Mindfulness In Plain English
佛教禅修直解
by Mahathera Henepola Gunaratana
德宝法师著作
梁国雄居士译
Chapter 12: Dealing with Distractions - II
第十二章 分心的处理(下)
(禅修时分心？别紧张！)
So there you are meditating beautifully. Your body is totally immobile, and you mind is totally still. You just glide right along following the flow of the breath, in, out, in, out...calm, serene and concentrated. Everything is perfect. And then, all of a sudden, something totally different pops into your mind: "I sure wish I had an ice cream cone." That's a distraction, obviously. That's not what you are supposed to be doing. You notice that, and you drag yourself back to the breath, back to the smooth flow, in, out, in...and then: "Did I ever pay that gas bill?" Another distraction. You notice that one, and you haul yourself back to the breath. In, out, in, out, in..."That new science fiction movie is out. Maybe I can go see it Tuesday night. No, not Tuesday, got too much to do on Wednesday. Thursday's better..." Another distraction. You pull yourself out of that one and back you go to the breath, except that you never quite get there because before you do that little voice in your head goes, "My back is killing me." And on and on it goes, distraction after distraction, seemingly without end.
就这样，你坐在那里禅修得很好，你的身体完全不动，你的心也十分平静，你正畅顺地随着呼吸的气流在进、出、进、出…… 平静，安祥，而又集中，一切都很完美。然后，突然间，一个完全无关的念头在心中跳了出来：「我真的想吃蛋筒雪糕！」显然，那是一个分心，那不是你该做的事，你注意到分心了，于是把自己拉回到呼吸上，回到畅顺的流动，进、出、进、出……。然后另一念头又出现：「我付煤气费了吗？」那是另一个分心，你留意到它，又把自己拉回到呼吸之上，进、出、进、出……。「那新的科幻影片上映了，也许星期二晚我可以去看，不！星期二不行，星期三要做的事太多了，还是星期四去较好……。」又是另一个分心，你又再把自己拉回到呼吸之上，可是，你未能做到，因为有一微小的声音在脑中说话：「噢！我的背正痛得要命。」这样的念头不断出现，一个分心接着一个分心，好像没完没了的。
What a bother. But this is what it is all about. These distractions are actually the whole point. The key is to learn to deal with these things. Learning to notice them without being trapped in them. That's what we are here for. The mental wandering is unpleasant, to be sure. But it is the normal mode of operation of your mind. Don't think of it as the enemy. It is just the simple reality. And if you want to change something, the first thing you have to do is see it the way it is.
多么困扰啊！然而，事实的确如是，这些分心实是要关注的重点，关键是要学习处理这些分心，学习觉察它们而又不会受其所困，这就是我们坐在这里的主要目的。当然，心意漂荡是令人不快的，然而，这是心的运作常态，不可把它当作敌人，它不过是朴素的事实而已。如果你想改变什么，首先要做的，就是看清楚它本身的实际活动情况。
When you first sit down to concentrate on the breath, you will be struck by how incredibly busy the mind actually is. It jumps and jibbers. It veers and bucks. It chases itself around in constant circles. It chatters. It thinks. It fantasizes and daydreams. Don't be upset about that. It's natural. When your mind wanders from the subject of meditation, just observe the distraction mindfully.
当你第一次坐下来把心意集中于气息时，你会因心意那么难以置信的忙乱而大吃一惊。它时而跳跃、时而踌躇、时而转向、又时而反抗，它不断循环地追逐自己，它喋喋不休，它思索，它亦会幻想和发白日梦。不要为这些现象而心烦意乱，那都是自然的事。当你的心离开禅修目标时，只须留意地观察着这个分心即可。
(将注意力暂时移到分心上面)
When we speak of a distraction in Insight Meditation, we are speaking of any preoccupation that pulls the attention off the breath. This brings up a new, major rule for your meditation: When any mental state arises strongly enough to distract you from the object of meditation, switch your attention to the distraction briefly. Make the distraction a temporary object of meditation. Please not the word temporary. It's quite important. We are not advising that you switch horses in midstream. We do not expect you to adopt a whole new object of meditation every three seconds. The breath will always remain your primary focus. You switch your attention to the distraction only long enough to notice certain specific things about it. What is it? How strong is it? and, how long does it last? As soon as you have wordlessly answered these questions, you are through with your examination of that distraction, and you return your attention to the breath. Here again, please note the operant term, wordlessly. These questions are not an invitation to more mental chatter. That would be moving you in the wrong direction, toward more thinking. We want you to move away from thinking, back to a direct, wordless and nonconceptual experience of the breath. These questions are designed to free you from the distraction and give you insight into its nature, not to get you more thoroughly stuck in it. They will tune you in to what is distracting you and help you get rid of it--all in one step.
当我们提到内观禅里的分心时，我们是指任何令你的注意力离开气息(禅修的主要目标)之出神事件。这里要为你提出禅修的一条重要而新的准则：当任何强大的心态生起，令你偏离禅修目标时，可暂时把注意力转到分心上去，让分心成为你的暂时禅修目标。请留意「暂时」这个字眼，它很重要。我们不是要你在中途改弦易辙，也不是要你在每三秒钟左右就转换新的禅修目标，呼吸永远是你的主要禅修目标。你把注意力转到分心上所逗留的时间，只须足够令你注意到它的某些特点即可，那些特点包括：它是什么？它有多强？它持续了多久？当你已默然回答了这些问题时，实已检视分心完毕，然后让注意力回到气息上来。这里请再一次留意「默然(Wordless)」这个有用的运作字眼。这些问题不是为了引发更多的内心喋喋不休(Mental Chatter)，那会把你导致错误方向，引来更多的思想；我们只想你离开思想，回到直接、默然、与非概念性的呼吸体验上去。这些问题设计是要让你解除分心的束缚，洞察它的本性，而不是要你更深地受其所困。它们让你察觉到什么事情令你分心了，以及帮你脱离它，全部皆在一个步骤中完成。
(对治分心的三个善巧问答)
Here is the problem: When a distraction, or any mental state, arises in the mind, it blossoms forth first in the unconscious. Only a moment later does it rise to the conscious mind. That split-second difference is quite important, because it time enough for grasping to occur. Grasping occurs almost instantaneously, and it takes place first in the unconscious. Thus, by the time the grasping rises to the level of conscious recognition, we have already begun to lock on to it. It is quite natural for us to simply continue that process, getting more and more tightly stuck in the distraction as we continue to view it. We are, by this time, quite definitely thinking the thought, rather than just viewing it with bare attention. The whole sequence takes place in a flash. This presents us with a problem. By the time we become consciously aware of a distraction we are already, in a sense, stuck in it. Our three questions are a clever remedy for this particular malady. In order to answer these questions, we must ascertain the quality of the distraction. To do that, we must divorce ourselves from it, take a mental step back from it, disengage from it, and view it objectively. We must stop thinking the thought or feeling the feeling in order to view it as an object of inspection. This very process is an exercise in mindfulness, uninvolved, detached awareness. The hold of the distraction is thus broken, and mindfulness is back in control. At this point, mindfulness makes a smooth transition back to its primary focus and we return to the breath.
问题来了：当分心或任何心态在心中生起时，它是在「无意识」中开始的，片刻之后，它才会浮现在意识心中。此瞬间的时差是很重要的，因为它让执取有充足的时间发生。执取可在瞬间生起，而它是在「无意识」中开始的，因此，待执取浮升至能认知它的意识心时，我们已被锁在它的上面了，既然受其所困，也就自然随着那过程单纯地继续下去，而继续观看分心时，我们亦会对分心的执取越来越加深。到了这个时候，我们肯定是在思考着那个分心的念头，而非单纯地在观看着它了。整件事在一瞬间发生！这提醒了我们一个问题：在我们开始觉察到一个分心时，就某种意义而言，我们已经被它缠住了。
要善巧地对治这一特殊病症，可试用我们的三个问题：「它是什么？」「它有多强？」以及「它持续了多久？」为了回答这些问题，我们必须弄清楚那个分心的性质，要这么做，我们就要与它分离，意识上后退一步，脱离它，然后客观地观察着它。为了使它成为一个观察对象，我们必须停止想那个念头、停止感受那个感觉，这个过程本身也是一种保持中立、客观、无执的留意觉察练习。对分心的执取就这样被打断，而我们又可专注了。这时，专注可平滑地回到原来的目标上来，而我们又可回到呼吸上了。
When you first begin to practice this technique, you will probably have to do it with words. You will ask your questions in words, and get answers in words. It won't be long, however, before you can dispense with the formality of words altogether. Once the mental habits are in place, you simply note the distraction, note the qualities of the distraction, and return to the breath. It's a totally nonconceptual process, and it's very quick. The distraction itself can be anything: a sound, a sensation, an emotion, a fantasy, anything at all. Whatever it is, don't try to repress it. Don't try to force it out of your mind. There's no need for that. Just observe it mindfully with bare attention. Examine the distraction wordlessly and it will pass away by itself. You will find your attention drifting effortlessly back to the breath. And do not condemn yourself for having being distracted. Distractions are natural. They come and they go.
(不要为分心自责，谁不会分心？)
当你开始练习这技巧时，难免要依靠文字，你要用文字发问、用文字作答，虽然字句不长，你仍需依靠它一段时间。一旦内心习惯之后，你只须察觉到那个分心，察觉到它的性质，然后回到呼吸上来，那完全是一个非概念性的过程，且异常快速。分心本身可以是任何事情：一个声音、感觉、情绪、幻想等，几乎什么都可以。无论它是什么，都不要去压抑它，也不要去赶走它，无需这样做，只须以单纯的注意力专心地观察着它即可，无言地仔细观察着那个分心，它自会完全消失，而你的注意力又可轻松地回到呼吸上来。也不要为了分心而自责，分心乃自然之事，它们总会自来自去。
Despite this piece of sage counsel, you're going to find yourself condemning anyway. That's natural too. Just observe the process of condemnation as another distraction, and then return to the breath.
虽然这是圣者之言，你还是会自责的，那亦是自然之事，就把自责的过程作为一个分心来观察，然后回到呼吸上去吧！
Watch the sequence of events: Breathing. Breathing. Distracting thought arises. Frustration arising over the distracting thought. You condemn yourself for being distracted. You notice the self condemnation. You return to the breathing. Breathing. Breathing. It's really a very natural, smooth-flowing cycle, if you do it correctly. The trick, of course, is patience. If you can learn to observe these distractions without getting involved, it's all very easy. You just glide through the distractions and your attention returns to the breath quite easily. Of course, the very same distraction may pop up a moment later. If it does, just observe that mindfully. If you are dealing with an old, established thought pattern, this can go on happening for quite a while, sometimes years. Don't get upset. This too is natural. just observe the distraction and return to the breath. Don't fight with these distracting thoughts. Don't strain or struggle. It's a waste. Every bit of energy that you apply to that resistance goes into the thought complex and makes it all the stronger. So don't try to force such thoughts out of your mind. It's a battle you can never win. Just observe the distraction mindfully and, it will eventually go away. It's very strange, but the more bare attention you pay to such disturbances, the weaker they get. Observe them long enough, and often enough, with bare attention, and they fade away forever. Fight with them and they gain in strength. Watch them with detachment and they wither.
要知事件的次序为：呼吸，呼吸，分心之念生起了，因分心而受挫之念出现了，你因分心而开始自责，你察觉到自责之念，你回到呼吸上来，呼吸，呼吸。如果你做得正确，那真的是一个很自然畅顺的循环。当然，其中的要诀是忍耐。如果你能学会观察这些分心，而又不会被它们缠住，那就轻易不过了。你只悄然滑过分心，你的注意力很轻易地又回到呼吸上来。当然，同样的分心可能会在片刻之后又冒出来，若是的话，只须再度专心地观察着它即可。如果你在处理一个顽固的惯性思想模式，这种情况可能会持续多时，甚至经年累月。不要气馁心烦，这亦是自然之事，只须察觉那个分心，然后回到呼吸上去即可。不要与这些分心之念搏斗，不要紧张或挣扎，那是徒劳无功的，你用在抗拒的每一分精力(能量)，只会进到思想情结之中，令它们更加强大。因此，不可试图强迫思想离开你的心意，你是无法获胜的。只须专心地观察着那个分心，它最后自会离开。很奇怪，你越能单纯地注意那些分心，它们就会变得越来越弱。如果能够经常长时间地、单纯地注意着它们，久而久之，它们自会消失得无影无踪。若与之搏斗，只会增强它们的力量，能超然、客观地观看着它们，它们自会凋谢。
Mindfulness is a function that disarms distractions, in the same way that a munitions expert might defuse a bomb. Weak distractions are disarmed by a single glance. Shine the light of awareness on them and they evaporate instantly, never to return. Deep-seated, habitual thought patterns require constant mindfulness repeatedly applied over whatever time period it takes to break their hold. Distractions are really paper tigers. They have no power of their own. They need to be fed constantly, or else they die. If you refuse to feed them by your own fear, anger, and greed, they fade.
(让觉知助你一臂之力)
觉知具有破解分心的功能，就好像军火专家有拆掉炸弹*的能力一样。轻微的分心只须一瞥即可化解，以觉知默照，它们很快就会消失得无影无踪。至于根深柢固的惯性思想模式，则须不计时间多少，坚持重复不断的恒常专注始能破解。实际上，分心是纸老虎而已，它们本身是没有什么力量的，它们必须经常被喂养，否则就会死去。如果你拒绝以自己的恐惧、贪、瞋等喂养它们，它们就会奄奄一息。
Mindfulness is the most important aspect of meditation. It is the primary thing that you are trying to cultivate. So there is really no need at all to struggle against distractions. The crucial thing is to be mindful of what is occurring, not to control what is occurring. Remember, concentration is a tool. It is secondary to bare attention. From the point of view of mindfulness, there is really no such thing as a distraction. Whatever arises in the mind is viewed as just one more opportunity to cultivate mindfulness. Breath, remember, is an arbitrary focus, and it is used as our primary object of attention. Distractions are used as secondary objects of attention. They are certainly as much a part of reality as breath. It actually makes rather little difference what the object of mindfulness is. You can be mindful of the breath, or you can be mindful of the distraction. You can be mindful of the fact that you mind is still, and your concentration is strong, or you can be mindful of the fact that your concentration is in ribbons and your mind is in an absolute shambles. It's all mindfulness. Just maintain that mindfulness and concentration eventually will follow.
觉知是禅修的一个重要部分，它是你要奋力培育发展的一个基本东西。因此，实际上是不必去与分心对抗的，关键是要觉知当下正在发生的事情，而不是去控制它们。记住，定力只是一件工具，其重要性仅次于单纯的注意。从觉知的角度来看，根本就没有所谓分心，心里生起的任何现象都只是另一个培育觉知的机会而已。记住！呼吸只是一个任意选择出来的禅修对象(焦点)，被用作为注意的主要或基本对象，而分心则是注意的次要对象，它们与呼吸一样，都是现实的一个部分。作为注意的对象，是什么东西实在分别很微，你可以注意呼吸，也可以注意分心；你可以注意到自心静止的事实，亦可以注意到定力强的事实；你可以注意到定力散失，也可以注意到自心一团糟的事实。所有这些都是觉知活动，只要维持此觉知活动，定力自会随之而来。
The purpose of meditation is not to concentrate on the breath, without interruption, forever. That by itself would be a useless goal. The purpose of meditation is not to achieve a perfectly still and serene mind. Although a lovely state, it doesn't lead to liberation by itself. The purpose of meditation is to achieve uninterrupted mindfulness. Mindfulness, and only mindfulness, produces Enlightenment.
(禅修究竟是为了什么？)
禅修目的，不是为了要把心意永无间断地集中于呼吸之上，这目标本身是无法达致解脱的。禅修目的，不是为了要达到一完美无缺的静止、安祥心态，虽然那境界甚为可爱，它本身是无法令人解脱的。禅修目的，是为了达致无间断的留意觉察力(念力、静观力)，(完美的)留意觉察力，亦只有(完美的)留意觉察力才可以令人开悟、解脱。
Distractions come in all sizes, shapes and flavors. Buddhist philosophy has organized them into categories. One of them is the category of hindrances. They are called hindrances because they block your development of both components of mediation, mindfulness and concentration. A bit of caution on this term: The word 'hindrances' carries a negative connotation, and indeed these are states of mind we want to eradicate. That does not mean, however, that they are to be repressed, avoided or condemned.
(五种盖障)
分心会以各种大小、形状和风格等不同形态出现，佛教论师把它们分门别类，其中一种被称为「盖障(Hindrances)」[1]。它们被称为「盖障」，是因为它们障碍你在禅修中要培育发展的「止」与「观」。请留意一下这个用语，「盖障」这个词包含一种贬意，事实上，那些心态也是我们想根除的。不过，那并非意味我们要去压抑、回避或谴责它们。
Let's use greed as an example. We wish to avoid prolonging any state of greed that arises, because a continuation of that state leads to bondage and sorrow. That does not mean we try to toss the thought out of the mind when it appears. We simply refuse to encourage it to stay. We let it come, and we let it go. When greed is first observed with bare attention, no value judgements are made. We simply stand back and watch it arise. The whole dynamic of greed from start to finish is simply observed in this way. We don't help it, or hinder it, or interfere with it in the slightest. It stays as long as it stays. And we learn as much about it as we can while it is there. We watch what greed does. We watch how it troubles us, and how it burdens others. We notice how it keeps us perpetually unsatisfied, forever in a state of unfulfilled longing. From this first-hand experience, we ascertain at a gut level that greed is an unskillful way to run your life. There is nothing theoretical about this realization.
让我们以「贪」为例，我们不欲延长在心内生起的任何贪念，因为延续贪念会导致束缚与悲痛。这不是说在觉察到它出现时，就要把它抛出心外，我们只是不鼓励它逗留，以不迎不拒的态度，让它自来自去。当贪念刚刚被觉察到时，心是不会对它起价值判断的，心只是站在一旁看着它的生起。由头到尾，整个贪念的动态，都应只是用此方式来观看即可。我们一点儿也不去帮助它、阻碍它、或是干扰它，让它逗留多久就多久，我们只是在它的逗留时间内去尽量认识它：默察贪念在做些什么，默察它怎样打扰我们和怎样困扰他人，我们默察它是怎样令我们一直无法称心如意。从这些第一手经验，我们深心确知依从贪欲生活是不善巧的，而这种领悟(认知)是绝非理论性的。
All of the hindrances are dealt with in the same way, and we will look at them here one by one.
对于所有「盖障」的处理方式都是一样的，在这里让我们仔细地逐一检视。
Desire: Let us suppose you have been distracted by some nice experience in meditation. It could be pleasant fantasy or a thought of pride. It might be a feeling of self-esteem. It might be a thought of love or even the physical sensation of bliss that comes with the meditation experience itself. Whatever it is, what follows is the state of desire -- desire to obtain whatever you have been thinking about or desire to prolong the experience you are having. No matter what its nature, you should handle desire in the following manner. Notice the thought or sensation as it arises. Notice the mental state of desire which accompanies it as a separate thing. Notice the exact extent or degree of that desire. Then notice how long it lasts and when it finally disappears. When you have done that, return your attention to breathing.
贪盖障
假设在禅修中，你因美好的感受而分心，那可能是一念令人愉快的幻想、自豪或自尊自大的感受，可能是一念慈爱的感受，亦可能是禅修时生起的身体轻安感受。无论它是什么，紧接而来的将是贪念，也就是欲得到任何你正想着的东西之贪念，或是欲延长正感受着的美好体验之想法。无论其性质为何，你都应用下述方式来处理贪念：在贪念或感受生起的当下就要觉察到它，将伴随而来的贪念区分开来觉察，留意一下它的确实范围和程度，留意它会持续多久，以及留意它最后会在何时消失，如是地完成之后，将你的注意力带回到呼吸上来。
Aversion: Suppose that you have been distracted by some negative experience. It could be something you fear or some nagging worry. It might be guilt or depression or pain. Whatever the actual substance of the thought or sensation, you find yourself rejecting or repressing -- trying to avoid it, resist it or deny it. The handling here is essentially the same. Watch the arising of the thought or sensation. Notice the state of rejection that comes with it. Gauge the extent or degree of that rejection. See how long it lasts and when it fades away. Then return your attention to your breath.
瞋盖障
假设在禅修中，你因负面的感受而分心，那可能是令人恐惧或困扰的东西，也可能内疚不安、情绪低落、或是身体痛苦，无论那心念或感觉的实质为何，你发觉自己已在抗拒或压抑它，也即是想避开它、抵抗它、或是否定它。这里的处理方式基本上是一样的：在心念或感觉生起的当下就要觉察到它，留意伴随而来的抗拒心念，估量一下它的范围与程度，看看它会持续多久，以及何时消失，然后将注意力带回到呼吸上来。
Lethargy: Lethargy comes in various grades and intensities, ranging from slight drowsiness to total torpor. We are talking about a mental state here, not a physical one. Sleepiness or physical fatigue is something quite different and, in the Buddhist system of classification, it would be categorized as a physical feeling. Mental lethargy is closely related to aversion in that it is one of the mind's clever little ways of avoiding those issues it finds unpleasant. Lethargy is a sort of turn-off of the mental apparatus, a dulling of sensory and cognitive acuity. It is an enforced stupidity pretending to be sleep. This can be a tough one to deal with, because its presence is directly contrary to the employment of mindfulness. Lethargy is nearly the reverse of mindfulness. Nevertheless, mindfulness is the cure for this hindrance, too, and the handling is the same. Note the state of drowsiness when it arises, and note its extent or degree. Note when it arises, how long it lasts, and when it passes away. The only thing special here is the importance of catching the phenomenon early. You have got to get it right at its conception and apply liberal doses of pure awareness right away. If you let it get a start, its growth probably will out pace your mindfulness power. When lethargy wins, the result is the sinking mind and/or sleep.
昏沉盖障
昏沉以不同的等级与强度出现，由轻微的昏昏欲睡至完全呆滞、迟钝皆有。我们在这里说的是心理状态，而非生理状态。心理上的睏倦与身体上的疲劳是完全不同的一回事，而在佛教论典的分类中，它属于生理上的感受。心理上的昏沉较接近厌恶(瞋)，因为那正是心意为了逃避不适意感受所耍的一种聪明小手段。昏沉有点像心理功能的关闭、或是感官与认知功能的迟钝化，它假装昏昏欲睡来迫使自己愚笨。
处理昏沉是棘手的，因为它的存在会直接违反觉知的运作。昏沉几乎是觉知的相反现象，然而，觉知亦是对治此障碍的良策，而处理方法也是相同的。当昏沉现象出现时就要立即觉察到它，觉察到它的范围和程度，觉察到它的出现、持续多久与消失。这里要特别留神的地方是，你要在它刚萌芽时就要立即猛然地觉察到它，这是至关重要的。如果错失第一个时机，它的高速发展很快就会压倒觉知的力量。当昏沉胜过觉知力时，心就会沉下来，甚至熟睡起来。
Agitation: States of restlessness and worry are expressions of mental agitation. Your mind keeps darting around, refusing to settle on any one thing. You may keep running over and over the same issues. But even here an unsettled feeling is the predominant component. The mind refuses to settle anywhere. It jumps around constantly. The cure for this condition is the same basic sequence. Restlessness imparts a certain feeling to consciousness. You might call it a flavor or texture. Whatever you call it, that unsettled feeling is there as a definable characteristic. Look for it. Once you have spotted it, note how much of it is present. Note when it arises. Watch how long it lasts, and see when it fades away. Then return your attention to the breath.
掉举(散乱)盖障
忧虑与不安心态是内心的掉举表现，你的心一直在四周飞奔不停，不愿在任何一件事上安顿下来，你可能在一些事上重复不已。就算此时此地的你，不安的感觉仍占内心的主要地位。心不愿在任何地方安顿下来，它不停在四周跳动。这情况的对治还是同样的基本程序。不安给意识一种特定的感觉，你可称之为味道或质地(Flavor or Texture)，无论你叫它做什么，那不安之感在当时是会呈现出一些可被定义的特质的。寻找它，一旦你发现它后，就要注意它的剩余程度，注意它的生起，注意它的持续时间，以及注意它何时消逝，然后把注意力重新拉回到呼吸上来。
Doubt: Doubt has its own distinct feeling in consciousness. The Pali tests describe it very nicely. It's the feeling of a man stumbling through a desert and arriving at an unmarked crossroad. Which road should he take? There is no way to tell. So he just stands there vacillating. One of the common forms this takes in meditation is an inner dialogue something like this: "What am I doing just sitting like this? Am I really getting anything out of this at all? Oh! Sure I am. This is good for me. The book said so. No, that is crazy. This is a waste of time. No, I won't give up. I said I was going to do this, and I am going to do it. Or am I being just stubborn? I don't know. I just don't know." Don't get stuck in this trap. It is just another hindrance. Another of the mind's little smoke screens to keep you from doing the most terrible thing in the world: actually becoming aware of what is happening. To handle doubt, simply become aware of this mental state of wavering as an object of inspection. Don't be trapped in it. Back out of it and look at it. See how strong it is. See when it comes and how long it lasts. Then watch it fade away, and go back to the breathing.
疑盖障
在意识上，疑有其本身的独特感觉，巴利藏经把它描述得很好：那种感觉就像一个人，从沙漠中瞎闯而出，来到一处没有任何标示的十字路口，他应走哪一条路？由于无法解答，他只有站在那里踌躇、摇摆不定。在禅修之中，类似以下方式的内心对话会出现：「我为了什么要这样地坐着？我这样做究竟真的得到什么没有？噢！当然有，这对我是好的，书是这么说的。不！那是疯狂做法，简直浪费时间。不！我不会放弃，我说过要做就一定要去做。又或者我只是顽固、执着？不知道，我真的不知道。」不要跌落这个陷阱之中，它只是另一个障碍，一个内心的小烟幕弹，要障碍你做世间最艰巨的留意觉知当下实相的壮举。处理疑并不难，只须觉知到这动摇不定的心态，把它作为一个禅修对象来审视即可。不要被它困住，要退一步来看它，看看它有多强，看看它何时来、逗留多久，再看着它消逝，然后重新返回呼吸。
This is the general pattern you will use on any distraction that arises. By distraction, remember we mean any mental state that arises to impede your meditation. Some of these are quite subtle. It is useful to list some of the possibilities. The negative states are pretty easy to spot: insecurity, fear, anger, depression, irritation and frustration.
(美好高尚的心态，毕竟如过眼云烟)
这是处理任何分心的一般模式。记住，所谓「分心」，是指障碍禅修的任何心理状态。其中有一些是很微细的，这里列出的一些可能性，或许对禅修会有帮助，负面的心态较易辨识，其中包括：不安全感、恐惧、愤怒、情绪低落、激怒与失意等。
Craving and desire are a bit more difficult to spot because they can apply to things we normally regard as virtuous or noble. You can experience the desire to perfect yourself. You can feel craving for greater virtue. You can even develop an attachment to the bliss of the meditation experience itself. It is a bit hard to detach yourself from such altruistic feelings. In the end, though, it is just more greed. It is a desire for gratification and a clever way of ignoring the present-time reality.
贪爱与欲望则比较难察觉，因为它们会被用在我们常认为是高尚和有品德的事物上。你可能有令自己止于至善至美的欲望，亦可能有较高品德的渴求，你甚至可能贪恋着禅修本身的喜乐经验。要使自己脱离这些高尚的感受是比较困难的，到最后，它只会令你越来越多贪欲。它(求取高尚的事物)是一种满足欲望的活动，一种忽视现实的聪明做法而已。
Trickiest of all, however, are those really positive mental states that come creeping into your meditation. Happiness, peace, inner contentment, sympathy and compassion for all beings everywhere. These mental states are so sweet and so benevolent that you can scarcely bear to pry yourself loose from them. It makes you feel like a traitor to mankind. There is no need to feel this way. We are not advising you to reject these states of mind or to become heartless robots. We merely want you to see them for what they are. They are mental states. They come and they go. They arise and they pass away. As you continue your meditation, these states will arise more often. The trick is not to become attached to them. Just see each one as it comes up. See what it is, how strong it is and how long it lasts. Then watch it drift away. It is all just more of the passing show of your own mental universe.
然而，最难处理的是，那些静悄悄渗入禅修之中的正面心态，例如：快乐、平静、满足、对各地方所有众生的同情与慈悲。这些心态如此甜美、仁爱，乃至令你不忍舍弃它们，因为，这么做会令你觉得有点像一个背叛人类的人，其实这想法是不必要的，这样说不是劝你去排斥这些心态，或是要变成一冷酷无情的机械人，我们只想你如实地去看待它们。它们不过是一些心态，会自来自去，会自生自灭。如你继续禅修，这些心态是会更常出现的。要诀就是不去依恋或执着它们，只须在旁观看着每一个生起的心态，看看它是什么、它有多强、它会持续多久，然后看着它的消失。每一心态的出现，只不过是你内心世界的一片过眼云烟而已。
Just as breathing comes in stages, so do the mental states. Every breath has a beginning, a middle and an end. Every mental states has a birth, a growth and a decay. You should strive to see these stages clearly.
就像呼吸分阶段进行，心态也是一样，每一个呼吸都有开始、中间和结束，同样，每一个心态也有生起、成长和坏灭三个阶段，你要努力看清楚这些阶段，
This is no easy thing to do, however. As we have already noted, every thought and sensation begins first in the unconscious region of the mind and only later rises to consciousness. We generally become aware of such things only after they have arisen in the conscious realm and stayed there for some time. Indeed we usually become aware of distractions only when they have released their hold on us and are already on their way out. It is at this point that we are struck with the sudden realization that we have been somewhere, day-dreaming, fantasizing, or whatever. Quite obviously this is far too late in the chain of events. We may call this phenomenon catching the lion by is tail, and it is an unskillful thing to do. Like confronting a dangerous beast, we must approach mental states head-on. Patiently, we will learn to recognize them as they arise from progressively deeper levels of our conscious mind.
然而，这并非易事。之前我们已经提过，每一个念头和感觉都是首先从「无意识」中生起，然后才浮升至意识层面；而我们通常在它们进入了意识层里及逗留一段时间后才觉察到它们。事实上，我们在觉察到分心时，它已开始坏灭离开，不再纠缠我们了。就在这个时候，我们才突然惊觉，自己正在作白日梦、幻想或是胡思乱想。很明显，这是事件的尾声，要补救已太迟了，就好像贼过兴兵一样，于事无补。我们应正面迎战逼近的心态，若能安忍不动，自然晓得不断深入意识心中，在它们从「无意识」中冒出时就把它们认出来。
(定力带你往何处去？)
Since mental states arise first in the unconscious, to catch the arising of the mental state, you've got to extend your awareness down into this unconscious area. That is difficult, because you can't see what is going on down there, at least not in the same way you see a conscious thought. But you can learn to get a vague sense of movement and to operate by a sort of mental sense of touch. This comes with practice, and the ability is another of the effects of the deep calm of concentration. Concentration slows down the arising of these mental states and gives you time to feel each one arising out of the unconscious even before you see it in consciousness.
由于心态会首先从「无意识」中冒起，若想捕捉到它，你就要把觉知力(Awareness)深入到这「无意识」层里面。那是困难的，因为你看不到那儿正在发生什么事，至少与你习惯在意识层里看到的念头不一样，不过，你可以从学习中得到一个模糊的动态感觉，而运作方式有点似心灵上的触觉。这要不断练习始得，同时，这能力又与深度的定力有关。定力可令这些心态的生起减慢，从而令你有时间感受到每一个从「无意识」中浮现的心态，就在它们出现在意识层之前。
Concentration helps you to extend your awareness down into that boiling darkness where thought and sensation begin.
定力可以帮助你把觉知力延伸至念头与感觉之源── 动荡难测的黑暗(喻「无意识」)之中。
As your concentration deepens, you gain the ability to see thoughts and sensations arising slowly, like separate bubbles, each distinct and with spaces between them. They bubble up in slow motion out of the unconscious. They stay a while in the conscious mind and then they drift away.
随着定力的提高，你开始感受到念头与感觉的慢慢生起，它们好像一个个水泡，独立而又分离。它们从「无意识」中慢慢冒上来，在有意识的心中逗留片刻，然后悄然消逝。
The application of awareness to mental states is a precision operation. This is particularly true of feelings or sensations. It is very easy to overreach the sensation. That is, to add something to it above and beyond what is really there. It is equally easy to fall short of sensation, to get part of it but not all. The ideal that you are striving for is to experience each mental state fully, exactly the way it is, adding nothing to it and not missing any part of it. Let us use pain in the leg as an example. What is actually there is a pure flowing sensation. It changes constantly, never the same from one moment to the next. It moves from one location to another, and its intensity surges up and down. Pain is not a thing. It is an event. There should be no concepts tacked on to it and none associated with it. A pure unobstructed awareness of this event will experience it simply as a flowing pattern of energy and nothing more. No thought and no rejection. Just energy.
留意觉知自己的心态是一种精密的行动，对于感受或感觉尤其如是。你很容易走在感觉之前，意思是：在感觉的现实上添加了一些东西；同样，你亦很容易落后于感觉，只得到其中的一部分而非全部。要奋力达到的理想是：完全如实地体会到每一个心态，不添加任何东西，也没有任何遗漏。让我们以脚痛为例，事实上它只是一纯粹的感觉流动，它不断改变，时刻不同，它到处移动，时强时弱。疼痛不是一个(实在的)东西，而是一件事(现象、过程)。因此，不宜以任何概念名之，亦不可以任何概念与之相联系。对此疼痛事件之单纯无碍的觉知，将体会到它只是单单的能量流动形态而已。无需思想反应、无需拒绝，仅是能量活动而已。
Early on in our practice of meditation, we need to rethink our underlying assumptions regarding conceptualization. For most of us, we have earned high marks in school and in life for our ability to manipulate mental phenomena -- concepts -- logically. Our careers, much of our success in everyday life, our happy relationships, we view as largely the result of our successful manipulation of concepts. In developing mindfulness, however, we temporarily suspend the conceptualization process and focus on the pure nature of mental phenomena. During meditation we are seeking to experience the mind at the pre-concept level.
(摆脱概念所惹的祸)
在禅修初期，我们需要反思一下有关概念化背后的假设。依靠逻辑方式，我们大多数人在学校与生活中，都能运用概念(心法)来取得良好成绩。我们的事业、日常生活上的大多数成就、愉快的人际关系…… 等等，我们都视为大部分与成功地、巧妙地处理概念有关。然而，在发展觉知力时，我们要暂时搁置概念化过程，致力于体会心理现象的单纯本性。在禅修当中，我们试图在概念生起之前去直接体验自心。
But the human mind conceptualizes such occurrences as pain. You find yourself thinking of it as 'the pain'. That is a concept. It is a label, something added to the sensation itself. You find yourself building a mental image, a picture of the pain, seeing it as a shape. You may see a diagram of the leg with the pain outlined in some lovely color. This is very creative and terribly entertaining, but not what we want. Those are concepts tacked on to the living reality. Most likely, you will probably find yourself thinking: "I have a pain in my leg." 'I' is a concept. It is something extra added to the pure experience.
可是，人的心把这事件概念化为疼痛，你发现自己正把它想为「疼痛」，那是概念、标签、一种加在感觉本身之上的东西。你发觉自己正构思起一个心理形象、一幅疼痛的画面，而且开始看到它的样子了。你可能看到那只脚的图画，上面有些象征着疼痛的色彩，这很有创意和娱乐性，然而，那不是我们想要的，那是扣在生动活泼的现实上之概念。很有可能你会开始想着：「我的脚有点痛。」「我」是一个概念，它是额外加诸纯粹经验上的东西。
When you introduce 'I' into the process, you are building a conceptual gap between the reality and the awareness viewing that reality. Thoughts such as 'Me', 'My' or 'Mine' have no place in direct awareness. They are extraneous addenda, and insidious ones at that. When you bring 'me' into the picture, you are identifying with the pain. That simply adds emphasis to it. If you leave 'I' out of the operation, pain is not painful. It is just a pure surging energy flow. It can even be beautiful. If you find 'I' insinuating itself in your experience of pain or indeed any other sensation, then just observe that mindfully. Pay bare attention to the phenomenon of personal identification with the pain.
当你把「我」引进到这过程时，你正在为现实与观照现实的觉知之间建筑起一道概念的鸿沟。诸如「我」或「我的」想法，在直接觉知之中是没有任何地位的，它们是多余的附加物，不时暗中为害。当你把「我」引入画面时，实际上在确认疼痛为一体，那只会令它的影响力加倍而已。如果不让「我」来打扰运作，疼痛就不会那么令人难受，而仅是纯粹的能量波动，且可以是美妙的。如你发现「我」正在迂回进入你的疼痛或其他感受的体验之中，那就留心地观察着这个情况即可。对痛苦作个人认同的现象要保持单纯的注意。
The general idea, however, is almost too simple. You want to really see each sensation, whether it is pain, bliss or boredom. You want to experience that thing fully in its natural and unadulterated form. There is only one way to do this. Your timing has to be precise. Your awareness of each sensation must coordinate exactly with the arising of that sensation. If you catch it just a bit too late, you miss the beginning. You won't get all of it. If you hang on to any sensation past the time when it has memory. The thing itself is gone, and by holding onto that memory, you miss the arising of the next sensation. It is a very delicate operation. You've got to cruise along right here in present time, picking things up and letting things drop with no delays whatsoever. It takes a very light touch. Your relation to sensation should never be one of past or future but always of the simple and immediate now.
总的来说，我想表达的意思十分简单：你要如实觉察每一个感觉，无论它是疼痛、狂喜、或是厌烦，你要在那东西(现象)处于自然和纯洁无染的状态下，完全地体验到它。只有一个方法可以做得到，那就是：你要精准地抓紧时机。你对每一个感觉的觉知必须与它的生起精确地同步。若稍有迟缓，你会错失开始，无法掌握到它的全貌；如果某感觉已在心中消逝，而你仍对它依依不舍，停留在任何感觉的过去记忆之中，如是地执着那个记忆，只会令你错失下一个感觉的生起。这运作十分精巧，你必须漫游于当下(此时此地)，提起与放下皆不许稍有差迟(延误)，且十分需要瞬间的轻触，你与感觉的联系(接触)永不可在过去或未来，只可单单在眼前当下。
The human mind seeks to conceptualize phenomena, and it has developed a host of clever ways to do so. Every simple sensation will trigger a burst of conceptual thinking if you give the mind its way. Lets us take hearing, for example. You are sitting in meditation and somebody in the next room drops a dish. The sounds strike your ear. Instantly you see a picture of that other room. You probably see a person dropping a dish, too. If this a familiar environment, say your own home, you probably will have a 3-D technicolor mind movie of who did the dropping and which dish was dropped. This whole sequence presents itself to consciousness instantly. It just jumps out of the unconscious so bright and clear and compelling that it shoves everything else out of sight. What happens to the original sensation, the pure experience of hearing? It got lost in the shuffle, completely overwhelmed and forgotten. We miss reality. We enter a world of fantasy.
(感觉会引起一连串的概念性思维)
人类的心习惯把现象概念化，且已发展了很多聪明的做法。如果你放纵心意，每一个简单的感觉都可以启动一连串的概念性思维。让我们以听为例子：你正坐着禅修，隔壁房间有人掉下一只碟子，那声音撞击你的耳朵，你的脑海马上出现一幅隔壁房间的图像，你也许还看到掉下碟子的那个人呢！如果那是熟悉的环境，比如说是你的住所，你的内心可能出现一套立体而色彩鲜明的动画，在里面你看到谁在掉碟子，以及掉的是那只碟子等等。整个次序就在瞬间出现在意识之中，它就是这样地从「无意识」中跳出来，那么地鲜明、清楚和引人注目，它挤掉一切事物，令人只知它的存在。原来的感觉── 那纯粹的听觉体验── 怎么样了？它在混乱中走失了，完全被盖过与遗忘了。我们错失现实，进入了一个幻想世界。
Here is another example: You are sitting in meditation and a sound strikes your ear. It is just an indistinct noise, sort of a muffled crunch; it could be anything. What happens next will probably be something like this. "What was that? Who did that? Where did that come from? How far away was that? Is it dangerous?". And on and on you go, getting no answers but your fantasy projection.
这里有另一个例子：你正坐着禅修，突然有声音撞击你的耳朵，那是一个朦胧的杂音，类似一种低沉的压碎声，它可以是任何事情。跟着你可能会想：「什么声音？是谁做的？从哪里发出来？距离有多远？有危险吗？」你会一直如是地继续想下去，可是，除了你的幻想投射之外，没有任何答案可得。
Conceptualization is an insidiously clever process It creeps into you experience, and it simply takes over. When you hear a sound in meditation, pay bare attention to the experience of hearing. That and that only. What is really happening is so utterly simple that we can and do miss it altogether. Sound waves are striking the ear in a certain unique pattern. Those waves are being translated into electrical impulses within the brain and those impulses present a sound pattern to consciousness. That is all. No pictures. No mind movies. No concepts. No interior dialogues about the question. Just noise. Reality is elegantly simple and unadorned. When you hear a sound, be mindful of the process of hearing. Everything else is just added chatter. Drop it. The same rule applies to every sensation, every emotion, every experience you may have. Look closely at your own experience. Dig down through the layers of mental bric-a-brac and see what is really there. You will be amazed how simple it is, and how beautiful.
(只需单纯地听！)
概念化是一个潜伏的狡猾过程，它暗中潜入你的体验之中，完全接管一切。当你在禅修中听到一个声音时，应单纯地注意着那听的感受本身，仅仅是这么做即可。实际上，由于发生的事简单异常，乃致我们经常把它完全遗漏了。声波以一独特的模式撞击耳朵，声波在脑中被转成为电波，而那些电波脉冲则以声音模式呈现给意识。如此而已，没有画面、没有动画、没有概念、也没有与之相关的内心对话，只有声响。现实就是那么单纯和朴素，当你听到一个声音时，就要专注着听的过程，其他一切只当是附加赘言，可以完全放下不理。同样原则亦适用于你的每一个感觉、情绪或经验。仔细观看一下你自己的感受或体验，向内心深处挖掘你的久远收藏，看看有什么发现。你也许会惊讶地发觉，它竟然如是简单、如是美妙。
There are times when a number of sensations may arise at once. You might have a thought of fear, a squeezing in the stomach and an aching back and an itch on your left earlobe, all at the same time. Don't sit there in a quandary. Don't keep switching back and forth or wondering what to pick. One of them will be strongest. Just open yourself up and the most insistent of these phenomena will intrude itself and demand your attention. So give it some attention just long enough to see it fade away. Then return to your breathing. If another one intrudes itself, let it in. When it is done, return to the breathing.
(几种感觉同时生起时的处理)
有时候，好几种感觉会突然同时生起，你可能同时有一念恐惧、胃痉挛、背痛，以及左耳垂痕痒。不要坐在那里不知所措，不要一直来回地转移目标，或是疑惑着选哪一个才好，其中必有一个感觉是最强烈的，只须开放自己，其中最坚持的或最强烈的那个自会闯入，吸引你的注意，到时，要留意观察着它，直至它消失为止，然后回来注意呼吸。如果有另一个(强烈的感觉)自己闯进来，就让它进入，当它结束后，再回到呼吸上来。
This process can be carried too far, however. Don't sit there looking for things to be mindful of. Keep your mindfulness on the breath until something else steps in and pulls your attention away. When you feel that happening, don't fight it. Let you attention flow naturally over to the distraction, and keep it there until the distraction evaporates. Then return to breathing. Don't seek out other physical or mental phenomena. Just return to breathing. Let them come to you. There will be times when you drift off, of course. Even after long practice you find yourself suddenly waking up, realizing you have been off the track for some while. Don't get discouraged. Realize that you have been off the track for such and such a length of time and go back to the breath. There is no need for any negative reaction at all. The very act of realizing that you have been off the track is an active awareness. It is an exercise of pure mindfulness all by itself.
不过，此过程可能会做得太过火了，不要坐在那里不停地寻找对象来专注，应该维持对呼吸的专注，直至有干扰闯入来令你分心，当你察觉到这样的事情出现时，不可与之抗争，就让心自然地注意到那个干扰、专注着它、待它消逝后，再回到呼吸上来。不可寻找其他的身心现象，应让它们来找你，只须让注意力回到呼吸上来即可。当然，有时候你会昏沉的，就算是禅修多年的人，亦会有时在禅修中突然醒来，发觉自己已经偏离正轨好一段时间了。不要气馁，知道自己已分心了这么一段时间后，再回到呼吸上来，完全不必生起任何负面情绪的反应。了解到自己已偏离正轨这动作本身，就是一种积极、有效的觉知，它本身就是纯粹觉知的一次练习。
Mindfulness grows by the exercise of mindfulness. It is like exercising a muscle. Every time you work it, you pump it up just a little. You make it a little stronger. The very fact that you have felt that wake-up sensation means that you have just improved your mindfulness power. That means you win. Move back to the breathing without regret. However, the regret is a conditioned reflex and it may come along anyway--another mental habit. If you find yourself getting frustrated, feeling discouraged, or condemning yourself, just observe that with bare attention. It is just another distraction. Give it some attention and watch it fade away, and return to the breath.
(像训练肌肉一样训练专注)
专注要不断运用与练习才能进步，就像训练肌肉一样，每一次练习都会令它进步少许，强壮一些。你感到醒觉这事实本身，意味着你的觉知力已刚刚增进了，那表示你胜利了，可以无悔地把注意转回到呼吸上来。可是，懊悔是一种受条件反射的动作，它像其他心理习气(Mental habit)[2]一样，总会在不知不觉间发生的。如果你发觉自己开始有点挫败感、气馁或自责，只须以单纯的注意观察着它即可。它只不过是另一个令你分心的事物而已，给它一点注意，监视着它的消逝，然后回到呼吸上来。
The rules we have just reviewed can and should be applied thoroughly to all of your mental states. You are going to find this an utterly ruthless injunction. It is the toughest job that you will ever undertake. You will find yourself relatively willing to apply this technique to certain parts of your experience, and you will find yourself totally unwilling to use it on the other parts.
上述原则可以、并且应该被认真地运用到你的所有心态之中。你将很快发觉，这是一条毫不容情的指令，也是你从未遇过的挑战。你也会发觉，自己只愿把这技巧实施于某些感受或经验之中，而非全部。
Meditation is a bit like mental acid. It eats away slowly at whatever you put it on. We humans are very odd beings. We like the taste of certain poisons and we stubbornly continue to eat them even while they are killing us. Thoughts to which we are attached are poison. You will find yourself quite eager to dig some thoughts out by the roots while you jealously guard and cherish certain others. That is the human condition.
禅修有点像心内的酸性物质，它会慢慢侵蚀你放入心内的任何东西。我们人类是很奇怪的生物，我们喜欢某些有毒物品的味道，而且坚持要继续吃它们，即使它们正致我们于死地。我们所执着的思想是毒药。你会发觉，自己很热心去铲除某些思想，对其他思想则很维护与珍惜，舍不得铲除。这就是我们人类的境况。
(内观禅助你脱离贪瞋等心理困境)
Vipassana meditation is not a game. Clear awareness is more than a pleasurable pastime. It is a road up and out of the quagmire in which we are all stuck, the swamp of our own desires and aversions. It is relatively easy to apply awareness to the nastier aspects of your existence. Once you have seen fear and depression evaporate in the hot, intense beacon of awareness, you want to repeat the process. Those are the unpleasant mental states. They hurt. You want to get rid of those things because they bother you. It is a good deal harder to apply that same process to mental states which you cherish, like patriotism, or parental protectiveness or true love.
内观禅修不是一种游戏，清楚觉知决非一般的娱乐消遣那么简单，它是一条引领我们脱离贪瞋困境的道路。运用觉知于生活中较令人不快的情况，相信比较容易。一旦你体验过恐惧与沮丧在觉知的强烈照射下消散殆尽，你就会想重复那个过程。那些是令人不快的心态，它们会造成伤害，你希望摆脱它们，因为它们经常烦扰着你。要运用同样的过程到你爱惜的心态，如爱国心、爱儿心或挚爱之上，则会困难得多。
But it is just as necessary. Positive attachments hold you in the mud just as assuredly as negative attachments. You may rise above the mud far enough to breathe a bit more easily if you practice Vipassana meditation with diligence. Vipassana meditation is the road to Nibbana. And from the reports of those who have toiled their way to that lofty goal, it is well worth every effort involved.
不过，那一样是必须的，因为，无论是正面的(善的)或负面的(不善的)依恋执着，它们都会令你陷于泥泞之中。若能勤习内观禅法，就可轻易地出离困境，呼吸到一口新鲜空气。内观禅是直达涅槃的道路，从那些已攀上顶峰的圣者报导中可以知道，所付出的每一分努力都会是非常值得的。
【注释】
[1] 盖障(Hindrances)：佛教称为「盖」，是烦恼的别称，能覆盖自心，障碍善心的生起与发展。主要有五种：贪(Desire)、瞋( Aversion)、疑( Doubt)、昏沉( Lethargy)与
掉举或散乱(Agitation)等。它们合称「五盖」。佛教禅修，初步努力必须克服此「五盖」，始得成就「定境」。之后，便可进一步修持「静观」，获得解脱智慧。
[2] 习气(Mental habit)：即习惯。佛教认为，由于我们的思想行为(尤指内心的烦恼)经常生起，不断薰习自心，经久成习，令人受制，难于自拔。所指「习气」，多指令我们受苦之坏习惯。
