The Vipassanā Battle 《觀之戰》

So we are talking about the Buddha’s advice that sukha cannot be attained with dukkha; sukha can be attained only with sukha. What is your point of view on this?
所以，我們正在討論佛陀的忠告：「以苦不能證得樂， 只有以樂才能證得樂。」諸位對此有何見解？

In a practical sense, while striving along the way and seeking the Dhamma by practising meditation, we have paid attention to dukkha as a meditation object with the expectation that we can realise the Dhamma just by paying attention to the dukkha, the feelings of pain and discomfort, that appears in the body. This is what all of us have done in the past. Do you agree with this? If you go on like this for a long time, in the end you will find no happiness in your meditation practice. You will encounter only dukkha, so what will you do in the end? You will grow afraid of practising meditation; you will want to give up practising meditation. You won’t be able to continue because meditation gives you so much dukkha and no sukha. So when the Buddha says, ‘Sukha can’t be attained with dukkha; sukha can be attained only with sukha’, what does He really mean? 實際來講，在我們尋求佛法的修行道路上，我們都曾經將苦視為一種業處，帶著將達到證悟法的期望而專注於苦—身體所產生的痛苦、不適感。這是我們在過去都曾經歷的，諸位是否同意？是的。若你持續這樣做，你會發現自己在修行中，無法得到任何的喜樂。你只是在受苦而已，最後你將會怎麼做？這會導致你對修行產生恐懼，驅使你放棄修行。你會因為在修行中找不到樂，只能找到苦，而無法持續修行。所以說，當佛陀說：「以苦不能證得樂，只有以樂才能證得樂」，他到底意指什麼呢？

In the case of the samathayānika, who practise insight meditation after having attained jhāna absorption concentration, they can enter absorption concentration and remain there without any pain or discomfort in their body continuously for one hour, two hours, even three hours. Why? Because, on account of the absorption concentration, they feel sukha for the whole sitting according to the masteries they have practised. Based on absorption concentration, they continue on to practise insight meditation. So I will briefly explain this to all of you. After having developed concentration, as the Buddha said, one who is concentrated knows and sees the Truths as they really are.
對那些止行者來說，他們能夠持續住在安止定中一個小時、兩個小時、甚至三個小時，但在身體上，不會有所不適或是痛苦。這是為什麼？因為透過安止定的作用，根據他們住定的掌握善巧，足以讓他們在整個禪坐中產生樂。他們在安止定上的基礎能夠幫助他們進行修觀；我將對大家做這方面的解釋。
如佛陀所說的：「具有定力的比庫，能如實了知。」

Such a meditator will know and see the First Noble Truth, which is ultimate mentality and ultimate materiality, and the Second Noble Truth, which is causes and their effects. After having realised these two Noble Truths, one can start insight meditation. When you are going to start insight meditation, you need to proceed step by step.
這樣的行者能夠知見第一聖諦，即究竟名法與究竟色法；以及第二聖諦，即因與它們的果。在達成前兩個聖諦後，行者就能開始修觀；修觀時，行者必須循序漸進。

First you need to pay attention to the arising and perishing phenomena of the First Noble Truth and the Second Noble Truth. Then you must contemplate them as impermanence, suffering, and non-self. When your insight knowledge matures, you must continue on to udayabbaya-ñāṇa, the insight knowledge that focuses on the arising and perishing of phenomena. By doing so your insight knowledge will mature. Then you must proceed to bhaṅga-ñāṇa – emphasising the perishing while ignoring the arising – and you will see phenomena rapidly perishing all the time. Whether you are doing walking meditation or sitting meditation or standing meditation or are meditating while lying down, you go on observing the constant, rapid perishing. While your insight knowledge has not yet matured and is not yet strong enough to realise Nibbāna, you will feel tired, not physically but mentally, because you are seeing the constant perishing of phenomena.
首先，你要注意第一與第二聖諦生起和滅去的現象， 然後隨觀無常、苦與無我。在觀智逐漸成熟後，你要接著開發生滅智~專注於行法生滅的觀智。如此一來，你的觀智就會進一步成熟，而後就會發展到壞滅智~專注壞滅而漠視生起的現象~從而看到行法不斷迅速地壞滅。這時，無論你是站著、坐著或是躺著修行，都能持續的觀察不斷迅速壞滅的現象。這時，由於你的觀智尚未成熟到可以證悟涅槃的程度，因此，你會由於持續看到行法的壞滅，產生了精神上，而非肉體上的疲憊感。

What did the Buddha advise His disciples to do when they encounter this? He advised them to enter absorption concentration. According to the Buddha’s advice, if your insight knowledge is not yet mature, you will feel tiredness mentally because you are constantly seeing phenomena rapidly perishing all the time. You are like a soldier fighting his enemies. As he has been fighting with those enemies for a long time, he will feel tired and hungry and will not have enough bodily energy to continue; so he should withdraw to the fortress and rest, he should take food and make his body fresh and strong again. When he feels fresh and strong, he comes out of the fortress and fights his enemies again.
面臨這種狀況時，佛陀是如何指導他的弟子應對的？ 他教導他們，進入安止定。根據佛陀的教導，在觀智還未夠成熟時，會因為持續的看到行法一直迅速在壞滅，而在精神上感到疲憊。你就如同一位在戰場上戰鬥的士兵，由於和敵人戰鬥許久，感到疲憊與飢餓，最終體力會無法支撐。因此，這位士兵應該回到堡壘休息，以食物補充體力；當恢復力量後，他再離開堡壘與敵人戰鬥。

In the same way, when you practise insight meditation according to the teachings of the Buddha, you will come to see the extremely rapid and continuous perishing of conditioned dhammas all the time. It’s as if you’re in a vipassanā battle; at some point you will feel tired and will need to replenish your energy. The Buddha advises you to please enter your ‘fortress’ at that time. Please enter absorption concentration and take a rest there, and make yourself feel fresh and strong again. When you feel mentally fresh and strong you must return to fight your enemy. You must emerge from your jhāna fortress. You must continue your vipassanā battle.
修觀也是一樣：當你根據佛陀的教導修觀時，最終將會看到一直極度迅速和持續壞滅的現象。你就有如處於一場「觀之戰」。到了一定的階段，你會感到疲憊，需要補充能量。佛陀建議你在這種時刻要躲入一個「壕溝」~進入安止定，達到休息的效果，得到能量而感到清新。當你的精神再次清新有力時，你必須返回戰場~從禪那的壕溝裡離開，回到觀之戰。

So in this way there is no physical dukkha nor is there any mental dukkha. There is just mental tiredness that needs to be counter-balanced, because insight knowledge is not yet strong enough. And because insight knowledge isn’t strong enough, it’s not yet possible to break through to realise Nibbāna. However, in practising in this way, according to necessity and to conditions, there is no dukkha. There is only sukha. In this way, the practitioner must spend a long time striving to attain Path Knowledge and Fruition Knowledge. Without concentration, how will you be able to spend a lot of time at this, the way you need to? Without concentration, you will encounter nothing but a great deal of dukkha, and then you may decide that it’s better just to go back home.
如此一來，就不會有任何的肉體或精神上的痛苦。有的只是由於觀智不足而需要被平衡，和抵銷的精神疲憊感。雖然，此時的觀智尚未成熟到可以突破至證悟涅槃，然而，經由這樣的修行方法，調整情況與需求，我們可以免除「苦」 而保留「樂」。在佛法的道路上，行者需要花費許多時間努力證得道果智。沒有定力的幫助，你如何有能力花一段長時間來走這條你需要走的路？沒有定力的幫助，你會面臨許多的苦，有可能因此而折返，放棄了修行的道路。

That is why you can’t attain sukha by means of dukkha, and can attain sukha only by means of sukha. This is the point of view you should have; if you don’t have this point of view in your life, then from today onwards, please adopt and hold this point of view and listen to the words of the Buddha and practise accordingly. Only then can you expect to realise Nibbāna by attaining Path Knowledge and Fruition Knowledge. This is one of the points of view that I want to make clear to all of you.
這就是為何，以苦不能證得樂，以樂才能證得樂。這是我們都應有的觀點。若還未有這樣的觀點，則即刻起，請持著這個觀點，運用它，聽從佛陀的教導並實踐之；唯有這樣你才有希望可以透過證得道智與果智而證悟涅槃。這是我想讓各位清楚的觀點之一。

Source:（待續）
EXPECTATION DERIVED FROM ONE’S OWN POINT OF VIEW-4C
[主觀與期待]
Ven. Revata尊者 雷瓦達