汾陽無德禪師語錄 1.118

1.118

師云：「諸上座！若教無德稱揚正法，問答施為，大海有竭，此道無窮，從古及今，未曾間斷。只恐諸人，久立心疲，不以為記，一言半句，不易得聞，多是背覺合塵，妄生穿鑿，各爭事相，不究根源，流浪生死，虛延歲月。古人云：『多言復多語，猶來返相誤。』明明向爾諸人道，也是久日樺來脣。珍重。」

The Master said: "Venerables! If Wude were made to proclaim the correct Dharma, engaging in questions and answers, the great ocean might dry up, but this Way would be inexhaustible; from antiquity to the present, it has never been interrupted. I only fear that you have stood long and your minds are weary, not retaining it in memory. A single word or half a phrase is not easy to hear; mostly people turn their backs on enlightenment and join with dust, giving rise to groundless fabrications, each contending over external phenomena and not investigating the root source, wandering adrift through birth and death, vainly prolonging the years and months. An ancient said: 'Many words and much speech / in the end only mislead one another.' I state it clearly to all of you, yet this too has long made my lips chap. Take care of yourselves."