The old monk often took the young monk to the hill outside the temple to recite the lection.
One day the young monk said to the old monk,"How slowly the time goes!"
The old monk said,"You can have a try like this---in the morning sit to the west to read; and in the afternoon sit to the east to read."
At the master's advice, the young monk recited the lection against the sun. By and by he neglected the passage of time.
The next day he told the old monk ,"Master, you're so masterly that I forget time with a switch of direction and absorb myself in the lection."
The old monk said,"Whatever you do, only you leave time behind you can you focus on it selflessly."
老和尚經常帶小和尚到寺院外面的山峰上誦讀經文。有一天,小和尚對老和尚說:"時間過得真慢呀。"
老和尚就說:"你這樣試試--上午,你面朝西方坐著讀;下午,你面朝東方坐著讀。"
小和尚就聽了師傅的話。背對太陽誦讀經文。漸漸地他就忽略了時間的快慢。過了一天他就對老和尚說:"師傅真高明,這一轉換方向,我就忘記了時光,整個心思都浸在經文里了。"
老和尚就說:"無論干什么事情,只有把時光放在身后,才能做到全神貫注,達到一種忘我的境界,也只有這樣,才能出成效、出佳績。"