Shen Luan [1]
Learning the Tao is like drilling fire. Even if you quit smoking,
Don't wait for Venus to appear and burn your feet and head.
Quotations of Ancient Zunsu 14, p. 292
New singing method in vernacular Chinese
It's like drilling wood for fire.
As soon as the smoke comes out
We must stop it at once.
Never wait for sparks to appear.
Burn your head and feet, burn you to pieces
Practice this.
The strength should be just right
It doesn't matter if you are not relaxed.
In order to walk steadily.
Analysis and appreciation
There was once a poem by Long Yaju, a Buddhist monk, saying, "Learning the Tao is like drilling a sea of fire. You can't rest until you reach Venus, and you will eventually return home." It means keep practicing until the end, don't give up halfway. According to this poem, Shen Ding Hongluan put forward another point of view.
Although the goal of practice is enlightenment, we should keep a calm mind in the process of practice, and we should not slack off or rush into it. Just like frying fish, the heat should be just right. If the fire is small, it will not be cooked. If the fire is big, it will turn into black charcoal fish, and it will be over!
There is a passage in Chapter 42 of the Buddhist Book, which talks about whether to practice slowly or urgently. That is the famous "string metaphor", which is an important teaching of the Buddha.
Shaman chanted "Kaye Buddha's Legacy" at night, and his voice was sad and he regretted it. The Buddha asked, "What do you do at home?"
Right: "Love playing the piano."
Buddha said, "How about slow strings?"
Yes: "Stop singing!"
"Why is the string in a hurry?"
Right: "Slow down!"
"How urgent is it?"
Right: "All sounds are universal!"
The Buddha said, "The same is true of Samanas learning Taoism. If the mind is adjusted, the Tao can be obtained. If you are violent in the Tao, violence means physical exhaustion. If he is tired, it means that he is annoyed. If you are bored, you will retreat. If he flinches, his crimes will increase. But pure and happy, the road is not lost. "
It can be seen that the Buddha's mentality of encouraging practitioners is not loose or tight, so as to keep the Tao-this truth is simple, but few people can do it.
[1] Shen Luan: Six ancestors and the next ten generations studied the law of inheritance in Shoushan Province and published the Quotations of the First Generation Zen Master in Shen Dingshan in the world.