如淨和尚語錄 1.23

1.23

Gathering his robes, he took the seat. (The questions and answers are not recorded.) Then he presented the essentials, saying: "The exposed pillar became pregnant and suddenly burst open, abruptly thrusting out an iron hammer without a hole, broken and ruined through kalpas of time. It directly caused Mahāsattva Jinamātṛ to ascend the Jade Kirin Hall and, right from the hairy brush, blow a gust of karmic wind, making it turn into a water buffalo, utterly mad and utterly frantic—propping to the east, supporting to the west, tumbling to the south, thrashing to the north. Inevitably it infringed upon the water and grass of the peaceful era and ruined the fields of Qingliang, planting brambles deeply and scattering caltrops everywhere. With this, he severed Linji's life-root; with this, he blinded the patch-robed monks' eyes." Slapping his knees with his hands, he said, "Hey! Hey! This beast with donkey jaws and horse cheeks entices and disturbs Jambudvīpa, laughing people to death! Though it is like this, in the end, to where does the merit return? It all rests within our Emperor's sagely transformation." He brought up [an ancient case] to conclude the session: "Sansheng said, 'Whenever I meet someone, I immediately go out; when I go out, it is not for the sake of the person.' Xinghua said, 'Whenever I meet someone, I do not go out; when I go out, it is immediately for the sake of the person.' These two gong'ans test patch-robed monks to the limit, hard to fix an eye upon. Suddenly, my great dānapati, the Prefect of Jiankang, saw through them casually and brought them to Qingliang's attention. This may truly be called: a dragon roars and clouds arise; a tiger whistles and the wind is born. Inevitably borrowing the Minister's nostrils to vent steam for the monastery, I have an impromptu verse to present to everyone: / At the first attempt, your name leads the dragon-and-tiger roll; / In peaceful times, you personally reach the Phoenix Pool. / Giving full life and full death, surpassing words and forms; / Passing beyond even the prior dynamic to the transcendent pivot."