人天眼目 2.156

2.156

The Linji lineage possesses great dynamic function and great capability. It slips out of cages and escapes from ruts. Tigers charge and dragons rush; stars speed and lightning flashes. It turns the heavenly pivot and shifts the earthly axle, carrying high-soaring spirit and employing guidance beyond convention. Rolling up, rolling out, seizing, releasing, killing, and enlivening at complete ease. Therefore, it demonstrates the Three Mysteries, the Three Essentials, the Four Hosts and Guests, the Four Dispositions, the Vajra King's precious sword, the crouching lion, the sounding pole and shadowing grass, one shout not used as one shout, one shout distinguishing host and guest, and illuminating and functioning operating simultaneously.
As for the Four Dispositions: when a person of medium-lower capacity comes, snatching away the environment but not the Dharma; when a person of medium-upper capacity comes, snatching away the environment and Dharma but not the person (one text has 'snatching away the Dharma but not the environment', which is incorrect); when a person of supreme capacity comes, snatching away both person and environment; when an extraordinary person comes, snatching away neither person nor environment.
As for the Four Hosts and Guests: when the master has nostrils, it is called the host within the host; when the student has nostrils, it is called the host within the guest; when the master has no nostrils, it is called the guest within the host; when the student has no nostrils, it is called the guest within the guest. This is not the same as the host and guest of Caodong.
As for the Three Mysteries: the mystery within the mystery, the mystery within the substance, and the mystery within the phrase.
As for the Three Essentials: one mystery contains three essentials; naturally, within one shout, the substance subsumes the Three Mysteries and Three Essentials.
As for the Vajra King's precious sword: a single sword stroke completely cuts away all emotional understanding.
As for the crouching lion: uttering words and breathing out, its majestic power stands shaken; the hundred beasts are terrified, and the brains of the hordes of māras split.
As for the sounding pole: probing whether you have a lineage transmission or not, whether you have nostrils or not.
As for the shadowing grass: deceiving like a thief, to see whether you perceive it or not.
As for one shout distinguishing host and guest: within one shout, host and guest are naturally present.
As for illuminating and functioning operating simultaneously: within one shout, illumination and functioning are naturally present.
As for one shout not used as one shout: within one shout are fully possessed such things as the Three Mysteries, the Three Essentials, the Four Hosts and Guests, and the Four Dispositions.
In general, the lineage style of Linji is nothing more than this. Do you wish to recognize Linji? Thunder crashes in the blue sky; waves surge on dry land. (Shantang Chun criticized the gates of the Three Mysteries, saying: Linji said, 'A single phrase must possess the three mysterious gates; one mysterious gate must possess the three essentials.' With great dynamic function and great capability, how could he permit dissecting them with phrase meanings and numerical terms? When the various quarters engaged in question and answer about the mysteries and essentials, they also merely said, 'What is the first, the second, the third?' Fenyang's verse states: 'The Three Mysteries and Three Essentials are difficult to distinguish; / Attaining the meaning and forgetting the words, the Way is easily approached. / A single phrase clearly encompasses the myriad phenomena; / On the Double Ninth festival, the chrysanthemums are fresh.' Only when it reached the Master of the Ancient Stūpa was it torn into the mystery within the substance, the mystery within the phrase, and the mystery within the mystery; while regarding the three essentials, explaining them did not work, so he merely consigned them to muddle-headedness. This section discusses the threshold and doorway of Linji, which may be followed for now; but coming to the Three Mysteries and Three Essentials, it falls again into the overturned chariot of the Master of the Stūpa. This must be distinguished.)