佛果圜悟禪師碧巖錄 3.45

3.45

這僧也是箇久參底。問中不妨有眼。爭奈趙州是作家。便答他道。鎮州出大蘿蔔頭。可謂無味之談。塞斷人口。這老漢大似箇白拈賊相似。爾纔開口。便換却爾眼睛。若是特達英靈底漢。直下向擊石火裏閃電光中。纔聞舉著。剔起便行。苟或佇思停機。不免喪身失命。江西澄散聖判。謂之東問西答。喚作不答話。不上他圈繢。若恁麼會爭得。遠錄公云。此是傍瞥語。收在九帶中。若恁麼會。夢也未夢見在。更帶累趙州去。有者道鎮州從來出大蘿蔔頭。天下人皆知。趙州從來參見南泉。天下人皆知。這僧却更問道。承聞和尚親見南泉是否。所以州向他道。鎮州出大蘿蔔頭。且得沒交涉。都不恁麼會。畢竟作麼生會。他家自有通霄路。不見僧問九峯。承聞和尚親見延壽來。是否。峯云。山前麥熟也未。正對得趙州答此僧話。渾似兩箇無孔鐵鎚。趙州老漢。是箇無事底人。爾輕輕問著。便換却爾眼睛。若是知有底人。細嚼來嚥。若是不知有底人。一似渾崙吞箇棗。

This monk was also one of long practice; in his question he was not without an eye. How could it be helped that Zhaozhou was an adept, and answered him: "Zhenzhou produces large radishes"? This may be called flavorless talk that plugs people's mouths. This old fellow is very much like a sneak thief: the moment you open your mouth, he swaps your eyes. If you are an exceptional and spirited fellow, right then, amidst sparks struck from flint and flashes of lightning, the moment you hear it brought forward, you spring up and go. If you hesitate in thought and stop your dynamic, you inevitably lose your body and life. The Loose Sage Cheng of Jiangxi judged this, calling it "answering west to an east question," designating it as "not answering the words" and "not falling into his snare." If you understand it in that way, how can you succeed? Master Record-Keeper Yuan said: "This is a glancing sideways word, collected within the Nine Belts." If you understand it like that, you have not even dreamed of it yet, and moreover you drag Zhaozhou down. Some say: "Zhenzhou has always produced large radishes; everyone under heaven knows this. Zhaozhou has always visited Nanquan; everyone under heaven knows this. This monk nevertheless went on to ask: 'I have heard that the Venerable personally met Nanquan; is that so or not?' Therefore Zhou said to him: 'Zhenzhou produces large radishes.'" But that has no connection at all! If one does not understand it like any of this, ultimately how is it to be understood? His household naturally has a path reaching to the heavens. Have you not seen a monk ask Jiufeng: "I have heard that the Venerable personally met Yanshou; is that so or not?" Feng said: "Is the wheat in front of the mountain ripe yet?" This exactly matches Zhaozhou's answer to this monk: completely like two iron hammers without holes. Old man Zhaozhou is a person of no affairs: you ask him lightly, and he swaps your eyes. If one is a person who knows it is there, chew it finely and swallow. If one is a person who does not know it is there, it is just like swallowing a date whole.