The Spiral of Virtue, Concentration and Wisdom

　　戒、定、慧的螺旋

The Buddha taught a way out of suffering-the causes of suffering and a practical path. In my practice, I just know this simple path-good in the beginning as virtue, good in the middle as concentration, good in the end as wisdom. If you carefully consider these three, you will see that they actually merge into one.
 
　　佛陀教导离苦之道──苦的起因和实际的方法。我们的修行中，我只晓得这条单纯的道路──庄严的开始是戒，在庄严的中间是定，庄严的结尾是慧。如果你仔细地思考这三者：戒、定、慧三学，你将会了解它们实际上是一体的。

Let us then consider these three related factors. How does one practice virtue? Actually, in developing virtue, one must begin with wisdom. Traditionally, we speak of keeping precepts, establishing virtue, first. Yet for virtue to be complete, there must be wisdom to understand the full implications of virtue. To start, you must examine your body and speech, investigating the process of cause and effect. If you contemplate body and speech to see in what ways they can cause harm, you will begin to understand, control, and purify both cause and effect.

　　让我们想想这三种相关的要素吧!我们是如何修习戒的呢?事实上，在增长戒德当中，必须先由智慧开始。通常，我们说：守持戒律、建立戒德：然而，要使戒德达到圆满，就必须要有智慧去了解戒德的完整含义。开始时，你必须观察你的身和口，并去审视因果的过程。如果你去思惟(观)身和口，以了解它们在什　方式不会造成伤害，你就会开始了解、控制和净化因果。

If you know the characteristics of what is skilful and unskilful in physical and verbal behaviour, you already see where to practice in order to give up what is unskilful and do what is good. When you give up wrong and set yourself right, the mind becomes firm, unswerving, concentrated. This concentration limits wavering and doubt as to body and speech. With the mind collected, when forms or sounds come, you can contemplate and see them clearly. By not letting your mind wander, you will see the nature of all experiences according to the truth. When this knowledge is continuous, wisdom arises.

　　如果你知道身体和言语的善与不善性质，你就已经了解该从何著手，方能舍弃不善的，而去做善的。如果你舍弃错误的而自己做得正，心就会变得坚定、不动摇、专一。这种“定”限制了身、口的动摇和怀疑。心专注时，碰到形色和声音时，你就可以去思惟(观)并看清它们。由於不让心动摇，你将可以如实地看清所有经验的本然。当这种觉知相续不断时，智慧就生起了。

Virtue, concentration, and wisdom, then, can be taken together as one. When they mature, they become synonymous-that is the Noble Path. When greed, hatred, and delusion arise, only this Noble Path is capable of destroying them.

　　因此，戒、定、慧可以视为一体。当它们成熟时，便是同义了──也就是“圣道”。当贪、嗔、痴生起时，只有此圣道才能摧毁它们。

Virtue, concentration, and wisdom can be developed in support of each other, then, like a spiral ever revolving, relying on sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and mind objects. Then whatever arises, Path is always in control. If Path is strong, it destroys the defilements-greed, hatred, and ignorance. If it is' weak, mental defilements can gain control, killing this mind of ours. Sights, sounds, and so on arise, and not knowing the truth of them, we allow them to destroy us.

　　戒、定和慧可以在彼此相辅之下增长，就如同螺旋状地依著色、声、香、味、触和法一直向上回旋。如此一来，无论什　生起，“道”永远在控制中。“道”如果强，就能够摧毁烦恼(杂染)──贪、嗔、痴。“道”如果微弱，心的烦恼(杂染)就会夺得控制权，然後杀死我们的心。如果色、声等等生起，我们却不知其真相，我们就是在让它们摧毁我们。

Path and defilement walk side by side in this way. The student of Dharma must always contend with both of them, as if there were two persons fighting. When the Path takes control, it strengthens awareness and contemplation. If you are able to remain aware, defilement will admit defeat when it enters the contest again. If your effort is straight on the Path, it keeps destroying defilement. But if you are weak, when Path is weak, defilement takes over, bringing grasping, illusion, and sorrow. Suffering arises when virtues, concentration, and wisdom are weak.

　　“道”与烦恼(杂染)是如此的并肩而行。学法的人必须永远在这两者间搏斗──就好像两个人在打斗一般。当“道”得势时，觉醒及思惟(观)就会增强。如果你能够保持觉醒，当烦恼(杂染)再次进入战场时，它就会认输。如果你的力量放在“道”上，它就会继续不断地摧毁烦恼(杂染)。但如果你很薄弱，“道”也微弱时，烦恼(杂染)就会取而代之，继而引来执著、愚痴、悲哀。当戒、定、慧微弱无力时，苦就会生起。

Once suffering has arisen, that which could have extinguished these sorrows has vanished. Only virtue, concentration, and wisdom can cause Path to arise again. When these are developed, the Path starts functioning continuously, destroying the cause for the arising of suffering in each moment and each situation. This struggle continues until one side conquers, and the matter can be brought to an end. Thus, I advise practicing unceasingly.

　　一旦苦生起，那些本来可以灭苦的东西(戒、定、慧)就消失了。唯有戒、定、慧才能使“道”再次生起。当戒、定、慧增长时，“道”又会继续不断地进行摧毁每一刻、每一个情况下造成苦生起的原因的工作。这种挣扎会持续到一方被征服为止，事情就解决了。因此，我建议你们要不停地修行。

Practice-begins here and now. Suffering and liberation, the entire Path, are here and now. The teachings, words like virtue and wisdom, only point to the mind. But these two elements, Path and defilement, compete in the mind all the way to the end of the Path. Therefore, applying the tools of practice is burdensome, difficult-you must rely on endurance, patience, and proper effort. Then true understanding will come about on its own.

　　修行是从此时此地开始，若和解脱及整个“道”都在此时此地。像戒、定、慧等教义，只指著心；但这两个互相竞争的元素──“道”及“烦恼”，会在心理不断搏斗，直到“道”的尽头。因此，运用修行法门是很累人、很困难的──你必须依靠毅力、耐力，以及正精进。那么，真正的领悟自然会生起。

Virtue, concentration, and wisdom together constitute the Path. But this Path is not yet the true teaching, not what the teacher actually wanted, but merely the Path that will take one there. For example, say you traveled the road from Bangkok to WatBa Pong; the road was necessary for your journey, but you were seeking the monastery, not the road. In the same way, we can say that virtue, concentration, and wisdom are outside the truth of the Buddha but are the road that leads to this truth. When you have developed these three factors, the result is the most wonderful peace. In this peace, sights or sounds have no power to disturb the mind. There is nothing at all left to be done. Therefore, the Buddha says to give up whatever you are holding on to, without anxiety. Then you can know this peace for yourself and will no longer need to believe anyone else. Ultimately, you will come to experience the Dharma of the Noble Ones.

　　戒、定、慧一起构成了“道”，但这个“道”还不是真正的教导，不是老师所期望的，它只是会导引人至目的地的道路。例如说：你走在从曼谷到巴蓬寺的路上，路对你的旅程而言定必须的，但你是在寻找寺院，而不是道路。同样的道理，我们可以说戒、定、慧是佛陀真理的外壳，但却只是引导我们到真理的道路。当你已增长这三个因素时，其结果便是最美妙的平静。在这平静中，声音、形色已没有干扰这颗心的能力了；也没有残留任何事物要完成。因此，佛陀说：毫无牵挂地放下你所执著的一切，那　，你就可以亲自体会这平静，而不再须要去相信其他人。最後，你将体会到圣者的“法”。

However, do not try to measure your development quickly. Just practice. Otherwise, whenever the mind becomes calm, you will ask, "Is this it?" As soon as you think like this, the whole effort is lost. There are no signs to attest to your progress, like the one that says, "This is the path to WatBa Pong." Just throw away all desires and expectations and look directly at the ways of the mind.

　　然而，不要太快去衡量你的进展。只管修行，不然，每当心静下来时，你就会问：“是这个吗?”只要你一这样想，所有的努力都白费了。在修行道上并没有一个说明“这是往巴蓬寺的路”的指标，来为你的过程证明，只管丢掉所有欲望和期待，直接地去看著心。