節制 Moderation

Moderation

　　節制

Three basic points of practice to work with are sense restraint, which means taking care not to indulge and attach to sensations; moderation in eating; and wakefulness.

　　修行的三個必須實踐的要點是：感官的收攝，也就是說，小心不要耽溺、執著于感覺，再者是飲食及覺醒的節制。

Sense restraint. We can easily recognize physical irregularities, such as blindness, deafness, deformed limbs, but irregularities of mind are another matter. When you begin to meditate, you see things differently. You can see the mental distortions that formerly seemed normal, and you can see danger where you did not see it before. This brings sense restraint. You become sensitive, like one who enters a forest or jungle and becomes aware of danger from poisonous creatures, thorns, and so forth. One with a raw wound is likewise more aware of danger from flies and gnats. For one who meditates, the danger is from sense objects. Sense restraint is thus necessary; in fact, it is the highest kind of virtue.

　　感官的收攝：我們可以輕易的認識生理上的缺陷，如盲、聾、肢體殘障，但心理上的殘障可是另一檔事。當你開始禪坐時，對事情會有不同的看法。你會在以前看似正常的心中，看到心理的失常；你也會看見以前所未見的危險，如此一來，會帶來感官的收攝。你會變得很敏銳，就如同走入森林或莽叢里的人，會對毒獸、荊棘等等的危險特別警覺一樣；一個傷口還末痊愈的人同樣會對蒼蠅與蚊蚋的危險更警覺，對禪修者而言，危險是來自于外塵的，也就因此，感官收攝是必要的；事實上，它是最高的戒德。

Moderation in eating. It is easy to fast, more difficult to eat little or in moderation as a meditation. Instead of frequent fasting, learn to eat with mindfulness and sensitivity to your needs, learn to distinguish needs from desires.

　　飲食的節制：斷食很容易，但要以少吃或節制飲食做為禪修則更難。經常的斷食倒不如去學習正念和敏銳地食你所需的量，學習去辨認「欲望」和「需要」的不同。

Pushing the body is not in itself self-torment. Going . without sleep or without food may seem extreme at times, but it can have value. We must be willing to resist laziness and defilement, to stir them up and watch them. Once these are understood, such practices are no longer necessary. This is why we should eat, sleep, and talk little-for the purpose of opposing our desires and making them reveal themselves.

　　強迫身體並不是自我折磨，不吃不睡有時看起來似乎很極端，但它卻有其價值。我們必須願意去對抗懈怠與煩惱，願意去激起它們再觀察它們。一旦明白之後，這些修行就不需要了。這就是為何我們應該少吃、少睡、少說話──目的就在于對治我們的欲望，使它們自己現形。

Wakefulness. To establish awareness, effort is required constantly, not just when you feel diligent. Even if you meditate all night at times, it is not correct practice if at other times you still follow your laziness. Constantly watch over the mind as a parent watches over a child. Protect it from its own foolishness,. teach it what is right.

　　覺醒：要建立覺醒，是必須不斷地精進，而不是只在你覺得快樂時才修行。即使有時徹夜打坐，而其他時間卻在放縱自己的情性，也不是對的。恆常地觀照自己的心，正如父母看護自己的孩子一般。好好看管心的愚癡，然後教它什麼才是正確的。

It is incorrect to think that at certain times you do not have the opportunity to meditate. You must constantly make the effort to know yourself; it is as necessary as your breathing, which continues in all situations. If you do not like certain activities, such as . chanting or working, and give up on them as meditation, you will never learn wakefulness.

　　認為某些時候並沒有機會修行，是不正確的想法。你必須不斷的精進努力，來了解自己，正如在任何場合都必須繼續進行的呼吸一樣。如果你不喜歡如：誦念、工作等活動，因而放棄這段時間的禪坐，你便永遠也學不到覺醒。