圓悟佛果禪師語錄 17.8

17.8

[The Master] cited: "A monk asked Jingqing, 'Is there still Buddhadharma at the beginning of the New Year or not?' Qing said, 'There is.' The monk said, 'What is the Buddhadharma at the beginning of the New Year?' Qing said, 'The first day of the year begins the blessing.' The monk said, 'Thank you, Master, for answering my question.' Qing said, 'Jingqing has suffered a loss today.' Another monk asked Mingjiao, 'Is there still Buddhadharma at the beginning of the New Year or not?' Jiao said, 'No.' The monk said, 'Every year is a good year; why is there none?' Jiao said, 'Old Man Zhang drinks wine, and Old Man Li gets drunk.' The monk said, 'Old and venerable, but with a dragon's head and a snake's tail.' Jiao said, 'Mingjiao has suffered a loss today.'" The Master said, "Jingqing saying 'there is' also suffered a loss; Mingjiao saying 'there is not' also suffered a loss. Tell me: where is the error? If you can understand it, you may well recognize advance and retreat and discern good and bad fortune, only then knowing that beneath a single phrase there is the intention of manifesting bodies and the path of stepping forward. Today if someone suddenly asks Chongning, 'Is there still Buddhadharma at the beginning of the New Year or not?' I would say to him, 'Not on these two sides.' If he should say, 'Why is it like this?' 'Chongning has suffered a loss today.' Tell me: is this the same as or different from the ancients?"