胡子無鬚
Beardless, No Beard
或庵曰。西天胡子。因甚無鬚。
Or'an said: "When a Western monk has a beard, why is he beardless?"
無門曰。參須實參。悟須實悟。者箇胡子。直須親見一回始得。說親見。早成兩箇。
Wumen said: Practice must be true practice; awakening must be true awakening. That bearded one—you must see him for yourself, face to face. But the very moment you speak of "seeing him face to face," there are already two.
頌曰。
The verse says:
癡人面前 不可說夢 胡子無鬚 惺惺添懵
Before a fool, do not speak of dreams— A bearded man needs no whiskers. Adding awareness only stirs confusion.