---
title: PART 1 - 阿羅漢向：滅苦正道 The Direct Route to the End of All Suffering
description: "A FOREST DHAMMA PUBLICATION OF BAAN TAAD FOREST MONASTERY"
---

A FOREST DHAMMA PUBLICATION OF BAAN TAAD FOREST MONASTERY

PART 1

ARAHATTAMAGGA

The Direct Route to the End of All Suffering

阿羅漢向：滅苦正道*

A Compilation of Venerable Acariya Maha Boowa's Dhamma Talks
About the Development of His Meditation Practice.

阿姜摩訶布瓦尊者自身禪修經歷的開示彙編

At present, all that is left of Buddhism are the words of the Buddha. Only his teachings—the scriptures—remain. Please be aware of this. Due to the corruption caused by the defiling nature of the kilesas, true spiritual principles are no longer practiced in present-day Buddhism. As Buddhists, we constantly allow our minds to be agitated and confused, engulfed in mental defilements that assail us from every direction. They so overpower our minds that we never rise above these contaminating influences, no matter how hard we try. The vast majority of people are not even interested enough to try: They simply close their eyes and allow the onslaught to overwhelm them. They don』t even attempt to put up the least amount of resistance. Since they lack the mindfulness needed to pay attention to the consequences of their thoughts, all their thinking and all they do and say are instances of the kilesas giving them a beating. They surrendered to the power of these ruinous forces such a long time ago that they now lack any motivation to restrain their wayward thoughts. When mindfulness is absent, the kilesas work with impunity, day and night, in every sphere of activity. In the process, they increasingly burden and oppress the hearts and minds of people everywhere with dukkha.

今的佛教，僅剩下佛陀的語言文字，只有他的教導——經文——還保留著。請注意這點。如今佛教界受到煩惱染污的侵蝕，已經沒有真正的修行。身為佛教徒，我們一直讓自己的心混亂和迷惑，沉沒在煩惱中，被其全方位地痛擊。這些煩惱已制伏我們的心，使到我們不管多麼努力，都無法反抗它們的影響。絕大部分人甚至連嘗試抵抗的意志都沒有：他們只是閉上眼睛，任由煩惱的攻擊落在身上，根本不願作出任何的努力去抗拒。由于缺乏念住去觀察心念的影響，他們的思想和一切行為語言都成了煩惱的表現。長久以來他們都屈服于墮落的力量，以至現在缺乏動力來制伏妄念。沒有了念住，煩惱就放肆妄為，夜以繼日地影響一切層面的行為。在這過程中，煩惱不斷施加負擔與壓力，使人們的心識受苦。

In the time of the Buddha, his direct disciples were true practitioners of the way of Buddhism. They renounced the world for the express purpose of transcending dukkha. Regardless of their social status, age or gender, when they ordained under the Buddha』s guidance, they changed their habitual ways of thinking, acting, and speaking to the way of Dhamma. Casting the kilesas aside, the disciples ceased to follow their lead from that moment on. With earnest effort, they directed all their energy toward purifying their hearts and cleansing them of the contamination created by the kilesas.

佛陀時代，隨佛出家的弟子是佛教真正的修行者，他們為了儘快超越苦而舍棄世間。在佛陀座下出家受教後，不管之前的社會地位、年齡或性別如何，他們都如法地改變舊有的思想、行為和語言習慣。那些弟子們從那時起就把煩惱舍棄一旁，不再受擺布。他們誠心誠意精進用功，消除煩惱染污，淨化內心。

In essence, earnest effort is synonymous with a meditator』s endeavor to maintain steady and continuous mindful awareness, always striving to keep a constant watch on the mind.

從根本上來說，誠心修行的意思是修行者努力地保持穩定的念住覺知，不斷地觀察心念。當念住無時無刻不在覺察著我們一切的姿勢、所有的思維與情緒活動時，這就是「正精進」。

When mindfulness oversees all our mental and emotional activities, at all times in all postures, this is called 「right effort」. Whether we』re engaged in formal meditation practice or not, if we earnestly endeavor to keep our minds firmly focused in the present moment, we constantly offset the threat posed by the kilesas. The kilesas work tirelessly to churn out thoughts of the past and the future. This distracts the mind, drawing it away from the present moment, and from the mindful awareness that maintains our effort.

不管我們是否在進行正式的禪修，只要誠心地努力讓我們的心專注于當下，就能持續制止煩惱發出的威脅。煩惱會無止息地炮制過去與未來的念頭，擾亂心，把心拖離當下，拖離維持修行的念住覺知。

For this reason, meditators should not allow their minds to wander into worldly thoughts about the past or the future. Such thinking is invariably bound up with the kilesas, and thus, hinders practice. Instead of following the tendency of the kilesas to focus externally on the affairs of the world outside, meditators must focus internally and become aware of the mind』s inner world. This is essential.

因此，禪修者不應該讓心游蕩于過去與未來的俗念。這類妄念無疑會受煩惱控制，進而障礙修行。禪修者必須往內專注于覺知內心世界，而不是受煩惱影響往外攀緣注意外面的世界，這點非常重要。

Largely because they are not sufficiently resolute in applying basic principles of meditation, many meditators fail to gain satisfactory results. I always teach my pupils to be very precise in their pursuit and to have a clear and specific focus in their meditation. That way they are sure to get good results. It is important to find a suitable object of attention to properly prepare the mind for this kind of work. I usually recommend a preparatory meditation-word whose continuous mental repetition acts as an anchor that quickly grounds the meditator』s mind in a state of meditative calm and concentration. If a meditator simply focuses attention on the presence of awareness in the mind without a meditation-word to anchor him, the results are bound to be hit and miss. The mind』s knowing presence is too subtle to give mindfulness a firm basis, so the mind soon strays into thinking and distraction—lured by the siren call of the kilesas. Meditation practice then becomes patchy. At certain times it seems to progress smoothly, almost effortlessly, only to become suddenly and unexpectedly difficult. It falters, and all apparent progress disappears. With its confidence shaken, the mind is left floundering. However, if we use a meditation-word as an anchor to solidly ground our mindfulness, then the mind is sure to attain a state of meditative calm and concentration in the shortest possible time. It will also have the means to maintain that calm state with ease.

許多禪者修不到滿意的成果，主要是因為他們對修行的基本原則不夠堅持。我通常教導弟子們要有非常明確的修行目標，禪修要有個清晰具體的專注點，這樣他們肯定會獲得好成果。選擇一個適合的專注對象，把心調整好來進行這類工作，是非常重要的。一般上我會建議藉著內心不斷持念一個入門的念誦詞，把它當作錨，那樣禪修者的心會很快靜下來入定。假如禪修者只是專注于心當下的知覺，沒有以念誦詞作為錨拴住心，那修行成果將會是時好時壞，這是因為心的知覺太微細了，無法成為念住穩固的基礎，很快的心會受煩惱引誘，迷失于妄想與干擾。這樣一來禪修就變得不一貫，有時它會進行得順暢，不費吹灰之力，然後突然毫無預兆地困難起來，整個修行變得搖擺不定，所有表面的進展都消失無蹤。此時信心會受到打擊，心會陷入掙扎當中。但假使我們用念誦詞作為錨來鞏固念住，那麼心就肯定能在最短的時間內靜下來證入禪定，並能以這個方便輕易地保持住定境。

I am speaking here from personal experience. When I first began to meditate, my practice lacked a solid foundation. Since I had yet to discover the right method to look after my mind, my practice was in a state of constant flux. It would make steady progress for awhile only to decline rapidly and fall back to its original untutored condition. Due to the intense effort I exerted in the beginning, my mind succeeded in attaining a calm and concentrated state of samadhi. It felt as substantial and stable as a mountain. Still lacking a suitable method for maintaining this state, I took it easy and rested on my laurels. That was when my practice suffered a decline. My practice began to deteriorate, but I didn』t know how to reverse the decline. So I thought long and hard, trying to find a firm basis on which I could expect to stabilize my mind. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that mindfulness had deserted me because my fundamentals were wrong: I lacked a meditation-word to act as a precise focus for my attention.

我會從個人的經驗說起。開始禪修時，我的修行缺乏穩固的基礎。由于還未找到正確的方法守護我的心，我的修行一直漂浮不定。它會穩定地進展一陣子，然後迅速地退墮，掉回到原來還未修行的程度。由于我在開始階段勤奮用功，心成功地進入平靜專注的三摩地，感覺到像座山那麼堅固穩定。儘管此時還未掌握適當的方法保持這個境界，我卻漫不經心地滿足于自己的成就了。就在這一點，我的修行遭遇退步了。雖然修行開始退墮，而我卻不知道要如何扭轉情況。這讓我花了很長時間艱苦摸索，嘗試找出一個堅固的基礎來穩住我的心。最後我得出結論：念住棄我而去是因為基礎打錯了——我缺乏一個念誦詞作為念住精確的專注點。

I was forced to begin my practice anew. This time I first drove a stake firmly into the ground and held tightly to it no matter what happened. That stake was buddho, the recollection of the Buddha. I made the meditation-word buddho the sole object of my attention. I focused on the mental repetition of buddho to the exclusion of everything else. Buddho became my sole objective even as I made sure that mindfulness was always in control to direct the effort. All thoughts of progress or decline were put aside. I would let happen whatever was going to happen. I was determined not to indulge in my old thought patterns: thinking about the past—when my practice was progressing nicely—and of how it collapsed; then thinking of the future, hoping that, somehow, through a strong desire to succeed, my previous sense of contentment would return on its own. All the while, I had failed to create the condition that would bring the desired results. I merely wished to see improvement, only to be disappointed when it failed to materialize. For, in truth, desire for success does not bring success; only mindful effort will.

我被迫重新開始修行。這一次首先打下一個堅固的樁，不管發生什麼都緊緊抓著它，那個樁是「佛陀」——憶念佛。我把念誦詞「佛陀」當作唯一的專注對象，我強迫內心重複持念「佛陀」，把一切排除在外。「佛陀」成了我唯一的禪修對象，同時我也確保念住一直引導著修行。把那些關于進步或退步的想法全都放在一旁，該發生什麼就讓它發生。我堅決不沉迷在舊有的思維模式里：回想過去——我的修行進展那麼順利——及其怎樣崩潰；再幻想未來，期望通過強烈的意願能成功，找回過去的滿足感。一直以來我只是期望達到目標，卻沒有去創造實現目標的條件，結果當期望的目標無法實現時就感到失望。事實上，期望本身並不會帶來成果，只有保持念住修行才會得到成果。

This time I resolved that, no matter what occurred, I should just let it happen. Fretting about progress and decline was a source of agitation, distracting me from the present moment and the work at hand. Only the mindful repetition of buddho could prevent fluctuations in my meditation. It was paramount that I center the mind on awareness of the immediate present. Discursive thinking could not be allowed to disrupt concentration.

這次我堅定地發願，無論發生什麼，我都不去管。擔心進步退步正是煩燥的根源，它使我不能專注于當下和眼前的工作。只有保持念住重複「佛陀」才可以防止修行的波動。把心集中在覺知當下是我的當務之急，我決不再允許妄想妨礙禪修。

To practice meditation earnestly to attain an end to all suffering, you must be totally committed to the work at each successive stage of the path. Nothing less than total commitment will succeed. To experience the deepest levels of samadhi and achieve the most profound levels of wisdom, you cannot afford to be halfhearted and listless, forever wavering because you lack firm principles to guide your practice. Meditators without a firm commitment to the principles of practice can meditate their entire lives without gaining the proper results. In the initial stages of practice, you must find a stable object of meditation with which to anchor your mind. Don』t just focus casually on an ambiguous object, like awareness that is always present as the mind』s intrinsic nature. Without a specific object of attention to hold your mind, it will be almost impossible to keep your attention from wandering. This is a recipe for failure. In the end, you』ll become disappointed and give up trying.

誠心要熄滅一切苦而禪修，你必須在修行的每一階段都全心全意地投入，要有所成就的話就必須竭盡所能而不可有絲毫的保留。要體驗最高的三摩地、證得最深的智慧，你不能滿不在乎或無精打采，沒有捉緊修行原則將永遠搖擺不定。不痛下決心修行的話你即使修一輩子也將一無所獲。在開始階段，選擇一個適合的禪修專注對象，作為錨拴住你的心。不要只是隨意地專注于不清晰的對象，比如內心一直存在的覺知。沒有特定的專注對象來拴住心，你幾乎不可能阻止心到處游蕩，這是失敗的禍根。最後，你會因失望而放棄修行。

When mindfulness loses its focus, the kilesas rush in to drag your thoughts to a past long gone, or a future yet to come. The mind becomes unstable and strays aimlessly over the mental landscape, never remaining still or contented for a moment. This is how meditators lose ground while watching their meditation practice collapse. The only antidote is a single, uncomplicated focal point of attention; such as a meditation-word or the breath. Choose one that seems most appropriate to you, and focus steadfastly on that one object to the exclusion of everything else. Total commitment is essential to the task.

念住一失去焦點，煩惱就會沖進來，把你的心不是拖向遠古之前，就是未到的將來。心會變得不穩定，漫無目標地游蕩在妄想夢境里，沒完沒了一刻也不能知足或安住下來。這是修行者眼睜睜看著自己的修行崩潰時的情形。唯一的對治法是用一個簡單、可以專注的中心，比如念誦詞或呼吸，選擇一個看來最適合你的，然後排除一切，堅定地專注在這個對象上。重點是你必須竭盡全力地修。

If you choose the breath as your focal point, make yourself fully aware of each in-breath and each out-breath. Notice the sensation created by the breath』s movement and fix your attention on the point where that feeling is most prominent; where the sensation of the breath is felt most acutely: for example, the tip of the nose. Make sure you know when the breath comes in and when it goes out, but don』t follow its course—simply focus on the spot where it passes through. If you find it helpful, combine your breathing with a silent repetition of buddho, thinking bud on the point of inhalation and dho on the point of exhalation. Don』t allow errant thoughts to interfere with the work you are doing. This is an exercise in awareness of the present-moment; so remain alert and fully attentive.

假設你選擇呼吸作為專注的對象，那就全然地覺知每一吸氣和呼氣，注意呼吸經過時產生的感覺，然後把注意力集中在感覺最明顯的那一點，也就是感覺呼吸最敏銳的地方，例如在鼻尖。確保你覺知呼吸何時進與出，但不要跟隨著它的過程——只是專注于它經過的那個點。假使你覺得有幫助，可以把呼吸與重複默念「佛陀」結合在一起，吸氣時默念「佛」，呼氣時默念「陀」。不要讓妄想擾亂你的修行，這是覺知當下的修行，所以保持警覺和完全的專注。

As mindfulness gradually establishes itself, the mind will stop paying attention to harmful thoughts and emotions. It will lose interest in its usual preoccupations. Undistracted, it will settle further and further into calm and stillness. At the same time, the breath—which is coarse when you first begin focusing on it—gradually becomes more and more refined. It may even reach the stage where it completely disappears from your conscious awareness. It becomes so subtle and refined that it fades and disappears. There is no breath at that time—only the mind』s essential knowing nature remains.

念住慢慢建立起來之後，心就不再注意有害的念頭和情緒，它會對之前的妄想失去興趣，不受干擾地一步一步地在寧靜中安定下來。同時，呼吸——開始專注時它是粗的——也逐漸轉為細，甚至可能會微細到完全從你的意識中消失。它變得那麼微細以至淡化消失，這時呼吸就停下來——只剩下意識知道的根本特性。