SAMATHA AND VIPASSANĀ NEED TO BE DEVELOPED 止和观应修习

佛陀教导通过修习止和观来了知四圣谛。然而， 经典并没有记载佛陀解释说“这是止”、“这是 观”、“为了修止，需要如何如何”、“为了修观， 需要如何如何”。所以，为了了解佛陀所指的培育止 观的意思，我们需要参考义注和复注，特别是《清净 之道》(Visuddhi-magga)。

例如，佛陀在《增支部·证智经》(Abhiññā sutta) 中说：
“诸比库，哪些法应以证智修习呢？止和观 (samatho ca vipassanà ca)。诸比库，这些法称为应以证智修习。”(A.4.254)

《增支部》的义注解释以证智修习止的意思是培育心一境性(cittekaggatà)，相当于定(samàdhi)，也即是 《清净之道》所说的心清净(cittavisuddhi)，包括称为 八定(aññha samàpattiyo)的四种色界禅那和四无色定，即 所有的安止定(appanàsamàdhi)。心清净也包括近行定 (upacàrasamàdhi)，是与即将达到禅那的定力相似的深 度定力。(Vm.662)

《增支部》的义注也解释了以证智修习观的意思 是培育对诸行的观智，即通过亲证之智来了知究竟色 法、究竟名法及其因。随后，他需要了知这些行法的 无常(aniccà)、苦(dukkhà)、无我(anattà)相6。如果我们 把禅修次第分为七清净，修观则是戒清净和心清净之 后的五种清净：始于见清净(diññhivisuddhi)并终于智见清净(¤àõadassanavisuddhi)。(Vm.662)

所以，唯有参考这些权威的经典，我们才有可能了解佛陀在许多经典中所说的修定、禅那、修慈，或 者修遍等等，其实都是在谈论修止。同样地，我们才有可能了解佛陀在许多经典中所说的观照五蕴及其生起与灭尽，所说的亲证并遍知五蕴，所说的观照五蕴无常、苦、无我相等，都是在谈论修观。

The Buddha explains that the practice by which the four Noble Truths are understood is samatha and vipassanā. But there is no sutta where The Buddha explains, ‘This is samatha’, or ‘This is vipassanā’, or ‘To practise samatha, one needs to do such and such’, or ‘To practise vipassanā, one needs to do such and such’. So to understand what The Buddha means by development of samatha and vipassanā, we need to refer to the commentaries and subcommentaries, especially the Visuddhi ∙Magga.

Thus, for example, in the ‘Abhiññā’ sutta of the Aṅguttara∙Nikāya , The Buddha says:
And what, bhikkhus, are the things that need to be developed by direct knowledge? Samatha and vipassanā (samatho ca vipassanā ca)
: these, bhikkhus, are called the things that need to be developed.

The Aṅguttara∙Nikāya commentary then explains that development of samatha by direct knowledge means to develop mental one pointedness (citt∙ek∙aggatā)
, which corresponds to concentration (samādhi) . This corresponds then to what in the Visuddhi ∙Magga is called mind purification (citta ∙ visuddhi) , and is explained as the first, second, third, and fourth fine-material jhānas, plus the four immaterial jhānas, which altogether are called the eight attainments (aṭṭha samāpattiyo) . They are all types of absorption concentration (appanā∙samādhi) . Mind purification includes also access concentration (upacāra∙samādhi) , by which is meant deep concentration that is similar to the concentration that immediately precedes jhāna concentration.

The Aṅguttara∙Nikāya commentary also explains that development of vipassanā is to develop insight knowledge of the many types of formation: that means understanding ultimate materiality and mentality and their causes with one’s own direct knowledge. Subsequent to such understanding, one needs then to understand those phenomena’s aspects of impermanence (aniccā) , suffering (dukkhā) , and non-self (an∙attā) . When we classify the gradual training as the seven purifications, vipassanā is then the five purifications that follow morality purification and mind purification: vipassanā begins with view purification (diṭṭhi∙visuddhi) and ends with knowledge&vision purification (ñāṇa∙dassana∙visuddhi) .

Thus, only by referring to such authoritative texts can we then understand that when The Buddha in such and such a sutta speaks of concentration, the jhānas, development of lovingkindness, or the kasiṇas, He is in fact talking about samatha. In the same way, we can understand that when The Buddha in such and such a sutta speaks of contemplating the five aggregates, their origination and extinction; when He speaks of one’s having directly and fully to know the five aggregates; when He speaks of seeing the impermanence, suffering, and non-self nature of the five aggregates, etc., He is talking about vipassanā.

source:
The Only Way for the Realization of Nibbāna
证悟涅槃的唯一之道
《大念处经·入出息念部分》 根据巴利圣典对禅修细节的解释
Pa-Auk Tawya Sayadaw帕奥西亚多 著述
玛欣德比库 中译