III. Drift in Past Saṃsāra Because of Unstable Mind

III. 因为不稳定的心，过去世在轮回中漂流

Here, for ordinary householders, practising for spiritual success means firmly establishing oneself in morality with right livelihood as the eighth precept (ājīvaṭṭhamakasīla), [1] and assiduously practising mindfulness of the body (kāyagatā-sati), tranquillity meditation (samatha-kammaṭṭhāna), and insight meditation (vipassanā-kammaṭṭhāna) within this lifetime, while one is yet in possession of the difficult achievements of obtaining a human birth and encountering the Buddha-sāsana.

今生再生为人并遇到佛法，这是很难得的机会，必须珍惜这个机会，修习心成就。对于普通在家人，修习心成就意味着让自己稳固确立于守持活命第八戒(ājīvaṭṭhamakasīla) [1]，和勤奋修习身念(kāyagatā-sati)、止禅(samatha-kammaṭṭhāna)、观禅(vipassanā-kammaṭṭhāna)。

Before acquiring tranquillity and insight, one must practise mindfulness of the body, which is one of the four foundations of mindfulness (satipaṭṭhāna). I shall now explain with an example why it is necessary to practise the foundations of mindfulness at the outset.

在修止和修观之前，禅修者必须修习四念处(satipaṭṭhāna)中的身念处。我现在用例子来解释，为什么在开始时修习念处是必要的。

In this world, a madman who has no control over his mind is unable to work either for his own benefit or for the benefit of others. Even when eating his meals, he is liable to upset his plate and walk away. Far is it for him to be able to concentrate on work for the benefit of others. When this mad person is properly treated, he becomes sane and stable in mind and is then able to work for both his own benefit as well as for the benefit of others, just like other normal people.

在这个世界，无法控制自己的心的疯子，他没有能力从事利益自己或他人的工作。即使在进食时，他也常常会推翻餐盘，然后跑开，更不用谈专心于利益他人的工作了。但是当疯子得到合适的治疗后，他的心就变得健全而稳定，然后就有能力从事利益自己和他人的工作，就像其他正常人一样。

Similarly, when ordinary normal persons in this world, those with ordinary sane minds, undertake the subtle work of meditation for tranquillity and insight, they resemble the mad man without control over his mind. For example, when paying respects and reverence to the Buddha, the minds of normal persons do not remain steadily and continuously concentrated on the Buddha’s noble and incomparable qualities. Even when repeating the stanza for recollection of the Buddha (iti pi so bhagavā …), their minds wander, and if they were obliged to start again from the beginning whenever their attention strayed, their task of repeating the stanza would never be successfully completed. It is only because they have committed the stanza to memory that they can repeat it to the end. The same occurs in relation to any subject of meditation. This is how ordinary persons—who are normally considered sane—are established as mad persons in the relation to the meditative development of concentration and wisdom.

类似地，这个世上的普通正常人，虽然拥有普通健全的心，但在从事止禅和观禅的精细工作时，他们无法控制他的心，就像疯子一样。例如，在礼敬佛陀时，普通人的心无法保持稳定持续地专注于佛陀神圣和殊胜的特质。即使是诵读忆念佛陀的偈颂 (iti pi so bhagavā …)，他们的心也会走神，只要他的心走神，他们只能被迫重新从头诵读。他们从来未能成功完成诵读偈颂这项任务。他们只有把经句记忆住后，才有能力把经句从头到读到尾。同样的情况发生在任何一种禅修。通常认为是健全的普通人，在修定和修慧时就像疯子一样。

Let all take heed! For in the case of such persons who have no control over their minds, far from being able to achieve the path, fruit, and Nibbāna (magga-phala-nibbāna), it is uncertain whether they can even obtain a rebirth in one of the happy worlds (sugati-loka).

大家注意！无法控制自己的心的这些人，他们远远没有能力去成就道、果、和涅槃(magga-phala-nibbāna)，甚至无法确定他们是否能再生到善趣地(sugati-loka)。

In this world, people who have no control over their legs cannot successfully perform work that requires the use of legs. People who have no control over their hands cannot successfully perform work that requires the use of hands. People who have no control over their tongues and mouths cannot successfully perform work that must be performed with their tongues and mouths. People who have no control over their minds cannot successfully perform work that must be performed with the mind. The work of meditative development is work that must be performed solely with the mind. Hence it is that worldlings, both lay and ordained, who have no control over their minds cannot successfully practise the development of meditation. Their work consists merely of imitation.

这个世界上，无法控制腿的人，就无法成功完成需要使用腿的工作。无法控制手的人，就无法成功完成需要使用手的工作。无法控制舌和口的人，就无法成功完成需要使用舌和口的工作。无法控制心的人，就无法成功完成需要使用心的工作。禅修的工作必须单独用心去完成。因此，凡夫，不管是在家人还是出家人，只要无法控制他们的心，就无法成功地练习禅修。他们的练习只不过是做样子。

Consider the case of a boatman who has not mastered the art of steering a boat floating down with the swift and strong currents of a great river, his craft filled with merchandise. During the night, he does not see the towns, havens, and anchorages that lie along the banks. During the day, although he can see the towns, havens, and anchorages, he is unable to stop and anchor at any of them because he cannot steer his boat, and thus he drifts down to the ocean looking at those towns, havens, and anchorages with longing and admiration.

思考船夫的例子。有位没有掌握开船技术的船夫，开着一艘载满货物的船在一条湍急汹涌的河流上顺流而下。在晚上，他无法看清堤岸沿途的市镇、港口、和停泊地。在白天，虽然他能看到市镇、港口、和停泊地，但是他无法停下船并停泊到任一地点，因为他无法操纵他的船，因此他一边渴望和羡慕地看着那些市镇、港口、和停泊地，一边漂流到大海。

In this example, the great river with the swift and strong currents, together with the ocean, is saṃsāra, the round of rebirths, with its four floods (ogha). The boat laden with merchandise is the aggregates (khandha) of a being. The boatman who cannot control his boat is a worldling (puthujjana). Stretches of the river lined with forests, where no towns, havens, and anchorages exist, are the world cycles where no Buddha-sāsanas appear. The period of night when the boatman cannot see the towns, havens, and anchorages may be compared to the plight of those beings who, though reborn in this world during the time of a Buddha-sāsana, nevertheless remain ignorant or unmindful of it because they happen to be in one or another of the eight inopportune places (aṭṭhakkhaṇas). [2]

在这个例子中，湍急汹涌的河流、以及海洋，比喻再生轮回(saṃsāra)及其四暴流(ogha)。装满货物的船，比喻有情的诸蕴(khandha)。无法控制船的船夫，比喻凡夫(puthujjana)。那沿途是森林，没有市镇、港口、和停泊地的河流段，比喻没有佛法出现的世界轮回。船夫无法看到市镇、港口、和停泊地的夜晚时段，比喻这种情况：有些人虽然是在佛法出现时再生于这个世界，但是他们依然没有知道、没有留意到佛法，因为他们刚好出生于八难地(aṭṭhakkhaṇas) [2]。

The period of day when the towns, havens, and anchorages can be seen, but the boatman is unable to stop and anchor at any of them because he cannot steer his boat and thus drifts down to the ocean looking at them with longing and admiration—this may be compared to the plight of those beings who, though Buddhists, do not make any effort to practise meditation and thus resemble insane persons having no control over their minds. They are unable to attain the towns, havens, and anchorages that are the absorptions achieved through tranquillity exercises (samatha-jhāna), insight knowledges (vipassanā-ñāṇa), path knowledge (magga-ñāṇa), fruition knowledge (phala-ñāṇa), and Nibbāna. Paying respects to and evoking admiration for the Three Gems (the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha), they drift without control to the world cycles devoid of a Buddha-sāsana, posing as payātagas and payā-amas (lay-donors of pagodas and shrines), as kyaungtagas and kyaungamas (lay-donors of monasteries), as dāyakas (donors) of the four requisites to the Sangha, as ordinary bhikkhus and famed mahātheras (great elders) honoured for the extensiveness and profundity of their learning.

在白天，虽然能看到市镇、港口、和停泊地，但是船无法停下来并停泊到任何一处，因为他无法操纵他的船，只能一边渴望和羡慕地望着这些地方，一边漂流到海洋中—比喻这种情况：有些众生，虽然是佛教徒，但是没有任何禅修的努力，因此就像无法控制他们的心的疯子。他们所没有能力到达的市镇、港口、和停泊地，比喻安止定(samatha-jhāna)、观智(vipassanā-ñāṇa)、道智(magga-ñāṇa)、果智(phala-ñāṇa)、和涅槃。他们一边礼敬和赞美着三宝(佛、法、僧)，一边不由自由地漂流到没有佛法的世界轮回中。这些人有宝塔、圣地、寺院、及僧团四类资具的凡夫施主，有(凡夫)普通比库及以广博精湛学识闻名于世的(凡夫)长老。

This is the picture of the drifting that has occurred to beings in the infinitely long past saṃsāra, the round of rebirths.

这个譬喻描绘了有情在无穷尽的过去轮回中漂流的情形。