克期取證打禅七

　　Chan Sessions Are for Seeking Enlightenment in a Limited Time

　　要腳踏實地用功參禅，得到真本領那才算！

　　You must plant your feet on solid ground, and diligently work at meditation.

　　Only when you attain true skill will it count!

　　今天是禅七的開始，希望大家努力來參禅，不可錯過開悟的大好時光。

　　The Chan session starts today, and I hope everyone will work diligently and not pass up this marvelous opportunity to become enlightened.

　　打禅七就是克期取證。不可坐在禅凳上打妄想，那就是辜負自己參加打禅七的初衷。打什麼妄想呢？妄想有種種不同，總而言之，都是異想天開、不著邊際。有的人打這種妄想：「我參加這次禅七，希望能開悟，得到大智慧，開悟之後，我將向世界宣布這個消息，令全世界的人都知道我是開悟的人，對我恭而敬之。」

　　A Chan session is held for the purpose of seeking to become enlightened in a fixed period of time. So don”t sit on the meditation bench and indulge in idle thinking; that would not do justice to your purpose in attending the Chan session. What kinds of idle thoughts might you have

　　 Delusive thoughts come in all varieties, but in general they are no more than flights of fancy and wishful thinking. Some people have the idle thought: “I hope I can get enlightened and attain great wisdom in this session. After I”m enlightened, I”ll publicize it to the world, and everyone will know I am an enlightened person and treat me with great respect.”

　　各位想一想，有這種思想的人，他是否能開悟？我敢下斷語，絕對不會的！爲什麼？因爲這個人剛坐在禅凳上，妄想紛飛，不是爲求名，就是爲求利。在名利上打轉轉，焉能開悟呢？

　　All of you should consider this: can a person who thinks like that get enlightened

　　 I emphatically declare that it”s impossible. Why

　　 As soon as that person sits on the meditation bench, his idle thoughts come in droves, and if he”s not idly thinking about seeking fame, he”s idly thinking about how to make a profit. How can a person who is spun around by fame and profit become enlightened

　　有的人打這種妄想：「我在這次禅七中，一定要開悟，我要做這次禅七開悟第一人，人家不開悟，唯獨我一個人開悟，這是多麼光榮的一件事！」甚至根本沒有摸著開悟的邊緣，卻冒充開悟，到處宣傳自己開悟了，來欺騙大家，令大家對他另眼相看，來個魚目混珠的騙局，這種思想多麼幼稚，令人嗤笑！希望大家不要有這種妄想，要腳踏實地用功參禅，得到真本領那才算！

　　Some people have this idle thought: “In this Chan session, I definitely have to get enlightened. I have to be the first person to get enlightened in this session. I”ll be the one and only enlightened person, and no one else will get enlightened. How glorious that would be!” Without even getting close to being enlightened, he feigns it and announces everywhere that he is enlightened. He cheats people because he wants them to show him special favor. His plan is to “pass off fish-eyes as pearls.” But his ideas are so childish that people will only despise and laugh at him. Hopefully no one will entertain such ideas. Rather, we should plant our feet firmly on the ground and apply our efforts in investigating Chan, so that we can attain real skill that counts!

　　有的人打這種妄想：「我要開悟，開悟就有人來供養我，我可以建個大廟，作爲一方法主，信徒源源而來，親近、供養我，我成爲大法師，名揚天下，婦孺皆知我是大名鼎鼎的法師。」可是大家要知道，不學無術，受人供養，是心不安理不得的。

　　Other people have this kind of idle thought: “I want to get enlightened, so people will make offerings to me. Then I can build a big temple, be the Dharma host of the area, and have lots of followers who come and make offerings. I”ll be a great Dharma Master known throughout the world, and everyone will treat me as a high-class Dharma Master.” However, you must know that if you really aren”t as proficient and knowledgeable as you make out to be, and you receive people”s offerings, your conscience will not rest easy.

　　坐禅的姿勢要正確，對身心皆有益處，否則失掉坐禅的意義。坐禅時，先將身心放松，不可緊張，最好結雙跏趺坐，這是基本的坐法。

　　When sitting in Chan, make sure your posture is correct. A correct posture benefits both body and mind. Without it, sitting in Chan loses its meaning. When you sit in meditation, first relax the body and mind. Don”t tense up. It would be ideal to sit in full lotus, which is the basic posture.

　　何謂雙跏趺坐？就是先把左腿放在右腿的上邊，然後將右腿搬到左腿上邊，這又叫「金剛座」，是堅固不動的意思。過去諸佛皆以金剛座而成佛。這種坐法，可以降伏天魔，可以製止外道，他們見到這種坐法，知難而退，不敢前來找麻煩。

　　To sit in full lotus, first put the left foot over the right thigh, and then move the right foot over the left le…

《克期取證打禅七 Chan Sessions Are for Seeking Enlightenment in a Limited Time》全文未完，請進入下頁繼續閱讀…