汾陽無德禪師語錄 1.69

1.69

Ascending the hall, he said: "The fundamental source and Buddha-nature of all sentient beings is like the bright moon in the sky, obscured from appearing only by clean clouds." A monk asked, "When the bright moon is in the sky, but is obscured by a patch of cloud, what then?" The Master said, "This old monk has made an error; you, ācārya, must know it." "In that case, it is clearly distinguished." The Master said, "Step back and do not deliberate." He asked, "What about when one does not pass through the conjured city but directly ascends to the place of jewels?" The Master said, "How remarkable, great being—rare to encounter in kalpas upon kalpas." He asked, "I have received the teaching which says: 'For future generations, open the path of rebirth in heaven.' What is the path of rebirth in heaven?" The Master said, "Do not sever the seed of Buddhahood." "In that case, one should act in accordance with it." The Master said, "The three-thousandfold world cannot contain it; how could transmigration through the six destinies ever cease?" He asked, "A student intends to return to his homeland, but his family is ruined and his kin have perished—what about this?" The Master said, "Cease walking the path of mental activity; do not dwell in the time of staying at home." "I wonder who is the one that understands the tune?" The Master said, "Meeting a swordsman on the road, one must present a sword; if one is not a poet, do not offer poetry." He asked, "I do not ask about the hundreds of thousands of lamps; what is the very first lamp?" The Master said, "This question can clarify it." "In that case, before one's eyes it shines brilliantly, like the radiant sun before the veranda." The Master then gave a shout. The monk was speechless. The Master said, "A single shout shouts it into extinction." The monk bowed and said, "Do not deceive the great assembly." The Master said, "Staring with open eyes inside the coffin." He asked, "What is the profoundest meaning?" The Master said, "At Caoxi there are no different melodies; at Jinfeng the road turns ever higher." "In that case, those of the same path do not snatch away the dynamic opportunity." The Master said, "Clearly, where it is brought forth is Fenyang." He asked, "'Taking steps across a thousand streams, seeking the source, one becomes ever more lost on the path'—for the one phrase within this, I invite the Master to raise it and awaken me as an expedient." The Master said, "The thousand-year-old shadowless tree / today displays its branches." "If I had not offered this question, how could I have seen the Master's dynamic functioning?" The Master said, "A blind man looks at a blank wall." He asked, "In the morning serving as the eye of the human world, in the night lighting the lamp of the patriarchs—what is the lamp of the patriarchs?" The Master said, "Ancient and modern, never obscured." "In that case, the seas are calm and the rivers clear." The Master said, "Illuminating the person at the bottom of the sea."