醫生的處方

有一個病人到醫生處求診。醫生檢查後，開了一張處方箋給他。這個人對這位醫生非常有信心。
A man becomes sick and goes to the doctor for help. The doctor examines him and then writes out a prescription for some
medicine. The man has great faith in his doctor.

他回家後，在祈禱室供上了醫師漂亮的相片、雕像，然後他坐下，對相片、雕像致敬：他叩拜了三次，並供上鮮花與香料。然後拿出醫生寫的處方箋，很恭敬地念誦：「早上兩顆，下午兩顆，晚上兩顆」。因為他對那位醫生非常崇拜，所以他從早到晚，都在念誦醫生的處方，結果這張處方箋對他的病情的減少一點幫助也沒有。
He returns home and in his prayer room he puts a beautiful picture or statue of the doctor. Then he sits down and pays respects to that picture or statue: he bows down three times, and offers flowers and incense. And then he takes out the prescription that the doctor wrote for him, and very solemnly he recites it: “Two pills in the morning! Two pills in the afternoon! Two pills in the evening!” All day, all life long he keeps reciting the prescription because he has great faith in the doctor, but still the prescription does not help him.

後來這個人決定要多了解這張處方箋，於是他跑去問醫生：「為什麼您要開這些藥呢？這些藥對我有什麼好處呢？」這位醫生很有智慧，所以他解釋道：「請看，這是你生的病，這是你的病因，如果你服下了我開的藥，它就能根除你的病；如果病因根除了，你的病自然也就痊癒了。」這個人想：「哦，太好了！我的醫生多麼聰明啊！他的藥方多麼有效啊！」這個人回家後開始跟他的鄰居和認識的人爭論：「我的醫生是最好的醫生！其他的醫生都一無是處！」但他到底從這爭辯之中獲得什麼呢？他可能一輩子都在替他的醫生爭辯，但是這對他一點幫助也沒有。只有當他服了這藥以後，他才會從他的痛苦中解脫、從他的疾病中解脫，只有到那個時候，醫生的藥才對他有所幫助。
The man decides that he wants to know more about this prescription, and so he runs to the doctor and asks him, “Why did you prescribe this medicine? How will it help me?” Being an intelligent person, the doctor explains, “Well, look, this is your disease, and this is the root cause of your disease. If you take the medicine I have prescribed, it will eradicate the cause of your disease. When the cause is eradicated, the disease will automatically disappear.” The man thinks, “Ah, wonderful! My doctor is so intelligent! His prescriptions are so helpful!” And he goes home and starts fighting with his neighbors and acquaintances, insisting, “My
doctor is the best doctor! All other doctors are useless!” But what does he gain by such arguments? All his life he may continue fighting, but still this does not help him at all. If he takes the medicine, only then will the man be relieved of his misery, his disease. Only then will the medicine help him.

每個解脫的人，就像醫生一樣，出於慈悲，他會給予藥方，告訴人們如何從痛苦中解脫出來。如果人們只是盲目地信仰這個人，就把處方變成了經文來唸誦，然後開始與其他不同宗派的人爭辯，辯稱他的宗教創始人的教導才是最好的，但是卻沒有人願意花功夫去實踐那些教導，去服用醫生的藥方以根除疾病。
Every liberated person is like a physician. Out of compassion, he
gives a prescription advising people how to free themselves of suffering. If people develop blind faith in that person, they turn the prescription into a scripture and start fighting with other sects, claiming that the teaching of the founder of their religion is superior. But no one cares to practise the teaching, to take the medicine prescribed in order to eliminate the malady.

如果對醫生的信心能鼓勵病人依從醫生的意見，那麼這信心就是有用的。如果了解處方的作用能鼓勵病人服藥，那麼這種了解是有好處的。但是如果沒有真正去服藥，就不可能痊癒。你必須把藥吃下去才行。
Having faith in the doctor is useful if it encourages the patient to
follow his advice. Understanding how the medicine works is beneficial if it encourages one to take the medicine. But without actually taking the medicine, one cannot be cured of the disease. You have to take the medicine yourself.

– 錄自《生活的藝術》, 葛印卡老師
From “The art of living" by S.N. Goenka