12
Chapter 12
一
One
緣門問曰、若有初学道人、忽遇因緣、他欲來害、云何對治而合道乎。
Yuan Men asked: "If a beginning practitioner suddenly encounters a situation where someone wants to harm them, how should they respond in a way that is in harmony with the Way?"
答曰、一箇不須對治。何以故、可避避之、不可避任之、可忍忍之。不可忍哭之。
One does not need to counter it.[1] Why? If it can be avoided, avoid it. If it cannot be avoided, let it be. If it can be endured, endure it. If it cannot be endured, weep over it.
[1] A reference to unwholesome mental states or external circumstances that cannot be directly resolved through forceful opposition, only through acceptance and equanimity.
二
Second.
問曰、若哭、與他有我見人何別。
A question: If we cry, how is that different from an ordinary, self-centered person?
答曰、如杵扣鐘、其聲自然出也。何必即有我乎。汝若強死捉心、嚙齒噤忍、此乃存大大我。
Answered: It is like striking a bell with a mallet—the sound arises naturally. Why must there be a "self" involved? If you stubbornly cling to the mind, grit your teeth, and forcibly suppress, that is simply grasping an even greater self.
三
Three
問曰、人之哀哭、中有情動。豈同鐘響。
Someone asks: "When people weep and wail, there is genuine emotion stirring within them. How can this be compared to the ringing of a bell?"
答曰、言同與不同者、但是汝多事。妄想思量作是問。若無心分別者、道躰自然。
The answer: When you talk about "same" or "different," it's merely you creating trouble for yourself, letting deluded thoughts and judgments give rise to such questions. If you do not discriminate with your mind, then the essence of the Way reveals itself naturally.
四
Four
問曰、吾聞聖人兵不傷、苦不枉、色不受、心不動。此何謂也。
The question is: I have heard that the sage is unharmed by weapons, untouched by suffering, unaffected by appearances, and unmoved by emotions. What does this mean?
答曰、若了一切法即無我、聲與不聲、動與不動、俱合道理、無妨碍。
Reply: If you realize that all dharmas are without a self, then both sound and silence, both activity and stillness, are in accord with the truth and present no obstacle.