緣Affinity

很坦白的說，吾活到這把歲數，才開始認清「緣」這個字。這個「緣」字若妳你真真正正，實實在在的認清它，妳你應該會有這幾個覺受。一，大日照破黑暗。二，妄念斷除。三，煩惱解脫。四，周身通暢。五，智慧大開，等等。這些覺受絕對不是逼出來的，而是妳你經歷過漫長的人與事，一天一天、一次一次的分析之，最後自自然然所得的。

一個「緣」字，真的很了的。它能夠開啟我們對於人生，種種之謎題如；有與無、是與非、對與錯、苦與樂、悲與喜、健與病、富與貧，等等的智慧。有了這樣的智慧，我們才能得以高枕無憂、夜夢安甜（甚至無夢）、隔天晨起，心曠神怡、全身「電力」充沛。正所謂，「夜來風雨聲 ，花落不知曉」。哈！哈！哈！

最直接了當地說，吾從「緣」字裡所得的智慧，是珍惜與放下。或許妳你會認為，又珍惜又放下，好像莫名奇妙。且讓吾為妳你們釋疑。善緣、逆緣，來者去者，皆欣然接受，謂之珍惜。一般人祇接受善緣，而拒絕逆緣，那是因為她他們不諳因果，未得其中的智慧，見色起相。要知道，今世所受，乃累世所結也，諸位大德應做如是觀。當妳你明了累世所結，你妳就應該去「化緣」，化掉所有的恩怨情仇，使不平不滿的念頭得以圓滿平息，謂之放下。

吾，玳瑚師父，奉勸與勉勵諸位大德，好好地參這個「緣」字，早日掃除心中的垃圾，還妳你本來清淨的「心靈」，永恆的快樂與自在，這才是不擇不扣的智慧。

Frankly speaking, having living till my current age, I finally got a clearer understanding of the meaning of affinity. Should you understand it in all its truthfulness and reality, you would have feelings and awareness akin to:

1. Darkness dispelled by the Great Light
2. Total eradication of unwholesome thoughts
3. Total eradication of all vexation
4. Total relaxation of the body
5. Growth in wisdom, etc

These are not forced but are naturally brewed by your life experiences in people and things, day after day, retrospection after retrospection.

This word ‘affinity’ is really something. It has the ability to inspire our wisdom to unravel the many puzzles of life: Have vs Have-not, Truth vs Untruth, Sufferings vs Bliss, Sadness vs Joy, Health vs Sickness, Wealth vs Poverty, etc. Equipped with this wisdom, we finally can sleep at ease with sweet dreams (or no dream at all) every night, waking up the next day full of life and energy! As the saying goes “Despite the thunderous night, one sleeps soundly through even as the flowers wilted under the rain”.

Let’s get straight to the point. The deep appreciation of affinity gave me the wisdom to handle all things in life: To cherish and to let go. Perhaps you may think that the above sentence is somewhat contradictory and strange. Let me explain. Affinities, be it positive or negative ones, come and go and we should accept and treasure them. Most people only accept the good affinities and reject the bad ones because they do not know the Law of Cause and Effect (Karma) and the hidden wisdom in it, thus forming their own false views based on what they see on the surface. Your sufferings in this life are attributed to your own doings in your past lives. Please apply this concept in your life, my dear readers. Once you understood the affinities that you have created in your past lives, you ought to go ‘cleanse’ each of them, to rid the ones of vengeance and hate, and lay to rest all unwholesome thoughts and grievances and finally let them go.

I, Master Dai Hu, advise and encourage my dear readers to ponder deeply on the word ‘affinity’, and to clear the trash in your heart to restore your soul to its original pure and pristine state, the state of eternal bliss and ease. This is, undoubtedly, true wisdom.