摩訶止觀 7.178

7.178

If one holds gems in one's bosom and hides one's jades, concealing understanding and keeping one's name obscure while secretly and diligently exerting vigor, one is certain to enter the ranks or advance into the deeper ranks. One's aspiration and mindfulness will be firm, and nothing can shake them; this is far more superior a method. But an awl in a bag cannot stay hidden; it is difficult to conceal and easy to expose. One may see an expositor who does not accord with the principle, or see a practitioner who is not on the right path; when one offers instruction out of compassion, one is immediately surrounded. Constantly asked to expound the teaching or urged to act for the sake of sentient beings, an itch arises within and movement begins without: one then speaks a line or two of Dharma, or demonstrates a phase or two of dhyāna. At first it is to a single person, but the transmission swiftly spreads wider, and it cannot be stopped. Initially one thought it beneficial, but the benefit to others is slight, while one's own practice is neglected and impaired. Not only do the ranks fail to advance, but obstacles to the Way arise anew! A young elephant has little strength; its body falls to knives and arrows. Pouring hot water onto ice only adds to the mass of ice. The Vibhāṣā says: '[This is] a ruined bodhisattva.' In the past, the dhyāna masters of Ye and Luoyang were famous across the rivers and seas; wherever they went, people looked up to them like gathering clouds, and when they departed, followers formed throngs of hundreds and thousands. Yet what real benefit came from that vague rumble and clatter? At the approach of death, all of them had regrets! Wujin lamented: 'All my life I hoped to enter the copper-wheel rank; but leading a congregation too early, what I sought was not achieved.' He composed a vow, writing: 'Choose! Choose! Choose! Choose!' These eminent exemplars have left a model by which one may take warning.