佛果圜悟禪師碧巖錄 6.2

6.2

Case 51: When Xuefeng was living in a hermitage, two monks came to pay respects. (What are they doing? One indictment accepted.) / Seeing them coming, Xuefeng pushed open the hermitage door with his hand, stepped out, and said, "What is it?" (Ghostly eyes. A hole-less flute. Brandishing a head and bearing horns.) / The monks also said, "What is it?" (A mud pill, a felt clapper. Arrow points meeting head-on.) / Xuefeng lowered his head and returned to his hermitage. (There are thorns in the soft mud. Like a dragon without feet, like a snake with horns. Within this it is difficult to deal with.) / Later, the monks went to Yantou. (He still had to question them thoroughly before knowing. Only those of the same path know.) / Yantou asked, "Where did you come from?" (One must indeed be an expert. This fellow often admits defeat. If not for a fellow practitioner, he would almost have let them off.) / The monk said, "We came from Lingnan." (What news did you bring? You must also communicate some news. Did you still see Xuefeng?) / Yantou said, "Did you ever go to Xuefeng?" (He saw through them long ago. You cannot say you did not go.) / The monk said, "We went." (An honest person is hard to find. Broken into two halves.) / Yantou said, "What words did he have?" (Going off like this!) / The monk related the previous story. (Going off like this! Admitting defeat over and over.) / Yantou said, "What did he say?" (He should be struck across the mouth right away. He has lost his nostrils.) / The monk said, "Without a word, he lowered his head and returned to his hermitage." (Again admitting defeat. Tell me, what was he?) / Yantou said, "Alas! Back then I regretted that I did not say the last word to him. (Boundless billows, white waves surging to heaven.) / If I had spoken it to him, no one in the world could do anything to Old Xue!" (A leper dragging along a companion. No need. Even Mount Meru must be smashed to powder. Tell me, where is his trap?) / At the end of the summer, the monk brought up the previous story again to ask for instruction. (Already not sharp. The real thief has been gone for a long time. Drawing the bow after the thief has passed.) / Yantou said, "Why didn't you ask earlier?" (He should overturn the meditation seat. An error!) / The monk said, "I did not dare take it lightly." (This blow should originally have been taken by this monk. Piercing his nostrils. Detaining a prisoner increases his wisdom. Already a double gong'an.) / Yantou said, "Although Xuefeng was born on the same bough as me, he will not die on the same bough as me. (Spreading a net over heaven and earth.) / If you want to know the last word, just this is it." (Deceiving a whole boat of people to death. I do not believe it either. He almost could not explain it away.)