上一期禪師說明佛教對死亡的看法，並希望大家勿到年老時才開始修持。今期她分享另一個真實故事，目的是鼓勵大家修行。禪師最後巧妙地回答觀眾提出「安樂死」的疑問。
續上期
有一個真人真事的故事，不單是一個人，是許多人。在我居住的地方，大概半小時的車程，有一間很大的賭場，我問過許多 人：「在你臨終前，你有沒有什麼很想做的事？」「有，我想再去賭場一次！」這並不是開玩笑，有很多人對我這樣說。「你可不可以給我一個可攜式氧氣筒和一張輪椅，那麼我便可以去賭場了！」他們來到賭場已經半死，有很多還走到吸煙間去抽煙。我真的感到非常困惑！
在美國有很多長者，老了的時候，很自然會領取社會福利金。這些福利金大約有800 美元。有部分長者都有孫兒沒能力上大學，但他們不會把這些福利金幫助孫兒交學費，他們卻會去賭場！這是一個怎麼樣的人生？可能我在批判他們！我有兩大問題，批判和沒耐性！我已經修持了四十年，但依然很批判和沒耐性！（ 全場鼓掌 ）為什麼你們要鼓掌？其實是一件很可悲的事！如果你來秀峰禪院修行，他們會教你很簡單的靜坐技巧，不需分文，只要來禪院，他們便會教你這些技巧。我在四十年前已經到禪院學習這個技巧，不斷的修持。那麼，它有效用嗎？它能幫助我嗎？如果你在以前認識我，你會知道我那時有更多的批判，更沒耐性！我們沒辦法量度我們是否清明，我們只能夠不斷嘗試去做。
還有一件事，我媽媽對我來說是一位良師，她大概在一年前往生了。我媽媽往生一周年的日子快到了，是十一月二十七日，我應該在香港，我希望可以為她做一個小小的法會。你猜猜我媽媽臨終前最後的說話是什麼？第一件事她說的就是衝去貨車的前面！她是一個非常實際的人。當時她看着我說：「Bobbie，我呼吸不到了。」這是她最後的一句說話。這就是我媽媽。
我們都曾經失去過我們的至愛。而佛教另一個好處是我們相信多生多世，從不考慮開始、中段或完結。所以，我們呼出「不知」，不需要有任何的意念。你只需每天早上呼吸三次，無任何意念，問自己 「我的願是什麼？ 我的方向是什麼？」當你臨終時，在呼氣的時候你已經在問：「我的願是什麼？我的方向是什麼？」你不會考慮這是不是你最後的一口氣，這就是你的修持。我真的很鼓勵你們修行，只是很簡單的修持也成。如果你害怕死亡，很好，那麼你身上的刺沒有離開你，它給你一個大疑情，推動你更有生命力和慈悲！多謝大家。
問與答
關於安樂死
問： 多謝禪師，我想問的問題是安樂死。今晚我們聽到「死要死得有尊嚴」（Die with dignity）。但有一些情況，譬如說，我們的親人已經是插喉的狀況，我們看到親人受苦的時候，我們可不可以說，夠了，不要再令他 ／她繼續受苦下去，由他 ／她完結他 ／她的生命。可不可以呢？
答 : 我不知道香港有沒有，在美國我們有一種文件叫「復蘇紙」，我已經做了一張，這是一個不錯的建議。你可以隨時取消它的，你只要和你的家人說：「如果是交通意外，是可以拯救到的，那麼我希望能夠得到救治。但如果是末期心臟疾病或癌症，你知道再繼續下去，所有插喉等方法都沒有幫助時，就不要救了。」
我剛才聽到你用「安樂死」這個字，這並不是 「安樂死」，如果你已經快要死了，所有的插喉只不過是人造的生命，如果你把所有喉拔除，這是自然死亡，並不是殺死他。這個分別很重要，要很清楚明白。
如果你要用喉管把一個人的生命維持一星期，兩星期，三星期，你可以這樣做，但他的意識已經死亡。 所以我們今天在這裏推廣靜坐，就是怎樣能夠更有智慧地去幫助我們的家人。只要保持覺醒，那麼我們便可以處理得非常恰當。
全文完
This is a true story, of not just one person, but many people. Where I live, not too far away maybe half an hour drive, there is a big casino. Many people I said to them: “is there something you need to do before you die?” “Yes, I want to go to the casino one more time!” That is not a joke, many people had told me that. “Can you give me some portable oxygen and a wheel chair so that I can go to the casino!” They are half dead there at the casino. A lot of them go to the smoking section, they smoke cigarette. So I fi nd that a little bit disturbing.
In the United States, when you are old and automatically you get the social security cheque. Some of these cheques maybearound USD800. Some of these people, they have grand children who cannot afford to go to college, they don’t give their social security to their grand children to help them with the tuition, they go to the casino! What kind of life is that? So maybe I am judging them, actually I am judging them. I have two big problems: judgmental and impatience!! I have been practicing for forty years; I am still judgmental and I am still impatient. (All clapping) Why are you clapping!! It is very sad!! If you come to practice at Su Bong Zen Monastery, they teach you this very simple meditation technique, it doesn’t cost any money. Just come to the monastery, they teach you the technique. I did that forty years ago, came to the Zen Centre, learned a good technique, practice it, practice it, practice it. So did it work? Did it help me? You should have seen me before, more judgmental, more impatient!! We can’t measure our clarity; all we can do is try.
One more thing. My mother, she was a good teacher to me. She died almost a year ago. Actually I am going to be here on my mother’s anniversary, November 27. I hope we can do a small ceremony for my mother. So what do you think my mother’s last word? First she said: Go run under a truck! She is very practical. So she looked at me, she said: “Bobbie, I can’t breathe.” This was her last word. It was so much like her I am telling you.
We all lost people we loved very much. This is another very good thing about Buddhism. We talk about lifetime after lifetime. So never think there is a beginning, a middle or an end. That’s why we breathe out this “not knowing”, that is don’t have to have an idea. You just take those three breaths every morning, no idea, “What is my vow?” “What is my direction?” Then when you pass away, that exhalation, you are already doing that, “What is my vow?” “What is my direction?” You won’t think that this is your last exhalation, that is your practice. I really, really encourage you to have a practice, just some very simple practice. If you are afraid to die, that’s good. That would be your splinter that does not quite leave you, it gives you a big question, motivates you to be alive and to be compassionate in this lifetime. So thank you very much.
Q & A
About euthanasia
Q: Today we have been hearing about dying with dignity. But there are situations that maybe our beloved ones are with tubes, all in their bodies. They are suffering and there is no return. Can we just ask, “Enough, it’s enough. We want them go with dignity”? And maybe the same situation may happen to us one day. Can we ask the same thing? Thank you!
A: I don’t know if they have that in Hong Kong, but in the United States we have the “do not resuscitate paper”. I already have one of those, it is a good idea. You can always throw that paper away. You tell your spouse or your sister, you say: if it is a car accident and they can fix my body, then I want to be resuscitated. But if you have end stage heart disease or cancer maybe, you realized that it is going to continued, the tubes cannot help you, then you don’t want to be resuscitated. So I heard you use the word “euthanized”, but that was not euthanasia if you are already going to die. You are already dying, the tubes are only artificial life. If you take out the tubes, that is a natural death, that is not killing somebody. That is an important difference to understand.
If you want to keep somebody alive on tubes for one week, two weeks, three weeks, you can do that but the consciousness is already dead. That’s why we are promoting meditation today; it is another thing for us to be wise about is how can we help our family? Just stay awake then you will be able to handle it very well.
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