最近不知道为什么想起Hotel California这首经典老歌，耳边不停回响这句话：We are all just prisoners here, of our own device，"device"的一个解释是： A project or scheme, often designed to deceive。这其实不正是佛陀一直在告诉我们的吗？色受想行识，五蕴给人一种有“我”的假象(designed to decieve)，这个假我，就是这个监狱，各种执着，贪嗔痴由此而起。世人多对此浑然不知（Such a lovely face），少数意识到自己成为自己所编织的监牢中的囚徒的人（I had to find the passage back, To the place I was before），也多是只能在监牢中挣扎呐喊（They stab it with their steely knives, but they just can't kill the beast），始终找不到出路（Last thing I remember, I was running for the door），业力所限，其力量何其强大（We are programmed to receive），你可以在牢里不爽，可以抱怨，可以哭，可以笑，但如果你想走，没那么容易！（You can check-out any time you like, but you can never leave!）
似乎只有佛陀，在这个似乎无解的困境里给我们指出了一条路，要从牢里出来，必须弄清楚这个牢笼的真正成因是什么，是我执，由于我执造成的贪嗔痴使得这个牢狱越来越坚固，是我执的“自作自受”，要从中解脱，唯一的办法就是对治我执，对治贪嗔痴。
歌词如下，中文歌词可参考这里。
On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself,
'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell'
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (Any time of year)
You can find it here
Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes Benz
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget
So I called up the Captain,
'Please bring me my wine'
He said, 'We haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine'
And still those voices are calling from far away,
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say...
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
They livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise (what a nice surprise)
Bring your alibis
Mirrors on the ceiling,
The pink champagne on ice
And she said 'We are all just prisoners here, of our own device'
And in the master's chambers,
They gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives,
But they just can't kill the beast
Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
'Relax, ' said the night man,
'We are programmed to receive.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave!'
We are all just prisoners here, of our own device
Re: We are all just prisoners here, of our own device
今天听到另外一个对“We are programmed to receive”的翻译：“我们天生受诱惑”。我们六根对六境，苦受乐受不苦不乐受，任其摆布，在有意无意中继续造业，业又继续无穷无尽的轮回受报，无穷尽的轮回中又生出无穷尽的六根对六境，又生出无尽的苦受乐受不苦不乐受…… 死循环，“You can never leave!”……
应无所住，而生其心