时间：10/25/2025 10/26/2025
地点：星湖禅修中心
主讲：龙示林
打坐参禅
参话头：是谁在打坐？
“参话头”是禅宗极具力量的直修方法。所谓“话头”，不是一句话的内容，而是话未起之前的那一念“头”。当禅者追问“是谁在打坐？”时，不是为了得到语言上的答案，而是为了让心从思维习惯中跳出，直接触及觉知本体。参话头的目的不是理解，而是照见；不是思考，而是觉醒。
一、什么是话头：念头未生之处
1. 话头不是问题本身
“是谁在打坐？”只是引子，真正要参的是“问之前的那一念”。
2. 话头不是答案
答案属于思维，而话头指向思维之前的觉知。
3. 话头是“念未起”的觉性
念头未动时，那份清明觉知，就是参话头的核心。
二、为什么要参话头：打破“我”的幻觉
1. 参话头直接指向“我从何来”
不是分析身份，而是看到“我念”的根源。
2. 让心无法落在概念上
越想越找不到，只能逼心回归当下觉知。
3. 破除自我中心的执着
“我在打坐”的念头是一种错觉。
三、“是谁在打坐？”的真实用意：照见心性
1. 不在问题中，而在提问的当下
提起这一问，觉知立刻亮起。
2. 不是寻找“我是谁”的答案
答案只会落入概念和理论。
3. 是看见“能觉者”本身
那份明明了了、不落文字的心。
四、如何参“是谁在打坐？”：三步进入话头
1. 第一步：轻轻提起疑情
不是怀疑，而是一种探问之感。
2. 第二步：不让思维介入
不分析、不推理、不猜测。
3. 第三步：把觉知放在“问的当下”
问题才刚浮起，觉知已在眼前。
五、参话头的关键：保持疑情，不落言解
1. 疑情不是怀疑，而是专注
一种柔和、稳定、持续的“探问之光”。
2. 不要急着寻找答案
答案越明显，离话头越远。
3. 不要落入“我懂了”的概念
懂了只是智识，见性才是目标。
六、参话头的常见误区：用力、思考、追境界
1. 用力太多
会头痛、胸闷，使心更加紧绷。
2. 试图用思维解释
越解释越远离话头。
3. 期待明心见性
期待本身就是障碍。
七、参话头的成果：自然显现的本来面目
1. 念头变轻
妄想不再有力量牵动你。
2. 心变明亮
觉知始终在场，不被境转。
3. 见到“我不可得”
当能觉者被看见，自我中心自然松动。
总结
“参话头”是禅宗最直接、最锋利的修行方法之一。提问“是谁在打坐？”不是为了答案，而是让心回到念头未生的觉性。当修行者不断回到这份觉知、不断照见念头的根源，“本心本性”自然显现，不假外求，不落言诠。
Date: 10/25/2025 10/26/2025
Location: Star Lake Meditation Center
Teacher: Shilin Long
Sitting Meditation
Investigating the Hua-Tou: Who Is Sitting in Meditation?
“Hua-tou investigation” is one of the most profound methods in Chan (Zen) Buddhism. The hua-tou is not the literal phrase but the moment before the phrase—the root of the thought. When asking “Who is sitting in meditation?”, the practitioner is not searching for a verbal answer. The question is used to cut through conceptual thinking and point directly to the innate awareness. The purpose is not knowledge but awakening.
1. What Is the Hua-Tou? The Source Before a Thought Appears
1. It is not the question itself
The phrase is only a pointer; the real work is in the pre-thought awareness.
2. It has no conceptual answer
Any answer belongs to thinking, not to realization.
3. The hua-tou is the unborn awareness
The clarity present before a thought arises.
2. Why Investigate the Hua-Tou: Cutting Through the Illusion of “Self”
1. It looks directly into the root of “I”
Not identity, but the source of the “I-thought.”
2. It eliminates the mind’s habitual reliance on concepts
Thinking cannot grasp the true mind.
3. It dissolves self-centered attachment
The sense of “I am meditating” is part of the illusion.
3. The Purpose of “Who Is Sitting in Meditation?”
1. The power is in asking, not in the words
The moment you ask, awareness illuminates.
2. It is not about discovering a personal identity
Any answer would only be conceptual.
3. It reveals the awareness that knows
The silent knowing behind the question.
4. How to Investigate the Hua-Tou: Three Essential Steps
1. Gently raise the sense of inquiry
Not doubt, but a subtle, focused curiosity.
2. Prevent the mind from thinking
Do not analyze or reason about the question.
3. Stay with the moment of asking
Awareness appears at the very instant of inquiry.
5. The Key Principle: Maintain Inquiry Without Falling Into Interpretation
1. Inquiry is sustained awareness
A steady, soft glow of curiosity.
2. Do not look for answers
The clearer the answer seems, the further you are.
3. Avoid “I understand”
Understanding belongs to intellect, not realization.
6. Common Mistakes in Hua-Tou Practice
1. Excessive effort
Tension blocks clarity.
2. Thinking through the question
Reasoning leads away from the hua-tou.
3. Chasing enlightenment
Desire for realization obstructs realization.
7. The Fruit of Hua-Tou Practice: The Original Face Appears
1. Thoughts lose their power
They arise more lightly and fade more quickly.
2. Awareness becomes constant
The mind remains bright and present.
3. The illusion of “self” dissolves
When the knower is seen, the ego relaxes.
Conclusion
Investigating the hua-tou is one of the sharpest and most direct Zen methods.Asking “Who is sitting in meditation?” is not a request for an answer but a doorway to the pre-thought awareness.When the practitioner stays with this pure inquiry, the mind returns to its original clarity, revealing the true nature beyond words and concepts.
