緇門警訓 2.16

2.16

塵世匪堅浮生不久。我光陰以謝。汝齒𮪽漸高。無以世利下其身。無以虛名苟其利。莫輕仁賤義。莫嫉善妬才。莫抑遏無辜。莫沈埋有德。莫疎慵人事。莫懶墮焚修。莫耽湎睡眠。莫強知他事。莫空腹高心。莫營私利己。莫恃強欺弱。莫利己損他。無以長而慢後生。無以少而欺老宿。無以財華下視物。無以意氣高揖人。無以不善苦相親。無以善而却憎惡。無以片能稱我是。無以少解道他非。無以在客慢主人。無以為主輕旅客。無以在事失綱紀。無以㑃眾破條章。無以誹謗怪他人。無以穿鑿覓他過。好向佛法中用意。多於塵境上除情。袈裟下失却人身。實為苦也。捺落裡受諸異報。可謂屈焉。況端拱無為。安閑不役。徐行金地高坐華堂。足不履泥手不彈水。身上衣而口中食。豈易消乎。圓却頂而方却袍為何事也。其或剛柔得所。進退含容堪行即行。可止即止。無貪眼下數省時中。一點相當萬金消得。予以千叮萬囑苦口甘言。依余言者。來世相逢。若不依予言者。擬向何處出頭。珍重珍重。

The mundane world is not solid; a floating life does not last long. My time has already declined, and your teeth and years are gradually advancing. Do not demean your body for worldly gain; do not seek advantage through empty fame. Do not make light of benevolence or despise righteousness; do not envy the good or be jealous of talent. Do not suppress the innocent; do not bury the virtuous. Do not be negligent in interpersonal affairs; do not be lazy in your burning of incense and cultivation. Do not indulge in sleep; do not pry into others' affairs. Do not have an empty belly and a lofty mind; do not plot for personal gain to benefit yourself. Do not rely on strength to bully the weak; do not benefit yourself to harm others. Do not despise the young because of your seniority; do not slight the elderly because of your youth. Do not look down on people because of your wealth and splendor; do not bow high to people out of pride. Do not intimately associate with what is unwholesome; do not reject and despise what is wholesome. Do not claim yourself to be right because of a trifling skill; do not speak of others' faults because of a slight understanding. Do not slight the host when you are a guest; do not treat traveling guests lightly when you are a host. Do not lose order when handling affairs; do not defy the assembly and breach regulations. Do not slander and blame others; do not fabricate and seek out others' shortcomings. Rather, turn your mind toward the Buddha-Dharma, and extinguish sentiment regarding mundane objects. To lose a human body beneath the kāṣāya is truly painful! To undergo various unnatural retributions in Naraka may indeed be called injustice. Moreover, you sit folded-handed in non-action, at ease without toil, walking slowly upon the golden ground and sitting aloft in splendid halls, your feet not treading in mud and your hands not flicking water. With the clothes upon your body and the food in your mouth, can they be easily digested? Shaving your crown and donning a squared robe—for what purpose is this? If your firmness and gentleness are well-measured, and your advancement and retreat are accommodating, then act when it is fitting to act, and cease when it is fitting to cease. Do not covet the immediate present; examine yourself frequently throughout the day. If a single point accords [with the Way], ten thousand pieces of gold can be digested. With thousands of exhortations and earnest words, bitter yet kind, I say: those who follow my words will meet again in future lives; if you do not follow my words, where do you intend to lift your head? Take care, take care!