袁州仰山慧寂禪師語錄 1.61

1.61

While the Master was lying down, a monk asked, "Can the Dharma-body still preach the Dharma or not?" The Master said, "I cannot speak of it, but someone else can speak of it." The monk said, "Where is the person who can speak of it?" The Master pushed forward his pillow. When Guishan heard of this, he said, "Jizi acts upon the edge of a sword." (Jingshan Gao said, "Guishan truly dotes on his child without seeing his ugliness. For Yangshan to push forward the pillow was already a leak; giving it another name, calling it 'acting upon the edge of a sword,' misleads those who study words to chase after emptiness, catch echoes, and circulate it like this. Although Miaoxi borrows water to present flowers, still the principle admits of no crooked judgment: at this moment, is there anyone who disagrees who will come forward? I want to ask you: when he pushed forward the pillow, did it still count as the Dharma-body preaching the Dharma or not?" Tiantong Hua said, "If it were acting upon the edge of a sword, when did Jizi ever know how to wield it? If a monk suddenly came out and asked whether the Dharma-body can still preach the Dharma or not, tell him, 'I cannot speak of it, but someone else can speak of it.' If he further asked where the person who can speak of it is, just tell him, 'Three lifetimes and sixty kalpas.'" Lingyin Yue said, "Yangshan formerly had a backbone as hard as iron, but when pressed in succession by this monk, he fell flat on all four sides. Guishan for once could not contain his amusement, not realizing he had lost an eye. If a monk suddenly asked Yafu whether the Dharma-body can still preach the Dharma or not, I would kick him flat in the chest and make him stand up as a clean and unburdened fellow. Have you not heard it said: 'The rhinoceros gazing at the moon grows patterns on its horn; the elephant startled by thunder has flowers enter its tusks'?")