大慧普覺禪師語錄 24.18

24.18

辯龍蛇眼，擒虎兕機，非超越格量不繫塵緣之士，即以是說為戲論，故臨濟宗風難其繼紹，近世學語之流，多爭鋒逞口，快以胡說亂道為縱橫，胡喝亂喝為宗旨，一挨一拶，如擊石火，似閃電光，擬議不來，呵呵大笑，謂之機鋒俊快不落意根。殊不知，正是業識弄鬼眼睛，豈非謾人自謾、誤他自誤耶？不見臨濟侍立德山次，山回顧曰：「有事相借問得麼？」濟云：「老漢寐語作甚麼？」山擬拈棒，濟便掀倒禪床，山便休去。且道二老漢恁麼激揚，還有商量處否？信知龍象蹴蹋非驢所堪，非真實具如是眼、得如是用，未免向得失中摶量卜度。又臨濟同普化在鎮州，赴施主家齋次，濟問：「毛吞巨海、芥納須彌，為是神通妙用？為是法爾如然？」普化便趯倒飯床，濟云：「太麁生。」化云：「這裏是甚所在，說麁說細？」濟休去，次日又同赴一施主齋，濟復問：「今日供養何似昨日？」化又趯倒飯床，濟云：「是則是。太麁生。」化云：「瞎漢！佛法說甚麁細？」濟又休去。且道：臨濟兩次休去，還有商量分也無？若有，且如何商量？冲密禪人在叢林最久，往往都商量得，講說得，批判得，自謂千了百當，後始知非，遂一時撥置，就無商量處做工夫。今始覷得見，信得及，方知此事傳不得，學不得，計較不得，商量不得。侍吾南來，相從於寂寞之濱，閱四載，因吾舉先師為寂壽道人舉不是心，不是佛，不是物話，驀向火爐邊拾得一粒煼豆喫了，自此香積妙供亦無心趣向，但烝餅不托少渠一頓不得耳。因來別吾暫歸浙江，携此軸求指示，仍贈二偈云：

The eye that distinguishes dragons from snakes and the dynamic capacity to capture tigers and rhinos—unless one is a person who transcends all measures and is unattached to worldly dusts, one will take such speech as playful discourse. Therefore, the ancestral style of Linji has found successors difficult to come by. In recent times, the crowd who study phrases mostly vie with sharp tongues and boast of fluency, gladly taking talking nonsense and babbling as unrestrained freedom, and wild shouting as the fundamental principle. A push and a shove, like sparks from flint or flashes of lightning; unable to deliberate, they burst into hearty laughter, calling it quick-witted dynamism that does not fall into the sense-faculty of intellect. Little do they know that it is precisely karmic consciousness playing ghost-tricks with its eyes—is this not deceiving others while deceiving oneself, misleading others while misleading oneself? Have you not seen: when Linji was attending Deshan, Deshan turned around and said, 'May I ask you something?' Linji said, 'What is this old fellow talking in his sleep for?' Deshan made to take up his staff, whereupon Linji overturned the meditation couch; Deshan then desisted. Tell me, when the two old fellows engaged in such dynamic promotion, was there any room for deliberation? Truly we know that the trampling of nāga-elephants is not what donkeys can bear. Unless one genuinely possesses such an eye and attains such application, one cannot avoid calculating and guessing within gain and loss. Furthermore, when Linji was together with Puhua in Zhenzhou attending a meal at a patron's house, Linji asked, 'A hair swallowing the great ocean, a mustard seed containing Mount Sumeru—is this wondrous spiritual power, or is it fundamentally so?' Puhua kicked over the dining table. Linji said, 'Too coarse!' Puhua said, 'What place is this to speak of coarse or fine?' Linji desisted. The next day, they again attended a patron's meal together. Linji asked again, 'How does today's offering compare to yesterday's?' Puhua again kicked over the dining table. Linji said, 'Granted, but it is too coarse!' Puhua said, 'Blind fellow! In the Buddha-Dharma, what coarse or fine is spoken of?' Linji again desisted. Tell me: when Linji desisted twice, was there any room for deliberation? If there was, how would you deliberate? Chan practitioner Chongmi has been in the monasteries the longest; he was often able to deliberate, expound, and critique everything, considering himself entirely sorted out in every way. Later he finally realized his error, immediately brushed it all aside, and applied his effort at the place where there is no deliberation. Only now has he caught sight of it and gained full trust in it, realizing for the first time that this matter cannot be transmitted, cannot be learned, cannot be calculated, and cannot be deliberated. Attending me as I came south, accompanying me on the lonely shore for four years, upon my bringing up the late master's presenting to the practitioner Jishou the phrase 'Not mind, not Buddha, not a thing', he suddenly picked up a roasted bean by the fire brazier and ate it. From then on, he had no mind to pursue even the wondrous offerings of Xiangji, though he still could not do without a meal of steamed cakes and noodles. Because he came to take leave of me to return temporarily to Zhejiang, bringing this scroll to request instruction, I further presented him with two verses, which say: