..续本文上一页加禅期的人都变成平等，大家都只是一个禅修者。你禅修了几多年、你是老手还是新手，这些都变得不重要。如果你抛弃所有这些个人经历，那么大家便都是平等无束缚。我们正是在摆脱这些关注、观感和心念思想，不让它们束缚我们、阻止我们开展出从放下而来的平静。就这样，你彻彻底底放下你过去的每一个片段，即使是在此禅期间时至这刻曾发生过的事，即使仅在这一刻之前所发生的事情的记忆！这样，你不把负担从过去带进当下，无论刚刚发生了甚么事，你都不再感兴趣，任它来去。你不让过去在心内回荡。
I describe this as developing your mind like a padded cell! When any experience, perception or thought hits the wall of the ”padded cell” , it does not bounce back-again. It just sinks into the padding and stops right there. Thus we do not allow the past to echo in our consciousness, certainly not the past of yesterday and all that time before, because we are developing the mind inclined to letting go, giving away and unburdening.
我会把这描述为把心发展成有如一间软壁房间一样，当有任何经验、观感，或心念思想打在软壁上，都不会反弹回来，只是嵌进软垫内，停於该处。如是地，我们不让过去在我们的意识内回响，不管是昨日或所有之前的过去，因为我们正在开展著趣向於离执、舍弃和不累赘的心。
Some people have the view that if they take up the past for contemplation they can somehow learn from it and solve the problems of the past. However, you should understand that when you gaze at the past, you invariably look through distorted lenses. Whatever you think it was like, in truth it was not quite like that! This is why people have arguments about what actually happened, even a few moments ago. It is well known to police who investigate traffic accidents that even though the accident may have happened only half an hour ago, two different eyewitnesses, both completely honest, will give different accounts. Our memory is untrustworthy. If you consider just how unreliable memory is, then you do not put value on thinking about the past. Then you can let it go. You can bury it, just as you bury a person who has died. You place them in a coffin then bury it, or cremate it, and it is done with, finished. Do not linger on the past. Do not continue to carry the coffins of dead moments on your head! If you do, then you are weighing yourself down with heavy burdens which do not really belong to you. Let all of the past go and you have the ability to be free in the present moment.
有些人认为，如果他们深思过去，便可从中学习，并能解决到过去的问题。可是，你要明白，在你凝视著过去时，你总是透过扭曲的镜片来看。无论你认为那是怎样，事实却不完全是这样！这便是为何人们都对真实发生过的事情会有所争论的原因，即使那是几刹那之前的事。负责调查交通意外的警员都很清楚，即使意外是发生於半小时之前，两个都是绝对诚实的不同的目击证人都会有不同的描述。我们的记忆很不可靠，假如你细心想想记忆是如何不可靠，你便不会认为回忆过去是有意义的。於是，你便可以把它放下，你可把它埋葬，有如埋葬死人一样，你把它们放在棺材内，然後埋葬，或火化，这便完结、了事。不要流连过去，不要继续把装著流逝时光的棺材顶在头上！否则你便是把实际上不属於你的重担加诸身上。忘掉所有过去，这样你便有能力在当下中解脱。
As for the future, the anticipations, fears, plans, and expectations-let all of that go too. The Lord Buddha once said about the future ”whatever you think it will be, it will always be something different” ! This future is known to the wise as uncertain, unknown and so unpredictable. It is often complete stupidity to anticipate the future, and always a great waste of your time to think of the future in meditation.
至於未来方面，预计、担忧、计划、期望，所有这些亦都要放下。佛陀有一次说到未来：「无论你预料那将会是怎样，但结果往往会是别样！」智者都了解，未来是不确定、未知和不可预知的。预想未来往往是十分愚昧，而且在禅修中预想未来更是在浪费时间。
When you work with your mind, you find that the mind is so strange. It can do some wonderful and unexpected things. It is very common for meditators who are having a difficult time, who are not getting very peaceful, to sit there thinking ”Here we go again, another hour of frustration”. Even though they begin thinking like that, anticipating failure, something strange happens and they get into a very peaceful meditation.
在修心的修行中，你会发觉心是那么的奇怪，它竟会做出些那么的令人赞叹和意想不到的事。禅修者吃苦头，坐得不很平静，边坐边想：「唉，又开始啦，另一个小时的沮丧」，这都很平常。虽然他们开始时会这样想，预计会失败，然而奇怪的事情发生起来，他们竟进入十分平静的禅定。
Recently I heard of one man on his first ten-day retreat. After the first day his body was hurting so much he asked to go home. The teacher said, ”Stay one more day and the pain will disappear, I promise” . So he stayed another day, the pain got worse so he wanted to go home again. The teacher repeated ”just one more day, the pain will go”. He stayed for a third day an…
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