佛果圜悟禪師碧巖錄 5.15

5.15

Under Caodong there is appearing in the world and not appearing in the world; there is letting down the hands and not letting down the hands. If not appearing in the world, one's eyes gaze into the clouds; if appearing in the world, one covers the head with ash and the face with dirt. Gazing into the clouds is just the peak of ten thousand fathoms; covering the head with ash and the face with dirt is just the matter of letting down the hands. Sometimes covering the head with ash and the face with dirt is right on the peak of ten thousand fathoms; sometimes the peak of ten thousand fathoms is just covering the head with ash and the face with dirt. In fact, entering the marketplace letting down the hands is identical to standing solitary on an isolated peak; returning to the source and clarifying nature is no different from differentiating wisdom. Absolutely do not make a twofold understanding of them! Therefore it is said: "Letting down the hands is still like a ten-thousand-fathom cliff"—directly there is no place for you to lodge. "Why must the right and biased consist in contrivance?" When it comes to functioning, it is naturally like this; it does not consist in contrivance. This versifies Dongshan's answer. Later it says: "The ancient palace of lapis lazuli reflects the bright moon; / The clever hound of Han vainly ascends the steps." This precisely versifies this monk running after words. Under Dongshan there are these: the stone woman, the wooden horse, the bottomless basket, the luminous pearl, the dead snake, and so on—eighteen kinds. In outline, they only clarify the rank of the Right. Like the moon illuminating an ancient palace of lapis lazuli, it seems there is a round shadow. Dongshan replied, "Why not go to the place where there is no cold or heat?" That monk was just like the hound of Han chasing a clod, hurriedly ascending the steps as if catching the moon's shadow. He again asked, "What is the place where there is no cold or heat?" Dongshan said, "When it is cold, let the cold kill the ācārya; when it is hot, let the heat kill the ācārya." Like the hound of Han chasing a clod, he ran up to the steps, but then again did not see the moon's shadow. The hound of Han comes from the Strategies of the Warring States, which says that the hound of the Han clan was a swift dog, and the hare of Zhongshan was a cunning hare; only this hound could pursue this hare. Xuedou cites this as a metaphor for this monk. Just tell me, do you all recognize Dongshan's way of helping people? After a long pause he said: What rabbit are you searching for?