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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.

　　本书的第一和第二部份描述 [我所界定的] 禅修之四个阶段，即是：

　　‧当下的觉知

　　‧当下的默然觉知

　　‧当下呼吸的默然觉知

　　‧完全持续地注意著呼吸

　　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!

　　要先好好地发展出这几个阶段，然後才进入下一个。若急著要通过这些「放下的阶段」，那么便不可能推进至较高的阶层。这就好像在不适当的地基上建高楼一样，第一层楼匆匆建成，第二层、第三层也一样。然而，当建完第四层楼时，大楼结构开始有点摇晃，当再继续建造第五层时，大楼便倒塌了。所以，请花多点时间在这四个起始阶段上，使之扎实稳固，然後才进展至第五阶段。你须能毫不费力地维持第四阶段「完全持续地注意著呼吸」连续二、三百个呼吸，觉知到呼吸过程的每一个刹那，没有间断。我不是说要在这阶段中数息，我只是在说明在向前推进之前，须留在第四阶段多久。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.

　　第五阶段名为「完全持续地注意著美妙的呼吸」。这阶段往往都是从前一阶段自然地一直推进过来，当中没有停顿或间隔。当你全部注意力能轻易持续地安住於呼吸的体验上，没东西打断那平稳地一路去的觉知，呼吸便会平息下来，从一种粗重的普通呼吸转变成一种很顺畅平静的「美妙呼吸」。心认知到这种美妙呼吸并生起愉快的感觉，它经验到一种深层的满足，仅是在那儿看著这种美妙呼吸便感到畅快。你不用强迫，它会自然地跟著美妙的呼吸。「你」甚么也不做，若你在此阶段尝试有所做作，便会扰乱整个过程，美妙便会消失，这就有如玩蛇梯棋般，棋子落到蛇头的一格，便要回落多格。从这阶段开始，「作者」要消失掉，只有「知者」在被动地观察著。

　　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.

　　有个巧妙方法可令你进入此阶段，你打破内部静默，只需一次，在心内轻轻的对自己说：「定！」这便是了。禅修至此阶段，心通常都十分灵敏，只如此地轻轻一推，心便会贴贴服服地依随指示做。呼吸沉定下来，美妙呼吸呈现眼前。

　　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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