佛果圜悟禪師碧巖錄 5.19

5.19

One day at Guizong, there was a general labor call to haul rocks. Zong asked the karmadāna: 'Where are you going?' The karmadāna said: 'Going to haul rocks.' Zong said: 'Go ahead and haul rocks, but you must not disturb the tree in the center.' Whenever a newcomer arrived at Muping's place, he would first order them to carry three rounds of earth. Muping composed a verse instructing the assembly, saying: 'The path on East Mountain is narrow; West Mountain is low. New arrivals, do not begrudge three rounds of mud. Alas, having spent so long on the road, clearly not understanding, you instead become deluded.' Later, a monk asked: 'Leaving aside what is within the three rounds, what about what is outside the three rounds?' Ping said: 'The decree of the Iron-Wheel Son of Heaven within the realm.' The monk had nothing to say; Ping immediately struck him. Therefore it is said: 'First, hauling rocks; second, carrying earth. To release the mechanism requires a crossbow of a thousand jun.' Xuedou uses the crossbow of a thousand jun as a metaphor for this saying, wishing to reveal his way of helping people. Thirty catties make one jun; one thousand jun is thirty thousand catties. Only when facing ferocious dragons, tigers, and fierce beasts does one use this crossbow. If it is a tiny wisp of a creature like a wren, one must never release it lightly. Therefore, the trigger of a thousand-jun crossbow is not released for a tiny field mouse. 'The old master of Xianggu once rolled balls': one day, seeing Xuansha coming, Xuefeng rolled three wooden balls all at once. Xuansha immediately made a slashing gesture toward the board, and Xuefeng deeply approved of him. Although all of these are instances of whole-capacity great functioning, none compare to Heshan knowing how to beat the drum. How direct and swift it is! It is simply difficult to understand. Therefore Xuedou says: 'How does that compare to Heshan knowing how to beat the drum?' Fearing, moreover, that people would merely make a livelihood on the words without knowing their origin, acting recklessly and blindly, he therefore says: 'I report to you, do not be reckless.' You must truly reach this ground before you get it. If you want not to be reckless: the sweet is sweet, the bitter is bitter. Although Xuedou brings it out like this, in the end he too cannot leap clear.