無著比丘〈中文版序〉

〈中文版作者序〉
本書是以巴利經典中重要的文獻為基礎，而研究念住的修習。獲知此研究的中譯本即將付梓問世，本人深感高興。本書最初的撰寫，是作為博士論文之用，因而有較強的學術風格。幸好本書的主題，是那麼地令一般讀者感到興趣和具有參考性，因此到目前為止，本書的英文版已經成為暢銷書之一。而且，也有其他語言的譯本，如荷蘭文、德文、匈牙利文、印尼文、義大利文、韓文和錫蘭文（部分）也陸續問世。這證明了念住禪修的重要。在此主題上，研究巴利經典中有關念住的修習，可以給現代世界提供大量初期佛教的關鍵面向。

我當年在編寫此博士論文時還不懂中文，因此，很遺憾的，本書的研究僅僅依據巴利文經典。所幸，我的友人蘇錦坤先生，已編列對照本書所提及巴利經典的漢譯《阿含經》，並且可以在網路上查詢得到（http://pathtorealization.blogspot.tw/）。我們希望藉此方式，將本書在研究上較少顧及到的漢譯阿含的部份，能有某種程度的平衡。

念住，一向是，直到現在還是，法的一個重要面向。念住，須要被實修，以達到念住所保證的成果─讓修習者逐步提昇，最後導向證悟內心的「完全的解脫」。對於那些想要親自踏上這漸次道，與協助他人同樣在修道上前進的修習者，祈願本書的中文版，成為鼓舞他們的來源與指導！

　　　　　　　　　　無著比丘（Bhikkhu Anālayo）

Preface
                                     Bhikkhu Anālayo
It is a great pleasure for me to know that my study of mindfulness meditation based on the relevant information in the Pali discourses is now coming out in a Chinese translation. Although my book was originally written as a PhD thesis and thus has a strong academic flavor, fortunately the topic is of such general interest and relevance that by now the English
original has become a bestseller and translations have been and are being made into Dutch, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean and Sinhalese (partial). This testifies to the importance of the subject, in that a study of the Pali discourses on mindfulness practice has much to offer for unraveling key aspect of the early Buddhist teachings for the modern world.

When compiling the original Ph.D., I did not yet know Chinese, hence unfortunately my study is based only on the Pāli discourses. However, my friend Ken Su has compiled a listing of the Chinese Āgama parallels to the Pāli discourses I mention, which is on (http://pathtorealization.blogspot.tw/). We
hope that in this way the lack of consideration given to the Chinese Āgamas in my present study can at least to some extent be balanced out.

Mindfulness has always been and still is a key aspect of the Dharma, which calls for being practiced in order to give the results it promises: a gradual ennobling of the practitioner that finally leads to the realization of total inner freedom. May the Chinese translation of my book become a source of
inspiration and a guide for those who wish to walk this path themselves and who endeavor to assist others in their practice.