坐禪三昧經 2.114

2.114

行者定心求道時，常當觀察時方便；
若不得時無方便，是應為失不為利。
如犢未生𤛓牛乳，乳不可得非時故；
若犢生已𤛓牛角，乳不可得無智故。
如鑽濕木求出火，火不可得非時故；
若折乾木以求火，火不可得無智故。
得處知時量己行，觀心方便力多少；
宜應精進及不宜，道相宜時及不宜。
若心調動不應勇，如是勇過不得定；
譬如多薪熾大火，大風來吹不肯滅。
若能以定自調心，如是動息心得定；
譬如大火大風吹，大水來澆無不滅。
若人心軟復懈怠，如是厭沒不應行；
譬如少薪無焰火，不得風吹便自滅。
若有精進勇猛心，如是轉健得道疾；
譬如小火多益薪，風吹轉熾無滅時。
若行放捨止調縮，設復發捨失護法；
譬如病人宜將養，若復放捨無得活。
若有捨想正等心，宜時懃行得道疾；
譬如有人乘調象，如意至湊無躓礙。
若多婬欲愛亂心，是時不應行慈等；
婬人行慈益癡悶，如人冷病服冷藥。
婬人心亂觀不淨，諦觀不淨心得定；
行法如是相應故，如人冷病服熱藥。
若多瞋恚忿亂心，是時不應觀不淨；
瞋人觀惡增恚心，如人熱病服熱藥。
若人瞋怒行慈心，行慈不捨瞋心滅；
行法如是相應故，如人熱病服冷藥。
若多愚癡心闇淺，不淨行慈悲行法；
二行增癡無益故，如人風病服[麩-夫+少]藥。
人心癡闇觀因緣，分別諦觀癡心滅；
法行如是相應故，如人病風服膩藥。
譬如金師排扇炭，用功非時失𭬽法；
怱怱急𭬽不知時，或時水澆或放捨。
金融急𭬽則消過，未融便止則不消；
非時水澆金則生，非時放置則不熟。
精進攝心及放捨，應當觀察行道法；
非時方便失法利，若非法利為非利。
譬如藥師三種病，冷熱風病除滅故；
應病與藥佛如是！婬怒癡病隨藥滅。

When a practitioner seeks the path with a concentrated mind, / they should constantly observe the proper time and means; / if one does not attain the proper time and lacks skillful means, / this will turn into loss and will not be of benefit. / It is like milking a cow before the calf is born: / milk cannot be obtained, because it is not the time; / or if, after the calf is born, one milks the cow's horns, / milk cannot be obtained, because of a lack of wisdom. / It is like drilling into wet wood seeking to produce fire: / fire cannot be obtained, because it is not the time; / or if one snaps dry wood seeking fire, / fire cannot be obtained, because of a lack of wisdom. / Finding the place and knowing the time, one measures one's practice, / observing how much power one has in mental skillful means, / whether vigor is suitable or unsuitable, / and whether the marks of the path are timely or untimely. / If the mind is agitated, one should not be too vigorous; / if vigor is excessive in this way, one will not attain concentration. / It is like a great fire blazing with much firewood: / when a great wind blows, it refuses to be extinguished. / If one can regulate one's mind through concentration, / in this way agitation ceases and the mind attains concentration. / It is like a great fire blown by a great wind: / when great water comes to douse it, there is none that is not extinguished. / If a person's mind is weak and moreover indolent, / being weary and sunken in this way, they should not practice [tranquility]; / it is like a fire with little firewood and no flame: / not being blown upon by wind, it naturally goes out. / If one has a vigorous and valiant mind, / being stout in this way, one quickly attains the path; / it is like a small fire with much firewood added: / blown by the wind, it blazes ever more without end. / If one practices letting go and stops regulating and contracting, / or if one gives up effort, one loses the Dharma of protection; / it is like a sick person who should be cared for: / if they are abandoned, they cannot survive. / If one has thoughts of equanimity and an evenly balanced mind, / exerting oneself at the proper time, one quickly attains the path; / it is like a person riding a trained elephant: / reaching their destination as they wish without stumbling or hindrance. / If excessive lust and attachment disorder the mind, / at that time one should not practice maitrī and the like; / when a lustful person practices maitrī, it increases their stupor and distress, / like a person with a cold disease taking cold medicine. / When a lustful person's mind is disordered, they contemplate impurity; / closely contemplating impurity, the mind attains concentration; / because practicing the Dharma accords in this way, / it is like a person with a cold disease taking hot medicine. / If excessive anger and wrath disorder the mind, / at that time one should not contemplate impurity; / when an angry person contemplates evil, it increases their angry mind, / like a person with a hot disease taking hot medicine. / If an angry person practices a mind of maitrī, / practicing maitrī without abandoning it, the angry mind is extinguished; / because practicing the Dharma accords in this way, / it is like a person with a hot disease taking cold medicine. / If one has excessive ignorance and the mind is dark and shallow, / practicing impurity, maitrī, or karuṇā / —these two practices increase ignorance and are of no benefit— / is like a person with a wind disease taking dry parched-flour medicine. / When a person's mind is ignorant and dark, they contemplate causes and conditions; / analyzing and closely contemplating, the ignorant mind is extinguished; / because practicing the Dharma accords in this way, / it is like a person with a wind disease taking rich, unctuous medicine. / It is like a goldsmith working the bellows on the charcoal: / applying effort at the wrong time, he loses the technique of smelting; / hurriedly and hastily smelting without knowing the right time, / sometimes dousing with water, sometimes abandoning it. / When the gold is melted, if he smelts hastily it over-melts; / if he stops before it has melted, it will not melt; / dousing it with water at the wrong time, the gold becomes raw; / leaving it aside at the wrong time, it will not be tempered. / In vigor, restraining the mind, and letting go, / one should observe the dharmas of practicing the path; / with untimed means, one loses the benefit of the Dharma; / if it is not a Dharma benefit, it is not of benefit. / Just as a physician cures three kinds of diseases, / extinguishing cold, hot, and wind diseases, / dispensing medicine according to the disease—the Buddha is like this! / The diseases of lust, anger, and ignorance are extinguished according to the medicine.