忘卻了時間 Forget About Time

Forget About Time

　　忘卻了時間

We tend to complicate our meditation. For example, when we sit, we may determine, “Yes, I’m really going to do it this time.” But that is not the right attitude; nothing will be accomplished that day. Such grasping is natural at first. Some nights, when I would start to sit, I would think, “OK, tonight I won’t get up from my seat until 1:00 A.M., at the earliest.” But before long, my mind would start to kick and rebel until I felt that I would die. What is the point in that?

　　我們都喜歡把禪坐複雜化。例如：我們坐里時，曾下定決心：「好，這次我真的要做到。」不過，這並不是正確的態度──那是不會有任何結果的。這種執取起初是很自然的。有時，夜晚，我要開始坐禪時，我會想：「好，今夜，至少一定要坐到一點鍾，不然我絕不起坐。」但過了不久以後，我的心就已經開始踢我、反叛我，直到我覺得幾乎快死掉為止。那有什麼意思呢?

When you are sitting properly, there is no need to measure or compel. There is no goal, no point to attain. Whether you sit until 7:00 or 8:00 or 9:00 P.M., never mind. Just keep sitting without concern. Do not force yourself. Do not be compulsive. Do nut command your heart to do things for certain, for this command will make things all the less certain. Let your mind be at ease, let your breath be even, normal, not short or long or any special way. Let your body be comfortable. Practice steadily and continuously. Desire will ask you, “How late will we go? How long will we practice?” Just shout at it, “Hey, don’t bother me!” Keep quelling it, because it is only defilement coming to disturb you. Just say, “If I want to stop early or late, it’s not wrong; if I want to sit all night, who am I hurting? Why do you come and disturb me?” Cut off desire, and keep sitting in your own way. Let your heart be at ease, and you will become tranquil, free from the power of grasping.

　　當你坐得正確時，就不需去衡量或強迫。禪坐是沒有目標、沒有可達到的境地的。不論你坐到晚上七點、八點或九點，都不要緊，只要無　礙地坐就好。不要去強迫你自己，不要去強制，不要去命令你的心一定要去做某些事，因為這個命令反會造成事情更不一定。讓你的心放輕松，讓你的呼吸均勻、正常、不短也不長、也不特別；讓你的身體輕松自在。穩定而持續地修行。欲望會問你：「我們要坐多晚？我們要修行多久?」只要對它喊：「嘿，別千擾我!」不斷地對治它，因為來干擾你的只是煩惱罷了。只要說：「如果我早或晚停止修行，都沒有錯；如果我要坐整夜，我又傷害到誰？你們為何要來千擾我呢？」斬斷欲望吧!然後繼續保持你的方向，讓你的心處于安定中，那　，你就會平靜下來了──解脫了執取的力量。

Some people sit in front of a lighted incense stick and vow to sit until it has burned down. Then they keep peeking to see how far it has burned, constantly concerned with the time. “Is it over yet?” they ask. Or they vow to push beyond or die, and then feel terribly guilty when they stop only one hour later. These people are controlled by desire.

　　有些人坐在一柱香前面，發誓要坐到香燒盡為止，于是他們便不斷地窺視香燒到哪里，不斷地在注意時間。他們問：「結束了沒有?」或者他們發誓要突破或死，到頭來，反而為自己只坐了一個小時而感到非常罪惡。這些人都被欲望所控制。

Do not pay attention to the time. Just maintain your practice at a steady pace, letting it progress gradually. You do not need to make vows. Just keep striving to train yourself, just do your practice and let the mind become calm of itself. Eventually, you will find that you can sit a long time at your ease, practicing correctly.

　　不要去在意時間，只要讓你的修行保持穩定的速度，讓它逐漸地成長。不需要去發誓，只要不斷努力地去訓練你自己，修你的行，讓心自己平靜下來。最後，你會發現，你可以輕輕松松地坐上很長的一段時間，也可以正確地修行。

As to pain in the legs, you will find that it goes away by itself. Just stay with your contemplation.

　　當腿疼痛時，你曾發現它會自己消失。只要安住在你的思惟(觀)當中。

If you practice in this way, a change will take place in you. When you go to sleep, you will be able to settle your mind into calmness and sleep. Formerly, you may have snored, talked in your sleep, gnashed your teeth, or tossed and turned. Once your heart has been trained, all of that will vanish. Although you will sleep soundly, you will awaken refreshed instead of sleepy. The body will rest, but the mind will be awake day and night. This is Buddho, the one who knows, the Awakened One, the Happy One, the Brilliant One. This one does not sleep, does not feel drowsy. If you make your heart and mind firm like this in your practice, you may not sleep for two or three days, and when you get sleepy, you can enter samadhi for five or ten minutes and arise refreshed, as if you had slept all night long. At this point, you need not think about your body, although with compassion and understanding, you will still consider its needs.

　　如果你如此地修行，你就會有所改變。你去睡覺的時候，你會有能力將你的心放入平靜中而入睡。從前，你可能會打呼，說夢話、磨牙齒、翻來覆去。一旦你的心受過了訓練，這一切都會消失。雖然你會睡得很熟，但是，你不但不會昏沉，反而會非常清醒。身體會休息，可是心將晝夜都保持覺醒。這就是「逋哆」──覺知者、覺醒者、歡喜者、光明者。這位覺知者是不會睡覺、不會昏沉的。如果你使你的心在修行中如此的穩固，你大概可以兩三天不睡覺，而當你疲憊時，你可以進入三摩地五或十分鍾，然後就恢復體力了──就好像你已睡了整晚一樣。在這時候，你不需在意你的身體，因為有慈悲與領悟，所以你還是會照料身體的所需的。