It’s not a Race

不是在赛跑

There was once a lay disciple who cultivated in a previous life, so that is why he made a lot of progress this time round. He is always entering into samadhi and because he is in samadhi, he is unaware even when the silence is broken. He is unwilling to get up, nor is he able to do so. That is why all of you should not ask him to walk around during the walking period. In fact, any one of you who is able to continue sitting in meditation, with no pain in your waist or legs, can continue doing so and enter into samadhi. All these are positive signs.

有一位居士在过去生修行过，所以这次他的工夫进步不少，常常入定。因为人在定中，开静了也不知道；这时不愿意起身，也不能起身，所以你们不要叫他随众起来跑香。无论那一位你要能坐得住，可以不起身，只要你能坐得住，腿不痛腰不酸，能够入定，这都是好现象。

During the walking period, your eyes should contemplate your nose, your nose should contemplate your mouth, and your mouth should contemplate your mind. You should not be looking around in all directions. Once you look, you will lose track of your meditation topic and no longer be investigating Chan. You should know how to walk during the walking period. That means you should not walk too fast or too slow. You should be in accord with the Dharma and it should be very natural – it should not be the least bit forced or artificial. When walking, you should still be investigating, “Who is mindful of the Buddha?” and not think, “I am in a race, and I can run faster than you.” Otherwise, you could run to the ends of the earth and still not discover who is that “who” that you are investigating.

跑香的时候，也要眼观鼻，鼻观口，口观心；不可以东张西望，向前看看，向后看看。你这样一看，你的话头就跑了，你这个禅也参不进去了。「跑香」你要会跑，不是跑得快是跑香；也不是跑得慢是跑香，要很如法、很自在的，一点也不造作勉强。行的时候，还是参「念佛是谁」，不是参「我跑得快，我和你比赛，我比你跑得快」，那你就是跑到天涯海角也找不着这个谁。

You have to walk and run in an orderly fashion.Sometimes you run in threes – three in a row. You do not, however, start running right from the start. You should start by walking. It is only after fifteen or twenty minutes of walking that you start running. You should run a maximum of three rounds. Once you feel that your upper body is slightly warm and the blood and qi (energy) is circulating well throughout your whole body, the objective has been met and the fish can be hit to signal that it’s time to sit down. You should not run too long to the point that you are tired and out of breath. If that happens, you will not be able to work hard anymore.

你要依序跑，有的时候跑三行，三个人并排一起跑。一开始不要跑只是走，走十五分钟，或者二十分钟才开始跑。跑只跑一、两圈，最多三圈，只要觉得身上微热，周身气血都活起来了，就可以打「站板」。不要跑得时间太久，把人累得气喘吁吁，那又不能用功了。