萬松老人評唱天童覺和尚頌古從容庵錄 5.66

5.66

Case: A monk asked Yangshan, 'Does the Venerable still recognize characters?' (What character is it?) Yangshan said, 'According to capacity.' (When facing benevolence, do not yield.) The monk then circled once to the right and said, 'What character is this?' (The radical has already appeared.) Yangshan wrote the character 'ten' [十] on the ground. (Writing further strokes and dots.) The monk circled once to the left and said, 'What character is this?' (Half and full are both distinguished; form and sound, derivative and phonetic loan.) Yangshan changed the character 'ten' to a svastika [卍]. (Where the wheel of the dynamic turns, the eye of wisdom is still deluded.) The monk drew a circle and held it up with both hands, in the posture of an asura holding the sun and moon, saying, 'What character is this?' (Look closely at the reverse spelling.) Yangshan then drew a circle, enclosing the svastika. (Patch-robed monks of the world cannot leap out.) The monk then made the posture of Rucika. (The Vajrapāṇi outside the gate laughs at you.) Yangshan said, 'So it is, so it is. Preserve it well.' (Shutting empty space and locking dreams, tightly take hold of it.)