Skip to content

[Lamrim·Meditation] DEALING WITH LAXITY AND EXCITEMENT P27

[Lamrim·Meditation] DEALING WITH LAXITY AND EXCITEMENT P27

第二离沉掉时应如何修。

(2)) What to do when laxity and excitement are absent

《广论》【闻·思·修】Lamrim·Meditation

  第二、离沈掉时应如何修:如前所说,修习断除微细沉没、掉举,则无或沈或掉令不平等,心能平等运转之时,若功用行是修定过,于此对治应修等舍。如是亦如《修次中篇》云:“若时见心俱无沈掉,于所缘境心正直住,尔时应当放缓功用,修习等舍,是时欲坐几时,即安坐之。”若尔,何为作行或有功用而致过失之理?此由于心掉则摄录、沈则策举而作修习,于一合适座中,自有成算沈掉不起之时,若仍如初励防沈掉而修。如是行者,则如《修次》后二篇云:“心平等转,若仍功用,尔时其心便当散动。”反成散乱,故于尔时应知放舍。此复是为放缓功用,非舍执取相力。故修等舍,非是一切无沈掉时,乃是摧伏沈掉力时;若未摧伏沈掉势力,无等舍故。

  设念:其舍为何?答:舍总有三:一、受舍,二、四无量之舍,三、行舍;此是行舍。此舍自性,如《声闻地》云:“此中云何为舍?谓于止观品所缘心无染污之心平等性、正直、自任运转、适悦心、心堪能性,无随功用行而舍。”应如是知。获得此舍之时,修三摩地不起沈掉之际,令舍现前,安住不发太过功用。此所缘相,如前论云:“云何舍相?谓由所缘令心上舍,及于所缘不发所有太过精进。”修舍之时,亦如彼云:“云何舍时?谓心于止观品无沈掉时。”如是引发无过三摩地法,此等是依慈尊所说《辨中边论》,如云:“依住堪能性,能成一切义,由灭五过失,勤修八断行。懈怠忘圣言,及沉没掉举,不作行作行,是为五过失。即所依能依,及所因能果。不忘其所缘,觉了沈与掉,起作行断彼,灭时正直转。其依住者,谓为除障品发勤精进,依此而住,于此能生心堪能性胜三摩地。此能成办胜神通等一切义利,是神变之足或是所依,故能成满一切义利。

  云何能生此三摩地?谓为断除五过失故,勤修八行,从此因生。五过失者,谓加行时,懈怠为过,于三摩地不加行故。勤修定时,忘失教授是其过失,若忘所缘,心于所缘不能定故。已等引时,沈掉为过,彼二令心无堪能故。沈掉生时,不作功用是其过失,以此不能灭二过故。离沈掉时,行思是过。沈掉二过合一为五,《修次》诸篇亦各分别说为六过。此等对治为八断行,其中对治懈怠有四,谓信、欲、勤、安。对治忘念、沈掉、不作行、作行,如其次第,谓念、觉了沈掉之正知、作行之思、正住之舍,此等前已广说。故灭懈怠为初切要。若能获得喜乐增广身心轻安,昼夜行善能无疲厌,懈怠尽除。为生轻安,须于能生轻安之因妙三摩地,恒发精进。为生精进,须于正定具足恒常猛利希欲。欲乐之因,须由观见正定功德引动心意坚固信心,故应先思正定功德,数修信心。此等次第,修而观之极显决定,故应认为最胜宗要。此即修定第一教授,故莲花戒大论师于三篇《修次》,及余印度诸大智者,皆于修定众多章中宣说,《道炬论释》亦于修止章中宣说,故见道次先觉亦皆说其粗概。然见乐修定者,犹未了知应如何修,故广决择。此乃一切以念正知远离沉掉修三 摩地心一境性共同教授,不应执此是相乘别法,非咒所须,无上瑜伽续中亦说是所共故。如三补止初章第二品云:「断行俱行欲三摩地神足,谓住远离,住于离欲,住于灭尽,由正 断成,由彼欲故而正修习,非极下劣及太高举。」于勤观心三三摩地亦如是说,前说正定 妙堪能性,是神变等功德所依,犹如足故名为神足。辨中边论释等说成此定略有四门,谓 由猛利欲乐所得及由恒常精进所得。由观择境得三摩地,名欲三摩地,进三摩地,观三摩 地。若心宿有三摩地种,依彼而得心一境性,名心三摩地。极下劣者谓太缓慢,太高举者谓 太策励,义为离彼二边而修。

《广论》 Pg373L01-Pg375LL01

*《菩提道次第广论》原文改译——大慈恩译经基金会

By continuing to meditate after eliminating even subtle laxity and excitement, as explained above, your mind will enter a state of equipoise that is free from the imbalances of either laxity or excitement. At this point, it is a fault of concentration to apply or exert yourself, so cultivate equanimity as a remedy for this. Kamalasila’s second Stages of Meditation says:
  When laxity and excitement have gone and you see that your attention is calmly remaining on the object of meditation, relax your effort and abide in equanimity; then remain this way for as long as you please.

 Question: How can it be that applying yourself, or making an effort, turns into a problem?
 Reply: Through meditation, turning your attention inward when your mind is excited and stimulating your mind when it is lax, you gain confidence that laxity and excitement will not occur during each suitable meditation session. At this point you are still extremely wary of laxity and excitement, just as at the outset. Sustaining this is the problem. Your mind will become distracted, so at that time you must know to relax, as stated in Kamalasila’s second and third Stages of Meditation: “If you exert yourself when your mind has entered a state of equipoise, then your mind will be distracted.” This entails relaxing the effort, but not sacrificing the intensity of the way you apprehend your object.
 Therefore, this cultivation of equanimity is not to be done every time laxity and excitement are absent, but once you have reduced the force of laxity and excitement; for when you have not done so, there is no equanimity.
 Question: What sort of equanimity is this?
 Reply: Generally, three types of equanimity are taught:(1) the feeling of impartiality, (2) the impartiality that is one among the four immeasurables, and (3) equanimity with respect to application. This is equanimity with respect to application. Its nature is to be understood in accordance with this passage from Asanga’s Sravaka Levels:
  What is equanimity? As your mind attends to objects of meditation associated with serenity and insight, it is focusing with calm settling, spontaneous mental engagement, a sense of mental well- being, effortless mental functioning after becoming serviceable, and a mental balance free from the afflictions.

 When you achieve such equanimity—on those occasions when laxity and excitement are absent as you cultivate concentration— stay with this equanimity and let your mind rest without exerting strong effort. The signs of this sort of attention are described in the same text:
  What are the signs of equanimity? The object of meditation places your mind in equanimity; your mind is not overflowing with excessive joyous perseverance with respect to the object of meditation.

The time for cultivating equanimity is also set forth in that text:
  When is the time for equanimity? In terms of serenity and insight, when your mind is free of laxity and excitement.

 The above explanations of the method for developing flawless concentration are in accord with the venerable Maitreya’s teachings in the Separation of the Middle from the Extremes:
  Staying with that joyous perseverance,
  Your mind becomes serviceable, and you attain all goals.
  
This occurs as a result of eliminating the five faults
  And relying on the eight antidotes.
  The five faults are laziness,
  Forgetting the instructions,
  Laxity and excitement,
  Non-application, and application.
  The eight antidotes are the basis [yearning], that based on it [effort],
  The cause [confidence], the effect [pliancy],
  Not forgetting the object of meditation,
  Recognizing laxity and excitement,
  Application to eliminate them,
  And calmly stabilizing your mind when they have been quelled.

In those verses, “Staying with that” refers to keeping up the output of joyous perseverance for the sake of dispelling unfavorable conditions. With this, a concentration in which your mind is serviceable arises. Moreover, since this is the foundation, or basis, of supernormal powers which achieve all goals—superknowledge and so forth—you attain all goals.

 What do you do to develop such concentration? It develops as a result of using the eight antidotes in order to eliminate the five faults. These are the five faults: at the time of preparation, laziness is a fault because you do not apply yourself at concentration. When you are working at concentration, forgetting the instructions is a fault because when you forget the object upon which you were instructed to meditate, your mind is not set in equipoise upon the object of meditation. When it is set in meditative equipoise, laxity and excitement are faults because they make your mind unserviceable. When laxity and excitement occur, lack of effort [non-application] is a fault because it does not quell those two. When laxity and excitement are absent, the fault is the intention of application. Kamalasila’s three Stages of Meditation point out that there are five faults if laxity and excitement are treated as one, six if they are listed separately.

 Among the remedies for those faults, the eight antidotes, there are four remedies for laziness—confidence, yearning, effort, and pliancy. Then the remedies for forgetfulness, laxity and excitement, non-application, and application are, respectively, mindfulness, vigilance that recognizes laxity and excitement, the intention of application, and calmly established equanimity. I explained these extensively above.

 These are the most excellent instructions for achieving concentration. They are set forth in the great master KamalaŸıla’s three Stages of Meditation, as well as many expositions on achieving concentration by other great Indian scholars. They are also explained in the discussion on achieving serenity in Atisha’s commentary on his own Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment. Earlier gurus of the stages of the path have conveyed a rough idea of these points, yet those wishing to cultivate meditative stabilization have not understood how to proceed. Thus, I have set this forth at length.

 That mindfulness and vigilance remove laxity and excitement from your mind’s one-pointed concentration is a common theme to all personal instructions on this practice. [529] So do not think, “This is a teaching particular to the vehicle of dialectics, but it is not necessary in the mantra vehicle.” For it is common to the mantra vehicle as well, since this is also stated in the class of the highest yoga tantras. The second chapter of the first section of the glorious Integration Tantra states:
  The concentration of yearning, the foundation of the supernormal abilities associated with remedial application, is based in solitude; it is based in freedom from attachment; and it is based in cessation. There is thorough transformation by means of correct elimination. With this yearning you meditate without being very slack or elated….

 It also describes the three concentrations of enthusiasm, of analysis, and of the mind in the same way. Serviceable concentration, as explained above, is the basis for attaining qualities such as super- normal abilities. Therefore, since it is like a foundation, it is called the foundation of supernormal abilities. Texts such as Sthiramati’s Explanation of the “Separation of the Middle from the Extremes” explain that there are four avenues to accomplish this: (1) achieving it through fierce yearning, (2) achieving it through prolonged joyous perseverance, (3) achieving concentration by discriminating examination of the object of meditation—these first three are called, respectively, yearning concentration, enthusiastic concentration, and analytical concentration—and (4) achieving one-pointedness of mind based on having in your mind seeds of earlier concentration; this is called mental concentration. “Very slack” refers to excessive relaxation, and “very elated” refers to excessive tightness. The point is that you should sustain a meditation which lacks these two.

Lamrim Chenmo Vol. 3 Pg67LL09-Pg71LL01


References 参考资料:​​
  1. 《菩提道次第廣論》全文下載
  2. The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Tib. Lam rim chen mo) (Volume 3), Shambhala Publications
Recent Posts:​

Loading

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.