Failure to Meditate on Contact While Touching

在触时未能观照触

“Phassam phussa sati mutthā,
piyam nimittam manasi karoto.
Sārattacitto vedeti, tañca ajjhossa titthati.”

“Having felt a touch, one loses mindfulness. Getting involved in the attraction of it, one feels the onset of desire that tries to imbibe it.”

“触到触，失去正念。作意触的可意相，他感受到贪着的侵袭，努力地粘着触。”

Tactile sensations arise everywhere in the body. When a living body touches an inanimate object, sensations arise. When the limbs touch one another, the same happens. These are external sensations. There are also internal sensations, which often pass unnoticed. For instance, we are usually unaware of the fact that blood comes into contact with muscular tissues embedded in the body. Those unaccustomed to mindfulness cannot take full note of the external sensations, let alone the internal ones. So when you practise meditation casually, you are liable to be forgetful of the Dhamma, and will be aware of beauty when you see it. It is natural to hanker after pleasurable sense-objects; and when they are found you forget to note the arising and passing away of the aggregates. At times you may feel repugnant to disagreeable sights that you see or disturbing sounds that you hear. This also makes you forgetful of the Dhamma.

身触在身体的各个部位生起。有生命的身体接触到没生命的对象，感受就生起。肢体相互接触，同样会发生。还有内部感受，它们常常被忽略没注意到。比如，我们常常没有注意到血液和身体内含的肌肉组织的碰触。那些不习惯保持正念的人没有能力完全地注意外部的感受，更别说内部的了。所以如果你只是偶尔练习禅修，你很可能就忘记了法。如果你忘记了要注意五蕴的生灭，发现了可意的感官对象就去追求它们，这是自然的事情。有时你或许会看到不愉快的景象或听到烦扰的声音而感到不乐。这也会使你忘记法。

The five constituents of pleasure invite the defilements for unmindful persons. Their way of life is geared to the enjoyment of pleasure. When they sleep on soft beds, they feel comfortable. The latest fashions give them luxurious feelings of touch. Even when doing their daily exercise routine for health they are doing so delighting in the thought that it will contribute to sensual enjoyment and beauty. All these delights and pleasures are the product of their surroundings, which worship the five constituents of the senses. They generate defilements. Nibbāna remains remote from those with a liking for defilements. Hence the following stanza:

这五组享乐替失去正念的人邀请烦恼。他们的生活方式和快乐的享受连接在一起。睡在柔软的床上时，他们感觉舒适。最新的款式带来触觉上的奢华感受。甚至在日常锻炼身体时，锻炼得这么高兴，以致脑子里面想到这将会给肉欲享受和美人带来帮助。所有这些快乐和愉快都是他们环境的产物，他们生活在崇拜五组感官的环境里。他们制造烦恼。涅槃远离那些喜好烦恼的人。因此有下面的行：

“Tassa vaddhanti vedanā, anekā phassasambhavā;
Abhijjhā ca vihesā ca, cittmassūpahaññati.
Evamācinato dukkham, ārā nibbāna vuccati.”

“A multitude of passions such as covetousness and rage, springing from contact, torments one who takes a firm hold of it, with the result that his mind becomes burdened with vexation. Therefore, nibbāna remains remote from one who would rather carry the burden of suffering than practise meditation.”

“许多染着，比如贪婪与恼怒，因为触的触发而生起，折磨牢固地抓取触的人，导致他的心负担着苦恼。因此，涅槃停驻在宁愿承受苦的重担也不练习禅修的人的远方。”

All that has been said about seeing, hearing, etc., applies to touching. What should be emphasised as before is the fact that by bowing to the wishes of the defilements one accumulates a mass of suffering, which keeps one remote from nibbāna.

所有关于看、听等等所说的，也适用于触。如同之前，强调的是一个事实，给烦恼的愿望鞠躬，他就积聚起大量的苦，苦让他远离涅槃。