点亮生命的光-4(中英对照)
默念真经的阶段 英文翻译 : Lily Zhang
Stages of recting
默念真经，一开始会发现自己在默念真经时竟然同时有许多念头，过去不曾发现察觉自己每天脑袋里想的是那么频繁无时无刻头脑里都有好多的人、事、物…像电影上演一样没有一刻停歇。烦恼妄念比较少或生活单纯的人，则会出现音乐，有些人修持后，为脑海不断播放的音乐或歌曲所苦恼。
In the beginning, practitioners may find themselves carrying lot of thoughts when reciting. They were never aware of this before. There were so many people and affairs inside their minds anytime and anyplace, as if a move was going on. For those who have fewer thoughts or simple lives, they may think of music when reciting. They are often bothered by the songs or music in their minds.
默念真经从开始入手到最后了手，如果把它譬喻从零分到一百分，会经过五个阶段，我们可以了解自己在哪一个阶段，不要灰心、放弃继续向前走，终于会达到一百分。
If we compare the whole stage of reciting practice to the grades in tests from 0 to 100 points, there will be five stages. We can understand where we are through the following steps.
默念真经可分为的几个阶段：
Five stages of reciting:
１、妄念大作
1、many thoughts appear when reciting.
２、觉识烦动
2、still absent-minded but without specific objects to think of.
３、专心持念
3、concentrate on reciting.
４、念而无念
4、seem to stop reciting when our minds become peaceful and tranquil.
５、无念而念
5、automatically reciting before the disaster comes.
１、妄念大作：
1、many thoughts appear when reciting.
刚开始持念真经的人，往往会惊讶于自己心中怎么会出现那么多的妄念，以往没有察觉的妄念、自己都不相信存在于自己生命中的妄念、千奇百怪的妄念…。
For beginners, they are often surprised at their distractive thoughts when reciting. They were not aware of those thoughts before and wouldn’t recognize them.
这个阶段，往往念不到几句真经心就跑掉，察觉到心跑掉，再把真经抓回来念，念了心又跑掉…这样反反覆覆的在打妄念与默念真经二者间摆荡。
In the first stage, practitioners are often absent minded. They can be aware of this, and grasp the Five Word Sutra again. However, after a while, their thoughts still keep wandering. So, they are struggling between these two statuses.
这是所有修持开始的第一个过程，一般不修行的人，不会察觉自己心中有什么妄想、执着，不认识自己的“心”，简单的说：自己的心在想什么都不知道。
This is the first stage of any practice. Common people usually cannot be aware of their illusory thoughts or attachments. They don’t know about their minds. Simply speaking they even don’t know what they are thinking about.
开始修行，第一阶段就是开始认识我们的心，发现我们的心平时都在想些什么。有时内容会让我们困惑，因为自己不知道自己会想这些内容。
Therefore, the first stage of religious practice is to understand our minds, to discover what we are thinking about. We may be confused by our own thinking because it seems that it comes from nowhere.
所以虽然这个阶段我们察觉自己有那么多妄念，但是却是一个很好的开始，一个认识自己的机会，发现自己的心装了些什么。
Though in this stage, we have so many illusory thoughts, it is really good beginning. It’s a good chance to know ourselves and discover what we are thinking about.
有些人发现自己的心重复的在想一些最近发生的事情，包括别人说的话、自己说话…。有些人则常常想一些陈年旧事，还有人心中的念头都是别人的可恶可恨…。
Some people find they keep thinking about recent affairs, including their own and other people’s words. Some people may think about their old times. Still others may think of other people’s wrong doings, etc.
２、觉识烦动：
2、still absent-minded but without specific objects to think of.
经过第一阶段如果没有放弃，渐渐会进入下一个阶段“觉识烦动”，发现自己的心跑掉，但是不知道自己在想些什么。第一阶段心跑掉时很清楚自己在想些什么，第二阶段虽然心还是跑掉，但已没有具体的想法。
If we don’t give up and keep reciting, we will enter the next stage gradually. In this period, we will find ourselves absent-minded, but we don’t know what we are thinking about. In the last period, we clearly know what our thoughts are, but in this period, we don’t have specific objects to consider. Therefore, in the first stage, we may still be influenced by our emotions resulting from the thoughts; however, in this stage, our minds may become more peaceful without the bothering of thoughts.
３、专心持念：
3、concentrate on reciting.
默念真经时，大部分时间都能够“净念相继”，真经不间断。
In this stage, we can keep reciting each of the Five Words continuously with pure thoughts.
４、念而无念：
4、seem to stop reciting when our minds become peaceful and tranquil.
持续上一个阶段的专注，进一步的，念真经会念到真经自动消失，妄念也同时消失，处于无念的状态。就像病好了，药也自动不吃了。
If we continue the previous concentration, we may, after a period of time, feel the Five Word Sutra seem to disappear. Also, distractive thoughts disappear. Our minds are in the state of no-thought, just like there is no need to take medicine anymore when we get well.
默念真经，念到心清静下来以后，真经也自然消失，当真经消失时，心中也没有其他的贪、嗔、痴…等恶念生起。如果有念生出，也都是慈悲、智慧之念。慈悲的念头是关爱众生，智慧的念头则是解决问题。
When we recite the Five Word Sutra and find our minds become peaceful and tranquil, the Sutra will disappear naturally. When the Sutra disappears, there are no other bed thoughts like greed, hatred, and stupidity anymore. If some thoughts come to our mind at this time, they will all be thought of compassion and wisdom to care of sentient beings and solve problems.
有些道亲养成默念真经的习惯后，常有一种体验，就是在默念真经时，会突然有些灵感，这些灵感是对平日困扰自己的是徒然有所领悟，或知道如何解决…的灵感。
Some Tao members may have the experience to get certain inspiration after they have the habit of the reciting. Such an inspiration is usually about the problems that bother them for a long time.
５、无念而念（有程度差别）
5、automatically reciting before the disaster comes.
没有刻意去默念真经，却发现自己在默念。
This is a stage when we find ourselves automatically reciting the Sutra.
当疾病、灾祸、人事冲突…发生时，真经自然会出现，当这些因素消失时，真经自动消失。但是有些时候，并没有任何灾厄发生，心情也是平静的，但是却察觉自己在默念真经。
When diseases, disasters or conflicts are going to happen, the Five Word Sutra will appear automatically. When these problems disappear, the Sutra disappears too. However, we may also be aware that we start to recite when there is no any disaster or when we feel peaceful.
这种时候往往是灾厄（身或心的灾厄）即将发生，而修持功夫已经到达可以“制敌机先”在灾祸来临以前先默念真经消除了即将发生的业障。
In such a case, it means physical or mental disasters are about to happen, but our practice has helped reduce the bad karma caused by them before disasters come. This can be owed to the merits of reciting the Five Word Sutra.
这是老子所说的“其未兆易谋”
This is also what Lao-tzu said, “to be able to be aware and solve what is going to happen.”
举例而言，一位道亲以前常出车祸或大灾难，每次出事以前几天眼皮都会一直跳，虽然知道大祸临头也无法避免。但是这几年常持真经，眼皮跳的时候以为又即将有灾祸，但却都没有发生，就是已经到“无念而念”化劫于无形。
For example, a Tao member used to have a trembling eyelid before the big car accident or disasters. She could not avoid the problem though she knew something was going to happen. Up to now, she has kept reciting the Sutra for years. Sometimes her eyelid trembles again, but nothing happens. Therefore, we can say she has achieved this stage—to be able to solve or prevent disasters in advance.