鎮州臨濟慧照禪師語錄 1.56

1.56

「道流！有一般禿子便向裏許著功，擬求出世之法，錯了也。若人求佛，是人失佛；若人求道，是人失道；若人求祖，是人失祖。大德莫錯，我且不取爾解經論、我亦不取爾國王大臣、我亦不取爾辯似懸河、我亦不取爾聰明智慧，唯要爾真正見解。「道流！設解得百本經論，不如一箇無事底阿師。爾解得——即輕蔑他人、勝負修羅、人我無明、長地獄業，如善星比丘解十二分教，生身陷地獄，大地不容。不如無事休歇去，飢來喫飯、睡來合眼，愚人笑我、智乃知焉。道流！莫向文字中求，心動疲勞，吸冷氣無益，不如一念緣起無生，超出三乘權學菩薩。

"Followers of the Way! There is a bunch of baldies who apply their efforts inwards, intending to seek a world-transcending Dharma—they are mistaken! If a person seeks the Buddha, that person loses the Buddha; if a person seeks the Way, that person loses the Way; if a person seeks the patriarchs, that person loses the patriarchs. Worthies, do not make a mistake! For now, I do not take your understanding of sūtras and treatises; I do not take your [ties to] kings and great ministers; I do not take your eloquence flowing like a torrential river; I do not take your cleverness and wisdom. I only require your true and correct insight.

"Followers of the Way, even if you could understand a hundred sūtras and treatises, it would not compare to being an Ācārya who has nothing to do. If you understand them, you will disparage others, engage in asura-like competition, fall into the ignorance of self and others, and foster hellish karma. It is just like the bhikṣu Sunakṣatra, who understood the twelve divisions of teachings, yet fell bodily into hell, the great earth unable to bear him. You had better put everything to rest and have nothing to do: eat when hungry, close your eyes when sleepy. Fools laugh at me, but the wise know! Followers of the Way, do not seek within words and letters! Your mind is stirred and fatigued, sucking in cold air to no benefit. Nothing compares to a single thought of dependent origination without arising, surpassing the provisionally studying bodhisattvas of the three vehicles.