摘自《回家之旅》作者
Radhanath Swami的一次演讲
问
我们的人生，真的可以自己选择吗？就我读您的书而言，您有个梦想——来到印度，却在温达文错过了火车，因此，我们真有选择权吗？我们认为有，真的有吗？
Do we really have choices in our lives? As far as I read your book, you got a dream, come to India, you missed your train in Vrindavana, So do we actually have choices? We think we have choices but do we really have?
答
很好的问题，谢谢。同时，我们既可以选择又不能选择。就像这样一个例子——业报法则的运行方式——我们选择自己要做的事，却不能选择事情的结果。
That's a beautiful question, thank you. Simultaneously we have no choice and we have choice. Just like an example. The way the laws of karma work, is when we do something we do it by choice, but then the result of that is not our choice.
如果你去伤害某人，伤害与否，是你的选择。选择去伤害，被伤害的业力，你就别无选择。但伤害的这个想法不也是注定的么？这个……也许是，也许不是。这种倾向是因为我们过去伤害过别人，不过我们依然有选择的余地。
If you hurt somebody, it's your choice, to hurt them or not to hurt them. You choose to hurt them, then the karma of being hurt, you have no choice. But isn't the thought to hurt also predetermined? It may... Yes and no. The inclination is because we have hurt people in the past, but still we have the choice.
一个例子，某人选择吸了一根烟，又选择吸第二根，接着又吸第五根第六根，之后他染上了烟瘾。这看起来他们没得选。
An example, somebody chooses to smoke a cigarette. Then they choose to smoke a second cigarette, they choose a fifth and a sixth, and soon they're addicted to cigarettes. And it's almost like they don't have any choice.
人并非生来就对香烟上瘾，他们染上烟瘾是因为……一般来说，第一次吸烟是很可怕的，你会不停咳嗽。但是你觉得吸烟很酷，而且其他人都吸，吸烟让你看起来很特别，人们会仰慕你，你就吸烟了。出于选择，你对香烟上瘾了，瘾症就来了。这种习惯来源于你做的选择。但是，即使你的瘾症很厉害，仍然可以选择戒掉它，不过会更加艰难。
People aren't born addicted to cigarettes, they are addicted to cigarettes because... Usually when you first smoke a cigarette it's horrible, you are coughing. But because you think it's cool and everyone else is doing it and you look like you're very special when you're smoking cigarettes and people will look up to you, you smoke them, out of choice, and then you become addicted. And that addiction came; that habit came because of choices you made. But even if you're terribly addicted you still have a choice to give it up, it's more difficult.
我再讲另外一个比喻。有一架飞机飞过，你听到了吗？飞机上有人，假定它是飞往新加坡的。无论谁登上这架飞机，都是他们的选择。人们的选择也许会受影响，有人去那里可能是在那挣了很多钱，有人可能去那度假看喷泉，有人可能去那探亲。也许出于不同的原因，但他们都选择登上了那架飞机。
So I'll give another analogy. There's an airplane, Can you hear it? There's people on that airplane. Well let's say that airplane is going to Singapore. Whoever got on that airplane it was their choice. People's choice may be influenced, some may be going because they make a lot of money there, some may be going because they want to go on a vacation and see the fountains there, some may be going to Singapore because they have loving relatives there. There may be different reasons, but they've all chosen to get on that plane.
现在，一旦你登上飞机，你还能选择去哪里吗？当然不行，你要去新加坡。不过你仍然可以选择在飞机上做什么。你可以睡觉，可以与另一半争吵，可以选择吃荤餐或素餐。你有很多选择。
Now once you're on the plane, do you have a choice where you're going to go? Absolutely not. You are going to Singapore, but you have a choice what you're going to do on the plane while you're going. You have a choice to go to sleep, you have choice to argue with your husband or wife, you have a choice to eat meat or vegetarian food. You have so many choices.
你不能选择目的地，但可以选择在飞机上做什么。抵达新加坡后，你在新加坡，依然有很多选择：去哪、做什么和怎么样做。
You don't have a choice where you're going but you have a choice what you're gonna do on your way. And then when you get to Singapore, you're in Singapore, but you have so many choices where you're gonna go what you're gonna do how you're gonna be.
所以，因为过去的选择，有些事情已成定局，但每一刻我们都有选择应对当前状况的权利。我们的选择权从未被剥夺，命运来自于自己的选择。现在发生的事情来自于过去的选择，未来发生的事情基于现在的选择。
So there are certain things that are predestined because of our choice of the past, but at every moment we have a choice to respond to the situation we're in. Choice is never taken away from us and our destiny is based on the choices we make, what happening now is due to choices of the past and what happens in the future is according to our choices now.