Gold Mountain legs, Gaomin incense

金山腿高旻香

There is a saying in Chinese Buddhism, “Gold Mountain legs, Gaomin incense, and the chatter at Ocean Tide Monastery.” Gold Mountain legs—Jiangtian Monastery at Jinshan (Gold Mountain) will never allow you to flip or adjust your legs. If you do so, you will be hit with a board. You have to endure and keep still no matter how much it hurts. With time, your legs will not hurt anymore. That is why Chan practitioners from Gold Mountain sit with the best posture.

「金山的腿子高旻香，海潮寺的哩啦腔」，中国佛教有这么几句话。「金山的腿子」金山的江天寺不准翻腿，你要是把腿翻一翻，就要用香板打。你就再痛，都要咬着牙挺着，不可以翻腿，也不可以动；时间一久，腿就变得听话不痛了，所以金山的禅和子坐得最好。

Gaomin incense—The meditation periods at Gaomin Monastery are never off by a minute. When it is time for the sit to end, it will definitely end. When it is time for meditation to begin, it will definitely begin. They are not off by a second. Thus Gaomin Monastery keeps the time of the meditation periods very strictly. The chatter at Ocean Tide Monastery—In Shanghai, there is a monastery called Ocean Tide (Haichao) Monastery, where people chatter nonstop all day long and don’t follow the rules.

「高旻香」高旻寺坐香的时间一分钟也不错，到开静的时候一定开静；到止静的时候一定止静，一秒钟也不错，坐香的时间守得最严；「海潮寺的哩啦腔」上海有个海潮寺，一天到晚哩哩啦啦随随便便讲话、不守规矩。