大师向一位过于谦恭慇懃的弟子说：「光明映照在墙上，为什么只知赞美那座墙？而不专注于光明本身。」
WORSHIP
To the disciple who was overly respectful the Master said, “Light is reflected on a
wall. Why venerate the wall? Be attentive to the light.”
Author: voice
盲动
有囘，大师问他的弟子：智慧与行动，哪一个比较重要？
弟子们异口同声答道：「当然是行动，如果智慧不透过行动，又有何用？」
大师却说：「如果行动不是出自一颗悟心，又有何用？」
MECHANICALNESS
The Master once asked his disciples which was more important, wisdom or action.
The disciples were unanimous: “Action, of course. Of what use is wisdom that does
not show itself in action?”
Said the Master, “And of what use is action that proceeds from an unenlightened
heart?”
封闭
一位遭人遗弃的恋者说：「我已有一次燃指之痛，我绝不再恋爱了。」
大师说：「你像坐在炉灶上的一只猫，被烫过一次后，再也不敢坐上去了。」
DISCRIMINATION
Said the jilted lover, “I have burnt my lingers once. I shall never fall in love again.”
Said the Master, “You are like the cat who. having burnt itself from sitting on a stove,
refused to sit again.”
不二
「人如何才能与天主合一？」
「你愈努力，便愈加深你与祂的鸿沟。」
「那么人对天人之间的距离又该如何？」
「应了悟根本没有距离存在。」
「这是否意味着天主与我为一？」
「非一非二。」
「这怎么可能？」
「就如同太阳与光明，海洋与波浪，歌者与其歌－－非一非二。」
IDENTITY
“How does one seek union with God?”
“The harder you seek, the more distance you create between Him and you.”
“So what does one do about the distance?”
“Understand that it isn’t there.”
“Does that mean that God and I are one?”
“Not one. Not two.”
“How is that possible?”
“The sun and its light, the ocean and the wave, the singer and his song — not one. Not
two.”
自囚
大师向一位弟子说：「你很以自己的聪明智慧为豪，就好比一个囚犯向他人夸耀他的牢房是如何的宽敞。」
IMPRISONMENT
“You are so proud of your intelligence.” said the Master to a disciple. “You are like
the condemned man who is proud of the vastness of his prison cell.”
流言
一位弟子承认他有传布流言的坏毛病。
大师毫不容情地说：「若只是传布，还不算太糟，恐怕你还免不了加油添醋吧！」
GOSSIP
A disciple confessed his bad habit of repeating gossip.
Said the Master wickedly. “Repeating it wouldn’t be so bad if you did not improve on
it.”
精神解脱
大师认为，只要运用得当，任何话本身都不是坏的。
当他获悉，有位弟子很喜欢赌咒发誓，就说：「即使是诅咒，有时也可带来祈祷所无法获得的精神解脱。」
SPIRITUAL RELIEF
The Master held that no words were bad if they were used in an appropriate context.
When he was told that one of his disciples was given to swearing, he remarked,
“Profanity has been known to offer spiritual relief denied to prayer.”
言谈
弟子迫不及待地想把市集上听来的传言禀告师父。
大师说：「稍等！你所要告诉我的是真有其事？」
「我不这么想。」
「它很有用？」
「并没有什么用。」
「它很有趣？」
「不！」
「那我们为什么要听它呢？」
SPEECH
The disciple couldn’t wait to tell the Master the rumour he had heard in the
marketplace.
“Wait a minute,” said the Master, “What you plan to-tell us is it true?”
“I don’t think it is.”
“Is it useful?”
“No. it isn’t.”
“Is it funny?”
“No.”
“Then why should we be hearing it?”
实情
有囘，一位赌徒向大师说：「昨天我玩牌时，作了手脚，被发现了，牌友揍了我一顿，还把我撵出窗外。你认为我该怎么办？」
大师深深望了此人一眼，答道：「如果我是你，从现在起，我会尽量在楼下打牌。」
弟子们听之一怔：「你为什么不干脆劝他戒赌？」
大师简单而睿智的答复是：「因为我知道他办不到。」
REALISM
A gambler once said to the Master. “I was caught cheating at cards yesterday so my
partners beat me up and threw me out of the window. What would you advise me to do?”
The Master looked straight through the man and said, “If I were you, from now on I
would play on the ground floor.”
This startled the disciples. “Why didn’t you tell him to stop gambling?” they
demanded.
“Because I knew he wouldn’t.” was the Master’s simple and sagacious explanation.
梦 魇
「我如何才能获得永生？」
「永生即在眼前，只需囘到现在。」
「我目前不正在现在吗？」
「不！」
「为什么？」
「因为你尚未舍离过去。」
「我的过去并没有什么不好，为什么要舍离？」
「过去的事应该舍离，不是因为它有什么不好，而是因为它已经过去了。」
ILLUSION
“How shall I attain Eternal Life?”
“Eternal Life is now. Come into the present.”
“But I am in the present now, am I not?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because you haven’t dropped your past.”
“Why should I drop my past? Not all of it is bad.”
“The past is to be dropped not because it is bad but because it is dead.”