The Long Duration of the Resting Incense

养息香时间长

The incense that is lit after 5:00 p.m. is known as the Resting Incense. Some last one hour, some last two. This is because we do not sleep until twelve midnight. Within these two hours, we can afford to relax a bit. It is okay to sleep as long as you do not snore too loudly. Sincere and hardworkingcultivators will not feel sleepy and will continue sitting in meditation. It is because of the long duration of this period that many people become enlightened then. You should practice sitting in meditation a little longer,and not say, “My legs hurt and I cannot sit anymore; I shall wait for the bell to end the sit.” You should not think this way, as with such thoughts, it is very difficult to become enlightened.

There are a lot of rules inside the Chan Hall and I can hardly speak of them all. Originally, I should have introduced some of them right from the start. However, I thought all of you were experienced cultivators who knew these rules after so many years of cultivation, but there are still some who do not understand. That is why I mentioned these little rules. It is because if you are unaware of these little rules, you can hardly realize a great awakening!

在下午五点钟以后这支香，叫养息香，有的一时三刻，也有两小时。因为要到晚间十二点钟才睡觉，在这两个钟头里可以随便一点，可以睡觉，不过鼾声不要太大声。但是用功的人不会想睡觉，也一样坐禅；因为它时间长，有很多人在这时候开悟了。你要练习坐的时间久一点，不是说：「我腿痛受不了。」就不坐了，等着开静，等着引磬响，不要这样子，你尽打这种妄想，那就不容易开悟。禅堂的规矩是很多，说起来说不完，本来我在开始的时候应该讲一讲，但是我以为大家都是老参，参过好几年该都懂了，但是还有的不懂，所以就讲一讲这个小规矩，就因为小规矩你不懂，这个大悟也就不能成就了。