續傳燈錄 29.24

29.24

南康軍歸宗真牧正賢禪師。潼州陳氏子。世為名儒。幼從三聖海澄為苾芻具滿分戒。遊成都依大慈秀公習經輪。凡典籍過目成誦義亦頓曉。秀稱為經藏子。出蜀謁諸尊宿。後扣佛眼。一日入室眼舉殷勤抱得旃檀樹。語聲未絕師頓悟。眼曰。經藏子漏逗了也。自是與師商確淵奧亹亹無盡。眼稱善。因手書真牧二字授之。紹興己巳歸宗虛席。郡候以禮請堅臥不應。寶文李公懋嘗問道於師。同屬官強之乃就。上堂。且第一句如何道。汝等若向世界未成時父母未生時。佛未出世時。祖師未西來時。道得已是第二句。且第一句如何道。直饒爾十成道得。未免左之右之。卓拄杖下座。上堂良久召大眾曰。作麼生。若也擬議。賢上座謾爾諸人去也。打地和尚嗔他祕魔巖主。擎箇叉兒胡說亂道。遂將一摑成齎粉。散在十方世界。還知麼。舉拂子曰。而今却在拂子頭上說。一切智智清淨無二無二分無別無斷故。還聞麼。閻老子知得。乃曰。賢上座爾若相當去不妨奇特。或不相當總在我手裏。秖向他道。閻老子爾也退步。摸索鼻孔看。擊禪床下座。僧問。久默斯要已泄真機。學人上來請師開示。師曰。耳朵在甚麼處。曰一句分明該萬象。師曰。分明底事作麼生。曰台星臨照枯木回春。師曰。換却爾眼睛。

Chan Master Zhenmu Zhengxian of Guizong in Nankang Commandery was a son of the Chen family in Tongzhou. His family had been renowned Confucians for generations. In his youth he followed Haicheng of Sansheng to become a monk and receive full ordination. Traveling to Chengdu, he relied on Venerable Xiu of Daci to study the sutras. Whenever a classic passed before his eyes, he could recite it, and its meaning was also instantly understood. Xiu praised him as 'a boy of the Tripiṭaka'. Leaving Shu, he paid respects to various venerable masters. Later he called upon Foyan. One day when entering the abbot's room, Foyan cited: 'Diligently holding fast to the sandalwood tree.' Before the sound of his words had ceased, the master had a sudden awakening. Foyan said, 'The boy of the Tripiṭaka has leaked it out!' From then on, they discussed deep obscurities endlessly. Foyan praised him and, with his own hand, wrote out the two characters 'Zhenmu' (True Herdsman) to bestow upon him. In the jisi year of Shaoxing, the abbot's seat at Guizong fell vacant. The prefect invited him with proper courtesy, but he stayed firmly in bed and did not respond. Secretariat Drafter Lord Li Mao had once questioned the master about the Way; joining together with fellow officials, he pressed him, and only then did the master assume the post. Ascending the hall, [the master said:] 'Now, how can you speak the primary phrase? If you could speak of the time before the world took form, the time before your parents gave you birth, the time before the Buddha appeared in the world, or the time before the Patriarch came from the West, what you speak would already be the secondary phrase. How can you speak the primary phrase? Even if you can speak of it with complete perfection, you still cannot avoid turning to the left and to the right.' Striking the staff, he descended from the seat. Ascending the hall, after a long silence he addressed the assembly, saying: 'What is it? If you deliberate, Head Monk Xian will fool all of you. The Ground-striking Upādhyāya was angry at that Master of Mount Bimo, who held up a fork and talked wildly and incoherently. He then gave him a slap that pulverized him, scattering him throughout the worlds of the ten directions. Do you know? ' Raising the whisk, he said: 'Now he is on top of the whisk preaching: "Because the pure wisdom of all wisdoms is non-dual, without duality, without distinction, and without disruption." Do you hear it? Old King Yama knows this.' Then he said: 'Head Monk Xian, if you correspond to it, that is fine and extraordinary. If you do not correspond to it, it is all within my hands.' I would just say to him: 'Old King Yama, you too take a step back and feel for your nostrils.' Striking the meditation bench, he descended from the seat. A monk asked, 'Remaining silent for a long time about this essential matter has already leaked the true mechanism. A student comes forth: I ask the master to give instruction.' The master said, 'Where are your ears?' [The monk] said, 'A single phrase, distinct and clear, encompasses the ten thousand phenomena.' The master said, 'What is the distinct and clear matter like?' [The monk] said, 'The ministerial stars shine upon it, and the withered tree returns to spring.' The master said, 'Switch your eyes around!'