平常心 Normality - 教外之法門 Things Outside of Buddhism

2-1-1. Developing Awareness is The Path That the Buddha Teaches 培養覺性是佛陀教導的道路

2-1-1-1. Things Outside of Buddhism 教外之法門

Making merit, being generous, keeping precepts and doing tranquility–meditation are a pair with the world. Whether there is a Buddha or there is no Buddha, these things exist anyway.

作功德、布施、持戒及修止禪是對應于世間的，在佛陀出世前及出世後，這些東西都一直存在著。

When prince Sidhartha was born, the Brahmins were assiduously looked after, which is making merit and offerings. As for tranquility–meditation, it』s a matter of psychic powers, a matter of ambition. We』ve probably heard about becoming invisible, flying through the air, diving into the earth, reading other people』s minds, multiplying oneself, reciting magical verses to obstruct vision, and hearing by entering absorption. This is not insight.

當悉達多太子出生時，當時婆羅門得到一般人完善的護持，那就是所謂的作功德和供養。至于止禪，那是一種精神力量，是一種有所求心。我們可能聽說過有人可以隱形不見、在空中飛行、遁入地中、有他心通、應化身、或能念誦不思議的詩偈而讓人看不見，乃至入定而發起天耳通…等等，這些都不是觀慧。

According to the Buddha』s biography, when price Sidhartha ordained, he studied with the hermit Alara and mastered seven absorptions; four form-absorptions and three formless-absorptions. But suffering still existed. That is to say, there was still greed, hatred and delusion. He was not satisfied with this and so studied with the last teacher, the hermit Uddaka, until he mastered the eight absorptions; four form-absorptions and four formless-absorptions. The hermit said: 「That』s as much as I know.」 But the prince was still not satisfied because there was still greed, hatred and delusion. He wasn』t liberated from suffering yet.

根據佛陀的傳記，當悉達多太子出家時，他跟隨阿邏邏(Alara)仙人修學並且精通了七種禪定——色界四禪及無色界的前三禪。但是他內心還是有苦惱，也就是說——還有貪瞋癡。他並沒有就此感到滿足，因此又跟隨最後一位老師郁陀迦(Uddaka)仙人修學，並且精通了八種禪定——色界四禪及無色界四禪。仙人跟他說：「我知道的就是這些。」但是，太子還是不滿意，因為他還是有貪瞋痴，還沒有真正解脫苦惱。

This shows that tranquility is not able to put an end to suffering. After this, the prince tormented himself, together with the five ascetics who were following him. He fasted until his body was so thin that it was just skin over his bones, and he held his breath. But even after doing all this, greed, hatred, delusion, satisfaction and dissatisfaction still persisted. There were still defilements.

這說明了一點——止禪是無法滅除苦惱的。從此以後，太子和5個跟隨他的苦行者開始修學折磨自己的苦行。他禁食而瘦得變成皮包骨，乃至練到可以不呼吸。但即使練到這樣，還是有貪瞋痴及愛憎分別之心，他內心仍然還有煩惱。