It is generally said that we Kagyus are the practice lineage. Therefore , it is certainly important ?to practice. ?The Abhidharmakosha says :
總體來說，噶舉派是注重實修的傳承。 因此， 修持是很重要的。?
就像阿毗達磨俱舍論所說
Holding the disciplines of study and contemplation, Apply yourself in meditation.?
持守聞思之學處，將己用于禪修中。?
The purpose of study and contemplation is to encourage meditation on the dharma. Surely, it is not appropriate to separate meditation practice from study and contemplation. The buddha gave eighty-four thousand different classes of teachings and benefits of these authentic teaching are many. Approximately ten percent of these teachings benefits studying and contemplation and approximately ninety percent benefit the quality of meditation practice.?
聞思的目的是為了鼓勵佛法的修持。當然，如果把禪修與聞思分離開也是不恰當的。佛陀傳授了84000種不同層級的教法，這些真實教法的益處非常之多。近乎百分之十的這些教法有助于如何聞思，約百分之九十的教法對禪修練習的質量有助益。?
For example, the many benefits of eating lie in filling our stomachs, bringing about strength, sustaining our life, and so forth . If you eat , these benefits will come about . However, through merely preparing the food and not eating , these benefits will not arise.?
舉例來說，進食的大部分意義在于填飽肚子，帶來力量，維持生命等等。 只有在真正吃了東西， 這些利益才會產生。 然而，如果僅僅是準備食物但不進食，那么那些吃東西的利益也就不會發生了。?
In a similar way , if you practice in accord with what the Buddha taught , the benefit of the teaching will come to fruition. However, if you merely study and contemplate, aside from merely knowing the teaching, there will be no significant benefit other than the potential benefits called the four liberations through seeing , listening to, remembering , and contacting the teaching of the Buddha.?
類似的，只有依據佛陀所教導去實踐，教法才會結出受益的果實。然而，如果你只是聞思，還不談只是知道這些教法，除了有透過見、聞、念和觸佛陀教法的四種解脫的潛在益處，將不會有顯著的利益產生。?
However, if you do not practice meditation but merely look at, study, and recall the teaching , it will be exceedingly difficult for great benefit to come about. The main purpose of the Buddha's teaching is to tame one's mind and if you do not practice meditation , you will not be able to tame your mind. As Milarepa said:?
I don't know the philosophy of calming and taming, if you tame your wild mind, that is taming.?
Thus, It is very important to practice in that way.?
然而，如果你不練習禪修，只是看，學習，回憶有關禪修的教授，要想有顯著的效果也是極其困難的。 佛陀教法的主要目的就是調伏自心，而如果你不進行禪修的修持，你也無法降伏自心。
就像米勒日巴所說：我不懂沉靜和調伏的哲學，而如果你能將狂野的心降伏，那么這就是駕馭。?
因此，如此修持是非常重要的。
Some people think that what is called practice is not that difficult, Mainly, they practice for this life in order to subdue enemies, protect friends, make themselves famous or fill their stomachs. Thus They place the teachings off in a corner. If they want to practice, they do a little, if not they discard it. If you practice in such a manner it's not so good. The reason is stated in one of our worldly proverbs:?
If you do not do the difficult that causes one to shed tears, You cannot attain the accomplishments of complete happiness.
有些人認為我們所說的修持其實并不是那么難，大部分人，他們修行是為了在此生能夠征服對手，保護朋友，讓自己更出名或者是填飽肚子。 因此，他們把佛法放在一邊。如果想起來想要修行的話，就修一下，想不起來的時候則置之不理。這不是什么好的修行方法。有句世間諺語闡明了原因：
如果沒有嘗過哭泣的滋味，便無法知道什么是圓滿的幸福。?
Likewise, the teachings of the Buddha say:
If you want to taste sugarcane, You need to eat it. If you only take off its husk, You will not be able to experience its tastes.?
同樣地，佛陀的教導也說：
如果你要嘗到甘蔗是什么味道，你需要吃甘蔗。如果你只是脫下甘蔗皮，你將不可能體驗到它的味道。?
Similarly, if you merely study the teachings you cannot savor the experience of the teaching in your being. So what you need to do is the following :
Having put the teaching into practice. You will experience their taste.?
類似的， 如果你只是學習佛法的知識，你也無法領會到佛法在你生命中所能發揮的作用。?
Therefore, in order to practice the teachings we need to take on a little difficulty. We need to let go of a little happiness of this life and accomplish the happiness, liberation, and omniscience of the next life. Again, Some think that when we say we need to exert ourselves with difficulties, we have to like Milarepa and Naropa, who underwent major hardships. But that is little bit too far; we need to exert ourselves in accord with our different capabilities. Otherwise, if we try to go beyond our capability and lack sufficient skill, we will not be able to gain accomplishment and our effort will be useless.?
因此，要修持佛法我們需要接受一些困難。我們要放下此生的幸福，實現無盡來世的幸福和解脫。此外，有些人還認為，當我們說需要讓自己盡力克服困難時，我們必須要像米勒日巴和那洛巴那樣，歷經千辛萬苦才能去修行。其實這有些多慮了，我們需要根據自己不同的情況和能力將自己置身于法道之中克服修法上的困境。 否則，如果我們超出自己的能力范圍并且缺少足夠的技能，那么我們也不能達至圓滿的成就，我們的努力也是無用的。?
In brief, in practice the authentic dharma, even if you are not able to abandon all worldly activities of subduing your enemies and protecting your friends, you should lessen such ambitions --- this is very important. If you do not turn you mind to dharma, you will not be able to gain experience. Therefore, to turn you mind to the dharma, you need to lessen your ambition of subduing enemies and protecting friends .?
總的來說，要修行真正的佛法，盡管你還不能拋下戰勝對手，保護朋友這類世俗的事務，你也需要在這方面的投入有所減少，這是非常重要的。如果你不轉心向法，就不會有修持的體驗。因此， 轉心向法，就要減少在世俗事務中成就的野心。?
As I said before, everyone is allowed to put the teachings into practice. It is not the case the some people are allowed to practice and others are not. Mainly, people practice meditation by staying in retreat or setting boundaries and doing sadhana practice. However, these days, many lamas stay in retreat like going to school. Afterwards, ?they will say, "I have finished my three year retreat" and go away. If you practice that way, it is not appropriate. Why? Generally, it is said by the learned:
就像我之前談到的， 所有人都可以修行。并不是說有些人可以，而另一些人不允許，沒有這樣的事情。大部分情況下，人們在通過閉關禪修，或者是設定一些邊界進行某種成就法的修持。 然而，在今天，很多喇嘛一閉關就像是去學校一樣。然后，他們會說：“ 我已經完成了三年的閉關，然后就離開了。 如果你這樣修行的話，是不恰當的。”
?為什么這么說呢？總的來說，如教法說言：
The sign of study is mind being peaceful and tamed.
The sign of contemplation is cutting through doubts.
The sign of meditation is the absence of mental afflictions.?
學習進步的征兆是心智調柔平和；思考正確的征兆是斷除懷疑；禪修進步的征兆是沒有煩惱。
This is the way in which we need to practice, but these days someone may exit retreat with greater afflictions , greater anger, and greater desire. In that case, I wonder what they were practicing.?
這才是我們正確的修持之道，但是當今有些人出關后，卻有更多的煩惱，更容易生氣，并且更多欲望。這種情況，我在想他們修行修的是什么？
Such an outcomes is in contradiction to the Buddhist teachings. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition there are many excellent ways of practice. Non-Tibetans are amazed about this and say that we have such a bounty of practicing in the teachings . That is good, but if they ask, " Show me the ?person who is practicing," there is nobody can point to and it is almost as if no one is practicing. This is most pitiful. Thus. it is very important to demonstrate to others the fruition of one's practice. If you stay in a mountain cave for twenty or thirty years with nothing to show for it, what is the point ?
這樣的修持成果和佛陀所教導的是完全矛盾的，在藏傳佛教的傳承中有很多很絕妙的修行方法。非藏人都會說我們有如此之多的修行方法，并且對此贊嘆不已。這很好，但是如果他們問：“讓我看看哪些人是修行者吧。” ?這時沒有一個人能夠指出哪些人在修行，就好像沒有一個人是修行者一樣。這種狀況多么讓人惋惜啊！因此，展現一個人的修行成果是很重要的。 如果你呆在一個山洞里修持二三十年卻一無所成，沒有可以展現的成就，那么你修的是什么呢？?
When you practice meditation, there should be some signs of accomplishment. It is not a matter of trying to see whether you can fly or not, or trying go under the ground or not. You need to practice with some persistence, otherwise there is no benefit.?
當你練習禪修，應該會有一些成就的征兆。但是這些征兆并不是看你是否能飛檐走壁，或是是否能穿地而行。 需要的是堅持不懈的修持，否則的話沒有任何助益。?
Those of you who are students in the monastic colleges study all the teachings of the Buddha and theirs commentaries. But if you don't practice, these studies just make you good and words. Other than that you are simply an ordinary person. In this case, there is the danger that the teachings and the individual will go in separate directions. Thus, those who have entered the college should chiefly study, but at the same time , they need to practices as much as they can -- this is very important. It should not happen that monastics come together and practice simply to abide by a schedule or a set of rules.?
那些在佛學院學習的學生，你們所學習的所有佛法以及釋論。如果你不付諸實踐于修辭，那么所學習的這些只是讓你看起來像一個很好的佛學院的學生，只是停留在文字表面上。其實和一個沒有學過佛法的普通人沒有什么不同。 如此一來，教法的作用和個人的實際的情況將會背道而馳，這是非常危險的。因此，那些進入佛學院的佛子們應該首先學習，但與此同時，他們需要盡己所能的修行，這點是非常重要的。僧侶們的修持不可能像寺院教學的作息和規則那樣統一制定，一起進行。?
For example , in a practice liturgy, we begin with refuge and bodhicitta, then go through all the stages of creation and completion and end with the concluding dedication. During the practice it is very important that you are able to understand and concentrate on all these stages as much as possible. When male and female lay practitioners do their individual chanting recitation, they first need to know the meaning of their recitation. Some people do many recitations but know neither what they are chanting nor what they doing. If you practice like that, practice and not practicing end up being the same. Therefore, first. when doing practice and recitation, you need to understand the meaning. Then it is very good if you practice as much as possible. Since the Buddha's teaching are impartial, it is permissible for anyone to practice. If you think about how to practice, that will be good.?
舉例來說，大禮拜的修持，我們從皈依和發菩提心開始，然后再進入到創造和圓滿的各個階段，以結行獻詞為結束。在練習中，所有階段都盡可能的理解并專注是非常重要的。當男女成為修持行人，進行個人的修法誦經時，首先要知道所誦法本的意義。很多人念誦很多遍法本，但是既不知道他們持誦的意思，也不知道修的是什么。如果你這樣修行的話，有沒有修持結果都是一樣的。?
因此，當你修行和持誦時，你首先要知道它的意義。然后，如果你能夠盡可能多的修持那就非常好了。 因此佛陀的教法都是平等的，任何人都可以修持。如果你能夠思考如何去修持，那么也是很好的。?
