There are many Chan topics that can be investigated

　　有很多話頭可以參

　　There are many Chan topics that can be investigated. The Japanese investigate nonexistence. They look into that idea. The Chinese investigate, “Who is mindful of the Buddha

　　” Some people investigate, “What was my original face before my parents gave birth to me

　　” or “What is nothingness like

　　” You can use whichever topic you prefer. There is a saying: “Sitting for a long time, one attains Chan. Staying in the same place long enough, one develops affinities. You must be patient and not be edgy or impatient, overcome by greed for quick results. We should dedicate our time and effort, progressing bit by bit each day in our cultivation. Do not expect to succeed instantly. You must continue to put in effort and endure pain in the legs. To end the cycle of birth and death is not a small matter. You must have genuine patience.

　　有很多話頭可以參，日本人參「無」，他說無，無

　　，像中國人參「念佛是誰」，他念「無」。在中國參「念佛是誰」參「誰」，有的參「父母未生以前的本來面目」在父母沒有生我以前，我的本來面目是什麼樣子；有的又參「如何是沒有了的？」有種種話頭，看你歡喜參哪一個就參哪一個。久坐就有禅，久住就有緣，你要有一種忍耐心，不要躁進，什麼叫躁進呢？就想貪圖快，愈快愈好。我們修道要認真拿出工夫來，拿出時間來，是一點一點成就的，一天一天成就的，不是立刻就能成就，所以要繼續努力。腿痛要能忍得住，我們要了生死脫輪回，不是一件小事，所以要拿出真正的忍耐心。