..续本文上一页东西便必须要丢下——「你」！在入禅那之前，「作者」是静默的，但仍在那儿；在处於禅那中时，「作者」则完全消失掉，「知者」仍起作用，你完全有觉知，但所有操控此时都遥不可及，你甚至不能使一个思念形成，更莫说要下一个决定。意志已被冻结，这会令初手生起恐惧。在你一生中，你从未经验过这般厉害地被解除掉所有的操控能力，却仍完全清醒。这种恐惧便是由於害怕要交出如做事的意志般本质上甚个人的东西而生起的恐惧。

　　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.

　　这种恐惧可藉著对佛陀的教导的信心，和相信将会出现并可看作是回报的那种难以抗拒的妙乐两者一起来克服。佛陀经常说，对这种禅那妙乐「不应害怕，反而应该经常仿效、发展，和修习之」《中部‧(66) 鹑喻经》(MN 66, LaÊukikopama Sutta)。因此，在恐惧生起之前，要对那种妙乐充满十足的信心，并保持对佛陀的教导和对圣弟子榜样的信念。为了一尝那种全不费力、超脱身体、我执消失和充满妙乐的体验，请信赖法，让禅那热烈地拥抱你吧，那将会是你生命中最深湛的体验。拿出勇气来彻底抛弃操控一会，并亲自去体验吧。

　　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，便会持续一段长时间，若只持续数分钟，便不配被称为禅那了。通常，较高层的禅那会维持很多小时。一旦进入了禅那，便没有选择的余地，只有当心一切就绪可随时离开，即当所有你在之前积聚起的抛弃力量之「燃料」都耗尽时，你才会从禅那退出来。这都是些十分静止和满足的心识状态，其性质就是要持续一段很长的时间。禅那的另一种特性是只会於当禅相如前所述般被清楚观注之後才出现。此外，你还要明白，当处於任何层次的禅那中，是不可能经验到身体的感觉的 (如肉体疼痛)，不可能听到外面的声音，或产生任何思想，即使是「善」念也不可能出现，只有清明而单一的感知，一种持久不变的非二元妙乐的体验，这不是一种恍惚的出神状态，而是一种提升了的觉知状态。在此说出这些，都是为了让你懂得自己分辨出你所认为的禅那到底是真的还是想像出来的。

　　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.

　　还有很多禅修的话题，这里只是说出这种分七个阶段最高达至初禅的基本方法，还有很多可以说，如五盖及其克服方法、念住的意思和运用方法、四念处和四神足乃至五根，当然还有更高层次的禅那，所有这些都跟这种初阶禅修方法有关，只有留待以後有机会时再说。

　　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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