金陵清涼院文益禪師語錄 1.64

1.64

師謂門弟子云：「趙州云：『莫費力也。』大好言語，何不仍舊去？世間法有門，佛法豈無門？自是不仍舊，故諸佛諸祖，祇於仍舊中得。如初夜鐘，不見有絲毫異，得與麼恰好，聞時無一聲子鬧。何以故？為及時節，無心云死，且不能死，止於一切，祗為不仍舊。忽然非次聞時，諸人盡驚愕，道鐘子怪鳴也。且如今日道孟夏漸熱即不可，方隔一日能校多少？向五月一日道便成賺。須知校絲髮不得於方便中，向上座道不是時，蓋為賺，所以不仍舊。寶公云：『暫時自肯不追尋，歷劫何曾異今日。』還會麼？今日只是塵劫，但著衣喫飯，行住坐臥，晨參暮請，一切仍舊，便為無事人也。」

The Master said to his disciples: "Zhaozhou said: 'Do not waste effort.' What excellent words! Why not simply leave things as of old? Worldly phenomena have their portals; could the Buddhadharma be without a portal? It is merely that you do not leave things as of old. Thus, the Buddhas and patriarchs only attained it within leaving things as of old. Like the bell at the first watch of the night, not a hair's breadth of difference is seen; it attains such fittingness that when heard, not a single sound clamours. Why is this? Because it accords with the season. Without intention one speaks of dying, yet one cannot die; to halt all things is merely because one does not leave things as of old. If it is suddenly heard out of its proper sequence, everyone is startled and alarmed, saying, 'The bell is ringing unnaturally!' Furthermore, as for today, to say that early summer is gradually getting hot will not do; separated by just one day, how much can it differ? Yet saying it on the first day of the fifth month becomes a blunder. You must know that not a hair's breadth of discrepancy is allowed within expedient means. When telling the sthaviras that it is not the time, it is because of making a blunder, and therefore not leaving things as of old. Master Bao said: 'If for a moment you acknowledge yourself and do not seek after it, through successive kalpas how has it ever differed from today?' Do you understand yet? Today is nothing other than dust-kalpas. Just wear your robes and eat your food, walk, stand, sit, and lie down, make morning consultations and evening requests—with everything left as of old, you are then a person of no affairs."