..续本文上一页tration to counter them are they overcome. They are also called the direct enemies of concentration. The indirect enemies are the five forms of rapture (piti), the meditation syllable, and visions — both those that arise on their own (uggaha nimitta) and those that are brought under the control of the mind (patibhaga nimitta). These phenomena, if you are wise to them, can foster the paths and fruitions leading to nibbana. But if you aren”t wise to them, you”re bound to get wrapped up in them, and they will then turn into enemies of right concentration and discernment.

　　These are the intermediate enemies of concentration. The subtle enemies are the ten corruptions of insight (vipassanupakkilesa). If, when any of these arise, your powers of reference and discernment are weak, you are bound to misconstrue them. You then let yourself get taken in and carried away by them, to the point where they seem unassailable in one way or another, finally leading you to believe that you have become an arahant. If you aren”t wise to these things, you”re bound to fall for them and won”t be able to attain the highest form of good. For this reason, you should let go of all such knowledge in line with its true nature. Keep your powers of circumspection in firm place. Don”t let these enemies come in and overcome your mind.

　　These various enemies will be discussed below, following the discussion of concentration, because they arise as phenomena following on the practice of concentration. Actually though, they”re already present in the mind, but we”re not aware of them until the mind is made firm. Once the mind attains concentration, they are bound to appear in one form or another, either as visions or as intuitions. And once they appear, we tend to get all excited and pleased, because we think that something new has happened. But if we understand that they”ve been there in the mind all along, we won”t get carried away by them — or feel excited, pleased, or upset — and so they won”t cause our concentration to deteriorate.

　　Before we make the mind firm in concentration, we first have to learn about the meditation exercises, because they are the objects of concentration. And before we learn about the exercises, we have to acquaint ourselves with our own propensities, because these propensities are like the factors causing a disease. The exercises are like the medicine for curing the disease.

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