采訪：Stella Zhang & 閑人捷
整理：Stella Zhang
翻譯：閑人捷
為什么習練瑜伽
Q: Why should we practice yoga?
問：為什么要習練瑜伽？
A: Some students told me that they come to yoga to get good body so they can have a good husband.
答：有些學生告訴我她練習瑜伽是為了有個好身材，這樣可以找個好老公。
And this is fine, yoga would probably give them a good body, I just don't know whether it would give them a good husband though.
這樣也很好，練習瑜伽可能會有一個好身材，但是我不太確認瑜伽能給你帶來一個好老公。
But along the way of getting a good body they will start to feel themselves maybe.
不過，通過身體的習練他們將會開始感知自己。
And maybe they will start to connect through the practice to their own heart and own spirit, start to look deeper to who they are and what they are doing.
也許他們開始通過習練連接心與靈，開始更深的關照他們是誰，又在做些什么。
This is what yoga is all about. It's a journey of discovering yourself.
這些就是關于瑜伽的一切：開始自我的發現之旅。
It's not a competition that I'm better than this person or worse.
人生不是一場我比他人更好或是更壞的賽場。
It's about you.
所有這一切只與你自己有關。
Everybody should come to the yoga class for themselves.
每一個人都應該為自己走入瑜伽教室。
It my get you connect to the separate part of you which is trying to push you to the right and positive direction.
這讓你聯結到自己的內心，并推動你走入正確的人生軌跡。
I think I am very lucky because when I went to this ashram, I connected with a lot of very good teachers who'd been teaching yoga for 30 or 40 years.
我想自己是非常幸運的，因為在修習營我遇到很多很優秀的老師，他們都有三四十年的瑜伽教學經驗。
I was so lucky to have these people in my life at that time. Not just to find a yoga center but to find one that has so many teachers that were so wise and patient and kind.
我很幸運在此遇見他們。不光是在中心學習瑜伽，還有遇到那么多智慧、耐心和善良的老師。
They wanted to teach and help people. And I think that everything I try to do today comes from them.
他們愿意教授和幫助人們，我想我現在做得事情都得益于他們。
In my tradition, I have a Guru. Guru is your teacher but not there to solve your problem, he is there to inspire you to rise to your highest potential.
在這個傳承里，我有一位上師。老師不是過來解決我的問題的，而是激發我最大的潛力。
Before you could help any other people or you could be useful to anyone else, you must learn to solve all of your own problems.
在你幫助別人或是成為有用的人之前，你必須學會解決自己的問題。
So that no matter what situation life brings to you, you can be content.
所以，無論生活如何變化，你要都能應對。
瑜伽：情緒控制
Q: Does yoga have anything to do with emotion control?
問：瑜伽能幫你控制情緒嗎？
A: There is no point of being angry or sad which doesn't help anything. Everybody has positive feelings and emotions and negative ones.
答：憤怒和悲傷是毫無意義的，解決不了任何問題。每個人都有積極的情緒和消極的情緒。
I don't think you could stop these things. But you could learn to live with them.
我不認為你能夠停止這些情緒，但是你可以學會和這些情緒相處。
And you can learn to not make them affect your life so strongly.
學習如何讓情緒不要過度干擾到你的生活。
Some people they hold on to these feeling of anger or fear and their whole life become anger and fear.
一些人因為不愿放下恐懼或是憤怒，而讓自己整個人生變得恐懼和憤怒。
It means all that they could give other people is anger and fear which is not a good way for anybody.
這意味著他們也會施加給別人憤怒和恐懼，這對誰都沒有好處。
So I think yoga is about to understand there would be time to be happy and there would be time to be sad.
所以瑜伽就是讓我們知道生活總是有喜有悲。
You need to find a way, among all of these things, to be content no matter what feeling or emotion it is that is within you.
你需要做到一種方式，無論發生什么，不管內心升起什么感受和情緒都要坦然面對。
So you can be sitting there and you can be angry but you can still smile.
所以你可以坐在那里很生氣，可是依然會微笑。
It takes practice but the first thing you must come to understand is that this can happen.
做到這步肯定是需要練習的，但首先你要相信這些是可以做到的。
If you don't believe you can be positive in this way, you'll never be in this way.
如果你不信自己可以以這種方式做到積極，那么你永遠也做不到。
It's like when I first demonstrated handstand in the class, I looked at all of the students and I could see everyone of them going "Why is he showing us this practice? I can never do this".
當我給剛學習的同學上頭倒立時，我看著他們，他們臉上寫著，為什么我要做這個，我永遠也做不了這個。
But in 5 min, they have all done it even it's only for a second or two.
但是5分鐘之后，他們做到了，哪怕只是維持1、2秒。
It is a really good example of showing our mind stops us from doing so many things because we do not believe.
這很好的展示了，我們以為做不到的事情，都是頭腦告訴你的，
So everybody has a choice. And I think the time when we understand that we can all be in control of our life or we can have a positive effect on our life no matter whether we are successful or unsuccessful, rich or poor, we can still find contentment in purpose.
所以，我們每個人都可以選擇。一旦我們明白我們可以掌控自己的生活，我們可以積極的過一生，無論成功與否，無論富裕與否，我們都應該知足。
But we have to come to that choice ourselves, to that understanding ourselves.
但是那必須是自己的選擇，基于對自我的了解。
And as a yoga teacher, I am interested in guiding people to see that and to make that choice for themselves.
作為瑜伽老師，我更愿意引領他們去發現他們可以自己去做選擇。
Sometimes you do this not by saying anything but just by your actions, the way you are.
有時身教勝于言傳。
And people will see things that they respect or do not respect in different people.
人們經常會因為一些事對不同的人表示尊敬或是不尊敬。
Subconsciously when we see positive things in people we will think "I would like to try and be like that".
潛意識里，當我們看到正能量的事情，我會說，我喜歡這個我要試一下。
And maybe we will see negative things in people we will think "I should try not to do like that person".
有時我們看到負能量的人，我們會想我才不要像他一樣。
I think this the way of teaching. A good teacher doesn't have to say a word which is useful in China if you don't speak in Chinese. (LOL)
我想這這也是一種教學方法。一個好的老師不用說一個詞，學生也能明白。這在中國非常有用，因為我不會說中文。
冥想：與內在的聯結
Q: Compare to other kind of yoga practice, it seems meditation does not have standard steps. Is that true?
問：與其他的瑜伽習練相比，冥想好像沒有固定的標準和晉級。是這樣嗎？
A: Really there is standard step but it is actually different from each person. And it will take different time for every person.
答：其實是有標準的，不過對于每個人是不同的。這樣用的時間也是不同的。
Like none of you are the same. You all have different experiences and come to meditation class for different reasons and purposes.
沒有人是相同的。每個人因不同的原因和目的會有不同的冥想體驗。
Some people could understand only with 2 classes and some people come to for 102 classes and then they would understand.
有些人2節課能明白，有些人需要用102節課。
So there is some steps but it's not useful to compare yourself to others and to say "Oh, I wish I was like this person".
是會有一些方法，但是這不是用于你和別人比較，或是說，我愿意像某人一樣。
It's not about anyone else. The whole thing is your journey to come to understand.
這與其他人無關。這是你自己的發現之旅。
Because for you to understand, you must learn many things about yourself.
你需要學習更多關于你的事情，才能自我發現。
Yoga is all about you coming to know who you are and all your stuff like your personality, your feelings, your likes, your dislikes etc.
瑜伽讓你可以自我認知，如你的性格，你的感覺，你的喜歡，你所厭惡的等等這些。
Some of these come from your past life, some of these genetically come from your parents, some of these come from where you brought up.
一些來自你過去的生活，一些來自父母的基因，一些來自你成長的地方。
So everyone is different.
所以每一個人都是不同的。
We're given these things and we have these things for a reason.
我們擁有這些是有原因的。
And I think it's about us coming to makes sense of all in a different way.
要知道我們都是不同，要揚長避短。
So yes, there are steps and I very believe there must be some sort of method to give the students to do when they begin in the meditation.
所以是的，我相信當學生開始冥想時是可以有方法給到他們的。
Because if you just sit and close your eyes, you may fall asleep or have a daydream or have your mind drift away. And this is no more meditation.
因為如果當年閉上眼睛，你可能會睡覺、做白日夢，或是四處神游。這些都不是冥想。
Meditation is scientific with purpose and direction.
冥想是有科學的目的和方向的。
For example, if you go to a Buddhism temple, they will all be sitting there and they will sit there for years. They are very believing what they are doing.
例如，如果你去佛教的寺廟，那里會有很多人坐在那里，而且一坐多年。他們相信自己在做什么。
But when we have people that come in, meditation is only 90 minutes of their week. It's only a little grain of their life.
但是我們只是每周過來一個半小時做冥想，這在我們人生中只是很短的片刻。
And then they go back out again into the real world of all the stress, worry, distraction and everything like that.
然后，他們會回到那個充滿壓力、擔憂之類的現實世界。
So I've always tried to encourage to take these feelings that we've learnt in the class whether in the meditation class or asana class or yoga nidra into your daily life.
所以我一直鼓勵大家帶著課上的感覺回到你的日常生活中去，無論是冥想課、體式課還是休息術。
Take witness, as an example when you are walking down the street you can do the witness like "How am I walking? Am I walking slowly or quickly? What I am thinking about? Am I watching where I am going? Or am I thinking something so far away?".
帶著覺知，舉個例子，當你在路上行走時帶著覺知。“我在怎樣走路？我走得快慢？我在想什么？我在觀察自己怎么走嗎？還是我在走神？”
The whole purpose of yoga is to make our life better, to make us to be the best person that we can.
瑜伽的整個目的就是讓你成為一個更好的人，過更好的生活。
It's not to lose weight or to get good body. This really is a very good example of how we are just so absorbed with our out appearance.
而不是減肥或是身材好。這是一個很好的例子說明我們是如何被自己的外表吸引。
We everybody wants to look good, have nice clothes, have nice hairdo, say the right things, be with the right people. All of these things are on the outside and all change.
每個人都想看著美麗，有漂亮衣服，好看的發型，言談得體。所有這一切都是外在的，都是可以改變的。
There is only one thing that we have will not change, your heart, your spirit.
只有一件事不會改變，就是你的心，你的靈。
And that's the one thing that we need to connect with and we don't know how to connect with.
這是唯一我們需要聯結的，現在我們還不知道如何聯結。
To me, that's what yoga all about, getting people try to understand that they need to go inside to feel them on the inside.
對我而言，這就是瑜伽，讓人們懂得如何與內在取得聯結。
Q: When did you firstly get the connection with your spirit?
問：您第一次聯結到靈魂是什么時候呢？
A: I think it was happening in that ashram. Ashram is a really powerful experience.
答：我想那發生在我們的修習營，那是非常有能量體驗。
Because these hundreds people are all live there for the same purpose and reason.
因為那里聚集著上百個有著相同目的和原因的人生活在一起。
So it's like suddenly you get all these people around you that understand and they have already done this.
這就像身邊所有人都理解這件事并已經這樣做了。
They don't come and tell you to make the connection, they are just doing the stuff.
他們不需要告訴你如何聯結，他們就是在做這件事。
But you can see these guys are different. It's like you have all these guys that help you with connection.
這些人是不同的，就好像你的聯結獲得了他們的幫助。
I think for me it's more like been in that atmosphere. And that's what led me to practice and got deeper until I came to understand and study.
我想這種氛圍對我影響很大，引領我的習練不斷深入，直到我明白并學會。
I can remember the first day I walked into the gate of that place as a builder, I could feel there was something different.
我還記得我第一次進入那里還是一位建筑師，我能感覺到有什么事不同了。
I felt good and I didn't understand why and I didn't really make a big deal about it.
我感覺很好，那時我還不知道我將要做一個真正的大決定。
But now I looked back I can consciously see that is different. I just didn't tune in to it same as I didn't really tune in to my heart.
現在回想起來那時就已不同，我當時只是未和自己的心一致。
I'd always believed that I have been brought up to believe being good, being kind.
我常常相信要變得更友善更好。
But it's really hard to do that, wasn't much fun when I was a young guy.
做到很難，又沒有趣，尤其還在年輕的時候。
Like when I was in school I would see that some guy who was different getting bully all the time and I didn't agree with it and I would not do it. But I never had the strength to stand up for that person.
就像我在學校的時候看到有人欺負其他同學，我雖然不贊同他這樣做，但我沒有出來制止他。
Because I wanted to be like all the other people. So what I didn't agree with what they did to some other people in those days I didn't believe myself have that strength to go and say 'No, this is wrong.You shouldn't do this."
因為我想像所有人一樣。我不去贊同如此做，我不相信自己有足夠的力量站出來說，不，這樣不對，你不能這么做。
But today, I can. I understand that what you do is who you are.
但是現在，我可以。我明白了這是我要做的事情。
You can do whatever you want on the outside. You can look in the mirror and pretend it is very nice or whatever.
在外在，我可以做任何改變。你可以照著鏡子，把自己打扮的漂漂亮亮或是任何樣子。
But when you lie down and your eyes are closed, you know who you really are.
但是當你躺下閉上雙眼，你知道真正的自我。
And I think there are many people don't have happiness or contentment because they are not happy with who they are.
我想現在很多人都覺得不幸福不滿足，因為他們不喜歡現在的自己。
But they don't know how to change or what to change.
但是他們不知道如何改變，或是怎么改變。
They haven't found a way. I think yoga is one of the ways.
他們沒有找到方法，我想瑜伽可能是個出路。
We live in a consumer society. People thought the more things they could have, the more successful they are.
我們現在在一個消費社會，人們想買更多的東西，想擁有更多的成功。
I would be happy if someone give me a brand-new Ducati motorcycle but I won't be happy for a long time.
如果有人給我一輛嶄新的Ducati摩托車我會很開心，但是這個開心不會維持太久。
The cycle of everything: beginning/birth, duration/life, end/death. Nothing can pass this.
這就像一個循環：開始/出生，持續/生活，結束/死亡。沒有一件事能逃脫。
You must come to understand that nothing is lasting except your own spirit.
你必須明白，除了靈魂沒有什么能永存。
Now I can understand this is the thing that is important to connect with.
所以我明白，沒有什么比能與此聯結更加重要的了。
Q：What do you feel in mediation?
問：那你在冥想中是什么感受？
A: I think in the beginning, meditation is just like a time of peacefulness and stillness.
我想在開始的時候，冥想會讓你感覺平靜和平和。
Meditation is not necessarily words of light in a fantastic journey and great revelation.
冥想不一定是一個奇妙的旅程或是一個偉大的啟示。
Meditation is really just about you connecting with your inner self.
冥想是你真實的與內在進行聯結。
So what you will experience in meditation is what you get inside yourself.
所以，什么樣的內在決定了你有什么樣的冥想體驗。
And quite often when you begin meditation, there's a lot of bad and uncomfortable stuff in there.
當你一開始冥想的時候，會有很多不好或是不舒服的事情。
You are going to see all of these stuff and be confront with them.
你會看到并面對所有這些。
In our conscious life, our mind will see these stuff and it will choose to not face that.
在意識層面，我們的大腦看到了他們并選擇了忽視。
So we will keep suppressing all of these things and not release them or let them come out because we just don't want to deal with them.
所以我們一直壓抑著這些事情，不去釋放他們，因為我們不愿意去處理這些事情。
And in meditation when you are being the witness, you've overcome that part of you that tries to suppress and push down.
在冥想中當你成為旁觀者，你已經越過那個壓制的部分。
The whole idea is to see and watch whatever it is and not reacting to it.
你整個的意圖就是觀察它，而不是做出回應。
Because if you react to it, you will push it away. It can be quite difficult in the beginning.
因為你一旦回應，就把它推的更遠。在剛開始的時候，這是很難做到的。
But I think once you understand this is part of the procession, you will accept that.
我相信一旦明白了這些，你就會接受。
For me I think meditation brings me peacefulness and stillness.
于我而言，冥想帶給我平靜和安寧。
It stops all of those distractions and all the stuff that keep coming at me.
它讓我遠離那些使我分心的事情。
It's a way for me to recharge myself, to give me energy and make me stronger again.
這個方法改變了我，給我力量，讓我變得更加強壯。
It connects me with who I am inside myself, not this me on the outside.
這讓我聯結我的內在，而不是散亂在外。
I think that what Samadhi is. Samadhi is you living with that part of yourself that who you really truly are.
我想這就是三摩地，三摩地就在你的真我里。
Without any expectations, without any other needs. Once you find that, you are content.
沒有任何期望，沒有任何需求，一旦你找到，你就是富足的。
Because that's what you were before you came here. I think I just have the feeling of I'm home. You know when you come home, you sit down in your chair, it doesn't matter whether it's comfortable or dirty or clean, you are content, you are where you belong.
因為你就是來源于此處，就像回家的感覺一樣。想象一下回家的感覺，你舒服的坐在椅子上，也不管它干不干凈，你很滿足，你屬于那里。
To me that's what meditation does. It takes to me who I really I am.
這就是冥想帶給我的，帶我走向真我。
Since I start to live in this way, I do actually live my life like this not to just do it for 60 minutes in the meditation session.
自從我開始如此生活，我確實一直如此，而不是在60分鐘的冥想課上。
Q: What's the benefits of meditation for our daily life?
問：冥想能給你的日常生活帶來哪些好處呢？
A: Meditation can have many benefits. It can be calming, relaxing. It can release stress and worry. It can reduce blood pressure and heart rate.
冥想有很多好處，它能帶來平靜和輕松，緩解壓力和緊張，減低血壓和心率。
So it can bring us health automatically. It can bring us clarity and peacefulness.
它能帶來健康，帶給我們輕松和平和。
I think the benefits of meditation would be related to what problems you have in your actual life.
我想冥想有助于解決現實生活中的問題。
Some people are already calm and relaxed and they don't worry. So that's not necessarily going to be benefits for them.
有些人本來就很輕松平靜，沒有焦慮。所以他們不需要這些好處。
But I think it can have positive influence on your life in many different ways.
但我認為它對你的生活有很多積極的影響。
It also teaches you about yourself. It teaches you things like how to watch yourself, how to treat other people.
這是關于自我的學習，它教會你如何觀察自己，如何對待別人。
So you get to come to know who you are and see what are the positive and negative things in your life.
所以你了解自己，并能看到生活中積極與消極的事情。
Because many people would do bad or wrong things without even realizing. No one really think that they are bad person.
很多人做了很多壞事和錯事，他們根本都沒有意識到。沒人覺得他們真的是壞人。
I think it's very useful to be able to see who you really are and how you really are. And especially how do I treat myself and how do I treat other people.
我想這十分有益于覺察自己是誰，你真正該做什么。尤其重要的是如何對待自己與他人。
Namaste.
延伸閱讀：
專訪·中國篇|Swami Mantramurti：最大的挑戰--中文
專訪·經歷篇|Swami Mantramurti：瑜伽讓我快樂（文末有八卦）
譯 | 冥想的益處 Benefit of Meditation
