FROM THEN ON I ACCELERATED MY EFFORTS. It was at that time that I began sitting in meditation all night long, from dusk until dawn. While sitting one night I started focusing inward as usual. Because it had already developed a good, strong foundation, the citta easily entered into samadhi. So long as the citta rested there calmly, it remained unaware of external bodily feelings. But when I withdrew from samadhi many hours later I began to experience them in full. Eventually, my body was so racked by severe pain that I could hardly cope. The citta was suddenly unnerved, and its good, strong foundation completely collapsed. The entire body was filled with such excruciating pain that it quivered all over.
從那時起我加緊用功，也在那個時候我開始坐通宵，從傍晚至黎明。有一晚開始時我一如既往向內專注，由于它已建立起良好、堅強的基礎，心輕易地進入叁摩地。只要心在定中休息，它就不會覺知外在身體的感受，當我在定中數個小時之後退出來，我可以充分地感覺到它。不久，我的身體劇烈疼痛起來，到令我難以忍受的地步。心突然失去力量，它那良好，堅強的基礎全面崩塌，整個身體疼痛得顫抖起來。
Thus began the bout of hand-to-hand combat that gave me insight into an important meditation technique. Until the unexpected appearance that night of such severe pain, I had not thought of trying to sit all night. I had never made a resolution of that kind. I was simply practicing seated meditation as I normally did, but when the pain began to overwhelm me, I thought: “Hey, what”s going on here
I must make every effort to figure out this pain tonight.” So I made the solemn resolve that no matter what happened I would not get up from my seat until dawn of the next day. I was determined to investigate the nature of pain until I understood it clearly and distinctly. I would have to dig deep. But, if need be, I was willing to die in order to find out the truth about pain.
結果，這開始了一場肉搏鬥，並且最終讓我洞見一項重要的禅修技巧。在發生出乎意料之劇痛的那一夜之前，我不曾想過要坐通宵，也從不曾發過類似的願。我只是像往常一樣坐禅，可是當被疼痛淹沒時，我想到：“嘿，到底怎麼了？我今晚一定要盡全力搞清楚這疼痛。”我遂發了一個莊重的願：無論發生什麼，不到隔天破曉我絕不下座。我下定決心要檢查清楚並明白疼痛的本質，我會深深地挖掘，如有需要，我願意爲找出疼痛的真相而獻出生命。
Wisdom began to tackle this problem in earnest. Before I found myself cornered like that with no way out, I never imagined that wisdom could be so sharp and incisive. It went to work, relentlessly whirling around as it probed into the source of the pain with the determination of a warrior who never retreats or accepts defeat. This experience convinced me that in moments of real crisis wisdom arises to meet the challenge. We are not fated to be ignorant forever—when truly backed into a corner we are bound to be able to find a way to help ourselves. It happened to me that night. When I was cornered and overwhelmed by severe pain, mindfulness and wisdom just dug into the painful feelings.
智慧開始真誠地應對這個問題。在這之前我發現自己已被逼入絕路，沒想到智慧會那麼鋒利尖銳。一開始工作，智慧就像個絕不放棄、不投降的戰士般，堅定不休止地朝疼痛的根源不斷回旋探查。這一次的經驗讓我深信，遇到真正的危機時，智慧會挺身而出面對挑戰，我們不是命中注定要永遠愚癡的——真正被逼入絕境時，我們有能力尋找解決的方法。那天晚上，這情形發生在我身上，被劇痛淹沒逼入絕境時，念住和智慧鑽入痛覺中。
The pain began as hot flashes along the backs of my hands and feet, but that was really quite mild. When it arose in full force, the entire body was ablaze with pain. All the bones, and the joints connecting them, were like fuel feeding the fire that engulfed the body. It felt as though every bone in my body was breaking apart; as though my neck would snap and my head drop to the floor. When all parts of the body hurt at once, the pain is so intense that one doesn”t know how to begin stemming the tide long enough just to breathe.
開始時我手腳背疼痛得像電灼般，不過這實在算是輕度的了。疼痛到達極端時，四肢百骸像在熊熊烈火裏那般的痛，所有的骨頭、關節好像被澆燃料遭烈火吞噬般。身體裏面的每一根骨頭似乎都斷裂粉碎了，我的頸項好像折斷而頭掉到地面上了，身體的每一部分同時遭受劇痛，疼痛劇烈到連耐著喘口氣都不行。
This crisis left mindfulness and wisdom with no alternative but to dig down into the pain, searching for the exact spot where it felt most severe. Mindfulness and wisdom probed and investigated right where the pain was greatest, trying to isolate it so as to see it clearly. “Where does this pain originate
Who suffers the pain
” They asked these qu…
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