..續本文上一頁irect the effort. All thoughts of progress or decline were put aside. I would let happen whatever was going to happen. I was determined not to indulge in my old thought patterns: thinking about the past—when my practice was progressing nicely—and of how it collapsed; then thinking of the future, hoping that, somehow, through a strong desire to succeed, my previous sense of contentment would return on its own. All the while, I had failed to create the condition that would bring the desired results. I merely wished to see improvement, only to be disappointed when it failed to materialize. For, in truth, desire for success does not bring success; only mindful effort will.
我被迫重新開始修行。這一次首先打下一個堅固的樁，不管發生什麼都緊緊抓著它，那個樁是“佛陀”——憶念佛。我把念誦詞“佛陀”當作唯一的專注對象，我強迫內心重複持念“佛陀”，把一切排除在外。“佛陀”成了我唯一的禅修對象，同時我也確保念住一直引導著修行。把那些關于進步或退步的想法全都放在一旁，該發生什麼就讓它發生。我堅決不沈迷在舊有的思維模式裏：回想過去——我的修行進展那麼順利——及其怎樣崩潰；再幻想未來，期望通過強烈的意願能成功，找回過去的滿足感。一直以來我只是期望達到目標，卻沒有去創造實現目標的條件，結果當期望的目標無法實現時就感到失望。事實上，期望本身並不會帶來成果，只有保持念住修行才會得到成果。
This time I resolved that, no matter what occurred, I should just let it happen. Fretting about progress and decline was a source of agitation, distracting me from the present moment and the work at hand. Only the mindful repetition of buddho could prevent fluctuations in my meditation. It was paramount that I center the mind on awareness of the immediate present. Discursive thinking could not be allowed to disrupt concentration.
這次我堅定地發願，無論發生什麼，我都不去管。擔心進步退步正是煩燥的根源，它使我不能專注于當下和眼前的工作。只有保持念住重複“佛陀”才可以防止修行的波動。把心集中在覺知當下是我的當務之急，我決不再允許妄想妨礙禅修。
To practice meditation earnestly to attain an end to all suffering, you must be totally committed to the work at each successive stage of the path. Nothing less than total commitment will succeed. To experience the deepest levels of samadhi and achieve the most profound levels of wisdom, you cannot afford to be halfhearted and listless, forever wavering because you lack firm principles to guide your practice. Meditators without a firm commitment to the principles of practice can meditate their entire lives without gaining the proper results. In the initial stages of practice, you must find a stable object of meditation with which to anchor your mind. Don”t just focus casually on an ambiguous object, like awareness that is always present as the mind”s intrinsic nature. Without a specific object of attention to hold your mind, it will be almost impossible to keep your attention from wandering. This is a recipe for failure. In the end, you”ll become disappointed and give up trying.
誠心要熄滅一切苦而禅修，你必須在修行的每一階段都全心全意地投入，要有所成就的話就必須竭盡所能而不可有絲毫的保留。要體驗最高的叁摩地、證得最深的智慧，你不能滿不在乎或無精打采，沒有捉緊修行原則將永遠搖擺不定。不痛下決心修行的話你即使修一輩子也將一無所獲。在開始階段，選擇一個適合的禅修專注對象，作爲錨拴住你的心。不要只是隨意地專注于不清晰的對象，比如內心一直存在的覺知。沒有特定的專注對象來拴住心，你幾乎不可能阻止心到處遊蕩，這是失敗的禍根。最後，你會因失望而放棄修行。
When mindfulness loses its focus, the kilesas rush in to drag your thoughts to a past long gone, or a future yet to come. The mind becomes unstable and strays aimlessly over the mental landscape, never remaining still or contented for a moment. This is how meditators lose ground while watching their meditation practice collapse. The only antidote is a single, uncomplicated focal point of attention; such as a meditation-word or the breath. Choose one that seems most appropriate to you, and focus steadfastly on that one object to the exclusion of everything else. Total commitment is essential to the task.
念住一失去焦點，煩惱就會沖進來，把你的心不是拖向遠古之前，就是未到的將來。心會變得不穩定，漫無目標地遊蕩在妄想夢境裏，沒完沒了一刻也不能知足或安住下來。這是修行者眼睜睜看著自己的修行崩潰時的情形。唯一的對治法是用一個簡單、可以專注的中心，比如念誦詞或呼吸，選擇一個看來最適合你的，然後排除一切，堅定地專注在這個對象上。重點是你必須竭盡全力地修。
If you choose the breath as your focal point, make yourself fully aware of each in-breath and each out-breath. Notice the sensation created by the breath”s movement and fix your attention on the point where that feeling is most prominent; where the sensation of the breath is felt most acutely: for example, the tip of the nose. Make sure you know when the breath comes in and when it goes out, but don”t follow its course—simply focus on the spot where it passes through. If you find it helpful, combine your breathing with a silent repetition of buddho, thinking bud on the point of inhalation and dho on the point of exhalation. Don”t allow errant thoughts to interfere with the work you are doing. This is an exercise in awareness of the present-moment; so remain alert and fully attentive.
假設你選擇呼吸作爲專注的對象，那就全然地覺知每一吸氣和呼氣，注意呼吸經過時産生的感覺，然後把注意力集中在感覺最明顯的那一點，也就是感覺呼吸最敏銳的地方，例如在鼻尖。確保你覺知呼吸何時進與出，但不要跟隨著它的過程——只是專注于它經過的那個點。假使你覺得有幫助，可以把呼吸與重複默念“佛陀”結合在一起，吸氣時默念“佛”，呼氣時默念“陀”。不要讓妄想擾亂你的修行，這是覺知當下的修行，所以保持警覺和完全的專注。
As mindfulness gradually establishes itself, the mind will stop paying attention to harmful thoughts and emotions. It will lose interest in its usual preoccupations. Undistracted, it will settle further and further into calm and stillness. At the same time, the breath—which is coarse when you first begin focusing on it—gradually becomes more and more refined. It may even reach the stage where it completely disappears from your conscious awareness. It becomes so subtle and refined that it fades and disappears. There is no breath at that time—only the mind”s essential knowing nature remains.
念住慢慢建立起來之後，心就不再注意有害的念頭和情緒，它會對之前的妄想失去興趣，不受幹擾地一步一步地在甯靜中安定下來。同時，呼吸——開始專注時它是粗的——也逐漸轉爲細，甚至可能會微細到完全從你的意識中消失。它變得那麼微細以至淡化消失，這時呼吸就停下來——只剩下意識知道的根本特性。
《PART 1 - 阿羅漢向：滅苦正道 The Direct Route to the End of All Suffering》全文閱讀結束。