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　　These are:

　　·Sustained attention on the present moment;

　　·Silent awareness of the present moment;

　　·Silent present moment awareness of the breath; and

　　·Full sustained attention on the breath.

　　本書的第一和第二部份描述 [我所界定的] 禅修之四個階段，即是：

　　‧當下的覺知

　　‧當下的默然覺知

　　‧當下呼吸的默然覺知

　　‧完全持續地注意著呼吸

　　Each of these stages needs to be well developed before going in to the next stage. When one rushes through these” stages of letting go” then the higher stages will be unreachable. It is like constructing a tall building with inadequate foundations. The first storey is built quickly and so is the second and third storey. When the fourth storey is added, though, the structure begins to wobble a bit. Then when they try to add a fifth storey it all comes tumbling down. So please take a lot of time on these four initial stages, making them all firm and stable, before proceeding on to the fifth stage. You should be able to maintain the fourth stage, ”full sustained attention on the breath”, aware of every moment of the breath without a single break, for two or three hundred breaths in succession with ease. I am not saying to count the breaths during this stage, but I am giving an indication of the sort of time interval that one should remain with stage four before proceeding further. In meditation, patience is the fastest way!

　　要先好好地發展出這幾個階段，然後才進入下一個。若急著要通過這些「放下的階段」，那麼便不可能推進至較高的階層。這就好像在不適當的地基上建高樓一樣，第一層樓匆匆建成，第二層、第叁層也一樣。然而，當建完第四層樓時，大樓結構開始有點搖晃，當再繼續建造第五層時，大樓便倒塌了。所以，請花多點時間在這四個起始階段上，使之紮實穩固，然後才進展至第五階段。你須能毫不費力地維持第四階段「完全持續地注意著呼吸」連續二、叁百個呼吸，覺知到呼吸過程的每一個刹那，沒有間斷。我不是說要在這階段中數息，我只是在說明在向前推進之前，須留在第四階段多久。在禅修中，忍耐才是最快的方法！

　　The fifth stage is called full sustained attention on the beautiful breath. Often, this stage flows on naturally, seamlessly, from the previous stage. As one”s full attention rests easily and continuously on the experience of breath, with nothing interrupting the even flow of awareness, the breath calms down. It changes from a coarse, ordinary breath, to a very smooth and peaceful ”beautiful breath”. The mind recognizes this beautiful breath and delights in it. The mind experiences a deepening of contentment. It is happy just to be there watching this beautiful breath. The mind does not need to be forced. It stays with the beautiful breath by itself. ”You” don”t do anything. If you try and do something at this stage, you disturb the” whole process, the beauty is lost and, like landing on a snake”s head in the game of snakes and ladders, you go back many squares. The ”doer” has to disappear from this stage of the meditation on, with just the” knower” passively observing.

　　第五階段名爲「完全持續地注意著美妙的呼吸」。這階段往往都是從前一階段自然地一直推進過來，當中沒有停頓或間隔。當你全部注意力能輕易持續地安住於呼吸的體驗上，沒東西打斷那平穩地一路去的覺知，呼吸便會平息下來，從一種粗重的普通呼吸轉變成一種很順暢平靜的「美妙呼吸」。心認知到這種美妙呼吸並生起愉快的感覺，它經驗到一種深層的滿足，僅是在那兒看著這種美妙呼吸便感到暢快。你不用強迫，它會自然地跟著美妙的呼吸。「你」甚麼也不做，若你在此階段嘗試有所做作，便會擾亂整個過程，美妙便會消失，這就有如玩蛇梯棋般，棋子落到蛇頭的一格，便要回落多格。從這階段開始，「作者」要消失掉，只有「知者」在被動地觀察著。

　　A helpful trick to achieve this stage is to break the inner silence just once and gently think to yourself ”calm”. That”s all. At this stage of the meditation, the mind is usually so sensitive that just a little nudge like _ this causes the mind to follow the instruction obediently. The breath calms down and the beautiful breath emerges.

　　有個巧妙方法可令你進入此階段，你打破內部靜默，只需一次，在心內輕輕的對自己說：「定！」這便是了。禅修至此階段，心通常都十分靈敏，只如此地輕輕一推，心便會貼貼服服地依隨指示做。呼吸沈定下來，美妙呼吸呈現眼前。

　　When you are passively observing just the beautiful breath in the moment, the perceptions of ”in” (breath) or ”out” (breath), or beginning or middle or end of a breath, should all be allowed to disappear. All that is known is this experience of the beautiful breath happening now. The mind is not concerned with what part of the breath cycle this is in, nor on what part of the body this is occurring. Here we are simplifying the object of meditation…

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