撫州曹山本寂禪師語錄 1.71

1.71

A monk asked, "What is the lion?" The Master said, "The multitude of beasts cannot approach it." The monk said, "What is the lion cub?" The Master said, "One capable of swallowing its parents." The monk said, "Since the multitude of beasts cannot approach it, why is it swallowed by its cub?" The Master said, "Haven't you heard it said: 'If the son roars, ancestors and father are both wiped out'?" The monk said, "What about after they are wiped out?" The Master said, "Its entire body returns to the father." The monk said, "I wonder: when the ancestors are wiped out, where does the father return?" The Master said, "The place is also wiped out." The monk said, "Why did you say before that its entire body returns to the father?" The Master said, "It is like a prince who can accomplish the affairs of an entire realm." He also said, "Ācārya, in this matter you must not be solitary and stagnant; you must scatter a few flowers onto the withered tree."