一般人只知眼能见色，耳能闻声，鼻能嗅香，舌能尝味，身能觉触，意能知法。若是对他讲六根互用的道理，他是绝对不会相信的，反而认为这是无稽之谈。但真是到了这种境界，得到这种功用，自己就知道佛法确是有这种妙不可言的境界，很不可以思议的。

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.

有人在打这种妄想：“我才不愿有这种境界呢！为什么？因为太麻烦了。往上能看天人的举动，还能听到他们的谈话，影响自心的清净。往下又能见地狱的情形，继而生起恐惧心，影响晚上睡不好觉。因为这个原因，所以我不喜欢有这种境界。”就是你欢喜这种境界，也不一定能得到这种境界。为什么？因为你不认真参禅打坐，或者坐在禅凳上妄想纷飞，心猿意马地向外奔驰，自己管不了自己；或者昏沉，坐在禅凳上去和周公聊天，呼呼大睡，鼾声如雷。像这种情形，怎么能开悟？怎么能得到妙用？简直是在混光阴哪！

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.

要想得到这种境界，就得没有妄想，要见而不见、闻而不闻、嗅而不嗅、尝而未尝、触而未触、缘而未缘，不为境界所转，才能得到这种境界。若是被境界所转：“啊！我能看见天上这样远的地方，我能不能睡着觉呢？”坦白告诉你，得到这种境界，你还是照常睡觉，愿意睡就睡、不愿意就不睡，任运自在，绝不勉强，就是这么妙！

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!

刚才打这个妄想的人，听我这样讲，他又打了个妄想：“我所打的妄想，师父怎么会知道呢？莫非师父有他心通的本领？”为什么你要打这个妄想？你会打这个妄想，我怎会不知道呢？你若怕我知道，就不要打这个妄想。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，如同观掌中庵摩罗果一样地清楚。这是因为虽然他眼睛失明，可是他得到天眼通的缘故。跋难陀龙没有耳朵，他用天眼来听声音，闻声救难。殑伽女神（恒河神），她的六根都可以嗅到香气，无论哪一根，都有嗅觉作用。憍梵钵提尊者不用舌根而能尝味，乃因为用鼻子来代替舌根。舜若多神（虚空神），他没有身体，用其它根来接触，而知道一切法皆空，故为自然之神。

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.

摩诃迦叶尊者不用意根，而能知道诸法实相的道理，亦即无相，无相就是无所不相。以上这都是六根互用的例证。

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开示