續傳燈錄 28.23

28.23

樞密徐俯字師川號東湖居士。每侍先龍圖謁法昌及靈源語論終日。公聞之藐如也。及法昌歸寂在笑談間。公異之。始篤信此道。後丁父憂。念無以報罔極。命靈源歸孝址說法。源登座問答已。乃曰。諸仁者。秖如龍圖平日讀萬卷書。如水傳器涓滴不遺。且道尋常著在甚麼處。而今捨識之後。這著萬卷書底又却向甚麼處著。公聞。灑然有得。遂曰。吾無憾矣。源下座問曰。學士適來見箇甚麼便恁麼道。公曰。若有所見則鈍置和尚去也。源曰。恁麼則老僧不如。公曰。和尚是何心行。源大笑。靖康初為尚書外郎。與朝士同志者挂鉢於天寧寺之擇木堂力參圓悟。悟亦喜其見地超邁。一日至書記寮指悟頂相曰。這老漢脚跟猶未點地在。悟䫌面曰。甕裏何曾走却鼈。公曰。且喜老漢脚跟點地。悟曰。莫謗他好。公休去。

Privy Councillor Xu Fu, styled Shichuan and having the sobriquet Upāsaka Donghu, whenever he attended upon his late father, the Academician of the Longtu Pavilion, would call upon Fachang and Lingyuan and discuss discourses all day long. Xu heard them with disdain. But when Fachang entered quiescence amidst laughing and chatting, Xu marveled at it and began to have sincere faith in this Dao. Later, mourning the death of his father and grieving that he had no way to repay his boundless kindness, he invited Lingyuan to return to the mourning site to preach the Dharma. Lingyuan ascended the seat, and after the questions and answers were concluded, he said, 'Virtuous ones, take for instance how during his life the Academician of the Longtu Pavilion read ten thousand scrolls of books, like water poured from vessel to vessel without losing a single drop. Now tell me: where were they ordinarily deposited? And now, after consciousness has been shed, where then does that which deposited the ten thousand scrolls of books reside?' Hearing this, Xu felt a sudden clarity of attainment, and thereupon said, 'I have no regrets!' Lingyuan stepped down from his seat and asked, 'Scholar, what did you see just now that made you speak like that?' Xu said, 'If there were anything seen, I would have made a fool of the Upādhyāya.' Lingyuan said, 'If so, this old monk is not your equal.' Xu said, 'What kind of mind-practice is that of the Upādhyāya?' Lingyuan laughed heartily. In the beginning of the Jingkang era, Xu served as an Undersecretary of the Ministry. Together with fellow-minded courtiers, he hung his bowl in the Choosing-the-Wood Hall at Tianning Monastery, vigorously practicing under Yuanwu. Yuanwu was also pleased with the transcendence of his insight. One day, going to the recorder's lodge, Xu pointed to Yuanwu's portrait and said, 'This old fellow's heels still haven't touched the ground.' Yuanwu made a face and said, 'How could the turtle ever escape from the urn?' Xu said, 'Fortunately, the old fellow's heels have touched the ground.' Yuanwu said, 'Better not slander him.' Xu desisted.