虛堂和尚語錄 8.73

8.73

At the informal gathering concluding the summer retreat: "Whistling up the wind and snapping the fingers, as if no one were around, congregating in hundreds, not subject to the king's governance—yet when it comes to commending achievements and rewarding labour, it is just like seizing things in the dark. If among them there are one or two who know cause and discern effect, holding it atop their brows and not daring to wander off carelessly, yet if they suddenly slip and trample an ant to death, their huatou will not be complete. Just like when the Butcher of Wide Forehead in the Western Heaven laid down his butcher's knife, saying, 'I am one among the thousand Buddhas'—what then? If someone comes forward and can give a turning word, it will surely guarantee that fragrant rice is steamed in a separate cauldron."