..續本文上一頁 years, I participated in several Chan sessions in a variety of places, but never once was I hit by the hall monitor”s stick. Why not

　　 Because I never slept during the entire session. I sat in meditation during the day, and I also meditated through the night. I sat in the Chan hall twenty-four hours a day. The words "rest" and "sleep" were not part of my vocabulary. Without wasting a single moment, I worked relentlessly at my investigation, constantly applying my efforts to it.

　　你們各位都是善根深厚的人，都是聰明有智慧的人，應該把這事情看重了，不可敷衍了事。尤其今年的禅七，一定要有人開悟；如果沒有人開悟，等打完禅七，每個人要打一百個香板。你們覺得能受得了一百個香板的話，就不要開悟；要是覺得受不了，那麼就要開悟。若是有人害怕被打香板，現在還沒有開始打禅七，可以退出。既然參加，一定要有始有終，不可以退出。禅堂的規矩是已經告了生死假，就是有人死了，只能將屍體放在坐單底下，不許往外擡。況且又沒有人死，那更不可以隨便退出去。

　　All of you have abundant and deep good roots. You are all clever and wise. You should give this matter serious consideration and not be casual in the least. In this year”s Chan Session, there has to be someone who attains enlightenment. If no one is enlightened by the end of the session, then each of you will be dealt one hundred blows with the stick. If you feel you can take a hundred blows, then you don”t have to get enlightened. If you feel that you can”t endure such a beating, then you”d better get enlightened. If you fear the taste of the stick, you can still run away before the session begins. Once it begins, you must stay until the end. You can”t withdraw early. According to the rules of the Chan hall, you”ve already said good-bye to birth and death. Even if someone dies during the session, we can only toss his corpse under the bench. No one is allowed to remove the corpse from the hall. And if nobody dies, then even less can you quit and skip out as you please.

　　我們在這裏要立生死的門庭，不是生就是死，不是死就是生。

　　We”ve built a "life and death" threshold to cross. If you don”t live, then you”ll die. If you don”t die, then you”ll live.

　　舍不了死，就換不了生；

　　舍不了假，就成不了真。

　　If you can”t renounce death,

　　then you won”t experience real life.

　　If you can”t renounce what”s false,

　　you”ll never accomplish anything true.

　　這是金山聖寺的門庭。所以今年的禅七，大家要努力再努力，無論如何，要認清自己的本來面目。如果不認識自己的本來面目，那麼誰也不要想走出金山聖寺的大門，就把你關在監牢裏。這是今年大概的規定，希望大家遵守規矩。

　　This is Gold Mountain Monastery”s threshold. And in this year”s Chan Session, you all must be extra-vigorous. At all costs, you must recognize your original face. If you don”t clearly recognize your original face, then you shouldn”t dream of slipping out the front door of the monastery. If you try that, we might lock you up in jail instead. That sums up this year”s rules, and I hope everyone will honor them.

　　一九七四年一月六日開示于

　　舊金山金山聖寺

　　A talk given on January 6, 1974,

　　at Gold Mountain Monastery, San Francisco

《禅七的規矩 The Rules of the Chan Session》全文閱讀結束。