1-2. ABOUT PRIMITIVE BELIEFS传统信仰

　　Today, I will give some reflections on fear. We tend to be afraid without reason. This type of people are called stupid people, they lack study in Dhamma, they are primitive people. Primitive people means people that don't know.

　　今天，我想谈一些有关恐惧的观点。通常，我们很容易莫名其妙地生起恐惧，这样的人叫做愚痴的人，他们很少熏习正法，他们是未开化的人。所谓未开化的人就是指那些“不知道(正法)”的人。

　　1-2-1. SOME TYPES OF PEOPLE人的种类

　　A person and a human being are not the same. Even though the appearance is similar, there is a difference in virtuous qualities and intelligence. For example, some people do whatever they want to do, say whatever they happen to think of and eat whatever and whenever they feel like eating. These are the ordinary people.

　　人(person)和人类(human being)是不同的。虽然容貌看似一样，但是他们在道德质量和心智上是有差别的。例如，有一些人他们想做什么就做，想说什么就说，想吃什么就吃，这些就是未开化的凡夫(ordinary people=person)。

　　Worse then that are what are called animals. They have human faces but their minds are of an animal, that is, they have no shame just like animals. Meaning, individuals that have never cultivated their own minds any higher.

　　比这更糟的就叫做野人(animal)，他们是人面兽心，这意思是指他们像野兽一样没有羞耻心，也就是说，这些人根本不受教化以提升自己的心灵质地。

　　As for human beings, it refers to those that try to control their minds, their minds are superior, they have more wisdom than ordinary people, they developed their minds high enough to shift to the level of human being.

　　至于所谓的人类(human being)，是指那些有在试着调伏自心的人，他们心灵质地较为好，比凡夫更有智慧，他们发展出高尚的心灵，因此提升至人类的层次。

　　Ghosts are those that speak and do what is bad. They are called ghosts, even monks and novices who are ordained are the same ; when they don't obey and recognize the Dhamma and discipline, they also, can be called ghosts. Ghost here refers to the state of wickedness, not to a self. And so, some people have the appearance of a man or woman but in the mind there is a ghost. If anybody shifts up to the level of human being, one should recognize ghosts and not be afraid of them. If anybody is still afraid of ghosts, that person is just an ordinary man or woman. Ghosts have to live with ghosts, people cannot live with ghosts ; so people with an inferior mind are ghosts.

　　所谓鬼是指那些说坏话、做恶事的人，即使是和尚或沙弥也一样，如果他们不遵守或不认识正法及戒律，他们也一样可以叫做鬼。鬼，在这里是指邪恶的心态，而不是指某一种个体。所以，某些人虽然有人的外貌，但他内心却像鬼一样邪恶。如果任何人能提升心灵质地到人类的层次，就可以认识鬼而不怕他们，而如果有人还会怕鬼，那这个人就只是个凡夫。鬼只能跟鬼(心)在一起，人是不能和鬼(心)在一块的；所以，一个拥有一颗卑劣之心的人，他不是人而是鬼。

　　At one time, they invited me to open a meditation retreat at a charnelground-monastery. They burned and buried dead people there. Sometimes a body wouldn't burn completely and they would bury the remains. If it was a child, they would just bury it. Dogs never have been afraid of corpses or ghosts, they would dig up the buried corpses to eat. This shows that dogs are not afraid of charnelgrounds, not afraid of the dark. So if people are still afraid of ghosts, I understand their minds to be lower than that of a dog, because dogs are never afraid of ghosts ; they never look for an auspicious day, they are not worried what is a good day and what is not. Wherever they go, they just go. They lie down whenever they want, no need to wait for a lucky omen. People who are fearful, wherever they go, they have to figure out an auspicious time ; this shows that their minds are not as good as that of a dog. When speaking the truth like this, people don't like it, but not speaking the truth is called deceiving people. If one is a human being, one doesn't have to fear ghosts or angels.

　　有一次，有人邀我到一间地下纳骨塔寺主持禅修，那里是火化及埋葬死人的地方，有时候，尸体没有完全火化，他们就把剩下的那些埋起来；而如果是个小孩，他们烧都不烧就直接把他给埋了。一般人会害怕这种地方，但是狗从来就不怕尸体或鬼，牠们会把埋葬的尸体挖出来吃，这说明了一点，狗不怕坟场也不怕黑暗，所以如果有人还会怕鬼，我认为他们的心还不如一只狗，因为狗并不怕鬼，牠们也绝不会去挑一个黄道吉日，牠们不会担心哪天是吉日哪天不是，他们想去哪儿就去哪儿，想怎么躺就怎么躺，不需要等什么良辰吉兆。但是怕鬼的人，不管要去哪里，他都一定要算出个吉时，这就表明了他们的心还不如一只狗，如果一个人是个人类，那他就不必害怕鬼神。像这样讲真话，没人喜欢听，但是不讲真话那就叫做骗子了。