第四則南泉圓相
Case 4: Nanquan's Circle
舉南泉。歸宗。麻谷。禮拜忠國師。(這山望着那山高)泉於路上畫一圓相云。道得即去。(三人同行。必有我師)宗於圓相中坐。(欺敵者亡)谷作女人拜。(不負初心)泉云。恁麼則不去也。(何不早道)宗云。是何心行。(悔不慎當初)天童拈云。我當時若見。便與撥却圓相。(看脚下)不唯打破南泉窠窟。(欽師猶被馬師惑)亦乃教歸宗無著身處。(萬松軒裏。海納百川)麻谷呈伎倆不得。(不妨省力)泉云恁麼則不去也。(未出三門。已打退鼓)果然果然(五更侵早起。更有夜行人)。
Nanquan, Guizong, and Magu went to pay respects to National Teacher Zhong. (The grass is always greener on the other side.)
On the way, Nanquan drew a circle on the ground and said, "If you can express it, we'll go." (When three travel together, one can be my teacher.)
Guizong sat down inside the circle. (He who underestimates the enemy perishes.)
Magu made a woman's bow. (Do not betray your original intention.)
Nanquan said, "If that's the case, we won't go." (Why didn't you say so earlier?)
Guizong said, "What kind of attitude is this?" (Regret not being careful from the start.)
Tiantong raised the case and said, "If I had been there at the time, I would have erased the circle. (Watch your step.) Not only would I have broken through Nanquan's nest, (Even Master Qin was confused by Master Ma.) I would also have left Guizong with no place to stand. (In Wansong's hall, the sea embraces a hundred rivers.) Magu would have had no chance to show off his tricks. (It would have saved effort.) Nanquan said, 'If that's the case, we won't go.' (Before even leaving the gate, the retreat drum was already beaten.) Indeed, indeed. (Rising early at the fifth watch, there are still night travelers ahead.)"
師云。蒲州麻谷寶徹禪師。平欺臨濟攙奪禪床。互換之機。叢林標榜。黃蘗道。馬祖出八十餘員大善知識。箇箇阿轆轆地。唯歸宗却較些子。馬祖道。經入藏。禪歸海。唯有普願。獨超物外。普願。南泉法諱也。三人同參馬祖。紹讓祖為孫。禮國師為祖。泉於路上畫一圓相。直饒脫體傳神。爭似一迴親見。歸宗高步毗盧頂𩕳。坐斷報化佛頭。要且無出身之路。麻谷狸奴拜鴈。向天津橋上。瓜州渡頭。大耳三藏。鼻尖上。眼睛裏。已相見了。南泉藏身計穩。陷虎機深。一舉萬全。自為得䇿。其奈天童有先見之明。使探馬扼其歸路。眾中道。萬松判這公案。說假三分相似。但向道。孫劉不入曹公手。典午無由得坐朝(舊本作晴)。
The master said: Master Baoche of Magu in Puzhou openly challenged Linji and seized his meditation seat. Their exchange of skillful means became a model in the monastic community. Huangbo said: "From Mazu emerged over eighty great teachers, each one shining brilliantly. Yet Guizong stands out a bit more." Mazu said: "Scriptures return to the canon, meditation returns to the ocean. Only Puyuan transcends the world of phenomena." Puyuan is the dharma name of Nanquan. These three all studied under Mazu, carrying on the lineage as grandsons of the patriarch, honoring National Teacher Huizhong as their ancestor. Nanquan once drew a circle on the road. Even if one transmitted the essence completely, how could it compare to seeing it directly once? Guizong strode atop the crown of Vairocana, cutting off the heads of reward and transformation bodies, yet still lacking a path to liberation. Magu, like a cat bowing to wild geese, had already met Great Ear Tripitaka on Tianjin Bridge, at Guazhou Crossing, on the tip of his nose, within his eyes. Nanquan hid himself securely, his trap for the tiger deep and cunning—a single move ensuring complete success, confident in his strategy. Yet, how could he anticipate that Tiantong possessed foresight, deploying scouts to block his retreat? Among the assembly, some say: "Wansong's judgment of this case may seem three parts similar, but tell me: if Sun and Liu had not fallen into Cao Cao's hands, how could Sima have ascended to rule the court?"