---
title: "雪關禪師語錄 · 信州博山語錄"
description: "雪關禪師語錄是明代禪僧雪關智誾的語錄彙編，由弟子成巒等人記錄，開詗編訂。該書成於明末禪宗傳承之際，反映了當時曹洞宗的發展面貌。內容收錄雪關禪師的上堂法語、機鋒對答、書信偈頌等，闡揚禪宗心性思想，強調頓悟見性、直指人心的修行路徑。作為明代曹洞宗重要文獻，該語錄不僅體現了雪關禪師的禪學特色，也為研究明末禪宗思想提供了珍貴史料，在佛教典籍中具有承先啟後的學術價值。"
url: "https://rushiwowen.co/en/r/cmgn14p0a3gn0l404zcbxpzaq"
---

### 信州博山語錄

> Recorded Sayings from Mount Bo in Xinzhou

崇禎壬申孟夏朔旦，信州眾檀越暨合山大眾請上堂。

師登座，拈香云：「此一瓣香，氣壓群芳，遍空遍界，光吞萬象，亙古亙今，爇向罏中，專為祝延今上皇帝聖壽萬安，伏願金甌永固，滿朝盡是夔龍；黃河再清，四海爭歌堯舜。此一瓣香，無煙火處拈來，薰凡灼聖；沒鼻孔人嗅著，徹地通天。爇向罏中，專為山中檀越外護眾居士，所冀真俗不二，遠振龐老之風；心鏡雙融，大徹子韶之格。此一瓣香，價高無比，靈根占斷靈山；酷烈難當，毒氣親由洞水。爇向罏中，專伸供養博山堂上先大師異和尚，用酬法乳之恩。」就座，維那白椎竟，師云：「夫為沙門，欲荷擔大法者，必須先明第一義，具擇法眼、徹法源底，於二六時中，法為家務、法為城墻、法為舟車、法為茶膳。不見道：『心同虛空界，示等虛空法；證得虛空時，無是無非法。』古今知識橫說豎說，總貴在舌頭不黏著肉、好眼不屑點沙，終日說有不墮常、終日說無不落空、終日說非有非無不屬相違、終日說亦有亦無不名戲論，如吹毛在手，殺活自繇；如明鏡當臺，妍媸隨照，纔是大方家接人手段。若夫初機學人，大法未明，必須真實操履、真實究竟，果到此箇田地，即使埋藏山谷，自有人剜肉燃燈，捨身為座，雖諸天魔梵亦將同請轉大法輪，豈闡提隻手能掩其太陽光輝乎？今日檀越眾居士洎合山諸禪德，殷勤勸請舉揚博山宗旨，如將千斤擔子逼上肩頭，山僧秪得冒登此座，為諸仁者說幾句麤茶淡飯，若喚作說法，大有人笑這箇蟲豸在。笑則任從，且道誾上座畢竟是博山逆子耶？孝子耶？」卓柱杖云：「自從拗折撩天杖，今日重拈活似龍。」卓拄杖下座。

> The Master ascended the platform, took up a stick of incense, and said: "This single stick of incense, its fragrance surpassing all others, fills all space and realms; its light engulfs all phenomena, enduring through all time, past and present. I now burn it in the censer, dedicated to praying for the long life and eternal peace of our present Emperor. May the golden vessel of the state remain forever secure, and may the entire court be filled with wise ministers like Kui and Long. May the Yellow River run clear once more, and may all within the four seas sing praises of the sage rulers Yao and Shun. "This single stick of incense, taken from a place without worldly smoke, can perfume the ordinary and illuminate the sage. Even one with no nostrils to smell it can, through it, penetrate earth and reach heaven. I now burn it in the censer, dedicated to the lay patrons and protectors of this mountain, all the devoted laymen. May they realize the non-duality of the sacred and the secular, widely spreading the style of Elder Pang. May their minds and the mirror of reality merge in perfect harmony, fully embodying the character of Zishao. "This single stick of incense, priceless beyond compare, its spiritual root is planted firmly on Vulture Peak. Its intensity is hard to bear, its potent essence flows directly from the cave's waters. I now burn it in the censer, dedicated as an offering to my late master, the Venerable Monk Yi of the Boshan Hall, in repayment for the nurturing kindness of the Dharma-milk." He then took his seat. After the Rector struck the wooden block and announced the assembly, the Master said: "Those who, as monastics, wish to shoulder the great Dharma, must first understand the supreme meaning. They must possess the Dharma-selecting eye and penetrate to the very source of the Dharma. Throughout the twelve periods of the day, the Dharma should be their household duty, their city wall, their boat and cart, their tea and sustenance. Is it not said: 'The mind is identical to the realm of space; it reveals the Dharma equal to space. When one realizes the nature of space, there is neither 'is' nor 'is not'.' "Throughout the ages, wise teachers have explained it in myriad ways, but the essential point is that the tongue does not cling to flesh, and the clear eye does not tolerate a single grain of sand. Speaking all day of 'existence', one does not fall into permanence. Speaking all day of 'non-existence', one does not fall into nihilism. Speaking all day of 'neither existence nor non-existence', one does not belong to contradiction. Speaking all day of 'both existence and non-existence', one is not engaged in idle speculation. It is like holding a sharp sword—killing and giving life are free. It is like a bright mirror facing the world—beauty and ugliness are reflected as they are. Only this is the method of a true master in guiding others. "As for beginners whose understanding of the great Dharma is not yet clear, they must engage in genuine practice and seek genuine realization. If one truly reaches such a state, even if hidden away in mountain valleys, there will be those who willingly cut their own flesh to fuel a lamp, or offer their bodies as a seat. Even the heavenly demons and Brahma gods will join in requesting one to turn the great Wheel of Dharma. How could the hand of a non-believer ever block the radiance of such a sun? "Today, the lay patrons and all the virtuous meditators of this mountain have earnestly urged me to expound the essential teaching of Boshan. It is like placing a thousand-pound burden upon my shoulders. This mountain monk has no choice but to venture onto this seat and offer you all a few words of plain tea and simple rice. If you call this 'expounding the Dharma', many will laugh at this insect. Laugh if you will. But tell me, is this humble monk ultimately a rebellious son of Boshan, or a filial one?" He struck his staff on the ground and said: "Since I broke that staff that once probed the heavens, today I take it up again—alive and dragon-like." He struck his staff once more and descended from the seat.

沙縣陳秉初居士請上堂。

> Venerable Chen Bingchu of Shaxian requests the Dharma discourse.

僧問：「擬申一問，以為探竿影草時如何？」師云：「拈卻探竿著。」進云：「既是拈卻，更說箇甚麼？」師云：「無舌童兒語似雷。」進云：「和尚為人一句作麼生道？」師云：「縵天帳子無人見，笑把鮫珠倒撒來。」進云：「三聖道：『我逢人即出，出即不為人。』此意如何？」師云：「我不似烏龜鑽破壁。」進云：「興化道：『我逢人即不出，出即便為人。』又作麼生？」師云：「也是反手卸籠頭。」進云：「正當出與未出時如何？」師云：「眼橫鼻豎。」進云：「可謂於一毫端現寶王剎，坐微塵裏轉大法輪。」師云：「不可在焦螟眼裏作活計。」僧禮拜，師乃云：「萬水千山特地來，為求法施請登臺；山僧指示無他語，長夏山中正熟梅。昔甘贄行者入南泉設齋，仍請南泉念誦，泉乃白椎云：『請大眾為狸奴白牯念摩訶般若波羅蜜。』者拂袖便出。泉齋後問典座：『行者在甚麼處？』座云：『當時便去也。』泉便打破鍋子。」師云：「行者入寺設齋，砒霜甜似蜜；南泉打破鍋子，毒手利如錐。簡點將來，父子失情，匆匆放過。今日陳秉初居士若請山僧念誦，秪向他道：『住持事繁。』免得打破鍋子傷了客情。山僧與麼道，且道與古人是同是別？」良久云：「臨機若不通權變，縱到無心滯一隅。」

> A monk asked, "If I were to raise a question, like a probing pole or a shadow grass, what then?" The master said, "Put aside the probing pole." The monk pressed, "Since it's put aside, what more is there to say?" The master said, "A tongueless child speaks like thunder." The monk asked, "Master, how would you express it in one phrase for others?" The master said, "A vast canopy unseen by anyone, joyfully scattering pearls from the sea." The monk asked, "Sansheng said, 'When I meet someone, I emerge; when I emerge, it's not for others.' What does this mean?" The master said, "I'm not like a turtle boring through a wall." The monk asked, "Xinghua said, 'When I meet someone, I do not emerge; when I emerge, it's precisely for others.' What about that?" The master said, "That's also like loosening the bridle with a backhand." The monk asked, "Right at the moment of emerging or not emerging, what then?" The master said, "Eyes horizontal, nose vertical." The monk said, "It can be said, 'On the tip of a single hair, a jeweled king's realm appears; seated within a speck of dust, the great Dharma wheel turns.'" The master said, "Don't make a living in the eye of a gnat." The monk bowed. The master then said, "Crossing countless mountains and rivers, you come especially seeking Dharma offerings; please ascend the platform. This mountain monk has no other words to point out—the long summer in the mountains, the plums are ripening. Once, the lay practitioner Gan Zhi entered Nanquan's temple to offer a meal and requested Nanquan to recite the dedication. Nanquan struck the wooden block and said, 'May the assembly recite the Maha Prajna Paramita for the wildcats and white oxen.' The layman flicked his sleeves and left. After the meal, Nanquan asked the cook, 'Where is the lay practitioner?' The cook said, 'He left immediately.' Nanquan then smashed the cooking pot." The master said, "The lay practitioner enters the temple to offer a meal—arsenic sweet as honey; Nanquan smashes the cooking pot—a poisonous hand sharp as an awl. Examining it closely, father and son lose affection, hastily letting it pass. Today, if layman Chen Bingchu were to ask this mountain monk to recite the dedication, I would only say to him, 'The abbot's duties are many.' This avoids smashing the pot and harming the guest's feelings. This mountain monk speaking this way—is it the same as the ancients or different?" After a long pause, he said, "If one cannot adapt flexibly in the moment, even reaching mindlessness will stagnate in a corner."

四月八日上堂：「教中道：『未離兜率，已降皇宮；未出母胎，度人已畢。』與麼說話，大似錦被蓋孩兒，遮掩得好。諸禪德！若於此覷得破，盡大地是釋迦老子面孔，亦是諸人自己面孔，諸人與釋迦老子更無差別；於此不會，卻勞他從頭離兜率降皇宮一場敗闕。所以初生下來便乃指天指地，獨自稱尊；卻被箇跛腳阿師要一棒打殺與狗子喫，貴圖天下太平。諸禪德！雲門雖具殺佛底惡辣，未免傷鋒犯手。山僧今日恰要一棒打殺雲門，貴圖兩得相見。諸禪德！還有替跛腳阿師作主者麼？」眾默然，師笑曰：「不是山僧逞人我，果然難得十成人。」

> On the eighth day of the fourth month, the Master ascended the hall and said: "In the teachings it is said: 'Before leaving the Tusita Heaven, he had already descended into the royal palace; before emerging from his mother's womb, the work of saving beings was already complete.' Such words are like covering a child with a brocade quilt—they conceal things quite well. Virtuous meditators! If you can see through this, the entire great earth is the face of old Śākyamuni, and it is also your own face. You and old Śākyamuni are not the least bit different. If you don't understand this, then you'll have to trouble him to go through the whole process of leaving the Tusita Heaven and descending into the royal palace all over again—a rather clumsy affair. That's why, as soon as he was born, he pointed to heaven and earth, declaring himself the only honored one. But then a certain lame old master wanted to take a staff and beat him to death and feed him to the dogs, all for the sake of peace under heaven. Virtuous meditators! Although Yunmen possessed the fierce, sharp edge that could kill a buddha, he still couldn't avoid getting his own hands cut. Today, this mountain monk just wants to take a staff and beat Yunmen to death, so that we may truly meet each other. Virtuous meditators! Is there anyone who will stand up for that lame old master?" The assembly remained silent. The Master laughed and said: "It's not that this mountain monk is showing off or being contentious—it's truly difficult to find someone who is fully accomplished."

栴檀像成，洪惟心居士請上堂：「趙州云：『我有時將一莖草作丈六金身用，有時將丈六金身當一莖草用。』曹山問僧云：『佛真法身，猶若虛空；應物現形，如水中月。作麼生說箇應底道理？』僧云：『如驢覷井。』山云：『道也太煞道，秪道得八成。』僧云：『和尚作麼生？』山云：『如井覷驢。』」師云：「善塑無如曹山，善彫無如趙老；不露些子刀斧痕，真箇手段高妙。若會得如驢覷井，便曉莖草即丈六金身；若會得如井覷驢，便曉丈六金身即莖草。目犍連枉運神通、優填王徒煩匠巧。丹霞正令劈頭行，誰道子孫賢不肖？今日新安洪居士為報先慈，敬塑栴檀尊像一軀，送入先師塔院供養，仍設齋請山僧為眾說法。且道畢竟造像齋僧有何功德？」卓杖云：「不求有漏人天福，大孝全彰古佛心。」

> When the sandalwood statue was completed, layman Hong Wei Xin requested a Dharma talk. The master ascended the platform and said: "Zhao Zhou said, 'Sometimes I use a single blade of grass as a sixteen-foot golden body; sometimes I use the sixteen-foot golden body as a single blade of grass.' Cao Shan asked a monk, 'The true Dharma body of the Buddha is like empty space; it manifests forms in response to beings, like the moon reflected in water. How would you speak of this principle of response?' The monk replied, 'Like a donkey looking into a well.' Cao Shan said, 'You have spoken quite well, but you have only expressed eighty percent of it.' The monk asked, 'How would you say it, Master?' Cao Shan said, 'Like the well looking at the donkey.'" The master said: "In skillful sculpting, none surpass Cao Shan; in skillful carving, none surpass Old Man Zhao. Not revealing the slightest trace of the chisel's mark—truly their methods are sublime. If you understand 'like a donkey looking into a well,' then you will know that a blade of grass is the sixteen-foot golden body. If you understand 'like the well looking at the donkey,' then you will know that the sixteen-foot golden body is a blade of grass. Maudgalyāyana wasted his effort in employing spiritual powers; King Udayana merely troubled craftsmen with their skill. Danxia's true command marches right at the forefront—who speaks of whether descendants are worthy or unworthy? Today, layman Hong of Xin'an, to repay his late mother's kindness, has reverently commissioned a sandalwood statue of the honored one and offered it for veneration at his late teacher's stupa compound. He has also prepared a vegetarian feast and invited this mountain monk to speak Dharma for the assembly. Tell me, after all, what merit is there in creating statues and offering meals to monastics?" He struck his staff and said: "Not seeking the leaky blessings of humans and gods, great filial piety fully reveals the ancient Buddha's mind."

玄錫關主同弟彥秀宗侯請上堂。「參學人如久客思歸，不辭辛勤跋涉，透出情關疊疊，穿過解路重重，歷盡旅邸煙霜，便見家山風月。秪如今日玄錫關主從豫章至，恰值山僧自閩嶺回，兩人齊到，且道意旨如何？還鄉盡是兒孫事，祖父從來不出門。」遂卓拄杖下座。

> Abbot Xuanxi and his younger brother, the esteemed Lord Yanxiu, requested a Dharma talk. The Chan Master ascended the seat and said: "A seeker on the path is like a traveler long away from home, yearning to return. Undaunted by the hardships of the journey, they break through layer upon layer of emotional entanglements, traverse the winding paths of intellectual understanding, and endure all the trials and frosts of the inns along the way. Only then do they finally behold the breeze and moonlight of their native hills. Now, today, Abbot Xuanxi has arrived from Yuzhang, and it so happens that this mountain monk has just returned from the Min mountain range. The two of us have arrived together. What do you suppose the meaning of this is? \*Returning home is entirely the affair of children and grandchildren;\* \*The ancestral patriarch never once steps out the door.\*" With that, he struck his staff on the ground and descended from the seat.

端陽上堂，師舉：「南陽忠國師問西天大耳三藏云：『聞汝具他心通是否？』藏云：『是。』南陽良久云：『汝道老僧在甚麼處？』藏云：『和尚一國之師，因甚在天津橋上看弄猢孫？』南陽良久又云：『老僧只今在甚麼處？』藏云：『和尚一國之師，為何向西川看競渡？』南陽良久又云：『老僧即今在甚麼處？』藏罔措，南陽叱云：『這野狐精，他心通在甚麼處？』」師云：「橋上弄猢孫，西川看競渡；隔壁聽梭聲，知有窗問婦。忽然密室不通風，因甚麼覷他不破？汨羅江上客，元是獨醒人。」

> On the Duanwu Festival, the Master ascended the hall and cited this story: "Master Nanyang Zhong asked the Great-Eared Tripitaka from the Western Heavens, 'I hear you possess the power of reading others' minds—is that true?' Tripitaka replied, 'It is.' After a long pause, Nanyang asked, 'Tell me, where is this old monk right now?' Tripitaka said, 'You are a teacher to the nation—why are you watching the monkey show on Tianjin Bridge?' After another long pause, Nanyang asked, 'Where is this old monk now?' Tripitaka said, 'You are a teacher to the nation—why are you watching the boat races in West Sichuan?' After yet another long pause, Nanyang asked, 'Where is this old monk at this very moment?' Tripitaka was at a loss and could not answer. Nanyang scolded him, 'You wild fox spirit! Where is your mind-reading power now?'" The Master then said: "Watching monkeys on the bridge, Gazing at races in West Sichuan; Hearing the shuttle next door, One knows a woman weaves within. Yet when the secret room is sealed and windless, Why can it not be seen through? The traveler on the Miluo River Was, from the start, the one awake alone."

上堂，僧問：「德山托缽上堂，雪峰道：『鐘未鳴，板未響，這老漢托缽向甚處去？』德山便歸方丈。此意如何？」師云：「竿頭纔露影，誰識轉身人？」進云：「巖頭云：『大小德山，不知末後句。』未審不知在甚麼處？」師云：「攘羊證父。」進云：「密啟其意，未審如何？」師云：「汝道他是甚意？」進云：「德山便休去，不知是何心行？」師云：「纔是德山。」進云：「明日上堂，果與尋常不同。不知不同在甚麼處？」師云：「汝且道我今日上堂是尋常、是不同？」進云：「且喜老漢會末後句，不知會在甚麼處？」師云：「末後句且置，汝還見德山麼？」進云：「巖頭云：『秪得三年活。』未審巖頭具甚麼眼便恁麼道？」師云：「也是蠅子放卵，不顧佛頭。」進云：「謝師答話。」師不顧。僧問：「從緣薦得即不問，如何是就體消停？」師云：「暗裏逢知己，鬧叢不識渠。」進云：「與麼則屋後青松長挺秀？」師云：「早被風吹折了也。」進云：「是甚麼風？」師打云：「汝何不辯來風？」僧問：「離四句，絕百非，請師直指西來意。」師云：「千年池裏鱉，一釣上竿來。」僧擬議，師云：「倒拖出去著。」僧問：「如何是祖師西來意？」師云：「西來意且置，你是那家甲首？」進云：「到這裏是和尚甲首。」師云：「你因甚麼欠官錢，少私債？」僧云：「也不欠官錢，不少私債，秪是無有入處。」便出。師云：「草賊大敗。」僧回首云：「某甲出坡事忙。」師云：「忙煞也中何用？」數僧競出，師約住云：「不解做賊，都來獻贓。若論此事，如人捉賊相似，必先知賊處所、見贓分明，即立時捉下，自然打破窠窟。諸禪德！山僧與麼告報，在諸人分上早是著賊了也。著賊且置，且道臨濟白拈，何似山僧白拈；山僧白拈，何似臨濟白拈？」卓拄杖一下云：「賊已過了，謾勞張弓。」

> The master ascended the hall. A monk asked: "When Deshan took his alms bowl and ascended the hall, Xuefeng said: 'The bell hasn't rung, the board hasn't sounded—where is this old fellow going with his alms bowl?' Deshan then returned to his abbot's quarters. What is the meaning of this?" The master said: "The shadow just appears at the tip of the pole—who recognizes the one who turns around?" The monk advanced: "Yantou said: 'Deshan, great or small, doesn't know the final phrase.' I wonder where exactly he didn't know?" The master said: "Accusing the father with stolen sheep." The monk advanced: "Secretly revealing its meaning—I wonder how?" The master said: "What meaning do you say it is?" The monk advanced: "Deshan then stopped—I don't know what his mind was doing?" The master said: "That's precisely Deshan." The monk advanced: "The next day when he ascended the hall, it was indeed different from usual. I wonder where exactly it was different?" The master said: "You tell me—is my ascending the hall today usual, or different?" The monk advanced: "Fortunately the old fellow understood the final phrase—I wonder where exactly he understood it?" The master said: "Set aside the final phrase—do you still see Deshan?" The monk advanced: "Yantou said: 'He'll only live three more years.' I wonder what kind of eye Yantou had to speak like this?" The master said: "Also like a fly laying eggs, paying no heed to the Buddha's head." The monk advanced: "Thank you, Master, for answering." The master paid no attention. A monk asked: "Attaining from conditions I won't ask about—how is it to settle within the substance?" The master said: "Meeting a close friend in the dark; in the bustling crowd, not recognizing him." The monk advanced: "If so, then the green pine behind the house grows tall and elegant?" The master said: "Already broken by the wind." The monk advanced: "What wind?" The master struck him and said: "Why don't you discern the coming wind?" A monk asked: "Beyond the four propositions, cutting off all negations—please, Master, directly point out the meaning of coming from the West." The master said: "A thousand-year-old turtle in the pond—one hook brings it up the pole." The monk hesitated. The master said: "Drag him out backwards." A monk asked: "What is the meaning of the Patriarch coming from the West?" The master said: "Set aside the meaning of coming from the West—which household's head are you?" The monk advanced: "Coming here, it's the Master's head." The master said: "Why do you owe official taxes and private debts?" The monk said: "I don't owe official taxes or private debts—I just have no way in." Then he left. The master said: "The grass thief is utterly defeated." The monk turned his head and said: "I have slope work to do—I'm busy." The master said: "What's the use even if you're busy to death?" Several monks competed to leave. The master stopped them and said: "Not understanding how to be a thief, yet all come to present stolen goods. If we discuss this matter, it's like a person catching a thief: you must first know the thief's location, see the stolen goods clearly, then immediately catch him and naturally break his den. Fellow Chan practitioners! When this mountain monk gives such instruction, on your part it's already being stolen from. Setting aside being stolen from—tell me, how is Linji's open theft compared to this mountain monk's open theft? How is this mountain monk's open theft compared to Linji's open theft?" He struck his staff once and said: "The thief has already passed—vainly laboring to draw the bow."

臘八上堂：「直下承當，是何話杷？官不容針，私通車馬。須彌高大柱堪題，海天空闊橋難跨；花隄柳巷盡穿通，寶殿珠簾誰放下？雪山夜半睹明星，通身是口裝聾啞。」卓拄杖云：「若是這老子，好喫痛棒打。」復卓拄杖云：「果是這老子，何消痛棒打？」靠拄杖下座。

> On the eighth day of the twelfth month, the master ascended the hall and said: "What kind of talk is this—'directly taking it on'? Officially, not even a needle is allowed; privately, carts and horses pass freely. The Sumeru pillar is tall enough for inscriptions, but the bridge across the vast sea and sky is hard to cross. Through flowered banks and willow-lined lanes, all paths are open— yet who has ever let down the pearl curtains of the jeweled hall? On Snow Mountain at midnight, seeing the morning star, the whole body becomes a mouth, yet feigns deafness and muteness." He tapped his staff and said: "If it's this old fellow, he deserves a good, hard beating." Then he tapped his staff again and said: "But if it really is this old fellow, why bother with a hard beating?" Leaning on his staff, he stepped down from the seat.

結制上堂，僧問：「先鋒即不問，如何是殿後事？」師云：「出身雖有路，舉步即迷蹤。」進云：「三軍一命，重在己權。」師云：「倒跨毘盧印，橫揮寶劍寒。」進云：「恁麼則四海謳歌樂有餘？」師云：「是甚麼歌？」答云：「吽吽！」師云：「汝卻解西天人梵語。」師舉：「曹山云：『從緣薦得相應疾，就體消停得力難；瞥起本來無處所，吾師可說不思議。』諸禪德！若論不思議即是向上一路，既非誠實可造，又非巧力可預，妙在借資還須脫穎，若乃誠實太過，未免眼昏手鈍，焉能瞥地從緣？假饒智巧入神，其奈思行頭撞，焉知就體消停？所以徐六擔，板秪見一邊。山僧者裏，遇著誠實底，與伊一點，教伊透脫玲瓏，免得尖纖搭滯；遇著智巧底，也與伊一點，教伊歸根得旨，免使隨照失宗。雖然，點銕成金，那箇掉頭不顧？若有恁麼人，結制渾閒事；若無恁麼人，結制是常事。何故？鉤頭著餌閒拋水，自有吞舟透網鱗。」

> On the occasion of the summer retreat, a monk asked: "I won't ask about the vanguard—but what is the matter of the rearguard?" The master said: "Though there is a path to step forth, taking a step is to lose the trail." The monk pressed: "The three armies with one life—the weight lies in one's own authority." The master said: "Mounting the Vairocana seal backwards, brandishing the precious sword with a chill." The monk said: "If so, then throughout the four seas, songs of praise overflow with joy?" The master said: "What kind of song is that?" The monk replied: "Hūṃ hūṃ!" The master said: "You, however, understand the Sanskrit of the Western Heaven." The master then cited Caoshan's words: "Grasping from conditions brings swift accord; Dissolving through the substance, gaining strength is hard. A flash arising—originally without place— Our teacher speaks the inconceivable." O assembly of Chan practitioners! Speaking of the inconceivable—this is the supreme path. It is not something sincerity alone can reach, nor can clever effort anticipate it. The wonder lies in borrowing support yet still needing to break free. If one is excessively sincere, the eyes grow dim and the hands clumsy—how then could one glimpse it through conditions? Even if one's wisdom and skill reach divine heights, still thoughts and actions clash head-on—how then could one dissolve through the substance? Thus, like Old Xu carrying a plank, one only sees one side. Here in my place, when I meet someone sincere, I give them a point, Teaching them to penetrate and become luminous, avoiding sharpness and entanglement. When I meet someone clever, I also give them a point, Teaching them to return to the root and grasp the essence, avoiding losing the ancestral thread while following illumination. Even so—turning iron into gold—who would turn their head away without a glance? If there is such a person, the summer retreat is an idle matter. If there is no such person, the summer retreat is an ordinary affair. Why? "A hook baited, casually cast upon the water— Naturally, there are fish that swallow the boat and slip through the net."

上堂，僧問云：「座主家患不知禪，多喜拈禪判教；宗師家患不通教，多愛傍教說禪。拈禪則墮粘綴，傍教則落依倚，如何得免斯咎？」師曰：「昨有僧問：『如何是大通智勝佛？』我向道：『大不通。』僧云：『如何是大不通？』答云：『空中樓閣，八面玲瓏。汝若知得這則答問，便乃宗教兼通。』諸禪德！時當末法見解人多，行解人萬中無一，盡道我通宗教、會佛法，豈知打破大唐國，覓箇不會底人也難得？不見僧問六祖：『衣缽是甚麼人得？』祖云：『會佛法者得。』僧問：『和尚還得麼？』祖云：『我不會佛法。』這箇賣柴翁，真箇圓明廓徹、八面玲瓏，人問《法華》便為說《法華》要義，開眾生惑即如來見；若問《涅槃》便為說《涅槃》妙旨，翻無常義便是真常，可謂如珠走盤、如盤走珠，要且不曾道著一句，妙在信手拈來、信口道著，宗無心而合教；教無心而合宗，豈可思量打算、摸地撈天？自非通身是眼、徹底掀翻，未免說禪便逗機鋒、說教莽開解路，總是關捩未透，謾勞註腳分明，安能向有依倚處翻箇無依倚的觔斗；就粘綴人點破不粘綴的手腳？甚乃自高赤幟、別立門風，縱生滅心、起勝負見，明呵暗斥臆論何憑？殊不知教有教意、宗有宗眼，宗教甄明不容混濫？除是通向上路，一一從自家胸襟中流出，此人說法自然超越格量，如鑪鎚在手，器器成金；象兔逢獅，箇箇伏地。不見古德道：『向上一路，千聖不傳。』又有道：『向上一路，千聖不然。』諸禪德！汝道不然底還是與不傳底翻案耶？還是不傳底與不然底合券耶？其間大有淆訛，須教辯別始得。如或不然，喚作徐六擔板，總須喫山僧手中痛棒。還會麼？千言易得彌天秀，四海難逢不惑人。」

> The master ascended the hall. A monk asked, "The scholar's flaw is not knowing Chan, yet he delights in grasping at Chan to judge the teachings. The master's flaw is not penetrating the teachings, yet he loves leaning on the teachings to speak of Chan. Grasping at Chan leads to sticky attachment; leaning on the teachings leads to dependent reliance. How can one avoid these faults?" The master said, "Yesterday a monk asked, 'What is the Great Penetrating Wisdom-Victorious Buddha?' I told him, 'Greatly not-penetrating.' The monk asked, 'What is greatly not-penetrating?' I replied, 'A castle in the air, exquisite on all sides. If you understand this exchange, then you have penetrated both the teachings and the essence.' O Chan practitioners! In this Dharma-ending age, those with views are many; those who embody realization are not one in ten thousand. They all claim, 'I penetrate the teachings and the essence; I understand the Buddha-Dharma.' Yet do they know? Even if you searched the entire land of the Great Tang, finding one who does \*not\* understand is difficult! Have you not heard? A monk asked the Sixth Patriarch, 'To whom does the robe and bowl belong?' The Patriarch said, 'One who understands the Buddha-Dharma obtains it.' The monk asked, 'Does the Venerable obtain it?' The Patriarch said, 'I do not understand the Buddha-Dharma.' This firewood seller was truly perfectly clear and luminous, exquisite on all sides. If asked about the \*Lotus Sutra\*, he would speak its essential meaning; resolving beings' confusion is the Tathagata's vision. If asked about the \*Nirvana Sutra\*, he would speak its wondrous purport; overturning impermanence is true permanence. One could say it was like a pearl rolling on a plate, or a plate rolling on a pearl. Yet he never once clung to a single phrase. The wonder lies in picking it up freely and speaking it freely. The essence, without intention, accords with the teaching; the teaching, without intention, accords with the essence. How could this be grasped by thinking and scheming, groping in the dark or fishing in the sky? Unless one is all eyes, thoroughly overturned from head to toe, one will inevitably, when speaking of Chan, resort to pointed exchanges; when speaking of the teachings, crudely open paths of understanding. This is always because the pivotal point remains unpenetrated, and one vainly labors to annotate with clarity. How then can one, from a place of dependence, perform a somersault of non-dependence? How can one, for a person stuck in attachment, point out the hands and feet of non-attachment? What's more, some even raise their own red banners, establishing separate schools. They give rise to minds of birth and death, views of superiority and inferiority, openly scolding, secretly disparaging—on what basis are these conjectures? They simply do not realize: the teachings have the intent of the teachings; the essence has the eye of the essence. The distinction between teaching and essence is clear and cannot be confused. Unless one has penetrated the upward path, letting everything flow from one's own breast and mind, such a person's teaching of the Dharma will naturally transcend measurement. It is like having hammer and forge in hand—every vessel becomes gold. It is like hare and elephant meeting the lion—each one falls prostrate. Have you not heard the ancient worthy say, 'The one upward path—a thousand sages do not transmit it.' And also it is said, 'The one upward path—a thousand sages do not affirm it.' O Chan practitioners! Do you say the 'not affirming' overturns the case of 'not transmitting'? Or does the 'not transmitting' match the tally with the 'not affirming'? There is great confusion here; you must discern and distinguish to understand. If not, I call it 'Old Xu carrying a plank'—you'll all have to taste the painful stick in this mountain monk's hand. Do you understand? A thousand words are easy to find, filling the sky with elegance; Across the four seas, it's hard to meet one who is not confused.

立懺期上堂：「毘舍浮佛偈云：『假借四大以為身，心本無生因境有；前境若無心亦無，罪福如幻起亦滅。』能知起滅是幻，則造業修善皆幻也；天堂地獄亦幻也；生死涅槃是幻也；眾生諸佛亦幻也。現前鏡水禪人邀集淨侶修禮萬佛懺摩，與大地眾生作如幻佛事、入如幻法門，轉惡為善、轉凡為聖，點銕成金、消冰歸水。諸禪德！若以幻為幻，是幻非真幻；以非幻為幻，是亦非真幻，除卻是非兩途，非但疾證如幻三昧，亦乃知得三祖懺罪已竟。然雖如是，一切人罪業皆通懺悔，以起滅如幻故，唯有山僧罪業不通懺悔，以如幻不可得故。且道不可得畢竟如何？」良久云：「魔佛從來都殺盡，神頭鬼臉假慈悲。」

> Ascending the Hall on the Day of Repentance: The verse of Vipaśyin Buddha says: "The body is but a temporary borrowing of the four great elements; the mind is originally unborn, arising only due to conditions. When conditions cease, the mind also ceases. Sin and merit, like illusions, arise and perish." If one can understand that arising and perishing are illusory, then creating karma and cultivating goodness are also illusory; heaven and hell are also illusory; birth, death, and nirvana are illusory; sentient beings and all Buddhas are also illusory. Presently, the practitioner Jing Shui has gathered pure companions to cultivate and pay homage in the Ten Thousand Buddhas Repentance Ceremony, performing illusory Buddha deeds for all sentient beings of the great earth, entering the illusory Dharma gate—transforming evil into good, transforming the ordinary into the sage, turning iron into gold, melting ice back into water. O virtuous meditators! If you take illusion as illusion, that illusion is not true illusion; if you take non-illusion as illusion, that too is not true illusion. Apart from these two extremes, not only will you swiftly realize the samadhi of illusion, but you will also understand that the Third Patriarch's repentance of sins is already complete. Even so, the sins of all people can be universally repented, because arising and perishing are like illusions. Only the sins of this mountain monk cannot be universally repented, because illusion is ungraspable. Now, what is the ultimate meaning of ungraspable?" After a long pause, he said: "Demons and Buddhas have always been completely slain; divine heads and ghostly faces feign compassion."

上堂，師乃云：「禪非可參，還須參透；道非可學，貴在學成。今人徒知參禪之高，不知學道之妙，從恣狂慧，偏癖非常，多從從文字鑽求，遂失悟門長處，譬如刻木為人，形雖酷肖，難瞞智者傍觀。是事且置，秪如慈林關主同南昌陶居士登山設供，且道還有意旨也無？雙手捧來銀碗雪，滿籠蒸出鐵饅頭。」

> The master ascended the platform and said: "Zen cannot be grasped by mere inquiry—one must see through it entirely. The Way cannot be mastered by mere study—what matters is truly attaining it. People today only admire the loftiness of Zen inquiry, but fail to recognize the wonder of learning the Way. Indulging in wild cleverness and clinging to eccentric views, many merely dig through texts and words, and thus lose the true advantage of awakening. It is like carving a figure from wood—though the shape may resemble a person, it cannot deceive the wise who observe from the side. But let us set that aside for now. Consider the case of the gatekeeper of Cilin and the layman Tao of Nanchang, who climbed the mountain to make offerings. Tell me—was there any deeper meaning in this? With both hands, they brought a silver bowl full of snow; from the steaming basket emerged iron-hard steamed buns."

結制上堂：「道貴真醇，志防駁雜，無一向決定之志，人品尚不諦當，見諦焉有分明？洪爐大治，若非久煉成剛，短販生涯，多見風吹別調。德山老人道：『毫釐繫念，三塗業因；瞥爾情生，萬劫羈鎖。』汝若有一毫念頭向身心世界上作活計；名聞利養、是非人我上作活計；古今因緣、學解機智上作活計，便是一翳在眼，空花亂墜。曹山大師道：『如人過蠱毒之鄉，水也不得沾他一滴。』今日是結制之期，山僧為諸禪德傾取四大海水掬洗禪床，爇起百和名香薰陶淨器。欲成大樹先揀參天；欲蒔嘉苗先除稂莠。決要參尋祖道、荷負宗乘，必須翻轉鐵石心腸、別立新鮮志氣。若也如此挺特、如此憤發、如此究竟，我亦為汝保任此事終不虛也。山僧與麼道，也合喫苕帚柄一頓。何也？不合向搕𢶍堆上簸土揚塵，污卻諸人面目也。然雖如是，不將苦志參禪道，空向宗門望額牌；生熟路頭都走過，鐵鞋踏破笑歸來。」

> On the occasion of the practice period, the master ascended the hall and said: "The Way values genuine purity; aspiration must guard against impurity. Without a resolute and unwavering determination, one's character cannot be settled, and how then can one's insight be clear? In the great furnace of refinement, only through long tempering does one become strong. Those who trade in small, fleeting pursuits often find themselves swayed by every passing wind. The Elder Deshan said: 'If even a hair's breadth of attachment arises, it becomes the cause for the three lower realms. If a single thought of passion flashes, it binds one for ten thousand kalpas.' If you harbor even the slightest thought of seeking gain in the realm of body and mind; in fame, profit, right and wrong, or self and others; in ancient and modern circumstances, intellectual understanding, or clever stratagems—then it is like having a speck in your eye, causing phantom flowers to fall everywhere. Master Caoshan said: 'It is like passing through a land of poison—do not let even a drop of water touch you.' Today marks the beginning of our practice period. For the sake of all you virtuous meditators, this mountain monk will pour out the waters of the four great oceans to wash the meditation seat, and light the finest incense of a hundred harmonies to purify the vessels. To grow a great tree, first select one that reaches for the sky. To cultivate fine seedlings, first remove the weeds. If you are determined to seek the ancestral Way and shoulder the teachings of our school, you must overturn your iron-stone hearts and establish a fresh, new aspiration. If you can stand firm like this, strive like this, and see it through to the end, I too will guarantee that this matter will not be in vain. Yet, speaking in this way, I deserve a beating with a broomstick. Why? Because I should not be stirring up dust on a heap of rubble, soiling your pure faces. Nevertheless, without bitter resolve to practice the Way of Chan, one merely gazes at the signboard of the school in vain. Having traveled both the familiar and the unfamiliar paths, one returns laughing, having worn out iron shoes."

上堂，卓拄杖云：「諸禪德！分明秪這箇，因甚麼有一類人捏不殺獼猴子？」又卓拄杖云：「分明秪這箇，因甚麼有一類人弄不活獼猴子？若還弄得活、捏得死、放得開、收得住，管取任意逍遙，隨緣散誕。其或未然，九旬禁足，還須堅鑄銅墻；三月安居，正好高纍銕壁。莫教揭破封皮，決定走風露影。秪饒不露風影又如何？雞聲假報秦關曉，關吏而今不受欺。」

> The Master ascended the platform, struck his staff, and said: "O virtuous meditators! Clearly, it is just this. Why is it that some people cannot crush the monkey of the mind?" He struck his staff again and said: "Clearly, it is just this. Why is it that some people cannot revive the monkey of the mind? If you can revive it, crush it, let it go, and gather it in, then surely you may wander freely and roam at ease. But if not, then during the ninety days of the summer retreat, you must still forge walls of bronze; in the three months of settled practice, it is just the time to pile high ramparts of iron. Do not let the seal be broken, for then shadows will surely escape and the wind be revealed. But even if no shadow or wind is revealed, what then? The rooster's cry falsely proclaims the dawn at Qin Pass, but the gatekeeper is no longer deceived."

上堂，僧問：「上來道箇不審，能銷萬兩黃金；下去道箇珍重，亦銷得四天下供養。若作佛法會，滴水難消；若作無事商量，眼中著屑。請問和尚如何即是？」師云：「你卻伶利。」僧一喝，師云：「秪易叱他泥犢子，難教擊破鶻崙磚。」僧云：「光透日月，明暗不收時如何？」師云：「是甚麼光？」僧又喝，師云：「莫便是光麼？」僧又喝，師云：「你秪有這箇結局。」便打。僧問：「如何是沙門所重？」師云：「戴角披毛總不知。」僧禮拜。師舉：「東坡云：『寧可食無肉，不可居無竹；無肉令人瘦，無竹令人俗。』後有人添兩句：『若要不瘦與不俗，莫若餐餐筍炒肉。』諸禪德！佛祖言教如竹肉俱美，又作何去留？若將佛法貼在額樓上，何異俗漢愛肉而不愛竹？不將佛法貼在額樓上，又類東坡愛竹而不愛肉。倘具衲僧家眼孔，不被方便語羅籠，如詞客添句筍肉俱好，而妙在取裁，山僧恁麼語話？還有能掀翻此案而道得相應底句者麼？」眾無對，師笑云：「果然！」

> The master ascended the hall. A monk asked: "When coming up, saying 'I pay my respects' can melt away ten thousand taels of gold; when going down, saying 'take care' can also melt away offerings from the four continents. If understood as Buddha-dharma, even a drop of water is hard to digest; if discussed as having nothing to do, it's like getting dust in the eye. May I ask, Venerable, what is the right way?" The master said: "You are quite clever." The monk gave a shout. The master said: "It's easy to shout at a clay calf, but hard to teach someone to break a solid brick." The monk said: "When light penetrates sun and moon, and neither brightness nor darkness can contain it—what then?" The master said: "What light is this?" The monk shouted again. The master said: "Is this the light?" The monk shouted once more. The master said: "You only have this ending." Then he struck him. A monk asked: "What do monks value most?" The master said: "Even horned and hairy beasts don't know." The monk bowed. The master cited Su Dongpo's verse: "Better to eat without meat than live without bamboo; no meat makes one thin, no bamboo makes one vulgar." Later someone added two lines: "If you want neither thin nor vulgar, why not eat bamboo shoots fried with meat every meal?" "O assembly of Chan practitioners! The teachings of Buddhas and patriarchs are like both bamboo and meat—both excellent. How then do we choose? If you paste the Buddha-dharma on your forehead, how are you different from a vulgar fellow who loves meat but not bamboo? If you don't paste the Buddha-dharma on your forehead, you're like Dongpo who loved bamboo but not meat. If you possess the eye of a true monk, not trapped by expedient words—like the poet adding lines where both shoots and meat are good, yet the wonder lies in selection—this old monk speaking like this: Is there anyone who can overturn this case and utter a phrase that truly corresponds?" The assembly had no reply. The master laughed and said: "Indeed!"

上堂：「六祖云：『佛法在世間，不離世間覺；離世覓菩提，猶如求兔角。』曹谿此語，秪要人百草頭薦取祖師、鬧市中識取天子，雖然竭盡婆心，爭奈全彰家醜。如今討箇過水不濕腳、解走不觸道底人也難得。何也？秪為頑情鬱結，難挑闇室之燈；直饒癡兀忘緣，未具透關之眼。且道山僧分上又作麼生？」卓拄杖云：「任運住持三三不偶。」

> The Master ascended the hall and said: "The Sixth Patriarch taught: 'The Dharma is within the world, awakening is not apart from the world. To seek enlightenment apart from the world is like searching for horns on a rabbit.' These words from Caoxi simply urge people to recognize the Patriarch in the tips of every blade of grass, to discern the Emperor amidst the bustling marketplace. Though they pour out a grandmother's heart of compassion, they still end up exposing the family's disgrace. Nowadays, it is rare to find someone who can cross the water without wetting their feet, who can walk freely without touching the path. Why is this? It is only because stubborn attachments are deeply knotted, making it hard to light a lamp in a dark room. Even if one were to forget all conditions in dull oblivion, they still lack the eye that sees through the barrier. Now, what about this mountain monk's share?" He struck his staff and said: "Let it be as it is, abide naturally—three and three do not pair."

壽昌闃然禪師與緇素請上堂：「六月炎蒸似釜焦，輕舟千里訪同條；法堂秋晚風趍下，厚道如斯未寂寥。昔法昌遇禪師，因黃龍南公至，上堂云：『鑪韝之所，鈍鐵猶多；良醫之門，病者更甚。瘥病必資靈藥；銷頑須借金鎚。法昌這裏有幾箇躲根阿師，病者病入膏肓、頑者頑徹骨髓，若非黃龍老漢到來，未免虛生浪死。』法昌尋常氣吞諸方，及南公至便自生退屈，抑壓諸賢。山僧則不然，今日闃然師叔及諸禪德！遠顧自非，虛懷無我，何能重法傾誠？山僧也不說諸大眾病入膏肓，頑徹骨髓；也不要諸大眾更求妙劑，別覓鑪錘，秪教追蹤前哲，見賢思齊，更要知師叔為人。昔年海岸黃公稱如幽院梅花芳香晚吐，蓋以師叔久預壽昌師翁籌室，兼受博山先師鉗錘，可謂百煉真金，火候已足，豈似今時孟八郎漢在三家村裏渾拈椎拂、亂施棒喝者同日而語哉？所以道參學者，若眼不別緇素、品不辯高下，此人雖參遍諸方，未免依然錯過。且道錯過在甚麼處？」良久云：「按圖易索千金駿，對面難知本色人。」

> Master Shouchang Que Ran and the monastic assembly requested a Dharma talk. He ascended the seat and said: "June's scorching heat burns like a boiling cauldron; A light boat travels a thousand miles to meet kindred spirits. In the Dharma hall, the autumn evening wind sweeps down— Such profound sincerity is far from lonely. In the past, when Master Fachang Yu encountered Zen Master Huanglong Nan, he ascended the seat and said: 'In the blacksmith's forge, there is still much dull iron; At the gate of a skilled physician, the sick are even more numerous. To cure illness, one must rely on potent medicine; To melt stubbornness, one must borrow a golden hammer. Here at Fachang, there are a few root-dodging masters— Some sick, their illness deep in the marrow; Some stubborn, their obstinacy piercing to the bone. If not for the arrival of Old Huanglong, They would have lived in vain and died in vain.' Fachang usually breathed down the necks of all directions, But when Nan arrived, he naturally retreated and restrained the assembly. This mountain monk, however, is not like that. Today, Uncle Que Ran and all you virtuous Zen practitioners Have traveled far, not for your own sake, But with selfless humility and sincere devotion to the Dharma. This mountain monk will not say that all of you are sick to the marrow or stubborn to the bone; Nor will I ask you to seek miraculous remedies or search for other hammers. I only urge you to follow the footsteps of the ancient sages, To see the virtuous and strive to equal them. But more importantly, you must understand Uncle Que Ran's character. In the past, Huang Gong of the coast praised him as 'The plum blossom in a secluded courtyard, its fragrance blooming late.' This is because Uncle Que Ran long studied under our teacher Shouchang, And also endured the forging of our late master Boshan. He can truly be called a hundred-times refined true gold, Whose fire tempering is already complete. How can he be compared to those reckless fellows of today Who randomly brandish their staffs and shout in remote villages, Mixing up their methods without discernment? Therefore, it is said: If a seeker's eye cannot distinguish black from white, If their judgment cannot discern high from low, Even if they study under all the masters far and wide, They will still inevitably miss the point. So tell me—where exactly do they miss it?" After a long pause, he said: "Following a map, one can easily find a priceless steed; Yet face to face, it's hard to recognize a person's true nature."

徽州慈浚、了塵眾禪人請上堂：「達磨大師云：『無上妙道，曠劫辛勤，豈可以輕心小智而求得乎？』二祖慧可聞誨，遂斷臂磨前求與安心，磨云：『將心來，與汝安。』可云：『覓心了不可得！』磨云：『與汝安心竟。』這老臊胡，言翻語覆，知他是何心行？當時賴遇二祖，受得這等毒藥。若似今時人，惟用俊鷹快鷂手腳，聞說箇『無上妙道，曠劫辛勤』，好與打折驢腰。何故？直下便悟猶遲八刻，豈況教人釘樁搖艣、按牛喫草？至若石霜坐枯木堂、溈山置圓木枕、長慶七破蒲團、高峰不沾床凳、香林四十年打成一片、趙州三十年無雜用心，如此苦參皆成鈍漢，喚來與近代禪客提瓶挈杖也沒用處。噫！末法輕囂，人尟實行，秪喜參容易禪，就機打發，籠罩得人，學者爭趨座下，背地裏習學問、答偈頌，機鋒轉語，傳授成家，自少林帕子之後，又出此一套惡風殊可憐憫，真箇達磨一宗掃土而盡。殊不知識漏未乾無明最重，便道我能逼生蛇、化活龍，爭奈業軀未卸，安易吸盡萬頃滄波？衲僧家理不盡於心、機不盡乎妙，必須苦參力到徹底掀翻，豈可被師家愚弄，生受熱瞞？與箇冬瓜印子，便如生身父母感恩無地，更聞他家有人非，且相與搜尋貶剝無所不至，不推倒其門戶不休，如此行徑又何能夢見？丹霞參馬祖，復指見石頭；洛浦事臨濟，後服膺夾山，一種大人標格高越常流，豈以人情繫綴而為佛法流布？山僧則不然，山田脫粟飯，野菜淡黃虀；喫則從君喫，不喫任東西。且道與芙蓉老祖是同是別？還知麼？竿頭不著閒香餌，直釣元求負命魚。」

> The Zen practitioners Cijun and Liaochen of Huizhou requested an ascending of the hall \[for a teaching\]. The Great Master Bodhidharma said: "The supreme wondrous Way, diligently sought through countless eons—how could it be attained through a frivolous mind and petty wisdom?" Hearing this admonition, the Second Patriarch Huike severed his arm before \[Bodhidharma\] and sought the pacification of his mind. Bodhidharma said: "Bring your mind here, and I will pacify it for you." Huike said: "I have searched for the mind, and it is ultimately unfindable!" Bodhidharma said: "I have pacified your mind for you." This old bearded foreigner—his words turn and twist. Who knows what his true intent was? Fortunately, he encountered the Second Patriarch back then, who was able to swallow such potent medicine. If it were like people nowadays, who only employ the swift tactics of a keen eagle or a fast hawk, upon hearing "the supreme wondrous Way, diligently sought through countless eons," they'd be ready to break the donkey's back. Why? Because even immediate awakening is considered eight moments too late, let alone teaching others to drive stakes and row the oar, or press the ox's head down to eat grass? As for Shishuang sitting in the Withered Wood Hall, Guishan placing the round wooden pillow, Changqing wearing out seven meditation mats, Gaofeng not touching bed or bench, Xianglin spending forty years forging everything into one piece, Zhaozhou for thirty years without a single distracting thought—such bitter investigation all produced dullards. Summon them here, and they'd be of no use even to modern Zen visitors carrying bottles and staffs. Alas! In this Dharma-ending age, there is frivolous clamor and few who practice in earnest. People only delight in studying an easy Zen, seizing opportunities and clever retorts, ensnaring others. Students flock to the masters' seats, but behind their backs, they practice learning and debate, compose verses, trade sharp dialogues and turning phrases, passing them down to form their own schools. Since the legacy of Shaolin, another set of these vile customs has emerged—truly pitiable. It seems the lineage of Bodhidharma has been utterly swept away. They fail to realize that before the leaks in their consciousness have dried up, their fundamental ignorance is heaviest. Yet they claim, "I can force a snake to be born, transform a living dragon!" But how can they manage it, when their karmic body remains unshaken, to easily swallow the vastness of ten thousand miles of ocean waves? For a patch-robed monk, principle is not exhausted in the mind, and subtlety is not exhausted in the marvelous. One must investigate bitterly, exert effort to the point of overturning everything completely. How can one be fooled by teachers, willingly endure their hot deception? Receiving a seal as worthless as a winter melon, they feel gratitude as boundless as to their birth parents. Then, hearing that another's house has critics, they join in searching, disparaging, and picking apart without restraint, not resting until they topple that school's gate. With such conduct, how could they ever dream of \[true understanding\]? Danxia studied under Mazu, who then directed him to see Shitou. Luopu served Linji, but later submitted wholeheartedly to Jiashan. This is the elevated bearing of true adepts, soaring above the common stream. How could the spread of the Buddha-Dharma be bound by human sentiment? This mountain monk is not like that. Coarse rice from the mountain fields, wild vegetables and plain yellow pickles. If you eat, you may eat. If not, go east or west as you please. Now, tell me: Is this the same as or different from the Old Patriarch Furong? Do you understand yet? At the tip of the pole, no idle fragrant bait is attached; The direct hook seeks only the fish that stakes its life.

上堂：「五蘊山中，埋盡有情佛子；赤肉團上，裹卻無位真人。終日拈匙把箸，不知饑飽為何？箇中俯仰折旋，借問主賓誰立？更有肆狼貪虎噬，甘自造銅柱鑊湯。愆深似海，難教業浪拭乾；愛重如山，豈易罪花凋卸？輪迴路徒勞，建不拔根基；生死窠有幾箇，解抽身漢子？今日孝子周爌入山禮懺報薦先君，特請山僧陞座說法。秪如山僧恁麼道？大似泥裏洗土塊，未為本分草料。且道如何是本分草料？曾向百花叢裏過，果然一葉不沾身。」

> The master ascended the teaching seat and said: "Within the mountain of the five aggregates, all sentient beings and Buddha-seeds are buried. Upon this lump of red flesh, the man of no rank is wrapped. All day long we pick up spoons and grasp chopsticks, yet never know what hunger and fullness truly are. In this very moment of bowing, turning, and moving—tell me, who establishes host and guest? There are even those who indulge in the greed of wolves and the devouring of tigers, willingly forging for themselves the bronze pillars and boiling cauldrons of hell. Their offenses are deep as the sea; how can the waves of karma be wiped dry? Their attachments are heavy as mountains; how easily can the flowers of sin wither and fall? On the path of samsara, they toil in vain, building foundations that cannot stand. In the nest of birth and death, how many are there who understand how to extract themselves? Today, the filial son Zhou Kuang has entered the mountain to perform repentance and make offerings for his late father, and has specially requested this mountain monk to ascend the seat and speak the Dharma. But if this mountain monk speaks in such a way, it is like washing a clod of earth in mud—hardly the essential nourishment. So tell me, what is the essential nourishment? Having passed through a hundred flowers, indeed not a single leaf clings to the body."

上堂：「癡盲無覺照，業識紛沉掉；起床忙到晚，伸腳睡到曉。醉生夢死多，喪卻形山寶；縠穿雀驚飛，藤枯樹崩倒；無限聰明人，送命還閻老。諸兄弟！此是未悟人光景，閻老子算飯錢也合甘受。秪如大悟人分上，還被閻老子拘束也無？」驀卓杖子云：「閻老子！你合喫山僧痛棒。何故？不識廬陵米價，與人算甚飯錢？山僧倒行此令，蒼天抱屈含冤。」靠拄杖下座。

> The master ascended the hall and said: "Deluded and blind, lacking awareness; Karmic consciousness tangled in sinking and scattering. From rising in the morning until late at night, Stretching out your legs and sleeping till dawn. Drunken in life, dreaming in death—so many, Losing the precious treasure of their physical form. The net breaks, sparrows startle and fly away; The vine withers, the tree collapses and falls. Countless clever and intelligent people Are sent to their deaths and returned to King Yama. Brothers! This is the scene of those who have not yet awakened. King Yama collecting his meal debt—they ought to accept it willingly. But as for those who have attained great awakening— Are they still bound and constrained by King Yama?" Suddenly he struck his staff and said: "King Yama! You deserve a painful blow from this mountain monk. Why? You don't even know the price of rice in Luling— What business do you have settling meal accounts with people? This mountain monk turns the order upside down. The blue sky itself bears injustice and harbors grievance." Leaning on his staff, he descended from the seat.

上堂，僧問：「棄恩入無為，真是報恩者。如何是報恩一句？」師云：「穿過驢胎馬腹來。」進云：「驀然裂斷鐵繩頭，虛影未知落何所？」師云：「闍黎繩頭在老僧手裏。」進云：「蒙師舒出一毫光，極目欣瞻華藏界。」師云：「釣鰲須是下金鉤。」進云：「綠野青山收不住。」師云：「有甚麼收不住？」進云：「如今搭在玉欄杆。」師云：「猶帶藍毿，不堪乃白。露柱產嬰兒，燈籠抱作子；結就肉團身，呼娘還認父。夢裏強悲懽，空花成散聚；永劫苦輪迴，長夜醉生死。不悟幻因緣，恩愛藤纏樹；畢竟事如何？要在知落處。秪如慈林關主設齋供養大眾，報薦先君吳道辰居士，且道先靈聽法落在何處？」卓拄杖云：「若願生西方，這裏好入路。」又卓云：「若願生娑婆，這裏好出路。二俱不願生」，復卓云：「且住！且住！」

> The master ascended the hall. A monk asked: "Abandoning worldly ties to enter the unconditioned—this is truly repaying kindness. What is the phrase of repaying kindness?" The master said: "Pass through the womb of a donkey, the belly of a horse." The monk pressed: "Suddenly the iron rope snaps—where does its shadow fall?" The master said: "The rope's end is in this old monk's hand." The monk said: "Thanks to the master extending a single ray of light, I gaze with joy upon the Flower Treasury Realm." The master said: "To hook the giant turtle, one must lower a golden hook." The monk said: "Green fields and blue mountains cannot be contained." The master said: "What is it that cannot be contained?" The monk said: "Now it is hung upon the jade railing." The master said: "Still tinged with blue, not yet pure white. The pillar gives birth to an infant, the lantern embraces a child; a fleshly body is formed, calling for mother, still recognizing father. In dreams, forced joy and sorrow; empty flowers gather and scatter. Through endless kalpas, suffering turns on the wheel; through the long night, drunk in birth and death. Not awakening to illusory causes and conditions, affection's vines entangle the tree. Ultimately, how should it be? One must know where it lands. Just as the keeper of Cilin Pass prepared a feast to offer to the assembly, repaying and recommending his late father, layman Wu Daochen—tell me, where does the departed spirit, hearing the Dharma, land?" He struck his staff and said: "If you wish to be reborn in the Western Pure Land, here is a good entryway." He struck again and said: "If you wish to be reborn in the Saha world, here is a good exit." "If you wish neither to be reborn," he struck once more and said: "Stay! Stay!"

上堂，舉：「玄沙大師問鏡清云：『古人道「不見一法是大過患」，你且道不見甚麼法？』清指露柱云：『莫是這箇法麼？』沙云：『浙中清水白米從你喫，佛法未夢見在。』」師云：「此則公案，不識者將謂玄沙不肯鏡清，殊不知兩尊宿俱遊雪峰之門，旗鼓相當、塤箎迭奏，可稱難兄難弟矣！所以天童老人道：『鏡清久不作佛法夢也。』又云：『須是玄沙同參始得。』天童可謂善知無舌語、解聽沒絃琴，真箇是二老賞音者也。若作勝負商量，此人未夢見佛法在。近來法門淡薄，兄弟家相見惟敘寒溫情面款待，佛法兩字絕口不談。看他古人一唱一酬，如函合蓋、似箭投鋒，足為千古眼目。今日是五慈禪友從浙中來，曾與張午正居士法喜交深，以久參先博山之故特來掃塔，仍請山僧上堂激揚斯道。可見世雖末法，人尚古風；然正眼觀來不是好心。何故？你在浙中喫了清水白米，卻來累及山僧償他口債。且道口債作麼生償？」師舉起拂子擊香案云：「不見道：『布施我者，不名福田；供養我者，墮三惡道。』與麼道卻又反累施主還債耶？」擲下拂子云：「除是維摩老，知吾施受心。」

> The master ascended the hall and raised a case: "Master Xuansha asked Jingqing, 'The ancients said, "Not seeing a single dharma is a great fault." Tell me, what dharma is not seen?' Jingqing pointed to a pillar and said, 'Could it be this dharma?' Xuansha replied, 'In Zhejiang, you may eat clean water and white rice, but you haven't even dreamed of the Buddha-dharma.'" The master said: "Regarding this case, those who do not understand might think Xuansha did not approve of Jingqing. They do not realize that both venerable masters studied under Xuefeng, were evenly matched in skill, and played harmonious tunes together—truly worthy of being called 'difficult elder brother, difficult younger brother.' Therefore, the elder Tiantong said, 'Jingqing has long ceased to dream of Buddha-dharma.' He also said, 'One must be Xuansha's fellow student to understand.' Tiantong can indeed be said to skillfully understand wordless speech and comprehend the soundless zither—truly one who appreciates the harmony of these two elders. "If one discusses this in terms of victory and defeat, such a person has not even dreamed of Buddha-dharma. Recently, the Dharma gate has grown thin. When fellow practitioners meet, they only exchange greetings and pleasantries, never uttering a word about the Buddha-dharma. Look at how the ancients sang in harmony—like a lid fitting its box, like an arrow meeting its target—sufficient to serve as eyes for a thousand ages. "Today, the Chan friend Wuci has come from Zhejiang. Having deeply shared Dharma joy with layman Zhang Wuzheng, and because of his long association with the late Master Boxian, he has come specifically to sweep the stupa and requested this mountain monk to ascend the hall to stir up and illuminate this Way. This shows that although we are in a Dharma-ending age, people still uphold ancient customs. Yet, from the perspective of true seeing, this is not good-hearted. Why? You have eaten clean water and white rice in Zhejiang, yet come here to burden this mountain monk with repaying your verbal debt. Tell me, how should this verbal debt be repaid?" The master raised his whisk and struck the incense stand, saying: "Have you not heard it said: 'Those who give to me do not gain merit fields; those who make offerings to me fall into the three evil paths.' Speaking in this way, does it instead burden the donor with repaying the debt?" He threw down the whisk and said: "Only Vimalakirti the Elder knows my mind of giving and receiving."

浴佛日，楊鏡菱居士請上堂，僧問：「世尊初生，手指天地云：『天上天下，唯吾獨尊。』且道見箇甚麼便開恁麼大口？」師云：「老成見慣渾閒事。」進云：「後來雲門大師道：『我當時若見，一棒打殺。』未審具甚麼眼？」師云：「我不似雲門著惑。」進云：「萬古浴龍水，年年一度澆時如何？」師云：「你一定作浴佛會。」師舉：「僧問五祖演禪師：『如何是佛？』祖云：『新生孩子擲金盤。』又問：『如何是祖師西來意？』祖云：『荊棘林中舞柘枝。』諸兄弟！這僧問處也尋常，老宿答處甚奇特，若向這兩轉語裏會去，如鏡裏看形，面影皆真，非但親見世尊，亦乃親見祖師；若以意識卜度思量，如畫上寫照，雖丰神酷肖，亦秪匹似間耳！更道箇年年四月八，喚作釋迦生，大似風吹垢，傷人好眼睛。畢竟如何？」卓拄杖，便下座。

> On the day of the Buddha Bathing Ceremony, lay devotee Yang Jingling requested the Master to ascend the hall. A monk asked, "When the World-Honored One was first born, he pointed to heaven and earth and said, 'In heaven and on earth, I alone am worthy of honor.' Tell me, what did he see that made him speak such bold words?" The Master said, "To the seasoned, it is but a common sight." The monk pressed further, "Later, Master Yunmen said, 'Had I been there at that time, I would have struck him dead with one blow.' What kind of eye did he possess?" The Master replied, "I am not like Yunmen, who was deluded." The monk asked, "The eternal water for bathing the dragon is poured once every year—what about that?" The Master said, "You must be holding a Buddha Bathing ceremony." The Master then cited an example: "A monk asked Master Wuzu Yanzhao, 'What is the Buddha?' Wuzu replied, 'A newborn child tossing a golden plate.' The monk also asked, 'What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?' Wuzu said, 'Dancing a branch in a thorny forest.' Brothers! The monk's questions were ordinary, but the old master's answers were extraordinary. If you can understand through these two exchanges, it is like looking at your reflection in a mirror—the image is utterly real. Not only will you see the World-Honored One directly, but you will also see the Patriarch directly. If you rely on intellectual speculation and reasoning, it is like painting a portrait—though the likeness may be striking, it is merely a resemblance. Moreover, to say that every year on the eighth day of the fourth month we call it Shakyamuni's birthday is like dust blown by the wind, harming people's good eyes. After all, what is it?" He struck his staff and descended from the seat.

中秋上堂，僧問：「八月中秋月，夜深光皎潔。請問和尚！如何是中秋月？」師云：「不隔千重縠。」進云：「清蟾飛上界，丘壑悉皆明一句作麼生道？」師云：「劈破崑崙弄得圓。」進云：「恁麼則人人得玩賞，箇箇盡同看去也？」師云：「誰是月中人？」僧禮拜云：「謝師答話。」僧問：「落葉知秋即不問，如何是把定乾坤句？」師云：「恰值中秋節。」進云：「四至風月，橫擔拄杖，是阿誰境界？」師云：「非闍黎境界。」進云：「是誰境界？」師云：「還他向上人。」進云：「不跨雲橋浪裏舟，因甚人在彼岸？」師云：「闍黎掉在水裏。」進云：「恁麼風捲嶺頭雲，浪翻潭底月去也？」師云：「那裏學得虛頭來？」僧禮拜云：「看腳下。」師云：「好與三十棒。」乃曰：「道非明暗，若以明暗而論道者，好與三十拄杖；時無寒暑，若以寒暑而論時者，好與三十拄杖；月無虧盈，若以虧盈而論月者，好與三十拄杖。何故？不曾見諦終迷茫，光影門頭；直饒識真翻不轉，明白窠臼。山僧棒頭有眼，打人極有分曉，爭肯模糊放過也！寒山道：『吾心似秋月，碧潭光皎潔；無物堪比倫，教我如何說？』這老兒家雖是階下漢，卻較些子，將華藏世界熬成一箇大月餅，與盡大地人同賞中秋。還有一口吞得盡底麼？」良久云：「縱然咬得百雜碎，細嚼麤餐尚欠功。」

> On the Mid-Autumn Festival, a monk asked, "The moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival night is bright and clear in the deep night. May I ask, Master, what is the Mid-Autumn moon?" The Master said, "Not separated by a thousand layers of silk." The monk pressed, "The clear toad flies to the upper realm, and mountains and valleys are all illuminated. How would you phrase this?" The Master said, "Splitting Mount Kunlun to make it round." The monk said, "If so, then everyone can enjoy it, and all can gaze upon it together?" The Master said, "Who is the person in the moon?" The monk bowed and said, "Thank you, Master, for your answer." Another monk asked, "I won’t ask about leaves falling to know autumn. What is the phrase that holds heaven and earth in place?" The Master said, "It happens to be the Mid-Autumn Festival." The monk pressed, "The four directions of wind and moon, carrying a staff across the shoulders—whose realm is this?" The Master said, "Not your realm." The monk asked, "Whose realm is it?" The Master said, "It belongs to those who are truly awakened." The monk said, "Without crossing the cloud bridge or the boat in the waves, why is someone on the other shore?" The Master said, "You’ve fallen into the water." The monk said, "If so, then the wind sweeps the clouds from the mountain ridge, and the waves churn the moon in the deep pool?" The Master said, "Where did you learn such empty talk?" The monk bowed and said, "Watch your step." The Master said, "You deserve thirty blows." The Master then said, "The Way is not about light or darkness. If one discusses the Way in terms of light and darkness, they deserve thirty blows with the staff. Time has no cold or heat. If one discusses time in terms of cold and heat, they deserve thirty blows. The moon has no waxing or waning. If one discusses the moon in terms of waxing and waning, they deserve thirty blows. Why? Without true insight, one remains lost in the realm of shadows and light. Even if one recognizes the truth, they may still be trapped in the pit of clarity. My staff has eyes, and when I strike, I do so with clear understanding—how could I let it pass in confusion? Han Shan said, 'My mind is like the autumn moon, clear and bright over the blue pool. Nothing can compare to it—how can I describe it?' Though this old man is still a novice, he has some insight. He cooks the entire Flower Store World into a big mooncake, sharing it with all people to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival together. Is there anyone who can swallow it whole?" After a long pause, he said, "Even if you can chew it into a hundred pieces, you still lack the effort to savor it thoroughly."

結制上堂，僧問：「象王行處絕狐蹤時如何？」師云：「放牛須越嶺，下馬急收韁。」進云：「恁麼大地沒遮攔去也？」師云：「鷺立三溪水，雲遊五座峰。」進云：「虛空沒縫罅，雲水逗清光。」師云：「更須釘取這一縫。」乃曰：「諸方狂浪滔天，博山死水浸殺；看來擔板禪和，枉費鉤錐點撥。點不點！撥不撥！把斷關津須定奪，龍王按劍絕傍觀，看誰來把虎鬚捋。還有捋虎鬚者麼？」眾無對，師笑云：「直饒捋得，也是沿臺盤乞兒。」

> On the day of entering the summer retreat, a monk asked, "When the elephant king walks, leaving no trace of foxes, what then?" The master said, "When herding cattle, one must cross the ridge; when dismounting a horse, swiftly gather the reins." The monk pressed, "Then, is the great earth without obstruction?" The master replied, "The egret stands by the three streams; the clouds wander over five peaks." The monk said, "The void has no cracks, yet clouds and water reveal a clear light." The master said, "You must still nail down this one crack." Then he said, "In other places, wild waves surge to the heavens; at Boshan, still waters drown all. Looking at those who carry a plank as Chan practitioners, they waste effort with hooks and pointers. Point or not point! Guide or not guide! Blocking the pass, one must decide. The dragon king grasps his sword, cutting off all spectators. Who dares to tug the tiger's whiskers? Is there anyone who will tug the tiger's whiskers?" The assembly had no reply. The master laughed and said, "Even if one could tug them, it would still be like a beggar circling the stage."

以寧上座請普說：「若欲參究此道，必須見地明白、操履真實，然後可以完全此箇淨白心地。當知淨白體上汙染不得，即此不汙染是諸佛之所護念。何謂汙染？但形文字即是汙染。若落語言、纔涉思惟即是汙染，所以《楞伽》云：『離文字相，離言說相，離心緣相。』蓋體性自離，不屬能離所離，若著箇離字，心頭蚤被汙染了也。非但淨白體上著不得箇離字，即聖凡、迷悟、善惡、邪正、好醜等字悉著不得。若有絲頭許打疊不淨，便是塵飛蔽天、芥墮覆地，非但不能自己護念，即使諸佛三加五被，亦不奈汝何？古德云：『就中不落第二念，方入我法門。』還有不落第二念底麼？試出來道看？如無，且聽山僧再打葛藤。今日以寧上座殷勤勸請對眾普說。山僧道：法無新弊，妙在提唱者不失綱宗、不存軌則。石頭老祖云：『承言須會宗，勿自立規矩。』要在稱性而談、隨機善說，當觀人根性應以何法示之，則為說其法要。《金剛》云：『無有定法，如來可說。』若宗師家一向以直捷示人，過在儱侗；若一向以玄要示人，過在穿鑿；若一向以痛快示人，過在趁俊；若一向以婉轉示人，過在回互；若一向以奇特示人，過在傷巧；若一向以平實示人，過在太拙。若偏喜人立地悟去，則箇箇視為易事；若教人次第悟入，則步步落在階級。若以勝心說法，此乃慢幢過人；若以諍心說法，打在是非窩裏。能離此種種過患，可謂善說法，要妙在舌頭無路、足跡如空。譬扁鵲料症而施方、波斯識貨而打價。若不料症而施方，必為庸醫誤人；若不識貨而打價，必被市估所欺。所謂提挈綱宗者，如揭杲日以麗天，絕無私照；似任大地而載物，靡不生成。登須彌則眾嶽朝宗；觀大海則百川歸派。森羅萬象，孰能外於虛空？蠻貊中華，悉皆歸於王化。不以一木而搆大廈之廣；不以一狐而成千金之裘；不以一味而和眾羹之美；不以一藥而療眾人之症。圓機普應，不滯一隅；窠臼打翻，不著一境。握隨色之摩尼，縱返擲之獅子。自餘失其綱宗、強立宗旨，各分門戶、自樹籓籬，相非則對壘爭鋒、異見似分河飲水。多見混帳禪和、擔板知識，七偏八癖之人收為法嗣、山蠻社拗之說刻板流通，戲論笑杷傳滿諸方，臭驢汗到處稱尊、破廟裏紛然陞座，皆繇師匠不觀非器、妄付來源，只圖眼前熱鬧門庭，那管後來吾徒敗缺？禪到于今，風真醜矣！殊不知祖庭授受必須真參實悟之人，旗鼓登壇原是大方作略之手。燒生柴而帶葉，不許全落無明；就盂水而投針，須是醇全妙器。撐天拄地，事豈尋常？鐵骨銅筋，纔堪擔荷。諸兄弟！莫嫌料揀，各自知非。若秪趨群逐隊，打入此等社火，百劫千生秪成得箇野狐種草。若更聞此禪風惡習，輒生鄙厭，別行一路，一生便不參禪，此又是無氣血底漢子，若終身不肯參究，畢竟生死關頭如何打過？閻老鐵棒如何躲得？不見李駙馬云：『參禪還須鐵漢，著手心頭便判；直趨無上菩提，一切是非莫管。』果是英靈有志，必須努力加鞭，慎勿因時退屈，所貴參尋明眼，死做工夫，千煆萬煉，必須見地明白，操履真實，然後完全此箇淨白心地，便是超群上士特達丈夫。然雖如是，誾上座無端向淨白地上說出許多不乾淨底語來。且道淨白體上畢竟是汙染邪？不汙染邪？還委悉麼？肚無偏癖病，何怕冷油虀？」

> Venerable Yining has requested a general discourse: "If one wishes to investigate this Path, one must first have clear insight and genuine practice. Only then can this pure, luminous mind-ground be fully realized. You should know that upon this pure, luminous essence, defilement cannot adhere. This very non-adherence is what all Buddhas protect and keep in mind. What is meant by defilement? Merely taking form in words is defilement. If one falls into language, the moment one involves conceptual thinking, that is defilement. Therefore, the \*Lankavatara Sutra\* states: 'Transcend the characteristics of words and letters, transcend the characteristics of speech, transcend the characteristics of mental discrimination.' Its essential nature is inherently transcendent; it does not belong to that which transcends or is transcended. If one attaches to the word 'transcend,' the mind is already defiled. Not only can the word 'transcend' not be attached to this pure, luminous essence, but words like holy and ordinary, deluded and enlightened, good and evil, right and wrong, beautiful and ugly—none of these can be attached. If there is even a thread's tip of unresolved impurity, it is like dust flying to obscure the sky or a mustard seed falling to cover the earth. Not only will you be unable to protect and keep it in mind yourself, but even if all Buddhas repeatedly urge and guide you, what can they do for you? An ancient worthy said: 'Within this, not falling into a second thought—only then do you enter my Dharma gate.' Is there anyone here who does not fall into a second thought? If so, step forward and speak! If not, then listen as this mountain monk adds more entangling vines. Today, Venerable Yining has earnestly urged and requested a public discourse. This mountain monk says: The Dharma has no new flaws; its wonder lies in the one who expounds it not losing the essential principle and not clinging to fixed rules. The great ancestor Shitou said: 'To receive the words, one must grasp the principle; do not establish your own standards.' The key is to speak in accordance with nature and to teach skillfully according to the opportunity, observing people's capacities and what Dharma should be shown to them, then speaking its essential points. The \*Diamond Sutra\* says: 'There is no fixed Dharma that the Tathagata can preach.' If a master always shows people the direct path, the fault lies in being vague and general. If one always shows people the profound and essential, the fault lies in being forced and contrived. If one always shows people the swift and sharp, the fault lies in chasing cleverness. If one always shows people the indirect and roundabout, the fault lies in being evasive. If one always shows people the extraordinary and strange, the fault lies in excessive artifice. If one always shows people the plain and simple, the fault lies in being too clumsy. If one prefers people to awaken instantly, then each regards it as an easy matter. If one teaches people to awaken step by step, then each step falls into stages. If one preaches the Dharma with a competitive mind, this is erecting a banner of arrogance. If one preaches the Dharma with a contentious mind, one falls into a nest of right and wrong. To be able to transcend these various faults and afflictions can be called skillful preaching of the Dharma. The essential wonder lies in the tongue having no path and footprints being like empty space. It is like Bian Que diagnosing an illness before prescribing a remedy, or a Persian merchant appraising goods before setting a price. If one prescribes without diagnosing, one is surely a quack doctor harming people. If one sets a price without appraising, one will surely be cheated by market traders. What is called 'upholding the essential principle' is like raising the bright sun to shine upon the heavens, utterly without partial illumination; it is like the great earth bearing all things, none are not brought to life. Ascend Mount Sumeru, and all peaks pay homage; gaze upon the great ocean, and all rivers return to its flow. The myriad phenomena—which can exist outside of empty space? Barbarian lands and the Central Kingdom—all return to the king's transforming influence. One does not use a single timber to construct a vast hall; one does not use a single fox to make a priceless fur robe; one does not use a single flavor to blend the beauty of a communal stew; one does not use a single medicine to cure the illnesses of all people. With a perfectly adaptable capacity, one responds universally, not stagnating in one corner. Overturning all fixed patterns, one does not cling to a single state. Holding the mani jewel that changes with color, one releases the lion that turns and pounces. As for those who lose the essential principle and forcibly establish their own tenets, each dividing into schools and erecting their own fences, opposing each other like armies clashing on the battlefield, their differing views like drinking from separate rivers—we often see muddled Chan practitioners and narrow-minded teachers, gathering eccentric and biased people as Dharma heirs, carving into woodblocks for circulation the stubborn arguments of mountain and village bullies. Frivolous debates and laughable theories spread everywhere; stinking donkey sweat proclaims itself venerable in every place; in broken-down temples, they ascend the seat in confusion. All this arises because the teachers do not discern unsuitable vessels and recklessly transmit the source, only seeking a lively, bustling scene before their eyes, never minding the future ruin of their disciples. Chan, up to this day—its style has truly become ugly! They do not realize that transmission within the ancestral hall must be to those who genuinely investigate and truly awaken. To mount the platform with drum and banner originally requires the hand of one with the capacity of a great master. Burning green wood with its leaves still on—one cannot allow it to fall entirely into ignorance. Casting a needle into a bowl of water—one must be a perfectly refined and wondrous vessel. To prop up heaven and earth—is this an ordinary affair? With iron bones and sinews of bronze, one is then fit to shoulder the burden. Brothers! Do not resent this sorting and sifting; each of you should know your own faults. If you merely follow the crowd and join in this kind of communal clamor, for a hundred eons and a thousand lifetimes you will only become a seed of wild fox grass. If, hearing of these corrupt Chan practices, you immediately feel disdain and aversion, taking another path, and decide in this lifetime not to practice Chan—this, again, is a person with no vitality. If you refuse to investigate for your entire life, how, after all, will you pass through the barrier of life and death? How will you avoid the iron club of King Yama? Have you not heard Li the Imperial Son-in-Law say: 'Practicing Chan requires an iron-willed man; once you set your mind to it, decide immediately. Go straight to unsurpassed enlightenment; pay no heed to all right and wrong.' If you are truly a person of sharp capacity and determined will, you must spur yourself on with effort. Be careful not to retreat or give up because of the times. What is valuable is to seek out clear-eyed teachers, do the work with utmost dedication, tempering yourself a thousand, ten thousand times. You must attain clear insight and genuine practice. Only then can you fully realize this pure, luminous mind-ground. Then you will be an outstanding superior person, a truly accomplished individual. Even so, this humble monk has for no reason spoken many impure words upon this pure, luminous ground. Tell me, upon this pure, luminous essence, is it ultimately defiled or undefiled? Do you understand? If your belly has no sickness of partiality, why fear cold, oily pickles?"

舟中放燈小參，僧問云：「恁麼來時如何？」師云：「看取腳下。」進云：「不恁麼來時如何？」師云：「轉身就位。」進云：「恁麼不恁麼來時如何？」師云：「撞入葛藤窠。」僧禮拜。又僧問：「千燈水面照，未審光從何發？」師云：「親見龍潭湧出來。」師復云：「性水澄清，元無飄沒，妄波鼓動，遂有昇沉。既迷出世津梁，不睹光明寶藏。千波兢湧，誰燃照水之犀？一口吸乾，孰是倒瀾之手？溺而不溺，直須跳出這層波；生而不生，轉取騰霄那一步。秪如白浪滔天，還有不被顛溺者麼？」良久云：「移舟不別水，舉棹卻迷源。」

> A brief teaching during the lantern release on the boat. A monk asked, "When coming like this, what then?" The master said, "Watch your step." The monk pressed, "When not coming like this, what then?" The master said, "Turn around and take your seat." The monk asked further, "When both like this and not like this, what then?" The master said, "You’ve stumbled into a tangle of vines." The monk bowed. Another monk asked, "A thousand lanterns shine upon the water’s surface—where does the light come from?" The master said, "It springs forth directly from the dragon pool." The master continued, "The nature of water is clear and still, originally without drifting or sinking. Yet when deluded waves stir, rising and falling appear. Once the ford to liberation is lost, the bright treasury of light cannot be seen. When a thousand waves vie and surge, who will light the water-penetrating rhinoceros horn? When the whole ocean is swallowed in one gulp, whose hand can turn back the tide? To drown without drowning—you must leap clear of these layers of waves. To be born without being born—turn and take that step soaring into the sky. But tell me, when white waves reach the heavens, is there still one who is not overturned or drowned?" After a long pause, he said, "Moving the boat, you no longer distinguish water; raising the oar, you lose sight of the source."

小參：「諸人未見山僧時，喜地懽天，執香獻花，願得一睹。及到山僧這裏，耳不得聽、眼不得顧、心不得思、口不得語，恍恍忽忽作不得主，盡力捫摩沒箇入路。若向這裏放過，百劫千生，對面不遇；直須針劄不入，尋箇入頭，忽然作得主、開得口，管取通身慶快，不妨足蹈手舞。若不然，自是諸人辜負山僧也，不是山僧辜負諸人。何故？法不空施，福無虛布。」

> A small teaching: "Before you all met this mountain monk, you were overjoyed, holding incense and offering flowers, hoping to catch a glimpse. But when you arrived here, your ears couldn't hear, your eyes couldn't look, your mind couldn't think, your mouth couldn't speak. Dazed and confused, you lost all control, struggling desperately yet finding no way in. If you let this moment slip away, for countless lifetimes, you will face it yet never meet it. You must press on until not even a needle can pierce through, seeking that point of entry. Suddenly, you gain mastery, your mouth opens, and surely your whole being will rejoice—you may even dance with hands and feet. If not, it is you who have failed this mountain monk, not this mountain monk who has failed you. Why? The Dharma is not given in vain; blessings are not bestowed for nothing."

玄詣禪人從漳泉行化回，小參：「諸禪德！心地難明、日子易過，栗棘蓬吞不下、鐵饅頭咬不破，每日吃施主齋茶，且道是福是禍？你若將吞不下底吞下、咬不破底咬破，任是天龍送供，豎一指云：『不勞謝他這箇。』其或未然，拼命喫河豚，眼前且救餓，消得消不得，罪過不罪過，總要諸人自著力，全靠山僧則不可。」

> Zen practitioner Xuan Yi has returned from spreading the Dharma in Zhangzhou and Quanzhou. During a brief gathering, he shared: "Dear fellow practitioners of Zen! The true nature of the mind is difficult to grasp, and the days pass swiftly. The thorny thicket of delusion is hard to swallow; the iron-hard barrier of ignorance is tough to break through. Every day, we partake of the offerings of tea and food from our generous supporters. Tell me, is this a blessing or a curse? If you can swallow what seems impossible to swallow and break through what seems unbreakable, then even if celestial beings were to bring you offerings, you could simply raise a finger and say, 'No need to thank even this.' But if you cannot yet do so, you may find yourself desperately consuming poison just to stave off hunger in the moment. Whether you can digest it or not, whether it brings blame or not—all of this depends on your own effort. Relying entirely on this mountain monk will not do."

元宵小參：「雪前先辦柴，可以禦隆冬之寒；燈前先辦火，可以傋元宵之觀。參學人亦然，必先精勤辦道，道眼頓開，可以領納現前受用。今夜與諸兄弟在雪裏過元宵，燈不見燈、花不見花、月不見月，冷冰冰地在屋裏坐，獨有一人不懼寒威、不守冷坐，戴雪為笠、踹雪為履、披雪為衣、餐雪為飯，終日在雪裏行走坐臥，笑看瓊樓玉殿，別是一樣乾坤；火樹銀花，無非妙嚴境界。先大師云：『人生一日不可無此光景。』還有受用此箇光景者麼？」廣福非師云：「淨瓶張口笑，雪裏一枝開。」師云：「難得和此一曲。」

> Lantern Festival Evening Dharma Talk: "Gather firewood before the snow, and you can withstand the bitter cold of deep winter. Prepare the flame before the lantern, and you can enjoy the spectacle of the Lantern Festival. So it is for those who study the Way. They must first diligently practice the path, and when the eye of wisdom suddenly opens, they can fully embrace the benefits right before them. Tonight, with all my fellow practitioners, we spend the Lantern Festival amidst the snow. Lanterns are not seen as lanterns, flowers not as flowers, the moon not as the moon. We sit cold and still in the hall. Yet there is one who does not fear the biting cold, nor remains in frozen stillness. He wears snow as his hat, treads snow as his shoes, drapes snow as his robe, and eats snow as his meal. All day long, he walks, sits, and lies down in the snow, smiling as he gazes upon jade towers and crystal palaces—a world entirely different. Blazing trees and silver blossoms are nothing but wondrous, majestic realms. Our late master once said: 'In life, there should not be a single day without such a scene.' Is there anyone here who can truly experience this scene?" Guangfu Feishi said: "The pure vase opens its mouth and smiles; a single branch blooms in the snow." The master replied: "It is rare to harmonize with this tune."

先和尚三週年，眾請小參：「今日是先師三周之辰，福州林衡庭居士設茶供眾，請山僧小參。山僧無可舉揚，記得昔年先師遷化之頃，山僧問云：『去來自繇，和尚作麼生道？』先師索筆大書云：『歷歷分明。』復云：『汝意作麼生？』彼時山僧悲戀躄踊不及答語，先師云：『留此不了公案，待汝了卻。』遂擲筆而逝。當斯時也，予思法門不幸，痛失正眼，不即外揚家醜，今日狹路相逢，不免舉似諸兄弟商量，若能圓得末後句，不惟使先師骨血不寒，亦見先師光明煥赫；其或未然，山僧且歸方丈，待列位明日替山僧了此不了公案。」復舉：「巴陵鑒禪師，有僧問：『如何是提婆宗？』陵云：『銀碗裏盛雪。』又問：『如何是吹毛劍？』陵云：『珊瑚枝枝撐著月。』『如何是正法眼？』陵云：『明眼人落井。』後有僧舉似雲門，雲門云：『秪消此三轉語，足可供養老僧。』博山昔年有道開禪者自稱得悟，爭論不已。先師鳴鼓陞座，將尋常看驗學人四問喚渠出答，渠不能對。彼時山僧輪值監院，以事未及趨聽，先師命侍者喚至，將前四問復問：『殿角風搖樹，行人盡解衣時如何？』山僧答云：『微雲籠海嶽，疏雨滴巖花。』又問：『清風拂白月，野老笑相親時如何？』答云：『界破青山色，黃河水倒流。』又問：『佛殿東南因甚缺了一角？』答云：『恰值博山修造纔了。』又問：『僧堂中幾人坐臥？』答云：『東西十萬，南北八千。』先師又云：『四問許汝答，四問外汝又作麼生？』答云：『熱場何妨撒手。』諸兄弟！巴陵三轉語，足可供養雲門；山僧四轉語，還可供養得博山先師否？諸兄弟！若也評量得出，許汝問答如流；其或未然，若無把定乾坤眼，縱遇金鋀辯不真。」

> Today marks the third anniversary of my late master's passing. Lay devotee Lin Hengting of Fuzhou has prepared tea offerings for the assembly and invited me to give a brief discourse. I have nothing special to expound, but I recall the moment when my master was about to pass away. At that time, I asked him, "Master, how would you speak of freedom in coming and going?" My master took up a brush and wrote in large characters: "Utterly clear and distinct." Then he asked, "What do you think?" At that moment, I was overcome with grief and could not reply. My master said, "I'll leave this unresolved case for you to settle." With that, he cast aside the brush and passed away. At that time, I thought it was a misfortune for the Dharma, a painful loss of the true eye. I did not immediately air our family's shortcomings. But today, as we meet on this narrow path, I cannot help but bring it up for you brothers to discuss. If you can complete this final statement, not only will my master's bones and blood not grow cold, but you will also witness his radiant light. If not, I will return to the abbot's quarters and wait for you all to settle this unresolved case for me tomorrow. Let me also bring up an old case: Zen Master Ba Lingjian was once asked by a monk, "What is the school of Bodhidharma?" Ba Ling replied, "Snow in a silver bowl." The monk asked again, "What is the sword that cuts a hair blown against it?" Ba Ling said, "Coral branches propping up the moon." The monk asked further, "What is the true Dharma eye?" Ba Ling answered, "A clear-eyed man falls into a well." Later, a monk recounted this to Yunmen, who said, "These three turning phrases alone are enough to support this old monk." In the past at Boshan, there was a Zen practitioner named Daokai who claimed to have attained enlightenment and argued incessantly. My late master sounded the drum, ascended the seat, and tested him with four questions commonly used to examine students. Daokai could not answer. At that time, I was serving as the monastery supervisor and was occupied with duties, so I did not attend. My master sent an attendant to summon me and repeated the four questions: "When the wind shakes the trees at the corner of the hall, and travelers all loosen their robes—what then?" I replied, "Light clouds veil the mountains and sea; sparse rain drips on cliffside blossoms." He asked again, "When a fresh breeze brushes the white moon, and an old rustic smiles in greeting—what then?" I answered, "Splitting the green mountain's hue; the Yellow River flows backward." He asked further, "Why is the southeast corner of the Buddha hall missing?" I said, "It just so happens that Boshan's renovations are complete." He asked once more, "How many people are sitting or lying in the monks' hall?" I replied, "A hundred thousand east and west; eight thousand north and south." My master then said, "I allow your answers to these four questions. But beyond these four, what would you say?" I responded, "Why not let go even in the heat of the moment?" Brothers! Ba Ling's three turning phrases were enough to support Yunmen. Do my four turning phrases suffice to support my late master of Boshan? Brothers! If you can evaluate this clearly, I will acknowledge your fluency in question and answer. If not, without the eye that holds heaven and earth, even a golden coin cannot be discerned as true.

誕日小參，師以手指自身云：「這一件破襖子，四十九年前從娘母胎裏借披出來，如今若教脫卻，又恐凍殺法身；若不脫卻，未免負債不還。且道脫卻即是？不脫即是？請諸上座代一轉語。其或未然，山僧自己不妨頌出：『析骨還父，析肉還母；現那吒身，瞥喜瞥怒。緣木求魚，關門逐虎；偶爾成文，隨緣作主。』且道誾上座生緣在甚麼處？從來不打誑語。怎見得不誑語？信州便是廣信府。」

> On the occasion of my birthday, the master pointed to his own body and said: "This worn-out robe—forty-nine years ago, I borrowed it from my mother's womb and put it on. Now, if I were to take it off, I fear the Dharma-body would freeze to death; if I do not take it off, I would still be in debt, unable to repay. Tell me, should I take it off or not? I ask the venerable assembly to offer a turning phrase. If none can, this mountain monk will not hesitate to offer a verse: 'Returning the bones to the father, returning the flesh to the mother; Manifesting the body of Nezha, now joyful, now angry. Seeking fish by climbing a tree, chasing a tiger by closing the door; By chance, words take form, following conditions, I become the master.' Now tell me, where is the birthplace of this humble monk? I have never spoken falsely. How can you see that I do not speak falsely? Xīnzhōu is none other than Guǎngxìn Prefecture."

因事小參：「山僧喜人坐禪，亦喜人辦行，禪行雙修，方繼祖道，若偏喜坐禪不肯辦行、若偏愛辦行不喜坐禪，俱名擔板漢子，非稱當家種草。當知從上師德，無不從行門中成辦出來，多見血汗成功，豈忍坐銷信施？青原老祖見石頭打坐，因問云：『汝在此作甚麼？』頭云：『一物不為。』原云：『與麼則閒坐也？』頭云：『閒坐即為也。』你看他古人一物不為，亦不肯閒坐。諸兄弟！鬧烘烘處好坐禪、冷冰冰處好辦行，向禪堂裏耕翻大地，長養靈苗；向鋤頭上穩坐蒲團，掀翻世界。如此則終日坐禪不守枯寂、終朝辦行不見劬勞，終日為而未嘗為、終日坐而未嘗坐。到此田地，自然心安如海，不知把纜行船，管甚傾湫倒嶽？且道因甚麼如此妥當？還委麼？繁興無動止，一道豈偏頗？」

> A small gathering due to certain matters: "This mountain monk rejoices when people sit in meditation, and also rejoices when people engage in practice. Only by cultivating both meditation and practice can one carry on the ancestral way. If one only delights in sitting meditation and refuses to engage in practice, or if one only loves engaging in practice and dislikes sitting meditation—both are called 'shoulder-board fellows' and cannot be considered true heirs of the household. You should know that all the great teachers and virtuous ones of the past accomplished themselves through the gate of practice. Many have succeeded through sweat and blood—how could they bear to sit idly and consume the offerings of the faithful? When the ancient master Qingyuan saw Shitou sitting in meditation, he asked: 'What are you doing here?' Shitou replied: 'Not doing a single thing.' Qingyuan said: 'Then you're just sitting idly?' Shitou said: 'Sitting idly is still doing something.' Look at how these ancients, even when 'not doing a single thing,' refused to simply sit idly. Brothers! In the midst of bustling noise, it is good to sit in meditation; in the cold and stillness, it is good to engage in practice. Plow the great earth in the meditation hall, nurturing the spiritual sprouts; sit steadily on the cushion while wielding the hoe, overturning the world. In this way, you can sit in meditation all day without clinging to barren stillness, and engage in practice all morning without seeing it as toil. All day long, you act yet have never acted; all day long, you sit yet have never sat. When you reach this state, your mind will naturally be as peaceful as the ocean, and you will no longer worry about steering the boat or managing the turbulent waves. Now, tell me: Why is it so perfectly settled? Do you understand? Amidst the bustling activity, there is no movement or stillness—how could the one path be partial?"

除夕小參：「大盡三十日，小盡二十九，果然及得盡，歲月更長久。長久且置，諸方龍象都到博山過年，且道無位真人在甚麼處度歲？若有曉得，不妨遞箇消息出來；其或未然，問取壁上桃符，便知端的。」

> New Year's Eve Dharma Talk: "The year ends on the thirtieth day of the twelfth month, or sometimes the twenty-ninth. If we truly understand what 'ending' means, time itself becomes timeless. But let's set aside timelessness for now. All the great masters from various places have come to Mount Boshan to celebrate the New Year. Tell me, where does the True Self with no rank spend the New Year? If anyone knows, please share your insight. If not, just ask the peachwood charm on the door—it will tell you the truth."

小參：「生從何處來？死從何處去？大家業識茫茫，可憐無本可據，秪如有本可據的人又作麼生？拏住布袋口，擲卻拄杖子；左手控飛龍，右足跨猛虎。亂把繡毬拋，倒踞香臺舞；浪蕩不歸家，何彼復何此？彼此且置，秪如今夜茶筵，是周仲讓居士薦亡弟季材文學，且道先靈在此座筵聞法，畢竟是業識耶？非業識耶？有本可據耶？無本可據耶？咄！不入祖師室，茫然趣兩頭。」

> A small inquiry: "Where does life come from? Where does death go? All beings wander in the vast ocean of consciousness, pitifully without any foundation to rely on. But what about those who do have a foundation to rely on? Grasping the mouth of the sack, discarding the walking stick; with the left hand taming the flying dragon, the right foot straddling the fierce tiger. Randomly tossing the embroidered ball, dancing upside down on the incense altar; drifting aimlessly without returning home, what is that and what is this? Setting aside 'that' and 'this,' just consider tonight's tea gathering: it is for layman Zhou Zhongrang to honor his late younger brother, Jicai, a scholar. Now, regarding the departed spirit present at this gathering hearing the Dharma, is it ultimately consciousness? Or not consciousness? Does it have a foundation to rely on? Or no foundation to rely on? Bah! Without entering the ancestral master's room, one is lost, chasing after dualities."

鄭式蘧居士薦張淑人請小參：「如來常寂光，如月印秋水；眾生心水濁，月即難鑒取。佛開淨土門，豈離心境有？心淨土亦淨，吞卻山河影。土淨心亦淨，擊碎玻璃鏡；心土二俱離，蓮花出淤泥；心土二俱即，娑婆真樂國。賣花人過野橋香，窠松鶴唳疏枝濕。」

> Master Zheng of the Lu family, a lay practitioner, recommended Lady Zhang to request a brief teaching session: "The Tathagata's eternal tranquil light is like the moon reflected in autumn water; when the minds of sentient beings are muddied, the moon becomes difficult to perceive. The Buddha opened the gate to the Pure Land—how could it exist apart from mind and realm? When the mind is pure, the land is also pure, swallowing the reflections of mountains and rivers. When the land is pure, the mind is also pure, shattering the glass mirror. When both mind and land are transcended, the lotus emerges from the mud. When both mind and land are realized, this Saha world becomes a true land of bliss. The flower seller crosses the wild bridge, leaving a trail of fragrance; the crane calls from the sparse pine branches, moistened by the dew."

小參：「心眼本開，無奈空花自翳；性天廓朗，秪因迷霧長昏。佛說世智辯聰是八難中之一，以學解多知遂成理障，故翻不轉文字窠臼、打不破生死牢關。當其迷時，文字語言總是障道根本；及其悟也，語言文字原是解脫正因，妙在反手覆手耳！昔李渤刺史問歸宗常禪師云：『須彌納芥子即不疑，芥子納須彌莫是妄譚否？』宗云：『人傳使君讀萬卷書，是否？』渤云：『然！』宗云：『摩頂至踵如椰子大，萬卷書何處著？』復問：『一大藏教明甚麼邊事？』宗舉拳示之云：『會麼？』渤云：『不會。』宗云：『這措大，拳頭也不識。』渤云：『請師指示。』宗云：『會則途中受用，不會則世諦流布。』」師云：「萬卷書何處著？伸腳處便縮腳，掀翻窠臼絕狐疑，真箇拳頭好作略，不在途中不在家，世諦流布亦不惡。秪如茶筵中報薦先相國方水大居士，是他生平讀萬卷書，畢竟向何處安著？還會麼？儒佛原無兩箇心，絕學始稱真道學。」

> A small inquiry: "The mind's eye is originally open, yet it is clouded by phantom blossoms of its own making. The nature of heaven is vast and bright, but it is shrouded in long-lasting fog due to confusion. The Buddha said that worldly wisdom and clever debate are among the eight difficulties, for excessive learning and intellectual understanding become obstacles to truth, trapping one in the confines of words and unable to break through the prison gates of life and death. In the state of delusion, words and language are the very root of hindrances on the path. Yet upon awakening, words and language become the very means of liberation. The subtlety lies in the turning of the hand! In the past, Governor Li Bo asked Zen Master Chang of Guizong: 'I have no doubt that Mount Sumeru can contain a mustard seed, but is it not absurd to say that a mustard seed can contain Mount Sumeru?' The master replied: 'It is said that you, sir, have read ten thousand volumes of books. Is this true?' Li Bo said: 'Yes.' The master said: 'From the crown of your head to the soles of your feet, you are no larger than a coconut. Where do you keep those ten thousand volumes of books?' Li Bo then asked: 'What is the ultimate meaning of the entire Buddhist canon?' The master raised his fist and asked: 'Do you understand?' Li Bo said: 'I do not.' The master said: 'This learned man does not even recognize a fist.' Li Bo said: 'Please, Master, enlighten me.' The master said: 'If you understand, you will find its use on the path. If you do not, it remains mere worldly talk.'" The master said: "Where are the ten thousand volumes of books kept? Where the foot extends, it retracts. Overturning the confines of words, all doubts are dispelled. Truly, the fist is a skillful means—neither on the path nor at home. Even worldly talk is not without merit. Just as in the tea ceremony, offerings are made to the late Prime Minister, the great layman Fang Shui. In his lifetime, he read ten thousand volumes of books. Where, after all, are they stored? Do you understand? Confucianism and Buddhism share not two minds. Only by transcending learning can one truly embody the Way."

懺堂小參：「若論本地風光，如摩天俊鶻，豈落二機？如踞地獅子，全威不動，直下便見，無第二人，擬議即乖，焉容鈍置？正位尚嫌尊貴，偏方豈落程途？旋風千匝打歸來，機輪絕斷無回互。昔三祖求二祖懺罪，二祖云：『將罪來與汝懺！』三祖云：『覓罪了不可得。』二祖云：『與汝懺罪竟。』審如是！理懺尚且不有，事懺更復何憑？事理雙融，便證禮佛三昧更有向上事在。」僧出禮拜，師云：「問話且置，汝禮底是甚麼？」進云：「能禮所禮性空寂。」師云：「此是教家極則。」進云：「宗教不二。」師云：「向上事何不道取一句？」進云：「一輪紅日照禪堂。」師云：「此猶是向下事。」進云：「恁麼則請和尚指示。」師云：「腳跟點地滑如苔。」時有傍僧下一喝，師云：「掠虛漢不許攙行奪市。」僧云：「臨濟道有時一喝如金剛王寶劍，如何是金剛王寶劍？」師云：「我不用此鈍鋒。」進云：「有時一喝如踞地獅子，如何是踞地獅子？」師云：「我家無此畜生。」進云：「有時一喝如探竿影草，如何是探竿影草？」師云：「閃蹤露影作麼？」進云：「有時一喝不作一喝用。」師云：「賺殺他家兒孫。」進云：「四偈已蒙師指示，本地風光事若何？」師云：「指頭無縫露全機。」進云：「請和尚歸方丈。」師云：「喚侍者點茶來。」僧問：「選佛場中大開鑪韝，祖師門庭不涉階級。意作麼生？」師云：「看腳跟線斷也未。」進云：「紅日窗前影，明月落堂中，是那一邊事？」師云：「不是汝住腳處。」進云：「石虎當頭露，野獸絕狐蹤時如何？」師云：「好喫一頓，別與商量。」僧問：「如何是賓中賓？」師云：「面面撲灰塵。」進云：「如何是賓中主？」師云：「歸家不坐堂。」進云：「如何是主中賓？」師云：「出門不上路。」進云：「如何是主中主？」師云：「猊床不露影。」進云：「賓主已蒙師指示，知音一句作麼生？」師云：「試唱一曲看！」僧問：「如何是切上加鞭？」師云：「千里追風不涉程。」進云：「家賊難防時如何？」師云：「誰教你認他作子？」進云：「修此禮佛三昧，向後還有罪也無？」師云：「勤禮不知勞。」進云：「還有這箇在？」師云：「且喜汝無這箇。」便打。

> In the Repentance Hall, a brief encounter: "If we speak of the original, fundamental scenery, it is like a falcon soaring to the heavens—how could it fall into the trap of dualistic contrivance? It is like a lion firmly seated upon the ground, its majestic power unmoving. See it directly, right now—there is no second person. To deliberate or speculate is to miss it entirely; how could there be any room for dull, clumsy contrivance? Even the true, primary position is still considered too lofty and honored; how could the partial, provisional perspective be confined to any path or procedure? A whirlwind spins a thousand times, only to be driven back; the wheel of function is utterly severed, with no mutual interaction. In the past, the Third Patriarch sought the Second Patriarch to repent his sins. The Second Patriarch said, 'Bring your sins here, and I will repent them for you.' The Third Patriarch said, 'I search for sins, but they cannot be found.' The Second Patriarch said, 'For you, the repentance of sins is already complete.' Examine this carefully! If even repentance in principle does not exist, what basis is there for repentance in practice? When practice and principle merge seamlessly, one then attains the Samadhi of Bowing to the Buddha. Yet there is still a matter beyond this." A monk came forward and bowed. The Master said, "Set aside asking questions for now. What is it that you are bowing to?" The monk advanced and said, "The one who bows and that which is bowed to are both empty and still." The Master said, "This is the ultimate teaching of the doctrinal schools." The monk advanced and said, "The teaching and the lineage are not two." The Master said, "Why not speak a single phrase about the matter beyond?" The monk advanced and said, "A wheel of red sun shines upon the meditation hall." The Master said, "This is still a matter on the lower side." The monk advanced and said, "If so, then I ask the Master to give instruction." The Master said, "The heel touches the ground, slippery as moss." At that time, a monk to the side gave a shout. The Master said, "A hollow fellow is not permitted to push ahead and seize the market." The monk said, "Linji said, 'Sometimes a shout is like the Vajra King's precious sword.' What is the Vajra King's precious sword?" The Master said, "I do not use this dull blade." The monk advanced and said, "'Sometimes a shout is like a lion crouched on the ground.' What is the lion crouched on the ground?" The Master said, "My house has no such creature." The monk advanced and said, "'Sometimes a shout is like a probing pole or a shadow-grass.' What is the probing pole or shadow-grass?" The Master said, "Why flash about and reveal traces?" The monk advanced and said, "'Sometimes a shout does not function as a shout.'" The Master said, "You've utterly deceived his descendants." The monk advanced and said, "The four verses have already received the Master's instruction. What about the matter of the original, fundamental scenery?" The Master said, "The fingertip has no seam, revealing the complete function." The monk advanced and said, "I ask the Master to return to the abbot's quarters." The Master said, "Call the attendant to bring tea." A monk asked, "In the field for selecting Buddhas, the great furnace bellows wide open. The gate of the Patriarchs involves no steps or stages. What is the meaning?" The Master said, "See if the thread at your heel is broken or not." The monk advanced and said, "The red sun's shadow before the window, the bright moon falling into the hall—which side's affair is this?" The Master said, "This is not where you should plant your foot." The monk advanced and said, "When the stone tiger reveals its head, and wild beasts leave no fox tracks—how then?" The Master said, "A good meal to eat; we'll discuss it separately." A monk asked, "What is the guest within the guest?" The Master said, "Every face is covered in dust." The monk advanced and said, "What is the host within the guest?" The Master said, "Returning home but not sitting in the hall." The monk advanced and said, "What is the guest within the host?" The Master said, "Going out the gate but not taking to the road." The monk advanced and said, "What is the host within the host?" The Master said, "The lion-seat does not reveal a shadow." The monk advanced and said, "Guest and host have already received the Master's instruction. What about a single phrase for one who understands?" The Master said, "Try singing a tune and see!" A monk asked, "What is applying the whip on top of what is already urgent?" The Master said, "Chasing the wind for a thousand miles without traversing any distance." The monk advanced and said, "When the thief within the house is hard to guard against, how then?" The Master said, "Who told you to recognize him as your son?" The monk advanced and said, "Cultivating this Samadhi of Bowing to the Buddha, will there be sin afterward or not?" The Master said, "Diligently bowing, one does not know weariness." The monk advanced and said, "Is there still this one?" The Master said, "It is good that you do not have this one." Then he struck him.

元夜茶話：「歲月如環無起盡，揭翻新曆又周流；未知石筍抽條意，好趁春風迸出頭。且道迸出後如何？」僧云：「撐天拄地。」師云：「三莖四莖斜，一根兩根曲，你道堪作何用？」進云：「學人不會。」師云：「何不道：『舟漢成龍去，清時引鳳來？』」又問一僧：「適纔維那答了也，汝又作麼生？」僧云：「須彌掉落虛空裏，海岸蓬頭天外天。」師云：「猶欠盡力迸出在。」進云：「恐太孤負和尚！」師云：「不得孤負人。」

> New Year's Eve Tea Talk: "Time is like a circle without beginning or end; turning over the new calendar, it cycles once more. Who knows the meaning of the stone bamboo shoots sprouting? They seize the spring breeze to burst forth. Now tell me, what happens after they burst forth?" A monk replied: "They prop up the sky and support the earth." The master said: "Three stalks slant, four stalks bend; one stem curves, two stems twist. What use do you think they serve?" The monk said: "This student does not understand." The master said: "Why not say: 'The boat to the Milky Way turns into a dragon and departs; in peaceful times, it draws the phoenix to come'?" Then he asked another monk: "The prior just answered. What about you?" The monk said: "Mount Sumeru falls into the void; the seashore's disheveled head reaches beyond the heavens." The master said: "You still lack the effort of bursting forth." The monk said: "I fear I would greatly disappoint the master!" The master said: "Do not disappoint others."

中秋茶話：「教中道：『菩薩清涼月，常遊畢竟空；眾生心水淨，菩提影現中。』山僧今夜與諸兄弟隨群逐隊，同賞中秋，又得歡笑一場，將茶筵排列丹墀之上，將謂廊房之下無月，玩賞天上之月。殊不知月輪不在天，月輪不在地，上下四維觀，都不見月影？或有箇出來以手指月向山僧道：『這箇喚做甚麼？』山僧道：『喚作苕帚柄，會麼？』不見雲巖掃地次，道吾云：『太區區生？』巖云：『須知有不區區者。』吾云：『莫有第二月麼？』巖乃豎起苕帚云：『這箇是第幾月？』吾便休去。秪如諸兄弟喚作月，山僧喚作苕帚柄，且道苕帚柄上是真月耶？是第二月耶？是煩惱月耶？是清涼月耶？清光此夜家家有，切忌分為兩段看。」

> Mid-Autumn Tea Talk: The teachings say: “The bodhisattva is the cool moon, Ever roaming in ultimate emptiness. When the minds of beings are clear as water, The reflection of enlightenment appears within.” Tonight, this mountain monk joins all of you brothers, following the crowd, celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival together, enjoying another round of laughter. We’ve arranged the tea feast on the red steps, thinking there’s no moon beneath the corridor—only to admire the moon in the sky. Yet who would have known: the moon disk is not in the sky, nor is it on the ground. Look up, down, and all around—nowhere is the moon’s shadow to be seen? If someone were to step forward, point at the moon, and ask me, “What is this called?” I’d say, “It’s called a broom handle. Do you understand?” Remember when Yunyan was sweeping the floor, and Daowu said, “Isn’t that too trivial?” Yunyan replied, “You should know there is something not trivial.” Daowu asked, “Is there a second moon?” Yunyan then raised his broom and said, “Which moon is this?” Daowu fell silent. Now, you brothers call it the moon; I call it a broom handle. Tell me: on this broom handle—is it the true moon? Is it the second moon? Is it the moon of affliction? Or is it the cool, clear moon? This clear light tonight is present in every household— Take care not to split it into two.

茶話：「僧問雲門：『如何是法身邊事？』門云：『枯樁。』『如何是法身向上事？』門云：『非枯樁。』若論法身邊事，知有底未必能知；若論法身向上事，不知有底卻又知有。或有箇知有不知有底出來，你道此人是會得枯樁耶？非枯樁耶？」師舉起茶盞云：「張三貪杯，李四酒醉，茶鐘落地，果碟粉碎。直饒曉得正按傍提，也難與睦州老人弄唇接觜。秪如今夜茶話，為鄭若休居士報薦祖嬸周氏恭人，且道此位先靈聞法當生何處？夜明簾外難尋跡，無影峰頭不借緣；好共龐家靈照女，饑來喫飯困來眠。」

> Cha said, "A monk asked Yunmen, 'What is the matter of the Dharma body's periphery?' Yunmen said, 'A withered stump.' 'What is the matter beyond the Dharma body?' Yunmen said, 'Not a withered stump.' If we speak of the matter of the Dharma body's periphery, those who know 'it exists' may not truly understand; if we speak of the matter beyond the Dharma body, those who do not know 'it exists' may yet know it exists. Suppose someone appears who both knows and does not know 'it exists'—tell me, is this person one who understands the withered stump, or not the withered stump?" The Master raised his teacup and said, "Zhang San is greedy for wine, Li Si is drunk; the teacup falls to the ground, the fruit plate shatters. Even if one understands the direct approach and skillful guidance, it is still difficult to match the old man of Muzhou in verbal exchange. As for tonight's tea talk, dedicated to the memorial for the respected Madame Zhou, the late grandmother of layman Zheng Ruoxiu—tell me, where shall this departed spirit, upon hearing the Dharma, be reborn? Outside the curtain of night's brightness, no trace can be found; atop the peak without shadow, no conditions are borrowed. She would do well to join Pang's daughter Lingzhao, eating when hungry and sleeping when tired."

誕日茶話：「無端突起一箇泡，泡裏安身自裏纏；曠劫秪明今日事，虛空劃界論何年？諸上座！諸佛是泡也、眾生亦泡也、天地世界是泡也、父母我身皆泡也。汝若作箇泡會，喚作毛道凡夫；你若不作箇泡會，猶是邪見邊事。山僧將此種種差別，總作一箇大泡，拋向諸上座面前，且道是諸上座底泡耶？是山僧底泡耶？若道是諸上座底泡，昧卻山僧；若道是山僧底泡，恰又瞞卻諸上座。還有揀辯得出者麼？一漚未起猶嫌冷，萬丈波瀾豈顧高？身土互嚴渾夢事，吞乾滄海釣飛鰲。」

> Birthday Tea Talk: "Out of nowhere, a single bubble rises up; within the bubble, one settles and becomes entangled. For countless eons, one only understands today's matters—in empty space, where are the boundaries drawn, and for how many years? Venerable ones! The Buddhas are bubbles, sentient beings are also bubbles, heaven and earth, the world itself is a bubble, parents and our own bodies—all are bubbles. If you take this as a bubble, you are called an ordinary being of the mundane path; if you do not take this as a bubble, you are still caught in wrong views. This monk gathers all these distinctions into one great bubble and tosses it before you, venerable ones. Now tell me, is this bubble yours, or is it this monk's? If you say it is your bubble, you obscure this monk; if you say it is this monk's bubble, you deceive yourselves. Is there anyone who can discern this? Before a single bubble rises, one still fears the cold; amidst towering waves, who cares for height? Body and realm mutually adorn, all a dreamlike affair—swallow the vast ocean dry and hook the flying dragon."

## 雪關禪師語錄卷之一終

> Recorded Sayings of Zen Master Xueguan, Volume One, End