大慧普覺禪師語錄 25.14

25.14

來書細讀數過，足見辦鐵石心，立決定志不肯草草，但只如此，崖到臘月三十日，亦能與閻家老子廝抵，更休說豁開頂門眼，握金剛王寶劍，坐毘盧頂上也。宗杲嘗謂方外道友曰：「今時學道之士，只求速效，不知錯了也，却謂：『無事省緣，靜坐體究，為空過時光，不如看幾卷經，念幾聲佛，佛前多禮幾拜，懺悔平生所作底罪過，要免閻家老子手中鐵棒。』此是愚人所為。而今道家者流，全以妄想心，想日精月華，吞霞服氣，尚能留形住世，不被寒暑所逼，況回此心此念，全在般若中耶？先聖明明有言：『喻如太末蟲，處處皆泊，唯不能泊於火焰之上。』眾生亦爾，處處能緣，唯不能緣於般若之上。」苟念念不退初心，把自家心識緣世間塵勞底，回來抵在般若上，雖今生打未徹，臨命終時，定不為惡業所牽流落惡道，來生出頭，隨我今生願力，定在般若中，現成受用。此是決定底事，無可疑者。眾生界中事不著學，無始時來習得熟，路頭亦熟，自然取之左右逢其原，須著撥置，出世間學般若心，無始時來背違，乍聞知識說著，自然理會不得，須著立決定志與之作頭抵，決不兩立。此處若入得深，彼處不著排遣，諸魔外道自然竄伏矣。生處放教熟，熟處放教生，政為此也。日用做工夫處，捉著杷柄，漸覺省力時，便是得力處也。

I have read your letter carefully several times, and it is sufficient to see that you have resolved upon an iron and stone mind, establishing a decisive determination and refusing to be careless; simply acting like this, when you hold on until the thirtieth day of the twelfth month, you will also be able to grapple face to face with Old Master Yama, to say nothing of opening wide the eye atop the crown of your head, grasping the vajra-king precious sword, and sitting atop the crown of Vairocana! Zonggao once said to friends of the Way outside worldly bonds: 'Students of the Way nowadays only seek quick results, unaware that they are mistaken. Instead they say: "Having no concerns and reducing conditions, sitting quietly and investigating the substance, is wasting time; it is better to read several scrolls of scriptures, recite the Buddha's name several times, make more prostrations before the Buddha, and repent of the transgressions committed throughout one's life, so as to avoid the iron rod in Old Master Yama's hand." This is what fools do. Nowadays, Daoists use a completely deluded mind to imagine the essence of the sun and the radiance of the moon, swallowing clouds and ingesting qi, and yet they are still able to preserve their form and dwell in the world without being oppressed by cold and heat—how much more so if one turns this mind and this thought completely into prajñā? The past sages clearly had a saying: "Like the microscopic insect that can alight everywhere, except it cannot alight upon flames; sentient beings are also like this: they can cognize conditions everywhere, except they cannot cognize conditions upon prajñā." If in every thought you do not retreat from your initial resolve, taking your own mind and consciousness that cognizes the dust and toil of the world and turning it back to hold against prajñā, then even if you do not penetrate thoroughly in this lifetime, when your life comes to an end you certainly will not be pulled by evil karma to fall into evil destinies; coming forth in the next life, according to the power of your vows in this lifetime, you will certainly be within prajñā, enjoying its ready-made function. This is a certainty, not to be doubted. The things of the realm of sentient beings need not be studied: from beginningless time they have been practiced until familiar, and the road is also familiar, naturally finding their source wherever you turn; you must push them aside. The mind that studies worldly-transcending prajñā has been turned against since beginningless time; when first hearing a good friend speak of it, naturally one cannot comprehend it. You must establish a decisive determination to oppose it head-on; the two definitely cannot stand together. If you enter deeply here, there will be no need to drive things away over there—the various māras and heterodox ways will naturally flee into hiding. "Make the unfamiliar familiar, and make the familiar unfamiliar"—it is precisely for this reason. In the place where you apply effort in your daily activities, grasp the handle; when you gradually feel it saves effort, that is precisely where you gain strength.'