禪宗無門關
Chan School's Gateless Gate
佛語心為宗。無門為法門。既是無門。且作麼生透。豈不見道。從門入者。不是家珍。從緣得者。始終成壞。恁麼說話。大似無風起浪好肉剜瘡。何況滯言句。覓解會。掉棒打月。隔靴爬痒。有甚交涉。慧開紹定戊子夏。首眾于東嘉龍翔。因衲子請益。遂將古人公案。作敲門瓦子。隨機引導學者。竟爾抄錄。不覺成集。初不以前後敘列。共成四十八則。通曰無門關。若是箇漢不顧危亡。單刀直入。八臂那吒攔他不住。縱使西天四七。東土二三。只得望風乞命。設或躊躇。也似隔窓看馬騎。眨得眼來。早已蹉過。頌曰。
The Buddha taught that the mind is the essential gateway. The gateless is the Dharma gate. Since it is gateless, how can one pass through? Haven't you heard it said: What enters through the gate is not the family treasure. What is attained through conditions is always subject to arising and decay. Speaking like this is truly like stirring waves without wind, or carving a wound into healthy flesh. How much more so when clinging to words and phrases, seeking intellectual understanding—it is like striking the moon with a stick, scratching an itch through a boot. What connection does that have?
In the summer of the Shaoding era, year Wuzi, Huikai led the assembly at Dongjia Longxiang Temple. At the request of the monks for guidance, I took the ancient cases as tiles to knock at the gate, guiding learners according to their capacity. Unexpectedly, these were copied down and formed into a collection. Initially, they were not arranged in any particular order, totaling forty-eight cases. Together they are called *The Gateless Barrier*.
If you are a true person, disregarding danger, advancing straight with a single sword—even the eight-armed Nata cannot stop you. Even the twenty-eight patriarchs of India and the six patriarchs of China would have no choice but surrender at the sight of you. But if you hesitate, it is like watching a horse ride past the window—in the blink of an eye, it is already gone.
A verse says:
大道無門 千差有路 透得此關 乾坤獨步
The Great Way has no gate, Yet a thousand paths lead to it. Once you pass through this barrier, You walk alone between heaven and earth.
佛祖機緣四十八則
The Buddha's Forty-Eight Encounters