HOW TO BE CALM

　　静心之道

　　A disciple and his master were walking through the forest. The disciple was disturbed by thefact that his mind was in constant unrest .

　　He asked his master, “Why most people's minds are restless, and only a few possess a calmmind? What can one do to still the mind?”

　　The master looked at the disciple, smiled and said, I will tell you a story. An elephant wasstanding and picking leaves from a tree. A family fly came, flying and buzz ing near his ear. Theelephant waved it away with his long ears. Then the fly came again, and the elephant waved itaway once more.

　　This was repeated several times. Then the elephant asked the fly, “Why are you so restlessand noisy? Why can't you stay for a while in one place?”

　　The fly answered, “I am attracted to whatever I see, hear or smell. My five senses pull meconstantly in all directions and I cannot resist them. What is your secret? How can you stay socalm and still?”

　　The elephant stopped eating and said, “My five senses do not rule my attention. Whatever Ido, I get immersed in it. Now that I am eating, I am completely immersed in eating. In this way Ican enjoy my food and chew it better. I rule and control my attention, and not the other wayround.”

　　Upon hearing these words, the disciple's eyes opened wide and a smile appeared on his face.

　　He looked at his master and said, “I understand! If my five senses are in control of my mind andattention, my mind is in constant unrest. If I am in charge of my five senses and attention, mymind becomes calm.”

　　“Yes, that's right,” answered the master, “The mind is restless and goes wherever theattention is. Control your attention and your mind.”

　　师徒两人徒步穿过森林。徒弟总是心神不宁，为此烦恼不已。

　　他问师傅：“为什么大多数人内心都躁动不安，只有少数人才能静如止水呢？人心怎样才能获得安宁呢？”

　　师傅看了看徒弟，笑道，我给你讲个故事吧。一只大象站着从树上摘树叶吃，这时飞来一只家蝇，不断地在它耳边飞来飞去，嗡嗡作响。大象扇动长长的耳朵赶它走。一会儿苍蝇又飞回来了，大象再次扇它走。

　　如此，重复多次。然后大象问苍蝇：“你怎么没完没了地吵闹？你就不能在一个地方待一会儿吗？”

　　苍蝇答道：“我不论看到、听到或是闻到什么东西，都会被吸引。我的五官不断地把我拉向各个方向，我根本无法抗拒。为什么你总能保持镇静，一动不动？秘诀是什么呢？”

　　大象不吃了，停下来说：“我的注意力不受制于五官。不论做什么，我都能沉浸其中。

　　就好比我现在在吃东西，我就专心地吃东西。这样我才能享受美味，更好地咀嚼。是我在掌控注意力，而不是注意力掌控我。”

　　听了这话，徒弟睁大了眼睛，脸上露出了笑容。他望着师傅说：“我明白了！如果我的五官控制了心神，内心就不得安宁。如果我掌控五官和注意力，我的心就能够获得平静。”

　　“没错，你说得对。”师傅答道：“神不定则心乱，神定则心宁。”