Moderation

　　节制

Three basic points of practice to work with are sense restraint, which means taking care not to indulge and attach to sensations; moderation in eating; and wakefulness.

　　修行的三个必须实践的要点是：感官的收摄，也就是说，小心不要耽溺、执著於感觉，再者是饮食及觉醒的节制。

Sense restraint. We can easily recognize physical irregularities, such as blindness, deafness, deformed limbs, but irregularities of mind are another matter. When you begin to meditate, you see things differently. You can see the mental distortions that formerly seemed normal, and you can see danger where you did not see it before. This brings sense restraint. You become sensitive, like one who enters a forest or jungle and becomes aware of danger from poisonous creatures, thorns, and so forth. One with a raw wound is likewise more aware of danger from flies and gnats. For one who meditates, the danger is from sense objects. Sense restraint is thus necessary; in fact, it is the highest kind of virtue.

　　感官的收摄：我们可以轻易的认识生理上的缺陷，如盲、聋、肢体残障，但心理上的残障可是另一档事。当你开始禅坐时，对事情会有不同的看法。你会在以前看似正常的心中，看到心理的失常；你也会看见以前所未见的危险，如此一来，会带来感官的收摄。你会变得很敏锐，就如同走入森林或莽丛里的人，会对毒兽、荆棘等等的危险特别警觉一样；一个伤口还末痊愈的人同样会对苍蝇与蚊蚋的危险更警觉，对禅修者而言，危险是来自於外尘的，也就因此，感官收摄是必要的；事实上，它是最高的戒德。

Moderation in eating. It is easy to fast, more difficult to eat little or in moderation as a meditation. Instead of frequent fasting, learn to eat with mindfulness and sensitivity to your needs, learn to distinguish needs from desires.

　　饮食的节制：断食很容易，但要以少吃或节制饮食做为禅修则更难。经常的断食倒不如去学习正念和敏锐地食你所需的量，学习去辨认“欲望”和“需要”的不同。

Pushing the body is not in itself self-torment. Going . without sleep or without food may seem extreme at times, but it can have value. We must be willing to resist laziness and defilement, to stir them up and watch them. Once these are understood, such practices are no longer necessary. This is why we should eat, sleep, and talk little-for the purpose of opposing our desires and making them reveal themselves.

　　强迫身体并不是自我折磨，不吃不睡有时看起来似乎很极端，但它却有其价值。我们必须愿意去对抗懈怠与烦恼，愿意去激起它们再观察它们。一旦明白之後，这些修行就不需要了。这就是为何我们应该少吃、少睡、少说话──目的就在於对治我们的欲望，使它们自己现形。

Wakefulness. To establish awareness, effort is required constantly, not just when you feel diligent. Even if you meditate all night at times, it is not correct practice if at other times you still follow your laziness. Constantly watch over the mind as a parent watches over a child. Protect it from its own foolishness,. teach it what is right.

　　觉醒：要建立觉醒，是必须不断地精进，而不是只在你觉得快乐时才修行。即使有时彻夜打坐，而其他时间却在放纵自己的情性，也不是对的。恒常地观照自己的心，正如父母看护自己的孩子一般。好好看管心的愚痴，然後教它什么才是正确的。

It is incorrect to think that at certain times you do not have the opportunity to meditate. You must constantly make the effort to know yourself; it is as necessary as your breathing, which continues in all situations. If you do not like certain activities, such as . chanting or working, and give up on them as meditation, you will never learn wakefulness.

　　认为某些时候并没有机会修行，是不正确的想法。你必须不断的精进努力，来了解自己，正如在任何场合都必须继续进行的呼吸一样。如果你不喜欢如：诵念、工作等活动，因而放弃这段时间的禅坐，你便永远也学不到觉醒。