佛果圜悟禪師碧巖錄 8.11

8.11

這箇公案。山僧舊日。在成都參真覺。覺云。只消看馬祖第一句。自然一時理會得。且道這僧。是會來問。不會來問。此問不妨深遠。離四句者。有。無。非有。非無。非非有。非非無。離此四句。絕其百非。只管作道理。不識話頭。討頭腦不見。若是山僧。待馬祖道了。也便與展坐具。禮三拜。看他作麼生道。當時馬祖。若見這僧來。問離四句絕百非。請師直指某甲西來意。以拄杖劈脊便棒趕出。看他省不省。馬大師只管與他打葛藤。以至這漢。當面蹉過。更令去問智藏。殊不知馬大師來風深辨。這僧懞懂。走去問智藏。藏云。何不問和尚。僧云。和尚教來問。看他這些子。拶著便轉。更無閑暇處。智藏云。我今日頭痛。不能為汝說得。問取海兄去。這僧又去問海兄。海兄云。我到這裏却不會。且道為什麼。一人道頭痛。一人云不會。畢竟作麼生。這僧却回來。舉似馬大師。師云。藏頭白海頭黑。若以解路卜度。却謂之相瞞。有者道。只是相推過。有者道。三箇總識他問頭。所以不答。總是拍盲地。一時將古人醍醐上味。著毒藥在裏許。所以馬祖道。待汝一口吸盡西江水。即向汝道。與此公案一般。若會得藏頭白海頭黑。便會西江水話。這僧將一檐懞𢤦。換得箇不安樂。更勞他三人尊宿。入泥入水。畢竟這僧不瞥地。雖然一恁麼。這三箇宗師。却被箇擔板漢勘破。如今人只管去語言上。作活計云。白是明頭合。黑是暗頭合。只管鑽研計較。殊不知。古人一句截斷意根。須是向正脈裏。自看始得穩當。所以道。末後一句。始到牢關。把斷要津。不通凡聖。若論此事。如當門按一口劍相似。擬議則喪身失命。又道。譬如擲劍揮空。莫論及之不及。但向八面玲瓏處會取。不見古人道。這漆桶。或云。野狐精。或云。瞎漢。且道與一棒一喝。是同是別。若知千差萬別。只是一般。自然八面受敵。要會藏頭白海頭黑麼。五祖先師道。封后先生。雪竇頌云。

Regarding this gong'an, in former days when this mountain monk was in Chengdu, I consulted Zhenjue. Zhenjue said, "You only need to look at Mazu's first sentence, and you will naturally understand it all at once." Tell me: did this monk come asking out of understanding, or did he come asking without understanding? This question is quite deep and far-reaching. Departing from the four propositions: existence, non-existence, neither existence nor non-existence, both existence and non-existence. Leaving these four propositions, cut off their hundred negations! You merely make up intellectual rationalizations, failing to recognize the topic, searching for the head but failing to see it. If it were this mountain monk, waiting until Mazu had spoken, I would then have spread my mat, made three prostrations, and seen what he had to say. If Master Ma at that time, seeing this monk come and ask, "Apart from the four propositions and detached from the hundred negations, please, Master, point directly to me the meaning of the Western Come-over," had taken his staff and struck him right across the spine, driving him out—let us see whether he would awaken or not! Master Ma merely engaged in entangling vines with him, so that this fellow missed it right before his eyes; he even sent him to ask Zhizang. Little did he know that Master Ma's incoming wind was keenly discerned. This monk was muddled and ran off to ask Zhizang. Zhizang said, "Why not ask the Venerable?" The monk said, "The Venerable told me to come ask." See how in these places, as soon as he is pressed, he turns; there is no leisure at all. Zhizang said, "I have a headache today and cannot speak for you. Go ask Brother Hai." This monk went again to ask Brother Hai. Brother Hai said, "When I get to this point, I don't understand." Tell me: why did one say he had a headache, while the other said he did not understand? Ultimately, how is it? This monk then returned and reported it to Master Ma. Master Ma said, "Zang's head is white; Hai's head is black." If you make conjectures along the path of intellectual understanding, you will call it deceiving each other. Some say they merely passed it off to one another. Others say all three recognized the source of his question and therefore did not answer. All of these are blind flailings, at once putting poison into the ancients' supreme flavor of ghee! Therefore Mazu said, "Wait until you swallow all the water of the West River in one gulp, and then I will speak to you." It is the same as this gong'an. If you can understand "Zang's head is white; Hai's head is black," you will understand the talk of the West River's water. This monk carried a shoulder-pole of muddle-headedness in exchange for disquiet, further troubling three venerable elders to enter the mud and water; in the end, this monk did not have a flash of insight. Even so, these three lineage masters were nevertheless seen through by a board-carrying fellow! Nowadays people only make a living on the words, saying, "White matches the bright side; black matches the dark side," merely boring and scheming. Little do they know that the ancient's single sentence cuts off the root of consciousness. You must look into the genuine lineage for yourself before you attain stability. Therefore it is said: "Only the final phrase reaches the impenetrable barrier; it blocks the vital crossing, barring both ordinary and holy." If we discuss this matter, it is like holding a sword before the gate: hesitate and you lose your body and life! It is also said: "Like throwing a sword through the empty air, do not discuss whether it hits or not; just understand it in the place that is exquisite on all eight sides." Have you not seen what the ancients said: "This lacquer tub!" or "Wild fox spirit!" or "Blind fellow!" Tell me: are these the same as or different from a blow or a shout? If you know that the myriad differences are just the same, you will naturally be able to face an enemy on all eight sides. Do you want to understand "Zang's head is white; Hai's head is black"? My late teacher Wuzu said, "Mister Fenghou." Xuedou's verse says: