2-1-1-3. Teachings Outside of Buddhism 教外之教导

There were many sects in India: some sects taught to lie roasting on fire so that defilements would dry up, some taught to lie on thorns to endure through the pain and torment that resulted from that, in order to get rid of defilements. Some sects taught to give up everything including clothes, a practice known as naked asceticism so as to induce the feeling that there is no self, no shame. It was believed that defilements would be dissolved that way.

在印度有许多教派：有些教派教人躺在火上烘烤，以为这样可以把烦恼蒸干，有些，教人躺在棘刺上，忍受那种疼痛和折磨，以此来去除烦恼；有些教派舍弃所有东西——包括衣服，这种叫做裸形苦行外道，他们藉此引发一种无我、无羞耻感，并相信这么做就可以解除烦恼。

Altogether, there were many sects; but none of them could eliminate the defilements. This matter can easily be proven, as it is said that lying roasting on fire and drinking hot water will result in the heat burning off the defilements. In the old days, in the villages, when a woman gave birth, she would be laid down roasting above a fire and given hot water to drink. But the woman would still have defilements, showing that this sect din not achieve results. As for the sect that would have its followers give up everything and go naked, just look at a baby not wearing clothes. It still has moods and feelings; as soon as someone talks nicely, it laughs. And when someone scolds, it cries, whether naked or clothed. This shows that defilements are not in the body; they are in the mind. Therefore, to practice Dhamma we have to practice at the mind. I will tell you so you'll understand.

总而言之，印度有许多教派，但没有一个能灭除烦恼，这点很容易就可以证明。比如他们说：「躺在火上烘烤和喝热水可以生起热力烧尽烦恼。」在古代乡下地方，当妇女要生产时，大家会将她放在火上烘烤并给她喝热水，但那妇人还是会有烦恼，这就说明了这个教派不能获得成就。至于那个教人丢弃所有东西而光着身体的教派，你只要看没穿衣服的婴儿就知道了，他们还是有情绪感受，别人跟他讲好听的话，他就笑，而当人家骂他时，他就哭，由此可知：烦恼不在身中，而在心里。因此，我们修「法」必须在心中修，是修心而非修身。我会告诉你们，你们将会了解。

I have been doing this: repeating a mantra such as Bud-dho, Samma Arahant, rising-falling, counting; 1-2-3. With these methods, one has to sit with the eyes closed and repeat a word while watching the breath, for example, saying Bud with the in-breath and dho with the out-breath. I've done quite a lot of this, but there was still satisfaction and dissatisfaction; greed, hatred and delusion didn't diminish.

我一直都这么练习：重复念着“佛-陀(Bud-Dho)、圆满-阿罗汉(Samma Arahant)”等圣号，或念“起-落”，或数“1-2-3”等。用这些方法时，必须闭着眼睛坐着，然后注意呼吸，并重复着一个字句，例如：吸气时念“佛”，吐气时念“陀”。这些我修了很多，但还是有喜恶爱憎的分别心，而且贪、瞋、痴并没有减少。

This kind of practice is called tranquility-meditation. Tranquility-meditation is not more than means to make the mind peaceful, but it is peace under the influence of delusion. It's just like putting a rock on top of grass: as long as the rock is on top of the grass, the grass can't grow: but when the rock is removed, the grass grows just as before, or maybe even more vigorously than before. It is true that there is no Lobha, Dosa & Moha when we're sitting alone, with the eyes closed; but as soon as we go back into society, like and dislike are born again. This is how it is! Going off to stay in a cave in a forest or the mountains, cannot extinguish suffering, just because of going to stay there. At first, I did it like that also.

这种修行称为止禅，止禅只是一种让心平静的方法，但这还是一种带有无明的平静，就像大石压草，石头压在草上，草就不能生长，但是一除去石头，那草又会像以前那样生长，或甚至比以前更茂盛。没错！当我们闭眼坐着的时候的确没有贪、瞋、痴，但是当我们回到社会上，喜恶爱憎的分别心又生起来了，这种方法就是这样！远离尘嚣而跑到洞穴、森林或山中，不会只因为待在那里就能灭苦，早先我就是那么做的。