坦尼沙罗尊者:浴于气中
坦尼沙罗尊者:浴于气中
[作者]坦尼沙罗尊者
[中译]良稹
BathedintheBreath
byVen.ThanissaroBhikkhu
Whenthere’saDhammatalk,youdon’thavetolisten.Theimportantthingistostaywithyourbreath.Whenthebreathcomesin,youknowit’scomingin;whenitgoesout,youknowit’sgoingout.Trytomakethatexperienceofthebreathfillyourawarenessasmuchaspossible.TheDhammatalkhereisafencetokeepyoucorralledwiththebreath.Whenthemindwandersoff,here’sthesoundoftheDhammatoremindyoutogobacktothebreath,butwhenyou’rewiththebreathyoudon’tneedreminding.Youdoyourownreminding.That’swhatthemindfulnessdoesinthemeditation.Eachtimeyoubreathein,eachtimeyoubreatheout,remindyourselftostaywiththebreath.Makejustalittlementalnote:“Thisiswhereyouwanttostay,thisiswhereyouwanttostay.” 有开示时,你不一定要聆听。重要的是,跟你的气呆在一起。气入时,你知道它在入内;气出时,你知道它在外出。试着尽量使那股气的体验填满你的觉知。这里的开示,是把你和气拢在一起的圈栏。心游荡出去时,有法音在这里提醒你返回到气;不过当你跟气住在一起时,就不需要提醒了。你自己提醒自己。那就是念在禅定中的作用。每一次吸气,每一次呼气,提醒自己与气呆在一起。作一个小小的心理标记:“这是你要呆的地方,这是你要呆的地方。”
Andtrynottothinkofsyourselfasinhabitingonepartofthebodywatchingthebreathinanotherpartofthebody.Thinkofthebreathasallaroundyou.It’scominginandoutthefront,cominginandouttheback,downfromthetop,allthewayouttoyourfingers,allthewayouttoyourtoes.There’sasubtlebreathenergycominginandoutofthebodyallthetime.Ifyou’reinonepartofthebodywatchingthebreathintheotherpart,you’reprobablyblockingthebreathenergytomakespaceforthatsenseof“you”inthepartofthebodythat’swatching.Sothinkofyourselfastotallysurroundedbythebreath,bathedinthebreath,andthensurveythewholebodytoseewheretherearestillsectionsofthebodythataretenseortight,thatarepreventingthebreathfromcominginandgoingout.Allowthemtoloosenup. 试着不把自己想象成居于身体的某处,观察身体的另一处。把气想象成四面八方围绕着你。它在你的身前进出,在你的背上进出,从头顶往下走,一直到从你的手指外出,一直到从你的脚趾外出。有一股精细的气能,一直在进出身体。如果你位于身体的某一处,观察另一处的气,就有可能为了造就处在观察部位的那个“你”感,而阻碍了气能。因此,把自己想成整个被气所包围,沐浴在气中,接着,审视全身,看还有哪些身体节段仍然感到蹦紧、勒紧,仍然阻碍着气的出入。让它们松开。
Thiswayyouallowforthefullnessofthebreathtocomein,goout,eachtimethere’sanin-breath,eachtimethere’sanout-breath.Actuallythefullnessdoesn’tgoinandout.There’sjustaqualityoffullnessthat’sbathedbythebreathcomingin,bathedbythebreathgoingout.It’snotsqueezedoutbythebreath.It’snotforcedoutbythebreath.Eachnerveinthebodyisallowedtorelaxandhaveasenseoffullness,righthere,rightnow.Simplytrytomaintainthatsenseoffullnessbythewayyoubreathe.Yourfocusisonthebreath,butyoucan’thelpbutnoticethefullness. 这样,每一次入气,每一次出气,你都让气的那股充沛性进来、出去。实际上,不是充沛性在进出,只是有一种充沛的素质,被入气所沐浴,被出气所沐浴。它不被气挤出。它不被气赶出。体内的每根经络,此地此刻,都被允许放松,都有一股充沛感。你只要借着调节呼吸,试着维持那股充沛感。你把注意力放在气上,不过你不可能不注意到那股充沛。
Ifyoucan’tgetthatsenseoffullnessgoingthroughoutthewholebody,findatleastsomepartofthebodythatdoesn’tfeelsqueezedout,thatfeelsopenandexpansive,andthenseeifyoucancopythatsamefeelingtoneinotherpartsofthebody.Noticetheotherdifferentpartsofthebodywhereitfeelsopenlikethatandallowthemtoconnect.Atfirst,nothingmuchwillhappenfromthatsenseofconnection,butallowittostayopen,stayopen.Eachtimeyoubreathein,eachtimeyoubreatheout,maintainthatsenseofopenness,openness,andthesenseofconnectionwillgetstronger.如果你不能够使那股充沛感到达全身,起码要找到某个身体部位,在那里你不感到挤压,而是感到开通、扩展,接下来,看看你能不能把同样的觉受基调,复制到身体的其它部位。注意观察别处有同样开通感的部位,让它们连通起来。一开始,从那股连通感当中,不会发生很多事,不过要允许它继续开着、继续开着。每一次吸气,每一次呼气,都要维持那股开通、开通的感觉,连通感就会增强起来。
Thisiswhytheabilitytostaywiththesesensationsissoimportant,foryourstayingwiththemiswhatallowsthemtogrow.Ifyoumoveofftosomeplaceelse,ifyou’rethinkingofsomethingelse,therewillhavetobeatensing-upinthebodytoallowthatthoughttohappen.Whateversenseoffullnessmighthavedeveloped—say,inyourarmsoryourlegs,indifferentpartsofthebody,downyourback—doesn’thaveachancetodevelop.Itgetssqueezedoffbecauseyou’renotpayingattentiontoitanymore. 这就是为什么,与这些觉受呆在一起的能力如此重要,因为正是你跟它们呆在一起,才是让它们增长的原因。如果你挪到了别处,如果你去想其它事,体内必须有一种紧绷,才能那个想法发生。不管已经发展出什么充沛感——比如在你的胳膊或腿内,在身体的不同部位,沿背而下——就没有继续发展的机缘了。它给挤缩了,因为你对它不再关注。
ThisiswhytheBuddhatalksaboutconcentrationasmahaggatamcittam:anenlargedawareness.Ifyourawarenessislimitedjusttoonelittlespot,everythingelsegetssqueezedout,everythingelsegetsblottedout—andwhatisthatifnotignorance?You’retryingtomakeyourawareness360degrees,allaroundinalldirections,becausethehabitofthemindistofocusitsawarenessinonespothere,thenonespotthere,movingaround,butthere’salwaystheonespot,onespot,onespot.Itopensupalittlebitandthensqueezesoffagain,opensupalittlebit,squeezesoffagain,andnothinghasachancetogrow.Butifyouallowthingstoopenupthroughoutthewholebody,yourealizethatifyouthinkaboutanythingatallyoudestroythatopenness.Soyou’vegottobevery,verycareful,very,verystill,toallowthisopenfullnesstodevelop. 这就是为什么,佛陀把定说成mahaggataṃcittaṃ——大至心——扩大的觉知。如果你的觉知只局限在一个小点上,其它一切都给挤了出去,其它一切都给遮了出去——那不是无明,又是什么?你在试着使你的觉知达到360度,立体全方位,因为心的习惯是,把觉知聚焦到这一点,接着聚焦到那一点,但总是只盯那一个点、一个点、一个点。它略略展开,接着又给挤缩,略略展开,又给挤缩,什么也没有机缘增长。不过,如果你允许那些东西在全身到处展开,就会意识到,你若是想任何事,就会破坏那股开通性。因此,你不得不极其、极其地仔细,极其、极其地寂止,让这股开通的充沛继续展开。
Sothesequalitiesofconsistency,care,andheedfulnessareimportantinallowingthisstateofconcentrationtodevelop.Withoutthem,nothingmuchseemstohappen.Youhavealittlebitofconcentration,thenyousteponit,alittlebitofconcentration,thenyousqueezeitoffasyougolookingatsomethingelse,thinkingaboutsomethingelse.Andsowhateverlittlebitsandpiecesofconcentrationyoudohave,don’tseemveryremarkable.Theydon’tgetachancetoberemarkable.Concentrationtakestime—andoursociety’sprettyextraordinaryinfosteringtheexpectationthatthingsshouldhappenquickly.Ifanything’sgoingtobegood,ithastohappenquickly,ithastobeinstant.Andso,byandlarge,we’velosttheabilitytostaywiththingsastheydevelopslowly.We’velosttheabilitytokeepchippingaway,chippingaway,chippingawayatalargetaskthat’sgoingtotaketimeandcan’tbespeededup. 因此,为了让这个定境展开,持恒、仔细、审慎等这些素质是十分重要的。没有它们,什么也不会发生。你有一点定,接着却踩上它,有一点定,又把它挤掉,因为你去看别的东西,想别的事。这样,不管得了什么细碎的定,它们似乎没有什么特别。它们没有特别起来的机缘。修定是费时的——我们的社会,在鼓励“事当速成”的期待方面,是超乎寻常的。任何东西,若是好的,则必须速成,必须立得。因此,我们多数人已经失去了对慢慢发展起来的事物不弃不离的跟随能力。我们已经失去了对一桩耗时长久、不能速成的大型工件,不停地削凿、削凿、削凿的能力。
WhentheBuddhagivesimagesforpracticingconcentration,heoftenrelatesthemtoskills.Skillstaketime,andhewasteachingpeoplewhohadtakenthetimetomastermanyusefulskills.InThailand,theystillsharpenknivesagainststones,andit’saskillyouhavetolearn:hownottoruintheknifeasyou’resharpeningit.Ifyougetimpatientandtrytospeedthingsup,you’llruinthesharpness,thestraightnessoftheblade.Soyouhavetobeverystill.Themindhastobestill,andyouhavetomaintainjusttherightamountofpressureconstantlyasyousharpentheblade.Atfirstitmayseemlikenothingishappening,butovertimethebladedoesgetsharperandsharper.Theconsistencyofyourpressureiswhatguaranteesthatthebladewon’tgetworninoneparticularspot—toosharpinonespotandnotsharpenoughinanother,toosharpinthesensethatthebladeisnolongerstraight.You’vewornitdowntoomuchinonespot.Therearealotofthingsyouhavetowatchoutfor,simplyintheactofsharpeningablade.Butifyouhavethatskillinyourrepertoire,thenwhenthetimecomestomeditate,it’seasiertorelatetowhatyou’redoing:thatsamekindofconsistency,thatsameevennessofpressure,thecontinualmindfulnessandalertnessthatareneededtomaintaintheproperpressure. 佛陀给修定赋予的形象,常常把它比作诸种技能。技能的培养需要时间,他是在教导那些已经花时间学会许多有用技能的人。在泰国,人们仍然用沙石磨刀。怎样在磨刀时不损坏它,是一门需要学习的技能。如果你失去耐心,一味图快,就会破坏刀锋的锐利和平直。因此你必须相当地静止。心必须静止。磨刃时你还必须维持那股恰到好处的压力。起初像是什么也没有发生,然而慢慢地,刀刃就会越来越锋利。你施压的稳定,是保证刀刃不在某个地方缺刻的原因——所谓缺刻就是某处太锐利,另一处又不够锐利。你把某处磨过了头,造成卷口。单单磨刀的动作,就有许多需要注意的地方。不过,如果你的库存当中有那个技能,等到禅定时,就容易对应自己正在做的事,联想到那个技能:同样的持恒、同样的均匀施压、维持适当的压度所必要的那种连续的念住和警醒。
Anotherskillsometimesusedasananalogyisthatofahunter.Ahunterhastobeveryquietsoasnottoscaretheanimalsoff,andatthesametimeveryalertsoasnottomisswhenaparticularanimalcomesby.Inthesameway,weasmeditatorshavetobecarefulnottoslipoffineitherdirection:intotoomuchstillnessortoomuchmentalactivity.Youhavetofindtheproperbalance.Iwasoncetalkingtoananthropologistwhosaidthatofalltheskillsinprimitivesocietiesthatanthropologiststrytolean,thehardestishunting.Itrequiresthestrongestconcentration,themostsensitivity.Soherewe’renothuntinganimals,butwe’rehuntingconcentration,whichisevenmoresubtleandrequiresevenmorestillnessandalertness. 另一个有时用来比喻修定的技能是狩猎。猎人必须极其静止,才不会把动物吓跑,同时又必须极其警觉,才不会在某个猎物近前时,把它放过。同样地,我们作为禅修者,必须极其仔细,不朝两个方向滑陷:一个是过度的寂止,一个是过度的心动。你必须找到适当的平衡。有一次,我同一位人类学家交谈,他说,人类学家们尝试学习的原始社会所有技能当中,难度最高的是狩猎。它需要的定力和敏感度最高。因此我们在这里,不是猎兽,我们是在猎定,它更加精细,要求更高的寂止和警醒。
SometimesweintheWestthinkthatwecometotheDhammawithanadvantage:We’vegotsomucheducation,we’resowell-read.Butwehaveamajordisadvantageinthatwelackthepatienceandconsistencythatcomewithmasteringaskill.Sokeepthatinmindasyou’remeditating,whenyoufindyourselfgettingimpatientforresults.Youhavetobewatchfulandconsistent.Youneedthatsenseofbeingbathedbythebreath,beingopentothebreathingsensationsinallpartsofthebodydowntoeverylittleporeofyourskin.Thenyoulearnthesensitivitythat’srequired,theconsistencythat’srequired,tomaintainthat.Thatwaythesenseoffullnesscangrowandgrowandgrowuntilitbecomesreallygratifying,reallysatisfying,togiveyourconcentrationthekindofstrength,thesenseofrefreshment,thesenseofnourishmentitneedsinordertokeepgoing. 有时候,我们西方人以为自己是带着优势来学法的:我们受过这么多教育,我们如此博览。不过,我们有一大劣势,那就是缺乏伴随的一门技能的掌握而带来的耐心与恒心。因此,你修禅定,发现自己为求果报失去耐心时,要记得这一点。你需要那股浴于气中的感觉,那股对全身各处乃至每个皮肤细孔的气感开通的感觉。那时你就学会了必要的敏感、必要的持恒。那样,充沛感才会增长、增长、增长,直到它变得极其享受,极其满足,给你的定赋予继续下去所需要的那股力量、那股清新感、那股滋养感。
AjaanFuangoncesaidthatwithoutthissenseoffullness,refreshment,orrapture,yourmeditationgetsdry.Youneedthislubricanttokeepthingssmoothandrunning:thesenseofwell-beingandrefreshment,theimmediatevisceralpleasureofbeinginaconcentratedstate. 阿姜放曾经说,没有这股充沛、清新、或者说喜乐感,你的禅定就会变得枯燥。你需要这付润滑剂——也就是那股安适、清新之感,那股住于定境的直接、切身的恬愉感——才能保持禅修的平稳与进行。
Atthesametime,ithealsallourmentalwounds:anysenseoftiredness,ofbeingstressed-out,mistreated,abused.It’slikemedicineforthesementalwounds.Now,medicineoftentakestimetowork,especiallysoothingandreconstitutingmedicine.Thinkofthecreamsyouputonchappedskin.Theskinisn’timmediatelycuredwhenyoufirstrubonthecream.Ittakestime.Theskinhastobeexposedtothecreamforlongperiodsoftimetoallowthecreamtodoitswork.Thesamewithconcentration.It’satreatmentthattakestime.Yournervoussystemneedstobeexposedtothesenseoffullnessforalongperiodoftime,givingitachancetobreathein,breathoutallaroundsothatthemindfulnessandthebreathtogethercandotheirhealingwork. 同时,它修复我们的一切心理创伤:疲劳感、紧张不堪感、受虐待感、被欺压感。它就像对治这些心理伤痛的良药。当然,医药的生效常常需要时间,特别是那种抚平性、重建性的药物。想一想你在干裂的皮肤上涂抹药膏的情形。最初擦上时,皮肤不会立即愈合。它需要时间。皮肤必须长久地受到药膏的覆盖,才能让药物做它的工作。修定也一样。它是一场需时良久的治疗。你的经络系统需要长久受到那股充沛感的覆盖,给它全方位入气、出气的一个机缘,才能让念和气共同做它们的修复工作。
Sodon’tgetimpatient.Don’tfeelthatnothingishappening.Alotofthingsthatareveryimportantrequiretime,andtheydotheirworksubtly.Ifyougivethemthetimetheyneed,youfindthatyou’remorethanrepaid.Afterall,youcouldbesittingforthewholehourplanningnextweek,planningnextmonth,planningnextyear.Whatwillyouhaveattheendofthehour?Alotofplans.Andpartofyoumayfeelsatisfiedthatyou’veprovidedforthefuture,butwhenyoureflectonhowmanyofyourpastplanshaveactuallyborneresults,you’llrealizetheoddsagainstyournewplans’everamountingtomuch.Whatwouldyouhavetoshowforyourhourthen?Nothingverycertain.Maybenothingbutmouse-droppingsandstraw.Butifyougivethebreathanhourtodoitshealingwork,totallyopeningupthebodytoallowthebreathtobatheeverynerveouttoeverypore,youknowthatyou’llcomeoutattheendofthehourwithabodyandmindinmuchbettershape.Thebodywillbesoothed;themind,brightandalert. 因此,不可失去耐心。不要觉得什么也没有发生。许多极其重要的事物需要时间,它们以微妙的方式施展功效。如果你给予它们所需的时间,你会发现,回报远远超出你的付出。毕竟,整整一个小时,你可以坐着计划下周、计划下月、计划明年。到了那个小时的末尾,你有什么?有许多计划。一部分的你,也许觉得自己为将来作了贡献而满意。不过当你考虑一下,自己过去的计划当中有多少实际生出了果报,将会发现,你那些新计划有巨大价值的可能性并不高。因此你那一个钟头有什么可以展示的成果?没有确定的东西。不过,如果你给气一小时做它的修复工作,彻底开通身体,让气浸浴每根经络,从气从每个毛孔中排出,到了那个小时的末尾,你会知道,出定时,你的身心的状态将会大有改善。身将会被抚平,心将会明亮、警醒。
Andyoudon’tneedtostopbeingbathedinthebreathwhenthehourisup.Youcankeepitgoinginallyouractivities.Thatway,eventhoughyoumaynotbearmedwithawholesetofplansforfacingthefuture,atleastyou’reinapositionwhereyoudon’tneedthatkindofarmor.You’vegotthearmorofahealthybodyandmind.You’vegotaninvisiblearmor:theforce-fieldofthisall-encompassingbreath,continuallystreamingoutfromyourcentertoeverypore,protectingyouonallsides.That’ssomethingyoufeelineverycellofyourbody,somethingyouknowforsure,foryoucansenseitallaroundyou,righthere,rightnow.Andyouknowthatwhateverthefuturebrings,you’reprepared.Youcanhandleit. 这一小时结束时,你没有必要停止浴于气中。你可以在一切活动当中维持它的继续。那样,尽管你也许没有一整套应付未来的计划充作防卫,起码你的状态就不需要那种盔甲了。你已经得到健康的身心这副盔甲:这股包围一切的气的力场,连续地从你的中心流向每个毛孔,从各个方面护卫着你。那是你在自己体内每个细胞当中都感受到的东西,是你确知不虚的东西,因为你可以在此地此刻,感受它笼罩着你。你知道,不管将来会带来什么,你已经作好准备。你能够应对。
Thissenseoffullness,brightness,alertness:That’sallyou’llneedtokeepthemindcapable,healthy,andstrong.
这股充沛、明亮、警醒:即是你使心保持能力、健康、强壮所需的一切。
(根据2002年12月某日开示录音整理,本文来自坦尼沙罗尊者开示集《禅定》)
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