觀照色，涅槃近前 Meditating on Form Brings Nibbāna Near

Meditating on Form Brings Nibbāna Near 觀照色，涅槃近前

The foregoing stanzas paint the dark side of the picture, but I shall also give the bright side of it.

前述的經句描繪了圖畫黑暗的一面，但我也應當給出它光明的一面。

「Na so rajjati rūpesu, rūpam disvā patissato; Virattacitto vedeti, tañca nājjhossa titthati.」

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

「他憶持正念地見所見之色，染著便不會生起。因此從貪著解脫，他不會黏著于色。」

This stanza reveals the essence of insight meditation. It enjoins the meditator to note with mindfulness the object seen, and meditate on it. From this it is clear that insight meditation means noting the object one has actually seen, not an object one has not seen. It can be accomplished only through practical wisdom, and not through knowledge acquired from hearing what others say.

這句揭示了內觀禪修的要點。它囑咐禪修者正念注意見到的對象，並觀照它。從這句明顯可知，內觀禪修的意思是，注意實際看到的對象，而不是還未看到的對象。它只能通過實修的智慧達成，而不是通過聽聞別人所說而得到的知識。

The Commentaries on the Theragāthā say that a meditator must try to note the eye-object perceived as it presents itself to eye-consciousness through the eye-door, being mindful of the four aspects of clear comprehension: knowing what is beneficial, what is proper, what is the objective, and with unconfused mindfulness.

長老偈(Theragāthā)的注釋提到，在視覺對象通過眼門呈現給眼識，感知到該對象時，必須在這個時刻努力正念正知地注意該對象。正知有四個方面：有益正知，適宜正知，行處正知，不痴正知。

Earlier I told you about the thought process relating to eye-consciousness. What I am talking about now is the same thing. If you fail to note the process of seeing just as it occurs, try to catch the first thought moment of mind-consciousness. One who can seize that moment and notice the absolute reality of form, may notice the dissolution of both the sense-object and the eye-consciousness at the moment of seeing. When one concentrates on the act of seeing without thinking over what one has seen, visual perception will last only for an instant. This agrees with the saying, 「Ditthe ditthamattam bhavissati.」 In that case, defilements will have no chance to assert themselves. In the absence of defilements, lust and craving subside.

先前我已經介紹了涉及眼識的心路過程。現在所講的是相同的事情。如果你無法在看的過程(注，眼門心路過程)剛發生時注意到它，那就努力抓住第一個意識心路過程(注1)。能逮住那個瞬間並注意色法的人，可能會注意到在看的瞬間，感官對象和眼識兩者的壞滅。當他專法于看的運作，不思考他所看的，色想(visual perception，視覺的感知)將會只持續一瞬間。這符合經句，「Ditthe ditthamattam bhavissati. 在你見時，你只見到它」。在那種情況，煩惱將找不到機會來宣告它們自己。沒有了煩惱，貪愛和渴望平息了。

(注1，此處，舊版英文是「意識的心識剎那」，修訂版是「意識的第一個心識剎那」。依據本人理解，認為是指第一個意識心路過程。英文版在心路過程、心識剎那、普通瞬間這三種時間在用詞上有點混淆不清。)

Desire stimulates feelings and passions, which beget craving (tanhā), by means of which one imbibes form. A non-meditator, although fully aware of seeing the object, fails to note it with mindfulness, and so permits craving to arise. However, a meditator does not conceptualise about what is seen, so there is no chance for desire or craving to arise, for the meditator is always mindful of dissolution. In this case, delusion is eliminated and wisdom arises. In the absence of defilements such as craving, kamma and its results as new becoming cannot arise, so the meditator will be liberated from suffering. This is emphasized in the next stanza:

欲念激發感受和染著，感受和染著引發渴愛(tanhā)，人們通過渴愛來黏著色法。雖然非禪修者完全知道在看對象，然而不是帶有正念地注意它，所以渴愛得以生起。但是禪修者始終正念于壞滅，不構想所見對象的概念，因此欲念或渴愛就沒有機會生起，無明被消除，智慧生起。沒有了渴愛等煩惱，業和它的果報比如新的生命，就無法生起，所以禪修者將從苦中解放出來。下面的行是總結：

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

「Looking at a visible object, a meditator just sees it and just feels that he sees it, without conceptualising it. With this, suffering ceases. One who practises in this way is said to be near to nibbāna.」

「見到所見之色時，禪修者只是見色，只是感受他見色，沒有構想色的概念。如此，苦熄滅。用這種方式禪修的人，我說，他傾近于涅槃。」

As the meditator is not imbibing or conceptualising forms, which he or she notes with mindfulness, he or she is not inviting defilements, which bring about kamma and its results.

禪修者沒有黏著色或者構想色的概念，他帶有正念地注意色，因此他沒有邀請引生業和業報的煩惱。

The Commentaries on the Theragāthā emphasise that 「seeing the form」 means seeing it with the strength of conviction that what one sees is impermanent. Eye-consciousness brings about sensations of seeing, which mind-consciousness takes to heart. The mind collects them and stores them up in the same way that a greedy person amasses wealth. The result is the upsurge of covetousness, one of the defilements on which kamma and its results depends. A meditator refuses to accept eye-consciousness and its consequences in this way. In other words a meditator abstains from imbibing defilements that lead to the round of suffering. Each time one meditates on the phenomenon of seeing, insight knowledge is developed. Each time insight knowledge is developed, defilements are discarded. So one is said to be enjoying tadanga nibbāna - momentary bliss obtained at the moment that defilements are discarded.

長老偈(Theragāthā)的注釋強調，「見色」的意思是，在看色時，具有高度的確信，所看到的色是無常的。眼識產生看的感覺，意識把感覺帶到心中。心收集這些感覺，把它們儲存起來，就像貪婪者積聚財富。結果就是貪婪的增長。貪是煩惱的一種，依賴煩惱，業和業報得以形成。禪修者拒絕這樣黏著眼識和它的(認知)結果。也就說，禪修者放棄對煩惱的黏著，煩惱導致苦的輪轉。每次觀照看到的色法，觀智就得到培育。每次觀智得到培育，煩惱就被丟棄。如此，我們說他正在享受一向涅槃—在煩惱被丟棄的剎那得到的瞬間安樂。

A meditator who is dwelling with the realities (paramattha), will gradually realise the insight knowledges stage by stage. He or she will proceed from analytical knowledge of mind and matter (nāmarūpa-pariccheda-ñāna) to knowledge of change of lineage (gotrabhū-ñāna) through adaptation knowledge (anuloma-ñāna). According to the sayings in the Patthāna, this will ultimately lead one to the Path and its Fruition. It should be noted that adaptation knowledge is the highest of the ten stages of insight knowledge. Aspirants to nibbāna must, therefore, engage themselves in insight meditation.

和究竟法居住在一起的禪修者，將能一個階段一個階段逐次地證入觀智。他將依次證入名色分別智(nāmarūpa-pariccheda-ñāna)，經過隨順智(anuloma-ñāna)，到達種姓智(gotrabhū-ñāna)。依據《發趣論》(Paṭṭhāna)所說，這(注，種姓智)將最終把禪修者帶到道智和果智。應該注意到，隨順智是十個階段內觀智的最高階段。因此，立志證悟涅槃的人必須鞭策自己勤奮地修習內觀禪修。

The following is a summary of the points discussed so far:

以下是論述到現在為止的要點總結:

1. On noting forms with mindfulness, lust is eliminated.

2. In the absence of lust or desire, the mind refuses to imbibe forms.

3. Note as soon as you see, and be conscious just of seeing.

4. If one meditates in that way, the round of suffering will cease.

5. This is the way for meditators to practise.

6. On the cessation of suffering, nibbāna will come into view.

7. 正念地注意色法，貪愛就能清除。

8. 沒有了貪愛或欲念，心就不再黏著色法。

9. 看到時立即注意，僅僅覺知看。

10. 如果用這種方式觀照，苦的輪轉將會停止。

11. 這就是禪修者實踐的方法。

12. 苦息滅後，將看到涅槃。