Reverend Beichan Zhixian of Tanzhou, on New Year’s Eve instructed the assembly. “When the year finishes and comes to an end I have nothing to provide for an end-of-year banquet for you, but I will cook the white ox of the bare ground, steam a millet gruel and boil a soup of wild vegetables, and together with you all stand around the stove and push [sticks] into the fire and sing farmers’ songs. What do you think of that? This is to avoid being seen as depending on the doors of others or leaning on their walls, and also to avoid being called sir by others.”
He descended from his seat and returned to the abbot’s quarters.
Next a monk lifted up the screen and called, “Reverend! An official from the county (office) has come here.”
The master said, “What does he want?” The monk said, “To confiscate your reverence’s skin and horns.”
The master picked up his hat and threw it to the ground. That monk approached and picked it up. The master grasped him tight and said, “I have caught a thief! I have caught a thief!” The monk wrapped the hat around the master’s head, saying, “As the weather is cold I return your hat.”
The master laughed out loud, Ha! Ha! [At that time, Reverend Fachang Yiyu was there. The master asked, “What about this?” Yiyu said, “In recent days the price of paper in the city is expensive so I will make a one page judgment of our joint guilt.”]
Xinwen Tanben’s verse:
Although there is reward or punishment,
There is no partisanship and no bias (in the judgment).
Diligently cooking (the white ox) on the bare ground,
Together we send off the remains of the year.
Eating and not being full, again drooling,
Thousands of past (years) made people resent Beichan.
Walking further to approach the opportunity, he discussed killing and vivifying,
The nostrils (stuck up to) distant heaven are threaded through at once.
[Explanation]
Xinwen: There is reward and punishment is the monk’s intention.
No partisanship and no bias is the master’s intention.
Eating and not being full means that people did not understand Beichan’s intention. That was Beichan’s intention? It has no partisanship and no bias.
Walking further to approach means also discuss killing and vivifying is also not right.
Zhu’an Shigui raised this story, saying, “Assembly, you examine that cleareyed lineage teacher and he will reveal a little (of his skills) in accordance with your endowment. Originally he is not the same as you! Present-day people only boast of knowledge and interpretation, and boast with bragging, and fight with others to sustain their own (position) and with words and sentences that seem to agree fully (with the original endowment) they are given the imprimatur by the elder teachers, do some stingy meritorious karma, where will you get to such a field (state)? I here do not cook the white ox on the bare ground for you to eat, and also have no time to steam a millet gruel and to boil a soup of wild vegetables to offer to you, and I will not join you alongside the stove in burning [sticks] in the fire. But I will accompany you in tranquil sitting. Allow me to teach you to depend on other people’s gates and lean on others’ doors, and speak with you a little about the Chan of the light of the eyes falling to the earth (in death) on the last day of the last month (of the year/your life). Essentially, if each of you worries about your own life and is mindful of death, and manages the matter of being a monk, you will at the time of the last day of the year (life), before you have departed, avoid your arms and legs being in a flurry.” He stood his staff upright once and said, “Do you understand? The gates of heaven and hell stand opposite each other, but even if you swing a mallet limit-less times and strike them they will not open.”
[Explanation]
Zhu’an: If each of you worries about your own life and is mindful of death means that will not be a hindrance to the present.
Jiean Peng raised this story, saying, “Beichan issued the law and so produced cunning; while this monk grew in wisdom because he was imprisoned. If you test them, both have errors. By cooking the white ox of the bare ground, Beichan could not escape provoking verbiage. If it were me (Nengren) I would not do so. I also would not cook the white ox of the bare ground and will only give you an iron bun for the year-end banquet. If you can chew through it, all the flavors will be present and its aroma will full your mouth. If you cannot chew through it you must pay attention to your teeth.” Then he raised his fist upright and said, “What do you call this? Is there anyone who can speak? Try to come forth and speak. Is there, is there? Since there is no one I cannot avoid selling it myself and buying it myself. Ultimately what about it? Enjoying a lifetime, it is not something that you can use up. Do you understand? If you do not understand, listen to a verse:
Bearing horns and wearing skin suddenly occurs,
Pulling a plough and dragging a spreader, not yet despondent.
Only when the skin is pierced and the bones exposed can you rest,
Do not grasp the core vehicle (of teaching) and make a riddle of it.”
[Explanation]
Jiean: Only give you an iron bun … Below his raising of his fist (corresponds to the giving) of an iron bun. Bearing horns and wearing skin is not practicing among a different species. Beichan’s cooking (of the white ox is a matter) of having killed and this then (is a method of) returning to life. Just this fist is the white ox of the bare ground and also the iron bun. If all the flavors are fully present then the skins and horns are originally of themselves fully present. What is meant by the core vehicle is that of Beichan’s (teaching).
Happy New Years everyone!
Submitted January 01, 2018 at 05:48AM by Dillon123 http://ift.tt/2C3dTFk
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