萬松老人評唱天童覺和尚頌古從容庵錄 4.25

4.25

洪州武寧縣新興嚴陽尊者。初參趙州。問一物不將來時如何。此與僧問報慈。情生智隔。相變體殊。情未生時如何。慈云隔。暮故底。道情也未生隔箇甚麼。此與一物不將來放下箇甚麼。孟八郎漢大同。州云放不下則擔取去者。言下大悟。佛果法語舉。黃龍頌云。一物不將來。兩肩擔不起（果云。明眼人難謾）言下忽知非（退步墮深坑）心中無限喜（如貧得寶）毒惡既忘懷（無始宿業盡時清淨）蛇虎為知己（異類等解）寥寥千百年。清風猶未已（誰不景仰）師所居常一蛇一虎手中與食。故如得果人。尊者稱之。趙州古佛與尊者。不測聖凡底人。出一言發一問。千古之下。與人為龜鏡。天童見近日師僧麁心轉盛。所以打草驚蛇。頌云。

Venerable Xinxing Yanyang of Wuning County in Hongzhou first visited Zhaozhou and asked, 'What when not bringing along a single thing?' This is like the monk who asked Baoci: 'When sentiment arises, wisdom is obstructed; when characteristics change, the substance differs. What when sentiment has not yet arisen?' Baoci said, 'Obstructed.' The monk held fast and said, 'Sentiment has not even arisen—what is there to obstruct?' This is largely the same as, 'When not bringing along a single thing, what is there to lay down?'—like a rough-and-ready fellow. When Zhaozhou said, 'If you cannot lay it down, carry it away,' Yanyang had great awakening at his words. Foguo's Dharma Words cited Huanglong's verse: 'Not bringing along a single thing, / Yet both shoulders cannot bear the load (Guo said: A clear-eyed person is hard to deceive). / At his words he suddenly knew his error (stepping back, he fell into a deep pit); / In his heart was boundless joy (like a poor man obtaining a jewel). / Venom and malice once forgotten (purified when beginningless past karma is exhausted), / Snakes and tigers become close friends (equal understanding across different species). / Desolate through a thousand years, / The pure breeze has not yet ceased (who would not look up in reverence?).' At the place where the Master lived, a snake and a tiger would regularly take food from his hands, so people referred to him as a Venerable who had attained the fruit. Old Buddha Zhaozhou and the Venerable were both people unfathomable by sages or mortals. Uttering a single word or posing a single question, through a thousand ages they serve as a tortoise and mirror for people. Tiantong saw that the coarse minds of contemporary monks were growing more prevalent, so he beat the grass to startle the snake. The verse says: