Notes

注解

1. These are eight precepts: to abstain from (1) killing, (2) stealing, (3) sexual misconduct, (4) false speech, (5) malicious speech, (6) harsh speech, (7) idle chatter, and (8) to live by right livelihood. They are sometimes undertaken by more earnest practitioners in place of the usual Five Precepts. [Back]

2. The eight inopportune occasions (akkhaṇa): At the time a Buddha-sāsana exists one has been reborn (1) in hell, (2) as an animal, (3) in the realm of ghosts, (4) among the formless gods, (5) in a remote country where the Dhamma is not known, (6) as one who holds wrong views, or (7) as one mentally deficient; or (8) one is reborn with all the right conditions but at a time when the Buddha-sāsana does not exist. See Dīgha Nikāya III 264–65, 287. [Back]

3. According to the Majjhima Nikāya Commentary, King Pukkusāti actually left his palace and became ordained as a novice monk. His meeting with the Buddha is related at Majjhima Nikāya No. 140. He died in an accident before he could take higher ordination. [Back]

4. For some reason, Ledi Sayādaw (or his translator) follows the ancient Vinaya Commentary (no longer extant) which explains assāsa and its verb assasati as meaning “breathing out,” and passāsa and its verb passasati as meaning “breathing in.” The Sutta Commentaries explain the words in the opposite way, which seems much more cogent (see Visuddhimagga, VIII 164). Those accustomed to the usual translation, and the practice which counts a full breath as beginning with the in-breath and ending with the out-breath, should simply transpose the two phases as given here. [Back]

5. At Vism VIII 189, eight stages are mentioned. Of those not elaborated by Ledi Sayādaw, “touching” is simply the touch spot at the nostrils or upper lip where the breath is to be noted; “observing” is insight meditation; “turning away,” the supramundane path (of stream-entry, etc.); “purification,” the fruit. The eighth, not explicitly mentioned here, is “looking back at these” (tesaṃ paṭipassanā), explained as reviewing knowledge (paccavekkhaṇā). [Back]

6. These are explained in detail at Vism XVIII–XXII. [Back]

7. “Purity of view” is defined as the correct seeing of mental and corporeal phenomena (nāma-rūpa), which one accomplishes by discerning these phenomena by way of their characteristic, function, manifestation, and proximate cause. See Vism XVIII 2–4. [Back]

8. These eight are called the “inseparable corporeal phenomena” (avinibbhoga-rūpa) because they occur together in every material body. [Back]

9. See Vism XIX 1–2. [Back]

1. 活命第八戒：远离 (1) 杀生，(2) 偷盗，(3) 邪淫，(4) 妄语，(5) 两舌，(6) 恶口，(7) 绮语，并要 (8) 正命而活。有时，更多虔诚的修行者是遵守活命第八戒，而不只是五戒。

2. 八难 (akkhaṇa): 佛法存在时，众生再生于 (1) 地狱， (2) 畜生，(3) 饿鬼道， (4) 长寿天，(5) 生于边国无知之夷狄中，(6) 虽生于中国，然有邪见、颠倒见，(7) 虽生于中国，然为无慧、痴呆、哑羊而不能知善说、恶说之义。或者 (8) 此人生于中国，有慧、无痴呆、无哑羊，能知善说、恶说之义，但如来不出现于世。参看长部III 264–65, 287.

3. 依据中部的义注，郡主Pukkusāti 其实是离开他的宫殿出家为沙马内拉。中部第140经提到他和佛陀的相遇。他死于一次意外，在死前证入了圣果。

4. 因为某些原因，雷迪尊者(或他的译者)依据古律注(已不存在)，把assāsa 和它的动词assasati 解释为“出息”，把passāsa和它的动词passasati 解释为“入息”。经注对它们的解释刚好相反，这看似更合适(参看 Visuddhimagga, VIII 164)。习惯于通常的翻译，以及在修习中把一个完整呼吸中的入息作为开始出息作为结束的人，简单地把这里的两个词对调即可。

5. 在Vism VIII 189提到八个阶段。雷迪尊者所没有详细阐述的阶段有，“触”，是觉知呼吸的触点，即鼻尖或上唇处；“观察”，是内观； “还灭” ，是(入流者等的)出世间道；“遍净”，是果。第八阶段，此页没有明显提到，是“反观这些”(tesaṃ paṭipassanā)，解释为省察智(paccavekkhaṇā)。

6. 详细解释请参看 Vism XVIII–XXII.

7. “见清净”定义为，通过辨别名色的特相、作用、现起、和近因，来如实地观见名色(nāma-rūpa)。看 Vism XVIII 2–4.

8. 这八大元素称为“不离色” (avinibbhoga-rūpa)，因为它们在每个色聚中都同时存在。

9. 参看 Vism XIX 1–2.