佛果圜悟禪師碧巖錄 1.16

1.16

Xuedou knew where it landed; therefore he composed this eulogy. Having said, "The Supreme Way is not difficult," he immediately followed with, "words are correct and speech is straight." When one corner is raised, if one does not return with the other three corners, Xuedou says, "One has many kinds; two are not of two sorts," which is like the three corners returning to the one. Tell me, where is it that words are correct and speech is straight? Why does the one have many kinds, yet the two are not of two sorts? If you do not possess the eye, where can you grope for it? If you can penetrate these two lines, then as the ancients said, "Forged into a single piece, still as before you see: mountains are mountains, waters are waters, long is long, short is short, heaven is heaven, earth is earth." Sometimes heaven is called earth, sometimes earth is called heaven, sometimes mountains are called not-mountains, waters are called not-waters. In the end, how can you attain steadiness? When the wind comes, trees shake; when waves rise, boats go high; spring generates, summer grows; autumn harvests, winter stores away. "With a single even state of mind, everything vanishes naturally of itself." Then these four lines of eulogy suddenly break off. Xuedou had talent to spare, so he divided and wrapped it up, yet when calculated, it is simply adding a head on top of a head, saying: "The Supreme Way is not difficult; words are correct and speech is straight. One has many kinds; two are not of two sorts." Although there are not so many matters, on the horizon when the sun rises, the moon sets; before the railing when the mountains are deep, the waters are cold. When you come here, words are correct and speech is straight; every single thing is the Way, every single object is entirely real. Is this not where mind and realm are both forgotten, forged into a single piece? Xuedou's beginning is too solitary and steep, and at the end he leaks quite a bit. If you investigate thoroughly and see completely, naturally it is just like the supreme flavor of ghee. If emotional interpretations are not yet forgotten, you will see it split seven ways and torn eight ways, definitely unable to understand such talk. "When consciousness is exhausted in the skull, what joy can arise? In the withered tree the dragon's chant has not dried up." This alone is the point of intertwining. This monk asked like that, and Zhaozhou answered like that: Zhou said, "The Supreme Way is not difficult; it only dislikes picking and choosing. As soon as there are words and language, they are picking and choosing, or they are clarity. This old monk is not within clarity. Do you all still cherish and protect [it], or not?" At the time, a monk immediately asked, "Since you are not within clarity, what do you cherish and protect?" Zhou said, "I do not know either." The monk said, "Since the venerable monk does not know, why do you say you are not within clarity?" Zhou said, "It is enough to ask about the matter. Make your prostrations and withdraw." This is an ancient gong'an of inquiring into the Way; Xuedou dragged it out and strung it together, using it to eulogize: "The Supreme Way is not difficult; it only dislikes picking and choosing." Nowadays people do not understand the ancients' intent; they just bite on words and chew on phrases—when will there be an end? Only an adept who has penetrated through all quarters can distinguish this kind of talk. Haven't you seen? A monk asked Xiangyan, "What is the Way?" Yan said, "The dragon's chant in a withered tree." The monk said, "Who is the person within the Way?" Yan said, "Eyes in a skull." Later, the monk asked Shishuang, "What is the dragon's chant in a withered tree?" Shuang said, "It still carries joy." "What are the eyes in a skull?" Shuang said, "They still carry consciousness." The monk also asked Caoshan, "What is the dragon's chant in a withered tree?" Shan said, "The bloodline is unbroken." "What are the eyes in a skull?" Shan said, "Not completely dry." "Who can hear it?" Shan said, "In the entire great earth there is not a single person who does not hear it." The monk said, "I wonder what verse line the dragon's chant is?" Shan said, "I do not know what verse line it is; all who hear it lose their lives." There is also a eulogy that says: "The dragon's chant in a withered tree is truly seeing the Way; / with no consciousness in the skull, the eyes first become clear. / When joy and consciousness are exhausted, all tidings end; / how could that person distinguish clarity within the turbid?" Xuedou can be said to have great skill; all at once he eulogized them intertwined for you. Even though it is like this, there are not two sorts at all. At the end Xuedou has a place of helping people, further saying, "Difficult, difficult!" Even this "Difficult, difficult!" must be penetrated before you can get it. Why? Baizhang said, "All words and language, the mountains, rivers, and great earth, one by one turn and return to oneself." Whenever Xuedou makes a pick-up and take-away, at the end it must return to oneself. Tell me, where is Xuedou's place of helping people? "Picking and choosing, or clarity—see for yourself, sir!" Since he has eulogized by tangling in vines, why does he instead say, "See for yourself, sir"? Luckily he tells you to look for yourself. Tell me, where does the intent land? Do not say that none of you can understand it; even if this mountain monk comes here, he just cannot understand it either.