..续本文上一页late your speech and actions and investigate the process of cause and effect - which is all a function of panna. You have to depend on panna before sila can be established.
According to the theory, we say that it”s sila, samadhi and then panna; but I”ve reflected on this and found that panna underlies all the other aspects of the practice. You need to fully understand the effects of your speech and actions on the mind and how it is that they can bring about harmful results. Through reasoned reflection you use panna to guide, control and thereby purify your actions and speech. If you know the different characteristics of your actions and speech, which are conditioned by both wholesome and unwholesome mental states, you can see the place of practice. You see that if you”re going to cultivate sila, it involves giving up evil and doing good; giving up doing wrong and doing that which is right. Once the mind has given up doing wrong and has cultivated doing what is right, it will automatically turn inwards to focus upon itself and become firm and steady. When it”s free from doubt and uncertainty about speech and actions, the mind will be steadfast and unwavering, providing the basis for becoming firmly concentrated in samadhi. This firm concentration forms the second and more powerful source of energy in the practice, allowing you more fully contemplate the sights, sounds and other sense objects which you experience. Once the mind is established with firm and unwavering calm and mindfulness, you can engage in the sustained contemplation of form, feeling, perception, thought and consciousness, and with the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations and mind-objects, and see that all of these are constantly arising. As a result you will gain insight into the truth of these phenomena and how they arise according to their own nature. When there is continuous awareness, it will be the cause for panna to arise. Once there is clear knowledge in accordance with the true nature of the way things are, your old sanna and sense of self will gradually be uprooted from it”s former conditioning and will be transformed into panna. Ultimately, sila, samadhi and panna will merge in the practice, as one lasting and unified whole.
As panna strengthens, it acts to develop samadhi which becomes steadier and more unshakable. The firmer samadhi becomes, the more resolute and complete sila becomes. As sila is perfected, it nurtures samadhi, and the strengthening of samadhi leads to a maturing of panna. These three aspects of the practice are pretty much inseparable - they overlap so much. Growing together, they combine to form what the Buddha called magga, the Path. When sila, samadhi and panna reach their peak, magga has enough power to destroy the kilesa. Whether it be greed, hatred or delusion which arises, it is only the strength of magga which is capable of destroying it.
The Four Noble Truth taught by the Buddha as a framework for practice are: dukkha (suffering), samudaya (the cause of suffering), nirodha (the end of suffering) and magga (the path leading to the end of suffering) which consists of sila, samadhi and panna - modes of training which exist the mind. Although I say these three words - sila, samadhi, panna - out loud, they don”t exist externally, they are rooted in the mind itself.
It is the nature of sila, samadhi and panna to be at work continuously, maturing all the time. If magga is strong in the mind, whatever objects are experienced - whether they are forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations or thoughts - it will be in control. If magga is strong it will destroy the kilesa. When it”s weak and the kilesa are strong, magga will be destroyed. The kilesa can destroy your very heart. If mindfulness isn”t fast enough …
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