克期取证打禅七

　　Chan Sessions Are for Seeking Enlightenment in a Limited Time

　　要脚踏实地用功参禅，得到真本领那才算！

　　You must plant your feet on solid ground, and diligently work at meditation.

　　Only when you attain true skill will it count!

　　今天是禅七的开始，希望大家努力来参禅，不可错过开悟的大好时光。

　　The Chan session starts today, and I hope everyone will work diligently and not pass up this marvelous opportunity to become enlightened.

　　打禅七就是克期取证。不可坐在禅凳上打妄想，那就是辜负自己参加打禅七的初衷。打什么妄想呢？妄想有种种不同，总而言之，都是异想天开、不着边际。有的人打这种妄想：「我参加这次禅七，希望能开悟，得到大智慧，开悟之后，我将向世界宣布这个消息，令全世界的人都知道我是开悟的人，对我恭而敬之。」

　　A Chan session is held for the purpose of seeking to become enlightened in a fixed period of time. So don”t sit on the meditation bench and indulge in idle thinking; that would not do justice to your purpose in attending the Chan session. What kinds of idle thoughts might you have

　　 Delusive thoughts come in all varieties, but in general they are no more than flights of fancy and wishful thinking. Some people have the idle thought: “I hope I can get enlightened and attain great wisdom in this session. After I”m enlightened, I”ll publicize it to the world, and everyone will know I am an enlightened person and treat me with great respect.”

　　各位想一想，有这种思想的人，他是否能开悟？我敢下断语，绝对不会的！为什么？因为这个人刚坐在禅凳上，妄想纷飞，不是为求名，就是为求利。在名利上打转转，焉能开悟呢？

　　All of you should consider this: can a person who thinks like that get enlightened

　　 I emphatically declare that it”s impossible. Why

　　 As soon as that person sits on the meditation bench, his idle thoughts come in droves, and if he”s not idly thinking about seeking fame, he”s idly thinking about how to make a profit. How can a person who is spun around by fame and profit become enlightened

　　有的人打这种妄想：「我在这次禅七中，一定要开悟，我要做这次禅七开悟第一人，人家不开悟，唯独我一个人开悟，这是多么光荣的一件事！」甚至根本没有摸着开悟的边缘，却冒充开悟，到处宣传自己开悟了，来欺骗大家，令大家对他另眼相看，来个鱼目混珠的骗局，这种思想多么幼稚，令人嗤笑！希望大家不要有这种妄想，要脚踏实地用功参禅，得到真本领那才算！

　　Some people have this idle thought: “In this Chan session, I definitely have to get enlightened. I have to be the first person to get enlightened in this session. I”ll be the one and only enlightened person, and no one else will get enlightened. How glorious that would be!” Without even getting close to being enlightened, he feigns it and announces everywhere that he is enlightened. He cheats people because he wants them to show him special favor. His plan is to “pass off fish-eyes as pearls.” But his ideas are so childish that people will only despise and laugh at him. Hopefully no one will entertain such ideas. Rather, we should plant our feet firmly on the ground and apply our efforts in investigating Chan, so that we can attain real skill that counts!

　　有的人打这种妄想：「我要开悟，开悟就有人来供养我，我可以建个大庙，作为一方法主，信徒源源而来，亲近、供养我，我成为大法师，名扬天下，妇孺皆知我是大名鼎鼎的法师。」可是大家要知道，不学无术，受人供养，是心不安理不得的。

　　Other people have this kind of idle thought: “I want to get enlightened, so people will make offerings to me. Then I can build a big temple, be the Dharma host of the area, and have lots of followers who come and make offerings. I”ll be a great Dharma Master known throughout the world, and everyone will treat me as a high-class Dharma Master.” However, you must know that if you really aren”t as proficient and knowledgeable as you make out to be, and you receive people”s offerings, your conscience will not rest easy.

　　坐禅的姿势要正确，对身心皆有益处，否则失掉坐禅的意义。坐禅时，先将身心放松，不可紧张，最好结双跏趺坐，这是基本的坐法。

　　When sitting in Chan, make sure your posture is correct. A correct posture benefits both body and mind. Without it, sitting in Chan loses its meaning. When you sit in meditation, first relax the body and mind. Don”t tense up. It would be ideal to sit in full lotus, which is the basic posture.

　　何谓双跏趺坐？就是先把左腿放在右腿的上边，然后将右腿搬到左腿上边，这又叫「金刚座」，是坚固不动的意思。过去诸佛皆以金刚座而成佛。这种坐法，可以降伏天魔，可以制止外道，他们见到这种坐法，知难而退，不敢前来找麻烦。

　　To sit in full lotus, first put the left foot over the right thigh, and then move the right foot over the left le…

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