佛果圜悟禪師碧巖錄 5.8

5.8

Layman Pang practiced under both Mazu and Shitou and composed verses for both. When he first met Shitou, he asked, "Who is the person that does not keep company with the myriad phenomena?" Before the sound had died away, Shitou covered his mouth. Having an insight, he composed a verse saying: "In daily affairs there is nothing different; / Only I harmonize with myself. / At every turn, neither grasping nor rejecting; / In every place, no discord. / Who cares for designations of vermilion and purple? / The green mountains are devoid of a single speck of dust. / Supernatural powers and wondrous dynamic functions: / Hauling water and carrying firewood." Later he practiced under Mazu and asked again, "Who is the person that does not keep company with the myriad phenomena?" Mazu said, "Wait until you swallow all the water of the West River in one gulp, then I will tell you." The Layman was thoroughly enlightened and composed a verse saying: "From the ten directions they gather together, / Each studying non-action. / This is the arena for choosing Buddhas; / With empty mind, passing the examination, one returns." Because he was an adept, later when monasteries stood in sight of each other, they competed to praise him wherever he went. When he arrived at Yaoshan, he lingered for a long time, and finally took leave of Yaoshan. Shan respected him deeply and ordered ten Chan practitioners to see him off. At that time, snow was falling. The Layman pointed to the snow and said, "Fine snow, flake by flake, not falling anywhere else." Chan Practitioner Quan said, "Where does it fall?" The Layman immediately slapped him. Since Chan Practitioner Quan could not execute the imperative, the Layman executed half of it. Although the imperative was executed, for Chan Practitioner Quan to reply like that does not mean he did not know where it fell. Each had dynamic sharpness, rolling up and unrolling differently. However, there was a point where he did not reach the Layman's level, which is why he fell under his frame and could hardly escape his range. After striking him, the Layman further explained the principle, saying, "The eyes see as if blind; the mouth speaks as if mute." Xuedou gave an alternative remark to the earlier words, saying, "At the initial question, he should have just balled up a lump of snow and struck him." For Xuedou to say this was intended not to fail his question, yet his dynamic function was slow. Repository Head Qing said, "The Layman's dynamic function was like a flash of lightning. If one waits for you to ball up a lump of snow, when will it arrive? Striking with the voice as it sounds—only then does one cut it off cleanly." Xuedou personally versified where he struck, saying: (彀 [gòu]: drawing a bow or crossbow; drawing a bow fully).