Chapter 11: The Aims of Chinese Original Quiet Sitting (2)

第十一講 正宗靜坐的目的(二)

1 As we all know, although mankind’s intellect ranks highest in all of creation, his lifespan, however, will be no longer than that of an animal if he fails to nurture life.

1 我們大家都知道,人雖為萬物之靈,但是不知養生保命,其生命之短暫與動物一樣。

2 Even small animals such as foxes know enough to cultivate, though only for selfish purposes. Fox-spirits draw in the sublimated essence of heaven, earth, the sun, and the moon. They cultivate and transform themselves into human form so they can steal mankind’s treasures.

2 何況就是小動物像狐狸,也懂得修煉,只是牠們都是為自身打算。首先要吸收天地日月精華,修煉成人身,然後盜取人類的寶貝。

3 And what are mankind’s treasures? Only mankind has the three treasures of jing, qi and shen. Ordinary animals do not have them, which is why a human body is a rare gift.

3 什麼是人類寶貝?就是只有人類獨有的精、氣、神三寶。普通的動物都沒有,所以人身難得。

4 But after a few dozen summers and winters, people who fail to cultivate themselves meet a quick and all-too- ordinary end.

4 但是人生數十寒暑,不明修煉的人,一下子就平平凡凡的過去了。

5 Some are buried in the ground, where they decay together with the grass and trees; some are cremated into ashes. None of them understands the Dao of nurturing and lengthening life.

5 有的土葬,與草木同朽;有的火葬變成灰末;都是不懂得養生、長生之道。

6 Thus, in quiet sitting, we first teach the Dao of nurturing life, and then cultivate the three treasures of jing, qi and shen.

6 因此,靜坐首先要講養生之道,然後修煉精、氣、神三寶。

7 All animals, including man, instinctively seek food and seek a mate. Seeking food is to maintain life; seeking a mate is to propagate life.

7 凡是動物包括人類在內,都具有兩個生存本能-求食、求偶。求食是為了維持生命;求偶是為了延續生命。

8 This is pointed out in Mencius:[46] “It is in one’s nature to eat and seek a mate.” “Nature” is what comes innately. The instincts one is born with.

8 《孟子》一書講到「食、色,性也」,即是指此。「性」是先天帶來,與生俱來的本能。

9 Humans, who seek to enlighten their lives beyond the instincts for food and sex, have to cultivate the Dao. They must understand the Dao of nurturing life.

9 人類在食、色兩種本能之外,而欲求光大生命,就要修道,懂得養生之道。

10 What I call the Dao of nurturing life is simply quiet sitting. Moreover, it is completely in tune with scientific principles. Whether we speak of dynamic or quiet practice, both are ways to temper the living person.

10 所謂養生之道,就是靜坐,完全合乎科學原理。不論動功、靜功,不外乎生命的鍛煉。

11 Dynamic practice emphasizes tempering the physical body. Quiet practice emphasizes tempering the spirit.

11 動功注重形體的鍛煉,靜功注重精神的鍛煉。

12 Quiet sitting harmonizes the inner workings between physiology and psychology; coordinating the physical dynamics with quiet sitting. The underlying principle for cultivation is “dual cultivation of self-nature and physical body.”

12 靜坐就是生理、心理與動功、靜功的配合調和。而下手修煉的總原則就是「性命雙修」。

13 Self-nature is the innate “spirit- nature.” Life process is the acquired “fleshly body.” This is the process of cultivating “spirit and flesh” at the same time.

13 性是先天「性靈」,命是後天「肉體」。亦即「靈魂與肉體」同時修煉。

14 Starting from this point, let us look at the three aims of Chinese Original Quiet Sitting, as mentioned in the previous lecture:

14 接著,我們就來談談上一講所說到的後三項中國正宗靜坐的目的:

15 (1) Transcending the Mundane and Entering the Sacred: For thousands of years the key stages of Daoist cultivation have been divided into “transcending the mundane,” “entering the sacred,” and “mounting to perfection.”

15 一、超凡入聖:道家數千年來重要的修持功夫,可分「超凡」、「入聖」、「登真」幾個階段。

16 That is to say, a common person commences his practice by learning sainthood and sageliness. Only when the cultivation of sainthood and sageliness is complete, when the realm of sainthood and sageliness is attained, can we speak of cultivating perfection or cultivating the Dao. From there one enters the final realm of perfected beings, accomplishing the highest aim of human life.

16 即是說:凡夫要以學做聖賢為起步功夫。先完成聖賢修養,達成聖賢境界。再談修真修道,而進入最後真人境界,以完成人生最高境界之目的。

17 From the standpoint of practicing Chinese Original Quiet Sitting, we ask members to begin by “transcending the mundane” which means first fulfilling the human Dao and make oneself a decent person.

17 以學習正宗靜坐而言,就是要同奮先從「超凡」下手,就是先盡人道,把人做好。

18 Pay special close attention to the two Watchwords you have chosen out of the Twenty Watchwords: Loyalty, Forgiveness, Incorruptibility, Insight, Virtue, Rectitude, Justice, Trustworthiness, Forbearance, Altruism, Philanthropy, Filial Piety, Benevolence, Compassion, Awareness, Integrity, Moderation, Truthfulness, Propriety and Harmony.

18 尤其重在自己所認定的廿字:「忠、恕、廉、明、德,正、義、信、忍、公,博、孝、仁、慈、覺,節、儉、真、禮、和」其中的任何兩個字。

19 More than just making them part of your daily actions you should also reflect and examine yourself every night.

19 不但要融化於日常生活之中,切切實實的去做,而且每晚還要反省檢討。

20 Ask yourself if your conduct has run against your conscience in dealing with people and what you did today? If it has, repent and make amends. This is where righteous qi comes from.

20 看看一天做人做事有無違反良心?有則認錯懺悔改過。這就是正氣的來源。

21 When you are filled with righteous qi, baneful influences will keep their distance. This is a good approach for self-improvement and cultivating self- nature. It is the first step toward sainthood and sageliness.

21 正氣充沛,邪魔自然遠避。這即是以心性修養與道德修養,為學做聖賢的入手方法。

22 At the same time, in all things, do not look for your own gain. Do not seek blessings for yourselves. Keep chanting the two Orisons [the Grand Orison and the Precious Orisons] to rescue the vulnerable beings of this world, and beg God to avert and dispel nuclear holocausts.

22 同時一切更要不為自己打算,不求個人福報,而為拯救天下蒼生,哀求 上帝化延世界核戰毀滅浩劫而誦唸兩誥。

23 From there continue to follow the heavenly Dao, to strive within you and toward heaven. Temper your three treasures of jing, qi and shen. Learn to practice quiet sitting to directly cultivate “the great empty Dao of the highest heaven, which is a natural, unforced and non-purposive mindfulness.”

23 然後一面再修天道,向天奮鬥、向自己奮鬥。鍛煉精、氣、神三寶,而學習靜坐,直修「昊天虛無大道自然無為心法」。

24 Any ordinary mortal who reaches this point will have already transcended the mundane and entered the sacred.

24 一個凡夫俗子到此地步,已經超凡進入聖人境界了。

25 (2) Return to Oneness with Nature: A saint is one who does good deeds to a great multitude of people. He sacrifices his small self to fulfill the larger self. Ultimately he “reaches perfection,” attaining the realm of perfected beings.

25 二、回歸自然:聖人是要為大多數人打算,犧牲小我,完成大我,最後自然「登真」,達到真人境界。

26 The Inner Scripture of the Yellow Emperor[47] from ancient Chinese literature says that highly cultivated persons include perfected beings, advanced beings, saints and sages. For Chinese Daoists, rising to perfection is the highest level of human cultivation.

26 中國古代《黃帝內經》講,修養最高的人為真人、至人、聖人、賢人。所以登真是中國道家人生修養的最高境界。

27 In ordinary speech, a perfected being is called an immortal. The final goal of quiet sitting, of Chinese Original Quiet Sitting and of Daoism, is to reach the level of perfected beings.

27 真人也即是一般世俗上所謂的神仙。所以正宗靜坐與道家的靜坐最後目的,就是要達到真人境界。

28 The direct cultivation of the “Supreme Truth-Blossom Vehicle Method for reaching the highest heaven, which is a natural, unforced and non-purposive mindfulness for cultivating the great empty Dao” will finally bring one to the realm of perfected beings. This is a “return to oneness with nature,” being at God’s side and abiding with the universe.

28 而直修「法華上乘昊天虛無大道自然無為心法」,最後必定達到真人境界。「回歸自然」,到了 上帝的身邊,而與宇宙共始終。

29 (3) To Attain Eternal Life and Coexist with Other Eternal Spirits: Buddhism cultivates self-nature but not physical body. It treats the spirit separately.

29 三、永生共生:佛教修性不修命,把神提了出來。

30 Daoism stresses dual cultivation of self-nature and physical body. Chinese Original Quiet Sitting is, in essence, about the dual cultivation of self-nature and physical body. This brings forth the golden elixir, or the “Embryo of Sainthood.”

30 道家重性命雙修。正宗靜坐根本是講「性命雙修」。結成金丹就是「聖胎」。

31 At the next stage, the yang shen ascends and the true self emerges. This is the spirit that would not die. It has eternal life.

31 進一步陽神沖舉,真我出現,可以精神不死,永生、長生。

32 Ordinary people only live a hundred years at the most. Their fleshly envelopes are bound to die in the end. Only when they bring forth the Embryo of Sainthood and their yang shen ascends, can their true self “attain eternal life and coexist with other eternal spirits.”

32 普通人頂多活一百年左右,軀殼總是要死。只有結成聖胎,陽神沖舉,真我可以得到「永生共生」。

33 The final aim of quiet sitting is the refinement that yields a “true self.”

33 靜坐最後的目的,就是希望煉成「真我」。

34 Each person sitting here today is a “false self.” A bodily envelope. An odorous skin bag. A physical thing with a phenomenal form. A body that must die.

34 今天在座的每一位都是「假我」,是一個軀殼,一個臭皮囊,是一個有色相的形體,一個必死之身。

35 For as long as the Earth has existed, the principle of creation has been: All material objects formed from aggregation of etropons will be destroyed. Even mountains, rivers, and land masses will end in destruction.

35 自有地球以來,這是造化的原理,凡是由電子凝結而成的物質體,一定會毀滅。山河大地同樣是會毀滅。

36 According to the latest extrapolations by geologists, the Earth’s crust has turned over twelve times since the Earth was formed.

36 根據最新地質學家的推測,自地球形成至今,地殼已經翻身十二次。

37 Only by tempering jing, qi and shen can we cultivate both self-nature and physical body at the same time to yield a “true self” that has eternal life. Eternal life means abiding with the universe.

37 只有鍛煉精、氣、神,經過性命雙修,煉成的「真我」,可以永生。永生就是與宇宙共始終。

38 But as I mentioned above, aside from material things that are sure to end in destruction, there are persons thousands of years old that are still living on this Earth, with their bodily envelopes still existing. These persons are earth immortals.

38 但是在我剛才講的物質體,最後一定要毀滅之外,這個地球上現在還有活幾千年歲的人,軀殼還存在,這些人就是地仙。

39 Immortals belong to one of the three categories: heavenly immortals, earth immortals, and human immortals.

39 仙有三種:天仙、地仙、人仙。

40 Heavenly immortals are the “golden immortals of the Daluo Heaven.” [48] They have attained a perfected self, and have received summons from God to ascend, shedding their bodily envelopes.

40 天仙是大羅金仙,就是修成真我,待詔飛昇,脫離軀殼。

41 An earth immortal can use or not use his fleshly body as he pleases. Having attained the Dao, he can assume numerous forms. When his mission of saving the world is complete, he is summoned by God. He metamorphoses naturally, letting his corpse fall away.

41 地仙的軀殼可以要可以不要,成道以後可以千變萬化。等到救世任務完成,奉到 上帝詔命,自然屍解蛻化而去。

42 What is a human immortal? A human immortal is anyone who enforces justice on behalf of heaven. One who does not act in self-interest and assumes the mission of rescuing others in times of calamity, while striving continuously hard to cultivate himself. Such a person will be given heavenly title by God. He is an immortal among men.

42 什麼叫人仙,凡是能能夠替天行道,不為個人打算,負起救劫的使命,一面奮鬥用功修煉,能得 上帝錫封天爵,就是人中之仙。

43 The cultivation method for human immortal is the Sudden-Path Method of rescue brought by the Lord of Universe Church at the End Time of the Third Epoch. It is a respondent, mystic epochal treasure of the cosmos, which cultivates conferred spirits and achieves immortality in the here and now.

43 人仙修煉的法門,就是天帝教在三期末劫時代的救劫急頓法門,修煉封靈立地成就仙佛的宇宙應元妙法至寶。

[46] Mencius is a book of conversations that Mencius (372-289 BC) had with kings of the time. It is one of the Four Books that Zhu Xi [1130-1200] grouped as the core of orthodox Neo-Confucian thought.
[47] The Inner Scripture of the Yellow Emperor 黃帝內經 is the existing earliest text of traditional Chinese medicine.
[48] Daluo Heaven 大羅天 is the furthest-stretching heaven, also called the Boundless Heaven or Heaven of Ideal Law.