THIS CONCLUDES THE INVESTIGATION of the citta. Upon reaching this level, the citta is cut off forever from birth and existence, severed completely from all manifestations of avijja and craving. The state of “avijja paccaya sankhara”—the state in which “fundamental ignorance conditions the arising of conditioned phenomena”—dissolves completely. It is replaced by avijjaya tveva asesaviraga nirodha sankhara nirodho: the fading away and cessation of conditioned phenomena that ends the entire mass of suffering.
这总结了心的观察。到达这个层次，心永远切断生与有，彻底切断一切无明和贪爱的显现。“无明缘行”——根本无知形成有为的生起——的境界彻底消溶。它被“无明灭则行灭”——缘起的离散熄灭使得苦聚灭——所取代。
When avijja is extinguished, conditioned phenomena—which give rise to dukkha—are also extinguished. They have disappeared from the knowing nature of the citta. Conditioned phenomena, such as thoughts, which are an integral part of the khandhas, continue to function in their own sphere but they no longer cause dukkha. Uncorrupted by kilesas, they simply give form and direction to mental activity. Consciousness arises in the mind, purely and simply without producing suffering. Viññana paccaya namarupam, namarupa paccaya salayatanam, salayatana paccaya phasso: All sense media and the sense contact that they condition are just naturally occurring phenomena that exist according to their own intrinsic characteristics. They have no negative effect whatsoever on the citta that has successfully completed its task to the point of evamme tassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa nirodho hoti. This is the total cessation of the entire mass of dukkha.
无明熄灭后，带来苦的缘起也熄灭，它们从心知道的特性中消失。作为五蕴组合的缘起，比如想，继续在它的领域内运作，可是不再带来苦，它们不再受烦恼所染污，只是构成和引导心理活动。识从心中生起，简单纯净不产生苦。“识缘名色，明色缘六处，六处缘触”，一切感官媒介和它们所缘的触只是根据它们内在的特性而自然发生的现象。它们不会对已经完成“纯大苦聚灭”工作的心产生负面影响之类。这是整个苦聚的彻底熄灭。
When avijja and all the kilesas are extinguished, they are extinguished inside the citta. The extinction of avijja means the destruction of the cycle of repeated birth and death. Both must be extinguished within the citta, for the avijja-citta is the essence of the world of rebirth, the essence of birth, ageing, sickness and death. Sensual craving, with avijja acting as the prime mover, is the root cause of birth, ageing, sickness and death—and it exists only within the citta. When avijja finally disintegrates, being severed from the citta forever, total cessation is achieved. The citta is then free, vast and supremely empty, without limits, without bounds—totally expansive. Nothing encloses or obstructs it. All contradictions have been eliminated. When the citta knows, it knows only the truth; when it sees, it sees only the truth. This is true emptiness.
无明与所有的烦恼熄灭时，它们是在心里面熄灭。无明的熄灭意味着生死轮回的毁灭，两者必然在心里面熄灭，因为无明—心是轮回世界的核心，是生、老、病和死的核心。爱欲，以无明作为主要的推动者，是生、老、病和死的根源——只是存在于心里面。当无明最终崩溃，永远从心中切除时，就达到彻底的熄灭。心之后就自由了，广大无际的空，无界无垠——彻底广阔，没有限制或障碍，一切矛盾都已消除。当心知道，它只知道真理；当它看见，它只看见真理，这是真正的空。
Degrees of emptiness are experienced at many levels. Samadhi meditation is one level. In deep samadhi, the body and the thinking mind temporarily vanish from awareness. The citta appears empty, but the duration of this emptiness is limited to the time spent practicing samadhi. At the initial level of the practice of wisdom, the citta can permanently separate itself from the physical body, but it cannot yet disengage from the mental components of personality: vedana, sañña, sankhara, and viññana. It is completely empty of physical forms, so images of the body no longer appear within the citta; but it is not empty of mental concepts. When reaching this level, wisdom is able to distinguish oneself from the physical mass that is the body, and so detach itself forever from the belief that the body is oneself. But it is still unable to separate the mental factors of feeling, memory, thought, and consciousness. By investigating further, the citta becomes detached from these mental factors as well. Then nothing remains except an extraordinary radiance that infuses the cosmos, a luminous essence of being that seems boundless, and an amazing and profound mental void. This is the awesome power of genuine avijja. By continuing to employ the full might of mindfulness and wisdom, avijja is finally extinguished within the citta. When everything permeating the citta is removed, one attains genuine emptiness. The emptiness experienced at this level is a total and permanent disengagement that requires no further effort to maintain. This means true and absolute freedom for the citta.
空的程度可以有不同层次的体验，三摩地是一个层次。在高深的三摩地中，身体和思维心暂时从觉知中消失。心显得空，不过这空只维持在这三摩地的境界内。在修行智慧的初期，心可以永恒地把自己与身体分离，可是还无法脱离个人的心理组合：受、想、行和识。它彻底空于色身，所以身体的影像不再出现在心内，可是它不空于心理概念。修到这个阶段，智慧已可以分别自己与身体这物质组合，因此可以永远不再相信身体是自我。可是它还未能分开受、想、行和识的心理功能。继续观察下去，心变得不再执着于这些心理功能。这样除了那影响整个宇宙的特别光明，一个看似无限光明的存在，还有一个惊人而深刻的心理的空无，就什么也不剩了。这是真正无明令人敬畏的力量。继续发挥念住和智慧最大的力量修行，最后无明将在心中被消灭，当渗透入心的一切都被除去，一个真正的空被证得。这个阶段体验到的空是彻底和永远离系的，不需要任何努力来维持。这意味着心的真实和绝对的解脱。
The difference between the emptiness of the avijja-citta and the emptiness of the pure citta, free of avijja, can be illustrated by imagining a person in an empty room. Standing in the middle of the room, admiring its emptiness, that person forgets about himself. Seeing that there is nothing around him in the room, he reflects only on the emptiness he perceives and not on the fact that he is occupying a central position in that space. As long as someone is in the room, it is not truly empty. When he finally realizes that the room can never be truly empty until he departs, that is the moment when avijja disintegrates and the pure citta arises. Once the citta has let go of phenomena of every sort, the citta appears supremely empty; but the one who admires the emptiness, who is awestruck by the emptiness, that one still survives. The self as reference point, which is the essence of avijja, remains integrated into the citta’s knowing nature. This is the genuine avijja. One’s “self” is the real impediment at that moment. As soon as it disintegrates and disappears, no more impediments remain. Everything is empty: the external world is empty, and the interior of the citta is empty. As in the case of a person in an empty room, we can only truly say that the room is empty when the person leaves the room. The citta that has gained a comprehensive understanding of all external matters, and all matters pertaining to itself, this citta is said to be totally empty. True emptiness occurs when every single trace of conventional reality has disappeared from the citta.
无明—心的空和解脱于无明——清净心的空，两者的不同处可以通过想象一个人在一间空屋子里。那个人站在屋子中央，敬畏于屋子的空，他忘了自己。看到屋子里面他的周围没有任何东西，他只考虑到他所认知到的空，没有注意到他占据了空间的中央。只要有人在屋子内，它就不是真正的空。当他最终醒悟到只要他不离开，屋子就不可能真正的空，那就是无明分解，清净心生起的一刻。
一旦心放下一切现象，心就变得极度的空，可是那个敬畏空的，被空所威慑住的那个人仍然存在。那无明的本质，作为根据点的自我，仍然融合在心知道的特性中，这是真正的无明。在那时刻，个人的“自我”是真正的障碍，只要它崩溃消失，就再也没有障碍留下。一切皆空：外在世界是空，心的内在也是空。就好像那个在空屋子里的人，只有当他离开了，我们才可以真正地说屋子是空的。心对一切外在事物，一切渗入它本身的事物获得彻底的明白，才可以说心变得彻底的空。当一切世间真实的痕迹都从心消失时，真正的空就发生了。
Avijja’s extinction is unlike that of all other things that we have investigated up to this point. Their ending was accompanied by a clear and definite understanding of their true nature. Uniquely, the radiance of avijja is extinguished in an instant, like a flash of lightening. It is a moment of being that happens spontaneously: it just flips over and vanishes completely. Only then, when the radiance disappears, do we know that it was really the genuine avijja. What remains is entirely unique. Its nature is absolutely pure. Although it has never before been experienced, there’s nothing to doubt when it appears at that moment. Anything that might cause doubt has ceased along with it. This is the end of all burdens.
无明的熄灭与这阶段之前我们观察到的其他事物完全不同，其他事物的熄灭是随着对它们真正的本性清晰和绝对明白而来。无明的光明在一瞬间熄灭，就如闪电般一闪而过，很独特。存在的瞬间突然发生：它只是翻过去然后彻底消失。只有在之后，当光明消失了，我们才知道它确实是真正的无明。留下的是纯粹的独一无二，它的本质绝对清净。虽然之前不曾体验过，可是当它出现在那一刻时却不会有任何怀疑，任何会引起怀疑的随着这出现而消逝。这是一切负担的结束。
All allusions to oneself, to the true essence of one’s being refer specifically to this genuine avijja. They indicate that it is still intact. All investigations are done for its sake. This self is what knows; this self is what understands. This self is radiant, light and happy. “I” and “mine”—the genuine avijja lies here. Everything is done for its sake. Once it finally disintegrates, so too does the personal perspective. Things are still done, but not for anyone’s sake.
一切隐藏着自我、自我存在本质的表现，都必然是真正无明的作用。这些表现的存在显示真正无明仍然原封不动。一切的观察就是为了这问题。这个自我是能知者：这个自我是能理解明白者。这个自我是放光、明亮和快乐。“我”和“我的”——真正无明就在此，一切都为了它而作。一旦它最终崩溃，自我认知也一起随之而去。事情仍然进行，可并不是为任何人的缘故而进行。
It resembles a pot whose bottom has dropped away: regardless of how much water is poured in, not a drop is retained. Thoughts and ideas continue to arise and cease as a natural function of the khandhas, but nothing adheres to the citta because the vessel that used to hold them—avijja—has been destroyed. A thought arises at one instant and ceases the next. Since there is nothing to contain them and no one to lay claim to them, thoughts simply move on and vanish. The nature that knows this complete emptiness of self is fully contented within. This nature is true absolute purity, totally free of all burdens.
这就好像是个脱了底的罐子：不管倒入多少水，仍然一滴不剩。思想和意见作为蕴的自然功能继续生起和灭去，可是没有东西粘住心，因为那个用来盛它们的器皿——无明——已经被摧毁了。一个念头这一瞬间生起，下一瞬间灭去，因为没有东西盛它们，也没有人对它们提出拥有权，念头只是经过然后消逝。知道自我是彻底的空，这本性彻底满足，这本性是真正的绝对清净，彻底解脱于一切负担。
The real nature of the citta is so well concealed by avijja that the incredible natural wonder of the genuine citta is never seen. The pitfall of avijja is so well disguised that meditators who reach this stage are bound to be fooled. They are completely mesmerized by what they believe to be the citta’s true wonder. They cherish it so much that they feel they must preserve and protect it at all costs. For, in essence, this is who they really are, this wonderful radiance belongs to them.
心的真正本性被无明如此完整地覆盖着，以至无法见到真正的心那不可思议的微妙神奇。无明的陷阱伪装得那么善巧，禅修者一到达这个阶段皆被愚弄，全被催眠相信这是心真正的神奇。他们是那么的珍惜它，觉得要不惜一切代价地维持护卫它。其实，本质上这是他们的真面目，这令人惊异的光明属于他们自身。
Genuine avijja is a focal point containing many strange and wonderful things hidden within it—things that we could never have imagined to exist. These contaminate the citta, much in the same way that a tiny piece of bait is contaminated with enough hidden poison to kill an animal. Since it is virtually impossible to find conceptual realities to which I can compare the contaminating factors, hiding within avijja, I can give only a brief explanation. These factors include: a radiance of being so extraordinary that it seems to be the finished product; a most exceptional sense of happiness, originating from the power of the radiance permeating the citta, that seems to transcend the entire realm of conventional reality; a feeling of invulnerability so strong that it seems nothing can possibly affect it; a cherishing, protective attachment to this radiant nature as though it were pure gold.
真正无明是里面含藏着许多殊胜神奇东西的焦点——有我们无法想象到的东西。这些令心染污的因素，就好像一小片足以杀死一只动物的毒饵。由于无法找到概念化的事实可以拿来比拟那藏在无明中的染污因素，我只可以给予简单的解释，这些因素包括：一个存在的光明，它是那么殊胜以至看来像最终的果证；一个最特殊的快乐感受，源自于那渗透心的光明的力量，仿佛超越整个世间实相的领域；一个坚不可摧的感觉，感到是那么的坚强以至认为没有东西可以影响它；对这个发光本质有着珍惜、保护的执着，好像它是纯金一般。
The avijja-citta seems to have every virtue: it is bright, it is bold, it is supremely contented and its quality of knowing seems limitless. But, despite knowing every conceivable sort of thing, this knowing nature does not know itself. This is the fundamental ignorance of genuine avijja. As soon as this knowing nature turns back and looks into itself, avijja disintegrates. This disintegration, in turn, reveals the truth about the citta, the truth about Dhamma. Only avijja keeps this truth hidden from view.
无明—心似乎拥有一切功德：它光明，它无畏，它无比的自足，而且它能知的品质好像是无限的。但是，虽然它知道一切可以想象到的事物，这个能知的特性不知道它自己，这是真正无明的根本无知。一旦这能知的特性回过来看自己，无明就崩溃。这崩溃的发生，显露出心的实相、法的实相。过去是无明把这实相隐藏起来不让看到。
Meditators who are not truly adept in the area of wisdom will have difficulty finding their way out of avijja, because avijja in general and genuine avijja are two very different things. The nature of avijja in general combines all the different aspects of delusion, both external and internal, into a single mental defilement. It’s comparable to a tree, which is a combination of leaves, twigs, branches and a trunk. Genuine avijja, on the other hand, is like a tree that is felled and stripped of all its branches. That is to say, through persistent effort, wisdom cuts away at avijja’s “outgrowing” activities one at a time so that it gradually loses its exuberant tendencies and converges into a single spot—the citta. At this point, avijja no longer has the group of henchmen that it commanded when it was fully in charge. At this spot we find the genuine avijja.
还未真正纯熟于智慧领域的禅者，要脱离无明会有困难，因为一般的无明和真正无明完全不一样。一般无明的本性是一切虚妄的不同层面，包括外在和内在的，综合成一个心理染污。我们用树来比拟的话，它是叶子、嫩枝、枝干和树干的综合。另一方面，真正无明就像一棵被放倒、所有的枝干都被砍掉的树。也就是说，经过不断的努力，智慧一次切除掉一个无明的外在枝末活动，使它逐渐失去繁茂，被迫汇集到一个点——心。这时，无明不再拥有它全盛时期供使唤的那伙党羽。在这点我们发现真正无明。
The offshoots of avijja are many and varied. All other mental defilements are merely its twigs and branches. By concentrating on the offshoots, we tend to overlook the root cause. Because of this, when we actually reach the real avijja, we are confused and don’t recognize it. It’s like a vine that sprouts up in one place and then creeps along the ground to who knows where. It just goes creeping on and climbing up, with more and more offshoots that grow longer and more entangled. We must grab hold of the vine and keep following it back to its source until we reach the main stem. That’s where we will find the roots. When we pull out the roots, the whole plant dies.
无明的枝干有多种多样，一切其他的心理染污只是它的嫩枝和分枝。我们倾向于专注于枝干，忽略根源。因此，当实际到达真正无明时，我们会混淆并认不出它。它就像一棵藤蔓，从一处长出来，沿着地面四处生长。它不断往各处蔓延并向上攀爬，越来越多分支，长得越多越纠缠不清。我们必须紧抓着那藤蔓并往根部的方向跟随它去，直到最后找获主干，在这里我们会找到根。把根部拔出来，整棵植物就会死亡。
*中译者按：本篇文章翻译过程中曾参考网络上流传，由Anicata翻译的〈灭苦之道〉一文。
