---
title: "萬松老人評唱天童覺和尚拈古請益錄 · 第三十七則石梯問去"
description: "萬松老人評唱天童覺和尚拈古請益錄，簡稱萬松老人評唱天童拈古請益錄，由宋代高僧正覺拈古，元代高僧行秀評唱而成。該書屬禪宗語錄體著作，內容輯錄天童正覺禪師對古德公案的拈提評唱，萬松行秀在此基礎上進一步闡釋發揮，以問答形式啟發學人悟入禪機。此作誕生於宋元禪宗鼎盛時期，融合了臨濟與曹洞宗風，深刻體現了禪宗“不立文字、直指人心”的宗旨，是研究宋元禪宗思想與公案詮釋的重要文獻，在佛教史上具有承先啟後的地位，為後世學人參究禪法提供了權威依據。"
url: "https://rushiwowen.co/en/r/cmex4awsz2pdgjp041wyks8n9"
---

### 第三十七則石梯問去

> Case 37: Shiti Asks Where to Go

舉石梯問侍者什麼處去。不覆堂頭。便屬偷暇者云。上堂齋去。不可別道梯云。我豈不知汝上堂齋去。何須更問者云。除此之外。別道什麼。文不加點梯云。我祇問汝本分事。早是分外者云。若問本分事。某甲實是上堂齋去。幾不問過梯云。不謬為吾侍者。和尚大善知識天童拈云。放過即不可。和尚照顧禪床如今直與扭得鼻孔痛。便好下手打得骨頭出始得。暫借和尚拄杖免見瞎驢趂大隊。牽來拽磨所以道平地上死人無數。此病最難醫透得荊棘林是好手。劈口掌云。透也有甚難且道適來這僧透得也未。更要第二摑多虗不如少實逆水撑舟。不離舊處。

> Stone Stair asked his attendant, "Where are you going?" <note>If he didn't go back to the abbot's quarters, he'd be stealing time away.</note> The attendant said, "I'm going to the hall for the meal." <note>There's no other answer to give.</note> Stone Stair said, "Do you think I didn't know you were going to the hall for the meal?" <note>Why even ask, then?</note> The attendant said, "Other than that, what else should I say?" <note>Nothing could be added or removed from that reply.</note> Stone Stair said, "I was only asking about your fundamental matter." <note>That was already going beyond the point.</note> The attendant said, "If you're asking about my fundamental matter, I really am just going to the hall for the meal." <note>It was almost a pointless question.</note> Stone Stair said, "You truly deserve to be my attendant." <note>What a great teacher you are!</note> Tiantong remarked, "It couldn't be let go." <note>Watch out for the meditation bench, Master!</note> "But now, if you directly twist his nose until it hurts," <note>Then you should strike.</note> "and beat him until his bones come out," <note>I'll borrow the master's staff for a moment.</note> "only then will you avoid blind donkeys chasing after the herd." <note>Lead them to pull the millstone.</note> "That's why it's said: 'Countless people die on level ground'— <note>This is the hardest illness to cure.</note> 'Only those who penetrate the bramble forest are true adepts.'" <note>Slap the mouth and say: "What's so hard about penetrating it?"</note> "Now tell me—did this monk penetrate it or not?" <note>You're asking for another slap.</note> "Much emptiness is not as good as a little substance." <note>Paddling upstream, never leaving the old spot.</note>

師云。石梯法嗣鄂州茱萸。師資皆亡其名。萸嗣南泉。梯。泉孫也。一日侍者請梯入浴。梯曰。既不洗塵。亦不洗垢。浴作什麼。者云。和尚先去。某將皂角後來。梯乃笑。佛鑑拈云。石梯年老。侍者年少。雖然老少不同。其奈頭腦相似。天童拈這公案。便覺佛鑑能判而不能斷。一日石梯問侍者什麼處去。本分宗師。常以本分事為人。侍者却道我上堂齋去。若總恁麼。胡張三。黑李四。也合罷參。祇恐不是玉。是玉也大奇。梯云。我豈不知汝上堂齋去。水浸麻繩。一股股緊。者云。除此之外。道什麼。火燒竹筒。一節節熱。這老漢著甚死急。我問汝本分事。且道是侍者不本分。石梯不本分。洞山聰嘗自負柴上山。路逢一僧。問山上有柴。何故更將上去。聰便放下柴於地云。會麼。僧云。不會。聰云。我要燒。侍者也甚奇怪道。若問本分事。某甲實是上堂齋去。佛事人情。一時周足。石梯無奈之何。滿口許他道。不謬為吾侍者。石梯既許他。天童為甚却道放過即不可。更要扭得鼻痛。打得骨出。天童前來拈雪峰問僧甚麼處去。僧云。普請去。峰云。去。拈道動著三十棒。恐人一向學平實禪。這裏却道免見瞎驢趂大隊。曹溪波浪如相似。無限平人被陸沈。所以道平地上死人無數。天童引入荊棘林中道。透得底是好手。侍者且置。忽有人問萬松。這荊棘林作麼生透。向道今日實是從希家齋來。不見道。多虗不如少實。

> A teacher said, "Shiti was a Dharma heir of Ziyu of Ezhou. Both teacher and student lost their names. Ziyu was a Dharma heir of Nanquan; Shiti was Nanquan's Dharma grandson." One day, an attendant invited Shiti to bathe. Shiti said, "Since I neither wash off dust nor cleanse dirt, what is the point of bathing?" The attendant said, "Reverend, you go first; I will bring the soap later." Shiti just laughed. Fojian raised this case and commented, "Shiti was old, the attendant young. Though their ages differed, their minds were alike." Tiantong raised this case and felt Fojian could judge but could not decide. One day, Shiti asked his attendant, "Where are you going?" A true master always uses the fundamental matter to teach others. The attendant replied, "I'm going to the hall for the meal." If they were always like this, people would be confused and waste time meditating. It's just that something might not be jade—if it were jade, it would be truly extraordinary. Shiti said, "Do you think I don't know you're going to the hall for the meal?" The attendant said, "Apart from this, what else is there to say?" An old man once burned a bamboo tube; each segment was hot. Shiti asked impatiently, "I'm asking you about the fundamental matter—was the attendant off the mark, or was Shiti off the mark?" Dongshan always carried firewood up the mountain himself. Once he met a monk on the road, who asked, "There is firewood on the mountain; why are you carrying more up?" Dongshan put down the firewood and asked, "Do you understand?" The monk said, "No." Dongshan replied, "I need to burn it." The attendant was remarkable. He said, "If you ask about the fundamental matter, I truly am going to the hall for the meal." At that moment, both Buddhist service and worldly matters were perfectly fulfilled. Shiti had no choice but to fully agree with him: "You are truly my attendant." Since Shiti agreed with him, why did Tiantong say, "One cannot let him off—better twist his nose until it hurts and beat him until bones come out"? Because earlier, Tiantong raised the case of Xuefeng asking a monk where he was going; the monk replied, "To community work." Xuefeng said, "Go." Then Tiantong raised the case of "movement deserves thirty strikes." This was to prevent people from only learning simplistic Zen. Here he commented, "This is better than seeing a blind donkey chasing a large herd." It is said, "The waves of Caoxi are alike; countless ordinary people have sunk." Therefore, he said, "Countless dead people lie on flat ground." Tiantong led them into a thorny thicket and said, "Only one who penetrates it is a good hand." Set aside the attendant. If someone suddenly asked Wansong, "How can one penetrate this thorny thicket?" I would answer, "Today I truly came from Xi's house for a meal." Haven't you heard? "Falsity is better than truth."