第二則  百丈野狐

百丈和尚凡參次，有一老人，常隨眾聽法，眾人退，老人亦退。忽一日不退，師遂問：「面前立者，復是何人？」老人云：「諾！某甲非人也。於過去迦葉佛時，曾住此山，因學人問：『大修行底人還落因果也無？』某甲對云：『不落因果。』五百生墮野狐身。今請和尚代一轉語，貴脫野狐。」遂問：「大修行底人還落因果也無？」師云：「不昧因果。」老人於言下大悟，作禮云：「某甲已脫野狐身，住在山後，敢告和尚，乞依亡僧事例。」師令維那白槌告眾：「食後送亡僧！」大眾言議：「一眾皆安，涅槃堂又無人病，何故如是？」食後，只見師領眾，至山後巖下，以杖挑出一死野狐，乃依火葬。師至晚上堂，舉前因緣，黃蘗便問：「古人錯祇對一轉語，墮五百生野狐身；轉轉不錯，合作箇甚麼？」師云：「近前來，與伊道。」黃蘗遂近前，與師一掌，師拍手笑云：「將謂胡鬚赤，更有赤鬚胡。」

無門曰：「不落因果，為甚墮野狐？不昧因果，為甚脫野狐？若向者裏著得一隻眼，便知得，前百丈贏得風流五百生。」

頌曰：「不落不昧，兩采一賽；不昧不落，千錯萬錯。」

Wumenguan Translation Comparison: Case 2: Commentary

PR. Paul Reps. "The Gateless Gate" in Zen Flesh, Zen Bones. 1934.
RHB. R.H. Blyth. Zen And Zen Classics: Volume Four: Mumonkan. 1966.
ZS. Zenkei Shibayama. The Gateless Gate. 1974.
KS. Katsuki Sekida. The Gateless Gate or The Gateless Barrier (Chin. Wu-wen kuan; Jap. Mumonkan). 1977.
RA. Robert Aitkin. The Gateless Barrier: The Wu-Men Kuan (Mumonkan). 1991.
KY. Koun Yamada. Mumonkan (Gateless Gate). 2004.
JCC. J.C. Cleary. Wumen’s Gate: Translated from the Chinese Taishö Volume 48, Number 2005. 2006.
WW. Gregory Wonderwheel. The Gateless Checkpoint of the Zen Lineage Chan Zong Wumen Guan (J. Zen Shu Mumonkan). 2007-8.
PL. Paul Lynch. Wú Mén Guān: The Barrier That Has No Gate. 2010.
DH. David Hinton. No-Gate’s Gateway. 2018.
CD. Catherine Despeux. La Passe Sans Porte de L’école Du Dhyâna.
SU. surupamaerl. Personal amateur translation to get a sense of what characters are available to translate from and whether the other translations are respecting the source. As such, I will be translating as literally as I can manage.

COMMENTARY

無門曰。
不落因果。
為甚墮野狐。
不昧因果。
為甚脫野狐。
若向者裏著得一隻眼。
便知得。
前百丈贏得。
風流五百生。

PR. Mumon's comment: "The enlightened man is not subject." How can this answer make the monk a fox? "The enlightened man is one with the law of causation." How can this answer make the fox emancipated? To understand this clearly one has to have just one eye.

RHB. "Not falling into the law of Cause and Effect"—for what reason falling into a fox-life? "Not setting aside the Law of Cause and Effect"—for what reason being released from a fox-life? If in regard to this you have the one (Buddha-)eye, then you understand the former Hyakujō's (= the old man's) dramatic five hundred reincarnations that he received.

ZS. Mumon's commentary: "Not falling into causation." Why was he turned into a fox? "Not ignoring causation." Why was he released from the fox body? If you have an eye to see through this, then you will know that the former head of the monastery did enjoy his five hundred happy blessed lives as a fox.

KS. Mumon's Comment: Not falling under causation: how could this make the monk a fox? Not ignoring causation: how could this make the old man emancipated? If you come to understand this, you will realize how old Hyakujõ would have enjoyed five hundred rebirths as a fox.

RA. Wu-men’s Comment: “Not falling under the law of cause and effect.” Why should this prompt five hundred lives as a fox? “Not evading the law of cause and ef ect.” Why should this prompt a return to human life? If you have the single eye of realization, you will appreciate how old Pai-chang lived five hundred lives as a fox as lives of grace.

KY. Mumon's Commentary: Not falling under the law of cause and effect - for what reason had he fallen into the state of a fox? The law of cause and effect cannot be obscured - for what reason has he been released from a fox's body? If in regard to this you have the one eye, then you will understand that the former Hyakujô enjoyed 500 lives of grace as a fox.

JCC. Wumen said, [When the wild fox monk asserted that the person of great practice] “does not fall into cause and effect,” why did he fall into a wild fox’s body? [When he heard that such a person] “is not deluded by cause and effect,” why did he shed the fox’s body? If you can focus the eye [of enlightened insight] here on this, then you will know why, long ago on Baizhang Mountain, [the old man] won for himself five hundred lifetimes flowing with the wind.

WW. Wumen Says: Why does “not falling into cause and effect” result in falling into a wild fox? Why does “not in the dark about cause and effect” result in taking off the wild fox? If from within you are able to manifest the one single eye, then you get the wisdom of how the first Baizheng won five hundred graceful lives.

PL. Not falling under causation: how could this make the monk a fox? Not ignoring causation: how could this make the old man emancipated? If you come to understand this, you will realize how old Báizhàng would have enjoyed five hundred rebirths as a fox.

DH. No-Gate’s Comment: Not tangled in karmic law: how could that make someone a fox roaming the countryside? Not free of karmic law: how could that liberate someone from a fox’s body? You here before me in this sangha: if you can reveal this wholly with Buddha-eye clarity, you’ll understand how old Hundred-Elder grew rich frolicking like wind-drift through five hundred lifetimes.

CD. Commentaire De Sans-Porte: « Il ne tombe plus dans la production des causes et des effets » est une réponse qui l’a fait chuter dans la destinée de renard, alors que la réponse « il n’est pas obscurci par les causes et les effets » l’a délivré de sa condition de renard. Si, à cet endroit, vous avez l’œil, vous apprécierez comment Cent-Toises a vécu en tant que renard cinq cents vies comme des vies de grâce.

SU. Wumen said: Letting cause and effect slide manifests as falling [into a] wild fox [body]; not being oblivious of cause and effect manifests as escaping from a wild fox [body]—if, all along, [you are one] involved in the internal use of the one single eye, in that case [you will] know the reason the former Baizhang won five hundred outstanding lives.

Note: It is unclear whether "the former Baizhang" refers to the old man who lived on Mt. Baizhang or the Master Baizhang (who is, after all, only referred to as "The Master" throughout the case).

I want to say "let slide" cause and effect, translating 落 as "leaving behind" or "forgetting about". "Falling into" is still a possibility that fits with the context though. My sound would be là while the other would be luò. luò would rhyme with the other characters in the poem, but "let slide" mirrors "not ignorant about" better.

I still wonder if "use" would not be better as "application" for 著.

I reread my translation for the six or seventh time wondering two things; why are most people framing it as questions, and what is this talk of wind? I don't see them anywhere in the Chinese after yet another read-through. It doesn't change the meaning all that much, though.

I'm also not opposed to "old Báizhàng", although I think it makes it too clear to whom Wumen is referring, and I am really not sure, and neither are some others that confident.

As such, as usual Reps is missing parts. Shibayama's "head of monastery" and Sekida's "enjoyed" may be a tiny bit extra. I agree with those whose "eye" is used and had, rather than just saying "seeing into..." or whatever. Cleary is just well written and clear.

二　百丈野狐

　　百丈和尚。凡參次有一老人。常隨眾聽法。眾人退老人亦退。忽一日不退。師遂問。面前立者復是何人。老人云。諾某甲非人也。於過去迦葉佛時。曾住此山。因學人問。大修行底人還落因果。也無。某甲對云。不落因果。五百生墮野狐身。今請和尚。代一轉語貴。脫野狐遂問。大修行底人還落因果。也無。師云。不昧因果。老人於言下大悟。作禮云。某甲已脫野狐身。住在山後。敢告和尚。乞依亡僧事例。師令無維那白槌告眾。食後送亡僧。大眾言議。一眾皆安涅槃堂。又無人病。何故如是。食後只見師領眾。至山後巖下。以杖挑出一死野狐。乃依火葬。師至晚上堂。舉前因緣。黃蘗便問。古人錯祇對一轉語。墮五百生野狐身。轉轉不錯。合作箇甚麼。師云。近前來與伊道。黃蘗遂近前。與師一掌。師拍手笑云。將謂。胡鬚赤更有赤鬚胡。

【無門曰】

　　不落因果。為甚墮野狐。不昧因果。為甚脫野狐。若向者裏著得一隻眼。便知得。前百丈贏得。風流五百生。

【頌曰】

　　不落不昧　兩采一賽　不昧不落　千錯萬錯

Wumen's Pass: Case 2

百丈野狐

百丈和尚。凡參次有一老人。常隨眾聽法。眾人退老人亦退。忽一日不退。師遂問。面前立者復是何人。

Baizhang's Wild Fox

Every time Master 百丈 Baizhang [held] assembly, there was one old man who always followed the crowd to listen the Teaching1 . [When] everyone left, the old man also left. Suddenly, one day he did not leave. The Master thereupon asked, "Who is this one who is standing in my presence again?

老人云。諾某甲非人也。於過去迦葉佛時。曾住此山。因學人問。大修行底人還落因果。也無。某甲對云。不落因果。五百生墮野狐身。今請和尚。代一轉語貴。脫野狐[...]

The old man said, "Allow that this certain person is not human! In the past, in the time of Buddha Kasyapa, I once dwelled in these mountains. Because a student asked, 'Does a man whose background in Buddhist practice is great still fall into cause and effect, or not?' [and] this certain person replied, saying, 'No, [such a man] does not fall into cause and effect,' [for] five hundred births I fell into the body of a wild fox. Today I [politely] ask the Master to substitute a turning word [so that I may be] worthy of escaping this wild fox body."

[…]遂問。大修行底人還落因果。也無。

Finally, [the old man] asked, “Does a man whose background in Buddhist practice is great still fall into cause and effect, or not?”

師云。不昧因果。老人於言下大悟。作禮云。某甲已脫野狐身。住在山後。敢告和尚。乞依亡僧事例。

The Master said, “He is not ignorant of cause and effect.” By these words, the old man arrived at a great awakening. After bowing, he said, “This certain person has already shed this wild fox body; it lies in-behind the mountain.” [Then] he boldly requested of the Master, “I beg [you to treat] the deceased according to the typical custom of a monk.”

師令維那白槌告眾。食後送亡僧。大眾言議。一眾皆安涅槃堂。又無人病。何故如是。

The Master issued a command [to the] duty-distributor2 [to bang the] white [funerary] mallet and inform the people [that] after they had eaten [they would be] seeing off a dead monk. The great crowd spoke, commenting that, "All the people, in all cases, are in good health, and the infirmary3 is also uninhabited by illness. [For] what reason [will there be a funeral]?"

食後只見師領眾。至山後巖下。以杖挑出一死野狐。乃依火葬。師至晚上堂。舉前因緣。

After eating, merely to see, the Master led the people behind the mountain to the bottom of a cliff. Using his staff, he dug out4 a single dead wild fox, and thereupon cremated it according to [the typical custom of a monk]. [When] the Master arrived that evening in the main hall, he raised the antecedent causes [for the events that transpired].

黃蘗便問。古人錯祇對一轉語。墮五百生野狐身。轉轉不錯。合作箇甚麼。師云。近前來與伊道。黃蘗遂近前。與師一掌。師拍手笑云。將謂。胡鬚赤更有赤鬚胡。

Soon afterwards, Huangbo asked, "[Since] the ancient missed only one correct turning word and fell into five hundred births in a wild fox body, what if at every opportunity [he] was correct and it was regarded, [like your own turning word], as fitting?" The Master said, "Come closer to me to take part in his path." Huangbo complied, coming closer and slapping the Master once. The Master clapped his hands and laughed, saying, "[I] was going to speak of the foreigner with a red beard—still, there exists a red-bearded foreigner."

無門曰。不落因果。為甚墮野狐。不昧因果。為甚脫野狐。若向者裏著得一隻眼。便知得。前百丈贏得。風流五百生。

Wumen said: Letting cause and effect slide manifests as falling [into a] wild fox [body]; not being oblivious of cause and effect manifests as escaping from a wild fox [body]—if, all along, [you are one] involved in the internal use of the one single eye, in that case [you will] know the reason the former Baizhang won five hundred outstanding lives.

頌曰。不落不昧 / 兩采一賽 / 不昧不落 / 千錯萬錯

[The] eulogy said:

overlooking—attentive5

two wins, one competition6

mindful—oblivious

one thousand blunders, ten thousand mistakes

...

1 (lit. Dharma)

2 (lit. karmadana)

3 (lit. Nirvana hall)

4 (lit. poke)

5 (lit. "not falling, not ignorant". The third line is this reversed)

6 (两彩一赛 is a Chinese idiom, referencing gambling, whereby two people competing both win the prize, making the better competitor difficult to distinguish)