在嘗時未能觀照味 Failure to Meditate on Flavour While Tasting

Failure to Meditate on Flavour While Tasting

在嘗時未能觀照味

「Rasam bhotvā sati mutthā, piyam nimittam manasi karoto. Sārattacitto vedeti, tañca ajjhossa titthati.」

「Having tasted a flavour, one loses mindfulness. Getting involved in the attraction of it, one feels the onset of desire that tries to imbibe it.」

「嘗到味，失去正念。作意味的可意相，他感受到貪著的侵襲，努力地粘著味。」

Few people ever meditate on eating and taste. Ordinary lay people are quite unaware of this meditation practice. Even learned persons do not pay heed to it, assuming that as one gets the flavour of food as it is taken, there is no need to note it with mindfulness. This amounts to irreverence to the teachings of insight meditation. Others go so far as to say that meditating on taste is a sheer waste of time. Eating, they say, should be done quickly so that more time can be devoted to meditation.

很少人曾經觀照過吃和味道。普通世俗人幾乎不知道這項禪修練習。甚至博學的人都沒留意它，他們以為，獲取到所吃食物的味道時，沒必要去正念地注意它。這等于不尊重內觀禪修的教導。其他人走得更遠，說觀照味道純粹是浪費時間，他們說，應該盡快吃完，這樣才有更多的時間來開展禪修。

The majority of meditators are guilty of unmindfulness in eating. Once they fail to note the flavour as they take food, they lose mindfulness and become attached to it. That means they cherish the desire, and enjoy the pleasure of eating.

多數的禪修者對吃東西時失去正念這點自覺心虛。一旦他們在吃食物時沒有注意味道，他們就失去正念，執著于它。那意味著他們培育欲念，在享受吃的快樂。

All food and comestibles are prepared to be delicious. When lay people offer food to the monks, they take special care to make the food appealing to the palate. This shows how much importance people give to flavour. I remember an observation made by a Sayādaw in Moulmein. He once taught one of his devotees that it was usual for monks to partake of food with mindfulness that disregards the flavour, as if what is delicious was repugnant. This drew a protest from the devotee who said, 「Venerable sir! It is most improper that you should view the delicious dishes that I have prepared for you enjoyment as repugnant.」 It was quite logical for him to say so, because food for the monks is usually prepared by donors so that the recipients could eat them with relish. Here, the preparation of delicious food is the responsibility of the donor, but monks should contemplate all food as repugnant so that defilements cannot overwhelm them.

所有的食物和吃的都準備成美味。世俗人在提供食物給比庫時，他們特別有心地準備食物，讓食物吸引人的味覺。這顯示人們是多麼地重視味道。我記得毛淡棉一位西亞多的觀察。他曾經教導一名信眾說，比庫帶有正念地進食，不重視它的味道，就好像美味不好吃，這是正常的事情。這句話引來了該信眾的抗議，他說，「尊者！你把我準備給你享用的美味食物看成不好吃的東西，這是很不合適的。」他這樣說是很合情理的，因為準備給比庫的食物通常是由布施者準備的，所以接受者應該津津有味地享用它們。(但是)這里，準備美味的食物是布施者的責任，但是比庫應該觀照所有食物，就如同觀照不可意物一樣，這樣煩惱才無法戰勝他們。

The monastic training requires that monks eat, reflecting wisely. Unlike lay people, monks should take food, not for enjoyment, nor for indulgence, nor for physical development, nor for fattening, but just to maintain the body, for supporting the holy life, to quench the pains of hunger and thirst, so that they can effectively pursue the practice of meditation. If one can practise meditation on the repulsiveness of food (āhāre patikkūlasaññā), it is all the more commendable. Regarding this please see the Visuddhimagga [Vism. 341]. However, for our purposes it will be best to follow the method of Satipatthāna.

寺院的訓練要求比庫們吃時要智慧地省思。不像世俗人，比庫進食，不是為了享受，不是為了滿足，不是為了身體發育，不是為了長肥，只是為了支持神聖的修行，止息飢餓和口渴的痛苦，如此，他們才能有效地從事禪修的訓練。如果你能修習食厭想(āhāre patikkūlasaññā)，是更值得稱讚的。關于食厭想，請看《清淨道論》[Vism. 341]。不過，基于我們的目的，按照念處的方法來修習是最好的。

「Tassa vaddhanti vedanā, anekā rasasambhavā; Abhijjhā ca vihesā ca, cittamassūpahaññati. Evamācinato dukkham, ārā nibbāna vuccati.」

「A multitude of passions such as covetousness and rage, springing from flavours, torments one who takes a firm hold of it, with the result that his mind becomes burdened with vexation. Therefore, nibbāna remains remote from one who would rather carry the burden of suffering than practise meditation.」

「許多染著，比如貪婪與惱怒，因為味的觸發而生起，折磨牢固地抓取味的人，導致他的心負擔著苦惱。因此，涅槃停駐在寧願承受苦的重擔也不練習禪修的人的遠方。」

No elaboration is needed beyond the fact that odour is here to be substituted by flavour.

這里不需要再詳細的解釋，因為只是把香替換成了味。

There are three basic necessities of life - food, clothing, and shelter. The world is teeming with millions of hungry people. The search for food is a great burden to them. People go all out to get it. In the struggle for a living, some grab what they want by all means, whether fair or foul, and anger is aroused when they encounter competition or opposition from rivals for the same food. The result is trouble for everyone. All these troubles stem from the development of desire and attachment due to failing to meditate; in this case on taste. When one is overpowered by defilements, one becomes tormented by kamma and its results, which brings about the round of suffering.

有三種生活的必需品-食物，衣物，還有庇護所。這個世界充滿數百萬飢餓的人。對食物的尋求對他們來說是種負擔。人們全部外出獲取食物。在為生計的努力中，一些人為了奪取他們要想的，不惜使用任何手段，不管是乾淨的還是骯髒的，當他們遇到對同一食物的競爭或競爭對手，嗔恚心就生了起來。對每個人來說，結果就是煩惱。所有這些從欲念和執著的發展中滋生出來的煩惱，都是因為未能禪修造成。對于味道這種情況，某人被煩惱打敗後，他就要被導致苦的輪轉的業和業報所折磨。

Most people do not care to meditate when eating. It is habitual for them to be unmindful when eating, and this habit becomes hardened. In that case they are accumulating suffering, which burns like fire for many lives to come.

很多人在吃東西時沒有注意觀照。他們習慣于吃的時候沒有正念，然後這個習慣繼續得到加強。在那種情況下，他們是正在積聚苦，這種像火一樣燃燒的苦，還要燃燒未來很多次的生命。