明覺禪師語錄 1.74

1.74

The dānapatis of Yuezhou prepared a tea banquet and requested the Master to ascend the seat. A monk asked, "The dānapatis have diligently extended three invitations; we beg the Master's upāya to point out the lost ford." The Master said, "Walking by night is not permitted; you must arrive before daybreak." The monk continued, "Not only the student, but the four assemblies rely on it." The Master said, "Hundreds of thousands of years later." A monk asked, "What is the intention of the Patriarch coming from the West?" The Master said, "Far and away, more than a hundred thousand [miles]." The monk bowed; the Master said, "The staff is not here." The Master then said, "Faithful dānapatis, this mountain monk was only passing through, meeting you by chance; why should I be showered with such extraordinary and exceptional treatment, and pressured to expound the Dharma? Moreover, Upādhyāya Chengtian pours out compassion morning and evening; you people have already heard something extraordinary and have cut off all expectations, so why trouble Xuedou to proclaim it anew? Even if the sages of the three periods and the great beings of the six generations were to appear at intervals to benefit living beings, they would not dare to mislead you people in the slightest. Even though it is so, letting it pass will not do." After a long pause he said, "Not knowing how to be a guest, I have troubled the host."