禪關策進 1.23

1.23

須將生死二字。貼在額頭上討取箇分曉。如只隨群作隊。打哄過日。他時閻老子打算飯錢。莫道我不曾說與爾來。若是做工夫。須要時時檢點刻刻提撕。那裏是得力處。那裏是不得力處。那裏是打失處。那裏是不打失處。有一等。纔上蒲團。便打瞌睡。及至醒來。胡思亂想。纔下蒲團。便說雜話。如此辦道。直至彌勒下生。也未得入手。須是猛著精彩提箇話頭。晝參夜參。與他廝捱。不可坐在無事甲裏。又不可蒲團上死坐。若雜念轉鬪轉多。輕輕放下。下地走一遭。再上蒲團。開兩眼。揑兩拳。竪起脊梁。依前提起話頭。便覺清涼。如一鍋沸湯攙一杓冷水相似。如此做工夫。定有到家時節。

“You must paste the two words ‘birth and death’ on your forehead and seek clarity. If you merely follow the crowd, joining the pack and spending your days in idle chatter, on another day Old Yama will calculate the cost of your meals—do not say that I never told you! If you are applying effort, you must inspect at every moment and bring to attention at every tick of the clock: Where is it effective? Where is it ineffective? Where has it been lost? Where has it not been lost? There is a sort of person who, as soon as they get on the meditation cushion, dozes off, and upon waking up, indulges in wild thoughts; as soon as they step off the cushion, they engage in miscellaneous talk. Cultivating the Way like this, even until Maitreya descends to be born, you will not have gotten anywhere. You must fiercely summon your vigor and bring up a huatou, investigating by day and investigating by night, wrestling with it. You must not sit inside the armor of doing nothing, nor sit dead on the meditation cushion. If stray thoughts multiply all the more as you struggle, gently lay it down, walk a turn on the ground, and get back on the cushion; open both eyes, clench both fists, straighten your spine, and bring up the huatou as before. You will then feel clear and cool, just like splashing a ladle of cold water into a pot of boiling soup. Applying effort like this, there will certainly come a time when you arrive home.”