[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [禪林寶訓](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2022) › 1.43 # 禪林寶訓 1.43 禪林寶訓 1.43 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [1.43](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2022.1.43) 白雲曰。道之隆替豈常耶。在人弘之耳。故曰。操則存。捨則亡。然非道去人。而人去道也。古之人處山林隱朝市。不牽於名利。不惑於聲色。遂能清振一時美流萬世。豈古之可為。今之不可為也。由教之未至行之不力耳。或謂古人淳朴故可教。今人浮薄故不可教。斯實鼓惑之言誠不足稽也（答功輔書）。 > Baiyun said, “How could the flourish and decline of the Way be constant? It depends only on human beings to broaden it. Thus it is said, ‘Hold on to it and it is preserved; let it go and it is lost.’ However, it is not that the Way abandons people; it is that people abandon the Way. The ancients dwelled in the mountain forests or withdrew to the court and marketplaces; they were not dragged along by fame and gain, nor were they deluded by sound and form. Consequently, they were able to arouse pure renown in their own time and let their excellence flow for ten thousand generations. How could it be that it was feasible in antiquity, yet infeasible today? It is simply that teaching has not reached them and practice has not been vigorous. Some say that ancients were pure and simple, so they could be taught, while people today are superficial and frivolous, so they cannot be taught. These are truly words that agitate and delude, sincerely not worthy of examination.” (Letter in Reply to Gongfu) > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 1.42](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2022.1.42) - [Next: 1.44](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2022.1.44) - [Up: 1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2022.1) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2022~en-mt.1.43) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2022.1.43](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2022.1.43) · Pramāṇa