佛果圜悟禪師碧巖錄 7.3

7.3

When Fengxue instructed the assembly, saying: "If one speck of dust is established, the country flourishes; if not one speck of dust is established, the country perishes." Tell me: is establishing one speck of dust right, or is not establishing one speck of dust right? Reaching here, the great function must appear before you; only then will it do. Therefore it is said: "Even if grasped before words, one is still stuck in the shell and blind in confinement; even if thoroughly penetrating beneath phrases, one cannot avoid mad views when confronting situations." He was a venerable elder under Linji; he directly used the proper measure of fodder. "If one speck of dust is established, the country flourishes"—the rustic elder knits his brows. His intention is on establishing the state and securing the country, which requires relying on scheming ministers and fierce generals; only then do the qilin appear and the phoenix soar, which are auspicious omens of great peace. How could people in a three-family hamlet know of such affairs? "If not one speck of dust is established, the country perishes"—the wind blows briskly. Why does the rustic elder come out singing ballads? It is just because the country has perished. In the Dongshan lineage this is called the place of turning and transformation, where there is no longer Buddha or sentient beings, no right or wrong, no good or evil, utterly cut off from sound and tracks. Therefore it is said: "Though gold dust is precious, falling into the eye it causes a cataract." It is also said: "Gold dust is a cataract in the eye; the jewel in the robe is dust on phenomena. When one's own spirit is not even valued, what kind of persons are the Buddhas and ancestral masters?" Seven penetrations and eight holes, supernatural powers and wondrous functions are not considered extraordinary. Arriving here: with patch-robe covering the head, ten thousand affairs cease; at this time, this mountain monk understands nothing at all. If one further speaks of mind, speaks of nature, speaks of the mysterious, speaks of the marvelous, none of it can be used. Why? His family naturally has the realm of immortals. Nanquan instructed the assembly, saying: "The seven hundred eminent monks at Huangmei were all people who understood the Buddhadharma, yet none obtained his robe and bowl. Only Worker Lu did not understand the Buddhadharma, and therefore obtained his robe and bowl." He also said: "The Buddhas of the three periods do not know it exists; wildcats and white oxen know it exists." The rustic elder either knits his brows or sings ballads—tell me, how do you understand this? And tell me, what eye does he possess to act like this? You must know that before the rustic elder's gate, there are separate regulations. Xuedou brought up both sides, and then picked up his staff, saying: "Are there any patch-robed monks who will live together and die together?" At that time, if someone had stepped forward and uttered a phrase, acting reciprocally as host and guest, it would have saved this old fellow Xuedou from patting his own chest later.