---
title: "湛然圓澄禪師語錄 · 請示"
description: "湛然圆澄禅师语录由明代禅宗高僧湛然圆澄所述，其门人明凡记录，丁元公与祁骏佳编撰。该书成书于明末佛教复兴时期，收录圆澄禅师的开示、法语、公案及书信，集中体现其禅学思想与修行指导，倡导直指人心、见性成佛的曹洞宗风。作为明代禅宗重要文献，该语录不仅传承了临济与曹洞宗的精髓，对后世禅修者具有深远影响，是研究明清佛教禅宗思想与实践的重要典籍。"
url: "https://rushiwowen.co/en/r/cmcxr5xpm00i1i904iziwnc6l"
---

## 會稽雲門湛然澄禪師語錄卷第七

> Volume 7 of the Recorded Sayings of Chan Master Zhanran Cheng from Yunmen, Kuaiji

門人明凡　錄

> Recorded by the Disciple Ming Fan

吳興丁元公山陰祁駿佳　編

> Compiled by Ding Yuangong of Wuxing and Qi Junjia of Shanyin

### 請示

> Please instruct

僧參。云。求和尚開示。師曰。菩薩初發心。便登正覺。汝發足處。早已開示。更教我說個甚麼。

> A monk once came seeking instruction and said, "Please, Master, share your teaching with me." The Master replied, "A bodhisattva, from the very first spark of aspiration, is already on the path to perfect enlightenment. From the moment you began to seek, the teaching was already given. What more do you want me to say?"

翰林王聚洲居士問曰。某亦嘗於楞嚴留心。頗有透處。但於一人發真歸元。十方世界悉皆消殞。未能痛快比如如來豈非發真歸元者乎。既發真已。世界何不消殞。若消殞。則大地眾生無立脚處。何更云如來與諸天人同在祗桓精舍而說法乎。若不消殞。則如來誠實之語。豈有不足信耶。師曰。如來且置。只如公於大明之下。驟然走入暗室之中。還能見有許多世界也無。曰若驟然走入。惟見暗黑。別無可見。師曰。若諸不入者。還見世界否。曰見。師曰。何以彼見而公獨不見乎。曰繇明入暗。暗生明滅。故惟見黑暗。而不見山河大地。彼不入者。明相宛然。故無不見耳。師曰。一人發真。例如一人入暗。與相類否。曰是正相類。師曰。如此。則何疑一人發真。而世界不消殞乎。又如十人同作一夢。間或一人獲醒。一人世界全消。彼中九人受用如故。十人同醒。則十人世界全消。不可以一人之醒。而撥九人之有。亦不可以九人之寐。而疑一人之無。惟證乃知難可測也。曰如師所論。理固頗通。何以世尊亦倚靈山說法耶。豈有如來未曾發真者乎。師曰。如來者無所從來。亦無所去。故名如來也。住靈山者。逗應羣機。猶水中之月。豈實有耶。狂猨無知。妄心欲取。而且不知水中無月耳。眾生以肉眼觀佛。以為佛住靈山。若以慧眼觀。則證諸法如義。不知何者是佛。何者非佛也。雖然。又般若經云。無眼耳鼻舌身意。無色聲香味觸法。無眼界。乃至無意識界。三者既無。則自己尚無處所。何處得有世界山河大地。故云十方世界。猶如手中所持一物。返觀父母所生之身。猶彼空中吹一微塵。若存若亡。以此而觀。明若日星。而公於此處豈不為痛快哉。所以不能痛快者。但於文字著脚。而不返炤自心。致使分別成謬也。故肇法師云。會萬法歸於自己者。其惟聖人乎。

> Layman Wang Juzhou asked: "I have studied the Shurangama Sutra and feel I understand it deeply. But I cannot fully accept the passage that says, 'When one person returns to the truth, all worlds in the ten directions vanish.' Isn't the Tathagata one who has returned to the truth? If so, why haven't the worlds vanished? If they had vanished, all beings would have nowhere to stand. Why then is it said that the Tathagata preached the Dharma in the Jeta Grove with gods and humans? If they haven't vanished, how can the Tathagata's words be trustworthy?" The Master replied: "Let's set aside the Tathagata for now. Consider this: If you were under a bright light and suddenly walked into a dark room, could you still see the many worlds?" Wang said: "If I walked in suddenly, I would see only darkness, nothing else." The Master said: "Then those who did not go into the dark room—can they still see the worlds?" Wang said: "Yes." The Master asked: "Why can they see, but you alone cannot?" Wang replied: "Because I went from light to darkness. Darkness arose and light vanished, so I see only darkness, not mountains and rivers. Those who did not enter still have light, so they see everything." The Master said: "Now, is this similar to one person returning to the truth and all worlds vanishing?" Wang said: "Exactly the same." The Master said: "Then why doubt that when one person returns to truth, the worlds vanish? It is like ten people sharing a dream. If one of them wakes up, that person's entire dream-world vanishes, while the other nine continue to experience theirs. If all ten wake up, all ten dream-worlds vanish. One cannot deny the existence of the nine just because one has woken up. Nor can one doubt the nonexistence of the one who has woken up because the other nine are still dreaming. Only through direct realization can this be known; it is beyond mere speculation." Wang asked: "What you say makes sense. But why did the Buddha still dwell on Vulture Peak to teach the Dharma? Was the Tathagata not one who had returned to the truth?" The Master said: "The Tathagata means 'one who has not come from anywhere and does not go anywhere.' That is why he is called the Tathagata. His dwelling on Vulture Peak was merely a skillful response to various beings, like the moon reflected in water—is it real? A foolish monkey may try to grasp it, not knowing there is no actual moon in the water. Ordinary beings see the Buddha with physical eyes and believe he dwells on Vulture Peak. But if seen with wisdom eyes, one realizes all dharmas are thus. Then who can say what is Buddha and what is not? Moreover, the Prajnaparamita Sutra says, 'No eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind; no color, sound, smell, taste, touch, objects; no realm of sight, no realm of consciousness...' Since these three are absent, one has no place oneself. Where then are worlds, mountains, rivers, and earth? Therefore it is said, 'The worlds in the ten directions are like a single object in the hand. Looking back at the body born of parents, it is like a single speck of dust blown in the wind, existing yet not.' Seen this way, it is as clear as the sun and stars. Why is this not liberating to you? The reason you do not feel liberated is that you cling to words without looking back into your own mind. This creates misunderstanding. Thus, Master Sengzhao said, 'Only a sage can merge all dharmas back into oneself.'"

僧問。某甲用功。似有箇見處。祇是有疑。師曰。見箇甚麼。僧云。見自心包含世界。師曰。自身聻。僧云。亦在自心中。師曰。若恁麼。見我顯聖寺即今做甚麼。僧云。身中總一片無所隔礙。師曰。還見隔壁事麼。

> A monk asked, "I've been practicing and feel like I've had some insight, but I still have doubts." The master said, "What insight?" The monk said, "I see that my own mind contains the entire world." The master said, "What about your own body?" The monk said, "It's also within my mind." The master said, "If that's the case, what do you see the Xiansheng Temple doing right now?" The monk said, "Within my body, everything is one whole, without any barriers." The master said, "Then can you see what's happening next door?"

僧問。見聞知覺是心不是心。師曰。若是心。云何呌做見聞覺知。若不是心。應同外物。云何知是見聞覺知。而終不云他見他聞。於此正好著力。參久自有悟處。師復云。一不得別求玄妙。二不得希望證聖。三不得怕怖生死。四不得撥無因果。

> A monk asked, "Are seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing the mind or not the mind?" The master replied, "If they are the mind, then why do we call them seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing? If they are not the mind, they should be like external objects. Then how could they be recognized as seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing? Yet they are never called 'others seeing' or 'others hearing.' This is precisely where you must apply effort. Contemplate this deeply, and in time, you will naturally have an awakening." The master continued, "First: do not seek anything mysterious. Second: do not hope for enlightenment. Third: do not fear birth and death. Fourth: do not deny cause and effect."

僧問。和尚教人不思善不思惡只恁麼去。三十年不出山。我稱是人真善知識。學人一聞此語。疑信相半。信者。信今誠實之言。疑者。古云。草衣木食。若不思玄。異於深山野人者幾希。又云。大事未明。如喪考妣。大事已明。如喪考妣。何故和尚教人不思善不思惡只恁麼參。不惟不敢承當。亦難使人信受。師云。汝信我言。不能盡記古語。疑信不能不半耳。昔者能大師向道明曰。不思善不思惡正恁麼時。阿那個是明上座本來面目。繇是明公豁然大悟。汗流夾背。既悟。便不同於深山野人。吾言非為謬矣。如云大事已明未明皆如喪考妣者。良繇道力未充。命根未斷。故於已明未明生疑。若向父母未生前看破。則無此問矣。

> A monk asked, "Master, you teach people to not think of good, not think of evil, and just go on like that—a practice that kept you from leaving the mountain for thirty years. I would call such a person a true teacher of wisdom. But when I hear this, I'm half believing, half doubting. I believe because these are your honest words now. I doubt because the ancients said, 'If someone wears grass clothes, eats wild food, and does not contemplate the profound, they're hardly different from a mountain hermit.' They also said, 'Before the great matter is understood, it's like losing one's parents. After the great matter is understood, it's still like losing one's parents.' So why, Master, do you teach us to simply contemplate without thinking good or evil? I not only dare not accept this, I find it hard to believe or embrace." The Master replied, "You trust my words but can't fully recall the ancients' sayings, so your faith and doubt remain mixed. Long ago, the Sixth Patriarch said to Daoming, 'When you are not thinking good and not thinking evil—right at that moment—what is the original face of your true self?' At that, Daoming was suddenly and completely enlightened, sweat drenching his back. Once enlightened, he was indeed no longer like a mountain hermit. So my teaching is not mistaken. As for the saying 'whether the great matter is understood or not, it is like losing one's parents': this is because one's spiritual strength is not yet mature and the root of life has not been cut. Thus doubt arises whether the matter is understood or not. But if you see through it to what is before your parents were born, these questions would not arise."

僧問。和尚嘗言昏沉即解脫。散亂即清淨。但於學人分上恰有不相應處。昏則忘懷。散則浪蕩。既昏散不妨於道。何故經云。除睡嘗攝心。能生諸禪定。師云。風雲雷雨。天之妙用。昏散運用。人之嘗情。執風雲而昧天體。執昏散以迷真心。自成顛倒。若悟本心。一切皆名妙用。教有明文。非吾臆語。苟未見性。妄認假名。自成迷背。所以勞他古人多方抑揚。隨時破立。故曰。無有定名阿耨菩提。汝真有意於此。當力窮見性。一念開明。但有言說。俱無實義。思之勉之。

> A monk asked: "Master, you often say that drowsiness is liberation and distraction is purity. But for me, it doesn't feel that way. When I'm drowsy, I lose mindfulness; when I'm distracted, I drift aimlessly. If drowsiness and distraction don't hinder the path, then why does the sutra say, 'Overcome sleep and constantly focus the mind—this gives birth to all meditative states'?" The Master replied: "Wind, clouds, thunder, and rain are the wonderful functions of the heavens. Drowsiness and distraction are ordinary human experiences. If you cling to the wind and clouds, you lose sight of the true sky. If you cling to drowsiness and distraction, you become confused about your true mind—this itself is a state of inversion. But if you awaken to your fundamental mind, then everything becomes a wonderful function. The scriptures have clear teachings on this; these are not my personal opinions. As long as you haven't seen your true nature, you will mistakenly cling to labels and concepts, creating your own confusion and deviation. This is why the ancient masters used various methods—sometimes encouraging, sometimes discouraging, sometimes establishing teachings, sometimes refuting them. As it is said, 'There is no fixed name for Supreme Perfect Enlightenment.' If you are truly sincere about this, you must make every effort to see your true nature. Once a single thought opens up to clarity, you will realize that all verbal explanations have no ultimate reality. Reflect on this and apply yourself diligently."

問悟道之人還假修行否。師云。正好修行。何也。法身乃證得。報身從修得。曰恁麼有兩個耶。師曰。我不說有兩個。亦不說一個。法身者即自己也。經云。譬如有人百骸調適。忽忘我身。微加針艾。即知有我。是知證義。報身者。猶如衣服。實從辦得。若說是我身。如何又脫得著得。若非我者。被人盜去。云何又云被人盜去。

> Question: Does a person who has awakened to the Way still need to practice? Master: Exactly such a person needs to practice. Why is that? The Dharma Body is realized through direct experience, while the Reward Body is achieved through cultivation. Question: So that means there are two bodies? Master: I do not say there are two, nor do I say there is one. The Dharma Body is your true Self. A sutra says: It’s like when a person’s body is completely at ease, and they suddenly forget about their physical self. But if you lightly touch them with an acupuncture needle, they immediately feel "I am here." This is the meaning of realization. The Reward Body is like a robe: it is something you have obtained through effort. If you say it is your true body, then how can you take it off and put it on? And if it were not your true body, why would you say someone else could steal it?

僧問。某甲即今如何用心則是。師云。無所用心處。是汝用心。以無所用心是真用心義。又云。汝是讀書人。豈不聞有所好樂。則不得其正。比如行路人有拄杖子。則不得自在。若有所擔負。則不得自在。要自在者。豈不是空手行也。又云。無言是天地之至言。故曰。天何言哉。春到則普天匝地皆春。可不信乎。

> A monk asked, "How should I apply my mind right now?" The Master replied: "The place where there's nothing to apply the mind to—that's where you apply your mind. To have nothing to apply the mind to is the true meaning of applying the mind." He also said: "You're a learned person—haven't you read that 'if you have preferences, your mind will not be upright'? For example, when traveling, if you're carrying a walking stick, you won't be at ease. If you're burdened with something, you won't be at ease. If you want to be at ease, doesn't that just mean walking empty-handed?" He added: "Silence is the utmost speech of heaven and earth. That's why it's said: 'Does Heaven speak? Yet when spring arrives, the whole world, everywhere, is filled with spring.' How could you not believe this?"

僧問。某甲欲修行。不知把柄。求和尚開示。師云。汝要把柄做甚麼。譬如人之眼睛。可外求得麼。縱汝外求。可得的。即是可失的。

> A monk asked, "I wish to practice the path, but I don't know where to start. Please, teacher, give me some guidance." The master replied, "Why do you need a starting point? It's like your own eyes—can they be found outside yourself? Even if you could get them from outside, what you gain that way can also be lost."

岳石帆居士云。雲棲和尚賺度許多好和尚好秀才在會下。我所以不肯他。師曰。聖賢嘗受屈。士云。何謂也。師曰。莫我知也夫。予欲無言。葢因無當機之人。自摩其𮌎。發此長嘆耳。士曰。此是方便遮護語。師曰。是非相諍。他總不起。須是我為後學者。發其蘊奧。士云。我非強抑。昔時曾親與他諍論。師曰。昔時諍論。今須讚嘆。始見居士有天神不測之妙。士云。你是雲棲和尚那。師曰。我是弟子。士云。讚嘆你。即是讚嘆雲棲也。師曰。居士莫塗糊人好。士又指大眾云。你等當看這個和尚。師曰。他終是不信你。祇是看自家。士云。當今佛法寥落。須盡力為之。師曰。天地間自有時節因緣。非某能為也。居士唯唯。

> Layman Yue Shifan said, "Master Yunqi has deceived many good monks and scholars into becoming his followers. That's why I don't approve of him." The Master replied, "Sages and worthies have always endured misunderstanding." The layman asked, "What do you mean by that?" The Master said, "'No one understands me!' 'I wish to say nothing.' These words were spoken because there was no one truly capable of receiving the teaching. He struck his own chest and gave this long sigh." The layman said, "That's just a convenient way to cover things up." The Master replied, "He never argued over right or wrong. I am the one who, for the sake of later practitioners, must draw out the profound meaning hidden within." The layman said, "I'm not forcing this on him. In the past, I personally debated with him." The Master responded, "If you debated with him in the past, you should now praise him. Only then will people see that you, Layman, possess a subtle and mysterious quality surpassing gods and humans." The layman asked, "Are you a disciple of Master Yunqi?" The Master said, "I am his student." The layman said, "If I praise you, that is also praising Yunqi." The Master replied, "Layman, please don't confuse people." The layman then pointed to the assembly and said, "All of you should pay attention to this monk." The Master said, "In the end, he will not believe you. Just look to yourself." The layman said, "In this age, the Dharma is declining. We must do our utmost to uphold it." The Master replied, "Between heaven and earth, there are naturally appropriate moments and conditions. This is not something I can bring about." The layman responded with a compliant "Yes."

問西方是有是無。師曰。無。曰經云。從是西方過十萬億佛土。有世界。名曰極樂。既有方所。那得言無。甚違經意。師曰。不道事中無。祇是理上實無。經文分明。是你錯解。佛者覺也。土者覺知之地也。十者圓足之數也。今言十萬億佛土者。葢言超數量覺炤之地。有極樂世界阿彌陀佛也。然何以要超數量覺炤耶。葢纔有動念。便屬數量。纔有數量即受煩惱。不名極樂矣纔有覺炤。即屬取捨。有取捨。即受生死。不名本性無量壽佛矣。是故禪門直指一念未生前。又云。父母未生前。乾坤混沌時。洪濛未判時。也只說得數量覺炤不及之地。豈別有旨也。法華經曰。塵點佛剎前有佛號大通智勝如來。且塵點佛剎。豈容思議哉。苟容思議。惡得名為大通智勝乎。如是一大藏教中。莫不指歸。數量覺炤不及處。是自性天真之佛。無別有佛待你成也。故或曰。不可說不可說劫前。有佛號某。或恒河沙劫。或不可思議劫。或無量阿僧祇劫前。有佛號某。一皆以超數越量離覺泯炤為是也。汝何得循文背旨。失佛本懷。是則為滅佛種也。曰然則超數越量離覺泯炤。何者是本性無量壽佛。師曰。恩大難酬。速禮三拜。曰若然者。則古人例有證驗。豈虗說耶。或天樂迎空。或異香滿室。或化佛現前。或蓮標姓字。將謂邪魔所作乎。師曰。非謂虗說。亦非邪魔。此乃慈父勝方便門中之事也。葢謂三乘厭苦。菩薩說此淨土之門。實為權誘。漸漸引歸一乘。故有佛來迎。有我生去。彼此歷然。淨穢逈異。是佛權門。豈為實教。故法華經云。是諸佛世尊更有異方便。助顯第一義。異方便者。即淨土三乘等教是也。第一義者。即一乘實教是也。故經云。十方世界中。唯有一乘法。無二亦無三。既云一乘。豈有去來淨穢之可間耶。故華嚴經。始終一際。因果同融。微塵剎土。總一法界。會六道四生。同入佛乘。故論曰。十世古今。始終不離於當念。無邊剎海。自他不隔於毫端。信實。則善財一生頓證。滯權。則身子多劫難成故予前所論者。非為杜撰。出是實宗。子所難者。亦非謬問。依佛權設。然予非實人。但知教道可宗。與子稱性而論也。

> Someone asked the Master, "Does the Western Pure Land exist or not?" The Master said, "It does not." The questioner said, "The sutra says, 'From here, passing through a hundred thousand kotis of Buddha-lands to the west, there is a world called Ultimate Bliss.' If it has a location, how can you say it does not exist? This greatly contradicts the sutra's meaning." The Master said, "I am not saying it does not exist in terms of phenomena. But in terms of principle, it truly does not exist. The sutra text is perfectly clear; it is you who misunderstands. ‘Buddha’ means awakening. ‘Land’ means the ground of awakened awareness. ‘Ten’ is a number representing completeness. Now when the sutra speaks of ‘a hundred thousand kotis of Buddha-lands,’ it means the realm of awakened illumination that transcends all measure and number. There, the Buddha Amitabha and the Land of Ultimate Bliss exist. But why must we speak of transcending measure and awakened illumination? Because the moment a thought arises, it falls into measure and number. And once there is measure and number, there is affliction—and it can no longer be called Ultimate Bliss. The moment there is awakened illumination, it falls into grasping and rejecting. With grasping and rejecting, one experiences birth and death—and it can no longer be called the inherently existing Buddha of Infinite Life. Therefore, the Chan school points directly to the moment before a single thought arises. It also speaks of ‘before the birth of our parents,’ ‘when heaven and earth were still undivided,’ ‘before the primordial chaos was distinguished.’ All these merely point to the place that measure and awakened illumination cannot reach. Is there any other meaning? The Lotus Sutra says, ‘Before countless dust-mote kalpas, there was a Buddha named Mahabhijna-jnanabhibhu.’ Now, can ‘countless dust-mote kalpas’ be grasped by conceptual thinking? If it could be grasped, how could it be called Mahabhijna-jnanabhibhu (Great Penetrating Wisdom and Victory)? In this way, the entire scriptural canon points to the place where measure and awakened illumination cannot reach. That is the inherent, true nature Buddha, the Buddha of your own self-nature. There is no other Buddha for you to attain. Therefore, scriptures sometimes speak of ‘a Buddha named so-and-so from before ineffable and inconceivable kalpas,’ or ‘from a Ganges River’s sands of kalpas,’ or ‘from inconceivable kalpas,’ or ‘from countless asamkhyeya kalpas.’ All of these are simply ways of pointing to the state of transcending measure, going beyond number, leaving behind awakening, and extinguishing illumination. How can you cling to the words, betray the meaning, and lose the Buddha's original intent? If you do that, you are destroying the Buddha-seed." The questioner said, "If that is so, then what is the inherently existing Buddha of Infinite Life who transcends measure and number, leaves behind awakening and extinguishes illumination?" The Master said, "Your gratitude is too great to repay. Quickly, bow three times." The questioner said, "If this is so, then the ancient masters all had verification and confirmation experiences. Were they speaking falsely? Some heard celestial music in the sky, or their room filled with a strange fragrance; some saw an apparition of a Buddha before them, or had their name inscribed on a lotus. Are we to say these were demonic works?" The Master said, "I am not saying these are false stories, nor am I saying they are demonic. These things belong to the compassionate Father’s skillful expedient methods. You see, when the three vehicles grew weary of suffering, the Bodhisattvas taught this Pure Land teaching. It is truly an expedient enticement, gradually guiding beings toward the One Vehicle. Therefore, there is a Buddha coming to welcome, and a self going to be born there—the two are distinctly separate, and purity and impurity are utterly different. This is the Buddha's expedient teaching, not the ultimate truth. Therefore, the Lotus Sutra says, ‘The Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, have another skillful means to help reveal the supreme meaning.’ That ‘other skillful means’ refers to the Pure Land teachings and the Three Vehicles. The ‘supreme meaning’ is the One Vehicle, the ultimate teaching. Thus the sutra says, ‘In the worlds of the ten directions, there is only the One Buddha Vehicle. There are no Two Vehicles, nor even Three.’ Since it is said to be One Vehicle, how could there be any division into going and coming, purity and impurity? Therefore, the Avatamsaka Sutra shows that beginning and end are one moment, cause and effect interpenetrate, every mote of dust and every land are the single Dharma Realm, and all beings in the six destinies and four modes of birth are brought into the Buddha Vehicle. Hence, a treatise says, ‘The ten ages, past and present—their beginning and end never depart from this single thought. The boundless oceans of worlds—self and other are not separated by the tip of a hair.’ If you truly believe, then Sudhana instantly attained enlightenment in one lifetime. If you are stuck in the expedient, then Sariputra found it hard to achieve even after many kalpas. Therefore, what I have discussed above is not my personal fabrication. It comes from the true teachings. What you have questioned is also not an erroneous inquiry—it is based on the Buddha's expedient teachings. However, I am not an enlightened person myself. I only know that the teachings are reliable and worthy of reliance. What I have said is a discussion with you that accords with our true nature."

雲鶴居士問。念佛得生西方否。師曰得。曰何以得生乎。師曰。予亦不知何以得生。汝但念佛。不患不生也。佛如最上醫王。撮略羣書。合就靈丹。誠能服之。自然療病。不必究其方之是非也。曰即如丹藥修合。必有原繇。念佛豈無因耶。師曰。譬如甘草解毒。大黃發瀉。或有人問。大黃何以發瀉。雖醫王有所不知。而大黃實能發瀉。故予亦曰。念佛不知何以得生西方。而念佛實能往生西方。雖教中云阿彌陀佛因中願力所致。亦三乘權誘之言。要非大乘稱性之語。何也。譬如箭穿石虎。笋發寒林。未審誰假願力使之然也。若無自心之誠感。而欲究其所以然。吾不知其然而然矣。鴈田柳子問。經云。如來一音演說法。眾生隨類各得解。為是身變耶。為是語變耶。若是身變者。則如來應默然。如不默然。何繇得解。如牛犬之有聲。如來亦應具嚎吠之聲。如不嚎吠。何繇得解。如其不然。何以稱隨類也。師曰。如來非身變。身相如故。亦非語變。語相如故。以其不變。故能隨類各解也。何也。如其有變。則在天非人。在人非天。豈能各應也哉。譬如世之演戲者。豈有變也。然羣聚而觀之。仁者見之。謂之仁。智者見之。謂之智。風流者見之。謂之風流。闘諍者見之。謂之闘諍。乃至禮義廉耻。孝悌忠信。善善惡惡。是是非非。各適其適。莫不稱益。退謂人曰。此戲唯孝唯悌。乃至惟風流惟鬪諍。不仁不義。豈戲者有異乎。實乃觀者各解其自心耳。雖然。須知有不變而變。變而不變。何也。即如戲之於戲也。謂其有變。則戲者安有二心。謂其無變則觀者何能各解。一幻戲如是。法法亦復然。而況於佛乎。是以耳聰者善聞琴瑟之妙。眼明者特辨玄黃之精。然琴瑟不為聾者所移。玄黃不為盲者所惑。而聾盲自異。其猶大海汪洋。終莫能窮。隨力大小。取之有多寡。而海不為之增減。佛法浩翰。終不能測。利鈍解之淺深。而法不為之是非。各解繇人。佛豈為親疎哉。

> Layman Yunhe asked, "If one recites the Buddha's name, can one attain rebirth in the Western Pure Land?" The Master said, "Yes." "How can one attain rebirth?" The Master replied, "I don't know how one attains rebirth either. You simply recite the Buddha's name, and you need not worry about not being reborn. The Buddha is like the supreme physician, who gathers all the medical texts and creates a miraculous elixir. If you sincerely take it, it will naturally cure your illness. You don't need to investigate whether the formula is correct or not." The layman said, "But for a medicine to be prepared, there must be a reason. Can reciting the Buddha's name really have no cause?" The Master replied, "It's like licorice that detoxifies or rhubarb that induces diarrhea. If someone asks, 'Why does rhubarb cause diarrhea?' Even the supreme physician might not know, but rhubarb truly does cause diarrhea. So I say, 'I don't know why reciting the Buddha's name leads to rebirth in the West, but reciting the Buddha's name truly does lead to rebirth there.' Although the scriptures say that Amitabha Buddha's vow-power makes this possible, this is just an expedient teaching for the Three Vehicles, not the ultimate teaching of the Great Vehicle that expresses the true nature. Why? It's like an arrow piercing a stone tiger, or bamboo shoots sprouting in a cold forest—who can say that these are caused by a specific vow or power? If there is no sincere resonance from your own mind, and you try to find the 'why,' I simply don't know how it happens." Layman Liuzi of Yantian asked: "The sutra says, 'The Tathagata teaches the Dharma with a single voice, and sentient beings, according to their kind, each understand it differently.' Does this mean the Buddha's body changes, or his speech changes? If it is his body that changes, then he should remain silent. If he does not remain silent, how could anyone understand? If it is like the barking of cows and dogs, then the Tathagata should also have howling and barking sounds. If he does not howl or bark, how could they understand? If this is not the case, how can it be said that he adapts to each kind?" The Master said, "The Tathagata does not change his body—his physical form remains as it is. Nor does he change his speech—his words remain as they are. Because he does not change, he can adapt to each kind's understanding. Why? If he changed, then in heaven he would not be human, and among humans he would not be heavenly—how could he respond to all? It's like actors in a play: do they change? Yet when a crowd watches, the benevolent see benevolence, the wise see wisdom, the romantic see romance, and the quarrelsome see conflict. Even propriety, integrity, filial piety, loyalty, good and evil, right and wrong—each person interprets it according to their own nature, and all find benefit. Afterwards, they say to others, 'This play is only about filial piety' and 'only about romance' or 'only about conflict' or 'lacks benevolence and righteousness.' Does the play itself differ? In truth, each viewer simply interprets their own mind. Nevertheless, know that there is 'unchanging yet changing' and 'changing yet unchanging.' How? Take the play itself: if it changes, the actor does not have two minds; if it does not change, how can each viewer interpret it differently? If even an illusory play is like this, so is every phenomenon. How much more so with the Buddha? Thus, those with sharp ears can appreciate the subtlety of the zither and lute; those with clear eyes can discern the essence of colors. Yet the zither and lute are not altered for the deaf, nor are colors confused for the blind. It is the deaf and blind who differ. It is like the vast ocean, which can never be exhausted. Each person takes according to their capacity, some more, some less, but the ocean neither increases nor decreases. The Dharma is vast and limitless, beyond full comprehension. The sharp and dull understand it to different depths, but the Dharma itself does not judge right or wrong. Each person's understanding comes from themselves. How could the Buddha show favoritism?"

居士又問。真即是妄。妄即是真。真妄既不有二。何以令人除昏遣妄。而集於定慧也。譬如水不離波。波不離水。寧有離波之水。不濕之波乎。今云。斷妄證真。便同離波求水。非惟不能證真。愈且增其虗妄。故曰。斷除妄想重增病也。若認妄想即真。不必斷除。經又云。妄盡覺圓。又曰。眾生皆有如來智慧德相。良繇妄想執著不能證得。楞嚴經中十因六交。莫不皆繇妄想而受輪迴。斷者不是。縱者亦非。如是難明之義。惟師決之。師曰。真本不有。因妄顯真。妄本不生。依真而起。故曰。因迷迷覺。覺不生迷。凡聖人設教。猶良醫用藥。豈執其方。先欲破妄。而真妄對破。故曰。妄盡覺圓。次欲破執。真妄俱即。而亦妄真俱非。故曰。斷除增病也。葢欲自契本心耳。如能悟旨。則非是勿經於口。真妄空自有名矣。今時儱侗之師。強欲以名言自得。執此即妄即真而自負。不知舉意即乖其宗矣。而人或詰之。復引即水即波之句以強釋。是豈達方便之門乎。且如水果是波也耶。水果非波也耶。夫水本無波。繇風所作。狂風所吹曰濤。大風所吹曰浪。嘗風所吹曰波。微風所吹曰紋。其悠悠漾漾。千名萬狀。莫不皆繇風使之然也。水果是波則無風之時。恬然清淨。波相不有。波相不有。應非有水。水果非波。則陸地無波之處。凝然不動。不動皆應是水。如此。則水陸無分。世界不成安立。夫真本無妄繇境所作。順境所感曰喜。逆境所感曰怒。違境所感曰哀。美境所感曰樂。其紛紛紜紜。莫不皆繇境使之然也。真果是妄。六根不到之處。泯然無知。境相不有。境相不有。應非有真。真果非妄。則日用交錯之際。杳然忘返。念相遷流。念相遷流。真應是斷。今推其波。有時有。繇乎風作。有時無。繇乎風息。作息既繇其風。則水體凝然不動矣。如其有動。則水具心識。如其有心則水應自言我能動耶。我能靜耶。我能生波耶。波非我是耶。波即是我。而我即是波耶。而水不能自言者。以其無情耳。無情則無動。無動則無所不動。故曰。江河兢注而不流也。吾心與真妄雜出而不能辨者。亦猶波之作息。濫於水而不能分者也。波既作息繇風非關於水。則此真妄。亦皆繇境。而豈關於心乎。然則波耶水耶。真耶妄耶。不分而分。分而不分。惟宛轉消歸自己而已矣。不然。則不能免其隨言生執。又安能自了哉。

> The layman further asked: "If True is exactly delusion, and delusion is exactly True, and the two are not separate, why then does one teach people to eliminate ignorance and dispel delusion, focusing their minds on calmness and insight? For example, water is inseparable from waves, and waves are inseparable from water. Is there ever water apart from waves, or waves that are not wet? Now, if you say 'cut off delusion and realize Truth,' it is like seeking water apart from the waves. Not only can you not realize Truth, but you only increase your false notions. Thus it is said, 'Cutting off delusive thoughts is to add another sickness.' If one recognizes that delusion itself is Truth and need not be cut off, then the sutras also say, 'When delusion is exhausted, enlightenment is complete,' and 'All beings possess the wisdom and virtue of the Thus-Come One, but because of deluded thoughts and attachments, they cannot realize it.' In the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, the ten causes and six interactions all result in rebirth due to deluded thoughts. Cutting off is wrong; indulging is also wrong. Such a difficult-to-understand meaning must be decided by you, Master." The Master replied: "True is originally non-existent; it is revealed through delusion. Delusion is originally unborn; it arises dependent on Truth. That is why it is said, 'Because of confusion, one is confused about awakening; awakening does not give rise to confusion.' When the sages established their teachings, they were like a good doctor using medicine—they did not cling rigidly to a single prescription. First, they sought to break delusion, so delusion and Truth were treated as opposites, and it was said: 'When delusion is exhausted, enlightenment is complete.' Later, they sought to break attachment, and then both delusion and Truth were seen as equal, yet also denied. Thus it is said: 'Cutting off adds sickness.' This is all to help one directly awaken to one's own mind. If you can grasp the essence, then neither 'true' nor 'false' needs to be spoken; these terms exist only as empty names. Nowadays, crude teachers forcibly try to gain understanding through words alone. Clinging to 'this is both delusion and Truth,' they become conceited, not realizing that the very act of raising a thought already misses the principle. When questioned, they cite the phrase 'water is waves' to explain themselves arbitrarily. How can this be considered mastering the gateway of skillful means? Consider water: Is it really waves? Or is it really not waves? Water originally has no waves; waves arise from the wind. A gale creates billows, a strong wind creates great waves, a steady wind creates ordinary waves, a gentle breeze creates ripples. Their endless names and forms—vast and tranquil, or swirling and turbulent—are all produced by the wind. If water were truly waves, then when there is no wind and it is calm and clear, no wave-form would exist. Without wave-form, there should be no water. If water were truly not waves, then all motionless water on land would be still, and everything still should be water. Then water and land would be indistinguishable, and the world could not be established. Similarly, Truth is originally without delusion; delusion arises due to circumstances. Favorable circumstances bring joy, unfavorable ones anger, adverse ones sorrow, pleasant ones delight. The countless, tangled experiences all arise from circumstances. If Truth were truly delusion, then where the six sense faculties do not reach, there would be blank unknowing. Without any appearance of phenomena, there would be no Truth. If Truth were truly not delusion, then in the daily interplay of conditions, one would be lost and forget to return, thoughts flowing and shifting constantly. If thoughts are constantly flowing, then Truth should be cut off. Now examine the waves. Sometimes they exist because the wind arises; sometimes they don't because the wind ceases. Since arising and ceasing depend on the wind, the essence of water remains motionless. If it could move, water would have a mind and consciousness. If it had a mind, water should be able to say: 'I can move; I can be still; I can create waves; the waves are not me—are the waves me? Are they identical to me?' But water cannot speak because it is without emotion. Being without emotion means it is without movement; being without movement means it is not moved by anything. Therefore it is said, 'The great rivers rush forward yet do not flow.' Our mind, intermingled with Truth and delusion and unable to distinguish them, is like the waves arising and ceasing, indistinguishable from water. Since waves arise and cease due to the wind and not due to water itself, then this Truth and delusion also arise due to circumstances, not from the mind itself. Therefore, waves and water, Truth and delusion—while not separate, we distinguish them; while distinguishing, they are not separate. We must simply turn everything back to ourselves and dissolve it there. Otherwise, we cannot avoid clinging to words and producing attachments—how, then, could one ever awaken on one's own?"

問無明即佛性。何謂也。師曰。無明佛性同出根本知中。各無自體。以佛性無體。迷為無明。無明無體。悟為佛性。非佛性外有無明。亦非無明外有佛性。惟迷悟使之然耳。猶如日明夜暗。同住虗空。循環往復。各無自體。苟知無體。則無明即明。若執有佛性。則明即無明。不著不拒。則超然自得也。故曰。功德天。黑暗女。有智主人。二俱不取。義可泮然矣。又問。煩惱即菩提。何謂也。師曰。梵語菩提。此云知覺。若煩惱異於菩提。則煩惱菩提各不相知。若菩提異於煩惱。則菩提煩惱各住一際。各住一際。則菩提自菩提。誰住菩提。各不相知。則煩惱自煩惱。誰知煩惱。以菩提不異煩惱。迷菩提為煩惱。以煩惱不異菩提。知煩惱即菩提。葢知之為言覺也。故曰。知則不為冤。雖然。若將個知即菩提蘊在懷中。便名煩惱。故曰。知見立知。即無明本。直饒知見無見。斯即涅槃。猶未脫略。何也。葢此事直須妙悟自心。不在言宣耳。

> \*\*Question:\*\* Ignorance is precisely Buddha-nature. What does this mean? \*\*Master:\*\* Ignorance and Buddha-nature both originate from the same fundamental awareness. Neither has its own independent existence. Because Buddha-nature has no fixed self, when deluded, it manifests as ignorance. Because ignorance has no fixed self, when awakened, it manifests as Buddha-nature. It is not that there is ignorance apart from Buddha-nature, nor Buddha-nature apart from ignorance. It is simply a matter of delusion or awakening. This is like the sun's brightness and the night's darkness—they both dwell in the same empty space, cycling back and forth, each without its own fixed substance. If you realize they have no fixed self, then ignorance is itself brightness. But if you cling to the idea of a Buddha-nature, then brightness becomes ignorance. Without attachment or rejection, you are free and effortless. Therefore it is said: "The goddess of virtue and the dark maiden—a wise master takes neither." This principle is clear. \*\*Question:\*\* Afflictions are precisely enlightenment. What does this mean? \*\*Master:\*\* In Sanskrit, "bodhi" means awareness or awakening. If afflictions were separate from enlightenment, then affliction and enlightenment would not know each other. If enlightenment were separate from afflictions, then enlightenment and afflictions would each dwell in their own realm. Dwelling in separate realms, enlightenment would be just enlightenment—who would then dwell in enlightenment? Being separate and not knowing each other, afflictions would be just afflictions—who would then know afflictions? Because enlightenment is not separate from afflictions, delusion sees enlightenment as affliction. Because afflictions are not separate from enlightenment, realizing afflictions is itself enlightenment. This is because "to know" means "to awaken." Hence it is said: "To know is to not be deceived." Even so, if you hold the concept of "knowing" or "enlightenment" in your mind, it becomes affliction. Therefore it is said: "To establish knowledge upon knowledge is the root of ignorance." Even if you reach the state of knowing without seeing—that is nirvāṇa—you have still not fully transcended. Why? Because this matter must be directly and marvelously realized in your own mind; it is not a matter of words or explanation.

陶石簣居士問。師在此作麼。答曰。看華嚴合論。曰師在室中著此小小境界。當看是論。曰不然。却是室外者更當看也。曰何謂也。曰居室者必知室外有空。空外更有空可謂小不迷小。大不著大。內外該融。小大相入。只恐在室外者。迷此六合一總之空。不復知空外有空。界外有界。豈知華嚴法界中十方各具不可說不可說佛剎微塵數世界外。更有不可說不可說佛剎微塵數世界耶。故當看也。居士曰。多知多知。

> Layman Tao Shigui asked, "Master, what are you doing here in the room?" The Master replied, "I'm studying the \*Avatamsaka Sutra Combined Commentary\*." The layman said, "You're in this small space, and you take on such a limited view by studying that commentary?" The Master said, "Not at all. Actually, it's those outside the room who should study it more." The layman asked, "What do you mean?" The Master said, "Those inside a room must know there is space outside the room, and beyond that space, there is more space. We can say that in smallness, we are not confused by the small; in largeness, we are not attached to the large. Inner and outer merge and interpenetrate; the small and the large encompass each other. The only concern is that those outside the room may be lost in this all-encompassing space of the six directions, unaware that there is space beyond space, and realms beyond realms. How could they know that within the realm of the Avatamsaka, beyond the countless worlds as numerous as atoms in ten directions, there are even more countless worlds? That is why we should study this commentary." The layman said, "So true, so true."

太史又問曰。師於禪門用力久矣。而夢昧為有無耶。如或有之。何方以制之。師曰。世稱無夢者有三焉。一者七住已還。想陰已盡。此乃定力所持。故得無夢。證者之事。經云。想陰盡者。夢昧俱息。猶如晴空。二者用功真切。窹𥧌恒一。信力所持。故得無夢。初心之事。如服丹藥。壽千萬年。非是本有。三者倦勞之極。或無明濃厚。失憶為忘。妄謂無夢。非實是無。深成不覺。愚者之事。予於三者未有取焉。何則世之人徒以夢為夢。覺為覺。而不知覺即夢。夢即覺也。若覺是實。則無入夢。若夢是實。應無有覺。居覺非夢。居夢非覺。猶明暗相傾。何有自性。別有國土夢。五十日乃得一覺。彼得不為夢。是而覺非者乎。如是則我世界中曷嘗非夢。而。曷嘗非覺乎。以此而推。則彼定力所持。是名假惺惺。信力持者。是名強作主。諸佛成就夢中佛事。所謂說夢法。度夢眾生。開夢方便。坐夢道場。現夢神通。入夢涅槃。菩薩修夢萬行。獻夢供養。聲聞緣覺得夢解脫。入夢禪定。人天三途夢受果報。入夢生死。爭夢人我。說夢是非。造夢惡業。轉夢輪迴。居士興夢問。山僧起夢答。縱之亦夢。制之亦夢。止之亦夢。作之亦夢。說到此間。忽見那吒太子執降魔杵當頭一揮。雖覺腦門磕碎。猶未醒在。

> The Grand Historian asked again, “Master, you have labored long in the gate of Chan. But do delusion and dreams exist for you or not? If they do, how does one control them?” The Master said: “In the world, there are three kinds of people said to have no dreams. First, those who have attained the seventh stage or beyond, where the perception of objects has ceased. This is the result of meditative power, and so they have no dreams. This is the experience of one who has realized the truth. The sutras say: ‘When perception of objects is exhausted, both delusion and dreams vanish, like a clear sky.’ Second, those whose practice is sincere and true, so that waking and sleeping are ever one. This is the power of faith, and so they have no dreams. This is the effort of a beginner. It is like taking an elixir—though you live a thousand or ten thousand years, that life span is not originally your own. Third, those who are utterly exhausted, or have thick ignorance, and forget to the point of oblivion—mistakenly calling this ‘no dreams.’ But this is not truly having no dreams; it is deeply unconscious. This is the case of the foolish. I do not find myself in any of these three. Why? Because people of the world only take dreams as dreams and waking as waking, not knowing that waking is a dream and a dream is waking. If waking were real, there would be no entering dreams. If dreams were real, there would be no waking. In waking, you are not in a dream; in a dream, you are not awake. This is like light and darkness opposing each other—what inherent nature can either have? In another world-realm, a dream lasts fifty days before one awakens. Are we to say that person is dreaming but we are not? Following this logic, how is our world ever not a dream—and how is it ever not waking? From this we can infer: what is called the power of meditative stability is merely feigned wakefulness; what is called the power of faith is merely a forced master. All Buddhas carry out the dream-work of being a Buddha—they are said to speak dream-dharma, save dream-sentient beings, open dream-expedient means, sit on a dream-dojo, manifest dream-powers, and enter dream-nirvāṇa. Bodhisattvas cultivate the ten thousand dream-practices, offer dream-offerings. Voice-hearers and Pratyekabuddhas attain dream-liberation and enter dream-samādhi. Humans and gods, and the three lower realms, experience dream-retribution for their karma, enter dream-samsara, argue over dream-self-and-other, speak of dream-right-and-wrong, create dream-evil-karma, and revolve in dream-rebirth. A layperson raises a dream-question; this mountain monk gives a dream-answer. To indulge is also dream; to control is also dream; to stop is also dream; to act is also dream. Just as I said this, I suddenly saw Prince Naṭa, wielding his demon-subduing vajra club, strike me squarely on the head. Though my skull was shattered, I am still not awake.”

魯據梧朱交蘆諸子過訪。問曰。經云。世界山河大地皆因妄想結成是否。師曰然。曰和尚為我想得一錠金否。師曰得。曰何不與我一見。師曰。子嘗於閒寂之時也想杭城否。曰想曰。正當想時。彼處樓臺殿閣人物街道皆儼然否。曰然。曰既然如是。何不拈出來與山僧一看。曰然則然矣。只是拈不出。曰若然者。子尚拈不出。爭教山僧又能拈出與子看。子如一想。則有一城景致儼然在目。若千想萬想。則有千城萬城景致各各儼然在目。彼亦不來。此亦不去不來故彼城非無。不去故此想非有。以非有非無故各住一際。各住一際。故一人想則城現一人想中。若千人萬人想則城現千人萬人想中。曾無定體不因一人想而城為之一。不因多人想而城為之多。故曰。非如非異。非實非虗。非如故非一。非異故非多。非虗故隨想成辦。非實故想處不真。子如一念不生。山河大地當下泯絕。何處更有山河大地來。是知一切皆隨想念建立。故云三界惟心。萬法惟識。豈虗語哉。

> Lu, Juwu, Zhu, and Jiao—several gentlemen who studied together under the old masters—came to visit. They asked, "The sutras say that the world, mountains, rivers, and the great earth are all formed by deluded thinking. Is that true?" The master replied, "Yes." They asked, "Master, could you summon a nugget of gold for us?" The master said, "I could." They said, "Then why don't you show it to us?" The master asked, "When you sit in quiet solitude, do you ever think of Hangzhou City?" "Yes," they replied. "While you are thinking," the master continued, "do the towers, palaces, figures, and streets of that place appear vividly in your mind?" "Yes," they said. "In that case," said the master, "why don't you bring them out and show them to this old monk?" They replied, "Even though they appear, we simply cannot extract them and show them." The master said, "If that's so—you cannot reach in and pull them out—how could you expect me to do so and show you? When you think once, the entire view of one city appears vividly before your eyes. If you think a thousand times or ten thousand times, views of a thousand cities or ten thousand cities each appear distinctly. Those cities do not come to you—they don't move from their place. And because they do not come, the thought is not non-existent. Because your own thoughts do not go anywhere, the thought is not truly existent. Thus, being neither existent nor non-existent, each abides in its own boundary—each experiences its own condition. So when one person thinks, the city appears only in that person's mind. When a thousand people think, it appears in each of their minds simultaneously. It has no fixed form. It is not made singular by one person's thought, nor multiplied by many people's thoughts. This is called: 'Neither identical nor different; neither real nor unreal.' Not identical, so it is not one. Not different, so it is not many. Not unreal, so it arises through thought. Not real, so the thought's location is not genuine. If you could give rise to not a single thought, then mountains, rivers, and the great earth would vanish in an instant. Where would there be any mountains, rivers, or earth at all? Thus you should know: everything is established through thought and imagination. Therefore it is said: 'The triple realm is only mind; the myriad dharmas are only consciousness.' How could this be an empty saying?"

有新戒欲募緣造寺謁師。師誡之曰。大抵出家。人要以生死為本。福緣次之也。昔者楊岐老人親總十年院事。及住楊岐。屋頹壁敗。門人欲修飾之。老人誡却之。葢老人親從此中過來。艱辛備歷。乃有此語。可謂曾為浪子偏憐客矣。今之人不聞如是之訓。纔出家來。把個脚跟未穩話。丟向一邊。祇欲幹辦緣事。以消歲月。倘因果一差。失脚三途。經劫罔返。此事且置。祇如因正果正。福享人天。何曾不云迷中倍人。何也。大凡人都被善惡二種因果輪迴六道。自己佛性終成迷背。故曰。作善則善現。作惡則惡現。真心則隱沒。豈不見梁武帝問達磨云。弟子造寺度僧有功德否。磨云。實無功德。功德在自性中求。豈外求耶。如此。則我出家人不以生死為念。向自性中求。可乎。曰然福德亦不可少耳。如某某修營寺宇。嗔怒無當。人不為過。豈非福力所持耶。師曰。實非福力。乃魔持耳。棗柏曰。一念嗔心起。百萬障門開。修菩薩行者。慎勿起嗔。苟有一毫嗔念。則有一分嗔怒魔增其勢力。捨命之後。繼有福德。報為大力鬼王。并修羅夜义之類。福消報盡。還墮三途。曰起嗔如是。未審修道還有加勢力也無。師曰有。華嚴經十住十行十向十地菩薩。各有如來威力加被。說當位法門。是其義也。曰若然者。佛與魔果何物耶。而能與人勢力若是。師曰。本非外物。皆自心之力。法爾如然故也。譬如世人燔燒屋宅亦用火。蒸煑飯食亦用火。燒煉丹藥亦用火。凡用火之時。各有一分自然風力。與之俱發。成熟其事。燔屋邪也。煑飯正也。煉丹道也。風火皆無分別。而能隨事得失。亦猶佛魔無有分別。而能隨心是非。藉風發火。因心成事。皆不得而異也。良繇真如不守自性。隨緣成熟。今人不了自心。甞隨境轉。魔得其便。牽入惡道。皆繇未明佛性。自無作主。使之然也。豈魔佛云乎哉。如此。則子所言福德亦不可少。其可信諸。不可信諸。

> A newly ordained monk wished to raise funds to build a monastery and sought guidance from the Master. The Master cautioned him, saying: "For those who leave home to become monastics, the foundation of practice should be the matter of life and death; blessings and merits are secondary. In the past, the Elder Yangqi personally managed temple affairs for ten years. When he later resided at Yangqi Monastery, the buildings were dilapidated, with crumbling walls. His disciples wanted to repair them, but the Elder refused. Because he had personally experienced such hardships, he spoke from deep understanding. This is truly like the saying, 'One who has been a wanderer knows well the plight of another traveler.' Nowadays, people do not heed such lessons. As soon as they leave home, before their footing is stable, they cast aside the core concern and only engage in worldly affairs to pass the time. If they fall into error regarding cause and effect, they will sink into the three lower realms, suffering for eons without return. But let's set that aside. Even if one's cause is proper and the effect proper, and one enjoys blessings as a human or heavenly being, this is still called being doubly deluded. Why? Because most people are bound by the cycle of good and evil causes and effects in the six realms, ultimately turning their backs on their own Buddha-nature. Thus, it is said: 'Do good, and good manifests; do evil, and evil manifests; the true mind becomes hidden.' Have you not read how Emperor Wu of Liang asked Bodhidharma, 'Have I earned merit by building temples and ordaining monks?' Bodhidharma replied, 'In truth, there is no merit.' Merit is to be sought within one's own nature, not externally. If this is so, then as monastics, should we not take the matter of life and death as our priority and seek within our own nature?" The new monk rejoined, "But blessings and merits are not insignificant either. For example, when someone builds and repairs temples, if they give in to anger and act improperly, people do not consider it a fault. Is this not due to the power of their blessings?" The Master replied, "This is not the power of blessings, but the power of demonic forces. As Zao Bai said, 'A single thought of anger opens a million obstacles.' Those who cultivate the bodhisattva path must be careful not to give rise to anger. If there is even a trace of resentment, it gives power to the demons of anger. After death, if one has blessings, one may be reborn as a powerful ghost king, an asura, or a rakshasa. When the blessings are exhausted, one falls back into the three lower realms." The monk asked, "If anger works like this, are there also forces that assist one in spiritual practice?" The Master said, "Yes. In the Avatamsaka Sutra, the bodhisattvas of the Ten Abodes, Ten Practices, Ten Dedications, and Ten Grounds are all empowered by the Tathagata's might. They teach the respective dharma-gates—this is the meaning." The monk asked, "If so, what are the Buddha and the demons, after all, that they can give people such power?" The Master replied, "They are not external things at all. They are all the power of one's own mind, naturally functioning as such. For analogy, when people burn down a house, they use fire. When they cook rice, they also use fire. When they refine alchemical elixirs, they also use fire. In each use of fire, there is a natural wind force that accompanies it to complete the task. Burning a house is harmful, cooking is proper, and refining is the Way. The wind and fire themselves have no distinction, yet they follow the task to produce different results. Likewise, the Buddha and demons have no inherent distinction, yet they follow one's mind, which creates right and wrong. The wind aids the fire; the mind accomplishes the matter; they are not different. Fundamentally, the Thusness does not abide in a fixed self-nature but ripens according to conditions. People today do not understand their own mind and are constantly turned by external circumstances. Demons find their opportunity and drag them into evil paths—all because they have not realized their Buddha-nature and lack a true master within. Thus, it is not a matter of demons or Buddha! So, when you say that blessings and merits are not insignificant, can this be trusted or not?"

有客游禹陵過訪。問曰。彼中有窆石甚異焉。師曰。何謂也。曰始吾於無心之際。推之則動。其後著意推之則不動。其故何也。師曰。破色心論云。佛說心力最大。水無香故動作勝地。火無香味故動作勝水。風無色香味故動作勝於三大。心非四大。故動作勝於諸大。是知無心之力。無有限量。其量能轉天為地。轉地為天。大中現小。小中現大。一為無量。無量為一。故淨名以不思議目之。夫不思議豈容有心乎。心思一萌。則屬分限矣。昔者鳩摩羅什年七歲時。隨母往燒香。寺中有銕鉢。可受石餘。什即置之於頂。乃作念云。鉢甚大。我年甚小。得無重耶。不覺失聲。鉢尋墮地。母問曰。何也。什曰。我始無心。置鉢於頂。不覺其為重。無端分別。鉢大我小。寧無重乎。即覺甚重。力不能戴。故失聲耳。是時羅什即悟萬法皆惟自心。無有他物。以此而推。子之始也無心。故能動石。次也有意。故不能動耳。是以箭穿石虎。非人力之能為。酒勞三軍。豈󰒢糵之成就。是皆本乎無心。神而應之。略著思惟。即已不堪也。吾知諸佛凡夫。本不相隔。但十二時中。其神機注發。不能自知耳。

> A visitor came to pay respects at the Yu Mausoleum and asked me: "There is a burial stone there—very peculiar. At first, when I pushed it with no intention, it moved. But later, when I pushed it deliberately, it didn’t budge. Why is that?" The Master replied: "The \*Scripture on Breaking Through Matter and Mind\* says: 'The Buddha taught that the power of the mind is the greatest.' Water, lacking fragrance, surpasses solidity. Fire, lacking fragrance and taste, surpasses water. Wind, lacking color, fragrance, and taste, surpasses all three. The mind, not made of the four elements, surpasses them all. Thus, the power of no-mind is limitless. It can turn heaven into earth and earth into heaven. It can manifest the large within the small and the small within the large. One becomes infinite, and infinite becomes one. That is why Vimalakīrti called it 'inconceivable.' How could the inconceivable be something we can grasp with a conscious mind? The moment a thought arises, it falls into limitation. In ancient times, when Kumārajīva was seven, he followed his mother to a temple to burn incense. In the temple, there was an iron bowl that could hold over a bushel. He lifted it and placed it on his head. Then a thought arose: 'The bowl is so large, and I am so small. Isn’t it heavy?' Without realizing it, he cried out, and the bowl crashed to the ground. His mother asked him what happened. He replied: 'At first, with no mind, I placed the bowl on my head and didn’t feel its weight. But then, without cause, I discriminated, thinking, "The bowl is big, and I am small." How could it not be heavy? Suddenly it felt very heavy, and I couldn’t hold it up. That’s why I cried out.' At that moment, Kumārajīva realized that all phenomena arise solely from the mind—nothing else exists. By this reasoning, the reason you could move the stone at first was that you had no mind. Later, when you had intention, you could not. This is why an arrow can pierce a stone tiger—it is not the strength of a person. Wine can intoxicate an entire army—it is not the power of yeast. Both are rooted in no-mind—spontaneous responses of the spirit. As soon as deliberate thought appears, it becomes unbearable. I know that Buddhas and ordinary beings are not fundamentally separate. But throughout the twelve hours of the day, the spirit’s subtle functioning flows and emerges without our own awareness."

只玄居士問。格物物格意旨如何。師彈指三下。曰某甲特來禮拜。求脫生死。師云。居士未發足之前會得。方脫得生死。於今開口已錯了也。不見古人道。望州亭與汝相見了也。烏石嶺與汝相見了也。僧堂前與汝相見了也。一念發心。是汝脫生死處。一路而來。是汝脫生死處。士禮拜而出。師喚云。來來。我再向汝道。士回首。師云。我向汝道了也。士擬議。師云。去。明日來。僧問。離心意識參。絕凡聖路學。某甲無奈心意識混擾。不能直進。乞師方便。師云。還識心意識麼。曰不識。師曰。識尚不識。欲離何物。譬如世人結冤。而欲遠離。必先知其結冤之繇。然後與之遠離。

> Layperson Zhi Xuan asked, "What is the meaning of 'investigating things' and 'things being investigated'?" The Master snapped his fingers three times. The layperson said, "I have come especially to pay homage and seek liberation from birth and death." The Master said, "Layperson, if you had understood before you set out, then you could have been liberated from birth and death. Now that you have opened your mouth, you have already made a mistake. Haven't you seen what the ancients said? 'I have already met you at Wangzhou Pavilion. I have already met you at Wushi Ridge. I have already met you before the Monks' Hall.' The moment you set your mind to it is where you are liberated from birth and death. The entire journey here is where you are liberated from birth and death." The layperson bowed and withdrew. The Master called out, "Come, come. Let me tell you something more." The layperson turned his head. The Master said, "I have already told you." The layperson hesitated. The Master said, "Go. Come back tomorrow." A monk asked, "I want to practice by leaving behind mind, intention, and consciousness, and learn by transcending the path of ordinary and sacred beings. But I find that mind, intention, and consciousness are in turmoil and I cannot make direct progress. Please, Master, give me an expedient means." The Master said, "Do you recognize mind, intention, and consciousness?" The monk said, "I do not recognize them." The Master said, "If you don't even recognize them, what are you trying to leave behind? It's like someone who has a grievance with someone else wanting to distance themselves from them. First, they must know the cause of the grievance, and only then can they distance themselves from it."

僧問。古人道。離却心意識。絕却凡聖路。然後有參學分。某甲欲離心意識未能何也。師曰。心意識作何形狀。有甚冤尤。汝欲離他。送至何方。僧曰。恁麼則無心意識耶。師曰。汝適來要離心意識。如今又怕他無那。汝知之乎。夫心意識者。聿起名心。思惟曰意。分別曰識。名雖有三。其體惟一。惟一之體。其性無生。無生之性。應用有別。故立三名。能一念不生。前後際斷。尚不名一。何況有三。學者循言背旨。起心動念。皆歸迷悶。若不妙悟真源。終無自濟之日。故古人多方提唱。無非欲令人忘心頓證。誰知反起心識。牽動前塵。致使醍醐翻成毒藥。可悲也夫。

> A monk asked, "An ancient master said, 'Only after leaving behind mind, intellect, and consciousness, and cutting off the paths of ordinary and sacred, can one truly engage in study and realization.' I wish to leave behind mind, intellect, and consciousness, but I cannot. Why is that?" The master replied, "What shape or form do mind, intellect, and consciousness have? What wrong have they done you? Where would you send them if you wanted to leave them behind?" The monk said, "Then does that mean there is no mind, intellect, or consciousness?" The master said, "Just now you wanted to leave them behind, and now you’re afraid of their absence. Do you understand? 'Mind, intellect, and consciousness' arise from naming. Deliberation is called intellect, discrimination is called consciousness. Although these names are three, their substance is one. This one substance has a nature that is unborn. Because the unborn nature manifests in different functions, we give it three names. When one thought does not arise and the boundaries of before and after are cut off, even 'one' cannot be named—so how could there be three? Those who study without understanding this, clinging to words and turning away from the true meaning, only stir up thoughts and become more confused. If you do not profoundly awaken to the original source, you will never be able to save yourself. Therefore, the ancients gave many instructions, hoping only that people would let go of mind and realize directly. Who would have thought that instead, people would create more mental concepts, dragging in old entanglements, turning sweet nectar into deadly poison? How pitiful!"

明翮問。某甲看個拂子放下因緣。只是教人休歇去。莫是化城事否。師曰。不是你看他古人問如何是法身。竪起拂子。如何是法身向上事。放下拂子。豈可作放下論耶。若真正悟明。放下不放下。總是閒話。所以道末後一著。始到牢關。絕後再甦。欺君不得。

> Minghe asked: "I've been reflecting on the story of the teacher holding up and then putting down the whisk. Isn't this just teaching people to let go and rest—a matter of the 'phantom city'?" The master said: "No. Look at the ancients: when asked 'What is the Dharmakaya?,' they would hold up the whisk. When asked 'What is beyond the Dharmakaya?,' they would put the whisk down. But this shouldn't be interpreted merely as 'putting down.' If you truly realize enlightenment, the concepts of putting down and not putting down are both just idle chatter. That's why it's said: Only at the final step do you reach the ultimate gate. Coming back to life after being utterly dead—this cannot be faked."

僧舉趙州狗子還有佛性也無。州云無。某甲看經數年。竝無入處。未審和尚有何方便。師云。汝疑向有無處著脚那。曰。某甲不向有無處著脚。師曰。你豈不曰蠢動含靈皆有佛性。狗子何謂無佛性耶。作此疑否。曰然。師曰不然。要會這些。須向此老未開口已前會得。始獲安樂。若向他舌頭下會取。直饒千萬劫。竝無會時。何以故。此事不在語言上故也。

> A monk said: "Zhaozhou was asked, 'Does a dog have Buddha-nature or not?' Zhaozhou said, 'No.' I've been studying the sutras for years but still haven't found any entry point. May I ask, Master, is there any expedient means?" The master said: "Are you putting your foot down on the side of 'existence' or 'nonexistence' with your doubt?" The monk said: "I am not putting my foot down on either side." The master said: "Didn't you say, 'All sentient beings, even the wriggling insects, possess Buddha-nature'? Why then would the dog have no Buddha-nature? Is this what you're doubting?" The monk said: "Yes." The master said: "That's not it. To understand this, you must realize it before that old man even opened his mouth. Only then will you find peace. If you try to grasp it from his words, even if you spent countless eons, you'd never get it. Why? Because this matter cannot be found in words."

僧問。丹霞劈佛。和尚鑄佛。是同是別。師曰。丹霞劈佛。和尚鑄佛。僧擬再問。師曰。似欠伶俐。首座曰。是便是。只是與古人相違。師曰。前人已納敗闕。你不可復踏故穽。若要安樂。直似嬰兒相似。始得恁麼。所以寶鏡三昧云。如世嬰兒。五相完具。不去不來。不起不住。哆哆啝啝。有句無句。終必得物。語未正故。到恁麼地。始獲大體。更得大用。始可為人。

> A monk asked: "Danxia broke a Buddha statue, and you, Master, cast one. Are these the same or different?" The master said: "Danxia broke a Buddha statue. I cast one." The monk was about to ask further, but the master said: "You seem a bit slow on the uptake." The head monk commented: "That may be so, but it goes against the ancients." The master said: "The one before has already fallen into a pit. You should not step into the same trap. If you want peace and ease, you must be like an infant—only then can you achieve this. Therefore, the \*Precious Mirror Samadhi\* says: 'Like an infant in the world, with the five marks complete, not coming or going, not arising or dwelling, babbling incoherently, with words and without words, it will eventually get what it seeks, because its speech is not yet fixed.' When you reach this state, you attain the great substance. Then, with the great function, you can teach others."

內翰黃慎軒。侍御左心源。給諫蕭九生。尚寶劉自明。同會於白雲觀。慎軒問。古人云。學道之人不識真。只為從前認識神。無始劫來生死本。癡人喚作本來人。只如真與識神作麼生分別。師曰。此極易耳。但未獲一番妙悟。似難辯白。且如教中云。有分別是識。無分別是智。即此一語。得失相半。何則。葢所謂但落言思。早已不是。實惟親到一番為妙耳。只如山僧在越之時。有人問予上京之程。予嘗答之。所謂北關而至於蘇州。鎮江。淮安。濟寧。臨清。以及張家灣。進海岱門。雖與人說。實未曾到。而心中未免惶惑。今也既已來此。始知前之所說不謬。惶惑之心不待制而除之矣。人或問之。所答如前。祇我一人。名同境同。言同句同。其間一真一假。不待辯而明矣。是知前之所說。似是而非。所以不能自盡其疑也。今之所說。親到了然。所以是非不能及也。故古人石火電光之機接於人者。葢欲其親證之也。苟能親證。所謂真耶。識耶。亦不待辯而明矣。

> Imperial Secretary Huang Shenxuan, Censor Zuo Xinyuan, Remonstrance Official Xiao Jiusheng, and Court Attendant Liu Ziming gathered at the White Cloud Temple. Shenxuan asked, "The ancients said: 'One who seeks the Way cannot recognize the truth, because they mistake consciousness for it. For countless eons, the root of birth and death has been called the original self by fools.' How, then, should we distinguish between truth and consciousness?" The Master replied, "This is very easy, but without gaining a profound awakening, it is hard to clarify. Consider the scriptures, which say: 'With distinction is consciousness; without distinction is wisdom.' Even this phrase has both merit and fault. Why? Because once you fall into words and thoughts, it is already no longer the truth. Real understanding comes only from personal experience. It's like when I was in Yue. Someone asked me about the journey to the capital. I answered, describing passing the North Gate, then Suzhou, Zhenjiang, Huai'an, Jining, Linqing, and Zhangjiawan, entering through Hadaimen. Though I told them all this, I had never actually been there, so deep down I felt uncertain. Now that I have truly come here, I know everything I said before was accurate, and my uncertainty disappears without any effort to suppress it. If someone asks me now, I answer in the same way. The 'I' is the same, the path is the same, the words are the same, but one is false and one is true. This is clear without debate. You see, what I said before seemed true but wasn't—that's why it couldn't resolve doubt. What I say now comes from direct experience, so it is beyond right and wrong. That is why the ancients used lightning-quick methods to help people realize the truth directly. If you can personally realize it, then truth and consciousness become clear without debate."

司業傳商槃問曰。某於禪門用力久矣。亦嘗有悟。對機問辨之次。未能痛快。不知過在何處。師曰。公之所難。難在為人。而獨不知難於自為也。故吾嘗以二事驗人。而未見有透之者。何為二事。一者驗於文字。夫文字。即諸佛言說法身也。汝云曾悟者。悟自心也。自心即是佛心。既悟佛心。當解佛語。既解佛語。便能於諸佛所說經教。諸祖差別機緣。一見了然無有疑惑。如或有疑。則所言悟者未必然矣。二者驗於自心。於日用應酧之際。似有一分作主。為物所寄。是誠不覺。此且置。只如離物寂靜之時。跏趺坐禪之際。中間似有一物。上下往還。所謂是是非非。得得失失。疑疑惑惑。取取捨捨。還得安帖否。如或安帖。則盡世間。所有草木。盡化作人。一一人具無量舌。一一舌具無量問難。一一問難具無量差別。非前非後。一時問來。只消彈指一下。悉皆答之矣。可謂得大無畏。具大自在。間或未得安帖。何必云對機應酧之際未能痛快。當寂然無事之時。早已誵訛了也。故曰。人許我易。我自許難。又曰。惟人自肯乃方親。公宜勉諸。

> A student of the Vinaya master Shangpan asked, "I have put great effort into Chan practice for a long time and have even had some moments of insight. Yet when it comes to answering questions during discussions, I never feel completely at ease. Where do you think the problem lies?" The Master replied: "Your difficulty lies in handling others. What you don't realize is that it's even harder to handle yourself. I have often used two tests to assess people, and I've yet to see anyone fully pass them. What are these two tests? First, the test of words. Words are the Dharma-body expressed by all Buddhas. You say you've had some insight—that insight is into your own mind. Your own mind is exactly the Buddha-mind. If you truly realize the Buddha-mind, you should understand the Buddha's words. If you understand his words, you should be able to read the sutras he taught and the various encounters of the patriarchs with perfect clarity, without any doubt. If any doubt remains, then what you call 'insight' is not genuine. Second, the test of your own mind. In daily life, as you respond to situations, it may seem that you have some control and are not completely carried away by things. But let’s set that aside. Think instead of those moments when you sit in quiet meditation, free from all distractions. At such times, if there is still something moving up and down within you—right and wrong, gain and loss, doubt and hesitation, grasping and rejecting—tell me, does your mind settle down completely? If it does, then you could face every blade of grass in the world turning into a person, each with countless tongues, each tongue raising endless questions, each question filled with infinite variations—all asked at once—and with just a snap of your fingers, you could answer each one. That is having great fearlessness and true freedom. But if your mind is not yet settled, why even speak of being ill at ease when answering questions during discussions? In truth, you were already confused back when things were still and quiet. That's why it's said: 'Others may say it's easy, but I know it's hard for me.' And also: 'Only when you truly accept yourself can you be truly intimate with the Way.' You should take this to heart."

太常趙石梁問曰。吾家新喪二孫。不覺心動。欲歸一探。師曰。公有靜功可持。云何心動。曰雖有靜功。遇境不能不動。未知過在何處。師曰。譬如琉璃。乃世間之至寶。有人持之不捨。孜孜護惜。是人豈無食時睡時。屙時倦時。當是時也。釋之不可。持之不可。何也。持之妨事。釋之防碎。於是取捨惶惑。有不勝言者。爭如不貴琉璃。手不持物。於一切時。縱橫自在。任運施為。無往不可。較彼寶琉璃者。又何如耶。所以諸佛󳫠凡夫五欲亂心。但以方便言說而教導之。使之發心。拔二乘偏空定心。必以不思議神力而激動之。然後發心。故迦葉云。五欲凡夫於無上道而有返復。我等皆無。又云。一切聲聞。聞是不可思議解脫法門。皆應號泣聲震三千大千世界。我等何為永絕其根。於此大乘。已如敗種。以此而觀。則知公有靜而有不靜。若凡夫者。無靜則無不靜。故曰。一切凡夫。本來圓覺。易曰。百姓日用而不知。莫不皆言本來如是。擬心趨向。則非是相乖矣。太常曰。這個意趣。畢竟如何。師曰。如來臨滅度時。大眾不勝其哀。是諸菩薩。天人國王後宮夫人。并婆羅門。各各以上妙供。倍倍增勝。持以上佛。而皆不受。純陀者工巧之子。無一物將來。何以如來受其最後供養。記彼滿足檀波羅蜜。葢如來極唱最後之微意耳。且如來入滅度者。根身器界。正報依報。一切盡捨。乃名滅度。而諸菩薩。既有以持來。如來欲何受乎。設有受之。欲置何所。故純陀無物將來。正適如來無受為正受矣。般若云。須菩提。若有法如來得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提者。燃燈佛即不與我授記。汝於來世。當得作佛。號釋迦牟尼。以實無有法得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。是故燃燈佛與我授記。作是言。汝於來世。當得作佛。號釋迦牟尼。以此類彼。如合符節。故香巖曰。去年貧未是貧。今年貧始是貧。去年貧無卓錐之地。今年貧連錐也無。類而推之。則知香巖老人非無原矣。

> Minister of the Ancestral Temple Zhao Shiliang asked, "Our family recently lost two grandsons. I can't help feeling upset and want to go see them. Master, you say I can maintain my stillness practice. So why am I shaken?" The Master replied, "You have a stillness practice you can rely on, so why are you upset?" Zhao said, "Though I practice stillness, I can't remain still when faced with circumstances. I don't know where I'm going wrong." The Master said, "Consider crystal—a priceless worldly treasure. Someone clutches it, never letting go, protecting it with all their might. Do they not need to eat, sleep, relieve themselves, or rest? At those times, letting go won't work, but holding on is impractical. Why? Holding it gets in the way, letting go risks breaking it. So they're torn, anxious—a state beyond words. How much better to not treasure crystal at all? To hold nothing, and at all times be free and easy, acting naturally, able to do anything anywhere. Compare that to someone obsessed with a crystal treasure. What do you think? Thus, when the Buddhas see that ordinary people's minds are disturbed by the five desires, they use skillful means and teachings to guide them toward awakening. As for those of the Two Vehicles who cling to the empty stillness of one-sided realization, the Buddhas must use inconceivable spiritual power to stir them, and only then can they awaken. That is why Kashyapa said, 'Ordinary people entangled in the five desires may sometimes turn back on the supreme path, but we have no such possibility.' He also said, 'All voice-hearers, hearing this inconceivable teaching of liberation, should wail so loudly that their cries shake the entire universe of three thousand great worlds. For we have cut off our own roots, and regarding this Great Vehicle, we are like spoiled seeds.' From this, you can see that you have moments of stillness and moments of agitation. But an ordinary person? They have no stillness at all, and therefore no agitation either. So it's said: 'Every ordinary person is inherently perfectly awakened.' As the Yi Jing says: 'The common people use it daily but don't know it.' This all means that things are originally just as they are. The moment you try to deliberately grasp the meaning, you have already missed it." Zhao Shiliang asked, "What is the ultimate meaning of all this?" The Master said, "When the Tathagata was about to enter nirvana, the great assembly was overcome with grief. All the bodhisattvas, heavenly beings, kings, queens, court ladies, and Brahmins each offered the most exquisite gifts, each more lavish than the last, and presented them to the Buddha. But the Buddha accepted none of them. Then came Shunda, a humble artisan's son, who brought nothing at all. Yet the Tathagata accepted this as his final offering, and predicted that Shunda had fulfilled the perfection of generosity. This is the subtle meaning of the Tathagata's final teaching. What is 'entering nirvana'? It is to let go of everything—your body, your environment, your entire being, all that you depend on. Only that is nirvana. If the bodhisattvas had brought something, what would the Tathagata have accepted? And if he had accepted anything, where would he have put it? Thus, because Shunda brought nothing, it perfectly matched the Tathagata's way of receiving—receiving by not receiving. As the Prajna Sutra says: 'Subhuti, if there were a single dharma the Tathagata attained the highest perfect enlightenment, then Dipankara Buddha would not have predicted that in a future life you would become a buddha named Shakyamuni. But because there is no dharma to attain the highest perfect enlightenment, Dipankara Buddha predicted: In a future life you will become a buddha named Shakyamuni.' The principle here matches perfectly. So Xiangyan said: 'Last year's poverty wasn't real poverty; this year's poverty is true poverty. Last year I had nowhere to stand even a diamond; this year I don't even have the diamond itself.' From this perspective, you can see that the old master Xiangyan did not base his teaching on nothing."

嚴印持居士問曰。今人參禪。甞有錯認者。過在何處。師云。如人失却一包銀子。左尋右尋。忽然尋著一包珠子也不認。尋著一包金子也不認。畢竟尋著自己這一包方纔說是了。士云。倘渠尋著金珠時。便認了如何。師云。除非是渠欺心。要他的纔認。

> Layman Yan Yinzhi asked: "When modern people practice Chan meditation, there are often those who make mistaken identifications. Where does the fault lie?" The Master replied: "It's like someone who has lost a pouch of silver. He searches left and right, and even if he suddenly finds a pouch of pearls, he won't claim it. If he finds a pouch of gold, he still won't claim it. Only when he finds his own pouch, that's when he says, 'This is it.'" The layman asked: "But if, when he found the gold or pearls, he just claimed them, what then?" The Master said: "Unless he's being dishonest with himself—only then would he take what's not his."