禪關策進 1.2

1.2

禪曷為有關乎。道無內外。無出入。而人之為道。也有迷悟。於是大知識關吏。不得不時其啟閉。慎其鎖鑰。嚴其勘覈。俾異言服私越度者。無所售其奸。而關之不易透。亦已久矣。予初出家。得一帙於坊間。曰禪門佛祖綱目。中所載多古尊宿。自敘其參學時始之難入。中之做工夫。經歷勞苦次第。與終之廓爾神悟。心愛之慕之願學焉。既而此書於他處更不再見。乃續閱五燈諸語錄雜傳。無論緇素。但實參實悟者併入前帙。刪繁取要彙之成編。易名曰禪關策進。居則置案。行則携囊。一覽之則心志激勵。神采煥發。勢自鞭逼前進。或曰。是編也為未過關者設也。已過關者長往矣。將安用之。雖然關之外有重關焉。託偽於雞聲。暫離於虎口。得少為足。是為增上慢人。水未窮。山未盡。警策在手。疾驅而長馳。破最後之幽關。徐而作罷參齋。未晚也。

Why should Chan have barriers? In the Way there is neither inside nor outside, neither departure nor entry; yet in how people pursue the Way, there is delusion and awakening. Hence, great spiritual guides act as gatekeepers, unable to avoid opening and shutting the gates at proper times, taking care with keys and locks, and strictly verifying credentials, so that those with deviant speech and counterfeit robes who would secretly cross through have no way to peddle their deceit. And that these barriers are not easily penetrated has indeed been true for a long time. When I first left the household life, I obtained a volume in the marketplace entitled Chanmen fozu gangmu (Compendium of Chan Buddhas and Patriarchs). What was recorded therein was mostly ancient venerables recounting how, at the beginning of their investigative study, entry was difficult; their middle period of applying effort and the successive stages of hardship they endured; and finally, their expansive, wondrous awakening. In my heart I cherished it, admired it, and wished to emulate them. Later, this book could no longer be found elsewhere. I then went on to read through various discourse records and miscellaneous biographies from the Five Lamps collections. Irrespective of whether they were monks or laity, whenever there was genuine investigation and genuine awakening, I incorporated them into the former volume, excising what was superfluous, extracting the essentials, and compiling them into a book, changing its name to Spurring Advance through the Chan Barrier. When staying at home, I place it on my desk; when travelling, I carry it in my bag. Glancing through it, one's mind and resolve are spurred, and one's spirits are roused, so that one is naturally driven and impelled to advance. Someone may say: “This compilation was set forth for those who have not yet crossed the barrier. Those who have already crossed it have gone far beyond—for what purpose would they use it?” Even so, beyond the barrier there are multiple barriers. Feigning a rooster's crow, one temporarily escapes the tiger's jaws; taking little as sufficient—these are people of overweening pride. When the waters have not run dry and the mountains have not ended, with this spur in hand, gallop swiftly and race far to smash through the final, darkest barrier. Only then, at leisure, to hold the feast marking the end of investigation—that will not be too late.