景德傳燈錄 21.7

21.7

Great Master Qifu Qingfa of Xianzong Monastery in Fuzhou: On the day he first opened the hall, a monk asked the Master, "Ascending the precious seat, what matter ought to be discussed?" The Master said, "Pick open your earholes." The monk said, "Why did the ancients say, 'It is not reached by ears or eyes'?" The Master said, "Pears do not grow on Cherokee rose trees." The monk said, "Please, Master, speak of the place untouched by past or present." The Master said, "How do you ask?" [A monk] asked, "When many hands pan for gold, who is the one that gets it?" The Master said, "Raising a hand separates by a thousand miles; cease effort and look as you will." [A monk] asked, "Beside the Flying Cliff the flowers are lovely; how is the matter before the platform of the immortal realm?" The Master said, "The priceless great treasure appears within the light; / What can be done for the dark guest who is dim and confused?" The monk said, "When the udumbara flower blossoms, all people see it; what is the meaning of the transcendental ancestral vehicle?" The Master said, "If you, ācārya, ask about the meaning of the ancestral vehicle, / It is not as good as svāhā in a quiet place." [A monk] asked, "What is the realm of the Buddhas in the Great Min State?" The Master said, "The creations of nature are ultimately difficult to fathom; / The spring breeze makes itself light in vain." [A monk] asked, "What is the treasure in the Way?" The Master said, "Even the cloud-grandson sheds tears." [A monk] asked, "How is it after all the sages withdraw their radiance and return to the source?" The Master said, "The three cries of the gibbon repeatedly break off; / The traveler from ten thousand miles listens with sorrow." The monk said, "I wonder, how can people of today match the mechanism of the ancients?" The Master said, "With a good heart I speak to you: take care regarding the time before you were born."