續傳燈錄 10.17

10.17

常州善權慧泰禪師上堂。諸佛出世廣演三乘。達磨西來密傳大事。上根之者言下頓超。中下之流須當漸次發明心地。或一言唱道。或三句敷揚。或善巧應機遂成多義。撮其樞要總是空花。一句窮源沈埋祖道。敢問諸人作麼生是依時及節底句。良久曰。微雲淡河漢。疎雨滴梧桐。參。

Chan Master Huitai of Shanquan in Changzhou ascended the hall. 'The Buddhas appeared in the world and expounded the three vehicles extensively; Bodhidharma came from the West and secretly transmitted the Great Matter. Those of superior capacity transcend suddenly at a single word; those of medium and lower streams must gradually illuminate their mind-ground. Either one word proclaims the Way, or three phrases elucidate it; or adapting skillfully to capacities, it turns into diverse meanings. Yet grasping their crux, they are entirely flowers in the sky; exhausting the source in a single phrase buries the ancestral way. Dare I ask everyone: what is a phrase that conforms to the season and suits the moment?' After a pause he said, 'Faint clouds dim the Milky Way; sparse rain drips on the parasol trees. Cultivate!'