我們常常看到有些人認為，在日常生活中行持善法，比如放生、佈施，在經濟條件允許的情況下，投身於扶貧、救災等慈善公益福利事業等等，就是利益他眾的「菩提心」，對一切眾生的慈悲心等等，更有甚者以為菩提是一種水果，菩提樹（Ficus religiosa）等植物，是對慈悲或者智慧的一種象徵意義。但遺憾的是這些理解是完全錯誤的。
We often see some people believing that practicing virtuous deeds in daily life, such as releasing animals, giving to charity, and participating in poverty alleviation, disaster relief, and other welfare activities when economic conditions permit, is the “bodhicitta” that benefits others, and that having compassion for all beings is the bodhicitta. Some even believe that bodhi is a kind of fruit, and that the bodhi tree (Ficus religiosa) and other plants are symbols of compassion or wisdom. Unfortunately, these understandings are completely wrong.
菩提，梵文為 बोध（bodhi），意譯為覺，覺知，覺性。顯意識主動去感知而不要接受潛意識升起的想法。時時感受自己的狀態，控制好自己的注意力在當下。在日常生活中，在走的時候知道在走，站著、坐著、臥著、吃飯時，當下要知道身體的動作，妄念生起時立刻以覺性知道，如此在生活中把覺性貫穿起來。和單純的專注(Concentration)不一樣，雖然專注和覺知都會要求不捲入妄念，但一種是專注一點，忘記旁邊；另一種是心是開放的，看到或聽到的東西不去分析探究，只是放鬆(但也不能懶散，要維持中道)地接受當下發生的所有事情，而心不捲入妄念中。但專注會帶來壓力和緊張，忽略周圍情況專注在一點。但覺知(Awareness)沒有壓力，放鬆覺知周遭的情況，接受干擾的出現、經過、消失，心只覺知而不受其產生的妄念干擾。不排斥妄念，知道妄念生起並立刻滅去，不壓制念頭，也不隨念頭跑。
Bodhi, Sanskrit for बोध (bodhi), means awakening, awareness, and consciousness. It means actively perceiving with consciousness rather than accepting thoughts that arise from the subconscious. We should constantly feel our own state and control our attention in the present moment. In daily life, we should be aware of our actions when walking, standing, sitting, lying down, or eating. When delusions arise, we should immediately know it with our awareness. By doing so, we can integrate awareness into our daily life.
Bodhi is different from simple concentration. Although both require us to avoid getting involved in delusions, concentration is about focusing on one point and ignoring what is happening around it. On the other hand, awareness means keeping an open mind and accepting everything that happens in the present moment without analyzing or exploring it, while not getting caught up in delusions. Concentration can bring stress and tension, and it may ignore the surrounding situation. But awareness does not have pressure. It relaxes and is aware of the surrounding situation, accepting the appearance, passing, and disappearance of interference, and the mind only knows but is not disturbed by the delusions they generate. We should not reject delusions, but we should know when they arise and immediately extinguish them, without suppressing or following them.
鯨落筆記whale fall notes 