明覺禪師語錄 3.9

3.9

He brought up: "Xiangyan gave the teaching phrase: 'It is like a person up a tree, holding a branch in his mouth, his hands not grasping any branch, his feet not treading on the tree. Someone under the tree asks about the meaning of the [Patriarch's] coming from the west: if he does not answer, he fails the question; if he does answer, he loses his life. At such a time, what should he do?' Head Monk Hutou said, 'I do not ask about when he is up the tree; please, Upādhyāya, speak of before he climbs the tree.' Xiangyan laughed heartily, 'Ha, ha!'" The Master said, "Speaking from up the tree is easy; speaking from below the tree is hard. This old monk has climbed the tree: bring on a question!"