大慧普覺禪師語錄 5.28

5.28

Vice Minister Rong requested him to ascend the seat on his birthday. A monk asked: "Why does Yangqi's donkey have only three legs?" The Master said: "You eat little water and grass." The monk said: "If so, then meeting face to face, there is no further mutual avoidance." The Master said: "For now, do not pretend to be clever." The monk said: "Since Pan Lang rode it backwards on his return, why did he throw Huang Fanchuo to his death?" The Master said: "Not your realm." The monk said: "What can be done about right now?" The Master said: "For now, do not let down this old monk." The monk said: "Such great kindness is hard to repay," and then bowed. The Master then said: "Yangqi's donkey has only three legs; Pan Lang rode it backwards on his return, throwing Huang Fanchuo to his death. Miaoxi's footnote from thirty years ago has today been torn wide open by this monk before the assembly of humans and devas—no small matter! It directly makes Master Yangqi clap his hands and laugh aloud, while the mountains, rivers, the great earth, and the myriad phenomena all dance together at once. At just such a time, tell me: who bears witness? Therefore it is said: 'True everywhere, true everywhere, / in every speck of dust is the original person. / When the real and true is spoken, no sound appears; / the dignified authentic body eclipses the person.' What is the dignified authentic body? Before leaving Tuṣita, he had already descended into the royal palace; before leaving his mother's womb, he had already finished delivering people—is this not the dignified authentic body? If you understand it as the dignified authentic body, you let down Old Śākya; if you do not understand it as the dignified authentic body, you let down yourself. Since you let down yourself, with what will you meet Old Śākya? If you can open a line of pathway here, only then will you know that Old Śākya's descending into Queen Māyā's womb from Tuṣita Heaven riding a sun-disk fragrant elephant was merely demonstrating a time of taking birth; up to pointing one hand to heaven and one hand to earth, saying, 'In the heavens above and earth below, I alone am honored,' this too was merely showing all people an example of taking birth. If you can see into here, not only will you vent Old Śākya's spirit, but you will also vent your own birth parents' spirit; not only will you vent your birth parents' spirit, but you will also vent the spirit of all sentient beings. Just at such a time, tell me: whose gracious power do you rely on?" After a long pause, he said: "Wielding a sword to cleave apart self and other is easy; pushing a mountain to dam up right and wrong is hard."