Why leave home to leave the household?
Kowtow to the King of Emptiness, seeking liberation.
Three masters and seven witnesses determine the initial capacity,
Shave head, dye robes, utter the great vow.
Abandon greed and anger,
Remove meanness and stinginess.
Throughout the twelve hours, must be cautious,
Temper and polish true nature like empty space,
Naturally battle and repel the demon army's formation.
Diligent in study, seek a teacher and master,
Tell fellow travelers they can rely on this.
Do not let the mind-ground become tangled like hemp,
A hundred years of time idly lost.
Follow former worthies,
Emulate ancient sages,
Fully rely on hearing, thinking, and cultivation for realization.
Walking, standing, sitting, lying, must be truly focused,
Every thought without error, then correspondence begins.
The Buddha's true sutras,
The twelve divisions,
Extensively point out the path to bodhi.
If not practiced, not studied, not followed in action,
Ask yourself, what day will the mind open in enlightenment?
Quickly must investigate,
As if the head were on fire.
Do not wait for next year or the year after.
One breath not coming is the next life,
Who can guarantee this body's firmness?
Not silkworms for clothes,
Not fields for food,
The weaver's and ploughman's sweat and blood strength.
To complete the fruit of the Way, offerings are given in future,
If the fruit of the Way is not achieved, how can one deserve them?
Alas, father,
Alas, mother,
Swallowing bitterness, spitting sweetness, great hardship.
Moving to wet, turning to dry, nurturing to completion,
Wanting to inherit the family tradition, continue ancestors.
Once within (the monastic life),
Seeking the tonsure,
At eighty, ninety, with no support.
If not transcending the ordinary and surpassing the sage stream,
To continue in this routine is a complete great mistake.
Field-of-merit robe,
Subduing-dragon bowl,
Using them for this life seeking liberation.
If trivial gains bind the mind-heart,
How can the other shore, nirvana, be reached?
Good man,
You must know,
Cultivation is hard to obtain as in this present time.
If able to leave home, donning ragged robes,
It is like a floating log encountered by a blind turtle.
Great man,
Must be fierce and sharp,
Tightly bind body and mind, not taking it easy.
If able to have practice and vow-power support each other,
Decisively at Dragon Flower (Tree) personally receive prediction.