IV. 身念先于止和觀 Mindfulness of the Body before Tranquillity and Insight

IV. Mindfulness of the Body before Tranquillity and Insight

IV. 身念先于止和觀

If beings in this present life, therefore, fail to practise mindfulness of the body (kāyagatā-sati) and thus continue to live without control over their minds, they will drift and founder in future saṃsāra just as they have done in the past, even though they may be Buddhists. Absence of control over the mind is the certain path of drift in saṃsāra, because without control over the mind the work of tranquillity (samatha) and insight (vipassanā) cannot be undertaken. Gaining control of the mind is, on the other hand, the certain path to Nibbāna, because it enables the work of tranquillity and insight to be undertaken. The practice of mindfulness of the body is the effort to gain control of the mind.

因此，如果人類在今生沒有修習身念(kāyagatā-sati)，從而繼續過著心不受控制的生活，那麼他們將飄流和沉沒于未來的輪迴，就像他們在過去世經歷的那樣，即使他們可能是佛教徒。沒有控制心，就是通向漂流于輪迴的確定道路，因為除非控制心，就無法從事止(samatha，奢摩他)和觀(vipassanā，維巴沙那)的訓練。另一方面，獲得對心的控制，就是通向涅槃的確定道路，因為它使得能夠從事止和觀的訓練。修習身念，就是努力去獲得對心的控制。

Even though one is unable to undertake the higher work of tranquillity and insight, the Buddha said that if one can firmly control one』s mind and keep it successfully at will within one』s body, one enjoys the flavour of Nibbāna:

佛陀說，即使某人沒有能力開展更高的止觀訓練，如果他能穩固地控制他的心，並成功地隨意把心安置在他的身體內，他就能享受到涅槃的滋味。

Amataṃ tesaṃ viraddhaṃ, yesaṃ kāyagatā-sati viraddhā.

Amataṃ tesaṃ aviraddhaṃ, yesaṃ kāyagatā-sati aviraddhā.

Amataṃ tesaṃ aparibhuttaṃ, yesaṃ kāyagatā-sati aparibhuttā.

Amataṃ tesaṃ paribhuttaṃ, yesaṃ kāyagatā-sati paribhuttā.

(Aṅguttara Nikāya, Ekaka-nipāta, Amata-vagga)

Those who have missed mindfulness of the body have missed Nibbāna.

Those who have not missed mindfulness of the body have not missed Nibbāna.

Those who have not utilised mindfulness of the body have not utilised Nibbāna.

Those who have utilised mindfulness of the body have utilised Nibbāna.

誰已經忘失身念，誰就已經忘失涅槃。

誰沒有忘失身念，誰就沒有忘失涅槃。

誰沒有修習身念，誰就沒有修習涅槃。

誰已經修習身念，誰就已經修習涅槃。

(增支部，一集, 不死品)(譯注，參看《清淨道論》身至念節，P243)

The essential meaning is that if one is established in mindfulness of the body one can successfully undertake the work of tranquillity and insight because one has firm control over one』s mind, thus it is certain that in this very life one cannot miss nibbāna. If, however, like the mad man, one has no control over one』s mind because one continues to neglect the work of mindfulness of the body, one is unable to fulfil the work of tranquillity and insight, and hence will miss nibbāna.

基本含義是，如果某人確立于身念，他就能成功地修習止觀，因為他已經穩固地控制他的心，因此能確定他在今生不會錯失涅槃。然而，如果類似那瘋子，他繼續忽視修習身念，從而無法控制他的心，那他就無法圓滿止觀禪修，因此他將錯失涅槃。

There are many degrees of control over one』s mind.

心的控制有很多層次。

In this world, ordinary persons who are not insane have sufficient control over their minds to perform the various tasks, both individual and social, that arise among humans. This is one kind of control。

在這個世界，精神沒問題的普通人已經充分控制他們的心，完成出現于人類間的各種不同的事務，包括個人的以及社會的。這是一類控制。(譯注：以上三段是aimwell版的文字，BPS版中缺失。)

Within the Buddha-sāsana, keeping the morality consisting of sense control (indriyasaṃvara-sīla) is another kind of control. It is not, however, control that can be called dependable.

在佛陀的教法中，守持根律儀戒(indriyasaṃvara-sīla)是另一類控制。然而，這不能認為是可靠的控制。

Establishing oneself in mindfulness of the body, being the proximate cause (padaṭṭhāna) of the meditative development of tranquillity and insight, is control that is firm. The attainment of access concentration (upacāra-samādhi), attained just before entering any of the jhānas, is control that is firmer. Firmer still is the attainment of absorption concentration (appanā-samādhi), attained during the jhānas. The attainment of the eight stages of absorption are controls that become progressively firmer as each higher stage is attained. In the matter of tranquillity, the attainment of the higher spiritual powers (abhiññās) represents the highest control.

作為止禪和觀禪的近因(padaṭṭhāna)，安住于身念，是一類穩固的控制。成就進入任一種禪那前的近行定(upacāra-samādhi)，是更穩固的控制。再進一步的穩固控制是成就入禪那期間得到的安止定(appanā-samādhi)。八個層次的安止定中，每次達到更高的層次，控制是逐次更加穩固。就止禪而言，成就更高的神通(abhiññās)意味著最高的控制。

This is the path of tranquillity called samatha-yānika.

這就是止的道路，稱為samatha-yānika(奢摩他—引導)。

The path of insight is called vipassanā-yānika.

觀的道路，稱為vipassanā-yānika(維巴沙那—引導)

Here ends the section showing that mindfulness of the body must precede the work of tranquillity and insight.

本節說明了，身念必須先于止觀的修習。本節到此結束。