Failure to Meditate on Flavour While Tasting

在尝时未能观照味

“Rasam bhotvā sati mutthā,
piyam nimittam manasi karoto.
Sārattacitto vedeti, tañca ajjhossa titthati.”

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

“尝到味，失去正念。作意味的可意相，他感受到贪着的侵袭，努力地粘着味。”

Few people ever meditate on eating and taste. Ordinary lay people are quite unaware of this meditation practice. Even learned persons do not pay heed to it, assuming that as one gets the flavour of food as it is taken, there is no need to note it with mindfulness. This amounts to irreverence to the teachings of insight meditation. Others go so far as to say that meditating on taste is a sheer waste of time. Eating, they say, should be done quickly so that more time can be devoted to meditation.

很少人曾经观照过吃和味道。普通世俗人几乎不知道这项禅修练习。甚至博学的人都没留意它，他们以为，获取到所吃食物的味道时，没必要去正念地注意它。这等于不尊重内观禅修的教导。其他人走得更远，说观照味道纯粹是浪费时间，他们说，应该尽快吃完，这样才有更多的时间来开展禅修。

The majority of meditators are guilty of unmindfulness in eating. Once they fail to note the flavour as they take food, they lose mindfulness and become attached to it. That means they cherish the desire, and enjoy the pleasure of eating.

多数的禅修者对吃东西时失去正念这点自觉心虚。一旦他们在吃食物时没有注意味道，他们就失去正念，执着于它。那意味着他们培育欲念，在享受吃的快乐。

All food and comestibles are prepared to be delicious. When lay people offer food to the monks, they take special care to make the food appealing to the palate. This shows how much importance people give to flavour. I remember an observation made by a Sayādaw in Moulmein. He once taught one of his devotees that it was usual for monks to partake of food with mindfulness that disregards the flavour, as if what is delicious was repugnant. This drew a protest from the devotee who said, “Venerable sir! It is most improper that you should view the delicious dishes that I have prepared for you enjoyment as repugnant.” It was quite logical for him to say so, because food for the monks is usually prepared by donors so that the recipients could eat them with relish. Here, the preparation of delicious food is the responsibility of the donor, but monks should contemplate all food as repugnant so that defilements cannot overwhelm them.

所有的食物和吃的都准备成美味。世俗人在提供食物给比库时，他们特别有心地准备食物，让食物吸引人的味觉。这显示人们是多么地重视味道。我记得毛淡棉一位西亚多的观察。他曾经教导一名信众说，比库带有正念地进食，不重视它的味道，就好像美味不好吃，这是正常的事情。这句话引来了该信众的抗议，他说，“尊者！你把我准备给你享用的美味食物看成不好吃的东西，这是很不合适的。”他这样说是很合情理的，因为准备给比库的食物通常是由布施者准备的，所以接受者应该津津有味地享用它们。(但是)这里，准备美味的食物是布施者的责任，但是比库应该观照所有食物，就如同观照不可意物一样，这样烦恼才无法战胜他们。

The monastic training requires that monks eat, reflecting wisely. Unlike lay people, monks should take food, not for enjoyment, nor for indulgence, nor for physical development, nor for fattening, but just to maintain the body, for supporting the holy life, to quench the pains of hunger and thirst, so that they can effectively pursue the practice of meditation. If one can practise meditation on the repulsiveness of food (āhāre patikkūlasaññā), it is all the more commendable. Regarding this please see the Visuddhimagga [Vism. 341]. However, for our purposes it will be best to follow the method of Satipatthāna.

寺院的训练要求比库们吃时要智慧地省思。不像世俗人，比库进食，不是为了享受，不是为了满足，不是为了身体发育，不是为了长肥，只是为了支持神圣的修行，止息饥饿和口渴的痛苦，如此，他们才能有效地从事禅修的训练。如果你能修习食厌想(āhāre patikkūlasaññā)，是更值得称赞的。关于食厌想，请看《清净道论》[Vism. 341]。不过，基于我们的目的，按照念处的方法来修习是最好的。

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

“A multitude of passions such as covetousness and rage, springing from flavours, 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，因为味的触发而生起，折磨牢固地抓取味的人，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。”

No elaboration is needed beyond the fact that odour is here to be substituted by flavour.

这里不需要再详细的解释，因为只是把香替换成了味。

There are three basic necessities of life - food, clothing, and shelter. The world is teeming with millions of hungry people. The search for food is a great burden to them. People go all out to get it. In the struggle for a living, some grab what they want by all means, whether fair or foul, and anger is aroused when they encounter competition or opposition from rivals for the same food. The result is trouble for everyone. All these troubles stem from the development of desire and attachment due to failing to meditate; in this case on taste. When one is overpowered by defilements, one becomes tormented by kamma and its results, which brings about the round of suffering.

有三种生活的必需品-食物，衣物，还有庇护所。这个世界充满数百万饥饿的人。对食物的寻求对他们来说是种负担。人们全部外出获取食物。在为生计的努力中，一些人为了夺取他们要想的，不惜使用任何手段，不管是干净的还是肮脏的，当他们遇到对同一食物的竞争或竞争对手，嗔恚心就生了起来。对每个人来说，结果就是烦恼。所有这些从欲念和执着的发展中滋生出来的烦恼，都是因为未能禅修造成。对于味道这种情况，某人被烦恼打败后，他就要被导致苦的轮转的业和业报所折磨。

Most people do not care to meditate when eating. It is habitual for them to be unmindful when eating, and this habit becomes hardened. In that case they are accumulating suffering, which burns like fire for many lives to come.

很多人在吃东西时没有注意观照。他们习惯于吃的时候没有正念，然后这个习惯继续得到加强。在那种情况下，他们是正在积聚苦，这种像火一样燃烧的苦，还要燃烧未来很多次的生命。