圓悟佛果禪師語錄 15.5

15.5

佛祖言教，筌罤爾，藉之以為入理之門，既廓然明悟承當得，則正體上一切圓具，觀佛祖言教皆影響邊事，終不向頂𩕳上戴却。近世參學，多不本其宗猷，唯務持擇言句，論親疎、辯得失，浮漚上作實解誇，善淘汰得多少公案，解問諸方五家宗派語，一向沒溺情識、迷却正體，良可憐愍。有真正宗師，不惜眉毛，勸令離却如上惡知惡見，却返謂之心行移換擺撼煆煉，展轉入荊棘林中，所謂打頭不遇作家，到老只成骨董。

The spoken teachings of the Buddhas and patriarchs are merely fish traps and rabbit snares, relied upon as the gate to enter the principle. Once one is openly and clearly awakened and undertakes it, then upon the correct substance everything is perfectly complete; viewing the spoken teachings of the Buddhas and patriarchs, all are matters on the periphery of shadows and echoes, never to be carried atop the crown of one's head. Contemporary students of Chan mostly do not take their lineage principle as the root, but only strive to hold onto and select words and phrases, discussing closeness and distance, debating gain and loss, taking floating bubbles as real understanding, boasting of how many gong'ans they have skillfully refined, and knowing how to ask the phrases of the five houses' lineage traditions across the regions—wholly drowned in emotional consciousness and deluded about the correct substance, which is truly lamentable. There are genuine lineage masters who, begrudging not their eyebrows, urge them to leave behind such evil knowledge and evil views; yet they turn around and call this the stirring, shaking, and forging of mental activities, turning around only to enter a briar patch. This is what is meant by: 'If at the very outset one does not encounter an adept, into old age one only becomes a curio dealer.'