上堂僧問。萬機休罷。千聖不携底是甚麼人。師云。金剛際下鐵崑崙。進云。從來無伴侶。只麼獨孤標。師云轉側相逢。合談何事。進云。清風拂白月。師云。那時一句子。歷歷要旁提。進云。恁麼則貫古通今。該天括地去也。師云。又是驢前馬後。進云。不落驢前馬後底。又作麼生。師云。古今該不得。天地廓難包。師乃云。好諸禪德。本圓本靈。亙曠古而有種。混太虛而無形。劫外家風澹薄。壺中田地丕平。望時眼力欲斷。體處心緣未萠。雲懷雪意兮鶴夢杳杳。天作秋容兮鴻飛冥冥。唯默默而自照。故湛湛而純清。想凝而結成器界。知覺而流作眾生。情多少而岐分六道。智大小而區別三乘。境真則觸處見佛。道妙而破塵出經。猶明珠而應色。似空谷而傳聲。只如超凡入聖。轉位隨緣。且道。路頭在甚麼處。還體悉得麼。良久云。曉風摩洗昏煙淨。隱隱青山一線橫。

The Master ascended the hall. A monk asked, "What kind of person is it who rests from all affairs and does not rely on a thousand sages?"

The Master said, "A Vajra-iron Kunlun beneath the diamond realm."

The monk advanced and said, "From the beginning, without companions, solitary and unique."

The Master said, "Turning and meeting, what matter should be discussed?"

The monk said, "A clear breeze brushes the white moon."

The Master said, "At that moment, a single phrase must be clearly pointed out."

The monk said, "If so, then it penetrates ancient and modern, encompassing heaven and earth."

The Master said, "Again, it's before the donkey, behind the horse."

The monk said, "What about that which does not fall before the donkey or behind the horse?"

The Master said, "The ancients and moderns cannot encompass it; heaven and earth cannot contain it."

The Master then said, "Good Chan practitioners, originally perfect, originally luminous, existing since ancient times, formless within the great void. The family style beyond the kalpas is simple and plain; the field within the pot is level and even. Gazing, the eye's power nearly breaks; contemplating, the mind's conditions have yet to sprout. Clouds hold the intent of snow, the crane's dream distant; heaven creates autumn's countenance, wild geese fly into the deep. Only in silent self-illumination is it pure and clear. Thought congeals and forms the realm of objects; awareness flows and becomes sentient beings. Emotions, many or few, divide into the six paths; wisdom, great or small, distinguishes the three vehicles. When the realm is true, everywhere one sees the Buddha; when the Way is wondrous, one breaks through dust to reveal the sutras. Like a bright pearl responding to colors, like an empty valley transmitting sound. As for transcending the ordinary and entering the sacred, shifting positions and following conditions—tell me, where is the path? Can you understand?"

After a long pause, he said, "The dawn wind wipes away the dim mist, faintly, a line of blue mountains lies horizontal."

善權智和尚。下法嗣書。上堂僧問。記得。僧問曹山。日未出時如何。山曰。曹山也曾恁麼來。未審。此意如何。師云。智不到處。難下名言。進云。卷絲輪望遠山隱隱。撥船頭近古岸依依。師云。到岸時作麼生。進云。帆飽清風。棹穿明月。師云。又是隨波逐浪去也。進云。日出後如何。山云。猶較曹山半月程。又作麼生。云。明白纔分。生化路箇中消息便成功。進云。兒孫得力室內不知。師云。只如室內底人。如何親近。進云。虛明自照。不勞心力。師云。猶隔雲水在。進云。如何得十成去。師云。不守珍御始得。師乃云。萬里西來坐少林。燈燈相續至如今。泥牛鬪裏同歸海。玉線聯時妙契鍼。未墜綿綿吾祖緒。不忘切切老婆心。風前一弄無弦曲。會有叢林人賞音。只如燈燈相續。心心相印。血脈不斷處。作麼生行履。還體悉得麼。翡翠踏翻荷葉雨。鷺鷥衝破竹林煙。

The monk Shanquan Zhi. He received the Dharma transmission and ascended the hall. A monk asked, “I recall a monk once asked Caoshan, ‘What is it like before the sun rises?’ Caoshan replied, ‘Caoshan has also been like this.’ I wonder, what does this mean?”

The master said, “Where wisdom cannot reach, it is difficult to put into words.”

The monk pressed further, “Rolling the silk reel, distant mountains appear faintly; turning the boat’s bow, the ancient shore draws near, intimate and familiar.”

The master said, “What happens when you reach the shore?”

The monk replied, “The sail fills with a clear breeze, the oar pierces through the bright moon.”

The master said, “Again, you are just drifting with the waves.”

The monk asked, “What about after the sun rises?”

Caoshan said, “Still half a month’s journey behind Caoshan.” What does this mean?

The master said, “When clarity first emerges, the path of life and transformation is revealed, and within it, the message is already accomplished.”

The monk said, “The descendants gain strength, yet those within the room do not know.”

The master said, “But how do those within the room draw near?”

The monk replied, “The empty brightness illuminates itself, without effort or exertion of mind.”

The master said, “Still separated by clouds and water.”

The monk asked, “How can one attain perfection?”

The master said, “Only by not clinging to treasures and defenses.”

The master then said, “Traveling ten thousand miles west to sit at Shaolin, the lamps have passed on continuously to this day. Mud oxen fighting in the sea return together; when the jade thread connects, it wondrously meets the needle. The lineage of our ancestors remains unbroken, the earnest, heartfelt mind of the old woman never forgotten. Before the wind, a tune played on a stringless zither—there will be those in the grove who appreciate its sound. But as for the lamps passing on continuously, mind meeting mind, the bloodline unbroken—how does one practice there? Do you understand? The kingfisher overturns the lotus leaves in the rain; the egret breaks through the bamboo grove’s mist.”

上堂僧問。夾山道。猿抱子歸青嶂後。鳥㘅華落碧巖前。法眼云。我三十年作境語會。不作境語會。又作麼生。師云。缺月墮疎林。白雲抱幽石。進云。向去不存功。却來還得妙。師云。垛根漢又恁麼去也。進云。不恁麼去時如何。師云。一溪春水夾華流。進云。只如浮山道。犀因翫月紋生角。象被雷驚華入牙。又且如何。師云。儞又向胡餅上壓汁。僧禮拜。師乃云。柳線垂金鶯語滑。華棚張錦蝶飛忙。見聞裏許通消息。誰得先生點鐵方。遂拈拄杖示眾云。還見麼。復卓一下云。還聞麼。去却蘆頭。斤兩等分。

The master ascended the hall. A monk asked, "Jiashan said, 'The ape embraces its child and returns behind the green peaks; the bird drops the flower before the blue cliffs.' Fayan said, 'For thirty years I understood this as words about scenery. If not understood as words about scenery, then what?'"

The master said, "The waning moon sinks through sparse woods; white clouds embrace secluded rocks."

The monk advanced and said, "Going forward, merit is not preserved; turning back, the wondrous is still attained."

The master said, "You stump-rooted fellow, off you go again like this."

The monk advanced and said, "If not going like that, then how?"

The master said, "A stream of spring water flows between the flowers."

The monk advanced and said, "What about Fushan saying, 'The rhinoceros, from gazing at the moon, grows horns with patterns; the elephant, startled by thunder, has flowers enter its tusks'?"

The master said, "You're squeezing juice on a sesame cake again."

The monk bowed.

The master then said, "Willow threads hang golden, orioles' speech is smooth; flower trellises spread brocade, butterflies flurry in flight. Within seeing and hearing, a message is conveyed—who has the master's touchstone to turn iron to gold?"

He then raised his staff and showed it to the assembly, saying, "Do you see?" He tapped it once and said, "Do you hear? Remove the reed head; the weight is evenly divided."

上堂僧問。把定乾坤眼。綿綿不漏絲毫時如何。師云。清涵鯨海寬。冷射蟾輪窄。進云。妙明非展照。文彩未生前。師云。作麼生是儞覷得破底眼。進云。犀角一星蟾影透。神珠九曲螘絲穿。師云。更須轉位就功。旁參回互始得。進云。直得玉人招手處。復妙在回途。師云。正回途時作麼生是妙。進云。處處綠楊俱堪繫馬。師云。此是途中事。進云。不涉途時如何得用。師云。蓑衣蒻笠賣黃金。到處相逢不解喚。僧禮拜。師乃云。真空不空。妙有不有。是萬象生成之根。即二儀造化之母。方隅不可定其居。劫數不可窮其壽。門庭廓淨也。風色如秋。田地虛明也。月華如晝。達一念之未萠。在大功而莫守。五路頭木馬嘶鳴。四衢內石牛犇走。到處相逢到處渠。通身是眼通身手。

The master ascended the hall. A monk asked, "When the eye that grasps heaven and earth is so continuous that not a single hair's breadth is missed, what then?" The master said, "Clear and vast as the whale's sea, cold and piercing as the toad's wheel is narrow." The monk pressed, "The wondrous brightness does not extend its illumination; before patterns and colors are born." The master said, "What then is the eye with which you see through this?" The monk said, "A single star of the rhinoceros horn pierces the toad's shadow; the divine pearl's nine bends are threaded by an ant's silk." The master said, "You must still shift your position to accomplish the work, and study the mutual turning from the side to succeed." The monk said, "Just when the jade maiden beckons, the wonder lies in the return journey." The master said, "At the very moment of returning, what is the wonder?" The monk said, "Everywhere the green willows are fit to tether horses." The master said, "This is the matter of the journey." The monk said, "When not involved in the journey, how can it be used?" The master said, "A straw raincoat and bamboo hat sell for gold; everywhere you meet, yet do not know how to call." The monk bowed.

The master then said, "True emptiness is not empty; wondrous existence is not existent. It is the root from which all phenomena arise, the mother from which the two principles of creation unfold. Directions cannot fix its dwelling; eons cannot exhaust its lifespan. The gate and courtyard are vast and pure—the wind's hue is like autumn. The field of mind is empty and bright—the moon's radiance is like day. To penetrate the single thought before it sprouts is to hold the great work yet not cling to it. At the crossroads, the wooden horse neighs; within the four avenues, the stone ox runs. Everywhere you meet, everywhere is the path; the whole body is eye, the whole body is hand."

上堂僧問。如珠發光。光還自照時如何。師云。珊瑚枝上月三更。進云。恁麼則虛而靈空而妙。師云。上座髑髏瀝得盡也未。進云。爭奈赤心片片。師云。儞且道。威音那畔是甚麼人。進云。烏張三黑李四。師云。果然瀝未盡。進云。如何得徹底去。師云。不要強名言。師乃云。虛淨無染。霽天無雲而秋水無風。清白自持。玉壺無塵而氷鑑無垢。到恁麼田地。也更須借光施設。借路經過。與虛空合其心。與萬象同其用。鬧嘈嘈處。却倒騎牛。紛擾擾時。能翻著襪。諸人且作麼生體悉。的的縱橫皆得妙。阿儂元自異中來。

A monk asked the Master during a sermon: “When a pearl emits light, yet the light shines back upon itself, what is this like?”

The Master said: “A coral branch, and the moon at midnight.”

The monk said: “In that case, it is empty yet aware, void yet wondrous.”

The Master said: “Elder, have you drained the skull dry?”

The monk said: “But what can I do? My sincere heart is in pieces.”

The Master said: “Tell me, what kind of person existed before the very beginning?”

The monk said: “A blind Zhang, a dark Li.”

The Master said: “Exactly—you haven’t drained it dry yet.”

The monk said: “How can I reach the ultimate?”

The Master said: “Don’t force a name.”

The Master then addressed the assembly: “When the mind is pure and unstained—like the clear sky without clouds, or autumn waters without wind—uphold clarity and purity, like a jade vase without dust, or an ice mirror without stain. Even when you reach such a state, you must still borrow light to function, borrow a path to pass through. Unite your mind with space, harmonize your use with the myriad forms. In noisy places, ride the ox backward; in chaotic times, wear your socks inside out. All of you—how do you grasp this? Every move, every turn is wondrous. This person has come from beyond the ordinary.”

上堂僧問。清虛之理。畢竟無身時如何。師云。文彩未痕初。消息難傳際。進云。一步密移玄路轉。通身放下劫壺空。師云。誕生就父時。合體無遺照。進云。理既如是。事又作麼生。師云。歷歷纔回分化事。十方機應又何妨。進云。塵塵皆現本來身去也。師云。透一切色。超一切心。進云。如理如事。又作麼生。師云。路逢死蛇莫打殺。無底籃子盛將歸。進云。入市能長嘯。歸家著短衫。師云。木人嶺上歌。石女溪邊舞。僧禮拜。師乃云。淨照而神。明見本來之性。虛通而妙。常觀自在之身。卓卓無依。靈靈絕待。綿綿長存也。得名無量壽。如如持久也。故號不動尊。非有非無。不老不死。瑩若金波之破夜。湛如玉井之涵秋。唯證相應。言傳不到。只如正相應底時節有麼生。良久云。還相委悉麼。萬年松徑雪深覆。一帶峯巒雲更遮。

A monk asked during a formal assembly: "If the principle of empty clarity ultimately has no body, what then?" The master said: "Before any trace of pattern appears, when the message is hard to convey." The monk continued: "When one step shifts secretly and the mysterious path turns, the whole body lets go and the kalpa pot is empty." The master said: "When birth meets the father, the whole merges without remaining illumination." The monk pressed: "Since the principle is thus, what about the practical side?" The master said: "Clearly returning, the work of manifestation begins; how could the ten directions' responses be hindered?" The monk said: "In every atom, the original body appears." The master said: "Penetrating all forms, transcending all mind." The monk asked: "What about embodying both principle and phenomena?" The master said: "If you meet a dead snake on the road, don't kill it; carry it home in a bottomless basket." The monk said: "Entering the market, I can whistle long; returning home, I wear a short shirt." The master said: "The wooden man sings on the mountain ridge; the stone woman dances by the stream." The monk bowed.

The master then said: "Pure illumination is spirit; it clearly sees the original nature. Empty penetration is wonder; it constantly perceives the self-existing body. Standing alone without support, numinous and free from dependence, it lasts endlessly—hence the name 'Measureless Life.' Abiding thus persistently, it is called the 'Immovable One.' Neither existent nor non-existent, neither aging nor dying, it shines like a golden wave breaking the night, clear as a jade well holding autumn. Only realization can attest to it; words cannot reach it. So what is the moment of true realization? After a pause, he said: "Do you fully understand? The snow deeply covers the path of ten-thousand-year pines; a range of peaks is further veiled by clouds."

上堂僧問。虛而長靈。本光自照時如何。師云。靈機不動明明妙。箇裏全窺未兆前。進云。頭戴午夜月。脚踏黃金地。師云。正恁麼時如何轉側。進云。玉人破夢一聲鷄。轉盻生涯色色齊。師云。只解恁麼來。不解恁麼去。進云。恁麼去時作麼生。師云。也要上人箇裏錐剳。師乃云。四大無塵。清淨本然體具。六根亡偶。靈明廓爾神游。如疾風之行空。似虛舟之駕浪。在波也元無避就。在我也妙絕將迎。所以道。聖人空洞其懷。萬物無非我造。會萬物為已者。其唯聖人乎。只如崢崢嶸嶸磊磊落落。作麼生會得為已去。還相委悉麼。周遍十方心。不在一切處。

The Master took the high seat. A monk asked: "When the void yet ever radiant, the original light shines of itself, what then?"

The Master said: "The subtle function stirs not, yet it is marvelously bright. In this very place, you fully perceive what lies before the first sign."

The monk pressed: "Heads crowned with the midnight moon, feet treading on golden ground."

The Master said: "At such a time, how do you turn and shift?"

The monk said: "A jade person breaks the dream—a rooster cries. In an instant, life's scenes all line up perfectly."

The Master said: "You only know how to come this way; you do not know how to go this way."

The monk asked: "What about going this way?"

The Master said: "You too must pierce and probe deeply into this very place."

Then the Master addressed the assembly: "The four elements are free of dust; pure and original essence is inherently complete. The six senses have no companion; vast and luminous awareness roams spiritually. Like a swift wind traveling through space, like an empty boat riding the waves—in the waves, there is originally no avoiding or seeking; in me, there is marvelously no welcoming or sending away. Therefore it is said: 'The sage empties his heart, yet the myriad things are nothing but his creation.' To recognize all things as oneself—is that not the sage alone? But when faced with the towering, the rugged, the open, and the clear—how can you realize them as yourself? Can you still discern it? 'A mind that fills the ten directions dwells in no place at all.'"

上堂問。一點靈然不覆藏。明明老蚌夜吞光。箇時撥轉機輪也。體用由來總不妨。如何是借功明位。用在體處。師云。光在體時常湛湛。體含光處却靈靈。進云。如何是借位明功。體在用處師云。紛擾擾時常隱隱。鬧嘈嘈處却閑閑。進云。夜月有輝含古渡。白雲無雨裹秋山。師云。邯鄲學唐步。師乃云。青山不用白雲朝。白雲不用青山管。雲常在山山在雲。青山自閑雲自緩。諸禪德。若恁麼體得方知道。借功明位用在體處。借位明功。體在用處。體用無私。方乃唱道。且道。作麼生是體用無私底時節。水向竹邊流出綠。風從華裏過來香。

The master ascended the hall and said:

"A single point of spiritual light is never concealed; It is like an old oyster swallowing moonlight in the night. At that moment, when the inner mechanism turns, Essence and function are ever unobstructed."

A monk asked: "What is it to illuminate the position by borrowing the function, where function resides in essence?"

The master replied: "When light is in essence, it is ever bright and clear; When essence contains light, it becomes subtly alive."

The monk asked further: "What is it to illuminate the function by borrowing the position, where essence resides in function?"

The master replied: "Amid chaos and disturbance, it is ever quiet; In the midst of clamor and noise, it remains completely at ease."

The monk then said: "The moonlit night shines with radiance over the ancient ferry; No rain falls from the white clouds wrapping the autumn hills."

The master replied: "That is like someone from Handan trying to imitate the way people walk in the Tang capital."

The master continued: "The green mountains need no white clouds to pay homage; The white clouds need no green mountains to manage them. Clouds always abide in mountains, mountains abide in clouds; The mountains are naturally at peace, the clouds naturally unhurried.

Monastics, if you can realize it in this way, you will understand: To illuminate the position by borrowing the function: function resides in essence. To illuminate the function by borrowing the position: essence resides in function. When essence and function are without partiality, only then can one sing the path.

Tell me, what is the moment when essence and function are without partiality?

Water flows green as it passes by bamboo; The wind carries fragrance as it comes through flowers."

上堂僧問。雲斂山寒。功勳及盡。潭空月沒。尊貴難窺。正恁麼時如何行履。師云。照盡體無依。通身合大道。僧云。坐斷舌頭路。不落二三機。師云。言前一句子。的歷極分明。僧云。寶印當風妙。重重錦縫開。師云。偏正未分時。又作麼生辨。僧云。虛不失照。照不失虛。師云。猶是偏正往來時節。僧云。不涉偏正時作麼生。師云。戶外有雲從斷逕。坐中無照勝然燈。師乃云。空空絕迹。一點不昏。湛湛亡言。一機自轉。釋迦彌勒。到箇時節不敢稱師。達磨老廬到箇處所不敢喚祖。諸禪德還會麼。金鍼雙鎖備。叶路隱全該。

A monk asked the master in the hall: "When clouds disperse and mountains grow cold, when all works and merits are exhausted, when the pool is empty and the moon has vanished, and the honored one is hard to glimpse—at this very moment, how should one conduct oneself?"

The master said: "Illumination is exhausted, and the essence is without support; the entire body merges with the Great Way."

The monk said: "Cut off the path of the tongue, and do not fall into the gates of dualistic or non-dualistic thought."

The master replied: "The single phrase before words is utterly clear and distinct."

The monk said: "The precious seal faces the wind, wondrously; layer upon layer, the brocade seams open."

The master asked: "When the partial and the full are not yet distinguished, how do you discern?"

The monk answered: "Emptiness does not lose its illumination; illumination does not lose its emptiness."

The master said: "This is still within the interplay of partial and full. What about when you do not touch on partial or full?"

The monk remained silent.

The master said: "Outside the door, clouds arise on a broken path; inside the seat, there is no illumination, surpassing even the lamp."

The master then addressed the assembly: "Emptiness beyond emptiness—utterly devoid of traces—yet not a single point is dark. Still and silent, beyond words—yet a single pivot turns of itself. When it comes to such a moment, Śākyamuni and Maitreya do not dare to call themselves masters; when it reaches such a place, Bodhidharma, the old foreigner, does not dare to call himself an ancestor. All you Chan practitioners, do you understand? The golden needle—paired locks, perfectly prepared; the hidden path—encompassing all."

上堂僧問。譬如滄溟上客。夢泛蘭舟。月渚烟波。隨情放曠。正與麼時。莫便是及盡處也無。師云。依稀猶帶功。髣髴還墮色。僧云。夜來明月照千峯。峯頭漫漫還不露。師云。轉身望本家。依前白雲覆。僧云。此猶是回照底時節。作麼生得穩密恁麼去。師云。玉馬雪行歸半夜。羚羊挂角月沈西。僧云。可謂是無功之功。轉身就父去也。師云。正就父時還有消息也無。僧云。古渡風清夜色寒。箇時深深不得妙。師云。拈却寶華冠。脫盡尊貴垢。師乃云。放却纏牽。白牛步穩。未登機杼。玉女情閑。冷淡之姿如暮山之雲。清明之量如秋潭之月。能恁麼去也。便知默中有味。照中有神。是諸佛之所傳。衲僧之本得。所以道。譬如滄溟上客。夢泛闌舟。月渚烟波。隨情放曠。諸禪德。箇豈不是本來田地子。且作麼生履踐。良久云。氷壺無底至游人。清徹脾腸毛骨爽。

A monk asked, "It's like a guest on the vast ocean, dreaming they're rowing an orchid boat—freely drifting across moonlit isles and misty waves. When they're right in that state, is that the ultimate destination?"

The master said, "Faintly, it still carries an effort; vaguely, it's still falling into form."

The monk said, "Last night the bright moon shone upon a thousand peaks—the peaks themselves were vast and never revealed."

The master said, "Turn around and look toward your home; before you, white clouds still cover it."

The monk said, "This is still just the phase of shining back. How does one arrive so stably, so directly?"

The master said, "A jade horse travels through snow at midnight; an antelope hangs by its horns, the moon sinking in the west."

The monk said, "This could be called 'effortless effort'—turning back to merge with the original source."

The master said, "When you are merging with the source, is there still any trace of news?"

The monk said, "The ancient ford's wind is clear, the night cold—in that moment, deep and unable to grasp the wonder."

The master said, "Tear off the jeweled crown, shed all noble stains."

The master then said: "Release the binding entanglements, and the white ox walks steadily. Before reaching the loom of activity, the jade maiden rests idly. Her cool, detached bearing is like clouds on evening mountains; her clear, still capacity, like the moon in an autumn pond. If you can go in this way, you will know that silence holds flavor, and that illumination holds spirit. This is what all Buddhas have transmitted, what all practitioners truly attain. So it is said: 'It's like a guest on the vast ocean, dreaming they're rowing an orchid boat—freely drifting across moonlit isles and misty waves.' O Chan practitioners, is this not your original ground? Now, how will you walk upon it?"

After a long pause, he said: "The ice pitcher has no bottom for the visitor; it clears the bowels, and the bones and hair feel refreshed."

請前後堂首座藏主上堂。吾家日日選場開。及第心空有大才。莫把桂枝零碎折。為他和月抱將來。復舉。洞山示眾云。欲知此事。如人家養得三箇兒子。州裏須得一箇。縣裏須得一箇。村裏須得一箇。一箇能得屋裏錢物用。一箇能得外頭錢物用。一箇不得外頭錢物用。亦不得屋裏錢物用。且道。那箇合在州裏。那箇合在縣裏。那箇合在村裏。有僧出云。三箇莫明輕重否。山云是。僧云。如何是此人出身處。山云。知有却不知有。是此人出身處。僧云未審。此人從今日去也無。山云。亦從今日去。僧云。恁麼則屬功也。山云是。僧云。喚作甚麼功。山云。喚作功就之功。僧云。此人還知有州裏人否。山云。知有則始解奉重。僧云。恁麼則村裏人全明過也。山云是。僧云。如何是此人過處。山云。不知有喚作閑人。是此人過處。師云。有一人能正規矩。內則嚴淨。有一人能轉機輪。外則妙應。有一人退一步。與屋裏人同。進一步與外頭人合。方體得知有却不知有。功就之功。諸人還會麼。向去莫教迷一色。却來須識借功人。

The senior seat of the front and back halls, the head of the sutra repository, has ascended to the hall.

"Our house holds an examination every day; Those with an enlightened, empty mind have great talent. Don't break off the cassia branch piece by piece— Instead, embrace it whole, along with the moonlight."

He then cited a story: Dongshan once addressed the assembly, saying: "To understand this matter is like a household raising three sons. One must serve in the prefecture, one in the county, and one in the village. One can use the money and goods from inside the house. One can use the money and goods from outside the house. One can use neither the money from outside nor the goods from inside. Tell me: which one belongs in the prefecture, which in the county, and which in the village?"

A monk came forward and asked, "Do these three not distinguish between importance and unimportance?" Dongshan said, "Yes." The monk asked, "What is the starting point for such a person?" Dongshan said, "Knowing there is something, and yet not knowing it—that is the starting point." The monk asked, "Does this person from this day forward exist or not?" Dongshan said, "They also exist from this day forward." The monk said, "Then this belongs to effort?" Dongshan said, "Yes." The monk asked, "What kind of effort is it called?" Dongshan said, "It is called the effort of accomplishment." The monk asked, "Does this person know those in the prefecture?" Dongshan said, "If they know, only then can they begin to respect them." The monk said, "Then the person in the village fully understands the matter?" Dongshan said, "Yes." The monk asked, "What is this person's fault?" Dongshan said, "Not knowing there is something is called an idle person—that is this person's fault."

The master then said: "There is one who can uphold the rules—pure and strict within. There is one who can turn the wheel of circumstances—subtly responsive without. There is one who steps back, united with those inside the house, and steps forward, joining those outside. Only then does one embody 'knowing there is yet not knowing'—the effort of accomplishment. Do you all understand? From now on, do not be confused by appearances; Instead, you must recognize the one who borrows effort."

解夏上堂。僧問。古者道。十方同聚會。箇箇學無為。此是選佛場。心空及第歸。正恁麼時如何。師云。淨盡無所依。通身不隔越僧云。恁麼則白衣拜去也。師云。又却向今時著到。僧云。如何得不落今時去。師云。超然空劫外。一點自靈靈。僧云。此人還落階級也無。師云。從來不立象。此處莫安名。師乃云。鑑像谷神。雲心月影。閒閒不宰於功。歷歷無私於應。莫問正偏。誰論動靜。自方自圓。誰欠誰剩。能來異類中行。常處那伽大定。雲水叢林自恣人。果如是也須相慶。

Summer Retreat Ends — Formal Dharma Discourse

A monk asked: "The ancients said, 'Gathered from the ten directions, each one studies the unconditioned. This is the place for selecting Buddhas; with an empty heart, you return home with success.' At this very moment, what is it like?"

The Master said: "Completely purified, with nothing to rely on. The entire body is unobstructed."

The monk said: "Then this person is like a layperson going to meet an official?"

The Master said: "Ah, but now you're getting caught up in temporary forms."

The monk said: "How can one not fall into the trap of temporary forms?"

The Master said: "Transcending the vast emptiness beyond kalpas — just one point of natural lucid awareness."

The monk said: "Does such a person still fall into hierarchical ranks?"

The Master said: "There's never been a fixed image to set up in this place; don't try to give it a name."

The Master then said:

The mirror reflects forms, the valley spirit echoes. Mind like clouds, shadows of the moon. At ease, not claiming any merit. Clear and distinct, responding without partiality. Don't ask about right or partial — who talks of stillness and motion? Natural square, natural round — who lacks and who has extra? Able to walk among different kinds, Constantly abiding in the great samādhi of the Nāgas. Those who freely wander in clouds and rivers, in this assembly, If they truly realize this, they too should join in celebration.

Extensive Record of Chan Master Hongzhi (宏智禪師廣錄)