萬松老人評唱天童覺和尚頌古從容庵錄 1.131

1.131

師云。臺山路上婆子。慣隨無著出寺入寺。飽參文殊前三後三。凡見僧問臺山路向什麼處去。便當陽指出長安大道。云驀直去。其僧不作疑阻便行。婆云。好箇阿師又恁麼去也。這婆子也鉤錐在手。從來觸誤多少賢良。這僧既不奈伊何。拈來舉似趙州。州云。待與勘過。疑殺天下人。這老漢老不歇心。圖箇甚麼。也要定箇宗眼。州依前恁麼問。婆依前恁麼答。有底便話作兩橛。前段點這僧扶婆子。後段點婆子扶趙州。唯玄覺云。前僧也恁麼問答。後來趙州也恁麼問答。且道。甚處是勘破處。萬松道。勘破了也。又云。非唯被趙州勘破。赤被這僧勘破。萬松道。非但累及玄覺。亦乃累及萬松。瑯琊云。大小趙州去這婆子手裡。喪身失命。雖然如是。錯會者多。萬松道。切忌。以已方人。溈山哲云。天下衲僧只知問路老婆。要且不知脚下泥深。若非趙州老人。爭顯汗馬功高。雖然須假天童歌揚始得。頌云。

The Master said: The old woman on the road to Mount Tai was accustomed to following Wuzhuo into and out of the monastery, fully steeped in Mañjuśrī's 'three in front, three in back.' Whenever she saw a monk asking, 'Which way is the road to Mount Tai?', she would point directly in the open to the grand avenue of Chang'an, saying, 'Go straight ahead.' That monk, without any doubt or hesitation, would just walk on. The woman would say, 'A fine master, off he goes like that too!' This old woman also held a hook and awl in hand; from of old, how many worthy and virtuous people has she tripped up? Since this monk could do nothing with her, he picked it up and reported it to Zhaozhou. Zhou said, 'Wait, I will go and check her out for you'—baffling people all over the world. This old fellow did not rest his mind in old age; what was he after? He also wanted to establish the eye of the school. Zhou asked just as before; the woman answered just as before. Some split the story into two pieces: the first part faults the monk and supports the woman; the second part faults the woman and supports Zhaozhou. Only Xuanjue said, 'The former monk questioned and answered like that, and later Zhaozhou also questioned and answered like that; tell me, where was the checking out?' Wansong says: It was completely checked out. [Xuanjue] also said, 'Not only was she checked out by Zhaozhou, she was also checked out by this monk.' Wansong says: Not only does this entangle Xuanjue, it also entangles Wansong. Langya said, 'Great and small Zhaozhou lost body and life in this woman's hands.' Even though it is so, many misunderstand. Wansong says: Take care not to measure others by yourself. Guishan Zhe said, 'Patch-robed monks of the world only know to ask the old woman for the road, but do not know the mud is deep beneath their feet. Were it not for old man Zhaozhou, how could his horse-sweat battle-merit be displayed?' Even so, it must rely on Tiantong's singing and praise to bring it forth. The verse says: