身念處觀如音品
Chapter on Contemplation of the Body and the Guanyin
觀身不淨時。先觀息入出生滅不可得。次觀心心相。若先觀色。麁利難解。沈重難輕。若先觀心。微細難見。心空無體。託緣妄念。無有實主。氣息處中。輕空易解。先觀入息從何方來。都無所從。亦無生處。入至何處。都無歸趣。不見滅相。無有處所。入息既無。復觀出息從何處生。審諦觀察。都無生處。至何處滅。不見去相。亦無滅處既無入出。復觀中間相貌何似。如是觀時。如空微風。都無相貌。息無自體。生滅由心。妄念息即動。無念即無生。即觀此心住在何處。復觀身內。都不見心。復觀身外。亦無心相。復觀中間。無有相貌。復作是念。心息既無。我今此身從何生。如是觀時。都無生處。但從貪愛虛妄念起。復觀貪愛妄念之心。畢竟空寂。無生無滅。即知此身化生不實。頭等六分色如空影。如虛薄雲。入息氣出息氣。如空微風。如是觀時。影雲微風。皆悉空寂。無斷無常。無生無滅。無相無貌。無名無字。既無生死。亦無涅槃。一相無相。一切眾生亦復如是。是名總觀。諸法實相。如是觀竟。欲得神通。觀身四大。如空如影。復觀外四大。地水火風。石壁瓦礫。刀杖毒藥。如影如空。影不能害影。空不能害空。入初禪時。觀息入出。從頭至足。從皮至髓。上下縱橫。氣息一時。出入無礙。常念己身。作輕空想。捨麁重想。是氣息入無聚集。出無分散。是息風力能輕舉。自見己身空如水沫。如泡如影。猶如虛空。如是觀察。久修習竟。遠離色相。獲得神通。飛行無礙。去住遠近。任意自在。是身念處。不淨觀法。九想十想。及觀氣息生滅出入空無障礙。亦能獲得如意神通。先證肉眼。次觀天眼。能見無量阿僧祇十方三世微細色等。亦見眾生生死出沒善惡業報。皆悉知之。明了無礙。總攝十力十八不共法。能作大身。遍滿十方。能作小身。細如微塵。一能作多。多能作一。重能作輕。輕能作重。醜陋作端正。端正作醜陋。長短大小。青黃赤白。悉能變化。虛空作地地作虛空。地作水火。水火作地。能令變作。金銀七寶石壁草木。亦復如是。皆能變作。金銀七寶。象馬車乘。城郭樓櫓。宮殿屋宅。房舍燈燭。日月大珠。及如意珠。飲食衣服。床榻被褥。簫笛箜篌。五欲眾具。眾生所須。盡給與之。然後說法。令入佛道。能自變身。作十方佛身。名字不同。色像差別。亦復能令皆作金色。三十二相。八十種好。頂上肉髻光明。普遍滿十方。間無空處。十方遠近。如對目前。過去未來。亦復如是。人天交接。兩得相見。亦復能作菩薩緣覺阿羅漢身釋梵四王諸天身轉輪聖王諸小王身。能作四種佛弟子形。男變為女。女變為男。亦作六趣眾生之身。如是凡聖眾色像。一念心中一時行語言音聲。亦復如是亦復能作臭爛死屍縛魔波旬。令捨高慢遠離魔業。求佛正道。臭爛屍觀。非獨繫縛波旬魔王。亦能降伏一切婬女。令捨要欲發清淨心信求佛道是禪波羅蜜身念不淨觀法。初修行時。能斷五欲一切煩惱。能除五蓋。能斷十纏。若人修習。如偈所說。
When contemplating the impurity of the body, first observe the breath as it enters and leaves—its arising and ceasing are ungraspable. Then observe the mind and its states. If you examine physical form first, it is coarse and sharp, difficult to comprehend; it is heavy and hard to lighten. If you examine the mind first, it is subtle and hard to see; the mind is empty, without substance, dependent on conditions and false thoughts, having no true owner. The breath lies in between, light, empty, and easy to understand.
First observe the incoming breath: from where does it come? It comes from nowhere, has no place of origin. Where does it go upon entering? It has no destination, no sign of cessation, no fixed location. Since the incoming breath is thus, next observe the outgoing breath: where does it arise? Examine carefully—it arises from nowhere. Where does it cease? There is no sign of departure, no place of ending. Since there is neither incoming nor outgoing, then observe the appearance of what lies between. In such contemplation, it is like the wind in empty space—no form at all. The breath has no self-nature; arising and ceasing depend on the mind. When false thoughts cease, it moves; when there is no thought, there is no arising.
Then observe: where does this mind dwell? Look within the body—nowhere is the mind found. Look outside the body—no form of the mind appears. Look in between—there is no shape. Then think: since both mind and breath are absent, from where does this body of mine arise? In such contemplation, it arises from nowhere; it is only produced by clinging desires and false thoughts. Further contemplate the mind of craving and false thought—it is ultimately empty and still, without arising or ceasing. Then you will know: this body is born of transformation, unreal. The six parts of the head, etc., are colors like empty shadows, like thin clouds in the void. The incoming and outgoing breaths are like the wind in empty space.
Contemplating thus, shadows, clouds, and wind are all empty and still—unbroken, not permanent, without arising, without ceasing, without form, without appearance, without name, without designation. Since there is no birth-death, there is also no nirvana. One mark, no mark—all beings are likewise. This is called the unified contemplation of the true nature of all dharmas.
Having contemplated thus, if you wish to attain spiritual powers, observe the body's four elements as empty, as shadows. Then observe the external four elements: earth, water, fire, wind—walls, stones, tiles, gravel, knives, clubs, poisons, drugs—like shadows, like emptiness. Shadows cannot harm shadows, emptiness cannot harm emptiness. When entering the first dhyana, observe the breath entering and leaving: from head to feet, from skin to marrow, above and below, across and along—the breath simultaneously, entering and leaving without obstruction. Constantly think of your own body as light and empty, abandoning coarse and heavy thoughts. This breath enters without gathering, exits without dispersing. The force of this wind of breath can make things light and float. See your own body as empty as foam, as a bubble, as a shadow, like space itself.
Cultivating this for a long time, you will transcend physical form and attain spiritual powers—flying without hindrance, coming and going far or near, freely at will. This is the mindfulness of the body, the contemplation of impurity. The nine contemplations, the ten contemplations, and the contemplation of the breath's arising and ceasing, entering and leaving, as empty and unobstructed—these also lead to the attainment of wish-fulfilling spiritual powers.
First realize the physical eye, then contemplate the divine eye, which can see countless, measureless, subtle forms in the ten directions, past, present, and future. It also sees beings dying and being reborn, their good and evil karmic retributions—all are known clearly and without obstruction. It encompasses the ten powers and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha. It can manifest a great body filling the ten directions, or a small body as tiny as a dust mote. One can become many, many can become one. Heavy can become light, light can become heavy. Ugly can become beautiful, beautiful can become ugly. Long or short, large or small, blue, yellow, red, white—all can be transformed. Space can become earth, earth can become space. Earth can become water or fire, water or fire can become earth. Gold, silver, the seven treasures, stones, walls, grass, trees—all can be transformed likewise. Gold, silver, the seven treasures, elephants, horses, chariots, city walls, towers, palaces, houses, rooms, lamps, candles, sun, moon, great pearls, wish-fulfilling jewels, food and drink, clothing, beds, cushions, flutes, harps, and the five sense pleasures—all necessities of beings—can be fully provided. Then, having given them these, one expounds the Dharma, leading them to the Buddha's path.
One can also transform one's own body into the bodies of Buddhas throughout the ten directions—their names differ, their forms vary—and yet cause them all to be golden in color, with the thirty-two marks and eighty fine features, the flesh topknot on the crown shining light that fills the ten directions without gap. Far and near in the ten directions are as clear as if before the eyes. The past and future are likewise. Gods and humans meet, each seeing the other. One can also manifest as a bodhisattva, a pratyekabuddha, an arhat, a Brahma king, a Four Heavenly King, various gods, a wheel-turning king, or various lesser kings. One can appear in the four kinds of disciples of the Buddha—male changing to female, female to male—and also as beings in the six realms. All such forms—ordinary and holy—in a single moment of mind, speech, and voice, can be manifested simultaneously.
One can also create a rotting, stinking corpse to bind Mara, the Evil One, causing him to abandon pride and distance himself from demonic deeds, seeking the true path of Buddhahood. The contemplation of the rotting corpse not only binds Mara but also subdues all lustful women, causing them to abandon their desires and develop a pure mind, believing in and seeking the Buddha's path.
This is the Chan paramita's contemplation of impurity through mindfulness of the body. In initial practice, it can cut off the five desires and all afflictions, remove the five hindrances, and sever the ten fetters. If a person practices it, as the verse says:
氣息輕空風火觀 飛行十方無障礙
皮肉筋骨不淨觀 獲得如意大神通
總名八大自在我 一切形色能變化
總名十四變化心 非但變化如上事
能令大地六種動 變十方穢為淨土
是身念處不淨觀 總說如是大功德
若廣諸說不可盡 三十七品亦在中
今已總說身念處 種種功德差別法
Breath becomes light, empty as air and fire— Traveling freely through the ten directions with no hindrance.
Contemplation of the body’s impurity—skin, flesh, tendons, and bones— Brings mastery of great spiritual powers.
Altogether called the Eight Great Self-Masteries, One can transform all forms and shapes.
Altogether called the Fourteen Transformations of Mind— Not limited to transformations alone.
One can make the great earth shake in six ways, And turn impure lands everywhere into pure lands.
This is the mindfulness of the body, the contemplation of impurity— In summary, such is the great merit.
If explained in full, it could never be exhausted— The Thirty-Seven Aids to Enlightenment are also included here.
Now, having briefly described the mindfulness of the body, And the various merits and distinctions of its practices.