【修持轨理】后时如何行者

【此复初修，若时长久，易随掉沉自在而转。】

要晓得我们刚开始修的时候，如果你时间长了以后，它很容易跟着「掉沉」而转，「自在」就是说你不知不觉当中在这个里边。什么叫「掉」？什么叫「沉」？这里不详细说，这个奢摩他那个地方说得非常清楚，对我们已经有经验的同修，我指出来你们马上晓得了。现在我们所以没办法得到定，乃至于不能一心不乱的，心理有几种状态，有一种呢是散乱——胡思乱想，东想西想。这个里边不是指一般的散乱，特别讲「掉」。 「掉」是什么？跟贪相应的这种心里面攀缘相，想这个、想那个，这欢喜这个、那个，这种状态，就是心里面向上扬的时候这种状态。还有呢？等到你想、想、想，想累了以后向下沉了，向下沉是什么？先是细昏沉，到后来是粗昏沉，到后来睡着了，乃至于。

来源 SOURCE：

日常师父法语 24B 19’02”手抄稿第三册 P281L4

24B 19’02” Vol 3 of Master Jih-Chang’s Discourse P281L4
English Lamrim Volume 1, P100

【The Meditation Session】

【What to do at the conclusion】

【Furthermore, if at first you meditate for a long time, you will be readily susceptible to laxity and excitement. 】

We should know that when we first begin to meditate, if you do so for a long time, you will be readily susceptible to laxity or excitement.  "Readily susceptible" means that you will become that way without you being aware.  What is "excitement"?  What is "laxity"?  We will not go into details here, it is explained very clearly in the section on serenity.  For those experienced fellow practitioners, once I point this out you would know it right away.  There are a few reasons why we cannot achieve meditative stabilization, or even get to the state of single-pointed focus.  There are a few states of our minds.  One is distraction - to think wildly of all sorts of ideas, thinking of this and that.  This is not just talking about a normal distraction but that of "excitement."  What is "excitement"?  It is a subjective aspect of the mind that focuses and clings onto something and that mindset accords with attachment.  You think of this and that, being fond of this and that.  It is this kind of state, a state whereby your mind is aroused.  What else? Then once you think, think, think, when you get tired of thinking, you sink.  What is it like when you sink?  First, you get into a subtle laxity.  Then later, it becomes a coarse laxity.  And then after that, you fall asleep.  It could go to that.