唐代禪宗有一個法脈--牛頭宗，這個法脈源自四祖道信，當中有一位鶴林禪師。有一次，有一位學僧來扣門找鶴林禪師，鶴林禪師問：「是什麼人？」學僧答： 「僧人。」鶴林禪師回答說：「莫說是僧人來，就算是佛來亦不著。」學僧問：「為什麼不著？」禪師答：「無汝棲泊處（沒有地方讓他留下來）。」這位僧人聽到 後即時開悟。這公案對我們有什麼啟發呢？
很多時候，我們都喜歡依賴和執著某些人、物、事情、環境。執著外在的事物非但不能幫助我們；反而 會增加我們的貪瞋痴，誤導我們生活的方向，如狗追逐骨頭一般，不斷向外追逐。而禪修就是訓練我們的內心要獨立，不攀緣任何人和事。禪院的工作就是幫助到來 修行的朋友，拿走心中所執著、渴求的東西，證入自性，活出正確的人生。
有人問我為何整天工作也不會倦，其實我也會倦，只是倦時，我便去休 息睡覺，有足夠的休息便可繼續工作。但有很多人雖然很疲倦，但晚上卻睡不著，為什麼？因為他們打開了心門，讓外間事物停留下來佔據了內心，自然睡不著，內 心也不會安寧。我們並不是不去處理善惡、好壞和世間種種事情；而是處理好事情後，便不要再執著。
這世界經常會有很多「不速之客」會來扣我 們的心門：壓力、憤怒、失望、愛恨、得失、慾望、自卑、驕傲等等情緒，如果我們不去開門招呼它們，它們就沒有機會賴在你家裡影響你的日常運作。假使不小心 開門招呼了它進來，也要即時下「逐客令」。如何做到這一點呢？對於這些客人只是保持「不識」的心，把精神都投放在當下所做的每一件事上，不去執著，不為自 己。如果你能不著煩惱就有定，不著自己的看法就有正念。如果你不著外面的樓價，就會有清明心去投資。如果你不著家庭不和，就會懂得用另一種態度去把它轉化 成溫暖的家。
2011(辛卯年)是兔年，願大家都能夠如兔子般活力充沛、活活潑潑的充滿希望，讓我們一起努力令所有的希望都能夠實現，亦 不會像龜兔賽跑故事般，因起一念驕傲心而落敗。大家要好好照顧自己的心，不要讓好壞是非和負面的事物霸佔你的心靈；就如鶴林禪師所說的「無汝棲泊處」：僧 人來不開門讓他留下，連佛來也不開門讓他留下。這樣便可證入六祖所說：「不思善，不思惡，是仁者本來面目」，見自本性，繼而普渡眾生，離苦得解脫。
In Tang Dynasty, there was a lineage of Zen Buddhism called the “Ox Head” School, which came from the 4th Patriarch Dao Xin. In this lineage there was a Hak Lin Zen Master. One day, a monk knocked on the door and looked for Hak Lin Zen Master. Zen Master asked, “Who is this?” The monk answered, “Monk.” Zen Master replied, “Not to say it’s a monk, even Buddha came I don’t entertain.” The monk asked, “Why not?” Zen Master replied, “There is no place for you to stay.” After hearing this, the monk got enlightened right away. What insight we get from this kong-an?
Very often, we like to depend on and attach to certain people, possessions, events and situations. Being attached to things outside us not only cannot help us, it will make our greed, anger and ignorance grow, mislead our direction in life. It is like a dog chasing a bone, always chasing something outside. Meditation is to train our inner self to be independent, not to rely on anyone or situation. The job of Zen Center is to help people who come to practice, take away our attachments and desires inside, attain our true self, and to live a correct life.
Someone asked me why I never feel tired even my work is so busy. Actually I do feel tired. And when I am tired, I go to sleep and take a rest. Once I have enough rest I can continue to work. But many people even though they are very tired, they cannot sleep at night. Why? Because they have opened the door of their mind, and let external situations come in and stay there. Their mind is occupied and of course they cannot sleep, and they do not have inner peace. This does not mean that we do not handle all the good and bad situations and other worldly matters, but after we have handled them, we should not stay attached to it.
In this world, very often we have many sudden visitors knocking on our door: stress, anger, disappointments, love and hate, winning and losing, desires, inferiority complex, arrogance, etc. If we do not open the door and entertain them, they do not have a chance to stay at your home and affect your daily life. If we are not mindful and have already opened the door, we have to ask this visitor to leave right away. How can we do that? Only keep “don’t know” mind with these visitors, put all your energy on the you are doing, no attachment and not for ourselves. If you are not attached to your problems and worries then you will have concentration. If you are not attached to your own views you will have mindfulness. If you are not attached to the housing prices, you will have a clear mind to invest. If you are not attached to the disagreements in the family, you have to capacity to transform it into a warm and loving family.
2011 will be the year of rabbit, I wish everybody can be alive and energetic like a rabbit, full of hope. Let’s put our efforts together and make our hopes come true. Let us not to be like the rabbit in the story of the race with the turtle, loose ourselves because of our pride. Please take good care of your mind, and do not let good, bad situations and negative emotions occupy your mind; just like Hak Lin Zen Master said, “There is no place for you to stay.” Do not open the door to anyone, the monk, even Buddha. Then we can attain what the Sixth Patriarch said, “Not thinking good, not thinking bad, this is the original face.” And we can attain our true nature, save all beings from suffering.
編按：如庫師兄的太太善如較早前往生了，師父、指導師和不少同學都出席了善如師兄的告別式。善如師兄的往生雖然令人惋惜，但她為家人留下了愛，也為我們示 現了什麼是無常和坦然面對死亡，鼓勵我們積極面對人生。善如師兄往生前在家人的支持下決定了海葬，以大自然為最後的歸宿。《溫暖人間》較早前曾就此作報 導，得蒙《溫暖人間》和如庫師兄的同意，謹此和大家分享。
如庫師兄的太太月前往生，他決定將骨灰撒下大海，讓她回歸大自然，難得的是，這 個決定獲得一家大小的支持，讓往生者走得瀟灑，去得自在。一般人難過的心理關口，為什麼如庫那麼輕易度過？「我在六、七年前開始認識佛教，有次一位師兄往 生，選擇了海葬這種殯儀方式，我跟出海，得到很深的體會，這是我第一次接觸海葬，那種解脫的感覺十分強烈。」第一次印象難忘，第二次因緣來了，如庫皈依師 父的爸爸往生，同樣採用海葬儀式，今次更深刻的是，他有份將骨灰撒落大海，有什麼感覺？「就是清涼自在，感覺很舒服、很灑脫，感到前所未有的釋懷！那時便 開始想，這個方法值得仿效。」
龕位意義何在
這份感覺一直留在如庫師兄心中，他亦經常與太太分享自己這個想法，並相約往生後都要將骨灰撒下大海。如庫有沒有想過，這個思想違背慎終追遠的傳統？
「我 不是反對拜祭祖先的傳統，慎終追遠是中國人的優良文化，絕對值得尊重。不過總感到有點無謂，每次山長水遠去拜一堆骨頭，我哥哥、外父、外母的喪事都由我處 理，經常想：為什麼要將骨灰固定放在一個位置？究竟龕位的實質意義大，還是精神意義大？你一年去一次，有時忘記了便不去，那又代表了什麼？我一直也有疑 問，經常與太太及子女討論。」
最大的解脫
如庫按照太太的遺願，為她進行海葬，其他人有什麼反應？師兄說，他的佛教朋友都沒多大反應，令他意外的是，太太的一個非佛教徒朋友，卻有很大反應，跟他說，「這應該是最大的解脫！」這句說話，令他大受觸動。
對於籌辦太太的海葬，如庫師兄形容為開party。「我去過一個外國朋友的往生儀式，與其說是一個喪禮，不如說是一個久違了的朋友聚會，讓大家有機會聚在一 起，互相問候，並非不尊重亡者，而是大家已超越傷感，珍惜一起的每分每刻，感覺很窩心。我希望太太的往生儀式，是我們一家人跟親朋好友的海上party， 撒骨灰加上放生儀式，將功德回向先人及在生人士，意義更大。」將撒灰看成開心的聚會，人生變得積極。
如庫師兄與太太是青梅竹馬，將太太骨灰撒在大海，捨得嗎？「回歸大自然是很完美的事，雖然一定會牽掛，但知道她去了一個好自在的地方，便無須再擔心。仔仔問我是否以後不須拜山，我跟他說，掛念媽媽時，可遊船河出海紀念，很方便呢！」
節錄自《溫暖人間》第291期 圖片說明︰善如師兄的海葬法會，佛號連綿。親友把骨灰撒在蔚藍的海面上，秋陽照耀，骨灰閃耀金光，伴隨著五彩的花瓣，自由飄泛，無拘無束。大家的祝福也如海洋浩瀚，無邊無際。
有一位來參學的學僧總是覺得和公案的修持不相應，覺得公案和禪坐扯不上關係，幫不了她的生命。
有一次教學時大觀禪師把禪棒放在她面前......
禪師： 這禪棒的自性和你的自性是一樣還是不一樣？
學僧： 禪棒就在那裡，我就坐在這裡，沒什麼一樣或不一樣。
禪師： 這就是你對生命的態度嗎？
這位學僧頓時如當頭棒喝，合掌向禪師請示。
評論：
見到垃圾時，便把它丟進垃圾桶；見到失明人過馬路，便上前幫忙。
公案很多時候都引導我們如何在日常生活中和外在的人、事與物相應。
One visiting nun expressed that she felt she could not relate to kong-ans, that kong-ans have nothing to do with zen meditation, and could not help her in her life.
One time during teaching Dae Kwan Zen Master placed the zen stick in front of her....
Zen Master : This zen stick's true nature and your true nature, are they thesame or different?
Nun: Zen stick is over there and I am sitting over here, not same or different.
Zen Master : So is this your attitude towards life?
This visiting nun suddenly woke up, hapchang and bowed to Zen Master.
Commentary :
When you see there is garbage, place it in the garbage bin; when you see a blind person crossing the road, go and help him.
Kong-an guides us how to relate and respond to people and situations in our daily life.
