美文欣賞:金錢能買來幸福嗎？

Don't be too concerned about Money, because all it will do is distract you from achieving happiness. And the irony of ironies is that people think they will be happy when they have money. Money has nothing to do with happiness. If you are happy and you have money, you can use it for happiness.
不要太在意金錢，因爲金錢只會對你追尋幸福的過程造成干擾。最具諷刺意味的是，人們以爲自己擁有金錢就會幸福。事實上金錢與幸福毫不相干。如果你感到幸福，同時又擁有金錢，你可以用金錢來換取幸福。

If you are unhappy and you have money, you will use that money for more unhappiness. Because money is simply a neutral force.
然而如果你沒有感到幸福，卻擁有金錢，那麼你的金錢只能換來更多的不幸。因爲金錢只是一種中性的作用力。

Don't misinterpret me: I am not against money. I am not against anything. Money is a means. Your money will enhance your pattern, whatsoever it is.
請別誤會：我並非反對金錢。我不想反對任何對象。但是金錢僅僅是一種手段。金錢會讓你按照已有的生活模式向前邁進，無論你此時的生活模式是好是壞。

But people keep looking for money as if money is going to bring happiness. People are ready, at any moment, to change their pattern, to change their ways, if more money is available somewhere else.
可是人們還是不停地尋求金錢，似乎金錢能帶給他們幸福似的。任何時候，如果他們發現在生活之路的另一個岔路口上可以找到金錢，他們就會立刻扭轉自己的生活模式，改變自己的生活道路。

Once the money is there, then suddenly you are no longer yourself; you are ready to change.
可是這些人一旦找到了金錢，卻會立刻迷失自我，因爲已經準備好了爲金錢而改變自己。

This is the way of the worldly man. Remember, I don't call a person worldly because he or she has money. I call them worldly if they change their motives for money. This applies to people with no money as well - they may simply be poor. Just being poor is not equivalent to being spiritual; and just being rich is not equivalent to being a materialist. The materialistic pattern of life is one in which money predominates over everything.
這就是世俗中芸芸衆生的生活方式。記住，我稱其世俗並非因爲他們擁有金錢，而是因爲他們爲了金錢而改變了自己的生活目標。對一文不名的人來說同樣如此——或許他們僅僅是貧窮，而不是清貧。貧窮並不等於精神高尚，而富貴也並不等於拜金主義。真正的拜金主義生活方式是讓金錢凌駕於一切之上。

The non-materialistic life is one in which money is just a means: happiness predominates, joy predominates, your own individuality predominates. You know who you are and where you are going, and you are not distracted.
而非拜金主義的生活方式，是將金錢僅僅視作一種手段：幸福、快樂和你的個體尊嚴都是高於金錢的。你知道自己是誰，知道自己的目標在何處，你不會受到旁騖的干擾。

Then suddenly you will see your life has a meditative quality to it.
能夠如此，你就會發現，你的生活忽然有了一種禪意。