坐禪三昧經 1.34

1.34

答曰：「無常觀易得故、亦斷諸思覺故、得一心故。身心生滅無常，相似相續難見；入息出息生滅無常，易知易見故。復次，心繫在數，斷諸思諸覺。思覺者：欲思覺、恚思覺、惱思覺、親里思覺、國土思覺、不死思覺。欲求淨心入正道者，先當除却三種麁思覺，次除三種細思覺，除六覺已，當得一切清淨法。譬如採金人，先除麁石砂，然後除細石砂，次第得細金砂。」

Answer: "Because the contemplation of impermanence is easily attained, because all discursive thoughts are severed, and because single-mindedness is attained. The arising and ceasing of body and mind is impermanent, yet because of resemblance and continuity it is difficult to see; but the arising and ceasing of the inhalation and exhalation is impermanent and easily known and easily seen. Furthermore, when the mind is tied to counting, all discursive thought and all ideation are severed. Discursive thoughts are: sensual thought, malicious thought, harmful thought, thought of kin, thought of homeland, and thought of not dying. One who wishes to seek a pure mind and enter the correct path should first eliminate the three coarse discursive thoughts, and next eliminate the three subtle discursive thoughts. Having eliminated the six thoughts, one will attain all pure dharmas. It is just like a gold-miner, who first eliminates the coarse stones and sand, then eliminates the fine stones and sand, and gradually obtains the fine gold dust."