大慧普覺禪師語錄 15.2.4

15.2.4

"Therefore the sūtra says: 'The Buddha's true Dharma-body is like empty space; responding to things, it manifests forms like the moon in the water.' If the yellow blossom is prajñā, then prajñā is identical to insentient things; if the emerald bamboo is the Dharma-body, can the emerald bamboo still respond and function? Does the lecturer understand?" The lecturer said, "I do not understand this meaning." Dazhu said, "If one is a person who has seen their nature, saying it is is acceptable, and saying it is not is also acceptable; speaking in accord with function, they do not stagnate in right and wrong. If one is a person who has not seen their nature, when speaking of emerald bamboo they cling to emerald bamboo, when speaking of yellow blossoms they cling to yellow blossoms, when speaking of the Dharma-body they stagnate in the Dharma-body, and when speaking of prajñā they do not recognize prajñā; thus all becomes dispute." The master said: "The National Teacher advocated that 'ever-green emerald bamboo is entirely the Dharma-body'—advocated it straight to the very end; Dazhu refuted that 'ever-green emerald bamboo is not the Dharma-body'—refuted it straight to the very end. This old fellow takes the one that advocates and takes the one that refutes, brings them together into one place without any promoting or expounding, not daring to stir them by a single hair. I require you students to possess the eye to break through the National Teacher's diamond circle and also swallow down Dazhu's chestnut burr. Those with eyes can distinguish it; those without eyes might not fail to laugh. Although I, Zonggao, studied under Master Yuanwu and had my nostrils knocked off, the one who originally put nostrils on me was actually Master Zhantang; only when helping others, he did not press down the blade tightly, but when discussing Chan sicknesses, no one surpassed him. I once reflected on a story from the teachings: Aṅgulimāla wanted the fingers of a thousand people to make a garland, and after that ascend the royal throne. Having already obtained nine hundred and ninety-nine fingers, he was short only one finger, and wanted to sever his mother's finger to fill out the number. The Buddha, knowing his conditions had ripened, therefore went to transform him. Just as Aṅgulimāla conceived the intention and was about to bring down the knife to take his mother's finger, he suddenly heard the sound of the vibrating ringed staff. He then abandoned his mother's finger and asked the Buddha, who had come to transform him, for a finger, saying: 'Since Gautama is here, I hope you will give me a finger to fulfill my vow.' Just as he raised the knife, the World-Honored One pulled away and left. The World-Honored One walked slowly, yet Aṅgulimāla ran swiftly and could not catch up. He then called out loudly, 'Stop, stop!' The World-Honored One said, 'I stopped long ago; it is you who do not stop.' Aṅgulimāla suddenly had an awakening, and took refuge in the Buddha to leave the household. The Buddha then had him carry his bowl to the gate of an elder, where a woman of the family was encountering difficult childbirth. The elder said, 'Disciple of Gautama, you are a supreme sage; what Dharma do you have that can relieve this difficult childbirth?' Aṅgulimāla said, 'I have only just entered the Way and do not know this Dharma; wait until I return and ask the World-Honored One, then I will come back to inform you.' When he returned, he reported the matter fully to the Buddha. The Buddha told Aṅgulimāla, 'Go quickly and tell her: "Since I came to the Noble Dharma, I have never taken life."' Aṅgulimāla immediately followed the Buddha's words, went there, and told her. The woman, upon hearing this, was relieved of the difficult childbirth." The master said: "Here, can wielding the staff, giving shouts, overturning the meditation bench, citing scriptural teachings to speak of principle and phenomena, striking sparks from stone, flashing lightning, or catching a black chicken in the middle of the night do it? Therefore I asked Master Zhantang for instruction. As soon as I brought up this case, Zhantang said: 'You have scratched my itch. This story is the Dharma of gold and dung: when you do not understand, it is like gold; when you understand, it is like dung.' I said: 'Is there really no expedient means?' Zhantang said: 'I have an expedient means, but you will completely fail to understand.' I said: 'I beg the Venerable's compassion.' Zhantang said: 'Aṅgulimāla said, "I have only just entered the Way and do not know this Dharma; wait until I ask the World-Honored One." Before he reached the Buddha's seat, what if her family had already given birth to the child? "Since I came to the Noble Dharma, I have never taken life." When Aṅgulimāla carried these words, before he reached her family, what if she had already given birth to the child?' At that time, this old fellow could not understand it. Later, while at Huqiu, reading the Avataṃsaka Sūtra up to the bodhisattva ascending the seventh ground and realizing the patience with the non-arising of dharmas, it says: 'Disciples of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva accomplishes this patience, he immediately enters the bodhisattva's eighth ground, the Immovable Ground, becoming a bodhisattva of profound practice—difficult to know, nondiscriminatory, free from all signs, all thoughts, and all clingings, which all immeasurable and boundless śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas cannot reach. Free from all disputes, quiescence becomes manifest before him. It is just as when a bhikṣu is endowed with spiritual penetration and attains freedom of mind, gradually up to entering the concentration of cessation, all moving minds, recollections, and discriminations are entirely stilled. This bodhisattva-mahāsattva is also like this: abiding in the Immovable Ground, he immediately relinquishes all effortful practices, obtains effortless bodily, verbal, and mental karma, and all concerns of mindfulness cease, abiding in retributive practice. It is just as when a person in a dream sees his body fall into a great river, and wishing to cross over, arouses great courage and employs great expedient means. Because he employs expedient means with great courage, he immediately awakens. Once awakened, all that he did ceases. The bodhisattva is also like this: seeing the bodies of sentient beings in the four floods, in order to rescue them he arouses great courage and initiates great vigor. Because of his courageous vigor, he arrives at this Immovable Ground. Having arrived here, there is no effort that does not cease; dual practices and sign-bearing practices do not manifest. In this bodhisattva-mahāsattva, the bodhisattva mind, the buddha mind, the bodhicitta, and the nirvāṇa mind do not even arise, let alone the minds of the worldly realm.'" The master said: "Arriving here, the bag was torn open, and the expedient means that Zhantang spoke of to me suddenly appeared before me. Only then did I know that a true spiritual guide does not deceive me. It is truly a diamond circle; one must have clear storehouse consciousness to be able to break through it. There was also a senior venerable named Master Luopu, who was Linji's attendant for a long time. Linji always praised him, calling him an arrow under Linji's gate—which was just bullying people. After finishing his travels, he went straight to the peak of Jiashan and pitched a hermitage for years. Jiashan learned of this, wrote a letter, and sent a monk galloping over with it. Luopu took it and sat down on it, then stretched out his hand again to ask for it. The monk had no reply. Luopu struck him and said, 'Go back and present this to the Venerable.' The monk returned and presented it to Jiashan. Jiashan said, 'If this monk reads the letter, he will certainly come within three days. If he does not read the letter, this person cannot be saved.'" The master said: "The ancients called this 'fishing for people.' Without knowing what idle talk or long phrases were in the letter, Luopu swallowed his hook and line, and indeed came within three days. Jiashan in advance ordered someone to watch for him leaving the hermitage, and immediately burned his dwelling." The master said: "Just this was a diamond circle. Luopu paid no heed." The master said: "To become a buddha and act as a patriarch, one must be this sort of fellow.