虛堂和尚語錄 9.128

9.128

He raised this again: "When Huangbo was head of the assembly under Nanquan, one day he held his bowl and sat in Nanquan's seat. Nanquan entered the hall and asked, 'In what year did the elder practice the Way?' Huangbo said, 'Prior to the King of Awesome Voice.' Nanquan said, 'You are still the grandson of Old Teacher Wang; go down.' Huangbo sat in the second seat. Xuedou brought it up and said, 'What a pity that Old Teacher Wang only saw the sharp point of the awl. If I had been Nanquan at that time, waiting for him to say, "Prior to the King of Awesome Voice," I would immediately have sat in the second seat, leaving Huangbo unable to rise for the rest of his life.'" The Master brought it up and said: "Mingjue was the dragon gate of an entire generation; his needle pierced past and present, surpassing previous masters. Granted it is so, he set sail with the wind. If it were like that, where would his master's Dharma be?"