你的付出是有求的吗?

Do You Give for A Return?

已定稿

如果有两个乞丐，其中有一个乞丐经常向你乞讨，你也经常给他做很多的布施；另一个乞丐，你从来没有布施过。
If there are two beggars, one beggar often begs from you, and you often give him a lot of alms; to the other beggar, you’ve never given anything.
有一天这两个乞丐都莫名其妙地打了你两耳光，你肯定会对那个经常给他做布施的乞丐特别生气：“我天天布施他，他还打我？”同样是乞丐，你对曾受过你恩惠的乞丐，心情肯定是不一样的。
One day, both beggars inexplicably slapped you twice, and you must have been particularly angry with the beggar who often received alms from you, “I have been generous to him, and he hit me.” The same beggar，you will feel differently towards the beggar who has received your favor.
从这一点就可以看出，我们在布施的时候还是有希求回报的心。如果真的发了菩提心的话，在你心中两个乞丐都是你过去生生世世的父母，只有一个乞丐你这一世做了布施，另一个乞丐虽然今生没有布施他，但是过去世也有可能给他做过很多的布施。也就是说，我们对他们俩至少是平等的，心情也应该是一样的。
From this point, we can see that we still have the desire in return when we give. If you have already generated true bodhicitta, in your mind, both beggars are your parents in past lives; although you have only donated to one beggar in this life, not to another, perhaps you have donated to him hugely in the past. In other words, we at least should treat them equally, as well as our mood towards them.
从这里就可 以看出来，藏在内心深处的发心，我们往往是看不到的。有一位母亲说：“我对孩子的付出是完全是无私的。”我说：“不对，如果什么时候你的孩子不认你做妈，去认别人做妈的时候，保证你马上就受不了了，你肯定会非常非常的生气。这就说明你对孩子的奉献不是无私的，无私的话就不会生气了。
From here we can see that the motivation hidden is often invisible to us. One mother said, “What I give to my children is completely selfless.” I would say “not exactly”. If your child disowns you as a mother and goes to claim someone else as his or her mother, you are pretty sure to be immediately overwhelmed and get angry. This shows that your devotion to your child is not selfless, and if it is， you will not get angry.
不管父母对孩子多好，如果这个孩子到一定的时候不孝顺你，你肯定会生气的。如果你的侄子或者外甥不孝顺你，你觉得没关系；但你的亲儿子不孝顺你，你肯定受不了了。这说明你的付出是需要回报的。比如你看到一个人掉到水里了，见义勇为，马上跳水里把他救了起来。可能你救他的这个过程中没有要求他回报你什么，你把他救起来了，就走了。
No matter how good the parents are to their children, if that child is not grateful to you at a certain stage, you will definitely be angry. If your nephew or nieces are not grateful to you, you think it’s OK; but if your own son is not grateful to you, you surely can’t stand it. It proves that you are expecting something back in return for your giving. For example, if you see a man falling into the water, you immediately jump into the water and save him. You may not seek any benefit from saving him but rescue him and leave.
等以后这个人忘恩负义的时候害你一把，你肯定受不了。你觉得这个忘恩负义的家伙，恨得牙痒痒，这就说明你不是真的不求回报，还是有求的。(表情，肢体表达普通人类的心态）
You won’t be able to stand it when this person is ungrateful and hurts you later. Because you feel this ungrateful guy and despite him so much, which means you are not really asking for nothing in return; you are still asking for something. (Expression, physical language expresses the mindset of ordinary human beings.)
我们凡夫的心不可能不求回报的。作为一个善人，你可能是够资格——你这个人心善，够义气，至少当时不求回报。但是作为菩萨来说， 还远远不够格。
It is impossible for our ordinary human hearts not to ask for something in return. As a kind person, you may be qualified-- you are good-hearted and righteous enough, at least at that time, not to ask for return. But as a Bodhisattva, it’s far from enough.
发了菩提心的菩萨，任何付出都是不需要回报的。可能有些时候为了让众生生起信心，可以善巧方便说一下“我利益过他”，有一些功德彰显，若非如此，我们是不需要被利益者赞扬的。因为我们不求回报，唯一的愿望就是他能够成就佛果， 对每一个众生我们都是这样的：只要他能够成佛，就够了。因为我们自己也能够成佛，所以不需要他来回报我们什么，没有希求回报的心。这样的话，菩提心才比较真实。
A Bodhisattva who has generated bodhicitta does not ask for any return for any giving. Sometimes, in order to boost the faith of all sentient beings, we can conveniently say, “I have benefited others” to show some merit; otherwise, we don’t need to be praised by those who have benefited from us. We don’t ask for return; our only wish towards all beings is that they will attain Buddhahood. Because we, ourselves, can become Buddhas, we don’t need anybody to return anything to us, a mind without desire for return. In this way, bodhicitta is more genuine.
我们问一问自己，是不是发了菩提心？我们每天念：不求人天福报、声闻缘觉……念是这么念了，但是真的这么发了吗？要是心里发出来才是真的。真的做到不求回报，这个心才慢慢趋向菩提。
Ask ourselves if we have generated bodhicitta. We recite every day: Do not seek human and heavenly blessings, Arhat and PratyekaBuddha..... We recited so, but was it really our motivation? It is only true when it comes from the heart. If one really doesn’t ask for return, then this mind will slowly tend towards bodhi.

翻译人：梁雪玲 20/04/2022
Koala 修改 2022/04/26
审阅：Nina 2022/4/27