續傳燈錄 19.8

19.8

福州雪峯思慧妙湛禪師。錢塘俞氏子。僧問。古殿無燈時如何。師曰。東壁打西壁。曰恁麼則撞著露柱也。師曰。未敢相許。上堂。一法若通萬緣方透。拈拄杖曰。這裏悟了提起拈杖海上橫行。若到雲居山頭。與我傳語雪峯和尚咄。上堂。布大教網摝人天魚。護聖不似老胡。拕泥帶水。秖是見兔放鷹。遇麞發箭。乃高聲召大眾曰中。上堂。昔日藥山早晚不參動經旬月。一日大眾纔集。藥山便歸方丈。諸禪德。彼時佛法早自淡薄。論來猶較些子。如今每日鳴鼓陞堂。忉忉怛怛地。問者口似紡車。答者舌如霹靂。總似今日靈山慧命殆若懸絲。少室家風危如纍卵。又安得箇慨然有志扶竪宗乘底衲子出來喝散大眾。非唯耳邊靜辦。當使正法久住豈不偉哉。如或棒上不成龍。山僧倒行此令。以拄杖一時趁散。上堂。眼睫橫亘十方。眉毛上透青天下徹黃泉。且道鼻孔在甚麼處。良久曰劄。上堂。妙高山頂雲海茫茫。少室巖前雪霜凜凜。齊腰獨立徒自苦疲。七日不逢一場懡㦬。別峯相見落在半途。隻履西歸遠之遠矣。卓拄杖下座。上堂。大道秖在目前。要且目前難覩。欲識大道真體。今朝三月十五。不勞久立。建炎改元上堂。天地之大德曰生。聖人之大寶曰位　今上皇帝踐登寶位。萬國歸仁。草木禽魚咸被其德。此猶是聖主應世邊事。王宮降誕已前一句。天下人摸索不著。上堂。一切法無差。雲門胡餅趙州茶。黃鶴樓中吹玉笛。江城五月落梅花。慚愧太原孚上座。五更聞鼓角。天曉弄琵琶。喝一喝。上堂。南詢諸友踏破草鞋。絕學無為坐消日月。凡情易脫聖解難忘。但有纖毫皆成滲漏。可中為道似地擎山。應物現形如驢覷井。縱無計較途轍已成。若論相應轉沒交涉。勉諸仁者。莫錯用心。各自歸堂更求何事。

Chan Master Sihui Miaozhan of Xuefeng in Fuzhou was a son of the Yu clan of Qiantang. A monk asked: "What about when there is no lamp in the ancient hall?" The master said: "The eastern wall strikes the western wall." The monk said: "In that case, one crashes into the exposed pillar." The master said: "I do not dare to grant you that." He ascended the hall and said: "When one dharma is penetrated, ten thousand conditions are completely seen through." Holding up his staff, he said: "If you are awakened right here, lift up your staff and walk horizontally across the ocean. If you reach the peak of Mount Yunju, deliver a message for me to Upādhyāya Xuefeng: 'Duo!'" He ascended the hall and said: "Spreading the great net of the teachings to fish for humans and devas, Husheng is not like the old barbarian, dragging through mud and dripping with water; he merely releases the hawk upon seeing the rabbit, and shoots the arrow upon encountering the musk deer." Thereupon he called aloud to the great assembly, saying: "Hit!" He ascended the hall and said: "In former days, Yaoshan would not give morning or evening interviews for months on end. One day, as soon as the great assembly gathered, Yaoshan immediately returned to the abbot's quarters. Venerable Chan monks! At that time the Buddha Dharma was already weak and diluted; yet speaking of it, it was still somewhat better. Nowadays, every day the drum is struck and the hall is ascended, chatting on and on. Those who ask have mouths like spinning wheels; those who answer have tongues like thunderclaps. It all makes the wisdom-life of Gṛdhrakūṭa today precarious as a hanging thread, and the house style of Shaoshi as perilous as a pile of eggs. How then could we find a patch-robed monk of resolute will to uphold and erect the ancestral vehicle, who would step forward and shout the great assembly to disperse? Not only would it make things quiet by our ears, but it would also cause the true Dharma to abide long—would that not be magnificent! If none of you turns into a dragon upon the blow of the stick, this mountain monk will execute this order in reverse!" With his staff, he chased them all away at once. He ascended the hall and said: "The eyelashes span across the ten directions; the eyebrows pierce upward to the azure sky and downward to the Yellow Springs. But tell me, where are the nostrils?" After a long pause, he said: "Zha!" He ascended the hall and said: "On the peak of Mount Miaogao, the sea of clouds is vast and boundless; before the cliffs of Shaoshi, the snow and frost are piercingly cold. Standing alone up to one's waist [in snow] is a vain toil and exhaustion; not meeting for seven days is an utterly shameful defeat. Meeting on a different peak falls halfway; returning west with a single shoe is far, far away!" He tapped his staff and descended from the seat. He ascended the hall and said: "The Great Way is right before your eyes, yet before your eyes it is difficult to behold. If you wish to know the true substance of the Great Way: today is the fifteenth day of the third month. Do not trouble yourselves to stand for long." Upon the change of the reign era to Jianyan, he ascended the hall and said: "'The great virtue of heaven and earth is called life; the great treasure of the sage is called position.' Our present Emperor has ascended the precious throne; the ten thousand states take refuge in his benevolence, and grasses, trees, birds, and fish are all covered by his virtue. This is still a matter concerning the sage lord's appearance in the world. The one phrase before his descent and birth in the royal palace is something that no one in the world can grope for." He ascended the hall and said: "All dharmas are without distinction: Yunmen's sesame cake, Zhaozhou's tea. / In the Yellow Crane Tower a jade flute is blown; / In the river town in the fifth month, plum blossoms fall. / Ashamed is Senior Monk Fu of Taiyuan: / At the fifth watch he hears the drums and horns, / And at daybreak he plays the pipa." He gave a shout. He ascended the hall and said: "Traveling south to consult various spiritual friends, you wear out your straw sandals; ending study and remaining unconditioned, you idly let days and months slip by. Deluded feelings are easy to shed, but holy understandings are hard to forget. As long as there is the slightest wisp, it all becomes leakage. Even if acting for the Way is like the earth holding up a mountain, and manifesting forms in response to things is like a donkey peering into a well—even without calculation, tracks and ruts are already formed. When it comes to true accord, it turns out to have no connection whatsoever. I urge you, worthy friends: do not use your minds mistakenly. Return to the hall, each of you—what more are you seeking?"