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title: PART 1 - 請把這說明當作向導 PLEASE TAKE THIS EXPLANATION AS A GUIDE
description: "PLEASE TAKE THIS EXPLANATION AS A GUIDE, signaling the way forward, and not as a lesson to be memorized verbatim. I am a"
---

PLEASE TAKE THIS EXPLANATION AS A GUIDE, signaling the way forward, and not as a lesson to be memorized verbatim. I am always reluctant to be very specific for fear that my students will take my words literally and thus prejudge the nature of the truth that they are seeking. My words, taken as they are, will not enlighten you. Only mindful awareness, firmly anchored in the present moment, leads directly to the truth. Never presuppose the truth. Don』t speculate or theorize about meditation practice. And don』t mistakenly appropriate the knowledge you gain from reading this exposition, assuming that in doing so you understand the true nature of body and mind. Only clear and direct insight guided by mindfulness, investigated with wisdom, and pursued with diligence will penetrate that truth.

請把這說明當作向導，指引前面的道路，而不是一堂用來默記的課，一字不漏地背起來。我一向以來都不願意非常具體講述，害怕我的弟子依文解義，對他們正在追尋的真理本質有預測的看法。我的開示，就只是文字，不會令你開悟。只有念住的覺知，穩穩地安住在當下，能直接帶領你到真相。永遠不要對真理有先入之見，不要對禪修臆測或推理，還有不要誤用閱讀這講解所得到的知識，以為這樣你就能明白身心真正的本質。只有以念住為導，清楚和直接地內觀，並且用智慧觀察，精進用功，才能滲透真相。

At this level of practice, the body is completely internalized and the power of sexual attraction is broken. To move forward to the next step, you must use the meditation technique, that brought you to this point, as a training exercise. The aim here is to train mindfulness and wisdom to be even quicker, sharper and more precise in dealing with the very elusive and subtle nature of mental phenomena.

Place the repulsive image of the body in front of you as usual and watch as it retracts into the mind. Then place the image back in front of you and start again, observing carefully how the image merges into the mind. Do this exercise repeatedly until the mind becomes very skilled at it. Once proficiency is achieved, the image will ebb away as soon as the mind focuses on it and merge with the knowing presence inside. Upon reaching the stage where one clearly understands the basic principles underlying sexual attraction, the next step is to train the mind with this purely mental exercise. Sexual attraction is no longer a problem—it has been cut off for good. There is no way that it can reappear as before. But, although most of it has been eliminated, it has yet to be completely destroyed. A small portion still remains: like bits of dross or patches of rust adhering to the mind.

這個階段的修行，身體已完全內在化，淫欲的力量也被切斷。要再向前進一步，你一定要用把你帶到這階段的禪修技巧，作為鍛鍊的手段。這樣的目的是為了訓練念住和智慧，以便在對付非常難以捉摸而微細的心理現象時更加迅速、尖銳、準確。把身體不淨的影像如常般放在你前面，在它撤回內心時觀察它，然後再把影像放回你前面重新開始，小心觀察影像是怎麼樣融入心的，不斷這樣練習直至心對此非常純熟為止。一旦熟練了，心一專注影像它就會退回去與里面的能知融合。在證到清楚明白淫欲的根本道理之後，下一步就以這個純粹是心的鍛鍊來訓練心。淫欲已不再是問題——它已永遠被切斷了，再也不可能像之前那樣重現。不過，雖然它已大部分被消滅，但還不徹底，有一小部分遺留下來，就像殘余的渣滓或鏽跡黏在心里。

At the stage where external perceptions merge totally with the citta』s own inner image, we can say that at least fifty percent of the investigation of kamaraga has been successfully completed. The final, most advanced stage of the path of practice has been reached. The subtle portion of sensual desire that remains must be gradually eliminated, using the training exercise mentioned above. Relentlessly refining the contemplation and the mental absorption of asubha images will increase wisdom』s skill level. As wisdom』s proficiency strengthens, a higher and higher percentage of sexual attraction is totally destroyed. As wisdom』s mastery gathers pace, so too does the speed at which the images recede into the mind. Eventually, as soon as one focuses on it, an image will rush into the mind, merge with it and simply vanish. With constant practice, the speed at which this occurs will rapidly increase. At the highest level of skillfulness, the image will vanish the moment it』s absorbed into the mind. This investigative technique is fundamental to progress in the final stage of the path, the stage where a vanquished kamaraga is in full retreat. Soon every vestige of it will be destroyed.

在這階段外在的認知全面與心自己內部的影像融合，我們可以說最少已完成百分之五十對欲貪的觀察，修行已經來到最後、最高的階段。用以上所說的修行方法，淫欲遺留下來微細的部分一定要逐漸消除。不斷淬煉觀想和不淨相的滲入會提升智慧的純熟度，當智慧的純熟度加強了，越來越高的百分比的淫欲會被完全消滅。加速對智慧的掌握，影像退入心的速度也同樣加快。到最後，只要一專注，一個影像就會沖進心中，與它融合然後消失。不斷的練習會使這過程的速度越來越快。最熟練時，影像會在它滲入心的那一刻消失。這觀察的技巧是進展至修行最高階段的基礎，在這階段殘余的欲貪全面撤退，很快地它所有遺留下來的部分會被消滅。

Once the meditator attains the final stage, once the real source of ugliness and beauty is seen with crystal clarity, kamaraga will never rear its head again. Its hold over the mind has been broken—and this condition is irreversible.

Notwithstanding that, further work is still needed to destroy all traces of sensual desire. The task is time consuming. This part of the investigation is complex and somewhat chaotic with images of the body arising and vanishing at a furious pace. The most intense effort is required to root out every last vestige of kamaraga. But the meditator knows instinctively what to do at this stage. So, the investigation quickly develops its own natural momentum without prompting from anyone.

一旦禪修者達到最後階段，丑陋與漂亮真正的根源被清晰看透，欲貪就不再抬頭，它對心的掌控已切斷——而這個情況是不可逆轉的。儘管如此，仍然有工作需要進一步進行，以便消滅淫欲的所有痕跡。這個工作很耗時，這部分的觀察很複雜和繁瑣：令身體的影像以狂飆的速度生起和滅去，這需要盡最大的努力把欲貪的每一殘余連根拔起。不過在這階段禪修者本能地知道應該怎麼做，所以不必任何人的催促，觀察自己快速地建立起自然的沖力。

Mindfulness and wisdom are habitual—they work in unison with extraordinary speed and agility. By the time that these investigations reach their dénouement, no sooner does an image of the body appear than it vanishes instantly. It doesn』t matter whether these images merge into the citta or not, their appearance and disappearance is all that is known. Arising and passing images happen so quickly that perceptions of external and internal are no longer relevant. In the end, images flutter on and off, appearing and disappearing from awareness so rapidly that their forms are no longer sustainable. After each disappearance, the citta experiences a profound emptiness—emptiness of imagery, emptiness of form. An extremely refined awareness stands out within the citta. As each new image flashes on and disappears, the mind feels the resulting emptiness more profoundly. Due to its subtle and manifest strength at this stage, the citta』s knowing nature completely dominates. Finally, images created in the mind cease to appear altogether—only emptiness remains. In this void the citta』s essential knowing nature prevails, exclusively and incomparably. With the cessation of all body-images created by the mind comes the total annihilation of kamaraga. Contemplation of the body has reached closure.

念住與智慧成為慣性——它們以非凡的速度和靈巧協調運作。當這個觀察進入巔峰時，身體的影像一出現就消失。不管這些影像是否融入心，只知道它們出現和消失，生起和滅去的影像發生得太快了，以至外在或內在的認知不再有意義，最後影像從覺知中閃動生滅，快到無法維持它們的相。每一滅去，心就經歷一個深刻的空——空于影像、空于相。一個極端微細的覺知在心中凸顯出來，每一個新的影像閃起滅去，心就更深刻感受到它帶來的空。基于它在這階段的微細與展現的力量，心能知的根本特性完全凸顯出來。最後，心中制造的影像同時生起與滅去——只有空留下。在這空中，心能知的根本特性占據全面而無可比擬的主導。當所有心造作的身體影像熄滅時，欲貪徹底熄滅，身念住的修行終于來到尾聲。

Finally realizing that all form is intrinsically empty—empty of personality, empty of distinctive qualities such as beauty and ugliness—the meditator sees the immense harm caused by kamaraga. This ruinous defilement spreads its noxious poison everywhere. It corrodes human relationships and agitates the whole world, distorting people』s thoughts and emotions, causing anxiety, restlessness and constant discontent. Nothing else has such a disquieting effect on people』s lives. It is the most destructive force on earth. When kamaraga is totally eliminated, the entire world appears empty. The force that ignites fires which consume people』s hearts, and fans flames that ravage human society is vanquished and buried. The fire of sexual attraction is extinguished for good—nothing remains to torment the heart. With kamaraga quenched, Nibbana appears imminent and close at hand.

最終覺悟到一切相本質上都是空——空于自我，空于如漂亮和丑陋等不同的特性——禪修者看到欲貪巨大的危害。這令人墮落的雜染到處散布它的毒害，它腐蝕人類的關系，騷動整個世界，扭曲人們的思想、情緒，導致憂慮、不安和永遠的不足。再也沒有任何東西像它那樣擾亂人類的生活了，它是世間最毀滅性的力量。當欲貪徹底熄滅時，整個世界變得空了，那點燃火燄焚燒人心、煽動火焰蹂躪人類社會的力量，現在已被消滅埋葬。淫欲之火永遠被熄滅了——再也沒有什麼遺留下來折磨心。欲貪熄滅了，涅槃顯得近在咫尺垂手可得。

Kamaraga conceals everything, blinding us to all aspects of the truth. Thus, when kamaraga is finally destroyed, we have an unobstructed view of magga, phala, and Nibbana—they are now well within reach.

欲貪覆蓋了一切，蒙蔽真相的一切。因此，一旦欲貪最後被毀滅，我們對道、果和涅槃的視線便沒有障礙——它們現在變得觸手可及。