撫州曹山元證禪師語錄 1.69

1.69

He addressed the assembly, saying: "A monk beneath these monastic robes must in principle comprehend and penetrate the higher matter; do not treat it lightly. If your undertaking is lucid and distinct, you can turn all the sages behind your own back, and only then will you attain freedom. If you cannot turn them, even if your learning reaches a full ten tenths, you will still have to clasp your hands behind their backs—what big talk are you making? If you can turn yourself around, then whenever any crude and heavy condition comes, you can master it in all cases; even if you fall down in the mud, you can still master it. For instance, a monk asked Yaoshan, 'Is the ancestral intention also present within the teachings of the Three Vehicles, or not?' Yaoshan answered, 'It is.' The monk said, 'Since it is present, why did Bodhidharma come?' Yaoshan said, 'Precisely because it is present, he came.' Is this not mastering it and turning it back to oneself? As the sūtra says: 'Mahābhijñājñānābhibhū Buddha sat at the site of enlightenment for ten kalpas, yet the Buddha-Dharma did not appear before him, and he could not achieve the Buddha Way.' The word 'kalpa' means stagnation; calling it 'ten tenths' also refers to cutting off leaks, yet it is merely cutting off the ten crossroad heads without forgetting the great fruit. Therefore it is said: 'Remaining stuck and indulging in attachment is called arbitrary; in undertaking it, make no distinction between noble and base.' I often see the monasteries delighting in discussing this and that—can they really establish anything? These are merely talks spreading out about matters of going forward. Have you not seen that Nanquan said, 'Even if you attain ten tenths, you are still a thread behind Teacher Wang'? It is greatly difficult. When the matter comes to this point, you must be meticulous; only then will you attain clarity and freedom. Regardless of heavenly realms, hells, hungry ghosts, or animals, if you are simply unmoving and unchanging in all places, you are fundamentally the person of old, only you do not walk the path of old. If you have an aspiring mind, you will still become stuck in attachment. If you can get free, what is there to choose? An ancient worthy said: 'I only fear not attaining transmigration.' What do you say to this? People today merely speak of a pure and clean place and love to speak of matters of going forward; this ailment is the hardest to cure. Crude and heavy worldly affairs are actually light, while the sickness of purity and cleanliness is severe; it is just like the flavor of the Buddhas and the flavor of the patriarchs—all become stuck attachments. My late teacher said: 'Conceiving an intention in mind is violating the precepts; if one also savors the flavor, it is breaking the fast.' Now, what is called 'flavor'? It is merely the flavor of the Buddhas and the flavor of the patriarchs. As soon as there is an aspiring mind, it is violating the precepts. If one speaks nowadays of breaking the fast and violating the precepts, at the very moment of the three karmans, they were already broken long ago. Although crude and heavy greed, anger, and delusion are hard to cut off, they are actually light; but if one is non-active, without concerns, pure and clean, this heaviness cannot be surpassed. The ancestral masters appeared in the world only for this; it was not solely for you. At present do not treat it lightly: the black cat and white ox cultivate rapidly, not having Chan or the Way; unlike you with your various pursuits seeking Buddhas, seeking patriarchs, down to bodhi and nirvāṇa—when will you ever rest and accomplish it? These are all minds of arising and ceasing. Therefore, they are not as good as the black cat and white ox, towering and insentient, not knowing Buddhas, not knowing patriarchs, down to bodhi, nirvāṇa, and wholesome or unwholesome cause and effect, merely eating grass when hungry and drinking water when thirsty. If you can be like this, do not worry that it will not be accomplished. Have you not heard it said: 'Calculation fails, therefore one knows the existence of It.' Then one can wear fur and sport horns, pulling the plow and dragging the harrow; only when one obtains this advantage does it amount to a little bit. Have you not seen that the realms of Maitreya, Akṣobhya, and various Abhiratis are called by those above them 'shameless and indolent'? Bodhisattvas are also said to undergo inconceivable transformation death, and it is still feared to be a minor indolence. What should be done in one's fundamental matter? You must be greatly meticulous to attain it. Everyone has a place of a sitting mat; even when a Buddha appears in the world, he cannot encroach upon it. Realize and cultivate in this way; do not chase after quick advantage. If you want to know this matter, even if it causes you to become a Buddha or become a patriarch, it is just this; even if you fall into the three bad paths, the hells, and the six destinies, it is just this. Although it is of no use, after all you cannot leave it; you must master it to attain it. If you can master it, that is unchanging; if you cannot master it, that is changing. Have you not seen Yongjia say: 'Reckless and unrestrained, one invites disaster'?