生活禅的12个简单原则禅并不是什么令人兴奋的东西

“Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine.”

禅并不是什么令人兴奋的东西，而只是对日常生活的专注。

——铃木俊隆（Shunryu Suzuki）

来自：《zen things》

一次只专注于一件事情

这一规则（还有其他一些后面的规则）为长期阅读禅僧习惯的读者所熟知。这也是我哲学的一部分，也是一个禅僧生活的一部分：单任务而不一次进行多项任务。当你在倒水的时候就只倒水就可以了。而当你吃饭的时候就只吃饭好了。当你洗澡的时候，就专注于洗澡。不要试着停下一些工作去吃饭或洗澡。禅僧格言：当你行走的时候，专心行走。当你吃饭的时候，专心吃饭。

Do one thing at a time

This rule (and some of the others that follow) will be familiar to long-time Zen Habits readers. It’s part of my philosophy, and it’s also a part of the life of a Zen monk: single-task, don’t multi-task. When you’re pouring water, just pour water. When you’re eating, just eat. When you’re bathing, just bathe. Don’t try to knock off a few tasks while eating or bathing. Zen proverb: “When walking, walk. When eating, eat.”

慢慢地并谨慎地做事

你可以一次完成一个任务，但也可能会急匆匆的完成它。相反，你不能急，要慢慢来。谨慎地注意你的行动，不要太急忙和随意了。这需要练习，但他有助于你专注于你的任务。

Do it slowly and deliberately

You can do one task at a time, but also rush that task. Instead, take your time, and move slowly. Make your actions deliberate, not rushed and random. It takes practice, but it helps you focus on the task.

彻底地完成它

全心全意关注你的任务。不完成目前的任务不要进行下一个。如果因为某些原因你不得不去做别的事，至少尽量把没有完成的放好并整理一下自己。如果你在做三明治，在吃掉它之前你要先把用来做三明治的东西清理好，清扫一下柜台，洗干净做三明治碟子。这样你就完成了做三明治的工作，你就可以完成专注于下一个任务了。

Do it completely

Put your mind completely on the task. Don’t move on to the next task until you’re finished. If, for some reason, you have no choice but to move on to something else, try to at least put away the unfinished task and clean up after yourself. If you prepare a sandwich, don’t start eating it until you’ve put away the stuff you used to prepare it, wiped down the counter, and washed the dishes used for preparation. Then you’re done with that task, and can focus more completely on the next task.

少做

一个禅僧不会过一种懒惰的生活：他很早就醒来了而且每天都塞满了工作。然而，他不会有一个无休止的任务清单——今天他要完成特定的事情，不会太多。如果你少做，你就能够更专注地慢慢地、更彻底地做这些事情，如果你把一天用不同的任务填满，你就会急忙地从一件事情到另一件事情，而不会停下来去想你究竟做了些什么。

Do less

A Zen monk doesn’t lead a lazy life: he wakes early and has a day filled with work. However, he doesn’t have an unending task list either — there are certain things he’s going to do today, an no more. If you do less, you can do those things more slowly, more completely and with more concentration. If you fill your day with tasks, you will be rushing from one thing to the next without stopping to think about what you do.

在事情之间留些空间

跟“少做”原则相关，但这是管理你的日程表保证你总是有时间来完成每项任务的一种方法。不要把事情安排的过于紧密——相反在事情之间留些空间出来。这会让你的日程表更轻松，留出空间也可以防止万一一项任务花费的时间超过了你的计划。

Put space between things.

Related to the “Do less” rule, but it’s a way of managing your schedule so that you always have time to complete each task. Don’t schedule things close together — instead, leave room between things on your schedule. That gives you a more relaxed schedule, and leaves space in case one task takes longer than you planned.

培养一种仪式

禅僧们对于他们做的很多事情都有仪式，从吃饭到清洁到冥想。仪式给人一种重要的感觉——如果事情重要到需要一种仪式，就需要给予你完成的注意，并且慢慢地正确地来完成。你不必学习禅僧的仪式——你可以建立你自己的仪式，为食物的准备、为吃饭、为清洁、为你开始做的事情、为你醒来后做的事情和你上床之前做的事情、为你在锻炼之前做的事情。是的，为任何你想做的事情建立一种仪式。

Develop rituals

Zen monks have rituals for many things they do, from eating to cleaning to meditation. Ritual gives something a sense of importance — if it’s important enough to have a ritual, it’s important enough to be given your entire attention, and to be done slowly and correctly. You don’t have to learn the Zen monk rituals — you can create your own, for the preparation of food, for eating, for cleaning, for what you do before you start your work, for what you do when you wake up and before you go to bed, for what you do just before exercise. Anything you want, really.

为特定的事情分配好时间

在一天中的特定时间内禅僧是用来完成特定的活动的。洗澡的时间、工作的时间、清洁的时间、吃饭的时间。这可以保证这些事情有规律地完成。你可以为你自己的活动分配时间，不管是工作或是清洁或是锻炼或是宁静的沉思。如果它很重要需要有规律地来完成，那就考虑为它分配好时间吧。

Designate time for certain things

There are certain times in the day of a Zen monk designated for certain activities. A time for for bathing, a time for work, a time for cleaning, a time for eating. This ensures that those things get done regularly. You can designate time for your own activities, whether that be work or cleaning or exercise or quiet contemplation. If it’s important enough to do regularly, consider designating a time for it.

花些时间在打坐上

在禅僧的一生中，禅宗打坐是他每天最重要的部分之一。每天，有专门分配用来打坐的时间。这种沉思确实是学习活在当下的练习。你可以花些时间来静坐冥想，或做我所做的：我以跑步做为活在当下的一种锻炼。同样地，你可以采用任何活动，只要你你经常地去做并练习活在当下。

Devote time to sitting

In the life of a Zen monk, sitting meditation (zazen) is one of the most important parts of his day. Each day, there is time designated just for sitting. This meditation is really practice for learning to be present. You can devote time for sitting meditation, or do what I do: I use running as a way to practice being in the moment. You could use any activity in the same way, as long as you do it regularly and practice being present.

微笑和服务他人

禅僧把他们每天中的部分时间用来服务他人，不管是寺院里的其他禅僧还是外面世界里的人们。这教会了他们谦逊，确保他们的生活不单单是自私的，也是为了奉献他人的。如果你是一个家长，可能你已经至少在家庭中为服务别人花了些时间，而不是家长的人们也许也做了这些。类似地，微笑并与人为善是改善你周围人生活的一种很好的方法。也可以考虑志愿参加慈善工作。

Smile and serve others

Zen monks spend part of their day in service to others, whether that be other monks in the monastery or people on the outside world. It teaches them humility, and ensures that their lives are not just selfish, but devoted to others. If you’re a parent, it’s likely you already spend at least some time in service to others in your household, and non-parents may already do this too. Similarly, smiling and being kind to others can be a great way to improve the lives of those around you. Also consider volunteering for charity work.

把清洁和烹饪变成冥想

除了上面提到的打坐以外，清洁和烹饪也是禅僧每天最荣耀的部分。他们都是练习专注力的好方式，可以是每天进行的很好的仪式。如果烹饪和清洁对你来说似乎烦琐的杂务，试着用冥想的方式来完成它们。全心全意做这些工作，集中注意、慢慢地、彻底地做这些事情。这会改变你的一天（同时也给你一间干净的房间）。

Make cleaning and cooking become meditation

Aside from the zazen mentioned above, cooking and cleaning are to of the most exalted parts of a Zen monk’s day. They are both great ways to practice mindfulness, and can be great rituals performed each day. If cooking and cleaning seem like boring chores to you, try doing them as a form of meditation. Put your entire mind into those tasks, concentrate, and do them slowly and completely. It could change your entire day (as well as leave you with a cleaner house).

思考什么是必须的

在禅僧的生活中基本上都是必须的要做的。他没有充满鞋子的衣柜或最新的时尚衣服。他没有冰箱和橱柜来存放垃圾食物。他没有最新的小玩意、汽车、电视或苹果音乐播放器。他有保暖的衣物、有避雨的房屋、必须的器具、不可少的工具和充饥的食物（他们吃的很简单，素餐通常有大米、味噌汤、蔬菜和泡菜组成）。

现在，我的意思不是说你应该完成像禅僧一样生活——我也没有这样做。但这确实提醒我们在我们的生活中有很多事情是没有必要的。思考我们真正需要的是什么，考虑拥那些不必要的东西是否对我们真的重要，这对我们是有用的。

Think about what is necessary

There is little in a Zen monk’s life that isn’t necessary. He doesn’t have a closet full of shoes, or the latest in trendy clothes. He doesn’t have a refrigerator and cabinets full of junk food. He doesn’t have the latest gadgets, cars, televisions, or iPod. He has basic clothing, basic shelter, basic utensils, basic tools, and the most basic food (they eat simple, vegetarian meals consisting usually of rice, miso soup, vegetables, and pickled vegetables). Now, I’m not saying you should live exactly like a Zen monk — I certainly don’t. But it does serve as a reminder that there is much in our lives that aren’t necessary, and it can be useful to give some thought about what we really need, and whether it is important to have all the stuff we have that’s not necessary.

简单生活

每11条原则——如果某些事情不是必须的——的推论，那么没有他们你也可以生活。所以简单生活就是尽可能地处理掉那些没有必要的和不重要的东西，为重要的东西留存空间。而什么是重要的是因人而异的。对我来说，家庭、写作、跑步和阅读是重要的。对其他人来说，也许护理和志愿工作、做礼拜和收集连环画是重要的。没有什么定律来规定对你来说什么应该重要的——但你应该考虑什么是你生命中最为重要的，通过去除不是那么重要的事情为你生命中重要的事情留出空间来。

Live simply

The corollary of Rule 11 is that if something isn’t necessary, you can probably live without it. And so to live simply is to rid your life of as many of the unnecessary and unessential things as you can, to make room for the essential. Now, what is essential will be different to each person. For me, my family, my writing, my running and my reading are essential. To others, yoga and spending time with close friends might be essential. For others it will be nursing and volunteering and going to church and collecting comic books. There is no law saying what should be essential for you — but you should consider what is most important to your life, and make room for that by eliminating the other less essential things in your life.