一般人只知眼能見色，耳能聞聲，鼻能嗅香，舌能嚐味，身能覺觸，意能知法。若是對他講六根互用的道理，他是絕對不會相信的，反而認為這是無稽之談。但真是到了這種境界，得到這種功用，自己就知道佛法確是有這種妙不可言的境界，很不可以思議的。

Ordinary people know only that the eyes can see forms, the ears can hear sounds, the nose can smell scents, the tongue can taste flavors, the body can feel sensations of touch, and the mind can understand dharmas. If you talked about how these six sense faculties can function interchangeably, they would never believe you; they would think it was plain nonsense. However, if one has truly arrived at this state and attained this function, one will know that there really are such ineffably wondrous states within the Buddhadharma, and that they are very inconceivable.

有人在打這種妄想：「我才不願有這種境界呢！為什麼？因為太麻煩了。往上能看天人的舉動，還能聽到他們的談話，影響自心的清淨。往下又能見地獄的情形，繼而生起恐懼心，影響晚上睡不好覺。因為這個原因，所以我不喜歡有這種境界。」就是你歡喜這種境界，也不一定能得到這種境界。為什麼？因為你不認真參禪打坐，或者坐在禪凳上妄想紛飛，心猿意馬地向外奔馳，自己管不了自己；或者昏沉，坐在禪凳上去和周公聊天，呼呼大睡，鼾聲如雷。像這種情形，怎麼能開悟？怎麼能得到妙用？簡直是在混光陰哪！

Someone is having an idle thought: “I wouldn’t want to experience such states! It’d be too much trouble. Whenever I looked up, I would see the heavenly beings and hear what they were saying. That would disturb the purity of my own mind. When I looked down, I’d see the hells and be afraid, and I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. For those reasons, I wouldn’t want to experience such states.” Even if you did want to have such states, it’s not for sure you’d be able to. Why not? Because you aren’t serious about meditating and investigating Chan. You just sit there on the meditation bench and your idle thoughts are flying every which way, or you let your mind gallop outside like a wild horse out of control. Or else you get drowsy and have a chat with the Duke of Zhou as you sit there on the bench [Note: “seeing the Duke of Zhou” is another expression for dreaming], and your snores are louder than thunder. If that’s how you act, how do you expect to get enlightened? How can you attain those wondrous functions? You’re simply wasting time.

要想得到這種境界，就得沒有妄想，要見而不見、聞而不聞、嗅而不嗅、嚐而未嚐、觸而未觸、緣而未緣，不為境界所轉，才能得到這種境界。若是被境界所轉：「啊！我能看見天上這樣遠的地方，我能不能睡著覺呢？」坦白告訴你，得到這種境界，你還是照常睡覺，願意睡就睡、不願意就不睡，任運自在，絕不勉強，就是這麼妙！

If you want to attain those special states, you have to get rid of all idle thinking. You have to be able to look without seeing, listen without hearing, sniff without smelling, taste without savoring, touch without feeling, and think without cognizing. To attain these special states, you have to be unmoving. If you are affected by external states, “Wow! I can see as far as the heavens! I wonder if I can still fall asleep?” Let me tell you frankly, after you attain this state, you can still sleep. When you feel like sleeping, you sleep; when you don’t feel like it, you don’t. You are free to do as you please; you’re not compelled into doing anything. That’s how wonderful it is!

剛才打這個妄想的人，聽我這樣講，他又打了個妄想：「我所打的妄想，師父怎麼會知道呢？莫非師父有他心通的本領？」為什麼你要打這個妄想？你會打這個妄想，我怎會不知道呢？你若怕我知道，就不要打這個妄想。要知道六根互用，人人都可以做得到，只看你修行不修行。

The person who had that idle thought is now having another one after hearing what I said. He’s wondering, “How did the Master know what I was thinking? Can he read people’s minds?” Why did you have that idle thought? If you could have that false thought, how could I not know about it? If you’re afraid I’ll know what you’re thinking, then don’t have those false thoughts. You should know that anyone at all can attain the interchangeable functioning of the six sense faculties, as long as he or she cultivates.

阿那律尊者，他不用眼睛能看三千大千世界，如同觀掌中菴摩羅果一樣地清楚。這是因為雖然他眼睛失明，可是他得到天眼通的緣故。跋難陀龍沒有耳朵，他用天眼來聽聲音，聞聲救難。殑伽女神（恆河神），她的六根都可以嗅到香氣，無論哪一根，都有嗅覺作用。憍梵缽提尊者不用舌根而能嚐味，乃因為用鼻子來代替舌根。舜若多神（虛空神），他沒有身體，用其他根來接觸，而知道一切法皆空，故為自然之神。

Without using his eyes, the Venerable Aniruddha could see the universe of a billion worlds as clearly as an amala fruit in the palm of his hand. That’s because, even though he had lost his normal sight, he had attained the spiritual penetration of the heavenly eye. The Dragon Upananda has no ears, but he can use his heavenly eye to listen to and rescue those in distress. The female spirit deva of the Ganges River can smell fragrances with any of her six sense faculties; every one of them has the ability to smell. The Venerable Gavampati could taste flavors without using his tongue, because he used his nose instead. The Spirit of Shunyata (emptiness) does not have a body. He uses the other sense faculties to perceive sensations of touch, and thus knows that all dharmas are empty. Therefore he is the spirit of nature.

摩訶迦葉尊者不用意根，而能知道諸法實相的道理，亦即無相，無相就是無所不相。以上這都是六根互用的例證。

The Venerable Mahakashyapa did not use his mental faculties, and yet he was able to understand the real appearance of all dharmas, which is no appearance, but which also means that nothing lacks an appearance. The above are all examples of those who have attained the interchangeable functioning of the six sense faculties.

一九八四年二月十六日開示