47Planting Pines行錄

師栽松次，黃蘗問：「深山裏栽許多，作什麼？」師云：「一與山門作境致，二與後人作標榜。」道了，將钁頭打地三下。黃蘗云：「雖然如是，子已喫吾三十棒了也。」師又以钁頭打地三下，作噓噓聲。黃蘗云：「吾宗到汝大興於世。」後溈山舉此語問仰山：「黃蘗當時秖囑臨濟一人，更有人在？」仰山云：「有，秖是年代深遠，不欲舉似和尚。」溈山云：「雖然如是，吾亦要知，汝但舉看。」仰山云：「一人指南吳越令行，遇大風即止。」師侍立德山次，山云：「今日困。」師云：「這老漢寐語作什麼？」山便打，師掀倒繩床，山便休。

Linji was planting pines. Huangbo asked, "Why plant so many way out here in the deep mountains?"

Linji said, "Two reasons. One, to give the monastery gate some scenery. Two, to leave a marker for those who come after." With that he tapped the ground three times with his mattock.

Huangbo said, "Even so, you've already eaten thirty blows from me."

Linji tapped the ground three more times and let out a long whoosh of breath.

Huangbo said, "With you, my line will flourish in the world."

Later Guishan raised this with Yangshan. "Back then, did Huangbo entrust it all to Linji alone, or was there someone else?"

Yangshan said, "There was. But it lies far off in the future, so I'd rather not say."

Guishan said, "Say it anyway. I want to know."

Yangshan said, "One man points south, and the order goes out across Wu and Yue, until he meets a great wind, and then it stops."

Another time Linji was standing in attendance on Deshan. Deshan said, "I'm worn out today."

Linji said, "What's this old man mumbling in his sleep for?"

Deshan moved to hit him. Linji flipped the meditation seat over. Deshan let it go.

Pointer

Three quick scenes, all set after the awakening in case 46, showing Linji and Huangbo settled into the rough affection of a master and his confirmed heir. When Huangbo asks why he's planting pines so far up the mountain, Linji gives one practical answer and one for posterity, then bangs his mattock on the dirt instead of explaining further, and later just exhales a long whoosh: he's signaling he's past needing words, and Huangbo's "you've already earned thirty blows" and then "my line will flourish through you" are both grudging approval (thirty blows being the lineage's stock half-threat, half-compliment). The middle scene is two later masters, Guishan and Yangshan, gossiping about that handover, and Yangshan's coy prophecy, "until he meets a great wind, then it stops," forecasts that Linji's school will spread across the south and eventually run its course; he's reluctant because it's a prediction of decline. The last fragment swaps Huangbo for the famous Deshan, who pleads tiredness; Linji needles him, Deshan moves to hit, and Linji flips the meditation seat before the stick lands. Across all three he wins by moving, not arguing, which is the grammar of everything he'll do for the rest of the book.