景德傳燈錄 16.39

16.39

Chan Master Huaizhong of Mount Xiaoyao in Jiangxi. A monk asked, "Can anyone still utter an unlikenable phrase?" The Master said, "Either just five days before the vegetarian feast, or just five days after the vegetarian feast." He asked, "When sword and mirror are bright and sharp, what fine hair can confuse them?" The Master said, "Amoghapāśa (the Infallible Lasso)." He asked, "What does the fierce flame of the great furnace forge?" The Master said, "It forges Buddhas, it forges patriarchs." [The monk] asked, "How are Buddhas and patriarchs forged?" The Master said, "Karma is within it." [The monk] said, "What karma is it called?" The Master said, "Buddha-power is not up to it." He asked, "For forty-nine years, not a single word was spoken. What is that phrase of not speaking?" The Master said, "With a single sandal heading west, the person of the Way pays no heed." [The monk] said, "Might that not be the Upādhyāya's resting place?" The Master said, "The horse is an official horse; it does not need a brand." He asked, "What is 'one old and one not old'?" The Master said, "The three obediences and six principles of poetry." [The monk] asked, "What is an extraordinary phrase?" The Master said, "Sitting on the Buddha's seat, chopping the Buddha's unhewn log." He asked, "Between patriarch and Buddha, which is closest?" The Master said, "If one will not trade pure gold, who would exchange it for a mud pellet?" [The monk] said, "In that case, there is indeed a refusal." The Master said, "You are noble; I am base." He asked, "What is 'the ten-thousand-year pine where the sword is suspended'?" The Master said, "Words cannot fail to reach it." [The monk] said, "What should be made of this matter?" The Master said, "Just your talking." [The monk] said, "How can the matter beyond words be understood?" The Master said, "As days grow long and years accumulate, the sinews and bones are formed." He asked, "If one is no match for the demon army, how can one realize the Way?" The Master said, "The seawater does not trouble a ladle to scoop it." He asked, "What is it like when one does not abide in cloudy mountains and constantly dwells in a bottomless boat?" The Master said, "When the fruit is ripe, it happens naturally." [The monk] said, "I request the Master to speak further." The Master said, "Before the gate is a true disciple of the Buddha." [The monk] said, "Why does the student not see him?" The Master said, "Teacher Wang is everywhere."