
Episode #10
【在岸邊 By the Shore #10】關於業,你知道多少?|How Much Do You Know About Karma?
佛法談「業」,並不只是告訴我們「做了什麼,就會得到什麼結果」。業果的核心,是緣起因果;落實到生活,則是止惡行善。 In Buddhism, karma means far more than simply “what you do determines what you get.” At its heart is the law of cause and effect arising through conditions; in practice, it means refraining from harmful actions and cultivating wholesome ones. 我們做過的事情雖然已經過去,卻會在心中留下痕跡。當某種觀念、情緒或行為被一次次重複,它便逐漸形成習慣,甚至成為主導生命的力量。貪婪被不斷強化,人就會越來越貪;瞋怒被反覆滋養,人也會越來越容易憤怒。 Although an action passes, it leaves an imprint upon the mind. When a thought, emotion, or behavior is repeatedly reinforced, it gradually becomes a habit and may eventually become a dominant force in our lives. Feed greed, and greed grows stronger. Feed anger, and anger becomes increasingly powerful. 但佛法也告訴我們:這些情緒、觀念和習慣,都不是固定不變的「我」。許多今天看似根深蒂固的習慣,兒時並不存在,而是在成長中逐漸形成。既然是因緣形成,就能透過改變因緣而改變。 Buddhism also reminds us that none of these emotions, views, or habits constitute a permanent “self.” Many habits that now seem deeply rooted did not exist when we were children; they developed gradually through causes and conditions. What has been conditioned can also be transformed by changing those conditions. 我們的「需求」也是如此。當外在環境不斷刺激欲望,我們便可能把原本不需要的東西變成「非有不可」。一旦得到,又產生依賴;得不到時,便感到失落和痛苦。於是,需求本身成為新的因,推動下一輪追逐。 Our desires develop in much the same way. Under constant stimulation from the world around us, things we once never needed can begin to feel indispensable. Once obtained, they create dependence; when unavailable, they bring disappointment and suffering. Desire itself then becomes a new cause, driving another cycle of pursuit. 業還包括身、口、意所造的種種行為。善的行為帶來善的力量,惡的行為則帶來痛苦的力量,不僅影響自己,也影響周圍的人。 Karma is also created through body, speech, and mind. Wholesome actions strengthen wholesome tendencies, while harmful actions create conditions for suffering—not only for ourselves, but also for those around us. 從這個角度看,輪迴並不只是遙遠的來世概念,它也在每一個當下由我們的心不斷創造。永不滿足的渴求、強烈的瞋恨與爭鬥、缺乏智慧的愚癡,都會逐漸塑造相應的生命狀態。 From this perspective, samsara is not merely a distant idea concerning future lives. It is being created by the mind in every moment. Insatiable craving, intense anger and conflict, and ignorance without higher aspiration gradually shape the very state of life we experience. 有什麼樣的心念,就會滋養什麼樣的力量;有什麼樣的長期積累,就會塑造什麼樣的性格與生命方向。 The thoughts we repeatedly cultivate become forces within us. Over time, these accumulated tendencies shape our character, our personality, and ultimately the direction of our lives. 所以佛法特別重視「當下」。過去已經過去,未來尚未到來,而我們真正能改變的,只有現在。 This is why Buddhism places such importance on the present moment. The past has already passed, and the future has not yet arrived. The only moment in which transformation is possible is now. 我們今天的生命,是過去因緣的結果;而今天正在想什麼、說什麼、做什麼,又正在成為未來的因。 Our present life is the result of causes accumulated in the past. And what we think, say, and do today is already becoming the cause of our future. 業有三個重要特點:未造之業,不會憑空感果;已造之業,不會無故消失;而不斷重複的業,還會增長廣大。 Karma has three important characteristics: what has not been done cannot produce its corresponding result; what has been done does not simply disappear; and repeated actions can grow increasingly powerful over time. 因此,理解業果並不是為了宿命論,而恰恰是為了告訴我們:生命可以改變。 Understanding karma, therefore, is not about fatalism. It teaches precisely the opposite: our lives can be transformed. 把握當下,止惡行善,就是在改變未來。 To take hold of the present, refrain from harm, and cultivate goodness is to change the future. 因為每一個當下,我們都正在播種。 Because in every present moment, we are planting the seeds of what we will become.

