Inspiring Yourself to Practice

By the Korean Zen Master Wonhyo

This English translation and introduction were done by Won-myong Sunim and Mark Mueller



Inspiring Yourself to Practice was written by the Silla Monk Wonhyo (617-686). It consists of 706 characters, contained in one roll. In Korea, the text is one of the most important in the curriculum of the temple training. The text stresses the need to dissolve one’s worldly attachments and habits, and to begin immediately to practice. The original Chinese text is kept at Haein Temple, near Daegu, and the annotated version is kept at Songgwang Temple, in Sunchon.























All the Buddhas

who reside within the splendid realm of Nirvana

have, throughout countless eons,

discarded their desires and undergone arduous training.

Sentient beings,

transmigrating within

the burning house of desire

have, for countless generations,

failed to discard their greed and desire.

The gates to heaven (the Pure Land)

are not blocked;

yet, few are those who enter them.

This is because most people make their home

among the three poisons. (1)

The evil realms (2)

have no real power to seduce us,

yet many enter them.

The deluded mind values

the four elements (3) that make up the body

and the five desires (4)

as if they were jewels.

This being so,

is there anyone who does not long

to retire to the seclusion of the mountains

in order to practice the Way? (5)

Yet people do not go there;

they remain caught up in desire.

Although you do not

retire to the mountains

to cultivate your mind,

you should strive with all your energy

to perform good deeds.

If you can renounce your own pleasure,

you will become as trusted and respected

as the sages.

If you can undergo

that which is difficult,

you will become as respected

as the Buddha.

Those who greedily seek after things

join the ranks of demons.

Those who give with compassion

are the disciples of the Dharma King.

High mountains and lofty peaks

are where the wise reside.

Green pines and deep mountain valleys

are home to those who practice.

When hungry, such people pick fruit from trees

to calm their empty stomach.

When thirsty, they quench their thirst

with water from a stream.

Although we eat fine foods

in an attempt to carefully preserve this body,

our bodies will definitely face destruction;

even though we cover this body

with soft cloth,

our lives are sure to come to an end.

Make a small mountain cave where echoes resound

into a hall to chant the Buddha’s name.

Let the sad cry of a wild goose

be the heart-warming call of a friend.

While bowing, your knees may become

as cold as ice,

but you must not long for a warm fire.

Your stomach may writhe with hunger,

but you must not give in to your thoughts of food.

One hundred years pass like the blinking of an eye,

so why don’t you practice?

How long is a lifetime?

Can you afford to neglect practice,

wasting your time on leisure?

It is only he who renounces

all of the desires in his heart

that is rightfully called a practicing monk.

Only he who no longer yearns for the ways of the world

is called “a monk who has renounced the house-holder’s life.”

A practitioner who is caught

within the net of worldly desires

is like a dog who wears

elephant’s hide.

A man who practices the Way

yet remains attached to worldly desire

is like a hedgehog

who tries to enter a rat hole.

Some people, in spite of their outstanding ability and wisdom,

choose to live in the busy atmosphere of the city.

All the Buddhas feel pity and concern for such people.

other people, although they have not yet developed

a deep practice,

choose to stay in the contemplative atmosphere of the mountains.

The sages feel a great joy

when they see such people.

There are those who are skilled and learned,

but do not follow the precepts.

They are like men who are told of a cache of jewels

but do not get up and go to it.

There are those who practice steadfastly

but lack wisdom.

They are like men who want to go east

but mistakenly walk towards the west.

The actions of a wise man

are like steaming grains of rice

in order to make a bowl of rice.

The actions of a man who lacks wisdom

are like steaming grains of sand

in order to make a bowl of rice.

Everyone knows how to eat and drink

in order to satiate their hunger;

but no one seems to understand

the method of training —

the way to transform the ignorant mind.

Practice and wisdom must exist side by side.

For they are like the two wheels of a cart.

Likewise, helping oneself and helping others

are like the two wings of a bird.

If you absent-mindedly chant for your donors

over the morning offering of porridge

without understanding the meaning,

you should feel ashamed

to face those who give alms.

If you chant

during the lunch-time ceremony

without attaining the essence of the words you utter,

won’t you be ashamed to face

great people and sages?

Everyone hates squirming insects

and those who can’t distinguish between the dirty and the clean.

Likewise, the sages feel disgust with those monks

who cannot distinguish between the defiled and the pure.

If you wish to be through with this world’s conflict,

good conduct is the ladder

that ascends to heaven.

Therefore, one who violates the precepts

and yet wishes to help others

is like a bird with broken wings

that puts a turtle on its back and tries to fly.

If you’re still not free from your own faults,

you will not be able to free others of their faults.

So why do you, who violate the precepts

receive that which is provided by others?

It does not benefit you in the least

to merely maintain your physical body

if you neglect to practice.

And all your concern for this transient, fleeting life

will not preserve it.

If you’ve set your sights

on the virtue of the great masters,

you must endure even the longest hardships.

Once you’ve set out for the Tiger Throne, (6)

you must forever leave all your desires behind you.

When the cultivator’s mind is pure,

all the devas (7) bow in praise of him.

When a follower of the Way loves lasciviousness,

the good spirits leave him.

At death, when the four elements of the body scatter,

you cannot preserve the body and remain in it any longer.

Today, evening has already arrived;

tomorrow morning will soon be here.

So, practice now before it is too late.

Worldly pleasures are unsatisfactory;

why do you greedily cling to them?

Enduring joy can be won through a single effort in patience;

why won’t you practice?

Those who practice feel shame

to see a seeker of the Way who remains attached to greed.

The virtuous man laughs

at the seeker who forsakes the householder’s life

but is still wealthy.

Words, such as these written here, go on and on,

yet clinging attachment does not come to an end.

“I’ll do it next time” — such words go on and on,

yet you fail to put an end to clinging.

Clinging goes on and on,

yet you fail to renounce worldly matters.

Your mind is filled with endless devious plans,

yet you do not make up your mind to put an end to them.

“Today will be different,” you say,

yet you continue to perform evil actions every day.

“Tomorrow, tomorrow,” you say,

yet few are the days when you really do something good.

“This year will be different,” you say,

yet your defilements are without end.

“Next year I’ll do it,” you say,

yet you don’t grow in wisdom.

The hours pass,

snd too soon a day and night are over.

The days pass,

and soon it’s the last day of the month.

The months pass,

and suddenly another new year has come.

The years pass,

and in the blinking of an eye,

we find ourselves at death’s door.

A broken cart

cannot be driven.

When you’re an old man,

you cannot begin to practice.

When you lie down,

you will succumb to laziness.

And when you sit,

your mind will be overwhelmed

with stray thoughts.

For many lifetimes, you have failed to practice,

passing your days and nights in vain.

Having lived many lifetimes in vain,

will you again fail to practice during this lifetime?

This body will inevitably come to an end;

who knows what body you will have next time?

Isn’t this an urgent matter?

Isn’t this an urgent matter?



N o t e s

==============

1. Greed, hatred (anger) andignorance.

2. Durgati, the hell realm, the animal realm, etc.; there are 3, 4, or 5 according to text consulted.

3. Earth, water, fire and air are the four elements that everything is made of.

4. There are two meanings: 1) the objects of the 5 senses (eye, ear, nose, mouth, body); these defile the True Nature when the mind is filled with desire; 2) desire for wealth, sex, food, fame, and sleep.

5. The Way refers to the path to enlightenment.

6. This is a name for the Dharma Seat, the special platform that a great monk sits on to give a Dharma lecture. Someone aiming to sit on this seat is aiming for enlightenment and so needs to give up all attachments and desires.

7. The devas are the beings who live in the Heavenly realms.