..續本文上一頁東西便必須要丟下——「你」！在入禅那之前，「作者」是靜默的，但仍在那兒；在處於禅那中時，「作者」則完全消失掉，「知者」仍起作用，你完全有覺知，但所有操控此時都遙不可及，你甚至不能使一個思念形成，更莫說要下一個決定。意志已被凍結，這會令初手生起恐懼。在你一生中，你從未經驗過這般厲害地被解除掉所有的操控能力，卻仍完全清醒。這種恐懼便是由於害怕要交出如做事的意志般本質上甚個人的東西而生起的恐懼。

　　This fear can be overcome through confidence in the Buddha”s Teachings together with the enticing bliss just ahead that one can see as the reward. The Lord Buddha often said that this bliss of Jhana” should not be feared but should be followed, developed and practised often”(Latukikopama Sutta, Majjhima Nikaya). So before fear arises, offer your full confidence to that bliss and maintain faith in the Lord Buddha”s Teachings and the example of the Noble Disciples. Trust the Dhamma and let the Jhana warmly embrace you for an effortless, body-less and ego-less, blissful experience that will be the most profound of your life. Have the courage to fully relinquish control for a while and experience all this for yourself.

　　這種恐懼可藉著對佛陀的教導的信心，和相信將會出現並可看作是回報的那種難以抗拒的妙樂兩者一起來克服。佛陀經常說，對這種禅那妙樂「不應害怕，反而應該經常仿效、發展，和修習之」《中部‧(66) 鹑喻經》(MN 66, LaÊukikopama Sutta)。因此，在恐懼生起之前，要對那種妙樂充滿十足的信心，並保持對佛陀的教導和對聖弟子榜樣的信念。爲了一嘗那種全不費力、超脫身體、我執消失和充滿妙樂的體驗，請信賴法，讓禅那熱烈地擁抱你吧，那將會是你生命中最深湛的體驗。拿出勇氣來徹底抛棄操控一會，並親自去體驗吧。

　　If it is a Jhana it will last a long time. It does not deserve to be called Jhana if it lasts only a few minutes. Usually, the higher Jhanas persist for many hours. Once inside, there is no choice. You will emerge trom the Jhana only when the mind is ready to come out, when the ”fuel” of relinquishment that was built up before is all used up. These are such still and satisfying states of consciousness that their very nature is to persist for a very long time. Another feature of Jhana is that it occurs only after the nimitta is discerned as described above. Furthermore, you should know that while in any Jhana it is impossible to experience the body (e.g. physical pain), hear a sound from outside or produce any thought, not even” good” thoughts. There is just a clear singleness of perception, an experience of non-dualistic bliss which continues unchanging for a very long time. This is not a trance, but a state of heightened awareness. This is said so that you may know for yourself whether what you take to be a Jhana is real or imaginary.

　　如果是禅那，便會持續一段長時間，若只持續數分鍾，便不配被稱爲禅那了。通常，較高層的禅那會維持很多小時。一旦進入了禅那，便沒有選擇的余地，只有當心一切就緒可隨時離開，即當所有你在之前積聚起的抛棄力量之「燃料」都耗盡時，你才會從禅那退出來。這都是些十分靜止和滿足的心識狀態，其性質就是要持續一段很長的時間。禅那的另一種特性是只會於當禅相如前所述般被清楚觀注之後才出現。此外，你還要明白，當處於任何層次的禅那中，是不可能經驗到身體的感覺的 (如肉體疼痛)，不可能聽到外面的聲音，或産生任何思想，即使是「善」念也不可能出現，只有清明而單一的感知，一種持久不變的非二元妙樂的體驗，這不是一種恍惚的出神狀態，而是一種提升了的覺知狀態。在此說出這些，都是爲了讓你懂得自己分辨出你所認爲的禅那到底是真的還是想像出來的。

　　There is much more to meditation, but here only the basic method has been described using seven stages culminating with the First Jhana. Much more could be said about the ”Five Hindrances” and how they are overcome, about the meaning of mindfulness and how it is used, about the Four Satipatthana and the Four Roads to Success (Iddhipiida) and the Five Controlling Faculties (Indriya) and, of course, about the higher Jhanas. All these concern this practice of meditation but must be left for another occasion.

　　還有很多禅修的話題，這裏只是說出這種分七個階段最高達至初禅的基本方法，還有很多可以說，如五蓋及其克服方法、念住的意思和運用方法、四念處和四神足乃至五根，當然還有更高層次的禅那，所有這些都跟這種初階禅修方法有關，只有留待以後有機會時再說。

　　For those who are misled to conceive of all this as ”just Samatha practice” without regard to Insight (Vipassana), please know that this is neither Vipassana nor Samatha. It is called” Bhavana " the method taught by the Lord Buddha and repeated in the Forest Tradition of NE Thailand of which my teacher, Ven. Ajahn Chah, was a part. Ajahn Chah often said that Samatha and Vipassana cannot be separated, nor can the pair be developed apart from Right View, Right Thought, Right Moral Conduct and so forth. Indeed, to make progress on the above seven stages, the medit…

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