The Long Duration of the Resting Incense

　　養息香時間長

　　The incense that is lit after 5:00 p.m. is known as the Resting Incense. Some last one hour, some last two. This is because we do not sleep until twelve midnight. Within these two hours, we can afford to relax a bit. It is okay to sleep as long as you do not snore too loudly. Sincere and hardworkingcultivators will not feel sleepy and will continue sitting in meditation. It is because of the long duration of this period that many people become enlightened then. You should practice sitting in meditation a little longer,and not say, “My legs hurt and I cannot sit anymore; I shall wait for the bell to end the sit.” You should not think this way, as with such thoughts, it is very difficult to become enlightened.

　　There are a lot of rules inside the Chan Hall and I can hardly speak of them all. Originally, I should have introduced some of them right from the start. However, I thought all of you were experienced cultivators who knew these rules after so many years of cultivation, but there are still some who do not understand. That is why I mentioned these little rules. It is because if you are unaware of these little rules, you can hardly realize a great awakening!

　　在下午五點鍾以後這支香，叫養息香，有的一時叁刻，也有兩小時。因爲要到晚間十二點鍾才睡覺，在這兩個鍾頭裏可以隨便一點，可以睡覺，不過鼾聲不要太大聲。但是用功的人不會想睡覺，也一樣坐禅；因爲它時間長，有很多人在這時候開悟了。你要練習坐的時間久一點，不是說：「我腿痛受不了。」就不坐了，等著開靜，等著引磬響，不要這樣子，你盡打這種妄想，那就不容易開悟。禅堂的規矩是很多，說起來說不完，本來我在開始的時候應該講一講，但是我以爲大家都是老參，參過好幾年該都懂了，但是還有的不懂，所以就講一講這個小規矩，就因爲小規矩你不懂，這個大悟也就不能成就了。