佛果圜悟禪師碧巖錄 3.45

3.45

This monk was also one of long practice; in his question he was not without an eye. How could it be helped that Zhaozhou was an adept, and answered him: "Zhenzhou produces large radishes"? This may be called flavorless talk that plugs people's mouths. This old fellow is very much like a sneak thief: the moment you open your mouth, he swaps your eyes. If you are an exceptional and spirited fellow, right then, amidst sparks struck from flint and flashes of lightning, the moment you hear it brought forward, you spring up and go. If you hesitate in thought and stop your dynamic, you inevitably lose your body and life. The Loose Sage Cheng of Jiangxi judged this, calling it "answering west to an east question," designating it as "not answering the words" and "not falling into his snare." If you understand it in that way, how can you succeed? Master Record-Keeper Yuan said: "This is a glancing sideways word, collected within the Nine Belts." If you understand it like that, you have not even dreamed of it yet, and moreover you drag Zhaozhou down. Some say: "Zhenzhou has always produced large radishes; everyone under heaven knows this. Zhaozhou has always visited Nanquan; everyone under heaven knows this. This monk nevertheless went on to ask: 'I have heard that the Venerable personally met Nanquan; is that so or not?' Therefore Zhou said to him: 'Zhenzhou produces large radishes.'" But that has no connection at all! If one does not understand it like any of this, ultimately how is it to be understood? His household naturally has a path reaching to the heavens. Have you not seen a monk ask Jiufeng: "I have heard that the Venerable personally met Yanshou; is that so or not?" Feng said: "Is the wheat in front of the mountain ripe yet?" This exactly matches Zhaozhou's answer to this monk: completely like two iron hammers without holes. Old man Zhaozhou is a person of no affairs: you ask him lightly, and he swaps your eyes. If one is a person who knows it is there, chew it finely and swallow. If one is a person who does not know it is there, it is just like swallowing a date whole.