Tree on Hill (7)
山木(七)
1 Besieged in the place between the state of Chen and the state of Cai, Confucius and his disciples had not eaten cooked food for seven days. All of them quenched hunger with hard solid food, they all looked rather depressed. The voice usually people discussing and remarking about everything were now all calmed down. The environment was quiet and still; people’s feeling were upset and shaking.
孔子及其門徒們受困于陳蔡之間，已經連續七天不曾吃過熱食。大家都以硬綁綁的乾糧果腹，情緒跌落到極點。平時高談闊論，說東道西的聲音，都沉靜了下來，四周一片死寂。眾人之心，更是七上八下的極不穩定。
孔子窮於陳蔡之間，七日不火食。
2 Then someone suddenly sing a song of Shengnong, accompanying by knocking a dry trunk with a branch. The singer’s rhythm and beat are messy. His song is out of the pitch. His accompaniment and sound express his fear, nervousness and loss mood clearly.
這時突然有人以樹枝敲擊槁木，低沉地吟出神農氏的曲子。這位歌者的伴奏紊亂，節拍不準; 歌聲更是荒腔走板，五音不全。從這位歌者的擊木及歌聲之中，可以清楚地感覺到，他內心的惶恐，緊張，以及進退失據的複雜心情。
左據槁木，右擊槁枝，而歌猋氏之風，有其具而無其數，有其聲而無宮角。木聲與人聲，犁然有當於人之心。
3 Yan Hui was afraid that the song made his teacher unhappy. Staying still, he squinted at his teacher’s response. Confucius read his favorite disciple’s mind. He knew that now Yan Hui’s feeling was same as other’s, but he was unwilling to see that Yan Hui’s worry about him and maintaining his dignity increase more fear and sadness that had prevailed in this lovely disciple.
顏回聽見情這樣的歌聲，深怕老師會不高興，他保持原有的姿態不敢轉頭，只用眼睛的餘光偷偷看著老師的反應。孔子知道這位愛徒的心意，他也清楚顏回這時的心情，其實與其他人是一樣的。孔子不願意顏回為了擔心自己，維護自己，從而加增了本來就惶恐與悲哀的心情。
顏回端拱還目而窺之。
4 Confucius said to Yan Hui, “Yan Hui. It is easy to escape from the affliction by the heaven while it is difficult to decline the favor from men. There is no beginning without an ending; men and the heaven are one and the same. Who sang just now? Obviously his practice was insufficient.
孔子對顏回說：「回啊！無受天損易，無受人益難，無始而非卒也，人與天一也。剛才唱歌的人是誰啊？聽其聲音，顯然功夫練得還不到家。」
仲尼恐其廣己而造大也，愛己而造哀也，曰：「回，無受天損易，無受人益難。無始而非卒也，人與天一也。夫今之歌者其誰乎！」
5 Yan Hui dared not say who the singer was. He just asked Confucius, “Sir, could I know the meaning of “It is easy to escape from the afflictions by the heaven.”
顏回沒敢點名是誰唱的，他只問孔子：「老師，請問"無受天損易"是什麼意思？」
回曰：「敢問無受天損易。」
6 Confucius said, “Hunger, thirst, cold, destitution and failure are the inevitable trace of natural operation. When winter comes, tree, grass and flowers wither and animals are hungry. In serious drought, countless animals die from thirst on the grasslands because of no water. When plague comes, fowl, cattle and people die in great deal. There is nothing to complain about such natural calamity. We have to sit down under it, wearing more clothes, storing more food and water, improving environment and sanitation. These natural calamities will pass by themselves at the end of day.
孔子說：「饑渴寒暑，窮困不得志，這些都是自然運作的必然軌跡。季節到了嚴冬時分，樹木花草大都凋零，百獸無不處於饑餓的狀態。大旱之時，草原上因無水可飲而渴死的動物何止萬千。瘟疫來時，家畜牲口，以及百姓大批死亡。像這種自然災害，我們沒有什麼好抱怨的。逆來順受，耐心地等待; 多穿些衣服，預備些糧水，改善衛生環境，這種天損，遲早都會自動地過渡過去。
7 As a minister, you can’t quit your job due to the calamities. You should hold your ground to work hard for your country.
做別人臣子的，不能因為天損之災就辭官求去，應該堅守崗位，為國家社會的安危付出心力。
8 As a minister, we should do so in calamity. As a common people, we shouldn’t betray, curse and blame our god for a few failures. Don’t you think so?”
為人臣子的，在危難時尚應如此，那麼，身為一般的民眾，我們與天的關係就更加的不可輕忽了; 絕不能因為一點小挫折，就背叛，咀咒、責駡自己心目中的神，你說對吧！」
仲尼曰：「飢渴寒暑，窮桎不行，天地之行也，運物之泄也，言與之偕逝之謂也。為人臣者，不敢去之。執臣之道猶若是，而況乎所以待天乎？」
9 “What about ‘it is difficult to decline the favor from men’?” Yan Hui asked again.
「那麼，什麼又是"無受人益難"呢？」顏回繼續問道。
「何謂無受人益難？」
10 Confucius said, “Many things are created due to the development of human’s civilization. They do give people convenience. At first, we think them very good, but later, we can’t throw them away after we are accustomed to use them, just like smoking cigarette and opium.
孔子說：「人類因為文明的進步，而創造出來許多物品，這些東西，確實都給我們帶來了不少方便。而當我們起初利用，及使用這些物品時，都覺得它們實在太好用了，可是一旦用上手後，我們就再也擺脫不掉它們，如同抽煙、抽吸鴉片會上癮一樣。
11 Fame and interest are so. We must know that fame and wealth are outward things, not inherent. Furthermore, the power evolutes from it may become the source of corruption. Lord John Acton (1834-1902) said: 'Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.'
名利也是這樣。英國人Acton說: 『權力使人腐化，絕對的權力使人絕對的腐化。』我們必須體認到，財富、名位等都是身外之物，不是源於我們與生具來的東西。其所衍生出來的權力，極有可能成為我們腐化的根源之一。
12 We mention that gentleman doesn’t rob others and sage doesn’t steal others. If we occupy fame and wealth that is not inherent, are we robber or thief?
我們說：『君子不搶別人的東西，聖賢不偷別人的東西。』如果我們過度佔有這些原非我們生而具有的財富、名位，那麼，我們究竟是強盜，還是小偷呢？
13 Swallow has the best virtue among birds. It doesn’t take a glance at what it thinks it should not take. You put food there but it takes no notice. Of course, we know that swallow is afraid of being snared so it does so. Though swallow fear human so much, they still build nests under eave of human’s house.
在飛禽當中，最守本分的就屬燕子了。凡是燕子認為不該取的東西，牠連看都不看一眼; 你就是將飼料放在那兒，牠也是棄之於不顧。當然，我們知道，燕子可能是害怕上了人類的當，所以才這麼做。縱然，燕子是這麼的懼怕人類，可是牠卻偏偏要在人們居住的屋簷下築巢。
14 We know that fame and wealth trigger our avarice, wrath and obsession that bring worry and sadness to us. However, who among people under the sky can refuse their temptations?”
我們知道名利、財富等會誘發我們的貪念，會為我們帶來憂慮及困擾，可是天下芸芸眾生之中，又有誰能夠真正擺脫掉這些 “人益” 的誘惑呢？」
仲尼曰：「始用四達，爵祿並至而不窮。物之所利，乃非己也，吾命有在外者也。君子不為盜，賢人不為竊，吾若取之，何哉？故曰：鳥莫知於鷾鴯，目之所不宜處，不給視，雖落其實，棄之而走。其畏人也，而襲諸人間。社稷存焉爾！」
15 Yan Hui asked again, “What about ‘There is no beginning without an ending’?”
顏回又問：「什麼是"無始而非卒"呢？」
「何謂無始而非卒？」
16 Confucius said, “Our human’s consciousness only can touch, sense and understand our life between birth and death. Things before and after life are out of our reach. It is somewhat like the mosquito of summer can’t see the scene of spring and the stagnant environment in winter. We don’t probe the problems before life and after death. For something we don't know very well, we better not touch and talk about it. For this reason, let's forget the problems before life and after death and live well at the present life.”
孔子說：「我們人類的意識只能接觸，瞭解，感覺我們從出生到死亡這一段生的時刻。生之前、死之後的事都不是我們所可以理解的。這有些像夏天的蚊子，牠無法瞭解春天的景象，也無法瞭解冬天百物蕭條的樣子。對不能瞭解的生前與死後的問題，我們就少碰，專心地活在當下，好好地把握生的這段時間吧！」
仲尼曰：「化其萬物而不知其禪之者，焉知其所終？焉知其所始？正而待之而已耳。」
17 Looking up to the sky, Yan Hui felt most of his worry disappearing. He asked Confucius, “What about ‘men and the heaven are one and the same’?”
顏回望著天際，一時感到心中的憂慮似乎減少了一半，他問孔子：「那麼什麼又是 "人與天一" 呢？」
「何謂人與天一邪？」
18 Confucius said, “Human is an occasional creation of the nature. The nature is autogenetic. Its natures conceal in everyone. We call them as self-nature, Buddha-nature, Qi, calmness and refinement. The precious nature in human can’t be shown because the wisdoms of man, such as avarice, wrath and obsession develop too much so as to cover the wisdom of heaven. The men of perfect practice understand the fact so they feel frank and safe because they know the operation of the heaven, human and fate. No matter what situation they always keep a sound, tranquil and peaceful mood. They don’t feel anxious all days. They are free and never control by failure, danger and fear.”
孔子說：「人是大自然因緣際會演化而來的。大自然是自生的。大自然的天性埋藏在每一個人的身上，我們稱其為自性、佛性、氣、拙火、妙用等。人的這些寶貴天性之所以無法順利彰顯，是因為人性中的貪、嗔、癡等 “人之天”之過度發展，而致使人性遮掩住“天之天”;的天性的緣故。修行完備之人瞭解這些實情，心中坦然，知道天、知道人、知道命運的運作; 因此他們始終能保持沉穩，安寧，祥和的心境，不會被挫折、危難、恐懼等所控制，或甚至惶惶而不可終日。」
仲尼曰：「有人，天也；有天，亦天也。人之不能有天，性也。聖人晏然體逝而終矣！」