【Reflecting on your Future Life】- afraid of minor sufferings, one can’t advance

Therefore, many of us now always feel that, ah, I can’t do it! I am very inferior! By having this kind of concept in our minds, we actually harm ourselves. We harm ourselves. Yes, now you can’t move forward because you are afraid of minor sufferings, but as a result, you will have to endure great suffering. This is how people are really foolish.

Regarding this point, it will be particularly explained in the chapter on joyful perseverance. The reason we cannot move forward now is because we feel that we lack the strength. This is quite true but what’s the other side to this? It is that we feel we are afraid of the suffering [brought on by cultivation], we feel that, oh, there is so much hardship, we won’t be able to forbear it. As a result, since you are afraid of some minor sufferings now, you end up forbearing immeasurable sufferings. This is so not worthwhile, so not worthwhile. Now there is a special benefit to this treatise, regarding the principles. Before you formally begin to practice, it tells you the complete [path]. Like that. Once you have this understanding, you don’t want to rashly begin to meditate, but instead follow the order of the stages and increase your abilities and strength. You may go a little slower, but you will be able to see it very clearly. In the end, you will [discover that you] have taken the fastest, the fastest, and the most direct path.

SOURCE 来源 :

42B 02’47” Vol 6 of Master Jih-Chang’s Discourse P52 L8
English Lamrim Vol 1 P174

日常师父法语📡42B 02’47” 手抄稿第6册P52 L8

三恶趣苦 : 怕一点小苦爬不上去

所以现在我们太多人眼前总觉得：哎呀，我是不行啊！我是很差啊！这种概念，说实在的都是自己伤害自己，自己伤害自己。结果，是，你眼前因为怕一点小苦爬不上去，结果呢却是受了大苦，这个人的真正的愚痴在这个地方。

关于这一点到后面精进一章里面会特别告诉我们，我们眼前所以爬不上去的话，原因就是觉得自己力量不够，这倒是个事实。另外一点呢？就是怕挡不住这个苦，觉得，喔唷，这么大的苦啊，就好像受不了。结果呢，因为你怕这么一点点小苦，你吃了无穷无尽的大苦，这是我们最划不来、最划不来的事情。现在这个本论有个特别的好处，关于这个道理，在你没有正式修学之前，先完完整整地告诉你，这样。你有了这个认识以后，你不要急着去修，然后呢照着它这个次第一步一步上去，增强你的能力。你可以慢一点来，但是你看得很清楚，最后你走的路子却是最快速的，最快速的、最直接的。