14Nanquan Cuts the Cat南泉斬貓
南泉和尚。因東西兩堂爭貓兒。泉乃提起云。大眾道得即救。道不得即斬卻也。眾無對。泉遂斬之。晚趙州外歸。泉舉似州。州乃脫履。安頭上而出。泉云。子若在即救得貓兒。
The monks of the east hall and the west hall were fighting over a cat. Nanquan grabbed it and held it up. "Say something," he told them. "Say the right word and I'll spare it. If you can't, I cut it in two." Nobody spoke. So Nanquan cut the cat in half.
That evening Zhaozhou came back from outside, and Nanquan told him what had happened. Zhaozhou took off his sandal, set it on his head, and walked out. Nanquan said, "If you'd been here, the cat would have lived."
Verse 頌曰
趙州若在
倒行此令
奪卻刀子
南泉乞命
Had Zhaozhou been there,
he'd have turned the order around,
seized the knife,
and left Nanquan begging for his life.
Wumen's Comment 無門曰
且道。趙州頂草鞋意作麼生。若向者裏下得一轉語。便見南泉令不虛行。其或未然險。
So tell me: what did Zhaozhou mean, balancing a sandal on his head? Drop one turning word here and you'll see Nanquan's order was no idle gesture. If you can't, watch your step.