茹苦含辛(They endured toil and pain as though
it were food, chewing and swallowing it whole.)
蘇軾是中國的宋王朝的一個著名的政治家與美食家，他還是一名傑出的文學家與書法家。他更是中國歷史上最受人喜愛的詩人之一。
他曾經寫過一篇文章，他在這篇文章有談論到他對於一些自己生活的宋王朝的時代觀察。
這篇文章中有一段文字如下。
佛教的修行方式非常的多，有些非常的困難，聽到這些修行方式，往往會讓人們覺得悲傷、酸楚、憂愁、苦悶。
有些人在學習與修行佛法時，他們會進入沒有人煙的森林中，他們不畏懼在樹林中的荊棘或是毒蛇，他們可以忍受赤裸著身體並且承受冰雪的侵襲。
這些人忍受在自己身體上感受到的痛苦，他們讓自己的身體被蚊子與昆蟲叮咬，有些極端的人還會認為就算把自己的身體給老虎或豹子吃掉也無所謂。
他們把辛勞與痛苦當作食物一樣含在嘴巴中並且咀嚼吞下肚。他們相信在經歷了數不清的生死輪回之後，他們有一天一定可以達到涅槃的境界。
另外有些信仰佛教的人比較沒有那麼激進與激烈，但是這些人也認為自己應該拋棄自己在這個世界上的所有親人並且脫離所有的社交圈，他們到佛寺中修行佛法。
他們穿上麻布做成的衣服，他們只吃蔬菜或水果，他們白天辛苦的勞動與工作，他們砍柴挑水與清潔打掃，到了晚上的時候，他們還會拿著油燈並且點著熏香，他們態度恭敬的跟著他們的師父學習。
這些人不在乎自己的身體因為勞動與辛苦變的瘦弱，他們嚴格的禁制自己的行為、言語與意念，他們要熟記的戒律非常的多，他們連在吃飯與睡覺的時候都有各種戒律要遵守。
這些人雖然不必從事傳統農耕勞動，他們能依靠信眾供養而生活，但是他們的生活方式我認為比平常的百姓更辛苦，也因此，我覺得很納悶，為何那些願意離開家庭然後穿得不好的衣服與吃著簡單的食物還要剃光所有的頭髮去寺廟中修行的人有那麼多呢?
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是他們把辛勞與痛苦當作食物一樣含在嘴巴中並且咀嚼吞下肚。
這句成語被用來形容一個人忍受或經歷了一段非常艱辛困苦的過程。
親愛的朋友，你聽完這個故事有怎樣的啟發或有怎樣的想法呢。
你有信仰佛教的朋友嗎?你的宗教中有那些戒律呢?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為蘇軾-中和勝相院記
https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/%E4%B8%AD%E5%92%8C%E5%8B%9D%E7%9B%B8%E9%99%A2%E8%A8%98
They endured toil and pain as though it
were food, chewing and swallowing it whole.(茹苦含辛)
Su Shi was a renowned politician, gourmet
and writer of the Song dynasty in China, as well as an accomplished
calligrapher. He is also one of the most beloved poets in Chinese history.
He once wrote an article discussing his
observations of the Song dynasty in which he lived.
The following passage is taken from this
article:
'Buddhist practices are numerous, some
extremely difficult. Hearing about these practices often evokes feelings of
sadness, sorrow, melancholy and anguish.'
Some people, when studying and practising
Buddhism, will enter uninhabited forests. They are not afraid of thorns or
poisonous snakes; they can endure being naked in the face of ice and snow.
They endure physical pain and allow
themselves to be bitten by mosquitoes and insects. Some individuals even
believe that they would not mind being eaten by tigers or leopards.
They endured toil and pain as though it
were food, chewing and swallowing it whole. They believed that, after countless
cycles of birth and death, they would one day attain nirvana.
Other Buddhists, who are less radical, also
believe that they should abandon their relatives and social circles in order to
practise Buddhism in temples.
They wear hemp clothing, eat only fruit and
vegetables, and work hard during the day chopping wood, carrying water and
cleaning. At night, they burn incense and light oil lamps while respectfully
learning from their masters.
These people do not care if their bodies
become thin from labour and hardship. They strictly control their actions,
speech and thoughts. They have many precepts to memorise, even regarding eating
and sleeping.
Although these people do not need to engage
in traditional farming and can live off the offerings of believers, I think
their lifestyle is more arduous than that of the average person. Therefore, I
find it puzzling why so many people are willing to leave their families, wear
simple clothes, eat plain food and shave their heads in order to practise in
temples.
This idiom translates literally as ' They
endured toil and pain as though it were food, chewing and swallowing it whole'.
It is used to describe someone enduring a
very difficult process.
Dear friend, what inspiration or thoughts
did you gain from this story?
Do you have any Buddhist friends? What are
the precepts in your religion?
I hope this story brings you new insights.