觀照味，涅槃近前 Meditating on Flavour Brings Nibbāna Near

Meditating on Flavour Brings Nibbāna Near

觀照味，涅槃近前

「Na so rajjati rasesu, rasam bhotvā patissato; Virattacitto vedeti, tañca nājjhossa titthati.」

「Passion remains undeveloped in him who recollects with mindfulness the flavour that he has tasted. Thus freed from lust, he refuses to imbibe it.」

「他憶持正念地嘗所嘗之味，染著便不會生起。因此從貪著解脫，他不會黏著于味。」

This is a clear instruction to the meditator to apply the principle of insight meditation to the phenomenon of tongue-consciousness, as soon as the food is tasted. It does not say that the flavour one has never experienced should be noted with mindfulness. I will give you an example to show how to meditate on it.

這是一條清晰的指導，禪修者應該應用內觀禪修的原則到舌識有關的現象上，就在嘗到食物的那個時刻。它不是說，應該正念注意某人從未體驗到的美味。我給出一個例子來說明如何觀照進食。

When a monk sits before a table and sees the food, he notes the phenomenon of seeing. As he raises his hand to pick up the food, he notes the raising of the hand. As he takes a morsel of food in his hand, he notes that he is taking it. As he brings it towards his mouth, he notes that he is bringing it. As it touches his mouth, he notes the touching. As he opens his mouth, puts the food in, closes his mouth, brings his hand down, touches the plate with his hand, and meanwhile chews the food, he notes each of these actions. As his hands move and he chews the food, he is conscious of the element of motion operating. If his hand touches hot food, he is aware of the element of heat. When he tastes sweet or sour on the tongue, he notes the flavour. As he is thus noting all the phenomena connecting with eating or tasting, he dispels desire for food, and eventually all lust for it. When his concentration gets stronger, he knows the flavour only as flavour and nothing more. It does not occur to him that a particular dish of chicken curry is delicious. It means that he has abandoned the pleasurable object of taste, and thus he eradicates defilements.

一名比庫在桌子前坐下來時，看到食物，他注意正在看的現象。舉起手去拿食物，注意手正在舉起的動作。手拿食物，注意正在拿。往嘴邊取回食物，注意正在取回。食物接觸到嘴，注意接觸。張開嘴，放進食物，合上嘴，放下手，手接觸到盤子，同時咀爵食物，注意這些動作的每一個。在手移動和咀爵食物時，覺知動作運動的元素。如果手碰到熱的食物，警覺于熱的元素。舌頭嘗到甜或酸，注意味道。如果這樣地注意和吃或嘗有關的所有現象，就能清除對食物的欲念，最終對食物的所有貪愛都被清除。定力增強後，就能僅僅是依據味道來了知味道，再無其他。他不會想起，某盤雞肉咖哩飯是美味的。這意味著，他已經舍棄品嘗的美味對象，然後因此清除了煩惱。

The experience of meditators at Mahāsī Yeikthā bears this out. When a meditator eats, he becomes conscious of the fragrant smell and sweet taste that the food generates. However, as soon as he comes to know the phenomena of smell, taste, and the nose and tongue-consciousness, and the mind that notes this, they dissolve away. Under these circumstances, lust has no chance to assert itself, for the meditator cognises flavour just as flavour and nothing more. Some meditators say as they were noting the phenomenon of tasting, they failed to recognise what kind of food they had been given. This is quite possible. For, in the absence of desire and attachment, no pleasure can be derived from the food taken. Where there is no attachment, one does not take a firm hold of feeling, as if one is going to devour it.

在Mahāsī Yeikthā的禪修者的經驗證實了這點。一位禪修者進食時，他發現那食物產生的香的氣味和甜的味道。然而，一旦他開始覺知氣味、味道、鼻識和舌識、還有觀察的心等現象，這些現象就消逝掉。在這些情況下，貪愛沒有機會聲明自己，因為禪修者只是依照味道認知味道，再無其他。一些禪修者說，他們正在注意嘗的現象時，無法識別給予的是哪類食物。這是很有可能的。因為沒有了貪愛和執著，沒有快樂能從所取食物產生。那里沒有了執著，他就不會緊緊抓住感受，就好像要把它吞下去似的。

「Yathāssa sāyarato rasam, sevato cāpi vedanam; Khīyati nopacīyati, evam so caratī sato. Evam apacinato dukkham, santike nibbāna vuccati.」

「Tasting a flavour, a meditator just tastes it and just feels that he tastes it, without conceptualising it. With this, suffering ceases. One who practises in this way is said to be near to nibbāna.」

「嘗到所嘗之味時，禪修者只是嘗味，只是感受他嘗味，沒有構想味的概念。如此，苦熄滅。用這種方式禪修的人，我說，他傾近于涅槃。」

A meditator eats and tastes the food just like anyone else, but does not indulge in the flavour, so does not commit wholesome or unwholesome deeds in relation to the flavour. It means that tasting cannot lead to kamma formations and their results. Without them no new becoming can arise, and there will be an end to the round of suffering.

禪修者像其他任何人一樣吃和嘗食物，但是他沒有沉迷于味道，所以沒有造作和味道有關的善或不善行(注1)。這意味著品嘗無法導致業行和業報。沒有了業和業報，新的生命就無法生起，那里將是苦的輪轉的盡頭。

(譯注1：這里容易誤解，它並不是在否定善行。馬哈希尊者在《涅槃的特性》中反復強調要行善，因為行善有助于證悟，只是阿羅漢的「善」業是唯作、無效的，因為阿羅漢根除了煩惱，並不會導致業和業報。)

The doctrine of dependent origination says, 「Vedanā paccayā tanhā - feeling begets craving.」 However, as no craving arises when the feeling has subsided, clinging does not result, and defilements, kamma and its results become inoperative. Since the causes of suffering are eliminated, a meditator who is steadfast in the practice of insight meditation, attains momentary bliss (tadanga nibbāna), when peace is established for the duration of the elimination of defilements. This can eventually lead to the fulfilment of the Noble Path and its Fruition.

緣起的教義說，「Vedanā paccayā tanhā – 受緣愛」。然而，因為感受滅去後渴愛沒有生起，執取和煩惱不會出現，業和業報都成為無效。因為苦的原因被消除，堅定練習內觀禪修的禪修者，寂靜在煩惱被消除的期間建立起來，此時他達到瞬間安樂(tadanga nibbāna，一向涅槃)。這能最終圓滿聖道和道果。