Mindfulness In Plain English - Chapter 8: Structuring Your Meditation

Mindfulness In Plain English

佛教禪修直解

by Mahathera Henepola Gunaratana

德寶法師著作 梁國雄居士譯

Chapter 8: Structuring Your Meditation

第八章 規劃你的禪修

Everything up to this point has been theory. Now let’s dive into the actual practice. Just how do we go about this thing called meditation.

到此為止，講的都是理論；現在，讓我們探究一下實際的修習吧！「禪修」這東西應如何著手進行呢？

First of all, you need to establish a formal practice schedule, a specific period when you will do Vipassana meditation and nothing else. When you were a baby, you did not know how to walk. Somebody went to a lot of trouble to teach you that skill. They dragged you by the arms. They gave you lots of encouragement. Made you put one foot in front of the other until you could do it by yourself. Those periods of instruction constituted a formal practice in the art of walking.

首先，你要制訂一個正式的修習時間表，在那特定的時間內，你什麼也不做，只專用來修習內觀禪。當你還幼小，還未懂走路時，有人花了許多功夫才教曉你那個技巧，他們拉著你的手臂學步，給你鼓勵，要你一步一步的向前走，直至你學懂為止。那些教導時段即構成你學習行走技巧的正式練習。

In meditation, we follow the same basic procedure. We set aside a certain time, specifically devoted to developing this mental skill called mindfulness. We devote these times exclusively to that activity, and we structure our environment so there will be a minimum of distraction. This is not the easiest skill in the world to learn. We have spent our entire life developing mental habits that are really quite contrary to the ideal of uninterrupted mindfulness. Extricating ourselves from those habits requires a bit of strategy. As we said earlier, our minds are like cups of muddy water. The object of meditation is to clarify this sludge so that we can see what is going on in there. The best way to do that is just let it sit. Give it enough time and it will settle down. You wind up with clear water. In meditation, we set aside a specific time for this clarifying process. When viewed from the outside, it looks utterly useless. We sit there apparently as productive as a stone gargoyle. Inside, however, quite a bit is happening. The mental soup settles down, and we are left with a clarity of mind that prepares us to cope with the upcoming events of our lives.

在禪修時，我們依照相同的基本步驟，撥出特定時間來專門發展這叫靜觀的心靈技巧。在這特定時間中我們只做禪修，並規劃環境以減少分心。這並非世間很易學到的技巧。我們至今養成的心理習慣，實與無間斷的靜觀理想十分抵觸，欲想脫離這些習慣，非用點策略不可。如前所述，我們的心就像一杯混濁的泥水，而禪修目的，就是要澄清混濁，好讓我們看清楚里面的情況。最佳辦法是讓它放置在那兒，給它足夠時間讓泥漿沉澱下來，最後便會出現清水。我們撥出來的禪修專用時間，就是為了進行此澄清過程。從外面看，這樣做似毫無用處，我們坐在那里，與一座石雕怪物無異，哪有建樹可言。可是，里面卻有不少事情在發生著，內心的污垢在沉澱下來，心境亦變得漸漸清明，使我們能夠應付接踵而至的各種生活問題。

That does not mean that we have to do anything to force this settling. It is a natural process that happens by itself. The very act of sitting still being mindful causes this settling. In fact, any effort on our part to force this settling is counterproductive. That is repression, and it does not work. Try to force things out of the mind and you merely add energy to them You may succeed temporarily, but in the long run you will only have made them stronger. They will hide in the unconscious until you are not watching, then they will leap out and leave you helpless to fight them off.

這並非說，我們要有所作為來促成這種沉澱，它是自發的一種自然過程，只須保持端坐與靜觀，即可造成這種沉澱。事實上，任何其他的促使努力，都只會弄巧成拙；那是壓抑，不會有效的。嘗試驅逐心內的東西，只會為那些東西增加能量而已，你可能暫時得逞，長遠來說，你只會令它們更加強大；它們會隱藏在「無意識」里，趁你不留意時，就會跳出來，令你手足無措。

The best way to clarify the mental fluid is to just let it settle all by itself. Don’t add any energy to the situation. Just mindfully watch the mud swirl, without any involvement in the process. Then, when it settles at last, it will stay settled. We exert energy in meditation, but not force. Our only effort is gently, patient mindfulness.

要澄清心意，最佳辦法是讓它自己沉澱下來，不要去打擾；只須專心地觀察著內心的污垢旋轉，不可作絲毫的參與。不久之後，它會沉澱下來，跟著就會一直保持沉澱。我們在禪修中要奮發精進，不是要強迫。我們唯一要努力的是：溫和而又堅忍的靜觀。

The meditation period is like a cross-section of your whole day. Everything that happens to you is stored away in the mind in some form, mental or emotional. During normal activity, you get so caught up in the press of events that the basic issues with which you are dealing are seldom thoroughly handled. They become buried in the unconscious, where they seethe and foam and fester. Then you wonder where all that tension came from. All of this material comes forth in one form or another during your meditation. You get a chance to look at it, see it for what it is, and let it go. We set up a formal meditation period in order to create a conducive environment for this release. We re- establish our mindfulness at regular intervals. We withdraw from those events which constantly stimulate the mind. We back out of all the activity that prods the emotions. We go off to a quiet place and we sit still, and it all comes bubbling out. Then it goes away. The net effect is like recharging a battery. Meditation recharges your mindfulness.

禪修時段就像你整天的一個橫切面，發生在你身上的每一件事，都會以某種心理上或感情上的形式，存放在心里。在日常活動中，你每每被事件纏住，很少能徹底處理好根本問題，于是，它們躲藏在「無意識」之中，在那里沸騰、起泡沫與潰爛。接著，你感到緊張、不安，于是疑惑地問：那些緊張到底是從那兒來的？

Where To Sit

Find yourself a quiet place, a secluded place, a place where you will be alone. It doesn’t have to be some ideal spot in the middle of a forest. That’s nearly impossible for most of us, but it should be a pace where you feel comfortable, and where you won’t be disturbed. It should also be a place where you won’t feel on display. You want all of your attention free for meditation, not wasted on worries about how you look to others. Try to pick a spot that is as quiet as possible. It doesn’t have to be a soundproof room, but there are certain noises that are highly distracting, and they should be avoided. Music and talking are about the worst. The mind tends to be sucked in by these sounds in an uncontrollable manner, and there goes your concentration.

所有這些東西都會以某種形式在禪修中出現，你有機會去觀察它，看清楚它是什麼，然後放下它、由它去(Let it go)。我們安排正式的禪修時間，就是為了創造一個有利于這樣解脫的環境。我們作定時的靜觀重建，我們從刺激感官與心靈的事物中抽離，我們從刺激情緒的活動中退下，我們遠離煩囂鬧市，來到安靜的地方坐下來，讓那些躲藏在「無意識」里的東西一一浮現，然後消失；最終效果有如重新充電，禪修的確可為你的靜觀重新充電。在哪里坐？

為自己找一個安靜、隱蔽、且能獨處安居的地方，不一定要到樹林中央那麼理想之處，那不是一般人可以做得到的。不過，那個地方必須令你感到舒適、不會被打擾、更不會有被展覽之感，因為你想全神貫注于禪修上面，不想花時間顧慮別人對自己的看法。試找一個較為安靜的地方，不必完全隔音，不過，某些噪音的確會使人分心，應該避免；例如音樂與談話就最差，它們令你不由自主地被吸引，不知不覺地專注它們。

There are certain traditional aids that you can employ to set the proper mood. A darkened room with a candle is nice. Incense is nice. A little bell to start and end your sessions is nice. These are paraphernalia, though. They provide encouragement to some people, but they are by no means essential to the practice.

你可用一些傳統的輔助手段來創造適當的氣氛，例如，在暗室中燃點一枝香或蠟燭，用鈴聲來開始與結束等都很好。不過，這都是一些方便用具，對某些人會有策動作用，但對修行來說，它們不是必須的。

You will probably find it helpful to sit in the same place each time. A special spot reserved for meditation and nothing else is an aid for most people. You soon come to associate that spot with the tranquility of deep concentration, and that association helps you to reach deep states more quickly. The main thing is to sit in a place that you feel is conductive to your own practice. That requires a bit of experimentation. Try several spots until you find one where you feel comfortable. You only need to find a place where you don’t feel self-conscious, and where you can meditate without undue distraction.

你也許發現，每次禪修都坐同一地方會有幫助。是的，預留地方作禪修專用，對大多數人來說都很有助益，因為，你很快就會把那位置與深定中的寧靜聯系起來，而那聯系有助你更快達致深定狀態。關鍵是要找對地方，那需要做點實驗，可試坐幾個地方，直至找到一個你感到合適的為止。你只須找個沒有不自然感覺、不會令你過度分心的地方即可。

Many people find it helpful and supportive to sit with a group of other meditators. The discipline of regular practice is essential, and most people find it easier to sit regularly if they are bolstered by a commitment to a group sitting schedule. You’ve given your word, and you know you are expected. Thus the ‘I’m too busy’ syndrome is cleverly skirted. You may be able to locate a group of practicing meditators in your area. It doesn’t matter if they practice a different form of meditation, so long as it’s one of the silent forms. On the other hand, you also should try to be self-sufficient in your practice. Don’t rely on the presence of a group as your sole motivation to sit. Properly done, sitting is a pleasure. Use the group as an aid, not as a crutch.

許多人發現，一起共修很有幫助，有規律的定時練習也很重要。如果有一起承諾的共修時間表支持，許多人都能作定時禪坐，因為應承了就要做，像「我很忙」等藉口就可巧妙地避開了。在你居住地區，你或可找到一群禪修者，他們的修習方式與你不同，但不要緊，只要是安靜的方式便可一起共修。另一方面，你要學會獨自修習，自給自足，無須依賴共修的激勵。做得適當，禪修實是一種樂趣。應視共修為輔助，而非不可或缺的跛子拐杖。在什麼時候禪坐？

When To Sit

The most important rule here is this: When it comes to sitting, the description of Buddhism as the Middle Way applies. Don’t overdo it. Don’t underdo it. This doesn’t mean you just sit whenever the whim strikes you. It means you set up a practice schedule and keep to it with a gently, patient tenacity. Setting up a schedule acts as an encouragement. If, however, you find that your schedule has ceased to be an encouragement and become a burden, then something is wrong. Meditation is not a duty, nor an obligation.

提到禪坐，最重要的準則是：依佛教的「中道」進行，避免過度與不足。這不是說，你一時興起才坐，而是制定一個禪修時間表，用溫和、耐性和鍥而不舍的精神去進行。訂立好的時間表有鼓勵作用，如果你發覺它已失去鼓勵作用，反而變成一種負擔，那麼，一定在某處出了問題。禪修不是一種義務，也不是一種責任。

Meditation is psychological activity. You will be dealing with the raw stuff of feelings and emotions. Consequently, it is an activity which is very sensitive to the attitude with which you approach each session. What you expect is what you are most likely to get. Your practice will therefore go best when you are looking forward to sitting. If you sit down expecting grinding drudgery, that is probably what will occur. So set up a daily pattern that you can live with. Make it reasonable. Make it fit with the rest of your life. And if it starts to feel like you’re on an uphill treadmill toward liberation, then change something.

禪修是一種心理活動，你要面對和處理的是原始、未經加工的感受和情緒等東西，因此，這活動很易受你每次禪修時所采取的態度所影響。你的預期很可能就是你所得到的，如果你期待禪修，到時你的禪修將會做得很好；如果你預期那是一種乏味的苦差，那結果很可能就會出現。因此，制定一個合理而可行的禪修日程表，讓它與你的其他日常活動相互容納；此外，如果發覺越來越難達致解脫，那就要作出一些改變了。

First thing in the morning is a great time to meditate. Your mind is fresh then, before you’ve gotten yourself buried in responsibilities. Morning meditation is a fine way to start the day. It tunes you up and gets you ready to deal with things efficiently. You cruise through the rest of the day just a bit more lightly. Be sure you are thoroughly awake, though. You won’t make much progress if you are sitting there nodding off, so get enough sleep. Wash your face, or shower before you begin. You may want to do a bit of exercise beforehand to get the circulation flowing. Do whatever you need to do in order to wake up fully, then sit down to meditate. Do not, however, let yourself get hung up in the day’s activities. It’s just too easy to forget to sit. Make meditation the first major thing you do in the morning.

一早起來就做禪修是最好不過的事，那時頭腦清新，還未受日常事務的重大干擾。以晨早禪修來開始每一天是好的，它令你調升至最佳狀態，準備好自己有效地處理事情，讓你輕易地度過每一天。然而，一定要確保你是完全清醒，否則，坐在那里打瞌睡是不會有進步的。因此，要睡眠充足，開始前宜梳洗、沐浴，亦可做些熱身運動，令各循環系統活躍流通；總之，要盡你所能令自己完全清醒過來，然後坐下來禪修。此外，不可讓日常活動打擾，以致忘了預定的打坐安排，最好把禪修定為早上的首要活動。

The evening is another good time for practice. Your mind is full of all the mental rubbish that you have accumulated during the day, and it is great to get rid of the burden before you sleep. Your meditation will cleanse and rejuvenate your mind. Re- establish your mindfulness and your sleep will be real sleep. When you first start meditation, once a day is enough. If you feel like meditating more, that’s fine, but don’t overdo it. There’s a burn-out phenomenon we often see in new meditators. They dive right into the practice fifteen hours a day for a couple of weeks, and then the real world catches up with them. They decide that this meditation business just takes too much time. Too many sacrifices are required. They haven’t got time for all of this. Don’t fall into that trap. Don’t burn yourself out the first week. Make haste slowly. Make your effort consistent and steady. Give yourself time to incorporate the meditation practice into your life, and let your practice grow gradually and gently.

晚間是禪修的另一個好時段，日間積聚于心的垃圾，能在睡眠前完全清除，實在太好了。禪修可令內心清淨和恢復活力。重新建立靜觀，才能夠真的睡得好。

對于禪修新手來說，每天一次就夠了；如果你想修習長些時間，那是好的，但不要過度。我們不時發覺有禪修新手把自己弄致筋疲力盡，他們逕自參加數星期的密集禪修，其間每天要禪修十五小時，不多久，現實世界的問題趕上來了，他發覺禪修太花時間了，作出的犧牲太多了，他們實在付不起。不要墮入此陷阱，不可在第一個星期就令自己精疲力竭，宜慢慢地加速、堅持努力、穩步前進，讓自己有時間將禪修融入日常生活之中，讓你的禪修緩和地逐步進展。

As your interest in meditation grows, you’ll find yourself making more room in your schedule for practice. It’s a spontaneous phenomenon, and it happens pretty much by itself–no force necessary.

隨著禪修興趣的增長，你自會騰出更多時間作禪修之用，那是一種突發現象，自發于禪修活動本身，無須勉強。

Seasoned meditators manage three or four hours of practice a day. They live ordinary lives in the day-to-day world, and they still squeeze it all in. And they enjoy it. It comes naturally.

經驗豐富的禪修者能安排每天禪坐三、四個小時，他們在世間也要過平常人的生活，之所以能擠出時間禪修，乃因為他們樂在其中，自然而然而已。要坐多久？

How Long To Sit

A similar rule applies here: Sit as long as you can, but don’t overdo. Most beginners start with twenty or thirty minutes. Initially, it’s difficult to sit longer than that with profit. The posture is unfamiliar to Westerners, and it takes a bit of time for the body to adjust. The mental skills are equally unfamiliar, and that adjustment takes time, too.

類似的規則在這里也適用，你能禪坐多久就禪坐多久，千萬不可過度，大多數新手開始時可坐二、三十分鍾，若超過這個時間，初學者是很難受益的。這種坐姿西方人並不熟悉，他們的身體是要一點時間去調適的。禪修所用的心理(精神)技巧對他們也是不熟悉的，亦需要一些時間去調整。

As you grow accustomed to procedure, you can extend your meditation little by little. We recommend that after a year or so of steady practice you should be sitting comfortable for an hour at a time.

隨著你對禪修過程變得熟習，便可一點一點地延長禪坐時間，我們建議你用一年左右的時間去修習，令自己可舒暢地坐上一個鍾頭。

Here is an important point, though: Vipassana meditation is not a form of asceticism. Self-mortification is not the goal. We are trying to cultivate mindfulness, not pain. Some pain is inevitable, especially in the legs. We will thoroughly cover pain, and how to handle it, in Chapter 10. There are special techniques and attitudes which you will learn for dealing with discomfort. The point to be made here is this: This is not a grim endurance contest. You don’t need to prove anything to anybody. So don’t force yourself to sit with excruciating pain just to be able to say that you sat for an hour. That is a useless exercise in ego.

不過，這里有一重點要知：內觀禪並不是一種苦行方式，自苦其身不是它的目的，我們是要培育靜觀力，不是苦痛。有些苦痛是無法避免的，尤其是腿子痛，我們會在第十章中詳盡地討論痛，以及處理它的辦法，屆時你將學到一些技巧和態度，足以應付那些不適的感覺。這里想要指出的是：這不是一場嚴厲的耐力比賽，你無須向人證明什麼；因此，不要強迫自己忍著劇痛去禪坐，只為能證明你可禪坐一個鍾頭，這不過是一種自我的無益之舉而已。

And don’t overdo it in the beginning. Know your limitations, and don’t condemn yourself for not being able to sit forever, like a rock.As meditation becomes more and more a part of your life, you can extend your sessions beyond an hour. As a general rule, just determine what is a comfortable length of time for you at this point in your life. Then sit five minutes longer than that. There is no hard and fast rule about length of time for sitting. Even if you have established a firm minimum, there may be days when it is physically impossible for you to sit that long. That doesn’t mean that you should just cancel the whole idea for that day. It’s crucial to sit regularly. Even ten minutes of meditation can be very beneficial.

因此，開始時不要過度，要了解自己的極限，也不可責怪自己為何不能像石塊般一直坐下去。當禪修漸漸成為你生活的重要部分時，便可把禪修時間延長至一個小時。一般來說，應就你的現況來作決定，以能舒適地禪坐多久為基準，然後再禪坐多約五分鍾就夠了。禪坐時間沒有硬性規定，就算你預先定立下限時間，到時可能身體不適，令你數天內無法禪坐上那麼長的時間。這不是說你可取消那些日子的禪修安排，有規律的定時練習是重要的，就算只禪坐十分鍾也非常有益。

Incidentally, you decide on the length of your session before you meditate. Don’t do it while you are meditating. It’s too easy to give in to restlessness that way, and restlessness is one of the main items that we want to learn to mindfully observe. So choose a realistic length of time, and then stick to it.

順便一提，你必須在禪坐前決定要坐多久，不要在禪坐中作決定，你會因散亂不安(掉舉)而出坐的，而散亂不安正是我們要學習留意觀察的重要項目之一。因此，選擇一個切實可行的禪坐時段，然後堅持下去。

You can use a watch to time you sessions, but don’t peek at it every two minutes to see how you are doing. Your concentration will be completely lost, and agitation will set in. You’ll find your self hoping to get up before the session is over. That’s not meditation–that’s clock watching. Don;t look at the clock until you think the whole meditation period has passed. Actually, you don’t need to consult the clock at all, at least not every time you meditate. In general, you should be sitting for as long as you want to sit. There is no magic length of time. It is best, though, to set yourself a minimum length of time. If you haven’t predetermined a minimum, you’ll find yourself prone to short sessions. You’ll bolt every time something unpleasant comes up or whenever you feel restless. That’s not good. These experiences are some of the most profitable a meditator can face, but only if you sit through them. You’ve got to learn to observe them calmly and clearly. Look at them mindfully. When you’ve done that enough time, they lose their hold on you. You see them for what they are: just impulses, arising and passing away, just part of the passing show. Your life smoothes out beautifully as a consequence.

可以用一鬧鍾或定時器來計時，但不要每兩分鍾就偷窺一下，看看自己的表現，你的定力會因此而完全消失的，散亂不安(掉舉)亦會乘虛而入，你會發覺自己很想提早出坐，這不是在禪修，而是在觀看鬧鍾。不要看鬧鍾，要坐至禪修結束時間為止！事實上，你是無須用上鍾表的，至少不必每次禪坐都要用它。一般而言，你想坐多久就坐多久，所謂神效時段是沒有的。不過，最好給自己預定一個下限時段，如果沒有下限時段，你將發覺自己只能作短暫的禪坐，因為每當有不適或不安時，你就會逃避，匆忙結束，那是不好的。這些寶貴經驗是禪修者會遇上的，不過，只有堅持渡過的人，才能從中得益。你必須學會安靜地、清楚地觀察它們、留心地注意它們，如是地重複多次之後，它們再不能掌控你了，而你就能如實了解，知道它們只不過是一些沖動，生住異滅，有如過眼云煙。從此以後，你的人生問題便可優美地平息下來。

‘Discipline’ is a difficult word for most of us. It conjures up images of somebody standing over you with a stick, telling you that you’re wrong. But self-discipline is different. It’s the skill of seeing through the hollow shouting of your own impulses and piercing their secret. They have no power over you. It’s all a show, a deception. Your urges scream and bluster at you; they cajole; they coax; they threaten; but they really carry no stick at all. You give in out of habit. You give in because you never really bother to look beyond the threat. It is all empty back there. There is only one way to learn this lesson, though. The words on this page won’t do it. But look within and watch the stuff coming up–restlessness, anxiety, impatience, pain– just watch it come up and don’t get involved. Much to your surprise, it will simply go away. It rises, it passes away. As simple as that.

聽到「紀律」這個詞，我們大多數人都會覺得困難，因為它令人想像出，有個人高高在上地拿著棍子在監督，告訴你做錯了這樣或那樣，可是，「自律」就不同了，「自律」是一種技巧，憑著它你可看穿自己內心沖動的空喊，從而深入了解它的奧秘。它們對你是無能為力的，全部皆是一種展示、一個騙局而已。你的沖動向你尖叫、咆哮，它們或哄騙、誘惑、威脅你，可是，它們根本就沒有真的棍子在手。你順從它們只是出于習慣，因為你從來就沒有費神認真地看清楚威脅的背後，它的背後其實是空的。然而，只有一個方法可以學到這個教誨，紙上談兵是沒有用的，應該要向內看，單純留意觀察著剛冒出來的東西── 那不安、焦慮、煩躁、或痛苦等── 只須觀察著它的出現，不可與之交涉或作出任何反應，不多久，你會十分驚奇，它竟靜悄悄地離開了。它會生起、然後消失，就是如此簡單。

There is another word for ‘self-discipline’. It is ‘Patience’.

「自律」有另一個名稱，那就是「忍耐」。