續傳燈錄 34.8

34.8

臨安府淨慈肯堂彥充禪師。於潛盛氏子。幼依明空院義堪為師。首參大愚宏智正堂大圓。後聞東林謂眾曰。我此間別無玄妙。秖有木札羹鐵飣飯。任汝齩嚼。師竊喜之。直造謁陳所見解。林曰。據汝見處正坐在鑑覺中。師疑不已。將從前所得底一時颺下。一日聞僧舉南泉道。時人見此一株花如夢相似。默有所覺。曰打草秖要蛇驚。次日入室。林問。那裏是巖頭密啟其意處。師曰。今日捉敗這老賊。林曰。達磨大師性命在汝手裏。師擬開口驀被攔胸一拳忽大悟。直得汗流浹背。點首自謂曰。臨濟道。黃檗佛法無多子。豈虛語邪。遂呈頌曰為人須為徹。殺人須見血。德山與巖頭。萬里一條鐵。林然之。住後上堂。世尊不說說。迦葉不聞聞。卓拄杖曰。水流黃葉來何處牛帶寒鴉過遠村。上堂舉。雪峯示眾云。盡大地是箇解脫門。因甚把手拽不入師曰。大小雪峯話作兩橛。既盡大地是箇解脫門。用拽作麼。上堂。一向與麼去。法堂前草深一丈。一向與麼來。脚下泥深三尺。且道如何即是。三年逢一閏。雞向五更啼。上堂舉。卍庵先師道。坐。佛床斫佛脚。不敬東家孔夫子。却向他鄉習禮樂。師曰。入泥入水即不無先師。爭奈寒蟬抱枯木泣盡不回頭。卓拄杖曰。灼然有不回頭底。淨慈向升子裏禮汝三拜。上堂。三世諸佛無中說有。䕞𦿆拾花針。六代祖師有裏尋無。猿猴探水月。去此二途如何話會。儂家不管興亡事。盡日和雲占洞庭。元庵受智者請引座曰。南山有箇老魔王。烱烱雙眸放電光。口似血盆呵佛祖。牙如劍樹罵諸方。幾度業風吹不動。吹得動雲黃山畔。與嵩頭陀傅大士。一火破落戶。依舊孟八郎。賺他無限癡男女。開眼堂堂入鑊湯。忽有箇納僧出來道。既是善知識。為甚賺人入鑊湯。只向他道。非公境界。後示寂塔于寺之南庵。

Chan Master Kengtang Yanchong of Jingci in Lin'an Prefecture was a son of the Sheng family of Yuqian. When young, he relied on Yikan of Mingkong Cloister as his teacher. He first called upon Dayu, Hongzhi, Zhengtang, and Dayuan. Later, he heard Donglin say to the assembly: "Here with me there is no other mystery or wonder, only wooden-shaving soup and iron-spike rice; chew on them as you will." The Master was secretly pleased with this. He went directly to pay respects and presented what he had understood. Donglin said: "Judging by what you see, you are sitting right in the middle of discriminatory awareness." The Master doubted unceasingly, tossing away everything he had attained previously all at once. One day, he heard a monk cite Nanquan's saying: "People of this age see this single flower as if in a dream." He had a silent awakening and said: "Striking the grass is only meant to startle the snake." The next day, he entered the room. Donglin asked: "Where is the place where Yantou secretly revealed his intention?" The Master said: "Today I caught this old thief!" Donglin said: "The life of Great Master Bodhidharma is in your hands." As the Master was about to open his mouth, he was struck right in the chest by a punch, and he suddenly attained great awakening, breaking into a sweat that soaked his back. Nodding to himself, he said: "Linji said: 'Huangbo's Buddha-Dharma really has not that much to it'—how could that be empty words?" Thereupon he presented a verse, saying:
"To help someone, you must do it thoroughly; / To kill someone, you must see blood. / Deshan and Yantou— / A single piece of iron stretching ten thousand li."
Donglin approved him. After becoming an abbot, he ascended the hall [and said]: "The Bhagavat did not speak, yet spoke; Kāśyapa did not hear, yet heard." He struck the staff and said: "The water carries yellow leaves—where do they come from? An ox, bearing cold crows, passes through the distant village." He ascended the hall and brought up: "Xuefeng instructed the assembly, saying: 'The whole earth is a gate of liberation; why is it that when people are pulled by the hand, they cannot enter?'" The Master said: "Great and small Xuefeng cut his words into two halves! Since the whole earth is a gate of liberation, what is the use of pulling?" He ascended the hall [and said]: "Going constantly in that way, grass grows ten feet deep in front of the Dharma hall. Coming constantly in that way, mud is three feet deep under one's feet. Tell me, how is it right? Once every three years there is a leap month; the rooster crows at the fifth watch." He ascended the hall and brought up: "The late Master Wan'an said: 'Sitting on the Buddha's seat, one chops off the Buddha's feet. Not respecting Confucius of the eastern house, one goes instead to another land to study rites and music.'" The Master said: "Entering the mud and water was certainly not lacking in my late master. Yet what can be done about the cold cicada clinging to a withered tree, weeping its heart out without ever looking back?" He struck the staff and said: "There really are those who do not look back! Jingci bows three times toward you inside the pint measure." He ascended the hall [and said]: "The Buddhas of the three periods speak of existence out of nothingness: a myopic old woman picking up a sewing needle. The six generations of patriarchs search for nothingness within existence: monkeys groping for the moon in the water. Leaving aside these two approaches, how do you understand it? This family cares nothing for rise and fall; all day long, accompanied by clouds, we occupy Dongting." When Yuan'an accepted the invitation of Zhizhe, he introduced his seat, saying: "On the South Mountain there is an old demon king, his piercing eyes flashing lightning. His mouth is like a blood-basin reviling the Buddhas and patriarchs; his teeth are like sword-trees cursing everywhere. Though many times the wind of karma could not shake him, when shaken, beside Mount Yunhuang, together with the ascetic Song and Great Master Fu, a gang of destitute ruffians, he remains reckless Meng the Eighth. He deceives countless foolish boys and girls, causing them to step openly into the boiling cauldron with eyes wide open. If a patch-robed monk suddenly steps out and says: 'Since he is a kalyāṇamitra, why does he deceive people into entering the boiling cauldron?' I would just say to him: 'It is not your realm.'" Later, he manifested nirvāṇa, and a stūpa was erected at the South Hermitage of the monastery.