勅修百丈清規 5.106

5.106

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.