有一個人出門辦事，途經險峻的懸崖，不小心掉到深谷裡去。此人眼看命在旦夕，雙手不停地在空中攀抓，剛好抓住崖壁上枯樹的老枝，總算保住了性命。但是人懸盪在半空中，上下不得。這時忽然看到佛陀站在懸崖上，慈祥的看著自己，他如見到救星般說：「佛陀！求求您慈悲，救救我吧！」佛陀慈悲地說：「我救你可以，但是你要聽我的話。」
此人：「佛陀！到了這種地步，我怎敢不聽您的話呢？」佛陀：「好吧！那麼請你把攀住樹枝的手放開！」此人一聽，心想，這一鬆手，勢必掉到萬丈深谷，哪還保得住生命？因此更加抓緊樹枝不放，佛陀見此人執迷不悟，只好離去。
我們想明心見性，就要遵循佛陀的指示，就如在懸崖，唯有把手放開來才能得救；否則拼命執著，佛陀怎能救你脫離險境呢？

A man had to make an arduous journey across mountains and rivers to reach the place where he planned to conduct business. As he edged his way along a deep ravine, he slipped and fell. Flailing his arms in panic, he just managed to grab a branch of a withered tree. As he dangled in the air, unable to move, he looked up and noticed that the Buddha was standing above him, gazing at him with compassion. This is my chance to be rescued, he thought, and he begged the Buddha to save him. The Buddha smiled and said, “I will save you if you follow my directions.” “What must I do?” asked the man. “Let go of the branch,” said the Buddha.
Hearing this, the man thought: if I let go, I will doubtless fall into the abyss and be killed. So he held on even tighter. The Buddha, seeing that the man was firmly committed to his delusions, could do no more for him, and left.
We are in the gravest peril when we cling to fear and conventional ideas. Safety lies in following the Buddha’s teaching, and living in harmony with our true nature.

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