緇門警訓 5.10

5.10

六月七月天不雨。農家曉夜忙車水。背皮焦裂脚底疼。眼花無力欲悶死。公人又來逼夏稅。稅絲納了要盤費。大麥小麥盡量還。一日三飡不周備。思量我輩出家兒。現成受用都不知。進道身心無一點。東邊浪宕西邊嬉。三箇五箇聚頭坐。開口便說他人過。及乎歸到暗室中。背理虧心無不做。莫言墮在異類中。來生定作栽田翁。前來所說苦如此。那時難與今時同。古德訓徒有一語。對人天眾拈來舉。緇田無一簣之功。鐵圍陷百刑之苦。

In the sixth and seventh months heaven sends no rain;
Farming families night and dawn are busy turning waterwheels.
The skin on their backs is scorched and cracked, the soles of their feet ache;
Their eyes blur and they have no strength, about to faint and die.
Bailiffs come again to press for summer taxes;
Once the tax silk is paid, they demand travel expenses.
Barley and wheat are paid to the utmost,
And three meals a day are not provided in full.
Consider us children who have undergone pravrajyā:
Enjoying ready-made provisions, we do not recognize it at all.
Advancing in the Path, body and mind do not have a single bit;
To the east we wander about, to the west we play.
Gathering three or five heads together,
As soon as we open our mouths we speak of the faults of others.
And when we return to the dark room,
Violating reason and betraying conscience, there is nothing we do not do.
Do not say you will fall among different kinds of beings;
In the next life you are certain to become an old farmer tilling the fields!
The suffering described before is just like this;
At that time it will be hard for it to be the same as today.
An ancient virtuous master had a saying to instruct disciples,
Which I bring up before the assembly of humans and devas:
'In the black-robed field, not a single basketful of effort;
In the Iron Enclosure, the suffering of a hundred punishments.'