本研究將默照禪與心理健康之間的關係進行初探性研究，以生命經驗觀照的觀點，檢視默照禪修的影響與效能。聖嚴法師以漢傳佛教之禪師著稱於世，接受其教導之默照禪的學員不下十萬人，如此普及的禪修方法如何影響著參與者的心理健康，是本研究之興趣所在。本研究採用質性研究的方法，以立意取樣（禪修經驗超過三年，至少參加「默照禪七」三次以上），在不帶有理論預設立場的情況下，以當事人主觀生命經驗的陳述為核心，邀請12位禪修學員，以焦點團體方式蒐集研究資料，再以現象學內容分析，歸納其禪修歷程中的生命轉折。焦點團體的訪談係由接觸禪修時的身心狀況談起，對照其禪修歷程中自我認知的改變與生活變化，來探尋默照禪修的影響脈絡。訪談文稿整理分析後淬取出來的研究結果顯示，默照禪修歷程與生命經驗對照之後，可分為幾個階段：一、身心遭遇瓶頸，需要突破；二、穿越痛苦，心境逐漸安定；三、在看清煩惱中，尋找改變的可能性；四、人生仍有困境，但是有方法可以因應。而在這幾個階段中，大致有四種面向的改變：一、身體部分：1. 透過覺察與放鬆自己，身體症狀得以 治療；2. 提昇睡眠品質。 二、心念部分：1. 調伏負向情緒，減少負向思考；2. 覺 察習性、模式；3. 懂得如何轉念。 三、人際部分：1. 互動較為柔軟，減少固執己見；2. 情 緒控制較好，人際對立衝突較少；3. 尋找真誠說話卻不傷人 的可能性。 四、生命態度：1. 找到生命的著力點；2. 培養以自然的 態度面對生死。 綜合上述研究結果，研究者認為默照禪修對禪修者生命 歷程所造成的影響具有正面效果，因為默照禪法的練習培養 出「覺知的智慧」，使禪修者得以在身心靈全人觀照下處理 自己的困境。

The major purpose of this pilot study is to find out how the meditation method of silent illumination related to the participants’ mental health. Master Sheng Yen was an internationally wellknown Chinese Chan teacher. Silent illumination is one method of his teaching in meditation. Thus, how the practice of silent illumination influences the meditators’ mental health is the major interest of this study. Through the narratives of the research participants’ life experiences, the influence of the method of silent illumination has been examined. There are twelve senior meditators invited into focus groups to share their life experience about why they engaged into the practice of silent illumination and how the silent illumination influenced their lives. The data of the focus groups has been transcribed and analyzed. The participant’s life stories can be synthesized into four transformative stages: 1. encountering the bottleneck of their lives; 2. breaking hardship and calming body and mind; 3. understanding why suffered and looking for alternatives; 4. accepting puzzles in lives but holding the method of silent illumination to cope sufferings. During the transformative stages there are four dimensions changed:1.Physically: (1) through awareness and relaxation, physical syndromes decreased; (2) quality of sleep increased. 2. Psychologically: (1) decreasing negative emotional reaction and thinking; (2) increasing the self-awareness of behavior patterns; (3) acquainting how to transform the mind. 3. Interpersonally: (1) decending self-centered with smooth interpersonal interaction; (2) decreased interpersonal conflict with better emotional control; (3) looking for sincere communication to eliminate argument with no hurt. 4. Life attitude: (1) enriching life meaning through deep reflection; (2) cultivating a natural attitude toward death. The wisdom of awareness has been recognized as a capacity for silent illumination meditators to deal with the hardship of lives in this research.