佛果圜悟禪師碧巖錄 2.29

2.29

'Ancient Buddhas have their family style'—with this one line Xuedou has eulogized it completely. Whenever one sticks out one's head, one simply cannot be approached. If one is approached, then it is Yazhou ten thousand miles away. As soon as one sticks out one's head, one has already fallen into the grass. Even if you are free in seven directions and eight ways, it does not require a single pinch [to crush you]. Xuedou said, 'Ancient Buddhas have their family style'—it is not like today's ways. When old man Śākya was first born, he pointed one hand to the sky, one hand to the earth, looked all around the four directions, and said: 'Above the heavens and below the heavens, I alone am honored.' Yunmen said: 'If I had seen him then, I would have beaten him to death with one blow and fed him to the dogs, aiming to bring peace to the world.' Only in this way could it be properly reciprocated. Therefore, the dynamic function of tapping and pecking is entirely the family style of the ancient Buddhas. If one penetrates this Way, one can immediately topple Yellow Crane Tower with a single punch and flip Parrot Island over with a single kick. Like a great mass of fire, if you approach it, it singes your face; like the Tai'e Sword, if you attempt to measure it, you lose body and life. Only one who has thoroughly penetrated and attained great liberation can be like this. If you are lost at the source and stuck on phrases, you will definitely never be able to grasp this kind of talk. 'Facing and presenting, they meet with demotion and stripping away' refers to the one host and one guest, the one question and one answer; at the point of question and answer, there is demotion and stripping away. This is called 'facing and presenting, they meet with demotion and stripping away.' Xuedou knew this matter deeply, so he completed the eulogy within just two lines. At the end, he merely fell into the grass to explain it thoroughly for you: 'Chick and mother do not know each other; who pecks and taps together?' Although the mother pecks, she cannot bring about the chick's tapping; although the chick taps, it cannot bring about the mother's pecking. Neither knows of the other. At the very moment of tapping and pecking, who pecks and taps together? If you understand it this way, you still cannot escape Xuedou's final line. Why? Have you not seen Xiangyan say: 'Chick taps, mother pecks; the chick is awakened, without shell. Chick and mother are both forgotten; responding to conditions without error. Companions on the Way harmonize in song; the marvelous and profound stands alone on one foot.' Xuedou did not hesitate to fall into the grass, raising entangling vines by saying: 'Pecking'—this one word eulogizes Jingqing's reply, 'Can you still be brought to life or not?' 'Awakened' eulogizes this monk's saying, 'If I am not brought to life, I will be ridiculed by others.' Why did Xuedou then immediately say, 'still in the shell'? Xuedou distinguishes black from white in the light of sparks from flint, discerning the clue in a flash of lightning. Jingqing said: 'He is also a fellow in the grass.' Xuedou said: 'Struck once again.' The slight difficulty here is in Jingqing saying, 'He is also a fellow in the grass.' Can this be called Jingqing switching people's eyes? Could this phrase mean 'still in the shell'? It has no connection whatsoever! How could it be like this? If you can understand it, you may travel around the world on itinerant pilgrimage, having your share in repaying the debt of gratitude. This mountain monk speaking like this is also a fellow in the grass. 'Patch-robed monks of the world try in vain to depict it'—who is not one who tries to depict it? Arriving here, Xuedou himself could not depict it, yet he further implicated the patch-robed monks of the world. Tell me, how was Jingqing acting on behalf of this monk? The patch-robed monks of the world cannot leap out.