虛堂和尚語錄 3.23

3.23

He brought up [the case]: "One day, Minister Chen Cao climbed a tower with various officials. Seeing several monks in the distance, a scholar among them said: 'Are those approaching all itinerant monks?' The Minister said: 'They are not.' The scholar said: 'How do you know they are not?' The Minister said: 'Wait until they are near, and I will test them for you gentlemen.' In a moment the monks arrived. The Minister called out: 'Venerables!' The monks all raised their heads. The Minister said: 'Didn't I tell you?'" The master said: "Everyone says that beneath clarity and brilliance, the confused are especially numerous. Little do they know that in the world inside the gourd, there are separate suns and moons. My coming to Yuwang on this occasion was first to see Vice Minister Chen of the Defense Command. In our questions and answers, harmonious energy filled the space before us; basically there was no such testing. Tell me: how far is that from Minister Chen Cao?" Striking his staff, he said: "'With leisure of mind, cliff trees look all the fairer; / In a quiet room, ravine springs sound ever more serene.'"