What is Moha (Ignorance)? - By Yogavacara Rahula Bhikkhu

什么是无明？ 

罗侯罗尊者著

In order to understand the characteristic of moha we should know what we are ignorant or unaware of when there is moha. There is the world of conventional terms expressed as words and ideas and there is the world of paramattha dhammas (absolute realities, i.e., things that are actually real in our experience before conceptualising and proliferating thought has distorted their true nature). When we think of the world we may think of people, animals, houses, cars, trees and so forth and give them different names. However, do we know them as they really are; as they are initially experienced through our senses, as being mere elements or characteristics of material phenomena and mental phenomena which arise and pass away in our body and mind?
为了了解无明的特征，我们应该知道存在无明时我们对什么无知或不觉察。存在由文字和观念所表达的概念构成的世界，存在由究竟真实法构成的世界(究竟真实法就是其真实本质在没有被概念化和不断攀援的念头扭曲之前在我们经验中真实存在的东西)。当我们想到世界，我们可能会想到人、动物、房子、汽车、树木等等，并给他们不同的名称。但是，我们对它们如实知吗，知道当其被感官体验的当下只是元素，或者说只是我们身心中生灭的名色的特质吗？

The material and mental phenomena which appear in our daily life can be directly experienced through the five physical sense-doors and through the mind-door, no matter how we name them or organise them for our own use. This is the world which is real, the world of conditioned realities as they are initially encountered through the senses.
在日常生活中出现的身心现象，可以直接通过身五根门和意门来体验，不管我们如何命名或组织它们以便使用都是如此——这就是真实的世界，感官当下感知的缘起真实的世界。

The Buddha has explained this "world of conditioned realities" which he calls "the All":"Bhikkhus, I will teach you the All. Listen to it, apply your minds and I will speak."Now what, bhikkhus, is the All? It is just the eye and visible objects, the ear and sounds, the nose and odours, the tongue and tastes, the body and touch objects, the mind and mental objects. This, bhikkhus, is called the All."Now whoever should speak thus: 'Setting aside this All, I will proclaim another All', it would be mere talk on his part and on being questioned he would be unable to proceed and in addition, vexation would befall him. Why is this? Because it would be beyond his scope to do so.
佛陀已经解释了这个“缘起真实的世界”，佛陀将之称为 “一切法”：“比库，我要教你们“ 一切法”。用心注意听，我将要说法。”“比库，什么是 “ 一切法”呢？只是眼睛和可见物，耳朵和声音，鼻子和气味，舌头和味道，身体和触摸物，意和法尘。比库，这就是所谓的“ 一切法”。“现在，无论谁说：‘撇开这个一切法，我将宣布另有一个一切法，’那只是他的片面之词，若被质疑，他将无法进行下去，此外，他会被烦恼所困。为什么会这样呢？因为这超出了他的能力范围。”

The world in the sense of absolute realities is in fact, called "the World" in the Buddha's teaching. Those who develop the teachings of the Buddha, the Awakened One, develop the wisdom which sees things as they really are (before the mind interferes); he truly knows the world. One of the Buddha's disciples said to the Buddha:
实际上，究竟真实意义上的世界在佛陀的教导中被称为“世界”。佛陀是觉悟者，那些修行佛陀教导、开发如实知见(在心干涉之前)智慧的人，他确切地知道这世界。佛陀的一个弟子对佛陀说：

"The world! The world!' is the saying, Lord. Pray how far, Lord, does this saying go?
“人们说世界！世界！世尊，这种说法所指的范围有多广？”

"What is transitory by nature, Ananda, is called the world in the discipline of the Noble Ones. And what, Ananda, is transitory by nature? The eye is transitory by nature, visual objects, visual consciousness is transitory by nature. The ear, sounds, ear consciousness, ear contact, nose, tongue, body, mind objects, mind contact and mind consciousness is transitory by nature. Whatever pleasant or painful experiences which arise on account of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind contact, that also is transitory by nature, of a nature to pass. What is thus transitory, Ananda, is called 'the world' in the Noble One's discipline."
“阿难，本质为非持久的一切在圣教中被称为世界。阿难，什么是本质非持久的呢？眼睛是本质非持久的，可见物及眼识是本质非持久的。耳朵、声音、耳识、耳触、鼻、舌、身、心的对象、意触和心识是本质非持久的。藉着眼、耳、鼻、舌、身、意接触而生起的愉快或痛苦的体验也是本质非持久的，会消失。阿难，如此非持久的在圣教中被称为世界。”

Through the above suttas we can see what is meant by the world, the way it is perceived according to the Buddha. And we can see the truth of the world in our own experience to confirm for ourselves the truth which the Buddha was teaching. The world of conditioned realities is real. When we see, there is the world of colour, because in reality what we initially see is only colour experienced through the eyes. When we hear there is the world of sound experienced through the ear. When we feel a touch-feeling on the body, there is the world of bodily feeling experienced through the body. When we think, there is the world of thought experienced through the mind. This holds true for the world of smell experienced through the nose and the world of taste experienced through the tongue.
通过上面的经文，我们可以看到世界意味着什么，它是从佛的角度观察世界所现。我们可以通过自己的亲身经验了解世界的真相，来证实佛陀教导的真理。缘起真实的世界是真实的。当我们看时，有颜色的世界，因为实际上我们最初看到的只是通过眼睛体验到的颜色。当我们听时，有通过耳朵体验的声音世界。当我们感受身体上的触觉时，有通过身体体验的身体感觉的世界。当我们想时，有通过意门体验的心念的世界。对于通过鼻子体验气味的世界以及通过舌头体验味道的世界也是如此。

Why is it important to be mindful of the different conditioned realities as they appear one at a time? If there can be mindfulness(sati) of the conditioned realities as they appear one at a time through the six doorways, the tendency to take them for permanent entities, or for Self, will become less. When we think that we see a person, what is it that appears through the eyes? What appears through the eyes is only a visible object, not a person. "Person" is a concept which we have added or construed to give meaning to the visible object, it is not Self.
为什么逐个地如实观照不同的缘起真实法很重要呢？如果当缘起真实法一一呈现于六根门时我们能以正念观照，将它们当成是永恒的个体或“我”的这种倾向就会减少。当我们认为我们看到一个人时，通过眼睛呈现的是什么呢？通过眼睛呈现的只是一个可见的对象，不是人。“人”只是一个我们自己添加或构造的概念，以便赋予可见的对象意义罢了，它不是“我”。

A visible object can be experienced only through the eye-door, not through any other doorway (sense organ). A visible object can't be touched.
可见的对象只能通过眼门来体验，而不是通过任何其它根门(感觉器官)来体验。可见的对象不能被触摸。

When a visible object (rupa) appears, there is also seeing (nama) which experiences the visible object, otherwise the visible object can't appear. The "seeing" is merely a reflex action, a conditioned phenomena, it is not a person who sees, not a Self, it can only experience the visible object. The same holds true for the other senses. A visible object should be realised and also "seen"; and the experience of a visible object should be realised. A visible object is not the same as the experience of it, they are different conditioned phenomena. If "seeing" is not known as it really is, we are bound to take "seeing" for Self.
当可见对象(色法)出现时，也会有“看”(名法)体验这一可见对象，否则可见对象就不能被看见。“看”只是一种反射作用，一种缘起的现象，它不是人在看，不是“我”在看，它只能体验可见对象。对于其它的感官也是如此。可见对象会被体证(即“被看见”)、经历可见对象会被体证。可见对象与经历可见对象是不一样的，它们是不同因缘产生的现象。如果不能如实了知“看”，我们就会认为是“我”在“看”。

We may think we can touch a visible object, but when there is "touching", what appears? It may be hardness, softness, heat, cold, motion or pressure. A visible object, that which appears through the eye door, can't be touched, it can only be seen. When a visible object is touched, it becomes a tangible object appearing through the sense-door of the body, being a completely different experience from that of a visible object. Seeing and touching can't appear at the same time; they appear one at a time, at different moments.
我们可能会认为我们能够触摸可见对象，但是当有“接触”时，会出现什么？可能感受到硬、软、热、冷、移动或压迫。我们不能触摸通过眼门显现的可见对象，只能看见它。当我们触摸可见对象时，它就成为通过身体的感官门显现的可触对象，这与可见对象的体验完全不同。看和触不能同时出现，它们在不同的时刻逐个出现。

It is the elements of mind which may connect up the two experiences to relate to a certain thing, but again that process of nama is another series of different "conditioned realities" arising and falling away one at a time; it is not Self. When we touch a table, it is not the table which appears, but a tangible object or an experience of hardness, etc. At the moment hardness appears, there is only hardness and the "experience of hardness"; there is no table in hardness, there is no Self in hardness. If the rupa which appears is not realised as it is (i.e., not Self), one is bound to cling to it as happening to him.
正是心元素可以把这两种体验连起来，与某一东西相关联，但该名法过程又是另一系列“缘起真实法”，一个接一个生起和灭去，亦是无我的。当我们触到桌子，并不是桌子显现，而是一个可触对象或对硬的体验。当硬显现的刹那，只有硬和“对硬的体验”，硬中没有桌子，没有“我”。如果不能如实了知出现的色法(即无我)，你就一定会在当其发生于你身上的时候执着它。

We may think of the concept "table", but thinking and formulating concepts are different conditioned phenomena altogether from those of hardness and the experience of hardness, etc.
我们也许会思考“桌子”这一概念，但思考和形成概念与硬及对硬的体验等等是不同的缘起现象。

If there is no mindfulness of the characteristics of nama (feeling, perception, thinking, mental moods, and consciousness) as they arise one at a time, we fall into the delusion of a Self who experiences. Rupas arise through the body senses---eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body. Namas arise only through the mind-door. They are all conditioned and not Self. If one still thinks it is "I" who experiences these phenomena of matter and mind, he has still not developed any insight.
如果对逐一生起的名法(感觉，知觉，思维，心理情绪，意识)特性没有正念，我们就会陷入于“是我在体验”的错觉中。色法通过人体的感官----眼、耳、鼻、舌、身----显现。名法只是通过意门出现。它们都是缘起的、无我的。如果一个人仍然认为是“我”在体验这些物质现象与精神现象，那他仍然没有发展任何观智。

Sati, or mindfulness, is the conditioned mental factor which is aware or mindful of the different realities, appearing one at a time. Sati is aware of the characteristics of hardness, softness, heat, cold, pressure, motion; it is aware of visible object, sound, odour, flavour, as they appear through the body senses. Sati is aware of mental states such as greed, sense desire, ill-will, anger, excitement, depression, pride, stinginess, jealousy etc. as they arise through the mind door. Sati again is only a conditioned mental factor, conditioned by our hearing about right mindfulness. When one has listened to Dhamma and heard about sati, there will be more remembrance of it. In this way sati can arise and it can be developed.
萨提，或正念，是缘起的心所，它对逐个出现的不同真实法保持觉知或留意。正念就是对硬、软、热、冷、压迫和移动的特性的觉知，是对通过身体感官显现的可见对象、声音、气味和味道的觉知。正念是对通过意门生起的心理状态，如贪婪、欲望、嗔恶、愤怒、兴奋、抑郁、骄傲、吝啬、嫉妒等的觉知。正念只是一个缘起的心所，以听闻正念为因而生起。当一个人已听闻佛法并听到了正念，将会对此有更多的记忆。如此就可以产生并发展正念。

It is the conditioned mental factor panna or wisdom which experiences or knows the objects of sati as not Self. Sati has to be practised and accumulated for a long time before panna can experience the five aggregates of clinging as they arise, as being not Self. If sati, which is aware of the characteristics of rupas and nama has not been greatly established so that it arises very frequently no matter where we are and what we are doing, we can't expect that panna (wisdom) can realise the objects of sati as being not self. If there is no sati at that moment, there can be no panna either.
正是缘起的慧心所体验并知道正念的所缘是无我的。正念需要长时间练习和积累，然后智慧才能在五取蕴生起的时候体验其为无我。正念觉知名色的特性，如果正念没有非常稳固地建立起来，没达到无论我们在哪、无论在干什么都能很频繁地地生起，我们就不能期望智慧能体证正念的所缘为无我。如果在那一刻没有正念，就不可能有智慧。

These two, sati and panna (mindfulness and wisdom), are mental factors (sankhara) which are not Self. They arise only because they have been cultivated and developed and not otherwise. If we confuse them for being Self or that we are doing these things, or if we think it is my mind, there is again no real panna, only thinking and delusion. Only in the short moment of sati does panna, have the opportunity to know a rupa or nama more distinctly as they really are, as not Self. If we realise that this short moment (each individual arising) of sati is the only opportunity for panna to become keener, then there will be more sati and it will be accumulated. Then the notion or feeling of a self or I which is experiencing these phenomena will wear away and become eliminated from the consciousness; it will be understood that it is sati and panna, both mental factors, not a "person" or "I" who is aware of and realises the characteristics of rupas and nama as they arise, as impermanent, fleeting and not Self.
正念和智慧这两个是心所(行蕴)，是无我的。它们生起是因为一直被培育和发展，而不是其它原因。如果我们误认为它们是“我”或认为是我们在做这些事情，或者如果我们认为这是我的心，那也是没有真正的智慧，只是思考和妄想。只有存在正念的短暂时刻，智慧才有机会更清楚地如实认识色法或名法，知其为无我。如果我们认识到有正念的短暂时刻(每一个单独生起)是唯一使智慧变得更敏锐的时机，就会有更多的正念，正念就会逐渐积累。然后，认为是“我”在体验这些现象的想法或感觉就会淡化并从意识中消除；你将会明白不是 “人”或“我”， 而是正念和智慧这两个心所，在觉知和认识生起的名色的特性为无常、苦、无我。

We must learn to be able to distinguish each characteristics of rupa and nama as they arise, but we should not look for them or try excessively to be aware. When they arise we should just be aware of them. If there is searching out and waiting for them to arise with the desire to "catch" them in order to gain insight, then this must also be realised as another type of nama, and not seeing the phenomena as they are. All kinds of rupas and namas, even the effort to be aware, or doubt about the value of this practice, or the desire to gain something (i.e., enlightenment) by it should be realised as they arise, as not Self.
我们必须学会于其生起时辨别色法和名法的每个特性，但我们不应该去寻找它们或过度地试着去觉知。当它们生起时，我们只是觉知它们。如果搜寻及等待它们生起以期望“抓住”它们获得观智，那么必须认识到这也只是另一种名法，而不是对法的如实知。所有名法和色法，甚至是保持觉知的精进，或对禅修价值的怀疑，或者通过禅修获得证悟的期望，在它们生起时都应该认识到它们是无我的。

Nama/Rupa名法/色法Only in fully knowing and comprehending all these conditioned phenomena which present themselves now at the present moment through the six doorways, can ignorance and the defilements be eradicated. We can only eradicate the cankers of greed, hatred, and ignorance when they appear, and not allow them to overwhelm us, and influence our thought, speech, and actions.
只有在充分认识和理解在当下通过六根门所生起的这些因缘法，无明和烦恼才可以被根除。我们只能在贪、嗔、痴出现的时候消除它们，而不是让他们控制我们，以及影响我们的身口意。

We may know the truth in theory, but until panna is developed to the degree that it can realise directly, intuitively, the truth of not-Self, we will never be able to fully understand and appreciate the Buddha's teaching, nor gain the fruits therefrom which is the reason for practising the Buddha Dhamma. If sati and panna can realise the arising and passing away of the rupas and namas which appear here and now through the six doors, there would be more detachment from these conditioned phenomena. We would not erroneously see and regard them as "mine" or myself being "in them". In this way we could free ourselves from their intoxicating and overpowering binding influence in our daily lives. If we listen to the teachings of the Awakened One without awareness, there will only be intellectual knowledge but no detachment. Disenchantment, dispassion, and detachment from these five aggregates of clinging and grasping here and now is for the destruction of suffering and for the realisation of the unconditioned reality, nibbana.
我们可能在理论上知道真理，但是如果智慧的发展还没有达到直接地、直观地认识无我的真相的程度，我们就无法完全理解佛陀的教导，也无法证果，证果是修行佛法的原因。如果正念和智慧能够体证当下通过六根门出现的名色的生灭，对这些因缘生法的执着就会减少。我们将不会错误地看待它们为“我的”或我“在它们中”。这样，我们在日常生活中就可以从它们对我们的毒害及强大束缚中解脱出来。如果我们听佛陀的教导而没有觉知，那只有知识而没有解脱。当下对执着的五取蕴保持清醒、冷静和离执，是为了灭苦和证悟非缘起真实——涅槃。