53Linji and the Black Beans行錄
師因半夏上黃蘗，見和尚看經，師云：「我將謂是箇人，元來是揞黑豆老和尚。」住數日乃辭去。黃蘗云：「汝破夏來，不終夏去？」師云：「某甲暫來禮拜和尚。」黃蘗遂打趁令去。師行數里，疑此事，却回終夏。師一日辭黃蘗，蘗問：「什麼處去？」師云：「不是河南，便歸河北。」黃蘗便打，師約住與一掌，黃蘗大笑，乃喚侍者將百丈先師禪板机案來。師云：「侍者將火來。」黃蘗云：「雖然如是，汝但將去，已後坐却天下人舌頭去在。」後溈山問仰山：「臨濟莫辜負他黃蘗也無？」仰山云：「不然。」溈山云：「子又作麼生？」仰山云：「知恩方解報恩。」溈山云：「從上古人還有相似底也無？」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，子但舉看。」仰山云：「秖如楞嚴會上阿難讚佛云：『將此深心奉塵剎，是則名為報佛恩。』豈不是報恩之事？」溈山云：「如是，如是。見與師齊，減師半德；見過於師，方堪傳授。」
Midway through the summer retreat, Linji went up to see Huangbo and found him reading sutras. "I took you for a real man," Linji said. "Turns out you're just an old monk counting black beans."
He stayed a few days, then came to take his leave. "You broke the retreat to come here," Huangbo said, "and now you'd leave before it's over?"
"I only came to pay my respects," said Linji.
Huangbo hit him and drove him off. A few miles down the road, doubt caught up with Linji, so he turned back and finished out the retreat.
Another day Linji came to take his leave. "Where are you headed?" Huangbo asked.
"If not south of the river, then back north of it," said Linji.
Huangbo swung at him. Linji caught the blow and gave him a slap. Huangbo roared with laughter and called his attendant: "Bring me the late master Baizhang's meditation board and armrest."
"Attendant," said Linji, "bring me some fire."
"That's as may be," said Huangbo. "Just take them. One day you'll sit on the tongue of everyone alive."
Later Guishan asked Yangshan, "Did Linji let Huangbo down or not?"
"Not at all," said Yangshan.
"Then how do you read it?"
"Only someone who knows a kindness can repay one."
"Among the ancients," asked Guishan, "was there ever anyone like this?"
"There was, but it's so far back I'd rather not bring it up."
"Even so, I want to hear it. Go ahead."
Yangshan said, "Take the Shurangama assembly, where Ananda praised the Buddha: 'I offer this deep heart to worlds beyond counting. That is what it means to repay the Buddha's kindness.' Isn't that repaying a kindness?"
"Just so, just so," said Guishan. "A student whose insight matches the master's has only half the master's worth. A student whose insight surpasses the master's is fit to receive the teaching."