One Mind Alone with the World- A Zen Story - 孤獨者的沉思

Here is the story video.

I really enjoyed this Zen story and had fun turning it into a video. I hope it leaves you with something to reflect on.

Long ago, during the Tang Dynasty, a monk named Daoyi arrived at Wisdom Temple in the southern mountains. Each day, he sat in meditation from morning to night, completely still and deeply focused—like a rock that never moved.

The abbot, Master Huai-rang, watched him closely. He saw that Daoyi had a strong heart and was ready to grow.

So the abbot waited, quietly watching for the right moment to guide him on his path.

唐代開元年間，有個叫道一的僧人來到南岳衡山般若寺，整天一動不動地坐禪，住持懷讓禪師見了，發覺這位僧人很有根器，便盤算著伺機開導。

One day, just like always, Daoyi was sitting cross-legged in deep meditation. He stayed still and silent, focused on his practice.

Then the abbot walked over and asked, “You sit like this every day—what are you trying to do?”

Daoyi replied, “I want to become a Buddha by meditating.”

The abbot didn’t answer at first. Instead, he bent down, picked up a brick from the ground, and began rubbing it on a stone. Daoyi watched for a while, puzzled.

Finally, he asked, “Master, why are you grinding that brick?”

With a serious look, the abbot said, “I’m trying to make a mirror.”

Daoyi laughed. “But Master, that’s just a brick! How can you turn it into a mirror?”

The abbot looked at him and said, “If grinding a brick won’t make a mirror, then how can just sitting make you a Buddha?”

The words struck Daoyi like lightning. His eyes opened wide. In that moment, something inside him woke up. He understood.

有一天，道一和尚又在盤腿打坐了。懷讓禪師上前問道：「你這樣天天坐禪，圖的是什麼？」道一和尚答道：「謀求做佛。」懷讓禪師隨手從地上拾起一塊磚頭，在石頭上不停地磨起來。道一和尚便好奇地問道：「禪師磨磚頭做什麼？」懷讓一本正經地說：「我磨磚做鏡子。」道一和尚一聽，啞然失笑：「禪師，這是磚頭呀，怎能磨成鏡子呢？」懷讓禪師直言反問：「既然磨磚不能成鏡，那麼坐禪怎能成佛？」道一和尚猛然一驚。

Realizing the abbot had used the brick as a lesson, not a joke, Daoyi asked, “If just sitting won’t make me a Buddha, then what should I do?”

The abbot answered with another question. “If someone is driving an ox cart and it won’t move, should they hit the cart or the ox?”

Daoyi stood silent. He didn’t know how to respond. The question made him think deeply.

他知道禪師是在藉磚示「機」，因而立即討教：「既然坐禪不能成佛，我該怎樣做才對呢？」懷讓禪師繼續深入啟發他：「如果有個人架牛車，車不前進，那麼究竟應該打車呢，還是應該打牛？」道一和尚一下子竟然答不上來。

At just the right moment, the abbot spoke again, calm and clear.

“Tell me—are you learning to sit in meditation, or to sit like a Buddha? If you're learning to meditate, you should know that true Zen isn’t about sitting or lying down. It’s not about holding one posture. And if you're trying to sit like a Buddha, remember—Buddhas don’t always sit. Sometimes they lie down, sometimes they walk. They follow the moment and stay free in their hearts. Everything in this world changes. Nothing stays the same. If you think just sitting still is true practice, you’re killing the Buddha. Clinging to posture means turning away from the real teachings and missing the truth."

懷讓禪師不失時機地點化他：「你是在學習坐禪，還是在學習坐佛？如果是在學坐禪，那麼禪的本質並不是坐或臥；如果是在學坐佛，那麼也沒有固定的相狀，佛有時坐，有時臥。事物都是變化不定的呀！所以，你如果是在坐佛，那就等於是在殺佛。用你這樣執著於一動不動的坐相，那是永遠也不能達到真理的。」

From that moment on, Daoyi saw clearly. He had truly awakened. In time, he became a wise and well-known Zen master.

道一和尚頓時大徹大悟，後來終於成為一代禪學名師。

Note: Here is the link to the Chinese source 慈聖雜誌, 第八期.  This draft is a humble attempt at the translation. May the merit of this work go to those suffering in the realm of hungry ghosts.