A samurai once asked the 18th century Japanese Zen master Hakuin: “I’ve read many scriptures which all say that there is a heaven and a hell. May I ask you whether there really is a heaven and hell?”

在日本，有一个武士，向白隐禅师请教说：“我读过许多经典，都说有天堂和地狱。请您告诉我，真的有地狱和天堂吗？”

Hakuin immediately knew where the nub of the problem lay and deciding to use a Zen

technique to enlighten him asked: “What are you?”

白隐一听他的话，就知道问题的症结在什么地方，决定用禅的办法，当下点化他，就问他：“你是做什么的？”

“I’m a samurai.” “我是一名武士。”

“You’re a samurai?” Hakuin bellowed, “What stupid master could ask you to be his bodyguard? Look at you, you sloppy, rat-faced thief. You look like nothing so much as a beggar!”

“你是一名武士？”白隐吼了起来：“哪个愚蠢的主人会要你做他的保镖？看你这邋里邋遢、贼头鼠脸的样子，简直像一名乞丐！”

“What are you saying?” The samurai, his blood up, leaped to his feet, his hand on the sword at his waist.

“你说什么？”武士跳了起来，热血上涌，伸手就要去拔腰间的宝剑。

A samurai may be prepared to lose his life but he will always protect his reputation.

对于一个武士来说，他可以不要自己的性命，但不能不维护自己的名誉。

Hakuin continued scornfully: “What are you going to draw your sword for? This old monk’s body of mine is as hard as a diamond. That useless piece of iron of yours won’t split my skull!”

白隐继续冷嘲热讽：“你想拔剑干什么？老和尚我是金刚不坏之躯，你那把破铜烂铁，砍不下我的脑袋！”

Unable to bear it anymore, the samurai drew his sword and with hatred in his eyes was on the point of striking at Hakuin.

武士实在是忍无可忍，“哐”地一声拔出了宝剑，目露凶光，就要将宝剑砍向白隐。

Hakuin looked calmly at the samurai and quietly said: “The gates of hell are open now!”

这时，只见白隐注视着武士，从容地说：“地狱之门由此打开！”

The samurai heard and broke into a cold sweat of terror.

武士一听，当下惊出了一身冷汗。

 He knew that the Zen master was a man of compassion who had roused his own ignorant anger as a means of enlightenment.

他知道原来禅师是大慈大悲，用激发起自己无明怒火这个方式来点化自己。

 He sensed the risk that he had taken and realised the strength of the Zen master’s practice of Zen.

Throwing down his sword he knelt before the monk in apology.

他觉察到自己的冒失，感到禅师的修行实在厉害，急忙扔掉宝剑，跪倒在地，向禅师磕头道歉。

Hakuin smiled and warmly told the samurai: “Now, the gate to heaven is open!”

 这时，白隐禅师微笑着，温和地告诉武士：“天堂之门由此打开！”

An evil angry thought leads to hell; a thought corrected by remorse leads to heaven.

一个嗔恨凶恶的念头，会通向“地狱”；一个忏悔改过的念头，会通向“天堂”。

Heaven and hell are not places that you go to when you die, they exist in our every thought in every moment.

天堂和地狱，不是我们死后所要去的某个地方，而就存在于我们当下的一念之中！

Whether we go to heaven or hell, towards light or dark, into bewilderment or liberation is completely determined by our own mind.

走向地狱还是走向天堂，完全由我们的心来决定。

中文大意：

在日本，有一个武士，向白隐禅师请教说：“我读过许多经典，都说有天堂和地狱。请您告诉我，真的有地狱和天堂吗？”

白隐一听他的话，就知道问题的症结在什么地方，决定用禅的办法，当下点化他，就问他：“你是做什么的？”

“我是一名武士。”

“你是一名武士？”白隐吼了起来：“哪个愚蠢的主人会要你做他的保镖？看你这邋里邋遢、贼头鼠脸的样子，简直像一名乞丐！”

“你说什么？”武士跳了起来，热血上涌，伸手就要去拔腰间的宝剑。对于一个武士来说，他可以不要自己的性命，但不能不维护自己的名誉。

白隐继续冷嘲热讽：“你想拔剑干什么？老和尚我是金刚不坏之躯，你那把破铜烂铁，砍不下我的脑袋！”

武士实在是忍无可忍，“哐”地一声拔出了宝剑，目露凶光，就要将宝剑砍向白隐。

这时，只见白隐注视着武士，从容地说：

“地狱之门由此打开！”

武士一听，当下惊出了一身冷汗。他知道原来禅师是大慈大悲，用激发起自己无明怒火这个方式来点化自己。他觉察到自己的冒失，感到禅师的修行实在厉害，急忙扔掉宝剑，跪倒在地，向禅师磕头道歉。

这时，白隐禅师微笑着，温和地告诉武士：

“天堂之门由此打开！”

一个嗔恨凶恶的念头，会通向“地狱”；一个忏悔改过的念头，会通向“天堂”。

天堂和地狱，不是我们死后所要去的某个地方，而就存在于我们当下的一念之中！

走向地狱还是走向天堂，完全由我们的心来决定。