EXPECTATION DERIVED FROM ONE’S OWN POINT OF VIEW 主觀與期待之五（終） Ven.Revata尊者 雷瓦達

Dependent Origination 《緣 起》

Now, what is the Second Noble Truth? It is the Truth of the Origin of Suffering. In order to elucidate this Truth, I will talk about how one of my disciples had practised Dependent Origination (paṭicca-samuppāda). I taught him to discern five past lives.
再來，什麼是第二聖諦？這是苦集聖諦。為了闡明這一 聖諦，我要舉我一個弟子修習緣起的例子。我教導他如何辨識過去五世。

The Buddha said that, because we have not known and have not seen Dependent Origination, you and I have wandered in the round of rebirths, not knowing how to make an end of suffering. So if we don’t know and don’t see Dependent Origination, there is no way to make an end of suffering. Therefore, we teach meditators to know and to see their past lives, at least five past lives or sometimes even more, in order to know and to see cause and effect.

佛陀說，由於我們還沒有知見緣起，你我長久以來流轉輪迴，不知如何滅苦。 所以，如果我們不知見緣起，是無法止息苦的。因此，我們教導禪修行者如何知見他們的過去世，至少五世甚至於更多，以便他們能知見到其中的因果關係。

So the Second Noble Truth is the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering. To put it simply, the First Noble Truth points out that suffering exists and tells us what suffering is, while the Second Noble Truth tells us what causes that suffering. The central teaching of the Buddha is the law of kamma. What is it that makes someone a Buddhist? Do you know? Are you a Buddhist? Who qualifies as a Buddhist? A Buddhist is someone who has faith in the law of kamma. As the Buddha said, ‘Nothing happens without causes; whatever happens, there is a cause.’
所以第二聖諦是苦集聖諦。簡而言之，第一聖諦指出苦的存在以及何謂苦。而第二聖諦則指出苦生起之因。佛陀的核心教義是業果法則。你們知道是什麼因緣令人成為佛教徒？你是佛教徒嗎？什麼人有資格成為佛教徒？佛教徒就是能夠相信業果法則的人。如同佛所說的：沒有任何事件的 發生是無因的，任何事件的發生，必有其因。

Now, here in this place some are tall, some are short, some are beautiful, and I see nobody who is ugly, but we all have different appearances. These differences are due to different causes. It is just because of kamma. This is what the bodhisatta realised on the full moon day of Vesākha. Under the Bodhi Tree, in the second watch of the night, he penetrated causality directly, and later as the Buddha He taught His disciples how to penetrate causes and their effects so as to know the Second Noble Truth. So to know the Second Noble Truth, you must first penetrate the First Noble Truth. Without having penetrated the First Noble Truth, it is impossible to understand the Second Noble Truth. It is impossible to penetrate the Second Noble Truth without first penetrating the First Noble Truth.
現在這兒，有人長得高，有人生得矮；有人好看，而我看也沒有人生得醜。但是，我們的外貌個個不同。這些差別 是來自不同的因素，那是業之故。而這，就是我們的菩薩在衛塞月的月圓日，於菩提樹下，在中夜時分，所直接徹見的緣起法。在成佛之後，佛陀教導弟子們如何洞徹因及它們的果，使他們了知第二聖諦。所以要了知第二聖諦，你首先需要徹見第一聖諦。 沒有徹見第一聖諦，是不可能了知第二聖諦的；同樣地，已經徹見第二聖諦的人，不可能還沒徹見第一聖諦。

So as for the meditator I mentioned: After he had realised the First Noble Truth, which is ultimate mentality and materiality, I instructed him to discern the nāma and rūpa of that very evening, then the nāma and rūpa of the day before, then the nāma and rūpa of the day before that, then three days ago, one week ago, one month ago, one year ago, two years ago, five years ago, ten years ago, and twenty years ago; and as he was then nearly thirty, I told him to discern the nāma rūpa of twenty-nine years ago. That was very near the beginning stage in his mother’s womb. Then he continued discerning nāma rūpa and reached the beginning stage in his mother’s womb. So he reached the very beginning stage, the moment of rebirth linking consciousness. He discerned ultimate mentality and materiality arising at that time, at that beginning stage of this life. Wishing to know the causes of this ultimate mentality and materiality, he discerned further back to his most recent past life. And then he saw some of his past lives prior to that one. I taught him to discern five past existences altogether. So counting his present existence, the total number of lives he discerned would number six. I will start by explaining from the earliest one up to the present.
至於我所曾提到的行者，在證知第一聖諦—也就是究竟名法和究竟色法之後，我指導他，去辨識他在當夜的名法和色法，然後前一天的名色法，然後再前一天的名色法、再三天前的、一周前的、一個月前的、一年前的、兩年前的、 五年前的、十年前的、二十年前的。他當時大約三十歲，我告訴他辨識二十九年前的名色法，那是非常接近他在母胎的初期。然後，他繼續辨識名色，以達到在母胎裡最初始的階段──結生心生起的刹那。他再辨識這一世結生時生起的究竟名色。帶著想知道這個究竟名色法生起之因的願，他再進一步辨識他的前一世，然後，他看到一些比當生更遠的過去世。我指導他一起辨識過去的五世，所以將現在世計算在內，他辨識了六期生命。我將從最早的一生開始一直到今生來說明。

In his fifth past life, counting back in time, he had been a brahmā-god. How does one come to take birth in the brahmā realm? It is possible only after attaining jhāna concentration. You can be reborn in the brahmā realm only if you can maintain jhāna mastery right up until the very moment before your death. If you maintained second jhāna absorption concentration at the near-death moment of this very life, you would be reborn in the second brahmā realm. You wouldn’t need to take conception in a womb. A brahmā appears immediately, in a fully formed body. Immediately after the death consciousness arises, the brahmā appears there with a fully formed body. This is something you cannot see with the naked eye. Nor is there any other religious teacher who can teach about it besides the Buddha. If you systematically practise the way the Buddha taught, you can realise that there is a brahmā realm, there is a celestial realm, there is a hell, and so forth. So that yogi was able to see his fifth past life as a brahmā.
回溯到他過去的第五世，他是一個梵天人。一個人怎麼投生到梵天界呢？只有在證得禪那之後，才有可能。你必須能純熟地持續禪那狀態直到臨終剎那，才能投生梵天界。如果，你此生能夠在臨終那一剎那維持在第二禪中，你會投生到第二禪的梵天界。你並不需要住胎於子宮，在死亡心生起後，梵天人即刻以完整的色身呈現於彼界。這是你肉眼無法見到的，也是除了佛陀以外，沒有任何其他宗教導師所能教導的。如果，你能有系統地修習佛陀所教導的方法，你就可以體證到有梵天界，有天界，有地獄界，等等。所以，那名禪修者得以見到他過去第五世是個梵天人。

Brahmās have no nose-sensitivity, they have no tongue-sensitivity, and they have no body-sensitivity. They have only eye- and ear-sensitivity. They want to have eye-sensitivity because they want to see the Buddha. They want to have ear-sensitivity because they want to hear the Dhamma.
梵天人無鼻淨色、無舌淨色、亦無身淨色。他們只有眼淨色和耳淨色。因為要見佛，他們要眼淨色；因為要聞法， 所以要耳淨色。

How much dukkha do we have because of our nosesensitivity? How much dukkha do we have because of our tongue-sensitivity? How busy you are as a human because of this tongue-sensitivity! How much dukkha you encounter because of your bodysensitivity! How good it would be if you had no such sensitivities! Do you agree? Do you see the dukkha in this? If you don’t see the dukkha, you cannot be reborn in the brahmā realm because you will not practise well.
我們由於鼻淨色，而承受多少的苦？由於舌淨色，我們承受多少的苦？生而為人，由於這個舌淨色，你是多麼的忙！由於身淨色，你面對那麼多的苦！如果沒有這些淨色， 有多好啊！你同意嗎？你可見到這其中的種種苦嗎？若不見苦，你無法投生於梵天界，因為你將不會修得好。

Brahmās don’t eat any food. Their food is the bliss that arises from entering jhāna. Is it good? They have no need to cook, no need to earn money – how good it is! Very good! So in that previous life, that yogi practised jhāna absorption concentration as a brahmā. Unfortunately, he could not maintain jhāna absorption concentration in the near-death moment. Instead, the last object that appeared in his mind was the Buddha’s own image. Is it good? Is it wholesome or unwholesome? Yes, it is a very, very superior object. It wasn’t just an image of the Buddha; rather, it was the genuine visible appearance of the real Buddha that appeared to him. Taking that as his near-death object, he was very happy.
梵天眾不需要任何食物，他們以進入禪那而生起之喜（pīti）為食。這樣好嗎？他們不必煮飯、不必賺錢，多好啊！真好！因此，在那珍貴的一生中，作為一位梵天人，這位行者都在修習安止定。不幸的是，他在臨死的時刻無法維持他的安止定。他最後的所緣是佛陀的影像。這樣可好？這是善或者不善？是的，這是非常殊勝的所緣；這不僅是佛像而已，這是真實可見的佛身親現眼前。取這個相作為他的臨終所緣，他非常高興。

In his next existence, his fourth past life, he was born as a man and became a king in that life. Do you want to be a king? Maybe there is someone here who wants to be a king. So as a king, he accumulated both good and bad kamma; however, since he was born in the human realm as a man and a king after he had passed away from the brahmā realm, I believe he had a very good temperament. Therefore he accumulated a lot of very wholesome kamma in his life as a king.
在他的下一生，也就是過去第四生，他出生為男性，是 一名國王。你們想當國王嗎？在場或許有人想當國王。當國王時，他同時累積了善業與惡業。然而，由於他在梵天界死後，投生人間生為男人，且為國王，我相信他有很好的品性，因此他作為國王時，累積了很多善業。

Now, there was a very beautiful cow that was fed in the king’s palace. It was very beautiful. Whenever the king went there to see the cow, he felt a strong affection for her. He became attached to that cow. When that king was about to die, the last object that appeared in his mind door was not some other wholesome kamma but that beautiful cow, unfortunately. He died with attachment to that cow. So he was born as a bull in the next existence, his third past life. But even though he was born as a bull, he accumulated much good kamma, because a good character and a good temperament influenced that bull.
當時，國王的皇宮內餵養著一頭很好看的母牛。每當國 王去看這頭牛的時候，他對她有一種特別的感情，而對母牛起了愛著。當國王瀕死之際，成為他意門的最後所緣，並不是其他善業，竟然是那頭漂亮的母牛。非常不幸地，他以對母牛的愛著而命終。所以他的下一生，即過去第三世，是一頭公牛。但即使生為公牛，由於性格良好及脾氣溫和的影 響，牠還是累積了足夠的善業。

One day the owner of the bull intended to do meritorious deeds. So the bull pulled the bullock cart, loaded with many material things. In your experience, even intelligent humans like ourselves, when we have to carry something heavy, are we happy? We are unhappy. But even though this bull had been born as a dumb animal due to the unfortunate kamma that appeared at the near-death moment in its previous existence, it nonetheless had been born with a good temperament which influenced that bull very much. It was very happy while it was pulling the bullock cart, loaded with material things to make an offering. Wholesome states of mind arose in that bull. Fortunately for the bull, that was the kamma that appeared to it at its near-death moment. What happened in his next existence? In his second past life, he was born as a man and became a carpenter.
有一天，牛主人打算要去建功，所以牛就拉了裝滿材料的牛車。從你們的經驗中，就算像我們有智慧的人類，當要去背負重物的時候，我們會開心嗎？不會開心的！但這頭牛，因為上輩子臨終時的業，導致他下一世生為愚笨的動物，牠還是有一副好品性。牠很開心的拉著裝滿準備供養的 物品的車，因而生起善心。很幸運的，這個業在牠臨終時刻出現。下一世發生什麼事呢？在牠的下一世，他成了一個男 人，隨後成為一位木匠。

One day, as a carpenter with good temperament, he built a small bridge that people and bullock carts could cross. This too was a wholesome deed. That was the kamma that appeared at the near-death moment in that life. In the next existence, which was his immediate past life, he was born as a man again, and he became very rich. Since man is mortal, one day he was about to die. Fortunately at that rich man’s near-death moment, the last object that appeared was an offering of food to three bhikkhus. Is that wholesome or unwholesome? It is wholesome. At that time he made the following aspiration: ‘Because of this deed, may I penetrate the Dhamma that these bhantes have penetrated.’ Is it good? Owing to such kamma, in his present life he was able to meditate very well with the support of his previous practice as a brahmā, so that he was able to attain jhāna absorption concentration. And because of his aspiration to penetrate the Dhamma, he could penetrate the Dhamma very deeply in this life.
有一天，這位品性良好的木匠，建造了一座可以給人類和牛車通過的小橋；這也是一項善行，而成為出現在他那一生臨終時刻的業。在下一世，也就是他的前一個過去世，他又成為一個男人，並且變得非常富有。因為人是會死亡的， 有一天，他就要去世了。幸運的，在他臨死的時刻，最後出現的所緣是供養食物給三位比庫。這是善還是不善？是善的。那時他就發了一個心願：「以此善行，願我可以徹知這些尊者所徹知的佛法。」這樣是好的嗎？因為這樣的業，他在這一世投生為人，並且由於過去生身為梵天人時的修行， 資助他能夠在今生禪修得很好，他因此能夠培育起禪那的定力。而因為他發願要徹知佛法，他能在這一生非常深入的徹知佛法。

I relate all this to help you understand the Second Noble Truth. If you want to realise the Dhamma, if you want to attain Path Knowledge and Fruition Knowledge in this very life, this is what you all need to understand, because if you don’t realise the First Noble Truth and the Second Noble Truth, you can’t practise genuine vipassanā. So after realising the First and Second Noble Truths, you can start insight meditation.
 我敘述這些來幫助你們瞭解第二聖諦。如果你們想要體證佛法，如果你們在這一世想要證得道果智，這就是你們需要了知的，因為如果你不能證知第一與第二聖諦，你們無 法修習真正的觀禪。所以在證知第一與第二聖諦以後，你們就可以開始修行觀禪了。

As the bodhisatta practised insight meditation under the Bodhi Tree, after having realized the First Noble Truth in the first watch of the night and the Second Noble Truth in the second watch of the night, through two kinds of supernatural power, then by practising insight meditation in the third watch of the night, before dawn, he attained the final attainment associated with Omniscience. This is the way to Nibbāna. This is the point of view all of you should hold. Your aim should be to know and to see the Dhamma as it really is. If your point of view is not in accord with this, then no matter how much you try, how much time you spend, or how hard you exert yourself, you will never realise Nibbāna. So, holding to Right View, knowing the true teachings of the Buddha…
我們的菩薩在菩提樹下，透過兩種神通的力量，於初夜時分，徹悟第一聖諦，中夜時分，徹悟第二聖諦，隨後在後夜時分修習觀禪，就在黎明之前，證得了與一切知智相應生起的阿拉漢道果。這就是導向涅槃之道，這就是你們該持有的觀點。你們的目標，應該是如實知見佛法。如果，你們的觀點與這不相符，那麼，不管你們多努力的嘗試，花多少時間，你們永遠無法證悟涅槃。所以，持有正見，明瞭佛陀真正的教法⋯⋯

May you all engage in the practice of meditation in this very life!
May you all realise the Dhamma as it really is in this very life!
And may you all be able to see Nibbāna and make an end of suffering in this very life!
願你們能在此生投入禪修！ 願你們能在此生如實體證佛法！ 願你們能在此生見到涅槃，止息一切苦！
Ārambhatha nikkamatha,
Yuñjatha buddhasāsane.
Dhunātha maccuno senaṃ,
Naḷāgāraṃva kuñjaro.

Arouse your energy in the practice,
Strive on for the attainment of liberation,
Exert yourself while the True Teachings of the Buddha are still flourishing!
Sweep away the army of Death,
As an elephant crushes a hut of reeds.
Sādhu! Sādhu! Sādhu!

當佛陀真正的教法還昌盛的時候，
激起你們修行的精進力、力爭成就解脫、
努力不懈！ 掃除死亡大軍，
就像大象粉碎蘆葦一般。
Sādhu! Sādhu! Sādhu!
薩度！薩度！薩度！
Source:
EXPECTATION DERIVED FROM ONE’S OWN POINT OF VIEW
[主觀與期待]-5B
Ven. Revata尊者 雷瓦達