PLEASE TAKE THIS EXPLANATION AS A GUIDE, signaling the way forward, and not as a lesson to be memorized verbatim. I am always reluctant to be very specific for fear that my students will take my words literally and thus prejudge the nature of the truth that they are seeking. My words, taken as they are, will not enlighten you. Only mindful awareness, firmly anchored in the present moment, leads directly to the truth. Never presuppose the truth. Don’t speculate or theorize about meditation practice. And don’t mistakenly appropriate the knowledge you gain from reading this exposition, assuming that in doing so you understand the true nature of body and mind. Only clear and direct insight guided by mindfulness, investigated with wisdom, and pursued with diligence will penetrate that truth.

请把这说明当作向导，指引前面的道路，而不是一堂用来默记的课，一字不漏地背起来。我一向以来都不愿意非常具体讲述，害怕我的弟子依文解义，对他们正在追寻的真理本质有预测的看法。我的开示，就只是文字，不会令你开悟。只有念住的觉知，稳稳地安住在当下，能直接带领你到真相。永远不要对真理有先入之见，不要对禅修臆测或推理，还有不要误用阅读这讲解所得到的知识，以为这样你就能明白身心真正的本质。只有以念住为导，清楚和直接地内观，并且用智慧观察，精进用功，才能渗透真相。

At this level of practice, the body is completely internalized and the power of sexual attraction is broken. To move forward to the next step, you must use the meditation technique, that brought you to this point, as a training exercise. The aim here is to train mindfulness and wisdom to be even quicker, sharper and more precise in dealing with the very elusive and subtle nature of mental phenomena.

Place the repulsive image of the body in front of you as usual and watch as it retracts into the mind. Then place the image back in front of you and start again, observing carefully how the image merges into the mind. Do this exercise repeatedly until the mind becomes very skilled at it. Once proficiency is achieved, the image will ebb away as soon as the mind focuses on it and merge with the knowing presence inside. Upon reaching the stage where one clearly understands the basic principles underlying sexual attraction, the next step is to train the mind with this purely mental exercise. Sexual attraction is no longer a problem—it has been cut off for good. There is no way that it can reappear as before. But, although most of it has been eliminated, it has yet to be completely destroyed. A small portion still remains: like bits of dross or patches of rust adhering to the mind.

这个阶段的修行，身体已完全内在化，淫欲的力量也被切断。要再向前进一步，你一定要用把你带到这阶段的禅修技巧，作为锻炼的手段。这样的目的是为了训练念住和智慧，以便在对付非常难以捉摸而微细的心理现象时更加迅速、尖锐、准确。把身体不净的影像如常般放在你前面，在它撤回内心时观察它，然后再把影像放回你前面重新开始，小心观察影像是怎么样融入心的，不断这样练习直至心对此非常纯熟为止。一旦熟练了，心一专注影像它就会退回去与里面的能知融合。在证到清楚明白淫欲的根本道理之后，下一步就以这个纯粹是心的锻炼来训练心。淫欲已不再是问题——它已永远被切断了，再也不可能像之前那样重现。不过，虽然它已大部分被消灭，但还不彻底，有一小部分遗留下来，就像残余的渣滓或锈迹粘在心里。

At the stage where external perceptions merge totally with the citta’s own inner image, we can say that at least fifty percent of the investigation of kamaraga has been successfully completed. The final, most advanced stage of the path of practice has been reached. The subtle portion of sensual desire that remains must be gradually eliminated, using the training exercise mentioned above. Relentlessly refining the contemplation and the mental absorption of asubha images will increase wisdom’s skill level. As wisdom’s proficiency strengthens, a higher and higher percentage of sexual attraction is totally destroyed. As wisdom’s mastery gathers pace, so too does the speed at which the images recede into the mind. Eventually, as soon as one focuses on it, an image will rush into the mind, merge with it and simply vanish. With constant practice, the speed at which this occurs will rapidly increase. At the highest level of skillfulness, the image will vanish the moment it’s absorbed into the mind. This investigative technique is fundamental to progress in the final stage of the path, the stage where a vanquished kamaraga is in full retreat. Soon every vestige of it will be destroyed.

在这阶段外在的认知全面与心自己内部的影像融合，我们可以说最少已完成百分之五十对欲贪的观察，修行已经来到最后、最高的阶段。用以上所说的修行方法，淫欲遗留下来微细的部分一定要逐渐消除。不断淬炼观想和不净相的渗入会提升智慧的纯熟度，当智慧的纯熟度加强了，越来越高的百分比的淫欲会被完全消灭。加速对智慧的掌握，影像退入心的速度也同样加快。到最后，只要一专注，一个影像就会冲进心中，与它融合然后消失。不断的练习会使这过程的速度越来越快。最熟练时，影像会在它渗入心的那一刻消失。这观察的技巧是进展至修行最高阶段的基础，在这阶段残余的欲贪全面撤退，很快地它所有遗留下来的部分会被消灭。

Once the meditator attains the final stage, once the real source of ugliness and beauty is seen with crystal clarity, kamaraga will never rear its head again. Its hold over the mind has been broken—and this condition is irreversible.

Notwithstanding that, further work is still needed to destroy all traces of sensual desire. The task is time consuming. This part of the investigation is complex and somewhat chaotic with images of the body arising and vanishing at a furious pace. The most intense effort is required to root out every last vestige of kamaraga. But the meditator knows instinctively what to do at this stage. So, the investigation quickly develops its own natural momentum without prompting from anyone.

一旦禅修者达到最后阶段，丑陋与漂亮真正的根源被清晰看透，欲贪就不再抬头，它对心的掌控已切断——而这个情况是不可逆转的。尽管如此，仍然有工作需要进一步进行，以便消灭淫欲的所有痕迹。这个工作很耗时，这部分的观察很复杂和繁琐：令身体的影像以狂飙的速度生起和灭去，这需要尽最大的努力把欲贪的每一残余连根拔起。不过在这阶段禅修者本能地知道应该怎么做，所以不必任何人的催促，观察自己快速地建立起自然的冲力。

Mindfulness and wisdom are habitual—they work in unison with extraordinary speed and agility. By the time that these investigations reach their dénouement, no sooner does an image of the body appear than it vanishes instantly. It doesn’t matter whether these images merge into the citta or not, their appearance and disappearance is all that is known. Arising and passing images happen so quickly that perceptions of external and internal are no longer relevant. In the end, images flutter on and off, appearing and disappearing from awareness so rapidly that their forms are no longer sustainable. After each disappearance, the citta experiences a profound emptiness—emptiness of imagery, emptiness of form. An extremely refined awareness stands out within the citta. As each new image flashes on and disappears, the mind feels the resulting emptiness more profoundly. Due to its subtle and manifest strength at this stage, the citta’s knowing nature completely dominates. Finally, images created in the mind cease to appear altogether—only emptiness remains. In this void the citta’s essential knowing nature prevails, exclusively and incomparably. With the cessation of all body-images created by the mind comes the total annihilation of kamaraga. Contemplation of the body has reached closure.

念住与智慧成为惯性——它们以非凡的速度和灵巧协调运作。当这个观察进入巅峰时，身体的影像一出现就消失。不管这些影像是否融入心，只知道它们出现和消失，生起和灭去的影像发生得太快了，以至外在或内在的认知不再有意义，最后影像从觉知中闪动生灭，快到无法维持它们的相。每一灭去，心就经历一个深刻的空——空于影像、空于相。一个极端微细的觉知在心中凸显出来，每一个新的影像闪起灭去，心就更深刻感受到它带来的空。基于它在这阶段的微细与展现的力量，心能知的根本特性完全凸显出来。最后，心中制造的影像同时生起与灭去——只有空留下。在这空中，心能知的根本特性占据全面而无可比拟的主导。当所有心造作的身体影像熄灭时，欲贪彻底熄灭，身念住的修行终于来到尾声。

Finally realizing that all form is intrinsically empty—empty of personality, empty of distinctive qualities such as beauty and ugliness—the meditator sees the immense harm caused by kamaraga. This ruinous defilement spreads its noxious poison everywhere. It corrodes human relationships and agitates the whole world, distorting people’s thoughts and emotions, causing anxiety, restlessness and constant discontent. Nothing else has such a disquieting effect on people’s lives. It is the most destructive force on earth. When kamaraga is totally eliminated, the entire world appears empty. The force that ignites fires which consume people’s hearts, and fans flames that ravage human society is vanquished and buried. The fire of sexual attraction is extinguished for good—nothing remains to torment the heart. With kamaraga quenched, Nibbana appears imminent and close at hand.

最终觉悟到一切相本质上都是空——空于自我，空于如漂亮和丑陋等不同的特性——禅修者看到欲贪巨大的危害。这令人堕落的杂染到处散布它的毒害，它腐蚀人类的关系，骚动整个世界，扭曲人们的思想、情绪，导致忧虑、不安和永远的不足。再也没有任何东西像它那样扰乱人类的生活了，它是世间最毁灭性的力量。当欲贪彻底熄灭时，整个世界变得空了，那点燃火焰焚烧人心、煽动火焰蹂躏人类社会的力量，现在已被消灭埋葬。淫欲之火永远被熄灭了——再也没有什么遗留下来折磨心。欲贪熄灭了，涅槃显得近在咫尺垂手可得。

Kamaraga conceals everything, blinding us to all aspects of the truth. Thus, when kamaraga is finally destroyed, we have an unobstructed view of magga, phala, and Nibbana—they are now well within reach.

欲贪覆盖了一切，蒙蔽真相的一切。因此，一旦欲贪最后被毁灭，我们对道、果和涅槃的视线便没有障碍——它们现在变得触手可及。