虛堂和尚語錄 2.80

2.80

乃云：「葭灰未動，律管先知，暗去明來，未嘗遷謝，所以衲僧家，就理就事，順水流舟。殊不知，無陰陽地，荊棘參天，有契券邊，蒺䔧滿地，致使春生夏長之徒，卒難近傍。二林放過一著，曲為今時。」

He then said: "Before the reed ashes stir, the pitch-pipes already know; though darkness goes and light comes, there has never been shift or decay. Therefore, patch-robed monks conform to principle and conform to phenomena, letting the boat float downstream. Little do they know that in the land without yin and yang, brambles reach to the sky; while on the side with deeds and contracts, caltrops cover the earth—causing the fellows of spring growth and summer maturation to find it truly difficult to draw near. Erlin lets a move pass, bending accommodated to the present time."