文／南梁．寶誌禪師（４１８～５１４）

南來北往走西東，看得浮生總是空。

天也空，地也空，人生茫茫在其中；

日也空，月也空，來來往往有何功？

田也空，屋也空，換了多少主人翁？

金也空，銀也空，死後何曾在手中？

妻也空，子也空，黃泉路上不相逢。

大藏經中空是色，般若經裡色是空，

朝走西來暮走東，人生恰似採花蜂，

採得百花成蜜後，到頭辛苦一場空。

夜深聽盡三更鼓，醒來不覺五更鐘，

從頭仔細思量看，全是南柯一夢中。

──選自《志公和尚萬空歌》

Song of Ten Thousand Emptinesses (Excerpt)

Chan Master Baozhi (418-514, Southern Liang Dynasty)

English translation: Venerable Zhi Yue

Coming south, heading north,

walking west, going east,

Always seeing this transient life

as empty no matter what.

Heaven is emptiness, earth is emptiness,

our lives are indistinct within.

Sun is emptiness, moon is emptiness,

coming, going, coming, going,

where is the merit in this?

Fields are emptiness, houses are emptiness,

how many owners have they had?

Silver is emptiness, gold is emptiness,

are they ours to keep after death?

Marriage is emptiness, children are emptiness,

not meeting either

on the way to Yellow Springs*.

The Tripitaka says emptiness is form,

The Prajna texts say form is emptiness.

Heading west in the morning,

heading east in the evening,

lives passing as that of a honeybee.

Gathering hundreds of flowers,

a transformation into honey,

in the end, finding our efforts in vain.

Deep in the night, nearing twelve,

hearing the sounds of the drum.

Waking up, unaware,

to the bells sounding at dawn.

Start off anew─carefully consider and see,

all is part of a grandeur dream.

— from Zhigong Heshang Wan Kong Ge

(Song of Ten Thousand Emptiness by Master Zhigong)

*A path that leads to the underworld after one physically dies.