Golden Pagoda

　　 Silver Pagoda

　　 Mud

　　金塔？銀塔？泥巴？

　　Notice that all Buddhas sit in full lotus posture. If you can achieve that, you already have inconceivable merit and virtue. The beings of the eightfold pision will all come to protect you, and the demon kings will leave you alone. If you cannot stand the pain or if your legs are as stiff as metal and there is no way for you to sit in full lotus, you may choose to sit in half lotus but it will not be as easy to achieve samadhi. I have told all of you of the case when the ghosts met the Chan Master. Full lotus is likened to a golden pagoda. Half lotus is likened to a silver pagoda. Sitting normally with legs crossed is like a lump of mud.

　　你看看佛都是雙跏趺坐，你能雙跏趺坐，已經就功德無量了，天龍八部都來護持你，一切的魔王都遠避你。你要是受不了痛，或者腿硬的像鐵那麼硬，沒法子盤上去，你就馬馬虎虎的單跏趺坐，單跏趺坐沒有那麼容易入定。我講過鬼逼禅師公案，雙跏趺坐是個「金塔」，單跏趺坐就是個「銀塔」，普通坐就是「泥巴」。

　　When meditating, first adjust your trousers by giving a little tug upwards to give yourself more room to sit down and be more comfortable. Once you are in full lotus, be sure to cover your legs with your robes or with a blanket. Make sure they are covered well. When sitting in meditation, be sure that your legs are not cold. Not only will you feel pain if there is coldness, but later you will hardly be able to move your legs! That is why you need to cover your legs. I once saw somebody covering his head as well. That is wrong. In fact the upper part of the body should not be wrapped up in a blanket--only the legs should be covered.

　　打坐先把褲子往上提一提，它就沒有那麼緊了，坐著比較舒服一點。把腿盤好後，你用毯子或者你的袍子把腿包起來，要包得嚴一點，因爲坐禅的腿不要凍著，凍著不只是痛，甚至你邁步都邁不動，所以必須要把腿包好。我看有人連頭都包上了，坐禅不是這樣的，頭絕對不能包的，頭一定要露出來；甚至于身上都不要包的，只可以包腿。