Everyone Must Do Things Together

　　大家一致行動

　　Nowadays, when people work hard at their cultivation, why is it that they do not become enlightened

　　 It is simply because they are too complicated in the way they cultivate—they cannot attain singlemindedness. During a Chan session, if there are a hundred, two hundred, three hundred, five hundred or even a thousand Bhikshus, Bhikshunis, Upasakas and Upasikas, cultivating together, all have to act in unison. When it”s time to cultivate, they should cultivate together. When it”s time to eat, they should eat together. When it”s time to sleep, they should all go to sleep. It shouldn”t be the case that one person practices in this way and another person practices another way—each being different from the other. If each person practices in a different way, they will not be able to become singleminded. You should practice the same way as everybody else.

　　現在的人用功，爲什麼不開悟呢？就因爲所用的功太複雜，沒能專一。在禅七期間就是有一百個比丘、兩百個比丘、叁百個比丘，乃至于五百、一千個比丘；或者比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷聚會到一起，大家都是一樣行動，修行的時候一起修行，吃飯的時候一起吃飯，該睡覺的時候就睡覺，不可以這個是這樣，那一個是那樣，各個不同。有不同的樣子就不能專一，你必須和大家都一樣。

　　The hundreds of people in the Chan Hall do not bow to the Buddha, chant or read the sutras, or offer incense to the Buddha. They even stop doing their morning or evening ceremonies! Why is this

　　 To help them to be singleminded! Thus, you should not be reading sutras in the Chan Hall, nor should you talk or practice some other dharma door. Everyone should cultivate the same dharma door and walk on the same path to bodhi—until we reach enlightenment, which is our final objective!

　　禅堂裏幾百人也不拜佛，也不念經，也不看經，也不燒香，早晚課也停止，爲什麼要這樣子呢？就因爲要你專一用功。你不能在禅堂裏自己看經，或者自己說話，或者自己修其他的法門。大家都修同一法門，向一條菩提道上走，走到覺悟的果位，這是我們的最後目的！