虛堂和尚語錄 2.40

2.40

At an informal gathering on New Year's Eve, a monk asked, "The old year cannot be sent away; the new year cannot be welcomed in. The new and old are originally unfeeling—who can conjecture their coming and going?"
The master said, "The stone slab of Shigandang in front of the gate."
The monk said, "Just as the old year has already gone and the new year has already come, is there still anyone among patch-robed monks who is not shifted by cold and heat?"
The master said, "There is."
The monk said, "Which one is not shifted?"
The master said, "The snow lion below the steps."
The monk said, "As before, it cannot leap out."
The master said, "Heavens, heavens!"