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Mindfulness In Plain English - Chapter 6: What To Do With Your Body
 
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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 6: What To Do With Your Body

第六章 如何调身

The practice of meditation has been going on for several thousand years. That is quite a bit of time for experimentation, and the procedure has been very, very thoroughly refined. Buddhist practice has always recognized that the mind and body are tightly linked and that each influences the other. Thus there are certain recommended physical practices which will greatly assist you to master your skill. And these practices should be followed. Keep in mind, however, that these postures are practice aids. Don't confuse the two. Meditation does not mean sitting in the lotus position. It is a mental skill. It can be practiced anywhere you wish. But these postures will help you learn this skill and they speed your progress and development. So use them.

禅修实践的历史已有几千年,实验的时间可谓不算少了,它的程序已很精炼和细致。佛教禅修一贯认为身心相连、且相互影响,因此,一些传统的调身建议,对你掌握禅修技巧会有极大帮助,应紧密遵循,但要记住,这些姿势只是修行实践的辅助,不可混淆二者。禅修不一定要你以莲花坐姿(双盘腿)进行,它是一种心智技巧,可以在任何地方进行,但这些姿势有助你学习此种技巧、加速你的进步和发展,因此,请善用它们。

General Rules

一般规则

The purpose of the various postures is threefold. First, they provide a stable feeling in the body. This allows you to remove your attention from such issues as balance and muscular fatigue, so that you can then center your concentration upon the formal object of meditation. Second, they promote physical immobility which is then reflected by an immobility of mind. This creates a deeply settled and tranquil concentration. Third, they give you the ability to sit for a long period of time without yielding to the meditator's three main enemies--pain, muscular tension and falling asleep. The most essential thing is to sit with your back straight. The spine should be erect with the spinal vertebrae held like a stack of coins, one on top of the other. Your head should be held in line with the rest of the spine. All of this is done in a relaxed manner. No Stiffness. You are not a wooden soldier, and there is no drill sergeant. There should be no muscular tension involved in keeping the back straight. Sit light and easy. The spine should be like a firm young tree growing out of soft ground. The rest of the body just hangs from it in a loose, relaxed manner. This is going to require a bit of experimentation on your part. We generally sit in tight, guarded postures when we are walking or talking and in sprawling postures when we are relaxing. Neither of those will do. But they are cultural habits and they can be re-learned.

用这些姿势的目的有三:第一,它们令身体稳重,不用你分心去处理平衡或肌肉疲劳等问题,你可更专注于正规的禅修对象。第二,它们让身体较难摇动,这亦可反映心意的不动摇性,因而产生深度的安稳与平静的定力。第三,它使你能久坐而无需屈服于禅修者的三个敌人:痛苦、肌肉紧张与昏沉。

Your objective is to achieve a posture in which you can sit for the entire session without moving at all. In the beginning, you will probably feel a bit odd to sit with the straight back. But you will get used to it. It takes practice, and an erect posture is very important. This is what is known in physiology as a position of arousal, and with it goes mental alertness. If you slouch, you are inviting drowsiness. What you sit on is equally important. You are going to need a chair or a cushion, depending on the posture you choose, and the firmness of the seat must be chosen with some care. Too soft a seat can put you right to sleep. Too hard can promote pain.

最重要的是,坐定后背部要正直,要竖直脊骨,有如一串叠得整齐笔直的钱币,头部要保持与脊骨成一直线,这一切都要做得轻松自然、不可僵硬,你不是木制士兵,也没有训练的长官在场。保持脊骨正直时,不可让肌肉过分紧张,要坐得轻松自然,脊骨要像一株刚在松软泥土生长出来的、坚挺的幼树,身体的其他部分则在它上面挂着,无拘无束,这要你做些实验才懂。我们通常坐着时,都很紧张慎重,说话或走动时,又会紧张兮兮;到全身放松时,又会四肢摊开地倒下来,两者皆不可取。不过,这是养成的习惯,可以重新学习改善的。你的目标是要养成一种姿势,好让你可坐毕全程而无需移动。开始时,你会觉得坐直身子有点怪异,但你终究会习惯它的,这要练习,直身端坐是非常重要的,生理学称之为觉醒的姿势,它令内心提起警觉。若你无精打彩地坐着,便会招来昏沉。坐在什么东西上面也很重要,视乎所选姿势,你可能需要一张椅子或坐垫,座位硬度也要小心选择,太软容易令你昏沉,太硬则容易引起疼痛。

Clothing

衣服

The clothes you wear for meditation should be loose and soft. If they restrict blood flow or put pressure on nerves, the result will be pain and/or that tingling numbness which we normally refer to as our 'legs going to sleep'. If you are wearing a belt, loosen it. Don't wear tight pants or pants made of thick material. Long skirts are a good choice for women. Loose pants made of thin or elastic material are fine for anybody. Soft, flowing robes are the traditional garb in Asia and they come in an enormous variety of styles such as sarongs and kimonos. Take your shoes off and if your stockings are thick and binding, take them off, too.

禅修所穿的衣服要宽松柔软,如果它们阻碍血液循环或压迫神经,就会产生痛苦和麻痺;如果你身系腰带,就要放松它;不要穿太紧或太厚的裤子,女士宜穿着长裙,薄而有弹性的宽松裤子,对任何人皆适宜,亚洲人的传统制服多是柔软飘动的长袍,其中有多种,如围裙(莎笼)及和服等。脱掉鞋子,长袜如果太紧,亦可除下来。


Traditional Postures

传统姿势

When you are sitting on the floor in the traditional Asian manner, you need a cushion to elevate your spine. Choose one that is relatively firm and at least three inches thick when compressed. Sit close to the front edge of the cushion and let your crossed legs rest on the floor in front of you. If the floor is carpeted, that may be enough to protect your shins and ankles from pressure. If it is not, you will probably need some sort of padding for your legs. A folded blanket will do nicely. Don't sit all the way back on the cushion. This position causes its front edge to press into the underside of your thigh, causing nerves to pinch. The result will be leg pain.

如果你依亚洲人的传统方式坐在地上,要用坐垫抬高你的脊骨,所选坐垫宜结实一点,压下去时至少还有三吋高。坐下去时要接近坐垫的前沿地方,两腿则交叉在身前的地上,要是地上已有毡子,那可能已足够保护你的胫部和踝骨免受压迫,如若不然,就要采用垫料来保护你的腿部,如用一块折叠好的毛巾或毛毡之类。不要接近坐垫的后沿来坐,这会令坐垫的前沿压住你大腿底部神经,令腿部产生痛楚。

There are a number of ways you can fold your legs. We will list four in ascending order of preference.

有几种盘腿方式可供选择,以下我们列出四种,其中数字越大者越难,但也越可取:

1. American indian style. Your right foot is tucked under the left knee and left foot is tucked under your right knee.

(1) 美国印第安人式:右脚掌放在左膝下,左脚掌放在右膝下。

2. Burmese style. Both of your legs lie flat on the floor from knee to foot. They are parallel with each other and one in front of the other.

(2) 缅甸式:两只小腿向身体屈曲,一前一后、平行地放在地上。

3. Half lotus. Both knees touch the floor. One leg and foot lie flat along the calf of the other leg.

(3) 半莲花式:双膝着地,一小腿置于另一小腿之底部。

4. Full lotus. Both knees touch the floor, and your legs are crossed at the calf. Your left foot rests on the right thigh, and your right foot rests on the left thigh. Both soles turn upward.

(4) 全莲花式:双膝着地,两小腿互相交叉,左脚掌置于右大腿上,右脚掌置于左大腿上,双脚脚掌朝天。

In these postures, your hands are cupped one on the other, and they rest on your lap with the palms turned upward. The hands lie just below the navel with the bend of each wrist pressed against the thigh. This arm position provides firm bracing for the upper body. Don't tighten your neck muscles. Relax your arms. Your diaphragm is held relaxed, expanded to maximum fullness. Don't let tension build up in the stomach area. Your chin is up. Your eyes can be open or closed. If you keep them open, fix them on the tip of your nose or in the middle distance straight in front. You are not looking at anything. You are just putting your eyes in some arbitrary direction where there is nothing in particular to see, so that you can forget about vision. Don't strain. Don't stiffen and don't be rigid. Relax; let the body be natural and supple. Let it hang from the erect spine like a rag doll.

在上述姿势中,双掌掌心向上作杯状重叠,然后置于脐下与二大腿之间,两腕微弯,轻轻按住大腿,这样子的手臂姿势能对上身提供稳固的支撑。不可绷紧颈部肌肉,让手臂肌肉放松,也让横隔膜放松,令之可作最大程度的扩展,胃部周围也不要紧张,下颚轻微朝上,眼睛可张开或闭合。如果保持张开,就要凝视鼻端或前面中等距离的地方,你不要望住任何东西,只把目光朝着前面没有什么特别要看的地方,做到视而不见即可。不可使劲绷紧、不可僵硬,要放松,让身体自然、柔软,就像布娃娃垂挂在竖直的脊骨上一样。

Half and full lotus positions are the traditional meditation postures in asia. And the full lotus is considered the best. It is the most solid by far. Once you are locked into this position, you can be completely immovable for a very long period. Since it requires a considerable flexibility in the legs, not everybody can do it. Besides, the main criterion by which you choose a posture for yourself is not what others say about it. It is your own comfort. Choose a position which allows you to sit the longest without pain, without moving. Experiment with different postures. The tendons will loosen with practice. And then you can work gradually towards the full lotus.

在亚洲,半莲花式和全莲花式是传统的禅修坐姿,全莲花式被认为是最好的,因为至今它还是最稳固的,一旦你锁定在这个姿势,就可长时间全然不动地坐着。由于它要腿部有相当的柔软度,不是每一个人都可以做到的,况且,替自己选取合适坐姿的标准,不在乎别人的评价,要自己感到舒适才行。应选一个你最能久坐不痛、亦不会移动的姿势,可尝试不同的姿势后才作选择。随着修习,筋腱是会慢慢变松的,不久之后,你就可试坐全莲花式的姿势了。


Using A Chair

利用椅子

Sitting on the floor may not be feasible for you because of pain or some other reason. No problem. You can always use a chair instead. Pick one that has a level seat, a straight back and no arms. It is best to sit in such a way that your back does not lean against the back of the chair. The front of the seat should not dig into the underside of your thighs. Place your legs side by side,feet flat on the floor. As with the traditional postures, place both hands on your lap, cupped one upon the other. Don't tighten your neck or shoulder muscles, and relax your arms. Your eyes can be open or closed.

由于疼痛或其他原因,要你坐在地上,或许是不行的。没问题,你可以利用椅子。所用的椅子不要扶手,坐面要平,椅背要直,坐下后背部不要靠着椅背,坐面前沿不可压住你的大腿下部,两腿平列,脚掌要平放地上,如同传统的坐姿一样,手心向上重叠后要放在大腿前部及脐下,不可令颈部及肩膀肌肉紧张,放松手臂,眼睛可张开或闭合。

In all the above postures, remember your objectives. You want to achieve a state of complete physical stillness, yet you don't want to fall asleep. Recall the analogy of the muddy water. You want to promote a totally settled state of the body which will engender a corresponding mental settling. There must also be a state of physical alertness which can induce the kind of mental clarity you seek. So experiment. Your body is a tool for creating desired mental states. Use it judiciously.

在上述所有姿势中,你都要清楚自己的目的── 你要身体达致完全安静而又不会昏沉。还记得第五章提过的那杯泥水比喻吗?你想安静身体,好让心灵也可安静下来。不过,身体亦须处于警觉状态,心才可达致清明的。因此,实践吧!身体是创造理想心灵状态的一个工具,明智地善用它吧!


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