萬松老人評唱天童覺和尚頌古從容庵錄 1.133

1.133

師云。鬼魅以妖通成精。呪藥以依通成精。天龍以報通成精。賢聖以神通成精。佛祖以道通成精。南泉趙州乃佛祖向上人。那堪年老。所以道。年老成精也。趙州古佛嗣南泉。馬祖道。經入藏。禪歸海。唯有南泉獨超物外。趙州以長沙為友。以南泉為師。故勘辨中。非得失勝負之可品格。天下謂之趙州關。也不妨難過。雖然仲尼有言。神龜能現夢於元君。而不能免余且之網。智能七十二鑽。而無遺筴。而不能避刳腸之患。如是則智有所困。神有所不及也。莊子云。宋元君夢人被髮曰。予自宰路之淵。予為清江使河伯之所。漁者余且得予。覺占之。神龜也。漁者果有余且。網得白龜。其圓五尺。君欲活之。卜之曰。殺龜以卜吉。乃刳龜。七十二鑽而無遺筴。乃其事也。洛浦曰。欲知上流之士。不將佛祖言教貼在額頭。如龜負圖自取喪身之兆。鳳縈金網趨霄漢。以何期。周穆王八駿。有乘雲而趨行越飛鳥者。故曰良駟追風也。此頌婆子能勘僧。而不免趙州勘破。趙州雖能勘婆。而不免瑯琊點檢。參禪謂之金屎法。不會如金。勘破如屎。所以道。說向人前不直錢。汝但離却得失勝負情量。自然平欺婆子。下視趙州。若到萬松門下。不得點胸檐板。

The Master said: Demonic spirits become spirits through monstrous powers; spells and medicines become spirits through reliant powers; heavenly dragons become spirits through retributive powers; sages and worthies become spirits through supernatural powers; buddhas and patriarchs become spirits through powers of the Way. Nanquan and Zhaozhou were people who went beyond the buddhas and patriarchs, and what is more, they grew old! Therefore it is said, 'Growing old, becoming a spirit.' The ancient Buddha Zhaozhou was Nanquan's heir. Mazu said, 'The sūtras enter the canon, Chan returns to the sea; only Nanquan alone transcends external things.' Zhaozhou took Changsha as a friend and Nanquan as a teacher. Therefore in their investigations, it was not something that could be judged by gain and loss or victory and defeat. The world calls it the 'Barrier of Zhaozhou'—and indeed it is hard to pass. Nevertheless, Zhongni said, 'The numinous turtle could manifest in a dream to Lord Yuan, yet could not escape the net of Yu Qie; its wisdom could endure seventy-two drillings without missing an omen, yet could not avoid the distress of having its intestines gutted.' In this way, wisdom has its exhaustion, and the numinous has that which it cannot reach. *Zhuangzi* states: 'Lord Yuan of Song dreamed of a man with disheveled hair who said, "I come from the abyss of Zailu; I was acting as an envoy for the Clear River to the place of the River Earl. The fisherman Yu Qie caught me." Awakening, he divined it: it was a numinous turtle. The fisherman indeed had Yu Qie, who had netted a white turtle five feet in circumference. The lord wished to let it live, but divined about it; the divination said, "Kill the turtle to divine good fortune." Thereupon they gutted the turtle, drilling it seventy-two times without a single missed omen.' This was the event. Luopu said, 'If you want to know a person of the highest grade, they do not stick the verbal teachings of the buddhas and patriarchs on their foreheads, just as a turtle carrying divination diagrams brings about the omen of its own death. A phoenix tangled in a golden net—how can it hope to reach the empyrean?' King Mu of Zhou had eight steeds, among which were those that rode the clouds and ran surpassing flying birds; hence it is said, 'The fine steed chasing the wind.' This verse praises the woman being able to test the monk, yet not escaping Zhaozhou's checking out; and Zhaozhou, though able to check out the woman, could not escape Langya's scrutiny. Practicing Chan is called the 'gold-and-dung dharma': when not understood, it is like gold; when checked out, it is like dung. Therefore it is said, 'Speaking of it before others, it isn't worth a coin.' If you only leave behind emotional calculations of gain, loss, victory, and defeat, you will naturally look down on the old woman and look down on Zhaozhou. But if you come to Wansong's gate, you are not permitted to carry the board across your shoulders.