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一六一　愚　昧

每当有人问起大师的开悟经验，他总是沉默不语。但弟子们仍挖空心思想问出个名堂来。

他们所打听出来的资料，只有一次：当大师的幼子问起他父亲开悟时的感受，大师的答复是：「一个笨蛋。」

当这孩子探问原因，大师答道：「这就好比一个人攀上梯子，捣烂窗户，费九牛二虎之力爬进屋子之后－－才发现屋子的大门正敞着。」

INSANITY

On the question of his own enlightenment the Master always remained reticent, even
though the disciples tried every means to get him to talk.

All the information they had on this subject was what the Master once said to his
youngest son who wanted to know what his father felt when he became enlightened. The
answer was, “A fool.”

When the boy asked why the Master had replied. “Well, son, it was like going to great
pains to break into a house by climbing a ladder and smashing a window — and realizing
later that the door of the house was open.”

一六０　莽　撞

大师一向主张人必须向自己学习－－自我教育，而不应一味听信他人的权威。这话有时也会出纰漏。有一位弟子因而坚持试用迷幻药进入神秘境界，甚至说：「人应该冒险，因为人只能在尝试及错误中学习。」

大师不能不再告诉他另一个故事－－钉子与螺丝：

「当你不知道在这木板上该用钉子或是螺丝时，有一个方法，就是钉个钉子进去。如果木板裂了，你就知道应该用螺丝才对。」

RECKLESSNESS

The Master always insisted that we must Seam by ourselves — teach ourselves — rather
than depend on other people’s authority. This had its limits, of course, as when a bright
young fellow was convinced he ought to try drugs as a means to mysticism — and “take
the risk, for one can only learn by trial and error.”

That moved the Master to tell the old story of the nail and the screw:

“Here is one way to find out whether what you need in a plank is a nail or a screw:
Drive the nail in. If it splits the plank — you kn ow you needed the screw.”

一五九　沉　着

「有没有方法测出自己的定力？」

「有许多方式。」

「试擧一例。」

「只要省察一下，你在一天之内心灵激荡起伏了多少次。」

SERENITY

“Are there ways for gauging one‘s spiritual strength?”

“Many.”

“Give us one.”

“Find out how often you become disturbed in the course of a single day.”

　一五八　判　断

「我该如何宽恕别人？」

「如果你不曾定罪，你也无须宽恕。」

UDGEMENT

“How Shall I forgive others?”

“If you never condemned you would never need to forgive.”

一五七　避重就轻

有个访客向大师叙述一位圣人的事蹟。这位圣人想去拜访一位病危的朋友，却害怕赶夜路，所以命令太阳：「因上主之名，请你暂时驻留于天际，直到我赶到临危的朋友住处，才准西落。」太阳真的停止西沉，直到这位圣人抵达那村庄。

大师不禁失声而笑：「那位圣人如果能克服他对赶夜的恐惧，不是省事多了？」

EVASION

A visitor narrated the story of a saint who wanting to visit a dying friend and fearing to
travel by night, said to the sun. “In the Name of God stay on in the sky till I reach the
village where my friend lies dying.” And the sun stopped dead in the sky till the holy man
reached the village.

The Master smiled. “Would it not have been better for the holy man to overcome his
fear of travelling by night?” he said.

一五六　自　欺

「我们该如何分辨真假神秘家？」这位弟子特别热中于神祕宗教仪式。

「你怎么分辨一个人正在真睡或假寐？」大师反问。

「没有办法，只有假睡的人自己心里有数。」弟子说。

大师莞尔一笑。

然后大师又补充一句：「假寐者骗得了别人，却骗不了自己。不幸的是，假神秘家会连自己都蒙在鼓里。」

ECEPTION

“How shall we distinguish the true mystic from the false?” asked the disciples who
had an inordinate interest in the occult.

“How do you distinguish the true sleeper from the one who is feigning sleep?” asked
the Master.

“There’s no way. Only the sleeper knows when he is feigning.” said the disciples.

The Master smiled.

Later he said, “The feigning sleeper can delude others — he cannot delude himself.
The false mystic, unfortunately, can delude both others and himself.”

一五五　敬　畏

小镇边上住着一位瑜珈师，传说他能施行奇蹟。所以他的住处成为朝圣之地，挤满了求助的病患。

大师对这些奇蹟反应相当冷淡，从不答复有关瑜珈的问题。

当有人当面质询他，为何反对这些奇蹟，他答复道：「一个人怎会对眼前时时刻刻所发生的事，心怀敌对呢？」

WONDER

The Haji who lived at the outskirts of the town was said to perform miracles, so his
home was a centre of pilgrimage for large crowds of sick people.

The Master who was known to be quite uninterested in the miraculous, would never
reply to questions on the Haji.

When asked point blank why he was opposed to miracles, he replied, “How can one be
opposed to what is taking place before one’ s eyes each moment of the day?”

一五四　天　机

大师曾说过一个碗的故事。这是个价值连城的古董，成为拍卖会上的抢手货，然而谁知这个古董的主人原是一个飘泊街头的流浪汉，曾用此碗向人乞讨个几分钱度日，最后潦倒而终。

弟子问大师：这碗究竟象征什么？大师答道：「你自己。」

弟子等候着大师的解释。大师说：「你们的注意力总是放在由书本或是老师那儿收集来的不值几文的知识。如果你们能多注意自己手里所握的那只碗，你们才会真正进步。」

CONCEALMENT

The Master once told the story of a priceless antique bowl that fetched a fortune at a
public auction. It had been used by a tramp who ended his days in poverty, quite unaware
of the value of the bowl with which he begged for pennies.

When a disciple asked the Master what the bowl stood for, the Master said, “Your
self!”

Asked to elaborate, he said, “AH your attention is focussed on the penny-knowledge
you collect from books and teachers. You would do better to pay attention to the bowl in
which you hold it,”

一五三　非经验

在一次讨论体验天主的场合中，大师说：「当我们经验到天主时，自我就消失了。究竟是谁在体验呢？」
「那么体验天主并不能算是一种经验囉？」
「就好像睡觉。」大师说：「睡醒了以后，才知道睡觉的经验。」

NON-EXPERIENCE

At a discussion on the God experience the Master said. “When God is experienced the
self disappears. So who will do the experiencing?”

“Is the God experience then a non-experience?”

“It is like sleep,” said the Master. “The sleep experience is only known when sleep is
over.”

一五二　无常无断

大师极不喜欢人们长久留在寺院内。每个弟子迟早都会收到这声逐客令：「你该走了，如果你不走，圣神不会降临。」

究竟这「圣神」是什么？一位弟子极想知道。

大师说：

「水因着流动而永保活力及自由，

你也因着前进而永保活力及自由。

如果你不离我而去，你会变得呆滞、早夭－－而且还会被我污染。」

TRANSIENCE

The Master had an allergy for people who protracted their stay at the monastery.
Sooner or later each disciple would hear the difficult words, “The time has come for you
to go. If you do not get away the Spirit will not come.”

What was this ‘Spirit’ one particularly smitten disciple wished to know.

Said the Master.

“Water remains alive and free by flowing.

You will remain alive and free by going.

If you do not get away from me you will stagnate and die — and be contaminated.”