Understanding the Road of Birth and Death

明白生死的路

Why isn’t it called “sitting” for a Chan session? It is not called cultivating a Chan session, or conducting a Chan session but rather the expression is “striking” or “beating” a Chan session. The word “beating” actually means being beaten up. This means it is very painful. Your back aches and your legs are in pain. Even if you do not get hit by the incense stick, you feel pain. If it is so painful, why does one want to do a Chan session? Why does one not go find something more pleasurable to do? Why go through this suffering? Seeking pleasure is worldly dharma, while enduring suffering is transcendental dharma. If you want to transcend this world, you must first go through the training. This training is to bear the unbearable, and to endure hardship. This is different from the ordinary person. If you chase after worldly dharmas the more you indulge in worldly pleasures, the more you will decline and fall. On the other hand, if you aspire to world-transcending dharmas, the more hardship you endure, the more you unveil the original light of wisdom. Therefore, we must do the Chan session. Externally you have to endure the physical pain of being hit by the incense stick, and internally you have to bear the psychological suffering. You have to bear the pain in your legs no matter how painful it gets. Being attacked from within and without, to the point that there is no place to escape, you will then become enlightened. When you get enlightened, you will know how you are born and how you die. Once you understand the path of birth and death, you will be liberated from birth and death.

为什么不叫「坐禅七」，也不叫「修禅七」，也不叫「行禅七」，却叫「打禅七」？这个「打」字，就有挨打的意思，是很痛苦的；腰也痛，腿也痛，不挨香板打，也觉得很痛苦。既然痛苦，为什么又要打禅七？为什么不找一点快乐？为什么要受这个痛苦？因为你找快乐，是世间法；你能受这个苦，是出世法。你想要出世，就先要经过一番锻炼；锻炼，就是不能忍的要忍，不能受的要受，这和一般人不同。你追求世间法，愈享受，就愈会堕落；你追求出世间法，愈受苦，就愈能恢复你本有的智慧光明，所以我们要打禅七。打禅七，外边要被香板打，里边要受精神的痛苦，就是你不能忍腿痛，也要忍着；这么样子内外夹攻，打得你没有地方跑，那时候就开悟了。开悟，就是明白你怎么样生、怎么样死；把生死的道路明白了，然后就会了生脱死。