[清净是至高无上的囚牢]

Purity is the Highest Prison

接下来我们要谈一种奇妙且不可思议的囚牢，可以称为“至高无上的囚牢”。也就是一般所谓的“清净”( visuddhi )。巴利文 visuddhi 这个字很难翻译，一般人把它翻译成“天真无邪”( innocence )，有时也称为“纯洁”( purity )， 但是人们从来不知道他们所说的“天真无邪”及“纯洁”究竟是什么。人们紧紧地执著崇拜清净，并拿它来到处炫耀、竞争，吹嘘自己是多么地清净。但是假如当中有了执著，那只是透过执著而产生的清净，不是真正的清净，只是假相的清净罢了。例如：必须要经过洗浴、念咒、涂油、洒净、占卜等，或任何为了使自己清净所做出的许多仪式，这些都是存有执著的清净。透过执著而来的清净就是囚牢，请不要迷失，而禁锢在“清净”的囚牢中。这是非常可悲的事，愈执著自我，便愈执著于清净，请务必小心！某些宗教甚至教导永恒的清净，在永恒的清净中有个恒常的自我，于是产生永恒的囚牢，这完全是因执著于清净而使自己陷入永恒的囚牢之中。

Next we come to a prison which is really strange and marvelous; you could call it the "highest prison." The highest prison is what they call "innocence" or "purity." It's difficult to understand exactly what they mean by these words. We hear all kinds of talk about innocence and purity, but people never seem to know what they're talking about. This purity is clung to and attached to, is regarded as this and that, is worshipped, is used for show and competition, is for boasting all over how pure "I am." But if there's upadana it's all just purity through upadana, not genuine purity. There are many forms of purity that are assumed out of clinging, such as, needing to take baths; making incantations; being anointed, sprinkled, or dowsed with who knows what; or any of the myriad rituals and ceremonies done for "purity." This purity is pure upadana, and purity through attachment is a prison. Please don't get lost and end up in the prison named "purity."

请注意，这是最后一个囚牢。想逃脱、突破这清净的囚牢，必须要空掉自我，全然没有自我，才是真正的清净。不管从那一方面来看，真正永恒的清净绝不可能是囚牢，除非人们误解它，并执著它而产生自我，才会让清净变成了囚牢。让我们毫不犹疑地从自我中全然超脱，这才是真正的清净，而不是囚牢。

It's something pitiful to see. Clinging to self so much, then attaching to purity just as much, some religious creeds even go so far as to teach some perpetual purity as some eternal soul dwelling in some eternity, or some such thing. The whole thing comes from grasping and clinging to purity through upadana until one is caught in an eternal prison. It just ends up an eternal prison.