文／唐．石頭希遷（700～790）

好肚腸一條，慈悲心一片，溫柔半兩，道理三分，信行要緊，中直一塊，孝順十分，老實一箇，陰騭全用，方便不拘多少。

此藥用寬心鍋內炒，不要焦，不要躁，去火性三分，於平等盆內研碎，三思為細末，六波羅蜜為丸，如菩提子大。每日進三服，不拘時候，用和氣湯送下。果能依此服之，無病不差。

切忌言清行濁、利己損人、暗中箭、肚中毒、笑裡刀、兩頭蛇、平地起風波，已上七件，速須戒之。

此前十味，若能全用，可以致上福上壽，成佛作祖。

──選自《歸元直指集》

Master Wuji's

Prescription for the Heart

Shitou Xiqian (700 - 790, Tang Dynasty)

English translation: Ven. Miao Guang and Linda Tsui

One strip of kindness, one slice of compassionate heart, half a pinch of tenderness, three portions of rationality, a handsome amount of credibility, a chunk of uprightness, ten portions of filial piety, a barrel of honesty, one complete set of good deeds performed in secret, and a reasonable amount of skillful means added according to your preference.

Stir the above ingredients in a wok of magnanimity; avoid the flames of anxiety and hastiness. Reduce temper by thirty percent, and grind with the mortar of equality. Sprinkle with the powder of careful deliberation, and mold the Six Paramitas into pills the size of bodhi seeds. Take three times a day at your convenience with the soup of harmony. Should you follow the prescription, no ills will remain untreated.

Avoid the following while taking the prescription: wholesome speech accompanied by unwholesome conducts, consideration for the self but not others, an arrow shot to people's back, untold mischief, a hidden dagger behind a smile, a two-headed snake, and fabricated truth. Immediate abstinence from the above seven is essential.

Shall all ten of the abovementioned ingredients be fully consumed, good fortune and longevity is guaranteed, and you become a buddha or a patriarch.

── from Guiyuan Zhizhi Ji

(Pointing Directly Back at the Source: A Collection)