佛果圜悟禪師碧巖錄 10.29

10.29

"A clay Buddha does not cross water; / Divine light shines upon heaven and earth." This single line of the verse is clear. But tell me: why does he cite Shenguang? When the Second Ancestor was first born, divine light illuminated the room and extended to the Milky Way. On another night a divine being appeared and said to the Second Ancestor: "Why linger here so long? The time for you to attain the Path has arrived; you should go south immediately." Because of this encounter with the divine, he was named Shenguang. He lived for a long time in the Yi and Luo region, extensively mastering the various classics, and often sighed: "The teachings of Confucius and Laozi transmit ancestral models and customs." Hearing recently that Master Bodhidharma was dwelling at Shaolin, he went there to seek instruction morning and evening. Bodhidharma sat upright wall-gazing and never offered any teaching or encouragement. Shenguang thought to himself: "When the ancients sought the Path, they broke their bones to extract marrow, pierced their blood to relieve famine, spread their hair to cover the mud, and threw themselves over cliffs to feed tigers. If the ancients were like this, what about me?" On the night of the ninth day of the twelfth month of that year, there was heavy snow; the Second Ancestor stood below the steps, and by dawn the accumulated snow surpassed his knees. Bodhidharma pitied him and said, "Standing in the snow here, what matter do you seek?" The Second Ancestor wept and said, "I only wish that your compassion open the gate of sweet dew (amṛta) to deliver the multitude of beings broadly." Bodhidharma said, "The wonderful Path of all Buddhas requires diligent practice across countless eons, doing what is difficult to do and enduring what is unbearable to endure. How could one, with small virtue and small wisdom, with a light mind and an arrogant mind, hope for the true vehicle? There is no such possibility." Hearing this encouragement, the Second Ancestor's aspiration toward the Path became all the more earnest. He secretly took a sharp knife, severed his own left arm, and placed it before Bodhidharma. Bodhidharma knew he was a vessel of the Dharma, and thereupon asked, "Standing in the snow and cutting off your arm, for what matter do you do this?" The Second Ancestor said, "My mind is not yet at peace; I beg the Master to pacify my mind." Bodhidharma said, "Bring your mind here, and I will pacify it for you." The Ancestor said, "Having sought the mind, it is completely unfindable." Bodhidharma said, "I have pacified your mind for you." Later Bodhidharma changed his name to Huike. Later he received the Third Ancestor, Master Can. Having received the transmission of the Dharma, he concealed himself in Mount Wangong in Shuzhou. During the suppression of the Buddhist Dharma and the purging of monks under Emperor Wu of the Later Zhou, the Master moved back and forth to Mount Sikong in Taihu County, having no fixed dwelling; for over ten years no one knew him. Vinaya Master Xuan's Biographies of Eminent Monks does not record the Second Ancestor's deeds in detail. The biography of the Third Ancestor says: "The subtle Dharma of the Second Ancestor was not transmitted to the world." Fortunately, in the end, it was preserved through awakening to his standing in the snow at that time. Therefore Xuedou said: "If standing in the snow does not cease, / Who would not be ornate and false?" If standing in the snow does not cease, sycophantic and deceitful people will all imitate it, and all at once it will only result in ornate falsehood—that is, a cohort of flatterers and deceivers. In Xuedou's verse on "a clay Buddha does not cross water," why does he cite this story to use? He comprehended until beneath his conceptual root there was not a single speck of dust; only when completely naked and clear was he able to versify like this. Wuzu routinely taught people to look at these three verses. Have you not seen that Venerable Dongshan Chu had a verse demonstrating to the assembly that said: "On Mount Wutai clouds steam rice; / Before the hall of the ancient Buddha, a dog pisses at heaven. / At the top of the flagstaff, fried dumplings are cooked; / Three monkeys at night winnow coins." Furthermore, Venerable Dushun said: "The ox of Huaizhou eats grain, and the horse of Yizhou gets belly bloat. Throughout the world they search for a doctor, who applies moxa to the left shoulder of a pig." And Mahāsattva Fu's verse says: "Empty-handed, holding a hoe; / Walking on foot, riding a water buffalo. / A person passes over the bridge; / The bridge flows, but the water does not flow." And he said: "If the wooden man's dynamic function were like yours, he too would know how to sing songs of Ba. If you were like the wooden man, you should harmonize with the Snow Song." If you can understand these words, then you will understand Xuedou's verse. (足: phonetic reading, flipping tree upside down.)