非道之道 The Path That Is Not A Path

　　Part 2: Walking The Path 第2篇：行道

　　2-3. Stages of Practice 修学阶段

　　2-3-1. The Path That Is Not A Path 非道之道

　　When we create the cause by meditating, the mind becomes peaceful as a result. For example, we recite the word Bud-dho. I used to do this: inhaling, Bud, exhaling, dho. While doing walking-meditation one recites Bud-dho with every step, walking in accordance with the breathing. These things create peace because it is done slowly. After that, I met a teacher from the North named Sow, who told me that one cannot climb a tree from the top, that one has to start at the roots. He taught me to count 1-2-3 until ten and back again 10-9-8 until one. He said this is beginning at the beginning. This is another way of following the breath; inhaling say one. Exhaling say two, etc., the only difference is the words you use. The principle is the same : to follow the breath in and out. Besides this, he taught that this method of counting was sacred ; if one was cut by a knife, he said to restrain oneself and count 1-2-3 until 10, back and forth. It would override the vein to stop bleeding. While travelling, ghosts would shrink back and be afraid. He taught many other things.

　　如果我们以禅修为因，最后内心得到的就是平静的果，例如，我们念“佛-陀"(Bud-Bho)来修禅，我以前就曾这样练习，入息念“佛”，出息念“陀”。在经行的时候，每一步也都跟着念“佛陀”，并且行走时还要配合入出息，这些方法由于是缓慢地练习因此能得到平静。后来，我遇到一位来自北方的导师，他的名字是娑(Sow)，他告诉我：爬树不能从顶端开始爬，而必须从根部开始。他教我数1-2-3…一直数到10，然后再反过来数10-9-8…一直数到1。他说这是起头的起头；还有另一种数息的方法：入息时数1，出息数2等，念“佛-陀"与数息差别只在用字不同而已，原则是一样的，都是跟随入出息。除此之外，他还说数息法是神圣的。他说：如果有人被刀割伤，就要克制自己数1-2-3…一直数到10，并来回地数，这样就可以抑制血管而停止流血。在旅行时，鬼魅也会怕你并退却。他还教我很多其它的东西。

　　Next, I recited Samma Arahant, another thing that this teacher taught. I've done these things and I became peaceful, I sat in peace. One tends to fall asleep while practicing because it is done slowly and with the eyes closed, walking-meditation is done in the same way.

　　接着，我练习这位导师教的另一方法，改成念“正觉-阿罗汉(Samma Arahant)”。这些方法我都练过，且心变得平静，我可以平静地坐着。练习这种方法时会想睡觉，因为练习速度是缓慢地而且眼睛是闭着的，经行也一样走得速度很慢。

　　Next, I went to Udorn province, that's where I got the method of rising and falling. Breathing in, one thinks rising and breathing out, one thinks falling. Following the breath again, same as before. These methods are all the same; they're all connected with breathing. When doing walking-meditation, one thinks lifting, going, lowering; touching, pressing etc. Doing this, they say, you get knowledge, that's what they say ; you get this and that. Well, I've done it and frankly speaking, it's just guessing, prediction and conjecture, but it's good anyway.

　　后来，我到乌董 (Udorn) 省去，在那里我学到起-落的方法。入息时，心里忆念‘起’，出息时，忆念‘落’。和以前一样又是跟随着入出息。这些方法都一样，都与入出息有关。当经行时，心里忆念‘举起’-‘前进’-‘放下’-‘触地’-‘按下’等。他们说这样练习可以得智慧，他们就是那么说的：你可以得这个、得那个…。好吧！我照着方法去练习，但是坦白说，那种种说法只是一种猜想、预测和推想而已，不过，这毕竟还是个好方法。

　　What I've been saying, to sum up, it's all about watching the breath and it makes one peaceful. Even ANAPANASATI is a method to look at breathing. To sit and watch the in-breath, the out-breath, knowing short, long, coarse and refined. The more you watch it, the more refined it gets. One gets caught up in the breathing and sits with one's body all stiff, sitting there being peaceful. One gets caught up in peace and doesn't know the breath. The words 'caught up' are easy to understand, they are the equivalent of the word delusion.

　　总之，我前面说的那些方法都是去观照入出息，而使人达到平静。即使是安那般那念(入出息念, Anapanasati )也是个观入出息的方法。坐下来观照入息、出息，并且觉知入出息是短、长、粗或细。你越观照它，气息就会变得越微细。你会被入出息所缠缚并且身体僵硬不动地坐着，坐在那里并感到平静。你会被那种平静所缠缚而没有觉知入出息。“缠住(caught up)”这个字一看就明白，那和“迷惑”是一样的东西。

　　I've done these methods and I'm able to teach it to others, if anybody wants it, I can really teach the method to concentrate, sitting stiff. But it is peace under the influence of delusion, peace due to Moha, it's not peace due to wisdom. According to my understanding, these methods are not the teaching of the Buddha.

　　我练习过这些观入出息的方法而且如果有人想学，我也能够教导他人，我真的可以教别人这种方法，以达到专注与静坐不动。但那是带有迷惑的平静，是愚痴的平静，而不是智慧的平静。依我的理解，这些方法不是佛陀的教导。

　　In the days that prince Sidhartha was not yet Enlightened, he studied with the 2 hermits Alara and Uddaka until he attained the 7’ and 8" absorptions and he could enter and come out of Jhana as fast and skilled as his teachers. But he still had suffering because he was still thinking about people, liking this one and disliking that one. On seeing a form with the eye or hearing a sound with the ear, he would sometimes be glad and sometimes be sad. Even without hearing or seeing anything, he would still think about his wife and his son, think about the palace, his wealth or the ladies in waiting ; this shows that there was still suffering. This is called knowing from memory, comprehension but it is not yet realising, real knowing, it's not the path to transcend suffering. When he asked his teachers, they told him that that was all the knowledge they had to teach, so he said goodbye even though his teachers wanted him to stay and help teaching. Prince Sidhartha had strong aspiration to extinguish suffering so he left them. He practiced many methods : holding his breath, fasting, not drinking water, keeping silent etc. Sometimes he would eat an extremely small amount of food and his body got weak and thin, just skin over bones, it was hard to move about. This indicates that these practices existed before the time of the Buddha and that they are not the teaching of the Buddha, they are teachings of teachers at large.

　　在悉达多太子觉悟之前，他曾跟随阿拉罗和乌达喀尔两位隐士修学，并且达到第七和第八次第的禅定，他能和他的老师们一样迅速自在地进入和退出禅定。但他还是有苦，因为当他想到某些人时，还是会喜欢这个而不喜欢那个；在眼见色或耳闻声的时候，他还是会有时喜悦而有时悲伤。即便没有听到或看到任何东西，他仍然会想念他的妻儿，想到他的王宫、财富或侍女们，这表示出他仍然有苦，这就叫做由见闻记忆、思惟理解而了知，但这还不是觉悟，不是真知，不是离苦之道。当他问老师再下去要怎么修，他们说：那就是他们能教导的所有知识了！因此，他告别老师，即使他们想要他留下帮忙教学，但悉达多太子有强烈的‘灭苦的渴望’，所以离开了他们。他修学了许多的方法；停止入出息、禁食、不饮水、禁语等。有段时期他吃极少量的食物，因而身体变得越来越瘦弱，就像皮包骨一样，连行动都很困难。这表明了这些修法在佛陀的时代之前就已经存在，并且这些不是佛陀的教导，而是当时一般导师的教导。

　　In India were many sects. We've probably heard of them : some sects were going naked, some sects taught to torment the body by lying down on thorns, we all know that that hurts, some sects would lie down roasting on fire etc.

　　在印度有许多教派，我们可能对他们早有耳闻，有些教派以裸身为修行；有些教派以教人躺在荆棘上折磨身体为修行，我们都知道那会很痛；有些教派则教人躺在火上受烤等等。

　　If we've studied the texts, we'll understand these matters easily. For example the naked ascetics : a new born baby doesn't wear clothes either but doesn't grow up to be Enlightened. Or roasting on fire : I have seen a woman who had just given birth lying roasting on fire, drinking hot water, but defilements didn't disappear, and she was not a Noble one either. I've seen this with my own eyes, and it can be reflected on with discrimination. These things are not the teaching of the Buddha but they are views and they are practiced out of ignorance. When one doesn't know, one does those kind of foolish things. Each person behaves similar to a blind man who lost his way.

　　假如我们读过经典，很容易就了解这些事情是无益的。就拿那些修裸身的苦行者来说吧！一个没有穿衣服的新生儿，他不会长大以后因此而觉悟。或者以火上受烤的来说，我曾看过一个女人才刚生产完却躺在火上一边受烤，一边喝热水，但她烦恼并没有去除，也没有成为圣者，我亲眼见过这件事，记得很清楚。这些东西都不是佛陀的教导，只是一些邪见，但人们因无明却依之修习。当一个人不明了，就会修学那些愚蠢的事行，这种人的行为就像一个迷路的盲人一样。

　　After that, the prince realized that to practice like that is to walk a path that is not the path to go beyond suffering, so he stopped it and started to eat fruits. When the 5 ascetics saw this, they figured that the prince wouldn't get enlightened because he had given up making effort and was now indulging himself so they left him. This was a misunderstanding. Those of us who have studied know this well. What I'm telling you now, is what teachers have told me, it is knowledge from memory.

　　在那之后，太子了解到：那样修行不是走在一条离苦的道路上，所以他停止那种修行而开始吃水果。当他的五位苦行道友看到这情景，便认为太子已不再精进而开始随顺欲望，已不可能得到觉悟，所以便离开了他。这是个误解，我们当中那些学过的人很清楚这件事。我现在跟你们说的这些是以前我的导师告诉我的，这些是从见闻记忆而来的知识。

　　When the prince practiced by himself, his body and speech were secluded but his mind was not yet secluded. Then he met Miss. Sujata who was praying to the gods with an offering of rice - this shows that praying is something that existed before the time of the Buddha. Having said this much, it should be clear to someone who is clever that making merit, being generous, keeping precepts and practicing tranquility-meditation, are not the teachings of the Buddha. But performing good actions assist and support, they're better than bad actions ; it's better to want merit than it is to have evil desires, but it is only just called good actions because it can't yet extinguish suffering.

　　当太子开始独自修行之后，虽然他的身行及口行已经与世间隔离了开来，但他的心却还没有隔离开来。后来他遇到苏佳塔女士，他供米来向天神祈福—这显示了祈福是佛陀时代之前就已存在的事行。我说了这么多，聪明的人听了应该已经很清楚：做功德、布施、持戒和修习止禅，这些都不是佛陀的教导。但是持戒修善是有帮助的，比做恶来得好；想要求功德比有邪恶欲念要好多了，可是！那只能称作善行(尚非圣行)，因为它不能灭苦。

　　I'm telling you this in order to make you understand what is appropriate and what isn't. Some of you may not believe it, some of you may say that one needs to do things step by step, one has to accumulate virtuous qualities ; you may think like that, but somebody with wisdom will understand.

　　我跟你们说这些，是要让你们了解什么是正当的而什么不正当。你们有些人可能不相信；有些人甚至会说：做什么事都要一步一步来，我们必须先积功累德修善根；你可能也那么想，但有智慧的人就会了解我说的话。

　　We have come here to practice Dhamma, so may you all make yourself into a kind of rice : the kind that has full and fat grains ; when they're planted, they sprout easily. If you are a small, thin ricegrain, you'll sprout slowly and if you are like husk, you won't come up at all - that's how it is!

　　我们来这里是要修学佛法，所以希望诸位能使自己成为一种稻谷——那种饱满且肥厚的谷子，只要它们一播种下去就很容易发芽；假如你是个细小、干瘦的稻谷，那就很慢才会发芽；而假如你像个空壳子，那就绝对不会发芽了——就是这么回事！

　　So determine to listen, in order to understand, to know through memory, to comprehend, to realize and to truly know.

　　所以为了要明了，为了要经由见闻记忆或思惟理解而知，乃至为了要亲证而真知，你们要下决心好好地听。