Your Goodness Pays in the End
你的善良，不吃虧
文 | 蘇心
The other day, my We Chat screen was fully covered with videos and comments of “Beijing Metro Fuckboy Event”.
前幾天，滿屏都是北京地鐵渣男事件的視頻和評論。
Some guys thought that fuckboy or scumbag was quite LOW; some pointed out that the onlookers were quite indifferent and some even said, “If I were at the scene, I might have given a roaring shout at the sight of injustice, But what if I got hurt? At times, the kind-hearted people are not well rewarded.”
透過那段視頻，有人看到的是那個人的LOW，有人看到的是圍觀者的冷漠，還有人說：“如果當(dāng)時自己路見不平一聲吼，而被傷害了怎么辦？好人有時并不得好報的。”
Today, I post my article here, just focusing on the kindness and the return of kindness.
今天，我寫的這篇文章，與那件事并沒有什么關(guān)聯(lián)，說的只是善良，以及，善良的回報。
1
上周，我的助理在她們家的小區(qū)門口撿了四千元錢，幾經(jīng)周折，找到失主。當(dāng)然，我今天要說的，并不只是這件事。
一周后，她接到了考研筆試通過的通知，超出分?jǐn)?shù)線三十多分。
我特別為她高興，用她的照片發(fā)了一條朋友圈：這個美麗的姑娘，幾天前撿到四千元錢，還給了失主，今早，她和我興奮地說，她考研筆試通過了。你是吉人，自有天相。你的善良，不吃虧。
下面收獲了滿屏的贊。可是，也有人來疑惑地和我探討這件事：蘇心姐，你說好人就有好報嗎？我怎么不這么認(rèn)為，如果這樣，那些一直善良，卻沒有得到善報的好人，該怎么解釋？
這件事，用幾句簡單的話，難以一下子說清楚。你付出了善良，或許不會馬上回報，但一定會在另外的空間節(jié)點，得以彌補。
幾年前，我采訪過一位本地的企業(yè)家，他帶我參觀他的工廠。在職工宿舍樓后面，竟然發(fā)現(xiàn)了幾只雞和一個菜園，有一對老夫妻，悠然地坐在樹下乘涼。
我不解，問那位企業(yè)家：您的公司里，怎么還有年齡這么大的員工嗎？他笑笑，那是我兩位長輩，他們無兒無女，老了就在我這養(yǎng)老了。我哦了一聲，當(dāng)時也沒放心上。
后來，在一個場合，遇到那位企業(yè)家的一位發(fā)小，說起他的故事。
在很多年前，這位企業(yè)家的父親，因為成分不好，失去了工作，回到老家，除了幾間老房子，一無所有。每天，他家最大的問題，就是明天的早餐在哪里。終于到了山窮水盡，那位企業(yè)家的母親硬著頭皮借了好多家，都沒借到一粒米。
晚上，一家人在家里發(fā)愁，想著明天去哪想辦法。有人敲門，進來的一位鄰居，背著一袋子米，急急忙忙放下就走了。
企業(yè)家的父母，望著那位鄰居的背影，感激地對幾個孩子說，如果以后你們有了出息，一定要報答人家，滴水之恩不敢忘，何況這是救命之恩。
很多年后，那位企業(yè)家成了資產(chǎn)數(shù)億的成功人士，他回到家鄉(xiāng)，打聽當(dāng)初給他們家送米的那位鄰居下落，以報答當(dāng)年的恩情。那位鄰居已經(jīng)老了，老兩口一輩子無兒無女，生活得很艱難。企業(yè)家讓人在自己公司的職工公寓，安排了一套房子，把老兩口接了過來，頤養(yǎng)天年。
Life resembles an echo: you sow goodness to others and you will reap the same goodness some day. No matter who you are kind to, you are actually kind to yourself in the long run.
生命是一種回聲，你把善良給了別人，終會從別人那收獲善意。無論你對誰好，從長遠(yuǎn)來看，都是對自己好。
“Platform Sutra by Sixth Patriarch” has such a punch line, “All happiness can not go without your kindness deep in heart.”
《六祖壇經(jīng)》上說：一切福田，都離不開心地。
True enough, if you sow a seed deep in your heart, it will blossom and yield fruit some day.
是的。心田上播下善良的種子，總有一天，會開花結(jié)果。
2
M, one of my friends, secretly sponsors some high school students from poverty-stricken families every year and the recipients never know who he was because he arranged others for the charitable actions.
我的朋友M，每年都會偷偷資助幾個家庭困難的高考生，一直是別人替他聯(lián)系，他從來不讓對方知道自己是誰。
I was quite confused about it and asked him why.
我不解，問他原因。
He said, firstly, it was thus arranged to merely maintain the dignity of the supported children so that they could receive the financial support with dignity. Secondly, he wanted to take a load off their mind so that it was not necessary for them to think of how to reciprocate for his kindness some time.
他說，一是為了維護孩子們的自尊，讓他們有尊嚴(yán)地接受幫助。二是不讓他們有思想負(fù)擔(dān)，想著以后報答他什么的。
I was even more confused: what are you driving at?
我更加不理解了：那你圖什么？
He said: “I am happy and relieved in doing so. These years, my company has been smoothly operated and has gained the fast growth from small to big and from weak to strong. I think all these are closely related to each of my charitable ideas and my good conducts. I have done good deeds to others not to make a name for myself but to have a peaceful mind. So my good deeds are seldom known to others.
他說，快樂和安心。這些年，我的公司一直做得很順利，有小到大，由弱到強，我覺得這一切都離不開自己的每一個善念，每一次善行。我做點好事，不是為了揚名，只是讓自己更心安。所以，我做了好事很少有人知道。
Sounds good! The true kindness is to quietly do good deeds without holding high a banner of kindness; A kind-hearted man is fair and square just like a bright moon after a rainfall and tries to be scrupulously honest even without being noticed; that is to say, any good turns are offered to others without being noticed while the goodwill and kindness is conducted just like a clear stream.
是啊。真正的善良，就是行善而不扯起善良的旗幟；就是風(fēng)光霽月，暗室不欺；就是積德無需人見，善意匡如清流。
The process of spreading kindness to others makes the well-doer simply delighted and happy deep in heart, so he feels that each cell of his body is surging with joys. In terms of science, the well-doer feels physically healthy, so isn’t it the best return for his kindness?
而行善的過程是滿心歡喜和幸福的，心快樂了，每個細(xì)胞都會快樂，從科學(xué)角度講，身體也會健康，這是對善良的最好回報，不是嗎？
3
In ancient times, there lived a well-doer who enjoyed the meritorious rewards, surrounded by a lot of offspring. His sons and grandsons knelt down in front of his deathbed, saying with one voice, “You are dying, and would you please give us some words which will be pursued by us all along?”
古時候有一位善人，他福報很好，兒孫滿堂。他在臨終時，兒孫們跪在他床前說：您要離開我們了，最后留點什么話讓我們終生奉行吧？
The well-doer said, “keep in mind four words: Learn how to give.”
善人說，你們只需記住四個字：學(xué)會吃虧。
The greatest concern given by this well-doer to his sons and grandsons is to let them know: Giving is a blessing. 這位善人，他對兒孫最大的關(guān)懷，就是讓他們懂得：吃虧是福。
The well-doers, after all, can not suffer any loss at all.
其實，善良的人，根本不會吃虧。
Life is like a large game of chess: If you remain low-profile, you can regain power.
人生是一盤很大的棋，你在這里迂回一下，可能就在那里蓄積了力量。
As a Buddhist saying goes, a debt of gratitude can be readily repaid. Your current sufferings are caused due to every conduct and thought of yours. What you will have in the future will be closely related to your kindness and efforts now.
用佛家的話說——福報在后面。你現(xiàn)在所承受的，都是你起心動念所造。你將來所擁有的，都是你當(dāng)下舉手投足而來。
Free your mind of evil and you will sure be blessed by “the Heaven”, which actually refers to the amicable environment and people around you.
人有善念，天必佑之。這個天，就是你周圍的環(huán)境和人。
When you see flowers, grass and trees smiling at you, or find you have good affinities with everything around, or find people around you are more and more attached to you, which is the echo of kindness.
當(dāng)你發(fā)現(xiàn)一花一草一木都在對你微笑，當(dāng)你發(fā)現(xiàn)每件事都充滿順緣，當(dāng)你發(fā)現(xiàn)身邊的人越來越喜歡你，這就是善良的回音。
Life moves in its own causal circle but it fails to satisfy the selfish greed of anyone. Cherish a clear conscience while offering good deeds to others without caring about gain or loss, and you find fragrance at your heels all the way forward.
生活自有自己的因果循環(huán)，它不滿足于任何人的私心貪欲。一直善良下去，只問自心，不問得失，一路芬芳，已在你的身后跟隨。
★ 中文作者：蘇心。
★ 英文翻譯：**Andrew Yan (閻成席)**** **資深翻譯、知名英語網(wǎng)站專欄作家。
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