..续本文上一页ivino: May all beings always live happily, free from animosity.

　　Katam puñña-phalam mayham sabbe bhagi bhavantu te: May all share in the blessings springing from the good I have done.

　　(This is the abbreviated version. If your time is limited, simply say this much and then get into position to meditate.)

　　Spreading thoughts of good will to the six directions:

　　1. The eastern quarter: "Puratthimasmim disa-bhage sabbe satta (May all living beings in the eastern quarter...) avera hontu, abyapajjha hontu, anigha hontu, sukhi attanam pariharantu. Sabbe satta sada hontu avera sukhajivino. Katam puññaphalam mayham sabbe bhagi bhavantu te." (For translations, see above.)

　　2. The western quarter: "Pacchimasmim disa-bhage sabbe satta, etc."

　　3. The northern quarter: "Uttarasmim disa-bhage sabbe satta, etc."

　　4. The southern quarter: "Dakkhinasmim disa-bhage sabbe satta, etc."

　　5. The lower regions: "Hetthimasmim disa-bhage sabbe satta, etc."

　　6. The upper regions: "Uparimasmim disa-bhage sabbe satta avera hontu, abyapajjha hontu, anigha hontu, sukhi attanam pariharantu. Sabbe satta sada hontu avera sukhajivino. Katam puññaphalam mayham sabbe bhagi bhavantu te." (Bow down three times.)

　　When you have finished spreading thoughts of good will to all six directions, cleanse your heart of thoughts of animosity and apprehension. Make your heart completely clear and at ease. Good will acts as a support for purity of virtue and so is an appropriate way of preparing the heart for the practice of tranquillity and insight meditation.

　　III. The Foul: Tranquillity Meditation

　　I.e., remove all befouling mental states from the mind. The things that befoul and darken the mind are the five Hindrances:

　　— Kama-chanda: sensual desires, taking pleasure in sensual objects (sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, ideas) and sensual moods (such as passion, aversion, and delusion).

　　— Byapada: ill will, malevolence, hatred.

　　— Thina-middha: torpor, lethargy, drowsiness, listlessness.

　　— Uddhacca-kukkucca: restlessness and anxiety.

　　— Vicikiccha: doubt, uncertainty.

　　When any of these unskillful states occupy the heart, it”s not flourishing, blooming, or bright. For the heart to bloom, it has to be free from all five of the Hindrances; and for it to be free in this way, we have to develop concentration or absorption (jhana), which is composed of directed thought, evaluation, rapture, pleasure, and singleness of preoccupation (see below). The heart will then be clear, bright, and resplendent. In Pali, this is called "sobhana-citta." Thus, in this section we will discuss how to develop concentration as a means of eliminating the Hindrances as follows:

　　A. "Among the forty themes, breath is supreme."

　　Sit in a half-lotus position, your right leg on top of your left; your hands palm-up in your lap, your right hand on top of your left. Keep your body comfortably erect and your mind on what you”re doing. Don”t let your thoughts go spinning forward or back. Be intent on keeping track of the present: the present of the body, or the in-and-out breath; and the present of the mind, or mindfulness and all-round alertness. The present of the body and the present of the mind should be brought together at a single point. In other words, make the object of the mind single and one. Focus your attention on the breath, keeping watch over it until you”re clearly aware that, "This is the in-breath," and "This is the out." Once you can see clearly in this way, call to mind the virtues of the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, gathering them into a single word, "Buddho." Then pide "Buddho" into two syllables, thinking "bud-" with the in-breath, and "dho" with the out, at the same time counting your breaths: "Bud-" in, "dho" out, one; "bud-" …

《Basic Themes》全文未完，请进入下页继续阅读…