緇門警訓 1.69

1.69

When the spiritual mind illuminates thoroughly, noble silence is the principle. Once opening the mouth [bound by] the three seals, one should follow the four realities. Actions must accord with the noble teachings; principles must join with the golden words. Only then can one assist the doctrinal vehicles and glorify the ancestral way, benefiting others and oneself so that effort is not spent in vain. As for surreptitiously discussing the policies and affairs of the imperial court, privately critiquing officials of commanderies and counties, lecturing on the abundance or famine of the realm, discoursing on the virtue or vice of customs, and even the petty affairs of artisans and merchants, the idle chatter of marketplace lanes, weapons and warfare on the remote frontiers, bandits and rebels in the Central Plains, literary compositions and crafts, clothing, food, and wealth—relying on one's own strengths while concealing the good deeds of others, proclaiming and revealing their faults while picking at their petty flaws—these both violate meritorious karma and bring no benefit to the resolve for the Way. Idle words such as these wholly injure real virtue. Sitting idly, one consumes the offerings of the faithful; looking up, one is ashamed before dragons and devas. The offense starts as a trickle, but the disaster ends in overwhelming ruin. Why? The fire of suffering among sentient beings burns on all four sides. How could one sit peacefully and engage in meaningless chatter?