虛堂和尚語錄 2.124

2.124

Ascending the hall, a monk asked, "When Layman Pang asked Mazu, 'Who is the one who does not keep company with the ten thousand dharmas?', what is the meaning of this?" The Master said, "A beggar juggling his rice bowl." The monk said, "What about when Great Master Ma said, 'Wait until you have swallowed all the water of the West River in a single gulp, then I will tell you'?" The Master said, "Cleaving the belly and scooping out the heart." The monk said, "Tell me, when Old Pang raised this question, was he asking after having understood, or asking without having understood?" The Master said, "He asked after having understood." The monk said, "Since he asked after having understood, why did he have to attain enlightenment?" The Master said, "Without enlightenment, how could he understand?" The monk said, "Before the assembly of humans and devas, could there be no expedient means?" The Master said, "A mud-treading fellow."