把握当下的觉

Maintaining Mindfulness in the Present Moment

 

朱逸飞讲于万佛城大殿1998年1月28日by Yifei Zhu at the Buddha Hall of the City of 10,000 Buddhas on Jan. 28, 1998

 

All Good Knowing Advisors! My name is Yifei Zhu. Today I will talk about mindfulness. In Buddhism mindfulness usually carries two meanings: first, mindfulness after enlightenment, which is Samyaksambodhi; and second, mindfulnessbefore enlightenment. I’d like to discuss the second one here. Because of this mindfulness, we have the chance to get enlightened. This mindfulnessalso can be called ‘false enlightenment’. But the ‘true’ and the ‘false’ are not totally separate from each other. We cannot reach true enlightenment without understanding false enlightenment. So, I will discuss what mindfulnessbefore enlightenment  is and how we can maintain mindfulnessin our cultivation.

 

各位善知识，我叫朱逸飞。今天我想讲「觉」。「觉」字在佛学上有两层的意思，一个是开悟以后的正等正觉，我不敢去讲这个境界。第二个，就是悟以前的觉，我们就是依觉而悟的。这个觉也可以称为是妄觉，但是真妄不二，要觉悟就离不开妄觉。所以我在这里谈一下什么是这个悟前的觉，然后如何从修行中把握这个觉。

 

I was led to investigate mindfulness because after I had practiced intensive insight meditation in the Theravada tradition for several days, I reported my experience to a Theravada monk. He told me, “Your awareness lagged behind the event. You should always be in the present moment. If you are disturbed by something else, you may leave the object of mindfulness temporarily, but you should not leave the present moment.” His instructions were different from what I had learned about meditation before. I used to believe that I should never be apart from my object of investigation. I felt confused as I considered this problem after our conversation. Later, while I was sitting, a thought suddenly arose: “Being in the present moment is mindfulness; being away from the present moment is thinking. In cultivation, we should abide in mindfulness.” My confusion disappeared at that time.

 

我开始探讨觉，是在我按照南传的精进慧观禅修法修了几先天之后，当时我将心得请教了一位南传的法师，他跟我说：「你的观照在时间上落后。」他说：「你应当抓住当下的时刻，如果有外来干扰你的所缘。你可以暂时离开那个所缘，但不要离开当下的时刻。」他这个说法，与我以前修禅定的知识，就有了出入，以前我一直认为要紧守所缘的。那天，我就不断地思考这个当下和禅定的关系，头脑也有点混乱了。后来在打坐中，忽然间有一个念头闪过，当下就是觉；离开当下就是念，修行修定应该定在觉上。这时，我感到心里的混乱消失了。

 

After arriving at the City, I read many Sutras and meditated seriously in order to understand mindfulness. My understanding now is: mindfulness is very critical for anyone who truly wants to cultivate. Without mindfulness, our cultivation cannot reach high levels, much less end the cycle of birth and death. Here, I’d like to give a definition of mindfulness: What is mindfulness? It’s the awareness that is clear, continuous, and in the present moment. These are the three conditions for mindfulness. If any one of them is missing, mindfulness loses its meaning. For example, without being in the present moment, mindfulnessbecomes thinking. There is attachment because the consciousness dwells on past events. Without the condition of the clear awareness, mindfulness becomes dull. Without the condition of continuity, mindfulness does not have power. It cannot see the reality of phenomena, and wisdom will not arise. Therefore, the essence of meditation is mindfulness. Only in mindfulness can we have both concentration and wisdom.

 

针对这个「觉」，来到圣城以后我就参看了很多经书，并且配合自己打坐。我现在的理解是：这个「觉」是我们每个想要真修行的人，必须具备的。没有这个「觉」，修行没有办法深入，了生死也不可能。这里我对这个「觉」下一个定义。什么是「觉」呢？「觉」就是清晰的，连续不断的，当下的觉知。离开了这三个条件中的任何一个条件都不成为觉。譬如你离开了当下时刻的觉知，那就成为念了，就有执着。因为你的意识停留在已过去的事件当中；离开了清晰这个条件，觉知就暗钝麻木了；离开了连续不断这个条件，觉就没有力量，不能透视事物的实相，没有法子产生智慧。所以说修慧的本质是在于觉；只有定在觉上才是定慧等持。

 

In any Buddhist practice, the establishment of mindfulness is the basic skill for giving rise to wisdom from concentration. It does not specifically belong to either Theravada or Mahayana. How can we establish mindfulness in our cultivation? We can learn this from the three characteristics of mindfulness.

 

建立这个觉，实际上是每一个佛教法门当中由定发慧基本的功夫，并不分南北传。那么如何从修行中去把握这个觉呢？我想讲讲我自己的体会。从觉的这三个特征上，我们就可以知道应该如何去修。

 

First, we should contemplate all the time and be in the present moment, and pay attention to see if we slip away from mindfulness. When we talk loudly, we often slip from mindfulness into thought. It’s better to speak slowly and softly and maintain a certain level of mindfulness at the same time. We should not talk too much. When walking fast, we often slip away from mindfulness. Angry thoughts also make us slip far away from mindfulness.

 

第一个，我们应该时时观照，保持当下，要经常留意观照自己是不是从「觉」滑到「念」上去了。当我们说话大声的时候，就常常会从「觉」滑到「念」上去了。说话应该比较轻声一点，比较慢一点，并且要保持一种轻度的觉照，这样就可以不使觉失掉了。没有事的时候，就不要多说话。走路快了，也很容易从「觉」滑到「念」上来。你打一个瞋念，那就滑得很远了。

 

Second, our cultivation should be continuous. Ideally, we should maintain it all day long. Walking, standing, sitting, and lying are all times to cultivate mindfulness. In this way, we can establish a powerful mindfulness. To establish the skill of mindfulness, the important thing is to do it in everyday life, not only during a Chan session. If you are able to be mindful all the time, being single-minded without confusion, you can say that you have found the right path of cultivation. According to several great Chan Masters, if one can maintain one’s Chan investigation single-mindedly without any false thinking , one will be enlightened soon.

 

第二点就是要连续不断地修，因为「觉」要求连续不断。最好整天连续修，行住坐卧都应该在觉当中，这样才能够建立起来有力量的觉。因此建立觉的功夫是在平常，并不只在禅七。如果你每分每秒都保持在觉当中，那就是一心不乱，修行也就可以说是上路了。禅宗大德都说过，如果能一心不乱，那很快就会开悟了。

 

Third, we should maintain good health and energy so that our awareness can stay clear. Cultivating mindfulness consumes more energy than ordinary meditation. Therefore, we need to adjust our sleep and food to avoid drowsiness, which is not good for cultivation. Keeping the middle way is very important. When you feel sleepy, you can cultivate mindfulness while walking or moving. Usually the mindfulness gained from walking is more powerful than that from sitting.

 

第三就是你要保持充分的体力，使觉知非常清晰。修觉是非常费精力的，通常要比打坐还费精力。因此你就要比较好地调整你的睡眠和饮食，来维持充分的精力，否则就很容易产生昏沉，那修行起来就很困难。因此在这当中就应该保持中道，当昏沉比较重的时候，可以在动中来修，也就是说你可以修步行禅。实际上从动中修出来的觉，那是更有力量。

 

Generally speaking, cultivating mindfulness requires a gentle method. Do not push too hard. Genuine skill comes from applying effort in every second of your daily life.

 

总而言之，修觉的方法应该要柔，不要刚，是由平时绵绵密密去做的，这样才会出真功夫。