习得性无助｜Learned Helplessness

“习得性无助”是美国心理学家塞利格曼1967年在研究动物时提出的。

他用狗作了一项实验。起初把狗关在笼子里，只要蜂音器一响，就给狗施以痛苦的电击。狗关在笼子里逃避不了电击，多次实验后，蜂音器一响，在给电击前，先把笼门打开，此时狗不但不逃，而是不等电击出现就先倒在地开始呻吟和颤抖。

本来可以主动地逃避却绝望地等待痛苦的来临，这就是习得性无助。

习得性无助是指人或动物接连不断地受到挫折，便会感到自己对于一切都无能为力，丧失信心，陷入一种无助的心理状态。

其实我们所有的众生都处在这样的一种状态当中，面对痛苦我们好像只能选择习惯，而不能去反转。

因为心没有受过长期的训练，所以挣扎于情绪，选择抽烟、酗酒、逃避、抱怨等一些无济于事的出口，几乎是我们唯一能实施的办法。

在现实生活中，那些长期经历失败的人们，久病缠身的患者，无依无靠的老人。他们身上常常会出现更明显的“习得性无助”的特征：当一个人发现无论他如何努力，无论他干什么，都以失败而告终时，他就会觉得自己控制不了整个局面，于是，他的精神支柱就会瓦解。斗志也随之丧失。最终就会放弃所有努力，真的陷入绝望。

佛法则是专门治愈这一病症的良药，佛告诉我们，众生本具佛性。也就是说，无论当下的状况有多糟糕，也只是我们被自己的心蒙骗了而已。

事实上，糟糕的当下就具有无量的德能。如果能把当下的心控制好，就可以逃出我们习惯的牢笼，就可以反转一切。

我们认为的绝境也只是自己的心如此定义而已。实际上佛性当中永远没有绝境，只有无限的可能，无限的光明，无限的自由，无限的能量。我们是被习气困住了，被业力吓住了，被假相蒙骗了。

所以我们唯一逃生的方法不是习惯，不是抱怨，不是挣扎，而是从心上找到出口。实际上那个出口一直在，只要你看着心，安定下来，它就会出现。

这条路不是密室逃脱，无需通关密码，只需要你足够简单，足够直达，足够相信。

"Learned helplessness" was proposed by American psychologist Seligman in 1967 when he studied animals.

He did an experiment with a dog. At first, the dog was kept in a cage, and as soon as a buzzer sounded, the dog was given painful electric shocks. The dog can't escape the electric shocks in the cage. The experiment was repeated for many times. Then after the buzzer sounded and before the electric shocks were given, the cage door was opened. However, the dog did not escape, but rather laid down groaning and trembling even without electric shocks.

It was possible to escape actively rather than desperately wait for the coming of pain. This is learned helplessness.

Learned helplessness means that people or animals are so constantly frustrated that they feel powerless to do anything, lose confidence, and fall into a state of helplessness.

In fact, all sentient beings are in such a state. In the face of pain we have to get used to it, but not to reverse.

Because our mind does not have long-term training, we struggle with emotions, choosing to smoke, drink, escape, complain and use other exhaust of no use. These are the only things that we can turn to.

In real life, people who have experienced long-term failures, long-suffering patients and helpless elders, they often have a more obvious "learned helplessness" feature: when a person discovers that no matter how hard he tries, no matter what he does, he ends up failing, he feels that he can't control the whole situation, so his spiritual pillar collapses and the fighting spirit is also lost. Eventually, he ends up giving up all efforts and falling into despair.

However, Dharma is the medicine to cure this. The Buddha told us that all beings have Buddhahood. In other words, no matter how bad the current situation is, we are only deceived by our own thoughts.

In fact, the bad present has infinite power. If we can control the current mind, we can escape the habitual cage and we can reverse everything.

The desperate situation that we are held in is only because our mind defines it this way. In fact, there is never a desperate situation in Buddhahood. There are only infinite possibilities, unlimited light, unlimited freedom, and unlimited energy. We are trapped by our habits, frightened by karma, and deceived by falsehood.

Thus, the only way to escape is not falling into the habit, not complaining, not struggling, but finding an exit from the heart. In fact, that exit has always been there. As long as you look at it and settle down, it will appear.

This road is not for room escape, has no need for a password. All you need is that you should be simple enough, direct enough and believe enough.