歸源實際門
Gateway to Returning to the Source
已上所說非余本意。推窮聖典類聚群文。舉古驗今見聞深實。所以多見四眾學者。用心差互識見偏枯。邪正不分是非罔辯。噫生逢季運去聖時遙。不了目前萬緣差別。所以但凡做工夫底人。雖參話頭多眾不同。而於起疑處無二用心。一切話頭必要起疑。古德云。無疑不悟。前不云乎。未有不疑而成事者也。須具正知正見。莫墮野狐窟裏埋沒一生。何止一生。百千萬生菩提種子不復生芽。余咸居學地不忍見聞。兩岐之間決疑辯惑。前所將佛祖經教語錄中機緣譬喻警眾之言。并余做工夫得力處一一錄呈後學四眾。至於一言之下心地開通。一句之中性天朗耀。到此方不負平生參學之志願也。其或心地不開性天不朗。各各緊把繩頭依樣畫猫兒驀直去也。忽若再逢親友指示前因。一念相當萬金消得。正恁麼時三塗苦趣同證菩提。四重深恩一時酬畢。智徹忝居同學幸垂回顧提携。誓在他生處處同為法侶。
來源孝敬理事圓融 體用雙修陰翊王化
雙林遺誡眾等遵依 懺悔法門菩提行願
憶昔出塵承兄警誡 復懲懈惰止境息迷
來源孝敬理事圓融
Faithfulness to our source in both principle and practice creates harmony. Cultivating both inner nature and outer expression, we humbly serve the sovereign’s transforming power.
The Twin Groves’ final teachings all must follow: The Path of Repentance, the Bodhi Vow of Practice.
Recalling how I left the world, heeded my brother’s warnings, And overcame laziness, stopping where confusion ends.
Faithfulness to our source in both principle and practice creates harmony.
已上所舉話頭工夫動靜節次。與初機入道四眾安頓手脚處一一具陳。向下正與學人論根本始末來源去就。何為根本。以五戒是為根本。何為始末。以久長不變心是為始末。何為來源。要知空劫以前事是為來源。何為去就。要知此一件大事落處是為去就。學人既要明此一件大事來源去就。必須堅持五戒精修十善。意不外馳心無散亂。動靜閑忙純一正念。方與工夫上稍有相應分。前云四眾者。比丘比丘尼優婆塞優婆夷。又云清信男清信女也。先舉在家二種。首以孝順父母敬重內外六親眷屬。坊巷隣里當知尊卑貴賤。謙讓仁慈上下和睦。此孝子順父母之情也。這孝順二事世人以為常語。不知其理甚優甚廣。略言孝者。四事供給。何為四事。飲食衣服臥具醫藥。敬愛侍養是為孝也。順者順父母之顏色。順父母在理之所欲。凡有所為不違父母之意。若有如是孝順之心。上下和睦父母得以不動心。此是世間孝敬善道。天倫之理何異常乎。更能持齋奉戒念佛參禪。欲求大乘了脫生死。此又是出世間之大孝大善也。四恩普報三有均資。何慮一生父母而不報乎(此下註明五戒之相。與五常相配而互用也。五戒者。一不殺生。故曰仁。二不偷盜。故曰義。三不邪淫。故曰禮。四不飲酒。故曰智。五不妄語。故曰信。此五戒四眾既欲念佛參禪。必須堅持守護○此再重明邪淫之戒。教中所謂在家二眾不能全持。單止邪淫一戒。隨順修行故。楞嚴經云。諸世間人不求常住。未能捨諸妻妾恩愛。於邪婬中心不流逸。澄瑩生明。命終之後生四天王天。若能全持不犯。精進念佛。臨終之時必往極樂蓮華化生決無疑矣。此婬欲之戒非出家二眾敢有違犯。出家者脫塵離俗。圓頂方袍入聖超凡。名為僧寶。寶者如清淨摩尼之寶。令人眼見眼根清淨。耳聞耳根清淨。舌談舌根清淨。身觸身根清淨。又云福田僧。若復有人讚嘆布施得無量福。譬如良田一粒種子投之於地獲利萬倍。故曰眾生良福田也。所以出家人舉心動念即名破戒焉。有邪婬之事也)五戒者止殺為首。五常者以仁為首。故不殺可謂仁。仁者慈也忍也博愛也。好生惡殺。故曰。見其生不忍見其死。聞其聲不忍食其肉。是故君子遠庖厨。此是仁之戒也○義者宜也平也大用也。合宜之事當行則行之。合用之物當取則取之。非義而不行。不義而不取。故君子見得思義。夫子之時路不拾遺。子曰。不義而富且貴於我如浮雲。此是義之戒也○禮者中也履也大體也。家語云。昔魯人有獨處室者。隣人嫠婦亦獨處一室。夜暴風雨嫠婦室壞趨而託焉。魯人閉戶而不納。嫠婦自誦與之言。子何不仁而不納我乎。魯人曰。吾聞男女不六十不同居。今子幼吾亦幼。是以不納也。婦曰。子何不如柳下惠然。魯人曰。柳下惠則可。吾固不可。吾將以吾之不可學柳下惠之可。孔子聞之曰。善哉欲學柳下惠者。未有似於此者。所謂焉有邪淫之事歟。此是禮之戒也○智者慧也明也高超也。知與日者。若人有知如天之有日。知下安日故曰為智。智日昇空無幽不燭。是以飲酒昏亂真性。則智慧之心不明矣。浮雲翳空則智慧之日不照矣。故經云。飲酒者犯三十六種失功德事。故書中酒誥制戒亦嚴。羲和酖湎於酒辱身敗德。故禹惡旨酒好聞善言。梁武帝四十六年不茹五辛葷酒。自云。不飲酒無昏迷障。孔子曰。不為酒困。皆謂酒能昏智亂性。眾聖皆止。此是智之戒也○信者誠也實也真重也。昔有二賢士。即范張也。千里之途半年之約。范云。九月十五日至謁。張具鷄黍而待之。時至人來。誠信君子故無妄也。此是信之戒也○五常之戒治世之善。順天理而行守死善終之道。稍有其過則喪身敗德。無善道稱之揚名於後世矣。何況吾教中四眾念佛參禪。欲求無上妙道。又是出世間大善大因緣。永脫輪迴到涅槃岸得大安樂。而不遵守此五戒。欲脫輪迴到涅槃岸者。是不可得也。
I have now discussed in detail how to practice the essential technique of investigating a *huatou*, covering both active and still moments of practice, and where to anchor oneself for beginners from the four groups of the Buddhist community. Next, I will discuss with practitioners the fundamental source, origin, and ultimate destination of this great matter.
What is the foundation? The five precepts are the foundation. What is the origin and end? A long-lasting, unchanging resolve is the origin and end. What is the source? Understanding the state before the void kalpa is the source. What is the destination? Knowing where this one great matter ultimately falls is the destination.
Since practitioners wish to understand the source and destination of this great matter, they must firmly uphold the five precepts and diligently cultivate the ten good deeds. Their minds must not race outward, and their thoughts must not be scattered. Whether in activity or stillness, busy or at leisure, they must maintain a single, correct thought. Only then will their practice begin to bear fruit.
Earlier, I mentioned the "four groups": monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen. These are also known as pure-faith men and women. Let us first discuss the two lay groups. The most important practice is to be filial to parents and respectful to all six kinds of close and distant relatives. In one's neighborhood and community, one should know proper respect for social stations, practice humility, kindness, and live in harmony with others. This is the way of a filial child and an obedient son or daughter.
People often think of filial piety and obedience as ordinary words, not realizing how profound and far-reaching their meaning is. To speak briefly, filial piety means providing for parents with the four necessities: food, clothing, shelter, and medicine. To serve them with respect and love is filial piety. Obedience means being sensitive to a parent's mood and honoring their reasonable wishes. Whatever one does, one should not go against a parent's intent. With this kind of filial and obedient heart, family harmony arises, and parents are at peace. This is the worldly path of filial goodness and virtue—the natural order of human relations. What could be more ordinary?
If, beyond this, one can maintain a vegetarian diet, uphold the precepts, recite the Buddha's name, and investigate *chan*, seeking the Great Vehicle to transcend birth and death, this is the great filial piety and great goodness of the transcendental path. It repays the four kinds of kindness and benefits beings in the three realms. How could there be any doubt that one's parents in this life will be repaid?
<note>The following explains the nature of the five precepts, correlating them with the five constant virtues for mutual application. The five precepts are: 1) Not killing—this is benevolence (Ren). 2) Not stealing—this is righteousness (Yi). 3) Not committing sexual misconduct—this is propriety (Li). 4) Not drinking alcohol—this is wisdom (Zhi). 5) Not lying—this is trustworthiness (Xin). Since practitioners of the four groups wish to recite the Buddha's name and investigate *chan*, they must firmly uphold and protect these precepts.
I will now re-emphasize the precept against sexual misconduct. The teachings state that lay practitioners of the two lay groups cannot uphold a full precept of celibacy; they only follow the precept against illicit or improper sexual conduct. As the *Shurangama Sutra* says: "Ordinary people of the world do not seek permanence and cannot abandon the love and affection of wives and husbands. Yet if their minds do not wander into illicit lust, their minds become clear and luminous. After death, they are born among the Four Heavenly Kings." If one can fully uphold this precept without transgression and diligently recite the Buddha's name, at the end of life they will certainly be reborn in the Pure Land, born from a lotus flower—there is no doubt about this.
The precept against sexual misconduct is never to be violated by the two groups of renunciants. Monastics leave the dusty world, shave their heads, and wear the robe. They transcend the ordinary to enter sagehood and are known as the Jewel of the Sangha. "Jewel" here means like a pure Mani jewel: seeing it clears the eyes, hearing it clears the ears, speaking of it clears the tongue, touching it clears the body. They are also called "fields of merit." If someone praises or makes offerings to them, they receive limitless merit. It is like a fertile field: plant a single seed, and you reap ten thousand times the reward. Therefore, monastics are said to be a field of blessing for all beings. Thus, for a renunciant, even a single impure thought constitutes breaking the precept.</note>
Among the five precepts, stopping killing is primary. Among the five constant virtues, benevolence (*Ren*) is primary. Therefore, not killing can be called benevolence. Benevolence means compassion, forbearance, and universal love. It means cherishing life and detesting killing. As the saying goes: "Seeing them live, one cannot bear to see them die; hearing their cries, one cannot bear to eat their flesh." Therefore, a gentleman stays far away from the kitchen and the slaughterhouse. This is the precept of benevolence.
Righteousness (*Yi*) means appropriateness, fairness, and great purpose. One should act when an action is appropriate and take what it is right to take. One does not do what is unrighteous and does not take what is not right. Therefore, a gentleman, upon seeing profit, first thinks of what is right. In Confucius's time, the roads were so safe that no one picked up lost items. Confucius said: "Wealth and honor obtained through unrighteousness are like floating clouds to me." This is the precept of righteousness.
Propriety (*Li*) means moderation, conduct, and the great principle. The *Records of the Family* tell a story: "Long ago, there was a man of Lu who lived alone. His neighbor, a widow, also lived alone. One night a violent storm came, and the widow's house collapsed. She ran to the man's door, seeking shelter. The man closed his door and would not let her in. The widow spoke to him through the door, saying, 'Why are you so unkind as not to let me in?' The man replied, 'I have heard that men and women should not share a house unless they are over sixty. You are young, and I am young, so I cannot let you in.' The widow said, 'Why can't you be like Liu Xiahui (a man of exemplary virtue)?' The man replied, 'Liu Xiahui could do such a thing, but I cannot. I will use my inability to learn from his ability.' When Confucius heard this, he said, 'Excellent! There has never been anyone who wanted to learn from Liu Xiahui as perfectly as this man.' How could there be any issue of sexual misconduct here?" This is the precept of propriety.
Wisdom (*Zhi*) means intelligence, clarity, and transcendence. Knowledge is likened to the sun. If a person has wisdom, it is like the sun in the sky; thus, wisdom is called clear knowing. The sun of wisdom rises, and nothing is too dark for it to illuminate. Drinking alcohol, however, confuses and disorders one's true nature, so the light of wisdom does not shine. When floating clouds cover the sky, the sun of wisdom does not shine. Therefore, the sutras say: "Drinking alcohol leads to the loss of thirty-six kinds of merit." Even in secular texts, the precept against alcohol is strict. The ancient official Xi He destroyed himself and lost his virtue through drunkenness. The sage-king Yu detested fine wine but loved to hear good advice. Emperor Liang Wu Di abstained from pungent vegetables, meat, and alcohol for forty-six years, saying of himself: "By not drinking, there is no obstacle of confusion." Confucius said: "Do not be defeated by wine." All these examples show that alcohol can cloud wisdom and disturb one's nature. All sages abstain from it. This is the precept of wisdom.
Trustworthiness (*Xin*) means sincerity, truthfulness, and genuine seriousness. An ancient story tells of two virtuous scholars, Fan and Zhang. They had a pact made six months apart on a journey of a thousand miles. Fan said, "I will visit you on the fifteenth day of the ninth month." Zhang prepared a chicken and millet to receive him. When the time came, the guest arrived. This shows that a trustworthy gentleman makes no false promises. This is the precept of trustworthiness.
These five constant virtues form the worldly path of goodness. By following the principles of Heaven and practicing virtue to the end of one's life, one secures a good death and lasting reputation. If one is slightly at fault, one will ruin one's body and virtue and lose any chance of being praised as a good person and remembered by later generations.
How much more so for the four groups of Buddhists who recite the Buddha's name and investigate *chan*, seeking the supreme, wonderful path? This is a great good and great karmic condition of the transcendental world. To eternally escape the cycle of rebirth, reach the shore of Nirvana, and gain great peace and joy—can one achieve this without firmly upholding these five precepts? No, it is impossible.