圓悟佛果禪師語錄 17.47

17.47

He cited: "A monk asked Caoshan, 'In such extreme heat, where can one go to avoid it?' Caoshan said, 'Avoid it in the caldron of boiling water and the coals of the furnace.' The monk said, 'How does one avoid it in the caldron of boiling water and the coals of the furnace?' Caoshan said, 'The myriad sufferings cannot reach there.'"
The Master critiqued this, saying, "Shifting dynamic and changing position, vividly thoroughgoing; directly so, it is like a lotus in the twelfth month. Even though it is like this, cutting iron and severing nails still allows another road. If someone asks Bi'yan, 'In such extreme heat, where can one go to avoid it?', I would only say to him, 'Avoid it in the caldron of boiling water and the coals of the furnace.' If he says, 'How does one avoid it in the caldron of boiling water and the coals of the furnace?', I would only say to him, 'What harm is there even if one is burned to death?' And tell me: is there still a way to help others or not?"