緇門警訓 9.40

9.40

近世多以問答為禪家家風。不明古人事。一向逐末不反。可怪可怪。昔人因迷而問故。問處求證入。得一言半句。將為事究明令徹去。不似如今人胡亂問趁口答。取笑達者。

In recent times, many take question and answer to be the ancestral style of the Chan house. Not understanding the affairs of the ancients, they blindly pursue the branches without returning [to the root]. How strange! How strange! People of old asked because they were deluded; thus where they asked, they sought realization and entry. Obtaining a single word or half a phrase, they took it as their matter to investigate thoroughly and penetrate cleanly. They were not like people today who question haphazardly, answer glibly, and invite the ridicule of those who have attained.