解脫心 A Heart Released 十五、有情眾生的九個居處

§15. The nine abodes of living beings.

　十五、有情眾生的九個居處

The realms of the heavenly beings, the human realm, and the realms of destitution (apaya) are classed as the sensual realm, the abode of living beings who indulge in sensuality. Taken together, they count as one. The realms of form, the abodes of living beings who have attained rupa jhana, are four. The realms of formlessness, the abodes of living beings who have attained arupa jhana, are also four. So altogether there are nine abodes for living beings. Those — the arahants — who are wise to the nine abodes leave them and don’t have to live in any of them. This appears in the last of the Novice’s Questions (samanera-panha), ‘dasa nama kim’ — What is ten? — which is answered. ‘dasahangehi samaññagato arahati vuccati ti’ — The arahant, one who is endowed with ten qualities, gains release from the nine abodes of living beings. This can be compared to writing the numerals 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. 1 to 9 are numbers that can be counted, named, added, subtracted, multiplied, and divided. As for ten — 1 and 0 (zero) — when we erase the 1, because it’s a repetition, we are left with 0 (zero). If we use 0 to add, subtract, multiply, or divide with any other number, it won’t increase the value of that number; and 0 by itself has no value at all — but you can’t say that it doesn’t exist, because there it is. The same is true with the heart: It’s a nature whose attributes are like 0. When 0 is connected to any other number, it greatly increases the value of that number. For instance, 1 connected with 0 becomes 10. So it is with the heart. When connected with anything, it instantly proliferates into things elaborate and fantastic. But when trained until it is wise and discerning with regard to all knowable phenomena, it returns to its state as 0 (zero) — empty, open, and clear, beyond all counting and naming. It doesn’t stay in the nine places that are abodes for living beings. Instead, it stays in a place devoid of supposing and formulation: its inherent nature as 0 (zero), or activityless-ness, as mentioned in § 14.

　　諸天界、人界、惡趣界歸屬欲界—放逸于感官欲望的有情眾生之居處，合併在一起，他們算是一個居處。色界，已經達到色界禪定的有情眾生之居處，有四個(中譯注：初禪天、二禪天、三禪天、四禪天)。無色界，已經達到無色禪定的有情眾生之居處，也有四個(中譯注：空無邊處、識無邊處、無所有處、非想非非想處)，所以有情眾生總計共有九個居處，那些─阿羅漢─了然于九界者，離開它們，不必住在其中任何一處。這在沙彌所問經的最後有提到，『何名為十？』答案如是─阿羅漢，一個具有十種德性者，從有情眾生的九個居處里得到解脫，這可以比喻為書寫數字１２３４５６７８９１０，１到９是可以計算、稱名、加、減、乘、除的數目。至于１０─也就是１和０─當我們擦掉１，因為它是個重複，我們就剩下０，如果我們用０去和其它任何數目加、減、乘、除，它不會增加那個數目的價值；而０本身也完全沒有價值─但你不能說它不存在，因為它就在那兒，心也是一樣，它的本性就像０，當０和其它任何數目相連的時候，它就大大地增加了那個數目的價值，例如，１連接著０變成１０，心也是如此，當它與任何事物相連接時，它立刻把『精巧』和『奇妙』加注于事物之中，但是當它被訓練到對所有可知的現象都有真知灼見時，它就回到像０的狀態─空，開放而清明，超越所有的計數和名稱，它不停留在有情眾生的九個居處里，它停住在一個沒有臆測和形式的地方：它的本性就像０或涅槃，就像第１４節中所提到的。