虛堂和尚語錄 8.67

8.67

Ascending the hall, he cited: "Upādhyāya Wuzhuo was delivering offerings to Mount Tai and met Mañjuśrī coming to welcome him, saying, 'From what direction has the Venerable come?' Wuzhuo said, 'From the south.' Mañjuśrī said, 'In the south, how is the Buddha-Dharma maintained?' Wuzhuo said, 'Monks in the degenerate age rarely uphold the monastic precepts.' Mañjuśrī said, 'How large is the assembly?' Wuzhuo said, 'Perhaps three hundred, perhaps five hundred.' Wuzhuo then asked, 'How does the upādhyāya maintain things here?' Mañjuśrī said, 'Commoners and sages dwell together; dragons and snakes mingle.' He asked again, 'How large is the assembly?' Mañjuśrī said, 'The front three-three, the back three-three.'" The Master brought this up and said: "At that time Wuzhuo should have pressed him hard, saying, 'How many is that?' and waited for him to hesitate to give him a shout. Having let it pass then, now it turns out unsettled. If someone suddenly asks how Nanshan maintains things, I point to the sky with a finger to show them. If they ask how large the assembly is, I point to the earth with a finger to show them. When they hesitate, I also give them a shout. Why?" Striking with his whisk, he said: "The sword leaves the precious scabbard on account of injustice; / The medicine comes forth from the golden flask to cure disease."