..续本文上一页n this place, the same as waves striking the seashore. When a wave comes in and finally reaches the shoreline, it just disintegrates and vanishes; a new wave comes and it happens again - the wave going no further than the limit of the shoreline. In the same way, nothing will be able to go beyond the limits established by one”s own awareness.

　　That”s the place where one will meet and come to understand impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and not-self. It is there that things will vanish - the three characteristics of impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and not self are the same as the seashore, and all sense objects and mental state that are experiences go in the same way as the waves. Happiness is uncertain, it”s arisen many times before. Suffering is uncertain, it”s arisen many times before; that”s the way they are. In one”s heart one will know that they are like that, they are ””just that much””. The heart will experience these conditions in this way and they will gradually keep losing their value and importance. This is talking about the characteristics of the heart, the way it is, it is the same for everybody, even the Buddha and all his disciples were like this.

　　If one”s practice of the Path matures it will become automatic and it will no longer be dependent on anything external. When a defilement arises, one will immediately be aware of it and accordingly be able to counteract it. However, that stage when they say that the Path is still not mature enough nor fast enough to overcome the defilements is something that everybody has to experience - it”s unavoidable. But it is at that point where one must use skillful reflection. Don”t go investigating elsewhere or trying to solve the problem at some other place. Cure it right there. Apply the cure at that place where things arise and pass away. Happiness arises and then passes away, doesn”t it

　　 Suffering arises and then passes away, doesn”t it

　　 One will continuously be able to see the process of arising and ceasing, and see that which is good and bad in the heart. These are phenomena that exist and are part of nature. Don”t cling tightly to them or create anything out of them at all.

　　If one has this kind of awareness, then even though one will be coming into contact with things, there will not be any noise. In other words, one will see the arising and passing away of phenomena in a very natural and ordinary way. One will just see things arise and then cease. One will understand the process of arising and ceasing in the light of impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and not-self.

　　The nature of the Dhamma is like this. When one can see things as ””just that much””, then they will remain as ””just that much””. There will be none of that clinging or holding on - as soon as one becomes aware of attachment it will disappear. There will be just the arising and ceasing and that is peaceful. That it”s peaceful is not because one doesn”t hear anything; there is the hearing, but one understands the nature of it and doesn”t cling or hold on to anything. This is what they mean by peaceful - the heart is still experiencing sense objects, but it doesn”t follow or get caught up in them. A pision is made between the heart sense objects and the defilements. When one”s heart comes into contact with a sense object and there is an emotional reaction of liking, this gives rise to defilement; but if one understands the process of arising and ceasing, then there is nothing that can really arise from it - it will end just there.

　　--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

　　Q: Does one have to practise and gain samādhi before one can contemplate the Dhamma

　　A: Here one can say that”s correct from one point of view, but talking about it from the aspect of practice,…

《Questions and Answers》全文未完，请进入下页继续阅读…