佛陀曾言:「這是使眾生清淨,超越愁悲,滅除苦憂,成就聖道,體證涅槃的唯一道路,即四念處。」《正念的四個練習》就是教你練習佛陀親授的「四念處」本書《正念的四個練習》是以《大念處經》(Maha Satipatthana Sutta)為基礎,提供完整清晰的解釋。作者喜戒禪師是馬哈希禪師(Mahasi Sayadaw, 1904-1982)的親近弟子之一,他以古代註釋書、註疏,以及馬哈希禪師所寫的緬文註釋為本書的論釋基礎,引領一般初學者,以最貼近佛陀原始教法學習禪定。在《大念處經》中,佛陀以二十一種方式親自指導人們如何修習念處觀,闡釋四種念處,其實就是教導我們如何練習「四念處」。念處意指「念」的「立足處」,修習念處觀就是具有正念地觀照諸法。四念處是一套對正念的完整禪修方法,針對「身、受、心、法」四項隨觀身心當下實況的修行法門。佛陀以十四種方式解說身隨觀:入出息念、身體姿勢、正念正知、觀身不淨、四界分別觀與墓園九觀。受隨觀只以一種方式描述:隨觀心識,因為感受是心對境所體驗到的苦、樂或不苦不樂等心理狀態。法隨觀以五種方式描述:隨觀五蓋、五取蘊、六內入處與外入處、七覺支與四聖諦。著重身心現觀的四念處,若以為用頭腦思辨就能獲得解脫,四念處就只是理論了。練習「四念處」就從《正念的四個練習》開始。
作者簡介
喜戒禪師Venerable U Sīlānanda(巴利文),音譯為「尸羅難陀」禪師◎1927年,出生於緬甸的曼德勒(Mandalay)。◎1943年出家,1947年受具足戒成為比丘。◎1954年跟隨馬哈希禪師(Mahasi Sayadaw)修習觀禪;同年在三藏佛典的「第六次大結集」中,擔任編輯。◎1979年,跟隨馬哈希禪師至美國弘法,之後經由馬哈希禪師指定,留在美國傳授禪修與佛教課程。◎目前擔任「美國上座部佛教協會」(Theravada Buddhist Society of America,簡稱TBSA)的榮譽顧問、加州半月灣「法喜寺」(Dhammananda Vihara)住持、緬甸仰光國際上座部佛教弘法大學(International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University)的校長。◎著作包括:《正念的四個練習》(The Four Foundations of Mindfulness)、《業法入門》(An Introduction to the Law of Kamma)等(以上為英文著作);《初轉法輪經》(The First Sermon)、《巴利文中的推理論》(Exposition of Syllogism in Pali)等(以上為緬文著作)。
譯者簡介
賴隆彥海洋大學造船系畢業,中華佛學研究所研究。曾任中華佛學研究所藏文講師、智光工商德育老師、佛光出版社資深編輯、普門雜誌社資深編輯。譯作有:《森林中的法語》《平靜的第一堂課──觀呼吸》《阿姜查的禪修世界》(戒、定、慧)《佛陀的聖弟子傳》《正念的四個練習》《無常》《正念之道》《一心走路》等(以上皆由橡樹出文化出版)。
在倉促時從容,在輕鬆時不懈怠,發現內在的節奏,敞開自心,這個最珍貴的計時器,找回當下本有的優雅與覺醒。
■擁有時間,還是被時間擁有?工作和生活失去了界限,腳步匆忙到了狂亂。我們需要找回心靈的重心!作者舒雅達跨越不同宗教,出入心靈與塵世之間,告訴我們如何藉由生活中簡單的禪修,突破線性的時間,探索更深刻而豐富的當下。我們其實擁有時間!■佛陀標準時間當日子不再是時時分分從我們身旁逼近、吞沒和通過,而是每個剎那都與無限開闊的永恆界域貫穿交錯。當下,就是「佛陀標準時間」。■短少的是時間?禪修透露的祕密,是匆忙生活中缺乏的並不是時間,而是專注。越能放慢對快速的執迷,保持正念覺察,就能更有時間明智地評估事物,做出回應,而非一味盲目地採取行動。■戒掉濫用時間的癮濫用時間讓我們嚴重上癮。所以,我們用各種事物來平衡時間,好暫時忘掉生命的無常,讓無從改變的事物不再感到重要。我們必須戒除這種癮頭,才能走向更高的我。■發現內在的韻律節奏要發現內在節奏韻律,敞開自心這個最珍貴的計時器,我們必須與自己為友,培養柔和與包容的態度。修持悲心或慈心的禪修,要先對自己生起寬厚,再把慈愛不斷擴大,推及他人。這種擴展,能大大減少身心的磨損。■再生需要某種形式的死亡唯有接納、欣賞和感謝所曾經歷的艱難,才能澈底發展為人;我們常常必須放棄一些事物,才會有新的成長。唯有通過黑暗,才能抵達光明,那是一段意義深遠的旅程,駭人的陰影不過是深淺濃淡不一的光亮。這是一本跨越宗教的心靈書,教你從佛陀的時間管理學中,學習經由靈修,善用時間、管理時間的奧秘。不論你是否為佛教徒,本書將讓你有所啟發,提供減少生活壓力的工具,幫助你找到更多的專注、成就、創意和智慧。我將教導你如何把迷你的壓力剋星融入日常生活之中——隨時隨地都可以停頓下來,做個簡單的禪修,以及如何用真正的覺醒來豐富生活。沒有人規定禪修必須雙腿交盤地坐在蒲團上。你將會看到,我們可以在大自然裡散步、甚或在洗碗盤時從事禪修。在一開始,你會學著如何隨身攜帶明覺的修行;之後,穩定的正念將溫柔地賦予你力量,帶著你走。這就是真正的修行道路所給予的加持。本書每個章節都包含「正念時刻」(Mindful Moments)的練習和「暫停」(Time Out)的禪修。前者提供融入日常生活的建言和修行,藉此開始轉化你和時間的老關係;後者則提供平靜人心的禪修停頓。我也會教你如何把其他靈修傳統的修行融入日常生活——例如猶太教的安息日便是個典型的範例,或像穆斯林前往麥加朝聖,都有助於放慢腳步,處於當下,擁抱時間的無限可能。經由修行,你將發現,花點時間禪修其實能為你省時,做更多的事情。它能增長精力、機敏、韌勁,如同運動員每天做柔軟體操來保持最理想的狀態,提升表現,面對挑戰。我提供的是混合折衷的禪修、活在當下的技巧;它們採自藏傳佛教傳統、其他偉大的智慧傳統、神經科學研究和身心整體的方法。佛陀為證悟生活所開立的古老處方符合科學精神,有如科學實驗般可被複製。奉行正念原則的人,能和自然世界達到和諧平衡,逐漸了證內在的心靈本質;這種本質不受時間的束縛。這是覺醒證悟之佛的本初許諾,而數百萬人已然達成。以下的章節涵蓋與時間言和、活在當下、了證潛能等重要面向。在閱讀之後,你將學到如何與自然的節律和循環保持同步;這自然的節律與循環包括你的身心、細胞組織和神經通路等等在內。你將學到如何放慢或加快時間、擁有更充實的人際關係、更具產能的工作生涯,減少更多的壓力。最後,你將抵達無垠、普世而永恆的彼岸,了知這一路走來的每個剎那,它都一直在你身邊。每當你重複「暫停」的禪修,都會使你更深入當下;每當你重複「正念時刻」的練習,都能學習新事物。就像金髮姑娘(Goldhilocks)可能會這麼解釋道:第一次閱讀作者建議的禪修或練習所產生的理解肯定會太廣泛,第二次閱讀所產生的理解會太狹窄,第三次閱讀的理解則恰到好處!在佛教裡,此即中道(Middle Way)——有節有度、平衡安定、靈活而有彈性的生活道路。本書章節專注的焦點如下:一、覺察自然的時間:在第一章,你將學到如何從人造的現代時間中覺醒;重新發現在周圍的自然世界內,成長、改變和衰微的多重循環,同時學習一個超短的禪修或「喘口氣」(breath break)來提振精神,提升注意力和增強決心。二、把時間投入更崇高的大我:在第二章,你將學習如何把時間投入更崇高的大我——最崇高、深奧的自性。這個自性相反於卑微、分離的小我,後者稍縱即逝的情緒年復一年、日復一日、秒復一秒地迅速變化。你會開始覺得時間的壓力減少、比較不那麼分心散亂,並能把時間視為盟友,而非敵人或折磨你的事物。三、保持同步:在第三章,你將學習如何更深入時間之流,與直線的時間之父(Father Time)和循環的自然之母(Mother Nature)保持同步,舉例來說,兩者可以分別展現為左腦和右腦的思惟。你也會學到如何和身體自然的晝夜生理節奏、經絡、脈輪或自然的能量中心保持協調一致,顯露你最深密的心跳——你所擁有且最可靠的計時器。四、了解覺知的力量:這一章將帶你檢視時間在心裡的現象,以及覺知的禮物——自己和他人的覺知。從在周圍即時提供所需的菩薩或天使,看似通靈的能力,到對於慈心和悲心、將衰老視為一種心態的探討,你將習得正念覺性如何使覺知和連結的非凡能力開花結果。五、明智地留意時間:在第五章,你將學到如何修持正念和住於當下的禪觀藝術,即動中修行(meditation in action,或動中禪)的藝術。你學著更為深入當下,體驗其豐饒、精微和前景。六、在步調中創造空間:在第六章,你開始精通於活在當下,根據個人的需求、欲望和不同的節奏來縮放時間。七、住在神聖的時空之內:在第七章,你將學到如何創造或塑造時間或空間的皈依(庇護所);這個庇護所是你全力以赴、澈底實現生命潛能的基礎。你學習如何更進一步地與他人保持同步,為你的技能、才華和創意尋找充滿意義的個人和社會的出口。八、時間的轉輪:在這一章,你學著把疾病、失去、死亡和其他受到時間蹂躪掠劫的經歷視為生命常態,優雅地接受它們的到來,而非把它們視為不合時宜的干擾、威脅和敵人。你也將思量時間的整體面向。最後,你學著把所有的時間範疇達到平衡和同步的境界,進入佛陀標準時間,成為明亮光燦、具有不受時間影響之基礎的人。在閱讀本書之際,你會發現自己對於時間和自我的見解正經歷一場改變,從黑暗演進至光明,從迷惑演進至智慧,從自私演進至無私,從獨立分離的自我演進至神聖的佛性。這是修行道路的承諾和前提,真正覺醒的奇蹟。在佛陀標準時間之中,你將會了悟,儘管日子繁忙混亂,你擁有的時間遠多於想像。事實上,你擁有全世界的時間。
作者簡介
舒雅達(Lama Surya Das)是美國最著名的佛教導師暨學者之一,法王達賴喇嘛親切地稱他為「美國喇嘛」。他是《喚醒內在的佛性》(Awakening the Buddha within)和《佛即佛行》(Buddha Is as Buddha Does)等暢銷書的作者、卓千中心的創辦人暨修行指導,以及西方佛教導師網絡(Western Buddhist Teachers Network)的發起人。也是一位炙手可熱的演說家,在世界各地傳法、授課和主持閉關。在台灣,舒雅達的《雪獅的藍綠色鬃毛》(The Snow Lion’s Turquoise Mane)是許多藏密修行者的入門書。被譯為中文的著作有:《我的開悟名字是老狗》,薄伽梵《佛性的遊戲》,橡樹林《雪獅的藍綠色鬃毛》,眾生
作者簡介
項慧齡政大新聞系畢業、英國史特靈大學出版學碩士,從事翻譯多年,譯有《大圓滿之歌》、《如是》、《你可以更慈悲》等書。目前和家人定居西雅圖。
解讀如來真實語──大家一起來學Buddhist Language
語言不僅是溝通的工具,也是讓人深入經藏的方法,因此,從魏晉南北朝開始,中國許多高僧大德、有志之士均孜孜不倦學習梵文、巴利文等曾在印度流傳的語言,希望藉由語言隔閡的解除,更親近佛法、瞭解佛典真義。近年來,台灣各道場致力推廣佛學教育,也間接帶動佛教徒學習佛典語言的興趣。本期《人生》除了為讀者介紹學習佛典語言的實用資訊外,也將分享佛典語言、當代語言的學習樂趣和收穫。
登陸火星尋找生命,是近來非常熱門的話題,生命形成過程如何?火星上真的會有生命嗎?惠敏法師在本期「人生新視界」專欄,帶您一窺生命的起源,並從佛法角度觀照生命奧秘。
解讀如來真實語──大家一起來學Buddhist Language
語言不僅是溝通的工具,也是讓人深入經藏的方法,因此,從魏晉南北朝開始,中國許多高僧大德、有志之士均孜孜不倦學習梵文、巴利文等曾在印度流傳的語言,希望藉由語言隔閡的解除,更親近佛法、瞭解佛典真義。近年來,台灣各道場致力推廣佛學教育,也間接帶動佛教徒學習佛典語言的興趣。本期《人生》除了為讀者介紹學習佛典語言的實用資訊外,也將分享佛典語言、當代語言的學習樂趣和收穫。
登陸火星尋找生命,是近來非常熱門的話題,生命形成過程如何?火星上真的會有生命嗎?惠敏法師在本期「人生新視界」專欄,帶您一窺生命的起源,並從佛法角度觀照生命奧秘。
Taiwan went through an intense period of social change in 1949. The island's politics, economy, ethnicity …… had undergone considerable change. In response this period of tumultuous change, Master Dong Chu founded the "Humanity" magazine to help people cope.
Seventy years later, "Humanity" had weathered being shelved, relaunched and redesigned. It still continues to publish topics that help people cope with the changes in today's world monthly. As "Humanity" approaches its 70th anniversary, it is encountering a different kind of changing world. 27 June 2018, with the aim of sharing the diversity of spiritual practices, we invited dharma masters from different traditions to share the compassion and wisdom of Buddhadharma. The full texts of the keynote speeches and panels are included in this special issue of " Awakening in the Global Buddhist Village".
"Humanity's" guiding teacher, Master Sheng Yen, dedicated his life to bringing Chinese Chan Buddhism to the West. Many Westerners who became his students twenty to thirty years ago continue to follow his footsteps, engage in self cultivation and teaching, establish centers and transmit the lineage. How did they discover Chan Buddhism and how did they find their teacher, Master Sheng Yen? These stories of the teacher and the student are very inspirational.
In the twenty first century, on this 70th anniversary of "Humanity" magazine, Buddhism has spread around the world resembling a global Buddhist village. From the United States of America, Bhikkhu Bodhi described his process of transformation from a traditional monastic to that of a social advocator because he witnessed the oppression of human beings caused by the current social systems; to Italy's Bhikkhun? Dhammadinn? who shared about her journey of how she went from learning dancing to engaging in Buddhist research and ultimately to becoming a female monastic.
Contributing to the world in our capacity of Chinese Chan Buddhism, "Humanity"70 along with the Buddhist Dharma family all over the world and our friends on the same path, let us "Awaken in the Global Buddhist Village"!
About the Humanity magazine
Founded in 1949, Humanity magazine was the first Buddhist magazine published and released in Taiwan. Founded by Ven. Dong Chu and later continued by his disciple Master Sheng Yen, it has been one of the most influential magazines in Taiwan’s Buddhist circles.
Humanity magazine concerns itself about contemporary development of Buddhism, and puts an emphasis on the uplifting of people’s minds and spiritual lives. Each month’s topic not only touches upon various social phenomena, but also explores from Buddhist concepts to worldly studies, to encourage readers to search their inner beings and incorporate Buddhist practice into their daily lives. For cover and layout design, the magazine has invited outstanding illustrators to help render an elegant yet fun style, thus through pages allowing readers to slow down and find a space for spiritual relaxation, self-transformation, and the enjoyment of purity and freedom by applying the Dharma in life.
The magazine had been discontinued for a while due to Master Sheng Yen’s solitary retreat practice. When it was reissued in 1982, as an encouragement, he wrote:
Seek progress in the ordinary life and see the glory of life in hardship.
Seek development in harmony and see the hope in the hard work.
Seek abundance in peace and calm and see the solemness in the training.
Seek wisdom in silence and see the compassionate aspiration in the proactive commitment.
In the future, the Humanity magazine will continue to uphold Master Sheng Yen’s encouragements and expectations, to keep on sharing Buddhist wisdom and compassion, to help bring brightness and hope to the world.
Buddhism suggests that it is possible to investigate the nature of reality ourselves; but to do so one needs to differentiate definitive teachings from those of interpretable meaning. William Magee’s book, Paths to Omniscience, discusses a number of topics related to the interpretation of scripture according to Dzong-ka-ba, Jam-yang-shay-ba, Nga-w?ng-bel-den, and other great scholars of the Geluk world. Paths to Omniscience also addresses the Geluk approach to the practice of hermeneutics. Even within the lineage itself, scholars have not always agreed about interpretation of scripture. Paths to Omniscience describes intricate maneuvers enlivening the spirited controversies of these emminent Lamas. Paths to Omniscience also includes translations of thirty annotations from Nga-w?ng-bel-den’s Annotations for (Jam-yang-shay-ba’s) "Great Exposition of Tenets". These annotations show how diverse and wide-ranging a great commentarial author can be in his treatment of the basic text. Far from being mere footnotes to Jam-yang-shay-ba, the Annotations can instead be viewed as a seminar on his Great Exposition of Tenets.
The present book is a textual study in early Buddhism, which compares the Pali discourses of the Majjhima-nikāya with their parallels preserved in Chinese, Sanskrit and Tibetan etc.
作者簡介
Bhikkhu Anālayo was born in Germany in 1962 and ordained in Sri Lanka in 1995. He completed a Ph.D. thesis at the University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka) in 2000 and a habilitation thesis at the University of Marburg (Germany) in 2007. At present, he teaches at the Center for Buddhist Studies, University of Hamburg, and researches at Dharma Drum Buddhist College (Taiwan).
生命路徑總在不期然之處轉彎,彷彿是為了讓我們看見更廣闊的風景……歷經大環境不斷變遷的聖嚴法師,本著最初的願心,面對人生中的高山深壑,以佛法為地圖,做為指引個人安頓身心之道;進而將他對佛法的踐行領悟,透過義理分明的文字,為現代人描繪出生命智慧的藏寶圖。
本書由聖嚴法師娓娓道來其一生的學習歷程,以及隨順因緣全力投入生命中不同角色的各種轉折,經過文字的闡述及解行並重的生命實踐,使現代人得以親近佛法善知識,領受佛法做為人生指引的妙用。
本書為英文版,為《法鼓全集》英譯計畫中的第一部英文出版品。期待能以此英譯系列向廣大的西方讀者推廣漢傳佛教與禪法。
I am an ordinary Buddhist monk born in 1930 at a village in Jiangsu Province, Nantong County. The second year after my birth, there was a great flooding of the Yangzi River, which washed away our home and everything we owned. We were impoverished. My family then moved to the south bank of the Yangzi River. I was always weak in physique and prone to illness since childhood. I entered school at the age of nine, and left school when I was thirteen. I became a monk when I was thirteen. The basic education I received was equivalent to that of a fourth grade primary school student. While the other teenagers were studying at high school and university, I was busy working as a younmonk and performing ritual services. Later, I served in the military for the country. Nevertheless, since I was young, I realized the importance of knowledge and education. Therefore, during my time in service, I would take hold of any opportunity for self-study, and read many books. After leaving the army and spending six years in solitary retreat, having met the educational requirements along with my published work, I was enrolled in Rissho University in Tokyo. There, within six years time, I completed both a master’s and a doctoral degree in Buddhist Literature. From the time I realized that the sutras are used to provide knowledge and methods to purify society and the human mind, I felt lament. I thought, “The Dharma is so good, yet so few people know about it, and so many people misunderstand it.” Ordinary people treat Buddhadharma as something secular or mystical; at best they treat it as an academic study. Actually, Buddhism is a religion that applies wisdom and compassion to purify the human world. Thus, I vowed to use contemporary ideas and language to introduce to others the true meaning of the Dharma that was forgotten, and to revive the spirit of Shakyamuni Buddha. — From the Author’s Preface
作者簡介:
Master Sheng Yen 聖嚴法師(1930~2009年)
聖嚴法師1930年生於江蘇南通,1943年於狼山出家,後因戰亂投身軍旅,十年後再次披剃出家。曾於高雄美濃閉關六年,隨後留學日本,獲立正大學文學博士學位。1975年應邀赴美弘法。1989年創建法鼓山,並於2005年開創繼起漢傳禪佛教的「中華禪法鼓宗」。
聖嚴法師是一位思想家、作家暨國際知名禪師,曾獲臺灣《天下》雜誌遴選為「四百年來臺灣最具影響力的五十位人士」之一。著作豐富,中、英、日文著作達百餘種,先後獲頒中山文藝獎、中山學術獎、總統文化獎及社會各界的諸多獎項。
聖嚴法師提出「提昇人的品質,建設人間淨土」的理念,主張以大學院、大普化、大關懷三大教育推動全面教育,相繼創辦中華佛學研究所、法鼓佛教學院、僧伽大學、法鼓大學等院校,也以豐富的禪修經驗、正信的佛法觀念和方法指導東、西方人士修行。
法師著重以現代人的語言和觀點普傳佛法,陸續提出「心靈環保」、「四種環保」、「心五四運動」、「心六倫」等社會運動,近年來更致力於國際弘化工作,參與國際性會談,促進宗教交流,提倡建立全球性倫理,致力於世界的和平。其寬闊胸襟與國際化視野,深獲海內外肯定。