I’d just discovered this piece in Chinese that was written by Master Benhuan, found in the book Teachings of Venerable Master Benhuan (《本焕长老开示录》). I’ve given it an English title to make it easier to find, share, and pass along.
Translated & re-published here on: October 6, 2026
Teachings of Venerable Master Benhuan
By Venerable Master Benhuan
Why do we bring forth the aspiration for the Way? It is so that we can apply our practice properly. Without bringing forth the aspiration for the Way, we cannot practice well. Now that we are sitting in the meditation hall, practicing Chan and sitting in meditation, we must be able to let everything go. Only when we can let go can we bring our practice forward. If we cannot let go, we cannot make progress in our practice.
Why do I say this? Consider that, for each of us, even without speaking of the countless eons stretching back to the present, just over the several decades of this present life, all kinds of interpersonal conflicts, right and wrong, arrogance and conceit, ignorance and afflictions, family disputes, and so on—all of these things have crowded into our minds until they are completely full. When the mind is already packed full, there is no room to put anything else in. Think about it—isn't that so? When the mind is crammed full and noisy, unable to become still, how can we practice the Way? Therefore, if we want to bring our practice forward in the meditation hall, the first thing we must do is let everything go.
As for the practice of Chan, all of you have been attending these meditation retreats here for many years, and the great monk has already spoken to you about it extensively. Today, I will repeat some of what he has taught. What shall I speak about?
As you know, the Chan school emphasizes the word "doubt"—that is, arousing the doubt-sensation (疑情 yi-qing). Where does this doubt arise from? It arises from **"not knowing."** Not understanding one's own true nature; not knowing who it is that is speaking; not knowing who it is that recites the Buddha's name; not knowing one's original face; not knowing, "Who am I?"
Regarding the arising of the doubt sensation, the patriarchs left behind many gong'an (koans). Although there are many koans, ultimately there is only one thing: "not knowing." This "not knowing" is not simply a matter of not understanding a sentence. When you sincerely arouse doubt around this "not knowing" and investigate it again and again, it becomes 止 (calming) and 觀 (contemplation); it directly points to the nature of mind.
Once the doubt sensation has arisen, it possesses tremendous power and depth. It can cause doubt to arise on its own, without deliberately generating it; it can cause investigation to continue on its own, without deliberately investigating. The more you investigate, the more you want to investigate; the more you investigate, the more joyful you become.
Simply not understanding a sentence does not constitute practice. To genuinely and continuously arouse the doubt sensation around this "not knowing"—that is practice. All of you have been practicing Chan for such a long time. Have you truly aroused the doubt sensation around this one question:
"Who is it that recites the Buddha's name?"
Those who practice Chan should arouse doubt around the question, "Who is it that recites the Buddha's name?" Investigate it again and again until the doubt becomes a single mass, and suddenly—the bottom falls out of the bucket.
The word "Chan" (禅) in the meditation hall is also called jinglü (静虑 "still contemplation" - dhyāna) and siwei xiu (思维修 "cultivating through contemplation" - bhāvanā). Put simply, the purpose is to find out who we truly are.
When you practice Chan, the most important thing is to arouse the doubt sensation. But to arouse the doubt sensation, you must first bring forth the aspiration for the Way. In practicing Chan, you must practice as though you had lost your parents, as though standing at the edge of a deep abyss, as though walking on thin ice. Only in this way can the doubt sensation truly arise.
If there is not even a little sense of shame or remorse in your mind, not even a little vigilance, and you remain loose, scattered, wavering, and unsteady, it is very difficult for this doubt sensation to arise.
Therefore, if you truly want to practice well, you must bring forth the aspiration for the Way; you must arouse the doubt sensation.
Once you have the doubt sensation, however, that does not mean everything is accomplished. You must still maintain and preserve it (baoren 保任), so that the doubt sensation becomes continuous and unified.
When the doubt sensation is truly being practiced well, it is present when you raise the practice in this meditation period, and it is still present in the next. It is present when you are still and present when you are moving. It is present at all times and in all places.
If you can maintain the doubt sensation in this way, then there is hope of awakening.
The ancients said:
"Walking is Chan, sitting is Chan;
In walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, the essence remains at ease."
If you cannot practice while walking, nor practice while sitting, then you will have nothing upon which to rely.
Therefore, when we practice, we must make the doubt sensation continuous and unified, applying ourselves at all times and in all places.
When taking a step, take that step within the practice. If there is no practice, then do not take that step.
When eating, eat within the practice. If there is no practice, then do not take that bite of food.
When sleeping, sleep within the practice. If there is no practice, then do not sleep.
So, if you can practice like this in stillness, you must also practice like this in movement. If you can practice like this in both movement and stillness, then you should also be able to practice like this in dreams.
If you only have practice when you are still, but lose it as soon as you begin moving, then this cannot yet be considered genuine practice.
The ancients said that if we have ten parts of practice in stillness, we may have only one part in movement. If we have ten parts in movement, we may have only one part while sleeping. And if we have ten parts while sleeping, we may have only one part when, at the end of life, we are being tormented by the eight kinds of suffering.
Think about it: how difficult it is to practice.
In reality, the crux of the matter is still whether we ourselves truly apply ourselves to practice. If we genuinely and wholeheartedly let everything go, we can practice well in every circumstance. But if we cannot let go, not only will we be unable to practice properly; in the end, I am afraid we will not be able to escape **Old Man Yama** either.
Therefore, the most crucial point in practice is whether we can let go.
Let me tell you a gong'an (公案 - koan) .
When the Buddha was alive, one of his disciples came carrying flowers as an offering. The Buddha told him to put down the flowers, and he put them down. The Buddha then told him to put down his body, but he did not know how to put it down. Then the Buddha told him to put down his mind, and at that moment he awakened.
Think about it: if the Buddha had not told him to let go of his mind, how could he have awakened?
Therefore, if we want to practice well, we must let go. Not only must we let go of this physical body, we must also let go of the mind.
When body and mind are both let go together, then we can truly practice well. At that point, we can escape Old Man Yama.
If we cannot let go, then not only will we be unable to practice or awaken—we will not even be able to escape Old Man Yama.
There is another gong'an (公案 - koan) I want to tell you.
In the past there was a patriarch named Jin Bifeng* (金碧峰). His practice was extremely deep. Old Man Yama sent a ghost to seize him. The ghost searched everywhere but could not find him. Eventually, he found one of Jin Bifeng's disciples and asked where his master had gone.
The disciple said, "If you want to find him, just strike his favorite golden alms bowl a few times. You will find him."
After hearing this, the ghost struck Jin Bifeng's golden bowl several times. Sure enough, Master Jin Bifeng appeared, and the ghost seized him.
Jin Bifeng asked why he was being arrested.
The ghost replied, "Old Man Yama wants you to go."
Jin Bifeng said, "Could you give me a leave of absence? Let me go seven days from now. I give you my word."
The ghost refused. Jin Bifeng pleaded again and again. Finally, the ghost said, "Fine. I'll give you seven days."
After the ghost left, Jin Bifeng thought to himself: "So the reason Yama came to seize me is because I cannot let go of this golden bowl. From now on, I will smash it."
So he smashed the bowl, sat in meditation, and entered samadhi.
When the ghost returned to look for him, it could not find him anywhere. It went to look for the golden bowl, but the golden bowl was gone as well.
At that moment, the ghost heard Jin Bifeng's voice coming from the sky:
"The little ghost can seize me, Jin Bifeng,
only if he can chain the empty sky.
If iron chains can bind the empty sky,
then he can seize me, Jin Bifeng."
Think about it. The sky is formless and without characteristics. How could it possibly be chained?
The ghost returned and reported this to Old Man Yama.
When Yama heard this, he was delighted and said:
"Congratulations to him! Congratulations to him!"
Think about it. The patriarchs of old could be seized by a ghost because they could not let go of a single golden bowl.
As ordinary people today, how many more things are we attached to than those patriarchs? Are we able to let go? Should we learn from the patriarchs?
We have not yet reached the patriarchs' state of being **without form or appearance**.
Why not?
Because we cannot let go.
If we cannot let go, how can we possibly practice well?
Therefore, I hope all of you will understand: if you want to find your true self, **you must let go.** Whether it is wealth, sensual desire, fame, or profit; whether it is the physical body or the thoughts of the mind—all of it must be let go.
Good! Now everyone, apply yourselves diligently to the practice!
*The story Benhuan tells is a traditional gong'an-like anecdote about Jin Bifeng's attachment to his golden bowl.
When Yama's emissary discovers that Jin Bifeng can still be drawn back by his attachment to the bowl, Jin destroys
it and enters samadhi. He then becomes impossible to locate because he has relinquished the attachment.
The famous verse at the end is:
小鬼拿我金碧峰，除非铁链锁虚空；
铁链锁得虚空住，方能拿我金碧峰。
A fairly literal translation is:
“Little ghost, if you wish to seize me, Jin Bifeng,
you must first bind empty space with iron chains.
If you can bind empty space and make it stay,
only then can you seize me, Jin Bifeng.”
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《本焕长老开示录》
作者：本焕
发道心干什么呢？就是要把功夫用好。不发道心，功夫是用不好的。现在我们坐在禅堂里参禅打坐，一定要放得下。放得下，功夫才能提得起来。若放不下，功夫也就提不起来。为什么这样讲呢？要知道，我们一个人，不说从无量劫到今天，就拿我们今天这几十年时间来说，各种人我是非、贡高我慢、无明烦恼、家庭纠纷等等，这一切的一切，都钻到我们的脑子里，挤得满满的。既然装得满满的，要再装什么，就装不进去了。大家想想，是不是这样？挤得满满的，闹哄哄的，静不下来，又怎么能够用功办道呢？所以，在禅堂里，要想把功夫提起来，首先就要放下一切。
关于参禅的功夫，各位在这个地方打了多年的七，大和尚给你们讲了很多。今天，我再来重覆他讲一讲。讲什么呢？大家知道，禅宗强调一个‘疑’字，就是起‘疑情’。‘疑’字从哪儿提起呢？从一个‘不明白’上提起：不明白自己的本性，不明白讲话的是谁，不明白念佛的是谁，不明白自己的本来面目，不明白我是谁……关于起疑情，祖师们留下了很多的公案，公案虽然很多，但究竟只有一个，就是一个‘不明白’。这个‘不明白’不是简单地‘不明白一句话’。当你在这个不明白上认真地疑起来，来回地参究，它就是止，就是观，它是直指心性的。所以，疑情起来之后，它是很有力量的，很有滋味的。它可以不疑而自疑，不参而自参。你越是参越想参，越参越高兴。‘不明白’一句话还不算功夫，要真正持久地在这个‘不明白’上起疑情，那才是功夫，各位参禅参了这么长的时间，是不是真正地在‘念佛的是谁’这一个‘不明白’上起了疑情呢？修禅的，就要在‘念佛的是谁’这句话上起疑情，来回参究，直到疑成一团，突然来一个桶底脱落。
禅堂的‘禅’字，又名‘静虑’，又名‘思维修’，总的一句话，就是要找到我们的本来面目。大家在参禅的时候，最主要的就是要起疑情。要起疑情，首先就得发道心。参禅要如丧考妣，如临深渊，如履薄冰，这样疑情才会发得起来。如果你思想上没有一点惭愧心，没有一点警觉心，松松散散，摇摇晃晃，这个疑情是很难得发起来的。所以，你们要想真正地把功夫用好，一定要发道心，一定要起疑情。
有了疑情之后，并非就万事大吉了，还要保任，要使疑情打成一片。疑情真正地用得好，这支香提起来有，那支香提起来还有，静的时候有，动的时候也有，时时刻刻、在在处处都有。能够这样地把握疑情，开悟就有希望了。古人讲：‘行亦禅，坐亦禅，行住坐卧体安然。’如果你们行也不会，坐也不会，那就什么也安不上了。所以，我们用功夫，要把疑情打成一片，在一切时、一切处，都用功夫。走一步路，要走在功夫上，没有功夫，这一步路也不要走；吃饭要吃在功夫上，没有功夫，这一口饭就不要吃；睡觉也要睡在功夫上，没有功夫，这个觉也不要睡。所以，大家能够静如是，还要动如是才好；能够动静如是，还要睡梦中如是才好。如果光是静中有功夫，一旦动了就没有功夫，那还不能算真有功夫。古人讲，我们静中有十分的功夫，在动中只有一份的功夫；在动中有十分的功夫，在睡觉中只有一分的功夫；在睡觉中有十分的功夫，在八苦交煎的命终时，只有一分的功夫。想一想，用功夫有多难。实际上，问题的症结还在于我们自己有没有真心地去用功。如果真真切切地一切都放得下，什么功夫都能用得好。如果你放不下，不但说功夫用不好，恐怕到头来还逃不脱阎王老子。
所以，用功最关键在于能不能放下。这里我讲一个公案。佛在世的时候，有个弟子拿着鲜花来供养他。佛叫他把花放下，他就把花放下了，佛又叫他把身放下，他却不知道怎么放，佛再叫他把心放下，他一下子就开悟了。想一想，佛若不叫他放心，他怎么会开悟呢？因此，我们要想把功夫用好，一定要放下，不但要放下我们这个色身，还要放下心。我们的身心都一齐放下，功夫才能用得好，那时我们才能逃脱阎王老子。如果放不下，不但说功夫用不成，开悟不了，连阎王老子也逃不掉。这个地方我还要讲个公案：过去有个叫金碧峰的祖师，他功夫用得很好。阎王老子派小鬼来捉拿他，那小鬼到处找，找来找去找不到，就找到他的弟子，问他师父跑到哪儿去了，那弟子就说，你要找到他，只要把他最喜爱的那只金钵敲几下就找到他了。小鬼听了以后，就把金碧峰禅师的金钵敲了几下，金碧峰祖师果然出现了，于是小鬼就把他捉住了。金碧峰祖师就问为什么要抓我，小鬼回答说阎王老子要你去。金碧峰祖师就说：请个假好不好？过七天以后，我再去，我说话算数。小鬼不同意，他就再三请求，最后小鬼就说：好了，就让你七天。小鬼走后，金碧峰祖师就想：原来阎王爷来抓我，就是因为我放不下这个金钵，现在我就把它砸掉。之后，他就打一坐，入定了，小鬼再来找，哪儿都找不到，又去找金钵，金钵也没有了。这时，听到金碧峰祖师在虚空中说：‘小鬼拿我金碧峰，除非铁链锁虚空，铁链锁得虚空住，方能拿我金碧峰。’
大家想一想，虚空无相，怎能锁得住？小鬼跑回去跟阎王老子讲。阎王老子听了很高兴，就说：‘恭喜他，恭喜他。’大家想一想，过去的祖师，一个金钵放不下，就被小鬼抓去了；我们今天的凡夫，执着不知要比祖师们多多少倍，我们是不是放得下呢？我们要不要向祖师们学习呢？我们现在还没有达到祖师那种‘无形无相’的境界。为什么？放不下啊！放不下，哪能把功夫用得好呢？所以，我希望各位，要想找到自己，一定要放下，无论是财色名利，还是色身心念，统统都要放下。好！大家都用功去！