习惯势力（二）

摘要：我们要把对现象的执著变成了解它的本质，想要改变习惯，一定要在了解本质的基础上，慢慢去调整习惯，这是有意义的。

“我想改变自己，这有什么不好？”你要认为真有啥可改变的，你一定就会产生什么呢——我更烦恼！

这个“更”字是从哪来的呢？要改变，本身就是更。因为我们的烦恼已经是病了，又附加了一层——想改变它，那就病上加病，就更烦恼了。这是种叠加式的积累与重复。

居士：就是说烦恼来的时候，我知道烦恼来了，我就观察它的本质是清净平等的。

师父：“本质清净”，就念这一句，你再去烦恼都没问题。烦恼慢慢就淡化了，你慢慢就不重复它了，不积累它了。意识积累是种串习性的力量，我们累劫的串习不可思议，像那个锅，熏了很厚的灰一样, 熏得很多，想一下擦掉很难。但你要知道它本来是不可得的，你为什么要擦掉它呢？

我们要把以前对现象的执著变成了解它的本质——是无有实质的，没有实质才是清净平等的。那这个改变就不是改变，是还原——它本来是这样子的，没有增加任何东西，也没有减少任何东西！要不然我们就会跟习惯势力对着干，把习惯当成实有的，很辛苦。

我们经常会说，你看这个人这么坏、这个人这么好、这个人习气这么厚、这个人这么自私、这个人这么大方——我们会在意这个，不在意它的本质，会跟自己与他人的业习对着干。对抗都很苦。

离开了本质，就是习惯的择取。想要改变习惯，这本身就是个病，因为我们把习惯当成实有了。我们在了解本质如幻的基础上，慢慢可以去调整习惯，不去放纵它也不去压抑它，这是有意义的。

～～生命之光阳光早餐

开明师兄整理于2018年10月

The power of habits (2)

Master: “What is wrong about the idea that I want to change myself?” When you think there really is something to change, you will definitely be more upset.

Why do we say “more”? The intention to make a change itself is “more”. Because we are already annoyed, and intending to change it adds another layer of annoyance. When these two come together, we become more annoyed. This is a kind of superimposed accumulation and repetition.

Student: So that is to say when annoyance occurs, I should be aware of it and observe that it is pure and perfect in nature.

Master: Whenever annoyance arises, just remind yourself “ It is pure in nature”, and it won’t be a problem even if you are annoyed again. You won’t repeat it or accumulate it, and gradually, it can fade away. The accumulation of memory is a kind of power of habits that is incredible since our habits have been lasting for countless lifetimes. Take for example the grime at the bottom of the pot, it accumulates during plenty of cooking and becomes too thick to wipe off. But if we realize that the grime is illusory in nature, why should we bother to clean it at all?

We could transform our clinging onto phenomena into understanding their nature, which is of no essence, and therefore we can say that everything is equal and pure. And then change is not change anymore, but rather to return to its original status, neither increasing nor diminishing anything. Otherwise we would be fighting against our habits, and the process must be painful if we don’t know the habits are illusory.

We often say: This is a good guy. That is a bad person. This is a man with many bad habits. This is a selfish person or that guy is very generous. We often care about these phenomena, while paying little attention to their nature. Thus, we go against the habits of our own and others, which is always full of pain.

When we deviate from the nature of things, we always end up following our habits. We must be clear that the intention to change habit itself is the problem. So it is meaningful for us to adjust our habits, neither indulging them nor repressing them, based on the understanding that the habits are without any essence.