禪林寶訓 2.24

2.24

Lingyuan said, "One who is good at being an abbot takes the mind of the multitude as their mind, never making their mind private; they take the ears and eyes of the multitude as their ears and eyes, never aggrandizing their own ears and eyes. Thus they can communicate with the will of the multitude and exhaustively understand the sentiments of the multitude. Now, when using the mind of the multitude as one's mind, one's likes and dislikes are the likes and dislikes of the multitude; therefore what is liked is not perverted, and what is disliked is not erroneous. What need then to secretly rely on confidants and willingly submit to their flattery? Since one uses the ears and eyes of the multitude as one's ears and eyes, the acuity of the multitude is all one's own acuity; therefore one's sight fails to illuminate nothing, and one's hearing fails to hear nothing. What need then to secretly rely on spies and ears, obstinately inviting obscurity and delusion? As for deploying confidants and relying on eyes and ears: only worthy and eminent individuals do so while striving to seek their own faults, sharing desires with the multitude without partiality; therefore the multitude never fails to give their allegiance. That their Way and virtue, benevolence and righteousness spread far and wide is truly proper. But the intention of the foolish and unworthy is to strive to seek others' faults, conflicting with the desires of the multitude and drowning in partiality; therefore the multitude never fails to become alienated from them. That their evil reputation and treacherous conduct spread far and wide is likewise proper. From this we know that an abbot who shares desires with the multitude is called a worthy and wise person; one who conflicts with the desires of the multitude is called a mediocre sort. In general, the intention behind deploying confidants and relying on eyes and ears differs, yet good and bad, success and failure are as contrary as this. Is this not because their attitude toward seeking faults is different, and their way of employing people is not the same?"