9
9
一
One
緣門問曰、何為真学道人、不為他所知、不為他所識。何為也。
Yuanmen asked: What does it mean to be a true student of the Way, unknown to others and unrecognized by others? What does this mean?
答曰、奇珍非為貧窮之所識、真人非為群邪偽人之所知。
The answer is: rare treasures are not recognized by the poor, and a true person is not known by the crowd of false and wicked people.
二
Second.
問曰、世有偽人、不閑正理。外現威儀、專精事業、多為男女親近者、何也。
Question: There are deceitful people in the world who do not understand the true teachings. Outwardly they display an air of dignity and devote themselves diligently to their practices, yet they often attract close followers among men and women. Why is this?
答曰、如婬女招群男、臰宍來眾蠅。此為名相之所致也。
He replied: It is like a prostitute attracting a crowd of men, or rotting flesh drawing swarms of flies. This is what comes of being attached to names and appearances.