圓悟佛果禪師語錄 3.24

3.24

The Master pointed to the Dharma seat and said, "Great assembly! Borrowing the seat from the Lamp King was the ancient model; determining all directly before us is today's dynamic sharpness. If you want to understand the source of the Buddhas and Patriarchs, you must tread on the crown of Vairocana's head." He then ascended the seat, offered incense, and said, "This stick of incense is respectfully offered to pray for the sacred longevity of the reigning Emperor. May the golden wheel long govern the ultimate; may the precious imperial line forever flourish and prosper; may all bow toward the Northern Culmen in deference to the Most Venerable; may the mustard-seed kalpas be emptied while the reign stands ever firmer. This second stick of incense is offered for the Prefect and Pacification Commissioner, Lecturer-in-waiting, Transport Commissioner, Grand Master of the Court of Consultations, Transport Judge, Reviewer, Education Intendant, Text Editor, and Supervisor Daifu; the Reception Official and Attendant Gentleman, General Controllers and Daifu of both offices; and the nobles and dignitaries seated here. May you serve as Feng Hou and Limu, act as Ji, Xie, Kui, and Gao; fulfilling the hopes of all as the Eight Ministers and Three Terraces, being chosen by the sovereign's heart as the salt and prunes, the timely rain. This third stick of incense: when a thousand Buddhas appear in the world, who can match the price? On the other side of Bhīṣmagarjitasvararāja, who can discern the beginning? Years ago, under a single word of Baiyun, I undertook the task; today in the city of Tan, I take it out for the third time, respectfully offering it for the late Master Wuzu Fayan, twelfth generation of Mount Wuzu in Qizhou, to repay the milk of his Dharma." He then gathered his robes and sat cross-legged. The Abbot of Tianning struck the gavel and said, "Dragon and elephant assembly of the Dharma banquet, you should observe the primary truth." The Master said, "A fine 'primary truth'! Right through, eight-sided and exquisite, like a seal stamping the sky, like a seal stamping clay, like a seal stamping water. Speaking like this has already fallen into the second and third. Is there anyone possessing the eye that penetrates the barrier? Please come forward and test it in engagement." A monk asked, "Having penetrated the barrier of Baiyun and wearing the seal of Huangmei, holding Yangqi's correct command and reviving the old seat of Ciming—leaving aside Linji's three mysteries, what about the matter atop the solitary crest of Wonderful Peak?" The Master said, "Meeting face to face, there is neither front nor back." The monk continued, "Leaving aside Sudhana not meeting [Mañjuśrī] for seven days, why could Mañjuśrī not grope and find him for a hundred kalpas?" The Master said, "Where do you see Mañjuśrī?" The monk continued, "A single phrase far transcends the thousand sages; meeting the eyes of the entire banquet, all are intimate knowers." The Master said, "Viewed from the highest, it is not enough; leveled from the lowest, there is a surplus." The monk continued, "Then the moon over the Xiaoxiang River breaks through the autumn of Blue Cliff." The Master said, "You must also direct your eyes quickly to get it." The monk continued, "Just as the Lecturer-in-waiting once wrote in a poem: 'To understand words is to have no tongue; this old monk is not from here.' Just at such a time, how is it?" The Master said, "How few are those who know the heart!" The monk continued, "It makes one think again of Layman Pang: 'In heaven and the human world, none can be his companion.'" The Master said, "You have indeed hit upon it, ācārya." The Master then said, "The Great Way has neither front nor back; the ultimate principle is cut off from verbal explanation. Far transcending the three vehicles and soaring above the ten grounds, where the myriad dharmas cannot reach, radiance uniquely shines forth. Before the Buddhas were differentiated, the wondrous source alone shone bright; it does not fall into hearing and seeing, nor follow form and sound. Directly beneath it there is not a single fine hair; throughout the entire realm the extraordinary affair is completely manifested. Even if one realizes it under the staff or accepts it under the shout, that is still an accommodation. Nowadays, even if light and environment are both forgotten and the mind is matched in equality, in the end that is still not the exact aim. Therefore it is said: 'The transcendent path is not transmitted by the thousand sages; students wear out their bodies like monkeys grasping at shadows.' Arriving here, principle is cut off, phenomena are cut off, practice is cut off, illumination is cut off, function is cut off, the provisional is cut off, the real is cut off. It is straight like a long sword leaning against the sky in chilling, awe-inspiring might, like the dynamic capacity of an iron ox which cannot be caged or trapped. Today, fortunate to face those with clear eyes, I dare not cover it up or hide it away; I lay it wide open." Holding up the whisk, he said, "Do you understand? Shining across past and present, lively and active, it reveals its entire body throughout the great chiliocosm." He added, "Great assembly! In the past Xuefeng held up his staff and showed it to the assembly, saying: 'This of mine is for people of medium and low capacity.' At that time a monk came forward and asked: 'What if someone of the highest capacity suddenly comes along?' Xuefeng put away the staff. Yunmen said: 'I am not like Xuefeng breaking through these entanglements.' He then held up his staff and said: 'This of mine is for people of medium and low capacity.' At that time a monk asked: 'What if someone of the highest capacity suddenly comes along?' Yunmen immediately struck him." The Master commented, "Generally, in upholding the lineage and establishing teachings, one must possess an eye on the crown of the head and carry a talisman beneath the elbow. Look at those two old masters: giving rein and pulling back, killing and bringing to life, emerging and submerging, rolling up and unfurling, truly extraordinary! Yet examined closely, it is still growing branches upon joints. As for this mountain monk's view—" He then held up his staff and said, "This mountain monk only takes this, universally for all people, without distinction of superior, medium, or inferior. If you want to hold it up and unfurl it, you are completely free to hold it up and unfurl it; if you want to undertake it, you are completely free to undertake it. Everywhere the crucial ford is held and severed; each stands like a wall a thousand fathoms high. But tell me, what happens if one suddenly meets a person from within it? The myriad nations drink to their heart's content, tasting the great cauldron; meeting each other, we join hands and ascend the high terrace."