..續本文上一頁happens that we don”t feel like doing it. Maybe we don”t want to look or maybe we don”t want to know, but we keep on with it. We continue feeling for it. This is practice: if we feel like doing it, we do it, and if we don”t feel like doing it, we do it just the same. We just keep doing it.

　　If we are enthusiastic about our practice, the power of our faith will give energy to what we are doing. But at this stage we are still without wisdom. Even though we are very energetic, we will not derive much benefit from our practice. We may continue with it for a long time and a feeling will arise that aren”t going to find the Way. We may feel that we cannot find peace and tranquillity, or that we aren”t sufficiently equipped to do the practice. Or maybe we feel that this Way just isn”t possible anymore. So we give up!

　　At this point we must be very, very careful. We must use great patience and endurance. It”s just like pulling in the big fish -- we gradually feel our way with it. We carefully pull it in. The struggle won”t be too difficult, so without stopping we continue pulling it in. Eventually, after some time, the fish becomes tired and stops fighting and we”re able to catch it easily. Usually this is how it happens, we practice gradually gathering it together.

　　It”s in this manner that we do our contemplation. If we don”t have any particular knowledge or learning in the theoretical aspects of the Teachings, we contemplate according to our everyday experience. We use the knowledge which we already have, the knowledge derived from our everyday experience. This kind of knowledge is natural to the mind. Actually, whether we study about it or not, we have the reality of the mind right here already. The mind is the mind whether we have learned about it or not. This is why we say that whether the Buddha is born in the world or not, everything is the way it is. Everything already exists according to its own nature. This natural condition doesn”t change, nor does it go anywhere. It just is that way. This is called the Sacca Dhamma. However, if we don”t understand about this Sacca Dhamma, we won”t be able to recognize it.

　　So we practice contemplation in this way. If we aren”t particularly skilled in scripture, we take the mind itself to study and read. Continually we contemplate (lit. talk with ourselves) and understanding regarding the nature of the mind will gradually arise. We don”t have to force anything.

　　Constant Effort

　　Until we are able to stop our mind, until we reach tranquillity, the mind will just continue as before. It”s for this reason that the Teacher says, "Just keep on doing it, keep on with the practice!" Maybe we think, "If I don”t yet understand, how can I do it

　　" Until we are able to practice properly, wisdom doesn”t arise. So we say just keep on with it. If we practice without stopping we”ll begin to think about what we are doing. We”ll start to consider our practice.

　　Nothing happens immediately, so in the beginning we can”t see any results from our practice. This is like the example I have often given you of the man who tries to make fire by rubbing two sticks of wood together. He says to himself, "They say there”s fire here." and he begins rubbing energetically. He”s very impetuous. He rubs on and on but his impatience doesn”t end. He wants to have that fire. He keeps wanting to have that fire, but the fire doesn”t come. So he gets discouraged and stops to rest for awhile. He starts again but the going is slow, so he rests again. By then the heat has disappeared; he didn”t keep at it long enough. He rubs and rubs until he tires and then he stops altogether. Not only is he tired, but he becomes more and more discouraged until he gives up completely. "There”s no fire here!" Actually he was doing the work, but the…

《Bodhinyana》全文未完，請進入下頁繼續閱讀…