戒、定、慧的螺旋
The Spiral of Virtue, Concentration and Wisdom
戒、定、慧的螺旋
The Buddha taught a way out of suffering-the causes of suffering and a practical path. In my practice, I just know this simple path-good in the beginning as virtue, good in the middle as concentration, good in the end as wisdom. If you carefully consider these three, you will see that they actually merge into one.
佛陀教導離苦之道──苦的起因和實際的方法。我們的修行中，我只曉得這條單純的道路──莊嚴的開始是戒，在莊嚴的中間是定，莊嚴的結尾是慧。如果你仔細地思考這三者：戒、定、慧三學，你將會了解它們實際上是一體的。
Let us then consider these three related factors. How does one practice virtue? Actually, in developing virtue, one must begin with wisdom. Traditionally, we speak of keeping precepts, establishing virtue, first. Yet for virtue to be complete, there must be wisdom to understand the full implications of virtue. To start, you must examine your body and speech, investigating the process of cause and effect. If you contemplate body and speech to see in what ways they can cause harm, you will begin to understand, control, and purify both cause and effect.
讓我們想想這三種相關的要素吧!我們是如何修習戒的呢?事實上，在增長戒德當中，必須先由智慧開始。通常，我們說：守持戒律、建立戒德：然而，要使戒德達到圓滿，就必須要有智慧去了解戒德的完整含義。開始時，你必須觀察你的身和口，並去審視因果的過程。如果你去思惟(觀)身和口，以了解它們在什 方式不會造成傷害，你就會開始了解、控制和淨化因果。
If you know the characteristics of what is skilful and unskilful in physical and verbal behaviour, you already see where to practice in order to give up what is unskilful and do what is good. When you give up wrong and set yourself right, the mind becomes firm, unswerving, concentrated. This concentration limits wavering and doubt as to body and speech. With the mind collected, when forms or sounds come, you can contemplate and see them clearly. By not letting your mind wander, you will see the nature of all experiences according to the truth. When this knowledge is continuous, wisdom arises.
如果你知道身體和言語的善與不善性質，你就已經了解該從何著手，方能舍棄不善的，而去做善的。如果你舍棄錯誤的而自己做得正，心就會變得堅定、不動搖、專一。這種「定」限制了身、口的動搖和懷疑。心專注時，碰到形色和聲音時，你就可以去思惟(觀)並看清它們。由于不讓心動搖，你將可以如實地看清所有經驗的本然。當這種覺知相續不斷時，智慧就生起了。
Virtue, concentration, and wisdom, then, can be taken together as one. When they mature, they become synonymous-that is the Noble Path. When greed, hatred, and delusion arise, only this Noble Path is capable of destroying them.
因此，戒、定、慧可以視為一體。當它們成熟時，便是同義了──也就是「聖道」。當貪、嗔、痴生起時，只有此聖道才能摧毀它們。
Virtue, concentration, and wisdom can be developed in support of each other, then, like a spiral ever revolving, relying on sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and mind objects. Then whatever arises, Path is always in control. If Path is strong, it destroys the defilements-greed, hatred, and ignorance. If it is’ weak, mental defilements can gain control, killing this mind of ours. Sights, sounds, and so on arise, and not knowing the truth of them, we allow them to destroy us.
戒、定和慧可以在彼此相輔之下增長，就如同螺旋狀地依著色、聲、香、味、觸和法一直向上迴旋。如此一來，無論什 生起，「道」永遠在控制中。「道」如果強，就能夠摧毀煩惱(雜染)──貪、嗔、癡。「道」如果微弱，心的煩惱(雜染)就會奪得控制權，然後殺死我們的心。如果色、聲等等生起，我們卻不知其真相，我們就是在讓它們摧毀我們。
Path and defilement walk side by side in this way. The student of Dharma must always contend with both of them, as if there were two persons fighting. When the Path takes control, it strengthens awareness and contemplation. If you are able to remain aware, defilement will admit defeat when it enters the contest again. If your effort is straight on the Path, it keeps destroying defilement. But if you are weak, when Path is weak, defilement takes over, bringing grasping, illusion, and sorrow. Suffering arises when virtues, concentration, and wisdom are weak.
「道」與煩惱(雜染)是如此的並肩而行。學法的人必須永遠在這兩者間搏斗──就好像兩個人在打斗一般。當「道」得勢時，覺醒及思惟(觀)就會增強。如果你能夠保持覺醒，當煩惱(雜染)再次進入戰場時，它就會認輸。如果你的力量放在「道」上，它就會繼續不斷地摧毀煩惱(雜染)。但如果你很薄弱，「道」也微弱時，煩惱(雜染)就會取而代之，繼而引來執著、愚癡、悲哀。當戒、定、慧微弱無力時，苦就會生起。
Once suffering has arisen, that which could have extinguished these sorrows has vanished. Only virtue, concentration, and wisdom can cause Path to arise again. When these are developed, the Path starts functioning continuously, destroying the cause for the arising of suffering in each moment and each situation. This struggle continues until one side conquers, and the matter can be brought to an end. Thus, I advise practicing unceasingly.
一旦苦生起，那些本來可以滅苦的東西(戒、定、慧)就消失了。唯有戒、定、慧才能使「道」再次生起。當戒、定、慧增長時，「道」又會繼續不斷地進行摧毀每一刻、每一個情況下造成苦生起的原因的工作。這種掙扎會持續到一方被征服為止，事情就解決了。因此，我建議你們要不停地修行。
Practice-begins here and now. Suffering and liberation, the entire Path, are here and now. The teachings, words like virtue and wisdom, only point to the mind. But these two elements, Path and defilement, compete in the mind all the way to the end of the Path. Therefore, applying the tools of practice is burdensome, difficult-you must rely on endurance, patience, and proper effort. Then true understanding will come about on its own.
修行是從此時此地開始，若和解脫及整個「道」都在此時此地。像戒、定、慧等教義，只指著心；但這兩個互相競爭的元素──「道」及「煩惱」，會在心理不斷搏斗，直到「道」的盡頭。因此，運用修行法門是很累人、很困難的──你必須依靠毅力、耐力，以及正精進。那麼，真正的領悟自然會生起。
Virtue, concentration, and wisdom together constitute the Path. But this Path is not yet the true teaching, not what the teacher actually wanted, but merely the Path that will take one there. For example, say you traveled the road from Bangkok to WatBa Pong; the road was necessary for your journey, but you were seeking the monastery, not the road. In the same way, we can say that virtue, concentration, and wisdom are outside the truth of the Buddha but are the road that leads to this truth. When you have developed these three factors, the result is the most wonderful peace. In this peace, sights or sounds have no power to disturb the mind. There is nothing at all left to be done. Therefore, the Buddha says to give up whatever you are holding on to, without anxiety. Then you can know this peace for yourself and will no longer need to believe anyone else. Ultimately, you will come to experience the Dharma of the Noble Ones.
戒、定、慧一起構成了「道」，但這個「道」還不是真正的教導，不是老師所期望的，它只是會導引人至目的地的道路。例如說：你走在從曼谷到巴蓬寺的路上，路對你的旅程而言定必須的，但你是在尋找寺院，而不是道路。同樣的道理，我們可以說戒、定、慧是佛陀真理的外殼，但卻只是引導我們到真理的道路。當你已增長這三個因素時，其結果便是最美妙的平靜。在這平靜中，聲音、形色已沒有干擾這顆心的能力了；也沒有殘留任何事物要完成。因此，佛陀說：毫無牽掛地放下你所執著的一切，那 ，你就可以親自體會這平靜，而不再須要去相信其他人。最後，你將體會到聖者的「法」。
However, do not try to measure your development quickly. Just practice. Otherwise, whenever the mind becomes calm, you will ask, “Is this it?” As soon as you think like this, the whole effort is lost. There are no signs to attest to your progress, like the one that says, “This is the path to WatBa Pong.” Just throw away all desires and expectations and look directly at the ways of the mind.
然而，不要太快去衡量你的進展。只管修行，不然，每當心靜下來時，你就會問：「是這個嗎?」只要你一這樣想，所有的努力都白費了。在修行道上並沒有一個說明「這是往巴蓬寺的路」的指標，來為你的過程證明，只管丟掉所有欲望和期待，直接地去看著心。