法演禪師語錄 1.72

1.72

上堂云：「山僧昨日入城，見一棚傀儡，不免近前看，或見端嚴奇特，或見醜陋不堪，動轉行坐、青黃赤白一一見了。子細看時，元來青布幔裏有人。山僧忍俊不禁，乃問長史高姓。他道：『老和尚看便休，問什麼姓？』大眾！山僧被他一句，直得無言可對，無理可伸。還有人為山僧道得麼？昨日那裏落節，今日者裏拔本。」

Ascending the hall, he said, "Yesterday I went into the city and saw a puppet booth. I could not help stepping forward to watch: some appeared dignified and wondrous, others appeared unbearably ugly; moving, turning, walking, and sitting, blue, yellow, red, and white—I saw them all one by one. When I looked carefully, it turned out there was someone inside the blue cloth curtain! I could not hold back a laugh, and so asked the chief official's noble surname. He said, 'Old monk, just watch and be done with it; why ask what surname?' Assembly! Hit by that one sentence of his, I was left without a word to reply, without a reason to offer! Is there anyone who can speak for me? Yesterday that is where the meter broke; today here the root is pulled up."