Inspriration from all walks of life
五九 随 缘
「我应该做什么才能澈底觉悟？」
「无作。」
「为什么？」
「因为澈悟之境不是来自有为，它就如此这般地发生了。」
「那么我们是无法挣得它囉？」
「可以挣得。」
「如何挣得？」
「无作。」
「我们如何才能达得无作之境？」
「我们是如何入睡或醒来的呢？」
LETTING GO
“What must I do for enlightenment?”
“Nothing.” “Why not?”
“Because enlightenment doesn’t come from doing — it happens.”
“Then can it never be attained?”
“Oh yes, it can.”
“How?”
“Through non-doing.”
“And what does one do to attain non-doing?”
“What does one do to go to sleep or to wake up?”
五八 无 作
有个人因畏惧于修行的艰辛及刻苦的痛苦，始终不敢开始他的灵修旅程。大师对他说：
「一个人张目而看，又需经历多少艰辛及刻苦？」
EFFORTLESSNESS
To a man who hesitated to embark on the spiritual quest for fear of the effort and
renunciation, the Master said:
“How much effort and renunciation does it take to open one’s eyes and see?”
五七 本 末
据说，天主派遣天使告知大师：「不论你祈求百万年或千万年的寿命，天主都会赏赐给你。你希望活多久呢？」
「八十岁。」大师毫不犹豫地囘答。
弟子们有些失望：「但是，师父，如果您能活到百万年，想想，有多少世代的人能蒙受您的智慧之恩？」
「如果我真能活上百万年，那么人们就会搁下智慧之道，而全心致力于延寿之术了。」
PRIORITIES
According to legend God sent an Angel to the Master with this message, “Ask for a
million years of life and they will be given you. Or a million-million. How long do you
wish to live?”
“Eighty years,” said the Master without the slightest hesitation.
The disciples were dismayed. “But, Master, if you lived for a million years, think how
many generations would profit by your wisdom.”
“If I lived for a million years, people would be more intent on lengthening their lives
than on cultivating wisdom.”
五六 反 映
「为什么这儿只有我这么不快乐？」
「因为他们已经学会随时随地观察世间的美善。」大师应道。
「为什么我却看不出其中的美善呢？」
「那是因为你既不认识自己的内在，也无由看见外境的真相。」
PROJECTION
“Why is everyone here so happy except me?”
“Because they have learnt to see goodness and beauty everywhere,” said the Master.
“Why don’t I see goodness and beauty everywhere?”
“Because you cannot see outside of you what you fail to see inside.”
五五 无神论者
为了让弟子高兴，大师要求一件新衬衫做为他的生日礼物。弟子们立刻买进上好布料。村里的裁缝也前来为大师量身，并且一再呼上主之名，保证一周之内一定做好。
一周期限已至。大师高兴地等着他的新衣，弟子快马加鞭地冲到裁缝店取衣。裁缝说：「事情受到一点延误，但是，因天主之名，明天保证做好。」
第二天，裁缝又说：「真抱歉，还没有赶好。明天你再来看看，如果天主愿意，明天一定会做好。」
次日，大师说：「你去问问他，如果天主不管这档子事，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 责 任
大师与一位弟子外出，在村郊邂逅了执政官。他误以为他们是来迎请他入村的。便说：「你们实在大可不必千里迢迢地迎接我的。」
「您误会了，大人。」弟子说：「我们正要出外旅行，但是如果我们知道您会来，冒再大的风霜，我们也会前来迎接您的。」
大师不发一言。直到傍晚时分，他才说：「为什么你一定要让他知道我们不是来欢迎他的呢？你可瞧见他的一副尴尬相？」
「我们应该告诉他实情，否则我们不是有意欺骗他吗？」
「我们一点也没有欺骗他。」大师说：「是他在欺骗自己。」
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 无 明
「何处才能觅得天主？」
「祂就在你面前啊！」
「我为什么看不到祂？」
「为什么一个醉汉看不到自己的家？」
大师接着说：「该找出你迷糊的原因。想看到祂，先得清醒过来。」
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 进 步
次日，大师说：「在外奔波要比知止无为容易得多了。」
弟子问其因。
「因为你心神奔驰时，至少还有一个梦想可系；一旦息止下来，就得面对真相。」
「如果我们连个目标或梦想都没有，又如何能进步？」某个喜弄玄虚的弟子问。
「真正的进步常不是出于自己的期待。当你面对真相时，意想不到的进步就在不知不觉中完成了。」
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
「开悟之道是难是易？」
「非难非易。」
「为什么？」
「因为它与难易无关。」
「那么人该当如何，才能迈向彼岸？」
「人永远无法迈向彼岸，因这是一段『非时空』的旅程。只要你中止游荡，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 无 言
「你们的学识和虔诚有何用处？难道一只驴子住在图书馆内会变得聪明？一只耗子住在教堂里就会变得神圣些？」
「那么什么才有用？」
「心。」
「如何才能获得它？」
大师缄默不言。如果他们尚不知皈依自己的心性，又不会往心灵深处探寻，他还能说什么？
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?