葛榮禪修同學會

阿含指南針

正思維 　三德大頭菜

　　禪修者在修行歷程中，通常都並非一帆風順。以筆者個人體驗，有時能順利地修行，但有時修行或會處在逆境和不順利之中。而很多時修行會在精進與怠懶之兩極中搖擺。若細心觀察，或會發覺這與己心的正思惟和不正思維有著密切的關連。今期嘗試以《中部阿含經‧第十九經》中，經題為《兩組念頭》的一篇經文以作闡述【註一】。

　　經中開首說，在佛陀未開悟之前，他曾嘗試把念頭分成兩組。以貪欲，瞋恚和殘害為一組(此乃不正思惟)；並以不貪、不瞋和無害歸為一組(此乃正思維)【註二】。

　　佛陀嘗試分別將心，分別安住在這兩組念頭中，再行如實地觀察它們對心的影響。他在經中說：當有貪欲的念頭在我心中生起，我只如實地了知：這是一個貪念，它已在我心中生起【註三】。

　　然而，只是如此單純的觀察，便令佛陀有進一步發現。他發現此一組“不正思維”，乃是會導致自己、他人或者是自己和他人的痛苦；更會阻礙智慧的提升、引起修行上的困難，及導致修行人遠離涅槃之路【註四】。而每當佛陀想到“不正思維”的有害之處時，不善的念頭便會因此而自行退滅【註五】。不過當佛陀一旦覺察到貪欲等“不正思維”生起時，他也會主動地放下它們、清除它們和弄走它們【註六】。這亦顯示當正念發揮作用的時候，是有能力在觀照到苦因的同時，把苦因放下的。

　　為何佛陀對這些念頭如此重視呢？因為佛陀知道一名比丘經常想念和思維的，會演變成為此名比丘思想的傾向【註七】。若一個比丘經常念及一些包括貪欲等的不正思維，他便會易於放棄正思維，轉而變得去培養不正念頭的發展，影響心智傾向不善的方向發展【註八】。

　　既然念頭有正與不正之分；誠則，它們會導致修行者的思想傾向致善惡苦樂的分野中，禪修者實應好好守護自己的念頭，以求行善去惡。佛陀在此經中用一個比喻去讓大家了解應該如何去做。佛陀說，在秋季裡的最後一個月中，田裡的農作物已經熟透了，在田邊的看牛人，會用一根棒子，在牛群中輕輕拍打，以求導引牛群的去向，為什麼呢？這是由於看牛人知道，若不好好管束著牛群，任由牠們走入農田破壞農作物，他定會受到責罰的【註九】。正如看牛人看到牛群破壞農作物的危機，佛陀亦在不善的狀態中 (即指作不正思維) 看到危險、下墮、雜染；與及在善的狀態中 (即指作正思維) 也知道由行踐放下，所會帶來的福蔭，和淨化的面貌【註十】。故此，行者理應如牧牛人牧牛一樣，看顧己心，以正念，持續地去觀照己心。一旦覺知貪欲、瞋恚和殘害的念頭生起時，便立刻放下它們。清楚了知不正思維的生起，和盡力清除它們時，不久便能令行者得到離苦得樂的好處了。

　　不過佛陀亦說，如作以上思維時用力過度，便會令身體變得疲累，繼而令心思受到困擾，而當心思受到困擾時，是會削弱定力的【註十一】。而當這種情況出現時，佛陀說他會向內將心智穩住，使它靜下來，將心帶到一點上並把心集中起來，以求使心思不再受困擾【註十二】。而當心中的不正思維除去，而正思維代之而起之後，一切便會變得好辦了！佛陀說這境界便好比所有農作物已收割入村，牧牛人只需在大樹下或空露地上守著他的牛群，確保牠們待在那裏便行了，而佛陀說他守護一心的情況和牧牛人相似，他此時要做的不多，只是需要正念著己心，去確保：捨、無瞋和無害等正思維存在心中便行了【註十三】。

　　這篇經文至此，大致亦說出了一個心的一個次第：最差的心，就是連善惡也不分。會誤以為貪欲、執著能帶來快樂；憤恨，攻擊是力量；而殘害能夠退敵自保等。若心能分得清“正”與“不正”，便是初步了知到正與不正思維能致使苦樂殊途，這樣心便能開始淨化，開始去覺知善與不善念的生滅；到最後，一心已淨化得差不多了，行者常常了知、正念著：捨、不瞋和無害在心中生根，這便大概達致成熟階段了。

　　到達這一種成熟階段，是何種狀態呢？佛陀說：無止倦的力量在我之內生起，無休止的正念被建立了，我的身體是平靜而不受困擾的，我的心是集中而統一的【註十四】。一顆心以正思維的善惡標準，用正念觀照著，由混濁而致淨化，正道的生起會是十分容易的。由此而得來的正念力及正定力，使無明減薄而智慧提升，獲益無窮！所以佛陀說，只是如此簡單地以正念，觀察正思維的生起和持住，便會導致：無明的清除，真實智的生起；黑暗的消除，光明的生起，這些便是行者以努力以正念安住在正思維當中的利益【註十五】。

　　觀乎筆者的修行經驗，最初是沒有守護意根的。正與不正思維，代謝地在心中生滅，誠如一群沒有牧牛人管束的牛群，肆意在田間破壞農作物。及後知道不正思維會導致苦果，才開始和不正的習氣對抗。但亦正所謂欲速則不達，筆者急於求功，後來又使自已陷於掉舉的障礙中。及後知心的淨化，畢竟不是一朝一夕的事，才稍為放下。直到最近，正思維在心中才稍有根據，但一顆心又黏上了一些享樂上。我們的心真是狡猾難馭啊！在此唯有與各同修共勉之吧了。

註解

註一：The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, Wisdom publication, Dvedbavitakka Suttra, Two kinds of Thought, page: 207.

註二：..., before my enlightenment …‘suppose that I divide my thoughts into two classes.’ Then I set on one side thoughts of sensual desire, thoughts of ill will, and thoughts of cruelty, and set on the other side thoughts of renunciation, thoughts of non-ill will, and thoughts of non-cruelty.

註三：As I abided these, … a thought of sensual desire arose in me. I understood thus:‘This thought of sensual desire has arisen in me.’

註四：This leads to my own affliction, to others’ affliction, and to the affliction of both; it obstructs wisdom, causes difficulties, and leads away from Nibbana.

註五：When I considered: ‘This leads to my own affliction, it subsided in me,’... when I considered: ‘This obstructs wisdom, causes difficulties, and leads away from Nibbana, it subsided in me.’

註六：Whenever a thought of sensual desire arose in me, I abandoned it, removed it, did away with it.

註七：Bhikkhus, whatever a bhikkhu frequently thinks and ponders upon, that will become the inclination of his wind.

註八：If he frequently thinks and ponders upon thoughts of sensual desire, he has abandoned the thought of renunciation to cultivate the thought of sensual desire, and then his mind inclines to thought of sensual desire. … ill will … cruelty … .

註九：Just as in the last mouth of the rainy season, in the autumn, when the crops thicken, a cowherd would guard his cows by constantly tapping and poking them on this side and that with a stick to check and curb them. Why is that? Because he sees that he could he flogged, imprisoned, fined, or blamed【if he let them stray into the crops】.

註十：So too I saw in unwholesome states danger, degradation, and defilement, and in wholesome states the blessing of renunciation, the aspect of cleansing.

註十一：But with excessive thinking and pondering I might tire my body, and when the body is tired, the mind becomes disturbed and when the mind is disturbed, it is far from concentration.

註十二：So I steadied my mind internally, quieted it, brought it to singleness, and concentration it. Why is that? So that my mind should not be disturbed.

註十三：Just as in the last mouth of the hot season, when all the crops have been brought inside the villages, a cowherd would guard his lows while staying at the root of a tree or out in the open, since he needs only to be mindful that the cows are there; so too there was need for me only to be mindful that those states were there.

註十四：Tireless energy was aroused in me and unremitting mindfulness was established, my body was tranquil and untroubled, my mind concentrated and unified.

註十五：Ignorance was banished and true knowledge arose, darkness was banished and light arose, as happens in one who abides diligent, ardent and resolute.