通过学习经典来对照检查自己的练习进展
Sutra 3: What is samadhi?
तदेवार्थमात्रनिर्भासं स्वरूपशून्यमिव समाधिः ॥ ३ ॥
Tadevārthamātranirbhāsam svarūpaśūnyamiva samādhih
Tadeva: the same; artha: the object of dhyana; mātra: only; nirbhāsam: appearing; svarūpa: one’s own form; śūnyam: empty; iva: as if; samādhih: samadhi
That state becomes samadhi when there is only the object appearing without the consciousness of one’s own self.
当只有对象显现而缺乏自我意识时，那种状态就成为了三摩地。
It should be noted that dharana itself turns into dhyana, and dhyana itself turns into samadhi. In dharana the consciousness is broken, in dhyana it is continuous, whereas in samadhi it becomes one with the artha, that is, the object of concentration. It may be a gross object or a subtle one. In samadhi there is no consciousness that one is practising concentration.
需注意的是，专注（dharana）本身会转化为冥想（dhyana），而冥想本身又会转化为三摩地（samadhi）。在专注阶段意识是间断的，在冥想阶段意识是连续的，而在三摩地状态中，意识与专注对象（artha）合而为一——无论该对象是粗重或精微的。处于三摩地时，修行者不再具有"正在专注"的觉知。
It is sometimes said that in the state of deep concentration the object disappears, but this sutra tells us that the object does not disappear; on the contrary, it alone prevails. Thus, if you are concentrating on Aum, the symbol Aum, called artha, will be present in samadhi. It will not vanish, but it alone will shine completely in the awareness.
常言道，在深度专注的状态下，观想对象会消失，但这部经典告诉我们，对象并未消失；恰恰相反，唯有它全然显现。因此，若你专注于"Aum"这个象征符号（即artha所指的"唵"），在入定三昧时它依然存在。它不会消逝，而是作为唯一的存在完整地闪耀于觉知之中。
The object of meditation becomes clearer and clearer, its appearance becomes more and more vivid as you go deeper in the stages of samadhi. Then there is another important point: you do not remain aware of your own existence, there is not even the awareness that you are practising concentration. Thus there are two characteristics of samadhi: one, the object alone shines and, two, there is no awareness of the process or of the self. As there is no consciousness except of the object in samadhi, the mind appears not to be functioning, but it is not blank; therefore, the word iva is used.
冥想对象在三摩地阶段会随着深入修行而愈发清晰，其形象也愈加鲜明。这里还有另一个关键点：修行者不会持续觉察自身存在，甚至意识不到自己正在修习专注。因此三摩地具备两大特征：其一，唯有冥想对象显现光芒；其二，对修行过程或自我存在毫无觉知。由于三摩地中除冥想对象外别无意识，心智看似停止运作却非空白——故经典使用"iva"（仿佛）一词加以描述。
As the student goes on making progress on the path of concentration, there is concentration in the beginning but it is broken time and time again. Thus concentration continues for some time and suddenly there is a break. This is the first stage. In the second stage there is more dhyana and fewer breaks. In the third stage you start with dharana and immediately go into dhyana, and suddenly there comes a void. This is the first stage of samadhi; you remember the object but there is no other awareness. The mind or consciousness is not annihilated, it only temporarily appears to be non-existent because you are not aware of yourself or of the process of concentration.
随着学生在专注之路上不断精进，初期虽能保持专注却屡屡中断。这种时断时续的状态持续一段时间后，会突然出现彻底的中断——这是修行的第一阶段。第二阶段中，冥想（dhyana）的时间增长而中断减少。进入第三阶段时，修行者从专注（dharana）直接进入禅定状态，随后会突然陷入空境。这正是三摩地（samadhi）的初阶：此时修行者仍记得专注对象，却丧失了其他觉知。心智意识并未消亡，只是因修行者暂时无法感知自我及专注过程，而呈现出不存在的表象。
