..續本文上一頁 upon the Ultimate Principle (Prajna).
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The Patriarch one day preached to an assembly as follows:
In our system of Dhyana, we neither dwell upon our mind nor upon its purity; neither do we seek to suppress its activity. As to dwelling on the mind: the (functional) mind is primarily delusive and as we come to realise that it is only a phantasm we see that there is no reason for dwelling upon it. As to dwelling upon its purity: our nature is intrinsically pure, and just as far as we get rid of discriminative thinking, there will remain nothing but purity in our nature; it is these delusive ideas that obscure our realisation of True reality (Tathata). If we direct our mind to dwell upon purity, we are only creating another delusion: the delusion of purity. Since delusion has no abiding place, it is deluding to dwell upon it. Purity has neither shape nor form, but some people go so far as to invent the "Form of Purity" and then treat it as a problem for solution.” Holding such an opinion, these people become purity-ridden and their Essence of Mind is thereby obscured. Those who are training themselves for serenity of mind, in their contact with the many types of men, should not notice the faults of others. They should be indifferent as to whether others are good or bad, or whether they deserve merit or demerit. To assume a discriminatory attitude toward others is to invite perturbation of mind. An unenlightened man may seem outwardly unperturbed, but as soon as he opens his mouth and criticises others and talks about
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their merit or demerit, their ability or weakness, their goodness or badness, he shows that he has deviated from the right course. On the other hand, to dwell upon our own mind and its purity is also a stumbling-block in the true Path.
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At another assembly the Patriarch spoke as follows: What is dhyana
It means, first, to gain full freedom of mind and to be entirely unperturbed under all outward circumstances, be they good or otherwise. What is the difference between Dhyana and Samadhi
Dhyana is the effort to be mentally free from any attachment to outer objects. Samadhi is the realisation of that freedom in inward peace. If we are attached to outer objects the inner mind will be perturbed. When we are free from attachment to all outer objects, the mind will be at peace. Our Essence of Mind is intrinsically pure; the reason we become perturbed is simply because we allow ourselves to be carried away by the circumstances we are under. He who is able to keep his mind serene, irrespective of circumstances, has attained true Samadhi.
To be free from attachment is Dhyana; to realise inner peace is Samadhi. When we are able to hold the mind concentrated, and to rest in inner peace, then we have attained both Dhyana and Samadhi. The Bodhisattva Sila Sutra says: "Our Essence of Mind is intrinsically pure." Learned Audience: let us each realise this for himself from one momentary sensation to another. Let us practice it by ourselves, let us train ourselves, and thus by our own effort attain Buddhahood.
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Footnotes
249:1 NOTE BY EDITOR. The three words, Prajna, Dhyana and Samadhi, have a very close relation to each other. Prajna, as we have noticed, is the Principle of mingled Oneness and persity; Prajna cannot be perfectly understood, but it can be realised intuitively because Prajna is Essence of Mind. Dhyana is the active effort to gain self-realisation of Prajna, while Samadhi is the passive, receptive, realisation itself, of Prajna, that is, of one”s own Mind-essence. Dhyana and Samadhi are both used for the Eighth Stage of the Noble Path, as such they are usually translated "Concentration," but Dhyana refers to its active aspect and Samadhi to its passive and realising aspect. Samadhi used alone is translated, "exalted ecstasy," or is thought of as "the blissful state of self -realisation that accompanies Right Contemplation of Mind-essence."
《Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch - Chapter II· Discourse on Dhyana and Samadhi》全文閱讀結束。