師。生桐城。楊氏子。參雲門。門問。向來作什麼。師對。持毗舍偈。門曰。四大是假。妄心是空。阿誰拖你死尸來。師良久。門舉斬貓話。師當下知有。拋出蒲團。曰。一語下徐州。尋侍門於橋上。門曰。溪水潺潺。汝試道看。師曰。敲空有響，擊木無聲。門喜。越六日。聞鐘聲大徹。自是機辯杰出。門付囑。門逝。師繼主顯聖。崇禎庚午。開湖州弁山古龍華。凡八座道場。辛巳三月望。命侍僧扶入龕。書偈。以手招眾。眾前。師已逝矣。塔全身於龍華。
這是曹洞宗的，這位禪師的名字叫明雪，也叫瑞白。「師，生桐城」：這位禪師生桐城，桐城是不是河南？（弟子答：安徽。）「楊氏子」：他的俗家姓楊，和楊六郎同姓。
「參雲門」：他去參拜雲門禪師，「門問」：雲門禪師就問，「向來作什麼」：你以前都做什麼事情？「師對」：這位明雪禪師就對他說了，「持毘舍偈」：偈，就是個偈頌，不是個咒。毘舍，大概是毘舍弗佛的這個偈頌。「門問」：雲門就問他了，「四大是假」：地、水、火、風這四大都是假合的，「妄心是空」：這個妄想的心也是空的，「阿誰拖你死尸來」：現在誰拖你的死屍來到這兒來的？誰把你帶來的？這就是他故意這麼問。
其實四大假合，這也不是自己，這地水火風都不是自己的。人一死了，地就歸地大，水歸水大，火歸火大，風歸風大，各有所歸，各有所還。有所歸，有所還，都不是自己的，就不過在自己這兒拿出來一點本錢，做了一個有限公司。這個身體也是個有限公司，大家合股而成的。既然合股而成的，一分了就是沒有了。
妄心是空，你說這個妄想也是沒有一個體性的，沒有一個相的，也是像虛空似的。阿誰，就是哪一個。「哪一個把你的死屍拖到這兒來的？」這就是問他，「你知不知道你的主人翁是誰？你知不知道你真正來令你開悟的、令你成佛的是哪一個？」這就是指出那個佛性，可是雲門沒有明說出來，就是問他「你知不知道？」是什麼？就是說的那個佛性。
「師良久」：這位禪師就等了很久的時間，無言以對，沒有話可說的。他這意思也就是似懂非懂的，所以也說不出話來。
「門舉斬貓話」：這位雲門就舉出南泉禪師斬貓的公案。方才周老師不是說：「把那個貓殺了，免得爭論。」這個也就是真假在那兒鬥爭。真假鬥爭，你把這個貓斬了，那麼沒有什麼爭的了，就不爭了。真的他也不爭了，假的他也不爭了，沒有什麼爭的。
「師當下知有」：所以呀！這位明雪禪師言下知有，他知道這是有一個佛性在裡邊。「拋出蒲團」：他身上背著一個蒲團，本來他放不下的，於是乎，他聽這麼樣一說，他就把蒲團扔掉了，把蒲團拋出去了，「曰」：他就說了，說什麼呢？「一語下徐州」：你這一句話，我就知道從什麼地方到徐州去了。這個就表示他懂了，他懂這個意思了。
「尋侍門於橋上」：待了沒有多久，他就給雲門當侍者；在橋上這個地方。
「門曰」：門就問他，說「溪水潺潺」：說這個溪水流得不斷的，「汝試道看」：你就看溪水這個樣子，你說出一句看看；我現在考你，你說出一句看看。
「師曰」：這位明雪禪師也沒加思索就說了兩句，「敲空有響」：我向空中這麼敲，可是空中有響；「擊木無聲」：我擊這個木，沒有聲音。那麼你們想一想這個是什麼？本來敲空應該沒有響，擊木應該有聲，嗐！他反說的。
這反說的意思，就是你修道的那個道理和這個人間的世間法正相反。世間，你認為有的，他要找那個沒有的；你若沒有的，他認為有。所以，這出世法和世間法正相反。你按那個世間法，啊！男的要找個女朋友，女的要找個男朋友；出世法呢？沒有的！女的也不需要男朋友，男的也不需要女朋友，這樣子，清淨了，正是與這個世間的道理正相反、相背的。
待續 |
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The Master was born in Tongcheng, a son of the Yang family. He studied under Master Yunmen. Master Yunmen asked him, "What did you do before?" The Master replied, "I upheld the verse of Vipashyin." Master Yunmen said, "The four elements are unreal. The false mind is empty. Who dragged your corpse here?" The Master was speechless for a long while. Then Master Yunmen brought up the case of killing the cat, and the Master had an instantaneous insight. He threw down his meditation cushion and said, "Your words have shown me the way to Xuzhou." Soon afterwards he became Master Yunmen's attendant at Qiaoshang ("On the Bridge"). Master Yunmen said, "The stream flows on and on. Let's see what you have to say about it."
The Master said, "Knocking on space makes a sound. Beating on wood makes no noise." Master Yunmen was pleased. Six days later, upon hearing the tolling of the bell, he experienced a great awakening. From then on, his eloquence was outstanding in all situations.
Master Yunmen transmitted the Dharma to him. When Master Yunmen passed away, the Master became the next abbot of Xiansheng Monastery. In the year of gengwu during the reign of Chongzhen, he founded the Ancient Longhua ("Dragon Flower") Monastery at Bianshan in Huzhou and served as the abbot at eight monasteries. On the fifteenth day of the third lunar month in the year of xingsi, he told his attendant to help ease him into an upright coffin. He wrote a verse and then beckoned everyone with a wave of his hand. By the time they walked over to him, he had already passed away. A stupa containing his whole body was erected at Longhua Monastery.
Commentary:
This Patriarch is of the Caodong Sect. His name was Mingxue (Bright Snow), and he was also called Ruibai (Auspicious White). The Master was born in Tongcheng, a son of the Yang family. He was born in Tongcheng County. Is that in Henan Province? [Disciple: It's in Anhui Province.] His lay surname was Yang, the same as that of Liulang Yang.
He studied under Master Yunmen. He went to bow to Dhyana Master Yunmen, who asked him, "What did you do before?" The Master, Dhyana Master Mingxue, replied, "I upheld the verse of Vipashyin." This is a verse, not a mantra. It probably refers to a verse spoken by Vipashyin Buddha. Master Yunmen said, "The four elements are unreal. Earth, water, fire, and air temporarily combine to form the body. The false mind is empty. The mind that engages in false, stream-of-consciousness thoughts is also empty. Who dragged your corpse here? "Who has brought you here?" He was deliberately putting him on the spot.
The four elements--earth, water, fire, and air--are not really the self nor do they belong to the self. When a person dies, the earth in his body returns to the element earth in the natural environment. Likewise, water returns to water, fire returns to fire, and air returns to air. Each returns to its own place. Since they all have places to which to return, they do not belong to oneself. They have merely invested a little capital to form a corporation, so to speak. The body is a corporation formed from every member's investments. But when the members each take their share of the money, the corporation--the body--is gone.
The false mind is empty. False thinking has no substance and no appearance; it is like empty space. "Who was it who dragged your corpse over here?" "Who's in charge of you? Do you know? What is it that really causes you to become enlightened and to become a Buddha?" Dhyana Master Yunmen was referring to the Buddha nature, but he didn't say it outright; he merely asked him, "Do you know what it is?"
The Master was speechless for a long while. He had nothing to say in reply. He didn't really understand, so he wasn't able to answer.
Then Master Yunmen brought up the public record (Chinese: gong an, Japanese: koan) of killing the cat, in which a cat was killed (by Dharma Master Nanquan) in order to end the debate. There had been an argument about the true and false, but when the cat was killed, the people had nothing left to argue about, so they stopped arguing. Those on the side of the true stopped arguing, and so did those on the side of the false.
And the Master had an instantaneous insight. Hearing those words, Dhyana Master Mingxue had an insight--he knew that there was a Buddha nature. He threw down his meditation cushion and said, "Your words have shown me the way to Xuzhou." He had been carrying a meditation cushion on his back, and he was quite attached to it, but after hearing Master Yunmen's words, he threw the cushion away. He then said, "Because of that one sentence you spoke, I now know how to get to Xuzhou." He was saying, in effect, that he understood the meaning.
Soon afterwards he became Master Yunmen's attendant at Qiaoshang ("On the Bridge"). Master Yunmen said, "The stream flows on and on. Let's see what you have to say about it. See the stream? Why don't you make a verse about it? This is a test I'm giving you."
The Master Mingxue spoke two verses spontaneously. He said, "Knocking on space makes a sound. I knock on the air, but there's a sound. Beating on wood makes no noise. I hit the wood, but there's no sound." Now, what do you think he means? Knocking on space shouldn't make any sound and beating on wood should, but he said just the opposite.
His meaning was that the principles of cultivation are the opposite of mundane dharmas. What worldly people regard as existing, the cultivator thinks of as nonexistent. What worldly people regard as nonexistent, he takes to exist. Thus, transcendental dharmas are just the opposite of worldly dharmas. In the way of the world, boys want to find girlfriends and girls want to find boyfriends. In terms of transcendental dharmas, it doesn't work that way. Girls don't need to have boyfriends, and boys don't need to have girlfriends. Then they are pure. Thus, the principles for transcending the world are opposed to worldly principles.
To be continued |
