文／ 蓮生活佛盧勝彥
寫了多篇「如來的哲思」，現在又回到原點，為什麼要學佛修行？
有很多人連想都不想為什麼要學佛？為什麼要修行？人活著就活著，死了就死了，幹嘛那麼苦，去學佛修行來把自己綁住。
有人問我：
「該享受就享受，學什麼佛！守什麼戒！」
又有人對我說：
「我又不想當佛，當菩薩，修行幹什麼！」
還有人說：
「宗教全是騙人的，胡說八道，什麼因果，什麼天上界、地獄界，老子什麼都不信。」
對於這樣子的人，我們需要更有耐心去解釋，我們送給他們基礎佛學書籍。
我自己是如何體悟的，把經驗想法告訴他們：
我說，人生就是生老病死苦。苦、空、無常。在探討生命的真義之後，覺得享樂很短暫，生命很短暫，人生很夢幻。為了突破人生目的，解決生死問題，這才是智者的行為。
想一想——
人生無常的現象。
生命的脆弱。
活著的真正意義，心靈的空虛。
榮華富貴得到了，萬般又帶不去，榮華富貴又有什麼享樂…
從這些當中，生出警覺心！
我確確實實體會到，在這短短的一生時光，最最有價值的，正是恒心去力行修行，自主生死，明心見性，成就自在。
除此之外，全是妄想顛倒的垃圾！
Why Practice Buddhism and Do Cultivation?
Written by Lian-shen Linving Buddha Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by Cheng Yew Chung edited by Victor Hazen
True Buddha Foundation Translation Team
Having written many articles on the "Thoughts of the Tathagata", I am back to the starting point, addressing the issue: Why practice Buddhism and do cultivation？
Why practice Buddhism？Why the need to cultivate？Such questions may not even arise in the minds of many who feel that the goal of being alive as a human is simply staying alive, and upon one's death everything ends. These individuals see no reason to be tied down by the practice of Buddhism and suffer.
Someone asked me, "When it is time to party, I party. Why bother about learning Buddhism? Why stick to precepts?" Others have added, "I have no desire to become a buddha or bodhisattva. So why bother to cultivate？" Another person said, "Religion stuff is crap! It is just pure nonsense! Cause and effect, heaven and hell...I believe none of these."
We need to exercise greater patience when explaining the teachings to these individuals, offering them some introductory literature on Buddhism as gifts.
I would share with them my understanding and realization. It is my view that human life is a cycle of suffering involving birth, old age, sickness and death. Hence, suffering, emptiness and impermanence always exist. When I look into the true meaning of life, I realize that the enjoyment is short-lived, for life is short. And life is illusory, like a dream. It is therefore wise to penetrate beyond our present vision of life and resolve the question of life and death.
Just think of the impermanence of the events in life, and how fragile life is. Contemplate on the true meaning of our existence, and why our hearts remain empty. Think of how one can gain all the treasures and achievements of the world, only to lose all upon death. What joy can these treasures bring？
With such awareness comes a sense of alertness! I truly realize that the utmost value in one's short lifespan on earth is to practice cultivation with perseverance, attaining True Liberation, Self Realization, and Spiritual Freedom. Otherwise, everything else is simply trash generated from discursive thoughts！