六祖大師法寶壇經 1.88

1.88

僧法達，洪州人，七歲出家，常誦《法華經》。來禮祖師，頭不至地。師訶曰：「禮不投地，何如不禮？汝心中必有一物。蘊習何事耶？」曰：「念《法華經》已及三千部。」師曰：「汝若念至萬部，得其經意，不以為勝，則與吾偕行。汝今負此事業，都不知過。聽吾偈曰：

The monk Fada was a man of Hongzhou. He went forth from household life at the age of seven and constantly recited the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra. When he came to pay homage to the Patriarch, his head did not touch the ground. The Master rebuked him, saying, "If in bowing your head does not touch the ground, how is it better than not bowing at all? There must be something in your mind. What have you been practicing and accumulating?" He replied, "I have recited the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra already up to three thousand times." The Master said, "Even if you recited it up to ten thousand times, if you obtained the meaning of the sūtra and did not take it as an accomplishment, you would walk hand in hand with me. You are now encumbered by this enterprise, completely unaware of your fault. Listen to my gāthā: