續傳燈錄 2.76

2.76

Chan Master Zhixian of Deshan in Dingzhou. A monk asked: 'When seeing form is immediately seeing mind, how is it?' The Master said: 'The horned bow is curved like the moon; the precious sword is sharp as frost.' The monk said: 'How should one understand it?' The Master said: 'Golden armor is like fish scales; crimson banners are like flaming fire.' The monk asked: 'Having come from afar to seek refuge with the Master, I beg the Master to receive me.' The Master said: 'I do not receive you.' The monk said: 'In that case, I have put forward a question in vain.' The Master said: 'Rarely does one encounter a traveler with pierced ears; often does one meet someone notching a boat.' The monk asked: 'Great Universal Superior Wisdom Buddha sat in the bodhimaṇḍa for ten kalpas; why could he not achieve the Buddha path?' The Master said: 'Greedily gazing at the moon in the sky, he lost the jewel in his palm.' The monk asked: 'When the military deadline is urgent, how is it?' The Master said: 'At the crossroads, dust covering the face.' The monk asked: 'Why is it like this?' The Master said: 'Knowingly committing the offense.' The monk asked: 'What is discourse of the unconditioned?' The Master said: 'The stone ox and stone tiger murmur words.' The monk asked: 'What kind of verbal teaching is that?' The Master said: 'Continuous prose cannot exhaustively write it; short verses are cut off from human hearing.' The monk asked: 'What is "a single recitation of 'Homage to the Buddha'"?' The Master said: '"All have already achieved the Buddha path."'