5 祖师禅林20250510禅一问答
Questions and Answers from a One Day English Chan Retreat
播放问答录音 (音频时长：1小时6分钟)
5.1 分享与提问
1 Sharing and Questions
Opening — Teacher Jason:
开场 Jason 老师 ：
Welcome to Chan Grove. I believe you have had a good experience today. This may be the only retreat you have attended that includes so many different kinds of activities, and I would like to hear your feedback. In this session, we invite you to share your experiences or ask questions, which I can answer here. The time is yours.
欢迎大家来到祖师禅林。相信大家今天有很好的体验，这也许是你们参加过的唯一一场包含这么多不同活动的禅修。我想听听大家的反馈。这一环节邀请大家分享体验或提出问题，我会当场回答。现在把时间交给大家。
Let us begin with questions and answers. Does anyone have a question about the meditation methods or concepts we learned today? If anything is unclear, or you are unsure how to apply it, you can mention it now.
我们先进行问答。关于今天学到的禅修方法或观念，有没有不清楚、或不知道怎样运用的地方？现在可以提出来。
5.2 把禅修带入日常生活
2 Bringing Chan into Daily Life
Participant asks: How can I incorporate what we practiced today into my everyday life?
学员问：怎样把今天练习的内容融入日常生活？
Teacher Jason answers:
Jason老师答:
Today’s retreat included many different elements, all of which we encounter or use in daily life. We practiced relaxing the body and mind. Modern life brings considerable pressure, and the stimuli around us often unsettle the mind. We therefore need to learn to settle and relax the body and mind, remaining relaxed and stable whatever the situation, environment, or stimulation.
今天的禅修安排了丰富的元素，都是日常生活中经常遇到或用到的。我们让大家练习放松身心。现代生活有很大的压力，周遭的刺激也常使内心不安。因此，我们需要学会安定、放松身心，在任何处境、环境或刺激下，都能保持放松与安定。
In daily life, whether at work or at home, we need to focus on the task at hand and do it well. Learning to concentrate and remain in the present moment is therefore important. Staying at ease and keeping the body and mind relaxed while concentrating takes learning and practice.
在生活中，无论工作还是家庭事务，我们都需要专注地做好眼前的事。因此，学会专注、安住于当下非常重要。在专注当下的同时保持轻松、放松身心，则需要学习和锻炼。
For example, in the final painting session, we played gentle, soothing music while asking everyone to complete a painting. You listened to the music and relaxed the body and mind while concentrating on your work. Relaxation and concentration can happen together; you do not have to tense your mind, nerves, and muscles in order to concentrate. You can do the task at hand with concentration while relaxed, and remain relaxed while concentrating. Throughout the day, we practiced these two things: relaxing the body and mind and focusing on the present moment. Both are very helpful in daily life.
例如，最后的绘画环节播放了轻柔、舒适的音乐，同时请大家完成一幅画。大家一边听音乐、放松身心，一边专注地完成画作。放松与专注可以同时做到，并不是只有精神、神经和肌肉都紧绷，才能专注。身心放松时可以专注地做好当下的工作，专注时也可以保持放松。今天从早到晚，我们一直围绕这两点练习：放松身心、专注当下。这对日常生活很有帮助。
5.3 饮食禅与慢下来的体验
3 Eating Meditation and Slowing Down
Participant asks:
学员问：
Thank you for the whole day, especially the meditation during lunch, which made a deep impression on me. I love eating; it is one of the reasons I travel in Asia. At the same time, I have always had a difficult relationship with food, and I am sure many young women can relate. This practice helped me learn to eat mindfully, and I hope to apply it every day. The sensations of that first bite of pineapple almost brought me to tears. Eating is such an ordinary task, yet we can give it so much attention. I think that can apply to everything we do.
谢谢大家安排了这一整天的活动，尤其是午餐时的饮食禅，给我留下了很深的印象。我喜欢吃，这也是我到亚洲旅行的原因之一；但我与食物的关系一直很复杂，相信许多年轻女性也有类似感受。这个练习帮助我学习正念饮食，我希望每天都能运用。吃下第一口凤梨时，那种感受几乎让我落泪。吃饭是如此日常的事，我们却可以这样用心地投入；我想，这也能运用到所做的一切事情中。
Teacher Jason answers:
Jason老师答：
Eating is something each of us does every day and depends on throughout life. Today, we taught you to eat using the Chan method. One important point is to slow down. We usually eat too quickly, overlooking many details worth enjoying in the process and losing touch with the joys of living and the true meaning of life. Slowing down allows us to notice these things.
吃饭是每个人每天都要重复、一辈子都离不开的事。今天我们教大家用禅的方法吃饭，重要的一点就是慢下来。平常吃得太快，往往忽略了过程中许多值得享受的细节，生活的乐趣和生命的真实意义也随之流失。慢下来，才会觉察到这些。
When we slow down and notice the details around us, we can truly appreciate their meaning and beauty. Every stage of life has meaning, whether we regard it as good or bad, comfortable or uncomfortable; the question is whether we can see it. Having seen it, we can apply an important principle of Chan practice more deeply: non-discrimination. This allows us to remain at ease and be free from vexations.
放慢速度，觉察周遭的细节，才能真正感受到其中的意义与美好。人生的每个阶段，无论你认为好或不好、舒服或不舒服，都有其意义，就看我们能否看见。看见之后，再进一步运用禅修中一个重要的理念——不分别，便能处于自在的状态，摆脱烦恼。
5.4 不分别与觉照
4 Non Discrimination and Awareness
Participant asks:
学员问：
When should we use the method of non-discrimination, and when should we notice things in order to experience more enjoyment, pleasure, and gratitude?
什么时候应使用不分别的方法？什么时候应觉察事物，从中获得更多的享受、愉悦和感恩？
Teacher Jason answers:
Jason老师答：
You have raised a central point of Chan practice: non-discrimination. Our vexations arise from the discriminating mind, which originates in the self. The self can be called the root of all vexations. Ultimately, Chan practice addresses and dissolves this self so that we can attain ease, or liberation. As long as the self persists for a day, vexations follow for a day; if it persists for a lifetime, vexations follow for a lifetime.
你提到的是禅修非常重要的核心：不分别。人的烦恼起于分别心，而分别心源于「我」；「我」可以说是一切烦恼的根源。因此，禅修最终要对治、消融这个「我」，才能得到自在，也就是解脱。「我」存在一天，烦恼就跟随一天；存在一辈子，烦恼就跟随一辈子。
You may wonder, “If the one sitting here is not me, who is it? If this self stays with me for life, does that mean I can never be liberated?” Yes, this is the self, but Buddhism teaches that it does not exist permanently. It changes from moment to moment; it is impermanent, and we describe it as empty. Through learning and practicing Chan, we can directly realize that this self keeps changing and is not fixed. We call this impermanence, and also emptiness. Directly realizing the impermanent, empty nature of this self is realizing no-self.
你可能会疑惑：「坐在这里的不是我，那是谁？这个我跟随一辈子，难道我就永远不能解脱？」是的，这是「我」，但佛教告诉我们，这个我并非永恒存在，而是分分秒秒都在变化，是无常的，我们称为空相。学习、实践禅法，会让我们亲自体证：这个我不断变化，并不是固定不变的。我们称之为无常，也称为空。当我们体证到这个我无常、空的实相，就是无我。
After directly realizing this, we no longer cling to the self. Without clinging, there is no discrimination: this is liberation and freedom from vexations. These Buddhist teachings may seem profound and difficult for beginners to understand at first. But by continuing to practice the method, we gradually understand this reality, experience no-self, let go of attachment, and attain ease.
体证之后，我们就不再执着于我；不执着，便不再分别，也就得到解脱，不再有烦恼。对初学者来说，这些佛教义理比较深，可能暂时听不懂。但只要持续用方法练习，就会逐渐了解这个事实，体会无我，不再执着，从而得到自在。
Awareness is a key to practice. Almost every method cultivates this ability. With awareness, we can clearly perceive the phenomena before us: tangible things such as flowers, plants, and trees, as well as intangible mental activity, consciousness, and emotions. To be aware without being affected by these phenomena, in a state of non-discrimination and non-attachment, is wisdom.
觉照、觉察，也就是 awareness，是修行的关键。几乎所有法门都在培养这种能力。有了觉照，就能洞察眼前的现象：既包括有形的花草树木，也包括无形的精神、意识和情绪。能觉察而不受这些现象影响，处于不分别、不执着的状态，这就是智慧。
When wisdom arises, we can clearly discern what to do and what not to do. You asked when to be aware and when not to be. We do not need to establish a set of standards in advance. Through Chan practice, this ability arises naturally, just as we eat when hungry and want to sleep when tired. My explanation may still leave you only partly understanding, because you have not yet had a deep experience of Chan practice.
智慧生起后，我们会清楚地辨别什么该做、什么不该做。你刚才问什么时候该觉察、什么时候不必觉察，这不需要预先订出一套判断标准。通过禅法的实践，这种能力会自然产生，就像饿了吃饭、累了想睡觉一样自然。我这样解释，你可能仍似懂非懂，因为还没有很深的禅修体验。
If you would like to experience and understand what I have been describing, you are welcome to join the intensive seven-day Chan retreat beginning on October 19 this year. A Dharma heir of Master Sheng Yen from the United States will come here to lead it. I believe this is a very good opportunity to learn and realize the teachings through practice.
如果想亲自体验、理解我刚才讲的内容，欢迎参加今年10月19日开始的精进禅七。一位来自美国、圣严师父的传法弟子会来这里带领七天的禅修。我认为，这是很好的学习与体证机会。
This invitation is not only for you but for everyone here. I invite you all to return for the intensive seven-day Chan retreat on October 19. I believe it will help you better understand what I have been talking about.
这个邀请不仅是对你，也是对在座的每一位。欢迎大家10月19日再来参加精进禅七，相信你们会更理解我刚才讲的内容。
5.5 坐禅时睁眼与闭眼
5 Open and Closed Eyes in Sitting Meditation
Participant asks:
学员问：
During each sitting meditation session today, we were asked to close our eyes completely. In meditation classes I previously attended at Dharma Drum Mountain, the teachers recommended keeping the eyes slightly open to avoid dozing off or losing concentration. Are there differences in the conditions or meanings of these two approaches?
今天每次坐禅都请我们完全闭上眼睛，但我以前在法鼓山上禅修课时，法师建议眼睛微张，以免昏沉或失去专注。这两种方式适用的前提或意义有什么不同？
Teacher Jason answers:
Jason老师答：
Either closing or opening the eyes is possible. With the eyes closed, it is easier to become drowsy and lose awareness. Keeping them open can be more tiring and harder to sustain, so you may find it difficult to gain traction with the method or connect with it. That is the main difference.
闭眼或睁眼都可以。闭眼较容易昏沉，失去觉照力；睁眼则比较累，可能难以长时间持续，用起方法来不容易得力、相应。差别主要在这里。
I recommend that beginners keep their eyes about twenty to thirty percent open and develop this habit from the start. In the long run, it benefits practice: you are less likely to become drowsy or scattered, and can continue using the method effectively.
我建议初学者把眼睛睁开两三成，从一开始就养成这样的习惯，长期来说更有利于修行。这样不容易昏沉、散乱，可以持续用方法，得到助益。
5.6 禅宗修行不拘形式
6 Chan Practice Is Not Bound by Form
Participant asks:
学员问：
Are there any books or sutras you would recommend for reading and studying Chan at home? Which ones should we focus on?
如果想在家阅读、自学禅，有没有推荐的书籍或经典？应该重点读哪些？
Teacher Jason answers:
Jason老师答：
Our Chan practice is called the formless method, or the Dharma-gate of the mind ground.
禅宗的修行称为无相法门，也称为心地法门。
Chan practice is not confined to forms. Reciting sutras, chanting mantras, and making prostrations are all forms. Chan does not emphasize these forms; it emphasizes how the mind applies the method, accords with the reality of all these phenomena, and responds to them directly.
禅宗修行不拘形式。诵经、持咒，甚至礼拜，都是形式。禅宗不着重这些形式，而着重心如何用上方法，如何相应这一切真实的现象，用心直接去应对。
This does not mean rejecting forms, but not becoming attached to them. For beginners, these forms can help settle the body and mind and cultivate samadhi, or meditative concentration. With this foundation, applying the Chan method can develop stronger awareness. Thus, reciting sutras, chanting mantras, or practicing in other forms can help cultivate samadhi, which in turn supports the development of awareness.
这并不是否定形式，而是不要执着于形式。对初学者来说，这些形式反而有助于安定身心、培养禅定。有了禅定的基础，再运用禅法，就更能培养强大的觉照能力。因此，诵经、持咒或其他形式的用功，可以帮助我们培养禅定，并以此为基础培养觉照。
Let me add something: cultivating samadhi is important for beginners. When I sit in meditation, I readily enter a state of samadhi. Sitting meditation can be a starting point. For sutra recitation, I recommend the Heart Sutra, which is simple and short. If you have more time, you can recite the Diamond Sutra. For mantra recitation, I recommend the one and only mantra in our Chan tradition: Maha Prajna Paramita.
补充一点：对初学者来说，培养禅定很重要。我打坐时容易进入禅定，打坐可以作为一个开始。诵经的话，我建议诵《心经》，简单而且短；如果时间比较多，可以诵《金刚经》。持咒的话，我建议持我们禅宗唯一的一个咒语：摩诃般若波罗蜜。
This mantra refers to boundless wisdom—the wisdom of the Buddha—which can take us from this shore of vexations to the other shore of liberation. This is the mantra that our Chan tradition’s Sixth Patriarch, Master Huineng, advocated reciting in the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch: Maha Prajna Paramita.
这个咒语指无边广大的智慧，也就是佛的智慧，能带领我们离开烦恼的此岸，到达解脱的彼岸。禅宗六祖慧能大师在《六祖坛经》中提倡持诵的，就是这个咒语：Maha Prajna Paramita。
5.7 艺术禅显露佛性
7 Art Chan Reveals Buddha-Nature
Participant asks:
学员问：
Thank you to all the teachers today. Although I have practiced meditation for some time, this experience was still astonishing, and I learned a great deal. When we were asked to paint, my immediate thoughts were, “I cannot do this. This is terrible. I am terrible at art.” I think I have approached it this way since I was ten. I used to love art as a child, but that feeling went away. After I finished and looked at the painting, my immediate question was, “Who made this?” Not because I thought it was good, but because I wondered where it came from. The experience was powerful. My question is: why is there so much pain and difficulty in the process? (I mean when I am asked to do something like this, as we were today.)
感谢今天所有的老师，虽然我已经禅修了一段时间，这次体验仍让我很惊叹，也学到了很多。绘画时，我立刻想到：「我做不到，这太糟了，我很不擅长艺术。」我想从十岁起，我就一直这样看待自己。小时候曾经喜欢艺术，后来那份喜欢却消失了。画完之后，看着作品，我马上想到：「这是谁画的？」并不是觉得画得好，而是在问它从何而来。这个体验很有力量。但我想问，为什么这个过程中会有那么多痛苦和困难？（我指的是被要求像今天这样做创作的时候。）
Teacher Jason answers:
Jason老师答：
When Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, the first thing he told us was that each of us has the same buddha-nature as he does. Buddha-nature includes everything: great wisdom, great compassion, and infinite creativity.
释迦牟尼佛在菩提树下证悟成佛时，首先告诉我们：每个人都和他一样具有佛性。佛性包括一切，具有大智慧、大慈悲，也蕴含无限的创造力。
When you use the Chan method in creating art, you may find that you can go beyond the self you thought you were. Looking at your work, you may be surprised: “Did I make this? Am I capable of this?” Yes. We do not know ourselves or recognize the limitless potential we have yet to develop. In the context of Chan, we can go beyond our ordinary self and express the functioning of buddha-nature, which is no different from the Buddha’s.
运用禅的方法创作艺术时，你会发现，自己似乎能够超越原先以为的那个「我」。看着作品，你可能会惊讶：「这是我做的吗？我能做到这样吗？」没错。我们不认识自己，不知道自己还有无限的潜能未被开发。在禅的情境中，我们可以超越平常的我，流露出与佛无二无别的佛性功能。
Why do we study and practice the Buddhadharma? Because we know so little about this “self” and do not understand our potential or innate capacities. Through studying and practicing the Buddhadharma, we can develop boundless innate capacities that go far beyond this “self” and are no different from those of the Buddha.
我们为什么学习佛法、修行？因为我们对这个【我】所知太少，对自身的潜能和本具的能力并不了解。通过学习佛法、实践修行，可以开发出远远超越这个【我】、广大无边、与佛无二无别的本具能力。
5.8 学员的练习体验
8 Participants Share Their Experiences
Participants share their experiences:
学员体验分享：
I found today’s somatic exercises, including movement and breathing practices, very helpful. They helped me focus and connect with everything happening inside me. Including elements of qigong or tai chi can also be very helpful in any meditation practice. That was the main benefit of my experience today.
我觉得今天的身体练习很有帮助，包括动作和呼吸练习。它们帮助我专注，也让我更能接触、觉察内在发生的一切。在各种禅修练习中加入气功或太极的元素，也很有帮助。这是我今天主要的收获。
I would also like to thank all the teachers and everyone involved in organizing the event. I especially liked its experimental aspects, such as listening to music and painting. These were new experiences for me.
我也想感谢所有老师，以及为活动所做的筹备工作。我特别喜欢其中带有实验性质的部分，例如听音乐和绘画。这些对我来说都是新的体验。
Thank you to all the teachers. This was my first experience of meditation through art, and it was very special. Beyond my usual practice of going to a temple to meditate, I learned to bring greater awareness and apply the method in everyday activities such as eating and walking. My greatest benefit today was not merely hearing that meditation should be brought into daily life, but actually trying and experiencing it through eating, walking, and art.
谢谢所有老师。这是我第一次通过艺术来禅修，很特别。除了平常到寺院打坐，我也学会在吃饭、走路等日常活动中更有觉察地运用方法。今天最大的收获，是不再只是听说要把禅修带入生活，而是真正通过饮食、行走和艺术等练习，亲自尝试、体验这种运用。
5.9 为英文学员量身设计的祖师禅
9 Patriarchal Chan Designed for English-Speaking Participants
Participant asks:
学员问：
Thank you to all the teachers and organizers who contributed to this event and shared their expertise and practice. I can see how much care went into organizing a full day. Jason, I especially appreciate what you shared today. I have not encountered it in other places or in conversations with others, and I would love to learn more. I was also impressed by the organization, format, and choices made for this audience. Was the art component designed specifically for us? Have you offered it before, or led it in Mandarin? Overall, I greatly appreciated the practice.
感谢所有参与筹备、分享专长与修行经验的老师和工作人员。我能感受到安排整天活动所付出的用心。Jason老师，我很喜欢你今天分享的内容；这些是我在其他地方、与其他人交流时没有接触到的，也希望以后学习更多。我对活动的组织、形式和面向学员的设计都印象很深。艺术的形式是特别为我们这群学员设计的吗？以前做过这样的活动，或用中文带领过吗？总的来说，我很珍惜今天的练习。
Teacher Jason answers:
Jason老师答：
Everything today was designed especially for you. You are our guinea pigs—this is our first English-language Chan retreat.
今天的一切都是特别为你们设计的。你们是我们的白老鼠——这是我们第一次举办英文禅修活动。
5.10 祖师禅林的愿景
10 The Vision for Chan Grove
Teacher Jason shares:
Jason老师分享：
Thank you all for taking part today and helping us complete our first English-language Chan retreat. We plan to develop Chan Grove into an English-language Chan center for northern Taiwan, and even for Taiwan as a whole. In the longer term, perhaps after many years, we hope it will become an international Chan center in Taiwan. Your participation is an important first step in building our experience. You are also contributors to that future center, and I am grateful to you.
非常感谢大家今天参与，让我们完成了第一次英文禅修。我们计划把祖师禅林建设成北台，甚至全台湾的英文禅修中心。长远来说，也许需要好多年，我们希望这里成为台湾的国际禅修中心。你们的参与，是我们积累经验的重要开始；你们也是未来国际中心的贡献者，我很感激大家。
Today’s program was a first attempt. We will continue improving it, incorporating the spirit of Chan in response to the psychological and practical needs of people today. There is still a long way to go, and we will keep working at it.
今天的安排都是第一次尝试。我们会不断完善，因应现代人的心理和现实需求，把禅法的精神融入其中。这还有很长的路，需要持续努力。
Participant shares:
学员分享：
I would also like to give you (the interpreter) special thanks for interpreting the entire event. I am Taiwanese American, but I have not put much effort into my Mandarin, so there is a great deal I do not understand. I can attend meditation classes in Chinese, but I cannot understand the teacher’s words at the deepest level, and that is the knowledge I am seeking. I am very grateful that you can make it accessible to this audience.
我也想特别感谢你（指译员）为整场活动翻译。我是台裔美国人，但没有在中文上多下功夫，因此很多内容听不懂。我可以参加中文禅修课，却无法深入理解师父所讲的内容，而那正是我想求得的知识。非常感谢你能把这些内容传达给我们。
Teacher Jason shares:
Jason老师分享：
Today’s full day of practice expresses the spirit of Patriarchal Chan, the core method of our Chan tradition. Patriarchal Chan is lively and closely connected with everyday life, making it well suited to people today. We hope to help it flourish here so that more people can put it to use and benefit from it.
今天一整天的禅修体验，体现的正是禅宗核心法门——祖师禅的精神。祖师禅活泼、生活化，很适合现代人学习。我们希望在这里把祖师禅发扬光大，让更多现代人能够受用、受益。
If you had a good experience today, please tell your friends about this place. Whether they are foreign visitors, friends overseas, or local residents, anyone who prefers learning in English is welcome to come and experience the practice.
如果今天有不错的体验，欢迎向身边的朋友介绍这里。无论是外国朋友、海外朋友还是本地朋友，只要习惯用英语学习，都欢迎推荐他们来学习、体验。
5.11 活动信息与坐禅体验的建议
11 Feedback on Program Information and Sitting
Participant asks:
学员问：
I was also interested in the photography session two weeks ago. For both that session and today’s event, I knew there would be an art component, but the descriptions (on the posters) did not include many details. I was willing to come and be surprised, but I wondered whether you deliberately chose not to share much in advance, or whether you could describe more of the experiences involving art or photography.
我也对两周前的摄影活动感兴趣。无论那次摄影活动还是今天的活动，我都知道会与艺术有关，但活动介绍（海报）中没有太多细节。我愿意接受先来参加、再获得惊喜的安排，不过想问：不提前分享太多内容，是刻意的吗？还是可以先介绍一些与艺术或摄影有关的体验内容？
Teacher Jason answers:
Jason老师答：
That is a very good suggestion; thank you for reminding us. If we describe the rich range of activities in our future publicity, we may attract more participants and give more people an opportunity to learn about Chan.
这是很好的建议，谢谢你的提醒。以后宣传时，如果把活动中丰富的元素介绍出来，或许能吸引更多人参加，让更多人有机会认识禅法。
Participant suggests:
学员建议：
I was delighted by the variety of sessions today, but sitting meditation was the most difficult part for me. I know it will take time to improve. Perhaps some time could be set aside during the day to ask how people are feeling about meditation and where they are struggling, and to help them work through any difficult feelings that arise.
我很喜欢今天多样的活动，不过对我来说，最困难的是打坐。我知道需要时间才能有所进步，但也许可以在活动中留一点时间，了解大家打坐时的感受、遇到的困难，帮助大家梳理可能出现的不适或困扰。
Teacher Jason answers:
Jason老师答：
Chan practice is not the same as sitting meditation. Sitting is one form that helps cultivate samadhi. Our emphasis is not on attaining great mastery of sitting; the true spirit of Chan is lively and rooted in everyday life. Of course, if you enjoy sitting and want to deepen that practice, you are welcome to join the October retreat and sit for seven days.
禅宗修行不等于打坐。打坐只是有助于禅定的一种形式，我们并不以练出很深的打坐功夫为重点；活泼、生活化，才是真正的禅宗精神。当然，如果喜欢打坐，希望深入练习坐禅，欢迎10月来参加禅七，可以坐上七天。
5.12 禅与真相
12 Chan and True Reality
Participant asks:
学员问：
“What is Chan? What is meditation?”
「什么是禅？什么是 meditation？」
Teacher Jason answers:
Jason老师答：
Westerners may be more familiar with the word Zen, which refers to the same thing as Chan. It became more familiar because Japan brought it to the West as early as the 1920s and 1930s. Zen is the Japanese pronunciation of the character for Chan. Japanese Zen originated in China and was transmitted to Japan gradually, around the years 1000 to 1200. Its source is Chinese Chan.
西方朋友可能比较熟悉 Zen 这个词，它和禅是一样的。之所以比较熟悉，是因为日本早在上世纪二三十年代就把禅传播到了西方；「禅」字在日语中读作 Zen。日本的禅源自中国，大约在1000年至1200年间陆续传入。它的源头是中国的禅。
Chan refers to everything in this world: all phenomena are Chan, and each individual phenomenon encompasses everything. Through a method, we come to understand Chan—that is, this world and this universe. We generally call this method meditation. Through meditation, we can see the true reality of all these things.
禅指的是这个世界的一切：万事万物都是禅，每一个现象又涵盖一切。我们通过方法来认识禅，也就是认识这个世界、这个宇宙。这个方法一般称为 meditation。通过 meditation，我们可以见到这一切的真相。
What we now know through our senses is not true reality. Through meditation, we can directly experience that things are not as we perceive them. You may ask, “If this is not true reality, is it an illusory appearance?” Yes, it is an illusory appearance, yet this illusory appearance is true reality. Why? Because there is a self, we cannot see true reality; what we see are illusory appearances. The appearance this self sees is actually true reality, but it has been interpreted by my consciousness.
我们现在通过感官认识的一切，并不是真相。通过 meditation，可以亲自体验到：原来这一切并不是我们所觉知的那样。你可能会问：「既然不是真相，难道是假象？」是的，是假象，可是假象就是真相。为什么？因为有一个「我」，所以见不到真相，看到的都是假象。这个我所见的假象，其实是真相，只是被我的意识解读了。
What, then, is true reality, and what is illusory appearance? Why does the self function in this way? These are questions for us to explore together. You are welcome to return to Chan Grove to investigate reality, appearances, and what the world actually is. Thank you for taking this first step in exploring reality together. We will be here in the future. Chan Grove has no gate, so there is no question of its being open or closed. There is no gate at all: the gateless gate. This is Chan. You are welcome to continue exploring it with us.
究竟什么是真相，什么是假象？为什么这个我会产生这样的作用？这些有待大家一起探究。欢迎各位再回祖师禅林，探究真相、假象，以及世界究竟是什么。谢谢大家共同完成探索真相的第一步。以后我们都会在这里。祖师禅林没有大门，也就没有所谓的敞开或关闭——根本没有门，无门之门，这就是禅。欢迎大家继续来探究。
5.13 规范术语与权威出处
Terminology and Authoritative Sources
The Dharma-gate of the mind ground 心地法门
心地法门 is rendered as “the Dharma-gate of the mind ground.” Dan Stevenson uses this expression in “The Legacy of the Platform Sutra,” Chan Magazine, Spring 2020, printed page 31. It is an attested usage in a Dharma Drum Mountain publication, not evidence of a uniquely prescribed Buddhist translation or a term personally standardized by Master Sheng Yen. The sources consulted do not establish “mind method” as the fixed official translation of the complete Chinese expression.
心地法门统一译为 the Dharma-gate of the mind ground。Dan Stevenson 在法鼓山《Chan Magazine》2020年春号〈The Legacy of the Platform Sutra〉印刷页码第31页使用了这一表达。这是刊物中有据可查的用例，不代表圣严法师亲定或全佛教唯一标准；所查来源也未确立 mind method 为“心地法门”完整词组的固定官方译名。
Formlessness and no-form 无相
For 无相 as a noun, use “formlessness”; “no-form” is an equivalent expression used in Master Sheng Yen’s published teachings. “Formless” is the adjective. “Four Kinds of Prostration” explicitly uses “formlessness (no-form).” His teaching “The Mind Dharma of the Sixth Patriarch,” in Chan Magazine, Spring 2020, printed page 7, also pairs “no-form” with “formlessness.”
无相单独作名词时用 formlessness；no-form 是圣严法师使用的同义表达，formless 则是形容词。圣严法师〈Four Kinds of Prostration〉明确写作 formlessness (no-form)；《Chan Magazine》2020年春号印刷页码第7页〈The Mind Dharma of the Sixth Patriarch〉也并用 no-form 与 formlessness。
The formless method 无相法门
For 无相法门, retain “the formless method,” the English expression Teacher Jason supplied during the retreat. It names the method, whereas “formlessness” names 无相. The expressions are therefore not interchangeable in every sentence. In exchanges about how to translate a term, preserve the English answer as English.
无相法门保留 Jason 老师现场给出的英文 the formless method，表示法门或方法；formlessness 对应的是“无相”。两者不能在所有语句中互换。讨论词语如何翻译时，老师给出的英文答案仍保留英文。
Sources 权威出处
- Chan Master Sheng Yen, “Four Kinds of Prostration,” retreat evening talk, 4 December 1992. Dharma Drum Mountain.
圣严法师，〈Four Kinds of Prostration〉，1992年12月4日晚间开示，法鼓山网站。
2. Chan Master Sheng Yen, “The Mind Dharma of the Sixth Patriarch,” Chan Magazine, Spring 2020, printed page 7 (PDF page 5).
圣严法师，〈The Mind Dharma of the Sixth Patriarch〉，《Chan Magazine》2020年春号，印刷页码第7页（PDF第5页）。
3. Dan Stevenson, “The Legacy of the Platform Sutra,” Chan Magazine, Spring 2020, printed page 31 (PDF page 17).
Dan Stevenson，〈The Legacy of the Platform Sutra〉，《Chan Magazine》2020年春号，印刷页码第31页（PDF第17页）。
Terminology is standardized only in the edited text and new translations. The original record and the English answers given on site remain unchanged.
术语统一仅用于整理稿及新译文，不改写现场记录；现场给出的英文答案保持原样。