The wolves 狼


"Master, you must help me," said the visitor. "I am at my wit’s end."

“點傳師，你一定要幫幫我，” 來訪者說。“我快要受不了了!”

"What seems to be the problem?" The sage asked.

“是什麼樣的問題呢？” 聖人問。

"I am having a hard time controlling my anger," the visitor said. "It’s just the way people are. I see them criticizing others while totally unaware of their own faults. I do not wish to criticize them because I don’t want to be like them, but it really upsets me."

“ 我實在無法控制我的怒火。” 來訪者說：我看到人類的本性，他們批評別人時卻完全忽略自己的缺點，我真的不希望批評他們，因為我不想像他們一樣。不過，這真的讓我很受不了。”

"I see," said the sage. "Tell me something first: Aren’t you the villager who narrowly escaped death last year?"

“ 這樣啊！點傳師回答：“ 你先回答我一個問題，你不就是那個去年險從鬼門關前被救回來的那個村人嗎？”

"Yes," the visitor nodded. "It was a terrible experience. I ventured too far into the forest and ran into a pack of hungry wolves."



“ 是啊，” 來訪者點了點頭。“ 那正是一個恐怖的經驗。我在森林中走得太遠，然後撞見一群飢餓的狼。”

"What did you do?"

“那你怎麼處理？”

"I climbed up a tree just in time before they converged on me. These wolves were big and I had no doubt they could tear me to pieces."

“我在他們追上我之前爬上樹。那群狼都好大隻，我覺得他們肯定能把我撕裂成一片片。”

"So you were trapped?"

“所以你被困住了？”

"Yes. I knew I wouldn’t last long without water and food, so I waited for them to relax their guard. When I thought it was safe enough, I would jump down, make a mad dash for the next tree, and then climb up before they converged again."

“是的，我知道如果沒有水和食物我是撐不久的，所以，我等待他們分散注意力。當我覺得夠安全的時候，我就會往下跳，朝下一顆樹瘋狂的猛衝，在他們追上來之前，再一次及時爬上樹。”

"This sounds like quite an ordeal."

“這聽起來像是個痛苦的折磨。”

"Yes,altogether it lasted two days. I thought I would surely die. Luckily a group of hunters approached when I got close enough to the village. The wolves scattered and I was saved."

“沒錯，總共花了兩天的時間。我以為我死定了。幸好，在我離村莊不遠時有一群獵人靠過來。那群狼嚇跑了，而我也得救了！”

"I’m curious about one thing," said the sage. "During the experience, were you ever offended by the wolves?"

“ 我對一件事很好奇，” 點傳師問：“ 在那次的事件中，你是否曾覺得被狼群冒犯到呢?”

"What? Offended?"

“什麼？冒犯?”

"Yes. Did you feel offended, or insulted by the wolves?"

“是的，你覺得那群狼有冒犯或侮辱到你嗎?”

"Of course not, Master. That thought never crossed my mind."

“當然沒有啦！點傳師，我從來沒有那個想法。”

"Why not? They wanted nothing more than to bite into you, did they not? They wanted to kill you, did they not?"

“為什麼沒有呢? 他們不就是千方百計的想要咬你，不是嗎? 他們就是要殺你，不是嗎?”

"Yes, but... that is what wolves do! They were just being themselves. It would be absurd for me to be take offense."

“是沒錯，不過……狼本來就會這樣啊！他們只是展露他們的本性而已。如果我覺得被冒犯，那就太荒謬了。”

"Excellent! Now let’s hang on to this thought while we examine your question. Criticizing others while being unaware of their own faults is something that many people do. You might even say that it is something we all do from time to time. In a sense, the ravenous wolves live in every one of us.

“太好了！在我們討論你的問題的時候，不要忘了你現在這個想法。大多數的人常會批評別人，卻忽略自己的缺點。這可以說是我們都有可能會做的事。也就是說我們每個人心中都有一隻貪婪的狼。”


"When the wolves bare their fangs and close in on you, you should not just stand there. You should certainly protect yourself by getting away from them if at all possible. Similarly, when people lash out at you with venomous criticism, you should not accept it passively. You should certainly protect yourself by putting some distance between you and them if at all possible.

“當狼群露出獠牙靠近你時，你不能原地不動。你一定要保護自己，並且盡可能的遠離他們。同樣地，當別人以惡毒的批評諷刺你時，你不應該默默的承受。你理當保護自己，如果可以的話，讓自己與他們保持距離。

"The crucial point is that you can do so without feeling offended or insulted, because these people are simply being themselves. It is their nature to be critical and judgmental, so it would be absurd for us to take offense. It would be pointless for us to get angry.

“重點是當你保護自己的時候，不必覺得被冒犯或侮辱，因為這些人只是展現他們原來的真面目。挑剔和批評是他們的本性，所以如果我們覺得被冒犯那就荒謬了。因為這種事而生氣，對我們來說太沒有意義了。”

"Next time the hungry wolves in human skin converge on you, remember: it’s just the way people are - exactly as you said when you came in."

“下一次帶著人類面具的飢餓狼群聚集在你身旁時，記住: 這只是人類的本性——就如你剛進門時所說的那樣。”