31Zhaozhou Examines the Old Woman趙州勘婆
趙州因僧問婆子。臺山路向甚處去。婆云。驀直去。僧纔行三五步。婆云。好箇師僧又恁麼去。後有僧舉似州。州云。待我去與爾勘過這婆子。明日便去亦如是問。婆亦如是答。州歸謂眾曰。臺山婆子我與爾勘破了也。
A monk asked an old woman, "Which way to Mount Tai?"
"Straight ahead," she said.
The monk took a few steps. "A fine monk," she said, "and off he goes, same as the rest."
Later a monk told Zhaozhou about it. "Hold on," Zhaozhou said. "Let me go and check out this old woman."
The next day he went and asked the same question, and she gave the same answer. Zhaozhou came back and told the assembly, "I've seen through that old woman of Mount Tai."
Verse 頌曰
問既一般
答亦相似
飯裏有砂
泥中有刺
The question, the same.
The answer, a match.
Sand in the rice,
thorns in the mud.
Wumen's Comment 無門曰
婆子只解坐籌帷幄。要且著賊。不知趙州老人善用偷營劫塞之機。又且無大人相。撿點將來二俱有過。且道那裏是趙州勘破婆子處。
The old woman knew how to sit in her tent and plot the campaign, but she got robbed all the same. She never saw that old Zhaozhou was a master at raiding the camp and storming the pass. And even he doesn't come off looking grown-up here. Size them both up and each one has a flaw. So tell me: where exactly did Zhaozhou see through the old woman?