
Trying times bring out our ability to endure, prevail, and emerge stronger, kinder and wiser. The second Covid wave is a critical challenge for humanity. This is the time to invoke the valor in us, stand together and overcome the crisis once more.
艰难的时刻往往会发掘我们内在坚韧的承受力,让我们变得更坚强,友善和充满智慧。第二波的新冠疫情是考验人性的关键。是时候唤醒我们内在的勇气,团结起来,再次并肩跨越危机。
Various epidemics, wars, pandemics and natural disasters have challenged the human race before and they keep coming, testing our ability to survive. There was the 1897 plague that took many lives. The Kalinga war which left many people dead, transformed Ashoka’s life and made him turn towards ahimsa. Similarly, when the Buddha encountered an old person and a dead body, many questions about the truth of life arose in his mind. Spiritual contemplation increases inner power. When we see death all around, our mind is forced to rise above the small worries that keep it occupied every day. It draws our attention to the truth of life.
各种流行病、战争、大流行病和自然灾害的发生曾经是人类的一大挑战。它们将一再发生,不断考验人们的生存能力。1897年的一场瘟疫夺走了无数生命。羯陵伽战争造成许多人死亡,却同时让阿育王的生命蜕变,转变成非暴力的君主。同样的,当佛陀看见一个老人和亡者时,他开始对生命的实相产生困惑。对灵性的反思可以提升一个人内在的力量。在死亡面前,心智超越了所有在日常生活里困扰我们的琐事。这让我们开始关注生命的实相。
And what is the truth of life? There is something inside us that never changes, which never disappears, which never perishes. It is eternal. We need to pay attention to that element. When we do that, we will get the strength to handle the problem that we are seeing all around.
那到底生命的实相是什么? 在我们内心深处,一个恒久不变的部分,不会消失,不会腐朽。它是永恒。我们需要关注这个元素。这么做让我们拥有处理周遭问题的力量。
Otherwise, when the mind is broken, the heart is broken from within, then the person is unable to do anything. Inner strength can be attained through meditation, knowledge and knowing the truth of life. A strong mind can carry a weak body. But a weak mind may not be able to carry even a strong body.
反之,当心智是破碎的,心灵深处是破碎的,一个人是无力处理任何事情的。透过静坐,知识和理解生命的实想,我们得以汲取内在的力量。强大的心智可以支撑脆弱的身体,强大的身体却无力负荷脆弱的心智。
The escalating global health crisis has once again reinforced the urgent need for equipping our inner self-defence mechanisms. We need to make sure we are getting sufficient sleep, some exercise, and we are meditating. Stress, panic and anxiety are known to weaken the immune system. Making asanas, pranayam and meditation an integral part of daily life can change not just one’s physical chemistry, but also calm the mind and make it resilient and centred.
不断升级的全球健康危机再次提醒大家加强自身防御系统的迫切性。我们要确保获得充足睡眠,适量的运动和静心。压力,恐慌和焦虑会削弱人们的免疫系统。让体位法,调息法和静心成为日常生活里不可缺少的部分。这不仅能改善体质,也能让让心智保持平静,弹性和稳定。
We need to pay attention to people’s mental health too. They have to be assured that they are not without help. They are often unable to express if they are feeling low or anxious and they plummet into depression and aggression. We need to help raise their prana level.
我们也需关注他人的心灵健康,让这些人认知到自己不是无助的。当他们感觉低落或焦虑,陷入忧郁或躁郁时,他们通常无法表达。我们得帮助他们提升自身的气。
Prana or Chi, the subtle life force energy, is directly related to the state of our mind. When the prana is high, you will notice that there is a feeling of expansion and well-being. When the prana level becomes low, for example, when someone has insulted you or you are depressed, there is a feeling of contraction or shrinkage. Prana can be increased through meditation. Breathing exercises also increase prana and bring about a sense of well-being, as do music and dancing.
Prana 或气,是直接关联心智状态的精微生命能量。Prana高时,你感觉扩张和美好。Prana低时,比如说被人羞辱或忧郁时,你感觉收缩。你可以透过静心提升Prana。呼吸法, 音乐和舞蹈也能提升Prana, 并带来美好的感受。
There is no vacation from wisdom and discipline. Availing of vaccines is a must. It is also necessary to cultivate hygienic habits and a disciplined lifestyle to stem the spread of this highly contagious virus. Following all prescribed protocols is our foremost responsibility to keep ourselves and our loved ones, safe.
智慧和纪律是无止休的。我们需要善用疫苗,保持良好卫生习惯和有纪律的生活方式,以遏止这种高度传染性病毒的传播。为了保护我们所爱的人,遵守防疫流程规定是我们的首要责任。
Our traditional way of joining hands in greeting and the emphasis of Patanjali Yoga Sutras on shaucha, cleanliness, reiterate these norms too. The first niyama, personal ethics, of yoga is about shaucha. It advocates purity and cleanliness as a key foundation for yogic life. In its deeper sense, shaucha also includes avoiding unnecessary physical contact. The self-discipline of eating healthy and chemical or toxin-free food, which keeps us clean from within, is complementary to shaucha. It also includes the discipline to sleep enough, stay active, and to meditate — anything that leads to purification of our body and mind.
我们以传统的合掌方式打招呼,并关注瑜伽经里所阐述的shaucha洁净法,恢复这些古老的常态。瑜伽的首个个人道德规范,就是洁净。它提倡纯净为瑜伽行者的基本准则。更有深意地说,洁净原则避免了人与人之间无谓的触碰。有纪律的汲取健康,无化学毒素的食物,有助于让我们修习Saucha, 由里至外的洁净。它也涵盖了充足睡眠,保持活跃和静心的纪律,这些都能净化我们的身体和心智。
Until we defeat the virus, let us stay indoors, avoid travelling and going to public gatherings or community feasts. Use this time to practise silence and go inwards. By meditating, you get peace of mind and self-confidence. We need self-confidence to face the worst and most painful of situations.
在战胜病毒之前,让我们呆在室内,避免出游,参加公共或私人聚会。善用这些时间修习静默,深入内在。透过静心,你获得内心的平静和自信。我们需要自信来面对最坏和最痛心的情况。