夜參。舉拂子云。會麼。不見古人道萬象之中獨露身。惟人自肯乃方親。當初謬向途中覔。今日方知火裏氷。大眾。要知萬象之中獨露的身麼。若也未知。山僧與你說個譬喻。譬如剝笋。剝一層又一層。剝至無可剝處。可為獨露得麼。經云。如是八種。諸變化相。各有所還。汝見八種見精明元。當欲誰還。諸可還者。自然非汝。不汝還者。非汝而誰。即如剝笋。諸可剝者。自然非肉。不可剝者。非肉而何。似則也似。是則未是。祇可信他一半。那一半是眾人自家分上。比也比不著。喻也喻不及。經云。是法無比。離對待故。自家體究始得。山僧以慈悲故。有落艸談。權引佛祖言教。與你商量。若諸方具眼者聞此。必惡心嘔吐。真正參學人。決定不向這裏死却。須是向上人參向上事。不見石鞏和尚初為獵人。路經馬祖菴過。問祖曰。和尚見鹿過去麼。祖曰。汝是什麼人。曰獵人。祖曰。既是獵人。解射否。曰解射。祖曰。汝一箭射多少。曰一箭射一個。祖曰。汝不解射。曰和尚解射否。祖曰解射。曰一箭射多少。祖曰。一箭射一羣。曰彼此都是性命。何必一箭便射他一羣。祖曰。汝既如是。何不自射。曰若教某甲自射。直得無下手處。祖曰。此子曠劫無明。從此斷盡。大眾。這個獵人。看他本不參禪。亦不念佛。初不做工夫。亦不看話頭。一聞恁麼舉。便云。無下手處。這豈不是直截的樣子。若這裏搆不及。且將個本參話頭。左看右看。一看看破。與古人契合也未知。無事珍重。

Evening instruction. The Master raised his whisk and said, "Do you understand? Remember the ancients said, 'Alone the body manifests amidst the myriad phenomena—only when you personally accept it does it become intimate.' In the beginning, I mistakenly sought it along the path; today, I finally realize it's like fire within ice. Everyone, do you wish to know the body that manifests alone amidst the myriad phenomena? If you do not yet know, I, this mountain monk, will give you a simile. It is like peeling a bamboo shoot—layer after layer, until there is nothing left to peel. Can this be called 'alone manifesting'? The sutra says, 'These eight types of transformational appearances each have a place to return. You see these eight kinds of luminous essence—where should they return? What can be returned to is naturally not you. What cannot be returned to you—if not you, then who?' It is like peeling a bamboo shoot: what can be peeled is naturally not the flesh; what cannot be peeled—if not the flesh, then what? This simile is similar, but it is not exactly the truth. You can only trust it halfway. The other half belongs to each of you individually—it cannot be compared, nor described by simile. The sutra says, 'This Dharma is incomparable because it transcends duality.' You must personally investigate and realize it yourself.

Out of compassion, I, this mountain monk, have spoken like this—using the words and teachings of the Buddhas and patriarchs as a provisional guide for discussion. If any enlightened masters of various traditions hear this, they will surely find it nauseating and disgusting. True practitioners of Chan will definitely not die within these words. Those who aspire to transcend must participate in the matter of transcendence.

Don’t you recall the story of Layman Shigong? At first, he was a hunter. Passing by the hermitage of Patriarch Mazu, he asked, 'Master, have you seen a deer pass by?' Mazu said, 'Who are you?' He replied, 'A hunter.' Mazu said, 'Since you are a hunter, do you know how to shoot?' 'Yes,' he replied. 'How many can you shoot with one arrow?' asked Mazu. 'One arrow kills one,' he said. Mazu said, 'You do not know how to shoot.' Then the hunter asked, 'Does the Master know how to shoot?' Mazu said, 'Yes,' and the hunter asked, 'How many can you hit with one arrow?' Mazu said, 'One arrow kills a whole herd.' The hunter said, 'They are all living beings—why kill a whole herd with one arrow?' Mazu replied, 'Since you understand this, why don’t you shoot yourself?' The hunter said, 'If you tell me to shoot myself, I wouldn’t know where to begin.' Mazu said, 'This man’s beginningless ignorance has now been cut off completely.'

Everyone, look at this hunter: originally, he never practiced Chan, never recited the Buddha’s name, never made any effort in cultivation, and never contemplated a koan—yet upon hearing these words, he immediately said, 'No place to start.' Is this not the direct and straightforward example? If you cannot penetrate this, then take a fundamental koan and examine it over and over—left and right—until it is broken through, and you may unexpectedly merge with the ancients. Nothing else matters. Take care."

夜參。長沙老虎。咬殺紫湖狗。臨濟饅頭。可配曹山酒。古人各各顯家風。不意聞者皆奔走。休奔走。這裏雖則難領。却也省力。若能擔荷。管取與古人把手。踏碎毗盧頂𩕳。其或未然。且胡亂說些家風。大眾進堂一月有餘。於中或得或失。或進或退。當自知分齊。不可央央庠庠。只麼度時。便當參禪也。兄弟。既到這裏。須生難遭想。難遇想。此事在上古。雖則為難。尚可云易。何也。彼時叢林多。知識多。同心兄弟亦多。所以動輙是一千五百。這邊參請。那邊求問。時中商量浩浩地。頗有發明。亦云間世有者。今則不然。予走徧天下叢林。所見知識也多。其間上等。教人念佛求生西方。其次。聽經學嘴頭。其次。誦經作福。這一著子。罕有提持者。間有提持。不過商量古人舊公案。去古轉遠。可謂自救不了。古人所棄。今時喚作極則事。為可惜者也。即如越中冬間坐禪頗多。要真正悟明。我三十年來。未見一人。做首座的。不過辦幾堂齋。持念佛。喚作話頭。不語抵作口實。無甚開示。學人進堂。並不請問如小豬撞乳相似。撞過一冬。喚作坐禪。遮個都是薄福事。有甚利益。兄弟。我忖己德。不當弄鬼眼睛。但惜佛法滅在此時。故不懼地獄。呈此笑具。眾中還有問話的麼。

[Evening Chan Session Encounter] The Tiger of Changsha bit and killed the Dog of Zihu. Linji's steamed bun could be paired with Caoshan's wine. The ancients each manifested their family style; little did they expect hearers would all flee away. Stop fleeing! Though this place is hard to grasp, it is also effortless. If you can bear the burden, you will surely walk hand in hand with the ancients—crushing the very crown of Vairocana Buddha. If not, then let me ramble a bit about household traditions.

Everyone has been in the meditation hall for over a month. Some have gained, some lost; some advanced, some retreated. You should each know your own measure. Don't drift along halfheartedly, merely passing the time. If you seek, then practice Chan meditation, brothers.

Since you have come here, you must cultivate the thought: "This is hard to encounter, hard to meet." In ancient times, this matter was difficult, yet could be considered easy. Why? Because in those days, there were many monasteries, many awakened teachers, and many like-minded brothers. Thus, a thousand or fifteen hundred practitioners would gather—consulting here, inquiring there, discussing together with great fervor. Those who attained realization were also said to appear in every generation.

But now it is not so. I have traveled to monasteries throughout the land and met many teachers. Among them, the highest order teach people to recite Buddha's name and seek rebirth in the Pure Land. The next level have people listen to sutras to learn clever arguments. The next have them chant sutras to accumulate merit. As for this one true matter, rarely does anyone uphold it. Occasionally someone may raise it, but they only discuss old public cases from the ancients, drifting ever further from the source. Truly, they cannot even save themselves. What the ancients discarded, people today call the ultimate principle—this is truly regrettable.

Take, for instance, the many winter meditation retreats in Yue region. For true awakening and clear understanding, in thirty years I have not seen a single person. The heads of the meditation hall merely hold a few vegetarian feasts and practice mindfulness of Buddha, calling that a "huatou" (critical phrase). They remain silent during sitting, making this a mere pretext. They give no real instruction. New students enter the hall without even asking questions—like piglets bumping against their mother's teats. After bumping through a winter, they call it "sitting Chan." All this is a matter of scant blessing—what benefit is there?

Brothers, I have judged my own virtue and know I am not one to play ghost tricks. But out of pity that the Dharma is perishing in this era, and without fear of hell, I present this laughable offering. Is there anyone among you who wishes to ask a question?

夜參。惺惺寂寂是。無記寂寂非。寂寂惺惺是。亂想惺惺非。此古所謂料揀語。似有句祇是兩種。所謂藥病。今人不善方便。莫有不中其病者。不知向背猶且可。知而故犯。堅執不捨。乃云豈有二心。然則惟聖與凡。無可分別矣。殊不知亂想乃狂。無記乃愚。總是無明別號也。諸佛破無明。故出生死。凡夫著無明。故受輪迴。可不辯乎。今時有等稱悟道者。纔上單。做不得主了。祇這昏沉。尚做不得主。臨命終時。這個大昏沉。如何作主。既做不得主。你所言悟道者豈不自誤也。大凡做功夫。自己不能。所以入禪堂。結大眾。併力排遣。默默分付昏沉哥哥。你且暫退。人面前讓我些。他日出堂來與你敘舊情也。此是第一等識廉耻的好漢子。復有一等不懼大眾見笑。不欲與他惡識。無論坐時臥時。常在一處。斯須不離。欲望悟道。其可得哉。若是皮下有血的漢。見山僧恁麼舉。便冷地裏自己簡點痛處。猛著精彩。把個話頭一提提起。直下如一人。與萬人敵相似。驀忽醒去也未可知。不爾。則休得暗箭傷人。背地念大悲呪好。

Night meditation session: When awareness is clear and calm, that is correct. When it's dull and blank, that's wrong. When calm and clear, that's right. When thoughts are scattered, that's wrong.

This is what the ancients called "testing and selecting" — words that seem like two separate types, but actually represent medicine and illness. People today don't know how to skillfully apply this. Some may not hit the mark in treating the illness. Still, not knowing which side to lean on is understandable, but knowing and deliberately persisting, stubbornly holding on, saying "there can't be two minds" — then what distinction is left between saints and ordinary people? They fail to realize that scattered thoughts are madness, and dull blankness is ignorance — both are just different names for the same fundamental ignorance.

All Buddhas break through ignorance, thus escaping birth and death. Ordinary beings cling to ignorance, thus undergoing reincarnation. Must we not distinguish between them?

Nowadays, there are those who claim to have awakened to the truth. Yet the moment they sit on their meditation cushion, they can't even control their own minds. This very dullness and drowsiness — they can't even control that. When death arrives, that great drowsiness — how will they control it? Since they can't control it, their claims of awakening only deceive themselves.

Generally speaking, if you cannot do the work on your own, you enter the meditation hall, join the community, and collectively strive to cast it aside. Silently, you instruct: "Drowsiness brother, please step back for now. Let me save face in front of others. When I leave the hall someday, I'll catch up with you and reminisce."

This is the conduct of a first-class person who knows shame. But there's another type — those unafraid of public ridicule, unwilling to face their own faults. Whether sitting or lying down, they are always with their drowsiness, never leaving it for a moment. How can they expect to achieve enlightenment?

If you have any blood in your veins — when you see this old mountain monk speaking thus — in the cold stillness, examine your own wounds. Rouse your energy! Lift up your meditation topic! Go straight at it, as if one person were fighting ten thousand enemies. Suddenly, you may wake up. Who knows?

If not — don't shoot secret arrows to harm others. Better to chant the Great Compassion Mantra quietly behind closed doors.

夜參。安思危。樂思苦。此古人之至言。所以有終身之憂。無一朝之患。爾今兄弟家共住此一會。實非小緣。此事在古猶難。不悟且置。即如大悟之後。尚依叢林三二十年。今時人纔出家。便住小院。或守山坐關。或住菴堂廟宇。規矩有所不聞。道業曾不之辦。縱自在貪饕。干名覔利。光陰暗去。曾不知覺。無常卒來。曾何得知。除有智慧之人。密密觀察。念念提持。始不為其所瞞。此外更無出得者。兄弟。我輩學道。多為衣食所忙。不能成辦。今此雲門。雖非大廈。頗可容身。雖無美供。粥飯麤足。正好猛利修行。夏間酷熱。首座規矩稍縱。你等自宜簡點。不可依例度時。當如父子上山。各自努力。以求決了。若只恁麼度時。竊恐臨命終時。眼光落地。無可把柄。終是一端大患也。故余謂安思危。樂思苦。正今日之要語矣。

Evening Meditation. Be at peace but mindful of danger; find joy but reflect on hardship. This is the ancient sage’s profound advice—so that one may have lifelong concern but no sudden calamity. You, brothers, are dwelling together in this congregation. This is no small karmic affinity. Even in ancient times, such a path was difficult. Setting aside those who have not yet awakened: even after great enlightenment, masters would still rely on the monastic community for twenty or thirty years. Nowadays, people leave home and immediately take up residence in small hermitages, sit in mountain retreats, or occupy quiet halls and temples. They never hear of monastic discipline, nor do they cultivate the Way. They indulge in greed, chase fame and profit, and let time slip away unnoticed. When impermanence suddenly arrives, how will they know? Only those with wisdom, who closely observe and continuously hold mindfulness, will not be deceived by this. Beyond this, there is no other escape.

Brothers, we who study the Way are often busied by food and clothing, unable to accomplish the task. Here at Yunmen, though it is not a grand hall, there is space enough to house the body. Though there are no fine offerings, rice and gruel are roughly sufficient. This is exactly the time to diligently practice. During the summer’s intense heat, the senior monk’s rules may be slightly relaxed. You should each examine yourselves—do not simply follow the routine and pass the time. You should strive like a father and son climbing a mountain, each putting forth their own effort, seeking a decisive breakthrough. If you simply waste the days away, I fear that when your life ends and your eyes lose their light, you will have nothing to hold onto—ultimately, a great calamity. Therefore, I say: be at peace but mindful of danger; find joy but reflect on hardship. This is the essential teaching for today.

夜參。喫一交。長一智。經一事。識一敝。世間事尚且如此。豈有坐禪不知分齊耶。譬如行路出門。一步要知一步境界。出門十里要知十里境界。如是乃至百里千里亦復如是。兄弟家進堂已經三日了。其間還有識進退好惡的麼。不可儱侗度時。虗閑歲月。有甚麼益。大抵修行人。最初要知所擇。以佛性乃無為之法。用有為身心湊泊其事。大似方木投於圓竅。轉見其乖矣。必須外絕攀緣。所謂名利好惡是非得失。一切斬斷。內泯心識。直使如虗空寬廓。無一物可寄。放教閑閑地。如有氣死人相似。或可當其少分。若也心標二境。發心坐禪。早是差了。何況更要驅昏敵散。取是捨非。離動求靜。欲返無為之鄉。不亦難乎。故祖師云。非是相爭。是為心病。兄弟家於中還有識利害的麼。有則出來說個明白。

Night meditation. One fall, one gain in wisdom. One experience, one lesson learned. Even worldly matters are like this—how could sitting in meditation not require knowing one's limits?

It's like traveling on a road: when you step out your door, you need to know each step's terrain. When you've traveled ten miles, you need to know the terrain at ten miles. Similarly for a hundred or a thousand miles.

Brothers, you've been in the meditation hall for three days now. Is there anyone among you who can tell right from wrong, good from bad? Don't just muddle through the hours, wasting your days in vain idleness. What benefit is there in that?

Generally speaking, a practitioner must first know what to choose. Buddha-nature is the unconditioned dharma; trying to grasp it with a conditioned body and mind is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole—it only becomes more distorted.

You must outwardly cut off all grasping—fame, profit, good and bad, right and wrong, gain and loss—cut them all away. Inwardly, still the mind's discriminating activity, making it as vast and open as empty space, with nothing to hang onto. Let it rest freely, like a person who's still breathing but dead to the world. Only then might you touch a small fraction of it.

If your mind is already set on two extremes the moment you decide to sit in meditation, you've already missed the mark. How much more so if you try to fight drowsiness and scattered thoughts, cling to what's right and reject what's wrong, leave activity to seek stillness? Wanting to return to the land of the unconditioned by such means—isn't that difficult?

Hence, the ancestral master said, "This isn't about contending—it's a disease of the mind." Brothers, is there anyone among you who can see what's truly at stake here? If so, step forward and speak clearly.

夜參。道遠乎哉。觸物而真。聖遠乎哉。體之即神。不可以知知。不可以識識。所以古人道開口成雙橛。揚眉落二三。舉心爭萬里。動念隔千山。兄弟。為什麼此事。這樣難為人。葢這一著子。在人本分上親切得緊。所以動念便乖也。不見瑞巖問巖頭云。如何是本常理。答曰。動也。曰動時如何。答曰。不是本常理。巖繇是豁然大悟。後每自喚自應云。主人公。噯。惺惺著。以後莫被人瞞。諾。諸方謂其弄精魂。以東塔長老即不然。祇這個瞞字。有許多喫緊為人處。盡大地莫有逃得。兄弟。還知麼。若也不知。山僧為你們說破。所謂一切聲色是瞞人處。一切語言是瞞人處。一切文字是瞞人處。如是乃至世間一切是非物欲利名恩愛總是被瞞處。而我出家之徒。既已跳出。復有生死可出。涅槃可證。如是乃至神通三昧禪定解脫光明相好。凡有名相礙於胷中。總被其瞞也。直得灑落落地。虗廓廓地。無一物挂於胷中。然後時節因緣到來。一念發明。疑情頓斷。始不受其瞞也。兄弟。還有問話者出來。眾無出者。師曰。如此。則你等都是佛。長老瞞不得也。下座。

Evening meditation. Is the path far off? Touch any thing, and it is right here. Is enlightenment far away? Realize it, and it is immediately present. It cannot be known by the intellect, nor perceived by the senses. That is why the ancients said, "Open your mouth, and you've already set up two posts. Raise your eyebrows, and you've already fallen into duality." Lift your mind, and you're a thousand miles off; stir a thought, and mountains separate you.

Brothers and sisters, why is this matter so difficult for people? It is because this very point is intimately close to our original nature. The moment a thought stirs, we have already strayed. Do you not recall Ruiyan's question to Yantou: "What is the fundamental, constant principle?" Yantou replied, "It moves." Ruiyan asked, "And when it moves, what then?" Yantou answered, "That is not the fundamental, constant principle." This opened Ruiyan's mind in a great realization. From then on, he would call out to himself and answer: "Master!" "Yes?" "Stay awake!" "Yes!" "Don't let yourself be fooled later on!" "Yes!" People everywhere call this "playing with the spirit," but as the elder of Dongta, I see it differently. That single word "fooled" contains many urgent instructions for people. There's not a single person in the whole world who can escape it.

Brothers and sisters, do you yet understand? If not, this old monk will explain it for you. All sights and sounds are what fool you. All words and speech are what fool you. All written texts are what fool you. Likewise, all the world's right and wrong, desires, profit, fame, and affection—these are all what fool you. And as for those of us who have left home, once we've jumped out, we still have birth-and-death to transcend and nirvana to realize. Likewise, all such things as spiritual powers, samadhi, meditative concentration, liberation, radiant light, and auspicious marks—anything with form or name that gets stuck in your heart—will also fool you.

Only when you become completely free, vast and open, with not a single thing clinging in your heart, and then the time and conditions arrive, and a single thought illuminates the truth, and all doubt is cut off—only then will you no longer be fooled by it.

Brothers and sisters, does anyone have a question? Speak up.

No one responded.

The master said, "In that case, you are all buddhas. This old monk cannot fool you."

He descended from the seat.

夜參。秋老園林全體露。朔風猶與贈寒威。頻添榾柮團圞坐。黃獨權將糞火煨。食既足。不愁衣。心不負人樂有餘。寒涕交頤君莫笑。詔書何必苦相催。大眾。山僧不會談禪。且說篇鷓鴣辭為供養也。若是本分禪流。且學他上流。如懶贊和尚住南嶽。唐太宗欽其名。遣中使入山請之詔書三宣。始起撥糞火捉煨芋。寒涕交頤。曾不之顧。天使笑曰。請和尚拭寒涕。贊曰。那有功夫與俗人拭涕耶。使舉似帝。益加欽敬。兄弟。他古人不說什麼坐功參禪。而日用中事事合道。爾今兄弟誠有這等操略。有這等履踐。可謂不動干戈而坐致太平也。

Excerpt from an Evening Meditation Session:

In this late autumn grove, all has been revealed. The north wind still adds to its biting cold. We gather closely around the fire, adding more fuel, roasting wild yams in the embers. With enough to eat, we have no worry about clothes. With a clear conscience, we find abundant joy. Don't mock my long, frozen鼻涕; why be so harsh in summoning me with imperial edicts?

Everyone, I don't know how to expound on Zen. Let me instead speak of a partridge poem as an offering. If you are truly practicing this path, learn from the ancients. For example, the Venerable Lan Zan lived on Mount Heng. Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty admired his reputation and sent an envoy into the mountains, delivering three imperial edicts to summon him. Finally, the master got up from poking the fire and roasting taro. His frozen nasal mucus streamed down, and he paid no attention. The envoy laughed and said, "Venerable, please wipe your nose." Lan Zan replied, "Where do I have the time to wipe away mucus for a worldly man?" The envoy reported this to the emperor, who admired the master even more.

Brothers, these ancients didn't speak of "sitting in meditation" or "gaining merit," yet in their daily lives, everything they did was in accord with the Way. If you truly possess such a spirit and such conduct, then, without raising a weapon, you can sit back and enjoy a peaceful world.

燃塔燈。夜參。是燈不自炤。非燈不炤他。是非都去了。皎潔永無差。大眾。此人人頂門上這一著子大事。輝今耀古。無欠無餘。本來現成的。為甚麼都云不會。爭似性泉等一班居士各出己資。共轉大用。來此福城寺。燃點塔燈。直得巍巍乎若須彌之峙大海。煌煌然若火樹之開鰲山。自一燈而至千萬燈。燈燈無盡。與星斗奪其光輝。從一級而至六七級。級級騰空。與太虗為其伴侶。此不礙彼。彼不礙此。復能周遍互融。彼即是此。此即是彼。故得重重無盡。孤明朗炤。毋論人類鬼類地獄類畜生類。一念便超諸佛地。爍破昏衢。不管事障理障所知障煩惱障。剎那消入妙菩提。如斯勝利。讚莫能窮。簡點將來。猶是莊嚴邊事。若論人人本分上又且不然。這一著子。非明非暗。非色非空。實謂千日不足並其耀。萬聖不能掩其輝。亘古亘今。曾無間然。苟能一念知歸。便同三世諸佛。較前功德。百分千分萬億分百千萬億分算數譬喻皆所不及。汝等兄弟還肯承當麼。若也不肯。山僧引咎自歸也。良久云。祇這無明種。高明朗太虗。

Lighting the lamp on the pagoda. During the evening meditation session, this lamp does not illuminate itself, nor does it fail to illuminate others. When both "self" and "other" are cast aside, its brilliance remains pure and flawless forever. Assembly, this matter of the "one true point" right above each person's crown—the great matter—shines throughout the present and the past, lacking nothing and having no excess. It is inherently complete as it is. So why do we all say we don't understand it?

Yet consider the lay practitioners like Xingquan and others, each contributing their own resources to collectively manifest this great function. They have come to this Fucheng Monastery to light the pagoda lamp. It stands as majestic as Mount Sumeru amid the great ocean, as radiant as a fiery tree blooming on Aoshan Mountain. From one lamp unfolds a thousand, ten thousand lamps; lamp after lamp, without end, vying with the stars and constellations for brilliance. From one tier rises to six or seven tiers; tier upon tier ascending into the sky, keeping company with the vast emptiness itself.

This does not obstruct that; that does not obstruct this. Moreover, they interpenetrate fully, completely pervading each other. That is this; this is that. Thus, layer upon layer unfolds without end, a single radiant clarity shining everywhere. Regardless of human beings, ghosts, beings in hell, or animals—in a single thought, they transcend to the ground of all Buddhas, blazing through the dark paths of confusion. No matter the obstacle of phenomena, the obstacle of principles, the obstacle of knowledge, or the obstacle of afflictions—in an instant, they dissolve into sublime enlightenment. Such merit is beyond praise, inexhaustible in description.

Yet if we examine it critically, this is still a matter of adornments and conditioned achievements. Regarding each person's own fundamental nature, it is otherwise. This "one point" is neither bright nor dark, neither form nor emptiness. In truth, a thousand suns cannot match its radiance; ten thousand sages cannot obscure its brilliance. Throughout the ages, past and present, it has never once been interrupted. If you can, in a single thought, recognize where to return, you become identical with the Buddhas of the three times. Compared to this, the previous merit—whether a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a million, a hundred million, a thousand million times over—cannot match it by calculation or metaphor.

Venerable ones, can you accept this? If not, this mountain monk takes the blame and returns to the source himself. After a long pause, he said: "This very seed of ignorance, when seen clearly, illuminates the vast emptiness."

夜參。依經解義。三世佛冤。離經一字。即同魔說。所以奄提遮女問文殊師利云。明知生是不生之法。為什麼却被生之所縛。答曰。其力未充。昔者進山主問修山主曰。明知生是不生之法。為什麼却為生之所縛。答曰。笋畢竟成竹。爾今作篾使得麼。進曰。將謂你是個人。見解如此。修曰。某甲祇如此。老兄又如何。進曰。此是監院房。彼是厨庫房。修不肯。問地藏。藏答曰。此是知事房。彼是常住房。二人禮謝。大眾。修山主參得文殊禪。不依經。不離經。如同一模脫出。為什麼地藏父子不肯他。須知祖師門下別有長處。眾中還有人道得。出來伸氣。如無。老漢自道去也。良久云。壺中有世界。別是一乾坤。

A late evening consultation. To interpret the sutras as they are written is to wrongfully accuse the Buddhas of the three times. To deviate even a single word from the sutras is to fall into demonic talk. Thus, the woman Apūrṇa asked Mañjuśrī, "If you clearly know that birth is unborn, why are you still bound by birth?" He replied, "Because one’s power is not yet full." In the past, Master Jin asked Master Xiu, "If you clearly know that birth is unborn, why are you still bound by birth?" Xiu answered, "A bamboo shoot will eventually become a full bamboo. Now, can you use it as a binding strip?" Jin said, "I thought you were a true person, yet your understanding is like this." Xiu replied, "I am only like this. How about you, elder brother?" Jin said, "This is the supervisor’s quarters. That is the kitchen and storehouse." Xiu disagreed and consulted Earth Treasury. Earth Treasury replied, "This is the quarters for affairs. That is the living quarters for the permanent residents." Both bowed in thanks. Everyone! Master Xiu attained the Chan of Mañjuśrī—neither clinging to the sutras nor departing from them, as if cast from a single mold. Why then did Earth Treasury and his inheritor not approve of him? You must know that under the Patriarch’s gate there is a special strength. If anyone among you can speak of this, step forward and enliven this. If not, this old man will speak for himself. After a long pause, he said, "Within a gourd there is a world. Separate, it is another universe."

夜參。千兵易得。一將難求。斬將破關。立地封侯。立地封侯即不問。還有斬將破關者麼。若有。絲毫瞞你不得。若無。不妨瞞你諸人去也。今日維那頻請老朽上堂。我道不上堂即上堂義。何以故。若待老漢登曲彔木床。鼓兩片唇皮。弄鬼眼睛。成得什麼邊事。所以古人道。閉門打睡。接上上機。顧鑑嚬呻。曲為中下。今日有僧舉黃侍郎問雲棲大師。昨夜老鼠唧唧。說盡一部華嚴經。雲棲云。猫兒突出時如何。黃無語。雲棲自代云。走却法師。留下講案。我聞堂中有僧著語云。拄杖頭上灰厚一寸。是何言歟。未審這一轉語。點黃侍郎。點雲棲耶。凡所發言。須與公案合轍。豈可儱侗。若問山僧即不然。猫兒突出時如何。直向他道這畜生。老僧不識佛法。但為諸方點病而已。

**Night Session** A thousand soldiers are easy to get, but one general is hard to find. If you can slay the general and breach the fortress, you'll be made a noble on the spot. Now, setting aside the title of nobility, is there anyone who can actually slay the general and breach the fortress? If there is, I can't hide a single thing from you. If there isn't, then I might as well let you all be fooled along with everyone else.

Today, the Monastery Director has repeatedly urged me, an old man, to give a Dharma talk. I say, "Not giving a talk *is* the meaning of giving a talk." Why is that? If I were to wait until I climbed onto the curved wooden seat, move my two lips around, and play tricks with my eyes, what kind of achievement would that be? So, the ancients said, "Shut the door and sleep—this is the method for the highest capacity. Glancing, frowning, and murmuring—these are reluctantly for the middle and lower capacities."

Today, a monk brought up a story: Layman Huang asked Master Yunqi, "Last night, a mouse squeaked and squeaked—it explained the entire Avatamsaka Sutra." Yunqi replied, "What happens when the cat pounces?" Huang was speechless. Yunqi answered for him, "The Dharma teacher fled, but the lecture podium remains."

I heard there's a monk in this hall who added a comment: "On the tip of the staff, it's one inch thick." What kind of talk is that? I wonder: does this comment target Layman Huang, or does it target Yunqi? Every word you say must align with the case. How can you be so sloppy?

If it were me, I'd answer differently. When asked, "What happens when the cat pounces?" I'd say directly, "This beast!" This old monk doesn't recognize the Buddha-dharma—I only point out people's sicknesses as they come.