緇門警訓 2.67

2.67

The four limbs are not worked, yet of the hundred matters not one is lacking; / Sitting upright to enjoy them, how could one know whence they come? / Merely nourishing this foul body, one rarely cultivates pure merit.
Even if one harbors shame and remorse, it is still to be feared that one cannot bear it; / How much more so when dwelling in academies of study, presumptuously attending and listening to the teachings!
Seeking out others' shortcomings, one destroys their rules and compasses; / Falsely relying on other pretexts, one evades the assembly's regulations.
Despising and humiliating the predecessors, one confuses and deludes the younger generation; / Scheming for profit and fame, one forms cliques and factions.
If one does not contract a vile disease, there will surely be lingering calamities; / Spending spiritual energy in vain, in the end there will be no fruition.
Rising and falling depend on oneself; good and evil have no specific gates; / When blessings fade and disasters arrive, though one repents, what will it avail?
These words are not in vain; you all must ponder them!