The elephant and the fly
《大象與蒼蠅》

A disciple and his teacher were walking through the forest. The disciple was disturbed by the fact that his mind was in constant unrest. He asked his teacher: "Why most people's minds are restless, and only few possess a calm mind? What can one do to still the mind?"
一位弟子與他的師父正在穿越一片森林。弟子為自己內心中持續不斷的不安狀態而感到心神不寧。他隨即向師父問道：“為什么大多數人的內心總是無法安寧，只有少數人擁有冷靜的頭腦？一個人需要做些什么才能讓自己的內心平靜下來？”
The teacher looked at the disciple, smiled and said: "I will tell you a story. An elephant was standing and picking leaves from a tree. A small fly came by, flying and buzzing near its ear. The elephant drove it away with its long ears. Then the fly came again, and the elephant drove it away once more.
師父看著弟子，微笑著說道：“我給你講個故事。一頭大象正站著從樹上摘樹葉吃。一只小蒼蠅飛過來，在大象耳邊飛來飛去，嗡嗡作響。大象用自己長長的耳朵把它趕走了。然后，蒼蠅又飛了回來，大象又把它趕走了。
The elephant drove it away with its long ears. Then the fly came again, and the elephant drove it away once more. This was repeated several times. Then the elephant asked the fly: “Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can't you stay just for a while in one place?”
大象用自己長長的耳朵把它趕走了。然后，蒼蠅又飛了回來，大象又把它趕走了。這情形重復了好幾次。然后，大象問蒼蠅：“你為什么如此不安，如此吵鬧？你為什么不能在一個地方好好待著？”
The fly answered: "I am attracted to whatever I see, hear or smell. My five senses, and everything that happens around me, pull me constantly in all directions, and I cannot resist them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still?"
蒼蠅回答說：“我被自己看到、聽到或聞到的東西所吸引著。我的五種感官，以及發生在我身邊的一切事情，都不斷地把我拉向各個不同方向，我無法抗拒它們對我的誘惑。你有什么秘訣嗎？你怎么能保持如此平靜不為所動？”
The elephant stopped eating and said: "My five senses do not rule my attention. I am in control of my attention, and I can direct it wherever I want. This helps me to get immersed in whatever I do, and therefore, keep my mind focused and calm. Now that I am eating, I am completely immersed in eating. In this way, I can enjoy my food and chew it better. I control my attention, and not the other way around, and this helps me stay peaceful."
大象停止吃東西，說道：“我的五種感官不會支配我的注意力。我的注意力完全由我掌控，受我支配。這可以幫助我沉浸在我所做的事情中，從而，讓我保持專注與鎮靜。既然我正在吃東西，我就會完全沉浸在吃東西這件事中。這樣，我就可以在享受美食的同時，把食物嚼得更爛些。我只不過控制住了我的注意力，沒有什么其他方式，而且這有助我保持平靜。”
Upon hearing these words, the disciple's eyes opened wide, and a smile appeared on his face. He looked at his teacher and said: "I understand! My mind will always be in constant unrest, if my five senses, and whatever is happening in the world around me, are in control of it. On the other hand, if I am in command of my five senses, able to disregard sense impressions, and able to control my thoughts, my mind will become calm, and I will be able to disregard its restlessness." "Yes, that's right," answered the teacher, "The mind is restless and goes wherever the attention goes. Control your attention, and you control your mind."
聽完這個故事，弟子睜大眼睛，臉上露出了微笑。他看著師父說：“我明白了！如果我的五種觀感，以及我身邊發生的事情掌控了我的內心，我的內心將永遠無法安寧。但，如果我能夠掌控自己的五種感官，不去理會感官的影響，并且能夠控制自己的思想，我的內心就會平靜下來，也就不會讓不安的情緒影響到自己。”“是的，沒錯，”師父回答說，“內心不安，思緒就會受到注意力的干擾。控制住自己的注意力，你就可以掌控住自己的內心。”

The Meaning of peace
《最寧靜的畫》

There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them.
曾經有一位國王向藝術家們懸賞征集看誰能畫出一幅最寧靜的畫。許多畫家獻上了自己的作品。國王過目了征集上來的全部作品。但其中只有兩幅他真正喜歡，于是他要從這兩幅畫中做出最后的選擇。
One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.
其中一幅畫描繪的是一片平靜的湖泊。湖水中清晰倒映著四周寂靜且高聳的山脈。湖水上方的藍天中掛著一團團棉絮般的白色云朵。所有看過這幅畫的人都認為它是最平和的畫作。
The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest—in perfect peace.
另一幅畫中同樣出現了山脈。但與上幅畫不同，這幅畫中的山脈不僅崎嶇不平，而且光禿禿的。山脈上方的天空烏云密布，大雨傾瀉而下，同時伴隨著電閃雷鳴。從山上飛奔下來的瀑布，砸在山腳下泛起了一層又一層的水花。這畫面看起來并不平和。不過，當國王仔細觀察時，他發現在瀑布后面巖石的一條裂縫中生長著一顆矮小的灌木。一只鳥媽媽在這顆灌木中筑了巢。而且，與此同時，在這洶涌的水流中，這只鳥媽媽正十分平和地趴在巢中。
Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the second picture. Do you know why? "Because," explained the king, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work.Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."
你認為哪幅畫會獲獎？國王選擇了第二幅。你知道為什么嗎？“因為，”國王解釋說，“平和并不意味著身處沒有噪音、煩惱或辛勤勞作的地方。平和意味著，即便身處所有這些外境之中，你的內心中仍能保持平靜。這才是平和的真正含義。”