..續本文上一頁 isn”t any different from the way people in general normally act.

　　To be a disciple of the Tathagata, whose fame has spread throughout the three levels of the cosmos, you should try to revive the mindfulness and discernment lying dormant in the heart so that they can support your efforts in extracting all the various defilements and cravings coming from the heart that at the moment is like a log. Greed, anger, delusion, laziness, discontent, jealousy, possessiveness: All of these things are excrement piled on the heart. Once mindfulness and discernment have been trained as we have mentioned, they will become stronger day by day, more and more accustomed to working, in the same way that we get accustomed to other forms of work. When we bring them to bear on the effort of the practice within the heart, they will be able to understand the affairs of the heart in due time, without taking long.

　　In order to be principled and methodical in your training, keep your awareness constantly with the body. Keep mindfulness focused there and use discernment to investigate within the sphere of the body. To do this is to follow the principles of the frames of reference (satipatthana) and the Noble Truths (ariya-sacca), which form the path of all the Noble Ones.

　　There are four frames of reference: the body, feelings, the mind, and phenomena. ”The body” refers to every part of the body. This is termed kayanupassana satipatthana. ”Feelings” refers to pleasure, pain, and indifference. This is termed vedananupassana satipatthana. ”The mind” refers to the mental states that are fashioned by the mind and color it. This is termed cittanupassana satipatthana. ”Phenomena” refers to anything, material or mental, that is the object or focal point of the mind”s investigation. This is termed dhammanupassana satipatthana.

　　In investigating the four frames of reference, be sure to come to a right understanding from the outset that body, feelings, mind, and phenomena as frames of reference are a class separate from the mind that possesses them as frames of reference. Otherwise you”ll get discouraged or upset when they exhibit change as part of their normal nature or as a result of the investigation, which is something that may happen in the course of the practice. In other words, these four factors normally undergo change that can give rise to pleasure or displeasure. When we are investigating them, they continue to undergo change, which can make the meditator pleased or displeased or sometimes even discouraged and fed up with the investigation. I mention this so that you”ll be forewarned when it happens and will make yourself understand with circumspection that the mind in charge of the frames of reference hasn”t changed along with its frame of reference in any way. Once you have come to a right understanding, you can become confident in your investigation of the frames of reference. No matter which frame of reference -- body, feelings, mind, or phenomena -- exhibits change or disappears, the heart -- a phenomenon that doesn”t change or die -- will be able to investigate to the full extent of its strength and come to a clear comprehension of these four factors step by step without being affected by the pleasures and pains in the body and mind, which are the conditions exhibited by the frames of reference.

　　In investigating the body, you can deal either with the internal body or with external bodies, depending on the situation and what comes easiest to the heart. ”The internal body” refers to every part of your own body. ”External bodies” refers to the bodies of other people and animals. ”The body within the body” refers to any one part of the body. All of these things will show themselves to be disgusting and dismaying to the person who uses discernment to…

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