English
English version Ordinary people cling to emptiness or existence, which creates obstacles. Wise people understand their nature and are flexible and insightful in all things. Those who only argue theoretically exhaust themselves with words. Those with true great wisdom understand the truth and have peace of mind. Bodhisattvas understand the essence of things upon contact. Sravakas (hearers) fear external circumstances and obscure their minds. The enlightened live each day in accordance with the principle of non-birth. The deluded only see what is in front of them, far removed from the realm of the Buddha. Someone asked: 'How can one attain supernatural powers?' The master said: 'The divine nature is wonderfully penetrating, pervading the entire universe. It can freely pass through mountains and stone walls, and travel tens of thousands of miles in an instant without a trace. Fire cannot burn it, and water cannot drown it. Foolish people, lacking wisdom, desire to fly through the air with their bodies composed of the four elements. The Sutra says that explanations are given according to the understanding of ordinary people. The mind has no shape or form, and this is the subtle form body. Non-form is true form. The essence of true form is emptiness, so it is called the boundless body of emptiness. Adorning oneself with myriad practices is called the Dharma body of merit. This Dharma body is the root of all practices, named according to its different functions. But in reality, it is simply the pure Dharma body.' Someone asked: 'If one cultivates the Way wholeheartedly, can past karmic obstacles be eliminated?' The master said: 'Those who have not seen their nature cannot eliminate karmic obstacles. But for those who have seen their nature, it is like the sun shining on frost and snow, which quickly melts away. It is also like a pile of grass as high as Mount Sumeru (Sumeru Mountain), which can be burned to ashes with a single spark. Karmic obstacles are like grass, and wisdom is like fire.' Asked: 'How can one know that karmic obstacles have been eliminated?' The master said: 'One can clearly see past and future events as if witnessing them firsthand. One can see past Buddhas and future Buddhas, and all dharmas simultaneously. The Sutra says that understanding all dharmas in a single thought is the place of enlightenment, accomplishing all wisdom.' A practitioner asked: 'How can one abide in the true Dharma?' The master said: 'The very desire to abide in the true Dharma is a false thought. Why? Because the Dharma has no right or wrong.' Asked: 'How can one become a Buddha?' The master said: 'There is no need to abandon compassion for sentient beings, but do not let your nature be defiled. The Sutra says that the mind, the Buddha, and sentient beings are not different.' Asked: 'If one understands in this way, can one attain liberation?' The master said: 'Originally there is no bondage, so there is no need to seek liberation. The Dharma transcends language and words, and cannot be sought in phrases and sentences. The Dharma transcends the past, present, and future, and cannot be understood through cause and effect. The Dharma transcends everything and cannot be compared. The Dharma body has no fixed form and manifests in different forms according to different things. Do not seek liberation apart from the world.' --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
僧问何者是般若。师曰汝疑不是者试说看。又问云何得见性。师曰。见即是性。无性不能见。又问如何是修行。师曰。但莫污染自性即是修行。莫自欺诳即是修行。大用现前即是无等等法身。又问性中有恶否。师曰此中善亦不立。曰。善恶俱不立。将心何处用。师曰将心用心是大颠倒。曰作么生即是。师曰。无作么生。亦无可是。 人问。有人乘船。船底刺杀螺蚬。为是人受罪。为复船当罪。师曰。人船两无心。罪正在汝。譬如狂风折树损命。无作者。无受者。世界之中无非众生受苦处。 僧问。未审托情势．指境势．语默势乃至扬眉动目等势。如何得通会于一念间。师曰。无有性外事。用妙者动寂俱妙。心真者语默总真。会道者行住坐卧是道。为迷自性万惑兹生。又问如何是法有宗旨。师曰。随其所立即有众义。文殊于无住本立一切法。曰莫同大虚否。师曰汝怕同太虚否。曰怕。师曰解怕者不同太虚。又问言方不及处如何得解。师曰。汝今正说时。疑何处不及。 有宿德十余人同问。经云。破灭佛法。未审佛法可破灭否。师曰。凡夫外道谓佛法可破灭。二乘人谓不可破灭。我正法中无此二见。若论正法。非但凡夫外道。未至佛地者二乘亦是恶人。又问。真法．幻法．空法．非空法各有种性否。 现代汉语译本 僧人问：‘什么是般若（prajna，智慧）？’ 禅师说：‘你如果怀疑不是般若，不妨试着说说看。’ 又问：‘如何才能得见自性（见性，领悟本性）？’ 禅师说：‘能见的就是自性。没有自性就不能见。’ 又问：‘什么是修行？’ 禅师说：‘只要不污染自性就是修行。不要自欺欺人就是修行。大用现前就是无等等法身（anuttara-samyak-sambodhi-kaya，无上正等正觉之身）。’ 又问：‘自性中有恶吗？’ 禅师说：‘这里连善都不成立。’ 问：‘善恶都不成立，那将心用在何处？’ 禅师说：‘将心来用心是大颠倒。’ 问：‘怎样才是？’ 禅师说：‘没有怎样，也没有什么可以。’ 有人问：‘有人乘船，船底刺死了螺蛳河蚌，是人受罪，还是船受罪？’ 禅师说：‘人船都没有心，罪正在于你（的分别心）。譬如狂风折断树木，损害生命，没有作者，也没有受者。世界之中无处不是众生受苦的地方。’ 僧人问：‘请问依托情势、指向境势、语默势乃至扬眉动目等势，如何才能在一念间通达领会？’ 禅师说：‘没有自性之外的事。运用妙者，动与寂都妙。心真者，语与默都真。会道者，行住坐卧都是道。因为迷惑自性，所以产生万般迷惑。’ 又问：‘什么是法（dharma，佛法）的宗旨？’ 禅师说：‘随着你所立足之处，就有各种意义。文殊菩萨（Manjusri）在无住的根本上建立一切法。’ 问：‘莫非是等同于太虚（虚空）？’ 禅师说：‘你害怕等同于太虚吗？’ 问：‘害怕。’ 禅师说：‘懂得害怕的人就不同于太虚。’ 又问：‘言语无法表达的地方如何才能理解？’ 禅师说：‘你现在正在说话的时候，怀疑什么地方无法表达？’ 有十多位年长的僧人一同问道：‘经书上说，破灭佛法，请问佛法可以被破灭吗？’ 禅师说：‘凡夫外道认为佛法可以被破灭，二乘人（声闻乘和缘觉乘）认为不可破灭。我的正法中没有这两种见解。如果谈论正法，不仅仅是凡夫外道，未达到佛地的人，二乘人也是恶人。’ 又问：‘真法、幻法、空法、非空法各有种性吗？’
English
English version A monk asked: 'What is prajna (wisdom)?' The Master said: 'If you doubt what is not prajna, try to explain it.' He further asked: 'How can one attain seeing one's nature (seeing the nature, realizing one's inherent nature)?' The Master said: 'Seeing is precisely the nature. Without nature, there can be no seeing.' He further asked: 'What is practice?' The Master said: 'Simply not defiling one's own nature is practice. Not deceiving oneself is practice. When great function manifests, that is the unsurpassed Dharma body (anuttara-samyak-sambodhi-kaya, the body of supreme perfect enlightenment).' He further asked: 'Is there evil in the nature?' The Master said: 'Here, even good is not established.' He asked: 'If neither good nor evil is established, where should one use the mind?' The Master said: 'Using the mind to use the mind is a great inversion.' He asked: 'What is it then?' The Master said: 'There is no what is it, nor is there anything that can be.' Someone asked: 'If someone is on a boat and the bottom of the boat pierces and kills snails and clams, is it the person who bears the sin, or does the boat bear the sin?' The Master said: 'Neither the person nor the boat has a mind; the sin lies precisely in you (your discriminating mind). It is like a violent wind breaking trees and harming lives; there is no doer and no receiver. In this world, there is no place that is not a place where sentient beings suffer.' A monk asked: 'May I ask how to thoroughly understand and comprehend in a single thought the reliance on circumstances, the pointing to environmental circumstances, the circumstances of speech and silence, and even the circumstances of raising eyebrows and moving the eyes?' The Master said: 'There is nothing outside of one's nature. For those who use it skillfully, both movement and stillness are wonderful. For those whose minds are true, both speech and silence are entirely true. For those who understand the Way, walking, standing, sitting, and lying down are all the Way. Because of delusion about one's own nature, myriad confusions arise.' He further asked: 'What is the essential principle of the Dharma (dharma, Buddhist teachings)?' The Master said: 'Depending on where you stand, there are various meanings. Manjusri (Manjusri) establishes all dharmas on the basis of non-abiding.' He asked: 'Is it not the same as the Great Void (emptiness)?' The Master said: 'Are you afraid of being the same as the Great Void?' He asked: 'I am afraid.' The Master said: 'One who understands fear is not the same as the Great Void.' He further asked: 'How can one understand where words cannot reach?' The Master said: 'Right now, as you are speaking, what place do you doubt is unreachable?' More than ten senior monks asked together: 'The scriptures say, destroy the Buddha Dharma; may I ask, can the Buddha Dharma be destroyed?' The Master said: 'Ordinary people and those of external paths believe that the Buddha Dharma can be destroyed; those of the Two Vehicles (Sravaka Vehicle and Pratyekabuddha Vehicle) believe that it cannot be destroyed. In my true Dharma, there are not these two views. If we discuss the true Dharma, not only ordinary people and those of external paths, but even those who have not reached the Buddha's stage, those of the Two Vehicles are also evil people.' He further asked: 'Do true dharmas, illusory dharmas, empty dharmas, and non-empty dharmas each have their own nature?' --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
师曰。夫法虽无种性。应物俱现。心幻也一切俱幻。若有一法不是幻者。幻即有定。心空也一切皆空。若有一法不空。空义不立。迷时人逐法。悟时法由人。如森罗万象至空而极。百川众流至海而极。一切贤圣至佛而极。十二分经．五部毗尼．五围陀论至心而极。心者是总持之妙本。万法之洪源。亦名大智慧藏。无住涅槃。百千万名尽心之异号耳。又问如何是幻。师曰幻无定相。如旋火轮。如乾闼婆城。如机关木人。如阳𦦨。如空华。俱无实法。又问何名大幻师。师曰。心名大幻师。身为大幻城。名相为大幻衣食。河沙世界无有幻外事。凡夫不识幻。处处迷幻业。声闻怕幻境。昧心而入寂。菩萨识幻法达幻体。不拘一切名相。佛是大幻师。转大幻法轮。成大幻涅槃。转幻生灭得不生不灭。转河沙秽土成清净法界。 僧问。何故不许诵经。唤作客语。师曰。如鹦鹉只学人言。不得人意。经传佛意。不得佛意而但诵。是学语人。所以不许。曰不可离文字言语别有意耶。师曰。汝如是说。亦是学语。曰同是语言何偏不许。师曰。汝今谛听。经有明文。我所说者义语非文。众生说者文语非义。得意者越于浮言。悟理者超于文字。法过语言文字。何向数句中求。是以发菩提者得意而忘言。悟理而遗教。亦犹得鱼忘筌得兔忘 现代汉语译本： 师父说：‘法本身并没有固定的属性，而是随着外物而显现。心是虚幻的，所以一切都是虚幻的。如果有一种法不是虚幻的，那么虚幻就有了确定的定义。心是空性的，所以一切都是空性的。如果有一种法不是空性的，那么空性的意义就不能成立。迷惑的时候，人追逐法；觉悟的时候，法由人而生。就像森罗万象最终归于空性，百川众流最终归于大海，一切贤圣最终归于佛。十二分经（佛教经典分类），五部毗尼（佛教戒律），五围陀论（古印度婆罗门教经典）最终归于心。心是总持一切的微妙根本，是万法的巨大源泉，也叫做大智慧藏、无住涅槃。千百万个名称，都只是心的不同称谓罢了。’ 又问：‘什么是幻？’ 师父说：‘幻没有固定的形态，就像旋转的火轮，像乾闼婆城（海市蜃楼），像机关木人，像阳焰（远看像水面的热气），像空中的花朵，都没有真实的体性。’ 又问：‘谁是大幻师？’ 师父说：‘心是大幻师，身体是大幻城，名相是大幻衣食。河沙世界里没有不是幻化的事物。凡夫不认识幻，处处迷惑于幻化的业力。声闻（小乘佛教修行者）害怕幻化的境界，昧于自心而进入寂灭。菩萨认识幻化的法，通达幻化的体性，不执着于一切名相。佛是大幻师，转动大幻法轮，成就大幻涅槃。将幻化的生灭转为不生不灭，将恒河沙数般的污秽国土转为清净的法界。’ 僧人问：‘为什么不许诵经，说诵经是‘客语’？’ 师父说：‘就像鹦鹉只会学人说话，却不理解人的意思。经书传达的是佛的意旨，不理解佛的意旨而只是诵读，就像是学人说话。所以不许。’ 僧人说：‘难道离开文字言语，还有别的意思吗？’ 师父说：‘你这样说，也是在学人说话。’ 僧人说：‘同样是语言，为什么偏偏不许诵经？’ 师父说：‘你现在仔细听着。经书里有明确的说明，我所说的是义语而非文语，众生所说的是文语而非义语。领会意旨的人超越浮华的言辞，悟解真理的人超越文字的束缚。法超越了语言文字，为什么要从几句话中去寻求呢？因此，发菩提心的人领会意旨而忘记言语，悟解真理而遗忘教条，就像得到了鱼就忘记了鱼筌（捕鱼的工具），得到了兔子就忘记了兔网一样。’