佛果圜悟禪師碧巖錄 7.41

7.41

當時馬祖盛化於江西。石頭道行於湖湘。忠國師道化於長安。他親見六祖來。是時南方擎頭帶角者。無有不欲升其堂入其室。若不爾。為人所恥。這老漢三箇。欲去禮拜忠國師。至中路。做這一場敗缺。南泉云。恁麼則不去也。既是一一道得。為什麼却道不去。且道古人意作麼生。當時待他道恁麼則不去也。劈耳便掌。看他作什麼伎倆。萬古振綱宗。只是這些子機要。所以慈明道。要牽只在索頭邊。撥著點著便轉。如水上捺葫蘆子相似。人多喚作不相肯語。殊不知。此事到極則處。須離泥離水。拔楔抽釘。爾若作心行會。則沒交涉。古人轉變得好。到這裏。不得不恁麼。須是有殺有活。看他一人去圓相中坐。一人作女人拜。也甚好。南泉云。恁麼則不去也。歸宗云。是什麼心行。孟八郎漢。又恁麼去也。他恁麼道。大意要驗南泉。南泉尋常道。喚作如如。早是變了也。南泉歸宗麻谷。却是一家裏人。一擒一縱。一殺一活。不妨奇特。雪竇頌云。

At that time, Mazu was converting widely in Jiangxi, Shitou's practice of the Way was active in Huxiang, and National Teacher Zhong was teaching the Way in Chang'an. He had seen the Sixth Ancestor in person. At that time, of those in the south who lifted their heads and bore horns, none did not wish to ascend his hall and enter his room; if they did not, they were scorned by others. These three old fellows wanted to go pay respects to National Teacher Zhong, but halfway there they made this great ruin of things. Nanquan said: "In that case, we will not go." Since each and every one could speak, why did he instead say they would not go? Now tell me: what was the ancient's intention? At that moment, waiting for him to say "In that case, we will not go," one should have slapped him across the ears to see what kind of skill he had. Vibrating the lineage framework across ten thousand ages is just this little bit of dynamic pivot. Therefore Ciming said: "If you want to lead it, it is only at the rope's end; tap it, touch it, and it turns at once—just like pressing a gourd down on the water." Many people call these words of mutual non-approval, but they fail to realize that when this matter reaches the ultimate, one must leave mud and leave water, pulling out wedges and extracting nails. If you interpret this as a mental state, you have missed the connection entirely. The ancients turned and transformed well; arriving here, it could not but be like this. One must have both killing and giving life. Look at one of them going to sit inside the circle, and the other making a woman's curtsey—this was also very fine. Nanquan said: "In that case, we will not go." Guizong said: "What state of mind is this?" That fellow Meng the Eighth has gone off like this again! His speaking like this was mainly meant to test Nanquan. Nanquan usually said: "Calling it Suchness has already changed it." Nanquan, Guizong, and Magu were actually people of one household: one catching and one releasing, one killing and one giving life—it is quite extraordinary. Xuedou's verse says: