Meditation (3)

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Krishnamurti - Meditation
Bản dịch Vũ Toàn

MEDITATIONS

Jiddu Krishnamurti

Selections made by Evelyne Blau

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Thieàn

Ngöôøi dòch Vuõ Toaøn

Thieàn laø huûy dieät söï an toaøn, vaø trong thieàn coù moät caùi ñeïp tuyeät vôøi, khoâng phaûi caùi ñeïp ñöôïc con ngöôøi taïo neân hay do thieân nhieân baøi trí maø laø cuûa söï im laëng. Söï im laëng naøy laø troáng khoâng, trong ñoù vaø töø ñoù vaïn vaät löu chuyeån vaø hieän höõu. Thieàn laø baát khaû tri, trí naêng hay caûm thoï khoâng tìm ñöôïc loái vaøo; chaúng coù con ñöôøng naøo ñöa ñeán noù vaø moät phöông caùch nhaèm ñaït ñeán noù chæ laø söï bòa ñaët cuûa boä oùc tham lam. Moïi con ñöôøng vaø phöông tieän cuûa caùi toâi ñaày toan tính phaûi bò huûy dieät hoaøn toaøn; moïi di chuyeån tôùi lui theo caùch thöùc cuûa thôøi gian phaûi chaám döùt, khoâng coù ngaøy mai. Thieàn laø phaù huûy, noù laø moái nguy hieåm ñoái vôùi nhöõng ai mong caàu moät cuoäc soáng hôøi hôït, moät cuoäc soáng hoang töôûng vaø huyeàn thoaïi

Meditation is destruction to security, and there is great beauty in meditation, not the beauty of the things that have been put together by man or by nature but of silence. This silence is emptiness in which and from which all things flow and have their being. It is unknowable; intellect and feeling cannot make their way to it; there is no way to it and a method to it is the invention of a greedy brain. All the ways and means of the calculating self must be destroyed wholly; all going forward or backward the way of time must come to an end, without tomorrow. Meditation is destruction; it’s a danger to those who wish to lead a superficial life and a life of fancy and myth.

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Caùi cheát do thieàn ñem laïi laø söï baát töû cuûa caùi môùi.

The death that meditation brings about is the immortality of the new.

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Ñaây laø ñieàu kyø dieäu neáu baïn tình côø gaëp noù. Toâi coù theå dieãn taû thaät chi tieát veà noù, nhöng söï moâ taû khoâng phaûi laø caùi ñöôïc moâ taû. Chính baïn phaûi bieát noù baèng caùch nhìn vaøo chính mình; khoâng saùch vôû vaø cuõng chaúng coù sö phuï naøo coù theå daïy baïn veà noù. Ñöøng tuøy thuoäc moät ai, ñöøng gia nhaäp caùc toå chöùc taâm linh; moät ngöôøi phaûi hoïc taát caû ñieàu naøy töø chính mình. Vaø ôû ñoù taâm seõ phaùt hieän nhöõng ñieàu thaät khoù tin. Nhöng muoán theá, moïi phaân chia manh muùm phaûi chaám döùt vaø do ñoù chæ coøn söï an ñònh voâ bieân, tính chôùp nhoaùng vaø löu hoaït. Thôøi gian khoâng coù ñoái vôùi moät caùi taâm nhö theá vaø do ñoù soáng coù moät yù nghóa hoaøn toaøn khaùc haún.

This is something most marvelous if you come upon it. I can go into it, but the description is not the described. It’s for you to learn all this by looking at yourself - no book, no teacher can teach you about this. Don’t depend on anyone, don’t join spiritual organizations; one has to learn all this out of oneself. And there the mind will discover things that are incredible. But for that, there must be no fragmentation and therefore immense stability, swiftness, mobility. To such a mind there is no time and therefore living has quite a different meaning.

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Baát cöù uy quyeàn naøo aùp ñaët leân thieàn laø phuû nhaän thieàn. Taát caû kieán thöùc, khaùi nieäm, ví duï ñeàu khoâng coù choã trong thieàn. Hoaøn toaøn loaïi boû ngöôøi haønh thieàn, ngöôøi kinh nghieäm, ngöôøi tö duy laø yeáu chæ cuûa thieàn. Söï töï do naøy laø haønh vi thöôøng nhaät cuûa thieàn. Ngöôøi quan saùt laø quaù khöù, neàn taûng cuûa haén laø thôøi gian; moïi yù nghó, hình aûnh vaø boùng toái cuûa haén ñeàu tuøy thuoäc thôøi gian. Kieán thöùc laø thôøi gian, vaø thoaùt ra khoûi nhöõng gì ñaõ bieát laø söï böøng nôû cuûa thieàn. Theo chaân ngöôøi khaùc, noi göông hay laøm theo lôøi ngöôøi ñoù laø xua ñuoåi chaân lyù.

Chæ qua taám göông cuûa quan heä baïn môùi thaáy ñöôïc boä maët cuûa caùi “ñang laø.” Ngöôøi thaáy laø caùi bò thaáy. Neáu khoâng coù ñöôïc caùi traät töï do ñaïo haïnh ñem laïi thì thieàn cuõng nhö voâ soá nhöõng khaúng ñònh cuûa ngöôøi khaùc ñeàu voâ nghóa; chuùng hoaøn toaøn khoâng lieân quan. Chaân lyù khoâng coù truyeàn thoáng, chaân lyù khoâng theå ñöôïc trao truyeàn.

Any authority on meditation is the very denial of it. All the knowledge, the concepts, the examples have no place in meditation. The complete elimination of the meditator, the experiencer, the thinker, is the very essence of meditation. This freedom is the daily act of meditation. The observer is the past, his ground is time, his thoughts, images, shadows, are time-binding. Knowledge is time, and freedom from the known is the flowering of meditation. To follow another, his example, his word, is to banish truth.

Only in the mirror of relationship do you see the face of “what is.” The seer is the seen. Without the order which virtue brings, meditation and the endless assertions of others have no meaning whatsoever; they are totally irrelevant. Truth has no tradition, it cannot be handed down.

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Ñöøng bieán thieàn thaønh chuyeän phöùc taïp, thieàn voâ cuøng ñôn giaûn vaø vì ñôn giaûn neân thieàn voâ cuøng vi teá. Taâm seõ khoâng bao giôø nhaän ra söï vi teá cuûa thieàn neáu noù tìm ñeán thieàn vôùi ñuû loaïi yù töôûng hoang ñöôøng vaø laõng maïn. Thieàn, thaät ra, laø söï thaâm nhaäp vaøo caùi khoâng bieát, vaø nhö theá caùi ñaõ bieát, kyù öùc, kinh nghieäm, kieán thöùc maø taâm huaân taäp trong ngaøy, hay qua haøng nghìn ngaøy - phaûi chaám döùt. Vì chæ coù caùi taâm töï do môùi coù theå thaâm nhaäp vaøo taän cuøng caùi baát khaû ño löôøng. Nhö vaäy, thieàn vöøa laø söï thaâm nhaäp vöøa laø söï keát thuùc ngaøy hoâm qua.

Vaán ñeà khôûi sinh ngay khi chuùng ta ñaët caâu hoûi laøm theá naøo ñeå keát thuùc ngaøy hoâm qua. Thaät ra khoâng coù “laøm theá naøo.” “Laøm theá naøo” haøm yù moät phöông caùch, moät phaùp moân; chính phöông caùch vaø phaùp moân naøy ñaõ ñieàu kieän hoùa taâm. Haõy thaáy söï thaät cuûa vaán ñeà. Töï do laø caàn thieát, khoâng phaûi laøm “theá naøo” ñeå töï do. “Laøm theá naøo ñeå töï do” chæ bieán baïn thaønh noâ leä.

Do not make meditation a complicated affair; it is really very simple and because it is simple it is very subtle. Its subtlety will escape the mind if the mind approaches it with all kinds of fanciful and romantic ideas. Meditation, really, is a penetration into the unknown, and so the known, the memory, the experience, the knowledge which it has acquired during the day, or during a thousand days, must end. For it is only a free mind that can penetrate into the very heart of the immeasurable. So meditation is both the penetration and the ending of the yesterday.

The trouble begins when we ask how to end the yesterday. There is really no “how.” The “how” implies a method, a system and it is this very method and system that has conditioned the mind. Just see the truth of this. Freedom is necessary - not “how” to be free. The “how to be free” only enslaves you.

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Neáu khoâng bieát yù nghóa vaø caùi ñeïp cuûa thieàn thì baïn chaúng bieát gì veà cuoäc ñôøi. Baïn coù theå coù chieác xe ñôøi môùi nhaát, du lòch khaép theá gian tuøy yù muoán, nhöng neáu khoâng bieát caùi ñeïp ñích thöïc, söï töï do vaø nieàm an laïc cuûa thieàn laø gì thì baïn thieáu maát moät phaàn raát lôùn cuûa ñôøi ngöôøi. Ñieàu naøy khoâng coù nghóa baïn phaûi noùi “Toâi phaûi hoïc thieàn.” Thieàn laø caùi gì töï nhieân xaûy ñeán. Moät caùi taâm luoân luoân tìm hieåu chaéc chaén seõ ñeán vôùi ñieàu naøy; moät caùi taâm tænh thöùc, quan saùt caùi “ñang laø” trong chính noù laø hieåu chính mình vaø bieát chính mình.

If you do not know the meaning and the beauty of meditation you do not know anything of life. You may have the latest car, you may be able to travel all over the world freely, but if you do not know what the real beauty, the freedom and the joy of meditation is, you are missing a great part of life. Which is not to make you say, “I must learn to meditate.” It is a natural thing that comes about. A mind that is inquiring must inevitable come to this; a mind that is aware, that observes “what is” in itself, is self-understanding, self-knowing.

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Baïn coù theå ngoài ñuùng theá, thaúng löng vaø hít thôû ñuùng caùch, thöïc haønh pranayama vaø laøm ñuû moïi chuyeän cho ñeán chuïc nghìn naêm nöõa thì vaãn khoâng ñeán gaàn vôùi nhaän thöùc chaân lyù laø gì, vì baïn chaúng hieåu gì veà chính baïn, caùch baïn suy nghó, loái baïn soáng. Baïn vaãn chöa ñoaïn tröø ñöôïc ñau khoå vaø baïn mong caàu giaùc ngoä. Baïn coù theå laøm ñuû moïi kieåu uoán eùo, vaën veïo thaân theå, vaø nhöõng troø nhö theá coù veû meâ hoaëc nhieàu ngöôøi vì hoï caûm thaáy noù seõ ñem laïi ñoâi chuùt quyeàn löïc hay tieáng taêm. Nhöõng loaïi quyeàn löïc ñoù cuõng nhö nhöõng caây neán döôùi maët trôøi, chuùng chæ laø aùnh neán trong khi maët trôøi choùi loïi ñang chieáu saùng.

You can sit in the right posture with your back straight, breathing correctly, do pranayama and all the rest of it for the next ten thousand years, and you will be nowhere near perceiving what truth is, because you have not understood yourself at all, the way you think, the way you live. You have not ended your sorrow, and you want to find enlightenment. You can do all kinds of twists and turns with your body and this seems to fascinate people, because they feel it is going to give some power, some prestige. Now, all these powers are like candles in the sun; they are like candle light when the brilliant sun is shinning.

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Ñeå hieåu thieàn laø gì, moät ngöôøi phaûi ñaët ñöôïc neàn taûng tö caùch ñaïo ñöùc ñuùng ñaén. Neáu khoâng coù neàn taûng naøy thieàn chæ laø moät hình thöùc töï kyû aùm thò; neáu khoâng thoaùt khoûi saân haän, ghen gheùt, ñoá kî, tham lam, haùm lôïi, haän thuø, tranh giaønh, vaø khaùt voïng thaønh coâng - taát caû nhöõng hình thöùc luaân lyù vaø khaû kính veà nhöõng gì ñöôïc cho laø phaûi vaø ñuùng - neáu khoâng ñaët ñöôïc neàn taûng ñuùng, neáu khoâng thöïc söï soáng moät cuoäc soáng thöôøng nhaät khoâng coøn bò bieán daïng bôûi sôï haõi, lo aâu, tham lam vaø nhöõng thöù nhö theá, thì thieàn chaúng coù bao nhieâu yù nghóa.

To understand what meditation is, one must lay the foundation of righteous behavior. Without that foundation, meditation is really a form of self-hypnosis; without being free from anger, jealousy, envy, greed, acquisitiveness, hate, competition, the desire for success - all the moral, respectable forms of what is considered righteous - without laying the right foundation, without actually living a daily life free of the distortion of personal fear, anxiety, greed and so on, meditation has very little meaning.

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Thieàn bao haøm moät ñaëc tính cuûa taâm - ñaëc tính coù theå chuù yù tuyeät ñoái - do ñoù, taâm trôû neân hoaøn toaøn tónh laëng. Taâm luoân luoân laûi nhaûi, huyeân thuyeân, hoaëc vôùi chính noù, trong noù hay vôùi moät ai ñoù, vaø luoân luoân ñoäng. Laøm sao moät caùi taâm luùc naøo cuõng laûi nhaûi coù theå nhaän thöùc ñöôïc gì? Chæ moät caùi taâm hoaøn toaøn chuù yù môùi coù ñaày ñuû naêng löôïng ñeå quan saùt, vì baïn caàn raát nhieàu naêng löôïng ñeå quan saùt. Tu só thuoäc caùc toân giaùo vaø nhieàu ngöôøi baûo raèng baïn khoâng ñöôïc phung phí naêng löôïng, do ñoù baïn phaûi ñoaïn tuyeät tình duïc neáu muoán trôû thaønh thaùnh nhaân. Khi trôû thaønh moät ngöôøi soáng ñoäc thaân vaø nguyeän soáng ñoäc thaân thì trong baïn laø moät söï taøn phaù khoác lieät, vì baïn phuû nhaän toaøn theå heä sinh hoùa noäi thaân vaø do ñoù tieâu hao raát nhieàu naêng löôïng. Luùc naøo baïn cuõng phaûi chieán ñaáu, chieán ñaáu vaø chieán ñaáu. Hay laø baïn sa ñaø vaøo moät thaùi cöïc khaùc; tha hoùa cuõng laø moät hình thöùc tieâu hao naêng löôïng. Trong khi chuù yù laø hình thöùc huaân taäp naêng löôïng sung maõn nhaát. Chuù yù coù nghóa laø maõnh lieät vaø tha thieát; baïn khoâng theå thieát tha neáu baïn laõng phí. Taâm coù theå trôû neân hoaøn toaøn tónh laëng maø khoâng caàn duïng coâng, do ñoù taâm luoân luoân sung maõn naêng löôïng maø khoâng bieán daïng.

Meditation implies a quality of mind that can completely attend, therefore, a mind that can be completely still. The mind is always chattering, always talking, either to itself, within itself or to somebody, always in movement. How can a mind which is everlastingly chattering perceive anything? Only a mind that is completely attentive has the total energy to observe, because you need tremendous energy to observe. The religious monks and others say that you cannot waste energy; therefore no sex, if you want to be a saint. And when you become a celibate and have taken vows of celibacy, there is havoc in you, because you are denying the whole biological system and there is a waste of energy. You are battling, battling, battling. Or you go to the other extreme, indulge, which is another form of wasting energy. Whereas, if you are attentive, it is the greatest form of all summation of energy. It means intensity, passion, and you cannot be passionate if you are wasting. Without any effort the mind can become completely quiet and therefore full of energy without any distortion.

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Neáu baïn hieåu ñöôïc yù nghóa cuûa moät caùi taâm “nhaäp thieàn” maø khoâng phaûi laø “laøm theá naøo ñeå thieàn” thì thieàn laø ñieàu voâ cuøng kyø dieäu. Neáu thaáy ñöôïc caùi khoâng phaûi laø thieàn thì chuùng ta seõ bieát ñöôïc thieàn laø gì. Baèng caùch phuû ñònh baïn ñaït ñeán caùi khaúng ñònh, nhöng neáu ñuoåi theo caùi khaúng ñònh thì söï theo ñuoåi ñoù seõ ñöa baïn ñeán ñöôøng cuøng. Thieàn khoâng phaûi laø haønh theo moät phaùp moân. Maùy moùc coù theå laøm nhö theá. Do ñoù phaùp moân khoâng theå naøo tieát loä caùi ñeïp, söï saâu saéc vaø ñieàu tuyeät dieäu goïi laø thieàn.

Meditation is a marvelous thing, if you know the meaning of a mind that is “in meditation,” and not “how to meditate.” We will see what meditation is not, then we will know what meditation is. Through negation you come upon the positive, but if you pursue the positive, it leads you to a dead end. We say meditation is not the practice of any system. Machines can do that. So systems cannot reveal the beauty and the depth and the marvelous thing called meditation.

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Thieàn khoâng phaûi laø laäp laïi moät chöõ gì ñoù, maø cuõng khoâng phaûi chöùng nghieäm moät linh aûnh, hay reøn luyeän söï im laëng. Laàn haït vaø tuïng nieäm coù theå laøm cho caùi taâm huyeân naùo trôû neân im laëng, nhöng ñoù chæ laø moät hình thöùc töï kyû aùm thò. Baïn coù theå uoáng moät vieân thuoác thì cuõng theá.

Thieàn khoâng phaûi laø cuoän mình trong moät moâ thöùc tö duy naøo ñoù, hay trong côn ñeâ meâ cuûa laïc thuù. Thieàn laø voâ thuûy, vaø do ñoù voâ chung.

Neáu baûo “Hoâm nay ta baét ñaàu kieåm soaùt yù nghó, tónh laëng toïa thieàn, vaø hít thôû ñeàu ñaën” thì baïn maéc lôõm nhöõng troø phænh phôø maø ngöôøi ta vaãn duøng ñeå töï löøa doái mình. Thieàn khoâng phaûi laø chuyeän bò thu huùt bôûi moät yù nghó hay hình aûnh sieâu phaøm; söï thu huùt chæ laøm cho ngöôøi ta im laëng trong choác laùt, cuõng gioáng nhö moät ñöùa treû say meâ vôùi moùn ñoà chôi trôû neân im laëng moät luùc, vaø ngay khi moùn ñoà chôi khoâng coøn laø ñieàu thích thuù, thì söï laêng xaêng vaø tính nghòch ngôïm laïi baét ñaàu. Thieàn cuõng khoâng phaûi laø theo ñuoåi con ñöôøng voâ hình ñöa ñeán moät thöù hyû laïc töôûng töôïng. Taâm thieàn laø thaáy, quan saùt, laéng nghe, khoâng lôøi, khoâng pheâ phaùn, khoâng yù kieán, maø chaêm chuù vaøo söï vaän haønh cuûa cuoäc soáng trong taát caû caùc quan heä cuûa noù suoát ngaøy. Ñeán ñeâm, khi toaøn theå thaân xaùc nghæ ngôi, taâm thieàn khoâng heà chieâm bao moäng mò vì ñaõ tænh thöùc suoát ngaøy. Chæ nhöõng keû löôøi bieáng môùi chieâm bao, chæ nhöõng keû nöûa tænh nöûa meâ môùi caàn ñeán nhöõng gôïi yù veà caùc traïng thaùi cuûa taâm mình. Nhöng neáu taâm quan saùt, laéng nghe söï vaän haønh cuûa cuoäc soáng, caû beân ngoaøi laãn beân trong, thì moät söï im laëng - khoâng phaûi laø saûn phaåm cuûa yù nghó - seõ ñeán vôùi noù.

Ñoù khoâng phaûi moät söï im laëng maø ngöôøi quan saùt coù theå chöùng nghieäm. Neáu quaû thöïc ngöôøi quan saùt chöùng nghieäm vaø nhaän ra noù thì noù khoâng coøn laø söï im laëng. Söï im laëng cuûa taâm thieàn khoâng ôû trong noäi vi cuûa söï nhaän bieát qua hoài töôûng, vì im laëng laø voâ bieân. Duy nhaát chæ coù söï im laëng, trong ñoù khoâng gian cuûa söï chia caét khoâng coøn nöõa

Meditation is not the repetition of the word, nor the experiencing of a vision, nor the cultivating of silence. The bead and the word do quiet the chattering mind, but this is a form of self-hypnosis. You might as well take a pill.

Meditation is not wrapping yourself in a pattern of thought, in the enchantment of pleasure. Meditation has no beginning, and therefor it has no end.

If you say, “I will begin today to control my thoughts, to sit quietly in the meditative posture, to breathe regularly,” then you are caught in the tricks with which one deceives oneself. Meditation is not a matter of being absorbed in some grandiose idea or image; that only quiets one for the moment, as a child absorbed by a toy is for the time being quiet, and as soon as the toy ceases to be of interest, the restlessness and the mischief begin again. Meditation is not the pursuit of an invisible path leading to some imagined bliss. The meditative mind is seeing, watching, listening, without a word, without comment, without opinion, attentive to the movement of life in all its relationships throughout the day. And at night, when the whole organism is at rest, the meditative mind has no dreams for it has been awake all day. It is only the indolent who have dreams, only the half-asleep who need the intimation of their own states. But as the mind watches, listens to the movement of life, the outer and the inner, to such a mind comes a silence that is not put together by thought.

It is not a silence which the observer can experience. If he does experience it and recognize it, it is no longer silence. The silence of the meditative mind is not within the borders of recognition, for this silence has no frontier. There is only silence - in which the space of division ceases.

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Neáu toâi thieàn vaø vaãn tieáp tuïc vôùi nhöõng gì ñaõ hoïc ñöôïc, vôùi nhöõng gì ñaõ bieát qua, thì toâi ñang soáng trong quaù khöù, trong phaïm vi cuûa söï ñieàu kieän hoùa. Trong ñoù khoâng heà coù töï do. Duø coù trang hoaøng caùi nhaø tuø toâi ñang soáng, vaø laøm ñuû moïi troø trong ñoù thì luoân luoân vaãn coù moät giôùi haïn, moät haøng raøo. Nhö theá taâm phaûi tìm xem lieäu caùc teá baøo naõo - phaùt trieån qua haøng ngaøn naêm - coù theå hoaøn toaøn im laëng, vaø phaûn öùng vôùi moät chieàu kích maø chuùng khoâng bieát. Ñieàu naøy coù nghóa laø lieäu taâm coù theå hoaøn toaøn tónh laëng?

If I meditate and continue with what I have already learned, with what I already know, then I am living in the past, within the field of my conditioning. In that there is no freedom. I may decorate the prison in which I live, I may do all kinds of things in that prison, but there is still a limitation, a barrier. So the mind has to find out whether the brain cells, which have developed through millennia, can be totally quiet, and respond to a dimension they do not know. Which means, can the mind be totally still?

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Moät phaàn cuûa thieàn laø chaám döùt hoaøn toaøn moïi xung ñoät, beân trong vaø do ñoù beân ngoaøi.

Part of meditation is to eliminate totally all conflict, inwardly and therefore outwardly.

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Thieàn haøm yù moät caùi taâm saùng toû ñeán ñoä moïi hình thöùc töï löøa doái ñeàu chaám döùt. Moät ngöôøi vaãn töï löøa doái mình khoâng bieát bao nhieâu laàn, vaø thöôøng thöôøng caùi ñöôïc goïi laø thieàn chæ laø moät hình thöùc töï kyû aùm thò - nghóa laø thaáy caùc linh aûnh theo söï ñieàu kieän hoùa cuûa mình. Ñieàu naøy thaät deã hieåu: Neáu laø moät tín ñoà Thieân chuùa giaùo baïn seõ thaáy Ñaáng Christ, neáu laø ngöôøi AÁn giaùo baïn seõ thaáy Ñaáng Krishna, hay baát cöù ñaáng naøo trong voâ soá caùc thaàn linh cuûa baïn. Thieàn hoaøn toaøn khoâng phaûi nhöõng chuyeän nhö theá. Thieàn laø söï tónh laëng tuyeät ñoái cuûa taâm, söï tónh laëng tuyeät ñoái cuûa boä oùc.

Neàn taûng cuûa thieàn phaûi ñöôïc xaây döïng trong cuoäc soáng thöôøng nhaät, trong caùch baïn haønh söû, trong nhöõng gì baïn suy nghó. Moät ngöôøi khoâng theå thoâ baïo vaø thieàn, ñieàu naøy hoaøn toaøn voâ nghóa. Neáu coøn baát cöù lo sôï taâm lyù naøo thì roõ raøng thieàn chæ laø moät söï chaïy troán. Ñeå coù ñöôïc söï tónh laëng, söï im laëng hoaøn toaøn cuûa taâm ñoøi hoûi moät kyû luaät phi thöôøng - khoâng phaûi thöù kyû luaät cuûa söï traán aùp, tuaân haønh, hay laøm theo moät uy quyeàn naøo ñoù – maø kyû luaät naøy hay coøn laø hoïc, dieãn ra suoát ngaøy, veà töøng ñoäng thaùi cuûa yù nghó. Luùc ñoù taâm coù moät phaåm chaát ñaïo giaùo cuûa söï hôïp nhaát. Haønh ñoäng khôûi töø caùi taâm ñoù khoâng coøn maâu thuaãn.

Meditation implies a mind that is so astonishingly clear that every form of self-deception comes to an end. One can deceive oneself infinitely; and generally meditation, so-called, is a form of self-hypnosis - the seeing of visions according to your conditioning. It is so simple: If you are a Christian you will see your Christ; if you are a Hindu you will see your Krishna, or whichever of the innumerable gods you have. But meditation is none of these things. It is the absolute stillness of the mind, the absolute quietness of the brain.

The foundation for meditation has to be laid in daily life, in how one behaves, in what one thinks. One cannot be violent and meditate; that has no meaning. If there is, psychologically, any kind of fear, then obviously meditation is an escape. For the stillness of the mind, its complete quiet, an extraordinary discipline is required; not the discipline of suppression, conformity, or the following of some authority, but that discipline or learning which takes place throughout the day, about every movement of thought. The mind then has a religious quality of unity. From that there can be action which is not contradictory.

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Ñieàu laï luøng cuûa thieàn laø khoâng bieán moät söï kieän xaûy ra thaønh kinh nghieäm. Noù ôû ñoù, nhö moät ngoâi sao môùi treân baàu trôøi maø khoâng coù kyù öùc naøo tieáp nhaän vaø löu giöõ noù, khoâng coù tieán trình cuûa thoùi quen nhaän bieát qua hoài töôûng vaø phaûn öùng theo öa thích vaø khoâng öa thích. Söï tìm kieám cuûa chuùng ta luoân luoân höôùng ngoaïi, moät caùi taâm ñi tìm kinh nghieäm laø höôùng ngoaïi. Höôùng noäi thì khoâng tìm kieám, höôùng noäi laø nhaän thöùc. Phaûn öùng bao giôø cuõng laäp laïi, vì noù luoân luoân ñeán töø cuøng moät ngaân haøng kyù öùc.

The curious part of meditation is that an event is not made into an experience. It is there, like a new star in the heavens, without memory taking it over and holding it, without the habitual process of recognition and response in terms of like and dislike. Our search is always outgoing; the mind seeking any experience is outgoing. Inward going is not a search at all; it is perceiving. Response is always repetitive, for it comes always from the same bank of memory.

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Ñieàu quan troïng laø khoâng kieåm soaùt yù nghó maø hieåu noù, hieåu ñöôïc nguoàn goác, söï sinh khôûi cuûa yù nghó ngay trong chính mình. Ñieàu naøy coù nghóa laø boä oùc löu giöõ kyù öùc - baïn coù theå töï quan saùt ñieàu naøy maø khoâng caàn phaûi ñoïc saùch môùi bieát. Neáu khoâng löu giöõ kyù öùc thì boä oùc khoâng theå naøo suy nghó. Kyù öùc laø keát quaû cuûa kinh nghieäm, cuûa kieán thöùc - cuûa baïn, hay cuûa coäng ñoàng, cuûa gia ñình, cuûa chuûng toäc, vaân vaân. YÙ nghó khôûi sinh töø caùi kho kyù öùc ñoù. Nhö theá yù nghó khoâng bao giôø töï do, yù nghó luoân luoân cuõ; khoâng bao giôø coù caùi goïi laø töï do cuûa yù nghó. YÙ nghó khoâng bao giôø töï do trong chính noù; noù coù theå baøn veà töï do, nhöng töï thaân yù nghó laø keát quaû cuûa kyù öùc ñaõ qua, cuûa kinh nghieäm vaø kieán thöùc, do ñoù yù nghó luoân luoân cuõ. Dó nhieân laø caàn phaûi coù söï tích luõy kieán thöùc naøy, neáu khoâng moät ngöôøi khoâng theå sinh hoaït, khoâng theå noùi chuyeän vôùi ngöôøi khaùc, khoâng bieát loái veà, vaø vaân vaân. Kieán thöùc laø caàn thieát...

Neáu thieàn laø söï tieáp dieãn cuûa kieán thöùc, laø söï tieáp tuïc cuûa baát cöù gì maø con ngöôøi ñaõ huaân taäp thì khoâng bao giôø coù töï do. Chæ coù töï do khi coù söï hieåu roõ chöùc naêng cuûa kieán thöùc vaø do ñoù thoaùt ra khoûi nhöõng gì ñaõ bieát.

Thieàn laø truùt boû noäi dung cuûa yù thöùc, truùt boû nhöõng gì ñaõ bieát, töùc laø caùi “toâi.”

What is important is not controlling thought, but understanding it, understanding the origin, the beginning of thought, which is in yourself. That is, the brain stores up memories - you can observe this yourself, you don’t have to read books about it. If it had not stored up memories it would not be able to think at all. That memory is the result of experience, of knowledge - yours, or of the community, of the family, of the race and so on. Thought springs from that store house of memory. So thought is never free, it is always old, there is no such thing as freedom of thought. Thought can never be free in itself; it can talk about freedom, but in itself it is the result of past memories, experiences and knowledge; therefore it is old. Yet one must have this accumulation of knowledge, otherwise one could not function, one could not speak to another, could not go home, and so on. Knowledge is essential...

If meditation is a continuation of knowledge, is the continuation of everything that man has accumulated, then there is no freedom. There is freedom only when there is an understanding of the function of knowledge and therefore freedom from the known.

Meditation is the emptying of consciousness of its content, the known, the “me.”

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Trong thieàn, moät ngöôøi phaûi ñaët ñöôïc neàn taûng cuûa traät töï, coù nghóa laø söï chaân chính - maø khoâng phaûi söï toân kính; luaân lyù cuûa xaõ hoäi thì hoaøn toaøn voâ luaân, coøn traät töï khôûi sinh töø söï hieåu ñöôïc theá naøo laø xaùo troän laïi laø moät ñieàu hoaøn toaøn khaùc. Xaùo troän chaéc chaén coøn toàn taïi moät khi coøn xung ñoät, caû beân ngoaøi laãn beân trong.

In meditation, one must lay the foundation of order, which is righteousness - not respectability, the social morality which is no morality at all, but the order that comes of understanding disorder, which is quite a different thing. Disorder must exist as long as there is conflict, both outwardly and inwardly.

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Coù raát nhieàu tröôøng ôû AÁn ñoä vaø vieãn Ñoâng daïy caùc phaùp tu thieàn - thaät ñaùng kinh hoaøng. Ñieàu naøy coù nghóa laø taâm ñöôïc huaán luyeän moät caùch maùy moùc, do ñoù khoâng coøn töï do vaø khoâng coøn hieåu ñöôïc vaán ñeà.

Nhö vaäy khi duøng chöõ “thieàn” chuùng ta khoâng haøm yù moät caùi gì ñoù ñöôïc thöïc haønh. Chuùng ta chaúng coù phaùp moân naøo caû. Thieàn coù nghóa laø tænh thöùc: bieát roõ nhöõng gì baïn ñang laøm, nhöõng gì baïn ñang suy nghó, nhöõng gì baïn ñang caûm thoï, bieát roõ maø khoâng löïa choïn, chæ quan saùt vaø hoïc. Thieàn laø bieát roõ söï ñieàu kieän hoùa cuûa chính mình, bieát mình bò ñieàu kieän hoùa nhö theá naøo bôûi xaõ hoäi trong ñoù mình soáng, trong ñoù mình ñöôïc daïy doã, giaùo duïc, vaø bôûi söï tuyeân truyeàn toân giaùo - bieát roõ maø khoâng löïa choïn, khoâng vo troøn boùp meùo, khoâng öôùc ao nhöõng gì mình thaáy laø moät caùi khaùc. Töø söï thaáy bieát roõ raøng naøy khôûi sinh söï chuù yù, khaû naêng chuù yù tuyeät ñoái. Töø ñoù khôûi sinh söï töï do thaáy bieát söï vaät nhö chính chuùng ñang laø maø khoâng vo troøn boùp meùo. Taâm trôû neân heát boái roái, trong saùng vaø beùn nhaïy. Thieàn nhö theá ñem laïi moät ñaëc tính hoaøn toaøn im laëng cuûa taâm - moät ngöôøi coù theå thuyeát giaûng veà ñaëc tính naøy, nhöng seõ laø voâ nghóa neáu ñaëc tính ñoù khoâng toàn taïi.

There are various schools, in India and further East, where they teach methods of meditation - it is really most appalling. It means training the mind mechanically; it therefore ceases to be free and does not understand the problem.

So when we use the word “meditation” we do not mean something that is practiced. We have no method. Meditation means awareness: to be aware of what you are doing, what you are thinking, what you are feeling, aware without any choice, to observe, to learn. Meditation is to be aware of one’s conditioning, how one is conditioned by the society in which one lives, in which one has been brought up, by the religious propaganda - aware without any choice, without distortion, without wishing it were different. Out of this awareness comes attention, the capacity to be completely attentive. Then there is freedom to see things as they actually are, without distortion. The mind becomes unconfused, clear, sensitive. Such meditation brings about a quality of mind that is completely silent - of which quality one can go on talking, but it will have no meaning unless it exists.

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Naøo laø laäp ñi laäp laïi moät soá chöõ, moät soá caâu, moät soá lôøi kinh, moät soá thaønh ngöõ naøo ñoù ñöôïc moät ñaïo sö ban cho, naøo laø ñöôïc ñieåm ñaïo, hay boû ra moät soá tieàn ñeå hoïc moät caâu gì ñoù roài laäp ñi laäp laïi moät caùch aâm thaàm. Coù leõ moät soá ngöôøi trong caùc baïn ñaõ töøng laøm vaø bieát khaù roõ caùi troø naøy. Noù ñöôïc goïi laø mantra yoga, vaø ñöôïc du nhaäp töø AÁn ñoä. Toâi khoâng bieát taïi sao caùc baïn coù theå boû ra duø chæ moät xu ñeå laûi nhaûi daêm ba tieáng cuûa moät ai ñoù baûo raèng “Neáu laøm theá naøy, anh seõ giaùc ngoä, anh seõ ñöôïc moät caùi taâm tónh laëng.” Khi lieân tuïc laäp laïi moät soá chöõ, duø ñoù laø “Ave Maria” hay moät traøng tieáng Phaïn, thì roõ raøng laø taâm baïn trôû neân ñôø ñaãn vaø baïn coù moät caûm giaùc khaùc thöôøng cuûa söï chuyeân nhaát, cuûa söï tónh laëng, vaø baïn nghó noù seõ giuùp ñem laïi söï saùng suoát. Baïn coù theå thaáy ñöôïc söï ngôù ngaån cuûa ñieàu naøy, bôûi vì taïi sao baïn phaûi chaáp nhaän nhöõng gì maø baát cöù ai, keå caû toâi, noùi veà nhöõng vaán ñeà nhö theá? Taïi sao baïn laïi chaáp nhaän uy quyeàn ñoái vôùi söï vaän haønh noäi taïi cuûa cuoäc soáng? Chuùng ta baùc boû moïi uy quyeàn beân ngoaøi; neáu baïn thöùc tænh moät caùch trí thöùc vaø quan saùt moät caùch chính trò, baïn seõ baùc boû nhöõng chuyeän nhö theá. Nhöng roõ raøng laø chuùng ta chaáp nhaän uy quyeàn cuûa moät ai ñoù noùi raèng “Ta bieát, ta ñaõ chöùng ñaéc, ta ñaõ ñaït.” Keû naøo noùi mình bieát thì khoâng bieát.

There is the repetition of words, of sentences, mantras, a set of phrases given by a guru; being initiated, paying money to learn a peculiar phrase to be repeated by you secretly. Probably some of you have done that and you know a great deal about it. That is called mantra yoga, and is brought over from India. I don’t know why you pay a single penny to repeat certain words from somebody who says, “If you do this you will achieve enlightenment, you will have a quiet mind.” When you repeat a series of words constantly, whether it is “Ave Maria” or various Sanskrit words, obviously your mind becomes rather dull and you have a peculiar sense of unity, of quietness, and you think that will help to bring about clarity. You can see the absurdity of it, because why should you accept what anybody says about these matters - including myself? Why should you accept any authority about the inward movement of life? We reject authority outwardly; if you are at all intellectually aware and observant politically, you reject these things. But apparently we accept the authority of somebody who says, “I know, I have achieved, I have realized.” The man who says he knows does not know.

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Khi baïn hieåu thì ñöùc haïnh xuaát hieän nhö moät ñoùa hoa cuûa chaân thieän. Luùc ñoù baïn coù theå baét ñaàu tìm hieåu ñieàu maø con ngöôøi qua nhieàu theá kyû vaãn haèng tìm kieám, thaéc maéc vaø tìm caùch khaùm phaù. Khoâng theå naøo baïn hieåu ñöôïc noù hay nhaän ra noù neáu tröôùc ñoù baïn khoâng xaây döïng moät neàn taûng trong cuoäc soáng thöôøng nhaät. Vaø tieáp ñeán chuùng ta môùi coù theå hoûi thieàn laø gì, chöù khoâng phaûi laøm theá naøo ñeå thieàn, nhöõng böôùc phaûi laøm ñeå thieàn, hay caàn phaûi theo phaùp moân naøo, phöông thöùc naøo ñeå haønh thieàn. Taát caû phaùp moân, phöông thöùc ñeàu laøm cho boä oùc trôû neân maùy moùc. Haønh theo moät phaùp moân, duø ñöôïc daøy coâng saùng cheá ñeán ñaâu bôûi moät ñaïo sö maø baïn cho laø vó ñaïi nhaát thì phaùp moân ñoù, phöông thöùc ñoù vaãn laøm cho taâm trôû neân maùy moùc, vaø moät caùi taâm maùy moùc laø moät caùi taâm cheát.

Virtue comes into being like a flower of goodness when you understand. Then you can begin to in-quire into what it is that man has sought through the centuries, has been asking for, trying to discover. You cannot possibly understand it or come upon it if you have not laid the foundation in your daily life. And then we can ask what meditation is, not how to meditate or what steps to take to meditate. All systems, all methods make the mind mechanical. If I follow a particular system, however carefully worked out by the greatest guru you can possibly imagine, that system, that method makes the mind mechanical, and a mechanical mind is a dead mind.

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Moät phaùp moân thieàn khoâng phaûi laø thieàn. Phaùp moân bao haøm moät phöông thöùc maø theo ñoù baïn thöïc haønh ñeå cuoái cuøng ñaït ñöôïc caùi gì ñoù. Baát cöù gì ñöôïc laäp ñi laäp laïi nhieàu laàn ñeàu trôû neân maùy moùc, coù phaûi theá khoâng? Laøm sao moät caùi taâm maùy moùc - sau khi ñaõ bò uoán naén, vaën veïo vaø bò haønh haï cho phuø hôïp vôùi khuoân pheùp cuûa caùi goïi laø “thieàn,” vôùi hy voïng cuoái cuøng seõ ñaït ñöôïc moät chöùng ñaéc naøo ñoù - coù theå töï do ñeå quan saùt, ñeå hoïc?

A system of meditation is not meditation. A system implies a method, which you practice in order to achieve something at the end. Something practiced over and over again becomes mechanical - does it not? How can a mechanical mind, which has been trained and twisted, tortured to comply to the pattern of what it calls “meditation,” hoping to achieve a reward at the end, be free to observe, to learn?

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Thieàn laø bieát roõ töøng yù nghó vaø töøng caûm thoï vaø khoâng bao giôø cho laø ñuùng hay sai maø chæ quan saùt vaø cuøng chuyeån dòch vôùi yù nghó vaø caûm thoï. Trong söï quan saùt nhö theá baïn baét ñaàu hieåu ñöôïc toaøn theå ñoäng thaùi cuûa yù nghó vaø caûm thoï. Töø söï tænh thöùc naøy im laëng xuaát hieän. Im laëng ñöôïc yù nghó saép ñaët chæ laø söï im laëng tuø haõm vaø khoâ cheát, coøn söï im laëng xuaát hieän khi yù nghó ñaõ hieåu ñöôïc söï khôûi ñaàu cuûa noù, baûn chaát cuûa chính noù, hieåu ñöôïc vì sao moïi yù nghó khoâng bao giôø töï do maø luoân luoân cuõ - söï im laëng naøy laø thieàn trong ñoù thieàn giaû hoaøn toaøn vaéng maët, vì taâm ñaõ truùt boû quaù khöù khoûi chính noù.

Meditation is to be aware of every thought and of every feeling, never to say it is right or wrong but just to watch it and move with it. In that watching you begin to understand the whole movement of thought and feeling. And out of this awareness comes silence. Silence put together by thought is stagnation, is dead, but the silence that comes when thought has understood its own beginning, the nature of itself, understood how all thought is never free but always old - this silence is meditation in which the meditator is entirely absent, for the mind has emptied itself of the past.

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Thieàn khoâng bao giôø laø söï kieàm cheá thaân xaùc. Khoâng heà coù söï phaân chia thaät söï giöõa cô theå vaø taâm. Boä oùc, heä thaàn kinh vaø caùi maø chuùng ta goïi laø taâm chæ laø moät, baát khaû phaân. Haønh vi töï nhieân cuûa thieàn laø ñem laïi söï chuyeån ñoäng haøi hoøa cuûa toaøn theå. Taùch rôøi thaân ra khoûi taâm vaø kieàm cheá thaân baèng nhöõng meänh leänh trí thöùc thì chæ ñem laïi maâu thuaãn; töø ñoù phaùt sinh voâ soá hình thöùc giaèng co, xung ñoät vaø ñeà khaùng.

Meditation is never the control of the body. There is no actual division between the organism and the mind. The brain, the nervous system and the thing we call the mind are all one, indivisible. It is the natural act of meditation that brings about the harmonious movement of the whole. To divide the body from the mind and to control the body with intellectual decisions is to bring about contradiction, form which arise various forms of struggle, conflict and resistance.

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Toân giaùo laø gì? Toân giaùo laø söï tìm bieát, vôùi taát caû chuù yù, vôùi söï huy ñoäng toaøn theå söùc löïc cuûa moät ngöôøi, ñeå phaùt hieän caùi gì laø thieâng lieâng, ñeå nhaän ra caùi gì laø thaàn thaùnh. Ñieàu naøy chæ xaûy ra khi hoaøn toaøn khoâng coøn söï huyeân naùo cuûa yù nghó; yù nghó vaø thôøi gian chaám döùt, veà maët taâm lyù, beân trong, nhöng khoâng phaûi söï töø boû kieán thöùc thuoäc theá giôùi maø baïn phaûi sinh hoaït baèng kieán thöùc. Caùi gì laø thaàn thaùnh, caùi gì laø thieâng lieâng, caùi gì laø chaân lyù chæ coù theå hieän höõu khi coù söï im laëng tuyeät ñoái, khi boä oùc töï xeáp ñaët yù nghó vaøo ñuùng choã cuûa noù. Töø söï im laëng voâ bieân ñoù xuaát hieän caùi goïi laø thieâng lieâng.

What is religion? It is the investigation, with all one’s attention, with the summation of all one’s energy, to find that which is sacred, to come upon that which is holy. That can only take place when there is freedom from the noise of thought, the ending of thought and time, psychologically, inwardly - but not the ending of knowledge in the world where you have to function with knowledge. That which is holy, that which is sacred, which is truth, can only be when there is complete silence, when the brain itself has put thought in its right place. Out of that immense silence there is that which is sacred.

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Neáu hieåu ñöôïc, thì thieàn laø moät trong nhöõng ñieàu kyø laï nhaát, nhöng khoâng theå naøo baïn hieåu ñöôïc thieàn tröø khi baïn chaám döùt tìm kieám, moø maãm, mong muoán moät ñieàu gì ñoù maø baïn cho laø chaân lyù - coù nghóa laø söï phoùng chieáu cuûa chính baïn. Baïn khoâng theå naøo ñeán ñöôïc vôùi thieàn tröø khi baïn chaám döùt ñoøi hoûi moät chöùng nghieäm, nhöng hieåu ñöôïc söï hoãn loaïn trong ñoù baïn ñang soáng, töùc laø söï voâ traät töï cuûa ñôøi baïn. Trong khi quan saùt söï voâ traät töï ñoù thì traät töï xuaát hieän - nhöng khoâng phaûi töø moät baûn thieát keá coù saün. Khi laøm xong ñieàu naøy – trong chính noù laø thieàn - thì baïn coù theå hoûi caùi gì laø thieàn vaø caùi gì khoâng phaûi laø thieàn, vì chaân lyù ôû ngay trong söï phuû nhaän caùi hö giaû.

Meditation, if you understand what it is, is one of the most extraordinary things; but you cannot possibly understand it unless you have come to the end of seeking, groping, wanting something which you consider truth - which is your own projection. You cannot come to it unless you are no longer demanding experience at all, but are understanding the confusion in which one lives, the disorder of one’s own life. In the observation of that disorder, order comes - which is not a blueprint. When you have done this - which in itself is meditation - then we can ask not only what meditation is, but also what meditation is not, because in the denial of that which is false, the truth is.

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Xaùc thaân vaät chaát coù söï minh maãn cuûa noù vaø söï minh maãn naøy bò nhöõng thoùi quen cuûa khoaùi laïc laøm cho u meâ. Nhöõng thoùi quen naøy huûy dieät söï beùn nhaïy cuûa thaân vaø chính söï thieáu beùn nhaïy naøy laøm cho taâm trôû neân u meâ. Moät caùi taâm nhö theá coù theå lanh lôïi trong moät chieàu höôùng nhoû heïp vaø höõu haïn nhöng vaãn khoâng beùn nhaïy. Chieàu saâu cuûa moät caùi taâm nhö theá coù theå ño löôøng ñöôïc vaø noù vöôùng maéc vôùi nhöõng hình aûnh vaø aûo töôûng. Noâng caïn beà ngoaøi laø söï saùng suûa duy nhaát cuûa noù. Moät cô theå khinh an vaø minh maãn laø caàn thieát cho thieàn.

The physical organism has its own intelligence which is made dull through habits of pleasure. These habits destroy the sensitivity of the organism and this lack of sensitivity makes the mind dull. Such a mind may be alert in a narrow and limited direction and yet be insensitive. The depth of such a mind is measurable and is caught by images and illusions. Its very superficiality is its only brightness. A light and intelligent organism is necessary for meditation.

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Trong söï hieåu thieàn coù tình yeâu, tình yeâu khoâng phaûi laø saûn phaåm cuûa phaùp moân, cuûa thoùi quen, vaø laøm theo moät phöông thöùc. Tình yeâu khoâng theå ñöôïc nuoâi döôõng baèng yù nghó. Tình yeâu chæ coù theå xuaát hieän khi coù söï im laëng tuyeät ñoái, söï im laëng trong ñoù thieàn giaû hoaøn toaøn vaéng maët; vaø taâm chæ coù theå im laëng khi noù hieåu ñöôïc haønh hoaït cuûa chính noù nhö yù nghó vaø caûm thoï. Ñeå hieåu ñöôïc haønh hoaït naøy cuûa yù nghó vaø caûm thoï thì khoâng theå coù söï leân aùn trong khi quan saùt. Quan saùt theo caùch ñoù laø kyû luaät, vaø loaïi kyû luaät naøy linh hoaït, töï do, khoâng phaûi thöù kyû luaät cuûa söï tuaân haønh.

In the understanding of meditation there is love, and love is not the product of systems, of habits, of following a method. Love cannot be cultivated by thought. Love can perhaps come into being when there is complete silence, a silence in which the meditator is entirely absent; and the mind can be silent only when it understands its own movement as thought and feeling. To understand this movement of thought and feeling there can be no condemnation in observing it. To observe in such a way is discipline, and that kind of discipline is fluid, free, not the discipline of conformity.

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Thieàn laø gì? Tröôùc khi ñi vaøo vaán ñeà khaù phöùc taïp vaø raéc roái naøy chuùng ta caàn minh ñònh mình ñang theo ñuoåi caùi gì. Chuùng ta luoân luoân tìm kieám moät caùi gì ñoù, nhaát laø nhöõng ngöôøi coù taâm ñaïo. Ngay caû nhaø khoa hoïc, tìm kieám ñaõ trôû thaønh moät vaán ñeà khaù quan troïng. Yeáu toá tìm kieám naøy caàn phaûi ñöôïc hieåu roõ vaø xaùc ñònh tröôùc khi chuùng ta ñi vaøo vaán ñeà thieàn laø gì, vaø taïi sao moät ngöôøi caàn phaûi thieàn, coâng duïng cuûa thieàn laø gì vaø thieàn ñöa baïn ñeán ñaâu.

Chöõ “tìm kieám” - theo ñuoåi, tìm ra - haøm yù chuùng ta ñaõ bieát, khoâng nhieàu thì ít, caùi maø chuùng ta theo ñuoåi, coù phaûi theá khoâng? Neáu laø nhöõng ngöôøi coù taâm ñaïo hoaëc tìm kieám moät cuoäc soáng toaøn haûo thì khi noùi raèng chuùng ta ñi tìm chaân lyù, hoaëc ñi tìm Thöôïng ñeá, vaân vaân, chaéc chaén chuùng ta phaûi coù moät hình aûnh hay moät yù töôûng naøo ñoù trong taâm. Tìm ra moät caùi gì sau khi kieám noù, chaéc chaén chuùng ta ñaõ bieát tröôùc hình theå, maøu saéc, theå chaát cuûa noù, vaân vaân. Theá khoâng phaûi tieàm aån trong töø ngöõ “tìm kieám” laø chuùng ta vöøa maát ñi moät caùi gì ñoù vaø chuùng ta ñi tìm, coù nghóa laø khi tìm ñöôïc chuùng ta coù theå nhaän ra noù; nhö theá laø chuùng ta ñaõ bieát noù tröôùc, vaø nhöõng gì phaûi laøm laø ñi tìm vaø tìm cho ra noù?

Ñieàu nhaän ra ñaàu tieân trong thieàn laø moïi tìm kieám ñeàu voâ ích, vì caùi ñöôïc tìm kieám ñaõ ñöôïc ñònh tröôùc bôûi nhöõng gì baïn mong muoán. Neáu caûm thaáy baát haïnh, coâ ñôn, vaø tuyeät voïng, baïn seõ tìm kieám hy voïng, baàu baïn, moät caùi gì ñoù choáng ñôõ, vaø baïn seõ tìm thaáy noù, chaéc chaén laø nhö theá.

What is meditation? Before we go into that really quite complex and intricate problem we ought to be very clear as to what it is that we are after. We are always seeking something, especially those who are religiously minded. Even for the scientist, seeking has become quite an issue. This factor of seeking must be very clearly and definitely understood before we go into what meditation is and why one should meditate at all, what is its use and where does it get you.

The word “seek” - to run after, to search out - implies, does it not, that we already know, more or less, what we are after. When we say we are seeking truth, or we are seeking God if we are religiously minded, or we are seeking a perfect life and so on, we must already have in our minds an image or an idea. To find something after seeking it, we must already have known what its contour is, its color, its substance and so on. Isn’t it implied in that word “seeking” that we have lost something and we are going to find it, and that when we find it we shall be able to recognize it; which means that we have already known it, that all we have to do is to go after it and search it out?

In meditation the first thing to realize is that it is no use to seek; for what is sought is predetermined by what you wish. If you are unhappy, lonely, in despair, you will search out hope, companionship, something to sustain you, and you will find it, inevitably.

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Coù loaïi thieàn naøo maø khoâng caàn ñeán quyeát taâm hay thöïc haønh? Coù, nhöng loaïi thieàn naøy ñoøi hoûi moät söï chuù yù maõnh lieät. Söï chuù yù naøy laø ngoïn löûa vaø noù khoâng phaûi laø caùi gì ñoù ñeå baïn ñaït ñeán; noù laø söï chuù yù ngay baây giôø ñoái vôùi taát caû moïi thöù, töøng ngoân töø, töøng cöû chæ, töøng yù nghó; ñoù laø chuù yù hoaøn toaøn, khoâng phaûi moät phaàn. Neáu ngay baây giôø baïn chæ laéng nghe moät phaàn, thì coù nghóa laø baïn khoâng chuù yù hoaøn toaøn. Khi baïn hoaøn toaøn chuù yù thì khoâng coøn caùi “toâi,” khoâng coøn söï höõu haïn.

Is there a meditation which is not determined, practiced? There is, but that requires enormous attention. That attention is a flame and that attention is not something that you come to; it is attention now to everything, every word, every gesture, every thought; it is to pay complete attention, not partial. If you are listening partially now, you are not giving complete attention. When you are completely attentive there is no self, there is no limitation.

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Moät cuoäc soáng ñaïo laø moät cuoäc soáng thieàn, trong ñoù khoâng coù haønh hoaït cuûa caùi “toâi.”

A religious life is a life of meditation, in which the activities of the self are not.

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Lieäu toaøn theå taâm, goàm caû boä oùc coù theå hoaøn toaøn im laëng? Nhieàu ngöôøi ñaõ ñaët caâu hoûi naøy, hoï laø nhöõng ngöôøi raát thaønh khaån, nhöng vaãn chöa tìm ñöôïc caùch giaûi quyeát. Hoï ñaõ thöû moät soá xaûo thuaät vaø baûo raèng hoï coù theå laøm cho taâm tónh laëng baèng caùch tuïng nieäm moät soá chöõ gì ñoù. Coù bao giôø baïn thöû laäp laïi nhieàu laàn tieáng “Ave Maria,” moät soá Phaïn ngöõ, hay moät caâu chuù naøo ñoù ñöôïc du nhaäp töø AÁn ñoä, laûi nhaûi moät soá chöõ ñeå laøm cho taâm tónh laëng? Coù theå laø baát cöù chöõ gì, mieãn laø coù vaàn ñieäu, nhö “Coca-cola” chaúng haïn, hay baát cöù chöõ naøo - chæ caàn laäp ñi laäp laïi thöôøng xuyeân roài baïn cuõng seõ caûm thaáy taâm trôû neân tónh laëng, nhöng ñoù laø moät caùi taâm u meâ, ñaàn ñoän, khoâng phaûi moät caùi taâm beùn nhaïy, linh hoaït, soáng ñoäng vaø tha thieát. Moät caùi taâm u meâ, ñaàn ñoän duø coù baûo raèng “Ta ñaõ traûi qua moät kinh nghieäm sieâu phaøm thoaùt tuïc” thì noù ñang töï löøa doái mình.

Can the totality of the mind, the brain included, be completely still? People have asked this question, really very serious people, and they have not been able to solve it. They have tried tricks. They have said that the mind can be made still through the repetition of words. Have you ever tried repeating “Ave Maria” or those Sanskrit words, mantras, that some people bring over from India, repeating certain words to make the mind still? It does not matter what the word is, make it rhythmic, “Coca-Cola,” any word - repeat it often and you will see that your mind becomes quiet; but it is a dull mind, it is not a sensitive mind, alert, vital, passionate. A dull mind, though it may say, “I have had a tremendous transcendental experience,” is deceiving itself.

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Taát caû vaán ñeà cuûa thieàn laø khoâng ñi theo con ñöôøng do yù nghó vaïch ra ñeå ñöa ñeán caùi noù cho laø chaân lyù, giaùc ngoä hay thöïc taïi. Khoâng coù con ñöôøng naøo ñöa ñeán chaân lyù. Ñi theo baát cöù con ñöôøng naøo ñöa ñeán nhöõng gì ñaõ ñöôïc yù nghó coâng thöùc hoùa - duø thích thuù vaø thoûa maõn ñeán ñaâu - vaãn khoâng phaûi laø chaân lyù. Thaät laø moät sai laàm neáu tin töôûng raèng coù moät phaùp thieàn, vaø thöôøng xuyeân thöïc haønh phaùp ñoù vaøo ñoâi luùc nhaát ñònh trong cuoäc soáng thöôøng nhaät, hoaëc laäp ñi laäp laïi trong ngaøy, thì seõ ñaït ñöôïc saùng suoát hay hieåu. Thieàn sieâu vöôït taát caû nhöõng thöù ñoù, vaø cuõng nhö tình yeâu, thieàn khoâng theå ñöôïc vun troàng baèng yù nghó. Bao giôø ngöôøi tö duy coøn toàn taïi ñeå haønh thieàn, thì thieàn ñôn thuaàn chæ laø moät phaàn cuûa söï töï coâ laäp, moät ñoäng thaùi thoâng thöôøng trong sinh hoaït haøng ngaøy cuûa con ngöôøi.

The whole point of meditation is not to follow the path laid down by thought to what it considers to be truth, enlightenment or reality. There is no path to truth. The following of any path leads to what thought has already formulated and, however pleasant or satisfying, it is not truth. It is a fallacy to think that a system of meditation, the constant practicing of that system in daily life for a few given moments, or the repetition of it during the day, will bring about clarity or understanding. Meditation lies beyond all this and, like love, cannot be cultivated by thought. As long as the thinker exists to meditate, meditation is merely a part of that self-isolation which is the common movement of one’s everyday life.

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Trong thieàn khoâng coù thieàn giaû. Neáu coù thieàn giaû thì khoâng phaûi laø thieàn.

There’s no meditator in meditation. If there is, it is not meditation.

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Thieàn laø traïng thaùi cuûa taâm khi nhìn taát caû moïi vaät vôùi söï chuù yù hoaøn toaøn - toaøn phaàn chöù khoâng phaûi nhieàu phaàn. Khoâng ai coù theå daïy baïn chuù yù. Neáu coù phaùp moân naøo daïy baïn caùch chuù yù thì luùc ñoù baïn chæ chuù yù ñeán phaùp moân vaø nhö theá khoâng phaûi laø chuù yù.

Meditation is a state of mind which looks at everything with complete attention - totally, not just parts of it. And no one can teach you how to be attentive. If any system teaches you how to be attentive, then you are attentive to the system, and that is not attention.

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Khi baïn nhìn moät caùi caây, khuoân maët cuûa ngöôøi haøng xoùm, hay cuûa vôï hay choàng, vaø neáu nhìn vôùi tính chaát hoaøn toaøn im laëng cuûa taâm, luùc ñoù baïn seõ thaáy caùi gì ñoù hoaøn toaøn môùi. Moät söï im laëng nhö theá cuûa taâm khoâng theå ñaït ñöôïc baèng caùch tu taäp; neáu haønh theo moät phaùp moân thì baïn vaãn coøn soáng trong khoaûng khoâng gian nhoû beù maø yù nghó ñaõ taïo ra, töùc caùi “toâi,” caùi “toâi” thöïc haønh, vaø tinh taán. Khoaûng khoâng gian ñoù chöùa ñaày nhöõng xung ñoät, thaønh coâng vaø thaát baïi cuûa chính noù; moät caùi taâm nhö theá, duø coù laøm baát cöù gì ñi nöõa, chaúng bao giôø coù theå tónh laëng.

When you look at a tree, or the face of your neighbor, or the face of your wife or husband, and if you look with that quality of mind that is completely quiet, then you will see something totally new. Such silence of the mind is not something that can be attained through any practice; if you practice a method you are still living within a very small space which thought has created, as the “me,” the “I” practicing, advancing. That space is full of conflict, full of its own achievements and failures, and such a mind can never be quiet, do what it will.

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tiếp theo meditation (4) ...