虛堂和尚語錄 8.107

8.107

Ascending the hall, he cited: "Because a monk asked Great Master Ma, 'Free from the four propositions and cutting off the hundred negations, please, master, point directly to the meaning of the Western Come-over,' the Great Master said, 'I am weary and fatigued today and cannot speak of it for you; go ask Zhizang.' The monk asked Zang. Zang said, 'I have a headache today and cannot speak of it for you; go ask Brother Hai.' The monk asked Hai. Hai said, 'When it comes to this point, I do not understand; go ask the upādhyāya.' The monk asked the Great Master. The Great Master said, 'Zang's head is white, Hai's head is black.'" The master brought this up and said, "Everyone says this monk had his nostrils pierced by Great Master Ma and his sons; little do they know that Great Master Ma and his sons had their nostrils pierced by this monk. If you understand, Zang's head being white and Hai's head being black already distinguishes the superior from the inferior; if not, it is easy to tell flour apart from frost, but difficult to distinguish plum blossoms in snow."