緇門警訓 7.9

7.9

Ah, you postulants, listen to my admonitions! The high takes the low as its foundation; the vast arises from the subtle. From antiquity to the present, none among the sages and worthies have not proceeded from this. This is abundantly so in the Confucian tradition, and all the more so among the followers of Śākya. Without citing copiously here, let me briefly raise two or three examples: the supreme sovereigns of Yu and Xia still once underwent trials; and the Second Patriarch, who was fully capable, still performed strenuous labor. When a single thought's cause is true, the fruit of a thousand lives is real. If you don the robes without warrant, you will ultimately accomplish nothing; and even if you shave your head and change your form, you will only vainly increase your black karma. You young and old now must each be devoted and sincere, walk firmly upon the real and practice the true, and not drift with the common vulgarity. Residing in a pure place, give rise to the thought that it is difficult to encounter. When seeing the Buddha or meeting a monk, be thoroughly diligent in reverence and admiration. If you can reflect upon and reproach yourself, you may be called a true person. When passing shoulder to shoulder with a donor, you should be the first to bow and salute. When meeting fellow wearers of the robes, do not be the second to make a respectful prostration. In evening fire and morning incense, always be without slackness; at the midday meal and early congee, in every thought arouse shame. When on duty in the hall or serving in the dormitories, you should diligently wipe and sweep, without negligence in attending to your duties. In advancing and halting with dignified comportment, let the superior ones be your model; regarding the essential path of speech and silence, do not consult inferiors. While you must surely master the palm-leaf scriptures, you should especially study the ancient classics widely. Only when you somewhat know past and present can you understand how to conduct yourself. If you are like a mute sheep, what benefit is there in leaving home? Before the Tathāgata achieved the fruit of buddhahood, he was capable in both cultural and martial arts; no sooner had Yongjia become a teacher of people than he was fully versed in both the lineage tenets and doctrinal teachings. As Ziyun said of aspiring to Yan Hui and aspiring to swift steeds: when chanting 'broom' and chanting 'sweep', the Bhagavat made no mistake. You must each exert effort and not deceitfully follow bad routines. Set your aspiration firmly and high, not falling to the mundane level. Thus the sūtra says: 'Set your aspiration like a high mountain; plant virtue like a deep sea.' With such earnest and bitter words, I expect you to become true men to repay the supreme great kindness of the Buddhas and patriarchs, and rescue sentient beings from immeasurable suffering. To be like this day after day is to have no shame in your own mind. The eulogy says: