A "Light" Afternoon Translation.
Da hui 大慧宗杲 (1089–1163)
I will show you instructions. Beginners gain a little from quiet sitting work, and delight in themselves. Further, I say: I do not dare foolishly form fixed views of quietude. As the yellow-faced old guy (Sakyamuni – related to saying that Buddha is Lao tzu) said, a metaphor would be if there was a person who stopped up their ears to his high sounds and cries loudly and seeks [help] and cannot hear himself. This is truly making trouble for oneself. Supposing the birth and death mind (ignorant mind stuck in samara) is not yet broken, day and night are muddled and ignorant states. It is just like a dead man whose spirit has not dispersed. All the more, how can he find the spare to do the work of understanding quietude, of understanding boisterousness? In the Nirvana assembly, the broad foreheaded butcher tosses away his blade and just then becomes a buddha. Now then, how could he arrive at this through the work of quietude? Wasn’t he a beginner? You see this and think it must not so. You push him on stage as a manifestation of an ancient Buddha that has arisen.
Today people lack these powers and capabilities. If you look at it like this, then you do not believe yourself to be different or better than him and are willing to be among the non-inferior people. In my gate of study (my school), there is no need to discuss beginner or a latecomer to study, and further, no need to ask if you have attained awakening after a long time or at first. If you truly seek quietude, you must break the birth and death mind. Without work and labor, if the birth and death mind is broken, you are of yourself quiet. The expedient means of quietude explicated by the former sages is precisely this. Therefore, the late age heterodox teachers and classes do not understand the former sages’ talk of expedient means and that is all. Everyone, if you believe me then try amidst the noisy world to examine the words “dog does not have buddha nature?” and do not yet talk about awakening or non-awakening. Just when your mind is agitated and disturbed, keep bringing this up into your awareness and examine it: are you still aware of quietude or not? Are you still aware of obtaining the force or not?
If you are aware of obtaining the force, then do not relinquish it. When you seek quiet sitting, you just burn one stick of incense and sit silently. Do not faint, do not waver (mental) – that is what the former sages warned against. When you silently sit, some awareness of these two types of ailments appears. Still, just raise up the words “a dog lacks buddha nature,” and both types of ailments do not require the force to be driven off. Immediately your mind quiets. Only after long days and deep months will you feel that saving the power is attaining power. You still do not need to make efforts in the work of quietude; just this is work.
T47n1998Ap0922a15║示諭。初機得少靜坐工夫。亦自佳。又云。不敢
T47n1998Ap0922a16║妄作靜見。黃面老子所謂。譬如有人自塞其
T47n1998Ap0922a17║耳高聲大叫求人不聞。真是自作障難耳。若
T47n1998Ap0922a18║生死心未破。日用二六時中冥冥蒙蒙地。如
T47n1998Ap0922a19║魂不散底死人一般。更討甚閑工夫。理會靜
T47n1998Ap0922a20║理會鬧耶。涅槃會上廣額屠兒。放下屠刀便
T47n1998Ap0922a21║成佛。豈是做靜中工夫來。渠豈不是初機。左
T47n1998Ap0922a22║右見此定以為不然。須差排渠作古佛示現。
T47n1998Ap0922a16║妄作靜見。黃面老子所謂。譬如有人自塞其
T47n1998Ap0922a17║耳高聲大叫求人不聞。真是自作障難耳。若
T47n1998Ap0922a18║生死心未破。日用二六時中冥冥蒙蒙地。如
T47n1998Ap0922a19║魂不散底死人一般。更討甚閑工夫。理會靜
T47n1998Ap0922a20║理會鬧耶。涅槃會上廣額屠兒。放下屠刀便
T47n1998Ap0922a21║成佛。豈是做靜中工夫來。渠豈不是初機。左
T47n1998Ap0922a22║右見此定以為不然。須差排渠作古佛示現。
T47n1998Ap0922a23║今人無此力量。若如是見。乃不信自殊勝。甘
T47n1998Ap0922a24║為下劣人也。我此門中。不論初機晚學。亦不
T47n1998Ap0922a25║問久參先達。若要真箇靜。須是生死心破。不
T47n1998Ap0922a26║著做工夫。生死心破。則自靜也。先聖所說寂
T47n1998Ap0922a27║靜方便。正為此也。自是末世邪師輩。不會先
T47n1998Ap0922a28║聖方便語耳。左右若信得山僧及試向鬧處
T47n1998Ap0922a29║看狗子無佛性話。未說悟不悟。正當方寸擾
T47n1998Ap0922b01║擾時。謾提撕舉覺看。還覺靜也無。還覺得力也無。
T47n1998Ap0922a24║為下劣人也。我此門中。不論初機晚學。亦不
T47n1998Ap0922a25║問久參先達。若要真箇靜。須是生死心破。不
T47n1998Ap0922a26║著做工夫。生死心破。則自靜也。先聖所說寂
T47n1998Ap0922a27║靜方便。正為此也。自是末世邪師輩。不會先
T47n1998Ap0922a28║聖方便語耳。左右若信得山僧及試向鬧處
T47n1998Ap0922a29║看狗子無佛性話。未說悟不悟。正當方寸擾
T47n1998Ap0922b01║擾時。謾提撕舉覺看。還覺靜也無。還覺得力也無。
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