痊癒身心的覺察(4)：想法

http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_54e08d7401009cbt.html

我曾問Dhammaloka，為什麼要練習覺察身體感受和情感後，才練習對想法的覺察。他在信中回答說：「這不是絕對必要的。但它將幫助人們深入。關於想法，大多數人只專注於內容（『我在想什麼』），而不專注於過程（『我如何想』），也不專注於伴隨想法的現象（『身心的感受如何？』）如果你已經練習了對身體的覺察(它的動作、姿勢和呼吸)以及對情感的覺察（多樣的快樂、痛苦和模糊的感受），你更可能留意到想法也和身體和情感聯繫在一起。例如，在考慮某些想法時，我可能感到緊張和壓力；或在表達想法時，聽到（身體的感覺）我的聲音（內或外）聽起來刺耳或發緊；或有種愉快的感覺（『我真的開心』）；或發現某種潛在的意願試圖去獲得某個東西，得分或別的。因此，對身體和情感的覺察常常有助於揭示思想潛在的方面……一般來說，我們的想法遠非我們期待的那樣客觀。」

（You』ve been asking for explanations about why to do the awareness-of-thought exercises after those of body and feeling only. This is not absolutely necessary, but it will help people to go deeper. As to thoughts, most people focus on content only (『what do I think?』), but not on process (『how do I think?』) nor on the phenomena accompanying thought (『how does it feel – both in my body and feeling - wise?』) If you』ve practised awareness of the body (its movements, postures and of breathing) and awareness of feeling (pleasure, pain, neutral ones in their various shades), you are more likely to notice that thinking, too, is associated with bodily and emotional repercussions. E.g., I may feel some strain or tension when thinking certain thoughts, or I hear (bodily awareness) the sound of my voice (within or without) sounding harsh or pressed when giving words to that thought; or there may be a sense of pleasure (『I』m really bright』) or a particular underlying volition of me trying to gain something, to win a point or whatever it may be. Thus, awareness of body and feeling often helps to uncover underlying aspects of thinking … generally, our thinking is much less objective than we would like to believe.）

 

 

AWARENESS OF THOUGHT

覺察我們的想法

 

Attending closely and noticing thought

密切留意我們的想法

 

Much of our experience is an internal commentary on our experience. With the breath we are oftentalking about the breath (if we are not simply distracted from it) rather than subtly experiencingthe breath.

See if you can notice this subtle internal commentary and any subtle physical holding, and gently let them go. Just experience the breath as changing sensations with no words. If you get distracted, take the breath to the distraction.

我們相當部分的體驗來自對個人經歷的內部評論。對於呼吸，我們經常談論呼吸（如果我們不轉移注意力到別的事物）而不是細微地體會呼吸。如果你留意到隱約的內部評論或任何細微的身體緊張感，溫和地放開它們。只是體驗呼吸——不斷變化的感受，而沒有任何言語。如果你分心了，就把呼吸帶到分散注意的事物。

 

Do the following exercises only after you feel confident with practising awareness of the body and of feelings in general.

請在你有信心練習關於覺察身體和感受的練習後，才做以下練習。

 

Letting go of unhelpful narratives

放開無益的想法

 

Try to become aware of an unpleasant experience, (e.g. physical discomfort or mental unease.) Notice the narrative you tell yourself about it, (e.g. 『this pain won』t go away, it』ll get worse』, etc.) Then see if you can let the narrative go and simply experience the feelings with kind awareness.

試著留意不愉快的體驗（例如身體的不舒適或精神的緊張）。留意關於它你和自己說什麼（例如「這種痛苦不會消失，它將變壞」等等）。接著看看能否讓你的看法離去，只是帶著善意體會著不愉快的體驗。

 

Remind yourself that this narrative is only a thought. Thinking something doesn』t mean that it is real! It may be real, or not. Like all thoughts, this one comes and goes. It isn』t necessarily true.

Do this again and again.

提醒自己你的看法只是一個想法。想某個東西並不意味著它是真的！它可能是真的，也可能不是。就像所有的想法，這個想法也是來來去去。它不必然是真的。一次又一次地提醒自己。

 

Using clear thinking to investigate the content of inner narratives

運用清晰的思考來探究你的想法

 

When you are aware of thoughts that relate to your unpleasant experiences, ask yourself:

當你意識到與你不愉快的體驗相關的想法，問自己：

 

1. Is what I am thinking true?

我現在想的是真的嗎？

2. Am I confusing a thought or fantasy with a fact?

我是否混淆了想法（或幻覺）和事實？

3. Am I thinking in all-or-nothing terms? (『always』, 『must』, 『necessarily』, etc.)

我想問題的方式是否很絕對？（「總是」，「必須」，「必要的」等等。）

4. Am I blaming others or myself?

我是否正在指責他人或自己？

5. If I believe this thought, where will it lead me?

如果我相信這個想法，它將把我帶往何處？

6. Am I really trying to gain clarity about my situation, or am I indulging in anxious speculation?

我是否試著清楚地瞭解我的情形，或放縱自己在焦慮的想法中？

7. Will these thoughts help me to improve the quality of my life?

這些想法是否將有助於我提升生活的品質？

 

Mindfulness of our thoughts is more difficult to practise than awareness of body sensations and feelings—thoughts are more elusive.

覺察我們的想法比覺察身體的感覺和情感更難——心念更加難以捉摸。

 

It is important to explore your thoughts in a warm, relaxed kind of way—remaining in touch with your body and feelings. At times you may be under the impression that you aren』t getting anywhere, but you may only need to give it more time. Very likely you will then gradually undermine the impact negative thinking and catastrophizing are having over you.

重要的是以溫和、放鬆的方式來探究想法，並同時保持對身體和情感的覺察。有時，你可能會認為你沒什麼進展，但也許你只是需要給它更多的時間。很可能，你將逐漸削弱消極、災難性的想法對你生活的衝擊。

Changing destructive into supportive narratives

將破壞性的敘述轉為支持性的敘述

 

Much of the art of mindfulness is staying in touch with our experience. When we have unpleasant experiences, we often do one of four things:

很大程度上，覺察的藝術在於保持和我們體驗的聯繫。如果我們有不愉快的體驗，通常我們會做以下四件事情中的一種：

 

1. Distract ourselves

讓自己分心

2. Blame others or the situation

指責他人或生活

3. Fall into self-pity

陷入自我憐憫

4. Catastrophize (i.e. predict that the unpleasant experience will end in something even worse)

災難化（也就是，預言不愉快的體驗將惡化）

 

These tendencies are all fruitless. Distraction means that we try to avoid the actual experience (but it will come back!); blame usually leads us nowhere (even if someone else is indeed responsible); self-pity is both painful and a form of laziness (again, we avoid to meet the actual issues of the situation); catastrophizing has the immediate and long-term effect of making the pain even worse.

這些傾向都是無益的。分心意味著我們試圖迴避實際的感受（但它將回來！）；指責通常毫不頂用（即使某人真的有責任）；自憐不僅痛苦而且是懶惰的一種形式（同樣的，我們迴避實際的問題）；災難化的想法使痛苦在當下惡化，並有長期的不良影響。

 

It is much more helpful to:

以下的反應要有益得多：