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佛與六波羅蜜
大智度論卷二
佛以忍為鎧 精進為鋼甲
持戒為大馬 禪定為良弓
智慧為好箭 外破魔王軍
內減煩惱賊 是名阿羅訶
注譯：
「禪那」、「禪」、「日本禪」，這些在梵文都是完全相同的字。（後兩者只是前者音譯之縮寫。）禪那通常指的是專注參禪不同層次的修行，從最低層次（入定）至最高（非想非非想）。但是我們不能因為三者在語源學上的相同，而盲目的假設三者在修行方面也是完全相同。
愛德華•孔茲曾經適當地註解：「禪」代表中華文化對印度冥修傳統之反應；「日本禪」代表日本文化對中國禪修之反應。那我們如何說明美國「禪」呢？它肯定有保存一些後期寺院冥修傳統之一支派及形態，猶如最近日本之發展。但是可否公正地聲稱美國「禪」保存了原始佛教文化禪那傳統之重要成份？參閱以下之著作有助於觀察這個問題：
〈中國佛教之禪修傳統〉：彼得•葛雷葛利編輯，〈東亞佛教研究第四期〉一九八六年檀香山夏威夷大學出版。
〈大寧靜與冥想〉作者：尼爾•朶納與丹尼爾•史第芬生，〈東亞佛教文學〉一九九三年檀香山夏威夷大學出版。（這是由大天臺山智顗大師重要名著之一章翻譯，並加上討論【538-597C.E.】）
〈參禪公案〉作者：約那山•克裏斯多福•克雷利，一九九二年柏克萊亞洲人文出版社出版。（翻譯自禪宗修行者之選集，由明朝著名禪師祩宏大師【1535-1615C.E.,又名蓮池大師】註解。蓮池大師曾大力提倡淨土與禪修並不相違悖，反而是相輔相成。）
「羅漢」意謂「殺賊」，此處之「賊」指的是妨礙覺悟之內在與外在的障礙。
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Buddha and the Six Perfections
(T25.71b22-25 [fasc.2])
The Buddha takes up patience as his coat of mail
And vigor as his suit of rigid armor.
The upholding of precepts is his stately steed.
And dhyana absorption is his excellent bow.
Out of his wisdom he makes up fine arrows.
Outside, he crushes the demon king's armies.
Inside, he destroys the thieves of affliction.
On account of this he is known as an Arhat.
End Notes:
"Dhyana," "Ch'an," "Zen." These are all precisely the same Sanskrit word (the latter two are but abbreviated transliterations of the first). Dhyana generally refers to the cultivation of the various levels of meditative absorption, from the very lowest (access concentration) up to the highest (the state of neither perception nor non-perception). But the etymological identity of these three terms should not lead us to the blind assumption that the practices associated with each are similarly identical.
Edward Conze once aptly noted that "Ch'an" represents the Chinese cultural response to Indian meditative traditions and that "Zen" represents the Japanese cultural response to Chinese Ch'an practice. What then can we say of American "Zen"? Certainly, it does serve to more or less accurately preserve a sub-species of post-monastic meditative traditions as they have recently developed in Japan. But can it justifiably claim to preserve the potent dhyana traditions of its Buddhist cultural antecedents? Helpful readings for perspective on this topic:
Traditions of Meditation in Chinese Buddhism. Edited by Peter N. Gregory. Studies in East Asian Buddhism no. 4. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1986.
The Great Calming and Contemplation. Neal Donner and Daniel B. Stevenson. Classics in East Asian Buddhism. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1993. (This is a translation and discussion of one chapter out of a very important classic work by the great T'ien T'ai Mountain monk Chih Yi [538-597 C.E.] ).
Meditating with Koans. Jonathan Christopher Cleary tr. Berkeley: Asian Humanities Press, 1992. (This is a translation of a collection of brief writings by real Ch'an practitioners put together and commented upon by Chu-hung [1535-1615 C.E.], an immensely famous Ming Dynasty Ch'an Master [a.k.a. "Lotus Pool" who also strongly advocated Pure Land practice as not antithetical to but rather supportive of Ch'an practice.)
"Arhat" here means "slayer of the thieves," the thieves in this case being those internal and external obstacles obstructing the conquest of enlightenment.
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