大慧普覺禪師語錄 14.3.2

14.3.2

』月上女答曰：『舍利弗！ 汝既問我行何乘者，我今還問。 舍利弗！ 惟願隨意答我。 如舍利弗所證法者，為行聲聞乘？ 為行辟支佛乘？ 為行大乘？ 』舍利弗言：『非也。 月上女！ 所以者何？ 然彼法者，無可分別，亦無言說，非別非一，亦非眾多。 』月上女曰：『舍利弗！ 是故不應分別諸法一相、異相、無別異相，於諸相中無有可住。 』」師云：「舍利弗恁麼問，月上女恁麼答，且道：與秦國太夫人所證之法，相去幾何？ 還有人斷得麼？ 試出來斷看。 如無，且向葛藤裏薦取。 所以道：『夫參學者，須參活句，莫參死句。 活句下薦得，永劫不忘； 死句下薦得，自救不了。 』爾諸人，每日上來下去，寮舍裏喫茶喫湯，莊上搬鹽搬麵，僧堂裏行益，長廊下擇菜，後園裏擔糞，磨坊下推磨，當恁麼時，佛眼也覷爾不見。 且道：是死句，是活句，是不死不活句？ 試定當看。 直饒定當得出，也未免在三句裏。 豈不見，僧問南泉和尚：『即心是佛又不得，非心非佛又不得，師意如何？ 』泉云：『爾但信即心是佛便了，更說甚麼得與不得。 只如大德喫飯了，從東廊上西廊下，不可總問人得與不得也。 』遮裏若識得南泉，方不被三句所使，便能使得三句。 既使得三句，始與南泉同一眼見，同一耳聞，同一鼻嗅，同一舌嘗，同一身髑，同一意思，更無差別。 只為爾執藥為病，舊病未除，新病復作，却被死句活句使得來七顛八倒，將他古人徑截處一時紆曲了。 且那箇是古人徑截處？ 我更為爾舉一兩則。 只如南泉道：『牽牛向谿東放，不免食他國王水草； 牽牛向谿西放，不免食他國王水草。 不如隨分納些些，總不見得。 』這箇公案，有多少人錯斷如何是納些些底道理，便道：『著衣喫飯有甚麼難？ 向驢前馬後作活計，且莫謗他南泉好。 』爾既錯會，這箇定又錯會。 黃檗道：『汝等諸人，盡是噇酒糟漢，恁麼行脚，何處有今日？ 還知大唐國裏無禪師麼？ 』時有僧出云：『只如諸方匡徒領眾，又作麼生？ 』檗云：『不道無禪，只是無師。 』這箇話頭，便是箇禍胎。 莫道未悟者錯會，直饒悟得徹頭徹尾，大法不明，也覷他黃檗不見。 只如黃檗道：『不道無禪，只是無師。 』爾如何理會？ 眾中商量道：『人人分上誰不丈夫，豈假師承？ 噇酒糟便是咬言語，言語乃古人糟粕也。 』且喜沒交涉，欲得不招無間業，莫謗如來正法輪。 豈不見，溈山舉此話問仰山云：『黃檗意作麼生？ 』仰山云：『鵝王擇乳，素非鴨類。 』溈山云：『此實難辨。 』只如溈山仰山恁麼問答，又作麼生商量？ 到這裏須是箇人始得。 既不會這箇，便將庭前柏樹子、麻三斤、乾屎橛，鋸解秤鎚之類盡為糟粕。 既錯會這箇定又錯會。 洞山問蟾首座：『佛真法身猶若虛空，應物現形如水中月，作麼生說箇應底道理？ 』蟾云：『如驢覷井。 』山云：『道則大殺道，只道得八成。 』蟾云：『和尚作麼生？ 』山云：『如井覷驢。 』諸方商量道：『如驢覷井是有迹，如井覷驢是無迹，又喚作亡情拂迹。 』且喜沒交涉，要且不是這箇道理。 既錯會這箇，定又錯會南嶽和尚道：『譬牛駕車，車若不行，打車即是？ 打牛即是？ 』馬祖聞舉忽然大悟。 而今禪和家，理會道：『牛喻心，車喻法，但只明心，法自明矣； 但只打牛，車自行矣。 』且喜沒交涉。 若恁麼，馬祖驢年也不能得悟去。 這老漢，始初將謂佛可以坐得成，禪可以坐得悟。 一向坐地等。 南嶽和尚知其不凡，故將甎去他菴前磨，祖云：『和尚磨甎作甚麼？ 』南嶽云：『磨作鏡。 』祖云：『磨甎豈得成鏡？ 』南嶽云：『磨甎既不成鏡，坐禪豈得成佛？ 』馬祖被他動一動，心中熱忙，便問：『如何即是？ 』只這裏鼻孔索頭便在南嶽和尚手裏了也。 所以道：『欲識佛性義，當觀時節因緣。

Candrottarā replied, saying: 'Śāriputra! Since you have asked me what vehicle I practice, I will now ask you in turn. Śāriputra! Please answer me as you will. Regarding the dharma realized by Śāriputra: is it practicing the Śrāvaka Vehicle? Is it practicing the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle? Or is it practicing the Great Vehicle?' Śāriputra said: 'It is not so, Candrottarā! Why is that? Because that dharma cannot be differentiated, nor can it be spoken of; it is neither distinct nor one, nor is it manifold.' Candrottarā said: 'Śāriputra! Therefore, one should not differentiate phenomena as having a single characteristic, different characteristics, or no distinct characteristics; among all characteristics there is nothing to abide in.'"
The Master said, "Śāriputra asked like this, and Candrottarā answered like this. Tell me, how far is this from the dharma realized by the Grand Lady of the State of Qin? Is there anyone who can determine it? Step forward and try to determine it. If there is no one, then understand it within the entangling vines. Therefore it is said: 'Those who study and investigate must investigate the living phrase, not the dead phrase. If you understand through a living phrase, you will never forget it for eternal kalpas; if you understand through a dead phrase, you will not even be able to save yourself.'
"You all go up and down every day, drinking tea and decoctions in the dormitories, carrying salt and flour on the estates, serving food in the Sangha hall, picking vegetables along the long veranda, carrying manure in the back garden, pushing the millstone in the millhouse—at such a time, even the Buddha's eye cannot catch sight of you. Tell me: is this a dead phrase, a living phrase, or a neither-dead-nor-living phrase? Try to settle it and see. Even if you manage to settle it, you still cannot avoid being caught within the three phrases.
"Have you not seen? A monk asked Master Nanquan: ''Mind itself is Buddha' is not permissible, and 'neither mind nor Buddha' is not permissible; what is the Master's meaning?' Nanquan said: 'You just have faith that 'mind itself is Buddha' and that's it; why speak further of permissible and impermissible? Just like when the Venerable has finished eating and goes from the east veranda down to the west veranda, you can hardly go around asking people whether it is permissible or not permissible.'
"If you recognize Nanquan right here, only then will you not be driven by the three phrases, and you will be able to drive the three phrases. Having driven the three phrases, only then will you see with the same eyes as Nanquan, hear with the same ears, smell with the same nose, taste with the same tongue, feel with the same touch, and conceive with the same thoughts, without any difference whatsoever. It is only because you cling to the medicine as an illness: the old illness has not been eliminated, and a new illness arises again, so that you are driven upside down and tossed about by dead phrases and living phrases, and completely distort the direct cut made by the ancients.
"And what is the ancients' direct cut? I will bring up one or two more cases for you. Just as Nanquan said: 'If you lead the ox to pasture east of the stream, it cannot avoid eating the king's water and grass; if you lead the ox to pasture west of the stream, it cannot avoid eating the king's water and grass. It would be better to pay a small share as it comes, and nothing will be detected.' In this gong'an, how many people have misjudged the principle of 'paying a small share' and said: 'What is so hard about wearing clothes and eating food?' Making a living in front of donkeys and behind horses—better not slander Nanquan!
"Since you misunderstand this, you will definitely misunderstand that one too. Huangbo said: 'All of you are fellows who swill distillers' grains! Making pilgrimage like this, where could there be this day? Do you know that in the great Tang realm there are no Chan masters?' At the time, a monk came forward and said: 'What about those in all quarters who assemble disciples and lead the assembly?' Huangbo said: 'I did not say there is no Chan, only that there are no masters.'
"This huatou is a seed of disaster. Do not say that those who are unenlightened misunderstand it; even if one is enlightened from head to tail, if the Great Dharma is not clear, one still cannot catch sight of Huangbo. Just as Huangbo said: 'I did not say there is no Chan, only that there are no masters'—how do you understand it? People in the assembly deliberate, saying: 'In everyone's own lot, who is not a great man? How could one depend on a master's transmission? Swilling distillers' grains means gnawing on words, and words are the dregs of the ancients.' Fortunately, this has no connection at all! If you wish not to incur the karma of the Avīci Hell, do not slander the Tathāgata's true wheel of the Dharma.
"Have you not seen? Guishan brought up this story and asked Yangshan: 'What was Huangbo's meaning?' Yangshan said: 'The goose king selects the milk; it was never of the duck kind.' Guishan said: 'This is indeed hard to discern.' Just as Guishan and Yangshan questioned and answered like this, how do you deliberate it? When you come to this point, you must be the right person. Since people do not understand this, they take 'the cypress tree in the courtyard,' 'three pounds of flax,' 'a dried shit-stick,' and 'sawing apart a steelyard weight' and consider them all to be dregs.
"Since you misunderstand this, you will definitely misunderstand that one too. Dongshan asked Head Monk Chan: 'The Buddha's true dharmakāya is like empty space; responding to things, it manifests forms like the moon in water. How do you explain the principle of responding?' Chan said: 'Like a donkey peering into a well.' Dongshan said: 'That says a great deal indeed, but it only says eighty percent.' Chan said: 'What about the Master?' Dongshan said: 'Like a well peering at a donkey.' People in various quarters deliberate, saying: 'A donkey peering into a well has traces; a well peering at a donkey has no traces; this is also called extinguishing feelings and wiping away traces.' Fortunately, this has no connection at all; it is not this principle at all!
"Since you misunderstand this, you will definitely misunderstand Master Nanyue's saying: 'It is like an ox yoked to a cart. If the cart does not move, is it right to strike the cart, or is it right to strike the ox?' Mazu heard this and suddenly experienced great enlightenment. Nowadays, Chan practitioners understand it by saying: 'The ox is a metaphor for the mind, and the cart is a metaphor for the dharmas. Only clarify the mind, and the dharmas will be clear of themselves; only strike the ox, and the cart will move of itself.' Fortunately, this has no connection at all! If it were like that, Mazu would not have attained enlightenment even in the year of the donkey.
"This old fellow initially thought that buddhahood could be accomplished by sitting, and that Chan could be awakened to by sitting; he constantly sat on the ground waiting. Master Nanyue knew he was extraordinary, so he took a tile and ground it in front of his hermitage. Mazu said: 'What are you grinding the tile for, Master?' Nanyue said: 'Grinding it to make a mirror.' Mazu said: 'How can grinding a tile make a mirror?' Nanyue said: 'Since grinding a tile cannot make a mirror, how can sitting in meditation make a buddha?' Mazu was stirred by him, felt feverish anxiety in his mind, and asked: 'What is the right way?' Right here, the nose-rope was already in Master Nanyue's hands. Therefore it is said: 'If you wish to know the meaning of buddha-nature, you must observe the causes and conditions of the season.'"