86. The Yaksha’s Prophecy 八十六、丫叉之记
Teacher Qi Zhijun | 2018-06-23 | Download | AI assisted translation
| 〖公案原文〗 |
[Original Text of the Koan] |
| 大阳平侍者，预明安之室有年。虽尽得其旨，惟以生灭为已任，挤陷同列，忌出其右者。 |
Attendant Ping of Dayang had long been admitted to Ming'an’s inner circle. Although he had fully grasped the purport of his teaching, he made arising and ceasing his sole concern: he pushed down and entrapped his fellow practitioners and resented anyone who surpassed him. |
| 琅琊广照、公安圆鉴居众时，汾阳禅师令其探明安宗旨。在大阳因平密授，明安尝云：“兴洞上一宗，非远即觉也。”二师云：“有平侍者在。”明安以手指胸云：“平此处不佳。”又捏拇指叉中示之云：“平向去当死于此耳。” |
When Langye Guangzhao and Gong'an Yuanjian were living among the assembly, Chan Master Fenyang had them investigate Ming'an’s essential teaching. At Dayang, Ping secretly instructed them. Ming'an once said, “To revive the Caodong lineage, it will be either Yuan or Jue.” The two masters said, “But Attendant Ping is there.” Ming'an pointed to his chest and said, “Ping is not good here.” He then pinched the space between his thumb and forefinger and showed it to them, saying, “Ping will one day die here.” |
| 暨明安迁寂，遗嘱云：“瘗全身十年无难，当为大阳山打供。”入塔时，门人恐平将不利于师，遂作李和文都尉所施黄白器物，书于塔铭，而实无也。平后住大阳，忽云：“先师灵塔，风水不利，取而焚之。 |
When Ming'an entered quiescence, he left these final instructions: “If my whole body remains intact for ten years without decay, offerings should be made for Dayang Mountain.” When he was placed in the stūpa, his disciples feared that Ping might harm their master. They therefore made an inscription on the stūpa stating that it contained gold and silver vessels donated by Commandant Li Hewen, though in fact there were none. Afterward, when Ping resided at Dayang, he suddenly declared that his former master’s stūpa had unfavorable geomantic conditions and ordered it to be exhumed and burned. |
| ”山中耆宿切谏平，平云：“于我有妨。”遂发塔，颜貌如生。薪尽俨然，众皆惊异。平乃钁破其脑，益油薪，俄成灰烬。众以其事闻于官，坐平谋塔中物，不孝，还俗。 |
The senior elders of the mountain earnestly remonstrated with Ping, but Ping said, “It is an impediment to me.” He then opened the stūpa. The master’s countenance was as lifelike as when he was alive. Even after the firewood had burned out, the body remained perfectly intact, and everyone was astonished. Ping then split open his skull with a hoe, added oil and firewood, and before long it was reduced to ashes. The assembly reported the matter to the authorities. Ping was convicted of plotting to obtain the objects in the stūpa, of filial impiety, and was returned to lay status. |
| 平自称黄秀才，谒琅琊，琅云：“昔日平侍者，今朝黄秀才。我在大阳时见尔做处！”遂不纳。又谒公安，安亦不顾。平流浪，无所依，后于三叉路口，遭大虫食之。竟不免大阳丫叉之记，悲哉！ |
Ping called himself Scholar Huang and paid a visit to Langye. Langye said, “Attendant Ping of former days is Scholar Huang today. When I was at Dayang, I saw what you were doing!” He therefore refused to accept him. Ping also visited Gong'an, but Gong'an likewise ignored him. Ping wandered about with nowhere to rely upon. Later, at a three-way crossroads, he was eaten by a tiger. In the end, he could not escape Dayang’s prophecy concerning the tiger’s jaws. How tragic! |
| 〖老人眉批〗 |
[The Elder’s Marginal Note] |
| 说得相似，欠一解在[□中力]者，不免为历劫妄习所累，造业堕落。可不引以深自警戒哉！ |
Though he spoke in a similar way, he still lacked the realization that there is nothing to attain. Inevitably, he was burdened by deluded habits accumulated over countless kalpas, created karma, and fell into degeneration. Should this not serve as a profound warning to us? |
| 〖锯解秤砣〗 |
[Sawing Apart a Scale Weight] |
| 老人在《略论明心见性》一书中，做为叛师之例，提到过这位大阳平侍者，这里又说到了他。这则公案说：“大阳平侍者，预明安之室有年。虽尽得其旨，惟以生灭为已任，挤陷同列，忌出其右者。”老人评论说：“说得相似，欠一解在‘囫’者，不免为历劫妄习所累，造业堕落。” |
In A Brief Discussion of Realizing the Mind and Seeing One’s True Nature, the Elder mentioned this attendant, Dayang Ping, as an example of one who betrayed his teacher; here he speaks of him again. This Chan koan says: “Attendant Dayang Ping had long been in Master Ming’an’s quarters. Although he had fully grasped the Master’s meaning, he took arising and ceasing as his own concern, oppressed and ensnared his peers, and was jealous of anyone who surpassed him.” The Elder commented: “Though he spoke in a similar way, he still lacked the realization that there is nothing to attain. Inevitably, he was burdened by deluded habits accumulated over countless kalpas, created karma, and fell into degeneration.” |
| 老人的评论与这则公案所说一一对应： |
The Elder’s comments correspond point by point to what this koan says: |
| 尽得其旨——说得相似，尚欠一解在囫。（无所得才是真得） |
“Fully grasped his meaning”—though he spoke in a similar way, he still lacked the realization that there is nothing to attain. (Only non-attainment is true attainment.) |
| 以生灭为已任，忌出其右——此乃历劫妄习也。 |
“He made arising and ceasing his sole concern and resented anyone who surpassed him”—these were deluded habits accumulated over countless kalpas. |
| 挤陷同列——造业堕落。后终于发展到“叛师”。 |
“He pushed down and entrapped his fellow practitioners”—he created karma and fell into decline. Eventually, this developed into “betraying his master.” |
| 这个公案里的明安就是大阳警玄禅师，“六八、倾湫倒嶽”公案里提到的梁山缘观禅师是他的师父。琅琊广照就是滁州琅邪山慧觉广照禅师，他是汾阳善昭禅师的法嗣。 |
Ming'an in this koan was Chan Master Dayang Jingxuan. Chan Master Liangshan Yuanguan, mentioned in koan no. 68, “Tilting Ravines and Overturning Mountains,” was his teacher. Langye Guangzhao was Chan Master Huijue Guangzhao of Langye Mountain in Chuzhou, a Dharma heir of Chan Master Fenyang Shanzhao. |
| 公安圆鉴就是舒州浮山法远圆鉴禅师，他是叶县归省禅师的法嗣。“九、百折不挠”公案里曾提到，浮山法远受大阳警玄禅师所托，在禅师圆寂许多年后，给禅师找到了一个出类拔萃的继承人——投子义青。 |
Gong'an Yuanjian was Chan Master Fushan Fayuan Yuanjian of Shuzhou, a Dharma heir of Chan Master Yexian Guisheng. As mentioned in koan no. 9, “Unyielding Despite a Hundred Setbacks,” Fushan Fayuan, entrusted by Chan Master Dayang Jingxuan, found an outstanding successor for the master many years after the master entered quiescence: Touzi Yiqing. |
| 为使这诸多人物的传承关系一目了然，现列出他们的传承谱系如下： |
To make the Dharma-lineage relationships among these many figures clear at a glance, their lineage chart is set out below: |
| ┌→汾阳善昭→琅邪慧觉→…… |
┌→Fenyang Shanzhao→Langye Huijue→… |
| 临济宗第五代首山省念┤ ┊ |
Fifth generation of the Linji school: Shoushan Shenglian ┤ ┊ |
| └→叶县归省→浮山法远→…… |
└→Yexian Guisheng→Fushan Fayuan→… |
| │ |
│ |
| 曹洞宗第五代梁山缘观─→大阳警玄┬─┴─→投子义青→…… |
Fifth generation of the Caodong school: Liangshan Yuanguan→Dayang Jingxuan┬─┴─→Touzi Yiqing→… |
| └→平侍者 |
└→Attendant Ping |
| 明安尝云：“兴洞上一宗，非远即觉也。”远即浮山法远，觉即琅邪慧觉。他们两个说：“有平侍者在。”明安用手指着胸口说：“平此处不佳。”——平侍者心肠不好，不是好人。又捏拇指叉中示之云：“平向去当死于此耳。”——拇指叉即虎口，平侍者以后将死于虎口，会被老虎吃掉。 |
Ming'an once said, “To revive the Caodong lineage, it will be either Yuan or Jue.” Yuan was Fushan Fayuan, and Jue was Langye Huijue. The two said, “But Attendant Ping is there.” Ming'an pointed to his chest and said, “Ping is not good here.” That is, Attendant Ping’s heart was bad; he was not a good person. Ming'an then pinched the space between his thumb and forefinger and showed it to them, saying, “Ping will one day die here.” The space between the thumb and forefinger is called the tiger’s jaws. Attendant Ping would later die in a tiger’s jaws—he would be eaten by a tiger. |
| 明安禅师圆寂前留有遗嘱：“瘗全身十年无难，当为大阳山打供。”如果我的全身十年不坏，那就是大阳山的风水好，应当设供祭祀大阳山。他这样说，是要稳住平侍者。若平侍者十年内不造大恶，也许可以免去虎口丧生之难。 |
Before Chan Master Ming'an entered quiescence, he left these final instructions: “If my whole body remains intact for ten years without decay, offerings should be made for Dayang Mountain.” If my whole body remains undamaged for ten years, this will show that Dayang Mountain has favorable geomantic conditions, and offerings should be established to honor Dayang Mountain. He said this in order to restrain Attendant Ping. If Ping did not commit grave evil within those ten years, perhaps he could avoid dying in a tiger’s jaws. |
| 门人谎称李和文都尉所施金银封在塔里，也是为了稳住平侍者。他们哪里会想到，平侍者为了贪黄白之物，竟然冒天下之大不韪，胆敢开塔烧师。他恶贯满盈，因烧师吃了官司，被贬为平民。 |
The disciples also falsely claimed that gold and silver donated by Commandant Li Hewen had been sealed in the stūpa, in order to restrain Attendant Ping. How could they have imagined that, out of greed for gold and silver, Ping would dare to outrage all under heaven by opening the stūpa and burning his master? His evil deeds had reached their limit. Because he burned his master, he faced criminal charges and was reduced to commoner status. |
| 平侍者落魄之后，无路可走，只好去投靠琅邪慧觉和浮山法远。这两位禅师对他的为人深有了解，都不收留他。他只好到处流浪，终于在三叉路口，被老虎吃了。这正应验了明安禅师的丫叉之记。 |
After Attendant Ping fell into destitution, he had nowhere to go and could only seek refuge with Langye Huijue and Fushan Fayuan. These two Chan masters understood his character well and neither would take him in. He could only wander from place to place and was eventually eaten by a tiger at a three-way crossroads. This precisely fulfilled Chan Master Ming'an’s prophecy concerning the tiger’s jaws. |
| 前车之覆，不可不鉴。为此老人警示我们：“可不引以深自警戒哉！” |
We must take warning from the overturning of the cart before us. For this reason, the Elder admonishes us: “Should we not take this as a profound warning to ourselves?” |
| 请问LVM老师： 芒种 13:15:44 8/13/02(125) |
A question for Teacher LVM: Mangzhong, 13:15:44, 8/13/02 (125) |
| 这里的“生灭”是指生出事端、灭除异己。 lvm 13:22:09 8/13/02(无内容) |
Here, “arising and ceasing” means stirring up incidents and eliminating dissidents. LVM, 13:22:09, 8/13/02 (no content) |
| 大矣哉！因果。作因果者，其有忧患乎？！可不慎欤！ 草寇 12:11:09 8/11/02(10) |
How great is cause and effect! Those who create causes and effects—do they not have troubles to worry about?! Should they not be cautious? Caokou, 12:11:09, 8/11/02 (10) |
