法演禪師語錄 2.89

2.89

At an informal gathering, a monk asked, "Deshan did not answer words, holding fast the essential pass for a thousand ages; tonight Baiyun holds an informal gathering—how will you establish your instruction?" The Master said, "I cannot fail to succeed Upādhyāya Duan." The student said, "An adept ancestral master naturally possesses it." The Master said, "What words are these?" [The monk] stepped forward and said, "For what sort of person is just this established?" The Master said, "Can you still believe completely?" [The monk] stepped forward and said, "How do you instruct me to believe?" The Master said, "Did you come to ask understanding, or did you come to ask not understanding?" [The monk] stepped forward and said, "I came to ask not understanding." The Master said, "Yesterday I also answered a monk like that." [The monk] stepped forward and said, "Why today do you instead meet me with shields and spears?" The Master said, "Only because the buying and selling does not match the price." [The monk] stepped forward and said, "It is fine to press the free into servitude, but what can you do about all the regions being present?" The Master said, "Great assembly! Look at this Chan traveler!" [The monk] stepped forward and said, "Let this move pass." The Master said, "Xū!" He then cited: "Prefect Lu Gen asked Nanquan, 'In this disciple's house there is a rock; I have sat on it and slept on it, and intend to carve it into a Buddha—may I?' Nanquan said, 'You may.' Lu said, 'Might I not?' Nanquan said, 'You may not.' Great assembly! One who is a kalyāṇamitra must clearly discern. Why is it that when the other says 'may,' he also says 'may,' and when the other says 'may not,' he also says 'may not'? Do you still know Nanquan's resting place? Baiyun does not begrudge his eyebrows to break it open and explain it for you: Who was it that said 'may'? Who was it that said 'may not'? If you still do not understand, tonight this old monk will make a model for you." He then raised his hand and said, "Take the twenty-eight heavens of the three realms as a Buddha's head, the water boundary of the golden wheel as a Buddha's feet, and the four great continents as a Buddha's body—though this child of a Buddha has been made, where will all of you settle your bodies and establish your lives? Great assembly, do you understand yet? This old monk will proceed to make a second model: take Pūrvavideha as a Buddha, Jambudvīpa as a Buddha, Aparagodānīya as a Buddha, and Uttarakuru as a Buddha; the grasses, trees, and thickets are the Buddha, and the crawling and wriggling sentient beings are the Buddha. Since it is so, what else do you call sentient beings? Do you understand yet? It is better to let Pūrvavideha remain Pūrvavideha, Jambudvīpa remain Jambudvīpa, Aparagodānīya remain Aparagodānīya, Uttarakuru remain Uttarakuru, grasses, trees, and thickets remain grasses, trees, and thickets, and crawling and wriggling sentient beings remain crawling and wriggling sentient beings. Therefore it is said: 'These phenomena abide in their phenomenal positions; the characteristics of the world are ever-abiding.' Since it is so, what else do you call a Buddha? Do you understand? If suddenly a fellow comes forward and says, 'Baiyun, cease your dream-talk!' Great assembly, remember this turning!"