虛堂和尚語錄 1.43

1.43

復舉：「王常侍訪臨濟，問云：『者一堂僧還看經否？』際云：『不看經。』又問：『還習禪否。』際云：『不習禪。』侍云：『經不看，禪不習，作箇甚麼？』際云：『總教伊成佛作祖去。』侍云：『金屑雖貴，落眼成翳。』」師云：「好一局棊，黑白已分，只是末後一著，無人知得落處。」

He again brought up: "When Attendant Wang visited Linji, he asked, 'Does this hall of monks read the sūtras?' Linji said, 'They do not read the sūtras.' He further asked, 'Do they practice Chan?' Linji said, 'They do not practice Chan.' The Attendant said, 'If they do not read the sūtras and do not practice Chan, what do they do?' Linji said, 'I make them all become Buddhas and become patriarchs.' The Attendant said, 'Gold dust, though precious, causes cataracts when it falls into the eye.'" The master said: "A fine game of chess: black and white are already distinct, but as for the final move, no one knows where it lands."