The Sūtra on Sitting in Dhyāna and Meditative Concentration (Samādhi) (II)

人心期富贵    五欲情未满

诸大国王辈    无得免此患

仙人持咒箭    亦不免死生

无常大象蹈    蚁蛭与地同

且置一切人    诸佛正真觉

越度生死流    亦复不常在

以是故当知    汝所可爱乐

悉应早舍离    一心求涅槃

Explanation: Human hearts all hope to obtain great wealth and honor, yet the craving for the five desires never knows satisfaction. Among all the great kings, not a single one can escape this peril of birth and death. Those long-lived immortals in the mountains, wielding swords blessed with mantras as they cultivate the path, still cannot escape the matter of birth and death. Once the great elephant of impermanence steps down with one foot, all sentient beings are flattened to the ground like ants. As for ordinary people, let alone them—even the Buddhas, who have already attained supreme perfect enlightenment and have transcended the stream of birth and death, likewise do not remain permanently in the world. Therefore you should know that all the people, things, and affairs you find lovable and delightful should be relinquished early on, and you should single-mindedly seek the bliss of nirvāṇa.

后舍身死时    谁当证知我

复得遇法宝    及以不遇者

久久佛日出    破大无明暝

以放诸光明    示人道非道

我从何所来    从何处而生

何处得解脱    此疑谁当明

佛圣一切智    久违乃出世

一心莫放逸    能破汝疑结

彼不乐实利    好着弊恶心

汝为众生长    当求实法相

谁能知死时    所趣从何道

譬如风中灯    不知灭时节

Explanation: At the time when one finally relinquishes the body and dies, who can verify whether I encountered the treasure of the Buddha's Dharma or not? Only after long eons does a Buddha appear in the world, shattering the immense darkness of ignorance, radiating for sentient beings the great luminous treasure of wisdom, and showing them what is the right path and what is not. Sentient beings then give rise to doubts in their minds: Where do I come from? From what place was I born? Where can I attain liberation? Who can resolve these doubts for me? The Buddha is the great sage of the world, the omniscient one, appearing in the world only after long eons. If you single-mindedly contemplate and reflect without distraction, you can break open the knots of your doubts.

In your past lives you did not delight in true benefit; your mental conduct was petty and corrupt. You are now elders among sentient beings, and you should pursue the Dharma of true reality. Who can know, at the time of their death, which realm they will take rebirth in? It is like a solitary lamp in the wind, which knows not when it will be extinguished.

至道法不难    大圣指事说

说智及智处    此二不假外

汝若不放逸    一心常行道

不久得涅槃    第一常乐处

利智亲善人    尽心敬佛法

厌秽不净身    离苦得解脱

闲静修寂志    结跏坐林间

捡心不放逸    悟意觉诸缘

若不厌有中    安睡不自悟

不念世非常    可畏而不惧

烦恼深无底    生死海无边

度苦舡未办    安得乐睡眠

是以当觉悟    莫以睡覆心

Explanation: The Dharma that leads to the great path of bodhi is not difficult; the great sage, the Buddha, has already laid out these routes and told the assembly that both the attainment of wisdom and the place where wisdom operates are not to be sought outside the mind. If you cultivate with single-minded diligence and never slacken, constantly practicing the Buddha's path with an undivided mind, before long you will attain great nirvāṇa and reach the foremost place of everlasting bliss.

Those of keen faculties and wisdom should draw near to good spiritual teachers, wholeheartedly and reverently respect the Buddha's Dharma, and grow weary of the filthy, impure physical body; only then can they depart from suffering and attain liberation. Cultivate leisurely and quietly, with simple and clear aspirations, frequently sitting in full lotus posture in the forest, gathering in your own mind without slackening, comprehending the meaning of what I have said, and awakening to the illusory nature of all conditions and circumstances. If the mind cannot grow weary of existence in the three realms, one will sleep soundly and complacently, unable to awaken by oneself. If one does not keep in mind the impermanence of the world, one will not know to fear this fearsome world. Afflictions are deep without bottom, and the ocean of birth and death is boundless. The Dharma vessel for crossing the sea of suffering has not yet been completed—how can one contentedly indulge in sleep? Therefore you should awaken, and no longer cover your mind intent on the path with sleep.