When the Zen Master woke up in the middle of the night and heard noise in the room, he asked aloud: “Who is here?”
The person answered without hesitation: “I am a thief.”
The Zen Master then asked him: “Have you stolen before?”
The man replied: “Too many times to count.”
The Zen Master continued to ask: “How long does happiness last every time you steal?”
The man replied: “The length depends on the value of the property. Sometimes it is longer and sometimes it is shorter.”
The Zen Master asked: “What is the longest time you’ve been happy?”
“Just a few days,” the man replied. “After a few days, I became unhappy.”
The Master continued to ask: “Why not just steal the biggest prize once?”
The man was intrigued and asked: “How can I do that? Have you stolen many times?”
The Zen Master said: “I don’t have much experience, but I took it once and now I can use it for life.”
The man was surprised and asked: “Stolen once and you can enjoy it for life, what is this treasure? Where can I steal it?”
The master grabbed the man’s chest and shouted loudly: “This is the infinite treasure can last all your life. Can you understand?”
This priceless treasure is Tao. No need to search outside, it is in your heart. It is entirely sufficient, infinite, and inexhaustible. Moreover, It is beyond life and death. It lasts forever.
无穷无尽的宝藏
石屋禅师半夜醒来，听到屋内有声响，就大声问到：“来者何人？”
来者不慌不忙地回答：“我是小偷。”
石屋禅师接着问他：“你前后偷过几次了？”
那人回答说：“数不清了。”
石屋禅师继续问到：“你每偷一次，快乐能持续多久呢？”
那人回答说：“快乐持续时间的长短，要看财物的价值如何。有时长一些，有时短一些。”
石屋禅师不解地问：“快乐持续的最长时间，有多长？”
那人回答说：“也就几天而已。几天之后，就不快乐了。”
石屋禅师继续问到：“为什么不大偷一次？”
那人高兴地询问：“怎么大偷一次？你有经验吗？”
石屋禅师说：“经验也不多，只有一次，就毕生受用不尽。”
那人惊讶地问到：“偷一次能够一生享用不尽，这是什么财宝？在那里能够偷到？”
石屋禅师一把抓住那人的胸口，大声怒吼到：“这个无穷无尽的宝藏，能让你毕生受用不尽，你能明白吗？”
这个无穷无尽的宝藏，就是佛，就是道。无需外求，只在心中。圆满自足，无穷无尽。取之不尽，用之不竭。无所不有，无所不能。超越生死，恒久不变。
http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_6a80502b0100oxw7.html
Endless treasure
