佛果圜悟禪師碧巖錄 3.8

3.8

爾若平展一任平展。爾若打破一任打破。雪峯與巖頭欽山同行。凡三到投子九上洞山。後參德山。方打破漆桶。一日率巖頭訪欽山。至鰲山店上阻雪。巖頭每日只是打睡。雪峯一向坐禪。巖頭喝云。噇眠去。每日床上。恰似七村裏土地相似。他時後日。魔魅人家男女去在。峯自點胸云。某甲這裏未穩在。不敢自瞞。頭云。我將謂爾已後。向孤峯頂上。盤結草庵。播揚大教。猶作這箇語話。峯云。某甲實未穩在。頭云。爾若實如此。據爾見處。一一通來。是處我與爾證明。不是處與爾剗却。峯遂舉見鹽官上堂舉色空義。得箇入處。頭云。此去三十年。切忌舉著。峯又舉。見洞山過水頌。得箇入處。頭云。若與麼自救不了。後到德山。問從上宗乘中事。學人還有分也無。山打一棒。道什麼。我當時如桶底脫相似。頭遂喝云。爾不聞道。從門入者。不是家珍。峯云。他後如何即是。頭云。他日若欲播揚大教。一一從自己胸襟流出將來。與我蓋天蓋地去。峯於言下大悟。便禮拜。起來連聲叫云。今日始是鰲山成道。今日始是鰲山成道。後回閩中住象骨山。自貽作頌云。人生倏忽暫須臾。浮世那能得久居。出嶺纔登三十二。入閩早是四旬餘。他非不用頻頻舉。已過應須旋旋除。奉報滿朝朱紫貴。閻王不怕佩金魚。凡上堂示眾云。一一蓋天蓋地。更不說玄說妙。亦不說心說性。突然獨露。如大火聚。近之則燎却面門。似太阿劍。擬之則喪身失命。若也佇思停機。則沒干涉。只如百丈問黃檗。甚處去來。檗云。大雄山下採菌去來。丈云。還見大蟲麼。檗便作虎聲。丈便拈斧作斫勢。檗遂打百丈一摑。丈吟吟而。笑便歸陞座謂眾云。大雄山有一大蟲。汝等諸人。切須好看。老僧今日。親遭一口趙州凡見僧便問曾到此間麼。云曾到。或云不曾到。州總云喫茶去。院主云。和尚尋常問僧。曾到與不曾到。總道喫茶去。意旨如何。州云。院主。主應諾州云。喫茶去。紫胡門下立一牌。牌上書云。紫胡有一狗。上取人頭。中取人腰。下取人脚。擬議則喪身失命。或新到纔相看。師便喝云。看狗。僧纔回首。師便歸方丈。正如雪峯道。南山有一條鼈鼻蛇。汝等諸人切須好看。正當恁麼時。爾作麼生祇對。不躡前蹤。試請道看。到這裏也須是會格外句始得。一切公案語言。舉得將來。便知落處。看他恁麼示眾。且不與爾說行說解。還將情識測度得麼。是他家兒孫。自然道得恰好。所以古人道。承言須會宗。勿自立規矩。言須有格外。句須要透關。若是語不離。窠窟。墮在毒海中也。雪峯恁麼示眾。可謂無味之談。塞斷人口。長慶玄沙。皆是他家屋裏人。方會他恁麼說話。只如雪峯道南山有一條鼈鼻蛇。諸人還知落處麼。到這裏須是具通方眼始得。不見真淨有頌云。打鼓弄琵琶。相逢兩會家。雲門能唱和。長慶解隨邪。古曲無音韻。南山鼈鼻蛇。何人知此意。端的是玄沙。只如長慶恁麼祇對。且道意作麼生。到這裏如擊石火。似閃電光。方可搆得。若有纖毫去不盡。便搆他底不得。可惜許。人多向長慶言下生情解。道堂中纔有聞處。便是喪身失命。有者道。元無一星事。平白地上說這般話疑人。人聞他道南山有一條鼈鼻蛇爾便疑著。若恁麼會。且得沒交涉。只去他言語上作活計。既不恁麼會。又作麼生會。後來有僧舉似玄沙。玄沙云。須是稜兄始得。雖然如是。我即不恁麼。僧云。和尚又作麼生。沙云。用南山作什麼。但看玄沙語中便有出身處。便云。用南山作什麼。若不是玄沙。也大難酬對。只如他恁麼道南山有一條鼈鼻蛇。且道在什麼處。到這裏須是向上人方會恁麼說話。古人道。釣魚船上謝三郎。不愛南山鼈鼻蛇。却到雲門。以拄杖攛向雪峯面前作怕勢。雲門有弄蛇手脚。不犯鋒鋩。明頭也打著。暗頭也打著。他尋常為人。如舞太阿劍相似。有時飛向人眉毛眼睫上。有時飛向三千里外取人頭。雲門攛拄杖作怕勢。且不是弄精魂。他莫也是喪身失命麼。作家宗師。終不去一言一句上作活計。雪竇只為愛雲門契證得雪峯意。所以頌出。

If you wish to unfold it openly, allow it to unfold openly; if you wish to smash it down, allow it to be smashed down. Xuefeng was a traveling companion with Yantou and Qinshan. He went three times to Touzi and nine times up to Dongshan, and only after studying with Deshan did he smash the black lacquer bucket. One day he led Yantou to visit Qinshan; they were snowbound at the hostel at Mount Ao. Yantou spent every day just sleeping, while Xuefeng sat in meditation all the time. Yantou shouted at him, saying: “Go to sleep, gorge yourself on sleep! Every day upon the bench you are just like the local earth god of seven villages. Sometime in the future you will go around bewitching other people's sons and daughters!” Xuefeng tapped his chest and said: “In here, I am not yet at peace; I dare not deceive myself.” Yantou said: “I thought that later on you would build a thatched hut on the peak of a solitary mountain to propagate the great teaching, yet you still talk like this!” Xuefeng said: “I am truly not yet at peace.” Yantou said: “If it is truly like this, bring forth your views one by one; where you are right, I will confirm it for you, and where you are wrong, I will cut it away for you.” Xuefeng then cited how, upon hearing Yanguan ascend the hall and raise the meaning of form and emptiness, he had found an entry point. Yantou said: “From now on for thirty years, by no means mention it.” Xuefeng also cited how, seeing Dongshan's verse on crossing the water, he had found an entry point. Yantou said: “If so, you cannot even save yourself!” Later, he arrived at Deshan and asked: “Regarding the affair of the ancestral vehicle from ancient times, does a student still have a share in it or not?” Deshan struck him a blow with his staff and said: “What are you saying?” Xuefeng said: “At that moment, it was like the bottom dropping out of a bucket.” Yantou then gave a shout and said: “Have you not heard it said: ‘What enters through the front gate is not the family treasure’?” Xuefeng said: “In the future, what should I do to be right?” Yantou said: “In the future, if you wish to propagate the great teaching, let it flow out one by one from your own breast to cover heaven and cover earth for me!” At these words Xuefeng was greatly enlightened. He bowed, got up, and shouted repeatedly: “Today at last Mount Ao has attained the Way! Today at last Mount Ao has attained the Way!” Later he returned to Minzhong to live at Mount Xianggu, where he wrote a verse to admonish himself: / “Human life is fleeting, lasting but a brief instant; / in this floating world, how could one abide for long? / Just crossing the ranges, I was already thirty-two; / entering Min, I was soon past forty. / There is no need frequently to bring up others’ wrongs; / one’s own faults should be eliminated continuously. / I respectfully inform the court full of vermilion- and purple-robed nobles: / King Yama does not fear the golden fish [talisman] you wear!” / Whenever he ascended the hall to instruct the assembly, he would say: “Everything covers heaven and covers earth.” He did not speak of the mysterious or the wondrous, nor did he speak of mind or nature; suddenly it stood exposed alone, like a great mass of fire—if you approach it, it singes your face; like the sword Tai'e—if you deliberate upon it, you lose your body and forfeit your life. If you hesitate in thought and stay your dynamic function, then there is no connection. Just as when Baizhang asked Huangbo: “Where have you come from?” Huangbo said: “I have come from gathering mushrooms at the foot of Mount Daxiong.” Baizhang said: “Did you see the big tiger?” Huangbo then made the roar of a tiger. Baizhang picked up an axe and made a hacking motion. Huangbo then gave Baizhang a slap. Baizhang chuckled, returned, ascended the seat, and addressed the assembly: “On Mount Daxiong there is a big tiger; all of you people must watch out for it carefully! Today I, this old monk, was personally bitten by it.” Whenever Zhaozhou saw a monk, he would ask: “Have you been here before?” If the monk said, “I have been here,” or said, “I have not been here,” Zhaozhou would always say: “Go have some tea.” The director of affairs asked: “Whenever you usually ask a monk whether he has been here or not, you always say, ‘Go have some tea.’ What is the meaning?” Zhaozhou said: “Director of affairs!” The director answered: “Yes?” Zhaozhou said: “Go have some tea.” In front of Zihu's gate a placard was erected, on which was written: “Zihu has a dog: up above it takes people's heads, in the middle it takes people's waists, and down below it takes people's legs. If you hesitate, you lose your body and forfeit your life.” Or when newcomers had just arrived for an interview, the master would shout: “Watch out for the dog!” As soon as the monk turned his head, the master would return to his abbot's quarters. It is just like Xuefeng saying: “On the South Mountain there is a turtle-nosed snake; all of you people must watch out for it carefully.” Right at such a moment, how do you respond? Without treading in their previous footsteps, try to say something and let us see. Coming to this point, you must also understand the words outside the framework; only then will you get it. When any gong'an or phrase is brought forward, you will immediately know where it lands. Look at how he instructed the assembly: he did not speak of practice or understanding with you; could you measure it with feelings and consciousness? Being a son of his house, one naturally speaks properly. Therefore an ancient said: “To receive words, you must understand the source; do not set up your own rules. Words must go outside the framework; phrases must penetrate the barrier.” If words do not leave the nest, you fall into a sea of poison. Xuefeng instructing the assembly in this way can be called flavorless talk that blocks people's mouths. Changqing and Xuansha were both people inside his house, and only then could they understand his talking like that. Just like Xuefeng saying, “On the South Mountain there is a turtle-nosed snake”—do you people know where it lands? Coming to this point, you must possess an eye that sees in all directions; only then will you get it. Do you not see that Zhenjing has a verse: / “Beating the drum and playing the pipa, / two masters of the art meet one another. / Yunmen can sing and harmonize; / Changqing understands how to follow along with the crooked. / An ancient tune has no rhyme or meter: / the turtle-nosed snake of South Mountain. / Who knows this meaning? / It is truly Xuansha.” / Just like Changqing responding in that way, tell me, what was his meaning? Coming to this point, it is like sparks from struck flint, like a flash of lightning; only then can you grasp it. If there is even the slightest hair not cleared away, you will not grasp what is his. What a pity! Many people generate emotional understanding under Changqing's words, saying: “As soon as there is something heard in the hall, that is losing your body and forfeiting your life.” Some say: “Originally there was not the slightest thing; on flat ground he speaks such words to make people doubt: when people hear him say, ‘On the South Mountain there is a turtle-nosed snake,’ you become suspicious.” If you understand it like this, it has no connection whatsoever; you are just making a living on his words. Since you should not understand it like this, how should you understand it? Later a monk recounted this to Xuansha. Xuansha said: “It must be Brother Leng to manage it. Even so, I would not be like that.” The monk said: “What about you, Venerable?” Xuansha said: “What use is the South Mountain?” Just look: in Xuansha's words there is an escape; he immediately said: “What use is the South Mountain?” Were it not for Xuansha, it would indeed be very difficult to respond. Just as he said, “On the South Mountain there is a turtle-nosed snake”—tell me, where is it? Coming to this point, only a person of transcendence can understand such talk. An ancient said: “Third Son Xie on the fishing boat does not care for the turtle-nosed snake of South Mountain.” Yet it came to Yunmen: he threw his staff down in front of Xuefeng and made a posture of fear. Yunmen had the skills for handling snakes: without violating the sharp point, he struck whether in light or in darkness. In his usual ways of guiding people, it was like brandishing the sword Tai'e: sometimes it flew toward people's eyebrows and eyelashes, and sometimes it flew three thousand leagues away to take a person's head. When Yunmen threw his staff and made a posture of fear, he was certainly not playing with his spirit. Could it be that he also lost his body and forfeited his life? An accomplished lineage master never makes a living on a single word or a single phrase. It was only because Xuedou loved how Yunmen tallied with and verified Xuefeng's meaning that he brought it out in verse.