Forget About Time

　　忘却了时间

We tend to complicate our meditation. For example, when we sit, we may determine, "Yes, I'm really going to do it this time." But that is not the right attitude; nothing will be accomplished that day. Such grasping is natural at first. Some nights, when I would start to sit, I would think, "OK, tonight I won't get up from my seat until 1:00 A.M., at the earliest." But before long, my mind would start to kick and rebel until I felt that I would die. What is the point in that?

　　我们都喜欢把禅坐复杂化。例如：我们坐里时，曾下定决心：“好，这次我真的要做到。”不过，这并不是正确的态度──那是不会有任何结果的。这种执取起初是很自然的。有时，夜晚，我要开始坐禅时，我会想：“好，今夜，至少一定要坐到一点钟，不然我绝不起坐。”但过了不久以後，我的心就已经开始踢我、反叛我，直到我觉得几乎快死掉为止。那有什么意思呢?

When you are sitting properly, there is no need to measure or compel. There is no goal, no point to attain. Whether you sit until 7:00 or 8:00 or 9:00 P.M., never mind. Just keep sitting without concern. Do not force yourself. Do not be compulsive. Do nut command your heart to do things for certain, for this command will make things all the less certain. Let your mind be at ease, let your breath be even, normal, not short or long or any special way. Let your body be comfortable. Practice steadily and continuously. Desire will ask you, "How late will we go? How long will we practice?" Just shout at it, "Hey, don't bother me!" Keep quelling it, because it is only defilement coming to disturb you. Just say, "If I want to stop early or late, it's not wrong; if I want to sit all night, who am I hurting? Why do you come and disturb me?" Cut off desire, and keep sitting in your own way. Let your heart be at ease, and you will become tranquil, free from the power of grasping.

　　当你坐得正确时，就不需去衡量或强迫。禅坐是没有目标、没有可达到的境地的。不论你坐到晚上七点、八点或九点，都不要紧，只要无　碍地坐就好。不要去强迫你自己，不要去强制，不要去命令你的心一定要去做某些事，因为这个命令反会造成事情更不一定。让你的心放轻松，让你的呼吸均匀、正常、不短也不长、也不特别；让你的身体轻松自在。稳定而持续地修行。欲望会问你：“我们要坐多晚？我们要修行多久?”只要对它喊：“嘿，别千扰我!”不断地对治它，因为来干扰你的只是烦恼罢了。只要说：“如果我早或晚停止修行，都没有错；如果我要坐整夜，我又伤害到谁？你们为何要来千扰我呢？”斩断欲望吧!然後继续保持你的方向，让你的心处於安定中，那　，你就会平静下来了──解脱了执取的力量。

Some people sit in front of a lighted incense stick and vow to sit until it has burned down. Then they keep peeking to see how far it has burned, constantly concerned with the time. "Is it over yet?" they ask. Or they vow to push beyond or die, and then feel terribly guilty when they stop only one hour later. These people are controlled by desire.

　　有些人坐在一柱香前面，发誓要坐到香烧尽为止，於是他们便不断地窥视香烧到哪里，不断地在注意时间。他们问：“结束了没有?”或者他们发誓要突破或死，到头来，反而为自己只坐了一个小时而感到非常罪恶。这些人都被欲望所控制。

Do not pay attention to the time. Just maintain your practice at a steady pace, letting it progress gradually. You do not need to make vows. Just keep striving to train yourself, just do your practice and let the mind become calm of itself. Eventually, you will find that you can sit a long time at your ease, practicing correctly.

　　不要去在意时间，只要让你的修行保持稳定的速度，让它逐渐地成长。不需要去发誓，只要不断努力地去训练你自己，修你的行，让心自己平静下来。最後，你会发现，你可以轻轻松松地坐上很长的一段时间，也可以正确地修行。

As to pain in the legs, you will find that it goes away by itself. Just stay with your contemplation.

　　当腿疼痛时，你曾发现它会自己消失。只要安住在你的思惟(观)当中。

If you practice in this way, a change will take place in you. When you go to sleep, you will be able to settle your mind into calmness and sleep. Formerly, you may have snored, talked in your sleep, gnashed your teeth, or tossed and turned. Once your heart has been trained, all of that will vanish. Although you will sleep soundly, you will awaken refreshed instead of sleepy. The body will rest, but the mind will be awake day and night. This is Buddho, the one who knows, the Awakened One, the Happy One, the Brilliant One. This one does not sleep, does not feel drowsy. If you make your heart and mind firm like this in your practice, you may not sleep for two or three days, and when you get sleepy, you can enter samadhi for five or ten minutes and arise refreshed, as if you had slept all night long. At this point, you need not think about your body, although with compassion and understanding, you will still consider its needs.

　　如果你如此地修行，你就会有所改变。你去睡觉的时候，你会有能力将你的心放入平静中而入睡。从前，你可能会打呼，说梦话、磨牙齿、翻来覆去。一旦你的心受过了训练，这一切都会消失。虽然你会睡得很熟，但是，你不但不会昏沉，反而会非常清醒。身体会休息，可是心将昼夜都保持觉醒。这就是“逋哆”──觉知者、觉醒者、欢喜者、光明者。这位觉知者是不会睡觉、不会昏沉的。如果你使你的心在修行中如此的稳固，你大概可以两三天不睡觉，而当你疲惫时，你可以进入三摩地五或十分钟，然後就恢复体力了──就好像你已睡了整晚一样。在这时候，你不需在意你的身体，因为有慈悲与领悟，所以你还是会照料身体的所需的。