釋禪波羅蜜次第法門 1.59

1.59

若釋別，翻思惟修者，此可對因。何以故？思惟是籌量之念，修是專心研習之名，故以對修因。翻禪為定者，此可對果。何以故？定名靜默，行人離散求靜，既得靜住，詶本所習，故以對果。翻禪為功德叢林者，此可通對因果：如功是功夫，所以對因；積功成德，可以對果。如萬行對因，萬德對果，因果合翻，故名功德叢林者，譬顯功德非一。所以然者，如多草共聚，名為叢；眾樹相依，名為林。草叢小故，可以譬於因中之功小；林木大故，可以對果上之德大。此而推之，功德叢林通對因果，於義則便。

If explaining distinctively: translating it as "cultivation of thought" can correspond to the cause. Why is this? Thought is the mental activity of deliberation, and cultivation is the name for dedicated study and practice; hence it corresponds to cultivating the cause. Translating *chan* as "concentration" can correspond to the result. Why is this? Concentration is named tranquil and still; the practitioner abandons scattering to seek tranquility, and once achieving tranquil abiding, it repays what was originally practiced; hence it corresponds to the result. Translating *chan* as "thicket of merits" can generally correspond to cause and result: merit (*gong*) is effort, and therefore corresponds to the cause; accumulating effort achieves virtue (*de*), and can correspond to the result. Just as myriad practices correspond to the cause, myriad virtues correspond to the result; translating cause and result combined, it is named "thicket of merits" to metaphorically reveal that merits are not single. Why is this? Just as many grasses gathering together are called a thicket (*cong*), and multiple trees depending on each other are called a forest (*lin*): because a clump of grass is small, it can be compared to the small effort in the cause; because forest trees are large, they can correspond to the great virtue in the result. Deducing from this, "thicket of merits" generally corresponds to both cause and result, which is fitting in meaning.