撫州曹山元證禪師語錄 1.76

1.76

師舉：「有僧辭藥山歸鄉去，藥山曰：『有一人遍身紅爛臥在荊棘之中。』僧云：『恁麼則學人不歸去？』藥山曰：『但知歸去，與爾休糧方。』云：『如何是休糧方？』山曰：『每日上堂不咬破一粒米也。』」師曰：「只如有古佛云：『遍身紅爛底人，秖是醜陋底人，一切人近不得，無拈掇處，更道臥在荊棘之中。』只道在如今日用也，亦無作拈掇處護持保任邊事。」時有僧問：「遍身紅爛時如何？」師曰：「荷負。」云：「荷負什麼人？」師曰：「勿紅爛到闍黎。」又問：「醜陋人與滿身紅爛底人，阿那個是重？」師曰：「大醜陋底人重。」師又舉問僧：「大保任底人保任個什麼？」僧無對，自代曰：「終日在背後，不曾覷著。」

The Master cited: "A monk took leave of Yaoshan to return to his home village. Yaoshan said, 'There is a person whose entire body is red and festering, lying amidst thorns and briars.' The monk said, 'If so, then should this student not return?' Yaoshan said, 'If you only know to return, I will give you a prescription for abstaining from grain.' The monk said, 'What is the prescription for abstaining from grain?' Shan said, 'Ascending the hall every day without biting through a single grain of rice.'" The Master said, "Just as an ancient buddha said: 'A person whose entire body is red and festering is simply an ugly person; nobody can approach him, there is no place to take hold of him, and he is further said to lie amidst thorns and briars.' It only means being in daily use as of today; there is also no place to take hold of it regarding guarding and maintaining it." At that time a monk asked, "What about when the entire body is red and festering?" The Master said, "Bearing the load." The monk said, "Bearing the load of what person?" The Master said, "May the redness and festering not reach the ācārya." He also asked, "Between the ugly person and the person whose entire body is red and festering, which one is heavy?" The Master said, "The greatly ugly person is heavy." The Master also asked a monk, "What does a person of great maintenance maintain?" The monk had no reply. The Master answered on his behalf, "All day long it is behind his back, yet he has never cast a glance at it."