Author: voice

五五　無神論者

為了讓弟子高興，大師要求一件新襯衫做為他的生日禮物。弟子們立刻買進上好布料。村里的裁縫也前來為大師量身，並且一再呼上主之名，保證一週之內一定做好。

一週期限已至。大師高興地等着他的新衣，弟子快馬加鞭地衝到裁縫店取衣。裁縫說：「事情受到一點延誤，但是，因天主之名，明天保證做好。」

第二天，裁縫又說：「真抱歉，還沒有趕好。明天你再來看看，如果天主願意，明天一定會做好。」

次日，大師說：「你去問問他，如果天主不管這檔子事，他需要多久才做得好？」

ATHEISM

To the disciples’ delight the Master said he wanted a new shirt for his birthday. The
finest cloth was bought. The village tailor came in to have the Master measured, and
promised, by the will of God to make the shirt within a week.

A week went by and a disciple was dispatched to the tailor while the Master excitedly
waited for his shirt, Said the tailor. “There has been a slight delay. But, by the will of
God, it will be ready by tomorrow.”

Next day the tailor said, “I’m sorry it isn’t done. Try again tomorrow and. if God so
wills, it will certainly be ready.”

The following day the Master said. “Ask him how long it will take if he keeps God out
of it.”

五四　責　任

大師與一位弟子外出，在村郊邂逅了執政官。他誤以為他們是來迎請他入村的。便說：「你們實在大可不必千里迢迢地迎接我的。」
「您誤會了，大人。」弟子說：「我們正要出外旅行，但是如果我們知道您會來，冒再大的風霜，我們也會前來迎接您的。」
大師不發一言。直到傍晚時分，他才說：「為什麼你一定要讓他知道我們不是來歡迎他的呢？你可瞧見他的一副尷尬相？」
「我們應該告訴他實情，否則我們不是有意欺騙他嗎？」
「我們一點也沒有欺騙他。」大師說：「是他在欺騙自己。」

RESPONSIBILITY

The Master set out on a journey with one of his disciples. At the outskirts of the
village they ran into the Governor who, mistakenly thinking they had come to welcome
him to the village, said, “You really didn’t have to go to all this trouble to welcome me.”

“You are mistaken, Your Highness,” said the disciple. “We’re on a journey but had we
known you were coming we would have gone to even greater pains to welcome you.”

The Master did not say a word. Towards evening he said, “Did you have to tell him
that we had not come to welcome him? Did you see how foolish he felt?”

“But had we not told him the truth, would we not have been guilty of deceiving him?”

“We would not have deceived him at all.” said the Master. “He would have deceived
himself.”

五三　無　明

「何處才能覓得天主？」
「祂就在你面前啊！」

「我為什麼看不到祂？」
「為什麼一個醉漢看不到自己的家？」
大師接着說：「該找出你迷糊的原因。想看到祂，先得清醒過來。」

UNCONSCIOUSNESS
“Where can I find God?”

“He’s right in front of you.”

“Then why do I fail to see him?”

“Why does the drunkard fail to see his home?”

Later the Master said, “Find out what it is that makes you drunk. To see you must be sober.”

五一　進　步

次日，大師說：「在外奔波要比知止無為容易得多了。」

弟子問其因。
「因為你心神奔馳時，至少還有一個夢想可繫；一旦息止下來，就得面對真相。」
「如果我們連個目標或夢想都沒有，又如何能進步？」某個喜弄玄虛的弟子問。
「真正的進步常不是出於自己的期待。當你面對真相時，意想不到的進步就在不知不覺中完成了。」

EVOLUTION

The following day the Master said, “It is, alas, easier to travel than to stop.”

The disciples demanded to know why.

“Because as long as you travel to a goal you can hold on to a dream. When you stop,
you face reality.”

“How shall we ever change if we have no goals or dreams?” asked the mystified
disciples.

“Change that is real is change that is not willed. Face reality and unwilled change will
happen.”

　　　　五一　上　岸

「開悟之道是難是易？」
「非難非易。」
「為什麼？」

「因為它與難易無關。」
「那麼人該當如何，才能邁向彼岸？」
「人永遠無法邁向彼岸，因這是一段『非時空』的旅程。只要你中止遊蕩，你就已安坐家中了。」

ARRIVAL

“Is the path to enlightenment difficult or easy?”

“It is neither.”

“Why not?”

“Because it isn’t there?”

“Then how does one travel to the goal?”

“One doesn’t. This is a journey without distance-Stop travelling and you arrive.”

　　　　五０　無　言

「你們的學識和虔誠有何用處？難道一隻驢子住在圖書館內會變得聰明？一隻耗子住在教堂裏就會變得神聖些？」

「那麼什麼才有用？」

「心。」

「如何才能獲得它？」

大師緘默不言。如果他們尚不知皈依自己的心性，又不會往心靈深處探尋，他還能說什麼？

SPEECHLESSNESS

“Of what use is your learning and your devotions? Does a donkey become wise
through living in a library or a mouse acquires holiness from living in a church?”

“What is if then we need?”

“A heart.”

“How does one get that?”

The Master would not say. What could he say that they wouldn’t turn into a subject to
be learnt or an object of devotion?

四九　荒　原

大師一向輕視學術論著，却稱它們為「智慧之珠」。

「旣然它們堪稱為珍珠，為什麼您還藐視它們？」弟子問。

答覆是：「你可曾看過任何珍珠，種在土裏，還能繼續成長的？」

STERILITY

The Master had no use at all for scholarly discourses. He called them “pearls of
wisdom.”

“But if they are pearls why do you scorn them?” said the disciples.

“Have you ever known pearls to grow when planted in a field?” was the reply.

四八　反璞歸真

「人的靈修生活可分三個階段。」大師說：「物質的、精神的和神聖的。」

「什麼是物質的階段？」弟子們切切地問。

「這是看山是山，看水是水的階段。」

「精神階段呢？」

「當人觀察事務鞭辟入裏時，看山非山，看水非水。」

「神聖的階段呢？」

「那是澈悟之境。」大師吃吃一笑：「當看山又是山，看水又是水之時。」

HOMECOMING

“There are three stages in one’s spiritual development,” said the Master. “The carnal,
the spiritual and the divine.”

“What is the carnal stage?” asked the eager disciples.”

“That’s the stage when trees are seen as trees and mountains as mountains.”

“And the spiritual?”

“That’s when one looks more deeply into things — then trees are no longer trees and
mountains no longer mountains.”

“And the divine?”

“Ah, that’s Enlightenment,” said the Master with a chuckle, “when trees become trees
again and mountains, mountains.”

四七　蒙　昧

弟子們正為何者是最難的事而激起熱烈辯論：

是記錄天主的啟示（聖經）？

還是了解天主在聖經中的啟示？

還是當人了解後，向他人解釋聖經的啟示？

他們問大師的意見。大師說：「我知道有比上述三件更難的事。」

「什麼事？」

「想讓一個死腦筋看出一件事的本來真相。」

DISTRACTION

A debate raged among the disciples as to which was the most difficult task of all: To
write down what God revealed as Scripture, to understand what God had revealed in
Scripture or to explain Scripture to others after One had understood it.

Said the Master, when asked his opinion, “I kn ow of a more difficult task than any of
those three.”

“What is it?”

“Trying to get you blockheads to see reality as it is.”

四六　和平手段

村裏有條蛇，傷害了不少村民，以致村民都不敢下田。便到大師座前去祈求。聽說大師馴服了這條蛇，還勸牠遵守和平規範。

沒過多久，村民就發現這條蛇變溫馴多了。他們拿石頭丟牠，還抓着牠的尾巴到處跑。

有天晚上，蛇遍體鱗傷地爬到大師門口前怨嘆不已。大師說：「朋友，你已經罩不住人類了－－那真遭！」

「那是你教我謹守和平規範的緣故啊！」

「我只是禁止你傷害人類，並沒有禁止你張牙吐舌地嚇唬他們啊！」

NON-VIOLENCE

A snake in the village had bitten so many people that few dared go into the fields.
Such was the Master’s holiness that he was said to have tamed the snake and persuaded it
to practise the discipline of non-violence.

It did not take long for the villagers to discover that the snake had become harmless.
They took to hurling stones at it and dragging it about by its tail.

The badly battered snake crawled into the Master’s house one night to complain. Said
the Master, “Friend, you’ve stopped frightening people — that’s bad!”

“But it was you who taught me to practise the discipline of non-violence!”

“I told you to stop hurting — not to stop hissing!”