密菴和尚語錄 1.199

1.199

師初住烏巨，普說：「某自携被入方丈，經五十日未曾舉著方丈職。無他，蓋此間有數人勤舊，皆是見前輩大尊宿，經大爐鞴中鍛鍊過來，故乃縮手。此者有數人新發心菩薩到來，不免為他東說西說。凡遇掛牌，諸勤舊不勞訪及，新發心兄弟有長處，大家相布施不妨，如不來，亦無固必。若論諸人分上事，未入父母包胎已前淨裸裸地；及乎撞入父母包胎裏也淨裸裸地；一旦跳出頭來也淨裸裸地。千聖著眼不到，萬靈瞻仰無門，日往月來不覺不知。一念心纔動，墮落染淨二緣，便見有天堂地獄、九有四生，有禪道可參、有佛祖可敬、有異類可賤。如此是是非非紛然于懷，白日間被它使得七顛八倒，昧却本地風光。本來面目便被三世諸佛瞞了、六代祖師瞞了、森羅萬象瞞了、蠢動含靈瞞了。若是箇大丈夫漢，冷地回頭一覷，驀地如懸崖石裂一番，說什麼三世諸佛、六代祖師，便見三世諸佛說夢、六代祖師說夢、天下老和尚說夢。方見趙州和尚道：『老僧使得十二時，汝等諸人被十二時使。』看他得底人，吐一言半句終是逈別。水潦和尚被馬祖攔胸一蹈，起來便道：『百千法門，無量妙義，總向一毫頭上識得根源去。』雖然如是，正好喫鐵棒在。德山和尚在蜀中講經論，聲壓四川。聞南方有不立文字、單傳心印、見性成佛之語，憤憤不肯，載一車疏鈔要來勘一隊魔子。始抵澧州龍潭，見信和尚便問：『久嚮龍潭，及乎到來，潭又不見，龍又不現。』信和尚也不著忙，也不行棒、也不行喝，只徐徐地向他道：『子親到龍潭。』此語最毒。他雖是箇座主，不敢胡撐亂拄，便乃休去。若是硬主張底，只怕口空硬輥將去，有什麼救處？遂從此執侍。夜立更深，潭云：『侍者何不出去？』德山挨簾出，乃云：『外面黑。』龍潭遂點紙燭度與。纔擬接，潭便吹殺，德山便禮拜。潭云：『子見箇什麼道理便禮拜？』德山云：『從今已後，更不疑天下老和尚舌頭去也。』龍潭和尚老婆心太甚，若見禮拜，便好拽拄杖趕出三門外，佛法至今未至掃土。既已放過，德山次日便乃撒屎撒尿，將一車疏鈔堆在法堂前。拈火炬云：『窮諸玄辯，若一毫置於太虛；竭世樞機，似一滴投於巨壑。』便燒却。後來做盡鬼怪，不可盡說。若是著實參禪兄弟，且從那裏參起，只向疑不破處橫咬竪咬，如咬生鐵橛相似，千萬莫教沾著牙齒。纔沾著牙齒，便了不得。驀地失口咬破，便見百味具足，自己分上，如十日並照不妨快活。某平生參見數人善知識，末後方見應庵。每見兄弟云：『在尊宿身邊得箇悟處，得他說話方法嗣他。』某見應菴先師也無悟處；也不曾參得他禪；也不曾得他一言半句說話，只是被他罵得身心頑了。今日被人推出做長老，只據遮些子與兄弟評論。雖然如是，傑上座說底切莫記一字，他日便成蠱毒去也。珍重。」

When the Master first resided at Wuju, he gave a general discourse: "Ever since I carried my quilt into the abbot's quarters, fifty days have passed without my ever mentioning the duties of the abbot. There is no other reason: simply that here there are several senior officers who have all seen eminent elders of the former generation and been tempered in great forge-furnaces; thus I stayed my hand. But now several newly resolved bodhisattvas have arrived, and I cannot avoid speaking of this and that for them. Whenever a notice board is hung, you senior officers need not bother to attend; if you newly resolved brothers have strengths, there is no harm in sharing them with everyone; if you do not come, neither is there any insistence. If we discuss the matter on the part of each person: before entering the womb of father and mother, one is stark naked; when tumbling into the womb of father and mother, one is also stark naked; and once leaping out of it, one is likewise stark naked. The thousand sages cannot fix their gaze upon it; the myriad spirits have no avenue to revere it; days come and months go without one's perceiving or knowing it. As soon as a single thought stirs in the mind, one falls into the two conditions of defilement and purity; then one sees heavenly realms and hells, the nine states of existence and four forms of birth; there is Zen and the Way to investigate, buddhas and patriarchs to revere, and different classes of beings to despise. Thus right and wrong arise in confusion within the bosom; during the daytime one is driven by them into utter chaos, obscuring the scene of one's fundamental ground. The original face is then deceived by the buddhas of the three periods, deceived by the patriarchs of the six generations, deceived by the myriad phenomena of nature, and deceived by wriggling and squirming sentient beings. If one is a great man, turning around quietly to take a look, suddenly—like a cliff face splitting open—what is the point of speaking of the buddhas of the three periods and patriarchs of the six generations? One will see that the buddhas of the three periods were speaking in a dream, the patriarchs of the six generations were speaking in a dream, and all the old venerable monks under heaven are speaking in a dream! Only then will one see what Venerable Zhaozhou meant when he said: 'This old monk can direct the twelve hours, whereas you people are directed by the twelve hours.' Look at someone who has attained it—when they utter a single word or half a phrase, it is entirely different in the end. When Venerable Shuiliao was kicked in the chest by Mazu, he got up and immediately said: 'The hundreds of thousands of dharma-gates and boundless subtle meanings—I have come to recognize their source right on the tip of a single hair.' Even though it is so, he still deserves to eat an iron staff! When Venerable Deshan was lecturing on the sūtras and treatises in Shu, his fame shook Sichuan. Hearing of the words from the south about 'not establishing words, directly transmitting the mind-seal, seeing one's nature and becoming a buddha,' he became indignant and refused to accept it, loading a cart full of commentaries and sub-commentaries to come test that band of demons. When he first arrived at Longtan in Lizhou, upon seeing Venerable Xin he asked: 'I have long looked forward to Longtan (Dragon Pool), but now that I have arrived, the pool is not seen, nor does the dragon appear.' Venerable Xin did not panic, nor did he use the staff, nor did he shout; he merely said slowly to him: 'You have personally arrived at Longtan.' These words are most poisonous! Although [Deshan] was a lecturer, he did not dare to prop up wild arguments blindly, so he rested. Had he been one of those stubborn dogmatists, merely fearing an empty mouth and blindly rushing forward, what salvation could there have been? Thereupon he waited upon him from then on. One night, standing there into the late watch, Longtan said: 'Attendant, why not go out?' Deshan brushed past the screen and went out, but said: 'It is dark outside.' Longtan then lit a paper candle and handed it to him. Just as he was about to take it, Longtan blew it out. Deshan immediately bowed. Longtan said: 'What principle did you see that you bow?' Deshan said: 'From now on, I will no longer doubt the tongues of the old venerable monks under heaven.' Venerable Longtan's grandmotherly kindness was far too extreme! If he saw him bow, he should have brandished the staff and driven him out past the triple gate—then the Buddha Dharma would not have been swept to the ground to this day. Having let him off, the next day Deshan acted outrageously, piling his cart of commentaries and sub-commentaries before the Dharma hall. Holding up a torch, he said: 'Exhausting all mysterious debates is like placing a single hair in great space; thoroughly fathoming the world's essential mechanics is like dropping a single drop into a vast abyss.' And he burned them up. Later he played every kind of ghost and goblin, more than can ever be recounted. If you are brothers who genuinely investigate Zen, where will you begin your investigation? Just go to the place where doubt cannot be broken through and bite it horizontally and vertically, like biting an ingot of raw iron, and by all means do not let it touch your teeth! The moment it touches your teeth, it is all over. Suddenly, losing your bite, you crack it open, and you will see that all hundred flavors are fully present; within your own domain, it will be as if ten suns shone together—what joy you will have! Throughout my life, I visited several good friends; only at the end did I see Ying'an. I often see brothers saying: 'At the elder's place, I obtained an awakening, and obtained his way of speaking to succeed him.' When I saw my late master Ying'an, I had no awakening; nor did I ever study his Zen; nor did I ever obtain a word or half a phrase of speech from him. I was merely cursed by him until my body and mind grew numb and stubborn! Today I have been pushed forward by others to be an abbot, and I only rely on this little bit to discuss with you brothers. Even though it is so, do not memorize a single word of what Elder Jie says; in days to come, it will turn into deadly poison! Take care!"