When studying Buddhist sutras, if you do not reflect deeply on your own mind at the same time, you could study the entire 84000-volume canon of the Buddha's words and still it would not do you any good whatsoever.

- Zen Master So Sahn

当我们研读佛经时,如果我们没有同时深刻的反观我们的心性, 那就算你能读完八万四千卷经书中佛陀的文字,无论如何依然不能给你任何的益处.

- 西山禅师

For all these years, my certain Zen - neither I nor the world exists.

The sutras neat in the box, my cane hooked upon the wall.

I lie at peace in moonlight or, hearing water splashing on the rock,

Sit up - none can buy pleasure such as this; spangled across the step-moss, a million coins!

- Shutaku Ryushu

同修们，今天的 日日觉 :

多年以来，我对禅的肯定, 我和世界都不存在。

佛经有条有理的装在盒子里，我的手杖悬挂在墙上。

我安宁地躺在月光下，或听着水溅在岩石上，

坐起来，没有人能买到这种快乐，遍地塔藓闪闪发光，一百万个硬币！

- 龍湫周沢

恰恰用心时，恰恰无心用。

无心恰恰用，常用恰恰无。

- 永嘉大师

Just when embracing with wholehearted attention, that in itself is embracing with no mind.

No mind just embraces, always just so - no mind itself is not.

- Great Master Yongjia

Feelings are born, take shape, last for a few moments, and then disappear. As with the physical form, birth and death of feelings occur in every moment. In meditation, we look mindfully at this river of feelings. We contemplate their arising, their remaining, and their disappearance. We witness their impermanence. When we have an unpleasant feeling, we say to ourselves, “This feeling is in me, it will stay for a while, and then it will disappear because it is impermanent.” Just by seeing the impermanence of feelings in this way, we suffer a lot less.

- Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh

感情产生、 成形，过了一阵子，然后消失。跟色相一样，时时刻刻，感情都在生灭。在禅修中，我们提起正念观察着感情的河流。我们观它们的产生，它们暂时的存在，和它们的消失。就这样，我们见证它们的无常。当我们不愉快，我们对自己说："这种感觉在我心里，它会停留一段时间，然后它就会消失因为它是无常的。"仅仅通过这种方式观察我们的感情，我们的苦就会少了很多。

- 一行禅师

有一天, 臨濟問:「一人用棒打, 一人喝斥, 哪個親近?」

元安說:「都不親近。」

臨濟再問:「你怎樣理解親近?」

元安大喝一聲。 臨濟的禪杖落了下來。

請問大家，哪個親近?

One day, Zen Master Linchi asked, "One person use hitting with stick to teach, another use shouting to teach, which is more intimate?"

Yuan An said, "Both are not intimate."

Linchi asked again, "How do you understand intimate?"

KATZ! Yuan An gave a vast shout!

Linchi hit him with the stick.

Which is more intimate?

聽聞佛法, 如履薄冰。你必須要完全專注和真誠地聆聽。

- 滿空禪師

Listening to a dharma speech is like walking on thin ice; you must be very focused and sincere.

- Zen Master Man Gong

不立文字,

教外別傳,

直指人心,

見性成佛。

(一)甚麼是「教外別傳」?

(二)你如何直指人心?

(三)「見性成佛」,這是甚麼意思?

評論:

這世界原本是寂靜, 意思是指沒有名、沒有相、沒有文字。如果心生起時, 這時天空、地球、山、河, 一切都出現。如果心熄滅時, 這一切事物往哪裏去? 如果你說返回空性, 表示你已張開咀巴, 這已是過失。你怎樣做? 如果你不明白, 到廚房喝杯冰水吧!

Not depending on words,

A special transmission outside the sutras,

Pointing directly to the mind,

See your true nature, become Buddha.

1. What is a “special transmission outside the sutra?”

2. How do you point directly to the mind?

3. “See your true nature, become Buddha.” What does this mean?

COMMENTARY: This world was originally complete stillness. That means there were no names, no forms, no words. If mind appears, then the sky, the earth, the mountains, the rivers, everything appears. If mind disappears, where do these things return to? If you say, "They return to emptiness," then you have opened your mouth, which is already a mistake. What can you do? If you don't understand, go to the kitchen and drink cold water.

Good and bad originally have no self nature.

Holy and ordinary are empty names.

In front of the gate is the land of brightness and stillness.

Spring comes, grass grows by itself.

- Zen Master Seung Sahn

善恶元无性

圣凡是尘名

门前寂光土

春来草自生

- 崇山禅师

灵光独耀，迥脱根尘。

体露真常，不拘文字。

真性无染，本自圆成。

但离妄缘，即如如佛。

- 百丈禅师

The light is still bright and clear, the root organs and external dust fall off.

The original substance reveals that it is always here - not dependent on words.

True nature has no taints - innately perfect and complete.

Only without thinking and conditioning, just like this is Buddha

-Zen Master Bai Zhang

"New Year, 'Can the New Year really be a new year?'"

"Bell rings; Listen to the bell."

- Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh

[新年，“新年真的是新的一年吗？”]

[钟声响起；听钟声。]

- 一行禅师

I am a continuation, like the rain is a continuation of the cloud.

我是延續，像雨水是雲朵的延續。

- Thich Nhat Hanh

靈祐, 慧寂一塊放牛。靈祐指著牛群問:「你說這群牛裡有菩薩嗎?」

慧寂說有。

靈祐緊接又問:「你看哪頭牛是菩薩? 給我指出來!」

慧寂反問:「師父, 你懷疑哪頭牛不是菩薩? 請給我指出來!」

一切眾生都有佛性, 皆可做佛。凡夫觀之, 畜生一群; 佛眼看來, 一群菩薩。

妄心起, 聖人成凡夫; 妄心休歇去, 眾生皆是佛!

Zen Master Weishan Lingyou and Zen Master Yangshan Huiji were herding cattle together. Lingyou pointed to the cattle and asked, “Do you think there are bodhisattvas in them?”

Huiji nodded.

Lingyou asked immediately, “Which cow do you say is a bodhisattva? Please point it out!”

Huiji asked, “Master, which cow do you say is not a Bodhisattva? Please point it out to me!”

All sentient beings have Buddha nature and can be Buddhas. However, ordinary people view it as a group of beasts; from the eyes of Buddha, a group of bodhisattvas.

Buddhas become ordinary when the deluded mind rises; all living beings are Buddhas when the deluded mind rest!

當你覺得你的修持進展良好時 , 就已經出錯了。

- 滿空禪師

When you feel your practice is going well, it has already gone wrong

- Zen Master Man Gong

This matter of hwa-du practice can be likened to a mosquito biting an iron bull. The mosquito does not try to figure out, “Do I do it this way, or that?” Its needlelike mouth pressed firmly on the impenetrable, it risks body and life, in one moment penetrating through with its whole being.

參話頭這件事，好比蚊子叮鐵牛。 蚊子不會試圖弄清楚，“我是這樣做，還是那樣做”？ 它針尖般的嘴緊緊地叮在無法穿透的鐵牛上，它置生死於度外，一瞬間徹底參破話頭。

- Zen Master So Sahn

學生問隱山禪師：「你從哪裡來？」

隱山說:「從來處而來。」

「那麼,你要到哪裡去?」

隱山點點頭,說:「到去的地方去。」

「你的家在什麼地方?」

隱山反問:「家,有固定的地方嗎?」

「你總應該知道自己叫什麼吧?」

隱山說:「你有名字,可是,名字是你嗎?」

A student asked Yinshan Zen Master, “Where do you come from?”

Yinshan replied, “From where I come from.”

Student asked, “Then where are you going?”

Yinshan nodded and said, “Going to where I am going.”

Student asked, “Where is your home?”

Yinshan asked back, “Is there a fixed place called home?”

Student exclaimed, “You should at least know your name!”

Yinshan replied, “You have a name, but is it yours?”

祖师大德释：

- 不可因闻法，而向文字中求之。

- 须依所明之理，返照自性，自性空寂，并无佛字法字，果能久久观照，证入空寂之性，便是成就了无上菩提，便是成佛。

- 然佛虽成佛，终不自以为有少法可得。无少法可得者，不自以为成佛也。故金刚经所谓佛法者，即非佛法。

The eminent teacher of the past explained:

- One must not on the basis of hearing the Dharma, rely on words to pursue.

- It is necessary to rely on one’s clear realisation of the truth taught - reflect inwardly on original nature, original nature is empty and still, there is no word such as Buddha or Dharma, if one can effectively practice contemplative reflection, and realise the nature of emptiness and stillness, then one has attained supreme Bodhi, one has become Buddha.

- Although the Buddha became Buddha, ultimately, he did not regard that there is even a little Dharma that has been attained. Without even a little Dharma to be attained, one does not regard oneself as a Buddha. Hence the Diamond Sutra says: What is called Buddha-Dharma, is not Buddha-Dharma.

祖师大德释：

- 譬如船筏，度时仗此法，度了还应舍。

- 是故虽已成佛，虽如佛之说法度生，亦得而不有其所得，说而不有其所说。不能定执为有法，定执为无法，故金刚经曰：无有定法。

- 以明因其无定，故不应取。

- 须于心行处灭，言语道断时，契入。故取法说法，取非法说非法，皆非也。是之谓无为， 涅槃。

- 以一念相应，是净念相继之根也。

The eminent teacher of the past explained:

- Just like a sailing raft; When liberating, one relies on this Dharma, upon liberation even this should be let go.

- Hence although one has become Buddha, although beings are being liberated using the Dharma just as taught by the Buddha, and to attain nothing to attain, to say nothing to say. Do not be fixated and attached to there is Dharma, fixated and attached to there is non-Dharma, hence the Diamond Sutra says: “… there is no fixed Dharma …”.

- Be clear that as there is nothing that is fixed, hence we should not grasp.

- It is necessary for the mind to function in extinguishment, cut off words and speech, realise it. Hence to grasp onto Dharma, to speak of the Dharma, to grasp onto non-Dharma, to speak of non-Dharma, all are negated. Thus, this is referred to as free of deliberation, nirvana.

- Connect with one thought, it is the root of continuous pure thoughts.

Once, a student told his teacher, "I can't help it, I have too many attachments in my mind, there is always someone or something that I can't let go."

The teacher replied, "There is nothing is the world that can't be let go."

The student insisted he couldn't and was unwilling to let it go.

The teacher asked him to hold a cup without a handle and started to pour boiling water into it. When the cup was half-filled, the man began to feel the heat, but he managed to hold on to it. When the cup was filled, his hand started to burn, but he clenched his teeth and held on. Finally, when the water began to overflow, the man let go of it immediately, unable to bear the pain.

The teacher laughed, "Now you know, when it hurts, you will let go naturally."

When you start to feel pain, it's time to let go, do not wait till it's too late where you have no choice.

曾經有個學生告訴他的老師：“我控制不住，我心裡有太多的執著，總有放不下的人或事。”

老師回答： "世上沒有什麼是放不下的。"

學生一直堅持自己不能，也不願意放手。

老師讓學生拿著一個沒有把手的杯子，然後開始往裡面倒燒水。 當杯子半滿時，學生開始感覺到熱，但他還是握住了。 杯子倒滿後，他的手開始發熱，但他咬緊牙關堅持住。 水開始溢出來，學生才忍無可忍，立即鬆開手。

老師笑道： "現在知道了，疼的時候自然會放手。"

當你開始感到痛苦時，是時候放手了，不要等到你別無選擇時為時已晚。

Everybody says, “I am.” But where is this “I”. How big is it? What shape? What kind of colour? Where do you keep it? If you complete perceive your mind, you perceive that in reality, there is no “I”.

-Zen Master Seung Sahn

每个人都说: "我是" 但这个 "我" 在哪里？它有多大？什么形状？什么颜色？你把它放在哪里？如果你完全觉知你的心, 你就会意识到, 在现实中, 没有 "我"。

-崇山禅师

Practicing the Way with a deluded mind merely adds to one’s ignorance.

運用妄心來修行只會增加無明。

- Zen Master So Sahn