萬松老人評唱天童覺和尚頌古從容庵錄 4.39

4.39

The Master said: Chan Master Danxia Chun's verse says: 'The long river is clear and thorough, reflecting the toad's flower; / Pure light filling the eyes is still not home. / May I ask where the fishing skiff goes? / In the depth of night, it still rests among reed flowers.' Both elders alike praise dipping the oars of a solitary skiff in the clear source and tranquil water. Danxia made use of Xuedou's verse on Venerable Xuansha: 'Originally a guest aboard a fishing boat, / By chance shaving beard and hair to wear the kaṣāya. / In the ranks of patriarchs and buddhas he could not be detained; / When night came, he still lodged among reed flowers.' Wansong says: Thinking there was something else! Ancient and Modern Poetic Discussions says: In Sichuan and the Gorges, boatmen and pole-handlers are called 'elderly helmsmen' (changnian sanlao). Du Fu's poem says: 'Sichuan salt and Wu hemp have been traded since ancient times; / Ten-thousand-bushel boats move like the wind. / Elderly helmsmen sing long songs, / In broad daylight pitching coins amidst high waves.' This matter is similar to a person sailing a boat: not clinging to either bank, not abiding in midstream. Danxia rests at night among reed flowers; Tiantong trusts the wind with a transverse flute. Tell me, what about when turning the rudder and swinging the skiff around? In the depth of night, do not go lodge in the reed bend; transcend far beyond both the middle and the two ends.