Inspriration from all walks of life
九七 妄 見
「世事本無好壞，是我們的思想作此分別。」大師說。
弟子們要求進一步的解釋。大師說：「一個人可以虔誠喜悅地守齋七天；若換了他的鄰人吃同樣的食物，就會餓得半死。」
PREJUDICE
“Nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so.” the Master said.
When asked to explain he said. “A man cheerfully observed a religious fast seven days
a week. His neighbour starved to death on the same diet.”
九六 真 實
大師從不重視證書跟文憑，他對人，只是審視，却不評斷。
他曾說過：「只要你有耳朶，就可以聽見鳥兒的歌唱，用不着去檢定鳥兒的資格問題。」
AUTHENTICITY
The Master was never impressed by diplomas or degrees. He scrutinized the person,
not the certificate.
He was once heard to say, “When you have ears to hear a bird in song, you don’t need
to look at its credentials.”
九五 免 疫
許多人感到奇怪，大師似乎並不太熱中於培育青年的宗教素養。
他們探問其因，大師說：「當人還年輕時，你就為他們注射各種抗生素免疫，使得他們在成長過程中體驗不到真實的世界。」
IMMUNIZATION
To everyone’s surprise the Master seemed unenthusiastic about religious education for
the young.
When asked why he said, “inoculated them when they are young and you prevent
them from catching the real thing when they grow up.”
九四 自 立
大師似乎從不在意別人對他的看法。弟子想要知道獲得這種內心自由的方法。大師大笑地說：「二十歲以前，我從不在乎別人怎麼看我；二十歲以後，我總是憂慮我的親朋好友會作何想；五十多歲以後，有一天我突然發現，他們根本很少想到我。」
AUTONOMY
The Master seemed quite impervious to what people thought of him. When the
disciples asked how he had attained this stage of inner freedom, he laughed aloud and
said. “Till I was twenty I did not care what people thought of me. After twenty I worried
endlessly about what my neighbours thought. Then one day after fifty I suddenly saw that
they hardly ever thought of meat all!”
九三 慧 見
弟子們都在熱烈討論人類痛苦的原因。
有些人主張痛苦來自私慾，有些則主張來自妄念，另一部分人認為它是由於人類無法分辨真實與虛妄。
他們來到大師跟前請益。大師說：「所有的痛苦都是因為人沒有辦法靜靜地獨自坐在那裏。」
INSIGHT
The disciples were involved in a heated discussion on the cause of human suffering.
Some said it came from selfishness. Others, from delusion. Yet others, from the
inability to distinguish the real from the unreal.
When the Master was consulted he said, “All suffering comes from a person's
inability to sit still and be alone.”
九二 領 悟
大師愈來愈衰老了，弟子們懇求他不要捨棄他們。大師說：「如果我不走，你們怎能看得見？」
「當您同我們在一起時，什麼因素遮住了我們的眼睛？」他們問。
然而大師一言不發。
當他的死期近了。他們又問：「你走了以後，我們會看見什麼？」
大師眼中閃爍着光輝：「我以前都是坐在河邊為你們汲水；我走後，你們才會看到那條河本身。」
RECOGNITION
As the Master grew old and infirm the disciples begged him not to die. Said the
Master, “If I did not go how you would ever see?”
“What is it we fail to see when you are with us?” they asked.
But the Master would not say.
When the moment of his death was near they said, “What is it we will see when you
are gone?”
With a twinkle in his eye the Master said, “All I did was sit on the river bank handing
out river water. After I’m gone I trust you will notice the river.”
九一 改 變
一位歷史學家來訪，他存心來找大師辯論。
「我們的努力將改變人類的歷史，不是嗎？」他如此質詢。
「是的。」大師說。
「人為的努力已改變了我們的地球，不是嗎？」
「不錯！」大師說。
「那麼你為什麼還說：人為的努力無法挽囘大局？」
大師說：「因為，風縱然停止了，樹葉還是照常落下。」
CHANGE
The visiting historian was disposed to be argumentative.
“Do not our efforts change the course of human history?” he demanded.
“Oh yes, they do.” said the Master.
“And have not our human labours changed the earth?”
“They certainly have.” said the Master.
“Then why do you teach that human effort is of little consequence?”
Said the Master, “Because when the wind subsides, the leaves still fall.”
九０ 分 離
大師的言論常常不得政府的歡心，終於他被驅逐出境了。
弟子們問他是否會染上鄉愁。大師說：「不會。」
「一個人如果不知懷鄕，是違反人性的。」他們如此反駁。 於是大師說：「如果你真能以天下為家，你就永遠不會淪落到放逐的厄運
SEPARATION
The Master’s teachings did not find favour with the Government that had him
banished from his country.
To disciples who asked if he never felt nostalgia the Master said. “No.”
“But it is inhuman not to miss one’s home,” they protested.
To which the Master said. “You cease to be an exile when you discover that creation is
your home.”
八九 透 視
大師心境總是歡欣愉悅，弟子們不禁懷疑：難道他從未失意過？於是他們問。
是的，他也有失意的時候。
可是弟子們深信大師確實常處於一種永恆的快樂中。
這也是真的。
他們想要知道其中的秘訣。
大師說：「這就是秘訣：事情的好壞全憑你對它的看法。」
PERSPECTIVE
The Master was in a mellow mood and the disciples were inquisitive. Did he ever feel
depressed, they asked.
He did.
Wasn’t it also true that he was in a continual state of happiness, they persisted.
It was.
What was the secret, they wanted to know.
Said the Master, “This: everything is as good or as bad as one ‘ s opinion makes it. “
八八 造化之工
大師常被人們視為改革派，避免引起政府的敵視。
有人問他，為什麼不乾脆積極參加社會革命，他以一首詩的格言答覆：
「靜坐無所事，
春來草自青。」
CREATION
The Master was known to side with the revolutionaries even at the risk of incurring the
displeasure of the government.
When someone asked him why he himself did not actively plunge into social
revolution he replied with this enigmatic proverb:
“Sitting quietly doing nothing. Spring comes and the grass grows.”