【Refuting Misconceptions About Meditation】- Like refining pure gold

【For example, when a skilled smith repeatedly burns gold and silver in a fire and repeatedly washes them in water, they are purified of all their defilements and residues. The gold and the silver then become very soft and pliable. Hence, they are ready to be transformed into whatever ornaments you want, such as earrings.】

Just like a skilled jeweller, before he actually works on it, he first makes a coarse mould. Of course, the gold plate that we have now is the finished product, what is the text referring to then? It is saying that with the gold or mineral sand, once they are obtained, the first step is to repeatedly melt and wash it to totally remove the defilements and purify it. Upon it becoming pure gold, you then make your desired jewellery out of it. By so doing, then it becomes possible to obtain whatever you want it to be. By the same token now, when we study meditative concentration, what should be done?

SOURCE 来源 :

29A 03’52” Vol 4 of Master Jih-Chang’s Discourse P151 L4
English Lamrim Vol 1 P114

日常师父法语📡9A 03’52” 手抄稿第4册P151 L4

破除此中邪妄分别: 如炼纯金

【谓如黠慧锻师，将诸金银数数火烧，数数水洗，净除所有一切垢秽，成极柔软堪能随顺，次作耳环等诸庄严具，如欲而转堪能成办。】

就像一个银楼当中的技师一样，他在正式做那个东西之前，先把那个粗胚，当然我们现在做的那个金器已经完全成了金了，平常那个是指什么？就是说它一个金沙或者矿沙，得到了这个以后，第一件事情要不断地烧、不断地洗，把这个里面的杂质统统净除，能够纯一，达到了纯金以后，然后把这个东西再来做你要的这个首饰。那这样去做的话，你要怎么，就能够完成什么。现在同样地，我们修学定的时候，应该怎么办呢？