人類的現狀：在思考中迷失
絕大多數人畢生都將自己囚禁在他們自己的思維之中。他們從未超越過一個受過去制約的、狹小的、人為的、貼上個人標籤的自我感。
和每個人一樣，在你裡面，有一個比思維深得多的意識的向度。這正是你的本質。我們可以稱之為臨在、覺知、無限的意識。在古老的教導中，它被稱為內在的基督，或是你的佛性。
當你只知道這個頭腦製造出來的“小我”，而且你的生活完全被它掌控時，你在給自己和他人製造痛苦，而找到那個臨在的向度會將你和這個世界從這痛苦中解放出來。只有通過這無限的意識的層面，愛、歡樂、創造性的擴展，和持續的內在祥和才會來到你的生活中。
如果你能夠認識到那些經過你的頭腦的念頭只不過是念頭而已，如果你可以在你的頭腦-情緒的反應模式發生時觀照到它們，哪怕只是偶爾做到，這就表示那個向度已經在你的內在開始整合，它就是那個覺知，你的思維和情緒正是在它之內發生– 它就是那個無限的內在空間，你的人生內容正是在它之中展開。
***
念頭的續流有著巨大的力量，它能輕易地拖拽著你與它在一起。每個念頭都假裝它非常重要。它想要吸引你全部的注意力。
這兒有一個新的靈性練習給你：別把你的念頭太當真。
***
人們是多麼容易受困於自己觀念的牢籠啊。人類的頭腦，總是想要知道、了解和掌控，它總是將自己的意見和觀點誤認為是真理。頭腦總是說：“情況就是這樣。”你必須超越你的頭腦，你必須意識到無論你如何解讀“你的人生”或其他人的人生或他們的行為，無論你如何判斷一個情境，這都只不過是一個觀點，只不過是很多可能的視角之一。這只不過是一堆念頭而已。但是實相是合一的整體，在這整體之中萬事萬物都互相關聯，沒有什麼東西是獨自存在的。思維活動割裂了實相– 它將這整體切割成一個一個概念性的碎片。
思考的頭腦是一個非常有用且強大的工具，但是，如果你的生活完全被頭腦所掌控，如果你沒有意識到頭腦只是你真正所是的無限意識的一個很小的面向而已，那麼它也是非常狹隘的。
***
智慧並不是思考的產物。當你將全部的注意力放在某個人或者某件事之上，藉著這個簡單的動作，內在深處的知曉，也就是智慧，會自自然然升起。
注意力就是原始的智性，它正是意識本身。它消融了頭腦製造的障礙，然後你將認識到沒有什麼是獨立存在的。它將觀照者與被觀照者在合一的覺知裡連接起來。它是分離的療癒者。
***
無論何時，當你深陷於不由自主的思維活動時，你就是在迴避當下。你不想存在於此時此地。這裡，當下。
***
一切教條– 宗教的、政治的、科學的– 都是來自於一個錯誤的信仰，那就是我們以為思考可以囊括現實或是真理。教條是集體的觀念的監獄。奇怪的是，人們熱愛他們的牢房，因為這令他們有一種安全感，和一種錯誤的“我知道”的感覺。
沒有什麼比教條主義給人類加註了更多的痛苦。雖然每一種教條遲早都會瓦解，因為現實最終會揭露它的錯誤之處，然而，除非我們看清那最基本的幻象，否則它還是會被其他的教條所取代。
什麼是那個最基本的幻象？與思維認同。
***
靈性的覺醒就是從思考的夢境中醒來。
***
意識的領域比思維所能攫取的要大得多。當你不再認同你所想的，你就從思維中解脫出來，並且清晰地認識到那個思考者並不是你。
***
頭腦總是處於“不夠”的狀態，它總是想要更多。當你與頭腦認同時，你很容易變得厭倦和焦躁不安。厭倦意味著頭腦想要尋求更多的刺激，想要為思維帶來更多食物，而且它的飢渴沒有得到滿足。
當你感到無聊時，你可以用各種方法來滿足頭腦的飢渴，比如拿起一本雜誌、打一通電話、切換電視頻道、上網衝浪、外出購物，或者– 這個並不少見– 將頭腦的匱乏感和需要更多的感覺轉移到身體上，粗暴地以吞食更多的食物來滿足它。
或者你可以安住於厭倦和煩躁不安的狀態，觀察厭倦和煩躁究竟是一種什麼樣的感覺。當你將覺知帶入這感覺時，突然在這感受周圍有了一些空間與寧靜。一開始只有一點點，但當你內在的空間感持續增長，這厭倦的感覺會開始變得不那麼強烈，也不那麼重要了。所以，即使是厭倦也能告訴你，你是誰，和你不是誰。
你發現“一個厭倦的人”並不是你。厭倦只不過你你內在的一股受限的能量流動而已。你也不是一個憤怒的人、憂傷的人、或害怕的人。厭倦、憤怒、憂傷、或者害怕都不是“你的”，不是你個人的。它們都是人類頭腦的狀態。它們會來，也會走。
那些會來的和會走的都不是你。
“我感到厭倦。”誰在知曉這個？
“我感到憤怒、憂傷、害怕。”誰在知曉這個？
你是那個知曉，而不是那個被知曉的狀況。
***
任何偏見都意味著你認同了你思考的頭腦。這表示你再也看不到任何一個人的真實本質，而只是看到你對這個人所產生的所有看法。將他人的生命本質貶低至一種片面的看法時已經是一種暴力行為。
***
那些不是根植於覺知的思考是自私與功能失調的。缺乏智慧的聰明是極端危險和具有破壞性的。這是大多數人類的現狀。儘管關於科技的思考的增強從本質上講無所謂好壞，但它已經成為破壞性的，因為絕大多數這類思考並不是以覺知為基礎。
人類進化的下一步就是要超越思維。這是我們目前的緊要任務。這不是指再也不思考，而是指不再完全認同於思維，不再被思維掌控。
***
感覺你內在身體的能量。立刻你頭腦的噪音就會慢下來或者平息。在你的手部、腳部、腹部、胸部，去感受它。感受那個你真正所是的生命，那個賦予你的身體活力的生命。
然後，你的身體成為一個入口，可以說，通過身體，你進入了隱藏於你的情緒與思考波動之下的，內在深處的生命活力。
***
在你之內有一股活力，你可以用你的整個存在感覺到它，而不僅僅是在頭腦裡。在那個臨在中，每一個細胞都充滿活力，你並不需要思考。只是，在那個狀態裡，如果因為某些實際的目的，我們需要思考，思考就在那裡。頭腦仍然可以運作，而且，當你是通過更偉大的智性在使用頭腦，當你是在表達這偉大智性本身時，頭腦會運作得非常美妙。
***
在一些短暫的時刻裡，你已經是“無念的意識”，它們已經在你的生命中自然而然地、出自本能地發生了，但你也許忽略了這些時刻。可能你正在做手工活兒，或者正穿過房間，或者正在航空公司櫃檯等候，你是如此地臨在，平常的頭腦中嘈雜的念頭完全停息，而被一種意識的臨在所代替。你也許發現自己正仰望著天空，或是正在傾聽某個人，而完全沒有內在頭腦裡的評論。你的感知變得如水晶般清晰，沒有被念頭遮蔽。
對於頭腦來說，這些時刻都不值一提，因為總是有“更重要”的事情要想。這些時刻也毫無紀念意義，這就是為什麼你會忽略這個事實– 它已經在發生。
而真實情況是，這是有可能在你身上發生的最重要的事情。這正是從思維轉化為意識臨在的開端。
***
自在地安住於“未知”的狀態裡吧。這將使你超越你的頭腦，因為頭腦總是想要得出結論或是解讀含義。它懼怕未知。所以，當你能夠安住於未知，你就已經超越了頭腦。從這個狀態中，一種非頭腦層面的更深的知曉悄然升起。
***
藝術創造、體育運動、舞蹈、教育、諮詢– 對任一領域的精通都意味著思考的頭腦完全沒有參與，或者至少它被置於次要的位置。一個比你更大的力量和智性接管了，同時它也是與你同在的你的本質。再也沒有決策的過程；正確的行動自發地產生，而“你”並不是那個做的人。精通生命的藝術意味著完全放棄掌控。你變得與那更偉大的意識步調一致。是它在行動、說話、完成作品。
***
一個危急的時刻可以暫時中斷思考的續流，讓你一嚐臨在、警覺、覺醒的滋味。
***
真理是包容一切的，它遠遠超出頭腦所能理解的範圍。沒有任何思維能夠涵蓋真理。最多，思維可以指向它。比如，思維可以說：“從本質上講，萬事萬物都是一體的。”這是一個指向，而不是一個解釋。充分了悟這些文字的含義意味著去深入感受那存在於你內在的真理，這些文字所指向的真理。
翻譯：遊由
~~~原文如下~~~
Chapter 2
Beyond the Thinking Mind
The human condition: Lost in thought.
***
Most people spend their entire life imprisoned within the confines of their own
thoughts. They never go beyond a narrow, mind-made, personalized sense of self
that is conditioned by the past.
In you, as in each human being, there is a dimension of consciousness far deeper
than thought. It is the very essence of who you are. We may call it presence,
awareness, the unconditioned consciousness. In the ancient teachings , it is the
Christ within, or your Buddha nature.
Finding that dimension frees you and the world from the suffering you inflict on
yourself and others when the mind-made “little me” is all you know and runs your
life. Love, joy , creative expansion, and lasting inner peace cannot come into your
life except through that unconditioned dimension of consciousness.
If you can recognize, even occasionally, the thoughts that go through your mind as
just thoughts, if you can witness your own mental-emotional reactive patterns as
they happen, then that dimension is already emerging in you as the awareness in
which thoughts and emotions happen — the timeless inner space in which the
content of your life unfolds.
***
The stream of thinking has enormous momentum that can easily drag you along
with it. Every thought pretends that it matters so much. It wants to draw your
attention in completely.
Here is a new spiritual practice for you: don't take your thoughts too seriously.
***
How easy it is for people to become trapped in their conceptual prisons.
The human mind, in its desire to know, understand, and control, mistakes its
opinions and viewpoints for the truth. It says: this is how it is. You have to be
larger than thought to realize that however you interpret “your life” or someone
else's life or behavior, however you judge any situation, it is no more than a
viewpoint, one of many possible perspectives. It is no more than a bundle of
thoughts. But reality is one unified whole, in which all things are interwoven,
where nothing exists in and by itself. Thinking fragments reality — it cuts it up into
conceptual bits and pieces.
The thinking mind is a useful and powerful tool, but it is also very limiting when it
takes over your life completely, when you don't realize that it is only a small aspect
of the consciousness that you are
***
Wisdom is not a product of thought. The deep knowing that is wisdom arises
through the simple act of giving someone or something your full attention.
Attention is primordial intelligence, consciousness itself. It dissolves the barriers
created by conceptual thought, and with this comes the recognition that nothing
exists in and by itself. It joins the perceiver and the perceived in a unifying field of
awareness. It is the healer of separation.
***
Whenever you are immersed in compulsive thinking, you are avoiding what is. You
don't want to be where you are. Here, Now.
***
Dogmas — religious, political, scientific— arise out of the erroneous belief that
thought can encapsulate reality or the truth. Dogmas are collective conceptual
prisons. And the strange thing is that people love their prison cells because they
give them a sense of security and a false sense of “I know.”
Nothing has inflicted more suffering on humanity than its dogmas. It is true that
every dogma crumbles sooner or later, because reality will eventually disclose its
falseness; however, unless the basic delusion of it is seen for what it is, it will be
replaced by others.
What is this basic delusion? Identification with thought.
***
Spiritual awakening is awakening from the dream of thought.
***
The realm of consciousness is much vaster than thought can grasp. When you no
longer believe everything you think, you step out of thought and see clearly that the
thinker is not who you are.
***
The mind exists in a state of “not enough” and so is always greedy for more. When
you are identified with mind, you get bored and restless very easily. Boredom
means the mind is hungry for more stimulus, more food for thought, and its hunger
is not being satisfied.
When you feel bored, you can satisfy the mind's hunger by picking up a magazine,
making a phone call, switching on the TV, surfing the web, going shopping, or —
and this is not uncommon — transferring the mental sense of lack and its need for
more to the body and satisfy it briefly by ingesting more food.
Or you can stay bored and restless and observe what it feels like to be bored and
restless. As you bring awareness to the feeling, there is suddenly some space and
stillness around it, as it were. A little at first, but as the sense of inner space grows,
the feeling of boredom will begin to diminish in intensity and significance. So even
boredom can teach you who you are and who you are not.
You discover that a “bored person” is not who you are. Boredom is simply a
conditioned energy movement within you. Neither are you an angry, sad, or fearful
person. Boredom, anger, sadness, or fear are not “yours,” not personal. They are
conditions of the human mind. They come and go.
Nothing that comes and goes is you.
“I am bored.” Who knows this?
“I am angry, sad, afraid.” Who knows this?
You are the knowing, not the condition that is known.
***
Prejudice of any kind implies that you are identified with the thinking mind. It
means you don't see the other human being anymore, but only your own concept of
that human being. To reduce the aliveness of another human being to a concept is
already a form of violence.
***
Thinking that is not rooted in awareness becomes self-serving and dysfunctional.
Cleverness devoid of wisdom is extremely dangerous and destructive. That is the
current state of most of humanity. The amplification of thought as science and
technology , although intrinsically neither good nor bad, has also become
destructive because so often the thinking out of which it comes has no roots in
awareness.
The next step in human evolution is to transcend thought. This is now our urgent
task. It doesn't mean not to think anymore, but simply not to be completely
identified with thought, possessed by thought.
***
Feel the energy of your inner body. Immediately mental noise slows down or
ceases. Feel it in your hands, your feet, your abdomen , your chest. Feel the life that
you are, the life that animates the body.
The body then becomes a doorway, so to speak, into a deeper sense of aliveness
underneath the fluctuating emotions and underneath your thinking.
***
There is an aliveness in you that you can feel with your entire Being, not just in the
head. Every cell is alive in that presence in which you don't need to think. Yet, in
that state, if thought is required for some practical purpose, it is there. The mind
can still operate, and it operates beautifully when the greater intelligence that you
are uses it and expresses itself through it.
***
You may have overlooked that brief periods in which you are “conscious without
thought” are already occurring naturally and spontaneously in your life. You may
be engaged in some manual activity, or walking across the room, or waiting at the
airline counter, and be so completely present that the usual mental static of thought
subsides and is replaced by an aware presence . Or you may find yourself looking at
the sky or listening to someone without any inner mental commentary. Your
perceptions become crystal clear, unclouded by thought.
To the mind, all this is not significant, because it has “more important” things to
think about. It is also not memorable, and that's why you may have overlooked that
it is already happening.
The truth is that it is the most significant thing that can happen to you. It is the
beginning of a shift from thinking to aware presence.
***
Become at ease with the state of “not knowing.” This takes you beyond mind
because the mind is always trying to conclude and interpret. It is afraid of not
knowing. So, when you can be at ease with not knowing, you have already gone
beyond the mind. A deeper knowing that is non-conceptual then arises out of that
state.
***
Artistic creation, sports, dance, teaching, counseling — mastery in any field of
endeavor implies that the thinking mind is either no longer involved at all or at least
is taking second place. A power and intelligence greater than you and yet one with
you in essence takes over. There is no decision-making process anymore;
spontaneous right action happens, and “you” are not doing it. Mastery of life is the
opposite of control. You become aligned with the greater consciousness. It acts,
speaks, does the works.
***
A moment of danger can bring about a temporary cessation of the stream of
thinking and thus give you a taste of what it means to be present, alert, aware.
***
The Truth is far more all-encompassing than the mind could ever comprehend. No
thought can encapsulate the Truth. At best, it can point to it. For example, it can
say: “All things are intrinsically one.” That is a pointer, not an explanation.
Understanding these words means feeling deep within you the truth to which they
point.
摘自：Stillness Speaks
翻譯：遊由
轉自：http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4fd2f38b0100sydh.html
底線代表為針對文句有作部分的修飾：修訂者 Dana Qiu
=======================================================================
擺脫思維的簡易練習：
試著在公園或任何一個可以讓(你/妳)可以久待的地方，眼睛可閉可不閉，並以最舒服的姿勢坐著並將身體完全的放鬆；覺知著自己正在思考著並嘗試將注意力從大腦的思緒中抽離並轉移到外在環境(可能是狗叫聲、可能是有人在喧囂、可能是汽機車的聲響、也可能是鳥較聲....等)，此時不管聽到是什麼都不要去"評論"、不要去"分析"...就只是"放鬆全身"去傾聽就好了，去覺知"正在聽"的這個意識狀態，並在這過程中"同時"亦把注意力分散到你的呼吸；如果可以再把注意力擴散到全身的觸感，可能是屁股坐在椅子上的感覺、與身旁朋友肩靠肩或握手的感覺、微風吹到臉上的感覺、雙手的末梢(此時可能會感覺手掌微微發熱)；簡單來說請試著盡可能的將注意"同時"分散到以上三點：周遭環境、呼吸、全身感，並讓全身徹底的放鬆。熟練以上的要點後，請再著重用於全身放鬆，去覺知身體有哪個部位可能有緊繃的狀態，試著去放鬆，再將注意力完全的深入身體的無形內在感，虛空之感會充滿全身，此時有些人可能會體驗到輕盈的狀態，若外頭鳥鳴聲請試著去覺察鳥鳴聲中的短暫的無聲間隙，那短暫的寂靜，如果維持以上作法達15分鐘以上，通常可以感覺到精神狀態會相對以前好很多。而且思緒會變得很清晰。創作靈感亦很可能會乍現。
在這段期間可能會遇到一個問題，你可能會因為聽到某個聲音而去聯想或去回想或是去預設某些情況，甚至造成情緒上的波動，注意力又轉移到了大腦的思緒中；這時候沒關係請再慢慢的把注意力轉移到周遭環境、呼吸、全身的五感。不斷的重覆以上的作法，如果覺得很煩悶，有思緒無法從大腦撤出，可以試著把那一直重複不斷的想法寫下來或是找一個能夠充分臨在的人宣洩想法和情緒。不要悶在心理，這會對身體造成負擔，也會消耗不必要的生命能量。
游泳是一個必須將注意力放在全身的運動，思緒會被強迫暫停，可以試的去覺知游泳時的大腦狀態，此時是很貼近"臨在"的狀態。
想在日常生活中深入當下，最直接的作法就是當發覺被自己困在思緒中時可以把注意力轉移到呼吸以及身體內在無形的生命能量，即對身體下錨。
過去有些人有時會感到煩悶或壓力時會出去喝杯咖啡甚至旅行，此時"靈感"往往會莫名的出現，而所謂的"靈感"其實就是在大腦中斷思緒間隙中見縫插針，它不是來自大腦的思緒，而是來自更深層的信息，只是被你捕捉到罷了。
------Dana Qiu
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