文／佛光星雲（1927～）

每個人都應該要有人生規劃，孔子「十五有志於學，三十而立，四十而不惑，五十而知天命，六十而耳順，七十而從心所欲，不踰矩。」這就是孔子的生涯規劃。

我也曾經把自己的一生，以每十年為一個時期，規劃出「成長、學習、參學、文學、歷史、哲學、倫理、佛學」等人生八個時期，並且最後把一切都回歸到「佛法」裡，因為在佛法的「一真法界」裡，生命才能圓滿。

當然，真正的人生規劃是不確定的；各有因緣，有時候實在由不得自己作主。

最好的生涯規劃，是把自己規劃成「自覺的人生、自度的人生、利他的人生」。生活中，要有淨化的感情，要有善用的金錢，要有德化的處世，能夠讓自己的生命活得有意義、活得有價值，這就是最好的生涯規劃。

──選自《迷悟之間》

How to Plan for Life

Venerable Master Hsing Yun (1927- )

English translation: Venerable Zhi Yue and Stephanie Mei Gaw

Everyone of us should have a plan for life. for Confucius, he once said, “At fifteen, I had my mind bent on learning. At thirty, I stood firm. At forty, I had no doubts. At fifty, I knew the decrees of Heaven. At sixty, my ear was an obedient organ for the reception of truth. At seventy, I could follow what my heart desired, without transgressing what was right.”

Likewise, I have thus divided my life into eight phases of ten years from “growing up, learning, learning from different masters, literature, history, philosophy, ethics, to Buddhist Studies.” Ultimately, everything in my life is traced back to the Dharma, because it is only through understanding of “the dharma realm of one reality,” that can life be perfectly complete.

Of course, there are no definite plans in life; everything has causes and conditions. However, there are times when we cannot help but make decisions for ourselves. The best plans for life involve self-awareness, self-liberation, and benefiting others. In addition, the most meaningful plans involve purifying our emotions, putting money into good use, and conducting ourselves with virtue. In this way, our lives become more substantial and valuable.

── from Mi Wu Zhijian

(Between Ignorance and Enlightenment)