萬松老人評唱天童覺和尚頌古從容庵錄 6.41

6.41

師云。石霜遇會昌之厄。以民服寓長沙瀏陽陶家坊。大中初。一僧自洞山。夏滿而至。霜問。近離何處。僧云。洞山。霜云。和尚有何言句示徒。僧云。和尚近于解夏日。上堂謂眾曰。兄弟秋初夏末。或東或西。直須向萬里無寸草處去。良久云。只如萬里無寸草處。又作麼生去。霜云。出門便是草。僧復舉似洞山。山曰。此是一千五百人善知識語。且大唐國裏能有幾人。既而囊錐始露。果熟香飄。眾命再緇。住石霜道場。果符悟本之記。石霜因此公案。道行天下。後來大陽延禪師云。如今直道。不出門亦是草漫漫地。且道。合向甚麼處行履。良久云。莫守寒巖異草青。坐著白雲宗不妙。圓通善國師云。且道。諸人即今脚跟下一句。作麼生道。若道萬里無寸草。許爾參見洞山。若道出門便是草。許爾參見石霜。若道不出門亦是草漫漫地。許爾參見大陽。若總道不得。許爾參見延聖。何故唯有好風來席上。更無閑語落人間。萬松道。若要三句總道得。更須參見天童。頌云。

The Master said: Shishuang encountered the disaster of the Huichang era and lived in commoner's clothing at Tao's workshop in Liuyang, Changsha. At the beginning of the Dazhong era, a monk arrived from Dongshan after the summer retreat ended. Shishuang asked, "Where have you recently come from?" The monk said, "Dongshan." Shishuang said, "What words did the Venerable give to instruct his disciples?" The monk said, "Recently on the day the summer retreat ended, the Venerable ascended the hall and told the assembly, 'Brethren, at the beginning of autumn and the end of summer, whether heading east or west, you must go directly to a place where there is not an inch of grass for ten thousand miles.' After a pause he said, 'Just as for a place where there is not an inch of grass for ten thousand miles, how do you go?'" Shishuang said, "Stepping out the door, it is grass." The monk reported this back to Dongshan. Dongshan said, "These are the words of a good spiritual friend of fifteen hundred people; how many such people could there be in the great Tang empire?" Soon afterward, the awl in the sack showed its point; the fruit ripened and its fragrance drifted. The assembly asked him to don the monastic robe again and dwell at the Shishuang bodhimaṇḍa, truly matching Wuben's prediction. Because of this gong'an, Shishuang's practice of the Way became known throughout the empire. Later, Chan Master Dayang Yan said: "Nowadays I would say directly: even without stepping out the door, grass is everywhere overflowing. Tell me, where should one walk?" After a pause he said, "Do not keep guard over the greenness of exotic grass on a cold cliff; sitting amidst white clouds, the lineage is not subtle." National Teacher Yantong Shan said: "Now tell me, what about the phrase right under everyone's heels right now? How do you speak it? If you say there is not an inch of grass for ten thousand miles, I allow you to study with Dongshan. If you say stepping out the door it is grass, I allow you to study with Shishuang. If you say even without stepping out the door, grass is everywhere overflowing, I allow you to study with Dayang. If you cannot say any of them, I allow you to study with Yansheng. Why? 'Only a fine breeze comes onto the mat; no idle words fall among people.'" Wansong says: If you wish to speak all three phrases, you still need to study with Tiantong. The verse says: