圓悟佛果禪師語錄 10.12

10.12

The Master said: 'Just "so" cuts off the tongues of the people of the world; "not so" pierces the nostrils of patch-robed monks of true character; "not so" within "so" seeks to discern dragons from snakes; "so" within "not so" seeks to capture tigers and rhinos. Setting aside the four phrases, what else is there? One may also be permitted to possess a single eye. Why? Taking in both and releasing both, darkening both and brightening both, dying together and living together, gaining together and losing together—this is not beyond one's due. Although it is like this, it is still a matter on the side of establishment. If taking the self-enjoyment among patch-robed monks, it is definitely not so. As for the place of self-enjoyment among patch-robed monks, is there anyone who clarifies it? If one cannot clarify it, the Buddha Dharma has no spiritual efficacy; if one can clarify it, one completely looks down upon all people. Tonight I might as well mix water and stir mud, stir mud and mix water in the wild grass to discuss it with you all. Have you not seen Nanquan say: "Patriarchs and buddhas do not know it exists, but wildcats and white oxen do know it exists"? And he said: "When you babble like toddlers, why do you not investigate it for yourselves, instead of waiting until you have much knowledge and much understanding, and then coming to butt heads with the old monk?" And he said: "Calling it 'suchness' has already altered it; people of today must go straight into the midst of different species." And he said: "Practitioners of the Dao who are like fools and blockheads are hard to find." Zhaozhou said: "I have seen thousands, hundreds, and millions of fellows, all of whom are people seeking to become buddhas; among them, seeking a single Daoist of no-mind cannot be attained." Great Master Yunmen said: "Venerable monks, do not have false thoughts: mountains are mountains, waters are waters, monks are monks, laypeople are laypeople; seeing a staff just call it a staff, seeing a lantern just call it a lantern—this is called directly facing the substance and being entirely real." Just at such a place, is anyone allowed to make an understanding of gain and loss? Truly it discusses the real and not the empty, directly being like wildcats and white oxen, directly being like dry wood and rotten stumps devoid of breath, foolish and simple, dim and dazed; even if a thousand buddhas appear in the world, they do not know it, regarding Gautama just like yellow leaves. Only then are they cast of pig iron, whom thousands and tens of thousands of people cannot snare or cage. How do you speak a phrase of solitary emancipation? Do not say that no-mind is called the Dao; / No-mind is still separated by a double barrier.'