前期提示：那麼這當參學，所以要到處去和人過過招，什麼叫過招呢?說：「參禪的人還要彼此拿刀動槍打一架
呀?」不是，就是鬥機鋒。
「舟問」：那個慈舟一見著他，什麼也沒說，就問他說：「止風塗向青山近，越王臺畔滄海遙時如何？」怎麼辦？這就是叫鬥機鋒。什麼叫鬥機鋒啊？方才不是講嗎？這不是念兩句詩而已，這個詩裡頭，就看你怎麼樣答，看你答是答得有道理、沒有道理？和他的原意怎麼樣，和你答的那個意思又怎麼樣？這就是所謂「行家伸伸手，便知有沒有」，你一伸手，他就知道你熟不熟行了。這就是好像那個做馬販子，我不會做馬販子，不過我到過販馬場。要買賣馬不講明價錢的，說是怎麼樣呢？說是這個手放到袖子裡，互相地伸出幾個手指頭來，這就知道是多少錢，這麼樣子，這叫暗問，不是明問的。那麼這個鬥機鋒，這是以這麼一問一答，兩個人可以大家心照不宣了，這就叫鬥機鋒。機就是機會的機，峰就是那個山峰的峰；就在那個刀刃上見。可是這是說話的那個鋒，不是那個拿出刀槍的鋒。
「止風塗向青山近，越王臺畔滄海遙」，這若講起來，講得好像戲論似的，不過，不要那麼講。止風塗，言其你這個人不守規矩，你有風，就有貪圖，就把你的智慧都給遮住了！向青山近，可是那裡頭青山綠水是很清淨的，很好的，很美麗的。這個止風塗，和骯髒的地方，和乾淨的地方，都相離得很近的。也就是你一念清淨，就是青山；你一念染污，就是風塗。
「越王臺畔滄海遙」，就是那個越王勾踐的越王臺畔；滄海遙，那個越王的地方大約離著滄海是很遠的。越王他為這個國家臥薪嘗膽的，他有所事事的，他有目的的，有用意的，他不惜一切的辛苦，他要將來成功。滄海遙，可是那個滄海裡頭，什麼意思也沒有，它也沒有希望成功，也沒有希望怎麼樣子報復，它沒有這樣的。所以那個滄海呀，也不容易變的；那個越王臺啊，它是沒有那滄海的時間那麼長。一個有常，一個無常，就是你有心意識，那就是無常，就是個有盡；你沒有心意識，雖然是遙遠，修行不容易，可是那是一個沒有窮盡的時候。這個有形有相的，它都有壞的，無形無相那才是真的。可是無形無相，就像那個滄海似的；有形有相，就像那越王臺似的。越王臺是一個暫時的，那個滄海是永遠的。可是永遠和這個暫時的，這都不是究竟的。
慈舟禪師這麼說了，他也就用這個偈頌答覆他，「師曰，月穿潭底破」：說那個月一照，就照到潭底了。它潭底破，並不是真的那個潭底破了。就是從上邊一照，就照到下邊潭底那兒，所以他說「破」。
「波斯不展眉」：這個波就是水波，斯也就是這個波。說這個波它不會展眉的，就是那個月光照進去，它也沒有動彈，也沒有覺得：「唉！很難受的，這個月光刺進來了，唉呀！」它就動一動啊，皺皺眉啊，沒有的。這兩句裡邊，月就是個智慧，波就是個煩惱。你若有智慧了，這個煩惱就不起作用了，什麼事情也不會把你搖動了，你照是照到底了，這個潭底破了。可是這個波一點什麼表情也沒有，它無動於衷的，那波浪不起了。
待續 |
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From last issue：Travelling students generally go around matching their skills against others．How do they match their skills?“Do Chan meditators actually take up swords or guns and fight it out with one another？”No,they engage in verbal combat
Zhou asked him. When Master Ci Zhou met him, he didn't say anything else, but just asked him, "When Zhi Feng Tu is close to the green mountains, but the platform of the king of Yue is far from the vast sea, what should be done?" What should one do? This is known as verbal combat. What is verbal combat? Didn't I just tell you? It isn't simply a matter of reciting two lines of verse. It depends on how you answer, on whether your answer makes sense or not, and on how his original meaning correlates with the meaning of your own answer. As it is said, "An expert merely needs to see you stretch out your hand to know whether or not you have it." As soon as you reach out your hand, he will know whether or not you are familiar with the trade. This is similar to the way horse-traders operate. I don't know how to be a horse-trader, but I've been to horse trading fairs before. It's said that the buyers and sellers of horses don't talk about prices outright. What do they do? It's said that they put their hands in their sleeves, and just by extending a few fingers to show each other, they can determine the price of the horse. That's how they do it. It is done covertly, not out in the open. Now, in verbal combat, by means of alternating questions and answers, two people can understand each other without having to speak plainly. That's called verbal combat, or dou ji feng. Ji refers to opportunity, and feng means the tip of a sword. This means to meet at the blade of the sword--to realize the key point. But this is a verbal "tip of the sword," not the tip of an actual sword or gun.
"When Zhi Feng Tu is close to the green mountains, but the platform of the king of Yue is far from the vast sea, what should be done?" There is one way to explain this that sounds like sophistry, but we won't explain it that way. Zhi Feng Tu ("stop the wind and mud") means that if you don't follow the rules, then you will have the wind, which is greed, and it will cover up your wisdom. Yet, within this, the green mountains and spring waters are very pure, very fine, and very beautiful. Zhi Feng Tu is very close both to defiled places and to the place of purity. In other words, with a thought of purity, you have green mountains; with a thought of defilement, there is wind and mud.
"The platform of the king of Yue is far from the vast sea." The platform of the king of Yue refers to the territory of King Gou Jian of the kingdom of Yue. His place was probably a long ways from the sea. For the sake of his kingdom, the king of Yue slept on firewood for a mattress and had a piece of gall hung over his bed, [which he licked to remind him of the bitterness of his defeat]. He was planning something. He had a goal in mind; he had an intention, and he did not spare himself any hardship in his determination to make a successful comeback in the future. The sea was very far away. The vast sea has no intent at all. It doesn't hope to succeed, nor does it hope to take revenge in any way. It isn't like that. Therefore, it's not easy to change the vast sea. The platform of the king of Yue could not endure as long as the sea. One was eternal, and one was temporary. That is, if you have a mind, intent, and consciousness, then your state is impermanent and has an end to it. If you don't have any mind, intent, or consciousness, then even though it's a long distance and cultivation is not easy, it will last for a boundless time. Anything that has form and appearance is subject to destruction. Only that which is formless and without appearance is real. That which has no form or appearance is like the vast sea, while that which has form and appearance is like the platform of the king of Yue. The king's platform is temporary, while the sea lasts forever. However, the eternal and the temporary are not ultimate, either.
After Master Ci Zhou had spoken, the Master replied with a verse. The Master said, "The moon penetrates the water and shatters the bottom of the lake." When the moon shines, it shines right down to the bottom of the lake. "Shatters the bottom of the lake" doesn't mean that the lake bottom really breaks up. It simply means that from above, the moonlight shines all the way down to the lake bottom. Thus, the text says "shatters."
"Yet these waves do not smooth their brows." This line says these waves will not smooth their brows. When the moonlight shines into the water, they don't react. They don't think, "Oh! It's so uncomfortable! The moonlight has pierced me. Oh no!" They won't try to move aside or crease their brows. In these two lines, the moon represents wisdom and the waves afflictions. If you have wisdom, then afflictions will no longer have any effect. Nothing will be able to sway you. You have shined all the way to the bottom, so the lake bottom is shattered. Nevertheless, the waves don't show any expression at all. They remain unmoved. The waves don't rise up anymore.
To be continued
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