..续本文上一页u attain "proper concentration and proper reception

　　" Why don”t you try this out in practice

　　 In a word, anyone who maintains the four marks is an ordinary person. But someone who can be free of them is a Bodhisattva.

　　修道人要记住《金刚经》的四句偈：「一切有为法，如梦幻泡影，如露亦如电，应作如是观。」凡是有形有相的，皆是有为法。有为法，好像作梦，好像幻化，好像泡沫，好像影子，好像电光，皆是虚妄而无实体。一切的一切，皆应该这样来观察，才能明白真实的道理，就不会执着，不会打妄想了。

　　Cultivators should remember this verse from the Vajra Sutra,

　　All things born of conditions are like dreams,

　　Like illusions, bubbles, and shadows;

　　Like dewdrops, like flashes of lightning:

　　Contemplate them in these ways.

　　Anything with shape or form is considered a "dharma born of conditions." All things born of conditions are like dreams, illusory transformations, bubbles of foam, and shadows. Like dewdrops and lightning, they are false and unreal. By contemplating everything in this way, we will be able to understand the truth, let go of attachments, and put an end to random thoughts.

　　在《金刚经》上又说：「过去心不可得。现在心不可得。未来心不可得。」过去心为什么不可得？因为过去已经过去了，还管它做什么。现在心为什么不可得？因为现在念念不停。你说这是现在，等你说完，现在又过去了，时间不会停留的。未来心为什么不可得？因为还没有来嘛！你说那是未来，可是它又来了，连未来也没有。所以过去、现在、未来，三心了不可得。能依佛所说的法去修行，直截了当可达涅槃之境。

　　The Vajra Sutra also says, "Past thoughts cannot be obtained, present thoughts cannot be obtained, and future thoughts cannot be obtained." Why can”t we get at past thoughts

　　 Because they”ve already gone by. What”s the point of worrying over them

　　 Why can”t we get at present thoughts

　　 Because the present moment doesn”t stop for even an instant. If you claim that this moment is the present, as soon as the words leave your mouth, that "present" has already gone by; time never stops. Why do we say that future thoughts cannot be obtained

　　 Because the future hasn”t yet arrived. You may admit that it hasn”t yet come, but right then it arrives, so the "not-yet-come" (literal Chinese translation for "future") doesn”t exist either. Therefore, the past, the present, and future are three thoughts that cannot possibly be obtained. If we can cultivate according to the Dharma that the Buddha spoke, then straightaway, we can realize the state of Nirvana.

　　修道人要依正知正见的法为准绳，勇猛修习。这时候，「离言说相」，言说的相也没有了，没有什么话可说的。「离心缘相」，心缘的相也没有了，没有什么缘可攀的。「离文字相」，文字的相也没有了，没有什么文字可代表，可说出来。既然说不出来，还有什么可回忆？还有什么放不下？还有什么可认真？各位！要在这个地方用功，不可在皮毛上用功。

　　Cultivators of the Way must use proper knowledge and views as their standard and cultivate vigorously. Our goal is to "leave behind the mark of speech," so that there”s nothing left to say. We also want to "leave behind the mark of the mind and its conditions," so that there”s nothing left to climb on. We want to "leave behind the mark of written words." Once words also are gone, they can”t represent our speech at all. Since there”s no way to express with words, what is there to remember

　　 What is there that we can”t put down

　　 What is left to take so seriously

　　 We should apply ourselves to this, and stop toying with the superficial aspects.

　　有人在想：「今天坐禅，腿不知疼，腰不知酸，不知不觉到开静的时间。」因为你在睡觉嘛！当然什么也不知道。不要误认是境界，若是有这个执着，则容易走火入魔，大上其当。

　　Someone is thinking, "Today in meditation, my legs didn”t hurt and my back has stopped aching. Before I knew it, it was time to stand up and walk." That”s because you were sleeping! Of course you knew nothing at all! Don”t misinterpret this state. If you become attached, then you can easily enter a demonic state and be taken in.

　　各位注意！凡是从外来的境界，不要注意它，不要理会它，听其自然，不随它转。在《楞严经》上讲得非常明白，希望参禅者，要彻底研究「五十阴魔」的来龙去脉。《楞严经》是参禅人的宝鉴，所有修道人宜深入钻研。

　　Pay attention to this, everyone! Pay no heed to external states. Ignore them completely. Let states come and go naturally. Don”t let them influence you one way or the other. The Shurangama Sutra explains this matter quite clearly. I hope that all Chan meditators will look into the details of the Fifty Skandha-demon States of that Sutra very thoroughly. The Shurangama Sutra serves as a precious mirror for Chan meditators, and every cultivator of the Way ought to be thoroughly familiar with it.

《修道不要争第一 Dont Compete to Be Number One As You Cultivate the Way》全文阅读结束。