought, face death and life with composure, treating them as one'. To be constantly rooted in this kind of Dharma Nirvana is to truly transcend life and death, and this is the ultimate care provided by the Zen school or the Zen of daily life.

49. “有一天，我突然想明白了一件事，我们都会死的。也许是10年后，也许是20年后，也许是50年后，谁知道呢？有一天我会死的，这个世界上会没有我任何存在过的痕迹。

49. "One day, I suddenly realized something, that we are all going to die. It could be in 10 years, 20 years, or 50 years, who knows? One day, I will die, and there will be no trace of my existence on this planet."

50. 从佛教的角度讲，人死，并不是生命的极限，仅仅是这一期生命的终点站，但不是绝对意义上的终点，还有一个地方去。此生的结束，意味着下一期生命的开始。佛教的终极关怀，就是帮助人们处理好人生这一期生命旅程终结时的有关事情。从佛教终极关怀的最高要求来讲，要达到无住涅槃。

50. From the perspective of Buddhism, death is not the ultimate limit of life, but merely the end of this life cycle, not an absolute end, as there is still a place to go. The end of this life signifies the beginning of the next life cycle. The ultimate concern of Buddhism is to help people handle the affairs related to the end of this life journey. In terms of the highest requirement of Buddhist ultimate concern, it is to achieve the state of "Nirvana without abiding," where one attains liberation without any attachment.

51. 终极关怀这件事，是人生的一件大事。古往今来，英雄好汉也好，凡失俗子也好，一切圣贤也好，都逃脱不了这件事。只是说，圣贤是在觉悟中结束了这一期生命，他安乐自在，或者进入了无余涅槃，或者进入了无住涅槃。小乘圣人是进入无余涅槃，从此以后不受后有，再也不转世投胎了。没有留下一点点再要转世投胎的习气，完全进入到清凉自在的状态。大乘菩萨是进入到无住涅槃。无住涅槃者，就是既不住生死，也不住涅槃。无住涅槃要具备两点：有大智慧不住生死，有大慈悲不住涅槃。因为有慈悲心，所以不住在涅槃的境界当中，而且还要留一点点习气，好转世投胎行菩萨道。

51. Ultimate care is a major event in one's life. Throughout history, whether it be heroes and heroes, ordinary people, or all the sages, none can escape this matter. However, it is said that sages end this life cycle in enlightenment, enjoying peace and freedom, or entering into the state of Nirvana without remainder, or entering into the state of Nirvana without abiding. The Arhat of the Lesser Vehicle enters into Nirvana without remainder, from then on no longer subject to rebirth, never to be reborn again. They leave not a trace of any desire for rebirth, completely entering into a state of coolness and freedom. The Bodhisattva of the Great Vehicle enters into Nirvana without abiding. Nirvana without abiding means neither abiding in the cycle of birth and death nor abiding in Nirvana. Nirvana without abiding requires two qualities: great wisdom that does not abide in the cycle of birth and death, and great compassion that does not abide in Nirvana. Because of compassion, one does not stay in the realm of Nirvana, and yet retains a bit of habit, ready to be reborn to cultivate the path of a Bodhisattva.

52. 在生活中了生死，这一法门就是「生活禅」。修生活禅，就是要在生活当中体会禅悦。这不是一件容易的事。但是，如果真正实行起来，这是最有味道的、最活的法门，时时刻刻、在在处处都用得上。

52. To experience life and death in life, this gate is called "Zen in Daily Life." Practicing Zen in Daily Life means to experience the joy of Zen in everyday life. This is not an easy task. However, if it is truly practiced, it is the most flavorful and liveliest method, which can be used at all times and in all places.

53. ​那一刻我顿悟了：什么面子，什么人情世故，什么压力，全不重要了。人生何其短，你要尽其欢，人这一辈子，拼尽全力后的人生，无非有两种结果：见效了，见笑了。”

53. At that moment, I suddenly realized: What's face, what's social etiquette, what's pressure, none of it matters anymore. Life is so short; you should enjoy it to the fullest. In one's lifetime, after giving one's all, there are only two possible outcomes: success, or laughter.

54. 说到这里，就感觉到日常修行、日常功课、日常警惕和觉悟的重要了。一定要认识到，了生脱死是当下的事情，是当下一念的事情。人命在呼吸间。所谓呼吸者，就是出入息。一口气出去了，再不回来，那就叫断了气，那就叫死了。这口气出去了，再不能回来了；或者回来了，再也出不来了。为什么呢？内在的能量消耗完了。

54. Here, the importance of daily cultivation, daily duties, daily vigilance, and enlightenment becomes apparent. It is crucial to understand that transcending birth and death is a matter of the present moment, a matter of a single thought at this moment. Human life is between breaths. The term 'breath' refers to the in and out of breath. When a breath goes out and does not return, that is called 'exhaustion of breath,' which is called death. Once this breath goes out, it cannot return; or if it returns, it can no longer go out. Why? Because the inner energy has been depleted.

55. 人类为了抗拒死亡做出过很多努力，但都徒劳无功。

55. Humans have made many efforts to resist death, but all have been in vain.

56. 禅堂通道的墙壁上，贴著六个字--专注、清明、绵密。这六个字就是守一，清明就是觉照，绵密就是专注与觉照的不间断。也就是说，要做推倒烦恼障的工作，需要不断地加大力度，不要间断。一间断了，烦恼就会死灰复燃。

56. On the walls of the passage leading to the meditation hall, there are six characters: Concentration, Clarity, and Intensity. These six characters embody the concept of "Guarding the One." Clarity refers to Awareness, and Intensity signifies the uninterrupted focus and awareness. In other words, to work on overcoming the obstacle of烦恼 (troubles or disturbances), one must continuously increase effort without interruption. If one's effort is halted, the烦恼 will reignite like dead ashes.

57. 学修生活禅，怎样善待死亡呢？按四祖道信的说法，临命终时，要一念不生，安住当下，坦然面对，死生一如。这就是禅宗的方案。死和生没有什么两样。死就是生，生就是死。生如来，死如去。即是如来如去，那就是死生一如。

57. How to treat death kindly in the practice of the Zen of study and living? According to the words of the Fourth Ancestor Daoxin, at the time of death, one should not arise a single thought, abide in the present, face it calmly, and view death and life as one. This is the solution of Zen Buddhism. There is no difference between death and life. Death is life, and life is death. Birth is like the coming of the Buddha, and death is like the going. That is, just like the Buddha comes and goes, that is to say, death and life are the same.

58. 修习生活禅，怎么样来面对死亡呢？死亡是人生不能避免的一件事，而且是一生之中随时可能发生的一件事。比如说过河的人乘坐竹排，如果竹排翻了，不会水的人掉到水里就起不来了，就有死亡的可能性。比如说乘车走山路，曲里拐弯，万一出一点事，也有全车覆没的可能。死神就是这样，随时等待人们前去报到。死亡这件事，仔细地想非常恐怖，死亡与我们生命的距离很近很近，就在咫尺之间。所谓「善用其心，善待一切」，其中也包括如何善待死亡。

58. How to face death while practicing the Zen of daily life? Death is an inevitable event in life, and it can happen at any time during one's life. For example, people crossing a river by bamboo raft. If the raft capsizes and someone who can't swim falls into the water, they might not be able to survive, and there is a possibility of death. Or, when traveling by car on a mountain road with twists and turns, any minor incident could lead to the whole car being involved in an accident. The grim reaper is like this, always waiting for people to report in. Thinking about death carefully is very terrifying; death is very close to us in terms of our life, just a step away. The saying "use one's heart well, treat everything kindly" also includes how to treat death kindly.

59. 秦皇汉武求仙采药，道教的白日飞升，佛教超脱生死轮回的修行，基督教的天堂地狱。所有的神话、宗教以及民间传说，都给生命结束之后的灵魂提供了一个归宿。但凡此种种，都只是猜测或者想象，无法证实也无法证伪，死亡是人类的禁忌线，所有智慧都无法突破。

59. Qin Huang and Han Wu sought immortality and collected herbs; the Taoist's white-day ascension, the Buddhist practice of transcending the cycle of birth and death, and the Christian heaven and hell. All myths, religions, and folk tales provide a destination for the soul after the end of life. However, all these are mere guesses or imaginations, which cannot be verified or refuted. Death is the forbidden line for humans, and all wisdom cannot break through it.

60. 人的生死问题，就是人的生命从何处来，向何处去。佛教不讲终极问题，只讲生死问题。对于人来说，不管是凡是圣，生死都是前前无始。从什么时候开始有生命，佛不回答这个问题。那么生命的未来又是怎么样的呢？有两种情况：如果轮回六道，那就生死无终；如果超凡入圣，生死就了结了。

60. The issue of human life and death is about where human life comes from and where it goes. Buddhism does not discuss ultimate questions, but only life and death. For humans, whether ordinary or sage, life and death are both without beginning. When did life begin, the Buddha does not answer this question. So, what is the future of life? There are two possibilities: if there is a cycle of six realms, life and death will never end; if one transcends the ordinary and becomes a sage, life and death will come to an end.

61. 生死事大，无常迅速。怎么样把这个问题时时刻刻放在心上，作为人生的一件大事来办，是我们目前的根本任务。

61. Matters of life and death are of great importance, and change is swift and inevitable. How to always keep this issue at the forefront of our minds and treat it as a major matter in life is our fundamental task at the moment.