法苑珠林 48.67

48.67

'Within the Dharma realm, there is a wish-fulfilling jewel man. Nine times sealed was his mouth, and inscribed upon his chest it read: "A man of antiquity who restrained the mind. Beware, beware! Do not brood much, do not know much. Knowing much leads to many affairs; it is better to rest the mind. Brooding much leads to many failures; it is better to preserve oneness. When brooding is excessive, the will is scattered; when knowledge is excessive, the mind is disordered. When the mind is disordered, afflictions arise; when the will is scattered, the Way is obstructed. Do not say, 'What harm is there?' Its suffering will be long and enduring. Do not say, 'What is there to fear?' Its disaster will boil like a cauldron. If drops of water do not cease, the four seas will become full; if fine dust is not swept away, the five peaks will be formed. Guard against the end by attending to the root; though small, do not take it lightly. Close your seven apertures, shut your six emotions. Do not peer at sights; do not listen to sounds. Those who listen to sounds become deaf; those who look at sights become blind. A single piece of writing or a single art is like a small midge in the air; a single craft or a single ability is like a solitary lamp beneath the sun. Talents and arts of the brilliant and worthy are folly and defect. Abandoning simplicity and getting addicted to luxuriant beauty, the horse of consciousness easily bolts, and the monkey of the mind is difficult to restrain. Once the spirit is toiled, the body will surely deteriorate and die. Deviant paths will ultimately lead astray; the long journey will forever be bogged in mud. Talents and abilities of the brilliant and worthy are called confusion and ignorance. When the dirty and clumsy envy cleverness, their virtue is not vast. When fame is thick and conduct is thin, their high position quickly collapses. Smearing books and dirtying scrolls, their use is not lasting. Inwardly harboring pride and self-praise, outwardly they incur resentment and hatred. Whether spoken with the mouth or written with the hand, to fish for people's good praise is exceedingly ugly. What the ordinary call auspicious, the sages consider a fault. Pleasure and joy are fleeting; sorrow and grief are enduring. Fearing shadows and fearing footprints, the more severely one runs, the more one suffers; sit upright in the shade of a tree, and footprints disappear and shadows sink away. Despising life and suffering old age, as thoughts arise, karmic actions are created; if mental conceptions are extinguished, birth and death are forever severed. Neither dying nor being born, without marks and without name, the one Way is empty and tranquil, all things are equalized. What is superior, what is inferior? What is heavy, what is light? What is noble, what is base? What is disgrace, what is glory? Let the clear sky be ashamed before purity, and the bright sun blush before brilliance. Steady as Mount Tai, solid as a metal rampart. Respectfully bequeathed to worthies and sages: this Way is beneficial and steadfast."'