魔是来帮助你修道

Demons Help You Cultivate

少说话，多打坐，这是修道的基本大法。

Talk less and meditate more: this is the fundamental requisite of cultivation.

在前边讲「若人静坐一须臾，胜造恒沙七宝塔。」你坐在禅堂里，打这个妄想：「静坐一须臾，就有胜造七宝塔的功德。」想来想去，连一须臾的时间也没有静坐，那么你一点功德都没有。为什么？好像认指为月一样，只见手指不见月，还说功德无量！无量！那只是坐在那里念无量！

Earlier I explained the verse that went:

If one can sit perfectly still for even a split second, One's merit surpasses that of building pagodas of the seven gems in number like the Ganges' sands.

If you're sitting in the Chan hall and you keep having idle thoughts such as, "I'm sitting still for a single second and gaining merit and virtue that surpasses that of building pagodas of the seven jewels," you haven't actually sat still for even one second, and you haven't the least bit of merit and virtue. Why not? It's just like when someone points at the moon and you mistake his finger for the moon. You only see his hand, but you never see the moon. And yet you claim to have measureless merit and virtue! Measureless? Hah! You're just sitting there having measureless thoughts!

又说：「我能毫光照大千！我能毫光照大千！」这种境界不是用想的，也不是用说的，而是去行的。你能真正清净入定，那时才能毫光照大千。不能入定，胡思乱想是没有用处的，想来想去都是妄想，和事实相差十万八千里。

You also say, "I can emit light from my hair-mark that radiates throughout the entire cosmos! Hey! I can emit hair-mark light throughout the entire universe." But this state isn't something that you can think about, or talk about either. You must actually practice it. If you can be pure and truly enter into samadhi, only then can you release light from your hair-mark that radiates throughout the cosmos. If you can't enter into samadhi, and all you do is entertain these ridiculous thoughts that fly in all directions, then it's totally useless. No matter how much you think back and forth, it's all idle thinking, and it's a million miles away from reality.

又在想：「我怎么样能入定呢？我怎么样能开悟呢？」如果打这个妄想，怎么样都入不了定，怎么样都开不了悟。为什么？你只在皮毛上用功夫，不在般若上用功夫，尽向外找，不向内求，永远找不到的。

Someone else is thinking, "Well, how can I actually enter samadhi? How can I get enlightened?" If you're having idle thoughts like these, then there's no way for you to enter samadhi or get enlighten-ed. Why not? It's because you're working only on the surface of things. You're not using Prajna-wisdom. You're always seeking outside. Since you don't know how to seek within yourself, you'll never find what you are looking for.

各位，你们应该做电疗医生来帮助这个世界，拯救空气污染中的众生，成就空气清洁中的佛。那么现在大家要静坐，不要打妄想，这一点，希望你们要明白，要了解。我已经把清净空气的电疗法告诉大家，你们不妨试一试，看看效果如何？

All of you should be electrotherapists and help out this world. You should save living beings who are here in this polluted atmosphere so that they can become Buddhas in a pure atmosphere. Now when you meditate, please don't have so many idle thoughts. I hope you all understand this point. I've now told you this method of purifying the air using electrotherapy, and you might want to try it out to see what the result is.

今天是禅七第二天，你们所用的功夫有没有上路？上路是上正觉的路，也就是菩提路。你们参「念佛是谁？」有没有提起来？你们的妄想是不是放下了？若是没有提起「念佛是谁？」赶快把它提起来。好像「猫捉老鼠」一样，聚精会神在等待；又好像「鸡孵卵」一样，一心一意在想小鸡；又好像「龙养珠」一样，谨慎专一地保护，能念兹在兹来研究，才能有成就。

Today is the second day of the Chan session. Have any of you set foot on the right road? Are you on the road of proper enlightenment, the Bodhi path? As you contemplate the question, "Who is mindful of the Buddha?" do you actually bring it to mind? Have you put down your idle thoughts or not? If you haven't raised the question, "Who is mindful of the Buddha?" then you should do so in a hurry. It's just like a cat stalking a mouse. He gathers all his attention and focuses his energy as he waits for the mouse to appear. It's also like a mother hen sitting on her nest. She concentrates her thoughts on the little chicks about to hatch. It's also like a dragon guarding his precious pearl. He carefully concentrates on protecting it. If you can concentrate on your meditation in thought after thought, only then can you hope to have any success.

我们是持「日中一食、夜不倒单」的戒律。这种苦行，我敢说是世界第一家，尤其在打禅七的期间，每天坐十二小时，走六小时。这样辛苦，需要营养，所以在中国，从前打禅七的时候，每天晚上每一个人可以得到两个大菜包，皆大欢喜。我们这里没有这种规矩，所以吃中饭时要加菜，叫大家吃饱一点，有力气跑香。

We're maintaining the practice of eating one meal a day at noon and also the practice of not lying down at night to sleep. I believe no one else in the world undertakes these ascetic practices as we do, especially during a Chan session in which we sit for twelve hours each day and walk for six hours. This difficult regimen requires a lot of fuel. That's why, in the Chan sessions of the past, every participant would receive two big steamed dumplings to eat in the evening, and everybody was just delighted. We here don't have this policy, so when you eat your daily meal at noon, be sure to eat a little more. I'm encouraging you to eat a little fuller than usual so you'll have enough strength to walk or run in meditation.

佛教的戒律，规定「日中一食」，就是在正午的时候吃饭，一天只能吃一餐。到后来就改为过午不食，就是过了十二点钟以后，不可以再吃饭；可是在早晨可以吃粥，这是因为没有超过中午，所以不是犯戒。

The precepts of Buddhism specify that one should eat a single meal at midday. After the Buddha's time, this practice was changed to not eating past noon. That is to say, one may not eat anything after midday. But one is allowed to eat porridge, oatmeal, or cereal in the morning. Since one is eating before noon, one is not breaking the precepts.

在禅七期间，如果没有吃饱，那么跑香、行香、坐香，都没有力气，就会生退转心。怎样生的呢？参禅的人，到了晚上，肚子发牢骚，批评你太自私，只知道修行，只知道开悟，对它一点也不关心，令它受痛苦。说你修的是什么道？一点慈悲心都没有，于是乎就不和你合作，所以使你容易生出退转心，不愿意修行，前功尽弃了。所以在禅七的期间，一定要吃饱，才有精神求智慧解脱。

During our Chan session, if you don't eat your fill, then as you run, walk, or sit, you won't have enough energy and you'll decide to retreat. Where will the retreating begin? When evening comes, you'll hear griping in your belly. Your belly will criticize you, "You're too selfish! The only thing you think about is cultivating the Path. All you worry about is getting enlightened. You aren't the slightest bit concerned for your belly, and you're making it suffer. What kind of Path are you cultivating? You don't have any kindness and compassion." Then your belly won't cooperate with you at all, and you could very well have the thought of retreating. You won't want to cultivate any more. All of the work that you've done will be lost. So during our Chan session, it's important that you eat your fill. Only then will you have enough energy to seek wisdom and liberation.

今天讲「打禅七吃包子」的故事，这是真人真事，不是虚构的。在中国宁波天童寺，该寺的方丈叫密云禅师，他是个明眼善知识；该寺的维那师父，也是个明眼善知识。不过，这个维那的慈悲心太多，那个方丈的慈悲心太少。方丈和尚是「摩诃萨不管他」的作风，维那师父是「菩提萨埵爱管他」的作风，两个人的思想不同，所以作法是对立的。

Today I will tell you a story regarding "eating steamed dumplings during a Chan session." This is a true story. It's not fictitious. At Tiantong (Heavenly Youth) Monastery in Ningbo, China, the Abbot was Chan Master Miyun (Full Cloud). He was a good and wise advisor who had his spiritual eyes open. The Ceremony Master at that temple was also a good and wise advisor who had use of his eyes. However, this Ceremony Master was a little bit too kind and compassionate, and the Abbot was a bit deficient in kindness and compassion. The Abbot held a policy of "Mahasattvas should not pay any attention to anybody else." And the Ceremony Master maintained the policy that a Bodhisattva should make it his business to watch over others. Because the thinking of these two individuals differed, their methods came into conflict.

在打禅七的期间，大家勇猛精进打坐，求智慧解脱。这位慈悲的维那师父，在晚上看大众肚子饿，没有食物吃，无精打彩地坐着；有的昏沉，有的掉举，不是睡觉，就是坐小。本来坐时是三尺高，现在是一尺半，为什么？因为肚子饿，挺不直腰，所以叫坐小。这种现象一旦发生之后，就没有法子继续维持下去。维那一看这种情形，便发慈悲，为照顾大众的健康，所以用神通力，在定中到厨房偷锅粑，每个人分一块。等开静时，大众睁开眼一看，在膝上有锅粑，就偷偷吃了。人是铁，饭是钢，马上就有精神了，跑香时，也不觉得疲倦，不像饿的时候，跑也跑不动，要在旁边休息。

During their Chan session, everybody was vigorously meditating, seeking wisdom and liberation. The compassionate Ceremony Master noticed one evening that they were all experiencing hunger pangs. Because they hadn't eaten, they didn't have enough energy to sit. Some were dozing off while others were restless. If they weren't sleeping, then they were "sitting short." When a person sits to meditate, he's about three feet tall, yet now they were only one and a half feet tall. Why is that? Because their bellies were hungry and they lacked the strength to sit up straight. This is called "sitting short." Once this phenomenon began, there was no way to continue their meditation. The Ceremony Master saw this taking place and sympathized with them. He wanted to nurture the health of the assembly. So within samadhi, he used his psychic powers to steal some rice crust from the kitchen and give a little bit to each person. As soon as the meditation period was over, everyone opened their eyes and saw a chunk of rice crust on their knee. Stealthily they gobbled it down. There is a phrase that goes, "People are iron, and food is steel." Immediately the group felt their energy returning and they were able to run and meditate without feeling tired. Before, when they were hungry, they had been unable to run a single step, and they were always trying to catch a rest on the side.

这位慈悲维那，偷了两天锅粑，给大众当点心，不料在第三天，被方丈和尚发现他偷锅粑，于是被迁单了。

The compassionate Ceremony Master stole rice crust for two days in a row, and he distributed it among the participants as a snack. Unexpectedly, on the third day, the Abbot of the temple discovered that he'd been stealing rice crust and threw him out of the temple.

事情是这样发生的：在第三天早晨，管理厨房的和尚，发现锅粑不见了，以为被老鼠偷去了，因为职责的关系，乃向方丈和尚报告这情形，请示方丈和尚。老和尚说：「那么，就捉老鼠吧！」到晚上，方丈和尚在定中观察，发现维那在定中又去厨房偷锅粑，于是把维那的身体放在禅凳底下。等维那回来一看，自己的房子不见了，仔细寻找，才在禅凳下找到，于是就把身体拖出来。这时，方丈和尚说：「你在做什么？你这个大老鼠，敢到厨房偷锅粑，现在你犯戒，你知道吗？犯戒是要被迁单的，明天你走吧！我们这里不留你了。」

Here's how it happened. On the morning of the third day, the monk in charge of the kitchen noticed that the rice crust from the day before was gone. He thought that perhaps a rat had stolen it. To carry out his duty, he went to report to the Abbot of the temple and ask his advice. The Abbot said, "Okay, catch the rat!" When evening came, the Abbot contemplated in samadhi and saw how the Ceremony Master was going to the kitchen in his samadhi to steal the rice crust. He grabbed the Master's body as it sat there meditating, and stuffed it underneath the bench. When the Ceremony Master came back from roaming in samadhi, he could not find his "house." He carefully looked around for his body and finally found it underneath the bench, and he pulled it back out. Just then the Abbot said, "What do you think you're doing? You're a big rat! You had the gall to go into the kitchen to steal rice crust? You've broken the precepts, did you know that? Anybody who breaks a precept must be thrown out! You must leave tomorrow. You can't stay here any longer!"

这位被迁单的维那说：「您迁我的单，是可以的。可是我有一个要求，请您答应我。」方丈和尚说：「你要走了，还要求什么？」

The Ceremony Master had now been kicked out, and he said: "If you want to throw me out, that's okay. But I have one request that I hope you'll grant." The Abbot said, "Now that you're leaving, what do you still want to request?"

维那说：「参禅的人，一定要吃饱饭，才能用功修行；如果吃不饱，的确不能修行。所以我到厨房偷锅粑，是为大众，不是为我自己。希望方丈和尚发点慈悲，每天晚上，每人分两个大包子，若能这样做，我就向和尚叩头顶礼。我走之后，也不会打妄想。」

The Ceremony Master said, "The people who are meditating here really should get a chance to eat their fill. Only then can they work hard at their meditation. If they don't eat their fill, they won't be able to cultivate. That's why I went to the kitchen to steal the rice crust. It was for the sake of the Assembly, not for myself. I hope that you, the Abbot, will be compassionate, and give two big steamed dumplings to each participant every evening. If you do that, then I'll bow in respect to you as Abbot; and after I go, I won't have to worry about it any further."

方丈和尚一想，这话很有道理，便说：「好吧！答应你的要求，满你的愿。」从此之后，每逢打禅七，晚上每人可得两个包子吃。

The Abbot thought it over and decided that his request was reasonable. He replied, "Okay! I'll grant your request." Thereafter, every time they held a Chan meditation session, every participant got two steamed dumplings to eat in the evening.

这位维那师父问方丈和尚：「我应到何处？」方丈说：「你到四川去，到那里去建道场，因为那地方的护法和你有缘。」于是他用神足力来到四川，看见有一个地方有两棵大桂树，枝叶长得非常茂盛，于是在树下打坐。后来被当地的护法居士发现，认为他是老修行，是有德行的高僧，于是便在桂树下建一所寺院，命名为「双桂堂」。他就在此堂传法授徒，后来有很多参禅者开悟，他也成为开山的祖师。

The Ceremony Master asked the Abbot, "Where should I go?" The Abbot said, "Go to Sichuan Province and set up a temple. The Dharma-protectors there have affinities with you." The Ceremony Master used his power of spiritual travel to go to Sichuan. Upon arriving, he saw two tall cassia trees. The leaves and branches were lush and abundant. He sat beneath the two trees to meditate. The Dharma-protectors and lay-people of Sichuan discovered him sitting beneath the tree and assumed he was an adept cultivator, a superior monk with real virtue. So they built a temple beneath the twin cassia trees and called it Xuanggui (Twin Cassia) Temple. That's where he transmitted the Dharma and took disciples. Afterwards, many Chan meditators got enlightened there and he became known as the founding patriarch.

参禅，好像人饮水一样，冷暖自己知道，用功有上路自己知道，用功没有上路自己也知道。用功上路的人，应该继续努力；没有上路的人，更不可懒惰。在打禅七的时候，要把一切放下，所谓「提得起，放得下。」提得起什么？提得起「念佛是谁？」放得下什么？放下所有的妄想。能把所有的妄想放下，智慧便生出来；若是放不下妄想，所用的功就不会相应。

When we meditate, it's just like drinking water. Only you yourself know whether the water is hot or cold. When you've made some progress in cultivation, you yourself know. If your cultivation hasn't progressed, you also know. People who've made progress should continue to work hard. Those who haven't made progress shouldn't be lazy. In this period of Chan meditation, we should put down everything. That is to say, "Be able to pick this up, and be able to put that down." What do we want to pick up? We want to pick up the meditation topic, "Who is mindful of the Buddha?" What do we want to put down? We want to put down all our idle thoughts. If we can put down all of our idle thinking, then our wisdom will come forth. But if we can't put down our idle thoughts, then there won't be any response to our efforts.

在这七天之中，应该勇猛精进，不生丝毫懒惰的心，不生丝毫怀疑的心。大众一起用功，用功用到无人无我的境界时，便会得到自在。若能用功到非空非色，就和如来合而为一；若是没有明白非空非色的境界，应当生大惭愧心。为什么我用功得不到相应？这是无量劫的习气太深的缘故，所以心中想向菩提路上走，事实上却不愿意向前走，总想向后转。要知道习气重、业障深，更应该把妄想放下。放下妄想，并不困难，只要把自己忘了，便没有妄想。就因为有了自己，才忘不了自己。

Within this seven-day meditation retreat, you should be vigorous and courageous. Don't be the least bit lazy, and don't entertain even a shadow of a doubt. Let's work hard together and arrive at the point where there are no thoughts of self or others left. Right at that point, we can become free. If we can bring our skill to the point of realizing "no emptiness and no form," then we can unite with the Tathagatas. If we still haven't realized the state of no emptiness or form, then we should be truly ashamed. Why hasn't our skill elicited any response? Because our bad habits gathered from measureless eons in the past are simply too heavy. In our minds, we think we want to proceed on the road of Bodhi, but in reality, we don't really want to advance, and we're always retreating. We should recognize that since our habits are heavy and our karmic obstacles are deeply established, even more should we want to put down our idle thinking. It's not that difficult to put down our idle thinking. All we need to do is forget ourselves, and then our idle thoughts will be gone. It's just because we hang onto a self that we find the self so difficult to forget.

在禅堂里，用功修行，修到上不知有天，中不知有人，下不知有地。天地人都没有了，东西南北也忘了，这时候，一念不生，就全体现；全体大用，你都会得到。整天打妄想的话，功夫就不会相应。所以，要用功用到一念不生，行不知行，住不知住，坐不知坐，卧不知卧，行、住、坐、卧都不知道，所谓：

终日吃饭，未吃一粒米；

终日穿衣，未穿一缕纱。

Here in the Chan hall, as we work in our cultivation, we should apply effort until we are unaware of heaven above, people in between, and earth below. If heaven, earth, and people have all disappeared, and north, south, east and west are forgotten, then right at that point when not even a single thought comes forth, the entire substance can manifest. We'll obtain the great functioning of the entire substance. But if we indulge in idle thoughts all day long, there will certainly be no response to our efforts. Thus, we have to work to the point where not a single thought arises, and when we walk, we are not aware that we are walking. When we stand, we aren't aware that we're standing. When we sit, we're unconscious of sitting. When we lie down, we aren't conscious of lying down. We have no conscious awareness of walking, standing, sitting and lying down. At this point,

You eat, but you're not aware of

consuming a single grain of rice.

You dress, but you are unaware of

putting on a single stitch.

这时的你，就和太虚合而为一，能和太虚合而为一，才能豁然贯通，忽然明白过来，这就是顿悟的境界。

The "you" that exists at that point merges with space. When you can unite with space, then suddenly you penetrate right through and instantly understand all things. This is the state of sudden enlightenment.

顿悟，是平时用功用到相应，才能豁然开悟；如果平时不用功，就不会有顿悟。好像小孩子出生之后，天天被熏习，到时候就会说话，他说第一句话的时候，就好比开了悟；到时候就会走路，当他迈第一步的时候，也好像开了悟。他怎样迈第一步呢？因为天天看大人走路，在这种环境熏习之下，他自然而然地会走路。我们用功也是这样，今天用功，明天用功，用来用去，功夫相应了，一念不生，没有妄想，就会开悟。

Sudden enlightenment is a result of daily cultivation. When you get a response from your daily efforts, you can suddenly be enlightened. If you normally don't cultivate, then you can never gain sudden enlightenment. Similarly, after a child is born, he is steeped in words and sounds every day. When the time comes, he is naturally able to talk. When he says his very first word, it's analogous to the enlightenment experience. When the time comes, he'll naturally be able to walk, and that first step he takes is like the enlightenment experience. How can he take his first step? Because he watches adults walking all day long, every day. Being steeped in that environment, very naturally he'll be able to walk. Cultivation works the same way. We cultivate today, we cultivate tomorrow, we cultivate back and forth until our skills elicit a response. Then, when not a single thought is produced and our idle thoughts are dispelled, we'll be enlightened.

这种开悟，或者是今生天天用功修行，时时用功修行，等到功夫成熟时，便开悟了，这是今生用功开悟。这时，有人说：「我看见一个人，他根本没有用功修行，可是他到禅堂不久就开悟了，这是什么道理？」这种情形是特殊的。今生他虽然没有用功修行，可是他在前生是用功修行，不但修行，而且还是时时刻刻在修行。不过，只差一点点没有开悟，等到今生他遇到这种境界，就开悟了。

Such an enlightenment may be the result of having worked hard at cultivation all the time, every day in this lifetime. When our skill is mature, we become enlightened. This enlightenment results from our cultivation in this lifetime. You may say, "I saw a person who hadn't been vigorous at all in cultivation, but he got enlightened as soon as he started to meditate. How do you explain that?" That's an exceptional case. Although he may not have been cultivating in this life, he did cultivate in previous lives. Not only did he cultivate, he cultivated ceaselessly. He was only a hairsbreadth away from enlightenment. In this life, as soon as he encountered this kind of environment, he was enlightened.

顿悟，虽然是即刻开悟，但仍须靠前生所栽培的善根。好像种田一样，春天播种，夏天耕耘，秋天才能收获。如果在春天不下种子，到秋天怎么能收谷？所谓「一分耕耘，一分收获。」我们修道人也是这样，无论开悟或没有开悟，都应该勇猛精进，努力向前，希望在最后一秒钟得到收获，认识本来面目。

Although sudden enlightenment is instantaneous, it depends upon all of the good roots one has carefully and continually nurtured in past lives. It is just like a farmer planting a field. In the spring, he sows the seeds. In the summer, he weeds and hoes. Then in the autumn, there are crops to harvest. If in the spring the seeds are not planted, how could there possibly be a harvest in the autumn? That is to say, one share of plowing and weeding yields one share of harvest. We cultivators of the spiritual path are the same. Whether or not we've become enlightened, we should still be vigorous and courageous in our cultivation. We should energetically stride forward. Then we have hope of gathering our harvest in the final moment. We can see our true identity－original face.

我们为什么不认识本来面目？因为「我相」没有去掉，「自私心」没有去掉。如果没有我相和自私心，就会认识本来面目。

Why haven't we seen our original face? Because the trace of self has not been cast away. Our thoughts of selfishness haven't been discarded. If we have no trace of self and no selfish thoughts, then we can recognize our original face.

你若想不认识本来面目，当然没有什么问题，修也可以，不修也可以，因为没有什么希望。但是我们修道人一定要有一种希望，希望明白人是从什么地方来？又到什么地方去？想知道生从何处来？死往何处去？要把这个本来面目认识清楚，就要不怕苦不怕难，才能返本还原，也就是得到金刚不坏身。

But if we don't want to recognize our original face, then of course there's no problem. Whether we cultivate or not doesn't make much difference, because we have no hope of success. But we cultivators of the spiritual path want to preserve a certain amount of hope in our hearts. We have hope of understanding where people come from and where they go. If we want to know where we came from at birth and where we're going at death, if we want to clearly recognize our original face, then we cannot fear suffering, pain, trouble, or difficulty. Only then can we "regain the source and return to our origin" and obtain our "vajra-indestructible body."

我们在禅堂里做什么？就是锻炼金刚不坏身。既然是金刚不坏身，那么就应该不知道苦，不知道疼；要是怕苦怕疼，便不能成就金刚不坏身。这个金刚不坏身是由锻炼而成的，我们现在就是锻炼金刚不坏身，把身体锻炼得坚坚固固，永远不坏。

What is our purpose in the Chan hall? We are smelting and forging our "vajra-indestructible body." Once our body is made of vajra and is indestructible, then we won't be aware of pain and suffering discomfort. If we fear both pain and suffering, then we certainly can't achieve a vajra body. This vajra-indestructible body comes about through tempering and perfecting our skill. Enduring that tempering process is our current work. We're forging our bodies to make them extremely durable and tough, so they'll never go bad.

这时候，有人在打妄想说：「我修行又不是为了这身臭皮囊，锻炼它不坏有什么用呢？」不错！你的理论很正确。可是我说的「金刚不坏身」，不是你说的那个臭皮囊。那么它是什么？就是「自性的金刚不坏身」，也就是法身和慧命，以及自性清净本源的金刚不坏身。

As soon as you hear this, you may be thinking: "Well, I'm not cultivating for the sake of this stinking bag of skin. Where is the sense in refinng this thing so it will not go bad?" Right you are! There's a lot to what you say. However, the vajra-indestructible body I am talking about is not the stinking skin bag that you are referring to. What is it then? It is the vajra-indestructible self-nature. It is the vajra-indestructible body of your "Dharma-body and your wisdom-life." It is the purity at the source of your self-nature. That's the vajra-indestructible body I'm referring to.

各位要知道！修道不是容易的事，你想修道，就会有魔来。这种魔不是从一个地方来的，而是从四面八方来的，有的是病魔，有的是烦恼魔，有的是天魔，有的是人魔，有的是鬼魔，有的是妖魔。魔是从你不认识的地方来的，令你道心不坚固，令你修行不进步，他们用种种方法来诱惑你，威胁你，令你生退转心，令你无定力而退失道心。

All of you should realize that cultivating the spiritual path is not an easy matter. If you decide to cultivate, then demons will come around. They'll not come from only one direction; they'll come from all directions at once. There are demons of sickness, demons of vexation, demons in the heavens, human demons, and also demonic ghosts. There are demonesses as well. Demons appear, from places you don't expect, to disturb you so that your resolve will waver and your cultivation will falter. They use many tricks to seduce and tempt you. They also threaten you so that you'll retreat in fear. They hope your samadhi-power will vanish and your resolve for the spiritual path will disappear.

坐禅到了相当程度时，就有魔来考验你的道力如何？或者化现为美貌的男女来引诱你。你不动心便过关，如果动心就堕落，这是紧要的关头，切记切记！一失足成千古恨！境界来考验我们修道人，我们也要考验境界是假是真。用什么方法呢？这方法非常简单，就是念「阿弥陀佛」，一心不乱、一念不生地念。是假的境界，便会慢慢消失了；是真的境界，越念便越清楚。坐禅人不明白这个方法，有许多人走火入魔，丧失道业；又有许多人认为自己入了魔，而放弃开悟的机会。

Just about the time you've meditated to the point of success, the demons appear to test your resolve and to challenge your work in the spiritual path. They may appear as a very beautiful woman or a handsome man who comes to seduce you. If the sight doesn't disturb you, then you pass your test. But if you're distracted by this illusion, you'll fall. Right there is the critical moment; just that is the test. So I exhort you at all costs, don't fail this test; because once you fall, you'll regret it forever. When states arise to challenge your resolve, you should test the state to see whether or not it's true. What's your method of testing? It's very simple. Just recite the name of Amitabha Buddha. Recite with single-minded, unwavering concen-tration. If it's a false state, then gradually it'll disappear and then vanish. If it's a true state, then the longer you recite, the more clear the state will grow. Chan meditators who don't understand this method will fall into the demons' traps. They'll fall among demons and their work in the spiritual path will be scattered and lost. Some cultivators will lose their opportunity for enlightenment after they join the demons.

在我年轻的时候，听人说：「修道就有魔。」我不相信，还骄慢地说：「什么魔我都不怕，妖魔鬼怪我都不生恐惧心！」自己以为没有什么关系，哪知道没有多久，魔果然来了。什么魔呢？是病魔，这场大病害得我七、八天人事不省，什么也不知道。当时，自己知道功夫不够，所以经不起考验。妖魔鬼怪、天魔外道我都不怕，就怕病魔，还是降伏不了，还是忍受不了。所以修道人，不能说自满的话，说自己什么都不怕。如果你自满，麻烦就来了。

When I was young I heard someone say, "As soon as you cultivate the spiritual path, demons will appear." I didn't believe it and arrogantly said, "I'm not afraid of demons at all! Witches, ghosts, and goblins don't frighten me in the least." I thought that it didn't matter what I said. Who could've guessed that soon after my boast, a demon would show up? What kind of demon was it? It was a demon of sickness, which made me so ill that I lost consciousness for seven or eight days; I lapsed into a total coma. Only then did I realize that my skill was far from the mark and that I'd failed my test. Maybe I wasn't afraid of witches, ghosts or goblins, or even celestial demons and heretics. But I was afraid, as it turned out, of sickness demons. I couldn't subdue them; I couldn't handle them; I couldn't endure their attack. So we cultivators of the spiritual path cannot claim proudly that we fear nothing. As soon as we become self-satisfied and arrogant, troubles come seeking for us.

那么修道人要怎样呢？要用战战兢兢的心情来修道，如临深渊，如履薄冰，时时刻刻要谨慎，要注意，提高警觉，这样才可以修道。一言以蔽之：「少说话，多打坐。」这是修道的基本大法。

Well, how should cultivators of the spiritual path be, then? We should maintain a humble and circumspect attitude, and be as cautious as if we were treading the brink of a deep abyss, or as if we were standing on thin ice. At all times we should be prudent and careful. We should pay attention and stay alert. Only then can we really cultivate the spiritual path. To sum it up, talk less and meditate more. This is the fundamental requisite of cultivation.

修道人的道业有所成就，是谁帮助的呢？就是魔来帮助的。好像一把利刀，是在石头上磨利的；修道人开了智慧光，也就是魔来帮助你开的。这个魔，应该把他当做护法看，所谓：

见事醒事出世间，

见事迷事堕沉沦。

When cultivators of the spiritual path actually gain some accomplishment, they get it with someone's help. Who helps them? Demons bring cultivators to accomplishment. This is just like a knife being honed on a whetstone so that it becomes very sharp. When a cultivator realizes the light of wisdom, it is with the help of the demons. These demons can be regarded as Dharma-protectors. There is a saying:

If we see things and awaken to them, we can leap out of the mundane world.

If we see things and they confuse us, we'll fall back on the wheel of transmigration.

你若能觉悟，对境能明白，这就是超出世界；你若不能觉悟，遇着事就迷了，就会堕入地狱。所以修道人不怕有魔，只怕没有定力。魔是来帮助你，考验你，来看你有没有功夫？有没有定力？你要是有功夫、有定力，无论什么样的魔，也不能动摇你。

If you can awaken to and understand states as they appear, then you can leap out of the world. If you do not awaken and are instead confused by states as they occur, then you may fall right into the hells. So cultivators of the spiritual path shouldn't fear that demons may come forth. Only be afraid that your own concentration power will be insufficient to withstand them. The demons come to help you along. They test you to see whether or not your spiritual skill is genuine, to see whether or not your samadhi-power can endure them. If you have skill and samadhi, then no matter what demon comes, he won't be able to shake you.

修道人时时刻刻把「生死问题」挂在眉梢上，时时刻刻都要了生脱死。要知道无论什么事情，都没有「生死大事」来得重要。这个生死问题没有解决，所以不知道怎么样生？不知道怎么样死？所以在没有真正了解之前，应该努力用功，否则永远要受生死束缚，而得不到解脱。

A cultivator of the spiritual path should at all times hang this question of birth and death right between the eyebrows. At all times you should seek to liberate yourself from birth and death. You should realize that nothing else is as pressing as the single concern of birth and death. If you haven't resolved this question, then you won't know how you were born, nor will you understand how you're going to die. Right now, before you really understand it, you should work very hard in cultivation. Otherwise you'll be forever bound up in the inexorable rounds of birth and death, and you'll never get free of them.

在修道时，要想这个「生死的问题」，把什么魔都当做护法，他是来帮助你修道。有人骂你、打你，他是帮助你修道；有人说你的是非，找你麻烦，也是帮助你修道。总而言之，逆来顺受，都把他当作帮助你修道的朋友，那么烦恼就没有了。没有烦恼，便生出智慧。有了真正智慧，那个时候，一切魔都没有法子来动摇你的心。

When we cultivate the spiritual path, as we contemplate this matter of birth and death, we should see all demons as helpers, as our Dharma-protectors. They're coming to help us to cultivate the Path. If somebody scolds you or hits you, he, too, is helping you cultivate. If somebody gossips about you or gives you trouble, he's also helping you cultivate. In general, whatever adversity arises, you should endure it gracefully; you should just flow with it. Regard all such adverse states as friends that aid your cultivation, and then these troubles will soon be gone. When you have no more troubles and afflictions, then you can bring forth wisdom. Once you have real wisdom, the demons will have no way to disturb your mind.

为什么会被魔的境界转呢？因为我们的智慧不圆满。智慧不圆满，遇事就迷惑，认识不清楚，我相、人相都生出来，众生相、寿者相也生出来，烦恼相也跟着跑出来；如果有智慧，就没有这些问题。

Why are we turned by demonic states? Because our wisdom isn't complete. Before our wisdom is complete, we are confused by anything that comes. We won't recognize situations clearly. The view of self, the view of others, the view of living beings, and the view of a lifespan will all come forth. And afflictions will follow as well. Yet, if we have wisdom, then none of these aspects will trouble us in the least.