景德傳燈錄 14.45

14.45

漳州三平義忠禪師福州人也。姓楊氏。初參石鞏。石鞏常張弓架箭以待學徒。師詣法席。鞏曰。看箭。師乃撥開胸云。此是殺人箭。活人箭又作麼生。鞏乃扣弓絃三下。師便作禮。鞏云。三十年一張弓兩隻箭。只謝得半箇聖人。遂拗折弓箭。師後舉似大顛。顛云。既是活人箭。為什麼向弓絃上辨。師無對。顛云。三十年後要人舉此話也難。師後參大顛。往漳州住三平山。示眾曰。今時出來盡學馳求走作。將當自己眼目有什麼。相當阿爾欲學麼不要諸餘。汝等各有本分事何不體取。作麼心憤憤口悱悱有什麼利益。分明說。若要修行路及諸聖建立化門。自有大藏教文在。若是宗門中事。汝切不得錯用心。時有僧出問。還有學路也無。師曰。有一路滑如苔。僧曰。學人躡得否。師曰。不擬心汝自看。有人問黑豆未生牙時如何。師曰。佛亦不知。講僧問。三乘十二分教某甲不疑。如何是祖師西來意。師曰。龜毛拂子兔角拄杖。大德藏向什麼處。僧曰。龜毛兔角豈是有耶。師曰。肉重千斤智無銖兩。師又示眾曰。諸人若未曾見知識即不可。若曾見作者來。便合體取些子意度。向巖谷間木食草衣。恁麼去方有少分相應。若馳求知解義句。即萬里望鄉關去也。珍重。

Chan Master Yizhong of Sanping in Zhangzhou was a native of Fuzhou, surnamed Yang. At first he studied under Shigong. Shigong would regularly draw his bow and nock an arrow to await students. When the master arrived at the Dharma seat, Shigong said: "Watch the arrow!" The master pushed open his chest and said: "This is an arrow that kills people. What about an arrow that brings people to life?" Shigong then plucked the bowstring three times. The master made a bow. Shigong said: "Thirty years with one bow and two arrows, and I have only managed to shoot half a sage!" He then snapped the bow and arrow. The master later brought this up to Dadian. Dadian said: "Since it is an arrow that brings people to life, why discern it on the bowstring?" The master had no reply. Dadian said: "Thirty years from now, to want someone to bring up this story will also be difficult." The master later studied under Dadian, and went to Zhangzhou to reside at Mount Sanping. Addressing the assembly, he said: "Nowadays, those who come forth all learn to run about seeking and bustling around, taking that to be their own eyes—what does that match up to? Do you want to study? You need nothing else. Each of you has your own fundamental matter; why not realize it? Why are your minds in turmoil and your mouths muttering? What benefit is there? Speak clearly! If you want the path of practice and the conversion gates established by the various sages, the texts of the Great Canon exist of themselves. If it is the matter of the ancestral school, you must definitely not misuse your mind." At that time, a monk came forward and asked: "Is there still a path to learn?" The master said: "There is a single path, slippery as moss." The monk said: "Can a student tread upon it?" The master said: "Without conceiving a thought, look for yourself." Someone asked: "How is it when the black beans have not yet sprouted?" The master said: "Even the Buddha does not know." A lecturing monk asked: "I have no doubts about the three vehicles and twelve divisions of teachings. What is the meaning of the ancestral master coming from the West?" The master said: "A whisk of turtle hair, a staff of rabbit horns—where do you hide them, Bhadanta?" The monk said: "How could turtle hair and rabbit horns exist?" The master said: "A thousand catties of flesh, not a grain's weight of wisdom." The master also addressed the assembly, saying: "If you have not yet met a kalyāṇamitra, it will not do. If you have met an adept, you should realize a bit of the intended meaning, and go off into the crags and valleys eating berries and wearing grass garments; only going in this manner will there be a slight degree of accord. If you run about seeking intellectual understanding of meanings and phrases, you are heading ten thousand miles away from your homeland. Take care."