..續本文上一頁movement disturbs the inner stillness. Unwavering, the citta remains firmly fixed in its own solitude.

　　此外，這個色身從覺知中消失。那時我完全沒有意識到身體，只剩下單純和諧的覺知獨自存在，就是這樣。心精致微細得那麼難以形容，它只是知道——一個內在非常精致的覺知彌漫著。身體完全消失，雖然色身仍然坐在那兒，可是我完全沒有意識到它。疼痛也消失了，完全沒有身體的感覺。只是心知道的根本特性存在，所有的思想停止下來，意識連一個念頭也沒有生起。當思想停息時，連一絲最微細的波動都沒有，內在的平靜不受幹擾，心不動搖牢牢地獨自存在。

　　Due to the power of mindfulness and wisdom, the hot, searing pain that afflicted my body had vanished completely. Even my body had disappeared from consciousness. The knowing presence existed alone, as though suspended in midair. It was totally empty, but at the same time vibrantly aware. Because the physical elements did not interact with it, the citta had no sense that the body existed. This knowing presence was a pure and solitary awareness that was not connected to anything whatsoever. It was awesome, majestic and truly magnificent.

　　念住與智慧的力量使得那烈火般煎烤身體的疼痛完全消失，連我的身體也從意識中消失。能知獨自存在，仿佛懸浮在半空中，它全然的空，但同時又充滿活力地覺知。因爲身體的元素不再與它互動，心就不再感受到身體的存在。這個能知只是一個單純獨立的覺知，和任何東西都沒有聯系，它令人敬畏、宏偉，實在的莊嚴。

　　It was an incredibly amazing experience. The pain was completely gone. The body had disappeared. An awareness so fine and subtle that I cannot describe it was the only thing not to disappear. It simply appeared, that”s all I can say. It was a truly amazing inner state of being. There was no movement—not even the slightest rippling—inside the citta. It remained fully absorbed in stillness until enough time had elapsed, then it stirred as it began to withdraw from samadhi. It rippled briefly and then went quiet again.

　　這是不可思議、令人驚歎的經驗。疼痛完全消失，身體也不見了，唯一剩下的只是一個那麼精細微妙無法形容的覺知，我所能說的是它僅僅是存在罷了。這是一個真正令人驚歎的內在境界。心裏面沒有活動——連最微細的波動都沒有，它完全滲入這定境中，直到過了足夠的時間，開始從叁摩地中退出來時才波動，它微微波動之後再靜止下來。

　　This rippling happens naturally of its own accord. It cannot be intended. Any intention brings the citta right back to normal consciousness. When the citta absorbed in stillness has had enough, it begins to stir. It is aware that a ripple stirs briefly and then ceases. Some moments later it ripples briefly again, disappearing in the same instant. Gradually, the rippling becomes more and more frequent. When the citta has converged to the very base of samadhi, it does not withdraw all at once. This was very evident to me. The citta rippled only slightly, meaning that a sankhara formed briefly only to disappear before it could become intelligible. Having rippled, it just vanished. Again and again it rippled and vanished, gradually increasing in frequency until my citta eventually returned to ordinary consciousness. I then became aware of my physical presence, but the pain was still gone. Initially I felt no pain at all, and only slowly did it begin to reappear.

　　這個波動是自動自發的，不能故意爲之，任何作意都會把心帶回平常的意識狀態中。當心滲入在定中夠長時間了，它就開始波動，它覺知到波動短暫蕩漾然後就平息下來。過一陣子它再次短暫波動，並在同時間消失。逐漸的，波動的次數越來越頻密。當心集中定在叁摩地的根本時，它不會一下就退出來，這對我而言很明顯。心只是稍微波動，意思是說行(sankh

　　ra)短暫形成，在還未被認清楚之前就消失了。一波動就消失，一次又一次，波動了就消失，然後慢慢地增加次數直到心逐漸退回平常的意識。接著我意識到身體，不過疼痛已消失無蹤，開始時完全沒有疼痛，慢慢的它才回來。

　　This experience reinforced the solid spiritual foundation in my heart with an unshakable certainty. I had realized a basic principle in contending with pain: pain, body and citta are all distinctly separate phenomena. But because of a single mental defilement—delusion—they all converge into one. Delusion pervades the citta like an insidious poison, contaminating our perceptions and distorting the truth. Pain is simply a natural phenomenon that occurs on its own. But when we grab hold of it as a burning discomfort, it immediately becomes hot—because our defining it in that way makes it hot.

　　這次經驗帶來不可動搖的證信，加強我內心堅實的修行基礎。我覺悟到與疼痛搏鬥的基本道理：疼痛、身體和心全部是明顯分開的現象，但是由于一個心理染汙——無明——它們合成一體。無明就像無色無味的毒藥滲透入心，染汙我們的認知並且扭曲事實。疼痛只是自發的自然現象，我們緊抓著以爲它是燃燒的痛苦，它就立刻變熱——因爲我們的诠釋使它變熱。

　　After awhile the pain returned, so I had to tackle it again—without retreating. I probed deep into the painful feelings, investigating them as I had done before. But this time I could not use the same investigative techniques that I had previously used to such good effect. Techniques employed in the past were no longer relevant to the present moment. In order to keep pace with internal events as they unfolded I needed fresh tactics, newly devised by mindfulness and wisdom and tailor-made for present circumstances. The nature of the pain was still the same, but the tactics had to be suitable to the immediate conditions. Even though I had used them successfully once before, I could not remedy the new situation by holding on to old investigative techniques. Fresh, innovative techniques were required, ones devised in the heat of battle to deal with present-moment conditions. Mindfulness and wisdom went to work anew, and before long the citta once again converged to the very base of samadhi.

　　一會兒之後疼痛回來了，我得再次上前對付它，深入探索疼痛的感受，就像之前那樣觀察它。可是現在我不能用回和上次同樣的觀察技巧，盡管那帶來良好的效果。這是因爲那之前用過的技巧與當下的狀況不相應，爲了跟得上內部浮現的狀態，我需要針對眼前的發展，以念住和智慧設定新的技巧。疼痛的本質還是一樣，可是技巧得適應當下的情境。即使以前已成功應用過一次，可是我不能用回這些舊技巧應付新情況，而是依據當下戰鬥的劇烈程度采用不同的、創新的技巧。念住和智慧重新工作，不久心又再次集中到叁摩地的根本。

　　During the course of that night the citta converged like this three times, but I had to engage in bouts of hand-to-hand combat each time. After the third time, dawn came, bringing to a close that decisive showdown. The citta emerged bold, exultant and utterly fearless. Fear of death ceased that night.

　　這晚的修行，心這樣集中入定叁次，每一次我都必須貼身搏鬥厮殺。第叁次之後，破曉了，決定性的格鬥終于落幕。心表現得勇猛、踴躍和絕對的無畏。那晚，死亡的恐懼消失了。

《PART 1 - 從那時起我加緊用功 FROM THEN ON I ACCELERATED MY EFFORTS》全文閱讀結束。