萬松老人評唱天童覺和尚頌古從容庵錄 4.57

4.57

The Master said: To distinguish enlightenment and smash delusion in the 'second head'—light arriving and darkness receding, wisdom arising and confusion perishing—are all matters along the road. The *General Remarks on the Changes of the Zhou* says: 'A snare is that by which one catches a hare; once the hare is obtained, one forgets the snare. A trap is that by which one catches a fish; once the fish is obtained, one forgets the trap. Thus, words are snares for images, and images are traps for meaning. One who preserves the words does not obtain the images; one who preserves the images does not obtain the meaning.' If, toward the second head, one says that his enlightenment is deficient, he will never attain it; yet what about the saying: 'Even if there is wondrous enlightenment, you must still spit it out'? You must swiftly let go your hands; when you arrive home where not a single thing remains, only then do you forget the snare and abandon the trap. Effort and intellectual knowledge both belong to the second head; when effort is exhausted and cannot be known by intellect, only then do you attain a small measure of accord. Chapter eight of the outer chapters of the *Zhuangzi*, 'Webbed Toes', says: 'Webbing on the feet joins useless flesh; an extra branch on the hands grows a useless finger.' The commentary says: 'Webbed toes mean the big toe joins the second toe; an extra branch means a sixth finger.' If effort is not exhausted, it is like webbed toes joining useless flesh. The *Spring and Autumn Annals* records: When King Wen of Chu attacked Shen, he passed through Deng. Marquis Qi of Deng said, 'He is my nephew,' and detained him to feast him. The three nephews, Zhui, Dan, and Yang, asked permission to kill the Viscount of Chu, but the Marquis of Deng refused. The three nephews said: 'The one who destroys the state of Deng will certainly be this man. If we do not make plans early, later our lord will bite his navel.' The commentary says: 'It will be too late.' Where intellect does not reach, intellect cannot know. The 'hare growing old' refers to the round moon. Venerable Danxia Chun said: 'When the water clears and the moon is full, the person of the Way grieves; on the icy platter, autumn dew weeps'—to cling and attach is indeed unbearable. The *Classic of the Great Wilderness* says: 'On the Kunlun Mound there are langgan gem trees, bearing fruit like pearls but smaller.' The *Inscription on the Dark and Central* says: 'The spiritual tree is vast and solitary; the phoenix has nothing to rely upon, and the crane does not halt its loom'—both do not permit keeping, clinging, or settling into sitting. When the bird is cold and chilled, it does not wish to fall into its root, trunk, branches, or leaves. The 'Yi' poem of the *Classic of Odes* says: 'A flaw in a white jade mace may still be ground away.' An internal defect in jade is called a flaw (breaking the body); an external defect is called a stain (soiling the colour). This verse praises Dayang's valuing the white jade mace without stain, not falling into the second head. What is the first head? Only after great enlightenment do you know it is not.