無規矩不能成方圓

　　Without a Compass and a T-square, You Can”t Draw Circles and Squares

　　忍不了，也要忍，不要怕痛，不要各處跑，否則得不到定。

　　Even if you cannot endure, you have to endure. Don”t be afraid of pain, and don”t be running about everywhere, or you won”t be able to attain samadhi.

　　在打禅七時，每個人要懂得規矩。在沒有敲木魚之前，誰也不可以亂跑。你若是不守規矩、不聽招呼，就是犯規矩的人。禅堂裏有禅堂的規矩，開靜之後，維那要看大家都把鞋穿好了，才打一下磬。人全都站起來，然後才打兩下木魚。在沒有打兩下木魚之前，人雖然站起來也不可以跑。這是很簡單的規矩，你們應該懂得。一開靜，你就打木魚，那麼人都還沒站起來，又怎麼跑呢？要多等叁分鍾的時間都可以。因爲有些人坐得腿麻，站都站不起來，又怎麼跑？這是禅堂裏普通的知識，大家應該知道。During a Chan Session, everyone should understand the rules. Before the wooden fish is struck, no one should casually wander around. If you don”t abide by the rules and follow instructions, then you are a transgressor of the rules. In the Chan Hall, the rules of the Chan Hall should be observed. After the silent sit is ended, the proctor should check and make sure everyone has put on his shoes before he hits the bell. When everyone has stood up, he should hit the wooden fish twice. Before the fish is struck twice, even if people have already stood up, they should not start walking yet. These are very simple rules which all of you should know. If you hit the wooden fish immediately after the sit is ended, before people have stood up, how can they walk

　　 If you wait for another three minutes, that”s fine. Some people”s legs are numb from sitting, and they cannot even stand up, so how could they walk

　　 These things are common sense in the Chan Hall, and everyone should know them.

　　我知道有幾個人坐得腿痛，而哭起來，這是毫無用處，越哭就越痛，這腿不會說：「你哭了，我就不痛。」一般人以爲我們這兒坐禅是很好的，其實是叫他們來受苦，所謂「很好」就是「很苦」。這兒一早兩點多鍾就起來，白天休息一個鍾頭，到晚上十二點鍾才睡。每天只休息兩叁個鍾頭，可以說是不要命地來用功，這叫做「舍死換生」。

　　I know that several people felt pain in their legs as they sat, so they started crying. That”s totally useless. The more you cry, the more it hurts. The legs won”t say, "Since you cried, we”ll stop hurting." People are generally under the impression that sitting in Chan at our place is a very good thing. Actually, when they come here, they have to suffer. "Very good" means "very bitter." We get up a little after two o”clock in the morning, rest for only one hour during the day, and don”t go to sleep until midnight. Getting only two to three hours of sleep every day, you could say we”re applying effort as if our life depended on it. That”s called "renouncing death and getting life in return."

　　舍不了死，就換不了生；

　　舍不了假，就成不了真。

　　If you cannot give up death, you won”t

　　be able to exchange it for life.

　　If you can”t give up the false, you won”t

　　be able to realize the truth.

　　你受不得苦，就享不得福。你若想得到真正的功夫，必須忍苦耐勞，咬牙忍著腿痛。本來這個痛，可以不痛的，可是我們歡喜叫它痛，所以腿痛還是要忍著，所謂「忍人所不能忍」，就是忍這個。你痛了，若不能忍，還是考不上。你一定要把全身這種機關都破了，所謂「機關」，就是指你身上的痛，或哪兒不舒服，這些事情令你很煩惱，在這時候，你還能忍著，不生煩惱，這就是功夫；你若忍不住，那就考不上。所以有些人到這兒，連一天也受不了，就要跑。你們在這兒已經這麼多天，也是很不容易的。

　　If you can”t endure suffering, you won”t get to enjoy blessings. If you want to attain true skill, you must patiently endure toil and suffering--grit your teeth and bear the pain in your legs. Actually, there doesn”t have to be any pain. But we want there to be pain, so we endure it when our legs hurt. "Enduring what people cannot endure" is just enduring this. If you cannot bear the pain, then you still can”t pass the test. You have to break through all the critical gates in your body. "Critical gates" refers to the points of pain and discomfort in your body that cause you a lot of affliction. At that point, if you can endure it and not become afflicted, just that is skill. If you cannot endure it, then you can”t pass the test. Some people who come here can”t even take it for a day before they want to run away. All of you have been here for so many days--that”s not easy.

　　尤其女孩子，多數都是怕痛，能在這兒受這麼多苦，一定可以將善根種得很深，將來這菩提種子一定會生芽結菩提果，所謂「功不唐捐」，你在這兒用功多少，就會得到多少，一點都不會把光陰空過。

　　Girls are especially afraid of pain, and the fact that they”ve been taking so much suffering means they will certainly plant deep good roots. In the future their Bodhi seeds will sprout and bear the Bodhi fruit. As it”s said, "no work is done in vain." However much effort you put in here, that”s how much you”ll get out, and you won”t be wasting your time at all.

　　我們修行要有「生忍」，就是忍不了也要忍。「法忍」，也要忍諸法的生滅相。忍不了，也要忍，不要怕痛，不要各處跑，否則得不到定。必須要看一切法空，看破放下。從生忍和法忍，便可得到無生法忍，所謂「不見有少法生，不見有少法滅」，而忍可于心。

　　In cultivating, you must have "patience with production"--that is, you must be patient with what you cannot endure. "Patience with dharmas" means you must be patient with the arising and cessation of all dharmas. Even if you cannot endure, you have to endure. Don”t be afraid of pain, and don”t be running about everywhere, or you won”t be able to attain samadhi. You must see all dharmas as empty; see through them and put them down. From patience with production and patience with dharmas, you can then attain patience with non-production and the non-existence of dharmas. As it”s said, "Not seeing the slightest dharma arise, and not seeing the slightest dharma cease," you can patiently accept it in your mind.

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