登頂之美
有一次，佛陀到摩揭陀國首都王舍城遊化，住在城北的迦蘭陀竹園竹林精舍中。而剛出家不久的沙彌阿奇舍那，也在王舍城，住在一處僻靜林中的小屋裡。
這天午後，奢耶先那王子正好路過那小屋，看見阿奇舍那沙彌，就進屋去拜訪他，並且問他說：
「賢者！聽說安住於不放縱自己，而且積極熱誠、堅毅精勤修行的比丘，就可以成就專注的一心，是嗎？」
「的確是的，王子！」
「賢者！那請就您所知所學，將有關如何不放縱自己，如何積極熱誠、堅毅精勤修行，成就專注一心的方法，都教我。」
「我沒辦法教你，王子！因為你會聽不懂我說什麼。如果我試著教你，那我會很累，只是徒增我的困擾而已。」
「賢者！請您教教我吧，說不定我聽得懂呢！」
「好吧，王子！你聽得懂多少就算多少，不懂的，就不要再問我了。」
「好的，賢者！」
於是，阿奇舍那沙彌就將他所知所學的，告訴了王子。
王子聽了以後，無法接受，顧不得告別的禮節就走了。走前，還對阿奇舍那沙彌說：
「照您所說的修法，那是絕無可能的，賢者！沒有比丘能做得到！」
王子離開後，阿奇舍那沙彌就去見佛陀，將這整個經過向佛陀報告。佛陀因而告訴他說：
「阿奇舍那！像奢耶先那王子那樣的人，一直生活在五欲之樂中，享受著五欲之樂，滿腦子都是五欲之樂，也一直在追求五欲之樂，要這樣的人，對只有透過離欲才能領悟的道理，有所體證或理解，那是辦不到的。就如象、馬、牛，還未被馴服的，無法像已被馴服的那樣。
又如，有朋友倆相偕登山，一人腳程快，先登頂，從山頂上眺望到遠方優美的景色，回頭將那山頂之美，告訴還在半山腰的同伴。結果，同伴根本不相信，一直要等到他自己也登上山頂看見了，才瞭解。
阿奇舍那！如果你當時能以這兩個譬喻，向奢耶先那王子解說，那他一定願意信受你的教導，也會相信你。」
「世尊！我哪有您的說服力呢！」
接著，佛陀又為阿奇舍那沙彌舉了馴象師以圈綁、餵食等方法，馴服野象為例子，說明如來對弟子們的漸次教導：
「阿奇舍那！剛出家的如來弟子，還貪著於五欲之樂，就像森林中野性頑強的野象一樣。所以，如來首先教導比丘們守戒清淨，即使對微細的犯戒，也要戒慎恐懼。
接著，教導比丘們要守護六根，不執取六根所認識的，不執取所喜好的。因為，如果不守護好六根，貪、憂之類的惡、不善法就會趁虛侵入內心。
接著，教導比丘們飲食知量，要以智慧作這樣的思惟：進食不是為了享樂，不是為了解癮，也不是為了身材的豐滿迷人、窈窕美麗，而是單純地為了維持身體，為了活命，為了治療飢渴之病，為了能達成清淨聖潔人生的修行之緣故，並思考：我應當捨斷舊有的感受，同時，不讓新的感受再生起，健康、無過失，而且舒適地活著。
接著，教導比丘們不論在日間、初夜、後夜的經行與禪坐，或在中夜的入眠中，都要保持清明，提起正念，以及全然的正知，以淨化一顆還有障礙的心。
接著，教導比丘們要具足正念正知，不論行、住、坐、臥，眠、寤，肢體的屈、伸，穿衣等等日常生活中的行動，都能具足正知正念。
接著，教導比丘們要選擇樹林、山上、墓地等僻靜之地獨處禪修。在乞食用餐之後，上身打直，提起正念，盤腿禪坐，遠離對世間的貪愛、瞋恚，遠離昏沈瞌睡、掉舉不安，斷除猶豫疑惑等五蓋，然後修習觀身、受、心、法的四念處，以熱誠的毅力與正知正念，調伏對世間的貪憂。就像將野象圈綁於大柱上，磨掉牠慣於在森林漫遊的野性，讓牠習慣與人相處一樣，修四念處就是為了除去比丘在家的習性與思惟，除去在家生活的憂苦、疲憊與熱惱，為趣向解脫涅槃作準備。
接著，教導比丘們進一步不雜有欲念來修四念處，以成就初禪、第二禪、第三禪、第四禪。然後以穩固、純淨、光明的禪定之心，成就宿命神通、天眼神通，證知苦，證知苦之集，證知苦之滅，證知滅苦之道跡；證知煩惱，證知煩惱之集，證知煩惱之滅，證知滅煩惱之道跡，而得解脫。」
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The Beauty of Reaching
the Top of the Mountain
On On one occasion, the Buddha was in Rajagaha,
capital of Magadha for traveling and teaching. He was living at the Bamboo
Grove of the Squirrel Sanctuary located in north of the city. The novice
monk Aggivessana who became a monastic recently was also living in a hut
in a quiet forest in Rajagaha.
In that afternoon, Prince Jayasena
happened to be walking in the area and passed the hut. Upon seeing novice
monk Aggivessana, he entered the hut for a visit and
said:
“Bhikkhu! I have heard that a bhikkhu who abides here
diligent, ardent, and resolute can achieve unification of
mind.”
“Indeed it is, prince.”
“Bhikkhu! It would be good if
you could teach me the way to become resolute, ardent and diligent to
achieve unification of mind as you has heard it and mastered
it.”
“I cannot teach you, prince, as I have heard it and mastered
it. For if I were to teach you as I have heard it an mastered it, you
would not understand the meaning of my words, and that would be wearying
and troublesome of me.”
“Bhikkhu, please teach me, perhaps I can
understand the meaning of your words.”
“Well, prince! If you can
understand the meaning of my words, that will be good. But if you cannot
understand the meaning, then leave it at that and do not question me about
it further.”
“Okay, bhikkhu!”
Then the novice monk
Aggivessana taught Prince Jayasena what he had heard it and mastered it.
After listening, the prince found it was unacceptable and said:
“It is impossible, it cannot be happened that a bhikkhu who abides
diligent, ardent, and resolute can achieve unification of mind.” then he
departed without the courtesy of saying good-bye.
Soon after Prince
Jayasena had left, the novice monk Aggivessana went to the Buddha and
reported to the Buddha what had happened. The Buddha hence told
him:
“Aggivessana, how is it possible that Prince Jayasena, living
in the midst of sensual pleasures, enjoying sensual pleasure being
devoured by thoughts of sensual pleasures, being consumed by the fever of
sensual pleasures, bent on the search for sensual pleasures could know,
see or realize that which must be known through renunciation, attain
through renunciation, realized through renunciation. That is impossible.
Just like the untamed elephants, horses or oxen to imagine that were well
tamed and well disciplined.
Suppose, two friends climb a mountain
together, one climbed faster and reached the top of the mountain first,
having reached the top of the mountain and looked into the fine scenery in
distance, he turned around and told his friend who remained below of the
fine scenery. The result was that his friend did not believe until he also
reached the top of the mountain seeing what he friend had seen, and then
he believed.
Aggivessana! If these two similes had occurred to you
and explained to Prince Jayasena, he would have spontaneously acquired
confidence in you and would have shown his confidence to you.”
“The
World Respected One! How can I have the convincing power of
you?”
Afterward, using elephant tamer who plants a large pole in
the ground and binds the forest elephant to it in order to subdue his
forest habit and feeding it as similes, the Buddha illustrate how he
teaches the disciples gradually.
“Aggivessana! The disciples of
Tathagata who just left home still attached to the pleasure of the five
desires, just like the untamed forest elephant. Therefore, the Tathagata
teaches the bhikkhus to train by undertaking the training precepts and
seeing fear in the slightest fault.
Afterward, teaches the bhikkhus
to guard the doors of the sense faculties, do not grasp at its signs and
features because if leaving the sense faculties unguarded, evil
unwholesome state of covetousness and grief might invade your
mind.
Afterward, teachings the bhikkhus moderate in eating,
contemplate the following with wisdom: Eating is not for pleasure, not for
relieve of graving, nor for building an attractive fleshy or slim
beautiful body. It is simply for supporting the body and keeping alive, to
heal the ill health of thirsty and hunger, to achieve untainted, holy and
pure life for practicing and also contemplate: I should relinquish the old
sensations, in the meantime, prevent the new sensations arise, living a
life of healthy, flawless and comfortable.
Afterward, teaches the
bhikkhus to maintain pure and bright, raise the Right Mindfulness and
contemplate right understanding in order to purify the obstructed mind
regardless of during the day, early evening and late evening while
performing sitting meditation, walking meditation or sleeping in the
middle of night.
Afterward, teaches the bhikkhus to possess right
awareness, Right Mindfulness. They should be prepared to perform right
awareness, right mindfulness while performing such daily routine as
walking, stopping, sitting, lying down, sleeping, awakening, in body’s
bent, stretch, and putting on clothing.
Afterward, teaches the
bhikkhus to choose such quiet places as forest, mountain, and graveyard to
practice solitary meditation. After acquiring alms food and eating meal,
stretching the upper body, raise Right Mindfulness, cross legs to perform
sitting meditation, cut off the worldly craving, angry, stay away from
drowsy, sleepy, restlessness, unease, sever the five skandhas of
hesitation and doubt, the Fourfold Contemplation: (1) contemplating one's
body as defiled; (2) contemplating one's feelings as painful (3)
contemplating one's mind as constantly changing and (4) contemplating
things in general as devoid of inherent existence. Using sincere
willpower, right awareness and Right View to overcome the worldly graving
and sorrow, just like fastening the untamed elephant to a pole, to ward
off its wild nature of wandering in the forest, and to be habituated to
live with human beings. Practicing the Fourfold Contemplation is for the
purpose of ridding bhikkhu’s householder ways of thinking and habits,
eliminate the sorrow, suffering, tiring and passionate anxieties as being
a householder, and prepare for destine to nirvana.
Afterward,
teaches bhikkhus to practice without desire the Fourfold Contemplation to
realize the four meditations of the form realm: The First Meditative
Concentration, the Second Meditative Concentration, the Third Meditative
Concentration, and the Fourth Meditative Concentration. Then using the
firm, pure, bright meditative concentration mind to realize the
supernatural power of knowing the past life of self and others, the
supernatural power of observing the full course of passage by sentient
beings through the six destinies to verify suffering, verify the cause of
suffering verify cessation of suffering verify the path to the cessation
of suffering, observe the full course of passage by sentient beings
through the six destinies. Verify vexation, the cause of vexation, verify
cessation of vexation, and verity the path to cessation of vexation and
achieve liberation.”.”
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