大慧普覺禪師語錄 19.7

19.7

Formerly, Chan Master Daolin lived up in a tall pine tree on Mount Qinwang; the people of the time called him the Bird's Nest Monk. When Vice Minister Bai Juyi governed Qiantang, he specially entered the mountain to pay him a visit and said: "The Chan Master's seat is very dangerous!" The Master said: "What danger is there for this old monk? The Vice Minister's danger is far worse." Bai said: "My disciple's post governs the rivers and mountains; what danger could there be?" The Master said: "Firewood and flame interacting, your conscious nature never resting—how could that not be dangerous?" He then asked: "What is the great meaning of the Buddhadharma?" The Master said: "Do no evil, practice all good." Bai said: "Even a three-year-old child knows how to say that." The Master said: "Although a three-year-old child can say it, an eighty-year-old elder cannot practice it." Bai then made obeisance and departed. Now, if you wish to conserve mental effort, do not concern yourself with whether a three-year-old child can say it or not, or whether an eighty-year-old elder can practice it or not; simply do no evil, and this saying is understood. Whether you believe it or not, please reflect on it.