佛果圜悟禪師碧巖錄 1.11

1.11

且據雪竇頌此公案。一似善舞太阿劍相似。向虛空中盤礴。自然不犯鋒鋩。若是無這般手段。纔拈著便見傷鋒犯手。若是具眼者。看他一拈一掇。一褒一貶。只用四句。揩定一則公案。大凡頌古只是繞路說禪。拈古大綱據欵結案而已。雪竇與他一拶。劈頭便道。聖諦廓然。何當辨的。雪竇於他初句下。著這一句。不妨奇特。且道。畢竟作麼生辨的。直饒鐵眼銅睛。也摸索不著。到這裏。以情識卜度得麼。所以雲門道。如擊石火。似閃電光。這箇些子。不落心機意識情想。等爾開口。堪作什麼。計較生時。鷂子過新羅。雪竇道。爾天下衲僧。何當辨的。對朕者誰。著箇還云不識。此是雪竇忒殺老婆。重重為人處。且道。廓然與不識。是一般兩般。若是了底人分上。不言而諭。若是未了底人。決定打作兩橛。諸方尋常皆道。雪竇重拈一遍。殊不知。四句頌盡公案了。後為慈悲之故。頌出事跡。因茲暗渡江。豈免生荊棘。達磨本來茲土。與人解粘去縛。抽釘拔楔。剗除荊棘。因何却道生荊棘。非止當時。諸人即今脚跟下。已深數丈。闔國人追不再來。千古萬古空相憶。可殺不丈夫。且道。達磨在什麼處。若見達磨。便見雪竇末後為人處。雪竇恐怕人逐情見。所以撥轉關捩子。出自己見解云。休相憶。清風匝地有何極。既休相憶。爾脚跟下事。又作麼生。雪竇道。即今箇裏匝地清風。天上天下有何所極。雪竇拈千古萬古之事。拋向面前。非止雪竇當時有何極。爾諸人分上亦有何極。他又怕人執在這裏。再著方便高聲云。這裏還有祖師麼。自云有。雪竇到這裏。不妨為人。赤心片片。又自云。喚來與老僧洗脚。太殺減人威光。當時也好。與本分手脚。且道。雪竇意在什麼處。到這裏。喚作驢則是。喚作馬則是。喚作祖師則是。如何名邈。往往喚作雪竇使祖師去也。且喜沒交涉。且道。畢竟作麼生。只許老胡知。不許老胡會。

Regarding Xuedou's verse eulogy on this gong'an, it is just like one skilled in wielding the Tai'a sword, sprawling and circling in the empty void, naturally not offending the sharp edge. If one lacks this kind of skill, the moment one touches it, one sees injury from the blade and harm to the hand. If one possesses the eye, see how in his picking up and letting down, praising and blaming, he uses only four lines to settle a gong'an. Generally speaking, verses on antiquity are simply roundabout ways of talking about Chan; bringing up antiquity is just settling the case based on the testimony. Xuedou gives him a thrust, saying straight off: / 'The holy truth is vast and void; / When will you distinguish it clearly?' / For Xuedou to place this line under his first line is remarkably extraordinary. But tell me, in the end, how do you distinguish it clearly? Even with iron eyes and copper pupils, you cannot grope for it. Arriving here, can it be estimated by emotional consciousness? Therefore Yunmen said, 'Like sparks struck from flint, like a flash of lightning.' This little bit does not fall into mental calculations, consciousness, or emotional thoughts. Waiting for you to open your mouth, what is it good for? When calculations arise, the sparrow hawk has already crossed to Silla. Xuedou said, 'You patch-robed monks of the world, when will you distinguish it clearly?' For 'Who is facing me?', he adds 'He still said, "I do not know."' This is Xuedou being overly grandmotherly, helping people again and again. But tell me: are 'vast and void' and 'I do not know' one or two? For one who has clarified it, it goes without saying. For one who has not clarified it, they definitely split it into two halves. People in various quarters usually say that Xuedou picked it up once again, not knowing that the four lines already eulogized the whole gong'an, and only later, out of compassion, did he eulogize the subsequent events: / 'Because of this, he secretly crossed the river; / How could he avoid generating brambles?' / Bodhidharma originally came to this land to untie bonds and loosen ropes for people, to pull out nails and extract wedges, and to clear away brambles; why then is it said that he generated brambles? Not only then, but beneath everyone's feet right now, it is already several fathoms deep! / 'Though all the people of the country pursue him, he will not return; / For thousands of ages and myriad ages, remembering him in vain!' / How unheroic! But tell me, where is Bodhidharma? If you see Bodhidharma, you will see Xuedou's ultimate act for people. Fearing that people would pursue emotional views, Xuedou turned the mechanism around and produced his own view, saying: / 'Stop remembering! / The pure breeze sweeps the earth—what limit is there?' / Since you stop remembering, what about the matter beneath your feet? Xuedou says: right now, in this place, the pure breeze sweeps the earth—in heaven and on earth, what limit is there? Xuedou picked up the events of thousands of ages and myriad ages and threw them right in front of you. Not only was there no limit for Xuedou at that time, but what limit is there for all of you? Again, fearing that people would cling here, he further applied an expedient and said in a loud voice, 'Is there an ancestral master here?' He said himself, 'There is.' Arriving here, Xuedou does no harm in acting for others with pieces of an earnest heart. He said himself, 'Call him over to wash this old monk's feet.' This severely diminishes one's majesty and brilliance! At that time, it would also have been good to give him his proper hands and feet. But tell me, where was Xuedou's intent? Arriving here, is it right to call him a donkey, is it right to call him a horse, or is it right to call him an ancestral master? How can he be named or depicted? Often people call it Xuedou ordering the ancestral master around. Fortunately, it has nothing to do with it! But tell me, ultimately how is it? It is only permitted for the Old Barbarian to know; it is not permitted for the Old Barbarian to understand.