雲門匡真禪師廣錄 2.142

2.142

He cited: "A monk asked Nanquan, 'Before Niutou saw the Fourth Patriarch, why did the hundred birds hold flowers in their beaks to offer him?' Nanquan said, 'At every step he trod the stairs of the Buddhas.' The monk said, 'Why did they not offer flowers after he saw him?' Nanquan said, 'Even if they did not come, he was still a thread's path away from Old Teacher Wang.'" The Master said, "Nanquan only knew how to ascend higher step by step; he did not know how to let go from emptiness." A monk said, "What is ascending higher step by step?" The Master said, "The World of Fragrant Accumulation." The monk said, "What is letting go from emptiness?" The Master said, "Filling the gullies and choking the ravines."