Understanding the Road of Birth and Death

　　明白生死的路

　　Why isn”t it called “sitting” for a Chan session

　　 It is not called cultivating a Chan session, or conducting a Chan session but rather the expression is “striking” or “beating” a Chan session. The word “beating” actually means being beaten up. This means it is very painful. Your back aches and your legs are in pain. Even if you do not get hit by the incense stick, you feel pain. If it is so painful, why does one want to do a Chan session

　　 Why does one not go find something more pleasurable to do

　　 Why go through this suffering

　　 Seeking pleasure is worldly dharma, while enduring suffering is transcendental dharma. If you want to transcend this world, you must first go through the training. This training is to bear the unbearable, and to endure hardship. This is different from the ordinary person. If you chase after worldly dharmas the more you indulge in worldly pleasures, the more you will decline and fall. On the other hand, if you aspire to world-transcending dharmas, the more hardship you endure, the more you unveil the original light of wisdom. Therefore, we must do the Chan session. Externally you have to endure the physical pain of being hit by the incense stick, and internally you have to bear the psychological suffering. You have to bear the pain in your legs no matter how painful it gets. Being attacked from within and without, to the point that there is no place to escape, you will then become enlightened. When you get enlightened, you will know how you are born and how you die. Once you understand the path of birth and death, you will be liberated from birth and death.

　　爲什麼不叫「坐禅七」，也不叫「修禅七」，也不叫「行禅七」，卻叫「打禅七」？這個「打」字，就有挨打的意思，是很痛苦的；腰也痛，腿也痛，不挨香板打，也覺得很痛苦。既然痛苦，爲什麼又要打禅七？爲什麼不找一點快樂？爲什麼要受這個痛苦？因爲你找快樂，是世間法；你能受這個苦，是出世法。你想要出世，就先要經過一番鍛煉；鍛煉，就是不能忍的要忍，不能受的要受，這和一般人不同。你追求世間法，愈享受，就愈會墮落；你追求出世間法，愈受苦，就愈能恢複你本有的智慧光明，所以我們要打禅七。打禅七，外邊要被香板打，裏邊要受精神的痛苦，就是你不能忍腿痛，也要忍著；這麼樣子內外夾攻，打得你沒有地方跑，那時候就開悟了。開悟，就是明白你怎麼樣生、怎麼樣死；把生死的道路明白了，然後就會了生脫死。