續傳燈錄 2.5

2.5

明州雪竇重顯禪師。遂寧府李氏子。依普安院仁詵上人出家。受具之後。橫經講席。究理窮玄。詰問鋒馳機辯無敵。咸知法器。貪指南遊首造智門。即伸問曰。不起一念云何有過。門召師近前。師纔近前。門以拂子驀口打。師擬開口。門又打。師豁然開悟。出住翠峯後遷雪竇。開堂日於法座前顧視大眾曰。若論本分相見。不必高陞法座。遂以手畫一畫曰。諸人隨山僧手看。無量諸佛國土一時現前。各各于細觀瞻。其或涯際未知。不免拕泥帶水。便陞座。上首白椎罷有僧方。出。師約住曰。如來正法眼藏委在今日。放行則瓦礫生光。把住則真金失色。權柄在手殺活臨時。其有作者共相證據。僧出問。遠離翠峯祖席已臨雪竇道場。未審是一是二。師曰。馬無千里謾追風。曰恁麼則雲散家家月。師曰。龍頭蛇尾漢。問德山臨濟棒喝已彰。和尚如何為人。師曰。放過一著。僧擬議。師便喝。僧曰。未審秖甚麼別有在。師曰。射虎不真徒勞沒羽。問吹大法螺擊大法鼓。朝宰臨筵如何即是。師曰。清風來未休。曰恁麼則得遇於師也。師曰。一言已出駟馬難追。僧禮拜。師曰。放過一著。乃普觀大眾曰。人天普集合。發明箇甚麼事。焉可互分賓主馳騁問答。便當宗乘去。廣大門風威德自在。輝騰今古把定乾坤。千聖秖言。自知五乘莫能建立。所以聲前悟旨猶迷顧鑒之端。言下知宗尚昧識情之表。諸人要知真實相為麼。但以上無攀仰下絕己躬。自然常光現前。箇箇壁立千仞。還辯明得也無。未辯辯取。未明明取。既辯明得能截生死流。同據佛祖位。妙圓超悟正在此時。堪報不報之恩。以助無為之化。問如何是佛法大意。師曰。祥雲五色。曰學人不會。師曰。頭上漫漫。問達磨未來時如何。師曰。猿啼古木。曰來後如何。師曰。鶴唳青霄。曰即今事作麼生。師曰。一不成二不是。問和尚未見智門時如何。師曰。爾鼻孔在我手裏。曰見後如何。師曰。穿過髑髏。有僧出禮拜起曰。請師答話。師便棒。僧曰。豈無方便。師曰罪不重科。復有一僧出禮拜起曰請師答話。師曰。兩重公案。曰請師不答話。師亦棒。問古人道北斗裏藏身意旨如何。師曰。千聞不如一見。曰此話大行。師曰。老鼠銜鐵。問古人道皎皎地絕一絲頭。秖如山河大地又且如何。師曰。面赤不如語直。曰學人未曉。師曰。遍問諸方。問如何是學人自己。師曰。乘槎斫額。曰莫秖這便是。師曰。浪死虛生。問如何是緣生義。師曰。金剛鑄鐵券。曰學人不會。師曰。鬧市裏牌。曰恁麼則行到水窮處坐看雲起時。師曰。列下。問四十九年說不盡底請師說。師曰。爭之不足。曰謝師答話。師曰。鐵棒自看。問如何是把定乾坤眼。師曰。拈却鼻孔。曰學人不會。師曰。一喜一悲。僧擬議。師曰苦。問如何是脫珍御服著弊垢衣。師曰。垂手不垂手。曰乞師方便。師曰。左眼挑筋。右眼抉肉。問龍門爭進舉那箇是登科。師曰。重遭點額。曰學人不會。師曰。退水藏鱗。問寂寂忘言誰是得者。師曰。卸帽穿雲去。曰如何領會。師曰。披簑帶雨歸。曰二十年後此話大行。師曰。一場酸澁。問坐斷毘盧底人師還接否。師曰。殷勤送別潚湘岸。曰恁麼則學人罪過也。師曰。天寬地窄太愁人。僧禮拜。師曰。苦屈之詞不妨難吐。問生死到來如何迴避。師曰。定花板上。曰莫便是他安身立命處也無。師曰。符到奉行。上堂僧問。如何是吹毛劍師曰苦。曰還許學人用也無。師噓一噓乃曰。大眾前共相唱酬。也須是箇漢始得。若也未有奔流度刃底眼。不勞拈出。所以道如大火聚。近著師燎却面門。亦如按太阿寶劍。衝前即喪身失命。乃曰太阿橫按祖堂寒。千里應須息萬端。莫待冷光輕閃爍。復云看看便下座。上堂僧問。如何是維摩一默。師曰。塞山訪拾得。曰恁麼則入不二之門。師噓一噓。復曰。維摩大士去何從。千古令人望莫窮。不二法門休更問。夜來明月上孤峯。上堂。春山疊亂青。春水漾虛碧。寥寥天地間。獨立望何極。便下座。却顧謂侍者曰。適來有人看方丈麼。者曰有。師曰。作賊人心虛。上堂。十方無壁落四面亦無門。古人向甚麼處見客。或若道得接手句。許爾天上天下。上堂。田地穩密底佛祖不敢近。為甚麼擡脚不起。神通游戲底鬼神不能測。為甚麼下脚不得。直饒十字縱橫。朝打三千暮打八百。上堂。大眾這一片田地分付來多時也。爾諸人四至界畔猶未識在。若要中心樹子我也不惜。問如何是諸佛本源。師曰。千峯寒色。曰本委向上更有也無。師曰。雨滴巖花。上堂。僧問。雪覆蘆花時如何。師曰點。曰恁麼則為祥為瑞去也。師曰。兩重公案。乃曰。雪覆蘆花欲暮天。謝家人不在漁船。白牛放却無尋處。空把山童贈鐵鞭。師一日遊山四顧周覽。謂侍者曰。何日復來於此。侍者哀乞遺偈。師曰平生唯患語之多矣。翌日出杖屨衣盂散及徒眾。乃曰。七月七日復相見耳。至期盥沐攝衣北首而逝。塔全身于寺之西塢。賜明覺大師。襄州延慶山子榮禪師。僧問。如何是隨色摩尼珠。師曰。三箇童兒弄花毬。曰恁麼則終朝盡日也。師曰。頭白齒落。上堂僧問。靈光隱隱月照寒窓。善法堂前請師舉唱。師曰聽。曰此猶是這邊事。那邊事作麼生。師曰。脚下毛生。問如何是佛。師曰。橫身彰十號入槨示雙趺。曰將何供養。師曰。合掌當胸。問如何是祖師西來意。師曰。穿耳胡僧不著鞋。

Chan Master Chongxian of Xuedou in Mingzhou was a son of the Li family of Suining Prefecture. He left home under the Worthy Renzhen at the Pu'an Monastery. After receiving full ordination, he traversed the lecture platforms, investigating the principles and exhausting the abstruse. His interrogations surged like spearheads; his active eloquence was unmatched. All knew him to be a vessel of the Dharma. Desiring to travel south, he first went to Zhimon. He immediately asked, "When not a single thought arises, how can there be a fault?" Zhimon summoned the Master to come closer. As soon as the Master stepped forward, Zhimon struck him right across the mouth with his whisk. The Master was about to open his mouth, and Zhimon struck him again. The Master was thoroughly awakened. He went forth to dwell at Cuifeng and later moved to Xuedou. On the day of opening the hall, before the Dharma seat, he looked around at the assembly and said, "If we speak of meeting from one's fundamental part, there is no need to ascend high onto the Dharma seat." Thereupon, drawing a line with his hand, he said, "Everyone, look following this mountain monk's hand: immeasurable Buddha lands appear simultaneously before you. Let each examine closely. If anyone does not yet know the boundaries, he will not avoid dragging through mud and carrying water." Then he ascended the seat. After the head monk finished striking the mallet, a monk was just coming forth. The Master checked him and said, "The Tathāgata's treasury of the eye of the correct Dharma is entrusted here today. Letting go, tiles and pebbles radiate light; holding back, real gold loses its luster. The authority is in my hands; killing or giving life is determined on the spot. If there are adept ones, let us bear witness together." The monk came forward and asked, "Having departed from the ancestral seat of Cuifeng, you have now arrived at the bodhimaṇḍa of Xuedou. I wonder: is this one or two?" The Master said, "A horse without thousand-league endurance vainly chases the wind." [The monk] said, "If so, then the clouds disperse and the moon shines on every house." The Master said, "A fellow with a dragon's head and a snake's tail." [A monk] asked, "Deshan's blow and Linji's shout are already renowned. How does the upādhyāya guide people?" The Master said, "I let a move pass by." The monk hesitated in thought. The Master then shouted. The monk said, "I wonder if there is anything else?" The Master said, "Shooting at a tiger carelessly, one wastes the effort of burying the arrow's feathers." [A monk] asked, "The great Dharma conch is blown; the great Dharma drum is beaten. When the court ministers attend the feast, what is right?" The Master said, "The cool breeze arrives without ceasing." [The monk] said, "If so, then I have met the master." The Master said, "Once a word has gone out, a team of four horses cannot overtake it." The monk bowed. The Master said, "I let a move pass by." Then, looking comprehensively at the great assembly, he said, "Humans and devas gather universally. What matter is to be illuminated? How can we merely divide host and guest and gallop in questions and answers, taking that to be the ancestral vehicle? The broad gate style is dignified and free, shining through past and present, taking hold of heaven and earth. The thousand sages only say that self-knowledge cannot be established by the five vehicles. Therefore, awakening to the tenet before sound, one is still deluded about the point of taking heed; understanding the lineage under words, one is still blind to what lies beyond cognition and feelings. Do you all want to know the true reality? Simply have nothing to look up to above and cut off your own body below; naturally, eternal light will manifest before you, each standing like a precipice of a thousand fathoms. Can you discern and clarify it or not? If you have not discerned it, discern it; if you have not clarified it, clarify it. Having discerned and clarified it, you can cut off the flow of birth and death and together occupy the position of buddhas and patriarchs. Wondrous, perfect, transcendent awakening is right at this moment, able to repay the unpayable kindness so as to assist in unconditioned transformation." [A monk] asked, "What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?" The Master said, "Auspicious clouds in five colors." [The monk] said, "I do not understand." The Master said, "Vast above your head." [A monk] asked, "How was it before Bodhidharma came?" The Master said, "Apes cry in the ancient trees." [The monk] said, "How about after he came?" The Master said, "Cranes screech in the blue sky." [The monk] said, "What about the present matter?" The Master said, "One does not make two, nor is it [the other]." [A monk] asked, "How was it before the upādhyāya met Zhimon?" The Master said, "Your nostrils are in my hands." [The monk] said, "How about after meeting him?" The Master said, "Pierced right through your skull." A monk came out, bowed, stood up, and said, "I ask the master to answer my words." The Master struck him with the stick. The monk said, "Is there no expedient means?" The Master said, "A crime is not punished twice." Another monk came out, bowed, stood up, and said, "I ask the master to answer my words." The Master said, "A double gong'an." [The monk] said, "I ask the master not to answer my words." The Master also struck him. [A monk] asked, "An ancient said, 'Hiding one's body within the Northern Dipper'—what does this mean?" The Master said, "Hearing a thousand times is not as good as seeing once." [The monk] said, "This phrase is very popular." The Master said, "An old rat biting iron." [A monk] asked, "An ancient said, 'Brightly clear, without a single thread.' What about the mountains, rivers, and the great earth?" The Master said, "A red face is not as good as straight speech." [The monk] said, "I do not understand." The Master said, "Ask around everywhere." [A monk] asked, "What is the student's self?" The Master said, "Riding a raft and cutting the forehead." [The monk] said, "Could it just be this?" The Master said, "Dying in vain and living for nothing." [A monk] asked, "What is the meaning of arising from conditions?" The Master said, "A vajra casts an iron certificate." [The monk] said, "I do not understand." The Master said, "A signboard in a bustling market." [The monk] said, "If so, then: 'Walking to where the water ends, / Sitting to watch the clouds rise.'" The Master said, "Step down." [A monk] asked, "Please speak about what forty-nine years could not exhaustively explain." The Master said, "Contention is not enough." [The monk] said, "Thank you, Master, for answering my words." The Master said, "Look at the iron stick yourself." [A monk] asked, "What is the eye that takes hold of heaven and earth?" The Master said, "Tear away the nostrils." [The monk] said, "I do not understand." The Master said, "One joy, one sorrow." The monk hesitated in thought. The Master said, "Suffering!" [A monk] asked, "What is taking off the precious robe and putting on ragged, dirty clothes?" The Master said, "Extending the hand, not extending the hand." [The monk] said, "I beg the master for an expedient means." The Master said, "Pick the sinew from the left eye; gouge the flesh from the right eye." [A monk] asked, "Competing to advance at the Dragon Gate—which one passes the examination?" The Master said, "Having one's forehead spotted again." [The monk] said, "I do not understand." The Master said, "Hiding the scales when the water recedes." [A monk] asked, "Quietly forgetting words—who is the one who attains it?" The Master said, "Taking off the hat and piercing through the clouds." [The monk] said, "How to understand this?" The Master said, "Wearing a straw raincoat and returning in the rain." [The monk] said, "Twenty years from now, these words will be very popular." The Master said, "A bout of tart bitterness." [A monk] asked, "Do you still receive a person who sits through and cuts off Vairocana?" The Master said, "Attentively seeing them off on the banks of the Xiao and Xiang." [The monk] said, "If so, then the student is at fault." The Master said, "Heaven is broad, earth is narrow—it brings too much sorrow." The monk bowed. The Master said, "A statement of grievance is truly hard to utter." [A monk] asked, "When birth and death arrive, how can one avoid them?" The Master said, "Upon the fixed flower board." [The monk] said, "Could that be the place where one settles one's life and purpose?" The Master said, "Execute it when the tally arrives." Ascending the hall, a monk asked, "What is the hair-blowing sword?" The Master said, "Suffering!" [The monk] said, "Do you still allow the student to use it?" The Master sighed, "Whew!" and then said, "To sing and respond together before the great assembly, you must be such a fellow. If you do not yet have the eye that passes through the blade amid rushing currents, do not bother to bring it out. Therefore it is said: like a great mass of fire—approach it, and your face will be scorched; also like holding the precious sword Tai'e—charge forward, and you will lose your body and life." Then he said: / "Tai'e held crosswise makes the ancestral hall cold; / For a thousand leagues, ten thousand troubles must cease. / Do not wait for the cold gleam to lightly flicker—" / Again he said, "Look, look!" and stepped down from the seat. Ascending the hall, a monk asked, "What is Vimalakīrti's single silence?" The Master said, "Visiting Shide at Mount Tiantai." [The monk] said, "If so, one enters the gate of nonduality." The Master sighed, "Whew!" and further said: / "Whence came the Great Being Vimalakīrti? / For endless ages, he makes people gaze without end. / Cease asking further of the nondual Dharma gate: / Last night the bright moon rose over the solitary peak." / Ascending the hall: / "Spring mountains in overlapping disordered greens; / Spring waters rippling in empty emerald. / Solitary between heaven and earth, / Standing alone, my gaze stretches without end." / He then stepped down from the seat. Turning around, he asked the attendant, "Just now was there anyone looking into the abbot's quarters?" The attendant said, "There was." The Master said, "The thief's heart is hollow." Ascending the hall: "In the ten directions there are no walls, and on the four sides there are no doors. Where did the ancients meet guests? If you can utter a phrase that receives hands, I allow you to be supreme in heaven and on earth." Ascending the hall: "Where the ground is steady and secret, buddhas and patriarchs dare not approach. Why can you not raise your feet? Where spiritual penetrations are at play, ghosts and spirits cannot fathom. Why can you not set down your feet? Even if you go crisscross in all directions, in the morning receive three thousand blows and in the evening eight hundred." Ascending the hall: "Great assembly! This piece of ground was handed over long ago. You people still do not recognize its four boundaries. If you want the tree in the center, I will not begrudge it." [A monk] asked, "What is the fundamental source of all buddhas?" The Master said, "The cold colors of a thousand peaks." [The monk] said, "Beyond what is fundamentally entrusted, is there anything more?" The Master said, "Rain dripping on the cliff flowers." Ascending the hall, a monk asked, "How is it when snow covers the reed flowers?" The Master said, "A speck." [The monk] said, "If so, it becomes auspicious and felicitous." The Master said, "A double gong'an." Then he said: / "Snow covers the reed flowers as dusk approaches; / The Xie family fisherman is not in his boat. / The white ox let loose has nowhere to be found; / In vain the mountain boy is presented with an iron whip." / One day the Master walked in the mountains, gazing around in all directions. He said to the attendant, "On what day will I come here again?" The attendant mournfully pleaded for a death verse. The Master said, "All my life, my only worry has been having too many words." The next day, he brought out his staff, sandals, robes, and bowls, distributing them among the disciples, and said, "On the seventh day of the seventh month, we shall meet again." When the time came, he bathed, gathered his robes, and passed away facing north. His whole body was stupaed in the western cove of the monastery. He was posthumously granted the title Great Master Mingjue. Chan Master Zirong of Mount Yanqing in Xiangzhou. A monk asked, "What is the jewel that conforms to colors?" The Master said, "Three children playing with a flower ball." [The monk] said, "If so, then it is all day long." The Master said, "The head turns white and the teeth fall out." Ascending the hall, a monk asked, "The spiritual light is faint; the moon shines on the cold window. In front of the Hall of Good Dharma, I ask the master to raise and chant." The Master said, "Listen." [The monk] said, "This is still the matter on this side. What about the matter on that side?" The Master said, "Hair grows under the feet." [A monk] asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "Extending the body, he manifested the ten epithets; entering the coffin, he displayed his twin soles." [The monk] said, "With what shall we make offerings?" The Master said, "Palms joined before the chest." [A monk] asked, "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?" The Master said, "The ear-pierced barbarian monk does not wear shoes."