解脫心 A Heart Released 八、城堡─自我訓練的修習區域

§8. The stronghold that forms the practice area for training oneself.

八、城堡─自我訓練的修習區域

In which set of principles did the Lord Buddha establish our stronghold? When we consider this question, we find that he established our stronghold in the great frames of reference (satipatthana).

　　佛陀是基于那一套法則來建立我們的城堡？當我們思考這個問題時，我們發現他基于偉大的參學架構(念處)來建立我們的城堡。

To make a comparison with worldly affairs: In armed battles where victory is at stake, it is necessary to find a stronghold. If one obtains a good stronghold, one can successfully ward off the weapons of the enemy; and there one can accumulate great strength to launch an attack, driving the enemy to defeat. Such a place is thus called a stronghold, i.e., a place complete with strong stockades, gates, moats and embattlements.

　　用世間的事務來做個比喻：武裝戰斗中，在勝敗攸關的地方，必需要找一個城堡，如果有一方得到了一個良好的城堡，就能成功地擋開敵人的武器；這一方就能集結廣大的力量來發動攻擊，驅使敵人落敗，這樣的一個地方就叫做城堡，也就是一個具備了堅強的護欄、閘門、護城河和城牆的地方。

So it is with the affairs of the Dhamma when we take the great frames of reference as our stronghold, in that those who go into battle with the enemy — defilement — must start out by keeping track of the body as their frame of reference, because when such things as sensual passion arise, they arise at the body and mind. Because the sight of a body causes the mind to be aroused, we can conclude that the body is the provocation, and so we must examine the body as a means of stilling the Hindrances (nivarana) and calming the mind. This is a point that you should work at and develop as much as possible. In other words, keep investigating that point without giving way at all. When an image (uggaha nimitta) of any part of the body arises, take that part of the body as the basic theme for your investigation. You don’t have to go shifting to other parts. To think that, ‘I’ve already seen this part. Other parts I haven’t seen, so I’ll have to go and investigate other parts,’ isn’t advisable at all. Even if you investigate the body until you have it analyzed minutely into all of its parts that are composed of the properties (dhatu) of earth, water, fire, and wind — this is called patibhaga — you should still keep examining the body as it first appeared in the original image until you have it mastered. To master it, you have to examine that same point over and over again, just as when you chant. If you memorize a particular discourse and then leave it, without chanting or repeating it again, you will forget it, and it won’t serve any purpose, due to your complacency in not mastering it. The same holds true in your investigation of the body. Once an image of any part arises, if you don’t investigate it repeatedly, and instead heedlessly let it pass, it won’t serve any purpose at all.

　　法義的事務也是一樣，當我們采取偉大的念處做為我們的城堡時，那些與敵人─煩惱展開戰斗的人，必須由密切注意身體的動向開始，做為他們的念處，因為，例如當感官的情欲生起時，它們在身體和心意里生起，既然身體的視覺引起心意的生起，我們可以斷定身體是誘發者，所以我們必須觀察思惟身體，做為遏制障礙和平靜心意的方法。這是你必須努力的重點並儘可能地去開發，也就是持續觀察思惟那個重點，決不讓步。當身體任何部份的一個取相(nimitta禪思時自發地顯現的形像)生起時，就采用身體那個部份做為你觀察思惟的基本主題，你不必要變換到其它部份，想著：『我已經看到這部份，其它部份我還沒有看到，所以我要去觀察思惟其它部份。』這全然是不明智的，即使你已經把身體觀察思惟並時常地解析到它所有的部份都是由地、水、火、風─所謂似相(禪思時可以巧妙操縱的幻相)─的性質所組成，你仍須繼續觀察思惟身體，如同它第一次呈現的原始影像一樣，直到你已經熟練了為止。為了熟悉它，你必須一遍又一遍的檢視同一個地方，就像你在背誦時一樣，如果你記住了一篇特殊的說法，然後就不管它，不再背誦或重複它，你就會忘掉它，它也起不了任何作用；由于你未純熟的自滿所致，你對身體的觀察思惟也是一樣，一旦任何部位的影像生起，如果你不重複地觀察它，反而粗心大意地讓它流逝，它就起不了任何作用了。

This investigation of the body has many citations, one being in our present-day ordination ceremony. Before all else, the preceptor must tell the ordinand the five meditation themes — hair of the head, hair of the body, nails, teeth, and skin, i.e., this very body — because of their importance. In the Commentary to the Dhammapada, it is said that an unwise preceptor who doesn’t teach the investigation of the body may destroy his pupil’s potential for arahantship. So at present the preceptor must first teach the five meditation themes.

　　這個身體的觀察思惟有很多例證，其中之一是在我們現代的剃度儀式中。首先，戒師必須告訴受剃度者五個禪思的主題—頭髮、體毛、指甲、牙齒和皮膚，也就是這個身體—由于它們的重要性。在法句經的注釋里提到，一個不智的戒師若未教導對身體的查究(中譯注：身觀念處─對身體的觀察思惟)，可能會毀掉他的徒弟成為阿羅漢的潛能，所以現在戒師必須先教導五個禪思的主題。

In another spot the Buddha taught that there is no such thing as a Buddha or an arahant who has not fixed on at least one part of the body as a meditation theme. Thus he told a group of 500 monks who were discussing the earth — saying that such and such a village had red soil or black soil, etc. — that they were discussing external earth when they should be investigating internal earth. In other words, they should have been investigating this body intelligently, penetrating it throughout and making it absolutely clear. When the Buddha finished his discussion of this topic, all 500 monks reached the fruition of arahantship.

　　另一方面，佛陀教過，沒有一個佛陀或阿羅漢，不曾把禪思的主題至少鎖定在身體的某一部份。對于正在討論著某村是紅土、黑土的五百個比丘們，佛陀告訴他們應該觀察思惟內在的土地(中譯注：構成身體的四大之一)，而不是討論外在的土地，換句話說，他們必須一直智慧地觀察思惟著這個身體，貫穿全身，讓它完全地清楚明白。當佛陀結束這場說法時，所有五百個比丘都得到了阿羅漢的果證。

From this we can conclude that the investigation of the body must be important. Each and every person who is to gain release from all suffering and stress has to investigate the body. If we are to accumulate great strength, we must accumulate it by investigating the body. Even the Lord Buddha, when he was about to attain Awakening, started out by investigating the breath — and what is the breath, if not the body?

　　由此我們可以推斷，對身體的觀察思惟必定很重要，每一個想要從所有痛苦中獲得解脫的人，都必須觀察思惟此身，如果我們要凝聚巨大的力量，我們必須藉著身觀念處來凝聚它。即使佛陀，當他即將證得正覺時，也是從觀察呼吸著手‥‥呼吸是什麼，不就是身體嗎？

So the great frames of reference, starting with the contemplation of the body, are said to be our stronghold. Once we have obtained a good stronghold — i.e., once we have put the principles of the great frames of reference into practice until we have them mastered — we should then investigate things as they are in terms of the inherent nature of their elements, using the strategies of clear insight, which will be discussed next.

　　所以從身觀念處開始的，偉大的參學架構，就稱為我們的城堡。一旦我們獲得了一個良好的城堡—亦即一旦我們把這參學的偉大架構的精要付諸實踐，直到我們洞悉了它們─然後我們就能運用清淨內明的戰略(接下來將討論)，就事物構成的元素來觀察思惟它與生俱來的本性。