大慧普覺禪師語錄 19.5

19.5

Having taken up the study of this Way, in all twenty-four hours of the day, wherever you encounter things and respond to conditions, you must not let evil thoughts continue in succession. If through lack of vigilance an evil thought arises, you must quickly pull yourself together and jerk its head back around. If you consistently follow along after it in unbroken succession, not only will it obstruct the Way, but you will also be called someone devoid of wisdom. Formerly, Guishan asked Lanan: "In all twenty-four hours of the day, what do you attend to?" An said: "I herd an ox." Guishan said: "How do you herd it?" An said: "As soon as it enters the grass, I grab it by the muzzle and drag it back." Guishan said: "You are truly herding an ox!" A practitioner of the Way subduing evil thoughts should be like Lanan herding the ox; then after a long time it will naturally become pure and ripe.