大慧普覺禪師語錄 14.3.4

14.3.4

山僧尋常亦問學者：『望州亭與汝相見了也，烏石嶺與汝相見了也，僧堂前與汝相見了也，作麼生？ 』這箇便是金剛圈、栗棘蓬，爾如何吞？ 如何透？ 爾要識能吞能透者麼？ 豈不見，保福問鵝湖：『僧堂前且置，望州亭、烏石嶺甚麼處相見？ 』鵝湖驟步歸方丈，保福便入僧堂。 汾陽和尚頌曰：『望州烏石與堂前，相見相知幾萬千，唯有鵝湖并保福，此時相見解推遷。 』此頌分明為爾說了也。 既不會這箇。 定又錯會玄沙道：『諸方總道接物利生，或遇三種病人來，合作麼生接？ 患盲者，拈鎚竪拂他又不見； 患聾者，語言三昧他又不聞； 患啞者，教伊說又說不得。 若接此人不得，佛法無靈驗。 』」師顧視大眾云：「要識玄沙麼？ 平生心膽向人傾，相識還如不相識。 」當時地藏和尚在座下，便出來道：「某甲有口不啞，有眼不盲，有耳不聾，和尚作麼生接？ 」師云：「非父不生其子，玄沙呵呵大笑。 」師云：「笑裏有刀。 山僧有時舉此話問學者，有來依樣畫葫蘆，也道：『某甲有口有耳有眼，和尚作麼生接？ 』山僧向他道：『咬人屎橛，不是好狗。 』又却去不得。 既錯會這箇，定又錯會香嚴道：『如人上樹，口銜樹枝，手不攀枝，脚不蹋樹，樹下有人問西來意。 不對則違他所問，若對又喪身失命。 』」師云：「好與玄沙一坑埋却。 山僧昔年曾請益一箇尊宿：『未審香嚴意旨如何？ 』遂以拂子柄銜在口中，緊閉却眼，便作銜樹枝勢，搖手擺脚，祇對山僧。 」師乃彈指云：「如此者，亦是當年馳聲走譽底，尚作這般去就，其餘作怪不在言也。 爾要會麼？ 但只作一句看，我先為爾說，莫見道作一句看，便向舉起處會，舉了便會了，且不是這箇道理。 是甚麼道理？ 如人上樹，口銜樹枝，手不攀枝、脚不蹋樹，樹下有人問西來意，不對則違他所問，若對又喪身失命。 如何？ 這裏間不容髮。 當時香嚴會中，只有箇虎頭上座，領得香嚴意，便出來為香嚴出氣云：『上樹即不問，未上樹請和尚道。 』」師云：「雖得一場榮，刖却一雙足。 香嚴呵呵大笑。 」師云：「鐵作面皮。 」又云：「回天輪，轉地軸。 後來雪竇拈云：『樹上道即易，樹下道即難。 老僧上樹也致將一問來。 』雪竇雖為虎頭上座出氣，爭奈蹉過香嚴。 今時有般謬漢，聞雪竇恁麼道，便引洞山語云：『但能莫觸當今諱，也勝前朝斷舌才。 』謂香嚴立此箇問頭，喻如一團火相似不可觸。 雖然如此，不可斷却言句。 有問如何是佛，麻三斤，如何是祖師西來意，庭前柏樹子，又且何妨？ 爾不妨會得好。 不見汾陽和尚頌曰：『香嚴銜樹示多人，要引同袍達本真。 』」師云：「依實供通，擬議却從言下覓，喪身失命數如塵。 」師云：「不是苦心人不知，汾陽為爾開天路，雲散長空月色新。 」師云：「閑言語。 雖然如是，若向這裏提得，一生參學事畢。 既提不得，定又錯會百丈問溈山五峯雲嚴云：『併却咽喉脣吻，作麼生道？ 』溈山云：『却請和尚道。 』百丈云：『我不辭向汝道，恐已後喪我兒孫。 』五峯云：『和尚也須併却。 』百丈云：『無人處斫額望汝。 』雲嚴云：『和尚有也未？ 』百丈云：『喪我兒孫。 』眾中商量道：『百丈大似抱贓叫屈、掩耳偷鈴，三子恁麼祗對，大家走入荒草裏。 』且喜沒交涉。 向爾道：此事決定不在言語上。 既不在言語上，當恁麼時合作麼生？ 我早是與爾說了也。 既錯會這箇，定又錯會德山道：『今夜不答話，問話者三十棒。 』時有僧出禮拜，德山便打，僧云：『某甲話也未問，為甚打某甲？ 』山云：『爾是甚處人？ 』僧云：『新羅人。 』山云：『未蹋船舷好與三十棒。 』後來法眼云：『大小德山，話作兩橛。 』圓明云：『大小德山，龍頭蛇尾。 』雪竇拈云：『二老宿雖善裁長補短、捨重從輕，要見德山亦未可。 何故？

I, a mountain monk, also constantly ask students: 'At Wangzhou Pavilion I met with you, at Wushi Ridge I met with you, before the monks' hall I met with you—what about it?' This is precisely the vajra iron circle and the chestnut burr: how will you swallow it? How will you penetrate it? Do you want to know those who can swallow and penetrate it? Have you not seen: Baofu asked Ehu, 'Setting aside before the monks' hall, at what place did we meet at Wangzhou Pavilion and Wushi Ridge?' Ehu quickened his pace and returned to the abbot's quarters; Baofu then entered the monks' hall. Master Fenyang said in verse: 'Wangzhou, Wushi, and before the hall: / Meeting and knowing one another, thousands upon tens of thousands. / Only Ehu and Baofu / At this moment of meeting knew how to shift and yield.' This verse has clearly spoken it for you. Having failed to understand this, you will surely also misunderstand Xuansha's saying: 'Every quarter all say they receive beings and benefit creatures. If three kinds of sick people come, how should they be received? For one who is blind, when a mallet is raised or a fly-whisk is held upright, he cannot see it; for one who is deaf, he cannot hear the samādhi of words and speech; for one who is mute, when told to speak, he cannot speak. If one cannot receive such people, the Buddha-dharma has no efficacy.'" The Master looked around at the assembly and said, "Do you want to know Xuansha? 'All his life he poured out his heart and guts to people, / Yet meeting him is like not knowing him.' At that time Master Dizang was in the assembly, and stepped forward, saying: 'I have a mouth and am not mute, have eyes and am not blind, have ears and am not deaf. How does the Venerable receive me?' The Master said: 'Without a father, such a son would not be born. Xuansha laughed heartily.'" The Master said, "In the laugh there was a knife. Sometimes I bring up this topic to question students. Some come and draw a gourd according to the pattern, also saying: 'I have a mouth, ears, and eyes. How does the Venerable receive me?' I say to him: 'A dog that chews on someone else's shit-stick is no good dog.' Again they cannot move forward. Having misunderstood this, you will surely also misunderstand Xiangyan's saying: 'It is like a person up a tree, holding a branch with his teeth, his hands not grasping a branch, his feet not treading on the tree. Someone under the tree asks about the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West. If he does not answer, he goes against what was asked; if he does answer, he loses his body and life.'" The Master said, "He deserves to be buried in the same pit as Xuansha! In years past, I once asked an eminent elder for instruction: 'I do not know, what is Xiangyan's meaning?' He thereupon took the handle of the fly-whisk into his mouth, tightly closed his eyes, assumed the posture of holding a branch with his teeth, and shook his hands and flailed his feet, answering me in this way." The Master then snapped his fingers and said, "A person like this was also one of widespread fame and reputation in those days, yet he still made such an act! As for the rest who played tricks, they are not even worth mentioning. Do you want to understand? Just regard it as a single sentence. I tell you first: do not, hearing it said to regard it as a single sentence, then understand it at the point where it is raised—understanding it as soon as it is raised—for it is not this principle. What principle is it? 'It is like a person up a tree, holding a branch with his teeth, his hands not grasping a branch, his feet not treading on the tree. Someone under the tree asks about the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West. If he does not answer, he goes against what was asked; if he does answer, he loses his body and life.' How about it? Here, not a hair can intervene. At that time in Xiangyan's assembly, there was only Head Monk Hutou who grasped Xiangyan's meaning. He stepped forward to vent Xiangyan's spleen, saying: 'I do not ask about being up the tree; please, Venerable, speak about before going up the tree.'" The Master said, "'Though gaining a moment of glory, / He had both feet cut off.' Xiangyan laughed heartily." The Master said, "'An iron-made face!'" He also said, "'Turning the heavenly wheel, rotating the earthly axle!' Later, Xuedou commented: 'Speaking up the tree is easy; speaking down the tree is difficult. This old monk has gone up the tree: bring on a question!' Although Xuedou vented Head Monk Hutou's spleen, how could he avoid missing Xiangyan? Nowadays there is a sort of misguided fellow who, hearing Xuedou speak like this, cites Dongshan's words, saying: 'If one can avoid violating the present taboo, / It is superior to the tongue-cutting talent of the former court.' They say that Xiangyan set up this question-head just like a ball of fire that cannot be touched. Even so, words and phrases cannot be cut off. If someone asks what Buddha is: 'Three pounds of hemp'; what the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West is: 'The cypress tree in the courtyard'—what harm is there? You may well understand it nicely. Have you not seen Master Fenyang's verse: 'Xiangyan holding the tree showed it to many; / He wanted to lead his companions to reach the fundamental reality.'" The Master said, "'Confessing according to the facts: / Deliberating, they search for it beneath the words, / Losing their bodies and lives, numerous as dust.'" The Master said, "'Unless one is a person of painstaking effort, one does not know: / Fenyang opens the heavenly road for you; / Clouds disperse across the vast sky, and the moonlight is fresh.'" The Master said, "Idle talk! Although it is like this, if you can grasp it here, the lifelong business of study is finished. If you cannot grasp it, you will surely also misunderstand Baizhang asking Guishan, Wufeng, and Yunyan: 'Having shut off throat, lips, and mouth, how do you speak?' Guishan said: 'Rather, please, Venerable, speak.' Baizhang said: 'I do not refuse to speak to you, but I fear that later it would destroy my descendants.' Wufeng said: 'The Venerable must also shut them off.' Baizhang said: 'Where there is no one, I shade my brow and gaze toward you.' Yunyan said: 'Venerable, do you have it or not?' Baizhang said: 'It destroys my descendants.' The assembly deliberates, saying: 'Baizhang is much like clutching stolen goods and crying robbery, or covering his ears to steal a bell. When the three sons answered like that, they all ran into the wild grass.' Fortunately, it has no connection! I tell you: this matter decidedly does not lie in words and speech. Since it does not lie in words and speech, at such a moment what ought to be done? I have already told you long ago. Having misunderstood this, you will surely also misunderstand Deshan saying: 'Tonight I will not answer questions; whoever asks a question gets thirty blows of the staff.' At that time a monk came forward and bowed. Deshan struck him at once. The monk said: 'I had not yet asked a question; why did you strike me?' Deshan said: 'Where are you from?' The monk said: 'From Silla.' Deshan said: 'Before you stepped on the ship's gunwale, you deserved thirty blows!' Later, Fayan said: 'Great and small Deshan! His speech was split into two pieces.' Yuanming said: 'Great and small Deshan! A dragon's head and a snake's tail.' Xuedou commented: 'Although the two old masters were good at trimming the long to mend the short, and discarding the heavy to follow the light, to see Deshan is still not yet possible. Why?