English
English version When mercury is scattered, each droplet is round. If not separated, it is just one mass. This one is all, and all is one. Various forms are like houses. Abandoning the donkey's house, one enters the human's house; abandoning the human body, one reaches the heavenly body, even the houses of Śrāvakayāna (hearers of the Buddha's teachings who attain enlightenment), Pratyekabuddha (those who attain enlightenment on their own, without a teacher), Bodhisattva (enlightened beings who vow to liberate all beings), and Buddhas. These are all places where you take and discard. That's why there are differences. How can the nature of the original source be different? Question: How do all Buddhas practice great compassion and teach the Dharma to sentient beings? The Master said: The Buddha's compassion is unconditional, hence it is called great compassion. 'Compassion' means not seeing a Buddha to be attained; 'pity' means not seeing sentient beings to be liberated. What they teach is without speaking or showing; those who listen to the Dharma hear without hearing and attain without attaining. It is like a magician teaching Dharma to illusory people. If you think that you understood this Dharma from the words of a Kalyāṇa-mitra (a virtuous friend or teacher), and comprehended this compassion, if you learn his views by arousing thoughts and intentions, it is not realizing your own original mind, and ultimately it is of no benefit. Question: What is diligence (Vīrya)? The Master said: When the body and mind do not arise, this is called the first firm and strong diligence. As soon as you arouse a thought to seek externally, it is called King Kali (an ancient Indian tyrant) loving to go hunting. If the mind does not wander outward, it is the Kṣānti (patience) immortal. When both body and mind are absent, that is the Buddha's path. Question: If one cultivates this path without mind, can one succeed? The Master said: To be without mind is to cultivate this path. What more is there to say about success or failure? For example, if a thought arises even slightly, that is a realm. If there is not a single thought, then the realm disappears, and the mind naturally ceases, impossible to trace. Question: How does one transcend the three realms (Trailokya: the realm of desire, the realm of form, and the formless realm)? The Master said: Do not contemplate good or evil, and you will immediately transcend the three realms. The Tathāgata (one of the titles of a Buddha) appeared in the world to destroy the three existences (Bhava-traya: existence in the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm). If there is no mind at all, the three realms are also not real. For example, if a mote of dust is divided into one hundred parts, ninety-nine parts are non-existence, and one part is existence, Mahāyāna (the Great Vehicle) cannot surpass it. Only when all one hundred parts are non-existent can Mahāyāna begin to surpass it. Ascending the Dharma seat, he said: 'The mind itself is the Buddha.' From the Buddhas above to the wriggling creatures below, all have Buddha-nature, the same mind-essence. Therefore, Bodhidharma (the first patriarch of Zen) came from the Western Heaven (India) and only transmitted the Dharma of the One Mind, directly pointing to everything. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
众生本来是佛。不假修行。但如今识取自心见自本性。更莫别求。云何识自心。即如今言语者正是汝心。若不言语又不作用心体。如虚空相似。无有相貌亦无方所。亦不一向是无有而不可见。故祖师云。真性心地藏。无头亦无尾。应缘而化物。方便呼为智若不应缘之时。不可言其有无。正应之时。亦无踪迹。既知如此。如今但向无中栖泊。即是行诸佛路。经云。应无所住而生其心。一切众生轮回生死者。意缘走作心。于六道不停。致使受种种苦。净名云。难化之人心如猿猴。故以若干种法制御其心。然后调伏。所以心生种种法生。心灭种种法灭。故知一切诸法皆由心造。乃至人天地狱六道修罗。尽由心造。如今但学无心顿息诸缘。莫生妄想分别。无人无我。无贪瞋无憎爱无胜负。但除却如许多种妄想。性自本来清净。即是修行菩提法佛等。若不会此意。纵尔广学勤苦修行。木食草衣。不识自心皆名邪行。尽作天魔外道水陆诸神。如此修行。当复何益。志公云。本体是自心作。那得文字中求。如今但识自心。息却思惟。妄想尘劳自然不生。净名云。唯置一床寝疾而卧。心不起也。如今卧疾。攀缘都息。妄想歇灭。即是菩提。如今若心里纷纷不定。任尔学到三乘四果十地诸位。合杀只向凡圣中坐。诸行尽归无常。势力皆有 现代汉语译本： 众生本来就是佛，无需假借修行。但现在要认识自己的心，见到自己的本性，不要再向别处寻求。如何认识自己的心呢？就是现在说话的这个正是你的心。如果不说话，心也不起作用，就像虚空一样，没有相貌，也没有方位。也不是完全没有而不可见。所以祖师说：‘真性心地藏，无头也无尾，应缘而化物，方便呼为智。’如果不应缘的时候，不能说它是有还是没有。正在应缘的时候，也没有踪迹。既然知道这样，现在只要向‘无’中安住，就是行走诸佛之路。《金刚经》说：‘应无所住而生其心。’一切众生轮回生死，是因为心随外缘而动，在六道中不停留，导致承受种种痛苦。《维摩诘经》说：‘难化之人，其心如猿猴。’所以用各种方法来控制他的心，然后调伏。所以心生，种种法就生；心灭，种种法就灭。因此知道一切诸法都是由心所造，乃至人、天、地狱、六道、修罗（Asura，意为非天），都由心所造。现在只要学习无心，立刻停止各种攀缘，不要生起妄想分别，无人无我，无贪瞋，无憎爱，无胜负，只要去除这么多种妄想，自性本来就清净，这就是修行菩提（Bodhi，意为觉悟）、佛法等。如果不明白这个道理，纵然你广泛学习，勤苦修行，吃粗糙的食物，穿粗布衣服，不认识自己的心，都叫做邪行，最终会成为天魔外道、水陆诸神。这样修行，又有什么益处呢？志公（Zhi Gong，人名）说：‘本体是自心所作，哪里能在文字中寻求？’现在只要认识自己的心，停止思惟，妄想尘劳自然不会产生。《维摩诘经》说：‘唯置一床，寝疾而卧，心不起也。’现在卧病在床，攀缘全部停止，妄想止息，就是菩提。现在如果心里纷纷不定，任凭你学到三乘四果十地（Ten Bhumis，菩萨修行的十个阶段）的各种果位，合该只是坐在凡圣之中。各种修行最终都归于无常，势力都有尽头。
English
English version: Sentient beings are inherently Buddhas, requiring no cultivation. But now, recognize your own mind, see your own nature, and seek no further elsewhere. How to recognize your own mind? It is precisely this speaking now that is your mind. If there is no speaking, and the mind is not functioning, it is like empty space, without form or location. It is not entirely non-existent and invisible. Therefore, the Patriarch said: 'The true nature is the mind-ground treasury, without head or tail, responding to conditions to transform beings, conveniently called wisdom.' When not responding to conditions, one cannot say it exists or does not exist. When responding, there are no traces. Having understood this, now simply dwell in 'non-being,' which is walking the path of all Buddhas. The Sutra says: 'One should produce the mind that abides nowhere.' All sentient beings who transmigrate in birth and death do so because the mind follows external conditions and does not stop in the six realms, leading to the suffering of various kinds. The Vimalakirti Sutra says: 'The mind of a difficult-to-transform person is like a monkey.' Therefore, various methods are used to control the mind and then subdue it. Thus, when the mind arises, all kinds of dharmas (Dharma, meaning teachings or phenomena) arise; when the mind ceases, all kinds of dharmas cease. Therefore, know that all dharmas are created by the mind, even humans, heavens, hells, the six realms, and Asuras (Asura, meaning non-gods), are all created by the mind. Now, simply learn to be without mind, immediately cease all attachments, do not generate delusional discriminations, without self or others, without greed or anger, without hatred or love, without victory or defeat. Simply remove these many kinds of delusions, and the nature will be inherently pure, which is cultivating Bodhi (Bodhi, meaning enlightenment), the Buddha-dharma, etc. If you do not understand this meaning, even if you study widely, cultivate diligently, eat coarse food, and wear rough clothing, without recognizing your own mind, all is called wrong practice, ultimately becoming heavenly demons, external paths, and gods of water and land. What benefit is there in cultivating in this way? Zhi Gong (Zhi Gong, a person's name) said: 'The essence is made by one's own mind, where can it be sought in words?' Now, simply recognize your own mind, stop thinking, and delusional defilements will naturally not arise. The Vimalakirti Sutra says: 'Only place a bed, lie down sick, and the mind does not arise.' Now, lying sick in bed, all attachments cease, and delusional thoughts are extinguished, which is Bodhi. Now, if the mind is confused and unsettled, even if you learn to the various stages of the Three Vehicles, the Four Fruits, and the Ten Bhumis (Ten Bhumis, the ten stages of a Bodhisattva's practice), you are only sitting among the ordinary and the holy. All practices ultimately return to impermanence, and all powers have an end. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
尽期。犹如箭射于空。力尽还堕。却归生死轮回。如斯修行不解佛意。虚受辛苦。岂非大错。志公云。未逢出世明师。枉服大乘法药。如今但一切时中行住坐卧但学无心。亦无分别亦无依倚。亦无住着。终日任运腾腾。如痴人相似。世人尽不识尔。尔亦不用教人识不识。心如顽石头都无缝罅。一切法透汝心不入。兀然无著。如此始有少分相应。透得三界境过名为佛出世。不漏心相名为无漏智。不作人天业。不作地狱业。不起一切心。诸缘尽不生。即此身心是自由人。不是一向不生。只是随意而生。经云。菩萨有意生身是也。忽若未会无心。著相而作者。皆属魔业。乃至作净土佛事。并皆成业。乃名佛障。障汝心故。被因果管束。去住无自由分。所以菩提等法。本不是有。如来所说。皆是化人犹如黄叶为金权止小儿啼。故实无有法名阿耨菩提。如今既会此意。何用区区。但随缘消旧业。更莫造新殃。心里明明。所以旧时见解总须舍却。净名云。除去所有。法华云。二十年中常令除粪。只是除去心中作见解处。又云。蠲除戏论之粪。所以如来藏本自空寂并不停留一法。故经云。诸佛国土亦复皆空。若言佛道是修学而得。如此见解全无交涉。或作一机一境扬眉动目。只对相当便道契会也。得证悟禅理也。忽逢一人。不解便道 现代汉语译本： 直至生命终结。就像箭射向天空，力量耗尽便会坠落，最终回归生死的轮回。像这样修行却不理解佛的真意，白白承受辛苦，岂不是大错特错？ 志公说：‘未曾遇到出世的明师，枉自服用大乘的法药。’如今只需在一切时中，行住坐卧，都学习无心，没有分别，没有依赖，没有执着。整日顺其自然，悠然自得，像个痴呆的人一样。世人都不认识你，你也不用教人认识或不认识。心像顽石一样没有缝隙，一切法都无法进入你的内心。兀然无所执着，这样才算有少许相应。能够透脱三界之境，就可称为佛出世。不泄漏心相，就称为无漏智。不做人天之业，不做地狱之业，不生起一切心，所有因缘都无法产生，那么这个身心就是自由的人。不是永远不生，只是可以随意而生。《经》中说：‘菩萨有意生身’就是这个意思。如果还不明白无心，执着于外相而有所作为，都属于魔业。乃至做净土的佛事，也都会变成业，称为佛障，障碍你的心，被因果所管束，去留没有自由。所以菩提等法，本来就不是实有。如来所说，都是为了教化世人，就像用黄叶当金子来哄小孩停止哭闹一样。实际上并没有一种法叫做阿耨菩提（Anuttara Bodhi，无上正等正觉）。 如今既然明白了此意，何必斤斤计较？只需随缘消解旧业，不要再造新的罪业。心里要清清楚楚。所以过去的见解都要舍弃。《净名经》（Vimalakirti Sutra）说：‘除去所有。’《法华经》（Lotus Sutra）说：‘二十年中常令除粪。’只是除去心中产生见解的地方。又说：‘蠲除戏论之粪。’所以如来藏（Tathagatagarbha，如来法身）本来就是空寂的，并不停留任何一法。所以《经》中说：‘诸佛国土亦复皆空。’如果说佛道是修学而得来的，这样的见解完全没有关系。或者做出一个动作，面对一个境界，扬眉动目，只要对得上，就说契合了，得到了证悟禅理。如果遇到一个人，不理解便说...