..续本文上一页le sensations, and ideas when they come into the range of the senses. Internal labeling refers to the act of identifying moods of pleasure, pain, and indifference as they are felt by the heart. Once you can make this distinction, focus on all acts of labeling — past, present, or future, internal or external — at a single point: the fact that they are all inconstant, stressful and not-self. By nature they arise only to pass away.

　　This is the third exercise.

　　As for fashionings, these should first be pided into two sorts: upadinnaka-sankhara, those that are dependent on the power of the mind for their sustenance; and anupadinnaka-sankhara, those that are not. Mountains, trees, and other inanimate objects fashioned by nature are examples of the second category; people and common animals are examples of the first.

　　Fashionings dependent on the power of the mind for their sustenance are two sorts: external and internal. ”External” refers to the compound of the four physical properties fashioned into a body through the power of kamma. ”Internal” refers to the fashioning of thoughts — -either good (puññabhisankhara), bad (apuññabhisankhara), or neither good nor bad (aneñjabhisankhara) — in the mind.

　　All fashionings — past, present, or future, internal or external — should be focused on and considered at a single point, the fact of their three inherent characteristics, as follows:

　　anicca vata sankhara uppada-vaya-dhammino uppajjitva nirujjhanti...

　　”How inconstant (and stressful) are fashioned things. Their nature is to arise and decay. Arising, they disband...” They are all bound to be inconstant, stressful, and not-self.

　　This is the fourth exercise.

　　As for consciousness, this should first be pided into two sorts: internal and external. Internal consciousness refers to the act of being clearly aware that, ”This is a feeling of pleasure — this is a feeling of pain — this is a feeling of indifference,” as such feelings are experienced in the heart. External consciousness refers to being clearly aware by means of the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body whenever visual objects, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile sensations come into range and the mind reacts with notions of liking, disliking, or being indifferent. All acts of consciousness should be focused on and considered in terms of their three inherent characteristics: Whether past (beginning with the ”connecting consciousness (patisandhi viññana)” that gives rise to birth), present, or future, internal or external, all are inconstant, stressful, and not-self. There is nothing permanent or lasting to them at all.

　　When you consider these themes until you see them clearly in any of these ways, you are developing the insight that forms the way to the paths and fruitions leading to nibbana.

　　Thus the exercises of tranquillity and insight meditation give rise to different levels of knowledge and understanding, even though they deal with the very same raw material. If you truly desire to gain release from suffering and stress, you should begin studying you own aggregates so as to give rise to tranquillity and insight. You may assume that you already know them, yet if you can”t let them go, then you don”t really know them at all. What you know, you say you don”t know; what you don”t know, you say you do. The mind switches back and forth on itself, and so always has itself deceived.

　　Knowledge on the level of information — labels and concepts — is inconstant. It can always change into something else. Even people outside of the religion can know the aggregates on that level — all they have to do is read a few books and they”ll know. So those who really want to know should start right in, probing down into the aggregates until they perceive clearly and truly enough to let go. Only then will they be genuine experts in the religion.

《The Craft of the Heart - Exercises for Insight Meditation》全文阅读结束。