佛果圜悟禪師碧巖錄 1.38

1.38

法眼禪師。有啐啄同時底機。具啐啄同時底用。方能如此答話。所謂超聲越色。得大自在。縱奪臨時。殺活在我。不妨奇特。然而此箇公案。諸方商量者多。作情解會者不少。不知古人。凡垂示一言半句。如擊石火似閃電光。直下撥開一條正路。後人只管去言句上。作解會道。慧超便是佛。所以法眼恁麼答。有者道。大似騎牛覓牛。有者道。問處便是。有什麼交涉。若恁麼會去。不惟辜負自己。亦乃深屈古人。若要見他全機。除非是一棒打不回頭底漢。牙如劍樹。口似血盆。向言外知歸。方有少分相應。若一一作情解。盡大地是滅胡種族底漢。只如超禪客於此悟去。也是他尋常管帶參究。所以一言之下。如桶底脫相似。只如則監院在法眼會中。也不曾參請入室。一日法眼問云。則監院何不來入室。則云。和尚豈不知。某甲於青林處。有箇入頭。法眼云。汝試為我舉看。則云。某甲問如何是佛。林云。丙丁童子來求火。法眼云。好語。恐爾錯會。可更說看則云。丙丁屬火。以火求火。如某甲是佛。更去覓佛。法眼云。監院果然錯會了也。則不憤便起單渡江去。法眼云。此人若回可救。若不回救不得也。則到中路自忖云。他是五百人善知識。豈可賺我耶。遂回再參法眼云。爾但問我。我為爾答。則便問。如何是佛。法眼云。丙丁童子來求火。則於言下大悟。如今有者。只管瞠眼作解會。所謂彼既無瘡。勿傷之也。這般公案。久參者。一舉便知落處。法眼下謂之箭鋒相拄。更不用五位君臣。四料簡。直論箭鋒相拄。是他家風如此。一句下便見。當陽便透。若向句下尋思。卒摸索不著。法眼出世。有五百眾。是時佛法大興。時韶國師久依疎山。自謂得旨。乃集疎山平生文字頂相。領眾行脚。至法眼會下。他亦不去入室。只令參徒隨眾入室。一日法眼陞座。有僧問。如何是曹源一滴水。法眼云。是曹源一滴水。其僧惘然而退。韶在眾聞之忽然大悟。後出世。承嗣法眼。有頌呈云。通玄峯頂。不是人間。心外無法。滿目青山。法眼印云。只這一頌。可繼吾宗。子後有王侯敬重。吾不如汝。看他古人。恁麼悟去。是什麼道理。不可只教山僧說。須是自己二六時中。打辦精神。似恁麼與他承當。他日向十字街頭。垂手為人。也不為難事。所以僧問法眼。如何是佛法。眼云。汝是慧超。有甚相辜負處。不見雲門道。舉不顧。即差互。擬思量何劫悟。雪竇後面頌得。不妨顯赫。試舉看。

Chan Master Fayan had the dynamic of simultaneous pecking from within and without, and possessed the function of simultaneous pecking from within and without; only then could he reply in this way. This is what is called transcending sound and surpassing form, attaining great mastery, releasing or taking away as the occasion warrants, killing and giving life lying within oneself—truly it is extraordinary. However, this gong'an has been discussed much in various places, and not a few understand it through emotional interpretation. They do not know that whenever the ancients gave even half a phrase of pointer, it was like striking sparks from flint, like a flash of lightning, directly opening up a single authentic path. Later generations merely go about making interpretations on the words and phrases, saying, "Huichao is precisely the Buddha; that is why Fayan replied thus." Some say, "It is much like riding an ox to look for an ox." Others say, "The very question itself is it." What connection is there? If one understands it in this manner, not only does one fail oneself, one also deeply wrongs the ancient. If you wish to see his whole dynamic, none can do so unless he is a fellow who will not turn his head even when struck with a staff, whose teeth are like a forest of swords, whose mouth is like a basin of blood, who knows where to turn beyond words; only then is there a little accord. If you make emotional interpretations at every turn, all the people on earth are fellows who extinguish the barbarians' lineage. Now as for monk Chao attaining enlightenment here, it was also because he normally attended to it and investigated it; hence, at a single word, it was as if the bottom fell out of his bucket. Take, for instance, Director Ze in Fayan's assembly: he had never gone into the master's room to consult and ask instructions. One day, Fayan asked, "Director Ze, why do you not come into the room?" Ze said, "How could the Venerable not know? I had an entry at Qinglin's place." Fayan said, "Try to cite it for me to see." Ze said, "I asked, 'What is the Buddha?' Qinglin said, 'The Bingding boy comes seeking fire.'" Fayan said, "A fine saying. But I fear you misunderstood it; try to explain it further." Ze said, "Bing and Ding belong to fire; using fire to seek fire is like being a Buddha oneself and still going out to search for the Buddha." Fayan said, "As I suspected, Director, you have completely misunderstood it." Ze was indignant, packed his bag, and crossed the river. Fayan said, "If this man returns, he can be saved; if he does not return, he cannot be saved." Ze reached the middle of the way and pondered to himself: "He is a kalyāṇamitra to five hundred people; how could he deceive me?" Thereupon he returned and consulted him again. Fayan said, "Just ask me, and I will answer you." Ze then asked, "What is the Buddha?" Fayan said, "The Bingding boy comes seeking fire." At these words Ze attained great awakening. Nowadays some merely stare wide-eyed and make conceptual interpretations; as the saying goes, "Since the other has no sore, do not wound him." With this kind of gong'an, those who have practiced long know where it lands as soon as it is cited. Under Fayan, this is called 'the tips of two arrows meeting each other'; they did not bother using the five ranks of lord and vassal or the four selections—they directly discussed the tips of arrows meeting each other. His family tradition was like this: one sees it under a single phrase; one penetrates right in the open. If you search and ponder under the phrase, you will never be able to grope it out. When Fayan appeared in the world, he had an assembly of five hundred; at that time the Buddha Dharma greatly flourished. At that time National Teacher Shao had long relied on Shushan and considered that he had obtained the purport; he then gathered all the writings and portraits of Shushan's life and led a company on itinerant pilgrimage, arriving at Fayan's assembly. He also did not go into the master's room, merely having his disciples follow the assembly into the room. One day Fayan ascended the hall, and a monk asked, "What is a drop of water from the source of Cao?" Fayan said, "It is a drop of water from the source of Cao." That monk withdrew bewildered. Shao was in the assembly, heard it, and suddenly attained great awakening. Later he appeared in the world and succeeded to Fayan. He presented a eulogy that said:
"On the peak of Tongxuan,
It is not the human realm.
Outside the mind there are no phenomena;
The green mountains fill the eyes."
Fayan verified it, saying, "This single eulogy alone can continue my school. In the future you will be revered by kings and marquises; I am not your equal." Look at how the ancients awakened like this—what principle is this? You must not merely have this mountain monk explain it; you must yourself, throughout the twelve periods of the day, rouse your spirit and take it upon yourself like this. Later, when you extend your hands in the crossroads to help people, it will not be difficult either. Therefore, when the monk asked Fayan, "What is the Buddha?" Fayan said, "You are Huichao." How is there any failing him? Have you not seen Yunmen say: "If bringing it up is not heeded, then error arises; if you intend to deliberate, in what kalpa will you awaken?" Xuedou's verse eulogy that follows is remarkably splendid; let us try to cite it to see: