佛果圜悟禪師碧巖錄 5.22

5.22

If you understand from the place where one acts at a single stroke, the nostrils of the old venerable monks of the entire world are pierced all at once, and they can do nothing with you; naturally, when water comes, the channel is formed. If you hesitate, this old monk is beneath your heels. Where the Buddhadharma is essential, words are not numerous and speech is not complicated. Just like this monk asking Zhaozhou: 'The myriad dharmas return to the one; where does the one return?' He answered instead: 'When I was in Qingzhou, I made a hemp robe that weighed seven catties.' If you examine it in terms of words and phrases, you mistakenly recognize the indicator on the steelyard; if you do not examine it in terms of words and phrases, what can you do about his having spoken this way? Although this gong'an is difficult to perceive, it is easy to understand; although it is easy to understand, it is difficult to perceive. When it is difficult, it is a silver mountain and an iron wall; when it is easy, one is immediately awake to it, without any room for you to calculate right and wrong. This saying is no different from Puhua saying: 'Tomorrow there is a vegetarian feast at the Great Compassion Cloister.' One day a monk asked Zhaozhou: 'What is the ancestral master's intention in coming from the West?' Zhou said: 'The cypress tree in the front courtyard.' The monk said: 'Master, do not point out an object to people.' Zhou said: 'This old monk does not point out an object to people.' See how, in the ultimate place where turning is impossible, he was able to turn; naturally it covers heaven and earth. If one cannot turn, then whatever path one touches becomes an obstruction. Now tell me, did he have a discussion of the Buddhadharma or not? If you say he had Buddhadharma, when did he ever speak of mind, speak of nature, or speak of the mysterious and profound? If you say he had no principle or purpose of the Buddhadharma, he never failed your question either. Have you not seen: a monk asked Venerable Muping: 'What is the great meaning of the Buddhadharma?' Ping said: 'This winter melon is so large.' Again, a monk asked an ancient worthy: 'In deep mountains and sheer cliffs, where it is remote and utterly without people, is there still Buddhadharma or not?' The ancient worthy said: 'There is.' The monk said: 'What is the Buddhadharma in the deep mountains?' The ancient worthy said: 'Big stones are big; small ones are small.' Look at gong'ans like this: where is the confusion? Xuedou knew where he landed, so he opened up the path of meaning and versified it for you: