32 Transforming an Unpleasant Sound

【转化不愉快的声音】

有一天，在加利福尼亚北部山区的一个静修期间，附近发生了野火。整天，在坐禅、行禅和静默用餐期间，我们都能听到直升机的声音。在越南战争期间，直升机的声音意味着枪炮、炸弹和死亡。在静修会上，有许多经历过战争的越南裔修行者，因此这声音对他们来说并不愉快，对其他修行者也是如此。但我们别无选择。因此，我们选择用正念来聆听直升机的声音。通过正念，我们可以告诉自己，这不是在战争情况下操作的直升机，而是一架帮助扑灭火焰的直升机。通过正念，我们将不愉快的感觉转化为感激的愉快感觉。于是我们练习着随直升机的声音吸气和呼气。我们非常好地生存下来。我们将直升机的声音转变成了有益的东西。我们这样练习：

我倾听，我倾听。
这直升机的声音
将我带回
到此刻。

[Transforming an Unpleasant Sound]

One day during a retreat in the mountains of northern California there was a wildfire nearby. All day long, during sitting meditation, walking meditation, and silent meals we heard the sound of helicopters. In Vietnam during the war, the sound of helicopters meant guns, bombs, and death. At the retreat there were many practitioners of Vietnamese origin who had gone through the war, so the sound was not pleasant for them, nor was it pleasant for the other practitioners. But there was no choice. So we chose to practice listening to the sound of the helicopters with mindfulness. With mindfulness, we could tell ourselves that this is not a helicopter operating in a situation of war, but a helicopter that is helping to extinguish the flames. With mindfulness, we transform our unpleasant feeling into a pleasant feeling of gratefulness. So we practiced breathing in and out with the sound of helicopters. And we survived very well. We made the sound of helicopters into something helpful. And we practiced:

I listen, I listen.
This sound of helicopters
brings me back
to the present moment.