알라딘: 무위당 장일순의 노자이야기

알라딘: 무위당 장일순의 노자이야기

무위당 장일순의 노자이야기   

장일순 (지은이),이현주 (대담)삼인2003-11-25초판출간 2003년

양장본730쪽

책소개

이 책은 장일순 선생이 삶의 말년에 노자의 <도덕경>을 가운데 두고 이아무개(이현주) 목사와 나눈 대화를 풀어쓴 것으로, <노자 이야기>의 개정판이다.

책은 <도덕경>의 한 구절 한 구절을 꼼꼼히 읽고 해석하는 형식으로 짜여있다. 그러나 이 책은 단순히 노자에 대한 해설서나 주석서가 아니라, 노자 사상을 화두 삼아 우리 시대에 바람직한 삶의 가치란 무엇인가를 묻는 일에 그 관심이 집중되어 있다. 노자의 사상뿐 아니라 기독교, 불교, 유교, 동학, 마르크스주의 등 동서양 종교와 철학을 종횡무진으로 넘나들며 지혜와 통찰을 구하고 있다.

목차

개정판 머리말

초판 머리말

일러두기

1장 일컬어 道라 하느니라

2장 머물지 않음으로써 사라지지 않는다

3장 그 마음을 비우고 그 배를 채우며

4장 빛을 감추어 먼지와 하나로 되고

5장 말이 많으면 자주 막히니

6장 아무리 써도 힘겹지 않다

7장 천지가 영원한 까닭은

8장 가장 착한 것은 물과 같다

9장 차라리 그만두어라

10장 하늘 문을 드나들되

11장 비어 있어서 쓸모가 있다

12장 배를 위하되 그 눈을 위하지 않는다

13장 큰 병통을 제 몸처럼 귀하게 여기니

14장 모양 없는 모양

15장 낡지도 않고 새것을 이루지도 않고

16장 저마다 제 뿌리로 돌아오는구나

17장 백성이 말하기를 저절로 그리 되었다고 한다

18장 큰 道가 무너져 인과 의가 생겨나고

19장 분별을 끊고 지식을 버리면

20장 나 홀로 세상 사람과 달라서

21장 큰 德의 모습은 오직 道를 좇는다

22장 굽으면 온전하다

23장 잃은 자하고는 잃은 것으로 어울린다

24장 까치발로는 오래 서지 못한다

25장 사람은 땅을 본받고

26장 무거움은 가벼움의 근원

27장 잘 행하는 것은 자취를 남기지 않고

28장 영화로움을 알면서 욕됨을 지키면

29장 억지로 하는 자는 실패하고

30장 군사를 일을켰던 곳에는 가시덤불이 자라고

31장 무기란 상서롭지 못한 연장이어서

32장 道의 실재는 이름이 없으니

33장 죽어도 죽지 않는 자

34장 큰 道는 크고 넓어서

35장 큰 형상을 잡고 세상에 나아가니

36장 거두어들이고자 하면 베풀어야 하고

37장 고요하여 의도하는 바가 없으면

38장 높은 德을 지닌 사람은

39장 하늘은 '하나'를 얻어서 맑고

40장 돌아감이 道의 움직임이요

41장 뛰어난 재질을 지닌 사람은

42장 하나는 둘을 낳고 둘은 셋을 낳고

43장 부드러운 것이 단단한 것을 부리고

44장 이름과 몸, 어느 것이 나에게 가까운가

45장 크게 이룸은 모자라는 것과 같으나

46장 만족을 모르는 것만큼 큰 화가 없다

47장 문 밖을 나가지 않고 천하를 안다

48장 道를 닦으면 날마다 덜어지거니와

49장 착하지 않은 사람을 또한 착하게 대하니

50장 나오면 살고 들어가면 죽거니와

51장 道가 낳고 德이 기르고

52장 아들을 알고 다시 그 어머니를 지키면

53장 사람들은 지름길을 좋아한다

54장 몸으로 몸을 보고 천하로 천하를 보고

55장 종일 울어도 목이 쉬지 않는 것은

56장 아는 사람은 말하지 않고

57장 법이 밝아지면 도적이 많아진다

58장 어수룩하게 다스리면 백성이 순하고

59장 하늘 섬기는 데 아낌만한 것이 없으니

60장 작은 물고기 조리듯이

61장 큰 나라가 마땅히 아래로 내려가야 한다

62장 道는 만물의 아랫목

63장 어려운 일을 그 쉬운 데서 꾀하고

64장 어지러워지기 전에 다스려라

65장 지혜로써 나라를 다스림은 나라의 적이다

66장 강과 바다가 모든 골짜기의 임금인 것은

67장 세 가지 보물

68장 잘 이기는 자는 적과 맞붙지 아니하고

69장 적을 가볍게 여기는 것보다 더 큰 화가 없으니

70장 내 말은 매우 알기 쉽고 행하기 쉬우나

71장 병을 병으로 알면 병을 앓지 않는다

72장 사람들이 위엄을 두려워하지 않으면

73장 하늘 그물은 성기어도 빠뜨리는 게 없다

74장 백성이 죽는 것을 겁내지 않는데

75장 백성이 굶는 것은 세금을 많이 걷기 때문이다

76장 사람이 살아 있으면 부드럽고 약하다가

77장 남는 것을 덜어 모자라는 것을 채운다

78장 바른 말은 거꾸로 하는 말처럼 들린다

79장 큰 원망을 풀어준다 해도

80장 작은 나라 적은 백성

81장 믿음직한 말은 아름답지 못하고

장일순 선생 약력

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어찌 보면 간단해 보이고 어찌 보면 심오해 보이는 - 김영안 

저자 및 역자소개

장일순 (지은이) 

저자파일

 

신간알리미 신청

1928년 원주에서 태어났다. 서울대 미학과에서 수학하던 중 6·25 동란으로 학업을 중단하고 고향으로 돌아왔다. 이후 40여년 간 원주를 떠나지 않고 지역 사회 운동가로 살아왔다. 원주대성학원을 설립하고, 밝음신용협동조합의 설립에 참여하였으며, 한살림운동을 주창하였다. 1994년 5월 22일 67세를 일기로 영면했다.

최근작 : <나락 한알 속의 우주>,<나락 한알 속의 우주>,<생애 최고의 날은 아직 살지 않은 날들> … 총 8종 (모두보기)

이현주 (대담) 

저자파일

 

신간알리미 신청

관옥(觀玉)이라고도 부르며, ‘이 아무개’ 혹은 같은 뜻의 한자 ‘무무(无無)’라는 필명을 쓰고 있다. 1944년 충주에서 태어나 감리교신학대학교를 졸업했다. 목사이자 동화작가이자 번역가이며, 교회와 대학 등에서 말씀도 나눈다. 동서양의 고전을 넘나드는 글들을 쓰고 있으며, 무위당(无爲堂) 장일순 선생과 함께 《노자 이야기》를 펴냈다. 옮긴 책으로 《지금 이 순간이 나의 집입니다》, 《너는 이미 기적이다》, 《틱낫한 기도의 힘》, 《틱낫한 명상》 등이 있다.

최근작 : <부모 되기, 사람 되기>,<콩알 하나에 무엇이 들었을까?>,<대한민국 청소년에게> … 총 265종 (모두보기)

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공감순 

     

아귀다툼과 같은 현실의 아수라장 속에서 붙잡은 튼실한 동앗줄 같은 책!  구매

익은수박 2010-03-02 공감 (6) 댓글 (0)

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공감

     

망설이다가 추천합니다. 무위당 장일순의 노자이야기 이아무개 대담 정리 출판사  구매

kkm 2009-11-01 공감 (7) 댓글 (0)

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공감

     

노자의 구절에 빗대어 삶의 의미를 음미한 명저... 재야 풀뿌리 사상가의 철학을 목사님 대담자가 정리 ..  구매

밭고랑 2014-01-18 공감 (1) 댓글 (0)

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공감

     

일반인들도 쉽게 읽을수있는 노자이야기. 판단은

독자의 몫.  구매

Finley 2014-01-20 공감 (1) 댓글 (0)

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공감

     

주부독서모임 책으로 선정했다가회원들께 엄청 혼났어요. 일단 너무 두껍고, 진도가 너무 안나간다고. 그래도 내용은 굿!!  구매

솜다리 2014-03-28 공감 (1) 댓글 (0)

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리뷰쓰기

공감순 

     

참으로 아름다운 책 새창으로 보기 구매

   어느 날 하릴없이 노자에 대한 호기심이 일어 도덕경을 읽기 시작하게 되었다. 처음에 산 책은 해석이 없이 도덕경 원전만 있는 작은 책이었는데, 책을 읽고 난 뒤에 내게 남은 것은 당혹감뿐이었다. 일부를 제외하고는 한국어는 한국어이되 이게 도통 무슨 소리인지 알아먹을 수가 없었다. 

무식함을 탓하며 이번에는 해석서를 사 보게 되었다. 해석서를 사 본 뒤에도 당혹감은 여전했다. 해석본마다 해석이 틀린 데다 원문의 번역마저 완전히 다른 경우도 허다했다. 노자의 도덕경이 워낙에 애매한데다 워낙에 여러 가지로 해석될 수 있어, 사람마다 그 해석이 다르다는 거다. 어쩔 수 없이 여러 권을 사서 비교하며 보게 되었는데, 무엇하나 만족스럽지가 않았다. 내가 이 책 바로 이전에 읽은 책은 외국에 사시는 분이 해석한 것으로, 꽤 유명한 출판사의 꽤 유명한 분이 쓰신 책인데도 불구하고 답답하기 그지없었다. 동양사상을 서양사상에 입각하여 해석하고 있으니, 그나마 동양인인 내 입장에서도 이게 아니다 싶었다. 게다가 그분은 은연중에 ‘노자의 사상은 바쁘게 돌아가는 현대사회에는 어울리지 않는다’는 생각을 노골적으로 내비치고 있었다.

설령 그게 사실이라고 해도 그런 뻔한 사실을 알고 싶어 도덕경을 읽는 건 아니지 않은가. 결국 나는, 도덕경을 제대로 보려면 노자의 가르침을 진실로 믿고, 그 가르침대로 산 사람의 해석본을 보아야 한다는 결론을 내렸다. 하지만 말 그대로 ‘바쁘게 돌아가는 현대사회에’ 그런 사람이 어디 있을까 싶어하며 거의 기대 없이 서점을 돌다가 우연히 이 책을 발견하게 되었다. 

내가 장일순이라는 이름을 알게 된 것은 오래 되지 않았다. 강원도로 이사 와서 살게 된 뒤에야 들은 이름이다. TV에서도 뉴스에서도 신문에서도 본 적이 없는 이름이건만 원주에 사는 사람들은 다들 그 이름을 알고 있었다. ‘자신이 있는 곳에서 자신의 일을 하면 그게 부처의 삶이다’라는 신념으로 일생 원주를 떠나지 않은 분이라는 말을 들었다. 원주 사람들이 원주의 예수님이라고 불렀다는 말을 들었다. 그 말에 처음에는 웃었다. 어디 살아있는 사람에게 감히 예수님이라는 낯부끄러운 이름을 붙인단 말인가. 그런 가당찮은 경우가 있나.

 하지만 그 뒤로 듣게 된 그 분의 일화들은 모두 평범하지 않은 것들뿐이었다. 원주를 중심으로 한 민주화운동의 중심인물이었다든가, 천주교와 개신교의 교류가 이분에게서 비롯되었다든가, 하지만 한번도 이름을 내세우는 일을 하지 않았다든가. 무슨 일이든 이분에게 가면 의도하지 않은 것처럼 해결이 되더라든가. 한번은 역에서 돈을 잃은 아주머니가 이분을 찾아와 울며 돈을 찾아달라고 했다고 한다. 어이없는 일인데 그런 일이 종종 있었다고 한다. 그 뒤 장일순씨는 역에 나가 하루 종일 시간을 보냈다고 한다. 그러다보니 역 주변의 사람들을 모두 알게 되고, 자연스럽게 근방의 소매치기들의 행동반경을 알게 되고, 자연스럽게 사람을 찾아내어 돈을 돌려주게 했다고 한다. 그 뒤에도 가끔 그를 찾아가 ‘내가 자네 밥벌이를 방해해서 미안하네.’하고  술을 사곤 했다고 한다. 참으로 믿기지 않는 일화다. 

 장일순이라는 이름에 관심이 가기는 했지만 ‘이 아무개’라는 저자 이름에는 또 의아해했다. 대체 누가 필명을 이따구로 짓는단 말인가. 이 아무개라는 필명을 누가 기억할 수 있다는 건가. 하지만 몇 장 넘기다가 ‘이 아무개’가 이현주씨라는 것을 또 놀라고 말았다. 왜 이 유명하신 분이 이런 필명을 쓰시나 싶었다. 이런 이름이면 사람들이 책을 들었다가도 ‘뭐야, 이름도 없는 사람 꺼잖아.’하고 도로 내려놓아버리지 않겠는가.

 책을 다 읽고 난 뒤에야 이것이 참으로 도덕경에 어울리는 필명이라는 생각이 든다. 사실 더 놀라운 것은 장일순씨다. 이렇게 도덕경을 아무 어려움 없이 앉은 자리에서 문장 하나하나를 해석해주실 줄 아는 분이, 이 책이 세상에 나오든 말든, 신경도 쓰지 않고 상관도 않는 것처럼 보인다. 그런 것은 하나 중요한 게 아니라는 것처럼.

 이 책은 장일순씨과 이현주 목사님, 두 분이 노자의 도덕경을 두고 나눈 대담을 이현주씨가 기록한 책이다. 두 분이 노자를 두고 몇 달인지 몇 년인지 알 수 없는 시간동안 나누는 이야기들의 기록이다. 한 마디 한 마디가 예술적이고 아름답기 그지없다. 한 분은 개신교인이고 한 분은 천주교인이라 간간히 성서 해석도 등장하는데, 그 역시 놀랍기 그지없다. 만약 모든 크리스챤이 이런 종교관을 갖고 살아간다면 종교분쟁 따위는 세상 어디에도 없을 거란 생각이 들었다.

 장일순씨가 책이 완성되기 전에 돌아가셨기 때문에, 후반부는 이현주 목사님이 ‘자신의 안에 있는 장일순씨와’ 대담하여 썼다. 장일순씨는 ‘네가 쓰는 것이 내가 쓰는 것이다’라며 아무 거리낌 없이 그러라고 하셨다고 한다. 피아의 구분이 없으신 분들, 참으로 노자스러운 두 분이 아닌가.

 노자를 공부하려는 분들이 있다면 공연히 저 멀리 중국 분이나 저 옛날에 살던 분들의 해석이 아니라, 지금 이 시대에 한국에서 우리와 함께 살고 계셨던, 그리고 살고 계시는 분들의 이야기를 읽어보기를. 진심으로 이 책을 추천한다. 아름다운 책이다. 뭐라 더 할 말이 없다. 내가 감히 뭐라 토를 달기도 부끄러운 책이다.

잊혀지지 않는 장일순씨의 말씀 한 토막 올려놓겠다.

"한 사람의 깨달음이라는 건 말야, 뭐냐 하면, 그게 전 우주적인 사건이거든."

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boida 2006-01-16 공감(78) 댓글(2)

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공감

     

무위당과 이아무개의 대화로 푼 노자... 새창으로 보기

(평점:)

글샘(mail) 2005-08-09 01:30

무위당 장일순. 무위당이 뭔가. 이름에. 이름이 하지 않는다는 것이다.

이현주 목사님. 필명이 이아무개다. 그야말로 명가명 비상명 名可名 非常名이다. 이름은 그가 아님을 역설하기 위해 이름을 아무렇게나 아무개로 지었다.

이 아무것도 아닌 두 사람이 만났다. 그래서 노자를 풀이한다.

원래 무위당 선생님과 이아무개님이 노자를 읽고 대화를 나누었을 것이다. 그것을 녹음이라도 해서 나중에 이아무개가 정리를 한 것이 이 책일 것이다.

이 책은 원래 세 권이던 책을 한 권으로 합본하여 만들었다.

고등학생들이 보는 정석만큼 묵직한 책이다. 그러나 읽다 보면 술술 읽힌다.

내가 얼마 전에 이경숙씨의 노자를 웃긴 남자와 그의 도덕경을 읽었기 때문에 더 쉽게 읽히는지도 모르지만, 노자에 대한 아무런 사전지식이 없이도 즐겁게 읽을 수 있는 책이라 생각한다.

특히나 목사였던 이아무개님의 탁월한 해석은 성경과 노자의 공통점을, 도와 하느님의 무위의 길을 멋지게 빗대어 놓는다. 가히 이십세기 최고의 절창이라 할 만하다.

우리 나라 인문학의 황폐함을 이런 책들을 보면서 깨닫는다. 아, 우리 나라에도 인문학이 아직 살아 있구나. 그러나 그 맥이 점점 끊어져 가는구나... 왜냐면 이런 책들은 대개가 도서관에서 봐도 깨끗하고, 알라딘 같은 데 보면 절판이라 나와있으니...

이 책은 노자의 풀이에 너무 얽매이지 않는다.

무위당 선생님이 푼 것을 이아무개님이 정리하는 것으로 노자에서 벗어나 버린다. 그리고는 도와 관련된 대화들을 자유스럽게 풀어 나간다. 마치 장자가 갖가지 고사와 비유로 노자를 풀었듯이...

이 책이 뛰어난 점은 노자의 관점에서 벗어나지 않는 이야기들을 두 분이 끈질기게 늘어 놓는 데 있다. 그래서 700페이지가 넘는 두꺼운 책인데도, 마치 긴장감을 늦추지 않는 스릴러물을 읽듯이 단숨에 읽을 수 있게 하는 힘이 있다.

그리고, 느릿느릿하게 읽는 재미도 느낄 수 있다.

역시 더운 여름을 나는 데는, 화끈하지만 금세 꺼져버리는 모닥불같은 추리소설 종류보다는, 뭉근하지만 오래오래 온기를 느끼게 하는 생각하는 책들이 어울린다.

잡스런 세상의 번사를 잊는데는 역시 시원한 물에 발 담그고 큼직한 활자에 갇혀있으면서도 결코 갇히지 않는 노자의 수염을 스치는 맛도 일품이다.

몇 권 만나지 않은 노자지만, 이 책에 와서 그 의미의 확장을 맛볼 수 있었다.

내 부족한 능력을 늘 잊지 않으시고, 다음 책에로 이끄시는 그분, 바로 하느님이시고, 내안의 부처님이시고, 모든 아상을 잊게 하시는 그 도道에 늘 감사를 드린다.(평소에 아상我相에 사로잡혀 인상人相을 바라보면서 하나님이라 하는 이들을 비웃었는데, 무어라 부르든 그 하나는 변하지 않는 것이니 이젠 상관 않는다.)

다음 번 도서관에 가면 나를 어떤 책에로 이끄실지 늘 가슴 설레며 책을 접는 내 마음이 이렇게 뿌듯한 적도 드물다. 지난 번 금강경 이야기 읽은 후로, 정말 오랜만에 오래 남을 책을 만났다는 생각으로 가득하다.

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글샘 2005-08-09 공감(39) 댓글(2)

Thanks to

 

공감

     

남는 것을 덜어 모자라는 것을 채운다.<노자도덕경> 새창으로 보기 구매

20살의 봄이었다.<노자 도덕경>을 처음 만났다.어제 밤에 퍼부어 댔던 최루탄의 잔향을 맡으며 빈 강의실을 찾았다.햇살이 반쯤 드는 빈 강의실에서는 언제나 '학교냄새'가 났다.노자를 읽었던 건 고전에 대한 애정이자 약간의 의무감같은 것이었다.한자는 대략 운만 따라 가고고 한글로 풀이된 내용만 읽었다.알 듯 말 듯 했다.

당시 선배들과 주로 하던 사회과학 세미나에서 노자는 비판의 대상이었다.세미나는 유물론에 대한 이해를 주목적으로 했던 것들이었다.그 곳에서 노자나 석가의 가르침은 주관적 관념론으로 분류되었다. 그들의 가르침은 허무주의적 가치를 내포하고 있어 왜곡된 현실을 변혁하기 보단 순응하는 반동적 철학으로 읽히곤 했다.고전이 주는 아우라에 대해 비판해보지 않았던 대학 신입생이었던 내게 신선한 시각이었다.하지만 새로운 시각을 얻었다는 것에 즐거움을 느꼇을 뿐 고전 자체에 대해 내가 두고 있던 무게감에 큰 영향을 주지는 않았다.

나는 지금도 종교가 이데올로기적이라고 생각한다.종교에 대한 사회학적 비판을 보면 나는 대개 그 내용에 동의한다.하지만 종교가 가진 심리적,문화적 기능 역시 인정한다. 혐오감이 가고 미신 같아 보이던 무속에 대해서 어느 정도 애정을 가질 수 있게 된 것도 그 때문이다.결과적으로 나는 ' 종교로서의 종교를 부정'하고 사회,문화 현상으로서 종교를 바라보는 입장에 서 있다.

장일순 선생과 이현주 목사 역시 <노자 이야기> 에서 인류의 큰 가르침으로써 노자,석가,예수를 이야기한다.책은 기본적으로 <노자 도덕경>을 한 줄  한 줄 읽으며 대담하는 형식을 취하고 있다.그러나 노자의 해석에만 목적을 두지 않는다.노자를 이해하기 위해 아니 절대적 진리를 이해하기 위해 불교도 기독교도 전부 인용된다.특히 이현주 목사는 전공을 살려 도덕경의 내용과 성경의 내용 중 동일한 말씀을 잘 찾아 내어 들려준다.책 전체에 수시로 등장하는 예들이지만 그 중 대표적으로 이런 비유가 있다.

도덕경 4장에 보면 유명한 '화기광하여 동기진하라'는 말씀이 있다.풀이하면 '그 빛을 감추어 먼지와 하나가 된다' 는 것이다.먼지와 하나가 된다는 것은 사물과 더불어 하나가 된다는 뜻이다. 만물이 같은 뿌리를 두고 있으니 천지만물과 하나가 되라는 것이다.예수가 가난한 자에게 물 한 그릇을 대접하면 그것이 곧 나를 대접하는 것이다 라고 한 말 역시 이와 같은 진리를 이야기하고 있다.여기서 예수가 말한 나는 그저 한 '인간으로서의 예수'가 아니다.먼지이며 하늘이고 땅이며 우주이다.석가모니가 태어나면서 '천상천아 유아독존'이라고 했을 때 그 '아'에 해당하는 존재이다.물론 이 '아'라는 것 역시 우리가 말하는 self 와 다른 것이다.'아상'을 없앤 '나'이다. '자기를 넘어선 자기,천지와 하나 되어 있는 자기'인 것이다.

도덕경 16장에는 이런 말이 나온다.'모든 것을 품음이 곧 공이요 공이 곧 왕이요 왕이 곧 하늘이요 하늘이 곧 도요 도가 곧 영원함이니 몸은 죽어도 죽지 않는다.'  도의 불생불멸을 이야기하고 있다.이현주 목사는 여기서 '부활'이라는 개념을 설명한다.즉 부활이라는 것이 죽었던 사람이 다시 멀쩡하게 살아서 밥먹고 여행다니고 대소변보는 것이 아니라는 것이다.그는 사도 바울의 말을 인용한다.부활이라는 것은 썩을 육신의 옷을 벗고 영원히 썩지 않는 옷을 갈아입는 것이라고 말한다.

저자들은 종교적 입장에서 보면 범신론적 관점을 가지고 다른 종교의 가르침도 노자의 이야기로 수렴한다.여기에서 하나님이나 부처님은 다 하나다.모두 공이요 무다.어디에나 있으며 어디에도 존재 하지 않는 존재이다.인간의 가치로 재단할 수 없는 자연의 영역이며 도 자체이다.이러한 범신론적 유연함은 종교적 편벽함이 주를 이루고 있는 한국 사회에서 그 신선함과 깊이로 큰 울림을 갖는다.

노자의 철학을 굳이 따로 설명할 필요는 없을 듯 하다.그럴 능력도 못되거니와 더욱 중요한 것은 이해하고 실천해 나가는 것이기 때문이다.몇가지 키워드로 노자의 철학을 정리하는 것 정도로 머물러야 겠다. 

無爲 ...無常...反...樸... 根 ...德 ....道

시각을 조금 현재로 끌어 올려 노자를 보게 된다.노자의 말씀은 여전히 지금 사회에도 유의미한 구석이 많다.특히 '강함'에 대한 이야기는 지구촌 유일의 패권국가에 대한 비판으로 적절하다. '단단하고 강한 것은 죽음의 무리요 부드럽고 약한 것은 삶의 무리다' 라는 말이 도덕경 76장에 나온다.단단하고 강한 것을 무력에 기대 힘의 외교를 추구하는 강대국에 빗댈 수 있다.노자의 말에 의하면 이것은 죽음의 무리다.노자는 정치에서도 무위를 강조했으며 큰 나라의 역할을 요구했다.61장에 보면 '큰 나라는 하류라 천하가 모이는 자리요 천하의 암컷이다....그러므로 큰 나라는 작은 나라 아래로 내려감으로써 작은 나라를 얻고 작은 나라는 큰 나라 아래로 내려감으로써 큰 나라를 얻는다.' 하지만 현존하는 패권국가에게 이런 이상적인 상황을 기대하기란 무리다.칼로 일어선 자가 칼로 망한다는 말을 듣고 부여잡은 무기나 좀 내려놨으면 하는 바람일 뿐이다.그나마 도덕경에서도 '도가 아니면 오래가지 못한다'라는 말로 패권국가의 몰락에 대해 희망적인 메시지를 남기고 있어서 더운 여름에 위안이된다.

노자를 읽다가 보면 편협한 기독교적 해석에 대한 비판이 종종 나온다.그와 함께 노자나 도에 대한 과소비 역시 경계해야 한다는 생각이든다.노자의 철학은 근본적인 인간과 세상의 변화를 겨누고 있다.절대적 진리를 말하는 논점에서 지극히 당연하다.하지만 노자의 철학 역시 현실의 모습과 밀접하게 관련되어 있다.도덕경 후반부에 이상주의적이긴 하지만 노자의 정치철학이 상당부분 담겨있다.하지만 노자나 도,선을 즐기는 사람들 중에는 노자의 현실 적합성은 뒤로 두는 경우가 많다.그들은 성인들의 말씀을 지극히 소아적으로 해석하여 마음의 평화만을 쫓는데 쓰고 만다.사회적 비겁함이나 무관심을 내적 수련이라는 이름으로 넘어가려는 듯 보인다.이 책의 저자인 장일순 선생은 그 대척점에 있다.실제로 도에 대한 깊은 이해와 생활에서의 실천이 있었다.또 내면의 수양만큼이나 현실의 불의에 대해서도 구체적으로 대응했다.장일순 선생은 그러한 현실적 정의가 무용한 것이 아니라고 말한다.중요한 것은 옳바른 일을 하고 거기에 머문다거나 어떤 사심을 가지고 그 일을 행하지 않는 것이 중요하다고 했다.그런데 선이나 도를 마음깊이 믿는 다는 사람들 중에는 행위 자체에 대해서는 별 관심 없는 경우가 많다.노자가 말하는 '무위'라는 것을 철저하게 잘못 이해하고 있는 것이다.그러면서 선시를 즐기고 화두를 나눈다.도에 대해 말하고 여운을 즐긴다....요즘식으로 말하자면 그런 행위들은 '도'를 소비하고 있는 것에 지나지 않는다.서구가 zen이라는 이름으로 일본 선문화를 상품화해낸 것 처럼 ...이현주 목사도 지적하고 있지만 그런 것들은 모두 '자기기만'이다.한산의 시나 고승들의 게를 소비하면서 마치 '도'에 이르는 도정에 있다고 믿는 것일 뿐이다.그냥 그런 여백을 좋아하고 즐긴다고 하는게 솔직한 일일지도 모른다.그렇지 않다면 스스로 어떤 행동으로 자신의 앎을 실천하는지 빈방에서 홀로 벽을 마주보고 이야기 나누어 볼 일이다.

 연일 이어지는 폭염에 힘든 날이 이어진고 있다.중동에서는  무지비한 폭격으로 무고한 아이들이 쓰러지고 있다.지난 폭우로 인한 수재민들은 제대로 정비도 못한 상태에서 폭염을 맞아 복구가 더욱 힘들다.추운 겨울도 가난한 이들에게는 힘들지만 더운 여름도 마찬가지이다.. 노자는 말한다.

'하늘의 도는 마치 활에 시위를 얹는 것과 같구나.높은 데는 누르고 낮은 데는 들어올리고 남은 것은 덜고 모자라는 것은 채운다.하늘의 도는 남는 것을 덜어 모자라는 것을 채우나 사람의 도는 그와 같지 않아서 모자라는 것을 덜어 남는 것을 떠받든다.누가 능히 남는 것으로써 천하를 받들 것인가? '

모든게 같은 뿌리라면 가난하고 힘없는 자도 한 뿌리일텐데....

 

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드팀전 2006-08-08 공감(21) 댓글(3)

Thanks to

 

공감

     

고요하다 새창으로 보기 구매

처음 만나게 되는 아이의 태교삼아 이 책을 소리내어 읽었다.

아침, 통유리 거실 문 앞에 앉아서 소리내어 조금씩 읽었다. 소리내어 읽을 때 책은 다른 방식으로 나에게 오는구나, 하고 느꼈다. 구어체의 문장들이라서, 소리내어 읽기에 더욱 좋았다. 두 분이 대화하는 걸 나 혼자 읽는 것이지만, 내가 나에게 들려주는 노자의 이야기는 토막토막 익숙하지만, 울림이 깊다.

태교를 잘 했나봐, 아기가 참 착하네, 라는 말을 들으면, 그건 아마 이 책 때문인 거라고 으쓱, 한다.

노자가 전 인생을 털어 들려주는 이야기에, 두 분의 어른들이 더하여 붙인 이야기가 참 좋다. 두 어른의 배경이 기독교 천주교라서 조금은 아쉽지만, 그런 종교적인 부분에 집중하시거나 하지는 않다. 해석의 여지가 많은 사상가, 철학가로서의 노자를 우리 시대의 고민에 비추어 만나게 된다. 조금은 시대가 어긋나더라도, 그런 가르침은 다시 그 시대에 또 새로이 해석될 수 있을 것이다.

 

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별족 2007-03-23 공감(6) 댓글(0)

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공감

     

좁살 한알 장일순의 노자 이야기 새창으로 보기 구매

망설이다가 추천합니다.

무위당 장일순의 노자이야기  이아무개 대담 정리  출판사 삼인

장일순은 서울대 미학과 중태 그 부인은 서울사대 출신 -- 지식의 허영은 어느 정도 충족

학교 재단이사장, 진보당 국회의원 출마, 약간은 좌파 -- 조봉암과 김삼용에 대한 호의

김지하의 스승

지학순 주교와 원주의 대부이자 원주 천주교 평신도 회장

필명 이아무개는 개신교 목사 이현주님

유신시절에 한문과 붓글씨를 친구삼아 살다 보니 그 후 대통령된 사람들이 그의 붓글씨와 서화를 구매했다고 합니다.

이 사람도 하고 싶은 것이 너무 많아서 호를 여러 개 갖고자 했는데

죽기 전에 좁쌀 한알  일속자가 그가 좋아한 호이었는데

그래도 사치 스러운 인간들은 노자라면 무위당 정도 되어야 한다고 크게 써 붙였다고 저는 짐작합니다.

  

가장 감명 깊었던 부분이 다음 입니다. 

256쪽

성경에는 탕자는 처음엔ㄴ 아버지한테서 멀리 간단 말씀입니다. 원(遠)하는 거지요. 그런데 사실은 그것이 탕자가 아버지에게 돌아오는(反)  행위의 한 부분이 아니겠나 싶은데요. 무슨 말이냐 하면, 그 친구가 만일 아버지를 떠나지 않았다면 '제 정신'을 차렸을 리도 없고 따라서 돌아올 것도 없지 않습니까?  맏아들이 바로 그랬지요.

257쪽

그래. 맏아들은 아버지와 함께 있었지만 떠나 있었던 거지.

예, 맞습니다. 그런데 탕자의 경우에는 멀리 갔기 때문에 돌아오거든요. 그러니까 멀리 가는 것이 곧 돌아오는 것이지. 가는 것 따로 있고 돌아오는 것 따로 있고 그렇게는 볼수 없는 것 아니냐는 말씀입니다. 이렇게 이야기해도 되는 걸까요?

그런 거지. 그런 거야. 그런데 이제 결국은 여기서 말하려는 게 道 아닌가? 道란 이런 것이다 하고 여기서 말하려는 게 道 아닌가? 道란 이런 것이다 하고 여기서 설명을 하는 건데, 大니 逝니 遠이니 反이니 하고 말이야. 그런데 이런 모든 말로 나타내려고 하는 것은 뭔고 하니 道라는 게 상대적인 무엇으로 나눠질 수 없다는 그런 애기라고 봐야겠지.

지난 번에 道者는 同於道하고 德者는 同於德하고 失者는 同於失한다고 했을 때, 그게 다 도덕이 있느니 없느니 得이니 失이니 그런 분별이 道의 세계에는 없다는 것 아니겠습니까?

그래, 바로 그런 얘기지.

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Rediscovering the Roots of Chinese Thought: Laozi's Philosophy Chen, Guying, D’Ambrosio, Paul,

Rediscovering the Roots of Chinese Thought: Laozi's Philosophy (Contemporary Chinese Scholarship in Daoist Studies): Chen, Guying, D’Ambrosio, Paul, D’Ambrosio, Paul: 9781931483612: Amazon.com: Books

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Rediscovering the Roots of Chinese Thought: Laozi's Philosophy (Contemporary Chinese Scholarship in Daoist Studies) 

Paperback – January 31, 2015

by Guying Chen (Author), Paul D’Ambrosio (Translator)

3.4 out of 5 stars    3 ratings

Rediscovering the Roots of Chinese Thought: Laozi’s Philosophy is an English translation of one of the most influential Chinese texts on Daoism of the past century, written by Guying Chen, one of China’s foremost scholars of Daoist thought and the author of annotated classical commentaries that serve as standard resources in many Chinese universities.

This book offers a unique discussion of the Laozi, arguing―in contrast to standard Western scholarship―that the text goes back to a single author and identifying him as an older contemporary, and even teacher, of Confucius. This places the Confucian Analects after the Laozi and makes the text the most fundamental work of ancient Chinese thought.

Chen explores these debates regarding these points, providing evidence based on materials excavated from Mawangdui and Guodian. His book is fascinating documentation of contemporary Chinese arguments and debates previously unavailable in English. It is nothing less than a complete revision of the history of Chinese thought with Daoism as its major focus.

150 pages

January 31, 2015

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book provides invaluable insight into the thought and scholarship of one of the most original and influential contemporary Chinese Daoist philosophers. Chen's reflections on the history of the Daode jing and the ideas expressed in this foundational classic are simply fascinating.

Paul D'Ambrosio's elegant translation is both faithful to the original and philosophically acute. The book is a precious resource for Western readers interested in Daoist thought and the cultural history of China which will massively to broaden their understanding of how the Daoist classic came about and what it means to contemporary Chinese thinkers. --Hans-Georg Moeller, University of Macau

This translation makes available for the first time to an English reading audience the groundbreaking work of one of contemporary China's leading voices in the study of early Daoism. Rediscovering the Roots of Chinese Thought pushes back hard against the current trend of scholarly opinion claiming that Laozi never lived and that he did not write the Daode jing.

Masterfully arguing that that these views are no longer tenable, Chen acknowledges Laozi as the first philosopher of the Chinese tradition and situates the Daode jing at the very origins of Chinese philosophy, a force that motivated and inspired all other Chinese schools of thought. The fundamentally changes the way we read the Daode jing. It challenges us reconsider the entire history of Chinese thought. The book is a must for anybody interested in Daoism and Chinese philosophy. It its impact will be felt for a long time to come. --Thomas Michael, Boston University

About the Author

CHEN Guying was born in Fujian province in 1935. He received his degree in philosophy from National Taiwan University, where he taught for most of his life. In the 1980s, he returned to live part time on the mainland, where he still teaches at Peking University, Center for Daoist Studies. The author of numerous works on Daoist thought, often in comparison with Western philosophy, Chen is among the most influential living scholars of Chinese thought. Still vibrantly active, he runs various conferences and academic projects, forever stimulating new ventures and contributing to the wider appreciation and deeper understanding of Daoist thinking.

Product details

Publisher : Three Pines Press; First edition (January 31, 2015)

Language : English

Paperback : 150 pages

Customer Reviews: 3.4 out of 5 stars    3 ratings

Customer reviews

3.4 out of 5 stars

Top reviews from the United States

T. Coonen

4.0 out of 5 stars Daoism sans Buddhism

Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2015

Verified Purchase

This is a good book. It is terribly edited, looks like they ran it through a spell check and printed it. You get “in” for “on,” “of” for “off,” etc. It’s usually easy to know what was meant, a couple times the meaning is lost. The info and arguments, however, are clearly presented and important. In the Usa, daoism is not so available as it appears, most translations are by Buddhists and have a Buddhist slant, often so much so whatever might have been “the original” cannot be determined under all the added, and much later, Buddhist interpretation. If you are a Buddhist, that’s fine, I guess. If you are not a Buddhist the complications can be misplaced or extraneous and the simplicity at the core of daoism can get buried (and usually does) under all the interpretive add-ons. Chen Guying's book avoids all that, and religion, and several not-quite-congruous complications by doing his best to precede them.

4 people found this helpful

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John C. Marshell Jr.

4.0 out of 5 stars Laozi Corrected

Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2016

When I was an undergraduate, I wrote a paper on Daoism. 

In the early 1980's, the Daoist listings in my alma mater's library largely consisted of a singular open ended shelf. I recall reading philosophical works by Creel, Kaltenmark, Feng Youlan, and a deep and profitable engagement with Paul Lin's translation of the "Tao Te Ching." Daoist alchemy and meditation was a subject shrouded in mystery and limited to reading Carl Jung's "Secrets of the Golden Flower" and Charles Luk's "Taoist Yoga." Daoism's founder, Laozi, equally mysterious, a person of dubious historicity, often relegated to the realm of myth, a composite figure created from a multi-authored text bearing his name. In the United States, Daoism was the poor cousin to the dominant Confucian and Buddhist traditions. Scholarship on the subject was rare and irregular, even Henri Maspero's "Taoism and Chinese Religion," published posthumously, did not appear in English until 1981.

Happily, all that has changed. There is now a plethora of books and articles on the subject, an increasing number of translations, and a growing number of Daoist temples in the United States. It is hard to keep up with all the material. This book, a translation of noted scholar Chen Guying's research on Laozi, is a part of that growth and should capture the attention of anyone interested in the subject of Daoism.

What Chen seeks to do in this book is remove the murky mystery around Laozi. He seeks to make Laozi a concrete historical figure, and in my opinion, does a very good job of presenting Laozi as not simply an historical reality but also the earliest philosopher in Chinese history. He makes his case rather well, detailing the mistakes Chinese philosophers made in treating the subject (Feng Youlan suffers mightily here) and bolstering his argument with an analysis of the Guodian Cave finds of 1993. There is a close analysis of the Daoist texts as well as an analysis of Daoist polemics with the Confucian tradition. And his investigation is not limited to the literary and philological, but includes an interesting historical and sociological consideration of cultural differences between the state of Chu (Laozi's home) and the state of Lu (Confucius' home). Laozi seems to come alive within the pages of the book. He is no longer a mythological sage inaccurately dated in the Warring States period battling with Confucius' successors, but a predecessor and colleague of Confucius in the Spring and Autumn period.

Chen's analysis creates a very different view of Laozi. The traditional depiction of a reclusive mystic with an antinomian disposition is replaced by an atheistic, dialectical moralist with a distaste for political corruption, who supports his philosophy with China's first cohesive theories of cosmology and ontology. His differences with Confucius are markedly reduced to epistemological concerns. In Chen's reading, Laozi's cultivation of the person occurs from the inside out, while Confucius works from the outside in. Both sages rebel against the problems of their time, but from different perspectives, looking to the Zhou Dynasty as a golden strife free age to support their positions: Laozi preferring metaphysical solutions, and Confucius structuring social networks built upon ethical relations. The polemics usually associated between the two men are the result of later misreadings and argumentative reworkings of texts, an historical development revealed through the Guodian finds. Chen sees the two sages as genuine and authentic men engaged in philosophical discourse and the depiction is enlightening.

I would encourage anyone with an interest in Chinese philosophy or religion to read this book. I docked my review one star due to the numerous printing and editing errors, but an alert reader can bridge the problems and enjoy this book.

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2 people found this helpful

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Casey S.

2.0 out of 5 stars Unfortunate Bias Ruins Scholarship

Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2015

This book has a bit of stellar information and a handful of great insights, which is what [barely] raises the rating above 1-star. However, it approaches things from a very particular perspective that Laozi was a real person who was the singular author of an original Daodejing (Tao Te Ching). It also notably places the person and text as an immediate predecessor of Rujia (Confucianism) and Confucius as a pupil of Laozi (Lao Tzu). While this is a traditional position, this book is presented as a scholarly text. It is the equivalent of a conservative Catholic publishing a book about the historicity of Jesus and the continuity of his thought with later Western secular and orthodox religious institutions, exactly in line with the religious and ideological biases of conservative Catholicism, framed as an academic study.

This is a soapbox for a particular viewpoint. It is interesting to read for that reason and the fascinating information it cites. The book is a great tool for understanding the viewpoint that Laozi (Lao Tzu) was a real person who was the real author of the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching), but it is inherently flawed as a work of scholarship.

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알라딘: 노장신론 진고응 (지은이),최진석 (옮긴이)소나무2013

알라딘: 노장신론

노장신론   

진고응 (지은이),최진석 (옮긴이)소나무2013-12-10초판출간 1997년

노장신론

정가

23,000원

판매가

20,700원 (10%, 2,300원 할인)

도가철학/노장철학 주간 14위|Sales Point : 586 

양장본594쪽

목차

1. 노자 철학 체계의 형성

2. 노학이 공학보다 앞선다

3. 노자 사상과 공자 사상의 비교

4. 노자의 소박 사상 및 입세 방식

5. 백서 `노자`를 본 후의 몇가지 느낌

6. 노자와 선진 도가 학파들

7. `소유론`-정신 세계의 개방과 가치전환

8. `제물론`-만물의 평등과 자아 중심의 타파

9. `양생주`-정신적 생명력을 밝힘

10. `인간세`-지식인의 비극 의식과 그들의 지혜

11. `덕충부`-이상적 인간의 심미적 안목과 우주 정신

12. `대종사`-천일합일의 경지와 사생일여

13. `응제왕`-무치주의를 위하여

14. 장자의 도

15. 장자의 인식론

16. 장지의 비극 의식과 자유정신

17. 장자 연구 관점에 대하여

18. `역전`과 노장

19. `역전` `계사전`과 노자 사상

20. `역전` `계사전`과 장자 사상

21. `역전`과 초학 그리고 제학

22. 도.유.묵.법가의 상호보안과 문화의 다원화

23. 중국 철학사의 도가 중심설

24. 도가 중심설에 대한 반론

25. 두 편의 반론에 대한 답변

접기

책속에서

이 책은 크게 두 부분으로 나뉜다. 한 부분은 노자에 관한 논술이고, 또 다른 한 부분은 장자에 대한 해설이다. 중국의 ‘철학적 혁명’은 노자에서 시작되었다. 이 점이 내가 제1부에서 논술하는 주요내용이다. 중국 지식인의 비극적인 사명, 비극적인 운명 및 정신적인 경지는 장자의 저작에서 깊이 있게 드러난다.

나는 <장자> <내편>을 해설하는 과정을 통해 장자의 이런 사상과 감정을 표현하려고 했다. 제자諸子 가운데 나는 장자를 가장 좋아하기 때문에 <장자> <내편> 해설 부분의 글에서 나의 이런 내면의 정서를 드러냈다.  접기

저자 및 역자소개

진고응 (지은이) 

1935년 중국 복건성 장정에서 태어났다. 1949년 대만으로 가서, 1960년에 대만 대학교 철학연구소에 합격하여, 은해광殷海光, 방동미方東美에게 배웠다. 1963년 대만대학교 철학연구소에서 철학 석사학위를 받은 후, 같은 대학교 철학과 강사를 거쳐 부교수로 승진했다. 

그 당시 같은 대학교 철학과 강사였던 왕효파王曉波와 자주 현실 정치에 대해 비판하고 학생운동을 독려했다는 이유로 대학 당국으로부터 요주의 인물로 지목되어 감시를 받게 된다. 1974년에 대만 대학교에서 재임용에 탈락되어, 한동안 정치활동을 하였고 《고성鼓聲》이라는 잡지를 발행하였다. 이즈음 그는 대만 민주화 운동의 중심인물로 독재정권에 정면 도전하여, 결국 대만에서 추방된다. 1978년에 미국으로 건너가 UC버클리에서 연구원으로 있으면서 철학을 연구하였다. 1984년에는 북경대학교 철학과 객좌교수를 맡으면서 노장철학老莊哲學을 강의하게 되었다. 1997년에는 대만대학교 측이 그의 과거 불명예를 회복시켜 줌으로써 다시 대만대학교로 되돌아와 재직하고 있다.

진고응은 노장철학 분야에서 국제적으로 인정받는 학자이다. 그는 중국사상사에서 유가철학보다도 도가철학(노장철학)이 발생순서 면에서 앞서고 사상적 위치 면에서 중심을 차지한다고 본다. 이렇게 그는 유가철학을 중심에 두고 사상을 기술하는 전통적 관점을 강력히 비판하여 도가철학을 중국사상사에서 우위에 서는 것으로 관점을 역전시키고자 한다.

저서로는 『비극의 철학자 니체』, 『예수의 새로운 모색』, 『존재주의』, 『장자철학』, 『장자금주금역』, 『노장신론』, 『황제사경금주금역』, 『주역 주석과 연구』, 『니체신론』 등이 있다. 접기

최근작 : <진고응이 풀이한 노자>,<노장신론> … 총 3종 (모두보기)

최진석 (옮긴이) 

1959년 음력 정월에 전라남도 신안군 하의면의 장병도에서 태어나고 함평에서 성장했다. 함평의 손불동국민학교, 향교국민학교, 광주의 월산국민학교, 사레지오중학교, 대동고등학교를 다닌 뒤 서강대학교에서 철학과 학사학위를 받고 동양철학 석사학위를 받았다. 같은 학교에서 박사과정을 밟던 중 1990년 학교를 그만두고 무작정 미수교국이었던 중국에 가서 자신을 돌아보고 어떻게 살지 고민하며 2년 정도를 돌아다녔다. 1992년 한중수교가 이뤄지면서 다시 학업을 이어갈 기회가 생겨 헤이룽장대학을 거쳐 베이징대학에서, 당나라 초기의 장자 해석을 연구하여 철학 박사학위를 받았다. 1998년부터 모교인 서강대학교 철학과 교수로 재직했으며, 2015년에 건명원建明苑을 설립하여 초대원장을, 2017년엔 전라남도 순천의 섬진강인문학교 교장을 맡았고, 부산심포니오케스트라와 지역을 돌며 <노자와 베토벤>이라는 철학과 음악이 함께하는 콘서트를 열었다. 정년퇴임을 7년 이상 앞둔 2018년 스스로 역사가 되기 위해 대학강단을 떠나 새로운 인생으로 들어섰다. 자기 자신과 대한민국이 헌 말 헌 몸짓을 벗고 새 말 새 몸짓으로 무장하기를 염원하며 2020년 사단법인 새말새몸짓을 설립하여 ‘책 읽고 건너가기’ 운동을 펼치고 ‘기본학교’를 열어 사명감 있는 미래 인재를 양성하는 데에 힘쓰고 있다.

지은 책으로 『노자의 목소리로 듣는 도덕경』, 『인간이 그리는 무늬』, 『저것을 버리고 이것을』, 『생각하는 힘, 노자 인문학』, 『나는 누구인가』(공저), 『탁월한 사유의 시선』, 『경계에 흐르다』 등이 있고, 『노자의소』(공역), 『중국사상 명강의』, 『장자철학』, 『노장신론』 등의 책을 해설하고 우리말로 옮겼다. 접기

최근작 : <최진석의 대한민국 읽기>,<나 홀로 읽는 도덕경>,<탁월한 사유의 시선> … 총 27종 (모두보기)

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알라딘: 노자 (반양장) - 삶의 기술, 늙은이의 노래 김홍경 (지은이)들녘2015-04-30

알라딘: 노자 (반양장)

노자 (반양장) - 삶의 기술, 늙은이의 노래   

김홍경 (지은이)들녘2015-04-30

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정가 32,000원 880쪽

책소개

잇따른 고고학의 발굴은 우리 시대의 중국학에 축복을 가져다주었다. 고고학적 발굴 중에서 가장 의미 깊은 것은 마왕퇴 한묘의 백서와 곽점 초묘의 죽간, 즉 초간이다. 이 두 발굴에 모두 『노자』와 관련된 자료가 있다. 마왕퇴 백서의 완전한 『노자』 갑본과 곽점 초간의 『노자』 원시 자료를 기본으로 하고, 기타 통행본을 꼼꼼히 비교 참조해가며 새로운 해석을 내놓은 것이 이 책이다.

백서 갑본에 따르면 지금껏 통행되어왔던 『노자』가 상당히 달라진다. 형이상학적인 “도편”보다 “덕편”을 앞세운 것은 그 시대의 『노자』가 통치술(처세술)을 중심에 내세우는 잡가적 성격을 띠고 있었고, 그 핵심적 목표는 위험이 없는 장구한 생존, 즉 장생구시에 있었기 때문이다.

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목차

머리말

서문_ 삶의 기술, 늙은이의 노래

덕편

도편

참고문헌

조견표

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추천글

김홍경의 『노자』는 체제부터 기존의 『노자』와는 다르다. 우선 『도덕경』이 아닌 『덕도경』의 편제를 취하기 때문이다. 1973년 중국 호남성 장사의 마왕퇴에서 발굴된 『노자』의 형태를 좇아 「덕경」을 「도경」보다 앞세운 것이다. 이러한 판단에서 알 수 있듯이, 김홍경의 『노자』는 통행본으로 알려진 왕필(王弼)본이 아니라, 마왕퇴 백서(帛書)본, 그것도 갑본을 저본으로 삼고 있다. 아울러 1993년 중국 호북성 형주 근교의 곽점에서 발견된 초간(楚簡)본 『노자』도 중요 자료로 반영한다. 다시 말해, 김홍경의 『노자』는 두 차례에 걸친 세기적인 발굴을 기반으로 『노자』에 대한 새로운 연구를 시도한 것이다.

이 책은 『노자』의 진(秦) 제작설을 주창한다. 왜냐하면 『노자』는 기본적으로 군주의 통치를 위해 정리된 것이기 때문이며, 아울러 『노자』의 제작자는 진과 한(漢) 정부의 관계를 고려했다는 학설을 받아들인다. 이때 무위(無爲)는 임금의 통치술이 된다. 게다가 『노자』는 도가로 분류되기 전에 잡가적이었다고 말한다. 이는 사마담이 도가를 도덕가로 부르면서 음양/유/묵/명/법의 장점을 계승했다고 기록한 것과 같다.

이 책 체제의 가장 큰 특징은 각 장마다 꼭지글이 달려 있어 큰 주제를 생각하게끔 돕는다는 것이다. 『회남자』, 『장자』, 『여씨춘추』는 물론, 『논어』와 『맹자』까지 인용해가면서 사상의 지형도를 보여준다. 그리고 각 문장마다 해석이 매우 상세하여 공부하는 사람에게도 높은 가치를 지닐 것이다. 번역의 충실함이 돋보이는 부분이다. - 정세근 (충북대 철학과 교수, 『노장철학』『위진현학』 저자) 

저자 및 역자소개

김홍경 (지은이) 

서울에서 태어나 성균관대학교 유학과를 졸업했다. 같은 대학교 대학원 동양철학과에서 석사, 박사 과정을 마치고, 「조선초기 유학사상에 관한 연구」로 박사 학위를 받았다. 1990년부터 성균관대학교를 비롯한 여러 대학에 출강했다. 1997년에는 중국 국가교육위원회의 초청으로 베이징대학교에서 연수했으며, 2001년 여름 미국으로 건너가 방문학자 자격으로 오리건대학교에 머물렀다. 1989년부터 현재까지 한국철학사상연구회에서 활동하고 있으며, 성균관대학교 강사노동조합 위원장을 역임한 바 있다. 

저서로는 『조선초기 관학파 유학사상』(한길사)과 몇 권의 공저가 있고, 논문으로는 「성자의 유희」(시대와 철학) 외 다수가 있으며, 번역서로는 『음양오행설의 연구』(신지서원)와 몇 권의 공역서가 있다.

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최근작 : <노자 (반양장)>,<한국유학과 열린사유> … 총 3종 (모두보기)

출판사 제공

책소개

늙은 선생이 전하는 삶의 기술

잇따른 고고학의 발굴은 우리 시대의 중국학에 축복을 가져다주었다. 고고학적 발굴 중에서 가장 의미 깊은 것은 마왕퇴 한묘의 백서와 곽점 초묘의 죽간, 즉 초간이다. 이 두 발굴에 모두 『노자』와 관련된 자료가 있다. 마왕퇴 백서의 완전한 『노자』 갑본과 곽점 초간의 『노자』 원시 자료를 기본으로 하고, 기타 통행본을 꼼꼼히 비교 참조해가며 새로운 해석을 내놓은 것이 이 책이다.

백서 갑본에 따르면 지금껏 통행되어왔던 『노자』가 상당히 달라진다. 형이상학적인 “도편”보다 “덕편”을 앞세운 것은 그 시대의 『노자』가 통치술(처세술)을 중심에 내세우는 잡가적 성격을 띠고 있었고, 그 핵심적 목표는 위험이 없는 장구한 생존, 즉 장생구시에 있었기 때문이다.

저자는 면밀한 고증을 바탕으로 『노자』가 진시황 때 편집되었으며, 여러 사상을 종합적으로 흡수한 늙은 선생(老子)의 지혜서임을 설파하고 있다.

고고학의 발굴로 새 빛을 보게 된 『노자』

『노자』는 전세계적으로 가장 많이 번역된 책 중의 하나다. 동북아 삼국은 물론, 라틴어 번역본을 비롯해 수많은 언어권에서 번역 소개되었다. 『노자』는 실로 작은 책이다. 그럼에도 수많은 연구와 해설이 그치지 않는 것은 그 적은 글에 하나로 정의내릴 수 없는 오묘한 뜻이 담겨 있기 때문이다.

그동안 통행본으로만 전해지던 『노자』는 1973년 마왕퇴 백서와 1993년 곽점 『노자』 원시본의 발굴로 새로운 해석의 여지를 갖게 되었다. 이를 모두 포괄하는 『노자』 번역 및 해설서가 없어, 저자는 이 책을 내게 되었다.

가장 판이한 점은 기존의 “도편·덕편”의 순서가 “덕편·도편”으로 바뀌어 있다는 사실이다. 원래 『노자』는 도와 덕을 모두 아우르고 있다. 덕보다 도가 존재론적으로 상위 개념이라고 해서 덕이 없다면 『노자』는 죽은 책이고 공언이며, 덕이 중국 특유의 실용 정신에 부합한다고 해서 도가 없다면 『노자』는 중심을 잃는다.

그렇더라도 “덕편·도편”의 순서로 된 것은 편집 당시의 『노자』가 처음부터 통치론이었기 때문이다. 그러나 『노자』는 국가와 개인을 동일체로 파악한다는 전제하에서 수양론으로 곧바로 연결될 수 있고, 통치론을 큰 안목에서 합리화하기 위해 동원한 “도” 개념에 주목하면 형이상학을 읽을 수도 있으며, 그 형이상학을 발전시켜 신비주의로 빠질 수도 있고, 장생구시의 가치관에다 다른 계열에서 발전한 “기”와 음양오행설을 접목시키면 정기 양생론이 되는 등 그야말로 다양한 스펙트럼으로 읽힐 수 있다.

이 같은 방대한 해석 경향에 간섭받지 않고 백서 시대의 『노자』를 그대로 구성해보겠다는 것이 저자의 관점이다. 그 기본을 정리하면, 첫째 『노자』는 기원전 286년 이후 어느 시점에 편집된 책이며, 둘째, 『노자』는 여러 사상 경향을 흡수한 잡가적(종합주의적) 책이며, 셋째, 『노자』는 당대의 필요에 따라 통치술에 방점을 찍고 있다는 점이다. 『노자』는 도가로 분류되지만 오로지 도가로만 한정될 수 없고, 유가와 묵가를 겸하며 명가와 법가를 합하고 있다는 점은 명백하다. 접기

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공감순 

     

노자 연구서 새창으로 보기

김홍경이라고 해서 텔레비전에서 한의학 강의를 한 그 사람인줄 알았다.

흔한 이름이 아니고, 한의학과 노자는 왠지 가까운 느낌이어서...

그런데 동명이인이었다.

그리고 이 책은 나처럼 노자를 느긋하게 즐기려는 사람에게 적합한 책은 아니었다.

백서와 왕필의 주해서를 분석하는 책으로 상당히 전문적인 이야기들을 하고 있었다.

그래서 앞부분의 해석들을 주로 읽어나갔다.

노자는 비유로 가득한 책이라서, 내맘대로 읽는 노자가 제일 좋다.

그리고 어린 왕자를 몇 번 읽을 때마다, 가슴을 치는 구절이 다르듯이, 노자도 그렇다.

한국에서 노자를 시장 바닥으로 내놓은 선구자가 도올이다.

그를 '돌'이라고 유사품을 만들어 강의한 코미디언도 있는데, 멋진 아이디어다.

도올과 돌 사이엔 별 차이가 없다.

그의 강의록이 노자와 21세기란 책으로도 나왔는데, 지나친 현학과 천박한 어휘 사용으로 노자를 웃긴 남자로 취급당했다.

난 개인적으로 '도올'이란 말이 우습다. 올이 높다랗다는 뜻이기 때문이다. 스스로 도가 높다랗다고 하는 이름을 짓고서는 노자를 강의하다니... 수능 점수는 높다란 사람일는지 몰라도, 험담을 입에 담고 사는 그가 높다랗게 보이진 않았다.

이 책에서 설명하는 <노자>는

'전국 시대'는 지극히 '남성성'이 강조된 시대였다. 그래서 노자는 '여성성'을 강조하는 것이 이 책이다.

노자란 이름, 즉 늙은이의 노래란 제목이 이미 남성적이기 보다는 여성적이고,

호기심을 자극하는 반어로 가득한 노자에는 정언약반 正言若反(올바른 말은 마치 삐딱한 듯 하다.)의 수사로 가득하다.

그래서 이 책에선 덕도경의 순서로 해설을 달았다.

도는 좋은 삶의 길, 좋은 삶의 근거가 되는 <윤리적, 존재론적 범주>라면,

덕은 구체화된 무엇으로 도의 결과, 작용, 드러난 모습이라고 할 수 있다. 곧 덕은 도의 집인 것이다.

도가 만물을 태어나게 한 뒤, 덕이 그것을 기른다는 것에서 덕을 앞세운다.

이번에 덕도경을 읽으면서 눈에 들어온 구절들은 이렇다.

나에겐 항상 세 가지 보물이 있다. 자애, 검소함, 천하에 감히 나서지 않는 것이다.

내 말은 무척 쉽고, 행하기 쉽지만, 사람들은 알지도 행하지도 못한다.

큰 재주는 마치 졸렬한 것 같다. 大巧如拙

爲學者一益 聞道者日損 損之又損 以至於無爲也 無爲以無不爲 將欲取天下也 恒無事 及其有事也 又不足以取天下矣  학문을 하는 자는 날마다 더하고 도를 들은 사람은 날마다 덜어낸다. 덜어내고 또 덜어내어 무위에 이르니 무위하면 하지 못할 것이 없다. 바야흐로 천하를 취하려 한다면, 언제나 일이 없음으로 해야 할 것이니, 만약 일이 있음이면 천하를 취하기에 충분하지 않다.

성인은 모두를 어린이로 대한다.

작은 것을 보는 것은 눈이 밝다고 하고,

부드러움을 지키는 것을 강하다고 한다.

덕을 두텁게 머금은 사람은 갓난아이와 같다. 含德之厚者 比於赤子

억세지면 곧 늙어버린다. 이것을 부도라고 말한다. 物壯卽老 謂之不道

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이 책은 두께로 보나, 내용으로 보나 전문가가 만든, 전문가를 위한 책인 듯 한데,

'수컷 모 牡' 자와 '암컷 빈 牝' 자를 혼동해서 수컷 모 牡자만 잔뜩 적어 놓은 것을 보고 신경질이 났다.

- 접기

글샘 2006-03-30 공감(4) 댓글(1)

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공감

     

[노자]를 보지 않고 노자를 말한 책. 새창으로 보기 구매

이 책에서는 [노자]를 제외하고

[노자]에 대해 논한 사람들의 말을 알 수 있다.

[백서 갑]을 저본으로 했다고 하는데, 대부분은 백서 갑도, 아니라, 백서 을, 혹은 통행본, 즉 현행 [도덕경]에 꾀어 맞추어 보고,

[노자]를 잡가서라고도 하고, 정치술이라고도 하고 처세술이라고도 한다.

그리고 이것은 또 본인의 창조적 고민도 있었겠지만,  일본의 사이토 세쯔도, 중국의 양계초, 혹은 서양의 누구와 같은 사람의 입장을 따른 결과이기도 하다.

노자 백서에는 이런말이 있다.

其出也, 彌遠, 그 나간다 함은, 더욱 멀어진다.

여기서 얻을 수 있는 교훈은  

노자를 논한 사람들의 말(대게 노자가 혐오한 학자들이다)을 따라가다 보면, 

점점 더 노자를 알기 어려워 질지 모른다는 것이다.    

왜냐하면 학자들은 날마다 더하기만 하니, 정작 비워 진 이 道를 알 수가 없을 터이니 말이다. 

이 책 역시, 날마다 노자에 대해 이러쿵 저러쿵하는 지식과, 말을 더 할 뿐,

정작 [노자]가 쓴 바를 보지 않기 때문이다.

하나의 예를 들어 보자, 초간 노자에 여성성이 없다고 하지만, [초간 노자]에는 女, 奴와 같은 표현이 나온다. 어떻게, 大白女辱, 女가 명사가 아니라 동사로 쓰였다 해도, 女가 본래 음전히 앉은 여자의 꼴인데서, 의역하면, 크게 깨끗한 흰 빛은 욕됨에 음전히 앉는다 볼 수 있다. 이는 백서나 통행본이, 大白如辱이나, 大白若辱이라 옮겨, 크게 흰 빛이 더러움 같다 보고, 동일률을 위배해 모순에 빠졌던 것이지만, 기간 꿈 보다 해몽이라던 것처럼, 역설적으로 이해해 왔던 것 보다, 훨씬 좋은 표현이다. 이러한 표현은 백서 갑 33번째에도 있으니, 天將建之女以玆垣之라 한 것이 그것이다.

또 [백서 노자]를 저본으로 해서 [초간 노자]는 아직 노자라 하지 못하고, 춘추시대의 이런저런 사상을 묶은 잡가서라 했지만, 정작 [백서 노자]는 [초간 노자] 전부를 모두 인용, 수록해 옮겨서, 이를 노자로 보고 있다고 증언하고 있다. 게다가 몇몇 글자들, 즉 여기서 나오는 女나 '클 비丕' 혹은 {爲心}과 같은 글자들은 [초간 노자]의 글자를 그대로 빌어 쓰고 있으며, 심지어, [백서 을]이나 현행 [도덕경]은 [초간 노자]에 근거해 [백서 갑]의 글자를 수정해 나가기도 했건만, 답답한 일은 이 무슨 '안경'을 쓴 사람들에게는 전혀 보이지 않는다는 것이다.

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노자읽기 2007-09-10 공감(6) 댓글(0)

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노자를 읽으면 정말 삶의 기술을 알게될까?

보는것만으로도 가슴이 딱딱막히는 책이다. 무게도 그렇고, 내용도 그렇고.. 근데 왠지 죽기전에 이런책도 한번쯤은 읽어봐야할것같은 생각이 든다. 학교때 한문교과서에 '공자왈~', '맹자왈~'할땐 가슴으로 느끼기보단 외워야한다는 생각에 짜증만 났었는데 역시 입장에 따라서 무언가를 대하는 마음까지 달라지나 보다.

책의 구성은 일단 한장을 원문으로 소개하고, 그 옆에 우리말로 해석이 되어있다. 그 다음장엔 한구절씩 잘라서 해설을 붙여놓았는데.. 솔직히 한장을 읽기도 버겁기만하다. 그나마 학교때 한문을 특별히 잘했었고, 유달리 좋아했던 사람이였던 나조차도 손놓아버린지 10년이 흐르고나니 글자가 가물거리고, 소화가 잘 되지않은 느낌이다. 그러나 수백년이 흘른 지금까지도 잊혀지지않고, 회자되는 책이라면 그럴만한 이유가 분명히 있을것이다. 쉽게 읽히는 책보단 어렵지만 조금씩 읽는책도 그만의 매력은 있을테니깐. 마지막으로 읽어나가기조차 힘든책을 직접 만든 저자가 정말 존경스럽다는것이다.

- 접기

또다른세상 2003-10-19 공감(3) 댓글(0)

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깊이 있는 사상, 깊이 있는 해석

많은 말을 하지 않으면서도, 그렇다고 선문답처럼 뜬구름을 잡지 않으면서도 심오한 사상을 얘기하는 책이 노자이다. 낮은 곳의 사상, 부드러움의 사상, 깊이의 사상으로서 노자는 다른 고전 사상들과 결을 달리한다. 그런만큼 노자의 해석은 어려운만큼 신중해야 한다. 그렇게 신중하게 노자를 해석한 책이다. 신중한 해석이라고 해서 난해하지는 않다. 한 문장 한 문장을 곱씹을 수 있는 책이다.

바람소리 2011-03-17 공감(1) 댓글(0)

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공감

     

삶의 과정에서 자신을 찾아가기 새창으로 보기

종전의 도덕경은 도경과 덕경으로 구성되어 있다.

그러나 이책은 1973년 중국 호남성 장사에서 발견된 백서(帛書)본을 토대로하여 덕경,도경순으로 배열을 하고 있으며, 장의 수는 통행본의 번호를 그대로 사용하고 있다.

 

도덕경은 이 책을 처음 보는 것은 아니다.

사실 기존의 다른 책도 많이 보아왔다. 다만, 아쉬운 부분이 한자가 5천여자로 구성되어 있는데 해석이 중의적으로 가능한 부분이 많고 석연치 않은 부분이 있는데 그런가보다하고 넘어가야하는 애매함이 있었다.

 

김홍경의 백서본을 보면서 어느정도 자신감을 가지게 되었다.

저자는 또한 자세한 설명을 달고 있다. 여기에는 도덕경에 국한하지 않고

사서삼경의 내용을 인용하기도 한다.

저자가 설명을 잘해서 인지는 모르나, 이해하기는 수월했다.

그사이 나 자신도 동양철학과 사상에 대해서 이전보다 깨우침이 늘었기도 하다.

 

도덕경을 보면서 느끼는 부분은 참으로 옳은 얘기인데,

막상 현실에서는 전쟁터이다 보니 삶을 임전하는 자세로 살게되는 것이다.

하지만, 삶의 과정에서 앞만 보는 것이아니라 주위도 보고 뒤도 돌아보는 자세가 필요하다.

이것이야말로 자신의 삶의 주인이 되는 것이다.

그런의미에서 노자철학이 주는 의미는 상당하다.

 

- 접기

뇌는 어떻게 의식을 만드는가. 문규민

뇌는 어떻게 의식을 만드는가. 문규민

책·잡지 이야기/SKEPTIC

뇌는 어떻게 의식을 만드는가. 문규민

BRAD

2020. 11. 28. 20:13댓글수0

의식의 개념.

의식에 대한 과학적 탐구과 왜 그리도 문제적인지.

의식과학의 가능성과 현황

 

1. 의식이라는 우산용어 파헤치기

  * 우산용어 : 여러 가지 이질적인 것을 뒤덮어 마치 같은 개념인 것처럼 지칭하는 것

 1) 의식의 여러 정의

  - 마크 솜즈

    * 신경정신분석

    * 의식은 상태와 내용

      : 상태는 내용을 담고 있는 그릇 같은 것

  - 크리스토프 코흐

    * 의식의 신경상관물에 대한 연주 진행

    * 의식 그 자체와 의식의 내용

  - 데이비드 로즌솔

    * 철학자

    * 상태적 의식과 유기체적 의식

      : 상태의식 - 의식적 사고나 의식적 욕망처럼 어떤 심적 상태가 의식적일 때 그 상태에 귀속되는 의식

      : 유기체의식 - '이 사람이 완전히 의식을 잃었다'처럼 의식이 유기체에 귀속되는 의식

  - 모두 의식을 상태와 내용으로 구분

 2) 의식의 내용

  - 후설

    * 모든 의식은 무엇인가에 대한 의식

      : 의식의 표상적 내용 또한 의식적 경험이 무엇에 대한 것인지, 또는 무엇을 의미하는지와 관련된 내용

      : 의식의 표상적 내용

    * 현상학적 내용

      : 의식의 표상적 내용으로는 포착되지 않는, 의식이 어떻게 주체의 관점에서 느껴지는지와 관련된 내용

    * 예) 잘 익은 토마토를 보는 시각 경험

      : (표상적 내용)그것은 무엇에 관한 것인가 - 앞에 잘 익은 토마토가 있다는 사채에 대한 것

      : (현상학적 내용)그 경험은 어떠한가 - 말로 표현하기 어렵지만, 불그스름함, 둥그스름함, 광택 등으로 표형

    * 의식적 경험의 표상적 내용

      : 정신적 그림에 의해 그려진 것

    * 현상학적 내용

      : 그림을 그리는 데 필요한 정신적 물감

  - 접근의식  & 편상적 의식

  - 자각 & 경험

 3) 의식과학에서의 현상학적 내용

  - 표상적 내용

    * 인지과학은 표상인 지각, 판단, 의사결정, 사고, 기억 등을 정보처리의 관점에서 설명

      : 즉 토마토에 대한 지각이나 생각, 상상 또는 기억과 관련된 문제는 인지과학이나 신경과학의 패러다임 내에서 설명 가능

  - 현상학적 내용

    * 경험이 어떠한가에 대한 내용

    * 철학자 토머스 네이글의 논문 <박쥐가 된다는 것은 어떤 것인가?>

      : 초음파를 통해 인지하는 박쥐에 대해 모든 것을 안다고 하더라도 박쥐가 어떤 느낌일지 전혀 알 수 없을 거라는 주장

      : 박쥐 의식에 대한 현상학 적 내용을 과학적으로 설명하는 것에 대한 난색 표현

      : 감각질에 관한 이야기

 

2. 의식의 '쉬운'문제와 '어려운' 문제

  1) 감각질

    - 현상적 속성, 현상적 질, 날 느낌

    - 감각질의 네가지 속성

      * 내재성

         : 비관계적 - 의식이 다른 것과 맺는 관계와 무관

         : 의식이 무엇을 표상하건, 어떤 정보를 처리하건, 어떤 생리현상을 야기하건 무관하게 어떤 감각질을 가질 수도 아닐 수도 있음

         : 감금증후군 - 감각절의 내재성에 대한 강렬한 예

         : 의식이 다른 것과 맺는 인과관계나 지향적 관계와 적어도 원칙적으로는 따로 놈

      * 형언 불가능성

         : 특정한 감각질을 알려면 직접 경험하는  수 밖에 없음

         : 선천적 색맹이 색깔을 구분하는 방식은 직접 경험하는 수 밖에 없음

      * 직접적 접근 가능성

         : 경험에 대해서는 '그냥'아는 것

         : 감각질에 대한 인지적 접근은 추론과 판단을 매개하지 않음

      * 사밀성

         : 경험 주체를 제외한 그 누구와도 공유될 수 없음 

  2) 차머스의 감각질에 대한 연구

     - 의식의 어려운 문제와 쉬운 문제를 구분

       * 쉬운 문제

          : 환경자극에 대한 식별, 범주화, 반응 능력, 인지체계에 의한 정보의 통합, 심적 상태의 보고 가능성, 자신의 내적 상태에 대한 체계의 접근 가능성, 행동의 의도적 통제, 주의의 초점, 각성과 수면의 차이 등

          : 원틱적으로 인지과학과 신경과학에 의해 해명 가능

       * 어려운 문제

          : 유기체는 어떻게 경험의 주체가 되는가

          : 감각 정보에 대한 자각은 애당초 왜 존재하는가

          : 감각질읜 왜 존재하는가

          : 경험의 주관적 요소는 왜 존재하는가

          : 왜 우리의 감각질은 없어지지 않는가

          : 의식의 현상학적 내용, 즉 감감질에 해당하는 문제들

          : 물리과학은 원칙적으로 조작/측정 가능한 문제만 다룸.  감각질 문제는 물리적 측면과 무관. 물리과학으로는 원천적 해결 봉쇄

 

3. 의식을 조작적으로 정의할 수 있을까?

  * 정말 감각질은 물리적 상태나 속성들로부터 독립적인가

  1) 차머스의 좀비  논변

      - 철학적 좀비

        * 우리와 물리적 측면은 동일하지만 감각질이 누락된 존재

           : 상상 가능하며 원칙적으로 가능

      - 철학적 좀비와 과학적 연구

        * 과학적 연구

           : 조작적 정의, 경험적 조작과 측정이 가능한 속성

           : 감각질의 비관계성으로 인해 감각질을 조작하는 것이 불가능

 

4. 가능한 대안들: 제거, 혁명, 문제해결

   * 현재의 물리과학으로는 감각질 탐구불가, 감각질에 대한 과학적 탐구는 물리과학의 유지가 힘들게 됨

  1) 제거

    - 감각질의 존재 자체를 부정

      * 데닛

         : 감각질은 환영에 불과

          : 의식의 어려운 문제는 복잡하게 얽힌 쉬운 문제일 뿐

         : 정보 처리나 계산주의 패러다임으로 이해 가능

      * 내재성이나 형언 불가능을 설명해야 하는 부담

  2) 감각질 설명을 위해 현재 과학을 근본적으로 교정

      * 차머스

         : 감각질은 스핀이나 질량, 전하와 같이 근본적인 속성

         : 이런 물리적 근본적 속성과 감각질을 이어주는 근본적인 자연법칙의 존재를 주장

         : 자연주의적 이원론

      * 불가피해 보이지만 감각질을 문제만을 위한 불분명한 근본적 속성과 법칙을 추가한다는 문제점

   3) 문제해결

      * 현재의 의식과학의 조류를 반영

 

5. 감각질 제거할 것인가, 설명할 것인가

  1) 광역뉴런작업공간이론(GNWT)

      : 의식의 어려운 문제는 잘못 제기된 문제

      : 감각질은 결국 정보 처리나 계산주의 패러다임 안에서 해결 가능

      : 어떤 정보가 인식을 통해 접근 가능한 공간인 광역작업공간에 있게 되면 의식이 발현

      : 의식적 경험은 뇌의 광범위한 피질영역에서의 장거리 앞뒤먹임 연결이 활성화됨

  2) 통합정보이론(IIT)

      : 의식적 경험을 특수한 방식으로 통합된 특수한 정보와 동일시

      : 신경수준이 아닌 정보 수준에서 의식의 본성을 밝히려 함

      : 경험에 대한 내성, 현상학적 직관으로부터 시작. 의식에 대한 정량적 계산이 가능

      : 계산적 부담이 커서 직접 검증이 어려움

      * 중요성

         : 감각질의 특정하여 정량적으로 잼

         : 진홍색의 질과 분홍색의 질의 유사성, 녹색의 질과의 차이

         :  통증의 쾌감과의 차이, 우울과의 유사 등을 설명  가능

저작자표시비영리변경금지

Contents | Purity of Heart

Contents | Purity of Heart

Contents

• Titlepage
• Contents
• Cover
• Copyright
• Acknowledgements
• 
  
• Purity of Heart
• Faith in Awakening
• Untangling the Present
• Pushing the Limits
• All About Change
• The Roots of Buddhist Romanticism
• Reconciliation, Right & Wrong
• Getting the Message
• Educating Compassion
• Jhana Not by the Numbers
• The Integrity of Emptiness
• Everyday Wisdom
• Emptiness as an Approach to Meditation
• Emptiness as an Attribute of the Senses and their Objects
• Emptiness as a State of Concentration
• The Wisdom of Emptiness
• A Verb for Nirvana
• The Practice in a Word
• Glossary
• Abbreviations

Frames of Reference

Frames of Reference

Frames of Reference

by

Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo (Phra Suddhidhammaransi Gambhiramedhacariya)

translated from the Thai by

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

© 2011

Alternate format: 

Foreword

Phra Ajaan Lee was born in 1906 in a rural village in Ubon Ratchathani province, northeastern Thailand. At the age of 20 he was ordained as a monk at the temple in his home village, and there began his study of Buddhist doctrine and monastic discipline. He discovered, much to his distress, that life in his temple — as in most temples in Thailand at the time — had little to do with the practice of the Buddha's teachings. As he wrote later in his autobiography, 'Instead of observing the duties of the contemplative life, we were out to have a good time: playing chess, wrestling, playing match games with girls whenever there was a wake... Whenever I looked into the books on monastic discipline, I'd start felling really uneasy. I told myself, "If you don't want to leave the monkhood, you're going to have to leave this temple."'

Soon after making this resolution, he happened to meet a monk of the wandering ascetic tradition founded by Phra Ajaan Sao Kantasīlo (1861–1941) and Phra Ajaan Mun Bhūridatto (1870–1949). Impressed both with the man's teachings and with his way of life, Ajaan Lee set out on foot to find Ajaan Mun and to become his student. He spent two very intensive periods studying with Ajaan Mun: once, that first year, in the forests of Ubon; and then again, four years later, at Wat Chedi Luang in Chieng Mai. Ajaan Mun and Ajaan Sao were unique in their time in teaching that the way to nibbāna was still open, and the training they gave their students in the direction of that goal was also unique, involving not only intensive meditation practice but also the total re-education of the student's character: his habits, values, and powers of observation.

As Ajaan Lee wrote in his autobiography, 'Staying with Ajaan Mun was very good for me, but also very hard. I had to be willing to learn everything anew... Some days he'd be cross with me, saying that I was messy, that I never put anything in the right place — but he'd never tell me what the right places were... To be able to stay with him any length of time, you had to be very observant and very circumspect. You couldn't leave footprints on the floor, you couldn't make noise when you swallowed water or opened the windows or doors. There had to be a science to everything you did — hanging out robes... arranging bedding, everything. Otherwise, he'd drive you out, even in the middle of the Rains Retreat. Even then, you'd just have to take it and try to use your powers of observation.

'In other matters, such as sitting and walking meditation, he trained me in every way, to my complete satisfaction. But I was able to keep up with him at best only about 60 percent of the time.'

After Ajaan Lee's second period of training, Ajaan Mun sent him out into the forests of northern Thailand to wander and meditate on his own. Ajaan Lee's wanderings eventually took him through every part of Thailand, as well as into Burma, Cambodia, and India. Of all of Ajaan Mun's students, Ajaan Lee was the first to bring the teachings of the forest tradition into the mainstream of Thai society in central Thailand. In 1935 he founded a temple, Wat Paa Khlawng Kung, in a cemetery near Chanthaburi, on the southeast coast; and in 1955 he founded Wat Asokaram in a marshy area at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River on the outskirts of Bangkok. He drew students — monks and lay people, men and women — from all levels of society and all walks of life. In 1957 he was given the ecclesiastical rank of Chao Khun, with the title Phra Suddhidhammaraṅsī Gambhīramedhācariya. He passed away in 1961.

Even in his last years, though, he continued to retreat regularly into the forest. To quote again from his autobiography: 'Living in the forest, as I like to do, has given me a lot to think about... It's a quiet place, where you can observe the influences of the environment. Take the wild rooster: If it went around acting like a domestic rooster, the cobras and mongooses would make a meal of it in no time... So it is with us: If we spend all out time wallowing in companionship, we're like a knife or a hoe stuck down into the dirt — it'll rust easily. But if it's constantly sharpened on a stone or a file, rust won't have a chance to take hold. So we should learn always to be on the alert...

'Living in the forest, the mind becomes confident. The Dhamma you've studied — or even that you haven't studied — will make itself clear, because nature is the teacher. It's like the sciences of the world, which every country has used to develop amazing powers: None of their inventions or discoveries came out of textbooks. They came because scientists studied the principles of nature, all of which appear right here in the world. As for the Dhamma, it's just like science: It exists in nature. When I realized this, I no longer worried about studying the scriptures and I was reminded of the Lord Buddha and his disciples: They studied and learned from the principles of nature. None of them followed a textbook.

'For these reasons, I'm willing to be ignorant when it comes to texts and scriptures. Some kinds of trees sleep at night and are awake during the day. Others sleep by day and are awake by night.'

Introduction

This book on the frames of reference is based to some extent on my own thoughts and opinions. In some spots it may not be directly in line with the original texts, because my primary aim has been to get to the heart of the matter so that it can be conveniently put into practice. Those who hold zealously to the texts may feel that what I have written is wrong; but as for me, I feel that whoever is able to practice in line with what is written here will find that it can be taken as a guide to the true principles of concentration, discernment, and release. To hold to the texts isn't wrong, but they should be held to discerningly, just as in medicine: A doctor who thinks that the only way to cure a fever is to drink a concoction of boiled neem and quinine leaves is wrong. Some doctors may add the leaves of other trees and make it into a powder; some may make a concentrated extract; others may vary the dosage. In the same way, when practicing the Dhamma, to go no further than the texts may in some cases be wrong. Actually, any path that abandons defilement and brings relief from suffering is right. The value of medicine lies in its ability to cure disease; the value of a method of practice lies in its ability to abandon defilement. As far as I can see, there is nothing wrong with any method that has been found to work. In the end, all such methods must follow the basic principles of virtue, concentration, and discernment, and differ only as to whether they are crude or sophisticated, direct or indirect, fast or slow.

Now, I don't want to set myself up as an absolute authority of any kind. Thus, I want you, the reader, to use your own discernment. Take whatever passage seems right for you as a basis for your practice. There is no need to follow the entire book. Simply focus on a single point, and that will be enough. Once you have mastered an important point, all the other sections will come together and connect right there.

When you are ready to meditate, you should try to find a quiet, solitary place to assist in your practice of the frames of reference. Otherwise, your practice won't go smoothly, because solitude is desirable for all spiritual seekers in general. Just as a person who wants to look at his reflection in the water will be able to see himself clearly only when the water is still, with no wind rippling across the surface, in the same way, a person who wants peace that is subtle and profound has to conduct himself in this manner.

Or to put it another way, there has to be external peace and quiet before internal peace will arise. When both forms of peace are present, you will know and see the Dhamma as it actually is. So when you put this form of meditation into practice, you should first say your chants and pay respect to the Buddha in whatever way you are accustomed to, and then begin sitting in meditation. You are sure to obtain genuine results in line with what I have written here.

If there is anything defective or wrong in this book, I trust that the reader will show me forgiveness, for I'm not much of an expert when it comes to the texts. I've simply learned a few parts, and put them into practice.

One more point: This practice of training the heart is very important in that it forms the source of all goodness and merit; and whatever is the source of goodness and merit deserves special care and attention. The heart is a vessel for all that is good. When the heart is pure, any meritorious actions you may perform externally will truly foster happiness. External merit is like a tasty curry. If it's served in a filthy dish, then even though the curry may be delicious, the person eating it won't want to eat his fill because of the filth. But if the dish is clean and the curry delicious, the person eating is likely to eat with confidence to his heart's content. In the same way, if the heart is clean, it will find itself attracted to performing externally meritorious actions. It will always be ready to make sacrifices, because in every case it will taste the nourishment of its goodness.

Not only that, a clean heart also forms the path for release from stress and suffering, leading ultimately to nibbāna. Those who are to reach the paths (magga) and fruitions (phala) leading to nibbāna will do so by way of the heart. If the heart isn't trained, then no matter how much external goodness you may have, you won't be able to reach nibbāna. Nibbāna can be attained only by training the heart in the practice of virtue, concentration, and discernment. Virtue forms the basis for concentration; concentration, the basis for discernment; and discernment, the basis for release. Concentration is especially important because it forms the basis for discernment and intuitive understanding (ñāṇa), which are the crucial factors of the path. You can't do without concentration. If concentration is lacking, you can gain nothing but jumbled thoughts and obsessions, without any sound support.

Concentration is like a nail: and discernment, a hammer. If the nail isn't held firm and straight, the hammer will strike it only hit-or-miss, and the nail will never get through the board. For the heart to penetrate the world and get through to the highest Dhamma, it must take a firm stance in concentration so as to give rise to intuitive understanding. Intuitive understanding can occur only to those who have centered the mind in concentration. As for discernment, it's something we all have, but if it lacks intuitive understanding, it can never get beyond the world.

For this reason, we should all take an interest in the factors that form the path leading beyond suffering and stress to abundant wellbeing.

If you have questions about any part of this book, please feel free to ask at any time.

The merit coming from the writing of this book, I ask to dedicate to all those who have felt inspired to help pay for its printing costs so that it can be distributed freely as a gift of Dhamma. May the power arising from this gift bear them fruit, so that whatever they aspire to that is upright and just may succeed in bringing them happiness in every way.

Phra Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo
Wat Paa Khlawng Kung
(The Shrimp Canal Forest Temple)
Chanthaburi, 1948

Frames of Reference

An explanation of the four frames of reference, which are — for those who put them into practice — a means for freedom from defilement:

1. Kāyānupassanā satipaṭṭhāna: being mindful of the body as a frame of reference.
2. Vedanānupassanā satipaṭṭhāna: being mindful of feelings as a frame of reference.
3. Cittānupassanā satipaṭṭhāna: being mindful of the mind as a frame of reference.
4. Dhammānupassanā satipaṭṭhāna: being mindful of mental qualities as a frame of reference.

In order to use these four frames of reference as a means for centering the mind, you must first familiarize yourself with the following three qualities. Otherwise, you can't say that you're standing firm on your frame of reference. The truth of the matter is that the translations given above are too narrow — for in dealing with the frames of reference, mere mindfulness isn't enough. When it's not enough, and yet you keep being mindful of the body, you will give rise only to feelings of pleasure and displeasure, because the duty of mindfulness is simply to keep remembering or referring to an object. So in developing the frames of reference, you have to know your tools for remembering —

1. Sati: mindfulness; powers of reference.
2. Sampajañña: alertness. This has to be firmly in place at the mind before sending mindfulness out to refer to its object — such as the body — and then bringing it back inwards to refer to the heart.
3. Ātappa: ardency; focused investigation, analyzing the object into its various aspects.

This can be illustrated as follows: The body is like a sawmill. The mind is like a drive shaft. Alertness is the pulley that spins around the drive shaft in one spot. Mindfulness is the belt that ties the mind to its object, not letting it slip away to other objects. Ardency — focused investigation — is the saw blade that keeps cutting the logs into pieces so that they can be of use. These three qualities must always be present for your practice of centering the mind to succeed.

Now we will discuss the work to be done, the objects for which focused investigation, alertness, and mindfulness are responsible, each its separate way. The objects are four —

1. The body (kāya), which is a conglomeration of the four properties of earth, water, fire, and wind.
2. Feelings (vedanā): the experiencing of such sensations as pleasure, pain, and neither pleasure nor pain.
3. The mind (citta), which is what stores up the various forms of good and evil.
4. Mental qualities (dhamma): conditions maintained within you, such as the skillful and unskillful qualities that occur mixed together in the mind.

These are the four things for which you must be responsible.

I. Body

The term 'body' here refers to conglomerations of the four properties, both those that have consciousness directing them and those that no longer do, but that still appear to the eye. Both sorts are termed physical bodies (rūpa-kāya). Bodies can be considered under three aspects —

1. The inner body: your own body.
2. Outer bodies: the bodies of other people.
3. The body in and of itself: the act of focusing on an aspect or part of the body, such as the breath, which is an aspect of one of the four properties. This is what is meant by the body in and of itself.

The body, whether inner or outer, is simply a matter of the four properties. Now that you know your duties, you have to perform them properly. Sampajañña: Keep your alertness in place, right at the mind within. You don't have to direct it anywhere else. Sati: Your mindfulness has to be all-round. In other words, refer inwardly to the mind and then out to the object — in this case, the physical body — and then watch after the mind and its object to make sure that they don't slip away from each other. Ātappa: Focus ardently on investigating the physical body, analyzing it into its various aspects. This can be done in any of five ways:

1. Investigate the 32 parts of the body, beginning with the hair of the head, hair of the body, nails, teeth, skin, etc. Make a thorough survey and evaluation. If this method doesn't calm the mind, go on to —
2. Investigate the various repugnant aspects of the body, beginning with the fact that the body is a conglomeration of all sorts of things. In other words, it's a burial ground, a national cemetery, filled with the corpses of cattle, pigs, ducks, chickens, sour, sweet, greasy, salty, gathered and aged in the stomach, filtered and distilled into blood, pus, decomposing and putrid, oozing throughout the body and coming out its various openings: this body, which all of us in the human race care for without ceasing — bathing it, scrubbing it, masking its smell — and even then its filth keeps displaying itself as ear wax, eye secretions, nasal drip, tooth tartar, skin-scruff, and sweat, always oozing out, filthy in every way. What it comes from is filthy, where it stays is filthy (i.e., in a cemetery of fresh corpses, or even worse — we've probably buried hundreds of different kinds of corpses within ourselves). If you look at the human body, you'll see that its characteristics are ill-matched and incongruous. Its smell is something really offensive. If looking at the body in this way doesn't give rise to a sense of dismay and detachment, go on to —
3. Investigate the in-and-out breath. When the breath comes in long, be aware of the fact. When it goes out long, be aware of it. When you first begin dealing with the breath, start out by sending your attention out with the out-breath and in with the in-breath. Do this two or three times, and then let your attention settle in the middle — without letting it follow the breath in or out — until the mind becomes still, paying attention only to the in-and-out breath. Make the mind open, relaxed and at ease. You can settle your awareness at the tip of the nose, at the palate — if you can keep it centered in the middle of the chest, so much the better. Keep the mind still, and it will feel at ease. Discernment will arise; an inner light will appear, reducing distractive thought. Now observe the behavior of the breath as it swells and contracts — in long and out long, in short and out short, in short and out long, in long and out short, in heavy and out light, in light and out heavy, in light and out light. Focus on making a thorough investigation into these different modes of breathing, without letting the mind move along with the breath. Do this until it gives rise to a sense of mental calm. If, however, this method doesn't make you calm, go on to —
4. Investigate the four properties: earth, water, wind and fire. The parts of the body that feel hard are the earth property. The parts that feel liquid are the water property. The energy that flows through the body is the wind property; and the warmth in the body, the fire property. Imagine that you can take the earth property out and pile it in a heap in front of you, that you can take the water property out and pile it behind you, that you can pile the wind property in a heap to your left, and the fire property in a heap to your right. Place yourself in the middle and take a good look at the body, until you see that, when taken apart in this way, it vanishes into nothing, into ashes — what they call 'death' — and you will come to feel a sense of dismay and detachment. If, however, you don't see any results appearing, go on to —
5. Consider the fact that the body, once it's born, leaves you exposed on all sides to the steady onslaughts of old age, illness, and death. Ultimately, you are sure to be torn away from everything in the world. The body is always displaying its nature —

   Anicca: It's inconstant, unstable, always shifting precariously about.

   Dukkha: It's hard to endure.

   Anattā: It's not you, yours, or anyone else's. You didn't bring it with you when you came, and can't take it with you when you go. When you die, you'll have to throw it away like an old log or a piece of kindling. There's nothing of any substance or worth to it at all.

When you consider things in this way, you'll come to feel a sense of dismay and detachment that will make the mind steady, still, and firmly centered in concentration.

These five activities are the duties of your focused investigation, fighting to see the true nature of the physical body. As for mindfulness, it has to follow its own duties, referring to the object under investigation, at the same time referring to the mind within. Don't make reference to anything else. Keep check on whether or not you have your mind on what you're doing: This is alertness. Keep track of your mind, observing it at all times to see in what ways it might be acting or reacting on you. Keep your alertness always in place, right at the heart.

All the activities mentioned here are aspects of taking the body as a frame of reference. Whether you are dealing with the inner body, with outer bodies, or with the body in and of itself, you have to use the three qualities mentioned above. Only when you have them fully developed can you say that you are developing the great frame of reference (mahā-satipaṭṭhāna).

Normally, mindfulness is a quality we all have, but when it lacks alertness, it falls into wrong ways, becoming Wrong Mindfulness. But when you can follow the methods outlined above, you are sure to develop a disinterested steadiness of mind. You will come to feel a sense of dismay and detachment that will make the mind quiet, calm, and unperturbed. This is the ladder of liberating insight (vipassanā-ñāṇa), leading to nibbāna, which people of wisdom and experience have guaranteed:

nibbānaṃ paramaṃ sukhaṃ
Nibbāna is the ultimate ease.

This ends the discussion of keeping the body in mind as a frame of reference.

II. Feelings

The word 'feeling' refers to the experiencing of sensations that arise from one's own actions, or kamma. There are three sorts of feelings: inner feelings or moods, outer feelings, and feelings in and of themselves.

1. Inner feelings, in terms of how they feel, are of three kinds —
   1. Sukha-vedana: good moods; a carefree sense of ease or well-being in the mind.
   2. Dukkha-vedana: bad moods; a feeling of depression, sorrow, annoyance or discouragement.
   3. Upekkha-vedana: neutral moods, during intervals when happiness and sadness are not appearing.
2. Outer feelings are also of three kinds —
   1. Somanassa-vedana: pleasure or delight in objects of the six senses — sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, and ideas; becoming attracted to and pleased with these things as they come into contact with the heart.
   2. Domanassa-vedana: displeasure or discontent that arises from contact with objects of the senses such as sights, sounds, smells, tastes, etc., as they appear to the eye, ear, nose, tongue, etc., and strike one as unsatisfactory or undesirable.
   3. Upekkha-vedana: a feeling of indifference or neutrality as one comes into contact with sights, sounds, etc.

   These feelings are called out feelings because they are connected with the external sense media.

3. Feelings in and of themselves: This refers to the act of focusing on any single aspect of the above-mentioned feelings. In other words, you don't have to be particular. Whenever pleasure arises, for example, set your mind on investigating it. Keep it firmly in mind. Watch after it to see that it stays within you, and that you stay within it. Don't let your frame of reference slip away and change — and don't let any hopes or wants arise in that mental moment at all. Then use your powers of focused investigation to look into the truth of the feeling; and alertness to watch after the mind, to make sure that your awareness stays in place. Don't allow the mental current that causes stress to arise.

The cause of stress first arises when alertness is weak and the mind vacillates. The vacillation is called craving for not-becoming (vibhava-tanha). As the movement becomes stronger, a mental current arises and goes straying out. The current that strays out is craving for becoming (bhava-tanha). When it comes across a thought or sensory object and grabs hold, that's called craving for sensuality (kama-tanha). For this reason, you should watch after the mind to make sure that it stays with its one object, its feeling of pleasure. Don't let any other preoccupations get involved. Keep your mindfulness and alertness firmly in place, and then make a focused investigation of the truth of that feeling. Only when you do this can you say that you are making use of feelings in and of themselves as a frame of reference.

By and large, whenever a mood or feeling arises, we tend to give rise to various hopes or desires. For instance, when a good mood arises, we want that sense of wellbeing to stay as it is or to increase. This desire gives rise to stress, and so we receive results contrary to what we had hoped for. Sometimes a bad mood arises and we don't want it, so we struggle to find happiness, and this simply piles on more suffering. Sometimes the heart is neutral — neither happy nor sad, neither pleased nor displeased — and we want to stay that way constantly, or else we start to think that staying neutral is stupid or inane. This gives rise to more desires, and we start to struggle for something better than what we already are.

When this happens, we can't say that we're firmly based on our frame of reference — for even though we may be mindful of the fact that a good or a bad or a neutral feeling has arisen, we're not beyond it. This shows that we lack the three qualities that can nurture and support mindfulness in becoming a factor of the Path. In other words, start out with alertness firmly established, and then use mindfulness to connect the mind with its object. Don't let the mind slip away from the object, and don't let the object slip away from the mind. Keep mindfulness firmly in reference to the object, and watch the mind to make sure that it stays fixed on its one object. As for the object, it's the responsibility of your focused investigation to keep track of whatever aspect of feeling may appear: inner or outer; happy, sad, or neutral.

1. For instance, when pain arises, what does it come from? Investigate it until you know its truth. What does pleasure come from? It's the duty of your focused investigation to find out. In what mental moment does neutrality occur? It's the duty of your focused investigation to keep watch until you really know. Whatever feelings may arise, inner or outer, are the responsibility of your focused investigation. You have to use your powers of analysis to burn into whatever spot a feeling may arise. This is the first round in your investigation.
2. The second round: Watch the arising of feelings in the present. You don't have to follow them anywhere else. Tell yourself that whatever may be causing these feelings, you're going to focus exclusively on what is present.
3. Focus on the fading of feelings in the present.
4. Focus on the passing away of feelings in the present.
5. Stay with the realization that feelings do nothing but arise and fall away — simply flowing away and vanishing in various ways — with nothing of any substance or worth. When you can do this, you can say that your frame of reference is firmly established in feelings in and of themselves — and at that point, the Path comes together.

If we were to express this in terms of the factors of the Path, we'd have to do so as follows: The alertness that constantly watches after the mind, keeping it at normalcy, making sure that it doesn't fall into unskillful ways, is virtue. The mindfulness that keeps the mind connected with its object so that it doesn't slip away to other objects, is concentration. The focused investigation that penetrates into each object as it arises so as to know its true nature clearly — knowing both arising and disbanding, as well as non-arising and non-disbanding — is discernment. These three qualities have to arise together in a single mental moment for the Path to come together (magga-samaṅgī), and then the Path will function on its own, in line with its duties, enabling you to see clearly and know truly without having to let go of this or work at that, work at this or let go of that, let go of the outside or work at the inside, work at the outside or let go of the inside or whatever.

When all three of these qualities are gathered together, you can deal with any feeling at all — past, present, or future; pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral — because when these three qualities are fully developed, they all connect. This is why I made the comparison at the beginning: The mind is like a drive shaft. Alertness is like a pulley spinning in place around the drive shaft. Mindfulness is like the belt that keeps the mind and its objects from slipping away from each other. Focused investigation is like the saw blade that works back and forth, cutting each object to pieces — which is what is meant by 'bhagavant.'

Only a person who has the discernment to see in line with the truth in this way can be said to have fully mastered the use of feelings as a frame of reference.

III. The Mind

In using the mind as a frame of reference, there are three aspects to deal with:

1. The mind inside.
2. The mind outside.
3. The mind in and of itself.

'The mind inside' refers to a state exclusively in the heart unrelated to any outer preoccupations. 'The mind outside' refers to its interaction with such outer preoccupations as sights, sounds, etc. 'The mind in and of itself' refers to the act of singling out any aspect of the mind as it appears, whether inside or out.

As for the modes of the mind inside, there are three —

1. Rāga-citta: a mental state infused with desire or passion.
2. Dosa-citta: a sense of inner irritation and displeasure.
3. Moha-citta: a cloudy, murky, or confused state of mind, in which it is unable to consider anything; in short, delusion.

The mind outside is divided into the same three aspects — states of passion, irritation and delusion — but these are said to be 'outside' because once any of these aspects arises, it tends to go out and latch onto an outer preoccupation that simply serves to further aggravate the original state of passion, irritation, or delusion. The mind then doesn't clearly or truly understand its objects. Its knowledge goes off in various directions, away from the truth: seeing beauty, for instance, in things that aren't beautiful, constancy in things that are inconstant, pleasure in things that are painful, and self in things that are not-self.

All of these things are aspects of the mind outside.

'The mind in and of itself' refers to the act of singling out any one of these aspects of the mind. For example, sometimes passion arises, sometimes irritation, sometimes delusion: Whichever aspect may be arising in the present, single it out. With your alertness firmly in place, be steadily mindful of that aspect of the mind, without making reference to any other objects — and without letting any hopes or wants arise in that particular mental moment at all. Then focus unwaveringly on investigating that state of mind until you know its truth. The truth of these states is that sometimes, once they've arisen, they flare up and spread; sometimes they die away. Their nature is to arise for a moment and then dissolve away with nothing of any substance or worth. When you are intent on examining things in this way — with your mindfulness, alertness, and powers of focused investigation firmly in place — then none of these defilements, even though they may be appearing, will have the chance to grow or spread. This is like the baskets or jars used to cover new lettuce plants: If no one removes the baskets, the plants will never have a chance to grow, and will simply wither away and die. Thus you have to keep your alertness right with each mental state as it arises. Keep mindfulness constantly referring to its object, and use your powers of focused investigation to burn into those defilements so as to keep them away from the heart at all times.

To put this another way, all of the mental states mentioned above are like lettuce or green-gram seeds. Mindfulness is like a basket. Alertness is the person who scatters the seeds, while the power of focused investigation is the heat of the sun that burns them up.

So far, we have mentioned only bad mental states. Their opposites are good mental states: virāga-citta — the mind free from the grip of passion; adosa-citta — the mind free from the irritation or anger that can lead to loss and ruin; amoha-citta — the mind free from delusion, intoxication, and misunderstandings. These are skillful states of mind (kusala-citta), which form the root of all that is good. When they arise, maintain them and observe them so that you can come to know the level of your mind.

There are four levels of good mental states —

1. Kāmāvacara-bhūmi: the level of sensuality.
2. Rūpāvacara-bhūmi: the level of form.
3. Arūpavacara-bhūmi: the level of formlessness.
4. Lokuttara-bhūmi: the transcendent level.

1. The level of sensuality: A mental state arises and connects with a skillful object — any sight, sound, smell, taste, tactile sensation, or idea that can form the basis for skillful mental states. When it meets with its object, it becomes happy, joyful, and glad. (Here we are referring only to those sensory objects that are good for the mind.) If you were to refer to the Heavens of Sensual Bliss as they appear within each of us, the list would run as follows: Sights that can form the basis for skillful mental states are one level, sounds are another, and same with smells, tastes, tactile sensations, and ideas. Together they form the six levels of heaven on the sensual level.
2. The level of form: A mental state arises from thinking about (vitakka) a physical object that serves as the theme of one's meditation; and then analyzing (vicāra) the object into its various aspects, at the same time making sure that the mind doesn't slip away from the object (ekaggatārammaṇa). When the mind and its object are one in this way, the object becomes light. The mind is unburdened and can let go of its worries. Rapture (pīti) and pleasure (sukha) arise as a result. When these five factors appear in the mind, it has entered the first jhāna — the beginning stage in the level of form.
3. The level of formlessness: The mind lets go of its physical object on the level of form, but is still attached to a very subtle mental notion — the jhāna of infinite space, for instance, in which you are focused on a sense of emptiness and awareness with no physical object or image passing into your field of attention, so that you are unable to know its full range. What has actually happened is that you have curled up and are hiding inside. This isn't the kind of 'going in to know' that comes from finishing your work. It's the 'going in to know' that comes from wanting to run away. You've seen the faults of what arises outside you, but haven't seen that they really lie buried within you — so you've hidden inside by limiting the field of your attention.

   Some people, when they reach this point, believe that they have done away with defilement, because they mistake the emptiness for nibbāna. Actually, it's only the first stage in the level of formlessness, and so is still on the mundane level.

   If you seriously want to know whether your mind is on the mundane or the transcendent level, then observe it when you turn your awareness inward and make it still — when you feel a sense of peace and ease that seems to have no defilements adulterating it at all. Let go of that mental state, to see how it behaves on its own. If defilements can reappear, you're still on the mundane level. Sometimes that mental state remains unchanged through the power of your own efforts, but after a while you become unsure of your knowledge. Your mind has to keep fondling, i.e., making a running commentary on it. When this is the case, don't go believing that your knowledge is in any way true.

   There are many, many kinds of knowledge: The intellect knows, the heart knows, the mind knows, consciousness knows, discernment knows, alertness knows, awareness knows, unawareness knows. All these modes are based on knowledge; they differ simply in how they know. If you aren't able to distinguish clearly among the different modes of knowing, knowing can become confused — and so you might take wrong knowing to be right knowing, or unawareness to be awareness, or knowledge attached to suppositions (sammuti) to be freedom from suppositions (vimutti). Thus you should experiment and examine things carefully from all angles so that you can come to see for yourself which kind of knowledge is genuine, and which is counterfeit. Counterfeit knowledge merely knows but can't let go. Genuine knowledge, when it goes about knowing anything, is bound to let go.

   All three levels of the mind discussed so far are on the mundane level.

4. The transcendent level: This begins with the path and fruition of entry into the stream to nibbāna. Those who reach this level have begun by following the threefold training of virtue, concentration, and discernment on the mundane level, but then have gone on to gain their first true insight into the four Noble Truths, enabling them to free themselves from the first three Fetters (saṃyojana). Their minds are thus released into the stream to nibbāna. The three Fetters are —
   1. Self-identification (sakkāya-diṭṭhi): the view that leads us to believe that the conscious body is our own.
   2. Doubt (vicikicchā): the uncertainty that leads us to be unsure of the good we believe in — i.e., of how much truth there is to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Saṅgha.
   3. Attachment to precepts and practices (sīlabbata-parāmāsa): fondling the good that we practice; being attached to those forms of goodness that are merely external activities — for instance, observing precepts or practices by clinging simply to the level of bodily action or speech. Examples of this attitude include such things as developing virtue by adhering simply to the precepts; practicing concentration by simply sitting like a post; not being able to free yourself from these activities, always holding onto the goodness that comes from them, happy when you have the chance to perform them in a particular way, upset when you don't; thinking, for instance, that virtue is something you get from monks when they give you the precepts; that the eight precepts are to be observed only on certain days and nights, months and years; that you gain or lose merit simply as a result of external activities associated with your accustomed beliefs. None of these attitudes reaches the essence of virtue. They go no further than simply clinging to beliefs, customs, and conventions; clutching onto these forms of goodness, always fondling them, unable to let them go. Thus this is called 'attachment to precepts and practices.'

   Such attitudes are an obstacle to what is truly good. Take, for example, the long-held belief that goodness means to practice generosity, virtue, and meditation on the uposatha days: Stream-winners have completely let go of such beliefs. Their hearts are no longer caught up in beliefs and customs. Their virtues no longer have precepts. In other words, they have reached the essence of virtue. Their virtue is free from the limits of time.

   In this they differ from ordinary, run-of-the-mill people. Ordinary people have to hand goodness over to external criteria — believing, for instance, that virtue lies on this day or that, during the Rains Retreat, during this or that month or year — and then holding fast to that belief, maintaining that anyone who doesn't follow the custom can't be virtuous. In the end, such people have a hard time finding the opportunity really to do good. Thus we can say that they don't know the true criteria for goodness. As for Stream-winners, all the qualities of virtue have come in and filled their hearts. They are able to unshackle themselves from the conventional values of the world that say that this or that is good. What is truly good they have seen appear in their hearts. Good lies right here. Evil lies right here. Neither depends on external activities. This is in line with the Buddha's saying,

   mano-pubbaṅgamā dhammā mano-seṭṭhā mano-mayā All matters are preceded by the heart, Excelled by the heart, Achieved through the heart.

   This is what is meant by 'Stream-winner.'

   Stream-winners are like people who have rowed their boats into the main current of the Chao Phraya River, and so are destined to float down to the river's mouth and into the sea of amata — deathless — nibbana. There are three ways they can reach the sea:

   1. The lowest level of Stream-winner is like a boatsman who leans back with his hand simply placed on the rudder. This level of Stream-winner reaches the goal slowly.
   2. The second level is like a boatsman who has his foot on the rudder, his hands on the oars, and rows along.
   3. The third level: The boat is equipped with a motor and the boatsman is at the steering wheel, and so he reaches the goal in practically no time at all.

   This — reaching the stream to nibbana — is the beginning stage of the transcendent level. If you were to simplify the three Fetters, you could do so as follows: To be attached to the conscious body as being one's own is self-identification. To be attached to the activities of the body is attachment to precepts and practices. Not knowing how to separate the mind from the body or from one's activities makes one unable to see clearly and know truly: This leads to uncertainty and doubt.

   These are simply my opinions on the matter, so you who read this should consider things carefully on your own.

This ends the discussion of the transcendent and mundane skillful states of mind.

When you know the characteristics of the various mental states, you should use the three qualities mentioned above as your tools: Keep your mindfulness, alertness, and powers of focused investigation firmly in place at the mind. To be able to gain knowledge, you have to use the power of focused investigation, which is an aspect of discernment, to know how mental states arise and fall: pulling out, taking a stance, and then returning into stillness. You must keep your attention fixed on investigating these things constantly in order to be able to know the arising and falling away of mental states — and you will come to know the nature of the mind that doesn't arise and doesn't fall away.

To know the arising and falling away of mental states of the past is one level of cognitive skill (vijjā), and deserves to be called 'knowledge of previous births.' To know the states of the mind as they change in the present deserves to be called 'knowledge of death and rebirth.' To know how to separate mental states from their objects, knowing the primal nature of the mind, knowing the current or force of the mind that flows to its objects; separating the objects, the current of mind that flows, and the primal nature of the mind: To be able to know in this way deserves to be called 'knowledge of the ending of mental effluents.' The objects or preoccupations of the mind are the effluent of sensuality. The current that flows is the effluent of a state of becoming. Not knowing the nature of the mind is the effluent of unawareness.

If we were to express this in terms of the four Noble Truths, we would have to do so as follows: The objects or preoccupations of the mind are the truth of stress (dukkha-sacca). The current of the mind that flows into and falls for its objects is the truth of the cause of stress (samudaya-sacca). The mental state that penetrates in to see clearly the truth of all objects, the current of the mind, and the primal nature of the mind, is called the mental moment that forms the Path (magga-citta). To let go of the objects, the mental current, and the nature of the mind, without any sense of attachment, is the truth of the disbanding of stress (nirodha-sacca).

When the three qualities that assist the mind — alertness, mindfulness, and focused investigation — are vigorous and strong, strong alertness becomes the awareness of release (vijjā-vimutti), strong mindfulness becomes intuitive understanding (ñāṇa), and strong focused investigation becomes liberating insight (vipassanā-ñāṇa), the discernment that can stay fixed on knowing the truth of stress without permitting any sense of pleasure or displeasure for its object to arise. Intuitive understanding fathoms the cause of stress, and the awareness of release knows the heart clearly all the way through. When you can know in this way, you can say that you know rightly.

Here I would like to back up and discuss the question of the mind in a little more detail. The word 'mind' covers three aspects:

1. The primal nature of the mind.
2. Mental states.
3. Mental states in interaction with their objects.

All of these aspects, taken together, make up the mind. If you don't know the mind in this way, you can't say that you really know it. All you can do is say that the mind arises and falls away, the mind doesn't rise or fall away; the mind is good, the mind is evil; the mind becomes annihilated, the mind doesn't become annihilated; the mind is a dhamma, the mind isn't a dhamma; the mind gains release, the mind doesn't gain release; the mind is nibbāna, the mind isn't nibbāna; the mind is sensory consciousness, the mind isn't sensory consciousness; the mind is the heart, the mind isn't the heart...

As the Buddha taught, there are only two paths to practice — the body, speech, and heart; and the body, speech, and mind — and in the end both paths reach the same point: Their true goal is release. So if you want to know the truth concerning any of the above issues, you have to follow the path and reach the truth on your own. Otherwise, you'll have to argue endlessly. These issues — for people who haven't practiced all the way to clear insight — have been termed by people of wisdom as sedamocana-kathā: issues that can only make you break out in a sweat.

So I would like to make a short explanation: The primal nature of the mind is a nature that simply knows. The current that thinks and streams out from knowing to various objects is a mental state. When this current connects with its objects and falls for them, it becomes a defilement, darkening the mind: This is a mental state in interaction. Mental states, by themselves and in interaction, whether good or evil, have to arise, have to disband, have to dissolve away by their very nature. The source of both these sorts of mental states is the primal nature of the mind, which neither arises nor disbands. It is a fixed phenomenon (ṭhiti-dhamma), always in place. By the primal nature of the mind — which is termed 'pabhassara,' or radiant — I mean the ordinary, elementary state of knowing in the present. But whoever isn't able to penetrate in to know it can't gain any good from it, like the proverbial monkey with the diamond.

Thus the name given by the Buddha for this state of affairs is really fitting: avijjā — dark knowledge, counterfeit knowledge. This is in line with the terms 'pubbante aññāṇam' — not knowing the beginning, i.e., the primal nature of the mind; 'parante aññāṇam' — not knowing the end, i.e., mental states in interaction with their objects; 'majjhantika aññāṇam' — not knowing the middle, i.e., the current that streams from the primal nature of knowing. When this is the case, the mind becomes a saṅkhāra: a fabricator, a magician, concocting prolifically in its myriad ways.

This ends the discussion of the mind as a frame of reference.

IV. Mental Qualities

Mental qualities as a frame of reference can be divided into three sorts: inner mental qualities, outer mental qualities, and mental qualities in and of themselves.

1. Inner mental qualities can be either good or bad, but here we will deal only with the five Hindrances (nivarana), which are bad —
   1. Kāma-chanda: sensual desire.
   2. Byāpāda: ill will, malevolence.  
   3. Thīna-middha: sloth and drowsiness.
   4. Uddhacca-kukkucca: restlessness and anxiety.
   5. Vicikicchā: uncertainty.

   These five Hindrances can be either inner or outer phenomena. For example:

   1. The mind gives rise to sensual desire but hasn't yet streamed out to fix its desires on any particular object.
   2. The mind gives rise to a sense of irritation and displeasure, but without yet fixing on any particular object.
   3. A state of drowsiness arises in the mind, without yet fixing on any particular object.
   4. The mind is restless, anxious, and disturbed on its own, without yet fixing on any particular object.
   5. The mind is doubtful and uncertain — unable to think anything through — but without yet fixing on any particular object. It's simply that way on its own.

   If these five Hindrances are still weak and haven't yet streamed out to become involved with any external objects, they are called "inner mental qualities."

2. Outer mental qualities simply come from the inside:
   1. Once the mind has given rise to a sense of desire, it streams out and fixes on such external objects as sights, sounds, smells, tastes, etc.
   2. Once the mind has given rise to a sense of irritation, it streams out and fixes on a sight, sound, smell, taste, etc., and then dislikes its object, wanting it to be destroyed.
   3. The mind, already in a state of torpor, streams out and fixes on an outer object. Once it has fixed on the object, it then becomes even more torpid.
   4. The mind, already restless, streams out to fix on such outer objects as sights, sounds, smells, tastes, etc.
   5. A mental state of uncertainty arises in the mind, and the mind lets it stream out to fix on such external objects as sights, etc.

   These are thus called outer mental qualities. When any mental quality first arises in the mind, it's called an inner quality. When it flares up, grows stronger and streams out to an outer object, it's called an outer quality.

3. Mental qualities in and of themselves: This means to focus on any one of these Hindrances — because not all five Hindrances can appear in the same mental moment. You can thus pick out any Hindrance at all to focus on and examine. For example, suppose that sensual desire has appeared: Keep your alertness firmly in place at the heart, and use your mindfulness to keep the mind on the phenomenon. Don't waver, and don't let any hopes or wishes arise. Keep your mind firmly in one place. Don't go dragging any other objects in to interfere. Focus your powers of ardent investigation down on nothing but the quality appearing in the present. As long as you haven't gained clear, true insight into it, don't let up on your efforts. When you can do this, you are developing mental qualities in and of themselves as a frame of reference.

The qualities mentioned above are all unskillful qualities (akusala dhamma). They act as obstacles to such things as jhāna, liberating insight and the transcendent. Thus, if you want to gain release from them, you must first center the mind firmly in concentration. To be able to center the mind firmly, you have to develop the following three qualities within yourself —

1. Sampajañña: alertness. Always have this firmly in place.
2. Sati: mindfulness. Keep the mind in firm reference to whatever quality has arisen within it. Watch after the quality to keep it with the mind; watch after the mind to make sure that it doesn't lose aim and go slipping off to other objects. Once you see that the mind and its object have become compatible with each other, use —
3. Ātappa — the power of focused investigation — to get to the facts of the quality. If you haven't yet gained clear and true insight, don't relax your efforts. Keep focusing and investigating until the power of your discernment is concentrated and strong, and you will come to know that mental qualities — whether inner, outer, or in and of themselves — simply arise, fade and disband. There's nothing of any lasting worth to them, because they are all saṅkhata dhamma — fabricated phenomena; and whatever is fabricated falls under the truths of aniccatā — inconstancy; dukkhatā — stress, i.e., it's hard to bear; and anattatā: It's not you, yours, or anyone else's. It simply changes in line with natural conditions. No one with any real discernment holds onto these qualities as self or as anything of lasting worth, because such people have seen that these things are like wheels or gears: Whoever holds onto them will have to be trampled or mashed.

Thus if you hope for the genuine happiness offered by the Buddha's teachings, you should take the three qualities mentioned above and make them permanent features of your heart — and you will come to see clearly the quality free from fabrication, called the unfabricated (asaṅkhata dhamma), the genuine Dhamma. Uncreated, uncaused, it simply is, by its very nature. It doesn't circle about, arising and passing away. The unfabricated is a perfectly ordinary part of nature, yet no one in the world can know it aside from those who have developed virtue, concentration, and discernment. So if you sincerely want to go beyond suffering and stress, you should work to give rise to clear and true insight through your own efforts. When you can keep your alertness constantly in place, you will be able to know the nature of the mind. Your powers of reference and focused investigation will have to be constantly in place within for you not to be misled by the objects and preoccupations of the mind.

Most of us, ordinarily, have no clear sense of our own nature, and so we can't clearly see the thoughts and urges that arise within us. As a result, we go out to fasten onto their objects, giving rise to the wheel of wandering-on (vaṭṭa-saṃsāra), circling around and around without end.

Here I will refer to the wheel within: Not knowing the primal nature of the mind is the cycle of defilement (kilesa vaṭṭa), or unawareness, which is the beginning of the cycle. This gives rise to fabrication, which is the cycle of intention and action (kamma vaṭṭa). This in turn leads us to experience mental objects and preoccupations, which is the cycle of retribution (vipāka vaṭṭa). Thus there are three parts to the cycle.

The three parts of the cycle can be illustrated as follows: Unawareness is the hub of the wheel. Fabrications are the spokes; and mental preoccupations, the rim. The sensory organs form the yoke and harness, sensory objects are the oxen, and the driver is birth, aging, illness, and death. Now pile on your belongings — your defilements — and with a lash of the whip, you're off: The oxen drag you away, leading you up the mountains and down, until in the end you crash and are smashed to smithereens, i.e., death.

For this reason, we must make our awareness penetrate into the nature of the mind at the center of the axle, which doesn't turn with the wheel and which is said to be 'uncycling' (vivaṭṭa). Whoever can do this will find that the path is sudden and short, not slow. For example, in ancient times, monks and lay disciples were able to reach Awakening even while sitting and listening to a sermon, while going for alms, or while gazing at a corpse. From this we can gather that, after imbuing themselves with the qualities mentioned above, they focused their investigation on that particular point and gained clear and true insight right then and there, without having to pull in or out, back or forth. They were able to let go naturally, with no 'in' or 'out,' no 'coming' or 'going.'

Those who investigate will see the truth. Some people believe that they will have to abandon all mental preoccupations before they can train the mind, but the truth of the matter is that the mind is usually deluded right there — at its preoccupations — and the spot where you are deluded is the spot you have to investigate. If you don't solve the problem right where you're deluded, don't believe that you can let go by hiding out or running away. Even if you do run away and hide, you'll end up coming back and falling for the same old preoccupations once more.

People of discernment, though, whether they deal with what is inside or out, can give rise to virtue, concentration, discernment, and release in every context. They have no sense that the inside is right and the outside wrong; that the inside is wrong and the outside right; or that the inside is refined and the outside base. Such opinions never occur to people of discernment. Discernment has to be all-around knowing or knowing all around before it can be called full-fledged discernment. Knowing all around means to know the inside first and then the outside. All-around knowing means to know the outside first, and then to bring that awareness all the way in. This is why they are called people of discernment: They can bring the outside in; what is base they can make refined; past and future they can bring into the present, because they have brought the parts of the Path together in equal measure — mindfulness, alertness, and focused investigation — each performing its duties, forming the way that leads beyond all suffering and stress.

Those who can do this will be able to reach the truth in any posture. All that will appear to them will be the condition of stress (sabhāva-dukkha) and the condition of things in themselves (sabhāva-dhamma). To see things this way is called 'yathābhūta-ñāṇa' — seeing things for what they really are.

Summary

The four frames of reference can be reduced to two: physical and mental phenomena, or — another way of putting it — body and mind. Even though they are divided into four, it is simply the current of the mind that is divided. When you come to the essence of the practice, it all boils down to the body and mind. If you want really to simplify the practice, you should focus on investigating the body and then focus on investigating the mind.

1. To focus on investigating the body: Be aware of any one aspect of the body, such as the breath, and then when you can keep focused on it accurately, spread your awareness to observe other aspects of the body, examining them from various angles. While making your investigation, though, don't let go of your original focus — the breath. Keep examining things until you've gained clear and true insight into the aspects of the body, and the mind becomes more quiet, still and subtle than before. If anything arises while you are investigating, don't fasten onto it in any way.
2. To focus on investigating the mind: Set your awareness at one spot or another, and keep that awareness perfectly still. After your mind has been still long enough, examine the ways it then changes and moves, until you can see that its movements, whether good or bad, are simply a form of fabrication (saṅkhāra). Don't let yourself become preoccupied with anything you may come to know, think, or see while examining. Keep your awareness in the present. When you can do this, your mind is headed toward peace and clear insight.

This way of practice falls in line with all four of the frames of reference. When you can do this, you will give rise to the mental moment that forms the Path — and the moment the Path arises in full power is the moment you can let go.

Letting go has two forms: (1) Being able to set go of mental objects but not of one's own mind. (2) Being able to let go both of the objects of the mind and of one's self.

To be able to let go both of one's objects and of one's self is genuine knowing. To be able to let go of one's objects but not of one's self is counterfeit knowing. Genuine knowing lets go of both ends: It lets the object follow its own nature as an object, and lets the mind follow the nature of the mind. In other words, it lets nature look after itself. 'Object' here refers to the body; 'self' refers to the heart. You have to let go of both.

When your knowledge can reach this level, you don't have to worry much about virtue, concentration, or discernment. Virtue, concentration, and discernment aren't the nature of the mind; nor is the nature of the mind virtue, concentration, and discernment. Virtue, concentration, and discernment are simply fabricated phenomena, tools for extinguishing defilement. When defilement is extinguished, then virtue, concentration, and discernment disband as well. Virtue, concentration, and discernment are like water. Defilement is like a fire. The mind is like the person using the water to put out the fire. When the water has put out the flames, the water itself has vanished — but the person putting out the fire hasn't disappeared. The fire isn't the water, the water isn't the fire. The person isn't the water, the water isn't the person. The person isn't the fire, the fire isn't the person. The genuine nature of the mind isn't defilement, nor is it virtue, concentration, and discernment. It simply is, in line with its own nature.

Those who don't know the nature of the truth maintain that death is annihilation or that nibbāna is annihilation of one sort or another. This is simply their own misunderstanding. Even those who have gone no higher than the level of Stream-entry are able to know that the true nature of the mind isn't in any way annihilated, which is why they are people of strong, unwavering conviction, believing in the paths and their fruitions. Even though their hearts aren't yet entirely free from the admixture of defilements, those defilements can't efface the true nature of their hearts — just as an ingot of gold, when it falls into the dirt, may be covered with soot, but the soot can't turn it into anything other than gold.

This is unlike ordinary, run-of-the-mill people. An ordinary person's mind may be pure from time to time, but it doesn't stay that way. It can't escape from being defiled again — just as a sharpened knife will stay in shape only if it is kept bathed in oil. If you put the knife to use or forget to keep it bathed, the steel of the blade might turn into something other than steel.

Thus each of us should enthusiastically make the effort to reach at least the Stream, for although all the qualities I have mentioned — whether fabricated (saṅkhata dhamma) or unfabricated (asaṅkhata dhamma) — lie mixed within every one of us, none of them are as exalted as virāga dhamma: the act of dispassion that extracts the unfabricated from the fabricated as gold is extracted from crude ore.

The Buddha's teachings are subtle and deep. Whoever isn't set on truly putting them into practice won't know their taste — like a cowherd hired to watch over cattle without ever knowing the taste of their milk.

Thus we are taught:

To study is to know the texts, To practice is to know your defilements, To attain the goal is to know & let go.

Appendix

Ajaan Lee's last recorded sermon dealt with the topic of making oneself one's own refuge by practicing the four frames of reference — much like one of the Buddha's sermons in the last year of his life. Because the sermon expands on the topic of the four frames of reference in a slightly different way from the above book, I thought it would make valuable addition to this volume, so here it is:

A Refuge in Awakening

ye keci buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gatāse na te gamissanti apāya-bhūmiṃ pahāya mānusaṃ dehaṃ deva-kāyaṃ paripūressantīti "Those who have gone to the Buddha as refuge will not go to the realms of deprivation. On abandoning the human body, they will fill the company of the gods."

I will now explain this verse so that you can practice in a way leading to the supreme attainment, capable of eliminating all your suffering and fears, reaching the refuge of peace.

We come into this world without a substantial refuge. Nothing — aside from the Buddha, Dhamma, and Saṅgha — will follow us into the next life. These three are the only things in which we can take refuge both in this life and in lives to come.

There are two levels on which people take refuge in the Triple Gem. Some take refuge only on the level of individuals, while others take refuge on the level of inner qualities, by developing the steps of the practice within themselves.

I. ON THE LEVEL OF INDIVIDUALS

1. Buddha. Buddhas are people who have attained purity of heart. There are four types:
   1. Rightly self-awakened Buddhas: those who have attained Awakening on their own, without anyone to teach them, and who have established a religion.
   2. Private Buddhas: those who have gained Awakening without establishing a religion. On attaining the goal, they live by themselves.
   3. Disciple Buddhas: a Buddha's immediate disciples who have practiced in line with his teachings until they too have gained Awakening.
   4. Learned Buddhas: those who have studied the teachings in detail, have followed them, and attained the goal.

   All four of these types are individual people, so to take refuge in them is to take refuge on the level of individuals. They can give us refuge only in a shallow and not very substantial way. Even though taking refuge on this level can be advantageous to us, it helps us only on the level of the world, and can give only temporary protection against falling into the realms of deprivation. If we lose faith in these individuals, our mind can change to a lower level — for all individuals fall under the laws of all fabricated things: They are inconstant and changing, subject to stress, and not-self — i.e., they can't prevent their own death.

   So if you go to a Buddha as refuge on the level of individuals, there are only two sorts of results you'll get: at first gladness, and then sadness when the time comes to part — for it's the nature of all individuals in the world that they arise, age, grow ill, and die. The wisest sages and the most ordinary people are all equal on this point.

2. Dhamma. For many of us, the teachings in which we take our refuge are also on the level of individuals. Why is that? Because we see them as the words of individual people.

   Sages of the past have divided the teachings in the Buddhist Canon into four types:

   1. Sayings of the Buddha.
   2. Sayings of his disciples.
   3. Sayings of heavenly beings. There were occasions when heavenly beings, on coming to pay respect to the Buddha, said truths worth taking to heart.
   4. Sayings of seers. Some hermits and yogis uttered truths from which Buddhists can benefit.

   All of these sayings were organized into the three parts of the Buddhist Canon: the discourses, the discipline, and the Abhidhamma. If we take refuge in the Dhamma on this level, it is simply an object: something we can remember. But memory is inconstant and can't provide us with a safe, dependable refuge. At best it can help us only on the worldly level because we are depending on individuals, on objects, as our refuge.

3. Saṅgha. There are two sorts of Saṅgha.
   1. The conventional Saṅgha: ordinary people who have ordained and taken up the homeless life. This sort of Saṅgha is composed of four sorts of people.
      1. Upajīvikā: those who have taken up the ordained life simply as a comfortable way of making a living. They can depend on others to provide for their needs, and so get complacent, satisfied with their ordained status, without looking for any form of goodness better than that.
      2. Upadusikā: those who, on being ordained in Buddhism, destroy the Buddha's teachings through their behavior — not abandoning the things they should abandon, not doing the things they should do, damaging their own capacity for good and that of others, being destructive, falling away from the Buddha's teachings.
      3. Upamuyhikā: those who, on being ordained in Buddhism, make themselves blind and ignorant, who don't look for tactics for bringing their behavior into line with the Buddha's teachings. They don't pull themselves out of their unskillful ways, and stay continually deluded, oblivious, and defiled.
      4. Upanisaraṇikā: those who, on being ordained in Buddhism, are intent on studying and practicing in line with what they have learned, who try to find themselves a secure refuge, and who don't let themselves become negligent or complacent. Whatever evil the Buddha said to abandon, they try to abandon. Whatever good he said to develop, they try to develop. Whether or not they attain that goodness, they keep on trying.

      All four of these count as one type of Saṅgha on the level of individuals.

   2. The Noble Saṅgha. This has four levels: those who have practiced the Buddha's teachings until they have reached the attainments of stream entry, once-returning, non-returning or arahantship. All four of these are still on the level of individuals because they are individual people who have reached the transcendent attainments in their hearts. Suppose, for example, we say that Aññakondañña is a streamwinner, Sāriputta a once-returner, Moggallāna a non-returner, and Ānanda an arahant. All four of them are still individuals in name and body. To take refuge in them is to take refuge on the level of individuals — and as individuals they are inconstant and unstable. Their bodies, sense faculties and mental phenomena by nature have to age, grow ill, and die. In other words, they are anicca, inconstant and changeable; dukkha, subject to stress and suffering; and anattā: They themselves can't prevent the nature of conditioned phenomena from taking its course with them.

      This being the case, then when anyone tries to take refuge in them, that refuge is inconstant. We can depend on them only for a while, but they can't provide us any true refuge. They can't keep us from falling into the realms of deprivation. At best, taking refuge in them can give us results on the worldly level — and the worldly level is changing with every moment.

This ends the discussion of the Triple Refuge on the level of individuals.

II. ON THE LEVEL OF INNER QUALITIES

Taking refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Saṅgha on the level of inner qualities means reaching the Triple Gem with the heart through the practice.

To reach the Buddha on the level of inner qualities, you first have to know the virtues of the Buddha, which are of two sorts: causes and results. The causes of his Awakening are mindfulness and alertness. The result of his Awakening is the transcendent: the stilling of all defilements and mental effluents.

So we have to develop these qualities within ourselves. Buddha-sati — mindfulness like the Buddha's — is what wakes us up. Full alertness is what makes us correctly aware of cause and effect. The way to develop these qualities is to practice in line with the four frames of reference. This will enable us to reach the Buddha on the level of inner qualities.

1. Contemplation of the body as a frame of reference. This means being firmly mindful of the body, using mindfulness to wake up the body and mind both by day and by night — sitting, standing, walking, lying down. We use mindfulness and alertness to be fully conscious throughout the body. This is the cause for reaching the Buddha on the level of inner qualities — i.e., reaching the Buddha by oneself and within oneself, without having to depend on anyone else. When you depend on yourself, that's when you're on the right track.

   Before focusing mindfulness on the body so as to wake yourself up, you first have to know that there are two ways of looking at the body:

   1. The body, i.e., all four physical properties gathered together as a physical object: the earth property, or the solid aspects; the water property, or the liquid aspects; the fire property, or the warm aspects; and the wind property, i.e., such things as the in-and-out breath. When all four of these properties are in harmony, they intermingle and form an aggregate or object we call the body.
   2. The body in and of itself, i.e., any one aspect of any of these four properties. For example, we can take the wind property. Focus your mindfulness and alertness on nothing but the wind property and keep them there. You don't have to get involved with any of the other properties. This is called the body in and of itself.

   From there you can go to wind in and of itself. There are six aspects to the wind property: the breath energy flowing down from the head to the spaces between the fingers and toes; the breath energy flowing from the spaces between the fingers and toes up to the top of the head; the breath forces in the stomach; the breath forces in the intestines; and the in-and-out breath. These six aspects make up the wind property in the body.

   When you focus on wind in and of itself, be mindful to keep track of only one of these aspects at a time — such as the in-and-out breath — without worrying about any other aspects of the breath energy. This can be called focusing on wind in itself. The same principle applies to earth in and of itself, water in and of itself and fire in and of itself.

   When you have mindfulness and alertness constantly established in the body, the body in and of itself, wind, fire, earth or water in and of itself — whichever seems easiest and most comfortable — keep with it as much as possible. When you do this, the body will wake up, for you aren't letting it simply follow its natural course. To bring mindfulness into the body helps keep it awake. The body will feel lighter and lighter as we keep it in mind. Alertness is what enables us to be aware throughout the body. When these two mental qualities enter into the body, the body will feel agile, pliant, and light. In Pali, this is called kāya-lahutā. The mind will also be awake and will give rise to knowledge in and of itself through its own 'sandiṭṭhiko' practice — i.e., the person who does the practice will see the results for him or herself in the here and now.

   People who awaken from their slumbers are able to see and know things. The same holds true for people who practice mindfulness immersed in the body as a frame of reference. They are bound to see the true nature of their own bodies. To penetrate in, knowing and seeing in this way, is to reach the Buddha, Dhamma, and Saṅgha — which differ only in name, but are one and the same in their essence.

   Whoever doesn't practice in this way is asleep, both in body and mind. A person asleep can't see or know anything at all, which is why we can say that people of this sort have yet to reach the Buddha on the level of the inner qualities.

2. Contemplation of feelings as a frame of reference. Be mindful of feelings as they arise within you. Feelings are results that come from your own past and present actions. There are three sorts:
   1. Feelings of pleasure
   2. Feelings of pain
   3. Feelings of equanimity.

   To practice contemplation of feelings, be mindful of each of the various kinds of feeling that occur in the body and mind. For instance, sometimes there's physical pleasure but mental distress; sometimes physical pain but mental pleasure; sometimes pleasure both in body and mind; and sometimes pain both in body and mind. So focus in on being mindful of feelings as they arise. Examine them closely. This is called contemplation of feelings.

   As for feelings in and of themselves, this means focusing on one type of feeling. For instance, wherever there's pleasure, focus right there, solely on the pleasure. You don't have to get involved with feelings of pain or equanimity. If you're going to focus on pleasure, keep focused right there. Or, if you want, you can focus on equanimity without getting involved with pleasure or pain. Don't let the mind jump around so that any other preoccupations come in and interfere. Keep monitoring the feeling you've chosen until you know its true nature through your own awareness.

   Whichever type of feeling is easiest for you to focus on, keep your mindfulness and alertness right there as much as you can. This is what will enable you to awaken from the feelings within you. Whoever does this ranks as having developed the inner quality of 'buddha' that is the cause for coming awake.

3. Contemplation of the mind as a frame of reference. Be mindful of the state of your own mind so that you can awaken it from the slumber of its delusions. When your mind awakens, it will be able to see and know the various things occurring in the present. This will enable it to become firmly centered in the factors of concentration and jhāna, or mental absorption, which in turn lead to discernment, skilled awareness and release.

   There are three basic states of mind you can focus on:

   1. Passion: The mind hankers after sensual objects and sensual moods that color it, making it intoxicated and oblivious to other things. This prevents it from experiencing states that are brighter and clearer.
   2. Aversion: The mind at times gets irritated and angry, causing whatever internal goodness it has to deteriorate. Aversion is thus a way in which the mind destroys itself.
   3. Delusion: absent-mindedness, forgetfulness, mental darkness, misunderstanding.

   These states of mind arise from preoccupations with what we like and dislike. If you have mindfulness watching over your mind with every moment, it will enable the mind to awaken and blossom, to know the truth about itself.

   Whenever passion arises in the mind, focus on being mindful of the mind in and of itself. Don't focus on the object of the passion. Pay attention solely to the present, and the passion will fade. Or, if you want, you can use other methods to help, by contemplating the object of the passion in certain ways. For example, you can contemplate the unattractiveness of the body, focusing first on the insides of your own body, seeing them as filthy and disgusting. Your mind will then be able to free itself from the passion in which it is immersed, and to become more blooming and bright.

   Whenever aversion arises in the mind, focus on being mindful exclusively of the present state of your mind. Don't focus attention on the external object or person that gave rise to the anger and aversion. Anger in the mind is like a burning fire. If you aren't mindful and aware of the state of your own mind, and instead think only of the object or person that incited the anger, it's like setting yourself on fire. All you can do is end up getting burnt. So you shouldn't preoccupy yourself with the outside object. Instead, focus on being mindful and aware of the state of aversion in the mind. When mindfulness reaches full strength, the state of aversion will immediately disband.

   Aversion and anger are like a cover over a fire that lets the fire provide heat but no light. If we remove the cover by doing away with the aversion, the light of the fire can brighten the mind. The 'light' here is discernment and skilled awareness.

   Actually, there's nowhere else that we have to look for goodness other than our own minds. That's how we'll be able to gain the freedom from suffering and stress that is termed citta-vimutti, mental release, i.e., a mind beyond the reach of its preoccupations. This is one way in which we reach the Buddha, Dhamma, and Saṅgha on the level of inner qualities.

   As for states of delusion, in which the mind tends to be absent-minded and forgetful: These come from there being many objects crowding in on the mind. When we find this happening, we should center the mind on a single preoccupation where we can gather strength for our mindfulness and alertness, in the same way that we can take diffused light rays and focus them on a single point. The power of the light is sure to get brighter. In the same way, when we are constantly mindful of the mind and don't let it get involved with various outside perceptions and preoccupations, mindfulness will give rise to a powerful light: skilled awareness. When skilled awareness arises within us, our minds will grow shining bright, and we'll awaken from our slumber of unawareness. We will have attained a quality of secure refuge in our own hearts. We will know for ourselves and see for ourselves, and this is what will enable us to attain the noble qualities of the transcendent.

4. Contemplation of mental qualities as a frame of reference. Be mindful to focus on the mental qualities that occur in the mind with every moment. Mental qualities are of two basic sorts, good and bad.
   1. Bad mental qualities, which obstruct the mind from attaining higher levels of goodness, are called the Hindrances (nīvaraṇa), and there are five sorts.
      1. Sensual desire: hankering after sensual objects — sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, and ideas that you like and find appealing; and a hankering after sensual moods, such as passion, anger, aversion, and delusion — assuming good to be bad and bad to be good, right to be wrong and wrong to be right. A hankering for any of these things is classed as sensual desire.
      2. Malevolence: ill will for people or objects, hoping that they will be destroyed or come to a bad end.
      3. Sloth & drowsiness: sleepiness, torpor, lassitude, laziness, and depression.
      4. Restlessness & anxiety: being upset at failure in your aims, lacking the mindfulness to put a brake on your worries and concerns.
      5. Uncertainty: indecision; doubt about the various things or qualities your are working to develop in your practice.

      These five Hindrances are bad mental qualities. If you fall into any of them, you're in the dark — like a person at the bottom of a well who can't see anything on the surface of the earth, can't move around as he likes, can't hear what people at the top of the well are saying, and can't see the light of the sun and moon that illumine the earth. In the same way, the Hindrances obstruct us from developing goodness in many, many ways. They close off our ears and eyes, keep us in the dark, put us to sleep.

   2. This is why we should work at developing the good mental qualities that will awaken us from the slumber of our unawareness. For instance, we should develop the four jhānas or mental absorptions, which are the tools for suppressing or eliminating all of the Hindrances.
      1. The first jhāna has five factors. Directed thought: Think about any one of the objects of meditation that exist within you, such as the in-and-out breath. Make the mind one, keep it with the object you are thinking of, and don't let it slip off to anything else: This is called singleness of preoccupation. Evaluation: Carefully observe the object of your meditation until you see its truth. When you are thoroughly aware of the object — this is called alertness — the results will arise within you: pleasure or ease; and rapture — fullness of body and mind.

         When mindfulness fills the body like this, the body feels saturated, like soil saturated with moisture: Whatever you plant stays green and fresh. Plants flourish. Birds and other forest animals come to live in their shade. When rain falls, the soil can hold it instead of letting it wash away. A person who has mastered the first jhāna is like a holding-place of goodness for other human and celestial beings because jhāna and concentration can have a cooling influence not only on oneself, but also on others as well.

         When mindfulness fills the body like this, the body feels saturated, like soil saturated with moisture: Whatever you plant stays green and fresh. Plants flourish. Birds and other forest animals come to live in their shade. When rain falls, the soil can hold it instead of letting it wash away. A person who has mastered the first jhāna is like a holding-place of goodness for other human and celestial beings because jhāna and concentration can have a cooling influence not only on oneself, but also on others as well.

         When you attain the pleasure and ease that come from the first jhāna, you are freed from the Hindrances of indecision and restlessness & anxiety. So you should work at developing these factors in your mind until it can stay steadily in jhāna. Your heart will then be blooming and bright, giving rise to the light of discernment, or liberating insight. And if you have developed your capabilities enough, then on attaining the first jhāna you may gain entry to the transcendent. Some people, though, may go on to the second jhāna.

      2. The second jhāna has three factors: rapture, pleasure, and singleness of preoccupation. The power of the mind gets stronger step by step, so try to keep your mind in that state simply by focusing down and keeping mindfulness firmly established right there. The mind will grow even stronger and this will lead you on to the third jhāna.
      3. The third jhāna has two factors: pleasure and singleness of preoccupation. Keep focusing down through the power of mindfulness and alertness, and you will be able to shed the factor of pleasure and enter the fourth jhāna.
      4. The fourth jhāna has two factors: equanimity and singleness of preoccupation. On this level of jhāna, the mind has great strength, based on its strong focus accompanied by mindfulness and alertness. The mind is firm and unmoving — so completely unmoved by past and future that it lets them both go. It keeps track solely of the present, steady and unwavering like the light of a Coleman lantern when there is no wind. When the mind attains the fourth jhāna, it gives rise to a brightness: discernment and the skill of liberating insight. This is what enables it to gain understanding into the four Noble Truths, and so to proceed to the transcendent — the truly safe refuge.

People who have done this experience nothing but an inner brightness and happiness in their hearts, for they dwell with the quality they have given rise to within themselves. They reach the Buddha, Dhamma, and Saṅgha on the highest level, the level of release or ultimate attainment, a quality free from defilement and mental effluents.

People who train their hearts in this way have reached the Buddha, Dhamma, and Saṅgha on the level of inner quality. In other words, they have reached refuge in their own hearts. They have absolutely closed off the route to the realms of deprivation. At the very least, they are destined after death to go to the higher realms of happiness. At best, they will attain nibbāna. All of them are certain to attain nibbāna within at least seven lifetimes, for they have reached an inner quality that is steady and certain. They won't fall into anything low. Anyone who has yet to attain this quality, though, has an uncertain future.

So if we want the peace and security that Buddhism has to offer, we should all try to find ourselves a dependable refuge. If you take refuge on the level of individuals, find people of worth so that your conviction in them will take you to the happy realms. As for refuge on the level of inner qualities, which will really be of substantial value to you, practice so as to give rise to those qualities within yourself.

To summarize: On the level of inner qualities, the Buddha, Dhamma, and Saṅgha are all one and the same thing. They differ only in name.

So you should 'opanayiko' — bring these qualities into your heart. 'Sandiṭṭhiko' — When you practice, you'll see them for yourself. 'Paccattaṃ' — You'll know them only for yourself. Things that other people know about aren't safe.

If you want peace and refuge that are substantial and sure, you should give rise to them in your own heart. The result will be nibbāna, liberation from defilement, from all birth, aging, illness, and death in this world and any world to come.

nibbānaṃ paramaṃ sukhaṃ
Nibbāna is the ultimate happiness.

There is no happiness higher.

This is 'buddha' on the level of results: freedom from sleep, total Awakening.

And this ends our discussion of the verse on refuge.

Glossary

The definitions given here are based on the meanings these terms have in Ajaan Lee's writings and sermons.

avijjā:

Unawareness; counterfeit knowledge.

āyatana:

Sense medium. The six inner sense media are the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and intellect. The six outer sense media are their respective objects.

bhagavant:

An epithet for the Buddha, commonly translated as 'Blessed One' or 'Exalted One.' Some commentators, though, have traced the word etymologically to the Pali root meaning 'to divide' and, by extension, 'to analyze', and so translate it as 'Analyst'.

dhamma:

Event; phenomenon; the way things are in and of themselves; their inherent qualities; the basic principles underlying their behavior. Also, principles of behavior that human beings should follow so as to fit in with the right natural order of things; qualities of mind they should develop so as to realize the inherent quality of the mind in and of itself. By extension, 'dhamma' is used also to refer to any doctrine that teaches such things. Thus the Dhamma of the Buddha refers both to his teachings and to the direct experience of the quality of nibbāna at which those teachings are aimed.

dhātu:

Element; property; the elementary properties that make up the inner sense of the body and mind: earth (solidity), water (liquidity), fire (heat), wind (energy or motion), space, and consciousness.

jhāna:

Meditative absorption in a single object, notion or sensation.

kamma:

Intentional acts that result in states of being and birth. 'Kamma debts' are the moral debts one has to others either through having been a burden to them (the primary example being one's debt to one's parents) or from having wronged them.

khandha:

Component parts of sensory perception: rūpa (sense data, appearances); vedanā(feelings of pleasure, pain or indifference); saññā (labels, concepts, allusions); saṅkhāra (mental constructs or fabrications); and viññāṇa (consciousness, the act of attention that 'spotlights' objects so as to know them distinctly and pass judgment on them).

magga:

The path to the cessation of suffering and stress. The four transcendent paths — or rather, one path with four levels of refinement — are the path to stream entry (entering the stream to nibbāna, which ensures that one will be reborn at most only seven more times), the path to once-returning, the path to non-returning, and the path to arahantship. Phala — fruition — refers to the mental state immediately following the attainment of any of these paths.

mala:

Stains on the character, traditionally listed as nine: anger, hypocrisy, envy, stinginess, deceit, treachery, lying, evil desires, and wrong views.

nibbāna (nirvana):

Liberation; the unbinding of the mind from greed, anger, and delusion, from physical sensations and mental acts. As this term is used to refer also to the extinguishing of fire, it carries connotations of stilling, cooling, and peace. (According to the physics taught at the time of the Buddha, the property of fire exists in a latent state to a greater or lesser degree in all objects. When activated, it clings and is bound to its fuel. As long as it remains latent or is extinguished, it is 'unbound'.)

saṅkhāra:

Fashioning — the forces that fashion things, the process of fashioning, and the fashioned things — mental or physical — that result. In some contexts this term refers specifically to the fashioning of thoughts in the mind. In others, it refers to all five khandhas (see above).

uposatha:

Special days in the Buddhist calendar — the days of the full moon, the new moon, and the half-moon — set aside for meritorious activities.

If anything in this translation is inaccurate or misleading, I ask forgiveness of the author and reader for having unwittingly stood in their way. As for whatever may be accurate, I hope the reader will make the best use of it, translating it a few steps further, into the heart, so as to attain the truth at which it points.

— The translator

Sabbe sattā sadā hontu
averā sukha-jīvino
kataṃ puñña-phalaṃ mayhaṃ
sabbe bhāgī bhavantu te

May all beings always live happily,   
free from animosity.
May all share in the blessings
springing from the good I have done.