大慧普覺禪師語錄 26.15

26.15

示諭：「自得山野向來書之後，每遇鬧中嚲避不得處常自點檢，而未有著力工夫。」只這嚲避不得處，便是工夫了也。若更著力點檢，則又却遠矣。昔魏府老華嚴云：「佛法在日用處，行住坐臥處，喫茶喫飯處，語言相問處，所作所為處，舉心動念，又却不是也。」正當嚲避不得處，切忌起心動念作點檢想。祖師云：「分別不生，虛明自照。」又龐居士云：「日用事無別，唯吾自偶諧，頭頭非取捨，處處勿張乖，朱紫誰為號，丘山絕點埃，神通并妙用，運水及搬柴。」又先聖云：「但有心分別計較，自心見量者，悉皆是夢。」切記取，嚲避不得時，不得更擬心，不擬心時一切現成，亦不用理會利，亦不用理會鈍，總不干他利鈍之事，亦不干他靜亂之事。正當嚲避不得時，忽然打失布袋，不覺拊掌大笑矣。記取記取，此事若用一毫毛工夫取證，則如人以手撮摩虛空，只益自勞耳。應接時但應接，要得靜坐但靜坐，坐時不得執著坐底為究竟。今時邪師輩，多以默照靜坐為究竟法，疑誤後昆。山野不怕結怨，力詆之，以報佛恩，救末法之弊也。

You instructed me: "Ever since receiving your letter, whenever I encounter unavoidable situations in the midst of turmoil, I always examine myself, yet I have not had the effort of exerting strength." This very place that cannot be avoided is itself the effort! If you further exert strength to examine yourself, you will turn away from it and be far off. Formerly, the Old Master of Huayan in Weifu said: "The Buddha-dharma is in the place of daily activities, in walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, in drinking tea and eating food, in speaking and inquiring of one another, in all that is done and undertaken. When you raise a thought and stir contemplation, that again is not it." Right at the place that cannot be avoided, by all means avoid giving rise to a thought, stirring contemplation, and thinking of examining yourself. The Ancestral Master said: "When discrimination does not arise, the empty radiance illuminates by itself." Furthermore, Layman Pang said: "In daily affairs there is no difference, / Only I myself harmonize naturally. / In nothing is there grasping or rejection; / In nowhere is there obstinate discord. / For whom are the red and purple titles? / The hills and mounds are free from any speck of dust. / Spiritual penetrations and wondrous functions— / Hauling water and carrying firewood." Moreover, the ancient sages said: "As long as there is discrimination and calculation in the mind, all views and measurements of one's own mind are dreams." Remember this well: when it cannot be avoided, do not further conjecture with the mind. When you do not conjecture with the mind, everything is readily apparent. Nor do you need to pay attention to sharpness, nor do you need to pay attention to dullness; it has nothing whatsoever to do with sharpness or dullness, nor does it have anything to do with stillness or turmoil. Right at the time when it cannot be avoided, you will suddenly drop your cloth bag, and unwittingly clap your hands and laugh aloud. Remember this, remember this: if one uses a single hair's breadth of effort to attain verification in this matter, it is like trying to grab and rub empty space with one's hand—it only increases one's own toil. When responding to circumstances, simply respond; when you want to sit quietly, simply sit quietly. When sitting, do not cling to the sitting as ultimate. Nowadays, false masters mostly take silent illumination and quiet sitting to be the ultimate dharma, confusing and misleading later generations. Fearless of incurring resentment, I forcefully denigrate it in order to repay the Buddha's kindness and save people from the degenerations of the Final Age.