English
English version A monk asked Zhaozhou, 'How did the Superior (shàngzuò, a respectful term for monks) attain the Dao?' Zhaozhou said he did not attain the Dao. Zen Master Jue said, 'The late master (xiānshī, deceased teacher) actually never said such a thing.' Zhaozhou, the abbot, should not slander the late master. (Jingshan Gao (jìngshān gǎo) said, 'If you say there is this saying, you miss Zen Master Jue's iron tongue (tiězuǐ, a metaphor for sharp words). If you say there is no such saying, you miss Zen Master Fayan. If you don't touch either side, you miss Zhaozhou. Even if it's not like this at all, there is another way to break through (tòutuō, liberation), entering hell like an arrow.' Gushan Gui (gǔshān guī) said, 'Zen Master Jue's iron tongue is well-deserved, but he never dreamed of Zhaozhou.') Zen Master Zhaozhou and Zen Master Wukong were warming themselves by the fire. Zen Master Zhaozhou picked up a incense spoon (xiāngchí, a tool for incense burners) and asked, 'It cannot be called an incense spoon, what do you call it?' Zen Master Wukong said, 'An incense spoon.' Zen Master Zhaozhou did not approve. Zen Master Wukong only understood the meaning of this saying more than twenty days later. One day, Zen Master Zhaozhou ascended the hall to give a Dharma talk. A monk asked, 'What is a drop of water from Caoyuan (cáoyuán, place name, also refers to Zen Master Caoyuan)?' Zen Master Zhaozhou said, 'It is a drop of water from Caoyuan.' The monk retreated in confusion. At that time, National Teacher Shao (sháo guóshī) was sitting beside him and suddenly became enlightened. National Teacher Shao then told Zen Master Zhaozhou what he had realized. Zen Master Zhaozhou said, 'You should become the teacher of the king in the future, and greatly promote the ancestral path. I am not as good as you.' National Teacher Shao later had a verse (jì, Buddhist poetry) saying, 'The peak of Tongxuan is not in the human world, there is no Dharma outside the mind, and the eyes are full of green mountains.' Zen Master Zhaozhou heard this and said, 'With this verse alone, I can revive my sect.' Zen Master Qingcong of Lingyin (língyǐn qīngsǒng chánshī) was from Fuzhou. He initially visited Zen Master Zhaozhou. Zen Master Zhaozhou pointed to the rain and said, 'The drops are falling into the Superior's eyes.' Zen Master Qingcong initially did not understand the meaning, but later gained insight from reading the Avatamsaka Sutra and was approved by Zen Master Zhaozhou. Baizhang Daoheng (bǎizhàng dàohéng) visited Zen Master Zhaozhou because he asked about the heretics asking the Buddha, not asking about words of existence, not asking about words of non-existence. Before the narration was finished, Zen Master Zhaozhou said, 'Stop, stop (zhùzhù, stop), are you planning to understand it at the World Honored One's place for a long time (liángjiǔ, a long time)?' Zen Master Baizhang became enlightened from this. Zen Master Yongming Daoqian (yǒngmíng dàqián chánshī) was from Hezhong Prefecture. He initially visited Zen Master Zhaozhou. Zen Master Zhaozhou asked, 'What sutra do you read besides participating in Zen and asking for instruction?' Zen Master Daoqian said, 'The Avatamsaka Sutra.' Zen Master Zhaozhou said, 'The six aspects (liùxiàng, Buddhist term) of totality, difference, sameness, otherness, formation, and destruction, which category do they belong to?' Zen Master Daoqian said, 'The text is in the Tenth Ground Chapter, and in principle, all dharmas in the world and beyond have six aspects.' --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
也。师云。空还具六相也无。潜懵然无对。师云。汝问我。我向汝道。潜乃问。空还具六相也无。师云。空。潜于是开悟。踊跃礼谢。师云。子作么生会。潜云。空。师然之。异日。四众士女入院。师问潜云。律中道。隔壁闻钗钏声。即名破戒。见睹金银合杂。朱紫骈阗。是破戒。不是破戒。潜云。好个入路。师云。子向后有五百毳徒。为王侯所重在。 文遂导师。杭州人。尝究首楞严。谒师述已所业。深符经旨。师云。楞严。岂不是有八还义。遂云。是。师云。明还甚么。云。明还日轮。师云。日还甚么。遂懵然无对。师诫令焚其所注之文。自此服膺请益。始忘知解。 玄则禅师。滑州卫南人。初问青峰。如何是学人自己。青峰云。丙丁童子来求火。后谒师。师问。甚处来。云。青峰来。师云。青峰有何言句。则。举前话。师云。上座作么生会。则云。丙丁属火。而更求火。如将自己求自己。师云。与么会又争得。则云。某甲祇与么。未审和尚如何。师云。尔问我。我与尔道。则问。如何是学人自己。师云。丙丁童子来求火。则于言下大悟。 谨禅师侍立次。师问一僧云。自离此间。甚么处去来。云。入岭来。师云。不易。云。虚涉他如许多山水。师云。如许多山水也不恶。其僧无语。谨于此有 现代汉语译本： 也。 禅师问：‘空还具有六相（总相、别相、同相、异相、成相、坏相）吗？’ 僧人潜茫然不知如何回答。 禅师说：‘你问我，我来告诉你。’ 潜于是问：‘空还具有六相吗？’ 禅师说：‘空。’ 潜因此开悟，高兴地礼拜感谢。 禅师说：‘你是怎么理解的？’ 潜说：‘空。’ 禅师认可了他的理解。 后来，众多信徒前来寺院， 禅师问潜：‘律中说，隔着墙壁听到钗钏的声音，就叫做破戒。 亲眼看到金银混杂，达官贵人聚集，是破戒，还是不是破戒？’ 潜说：‘真是个好入手的途径。’ 禅师说：‘你以后会有五百弟子，会被王侯所器重。’ 文遂导师，杭州人。 曾经深入研究《首楞严经》。 拜见禅师，陈述自己所理解的经义，很符合经中的要旨。 禅师问：‘《楞严经》，岂不是有八还义（地还坚性，水还湿性，火还暖性，风还动性，见还照性，觉还明性，空还含性，识还知性）吗？’ 文遂说：‘是的。’ 禅师问：‘明还什么？’ 文遂说：‘明还日轮。’ 禅师问：‘日还什么？’ 文遂茫然不知如何回答。 禅师告诫他烧掉自己所注解的文字。 从此以后虚心服从，请求指教，开始忘掉自己原有的知解。 玄则禅师，滑州卫南人。 最初问青峰禅师：‘如何是学人自己？’ 青峰禅师说：‘丙丁童子来求火。’ 后来拜见禅师， 禅师问：‘从哪里来？’ 回答说：‘从青峰禅师那里来。’ 禅师问：‘青峰禅师有什么言语？’ 玄则禅师举了之前的话。 禅师问：‘你作何理解？’ 玄则禅师说：‘丙丁属火，却更来求火，如同用自己来寻找自己。’ 禅师说：‘这样理解又有什么用呢？’ 玄则禅师说：‘我只是这样理解，不知道和尚您怎么理解？’ 禅师说：‘你问我，我来告诉你。’ 玄则禅师问：‘如何是学人自己？’ 禅师说：‘丙丁童子来求火。’ 玄则禅师在禅师的言语下大悟。 谨禅师侍立在旁。 禅师问一个僧人：‘自从离开这里，去了什么地方？’ 回答说：‘进入山岭。’ 禅师说：‘不容易啊。’ 回答说：‘白白地走过那么多的山水。’ 禅师说：‘那么多的山水也不错。’ 那个僧人无话可说。 谨禅师对此有所...
English
English version: Also. The Master asked, 'Does emptiness possess the six characteristics (general characteristic, specific characteristic, similar characteristic, dissimilar characteristic, forming characteristic, decaying characteristic)?' The monk Qian was bewildered and had no answer. The Master said, 'You ask me, and I will tell you.' Qian then asked, 'Does emptiness possess the six characteristics?' The Master said, 'Emptiness.' Qian then attained enlightenment, joyfully prostrated and thanked the Master. The Master said, 'How do you understand it?' Qian said, 'Emptiness.' The Master approved of his understanding. Later, a large gathering of laypeople came to the monastery. The Master asked Qian, 'The Vinaya (monastic code) says that hearing the sound of hairpins and bracelets through a wall is called breaking the precept. Seeing gold and silver mixed together, and high-ranking officials gathered, is it breaking the precept, or is it not?' Qian said, 'What a good entry point!' The Master said, 'In the future, you will have five hundred disciples and be respected by kings and nobles.' Instructor Wen Sui, a native of Hangzhou, once deeply studied the Shurangama Sutra. He visited the Master and described his understanding of the sutra, which closely aligned with its essence. The Master asked, 'Doesn't the Shurangama Sutra have the meaning of the Eight Returns (earth returns to its solid nature, water returns to its wet nature, fire returns to its warm nature, wind returns to its moving nature, seeing returns to its illuminating nature, awareness returns to its bright nature, space returns to its containing nature, consciousness returns to its knowing nature)?' Wen Sui said, 'Yes.' The Master asked, 'What does illumination return to?' Wen Sui said, 'Illumination returns to the sun.' The Master asked, 'What does the sun return to?' Wen Sui was bewildered and had no answer. The Master admonished him to burn his commentaries. From then on, he humbly obeyed and sought instruction, beginning to forget his original understanding. Zen Master Xuan Ze, a native of Weinan in Hua Prefecture, initially asked Qingfeng, 'What is the student's own self?' Qingfeng said, 'A Bing-Ding (fire element) child comes seeking fire.' Later, he visited the Master. The Master asked, 'Where do you come from?' He replied, 'From Qingfeng.' The Master asked, 'What words did Qingfeng have?' Ze repeated the previous exchange. The Master asked, 'How do you understand it?' Ze said, 'Bing-Ding belongs to fire, yet he seeks fire, like using oneself to seek oneself.' The Master said, 'What's the use of understanding it that way?' Ze said, 'That's just how I understand it. I don't know how the Master understands it?' The Master said, 'You ask me, and I will tell you.' Ze asked, 'What is the student's own self?' The Master said, 'A Bing-Ding child comes seeking fire.' Ze had a great enlightenment upon hearing the Master's words. Zen Master Jin was standing in attendance. The Master asked a monk, 'Since leaving here, where have you been?' He replied, 'I entered the mountains.' The Master said, 'Not easy.' He replied, 'I vainly traversed so many mountains and rivers.' The Master said, 'So many mountains and rivers are not bad.' The monk was speechless. Zen Master Jin had some... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 省。
Chinese
归宗玄策禅师。曹州人。初名慧超。谒师问云。慧超咨和尚。如何是佛。师云。汝是慧超。超从此悟入(圆悟云。有者道。慧起便是佛。所以法眼恁么答。有者道。大似骑牛觅牛。有者道。问处便是。有甚么交涉。若恁么会去。不惟辜负自己。亦乃深屈古人 雪窦颂云。江国春风吹不起。鹧鸪啼在深花里。三汲浪高鱼化龙。痴人犹𡰷夜塘水)。 举昔有二庵主住庵。旬日不相见。忽相会。上庵主问下庵主。多时不相见。向甚么处去。下庵主云。在庵中造个无缝塔。上庵主云。某甲也要造一个。就兄借取塔样子。下庵主云。何不早说。却被人借去了也。师云。且道。是借他样。不借他样。 举昔有一老宿。因僧问。师子捉兔。亦全其力。捉象亦全其力。未审。全个甚么力。老宿云。不欺之力。师别云。不会古人语。 举昔有一老宿住庵。于门上书心字。于窗上书心字。于壁上书心字。师云。门上但书门字。窗上但书窗字。壁上但书壁字(玄觉云。门上不要书门字。窗上不要书窗字。壁上不要书壁字。何故。字义炳然)。 举昔有一老宿云。这一片田地。分付来多时也。我立地。待汝构去。师云。山僧如今坐地。待汝构去。还有道理也无。那个亲。那个疏。试裁断看。 举昔 归宗玄策禅师，曹州人。最初名叫慧超。拜见禅师问道：‘慧超请教和尚，什么是佛？’禅师说：‘你就是慧超。’慧超因此领悟。（圆悟勤禅师评论说：‘有人说，慧超的疑问生起之处就是佛，所以法眼禅师这样回答。有人说，这很像骑着牛找牛。有人说，问的地方就是答案，有什么关系呢？如果这样理解，不仅辜负了自己，也深深地委屈了古人。’雪窦重显禅师作颂说：‘江南的春风吹不起来，鹧鸪在深花里啼叫。三级浪高，鱼化为龙，痴人还在夜塘里舀水。’） 举一个过去的例子，有两个庵主住在庵里，十几天没有见面。忽然相遇，上庵主问下庵主：‘很久不见，你到哪里去了？’下庵主说：‘在庵中建造了一座无缝塔。’上庵主说：‘我也想造一个，向你借个塔的样子。’下庵主说：‘为什么不早说，已经被别人借走了。’禅师说：‘你们说，他是借了他的样子，还是没有借他的样子？’ 举一个过去的例子，有一位老宿，因为有僧人问：‘狮子捉兔子，也用全部的力量；捉大象，也用全部的力量。请问，这全部的力量是什么力量？’老宿说：‘不欺之力。’禅师另外说：‘不会古人的话。’ 举一个过去的例子，有一位老宿住在庵里，在门上写‘心’字，在窗上写‘心’字，在墙上写‘心’字。禅师说：‘门上只写门字，窗上只写窗字，墙上只写墙字。’（玄觉禅师说：‘门上不要写门字，窗上不要写窗字，墙上不要写墙字。为什么？字义已经很明显了。’） 举一个过去的例子，有一位老宿说：‘这一片田地，交付给你们很久了，我站在这里，等你们去耕耘。’禅师说：‘山僧现在坐在这里，等你们去耕耘。还有道理吗？哪个亲近，哪个疏远，试着判断看看。’ 举一个过去的例子