Surmounting Life's Obstacles -Do You Cling to What You Were Before?
跨越生命中的障礙,您還堅持原來的樣子嗎？
A little stream flowed down from a high mountain far, far away through many villages and forests, until it reached a desert. The stream then thought, "I've been through countless obstacles. I should have no problem crossing this desert!" But when she decided to start her journey, she found herself gradually disappearing into the mud and sand. After numerous tries, she found it was all in vain and was very upset. "Maybe it's my destiny! I'm not destined to reach the vast ocean in the legend," she murmured dejectedly to herself.

有一條小河流從遙遠的高山上流下來，經過了許多的村莊與森林，最后它來到一處沙漠。它想：「我已經越過了重重障礙，這次應該也可以越過這個沙漠吧！」當它決定越過沙漠時，卻發現自己的河水漸漸消失在泥沙中，它試了一次又一次，總是徒勞無功，最后它灰心了。「也許這就是我的命運吧！我注定永遠也到不了傳說中那個浩瀚大海。」它頹喪地自言自語。
At this time, a deep voice came, saying, "If a breeze can cross the desert, so can a river."
此時，四周響起了一陣低沉的聲音：「如果微風可以跨越沙漠，那么河流也可以。」
It was the voice of the desert. Unconvinced, the little stream replied, "That's because a breeze can fly, but I cannot."
原來這是沙漠發出的聲音。小河流很不服氣地回答說：「那是因為微風可以飛過沙漠，然而，我根本飛不起來啊！」
"That's because you stick to what you are. If you're willing to give it up, and let yourself evaporate into the breeze, it can take you across, and you can reach your destination," said the desert in its deep voice.
「因為你堅持自己原來的樣子，所以你永遠無法跨越這個沙漠。只要你愿意放棄現在的樣子，讓自己蒸發到微風中，微風就能帶著你飛越過去，這樣你才能到達目的地。」沙漠用它低沉的聲音說道。
The little stream had never heard of such a thing. "Give up what I am now and disappear into the breeze? No! No!" She could not accept this idea. After all, she had never experienced anything like it before. Wouldn't it be self-destruction to give up what she was now?
小河流從來不知道有這樣的事情，「放棄我現在的樣子，然后消失在微風中？不！不！」小河流無法接受這種概念，畢竟它從未有過這樣的經驗，叫它放棄現在的樣子，不等于是自我毀滅了嗎？
"How do I know if this is true?" asked the little stream.
「我怎么知道這是真的？」小河流這么問。
"The breeze can carry the vapor across the desert and release it as rain at an appropriate site. The rain will form a river again to continue its course," answered the desert very patiently.
「微風可以把水氣包含在它之中，然后飄過沙漠，到了適當的地點，再把這些水氣釋放出來，于是就變成了雨水。然后這些雨水又會匯聚形成河流，繼續向前進。」沙漠很有耐心地回答。
"Will I still be what I am now?" asked the little stream.
「那我還是原來的河流嗎？」小河流問。
"Yes, and no. Whether you're a river or invisible vapor, your inner nature never changes. You stick to the fact that you're a river because you don't know your inner nature," answered the desert.
「可以說是，也可以說不是。不管你是一條河流或是看不見的水蒸氣，你內在的本質從來沒有改變。你會堅持自己是一條河流，那是因為你從來不知道自己內在的本質。」沙漠回答。
Deep down, the stream vaguely remembered that before she became a river, it was perhaps also the breeze that had carried her halfway up a high mountain, where she turned into rain and fell onto the ground and became what she was now. Finally the little stream gathered her courage and rushed into the open arms of the breeze, which carried her to the next stage of her life.
此時小河流的心中，隱隱約約地想起了自己在變成河流之前，似乎也是由微風帶著自己，飛到內陸某座高山的半山腰，然後變成雨水降落地面后，才變成今日的河流。于是小河流終于鼓起勇氣，投入微風張開的雙臂，消失在微風之中，它讓微風帶著自己，奔向生命中某一段旅程的歸宿。
The course of our lives is like the experience of little stream. If you want to surpass the obstacles in your life in order to head for the destination of Truth, Virtue and beauty, you should also have the wisdom and courage to renounce your ego (attachment to yourself).
我們的生命歷程也像小河流一樣，若想要跨越生命中的障礙，朝真善美的目標邁進，也必須具有「放下自我（執著）」的智慧與勇氣。
Perhaps you can try asking yourself these questions: What is my inner nature? What is it that I cling to? and What is it that I really want?
也許你可以試著問自己：我的本質是什么？我緊抓不放的是什么？我要的究竟是什么？