10
10
一
One
緣門問曰、云何菩薩行於非道、為通達仏道。
The disciple Yuammen asked: How does a Bodhisattva walk a path that is not the Path, and yet thereby arrive at the Buddha's Path to Cessation?
答曰、善惡無分別也。
He answered: There is no distinction between good and evil.
二
Second.
問曰、何謂無分別。
Question: What is meant by "non-discrimination"?
答曰、於法不生心也。
They answered: Do not give rise to thoughts about the Dharma.
三
Three
問曰、可無作者乎。
Question: Can there be no creator?
答曰、非有無作者也。
He replied: It is not that there is an agent of existence or non-existence.
四
Four
問曰、不覚知乎。
Question: Are you aware of this or not?
答曰、雖知無我也。
He replied, "Even though I know there is no self."
五
Five
問曰、無我、何有知。
Question: If there is no self, how can there be knowing?
答曰、知亦自無性。
He replied, "Knowing too is without its own inherent nature."
六
Six
問曰、道我、有何妨。
Question: What harm is there in saying "I" or "the Path"?
答曰、知名亦不妨。只恐心中有事。
He replied: Knowing the name is not a problem in itself. The only worry is having things weighing on your mind.
七
Seven
問曰、有事、有何妨。
Question: If there is something, what harm is there in it?
答曰、無妨即無事。無事、問何妨。
He replied: If there's no obstruction, there's no trouble. When there's no trouble, what obstruction could there be?
八
Eight
問曰、若簡有事取無事者、云何名行非道耶。
Question: If one sets aside "having things" and grasps "having nothing," why is this called practicing what is not the Path?
答曰、其実無事。汝強遣他生事、作何物。
The answer is: there is truly nothing to do. If you force yourself to create more complications and busywork, what are you making?
九
Chapter 9
問曰、叵有因緣得煞生不。
Question: Is there any circumstance in which taking life is permitted?
答曰、野火燒山、猛風折樹、崩崖圧獸、汎水漂虫。心同如此、合人亦煞。若有猶預之心、見生見煞、中有心不尽、乃至蟻子亦繫你命也。
The reply: A wildfire burns the mountain, a fierce wind snaps the trees, a collapsing cliff crushes the beasts, a rushing flood drowns the insects. When your mind is like these, it is right to kill a person. But if you have hesitations—if you see life and see killing, and in between there is something in your mind not fully resolved—then even an ant is tied to your life.
一〇
Ten
問曰、叵有因緣得偷盜不。
Question: Is there any circumstance in which taking what is not given can be justified?
答曰、蜂採池花、雀銜庭粟、牛飡𪞚豆、馬噉原禾。畢竟不作他物解、合山岳亦擎取得。若不如此、乃至針鋒縷葉、亦繫你項作奴婢。
They replied: The bee gathers flowers from the pond, the sparrow picks up grain in the yard, the ox eats beans from the field, the horse grazes on the meadow grass. In the end, they make no interpretation of other things—even a mountain could be lifted and carried away. If you are not like this, then even a needle's tip or a thread of a leaf will tie itself around your neck and make you its slave.
一一
One by one.
問曰、叵有因緣得行婬不。
Question: Could there ever be a reason that makes sexual misconduct permissible?
答曰、天覆於地、陽合於陰、廁承上漏、泉澍於溝。心同如此、一切行處無鄣㝵。若情生分別、乃至自家婦亦污你心也。
They answered: Just as heaven covers the earth, yang joins with yin, a latrine catches what drips from above, and a spring pours into a ditch—the mind should be the same in all circumstances, free of any obstruction. But once you give rise to discriminating feelings, then even your own wife will defile your mind.
一二
One or two.
問曰、叵有因緣得妄語不。
Question: Could there be circumstances in which speaking falsely is acceptable?
答曰、語而無主、言而無心、声同鐘響、氣類風音。心同如此、道仏亦是無。若不如此、乃至稱仏、亦是妄語。
The answer is: When you speak without a sense of a speaker, and talk without a mind behind it, your voice is like the sound of a bell, your breath like the tone of the wind. When the mind is like this, the Path and the Buddha are also nothing. If it is not like this, then even speaking of the Buddha is false speech.