大師向一位過於謙恭慇懃的弟子說：「光明映照在牆上，為什麼只知讚美那座牆？而不專注於光明本身。」
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.”
盲動
有囘，大師問他的弟子：智慧與行動，哪一個比較重要？
弟子們異口同聲答道：「當然是行動，如果智慧不透過行動，又有何用？」
大師却說：「如果行動不是出自一顆悟心，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?”
封閉
一位遭人遺棄的戀者說：「我已有一次燃指之痛，我絕不再戀愛了。」
大師說：「你像坐在爐竈上的一隻貓，被燙過一次後，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
「人如何才能與天主合一？」
「你愈努力，便愈加深你與祂的鴻溝。」
「那麼人對天人之間的距離又該如何？」
「應了悟根本沒有距離存在。」
「這是否意味着天主與我為一？」
「非一非二。」
「這怎麼可能？」
「就如同太陽與光明，海洋與波浪，歌者與其歌－－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
大師向一位弟子說：「你很以自己的聰明智慧為豪，就好比一個囚犯向他人誇耀他的牢房是如何的寬敞。」
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
一位弟子承認他有傳佈流言的壞毛病。
大師毫不容情地說：「若只是傳佈，還不算太糟，恐怕你還免不了加油添醋吧！」
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.”
精神解脫
大師認為，只要運用得當，任何話本身都不是壞的。
當他獲悉，有位弟子很喜歡賭咒發誓，就說：「卽使是詛咒，有時也可帶來祈禱所無法獲得的精神解脫。」
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.”
言談
弟子迫不及待地想把市集上聽來的傳言禀告師父。
大師說：「稍等！你所要告訴我的是真有其事？」
「我不這麼想。」
「它很有用？」
「並沒有什麼用。」
「它很有趣？」
「不！」
「那我們為什麼要聽它呢？」
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?”
實情
有囘，一位賭徒向大師說：「昨天我玩牌時，作了手腳，被發現了，牌友揍了我一頓，還把我攆出窗外。你認為我該怎麼辦？」
大師深深望了此人一眼，答道：「如果我是你，從現在起，我會盡量在樓下打牌。」
弟子們聽之一怔：「你為什麼不乾脆勸他戒賭？」
大師簡單而睿智的答覆是：「因為我知道他辦不到。」
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.
夢 魘
「我如何才能獲得永生？」
「永生卽在眼前，只需囘到現在。」
「我目前不正在現在嗎？」
「不！」
「為什麼？」
「因為你尚未捨離過去。」
「我的過去並沒有什麼不好，為什麼要捨離？」
「過去的事應該捨離，不是因為它有什麼不好，而是因為它已經過去了。」
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.”