大慧普覺禪師語錄 1.18

1.18

At the opening of the hall at Haihui Temple by invitation of Lin'an County, the Master held up the statement, showed it to the assembly, and said: "Before the patterns are manifest, the news has already been revealed; once the patterns are manifest, it is hard to conceal. Since it cannot be concealed, I must trouble the prolocutor to recite it clearly." After the statement was recited, the Master looked around at the assembly and said: "The Magistrate Scholar has already expounded the paramārtha truth for all of you. Is there anyone whose eyes are opened and whose mind is awakened? If there is, please disperse right now; if not, Jingshan will sit upon the curved-wood chair and speak idle nonsense." Thereupon he ascended the high seat, offered incense, and completed prayers for the Emperor. He then offered incense again, saying: "This one flake of incense—the buddhas do not know it, ghosts and spirits cannot fathom it; it was not born of heaven and earth, nor obtained from nature. The day before yesterday in the city I already presented it; today gods and humans gather universally, and the fourfold assembly has arrived in full. Fearing that among them there may be those who do not yet know its flavor, I cannot help but disclose it anew." He then burned it and took his seat. A monk asked: "The breeze of Yao blows eternally, bodhisattvas manifest in the bodies of government officials; the Buddha sun shines brightly on high, and Old Lu sings the melody of Shaolin. For the opening of the hall to pray for the Emperor, we wish to hear the essentials of the Dharma." The Master said: "Shaking heaven and moving earth." [The monk] advanced and said: "Relying on the Master's single drop of Caoxi water, let it become rain over the four seas to repay our Emperor." The Master said: "A single wild goose first returns; autumn covers the four seas." [The monk] advanced and said: "The golden wheel governs the three thousand realms; the jade calendar extends good fortune for millions of springs." The Master said: "Who would not wish so?" [The monk] asked: "Sansheng said, 'Whenever I meet someone, I immediately go out; going out, it is not for their sake.' What is the meaning?" The Master said: "Killing people without using a knife." [The monk] advanced and said: "Xinghua said, 'Whenever I meet someone, I do not go out; going out, it is immediately for their sake.' How about that?" The Master said: "To bring people to life, why need a sword?" [The monk] advanced and said: "Right at the moment of going out and not going out, how is it?" The Master said: "A padlock without a keyhole rattles at both ends." [The monk] advanced and said: "I go especially to circulate it." The Master said: "Jingshan suffered a loss today." He then said: "The utmost truth of the Buddha Dharma is not in questions and answers. Even if questions arise like clouds from Samantabhadra and answers pour like a pitcher from Samantabhadra, if one does not know the essential wonder, it only becomes playful banter—what benefit does it have for the Way? Speaking according to reality, it is all running outside in foolish madness. Therefore, the Greatly Awakened World-Honoured One appeared in the world for the sake of the one great cause, using all kinds of subtle and skillful means to bring sentient beings to completion, opening, demonstrating, awakening, and entering the insight of the Buddha. Rising from the Bodhi tree and going to the Deer Park, he first turned the wheel of the Dharma of the Four Noble Truths for Ājñāta-Kauṇḍinya and the others; over forty-nine years at more than three hundred and sixty assemblies, he progressively expounded according to what suited the faculties of sentient beings, causing each of them to hear the Dharma, attain understanding, and escape birth and death. At the very end, on the verge of parinirvāṇa, before the gathering of hundreds of thousands of gods and humans, he held up a flower and showed it to all; only the golden-hued ascetic broke into a smile. Whereupon [the Buddha] said, 'I have the treasury of the true dharma eye, the wondrous mind of nirvāṇa, and I entrust it to you.' From this, the four-seven of the Western Heavens and the two-three of the Eastern Land, the old venerable ones throughout the world, each transmitted mind with mind in unbroken succession. If one does not know its essential wonder and single-mindedly drowns in views and runs after words, how could the treasury of the true dharma eye have been disseminated down to this day? Arriving here, one must be an extraordinary person of the Way who does not seek after the sages and does not esteem their own spirit, only then can one shoulder this great cause. And who is the extraordinary person of the Way? Do you not see that formerly Great Master Mazu of Jiangxi sent Xitang Zhizang to deliver a letter to Chan Master Guoyi of Jingshan? Guoyi broke the seal and saw a circle; thereupon he asked for a brush and, facing Zhizang, put a dot inside the circle. Zhizang was at a loss. Is this not news outside the pattern? If you treat it as consideration outside the pattern, again it is not. How will all of you discern it? How do you make use of it at all times? Just now, in the statement of the Magistrate Scholar, it was said: 'Master Ma's circle sealed from afar a thousand leagues of pure rules; Old Qin's sharp dynamic dotted through and broke a moment of collective delusions.' Since collective delusions are broken, the great matter under everyone's feet is clearly illuminated. Since the great matter is clearly illuminated, then throughout the twelve periods of the day, turning and bowing, bending and raising, snapping fingers and clearing the throat, are nothing other than the wondrous function of the Buddha. Since it is the wondrous function of the Buddha, it is not obtained from others. Since it is not obtained from others, neither does it reside in one's own body. Since it does not reside in one's own body, internally nothing is let out, and externally nothing is let in. Since externally nothing is let in, external conditions are put to rest; since internally nothing is let out, the inner mind does not pant. Since the inner mind does not pant and external conditions are put to rest, all wisdom penetrates without obstruction. Since there is no obstruction, all-knowledge is pure, non-dual and without duality, without distinction and without interruption. Right at such a time, it is neither worldly dharma nor world-transcending dharma; grabbing the kingdom of Campā to knock heads with the kingdom of Silla—how could that be extraordinary? Although it is like this, there is still something more. Dare I ask you all: why did National Teacher Zhong say, 'Master Qin was still deluded by Master Ma'? Right now, is there anyone who can settle this? If you can settle this, I grant that all of you are extraordinary people of the Way; if not, Jingshan will close the case based on the confession." After a long pause, he said: "Staying at home, one only says it is easy to be a guest; coming to the fishing trap, one first realizes catching fish is hard."