萬松老人評唱天童覺和尚頌古從容庵錄 5.15

5.15

The Master said: In the ancestral style of Linji, the vajra king's precious sword kills buddhas and kills patriarchs. Jiashan cuts off the old entangling vines and smashes the foxes' dens. In the Book of Jin: Lei Huan was skilled in astrology. Because Zhang Hua looked between the Dipper and the Ox constellations and constantly saw an extraordinary vapour, he invited Huan to ascend a tower at night and gaze upward. Huan said, 'I have observed it for a long time: the quintessence of a precious sword reaches up to the heavens, in the boundary of Fengcheng County in Yuzhang.' Hua then recommended Lei to be the magistrate of Fengcheng. Repairing the prison and digging the foundation, they found a stone coffer containing a pair of swords, whose radiance shone with great splendour. He sent one to Hua and kept one to wear himself. When Hua was executed, his sword was lost. After Huan died, his son, who was an assistant official of the prefecture, wore his father's sword to the Yanping Ford. The sword leaped and fell into the water. When he sent someone to dive for it, they saw two dragons with patterned scales; the diver returned in fear. In the Garden of Stories: When King Wu attacked Zhou, he encountered rain. San Yisheng said, 'Is this not an omen of misfortune?' The king said, 'No, heaven is washing our weapons.' This versifies: 'If one does not brandish the sword, the fisherman perches in a nest.' The Book of Changes says: 'The Yellow Emperor, Yao, and Shun simply let their robes hang down, and the realm was governed.' Their transformation through non-action was carried out without giving orders. This versifies: There is no nest in which to perch; he has no country; there is no sword to brandish; where can one meet him? Chan Master Tong'an Cha said, 'The wondrous body originally has no location; throughout the whole body, where could there be any traces?' Wansong says: Though I grant that you have personally seen Shishuang, you are still a hundred paces behind Jiashan. Do you want to see Jiashan? 'Because of injustice, the sword leaves its precious scabbard; / In response to illness, the medicine comes forth from the golden bottle.'