槟城掩方便关

戊申公六十九岁春。公偕善和尚。至雪兰岷观音阁。乃庆老自建。旋至怡保。大小霹雳参观。往极乐寺。讲起信论。行愿品。信心皈依者众。经毕。即闭方便关。暂停讲。修禅。不会客。在寺度岁。

宣化偈曰：

热闹场中度春秋。舍己耘人不自忧。
诚恐后学堕此病。公故示现掩关修。

Expediently entering seclusion at Penang

In the spring of 1908, the Master's sixty-ninth year, he traveled to Kuan Yin Temple in Selangor with the Venerable Master Shan Ch'ing (Wholesome Rejoicing) who was its founder. They visited the great and small Pi Li Caves at Ipoh, and the Master subsequently stayed at Chi Le (Ultimate Bliss) Monastery, where he lectured the Shastra for the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana and the Chapter on the Vows and Conduct of Universal Worthy. Many faithful devotees took refuge. When the Sutra lectures were over, he expediently entered into seclusion and temporarily suspended further lecturing. Cultivating dhyana samadhi, he did not receive any guests, and spent New Year's at the monastery.

The gatha says:
Toiling in the noisy fields he spent many springs and autumns.
He gave himself up to training people and never worried on his own behalf.
However, afraid that his pupils would fall into this illness,²⁰
He purposely set an example of entering into seclusion to step up his cultivation

20. The illness of being overly involved in the hub-bub of noisy life and neglecting the cultivation of Ch'an.