禪林寶訓 3.23

3.23

Sixin said: "Those who seek gain cannot be given the Way; those who seek the Way cannot be given gain. It is not that the ancients were incapable of combining them, but rather that the circumstances did not permit it. If gain and the Way were to proceed together, then merchants, butchers, wine-sellers, and street peddlers would all be able to seek it. Why would the ancients have had to abandon wealth and rank, forget fame and merit, reduce their minds to ashes, extinguish worldly knowledge, and live in empty mountains and vast marshes, drinking from streams and eating tree [fruits] until the end of their lives? If one insists that practicing both gain and the Way does not conflict, it is like holding a leaking goblet to pour water on a scorched caldron—in the end, nothing can be saved." (From a letter to Han Zicang)