7The Peak and the Crossroads上堂

上堂，云：「一人在孤峯頂上，無出身之路；一人在十字街頭，亦無向背。那箇在前？那箇在後？不作維摩詰，不作傅大士。珍重。」

Linji took the high seat and said: "One person stands on a lone peak with no way down. Another stands at a crowded crossroads, facing nothing, turning from nothing. Which is in front? Which is behind? Don't play Vimalakirti. Don't play Mahasattva Fu. Take care."

Pointer

A short riddle that looks like a quiz with a right answer. Picture two people: one alone on a peak with no path back to the world, one planted in a crowded intersection yet not pulled this way or that. Total withdrawal versus total engagement, which is the higher state? The catch is in the two names he forbids. Vimalakirti is the layman from the sutras whose silence got praised as the deepest teaching of all; Mahasattva Fu was a celebrated lay teacher known for wordless stunts in place of lectures. So Linji isn't asking you to pick peak or crossroads, he's telling you not to reach for either of those famous poses, because the second you strike an attitude, withdrawn-sage or engaged-sage, you're performing instead of standing in your own place. He drops it and walks off with "take care," leaving the live question of where you actually are right where it sits.