佛果圜悟禪師碧巖錄 2.46

2.46

Master Cuiyan Zhi said: 'At that time it was like this. As for the patch-robed monks of today, is there still any blood under their skin?' Master Guishan Zhe said: 'Cuiwei and Linji can be called proper lineage masters. Longya equally parted the grass to peer into the wind; he indeed served as a model for later people. After he resided in a monastery, a monk asked: "Did the Venerable Master at that time approve of the two venerable elders or not?" Longya said: "Approve, I did approve; but there is still no meaning of the ancestral master's coming from the West." Longya looked ahead and behind, dispensing medicine according to the sickness. Dagui, however, would not do so. Were he asked, "Did the Venerable Master at that time approve of the two venerable elders or not?"—clear or not clear, he would strike right across the back! Not only would this uphold Cuiwei and Linji, it would also not fail the inquirer's question.' Shimen Cong said: 'Had no one pressed Longya, it might have passed; but having been pushed by a patch-robed monk, he lost one eye.' Xuedou said: 'Linji and Cuiwei only knew how to hold fast, but did not know how to let go. Had I been Longya at that time, waiting for them to demand the meditation cushion and the meditation board, I would have picked them up and hurled them right at their faces!' Wuzu Jie said: 'Why is the Venerable Master's face so long?' Another said: 'The ancestral master's Saturn has descended upon his head.' Huanglong Xin said: 'Longya drove off the plowman's ox and snatched away the starving man's food. Since it is clear, it is clear indeed; why then is there still no meaning of the ancestral master's coming from the West? Do you understand? At the tip of the staff there is an eye bright as the sun; to recognize true gold, look into the fire.' In general, to stir up the essential subtleties and promote the ancestral vehicle, if one can understand under the first dynamic function, one can sit and cut off the tongues of all people under heaven. If one hesitates, one falls into the secondary. Although these two old fellows struck up wind and rain, startling heaven and shaking earth, they nevertheless never struck a clear-eyed fellow. How much bitterness and toil did the ancients endure in their Chan practice! Establishing the determination of great heroes, they traversed mountains and rivers to visit and pay respects to venerable elders. Longya first visited Cuiwei and Linji, and later visited Deshan. He asked: 'When the student wields the sword of Moye and intends to take the master's head, what then?' Deshan stretched out his neck and cried: 'Yaa!' Longya said: 'The master's head has fallen.' Deshan smiled faintly and dropped the matter. Next Longya arrived at Dongshan. Dongshan asked: 'Where have you recently come from?' Longya said: 'I came from Deshan.' Dongshan asked: 'What words did Deshan have?' Longya then recounted the previous dialogue. Dongshan asked: 'What did he say?' Longya said: 'He had no words.' Dongshan said: 'Do not say he had no words. Just try bringing Deshan's fallen head and presenting it to this old monk to see.' Longya had an awakening at this; he then burned incense, faced Deshan from afar, and bowed in repentance. When Deshan heard of this, he said: 'That old fellow Dongshan does not know good from bad. That fellow has been dead for how long—what is the use of saving him? Let him carry this old monk's head and wander all over the world!' Longya was by nature sharp and quick, carrying a belly full of Chan. On itinerant pilgrimage, he went straight to Cuiwei in Chang'an and asked: 'What is the meaning of the ancestral master's coming from the West?' Cuiwei said: 'Pass me the meditation board.' Longya took the meditation board and handed it to Cuiwei. Cuiwei took it and struck him. Longya said: 'As for striking, strike as you will; nevertheless, there is no meaning of the ancestral master's coming from the West.' He also asked Linji: 'What is the meaning of the ancestral master's coming from the West?' Linji said: 'Pass me the meditation cushion.' Longya took the meditation cushion and handed it to Linji. Linji took it and struck him. Longya said: 'As for striking, strike as you will; nevertheless, there is no meaning of the ancestral master's coming from the West.' When he raised this inquiry, he indeed wanted to see that old fellow on the curved-wood chair, and he also wanted to clarify his own great matter. It can be said that his words were not spoken in vain, and his dynamic was not released at random; it came forth from where the work was done. Have you not seen Wuxie visiting Shitou? He first made an agreement with himself: 'If we accord in one word, I will stay; otherwise, I will leave.' Shitou took his seat, and Wuxie flicked his sleeves and walked out. Shitou, knowing he was a Dharma vessel, gave an instruction. Wuxie did not grasp its intent; he took his leave and went out to the gate. Shitou called out to him: 'Ācārya!' Wuxie looked back. Shitou said: 'From birth to death, it is just this; turning your head and revolving your brains, do not seek anything else!' At these words, Wuxie had a great awakening. Moreover, Magu, holding his ringed staff, came to Zhangjing. He circled the meditation seat three times, shook the staff once, and stood erect. Zhangjing said: 'Yes, yes.' Magu also went to Nanquan; as before, he circled the seat, shook his staff, and stood. Nanquan said: 'Not so, not so! This is turned by the power of the wind; in the end it will come to ruin.' Magu said: 'Zhangjing said "Yes"; why does the Venerable Master say "Not so"?' Nanquan said: 'Zhangjing is right; it is you who are not right.' The ancients indeed wanted to uphold and thoroughly penetrate this one matter. Nowadays, as soon as people are questioned, they have no place whatsoever where work is done. Today it is just like this; tomorrow it will also just be like this. If you are just like this to the end of future time, there will never be an end. You must shake up your spirits; only then can you have a small degree of accord. Look at Longya raising a question: 'What is the meaning of the ancestral master's coming from the West?' Cuiwei said: 'Pass me the meditation board.' Longya passed it to Cuiwei. Cuiwei took it and struck him. When Longya picked up the meditation board at that time, how could he not have known that Cuiwei wanted to strike him? Nor can one just say that he did not understand. Why then did he pass him the meditation board? And tell me, when taking charge directly upon the dynamic, what should have been done? He did not apply it in the living water, but went of himself into dead water to make a living; taking charge all along, he said: 'As for striking, strike as you will; nevertheless, there is no meaning of the ancestral master's coming from the West.' Again he ran to Hebei to visit Linji, and asked as before. Linji said: 'Pass me the meditation cushion.' Longya passed it to Linji. Linji took it and struck him. Longya said: 'As for striking, strike as you will; nevertheless, there is no meaning of the ancestral master's coming from the West.' And tell me, the two venerable elders did not share the same Dharma succession; why were their answers similar and their applications alike? You must know that with the ancients, not a single word or single phrase was employed haphazardly. Later, when Longya resided in a monastery, a monk asked him: 'When the Venerable Master saw the two venerable elders at that time, did you approve of them or not?' Longya said: 'Approve, I did approve; nevertheless, there is no meaning of the ancestral master's coming from the West.' There are thorns in the soft mud. Letting it pass for someone, one has already fallen into the secondary. This old fellow held firm; he could only be a venerable elder under the Dongshan lineage. If it were under the gate of Deshan or Linji, you must know there would be another way of life. If it were this mountain monk, it would not be so; I would just say to him: 'Approve, I did not yet approve; nevertheless, there is no meaning of the ancestral master's coming from the West.' Have you not seen a monk ask Damei: 'What is the meaning of the ancestral master's coming from the West?' Damei said: 'There is no meaning in coming from the West.' When Yanguan heard of this, he said: 'One coffin, two dead fellows.' When Xuansha heard of this, he said: 'Yanguan is an adept.' Xuedou said: 'There are even three.' Just as this monk asked about the meaning of the ancestral master's coming from the West, he instead said to him, 'There is no meaning in coming from the West.' If you understand it in this way, you fall into the realm of doing nothing. Therefore it is said: 'You must investigate the living phrase; do not investigate the dead phrase.' If you comprehend under the living phrase, you will not forget for eternal kalpas; if you comprehend under the dead phrase, you cannot even save yourself. Longya speaking in this way might indeed be completely fine. An ancient said: 'Continuity is truly difficult.' The ancients, in every word and every phrase, did not act at random; front and back reflected each other. There was the provisional and the real, illumination and function; host and guest were distinct, interchanging vertically and horizontally. If you wish to discern their intimacy: although Longya was not benighted about the ancestral vehicle, how could he help falling into the secondary? When the two venerable elders at that time demanded the meditation board and the meditation cushion, Longya could not fail to know their intent; it was that he wanted to employ the matter within his own chest. Even though it was like this, it indeed was applied too sternly. Longya asked like this, and the two old fellows answered like this; why then was there still no meaning of the ancestral master's coming from the West? Reaching here, you must know there is another extraordinary place. Xuedou brings it forth for people to see.