續傳燈錄 16.49

16.49

明州岳林曇振禪師。上堂垂語曰。今日布袋頭開。還有買賣者麼。僧出云有。師曰。不作貴不作賤作麼生酬價。僧無語。師曰。山僧今日失利。問寶坐既登於此日。箇中消息請宣揚。師曰。颯颯和風飄飄細雨。僧云。言前超有路句後越毘盧。師曰。也不消得。問知師解接無根樹。妙手能挑海底燈。學人上來請師一接。師曰。堤柳乍開金眼細。嶺梅初綻玉苞香。僧云。圓音纔剖大眾霑恩。師曰。伶利人難得。乃曰。若論此事不在僧之與俗男之與女賢之與愚貴之與賤。悉皆具足曾無欠少。良由根有利鈍見有差殊。向聲色裏轉却。何以知之。豈不見道。名言滯於心首。恒為綠慮之場。實際居於目前。翻成名相之境。且作麼生是目前事。還知麼。良久曰。眼裏無筋一世貧。

Chan Master Tanzhen of Yuelin in Mingzhou. Ascending the hall, he presented a question, saying, "Today the opening of the cloth sack is undone. Is there any commerce?" A monk came forward and said, "There is." The Master said, "Without making it expensive and without making it cheap, how do you settle the price?" The monk was speechless. The Master said, "This mountain monk lost profit today." [A monk] asked, "Having ascended the precious seat on this day, we request you proclaim the news from within." The Master said, "A rustling gentle breeze, a fluttering fine rain." The monk said, "Prior to words, one transcends having a road; after the phrase, one surpasses Vairocana." The Master said, "That too is unnecessary." [A monk] asked, "Knowing the Master understands how to graft the rootless tree, and with a wondrous hand can trim the lamp at the bottom of the sea, this student comes forward to ask the Master for a grafting." The Master said, "The embankment willows just open their delicate golden eyes; / The ridge plums newly bloom with fragrant jade buds." The monk said, "As soon as the perfect voice is unfolded, the great assembly is bathed in grace." The Master said, "A clever person is hard to find." He then said, "If one speaks of this matter, it does not depend on monk or layperson, man or woman, wise or foolish, noble or base. All are fully endowed, never lacking anything. It is solely because faculties are sharp or dull and views are differentiated that one is turned about amidst sounds and forms. How is this known? Have you not seen it said: 'When names and words linger at the head of the mind, it is constantly a field of conditioned thoughts. When bhūtakoṭi resides before one's eyes, it turns instead into a realm of names and marks.' But what is the matter before one's eyes? Do you know it yet?" After a good while, he said, "Without sinews in one's eyes, one is poor for a lifetime."