English
At that time, the gate of Chan Master Bianrong was very prosperous. I went to the capital to visit him, knelt down and repeatedly asked for instruction. Chan Master Bianrong said: 'You should abide by your duty, do not be greedy for fame and profit, do not try to curry favor with the powerful, just be clear about cause and effect, and wholeheartedly recite the Buddha's name.' After I received the teaching and came out, my companions laughed and thought that anyone could say these few words. They came from thousands of miles away, thinking there would be something profound, but it turned out to be worthless. I said: 'This is precisely where his goodness lies. We yearn and admire, and come from afar, but he does not speak of the mysterious or the wonderful, or try to surpass us, but honestly and earnestly, he imparts the close and practical methods that he has personally experienced.' Therefore, this is his goodness. I have been diligently following it ever since, and have never abandoned it.", "The essential gateway to entering the path is faith. Important worldly matters cannot be accomplished without faith, let alone good deeds? For example, worldly thieves are sometimes exposed, and the government will certainly punish them with extreme penalties. Even after they are released, they still do not repent. Why is this? Because they deeply believe in this path, and without spending a penny of capital, they can obtain countless benefits. Therefore, even if they suffer great pain, they will never regret it. People who recite the Buddha's name nowadays are unwilling to diligently exert effort, simply because they have not deeply contemplated and believed. Don't say that you don't believe in the Pure Land, just like the World-Honored One said, 'Human life is between breaths,' this sentence is not difficult to understand in terms of meaning. You have personally seen it with your eyes, personally heard it with your ears, and experienced many examples. Now, if you want to believe this sentence, it is already impossible. If you truly believe this sentence, then the Dharma door of reciting the Buddha's name..." ] } ``` -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 门。不必要我费尽力气。千叮万嘱。尔自如水赴壑。万牛不能挽矣。即如前日津送亡僧时。你们睹此榜样。当愀然不乐。痛相警䇿道大众。我与你。但今日送某僧。明日送某僧。不知不觉。轮到自身。此时悔恨无及。须疾忙念佛。时刻不要放过方好。我见你们。自家也说可惜。对人也说可惜。及乎堂中估唱。依然言笑自如。你只不信人命在呼吸间也。 予见新学后生。才把一句佛。顿在心头闭思妄想。越觉腾沸。便谓念佛工夫。不能摄心。不知汝无量劫来。生死根由。如何能得即断。且万念纷飞之际。正是做工夫时节。旋收旋散。旋散旋收。久后工夫纯熟。自然妄念不起。且汝之能觉妄念重者。亏这句佛耳。如不念佛之时。澜翻潮涌。刹那不停者。自己岂能觉乎。 念佛有默持。有高声持。有金刚持。然高声觉太费力。默念又易昏沉。只是绵绵密密。声在于唇齿之间。乃谓金刚持。又不可执定。或觉费力。则不妨默持。或觉昏沉。则不妨高声。如今念佛者。只是手打鱼子。随口叫喊。所以不得利益。必须句句出口入耳。声声唤醒自心。譬如一人浓睡。一人唤云某人。则彼即醒矣。所以念佛最能摄心。 今人不肯念佛。只是轻视西方不知生西方。乃是大德大福。大智大慧。大圣大贤。的勾当转娑婆。成净土。不同小可因缘。汝但看此城中。一日一夜。死却多少人。不要说生西方。即生天。千百人中尚无一个。其有自负修行者。秪是不失人身而已。故我世尊。大慈大悲。示此法门。功过乾坤。恩逾父母。粉骨碎身。不足为报 ```json { "translations": [ "现代汉语译本", "门，不需要我费尽力气地劝说。千叮万嘱，你们也像水流向低谷一样，万牛也拉不回来。就像前些天送别去世僧人时，你们亲眼看到这个榜样，应当感到悲伤不乐，互相警醒策励说：‘各位同修，我和你，今天送走这位僧人，明天送走那位僧人，不知不觉就轮到自己了。’到那时后悔也来不及了，必须赶紧念佛，时刻不要放松才好。我看到你们，自己也说可惜，对别人也说可惜，等到在佛堂里唱念时，依然谈笑自如。你们就是不相信人命就在呼吸之间啊。", "我看到新学的后生，刚把一句佛号放在心头，就闭目思索妄想，越发觉得心潮翻涌。便说念佛的功夫不能摄住心。却不知道你无量劫以来的生死根源，怎么能立刻断除呢？而且万念纷飞的时候，正是做功夫的时候。一会儿收摄，一会儿散乱，一会儿散乱，一会儿收摄，时间久了，功夫纯熟，自然妄念就不起了。而且你能觉察到妄念多，多亏了这句佛号啊。如果不念佛的时候，波涛汹涌，刹那不停，自己怎么能觉察到呢？", "念佛有默念，有高声念，有金刚念。然而高声念太费力，默念又容易昏沉，只是绵绵密密，声音在唇齿之间，就叫做金刚念。但也不可执着固定，如果觉得费力，就不妨默念；如果觉得昏沉，就不妨高声念。现在念佛的人，只是手里打着鱼子（一种念佛的法器），随口叫喊，所以得不到利益。必须句句出口入耳，声声唤醒自心。譬如一个人睡得很沉，另一个人叫他：‘某人！’那人就醒了。所以念佛最能摄心。", "现在的人不肯念佛，只是轻视西方极乐世界，不知道往生西方，乃是大德、大福、大智慧、大慧根、大圣、大贤的事业，是扭转娑婆世界，成就清净国土的事情，不是小小的因缘。你们只看这城中，一天一夜，要死多少人！不要说往生西方，即使是生天，千百人中尚且没有一个。其中那些自负修行的人，只不过是不失人身罢了。所以我的世尊（释迦牟尼佛），大慈大悲，开示这个法门，功德超过天地，恩情胜过父母，即使粉身碎骨，也不足以报答。" ], "english_translations": [ "English version", "It's no use for me to exhaust myself with exhortations. Even with repeated reminders, you are like water flowing towards a ravine, impossible to hold back even with ten thousand oxen. Just like when we saw off the deceased monk the other day, you witnessed this example and should have felt sorrow and unease, mutually reminding and urging each other: 'Fellow practitioners, you and I, today we send off this monk, tomorrow we send off that monk, and before we know it, it will be our turn.' At that time, regret will be too late. We must quickly recite the Buddha's name, never letting up for a moment. I see that you yourselves say it's a pity, and you tell others it's a pity, but when it comes to chanting in the hall, you still laugh and talk as usual. You simply don't believe that life hangs by a thread.", "I see that newly learning students, as soon as they place a single Buddha's name in their minds, immediately close their eyes and contemplate delusional thoughts, only to find their minds becoming even more turbulent. They then say that the practice of reciting the Buddha's name cannot subdue the mind. They don't realize that the root of your birth and death from countless kalpas (aeons) cannot be severed immediately. Moreover, the moment when myriad thoughts are flying about is precisely the time to put in effort. Gathering and scattering, scattering and gathering, after a long time, when the practice is pure and mature, naturally delusional thoughts will not arise. Furthermore, the fact that you can perceive the heaviness of delusional thoughts is thanks to this Buddha's name. If you were not reciting the Buddha's name, the waves would be surging, ceaselessly, and how would you be able to perceive it?", "There is silent recitation of the Buddha's name, there is loud recitation, and there is diamond recitation (Vajra recitation). However, loud recitation is too strenuous, and silent recitation is prone to drowsiness. Only continuous and subtle recitation, with the sound between the lips and teeth, is called diamond recitation. But you should not be fixated on one method. If you feel strenuous, you may as well recite silently; if you feel drowsy, you may as well recite loudly. Nowadays, people who recite the Buddha's name simply strike the fish-shaped wooden block (a Buddhist instrument) and shout along, so they do not obtain benefit. You must ensure that each phrase enters your ears as it leaves your mouth, and each sound awakens your own mind. It's like a person who is fast asleep; if someone calls out, 'So-and-so!' then that person will wake up. Therefore, reciting the Buddha's name is most capable of subduing the mind.", "People today are unwilling to recite the Buddha's name simply because they look down on the Western Pure Land (Sukhavati), not knowing that being born in the West is the undertaking of great virtue, great fortune, great wisdom, great intelligence, great saints, and great sages, and that it is about transforming the Saha world (the world we live in) and accomplishing a pure land, not a small matter of cause and condition. Just look at this city, how many people die in a single day and night! Not to mention being born in the West, even being born in the heavens, there is not even one out of a thousand. Those who pride themselves on their cultivation are merely not losing their human form. Therefore, my World-Honored One (Sakyamuni Buddha), with great compassion, revealed this Dharma gate, whose merit surpasses heaven and earth, and whose kindness exceeds that of parents. Even shattering our bones and crushing our bodies would not be enough to repay it." ] } ``` -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 。 幼时尚不知念佛。见邻家一老妪。每日课佛数千。间云。为何如此。彼云。先夫往时念佛。去得甚好。故我如此念。先夫去时。并无他病。只与人一请而别。出家人奈何不念佛。 书 答江西谢青莲孝廉广鉁 提话头。是宗门发悟最紧切工夫。修净土人。即以一声佛号做个话头。此妙法也。但心粗气浮。则未能相应。须是沉潜反照。至于力极势穷。乃有因地一声消息。 答湖州董浔阳宗伯 心本不生。缘合而生。心本不死。缘散而死。似有生死。原无去来。于斯会得。生顺死安。常寂常照。如或未能。便当全身放下。密密持念一句阿弥陀佛。求生净土。假使诸缘未尽。寿命未终。倍应念佛。有大利益。古云。念佛法门。此是金仙氏之长生也。 答余姚孙居士大珩 若净土起信。则看教宜专本经疏钞。而他经次之。其看疏钞。莫作一气读毕。宜少看而以多日毕之。盖细细玩味。然后深信净土。为修行至要之门。古人谓生死海中。念佛第一。非虚言也。 又 既高声默念。金刚持。皆无益而反损。今当于妄想纷飞时。只轻轻举佛一声。即住了。看他是谁念佛。久之念起又如是举。如是看。念若不起。只看着。其举业文字等俱歇下。歇下亦于举业无妨。 答德清许廓如居士广钺 来问摄心用。观坐立想像等。此俱随时无定。但常观无常。非尘缘未了者所能为。虽不能常观。亦是工夫。毋用为虑。又尘缘中。观法难成。不如直以学业家业得暇之时。即便默默执持名 ```json { "translations": [ "现代汉语译本", "小时候我还不懂得念佛。看到邻居家一位老妇人，每天念佛数千声。我好奇地问她为什么这样做。她回答说：‘我的丈夫过去念佛，往生的时候非常好。所以我才这样念。’她的丈夫去世时，并没有其他疾病，只是和人告别了一下就走了。出家人怎么能不念佛呢？", "书信", "回复江西谢青莲孝廉广鉁", "提起话头，是禅宗开悟最紧要的功夫。修习净土法门的人，就用一声佛号当作话头。这是个绝妙的方法。但是如果心浮气躁，就不能相应。必须沉下心来，反观自照，直到力量耗尽，才能在因地得到一丝消息。", "回复湖州董浔阳宗伯", "心本来不生，因缘聚合而生。心本来不死，因缘离散而死。看似有生死，实际上没有来去。如果能明白这个道理，就能做到生也顺遂，死也安详，常寂常照。如果不能明白，就应当全身心地放下，默默地持念一句‘阿弥陀佛’（Amitabha），求生净土。即使诸缘未尽，寿命未终，更应该念佛，会有很大的利益。古人说：‘念佛法门，是金仙氏的长生之术啊。’", "回复余姚孙居士大珩", "如果对净土法门生起信心，那么看经书应该专心研读《无量寿经》及其疏钞，其他经书可以放在其次。看疏钞的时候，不要一口气读完，应该少看一点，用多天的时间看完。这样才能细细品味，然后深信净土法门是修行的至要法门。古人说：‘在生死苦海中，念佛第一。’这不是虚假的话。", "又", "无论是高声念诵、默念还是金刚持（Vajra recitation），都没有益处反而有害。现在应当在妄想纷飞的时候，只轻轻地念一声佛号，就停下来。看看是谁在念佛。时间长了，念头又起来了，就再像这样念，像这样看。如果念头不起来，就只是看着。把举业、文字等等都放下。放下也并不妨碍举业。", "回复德清许廓如居士广钺", "来信问到摄心的方法，以及观想坐立等等。这些都应该随时调整，没有固定的方法。但经常观想无常，不是尘缘未了的人能够做到的。虽然不能经常观想，这也是一种功夫，不用为此担忧。而且在尘缘中，观想之法难以成就，不如直接在学业、家业有空闲的时候，就默默地执持名号。" ], "english_translations": [ "English version", "When I was young, I didn't know about reciting the Buddha's name. I saw an old woman in my neighborhood reciting the Buddha's name thousands of times every day. I asked her why she did that. She replied, 'My husband used to recite the Buddha's name, and he had a very good rebirth. That's why I recite like this.' When her husband passed away, he didn't have any other illnesses, he just said goodbye to people and left. How can monks not recite the Buddha's name?", "Letters", "Reply to Xie Qinglian Guangzhen, a Xiucai (successful candidate in the imperial examination at the county level) from Jiangxi", "Raising a 'huatou' (critical phrase) is the most crucial practice for enlightenment in the Chan (Zen) school.