密菴和尚語錄 1.97

1.97

Ascending the hall, a monk asked: "Yangqi asked Ciming: 'When the secluded bird chirps softly and leaves the clouds to enter the disordered peaks, how is it?' Ciming said: 'I walk through the wild grasses, and you enter the deep village again.' What is the meaning?" The Master said: "The sky dawns together with the white clouds; the water flows along with the bright moon." The monk advanced and said: "Ying'an said, 'Two lacquer tubs, both having lost their nostrils.' What about that?" The Master said: "After all, it cannot support Linji." The monk advanced and said: "Just now the Venerable said so; can you still support him or not?" The Master said: "This old monk can do nothing about it either." The monk advanced and said: "Ying'an only knows that others have lost their nostrils, but does not know that his own eyebrows have all fallen out." The Master said: "Where is the place where his eyebrows have all fallen out?" The monk advanced and said: "Specially a bout of sorrow." The Master then gave a shout. The monk advanced and said: "Were it not for the utmost intimacy between father and son, how could there be such pieces of pure sincerity?" The Master said: "The elder has misunderstood again." The monk advanced and said: "Yangqi said, 'The authorities do not permit a needle, yet I borrow another question.' Ciming then shouted. What about that?" The Master said: "All of it is the viewpoint of a lacquer tub." The monk advanced and said: "Yangqi said, 'A fine shout.' Ciming shouted again; Yangqi also shouted; Ciming shouted twice in succession, and Yangqi bowed. What about that?" The Master said: "Three lifetimes and sixty kalpas." The monk bowed. The Master then said: "With one hammer blow it is completed—a square peg fitting into a round hole; without relying on a single hammer blow, it fills ditches and blocks ravines, yet few people know it. If one's feet tread upon real ground, striking from the southern prefecture to the top of the northern prefecture, it increasingly shows the ring of gold and vibration of jade. If one is half in front and half behind, shifting it from the eastern land to look at it in the western land, facing each other they are separated by a thousand mountains. Huazang's mouth is like a beggar's torn mat-bag; it has turned over along with its bottom all at once. If you can understand, Qian has three continuous lines and Kun has six broken lines; if you cannot understand, take care not to let the earth wax and wane."