(１３)在此我們要討論“道”，如果有人問及：

　　“由修行構成的“道”中，那一條是平常道，那一條是又快又短的捷徑？”

　　13) Now I am going to talk about the Path. Suppose you are asked,

　　13) “Which way of practice constitutes walking the ordinary path and which the shortest and quickest path

　　”

　　我們可能回答：“八正道”，那就是你已經聽過的正見、正思惟、正語、正業、正命、正精進、正念、正定。這些稱爲“八正道”，它是最有條理、最有系統的平常道，由戒、定、慧叁學組成，是爲無法走捷徑的人所設的“道”。它是正道，但在平常道的層次上修行，需要花較長的時間。

　　WE MIGHT ANSWER “The Noble Eightfold Path” — of which you have already heard — namely, right understanding, right aim, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. This is called the Noble Eightfold Path. It has a most orderly arrangement which can be grouped under the aspects of morality, concentration, and insight. It forms a great system of practice, which we refer to as walking the ordinary path. It is for people who cannot take the quicker path. It is not a wrong path, it is the right path; however, it is on the ordinary level and takes a long time.

　　佛陀說當我們不再執取六根(ayatana)以及與六根相關的任何一種爲“自我”，那麼八正道將會在當下同時生起，這是重要的、基礎的法則。

　　The Buddha has taught a short cut as well. He said that when we do not grasp at the six sense organs (āyatanas) and the things associated with them as being self-entities, then the Noble Eightfold Path will simultaneously arise of its own accord in all of its eight aspects. This is a most important and fundamental principle of Dhamma.

　　首先，我們必須記住六根是眼、耳、鼻、舌、身、意，在六根中的每一根都有五個方面。例如眼根，第一是眼根本身；第二是色塵，它與眼根相接；第叁是眼識(rinnana)，能知道色塵與眼根接；第四是觸(phassa)，它是由眼識、眼根、色塵叁者和合而生；第五是受(redana)，它是由接觸而生起的樂受或苦受，就是這五個方面。眼根有這五個方面，耳根也有五個方面，鼻根也有五個，舌、身、意根都是如此。

　　First of all, we must recall that the six sense organs (āyatanas) are the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. Each of these six organs has five aspects. In the case of the eye, the first aspect is the eye itself; the second is the visual object that makes contact with the eye; the third is the consciousness (vi..ā.a) that comes to know that visual object making contact with the eye; the fourth is the action of contact (phassa) effected between consciousness, eye, and visual object; and the fifth is the pleasurable or painful mental feeling (vedanā) that may arise as a result of the contact. There are five aspects. The eye has these five aspects. The ear has five also, the nose has five, and so on.

　　其中每一個都會導致我們失念，而執取它們爲“自我”。因爲我們能看到、能感覺，就會執取透過眼根而見、而知的“識”，驟然論斷它必定是“自我”。

　　Each one of these plays a part in causing us to become unmindful and to grasp at something as being self.

　　同樣地，我們執著眼識爲“我”，執著眼觸爲“我”，執著苦、樂受爲“我”。當優美的旋律飄進耳根，我們就執著對這旋律的知覺——耳識爲“我”；當美味送到舌根，我們可能就把對味道的知覺——舌識執著爲“我”。

　　Thus we grasp at the consciousnessness that comes to know and see via the eye. Because we can be aware of it, we jump to the conclusion that it must be a self. In this way we grasp at and cling to eye-consciousness as being the self, or grasp at eye-contact (fourth aspect) as self, or cling to eye-contact-feeling (fifth aspect), whether pleasant or unpleasant, as self. Sometimes it happens that a melodious sound comes to the ear, and we grasp at the awareness of the melody as being a self. Sometimes a tasty flavour comes to the tongue, and we may grasp at the awareness of tastiness as being a self.

　　六根中的每一根都有五個方面，一共有叁十個方面，其中的任何一個都可能被執著爲“我”，僅僅一天中，很容易就會産生無數次的“我”，我們一執著它，痛苦就産生了。這是錯誤的，也讓自己沈淪在苦聚中，而無法走上修行的道路。

　　無論如何，佛陀說認清一切不是“自我”而不執著，當下八正道就在我們心中，在那一刻就存在著正見、正思惟、正語、正業、正命、正精進、正念、正定。不執持六根當下就能生起八正道，這是佛陀認爲的捷徑。

　　Each of the six sense organs has five aspects, making altogether thirty aspects. Any of these can be grasped at as being a self, clung to with the greatest ease many times over in a single day. As soon as we grasp and cling, suffering results. We have erred and have enmeshed ourselves in a mass of suffering. This is not walking the Path. The Buddha, however, taught us not to grasp at the six sense organs and the things connected with them. By keeping constant watch, we shall come to see that none of them is a self, and the Noble Eightfold Path will exist in us at that very same moment. At that moment there will exist right understanding, right aim, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. To practise non-grasping at the six sense organs is to cause the entire Eightfold Path to arise immediately. The Buddha considered this a short cut.

　　在一次討論中，佛陀教導最快的捷徑——空(泰本巴利藏第１４冊，５２３頁)，不要執著眼、耳、鼻、舌、身、意爲“自我”，就能使八正道瞬間圓滿生起。假如我們不願意走捷徑，那麼我們就學戒、定、慧的八正道吧！從頭開始修習，慢慢地、漸次地走，但很多時間就這樣耗光了。如此我們會發現在佛教裏有一條平常道，也有一條又快又短的捷徑。

　　In one of his discourses the Buddha taught the quickest short cut — emptiness. Not to hold that there is selfhood regarding eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind causes the arising of the entire Noble Eightfold Path in a single moment. If we do not decide to take the short cut, then we study the Noble Eightfold Path of morality, concentration, and wisdom (insight). To practise it from the very beginning, going gradually and by slow degrees, uses up much time. So we find that in Buddhism there is an ordinary way and there is a short cut.

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