香嚴智閑禪師是百丈禪師的弟子，飽學經論，後來參學於師兄溈山靈祐禪師。一天，靈祐對他說：「聽說你博學多聞，現在我問你，父母未生我之前的本來面目是什麼？」智閑一時語塞，回去翻遍書本，也找不到答案，便請靈祐禪師慈悲開示。靈祐說：「我若告訴你答案，那是我的東西，和你不相干，而且將來你會後悔，甚至會埋怨我的。」
智閑見師兄不指示他，傷心地把所有經典燒毀，從此到南陽白崖山看守慧忠國師的墳墓，晝夜思考這個疑團。有一天，他正在除草，忽然鋤頭碰到石頭，咯答一聲，頓時身心脫落，大徹大悟。於是他沐浴焚香，對著溈山遙拜說：「和尚！您實在太慈悲了，假如當初您告訴我，就沒有今日的喜悅了！」
禪的悟不是別人給我們的，是要我們去心領神會的。

Chan Master Lingyou said to Chan Master Zhixian, “Since you are so well-read, you will have no problem with this: ‘What was your face before you were conceived?” Zhixian was speechless. A search of his books turned up nothing. He returned to Lingyou for help, but Lingyou said, “If I tell you, the answer still belongs to me and not to you. And you will even be angry with me.”
Zhixian, seeing that his Dharma brother would not instruct him, burned his useless books and departed for Mount Baiyai, in Nanyang, to guard the tomb of imperial Master Huizhong. At the same time, he brooded endlessly over Lingyou’s question without getting any closer to an answer. Then while weeding a field, his hoe banged against a stone. Suddenly his body and mind melted away, and he had a great awakening. He bathed, lit incense, bowed toward Mount Gui, and said quietly, “Venerable, you are truly compassionate. Had you given the answer, I would not have this joy today!”
Chan awakening cannot be conferred upon us. We must grasp it with our own mind and spirit.

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