---
title: 平常心 Normality - 教外之教導 Teachings Outside of Buddhism
description: "2-1-1-3. Teachings Outside of Buddhism 教外之教導"
---

2-1-1-3. Teachings Outside of Buddhism 教外之教導

There were many sects in India: some sects taught to lie roasting on fire so that defilements would dry up, some taught to lie on thorns to endure through the pain and torment that resulted from that, in order to get rid of defilements. Some sects taught to give up everything including clothes, a practice known as naked asceticism so as to induce the feeling that there is no self, no shame. It was believed that defilements would be dissolved that way.

在印度有許多教派：有些教派教人躺在火上烘烤，以為這樣可以把煩惱蒸乾，有些，教人躺在棘刺上，忍受那種疼痛和折磨，以此來去除煩惱；有些教派舍棄所有東西——包括衣服，這種叫做裸形苦行外道，他們藉此引發一種無我、無羞恥感，並相信這麼做就可以解除煩惱。

Altogether, there were many sects; but none of them could eliminate the defilements. This matter can easily be proven, as it is said that lying roasting on fire and drinking hot water will result in the heat burning off the defilements. In the old days, in the villages, when a woman gave birth, she would be laid down roasting above a fire and given hot water to drink. But the woman would still have defilements, showing that this sect din not achieve results. As for the sect that would have its followers give up everything and go naked, just look at a baby not wearing clothes. It still has moods and feelings; as soon as someone talks nicely, it laughs. And when someone scolds, it cries, whether naked or clothed. This shows that defilements are not in the body; they are in the mind. Therefore, to practice Dhamma we have to practice at the mind. I will tell you so you'll understand.

總而言之，印度有許多教派，但沒有一個能滅除煩惱，這點很容易就可以證明。比如他們說：「躺在火上烘烤和喝熱水可以生起熱力燒盡煩惱。」在古代鄉下地方，當婦女要生產時，大家會將她放在火上烘烤並給她喝熱水，但那婦人還是會有煩惱，這就說明了這個教派不能獲得成就。至于那個教人丟棄所有東西而光著身體的教派，你只要看沒穿衣服的嬰兒就知道了，他們還是有情緒感受，別人跟他講好聽的話，他就笑，而當人家罵他時，他就哭，由此可知：煩惱不在身中，而在心里。因此，我們修「法」必須在心中修，是修心而非修身。我會告訴你們，你們將會了解。

I have been doing this: repeating a mantra such as Bud-dho, Samma Arahant, rising-falling, counting; 1-2-3. With these methods, one has to sit with the eyes closed and repeat a word while watching the breath, for example, saying Bud with the in-breath and dho with the out-breath. I've done quite a lot of this, but there was still satisfaction and dissatisfaction; greed, hatred and delusion didn't diminish.

我一直都這麼練習：重複念著「佛-陀(Bud-Dho)、圓滿-阿羅漢(Samma Arahant)」等聖號，或念「起-落」，或數「1-2-3」等。用這些方法時，必須閉著眼睛坐著，然後注意呼吸，並重複著一個字句，例如：吸氣時念「佛」，吐氣時念「陀」。這些我修了很多，但還是有喜惡愛憎的分別心，而且貪、瞋、癡並沒有減少。

This kind of practice is called tranquility-meditation. Tranquility-meditation is not more than means to make the mind peaceful, but it is peace under the influence of delusion. It's just like putting a rock on top of grass: as long as the rock is on top of the grass, the grass can't grow: but when the rock is removed, the grass grows just as before, or maybe even more vigorously than before. It is true that there is no Lobha, Dosa & Moha when we're sitting alone, with the eyes closed; but as soon as we go back into society, like and dislike are born again. This is how it is! Going off to stay in a cave in a forest or the mountains, cannot extinguish suffering, just because of going to stay there. At first, I did it like that also.

這種修行稱為止禪，止禪只是一種讓心平靜的方法，但這還是一種帶有無明的平靜，就像大石壓草，石頭壓在草上，草就不能生長，但是一除去石頭，那草又會像以前那樣生長，或甚至比以前更茂盛。沒錯！當我們閉眼坐著的時候的確沒有貪、瞋、癡，但是當我們回到社會上，喜惡愛憎的分別心又生起來了，這種方法就是這樣！遠離塵囂而跑到洞穴、森林或山中，不會只因為待在那里就能滅苦，早先我就是那麼做的。