【修持轨理】正行 - 总共修法

【故于所修诸所缘境，数量次第，先须决定。】

「所缘境」它的内容是什么？「数量」，这是质跟量，包含整个的内容。如果说这个质不对的话，那个根本不谈，所以「数量」两个字实际上呢也可以说，「质」，就内容、体性本身绝对没有错，然后呢「量」要圆满。这个两个够不够？不够，还要「次第」，对于这个，事先先有圆满的认识——「先须决定」。
比如我们就要去烧饭了，那么简单哪！烧饭，当然你说：「哦！今天要烧饭用米。」你一定要弄对哦，这个米弄成麦这个不行的啊！就算同样的米，稻都不行，何况是其他的？佛法里面常常就说「蒸沙煮饭」，如果这个质不对的话，你再一大锅的砂子摆那里蒸，没有用! 所以这个质要对。对啦，然后你就去煮去了。这里人有三十个，你烧了一碗饭，没有用！量还要对，少了固然不行，多了也不好。然后呢次第还要，这个前面已经说过很多了，对这个事先要决定，要决定。

来源 SOURCE：

日常师父法语 24A 25’33”手抄稿第三册 P268LL2

24A 25’33”Vol 3 of Master Jih-Chang’s Discourse P268LL2
English Lamrim Volume 1, pg 99

【The Meditation Session】Actual session-How to sustain the meditation in general

【Therefore, from the beginning, firmly determine the definite order and enumeration of whatever objects of meditation you wish to sustain.】

For "the objects of meditation," what is the content required? "Enumeration", this indicates quality (attribute) and quantity (measure). This would encompass all the content [for your objects of meditation]. If the quality (attribute) is incorrect, then there is no point in talking about it. So for this word "enumeration," we can actually say it includes these two things: “quality” which would account for the content and attribute being absolutely errorless and “quantity” which would account for meeting the required measure. Would it suffice to have these two things? It is not sufficient. You will still need the "definite order." Hence for these, you must gain a full understanding in advance, "from the beginning, firmly determine..."

For example, say we are going to cook rice now. It should be simple! To cook rice, of course you would say, "Oh! Today we are going to cook rice so we need rice." You have to get this right. It will not work if you use wheat instead of rice! Even if it is rice, you cannot use un-hulled rice, needless to say others? In Buddhism, you would often hear, "cooking the sands as rice." If the quality (attribute) is wrong, then no matter how big a pot of sand you are cooking, it is useless! Hence the quality of the material has to be correct. Once it is right, you can cook it. Say there are thirty people here. If you cook only one bowl of rice, that is useless! You must have the correct quantity. You cannot have too little. But too much is not good either. Then you still need the order. This has been explained many times before. From the beginning, you must firmly determine these things, determine these things.