生命本身是囚牢 Life Itself Is Prison

[生命本身是囚牢]

Life Itself Is Prison

大家首先要看清的囚牢就是生命本身。

如果你看得出生命是一座囚牢，就可說對自然真理有相當的了解了。然而，大部分人卻把生命當成可以玩樂享受的東西，他們浸淫于享受生命，並且迷戀、沉溺其中。正因沈醉于生命，更使得生命本身變成囚牢。

Using metaphors makes it easier for us to understand the matter we’re discussing. So we will make use of them here today. The first prison which you must look for and see is life itself. If you look on life as a prison, and see the prison that it is, then we must say that you know the truth of nature quite well. Most people, however, look on life as something enjoyable, as an opportunity to have fun. They are willing to live for the enjoyment of life. They then become infatuated with and engrossed in life, which is what turns it into prison.

若能看到生命是囚牢，必然能夠看到生命中的執著。如果從未看到生命中的執著，就不可能了解生命即囚牢，反而會把生命視為天堂而心滿意足。生命當中有許多能滿足我們、迷惑我們的東西，對這些令人滿足、合意、迷戀的事物存有執著，就會造作出一座座的囚牢。對事物喜愛的程度有多深，則因執著生起的囚牢便有多大的束縛力，這是屬于正面的執著；而當我們憎恨或厭惡某些事物時，就形成負面的執著。只要是沉迷于事物中，不管是正面或負面的執著，同樣都是囚牢。

If we see life as a prison, then we must have seen the upadana in this life. If we haven’t seen the upadana in life, we won’t see that life is a prison and we’ll be content to think that this life is heaven instead. This is because there are so many things in life that satisfy us, that trick us and engross us; however, in anything that we find satisfying, agreeable, attractive, and infatuating there will be upadana as well. That thing becomes a prison. However much we love something, it becomes at least that much a prison because of upadana. This is a positive kind of upadana. As soon as we hate something, or dislike something, that becomes a negative kind of upadana, which is a prison just the same. To be beguiled and misled, either by the positive or by the negative, is a prison both ways. And that prison turns life into dukkha.

此外，每個人都要了解：只要對生命有執著，生命就會變成囚牢；對生命沒有執著，生命就不再是囚牢。此時此地，大家可以自己反省：「我對生命是否有執著？我的生命是不是一座囚牢？我是否正住在一座執著的囚牢中？」必須非常詳細地觀察自己並徹徹底底地檢查，生命對你而言是不是一座囚牢？你是否已經有了囚牢？是否正住在囚牢中？否則為什麼要到這里來靜坐、修習止觀呢？就本質來說，修習止觀的真正目的就是要摧毀囚牢。至于研習與修持能否成就，或能否摧毀囚牢，那是另一回事，但真正目的就是要摧毀生命的囚牢。

In addition, one will be able to see that when there is upadana in life, then life becomes a prison. And so, when there is no upadana, then life is not a prison at all. You can see this right now, here, whether or not there is upadana in your life? “Is my life a prison or not? Am I living in a prison of upadana, or not?” Each of you must look very carefully into your own hearts and see absolutely clearly whether life is a prison for you or not. Have you got a prison or not? Are you living in a prison or not? Otherwise, why are we coming here to meditate, to cultivate the mind? In essence, the true goal and purpose of mental development is the destruction of our prisons. Whether your studies and practice are successful, whether you can destroy the prison or not, is another question. Nonetheless, our real aim and purpose is to destroy the prison of life.

仔細想想！如果我們無法辨識執著，那麼甚至會在不認得囚牢的情況下被捕入牢內，更糟的是，還會對囚牢感到滿足和迷戀，就如同滿足和沉迷于生命一樣。由于滿足和沉迷于生命，我們便被禁錮在生命之囚中。那要怎麼做才不會使生命成為囚牢呢？這是個必須謹慎而且準確回應的問題。

Consider this carefully. If we don’t recognize upadana, we are caught in prison without even recognizing the prison. We are trapped in prison without knowing the prison at all. What’s more, we are satisfied and infatuated with that prison, just as we are infatuated and satisfied with life. Because we are infatuated and satisfied in life, we get caught in the prison of life. What are we going to do that it won’t be a prison? This is the question that we must answer most carefully and correctly.

要如何生活才不會使生命成為囚牢？這意味著生命原本就不是囚牢，是人們起了執著，才使生命變成囚牢，是我們自己的無明、愚癡和缺乏正見，才使生命有了執著，而讓生命演變成一座囚牢。在泰國有句粗鄙且含責難意味的俚語「 Som nam na man 」，意思是「活該」！。生命本來不是囚牢，是我們無明的執著才產生囚牢，這只能說「活該」了！

How are we to live so that life is not a prison? This means that ordinarily, or naturally, life is not a prison, that we only make it into a prison through upadana. Because of our own ignorance, our own stupidity, our own lack of correct understanding, we have upadana in life. Life then becomes a prison for us. In Thai we have a phrase which is both crude and critical, “som nam naa man,” which means something like, “it serves you right.” Life isn’t a prison or any such thing, but through our own stupidity we make upadana with ignorance (avijja) and then there’s the prison. What can we say but “som nam naa man, it serves you right.”

如果你能成功地修習出入息念，就會相當了解生命，並進一步充分了解執著。如此，在生命中就不會存有一絲執著，日後便不再產生囚牢，現有的囚牢也會瓦解消失。這是非常有價值且具意義的事；但人們是否能接受，卻是另一回事，不見得人人都能夠了解。請試著來認識這些應該要了解的事實吧！它將激發我們以精力和毅力去摧毀囚牢。

If you are successful in practicing anapanasati-bhavana (mindfulness with breathing mind cultivation), you will understand life well. You will know upadana well and you won’t have any upadana in this thing called “life.” Then any prison that is happening dissolves and disappears, and new prisons don’t occur. This kind of life has the most value, but who gets it or does not get it is another matter. Please try to understand these facts as you ought to. This will motivate you to apply yourselves with energy and patience to be able to destroy the prison.

從另一個角度來看，生命必須隨順自然法則，或者說我們必須遵守自然法則來履行責任。我們必須覓食、運動、休息及松弛身心，必須靠工作維持生計，不去做這些，根本不可能！而被迫使去做，也是一座囚牢。我們得隨時遵循自然法則，這樣的事實就是一種囚牢。然而要如何打破這座囚牢呢？

One way to look at these facts is to observe that life must carry on according to the law of nature; or that we ourselves must carry on in line with natural law. We must search for food, must exercise, must rest and relax, must work to maintain and support our lives: we must do these and all the other things that you know so well. Not to do them is impossible. We’re forced to do them. This is a prison, too. The fact that we must always follow the law of nature is a kind of prison. How are we going to break out of this particular prison?

為什麼我們會被禁錮在「必須服從自然法則」的囚牢里？因為我們對自身或對生命產生執取，一旦生起執著，「我」便產生，便開始對生命感到不安、焦慮、害怕和恐懼。如果我們對生命沒有任何執著，這些便不會像囚牢一樣系縛我們，而我們就可在沒有苦惱的情況下，尋找自己的需求，如去謀生、運動或照顧身體。如果生活中的每一件事都能遵行自然法則而不起執著，那麼不論做什麼都不會感到苦，這便是真理的微妙、奧秘、不可思議之處。

Why have we gotten caught in the prison of having to live subject to the law of nature? This prison comes from our upadana regarding ourselves, or regarding our lives. When there is upadana toward ourselves, then “I,” the self is born. This “I” is anxious about, it worries over, it is frightened and afraid of, these natural duties, and so is made miserable by them. These difficulties come from upadana. If we had no upadana regarding “I,” then these necessary duties would not be like a prison. We would be able to hunt for our needs, earn a living, and exercise and care for the body, without being miserable, if we didn’t have any upadana toward life. This is very subtle; it’s a mystery for most people. This is the subtlety of natural truth. How are we going to live so that there’s no dukkha connected with the fact that everything in this life must be performed in line with the law of nature?