Chung Tai Shan Magazine #233
修行要動靜調適，讀書也是如此。讀書、學習的過程，一個是靜，一個是動。在教室學習是靜，來到體育場就是動，動靜都要能夠配合、調適，動也動得、靜也靜得。在動的時候，就要把教室裡的課程統統放下，要全力衝刺，如萬馬奔騰、猛虎下山，要有這種活力；人在哪裡，心就在哪裡，不要心粗膽大，否則人到心沒到，心在打妄想，一動就容易出紕漏。相對地，在教室聽課就要靜得下來，如古人所說：「兩耳不聞窗外事，一心只讀聖賢書。」眼要到、耳要到、手要到、心要到，專心讀書；如果靜不下來，坐在那裡東張西望，心不在焉，心猿意馬，老師講課言之諄諄，自己卻聽之藐藐，就沒辦法得到良好的學習效果。
We must tune ourselves to cultivate properly in both action and stillness. Getting an education is also like this. There are two facets to the process of studying and learning: one is “stillness”, the other is “action”. Attending a classroom lecture is to be in stillness; exercising in a sports field is to be in action. These states of action and stillness must be balanced and harmonized. When action is required, we must be able to move properly; when stillness is needed, we must be able to settle down.
When circumstances require action, we should put our classroom studies completely aside and charge forward with full effort, like a thousand galloping horses, or a fierce tiger descending the mountainside. We must have this kind of vigor, but also, wherever we are, that is where the mind is. Don’t be impudent or foolhardy; otherwise, we will lack presence of mind. If the mind has wandering thoughts, our every move may easily be a blunder.
On the other hand, we must be able to settle down when listening to classroom lectures. The ancients say, “With ears deaf to things beyond the window, single-mindedly study the books of sages.” The eyes, ears, hands, and mind must all be present and focused on our studies. If we cannot settle down, sitting there looking around, listening half-heartedly, with the mind running amok like a monkey or unbridled horse, even if the instructor lectures in real earnest, the words will go right by us. We will have no way to learn effectively.
修行也要動靜調適，有誦經、有禮懺、有打坐……打坐的時候，有行香、有跑香，要動靜調適；這就是動也動得、靜也靜得。
Cultivation is the same: we must tune ourselves for both action and stillness. There is reciting sutras, prostrating in repentance, and meditation. When practicing meditation, there is also walking and running meditation. We must tune ourselves to cultivate properly in both action and stillness—this means moving when we should move, and settling down when we should settle down.
防意如城 誠者自成
Guard the mind like a city, Perfect oneself in perfect sincerity.
經云：「制之一處，無事不辦。」這就是心意識的作用。時時刻刻注意我們的六根，不要染六塵、不要隨境界而轉。假使眼根攀緣色塵、耳根攀緣聲塵……馬上慚愧、懺悔，這就是最踏實的修行，把這條路找到了，這一生一定得到解脫。
The sutra says, “By fixing the mind on one place, you can accomplish all tasks.” This is a function of our mind-consciousness. Always safeguard the six senses, do not let them be defiled by the six sense objects and do not be carried away by external conditions. If say, the eyes attach to form and the ears to sound…have contrition and repent right away. This is the most straightforward, most solid way to cultivate. If we can learn and master this way—we will surely achieve liberation in this very lifetime.
過去有一位沙門在河邊打坐，坐了十二年都沒有得道。佛知道了，就想去度他。一天夜裡，明月皎潔，有一隻烏龜正在河岸乘涼，這時，一隻水狗來了。水狗想吃烏龜，烏龜趕緊把頭、四肢、尾縮進殼裡。水狗看到烏龜只剩下一個殼，就走掉了。
In the past, there was a shramana who meditated by the riverbank. He had practiced for twelve years but had yet to achieve the Way. The Buddha knew this, so he wanted to help the cultivator attain liberation. One night, under a clear moon, a turtle sat cooling off by the water. At the same time, an otter came. When the otter tried to eat the turtle, it drew its head, limbs, and tail back into its shell. Seeing only a hard shell left, the otter walked away.
沙門覺得自己打坐了十二年都沒有成道，很慚愧，就問佛：「世尊！我在此修行將近十二年了，卻還不能成道證果，功夫也用不上，是什麼原因呢？」佛就問他：「你剛才有沒有看見一隻烏龜在岸邊乘涼，水狗想吃牠，牠用了什麼方法保命？」沙門說：「世尊，我看見了，烏龜為了保命，把頭、尾、四肢都縮進殼裡，保全了性命。」
The shramana was ashamed that the Way still eluded him, despite twelve years of meditation. He asked the Buddha, “World Honored One! I have cultivated here for almost twelve years, but have yet to realize the Way and attain its fruits. My practice is not effective. Why is this so?”
The Buddha asked him, “Just now, did you see that turtle in the shade by the riverbank? When an otter tried to eat it, how did the turtle protect itself?”
The shramana said, “World Honored One, I did. To protect itself, the turtle drew its head, tail, and legs into its shell.”
佛告訴沙門：「修行就要像這隻烏龜一樣，知道保護自己，我們無量劫的生死，就是眼、耳、鼻、舌、身、意在作怪，眼睛看到外面好的境界，就生貪愛、打妄想。耳朵聽到好的聲音、讚歎的聲音，心裡就高興；聽到人家毀謗，就生煩惱。六根經常都在攀緣、顛倒，把外在的境界當作是真的，因此不能成道。
The Buddha told the shramana, “Cultivators should know how to protect themselves, just like this turtle. The numberless kalpas of life and death we spend in samsara are all because our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind act improperly in response to conditions. When the eyes see attractive forms, we give rise to craving and delusive thoughts. When the ears hear agreeable sounds or praise, we feel delighted; but if they hear others malign us, we give rise to afflictions instead. The six senses are constantly attaching to conditions and misconstruing reality, taking external phenomena to be real and substantial. This is why we cannot realize the Way.”
佛接著說了一個偈子：「藏六如龜，防意如城；慧與魔戰，勝則無患。」修行要像烏龜一樣，想保全我們的法身慧命，就要「藏六如龜」，兩眼內視、兩耳內聽，反聞、反照。古人說：「守口如瓶，防意如城。」我們的嘴巴容易犯過失，意識容易起顛倒，所以要「防意如城」，好像戰士、將軍把守城門一樣，要惺惺寂寂。
Then, the Buddha spoke a gatha: “Draw in the six senses like a turtle, guard the mind like a city. Use wisdom to fight the maras, with victory comes freedom from afflictions.” In our cultivation, we should be like the turtle, “drawing in the six senses” to safeguard the wisdom life of our Dharma body. The eyes must look inward, and the ears must listen inward; “listen” and “look” inward to our intrinsic awareness.
The ancients said, “Cork the mouth like a bottle, guard the mind like a city.” It is easy for us to speak wrongly with the tongue and for the consciousness to raise distorted views. Thus, we must “guard the mind like a city,” like a garrison and its commander defending the city gate and be alert yet still.
修行學道，就好像烏龜看到水狗，趕快縮進去，六根往內看、往內收，不要看外面的境界；即使看了，也不起分別、貪愛，如古德所說：「見境不生貪愛，於理不生分別，不於理中生分別，是故其中最吉祥。」明白了這個道理，修行就是四兩撥千斤；不明白這個道理，不知道「道」在哪裡？「佛」在哪裡？就容易走遠路、走錯路。
Learning and cultivating the Way is to be like the turtle spotting an otter and quickly retracting its head and limbs. Draw the six senses to look inward and abide internally; do not look towards external phenomena. If the senses happen to look outward, then do not raise conceptualizations or craving. Like the virtuous ancients said, “Perceive sense objects without giving rise to craving; realize the truth without conceptualizing it. When no conceptualization arises with respect to the truth, therein lies the highest blessing.” If we understand this teaching, cultivation will be like moving a thousand pounds with a few ounces of leverage. If we do not understand, do not know where the Way is and the buddha is, then we will easily set about a longer route or head the wrong direction.
儒家說「誠」，心誠了，什麼事情都能辦得到，所謂「點石成金」。心誠，就是萬法歸於這念心；誠，就是實相。所謂「不誠無物」，假使心不誠，心不專注、不安定，做任何事情都不能成就。所以經云：「制之一處，無事不辦。」修行要能作主，把這念心歸一，歸到一個定點上，就能產生力量。
The Confucians teach “sincerity.” With the mind in perfect sincerity, we can accomplish all things, or to put it metaphorically, “touch stones into gold.” Here, with the mind in perfect sincerity, all dharmas return to this very mind; “perfect sincerity” is true reality.
It is said, “Nothing works without sincerity.” If the mind has no sincerity, if it lacks focus and peace, then no matter what we do, we will not succeed. Therefore, the sutra says, “By fixing the mind on one place, you can accomplish all tasks.” In cultivation, we must be able to master ourselves and pull together this very mind as one, fixing it on a single point—in this way, we will gain strength.
什麼是作主？這念心不隨著外面的境界所轉，能夠分辨是非、善惡、正邪，這就是作主；知道是善事，就要去做，知道是壞事，就不去做──這就是作主；坐在這裡，不打妄想、不打瞌睡，這就是作主。所以禪宗祖師說：「隨處作主，立處皆真。」人在哪裡，心就在哪裡。打坐的時候，就是不打妄想、不打瞌睡，就是只有這一念心。走路的時候，心就在那裡；做事的時候，心也在那裡；念佛的時候，就在念佛那裡；誦經的時候，心就在誦經。即做即了、即說即了──誦了以後，等於沒有誦，心始終是念念分明──這樣才能契入無生、才能契入菩提，這是最實在的。
What is to be our own master? It is when this very mind is not driven by external conditions, yet can still clearly differentiate right and wrong, wholesome and unwholesome, proper and improper—this is to be our own master. Knowing that something is a wholesome dharma, we act to bring it forth; knowing that something is an unwholesome dharma, we never perform it—this is to be our own master. Sitting in meditation, we have no wandering thoughts or drowsiness—this is to be our own master. Thus, the Chan patriarchs said, “Be in command at every place; accord with the truth in every moment.”
Wherever we are, that is where the mind is. In terms of meditation, that means not raising wandering thoughts or falling into drowsiness, there is only this very mind always present. In terms of walking, the mind is present in the walking. In terms of performing a task, the mind is there performing the task. In terms of reciting buddhas’ names, the mind is present with the reciting. In terms of reciting a sutra, the mind is there reciting the sutra. But as soon as we are done doing, nothing remains in the mind; as soon as we are done speaking, nothing remains in the mind—after reciting a sutra, we put it down as if we had never recited it. The mind is always clear and lucid—in this way, we will be able to realize the state of non-arising and achieve bodhi. This is the sincerest [way of life].
定慧不二 心想事成
With non-duality of samadhi and prajna, actualize the wishes of the heart.
希望大眾要落實，過去的就過去了，現在每一分、每一秒，心都不要散亂、不要顛倒；清清楚楚，明明白白，如如不動，了了常知，就是要寂照一如。寂，就是不動；照，就是清楚。寂，就是止；照，就是觀。止觀修成功了，就是定慧等持、定慧不二，這完全是自己的事情。理要悟、事要行，明白以後，依這念心起修，時時不離當念，這一生的道業就能成辦！
I hope that everyone will apply this teaching. The past is already gone, so start from this very minute, this very second. Keep the mind free of scatteredness and distorted views, and always be clear, lucid, unmoving in suchness, and ever-present with the knowing of awareness—stillness and awareness must be one. “Stillness” is to be unmoving; “awareness” is to be clear and lucid; “stillness” is shamatha (calm abiding); “awareness” is vipashyana (insight contemplation). Succeeding in these two practices is to simultaneously abide in samadhi and prajna where they are non-dual.
This matter is entirely up to ourselves. We must realize the principle and apply it in practice. Having understood this, we cultivate with this very mind, never departing from its present awareness. Then, we will accomplish the Way in this life.