汾陽無德禪師語錄 1.64

1.64

Ascending the hall, [the Master] cited: "Formerly, when the Venerable Shimen first opened his hall, a monk asked, 'Knowing that the Master has long brewed grape wine, for whom do you open it today?' Shimen said, 'A single drop of the jasper nectar is extraordinary, universally relieving the confusion of myriad capacities.' The monk then asked, 'What is the Venerable's single cup?' Shimen said, 'To the drinker, it is no ordinary taste; obtaining the taste, one laughs with delight.' 'What is it like when one neither drinks nor is drunk?' Shimen said, 'With severed ears, lying in the long street.'" A monk asked, "'The pearl of daily use is the Buddha; why labor to chase after things in surging billows?' What is the pearl of daily use?" The Master said, "A mud ball in front of the latrine." "In that case, its functional application is without deficiency." The Master said, "Upon the lapis lazuli palace, blue clouds arise." [The monk] asked, "What is the Venerable's host within the host?" The Master said, "Strictly avoid encroaching upon it." "Is this not pointing it out to the student?" The Master said, "How unbearable!" The monk bowed, and the Master struck the corded chair, saying, "If you go to the various quarters, how will you cite this?" [The monk] asked, "What is it like when the great bell is struck once?" The Master said, "The sound shakes the great chiliocosm." "In that case, suffering ceases and bitterness halts." The Master said, "What about the matters inside Naraka?" The monk was speechless. The Master exhaled with a whoosh and said, "Could it be that you are catching your breath for him?" [The monk] asked, "The Way is awakened through the mind; what is the mind?" The Master said, "To study the Way, seek no-mind." [The monk] asked, "What is the true and right road?" The Master said, "Do not go elsewhere." [The monk] asked, "What is it like when the waves are clear and still?" The Master said, "Raising the oar, you lose the source." "How should one maintain it?" The Master said, "The waves of the great sea are calm; oar and paddle are discarded at once." [The monk] asked, "Within the gate of the true Dharma, what is the Venerable's place of entry?" The Master said, "The myriad stars gather around the night moon, not falling into the Ziwei Palace." "In that case, the bright moon alone commands the sky." The Master said, "It does not obscure the night traveler." [The monk] asked, "What is the Way?" The Master said, "We all walk it together with you." [The monk] asked, "'To swallow the waters of the West River in a single gulp'—what is the meaning of this?" The Master said, "Treading open the heavenly pass, vast and open in the distance." "In that case, the entire assembly knows it all." The Master said, "Not only the ācārya, but this old monk is also like this." The Master said, "If you can tread open the heavenly pass, where could there be any Buddha-dharma that does not penetrate? It is only because of thousands of concealments and tens of thousands of obstacles that it is difficult to understand. Now everyone should clearly understand it well. You have stood for a long time. Take care."