概念認識的產生 The Birth of Conceptual Knowledge

The Birth of Conceptual Knowledge

概念認識的產生

Failure to note the object with mindfulness as it enters the mind door at the first moment of mind-consciousness, prompts the arising of the second thought process. At this stage conceptual knowledge (paññatti) regarding the shape or form of the visible object begins to emerge, and it becomes firmly established at the third thought process. The subject is now able to distinguish the visible object as male or female. This clear cognition relates to both form and name, so concepts of name and form are conceived. This concept comes naturally in rapid succession during the second and third thought processes, but it is a concept gained through ignorance (avijjā), which conceals the true nature of the object. The commentaries say that ignorance has the tendency to hide. The basic exercise in mindfulness exhorts a meditator to observe and note every time he or she comes face to face with the realities, before ignorance creates the concept. At first, however, the meditator will find it difficult to apprehend the reality because mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom are not yet strong enough. When these qualities become firmly established, the meditator will be able to realise the true nature of things even at the lapse of the first thought process of eye-consciousness. When the meditator has attained knowledge of dissolution (bhanga-ñāna) and knowledge of equanimity with regard to formations (sankhārupekkhā-ñāna), he or she will find that it is not imperative for the stream of mind-consciousness to flow up to impulsion, and that after two or three moments of determining, he or she can realise insight relating to the sixfold equanimity towards all the senses of seeing, hearing, etc. This has been explained in the Commentary on the Mūlapannāsa; for more details please refer to my discourse on insight practice.

在對象進入意門的時候，如果無法在第一個意識心路過程正念地注意到它(注1)，就促成了第二個意識心路過程生起。在這個階段，關于視覺對象的形狀或外形的概念認識開始形成，然後在第三個(意門)心路過程時它就穩固地建立起來。此時觀察者有能力區分視覺對象是男性還是女性。這種清楚的認識涉及形狀和名稱兩者，所以名稱和形狀的概念被構想出來。這概念在第二個和第三個(意門)心程過程期間快速不斷自然地生起，但它是一種通過無明(avijjā)得到的概念，它會覆蔽對象的真實本質。注釋書說到無明有覆蔽的傾向。正念練習的基本要求是禪修者要觀察和注意與究竟法每一次面對面的接觸。然而開始時禪修者會發現，了知究竟法是困難的事情，因為念、定、慧還沒有足夠強大。這些品質穩固地建立起來後，禪修者將有能力甚至在第一個眼識心路過程的流逝中就能了知事物的真實本質。禪修者達到壞滅智(bhanga-ñāna)和行舍智(sankhārupekkhā-ñāna)後，他們將會發現意識的流並不是強制性要流到速行的，在兩個或三個剎那的確定心後，他們就證入一種能夠用六份的中舍心朝向看、聽等所有感知的觀智(chaḷaṅgaupekkhā vipassanā ñaṇa，六支舍觀智)。這些內容在《(中部)根本五十經》(Mūlapannāsa)的注釋中有解釋；需要更多細節的話，請參考我關于內觀練習的講義。

(譯注1：舊版英文的意思很明確，first vīthi of mind-consciousness，是指「第一個意識心路」，而不是修訂版的「意識的第一剎那或瞬間」。)