You must preserve your treasures.

　　你要保住本錢

　　During a Chan session, some people take a vow of silence. That is the best way! Once you talk, your false thoughts multiply. Someone may ask, “If we do not talk, will our false thoughts diminish

　　” If you do not talk, your false thinking will not decrease, but you will preserve your treasures. What is meant by treasures

　　 If you do not talk, your energy will not dissipate. There is a saying, “Once you open your mouth, your energy dissipates.” Indeed, once you start to talk, your qi will scatter. “Once the tongue moves, rights and wrongs arise.” When your tongue moves, when you speak, you will be saying that this is right and that is wrong.

　　In a nutshell, once you speak, the judgments of right and wrong arise. If you do not speak, there will be no judgments or gossip. When you are cultivating, you should not discuss rights or wrongs. It makes me the happiest when someone takes a vow of silence. This is being diligent in cultivation! Someone may say, “Dharma Master, aren”t you speaking about rights and wrongs yourself

　　” Indeed I am. However, I am telling all of you what is right and what is wrong. You only talk, but do not understand what is right and what is wrong. If I do not explain, you will not know how to apply effort in your own cultivation. If you know how to explain this, you are welcome to come forward and speak too.

　　在禅七期間，有人發願不講話，這是最好的辦法，因爲你一講話，妄想就會多。有人說「不講話，妄想就會少了嗎？」不講話妄想也不會少，但是你可以保持住你的本錢。什麼叫本錢呢？你不講話，氣就不會散，「口開神氣散」你一張開口，氣就跑出去了；「舌動是非生」你舌頭一動彈，不是講是就是講非。總而言之，你講一句話，就有個是、有個非；你在沒講話的時候，沒有是沒有非，你用功應該不講是非。有人發心不講話，我是最歡喜的，這就是勇猛精進。有人說：「法師，你不也是講是講非嗎？」不錯，我講是講非，但是這個「是非」是叫你知道什麼是「是」，知道什麼是「非」，而你只知道講卻不知道哪個是，哪個非。如果我不說這個方法，你也不知道從什麼地方用功修行，你要會講你也可以來講。