佛垂般涅槃略說教誡經 1.5

1.5

「汝等比丘，晝則勤心修習善法，無令失時，初夜後夜亦勿有廢，中夜誦經以自消息，無以睡眠因緣令一生空過無所得也。當念無常之火燒諸世間，早求自度勿睡眠也。諸煩惱賊常伺殺人，甚於怨家，安可睡眠不自驚寤？煩惱毒蛇睡在汝心，譬如黑蚖在汝室睡，當以持戒之鉤早摒除之。睡蛇既出乃可安眠，不出而眠是無慚人也。慚恥之服，於諸莊嚴最為第一，慚如鐵鉤，能制人非法。是故比丘，常當慚恥，無得暫替；若離慚恥則失諸功德。有愧之人則有善法；若無愧者，與諸禽獸無相異也。

“You monks, by day practice wholesome dharmas with diligent minds, not letting time be lost. In the first watch of the night and the last watch of the night, do not slacken either; in the middle watch, recite the sūtras to maintain balance. Do not, on account of sleep, let an entire life pass in vain with nothing attained. You must reflect that the fire of impermanence burns all the worlds; seek your own liberation early, and do not sleep. The bandits of affliction are constantly waiting to kill people, worse than deadly enemies; how can you sleep without waking yourselves in fright? The poisonous snake of affliction sleeps in your mind, just like a black viper sleeping in your room; with the hook of keeping the precepts you must quickly expel it. Only once the sleeping snake has gone may you sleep peacefully; to sleep when it has not gone is to be a person without shame. The garment of shame is the foremost among all adornments. Shame is like an iron hook: it can restrain a person from unrighteousness. Therefore, monks, you should always maintain shame and conscience, never letting them lapse even for an instant. If you abandon shame, you will lose all merits. One who possesses conscience has wholesome dharmas; one who lacks conscience is no different from beasts.