坐禅不要贪着味禅。什么叫味禅？就是一种禅悦，坐得时间差不多了，就有一种感觉：很自在、很舒服、懒洋洋的。你要是贪着于这种舒服自在的境界，就不容易再进步，就会在此停留，总想找味禅。要是这种境界没有了，就去追求“什么时候我再能有这种境界呢？这种境界无人、无我、无众生、无寿者，无烦无恼，非常自在快乐，什么时候可以再来呢？……”就等着这种味禅，一等就把什么功都忘了，这就是 执著于味禅上。

When you sit in Chan, don't be greedy for flavorful Chan. What is flavorful Chan? It refers to the bliss of the Dhyanas. When you have been sitting just about long enough, you start experiencing a feeling of comfort and freedom, and you may feel kind of indolent. If you become greedy for this state of comfort and ease, it's not easy for you to go on and make progress. You will linger there, always trying to get back to the state of flavorful Chan. When the state goes away, you will chase after it, thinking, "When am I going to have that kind of state again? In that state there was no self, no others, no living beings, and no life span; no afflictions, and no hassles. It was very blissful and very comfortable and free. I wonder when I will ever have that experience again." And you will just keep waiting for that flavorful experience to reoccur. Waiting, you forget all about applying effort. That's known as getting attached to flavorful Chan.

坐禅人要无罣无碍、无贪无求、无喜无忧、无恐无怖，应把己身看成虚空法界一样，不须有所执著贪求。你一有所贪求，就落到第二义上。以下略释四禅天修证的境界。

Cultivators of Chan need to be free of obstructions and hang-ups. They cannot be craving anything. You cannot get excessively happy, or depressed, and you shouldn't have any fear or terror. You should see your body as being the same as empty space and the Dharma Realm. There's no need to cling to anything or crave anything. As soon as you crave something, you fall into a secondary level of truth. A brief explanation of the states of the Four Dhyana Heavens is given below.

初禅天，“离生喜乐地”：离开众生之烦恼，生出禅悦为食，法喜充满的快乐；离开众生之迷倒，向圣人之菩提路上迈步。达到这种禅时，不能冒充，不是自己说，而是要善知识为你印证。

The Heavens of the First Dhyana / The Stage of the Happiness of Separating from Production: leaving the afflictions of living beings, one obtains the happiness of "taking Dhyana bliss as food" and "being filled with the joy of Dharma." Leaving the confusion of living beings, one starts advancing along the Bodhi path of the sages. Arriving at the First Dhyana isn't something you can fake. It isn't something you can claim for yourself; a Good and Wise Advisor must certify the state for you.

这种境界有个证明：气不出不入，呼吸断了，但人未死，这叫入定，入初禅定。它与睡觉不同，不要以为睡觉是入定；睡觉不单单呼吸气照常，而且也打呼打鼾，邻单听得如雷鸣，所以你的呼吸气断了没有？善知识一看就知道，你要是说：“我觉得我没气了！”这是假的，是冒充的。你若知道，那根本未入初禅！所以不能拿假牌当真货卖。

When you reach that state, there is proof－the proof is that you no longer inhale or exhale－your breath has stopped, although you aren't dead. This is known as entering the Samadhi of the First Dhyana. It's different from sleep, so you shouldn't think that going to sleep is the same as entering samadhi. When you are sleeping, you continue to breathe, and you may even snore so loudly that it sounds like thunder to your neighbors. A Good and Wise Advisor can tell immediately whether or not your breath has stopped. If you say, "I feel like my breath has stopped!" that's false. You're faking it. If you know, then you haven't even entered the First Dhyana! So don't try to put up a false sign and sell counterfeit goods.

这里头若细分析起来，有大块文章可以写，很多理论可以说。不过说那么多，反而是障碍，故说一点点，免得你们生贡高起邪见，说自己入了初禅（离生喜乐地），这真是骗人。

If I were to go into this in detail, there are a lot of principles that could be talked about, and I could write a whole essay on this. But if I say too much, it only creates obstacles. So I've just said a little bit to prevent you from becoming arrogant and misled by deviant views and claiming to have entered the First Dhyana (the Stage of the Happiness of Separating from Production). That's really cheating people.

二禅天，“定生喜乐地”：二禅天的境界更进一步，不单单呼吸气没有了，连脉搏也停止了。这种境界也不是你自己知道或自己说的，你若说你觉得，你怎么会觉得？你根本没入定，想冒充骗人啊？

三禅天，“离喜妙乐地”：到了三禅天境界，呼吸、脉搏都停止，连念虑也没有了。三禅天，离开欢喜，舍了味禅，不贪着味禅的舒适定，绝无耽着。这个境界比初禅、二禅又高了许多，这个时候周身每个毛孔皆欢喜异常，眉开眼笑，高兴得不得了！

The Heavens of the Third Dhyana / The Stage of the Wonderful Bliss of Leaving Happiness: When you reach the state of these Dhyana Heavens, your breath, pulse, and even your thoughts will have ceased. In these heavens, you have left happiness and renounced flavorful Chan; you don't have the slightest attachment or greed for the comfort of flavorful Chan. This state is much higher than that of the first and second Dhyanas. All the hairpores on your body are blissful at that time. They are really, really delighted!

四禅天，“舍念清净地”：这时候什么都没有，“一念不生全体现”，到了“千潭有水千潭月，万里无云万里天”的境界，处处都在说法，所谓“落花流水演摩诃”。这种境界不是自己能知道的，不能说：“我到了四禅天。”你这样是大我慢，打大妄语呢！这都要由善知识印证才算的。

The Heavens of the Fourth Dhyana / The State of the Purity of Renouncing Thought: At this time there is nothing at all. "When not a single thought arises, the entire substance manifests." You reach that state where:

A thousand pools contain water,
The moon is reflected in all of them.
For ten thousand miles there are no clouds,
There are ten thousand miles of sky.

Everything is speaking the Dharma. "Falling flowers and flowing water proclaim the Mahayana." But you don't know it when you are in this state, and you can't say, "I've reached the Heavens of the Fourth Dhyana." That would be gross arrogance on your part, and you would be telling a big lie. One must be certified by a Good and Wise Advisor for it to count.

善知识为什么叫明眼人呢？因为他一看就知道了，知道你的功夫到什么程度。你想去考一考他，去考嘛！他睬都不睬你。真正善知识不会被你考的，他不会因你问他，就和盘托出。若是你亲近善知识时间久了，他才告诉你，不过也不一定很明白地告诉你，有时用譬喻或者简单的几句话。所以不能到处打锣敲鼓，说：“我们都成佛了！”这样是打大妄语，大开玩笑，将来下拔舌地狱，实在太可怜！

Why is a Good and Wise Advisor called a "clear-eyed person"? It's because he can take one look at you and know what your level of cultivation is. If you want to test him out, go ahead! But he won't pay any attention to you. A true Good and Wise Advisor will not be tested by you, and he won't tell you all the secrets just because you asked. You must draw near a Good and Wise Advisor for a long time, and then he may tell you, but not in a very obvious way. Sometimes he might use an analogy, or just say a few words. So you can't go around proclaiming, "We've all become Buddhas!" You would be telling a big lie and playing a huge joke, and in the future you'd fall into the Hell of Pulling Out Tongues. That's really pathetic!

一九八二年十一月十八日晚间开示于
万佛圣城