續傳燈錄 8.31

8.31

臨安府北山顯明善孜禪師。僧問。如何是祖師西來意。師曰。九年空面壁懡羅。又西歸曰。為甚麼如此。師曰。美食不中飽人餮。問如何是無情說法。師曰。燈籠挂露柱。曰甚麼人得聞。師曰。牆壁有耳。

Chan Master Shànzī of Xiǎnmíng on Mount Běi in Lín'ān Prefecture. A monk asked, "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?"
The Master said, "Nine years of vainly gazing at the wall, embarrassed, he returned west again."
[The monk] asked, "Why is it so?"
The Master said, "Fine food is not suitable for a sated man to feast upon."
[A monk] asked, "What is the preaching of Dharma by non-sentient things?"
The Master said, "The lantern hangs upon the exposed pillar."
[The monk] said, "What kind of person gets to hear it?"
The Master said, "Walls have ears."