Turtles and Chicken Eggs

　　烏龜和雞蛋

　　When sitting in meditation, one has no false thinking and puts a stop to jealousy, obstructive thinking, ignorance and afflictions. This is a state of inconceivable merit and virtue. If you have the false thinking mentioned above, then you will have no merit and virtue. It is said, “Sitting quietly for an instant is better than building jeweled pagodas as many as sands in the Ganges river.” You should purify your minds. It is said, “When the mind is clear, it is like the water reflecting the moon. When thoughts are concentrated, it is like a cloudless sky.” When your mind is pure, it is indeed like the reflection of the moon appearing on the surface of the water. When thoughts are concentrated, it is as if there are no clouds throughout the limitless skies. Indeed, when thoughts are focused, there will be no clouds, and there will be no rain. Thus, there are “infinite miles of clear sky.”

　　你在這兒靜坐，不打妄想，把忌妒心、障礙心、無明煩惱都停止，這就是無量功德；你有這些心，那就是沒有功德，所以說：「若人靜坐一須臾，勝造恒河七寶塔。」你們要想法子清淨下來，所謂「心清水現月，意定天無雲。」你心裏清了，就像水裏頭現出天空的月光一樣；你意念要定了，就好像萬裏長空沒有雲；你意要定了，也沒有雲也不下雨，所謂「萬裏晴空」。

　　When sitting in meditation, one should sit up straight. Do not crouch your head or bend your waist, like a turtle with its head wrapped in blankets. Don”t be that way. Do not be like a spineless chicken egg, dozing off whenever you sit and not knowing whether you are practicing Chan or sleeping. In our mind, we should always investigate our meditation topic and always be sitting upright. Then we can truly cultivate Chan.

　　打坐要把脊背挺直，不是頭一縮、腰一彎，好像烏龜把頭包到被子裏邊，不是那樣的；要拿出自己的骨頭來，不要像沒有骨頭的雞蛋似的，坐著就要睡覺，也不知道你是參禅還是睡覺？不要這樣。我們心裏要時時都參話頭，什麼時候都是要端然正坐，這樣才是真正在參禅。