勅修百丈清規 5.106

5.106

夫學般若菩薩起大悲心發弘誓願。精修三昧誓度眾生。不為一身獨求解脫。放捨諸緣休息萬念。身心一如動靜無間。量其飲食調其睡眠。於閒靜處厚敷坐物。結跏趺坐。或半跏趺。以左掌安右掌上。兩大拇指相拄。正身端坐。令耳與肩對。鼻與臍對。舌拄上腭唇齒相著。目須微開。免致昏睡。若得禪定其力最勝。古習定高僧坐常開目。法雲圓通禪師呵人閉目坐禪。謂黑山鬼窟。有深旨矣。一切善惡都莫思量。念起即覺。常覺不昧不昏不散。萬年一念非斷非常。此坐禪之要術也。坐禪乃安樂法門。而人多致疾者。蓋不得其要。得其要則自然四大輕安。精神爽利。法味資神寂而常照。寤寐一致生死一如。但辦肯心必不相賺。然恐道高魔盛逆順萬端。若能正念現前。一切不能留礙。如楞嚴經天台止觀圭峯修證儀。具明魔事。皆自心生非由外有。定慧力勝魔障自消矣。若欲出定徐徐動身安詳而起。不得卒暴。出定之後常作方便。護持定力。諸修行中禪定為最。若不安禪靜慮。三界流轉觸境茫然。所以道探珠宜靜。浪動水取應難。定水澄清心珠自現。故圓覺經云。無礙清淨慧皆依禪定生。法華經云。在於閒處修攝其心。安住不動如須彌山。是知超凡越聖必假靜緣。坐脫立亡須憑定力。一生取辦尚恐蹉跎。況乃遷延將何敵業。幸諸禪友三復斯文。自利利他同成正覺。

Now, the bodhisattva who studies prajñā gives rise to the mind of great compassion, brings forth vast vows, and meticulously cultivates samādhi, vowing to deliver all sentient beings, not seeking liberation for oneself alone. Relinquish all conditions and rest myriad thoughts. Body and mind are as one, movement and stillness without interval. Regulate your food and drink, and adjust your sleep. In a quiet, secluded place, spread thick sitting-materials. Sit cross-legged in full lotus, or half lotus. Place the left palm upon the right palm, with the two thumbs pressing against each other. Upright the body and sit properly, keeping ears aligned with shoulders, and nose aligned with navel. Press the tongue against the upper palate, with lips and teeth joined. The eyes must be slightly open, to avoid falling into drowsiness. If one attains meditative absorption, its power is supreme. Ancient eminent monks who practiced absorption constantly kept their eyes open while sitting. Chan Master Fayun Yuantong scolded those who closed their eyes to sit in meditation, calling it a 'ghost cave in the black mountain'—this has deep meaning. Do not think of any good or evil at all. When a thought arises, immediately become aware of it; always aware and not obscured, neither drowsy nor scattered. Ten thousand years in a single thought, neither broken nor permanent—this is the essential technique of sitting in meditation. Sitting in meditation is indeed a dharma gate of peace and bliss, yet many people incur illness because they do not grasp its essentials. If one grasps its essentials, then naturally the four great elements are light and at ease, the mental spirit is brisk and clear, the taste of Dharma nourishes the spirit, silent yet constantly illuminating, waking and sleeping are consistent, life and death are as one. Just provide a committed mind, and it will surely not deceive you. However, one fears that when the Way is high, māras flourish, with ten thousand kinds of adversity and prosperity. If right mindfulness appears before you, nothing can obstruct you. Like the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, the Tiantai Samatha-Vipaśyanā, and Guifeng's Manual of Cultivation and Realization, which fully clarify demonic matters: they are all produced from one's own mind, not existing from without. When the power of absorption and wisdom prevails, demonic obstacles naturally dissipate. When wishing to emerge from absorption, slowly move the body, rising calmly and composedly; you must not do so abruptly. After emerging from absorption, constantly employ skillful means to guard and maintain the power of absorption. Among all practices, meditative absorption is foremost. If one does not sit peacefully in meditation and quiet one's thoughts, one transmigrates through the triple world, bewildered when contacting sensory objects. Therefore it is said: 'Seeking a pearl should be tranquil; when waves stir the water, taking it must be difficult. When the water of absorption is clear and still, the mind-pearl reveals itself.' Hence the Perfect Enlightenment Sūtra says: 'Unobstructed pure wisdom is all produced depending on meditative absorption.' The Lotus Sūtra says: 'Abiding in a secluded place, cultivate and collect the mind, resting peacefully and unmoving like Mount Sumeru.' Thus we know that transcending the worldly and surpassing the sacred must depend on quiet conditions; dying while sitting or standing must rely on the power of absorption. Striving to achieve it within a single lifetime, one still fears wasting time; how much more so if one procrastinates—how could one resist karma? It is hoped that all Chan companions will reflect on this text three times, benefiting oneself and benefiting others, together achieving right awakening.