Month: December 2023

二０八　虛　心

一位頗具聲望的靈修指導者向大師吐露：「我無法祈禱，也無法了解聖經，更無法做到我教別人的靈修方法……」

「何不把這一切都拋掉？」大師欣慰地說。

「這怎麼可能？我一向被視為有聖德者，又有一大堆徒衆跟隨在後。」

事後，大師嘆息道：「當今所謂之聖德，已經有名無實了；唯有天才，可稱得上是有實却無名。」

UNOBTRUSIVENESS

A man of spiritual repute came to the Master and said, “I cannot pray, I cannot
understand the scriptures. I cannot do the exercises that I prescribe to others...”

“Then give it all up.” said the Master cheerfully.

“But how can I? I am supposed to be a holy man and have a following in these parts.”

Later the Master said with a sigh: “Holiness today is a name without a reality. It is
only genuine when it is a reality without a name.”

二０七　食　譜

「你在尋找什麼？」大師問那前來請益的學者。

「生命。」學者答道。

大師說：「如果你要生命，就得先死於文字。」

學者央求他進一步的解釋。他說：「你已經陷入了困境、迷失了方向。因為你所渴望的是實質的生命，却心滿意足地仰賴文字維生。要知道，菜單不能餵飽你，食譜也不能解你饑渴。」

FORMULATIONS

“What is it you seek?” asked the Master of a scholar who came to him for guidance.
“Life.” was the reply.

Said the Master, “If you are to live, words must die.”

When asked later what he meant, he said. “You are lost and forlorn because you dwell
in a world of words. You feed on words you are satisfied with words when what you need
is substance. A menu wilt not satisfy your hunger. A formula will not slake your thirst. “

二０六　拳打太極

大師常告訴新入門的弟子：「敲，門就會為你而開。」

不久，他又狡黠地對其中幾位說：「如果這門從未關上，你又怎能期待它的開啟？」

SHADOW BOXING

To newcomers the Master would say, “Knock and the door will be opened to you.”

To some of them he would later say conspiratorially, “How would you expect the door
to be opened when it has never been shut?”

二０五　共　融

大師卽將圓寂，這是無法挽囘的事實了。弟子們希望為他預備一場隆重的葬禮。大師聽到了，就說：「以天地為棺，以日月星辰為冕，整個宇宙為我護行入墓－－我還能奢求比這更莊嚴的儀式嗎？」

大師要求「天葬」，但弟子們無法接受他的遺命，耽心他會被飛禽野獸吞噬。

「那麼，記得把我的手杖擱在身邊，我好能及時驅走野獸。」大師笑着說。

「這怎麼可能，你已經沒有知覺了。」

「旣然如此，鳥獸來吃我，又有什麼關係！」

COMMUNION

When it was certain that the Master was going to die, his disciples wished to give him
a worthy funeral. The Master heard of this and said, “With the sky and the earth for my
coffin; the sun and moon and stars for my burial regalia; and all creation to escort me to
the grave — could I desire anything more ceremonious and impressive?”

He asked to be left unburied but the disciples wouldn’t hear of it, protesting that he
would be eaten by the animals and birds.

“Then make sure you place my staff near me that I might drive them away.” said the
Master with a smile,

“How would you manage that? You will be unconscious,”

“In which case it will not matter, will it that I be devoured by the birds and beasts.”

二０四　工　具

一位弟卽將辭別大師，重返他的家業。臨行前，他請求大師贈言。

大師說：

「好好體會下面的話：

火無冷熱，是你感覺冷熱。

眼睛看不見，是你看見。

畫圈的不是圓規，而是那製圖的人。」

INSTRUMENTALITY

When a disciple came to take leave of the Master so that he could return to his family
and business, he asked for something to carry away with him.

Said the Master, “Ponder on these things: It is not the fire that is hot, but you who feel
it so.

It is not the eye that sees but you.

It is not the compass that makes the circle but the draughtsman.”

二０三　膽　識

有位訪客十分失意地說：「為什麼我留在此地，却收成不到任何果實呢？」

「可能是你缺乏搖撼樹幹的勇氣吧！」大師溫和地囘答。

DARING

Said a disappointed visitor, “Why has my stay here yielded no fruit?”

“Could it be because you lacked the courage to shake the tree?” said the Master
benignly.

二０二　極　限

大師一再強調：尋求天主的道上，最後一道障礙卽是「天主」這個字及其槪念。

當地的祭司聽了，十分惱怒，怒氣沖沖地跑來與大師理論。

「『天主』這個字當然能引導人到天主前。」祭司說。

「它確實能夠。」大師平靜地應和着。

「旣然能夠，怎麼又會是障礙呢？」

大師說：「驢子只能將你載到門口，却不能帶你進入內室啊！」

INCOMPETENCE

The Master would insist that the final barrier to our attaining God was the word and
concept ‘God ‘.

This so infuriated the local priest that he came in a huff to argue the matter out with
the Master.

“But surely the word ‘God’ can lead us to God?” said the priest.

“It can.” said the Master calmly.

“How can something help and be a barrier?”

Said the Master, “The donkey that brings you to the door is not the means by which
you enter the house.”

二０一　優　越

一位來自東方的弟子，自恃懂得東方靈修，而趾高氣昂地問大師說：「為什麼西方擁有物質的進步，而東方擁有靈修？」

一位來自東方的弟子，自恃懂得東方靈修，而趾高氣昂地問大師說：「為什麼西方擁有物質的進步，而東方擁有靈修？」

大師簡明地說：「因為太初之時，上天分配恩賜，西方人搶先一步作了選擇。」

SUPERIORITY

An Eastern disciple who was proud of what he considered to be the spirituality of the
East came to the Master and said. “Why is it that the West has material progress and the
East has spirituality?”

“Because,” said the Master laconically, “when provisions for this world were being
handed out in the beginning, the West had the first choice.”

二００　天　恩

一位青年來到大師前說：「我想成為智者。我如何才能達成此願望？」

大師嘆息說：「曾經有個年輕人和你一樣，也想成為智者，而且極度地渴望。有一天他發現他正坐在我現在的座位上，而且他前面－就在你的位置上，坐着一位青年，這位青年說：『我想成為智者。』」

GRACE

A young man came to the Master and said. “I wish to be Wise. How can I achieve my
wish?”

The Master sighed and said. “There was once a young man just like you. He wished to
be Wise and his wish had great power to it. One day he found himself sitting exactly
where I am. In front of him sat a young man on the exact spot where you are now. And
the young man was saying, ‘I wish to be Wise!”’

一九九　垂拱而治

大師的言論實在曖昧難解。他常說，真正的改革者能在每一件事情上看出它當下的圓滿意義，而且能夠隨順因緣。

「那麼他為什麼仍希望有所改善呢？」他的弟子如此反駁。

「改革者有很多種類。有一種人自己一無所為，却能引導出一種趨勢，這些人只在疏導河的流向而已。另一種人企圖大展鴻圖，他們竭盡所能想濕潤河流。」

CONTENTMENT

Paradoxical as it seemed the Master always insisted that the true reformer was one
who was able to see that everything is perfect as it is — and able to leave it alone.

“Then why would he wish to reform anything?” protested his disciples.

“Well, there are refonners and reformers: One type lets action flow through them
while they themselves do nothing; these are like people who change the shape and flow
of a river. The others generate their own activity; they are like people who exert
themselves to make the river wetter.”