圓悟佛果禪師語錄 18.15

18.15

He brought up [the following case]: "Xuansha asked a monk: 'Where did you leave recently?' The monk said: 'Ruiyan.' Xuansha said: 'What words does Ruiyan have?' The monk said: 'He constantly calls: Master! and himself answers: Yes, yes! Stay alert! Another day, do not be deceived by others!' Xuansha said: 'Equally playing with the conscious spirit, it is also quite extraordinary.' He asked again: 'Why did you not stay there for a while?' The monk said: 'Ruiyan has passed away.' Xuansha said: 'Can you still call and get an answer now?' The monk had no words. Xuedou said: 'Blue heaven! Blue heaven!'" The Master commented: "A bottomless freezing pool ten thousand fathoms deep, the moon is right in its center; a cliff-hanging pine a thousand feet tall leaning into the sky, the wind rises in the secluded valley. One truly attains an awe-inspiring lonely standard, a pure and limpid bearing; yet when the moon departs from the blue peaks and its shadow falls upon the cloud pathways, one then misses it right before one's face. If that monk at that time had been a real fellow, waiting until he said, 'Can you still call and get an answer right now?' he would have shouted on the spot—not only holding fast Xuansha's crucial pass, but also venting spleen on behalf of old Ruiyan."