Meditating on Flavour Brings Nibbāna Near

观照味，涅槃近前

“Na so rajjati rasesu, rasam bhotvā patissato;
Virattacitto vedeti, tañca nājjhossa titthati.”

“Passion remains undeveloped in him who recollects with mindfulness the flavour that he has tasted. Thus freed from lust, he refuses to imbibe it.”

“他忆持正念地尝所尝之味，染着便不会生起。因此从贪着解脱，他不会粘着于味。”

This is a clear instruction to the meditator to apply the principle of insight meditation to the phenomenon of tongue-consciousness, as soon as the food is tasted. It does not say that the flavour one has never experienced should be noted with mindfulness. I will give you an example to show how to meditate on it.

这是一条清晰的指导，禅修者应该应用内观禅修的原则到舌识有关的现象上，就在尝到食物的那个时刻。它不是说，应该正念注意某人从未体验到的美味。我给出一个例子来说明如何观照进食。

When a monk sits before a table and sees the food, he notes the phenomenon of seeing. As he raises his hand to pick up the food, he notes the raising of the hand. As he takes a morsel of food in his hand, he notes that he is taking it. As he brings it towards his mouth, he notes that he is bringing it. As it touches his mouth, he notes the touching. As he opens his mouth, puts the food in, closes his mouth, brings his hand down, touches the plate with his hand, and meanwhile chews the food, he notes each of these actions. As his hands move and he chews the food, he is conscious of the element of motion operating. If his hand touches hot food, he is aware of the element of heat. When he tastes sweet or sour on the tongue, he notes the flavour. As he is thus noting all the phenomena connecting with eating or tasting, he dispels desire for food, and eventually all lust for it. When his concentration gets stronger, he knows the flavour only as flavour and nothing more. It does not occur to him that a particular dish of chicken curry is delicious. It means that he has abandoned the pleasurable object of taste, and thus he eradicates defilements.

一名比库在桌子前坐下来时，看到食物，他注意正在看的现象。举起手去拿食物，注意手正在举起的动作。手拿食物，注意正在拿。往嘴边取回食物，注意正在取回。食物接触到嘴，注意接触。张开嘴，放进食物，合上嘴，放下手，手接触到盘子，同时咀爵食物，注意这些动作的每一个。在手移动和咀爵食物时，觉知动作运动的元素。如果手碰到热的食物，警觉于热的元素。舌头尝到甜或酸，注意味道。如果这样地注意和吃或尝有关的所有现象，就能清除对食物的欲念，最终对食物的所有贪爱都被清除。定力增强后，就能仅仅是依据味道来了知味道，再无其他。他不会想起，某盘鸡肉咖哩饭是美味的。这意味着，他已经舍弃品尝的美味对象，然后因此清除了烦恼。

The experience of meditators at Mahāsī Yeikthā bears this out. When a meditator eats, he becomes conscious of the fragrant smell and sweet taste that the food generates. However, as soon as he comes to know the phenomena of smell, taste, and the nose and tongue-consciousness, and the mind that notes this, they dissolve away. Under these circumstances, lust has no chance to assert itself, for the meditator cognises flavour just as flavour and nothing more. Some meditators say as they were noting the phenomenon of tasting, they failed to recognise what kind of food they had been given. This is quite possible. For, in the absence of desire and attachment, no pleasure can be derived from the food taken. Where there is no attachment, one does not take a firm hold of feeling, as if one is going to devour it.

在Mahāsī Yeikthā的禅修者的经验证实了这点。一位禅修者进食时，他发现那食物产生的香的气味和甜的味道。然而，一旦他开始觉知气味、味道、鼻识和舌识、还有观察的心等现象，这些现象就消逝掉。在这些情况下，贪爱没有机会声明自己，因为禅修者只是依照味道认知味道，再无其他。一些禅修者说，他们正在注意尝的现象时，无法识别给予的是哪类食物。这是很有可能的。因为没有了贪爱和执着，没有快乐能从所取食物产生。那里没有了执着，他就不会紧紧抓住感受，就好像要把它吞下去似的。

“Yathāssa sāyarato rasam, sevato cāpi vedanam;
Khīyati nopacīyati, evam so caratī sato.
Evam apacinato dukkham, santike nibbāna vuccati.”

“Tasting a flavour, a meditator just tastes it and just feels that he tastes it, without conceptualising it. With this, suffering ceases. One who practises in this way is said to be near to nibbāna.”

“尝到所尝之味时，禅修者只是尝味，只是感受他尝味，没有构想味的概念。如此，苦熄灭。用这种方式禅修的人，我说，他倾近于涅槃。”

A meditator eats and tastes the food just like anyone else, but does not indulge in the flavour, so does not commit wholesome or unwholesome deeds in relation to the flavour. It means that tasting cannot lead to kamma formations and their results. Without them no new becoming can arise, and there will be an end to the round of suffering.

禅修者像其他任何人一样吃和尝食物，但是他没有沉迷于味道，所以没有造作和味道有关的善或不善行(注1)。这意味着品尝无法导致业行和业报。没有了业和业报，新的生命就无法生起，那里将是苦的轮转的尽头。

(译注1：这里容易误解，它并不是在否定善行。马哈希尊者在《涅槃的特性》中反复强调要行善，因为行善有助于证悟，只是阿罗汉的“善”业是唯作、无效的，因为阿罗汉根除了烦恼，并不会导致业和业报。)

The doctrine of dependent origination says, “Vedanā paccayā tanhā - feeling begets craving.” However, as no craving arises when the feeling has subsided, clinging does not result, and defilements, kamma and its results become inoperative. Since the causes of suffering are eliminated, a meditator who is steadfast in the practice of insight meditation, attains momentary bliss (tadanga nibbāna), when peace is established for the duration of the elimination of defilements. This can eventually lead to the fulfilment of the Noble Path and its Fruition.

缘起的教义说，“Vedanā paccayā tanhā – 受缘爱”。然而，因为感受灭去后渴爱没有生起，执取和烦恼不会出现，业和业报都成为无效。因为苦的原因被消除，坚定练习内观禅修的禅修者，寂静在烦恼被消除的期间建立起来，此时他达到瞬间安乐(tadanga nibbāna，一向涅槃)。这能最终圆满圣道和道果。