景德傳燈錄
Chinese title:景德傳燈錄
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
THE JINGDE RECORD OF THE TRANSMISSION OF THE LAMP — FASCICLE 17
- Dharma successors of Chan Master Liangjie of Dongshan, Yuanzhou
- comprising 26 masters.
– Dharma successors of Chan Master Quankuo of Yantou, Ezhou — comprising nine masters:
– Dharma successor of Venerable Siguo of Gantan, Hongzhou: one master.
1. Chan Master Zhiyuan of Baizhao Mountain, Anzhou.
– Dharma successor of Venerable Siming of Haozhou: one master.
1. Chan Master Shanben of Jiuling, Xiangzhou.
– Dharma successors of Chan Master Juhui of Daguang Mountain, Tanzhou: thirteen masters.
– Dharma successors of Chan Master Daoqian of Jiufeng, Junzhou — comprising ten masters.
– Dharma successor of Chan Master Jingxin of Yongquan, Taizhou: one master.
1. Chan Master Shaoliu of Tongyuan, Taizhou.
– Dharma successors of Chan Master Zhiyuan of Yungai, Tanzhou: three masters.
– Dharma successors of Chan Master Zang of Gushan: three masters.
– Dharma successor of Venerable Gaishan of Zhongyun, Tanzhou: one master.
1. Venerable Jing of Yungai Mountain. (His record is found in the collection.)
– Dharma successor of Chan Master Cunshou of Qiyan, Hezhong Prefecture: one master.
1. Chan Master Daode. (No account of his encounters or recorded sayings is extant.)
- Chan Master Xingsi of Qingyuan, Jizhou — Fifth Generation.
- Dharma successors of Chan Master Liangjie of Dongshan, Yuanzhou.
1. Chan Master Daoying of Yunju, Hongzhou.
The Master was a native of Yutian in Youzhou, and his family name was Wang. In his youth he followed a teacher and studied the doctrinal teachings. At the age of twenty-five, he received the precepts at Yanshou Monastery in Fanyang. His original teacher instructed him to study the teachings of the shravakas, whereupon he sighed and said, “How could a great man allow his feet to be fettered by rules and observances?” He then went to Cuiwei Mountain to inquire into the Way and remained there for three years. A wandering monk arrived from Yuzhang and fervently praised the Dharma assembly of Chan Master Liangjie of Dongshan. The Master therefore went there.
Dongshan asked, “What is the acharya’s name?”
The Master replied, “Daoying.”
Dongshan said, “Speak of the Way beyond.”
The Master said, “The Way beyond is not called Daoying.”
Dongshan said, “Your answer is no different from the one I gave when I was with Yunyan.”
Later, the Master asked, “What is the Patriarch’s meaning?”
Dongshan said, “Acharya, if later you take up a single blade of grass and cover your head with it, and someone suddenly questions you, how will you reply?”
He answered, “Daoying is at fault.”
At one time Dongshan said to the Master, “I have heard that the Great Venerable Si was born in the land of Wa and became its king. Is this true or false?”
He replied, “If he were the Great Master Si, he would not even become a Buddha, much less a king of a nation.”
Dongshan approved.
One day Dongshan asked, “Where have you been?”
The Master replied, “I came from walking over the mountain.”
Dongshan said, “Can that mountain be inhabited?”
He replied, “That mountain cannot be inhabited.”
Dongshan said, “Then the whole country has been occupied by the acharya.”
He replied, “That is not so.”
Dongshan said, “Then you must have found a road.”
He replied, “There is no road.”
Dongshan said, “If there is no road, how were you able to meet this old monk?”
He replied, “If there were a road, I would be worlds apart from the Venerable.”
Dongshan said, “In the future, even a thousand or ten thousand people will be unable to hold this man fast.”
The Master was fording a stream with Dongshan. Dongshan asked, “Is the water shallow or deep?”
The Master replied, “It is not wet.”
Dongshan said, “What a crude fellow!”
The Master replied, “Please, Master, say it.”
Dongshan said, “It is not dry.”
Dongshan said to the Master, “Long ago, Master Nanquan asked a monk who lectured on the Sutra of Maitreya’s Descent, ‘Why does Maitreya descend to be born?’ The monk replied, ‘He now dwells in the heavenly palace and will descend to be born in the future.’ Nanquan said, ‘Above the heavens there is no Maitreya; beneath the earth there is no Maitreya. I wonder who it is with whom the word “an” is placed.’” At these words, Dongshan’s Chan seat trembled, and he called, “Acharya Ying!”
The Master was making bean paste. Dongshan asked, “What are you doing?”
The Master said, “Making bean paste.”
Dongshan asked, “How much salt are you using?”
The Master replied, “I add it gradually.”
Dongshan asked, “How does it taste?”
The Master replied, “It is just right.”
Dongshan said, “A great icchantika kills his father, harms his mother, sheds the blood of a Buddha, and disrupts the harmony of the Sangha. Of all these kinds of filial service, which remains?”
The Master replied, “Only then is filial service accomplished.”
From that time onward, Dongshan regarded the Master as the foremost among those in his chamber.
At first, the Master resided at Sanfeng, but his Way had not yet spread widely. Later, he opened Yunju Mountain, and the four assemblies gathered there in great numbers. One day, the Master ascended the Dharma hall and cited the words of an ancient, saying, “Hell is not yet suffering; wearing
If this kāṣāya does not shine forth, the entire great matter will be lost; that would be exceedingly painful. The Master then addressed the assembly:
“You have undertaken this practice. Even if you have gone nine parts out of ten, do not consider that much. Yet, if you can apply this strength, then as an elder you will not have betrayed your whole life, and your pilgrimage will not have failed the monasteries. The ancients said that if one wishes to preserve and maintain this matter, one must establish one’s practice upon the summit of a lofty mountain and at the bottom of the deepest waters; only then can one possess such strength. If you great masters have not yet discerned it, you must tread the Dark Path.”
A monk asked, “What is the weightiest place of a śramaṇa?”
The Master replied, “The place that consciousness cannot reach.”
He asked, “What rank do the Buddhas and patriarchs occupy?”
The Master replied, “They are all ranks.”
He asked, “What is the meaning of the coming from the Western Land?”
The Master replied, “On the ancient road, one encounters no person.”
The elder Kha Quan asked, “Cast away all indications; I ask the Master to respond quickly.”
The Master said, “What are you doing right now?”
Quan said, “It is not that there is no saying of the Way, but do not interpret the words of the dialogue.”
The Master said, “Why must the ācārya ask, ‘What is the oral secret?’”
The Master said, “Come closer, and I shall tell you.”
The monk came closer and said, “I ask the Master to speak.”
The Master said, “You know it too; you know it too.”
The Master assigned the rhyme word “Dưỡng” and asked, “Does the assembly understand?”
The assembly said, “We do not understand.”
The Master said, “Drive out that bird; it does not understand either.”
A monk asked, “How may I avoid troubling the Venerable?”
The Master said, “Call Xứ Đức here for me.”
The monk went to call him. The Master said, “Shut the door for me.”
A monk asked, “Mazu trained eighty-eight spiritual friends. I wonder how many people the Venerable has trained?”
The Master spread out both hands.
A monk asked, “What are the provisions of one who proceeds upward?”
The Master replied, “Peace throughout the realm.”
A monk asked, “What is it like when one who has traveled far returns home?”
The Master said, “Joyful to have returned.”
He asked, “What does he bring as an offering?”
The Master said, “Three thousand blows in the morning and eight hundred in the evening.”
The Master addressed the assembly, saying, “Like fine hunting dogs, you know only how to seek out tracks. Should you suddenly encounter an antelope hanging by its horns, do not even speak of its vital traces—you would know nothing at all.”
A monk asked, “What is it like when the antelope hangs by its horns?”
The Master replied, “Six times six is thirty-six.”
He then asked, “Do you understand?”
The monk said, “I do not understand.”
The Master said, “Do you not see that the Way leaves no tracks?”
During the monks’ evening consultation, the attendant brought a lamp and saw his own shadow upon the wall. A monk immediately asked, “What is it when the two are alike?”
The Master said, “One is a shadow.”
A monk asked, “What is it like when, after reading the causes that determine one’s destiny, one returns to one’s native village?”
The Master replied, “It is only that.”
A monk from Silla asked, “Buddhapāli encountered Mañjuśrī; why did he then return?”
The Master replied, “Only because he had not brought it, he therefore returned.”
The Master addressed the assembly, saying, “One who studies the Buddha-Dharma must be able to cut through nails and sever iron.”
At that time a monk stepped forward and asked, “Then I ask the Venerable for an iron nail.”
The Master replied, “What is in your mouth?”
A monk asked, “The teaching says, ‘If a person committed sinful karma in a former life and deserves to fall into the evil destinies, in this life he will instead be despised by others.’ What is the meaning of this?”
The Master said, “When moving, one deserves to fall into the evil destinies; when still, one is despised by others.”
A monk asked, “Who is able to eat the fragrant rice of the Accumulated Fragrance Buddha?”
The Master replied, “You must know who can eat it. Even after it enters the mouth, it must be hooked back out.”
There was a monk reciting a sutra in his room. From outside the window the Master asked, “Ācārya, what sutra are you reciting?”
He replied, “The Vimalakīrti Sutra.”
The Master said, “I am not asking about the Vimalakīrti Sutra. What sutra is the one reciting it?”
From this, that monk gained entry.
A monk asked, “What is it like to dwell alone upon a lofty, precipitous mountain?”
The Master replied, “It is to face the lofty, precipitous mountain alone.”
The monk said, “I do not understand.”
The Master said, “Even the mountain before your eyes does not understand.”
A Silla monk asked, “How can one attain that difficult Way?”
The Master said, “What difficult Way is there?”
He asked, “I ask the Venerable to speak.”
The Master said, “Silla, Silla.”
A monk asked, “Why is a clear-eyed person as dark as lacquer?”
The Master replied, “What is strange about that?”
The Military Commissioner in the southern capital, Cheng Rui, sent a great general into the mountains to make offerings. The general asked the Master, “The World-Honored One had a secret saying, yet Kāśyapa did not conceal it. What was the World-Honored One’s secret saying?”
The Master called, “Minister!”
The man responded, “Yes.”
The Master asked, “Do you understand?”
He replied, “I do not understand.”
The Master said, “You seem not to understand one saying of the World-Honored One, yet you seem to understand that Kāśyapa did not conceal it.”
A monk asked, “Why does one newly born not know that it exists?”
The Master replied, “Birth is not the same.”
He asked, “What about before birth?”
The Master replied, “It has never perished.”
He asked, “Where is it before birth?”
The Master replied, “There is a place that does not contain it.”
He asked, “Who undergoes extinction?”
The Master replied, “It is that which cannot be extinguished.”
The Master addressed the assembly, saying:
“You are teacher-monks. When you utter words and release your breath, there must be a basis for it. Whenever you ask about a matter, you must know good and bad, honorable and lowly, base and noble. Do not believe useless words. People nearby come seeking similar expressions. Therefore, I ordinarily tell you brothers not to be surprised by words that resemble one another. Are you afraid there are too many fellow students? First of all, do not bring anything forth; if you do bring something forth, let it not resemble anything else.
“An old rustic of eighty years leaving his home is no child’s play. If a word misses the mark, it goes ten thousand miles; once it has gone ten thousand miles, it is difficult to draw it back. To strike directly through the bones and pound the marrow, there must be a basis. Speech must be like pincers clamping and a lock fastening, continuing without interruption. Only then will you be complete upon every head and foremost among all things.
“Could this not be purity? What wondrous matter can be spoken of? I tell you that there is a person who can never be contained; yet I also tell you that there is a person who can never contain anything. Of ten times I intend to speak, nine times I let it go. Why is this? Because I fear that speaking will bring no benefit. Whoever comprehends another’s mind is like one who fans himself in the twelfth lunar month, with moss growing thick around his mouth from not speaking.
“This is not your domain of uncontrived freedom. If you wish to attain such a matter, you must be like this. To apply the mind to studying the Buddha by means of phenomena is mistaken. Even if through this you understand a thousand sutras and ten thousand treatises, and can lecture on the sutras until heavenly flowers rain down and stone figures nod their heads, it still has nothing to do with your own matter, much less with the way others apply their minds.
“If you use the limited conscious mind to perform unlimited functions, it is like trying to fit a square piece of wood into a round hole; there will inevitably be discrepancies of greater or lesser degree. Even if you could gather flowers and assemble brocade, attending fully to each and every matter, you would still be called only a person who understands affairs, a person without fault. You would never be called noble. What could be made of one who knows nobility?
“Do you not see that whatever enters through the gate is not the family treasure? Upon the staff, it does not become a dragon. Do you understand?”
Thus, throughout thirty years, the Master revealed and expounded the subtle and wondrous place. His community regularly numbered as many as one thousand five hundred people. The Zhou clan of Nanchang greatly revered the Master’s Way.
In the autumn of the first year of Tianfu under the Tang dynasty, the Master became slightly ill. On the eighteenth day of the twelfth month, he opened the final expedient teaching for the great assembly. As soon as he had finished expressing the meaning of his appearance in the world, everyone grieved and wept. On the third day of the first month of the following year, the Master sat cross-legged and passed away. His portrait hall on that mountain remains to this day. The emperor bestowed upon him the posthumous title Great Master Hongjue, and his stupa was named Perfect Quiescence.
2. Chan Master Benji of Caoshan in Wuzhou
The Master was a native of Putian Prefecture in Quanzhou, and his family name was Huang. In his youth he delighted in Confucian learning. At the age of nineteen he left the household life and then entered Lingshi Mountain in Fuqing County, Fuzhou. At the age of twenty-five he received the full precepts.
In the first year of Xiantong under the Tang dynasty, when the Chan school was flourishing, he learned that Chan Master Dongshan Liangjie was presiding over a place of practice, so he went to seek instruction.
Dongshan asked, “Ācārya, what is your name?”
He replied, “Benji.”
Dongshan said, “Speak of that which is above.”
The Master replied, “I will not speak.”
Dongshan asked, “Why do you not speak?”
The Master replied, “It is not named Benji.”
Dongshan regarded him as a profound vessel. From then on, the Master entered the inner chamber and truly received confirmation. After several years, he took leave of Dongshan.
Dongshan asked, “Where are you going?”
He replied, “To an unchanging place.”
Dongshan said, “If it is unchanging, how can there be any going?”
The Master replied, “Though there is going, it does not change.”
He then took his leave and traveled here and there in accordance with conditions. At first he was invited to reside at Caoshan in Wuzhou, and later at Heyu Mountain. At both places, great numbers of students came to his Dharma assemblies.
– A monk asked, “Who is the one who does not associate with the myriad dharmas?”
The Master asked, “Where do you say all the people of Hongzhou have gone?”
– A monk asked, “Do the eyebrows and eyes know each other?” The Master said, “They do not know each other.” The monk asked, “Why do they not know each other?” The Master said, “Because they dwell together in one place.” The monk said, “Then they are not distinct.” The Master said, “The eyebrows, after all, are not the eyes.” The monk asked, “What are the eyes like?” The Master said, “Cut them off and cast them away!” The monk asked, “What, then, are the eyebrows?” The Master replied, “Caoshan is indeed doubtful.” The monk asked, “Why is the Venerable doubtful?” The Master replied, “If there were no doubt, I would cut them off and cast them away!”
A monk asked, “Within characteristics, what is true?” The Master replied, “Characteristics themselves are truth.” The monk asked, “By what is it revealed?” The Master raised the tea tray.
A monk asked, “How can what is originally illusory be true?” The Master replied, “The illusory at its root is originally true.” The monk asked, “By what illusion is it revealed?” The Master replied, “Illusion itself is revelation.” The monk said, “Then, from beginning to end, one never departs from illusion.” The Master replied, “Seek the characteristics of illusion, and they cannot be found.”
A monk asked, “Who is the one who constantly abides?” The Master replied, “Having just met Caoshan, he temporarily comes forth.” The monk asked, “Who is the one who does not constantly abide?” The Master said, “Hard to find.”
- The monk Qingrui asked, “I am lonely and poor; I beg the Master to aid me.” The Master said, “Ācārya Rui, come forward.” Rui came forward. The Master said, “The Bai family of Quanzhou drank three cups of wine and still said that their lips had not been moistened.”
- A monk asked, “Is samadhi not still a category?” The Master said, “Even attaining non-samadhi directly is still a category.” The monk asked, “What is beyond categories?” The Master replied, “Do not be one who cannot tell pain from itching.”
Jingqing asked, “When the principle is pure and empty, ultimately without a body, what then?” The Master said, “If it is only principle, how could this matter arise?” Jingqing replied, “It is thus in principle and thus in phenomena.” The Master said, “You might deceive Caoshan alone, but how could you escape the eyes of all the sages?” Jingqing asked, “If the sages had no eyes, how could they illuminate that which cannot be?” The Master replied, “At the barrier, even a needle is not admitted; yet by a private passage, carts and horses freely pass.”
– Yunmen asked, “If an unchanging person came, would the Master receive him?” Caoshan said, “I have no leisure for such a man of effort.”
A monk asked, “An ancient said, ‘Almost everyone has disciples.’ Does Chenmeng have any?” The Master told him, “Give me your hand.” Then, pointing to his fingers, he said, “One, two, three, four, five—complete.”
A monk asked, “What matter did Luzu display by facing the wall?” The Master covered his ears with his hands.
A monk asked, “An ancient said, ‘No one has ever fallen to the ground without relying upon the ground to rise again.’ What is falling?” The Master said, “To accept it is just that.” The monk asked, “What is rising?” The Master said, “Rise!”
- A monk asked, “The teachings say that the great ocean does not retain a corpse. What is the ocean?” The Master said, “It contains the myriad things.” The monk asked, “Why does it not retain a corpse?” The Master said, “What has ceased breathing does not adhere.” The monk asked, “Since it contains the myriad things, why does what has ceased breathing not adhere?” The Master replied, “Containing the myriad things is not the ocean’s virtue; casting out what has ceased breathing is its merit.”
- A monk asked, “Is there still a matter beyond?” The Master said, “Say there is, or say there is not—how could it be attained? Why does the Dragon King still press upon his sword?”
- A monk asked, “Must one possess complete knowledge and understanding before one can skillfully answer the challenging questions of the assembly?” The Master said, “I do not present a phrase.” The monk asked, “What is being pressed with questions?” The Master said, “Even the executioner’s blade cannot cut into it.” The monk asked, “If one is pressed with questions in this way, is there anyone who will not submit?” The Master said, “There is.” The monk asked, “Who?” The Master replied, “Caoshan.”
A monk asked, “If nothing is said, how can it be revealed?” The Master replied, “Reveal it by facing into that.” The monk asked, “Toward where should it be revealed?” The Master replied, “Last night, during the third watch, three copper coins were lost beside the bed.”
A monk asked, “Before the sun has risen, what then?” The Master replied, “Even then, you fall half a month behind Caoshan.”
- The Master asked a monk, “What are you doing?” The monk replied, “Sweeping the ground.” The Master asked, “Are you sweeping before the Buddha or behind the Buddha?” The monk replied, “I sweep both front and back at the same time.” The Master said, “Give Caoshan a pair of sandals.”
- The Master asked the senior monk Gangde, “The statement, ‘A bodhisattva in samadhi hears a fragrant elephant crossing the river,’ is quoted from which sutra?” He replied, “It is quoted from the Nirvana Sutra.” The Master said, “Does he hear it before entering samadhi or after entering samadhi?” Gangde said, “Venerable, you are drifting in the current.” The Master said, “Though you have spoken them all dead, you have said only half.” Gangde asked, “What about the Venerable?” The Master said, “A ladle handle lends a hand.”
A monk asked, “How should a student preserve and maintain it throughout the twelve periods of the day?” The Master replied, “It is like returning to a native village infested with venomous creatures: not even a single drop of water may touch one’s lips.”
A monk asked, “What is the lord of the Dharma-body?” The Master said, “Say that in Qin there are no people.” The monk asked, “Is this not it?” The Master replied, “Cut it down!”
A monk asked, “Which companion of the Way should one draw near to in order constantly to hear what has never been heard?” The Master replied, “Together in the same bundle.” The monk said, “This too is what the Venerable has heard. What does it mean constantly to hear what has never been heard?” The Master replied, “It is not the same as wood and stone.” The monk asked, “What comes before, and what comes after?” The Master replied, “Have you not heard it said, ‘Constantly hear what has never been heard’?”
– A monk asked, “Who is the person in the realm who receives the sword?” The Master replied, “Caoshan.” The monk asked, “Whom do you intend to kill?” The Master replied, “I will simply kill them all.” The monk asked, “If you suddenly encountered your father and mother, what would you do?” The Master asked, “What would you discriminate?” The monk asked, “What about oneself?” The Master said, “Who could do anything to me?” The monk asked, “Why not kill?” The Master said, “It is not a place to lay hands upon.”
A monk asked, “When one ox drinks water and five horses do not neigh, what then?” The Master said, “Caoshan knows how to guard his mouth.” On another occasion, he said, “Caoshan’s filial devotion is complete.”
A monk asked, “Who is the one constantly submerged in the sea of birth and death?” The Master said, “The second moon.” The monk asked, “Does he still seek to escape?” The Master replied, “He also seeks to escape, but there is no road.” The monk asked, “Who receives the one who escapes?” The Master replied, “The man carrying an iron cangue.”
A monk cited the words of Yaoshan, who asked a monk, “How old are you?” The monk replied, “Seventy-two.” Yaoshan said, “Are you truly seventy-two?” The monk replied, “Yes.” Yaoshan immediately struck him. The monk asked, “What was the meaning of that?” The Master replied, “The first arrow seemed to strike its mark; the second arrow shot deeply into the man.” The monk asked, “What must one do to avoid being beaten?” The Master replied, “Once the king’s command has been carried out, how could the feudal lords dare speak?”
– A monk asked, “What is the great meaning of the Buddha-Dharma?” The Master replied, “Fill the valleys and stop up the ravines.”
A monk asked, “What is a lion?” The Master replied, “None of the beasts can approach it.” The monk asked, “What is a lion cub?” The Master replied, “It can devour its father and mother.” The monk asked, “Since none of the beasts can approach, why is the lion devoured by its cub?” The Master replied, “If you let out a roar, grandparents, father, and mother will all be gone.” The monk asked, “But will the grandparents, father, and mother truly be gone?” The Master replied, “They too will be gone.” The monk asked, “When they are gone, what then?” The Master replied, “The entire body returns to the father.” The monk asked, “Why did you previously say that both grandfather and father would be gone?” The Master said, “Have you not heard it said:
The crown prince is capable of attending to affairs of state;
The withered tree again concerns itself with blossoming.”
A monk asked, “When rights and wrongs suddenly arise in confusion, what is it to lose the mind?” The Master said, “Cut! Cut!”
– A monk related that someone had asked Master Xiangyan, “What is the Way?” Xiangyan replied, “Within a withered tree, a dragon sings.” The student said, “I do not understand.” Xiangyan replied, “Within a skull are pupils.” Later, someone asked Shishuang, “What is the dragon singing within a withered tree?” Shishuang said, “There is still joy.” He was also asked, “What are the pupils within a skull?” Shishuang said, “There is still knowing.”
On this occasion, the Master spoke a verse:
The dragon singing in the withered tree truly sees the Way;
The skull has no knowing, yet its eyes have long been bright.
When joy and knowing are utterly exhausted, all vanishes;
Who then can distinguish the turbid from the clear?
That monk then asked the Master, “What is the dragon singing within a withered tree?” The Master replied, “The blood vessels have not been severed.” The monk asked, “What are the pupils within a skull?” The Master replied, “The dryness is not exhausted.” The monk asked, “I do not yet know whether it can still be heard.” The Master replied, “Throughout the whole great earth, there is not a single thing that does not hear it.” The monk asked, “I do not yet know to which passage the dragon’s song belongs.” The Master replied, “I too do not know to which passage it belongs; all who hear it die.”
In this way the Master awakened those of superior capacity. His teaching had no rules or traces that could be sought. When he met Master Dongshan, he attained discernment concerning the Five Ranks and was especially regarded as a standard for the Chan monasteries. At that time, the community in Hongzhou repeatedly invited him, but the Master did not go. He merely wrote a verse at the mountain of Venerable Damei as his reply.
In the xin-dậu year of Nam Thiên Phục, on
one night at the end of the summer retreat, the Master asked the monk serving as administrator, “What day of the month is it today?” He replied,
“It is the fifteenth day of the sixth month.” The Master said, “Throughout Caoshan’s lifetime of traveling on foot, wherever he went, he knew only that ninety days
make one summer retreat.” The following day, at the chen hour, he entered nirvana. The Master was sixty-two years old and had
thirty-seven Dharma years. His disciples erected a stupa to enshrine his sacred remains. The king bestowed upon him the posthumous title Great Master Yuan
Zheng. The stupa was named Phuoc Vien.
3. Chan Master Dao Quan of Dongshan.
Previously, he asked Preceptor Jia at Dongshan, “What is the essential means of liberation
by which one must escape?” Dongshan said, “Smoke is rising beneath the Venerable’s feet.” Through this, the Master
accorded with awakening and went nowhere else thereafter. When Master Dongshan passed away, the assembly
invited the Master to succeed him as abbot. The oceanic assembly rejoiced, for the profound wind had not
been lost. A monk asked, “When the Buddha entered the royal palace, was this not the Great
Sage returning?” The Master replied, “Huming did not descend to be born.” The
monk asked, “Since it was the Great Sage returning, why did he have to practice austerities for six years?” The Master said,
“An illusory person presents illusory affairs.” He asked, “What is it when it is not illusory?”
The Master replied, “Search throughout the royal palace, and it cannot be found.” He asked, “How is it that one who practices
pure conduct does not enter nirvana, while a precept-breaking bhiksu does not enter hell?”
The Master replied, “When all have been delivered without leaving even a shadow behind, it surpasses nirvana.”
He asked, “What manner of conduct extends a thousand miles as far as the eye can see?” The Master said, “It is the Venerable’s
own model.” He asked, “I do not yet know what the Preceptor’s manner of conduct is like.” The Master said,
“It does not fly, yet roams throughout the saha world.”
4. Chan Master Ju Dun of Mount Longya in Hunan.
The Master was from Nancheng in Wuzhou, and his family name was Guo. At the age of fourteen, he left
home at Mantian Monastery in Jizhou. Later, he went to Mount Song to receive the full precepts,
then took up his staff and traveled among Chan assemblies. While visiting Preceptor Cuiwei,
he asked, “Since this student came to the Preceptor’s Dharma seat more than a
month ago, the Preceptor has ascended the Dharma hall every day, yet has not given instruction
on a single Dharma. What is the meaning of this?” Cuiwei replied, “What is there to object to?” The Master later met
Deshan and asked, “From afar I heard that Deshan had a saying about the Buddha-Dharma, but since arriving here I have never
heard the Preceptor utter a single saying about the Buddha-Dharma.” Deshan said, “What is there to object to?” The Master
would not accept this and went to Dongshan, where he asked the same question as before. Dongshan said, “Why should this old monk
be considered strange?” The Master then recounted to Dongshan what Deshan had said, and through this he himself
awakened to his error. The Master then remained at Dongshan, following the assembly and requesting instruction. One day
he asked, “What is the meaning of the Patriarchal Teacher?” Dongshan said, “Wait until the water in the cave flows
backward, and then I shall tell you.” From this, the Master awakened to the profound purport. He remained concealed there for eight years.
The Ma clan of Hunan invited him, and the Master went to reside at the Yaoji Chan
cloister on Longya, where he was known as Great Master Zhengkong. He had more than
five hundred disciples and constantly expounded the teaching. The Master ascended the Dharma hall and instructed the assembly:
“Those who engage in study must penetrate the Patriarchs and Buddhas before they can succeed. Preceptor Xinfeng
said that following the Patriarchs’ teaching and following the Buddhas’ teaching is like giving rise to enmity; only then has one learned a single part. If one does not penetrate the Buddhas and Patriarchs, one will immediately be deceived.” At that
time, a monk asked, “Do the Patriarchs and Buddhas have a mind directed toward people?” The Master replied, “Would you say
that rivers and lakes have a mind to obstruct people?” He continued, “Although rivers and lakes have no
mind to obstruct people, because people at such times cannot cross them, the rivers
and lakes become an obstruction to people. Thus one cannot say that rivers and lakes do not obstruct
people. Although the Patriarchs and Buddhas have no intention of deceiving people, because people do not penetrate
them, the Patriarchs and Buddhas become deceivers of people. Thus one cannot say that the Patriarchs and Buddhas do not deceive
people. If one can penetrate the realm of the Patriarchs and Buddhas, then where this person
passes is itself the Patriarchs and Buddhas. Only then does one understand the intent of the Patriarchs and Buddhas,
and only then does one accord with the ancients in the matter beyond. If one has not yet penetrated it and merely studies the Buddha and studies the
Patriarchs, even after ten thousand kalpas there will be no time of attainment.” He was further asked, “How does one avoid
being deceived by the Patriarchs and Buddhas?” The Master said, “You must awaken for yourself.” When the Master was staying with Cuiwei, he asked,
“What is the meaning of the Patriarchal Teacher?” Cuiwei replied, “Bring me the meditation board.” The Master
then brought the meditation board. As soon as Cuiwei received it, he struck him. The Master said, “A beating is merely
a beating; there is no meaning of the Patriarchal Teacher in it.” The Master also asked Linji, “What is the meaning of the Patriarchal
Teacher?” Linji said, “Hand me the sitting mat.” As soon as Linji received it, he
struck him. The Master said, “A beating is merely a beating; again, there is no meaning of the Patriarchal Teacher.” Later, a monk
asked, “When the Preceptor traveled on foot, he asked two venerable adepts about the meaning of the Patriarchal Teacher. I do not yet know whether
the Dharma eyes of those two venerable adepts were clear.” The Master replied, “Clear they were, but still there was no meaning of the Patriarchal Teacher.”
He was asked, “What is the Way?” The Master replied, “It is nothing other than the human mind.” He also said,
“If a person realizes that the Way is nothing other than the human mind, only then is he a person of the Way.
If it is merely talk, do not become involved with it. As for a person of the Way, do you know what sort of
person of the Way that is? Throughout the twelve periods of the day, apart from eating and putting on clothes, there is not
the slightest thing other than the human mind, nor any mind that deceives people. Only such a person
is a person of the Way. If someone says, ‘I have attained; I understand,’ do not become involved with him. It is truly not
easy.” He was asked, “What is the meaning of the Patriarchal Teacher’s coming from the Western Land?” The Master said, “Wait until the
stone turtle-bird can speak, and then I shall tell you.” The monk replied, “The stone turtle-bird can already speak.” The Master
said, “What has it told you?” He was asked, “What did the ancients attain that made them stop?” The Master replied,
“Like a thief entering an empty house.” He was asked, “Why could the Bodhisattva Boundless Body not see
the crown-mark of the Tathagata?” The Master asked, “Would you say that the Tathagata has a crown-mark?”
He was asked, “What is it like when the great bushel cannot lift the head above it?” The Master said, “Why
was the Sixth Patriarch able to lift it?” He was asked, “What is it like when the two mice enter the pillow and climb the rope?” The Master
said, “You must have a place to conceal yourself.” The monk asked, “What is the place for concealing
oneself?” The Master said, “Do you see the farmer again?” He was asked, “Vimalakirti grasped the
world and raised it up; I do not know where Vimalakirti was standing.” The Master said, “Say what
you said: Vimalakirti grasped the world and raised it up.” He was asked, “Does one who knows that there is someone still undergo birth
and death?” The Master replied, “He is just like a practitioner before awakening.” He was asked, “What is the meaning of the coming from
the Western Land?” The Master replied, “This is the most painful question of all.” He was asked, “Are the Patriarchal meaning and the scriptural meaning
the same or different?” The Master replied, “The Patriarchal Teacher came afterward.” He was asked, “Is the Patriarchal Teacher a sramana with nothing to do?”
The Master replied, “If he is a sramana, he cannot have nothing to do.” He asked, “Why can he not have nothing
to do?” The Master said, “It is difficult to find even one.” He was asked, “The toad has no light to reflect,
and the jade rabbit has no intention of accompanying the moon; what is it like at such a time?” The Master said,
“Kings Yao and Shun also had transformative influence.” He was asked, “How can this body be put at ease?”
The Master said, “Only by not being deceived by another body.” In the third year of Longde under the Later Liang
(gui-wei), in the eighth month, the Master became slightly ill. At midnight on the third day of the ninth month, a star fell
before the abbot’s quarters. At dawn, the Master entered transformation while seated. He was eighty-nine years old.
5. Chan Master Youjing of Huayan Monastery in Jingzhao.
The Master once served as rector under Luopu. He struck the sounding stone to summon all the monks,
some to split firewood above and others to harrow the ground below. At that time, the head seat asked,
“What is the sacred monk?” The Master said, “Majestically, he does not sit upright and does not fall into the workings of either extreme.”
While the Master was still staying with Dongshan, he asked, “This student has not yet seen the path of principle and thus has surely not escaped discriminating consciousness.”
Dongshan said, “Have you seen the path of principle?” He replied, “I see no path of principle.”
Dongshan said, “Where could discriminating consciousness reach?” He replied, “This student asks sincerely.”
Dongshan said, “You must travel ten thousand miles and stand in a place where not an inch of grass grows.”
He asked, “Can one stand in the place where not an inch of grass grows?” Dongshan said, “Go straight from there.”
While splitting firewood, Dongshan picked up a piece of wood and asked, “What is it like when people meet on a narrow road?”
He replied, “How could treachery and deceit possibly succeed?” Dongshan said, “Remember my words. If you dwell toward the south, there will be one thousand
people; if they were to dwell facing north, there would be only two or three hundred. The Master then went to reside at Huayan on Dongshan in Fuzhou. Before long, Emperor Zhuangzong of the Later Tang summoned the Master to the capital to widely unfold the profound teaching; indeed, his disciples numbered three hundred.
Someone asked: “Are the Patriarch’s intent and the intent of the teachings the same or different?” The Master replied: “Search through all the meanings in the Dragon Palace’s canon; you will find no statement of it.” Someone asked: “Why does one who has greatly awakened become deluded?” The Master replied: “A shattered mirror does not reflect again; fallen blossoms can hardly return to the tree.” Someone asked: “The imperial army offers a vegetarian feast to the Heavenly King and prays for victory; the enemy army also offers a vegetarian feast to the Heavenly King and prays for victory.
Whose prayer does the Heavenly King answer?” The Master replied: “Rain from heaven soaks everything everywhere, choosing neither dry nor wet.” One day, the emperor entered the monastery and burned incense. The emperor asked: “What spirit is this?” The Master replied: “It is a heavenly spirit who protects the Dharma.” The emperor asked: “When dismissed, where does it go?” The Master replied: “Rain from heaven soaks everything everywhere, choosing neither dry nor fresh.” Later, the Master traveled to Heshuo and entered nirvana at Pingyang.
After his cremation, relics were recovered, and four stupas were erected: one in Jinzhou, one in Fangzhou, one in the Xiaoyao Garden on Zhongnan Mountain, and the fourth at Huayan Monastery on Zhongnan Mountain. The emperor bestowed upon him the posthumous title Great Master Baozhi, and his stupa was named Wuwei.
6. Preceptor Xianzi of Jingzhao
It is not known where the Master came from, and accounts of his life differ; he had no fixed dwelling place. After receiving the seal of mind at Dongshan, he returned to lay life in Minchuan, neither maintaining a community of practitioners nor observing the disciplinary rules. Each day he would walk along the river in search of frogs and clams to eat.
At night he slept among the spirit-money papers in the White Horse Shrine on Dongshan. The local people called him Preceptor Xianzi. Master Jing of Jing Huayan heard of him and wished to determine whether the reports were true or false.
He secretly entered the place where the spirit-money papers were kept. At midnight, the Master returned. Jing seized him tightly and asked: “What is the intent of the Patriarch’s coming from the Western Land?” The Master hastily replied: “A tray of wine before the spirit.” Jing marveled, repented, and withdrew.
Later, when Master Jing was carrying out the teaching in the capital, the Master also arrived. When the assembly gathered and the Dharma was preached, the Master merely feigned madness.
7. Great Master Puman of Jiufeng in Junzhou
The Master asked a monk: “From where have you come?” The monk replied: “From Minzhong.” The Master said: “Traveling such a long way was not easy.” The monk replied: “It was not difficult; I came by taking steps.” The Master asked: “Is there such a thing as not taking a step?” The monk said: “There is.” The Master asked: “How then could you arrive here?” The monk could not answer. The Master said: “This doubt is a killer.” Someone asked: “What is the family style of the Preceptor?” The Master replied: “What is it right now?” The monk replied: “I do not understand.” The Master said: “On the road of ten characters, horses eat the iris blossoms and grass.”
8. Chan Master Daoyou of Youqi in Taizhou
Jingqing asked: “What is a young father?” The Master said: “There is no target.” He asked: “If there is no target, is that considered a young father?” The Master replied: “What fault would there be?” He asked: “Just so, how does a young father give birth?” The Master asked: “What mind does a person of the Way have?” Someone asked: “What is Buddha?” The Master replied: “You do not believe that you are a sentient being.” The questioner said: “This student firmly believes it.” The Master said: “If you wish to understand and know, you will at once join the host of heretics.” When the Master was about to pass away, a monk came and asked: “After the Preceptor reaches one hundred years of age, where will you go?” The Master replied: “Naturally so, naturally so.” Having said this,
he passed away while seated.
9. Chan Master Shiqian, successor to Master Dongshan (of the third generation, also called Preceptor Qinglin)
Formerly, he came from Jiashan to seek instruction. Earlier, Preceptor Jie of Dongshan asked: “Whom have you recently left to come here?” The Master replied: “Wuling.” The Preceptor asked: “In what way does the Dharma-path of Wuling resemble this place?” The Master replied: “Bamboo shoots grow in the soil of Hu.” Preceptor Jie said: “Incense, lamps, rice, and soup should be specially offered to this man.” The Master then withdrew. Dongshan said: “In the future, this man will kill everyone under heaven.”
While at Dongshan, the Master planted a pine. A man surnamed Liu came to ask the Master for a verse. The Master composed this verse:
Old Liu received the verse and presented it to Dongshan. Dongshan said: “Congratulations to you; this man belongs to the third generation.” Previously, the Master had stayed at the small Qinglin aranya in Tumen, Suizhou. Later, as foretold, he returned to Dongshan and became its successor.
Whenever a monk newly arrived, the Master invariably made him split firewood three times before allowing him to enter the hall for an interview. One monk refused and asked: “Nothing is said within the three times; what is beyond the three times?” The Master said: “It is the decree of the Iron-Wheel Son of Heaven.” The monk could not answer. The Master immediately struck him and drove him away.
A monk asked: “The illness and suffering of former years have again been struck by poison. I ask the Master to cure the illness.” The Master said: “A golden comb rakes apart the brain; clarified butter is poured upon the crown of the head.” The monk replied: “I thank the Master for curing the illness.” The Master immediately struck him.
Someone asked: “When father and son have not met for a long time, what is it like at that moment?” The Master said: “The ancient imperial ruler is one inch tall.” The monk asked: “I ask the Master to answer.” The Master said: “The asura’s hands are upon the sun and moon.”
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and instructed the assembly: “Today the essential principle of the Patriarchs is being put into practice, and the decree of the Dharma has already been proclaimed. Is there anything further?” At that time, a monk asked: “The treasury of the eye of the true Dharma has been mutually sealed and certified by Patriarch after Patriarch. It is not yet known to whom the Preceptor will transmit the teaching.” The Master replied: “The numinous sprout has soil in which to grow; in great awakening there is no longer a teacher.”
Someone asked: “What is the Way?” The Master replied: “Riding an ox, one returns in search of a distant stream.”
Someone asked: “What is a person within the Way?” The Master replied: “Embracing the snow, he raises his head and lifts his eyebrows.”
Someone asked: “When the divergent roads branch into a thousand paths, how can one understand swiftly?” The Master replied: “Cast away the black jewel beneath your feet; in the sky, do not resent the moon filling the heavens.”
10. Chan Master Dunru of White Horse in Luojing
Someone asked: “What is the fundamental matter of a patch-robed monk?” The Master replied: “The winds from the ten directions cannot pass through; a mute transmits news from afar.” The monk asked: “What news does he transmit?” The Master clasped his hands and bowed his head.
Someone asked: “What is the person within the secret chamber?” The Master replied: “What has just been born cannot be obtained; do not esteem the time before birth.”
Someone asked: “What is it that does not esteem the time before birth?” The Master replied: “That is your father.”
Someone asked: “From three thousand miles away, I set my face toward White Horse; now that I have arrived, why do I not see it?” The Master replied: “Your failure to see it—what has that to do with this old monk?”
The monk asked: “I ask the Preceptor to point it out.” The Master said: “If I point it out, do not become involved with it.”
Someone asked: “What is this student’s fundamental matter?” The Master replied: “Last night, at the third watch, the sun stood at high noon.”
Someone asked: “What is the matter beyond the Dharma-body?” The Master replied: “At the bottom of a well, a frog swallows the moon.”
Someone asked: “What is this student’s most urgent concern?” The Master replied: “Even a skillful bird still despises slowness; the blind man is already slow from the outset.”
Someone asked: “What is the intent of the coming from the Western Land?” The Master replied: “A monkey with a marked forehead feels for the moon’s waves.”
11. Preceptor Qianfeng of Yuezhou
The Master asked a monk: “From where have you come?” The monk replied: “From Tiantai.” The Master asked: “I have heard that the Stone Bridge has broken into two sections. Is that so?” The monk asked: “Where did the Preceptor obtain that news?” The Master replied: “I was about to say you were different from those before you on Huading Mountain, but originally you are a fine man from the estate.”
Someone asked: “How can one get out of the three realms?” The Master said: “Call the rector and have this monk driven out.”
The Master asked the assembled monks: “With what eye does one pass through the six destinies of samsara?” The assembly could not answer.
Someone asked: “What is a statement that transcends Buddhas and Patriarchs?” The Master said: “This old monk asks you.” The monk replied: “Preceptor, please say it.” The Master said: “This old monk does not himself understand even a single question; why ask about a statement that transcends Buddhas and Patriarchs?”
12. Preceptor Heshan of Jizhou
A monk asked: “This student wishes to present a question. Will the Master accept it?” The Master said: “Heshan has already answered you.”
Someone asked: “What is the intent of the coming from the Western Land?” The Master said: “The great summit of Heshan.”
Someone asked: “What is the family style of the Preceptor?” The Master replied: “As far as the eye can see, white clouds rise from the blue mountains.”
13. Chan Master Hanqi of Tiantong Mountain in Mingzhou
A monk asked: “What does it mean that fundamentally there is not a single thing?” The Master replied: “Moistened stone does not contain jade; in a different vein, gold naturally arises.”
Preceptor Fulongshan arrived. The Master asked: “Where have you come from?” He replied: “I have come from Fulong.” The Master said: “Have you subdued the dragon?” He replied: “I have never subdued that kind of beast.” The Master said: “Drink”
Go drink tea.—Venerable Jian asked, “This student has come earnestly to request the Master’s essential meaning.” The Master said, “I defecate in there—what essential meaning is there to seek so earnestly?” He asked, “Responding in this way, the Venerable would do very well to buy straw sandals and set out on pilgrimage.” The Master said, “Come forward.” Jian then stepped forward. The Master said, “Just tell me: where was the fault in this old monk’s answer?” Jian could not reply, and the Master immediately struck him.
14. Venerable Baogai of Mount Tanzhou.
A monk asked, “What sort of person is fit to dwell in the undefiled single-roomed house?” The Master replied, “Being nameless, it cannot be worn.” He asked, “Does it have any position?” The Master replied, “It has no place.” He asked, “What is Baogai?” The Master replied, “It is not obtained from humans or devas.” He asked, “Who is the person within Baogai?” The Master said, “I do not allow people of the present age to know.” The monk asked, “What is it like when the Buddha comes?” The Master said, “No other road can be found.” He asked, “At the critical moment, why is no person established?” The Master said, “Returning, one treads without obstruction.” He asked, “How is it established at that time?” The Master replied, “It is not recognized by people of the present age.” He asked,
“When the world is destroyed, where is this?” The Master replied, “A thousand sages cannot find it.” He asked, “How can people of the present age return?” The Master replied, “They must truly resemble it.” He asked, “Is there still a target?” The Master replied, “No standard is established.”
15. Chan Master Tong of the Northern Cloister in Yizhou.
When the Master was at Jiashan, Jiashan one day ascended the Dharma hall and said, “Sitting in judgment as the host, one does not fall into the second view.” The Master stepped forward and said, “You should know that there is one person who is not fit to keep company.” Jiashan said, “That too is the second view.” The Master then pushed over the meditation seat. Jiashan asked, “Elder brother, what are you doing?” The Master said, “Wait until my tongue has rotted away; then I shall tell the Venerable.”
On another day the Master again asked Jiashan, “‘Before the eyes there is no Dharma; the meaning is before the eyes. It is not the Dharma before the eyes and cannot be reached by ears or eyes.’ Are these not the Venerable’s words?” Jiashan said, “They are.” The Master then pushed over the meditation seat and stood with folded hands. Jiashan rose and struck him once with his staff, whereupon the Master departed.
While the Master was staying with the assembly at Dongshan, he made inquiries but had not yet accorded with the essential purport. He therefore took leave of Dongshan, intending to enter the mountains. Dongshan said, “Take care. A gibbon climbing to the summit of a high mountain—look!” The Master fell silent for a long while. Dongshan called, “Acarya Tong!” The Master answered, “Yes!” Dongshan said, “Why do you not go into the mountains?” At this, the Master awakened and did not enter the mountains. He then remained in attendance upon Master Dongshan.
Later, the Master ascended the Dharma hall and instructed the assembly, saying, “Venerable ones, if you have any matter, bring it forth, discuss it, and make your choice. Those of the highest capacity have no need of this. Those of middling or lower capacity must certainly be rounded and polished, searching everywhere for entrances and gateways; do not let yourselves enter muddy water. First and foremost, you must quickly awaken to the matter; you must be free of mind. If you are not free of mind, then even if you gradually set forth a thousand or ten thousand things, they will amount only to empty intellectual understanding. What connection would that have with the school of this patch-robed monk?”
A monk asked, “What is freedom from mind?” The Master said, “Not being bound by anything.”
He asked, “When two dragons contend for a pearl, who obtains it?” The Master said, “The one who obtains it thereby loses it.”
He asked, “What is it like not to lose it?” The Master replied, “Give me back the pearl.”
He asked, “What is the pure Dharma body?” The Master said, “Not a single speck of defilement.”
He asked, “What is it like when it cannot be turned?” The Master replied, “Merit does not reach it.”
He asked, “Who is the person of great wealth and nobility?” The Master replied, “Like the treasure-house of a wheel-turning king.”
He asked, “Who is the utterly impoverished person?” The Master replied, “Like an alehouse carried upon one’s back.”
He asked, “What is it like when the water in the ravine has dried up and nothing adheres?” The Master replied, “Dry, peeling off in patches.”
He asked, “What is it like when it is completed with a single hammer blow?” The Master replied, “It is no coincidence.”
After the Master passed away, the king bestowed upon him the posthumous title Great Master Realization of Truth.
16. Chan Master Benren of Baishui in Gao’an.
The Master received the prediction of awakening at Dongshan. During the Yuanfu era of the Tang dynasty, he moved to Baishui Cloister in Gao’an, Hongjing. His assembly numbered three hundred, and his words of the Mystery were spread everywhere.
During a memorial meal offering for Master Dongshan, a monk asked, “When offerings are made, does the late Master come?” The Master said, “Right here, make an offering of one portion.”
Members of the assembly from Xishan in Hongzhou came to pay homage and asked, “Today we have no private matter; we ask the Master to instruct us.” The Master asked, “Do you seek instruction?” They replied, “Yes.” The Master said, “Whom would you have me entrust it to?”
Jingsheng arrived on pilgrimage. The Master called him up and said, “Wayfarer, it must be very cold at this time?” Sheng said, “I dare not say so.” The Master asked, “Can you still lie down alone beneath a tightly closed mosquito net?” He replied, “Even if I could, I would not apply effort there.” The Master replied, “There are many wayfarers for whom each drop of water is a drop of ice, yet this has nothing to do with the other matter.” He asked, “Each drop of water gives rise to ice, yet neither interferes with the other?” The Master said, “Yes.” He asked, “What is this person’s intention?” The Master replied, “This person does not fall into intention.” He asked, “Does one fall into this person’s intention?” The Master said, “On the summit of the lofty mountain,
I cannot peck from the same shell with the Wayfarer.”
He asked, “What is the meaning of the coming from India?” The Master asked, “Do you see the cedar tree before the courtyard?” He replied, “Today, because of this student, the Venerable has given rise to right and wrong.” The Master said, “Lecturer, you have too many mouths.”
Jiaoran later arrived. The Master knew that he was a Chan traveler from Xuefeng and said, “One who steals the Dharma will ultimately not become a worthy vessel.”
A monk asked, “What is the meaning of non-change?” The Master said, “Flowers fall and follow the flowing water; the bright moon rests above the mountain peak.”
When the Master was about to pass away, the fourfold assembly gathered in full. The Master offered a meal, struck the bell, burned incense, and announced to the assembly, “When the incense smoke ceases, I shall enter nirvana.” Having spoken, he sat in the full lotus posture and ceased breathing when the smoke came to an end.
17. Chan Master Guangren of Mount Shu in Fuzhou.
The Master was short and unattractive in appearance, but highly skilled in debate. While at Dongshan’s gate, whenever there was an occasion to reveal a hidden place, Ren was always used as the drill point. Regarding the samadhis of every quarter, one could ask Uncle-Master Ren.
A monk asked, “Who is the teacher of all Buddhas?” The Master said, “Why do you not ask old man Shushu?” The monk could not reply.
The Master held a wooden snake in his hand. A monk asked, “What is in your hand?” The Master raised it and said, “The daughter of the Cao family.”
He asked, “What is the Venerable’s family style?” The Master said, “A five-foot headcloth.” He asked, “What is a five-foot headcloth?” The Master replied, “Being round within, it cannot be grasped.”
The Master cited Xiangyan’s words and asked Jingqing, “Unable to bear the burden, how does the complete Wayfarer understand it?” Qing spoke entirely in terms of bearing the burden. The Master said, “What if one cannot bear it completely?” Qing said, “Within it, bearing is not revealed.” The Master said, “Only then does it accord with this sick monk’s meaning.”
When Gushan brought up the Teacher of the Buddha King of Majestic Voice, the Master asked, “Who is the Teacher of the Buddha King of Majestic Voice?” Gushan replied, “Are you not ashamed?” The Master said, “Acarya, what you say will do; but judged according to this sick monk, it is not right.” Gushan asked, “Who, then, is the Teacher of the Buddha King of Majestic Voice?” The Master replied, “He does not sit idly upon the honored throne.”
Dongshan of the fourth generation asked, “What is the single phrase?” The Master said, “I will not say.” He asked, “Why will you not say it?” The Master said, “Because you are of the younger generation.” He asked, “What was it like at that time?” The Master said, “A general without a sovereign immediately becomes arrogant; the golden-toothed one grasps in vain.”
He asked, “What is direct pointing?” The Master said, “There is water within the truth; if you do not believe it, go to the edge of the sky and ask the sun.”
On the night winter arrived, a monk ascended the Dharma hall and asked, “What is the meaning of winter’s arrival?” The Master replied, “From within coolness arises rhubarb.” He asked, “When the Venerable reaches a hundred years, where will you go?” The Master replied, “Behind me, amid the wild dust, four legs point toward the sky.”
When the Master was about to pass into transformation, he uttered this verse:
After reciting the verse, the Master passed away. The Master also composed a hymn on the Four Great Elements and a brief treatise on the Elder of the Avatamsaka, which circulated in the world.
18. Chan Master Wencui of Qinshan in Lizhou.
The Master was a native of Fuzhou.
In his youth, he studied under Chan Master Huan Zhong of Mount Daci in Hangzhou. At that time, Yantou and Xuefeng, who were among the assembly, heard the Master’s discussions and recognized him as a vessel of the Dharma, so they accompanied one another in traveling to various regions. Both of them found accord with Master Deshan and received his seal of confirmation.
Although the Master urged him on many times, he was invariably brought to an impasse. One day, the Master asked Deshan, “Tianhuang also spoke thus, and Longtan also spoke thus. I do not yet know how Deshan speaks.” Deshan said, “Try presenting the words of Tianhuang and Longtan.” Just as the Master was about to comply, Deshan struck him with his staff, and he had to be carried into the Nirvana Hall.
The Master said, “Right it may be, but the beating nearly killed me.” Later, while staying with Master Dongshan, he awakened upon hearing his words and thereby became a Dharma successor of Dongshan. At the age of twenty-seven, the Master took up residence at Qinshan. Before the great assembly, he reflected upon a former error of his:
Previously, when he visited Master Dongshan, Dongshan asked, “Where have you come from?”
The Master replied, “I have come from Daci.”
Dongshan asked, “Did you see Daci?”
The Master replied, “I saw him.”
Dongshan asked, “Did you see him before seeing form, or after seeing form?”
The Master replied, “It was not a seeing before or after.”
Dongshan remained silent.
The Master said, “Because I left the Master too soon, I was unable to comprehend the entirety of the Master’s intent.”
Someone asked, “What is the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from the Western Land?”
The Master said, “Duke Liang’s ruler is curved; Duke Zhi’s shears are sharp.”
Someone asked, “All the Dharma teachings of the Buddhas emerge from this sutra. What is this sutra?”
The Master said, “It is constantly turning.”
The monk asked, “I do not yet know what is taught in the sutra.”
The Master said, “If you have doubts, please ask.”
Someone asked, “What is the family style of the Venerable?”
The Master said, “A brocade coverlet and a silver incense pouch; when the wind blows, fragrance fills the hall.”
A monk drew a portrait of the Master and presented it to him. The Master asked, “Does it resemble me?” The monk was unable to answer. The Master answered on his behalf, “Members of the Sangha, take a look.”
One day, the Master entered the bathhouse and saw a monk working a waterwheel. When the monk saw the Master, he immediately stepped down without examining the matter. The Master said, “Fortunately, you are raising it up from low ground; why must you act like that?”
The monk said, “How could it be done without acting like that?”
The Master said, “If so, what use is Qinshan’s eye?”
The monk said, “What is the Master’s eye?”
The Master then raised his hand as though drawing apart his eyebrows.
The monk asked, “Venerable, have you attained even that?”
The Master said, “Yes, yes. Because I am thus, I cannot then be thus.”
The monk was unable to answer.
The Master said, “Seeking battle but gaining no merit, one grieves in solitude.”
The Master remained silent for a long while and then asked the monk, “Do you understand?”
The monk said, “I do not understand.”
The Master said, “Qinshan carries half of it for you.”
The Master, together with Xuefeng and Yantou, once passed through Xijiang and stopped at a teahouse to drink tea. The Master said, “One who has never turned the body and freely circulated the vital energy cannot drink tea today. If that is so, I certainly cannot drink tea.”
Xuefeng said, “Neither can I.”
The Master said, “Neither of you two old fellows knows how to speak.”
Yantou asked, “Where are you going?”
The Master replied, “The old one inside the cloth bag, though alive, is as if dead.”
Yantou said, “Withdraw! Withdraw!”
The Master said, “Brother Huo, let us set you aside; what about Brother Cun?”
Xuefeng traced a circle with his hand.
The Master said, “I cannot refrain from asking.”
Yantou laughed heartily and said, “You were born far too distant.”
The Master said, “Many people have mouths, yet cannot drink tea.”
Neither Yantou nor Xuefeng could answer.
Chan practitioner Liang came to inquire. As soon as he had finished bowing, he asked, “What is it like when a single arrow passes through three barriers?”
The Master said, “Bring out the lord within the barriers and let me see him.”
Liang said, “Then I recognize my error and immediately repent.”
The Master said, “What further occasion are you waiting for?”
Liang said, “Once the arrow is loosed, there is nowhere for it to lodge,” and then withdrew.
The Master said, “You intended to shoot through three barriers; now compete with Qinshan and try shooting again.”
Liang came forward, remained silent for a long while, and then withdrew again. The Master struck Liang seven times. Liang then went out.
The Master said, “You have listened again to this confused old fellow, yet you will harbor doubts in your mind for thirty years.”
Someone related these words to the Venerable Tongan. Tongan said, “Duke Liang did not understand. How, then, could he hit the mark?”
The monk asked, “Who is the lord within the barriers?”
The monk returned and presented this question to the Master. The Master said, “If Duke Liang had understood it in that way, he would also have escaped Qinshan’s mouth. Even so, Tongan did not have good intentions; this must be discerned.”
A monk sighed. The Master raised the head of his staff and said, “When the hand is opened, the five fingers are uneven; when it is now clenched, there is neither high nor low. Tell me, is Qinshan thoroughly versed in deliberation, or not thoroughly versed in deliberation?”
The monk merely came forward and raised his fist.
The Master said, “That is only one who does not open his mouth.”
The monk said, “I do not yet know how the Venerable receives people.”
The Master said, “If I were to receive people, I would be just the same as you.”
The monk said, “I have come especially to inquire of the Master, so please reveal the tradition of the school.”
The Master said, “If you have come especially to me, reveal it.”
The monk said, “Master, please.”
The Master then struck him. The monk did not respond.
The Master said, “Clasping a tree stump while waiting for a rabbit, you squander your mental energy in vain.”
- Master Xingsi — Sixth Generation.
- Dharma successors of Chan Master Quanhuo of Yantou, mentioned above.
1. Chan Master Shiyan of Ruiyan, Taizhou.
The Master was a native of Minyue, and his family name was Xu. From an early age, he donned the monastic robe and received the full precepts.
He first bowed to Yantou and asked, “What is the principle of the originally constant—that is, Buddha-nature?”
Yantou said, “It moves.”
The Master asked, “What is it like when it moves?”
Yantou said, “It is not the principle of the originally constant.”
The Master pondered in silence for a long while.
Yantou said, “If you accept it, you have not yet escaped the sense faculties and their objects; if you do not accept it, you will forever sink and wander in birth and death.”
At these words, the Master awakened, and his body and mind became radiant. Yantou repeatedly called upon him and engaged him in dialogue, but his responses never varied.
The Master later went to see the Venerable at the assembly on Mount Jia. The Venerable asked, “Where have you come from?”
He replied, “I have come from Wolong.”
The Venerable asked, “When you came, had the dragon risen yet?”
The Master turned his head and looked back. The Venerable said, “You are burning moxa upon a blister.”
The Master replied, “Venerable, why trouble yourself so?”
The Venerable then ceased.
The Master went to dwell at Danqiu and passed the whole day as though he were a fool. The fourfold assembly admired him and invited him to reside at Duanyan. The Master led the assembly with great strictness and order, and everyone praised him.
A monk asked, “What is it like when a jeweled canopy appears overhead and clouds arise beneath one’s feet?”
The Master replied, “An old fellow wearing a cangue and bearing fetters.”
The monk asked, “What is it like when there is no jeweled canopy overhead and no clouds arise beneath one’s feet?”
The Master said, “There are still a cangue and fetters.”
The monk asked, “What is it ultimately?”
The Master replied, “After eating, I am utterly weary.”
Jingqing asked, “Heaven cannot cover it, and earth cannot support it—is that not so?”
The Master said, “If it were so, it would indeed be covered and supported.”
Jingqing said, “If it were not so, how many times would one encounter Ruiyan?”
The Master referred to himself as Shiyan.
Someone asked, “What is the Buddha?”
The Master said, “A stone ox.”
The monk asked, “What is the Dharma?”
The Master replied, “The stone ox’s calf.”
The monk asked, “Then they are not the same.”
The Master replied, “They cannot be joined.”
The monk asked, “Why can they not be joined?”
The Master replied, “If they are not the same, what can be joined together?”
Someone asked, “How can one deliberate without falling into stages and ranks?”
The Master said, “It cannot be arranged.”
The monk asked, “Why can it not be arranged?”
The Master replied, “From the beginning, it has had no stages or ranks.”
The monk asked, “I do not yet know in which position it abides.”
The Master replied, “It does not sit in the Hall of Universal Radiance.”
The monk asked, “Is there no principle of transformation either?”
The Master replied, “Its name is heard throughout the Three Realms; where does it not return to pay court?”
One day, an elderly woman from the village came to bow before him. The Master said, “Return home quickly and save several thousand lives.” The elderly woman hurried home and saw her daughter-in-law carrying a bamboo basket out to the fields to gather snails. The elderly woman took the basket from her and released the snails on the riverbank. Many miraculous accounts concerning the Master are recorded in various books.
2. Chan Master Xuanquan of Yan, Huaizhou.
A monk asked, “What is a person within the Way?”
The Master replied, “At sunset, he seeks out a solitary inn.”
The monk asked, “What is the Buddha?”
The Master replied, “The Zhang family has three sons.”
The monk said, “This student does not understand.”
The Master said, “Meng, Zhong, and Ji do not understand.”
Someone asked, “What is the single phrase before sound?”
The Master said, “Hong!”
The monk asked, “What is it like after it has turned?”
The Master asked, “What is it?”
3.
Chan Master Huizong of Lingyan in Jizhou.
The Master was a native of Changxi in Fuzhou, surnamed Chen, and received instruction under
Master Guishan. A monk asked, “What is the scenery of Lingyan?” The Master said,
“Pines and junipers grow luxuriantly, densely enclosing it.” He asked, “What is the person within that scenery like?” The Master replied,
“Night after night, the apes howl.” He asked, “What is one’s own fundamental concern?” The Master replied,
“Why cast away pure gold and take up tiles and bricks?” Later, the Master resided at Heshan, where he passed away.
4. Chan Master Daoxian of Luoshan in Fuzhou.
The Master was from Changxi in Zhi Commandery and was surnamed Chen. He left home under Master Guishan.
When he reached the proper age, he received the full precepts and then traveled throughout the various regions. Once, on meeting Master
Shishuang, he asked, “When neither going nor abiding matters, what then?” Shishuang said, “One must cast everything away.”
The Master was dissatisfied, so he went to consult Yantou and asked the same question as before.
Yantou said, “Let it go or abide of itself—why concern yourself with it?” The Master took this to heart. He then sought out
Mount Qingliang. The military governor of Min, recognizing the flavor of his Dharma, invited him to reside at Luoshan and bestowed upon him the title Great Master Dharma Treasure. When the Master ascended the Dharma hall, he had only just mounted the seat and adjusted his robe when he said,
“Take care.” After a moment, he said again, “Whoever does not yet know—does not yet know the Way—come forward.”
At that time, a monk stepped forward and bowed. The Master braced himself and cried out, “How painful!”
The monk was about to ask a question. The Master shouted, “Get out!” A monk asked, “What is an extraordinary phrase?” The Master asked,
“What did you say?” A monk asked, “The Buddha emitted light from between his eyebrows, illuminating eighteen thousand
worlds. What is that light?” The Master said, “Speak louder.” The monk
asked, “Which world does it illuminate?” The Master then shouted, “Get out!” A monk asked, “I have hurriedly entered to request one response from the Master.”
The Master asked, “Do you understand?” He replied, “I do not understand.” The Master said, “The arrow has already flown past.” A monk asked,
“When nine maidens lead no one, who is it that mourns and weeps?” The Master said, “Ask more loudly.” The monk
was about to ask again. The Master said, “Where are you going?” A monk asked, “How is the teaching of the School displayed everywhere?”
The Master stretched out one leg and pointed to it. A monk asked, “How is the matter at the spearpoint discerned?” The Master
raised his ruyi scepter. The monk said, “I beg the Venerable Master compassionately to instruct me.” The Master said,
“Too far away.” A monk asked, “What is the most wondrous phrase?” The Master said, “It is laid bare—do you understand?”
The monk was about to offer a reply and began to speak. The Master said, “The words have fallen away.” Senior Monk Dinghui came to consult him. The Master asked, “Where have you come from?” He replied,
“From afar, I departed Western Shu; most recently, I came from Kaiyuan.” He then stepped forward and asked,
“What should be done now?” The Master said, “Go drink tea.” Hui had not yet withdrawn. The Master said, “The autumn air is slightly warm.”
Hui left the Dharma hall and sighed, “Today I intended to strike the cold Luoshan, but the bow has broken and the arrows are exhausted.
Enough, enough!” He then descended and joined the assembly. The next day, the Master ascended the Dharma hall. Hui stepped forward and asked,
“When the great gate and the window are flung wide open, who appears?” The Master immediately shouted. Hui could not answer.
The Master further said, “Your fur and feathers—your wing feathers—are not yet fully grown. Get out!” A monk cited a saying of Hanshan and asked the Master,
“What is it like when the hundred birds chant among the bitter blossoms?” The Master said, “A chaste maiden chants within the house.”
He asked, “What is it like when a thousand miles become a single breath?” The Master said, “Escort the guest out into the courtyard.”
He asked, “What is it like when one wishes to reach Mount Penglai?” The Master replied, “Leaning upon a pillow, watching the monkeys and apes.”
He asked, “What is it like when this is taken as provisions?” The Master said, “An ancient sword before a skull.”
He asked, “What does it mean that, upon every blade among the hundred grasses, all is the Patriarch’s intent?” The Master said, “Who has blinded your eyes?”
He asked, “What is the meaning of ‘the sound before, the ancient hair decayed’?” The Master replied, “Sit leaning against the wall.”
He asked, “Before me is a mountain a thousand fathoms high; behind me are tigers, wolves, and lions. At that very moment, what should I do?”
The Master replied, “Be at ease.” He asked, “Who is the lord of the three realms?” The Master said, “Do you know how to eat rice?”
When the Master was about to pass away, he ascended the Dharma hall and assembled the community. After a long while, he opened his left hand. The administrator did not understand his meaning and immediately had the monks on the eastern side withdraw to the rear. The Master then opened his right hand.
Again, he had the monks on the western side withdraw to the rear. The Master told the assembly, “If you wish to repay the Buddha’s kindness, you will not go astray by propagating the Great Teaching. Go back, go back. Take care.” Having said this, he smiled and passed into stillness.
5. Chan Master Congfan of Xiangxi in Fuzhou.
A monk came for consultation. The Master asked, “Are you not a monk from Gushan?”
He replied, “I am.” The Master asked, “Why do I not see the pearl upon your forehead?” The monk could not answer.
When the monk took his leave, the Master accompanied him to the gate and called, “Senior monk!” The monk turned his head. The Master
said, “Your belly is full of Chan.” A monk asked, “What is the Venerable Master’s activity of mind?” The Master merely laughed aloud.
On seeing a monk wearing a patched robe, the Master offered instruction in verse:
Kashyapa’s robe is noble;
When putting it on, your response must be swift.
The moment discrimination arises, you are struck by an arrow;
When concealed or displayed, the turtle cannot contain it.
6. Venerable Yan of Shengshou in Luoyuan, Fuzhou.
A monk returned from Quanzhou to consult him. The Master lifted up the patched robe he was wearing,
showed it, and said, “This mountain monk’s single patched robe is opened for everyone to see. Clouds and waters, I ask two things of you:
do not say that I am displaying needle and thread. Speak quickly!” The monk could not answer. The Master
asked, “If you had plenty of time, what would you do?”
– Dharma heir of Venerable Siguo of Gantan in Hongzhou.
1. Zhiyuan, titled Great Master Manifesting the Teaching, of Shanzhu Qian Monastery in Baizhao, Anzhou. A monk asked, “Who was able to transmit
the mind-seal of all the Buddhas?” The Master replied, “Great Master Bodhidharma.” He asked, “How was Bodhidharma able to transmit it?” The Master asked, “You tell me: who was able to transmit it?” A monk asked, “What is the single path cut off?” The Master said,
“Cut!” A monk asked, “What is the great meaning of the Buddha-Dharma?” The Master said, “Suffering.” He asked, “What
is the Way?” The Master said, “Everywhere.” He asked, “What is the student’s own self?”
The Master replied, “Lost.” A monk asked, “How can one attain to there being no mountains, rivers, or great earth?” The Master
replied, “Do not give rise to views.” Xuance asked, “What is the Buddha?” The Master
replied, “The boy Bingding comes seeking fire.” A monk asked, “Who is the person in Kashyapa’s place of enlightenment within Pippala Cave?” The Master replied, “Shakyamuni Buddha.”
He asked, “What is the Crown-Jewel King Bodhisattva like?” The Master replied, “Why ask about the old bareheaded fellow?”
– Dharma heir of Venerable Siming of Haozhou.
1. Chan Master Shanben of Vulture Peak in Zhangzhou.
Once, when the Master entered the bathhouse, a monk asked, “Venerable Master, you are one who has already departed from defilement; why must you bathe?”
The Master replied, “The water of samadhi is deep and full; can one who is not soiled bathe in this water?” He asked, “Are the Patriarch’s intent and the scriptural teaching the same or different?”
The Master replied, “Atop Vulture Peak, green grass fills the sky; within Deer Park, foxes and rabbits mingle.”
– Dharma heirs of Chan Master Juhui of Mount Daguang in Tanzhou in former times.
1. Chan Master Youyuan of Gushan in Tanzhou.
A monk asked, “To whom does an orphan turn for refuge?” The Master replied, “Meeting a person on the road, the way does not pass through.”
He said, “Then there is no place to venerate or revere.” The Master said,
“I say your bowl is full; when it falls to the ground, you cannot pick it up.” A monk asked, “What is it like when one stroke is made and immediately turns?”
The Master said, “When the wild horse gallops, bridle and whip snap; the stone man claps his hands and laughs, ha, ha!”
2. Venerable Longxing of Tanzhou.
A monk asked, “What is it like when one stroke is made and immediately turns?” The Master said, “Your faculties are not keen.”
He asked, “What is it like when one obtains the seat and throws open one’s robe?” The Master said,
“It is not dignified.” He asked, “Why is it not dignified?” The Master replied, “You have never realized it, yet claim to have attained it.”
He asked, “What is the person within the Way like?” The Master replied, “Silent throughout the entire day, without furrowing his brow.”
3. Venerable of Mount Fulong in Tanzhou.
A monk asked, “What is it like when one grasps the long river and turns it into curds, and transforms the face of the earth into pure gold?”
The Master said, “The arms are long, yet the hands remain short.” A monk asked, “One receives the fruit according to conditions; what is the fruit?”
The Master said, “A peony blossom amid the clouds.” He asked, “What is the intent of the Patriarch’s coming from Western India?”
The Master replied, “For you to be like this is not to know pain from itching.”
4. Chan Master Tiancang of Baiyun in the Capital Region.
A monk asked, “What is the profound place?” The Master said, “A dwarf wading through a deep ravine.”
He asked, “What is it like when driven back?” The Master said, “Why not break free?” He asked,
“What is meant by ‘dharma after dharma does not arise’?”
The Master said: Ten thousand rivers and a thousand mountains.
5. The second-generation Master at Mount Fulong in Tanzhou.
A monk asked: “What is it like when one accords with conditions and realizes it?” The Master replied: “Tell me, how high is the tower at the Xingguo Gate?”
He asked: “What is it like when the son does not speak of the father’s virtue?”
The Master said: “Speak softly, speak softly.”
6. The Master at Mount Longjun in Shanfu.
A monk asked: “What is Mount Longjun like?”
The Master said: “Even the Buddha-eye cannot see it.”
He asked: “What is the person within the mountain like?”
The Master said: “What are you doing?”
He asked: “What is the person who knows neither good nor evil like?”
The Master replied: “Even a thousand sages cannot approach him.”
He asked: “Does this person also know that there is a matter beyond?”
The Master replied: “He does not know.”
He asked: “Why does he not know?”
The Master said: “He does not know good or evil; what could be said of the matter beyond?”
He asked: “How is this so?”
The Master said: “Have you not heard the saying, ‘the bank of desire’?”
He asked: “What is the person who goes beyond the Buddha like?”
The Master said: “He bears no countenance.”
He asked: “Whenever there is opening and raising, everything falls away. Now, if there is neither opening nor raising, what then?”
The Master said: “Do not open it, do not open it!”
He asked: “Ultimately, how is it?”
The Master replied: “Do not raise it, do not raise it!”
7. The third-generation Master at Mount Fulong in Tanzhou.
A monk asked: “Having traveled all the roads through a thousand mountains, what of the workings of the Mystery?”
The Master replied: “The bird’s path never comes to rest.”
– Dharma heirs of Chan Master Daoqian of Jiufeng in Junzhou
1. The Master of Qingyuan in Silla.
A monk asked: “Who can obtain the ball by galloping after it?”
The Master replied: “Who cannot obtain it?”
He asked: “If so, is that not it?”
The Master said: “Even obtaining it directly without contention is still a fault.”
He asked: “How can one avoid this fault?”
The Master replied: “One must never have committed the fault.”
He asked: “How is the place of no fault forged and tempered?”
The Master said: “Even if both sides raised it, they could not lift it.”
2. Chan Master Shendang of Baofeng, Letan, Hongzhou.
A monk asked: “Within the four deportments, how does one discern the master?”
The Master said: “Precisely when meeting Baofeng, do not take off your shoes.”
He asked: “What is the great meaning of the Buddha-Dharma?”
The Master replied: “In empty space, an iron boat sails; atop the mountain, waves tower to the heavens.”
3. Chan Master Xinghao Huiguan of Mount Nanyuan in Jizhou.
He was also called Master Guangmu. A monk asked: “What is the scenery of Nanyuan like?”
The Master said: “In several places, high mountains where birds and apes cry out; across a stretch of level ground, travelers lose their way.”
He asked: “What is the profoundest place of Nanyuan?”
The Master replied: “Everyone sees it.”
He said: “Then that is a shallow place.”
The Master replied: “The two ends are far apart.”
4. Chan Master Ming of Zhutan in Hongzhou.
One day, the Master went down to the guest quarters. The assembly invited him to return to the abbot’s quarters. The Master told them: “If you can say something, I shall go.” At that time, Master Mou said: “The great assembly invites the Master.” Thereupon, the Master ascended the Dharma hall.
A monk asked: “At the place beyond thought and deliberation, which discriminating consciousness finds difficult to know, what then?”
The Master replied: “I do not wish to go against the ancients.”
He asked: “What is the meaning of not going against the ancients?”
The Master said: “It also merits three prostrations.”
A monk asked: “One must never forget the false grinding mortar—what is the meaning of this?”
The Master replied: “A bird holds a river in the tiger’s mouth.”
He asked: “What is a person of the Way like?”
The Master said: “His hair hangs exceedingly long.”
He asked: “What is the family style of a person of the Way?”
The Master replied: “Before the Buddha hall, he encounters the Venerable One.”
He asked: “What is the Master’s all-day affair?”
The Master said: “There are no sinews in the alms bowl.”
He asked: “What is the śramaṇa’s all-day affair?”
The Master said: “Thunderously resounding, it does not rely on ten thousand people.”
5. The Master of Qiushan in Jizhou.
A monk asked: “What is the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from India?”
The Master said: “A fir seed.”
6. Chan Master Yanmou of Letan in Hongzhou.
A monk asked: “What is the mind of the ancient Buddhas?”
The Master said: “Never say that earth, wood, tiles, and stones are it.”
He asked: “When the sun sets in the west, what is the affair within the grove?”
The Master replied: “Before the courtyard, the red flowers are lovely; inside the house, no one knows it is spring.”
7. Chan Master Changcha of Tongan Cloister on Mount Fengqi in Hongzhou.
A monk asked: “What is the family style of Fengqi?”
The Master replied: “Fengqi has no family style.”
He asked: “Since it is Fengqi, why does it have no family style?”
The Master replied: “It neither welcomes guests nor waits for guests.”
He asked: “If so, what are seekers from the four seas to do?”
The Master replied: “When something is attained, there will naturally be someone beside the fruit tray to set it out.”
He asked: “What is the scenery of Fengqi?”
The Master replied: “A thousand peaks join in mountainous beauty; ten thousand mountains do not know it is spring.”
He asked: “What is the person within that scenery like?”
The Master replied: “He sits upon a rock on the lofty mountain, his mind unencumbered by the white clouds.”
8. Chan Master Wangwu of Zhutan in Hongzhou (fourth generation).
A monk asked: “What is the single path that cuts straight across?”
The Master said: “It accords with the good tidings.”
He asked: “Does it also connect with the matter beyond?”
The Master replied: “A fish passes through from below.”
He asked: “What is entering the eastern gate of the cart of the Way like?”
The Master replied: “Not even one thing by which to make a living.”
He asked: “What is it like to leave the gate and match the cart’s tracks?”
The Master said: “Sitting upon the ground, one arrives at Chang’an.”
He asked: “Fragrant incense billows as the great Dharma assembly opens. How has the essential vehicle been presented and expounded since ancient times?”
The Master said: “Do not mistakenly present it as resembling a person.”
He said: “Then all must be thus.”
The Master said: “Once again, you have lost the connection.”
He asked: “Of the six fragrant leaves, which leaf did the Master transmit?”
The Master said: “The six leaves do not follow one another; the flowers bloom, but no fruit forms.”
He asked: “Is there then no affair of today?”
The Master said: “If it is today, there is.”
He asked: “What is the affair of today?”
The Master said: “Leaf after leaf, joined to the branch, is lovely; flowers bloom everywhere, spreading fragrance.”
9. Chan Master Woyin of Heshan in Jizhou.
The Master was a native of Fuzhou, and his family name was Wu. At the age of seven, he relied upon Great Master Zhenjue of Xuefeng and left the household life. Upon reaching the proper age, he received full ordination and journeyed in all directions. Arriving at Junyang, he met Jiufeng, who admitted him to his chamber.
One day, Jiufeng called to him and said: “You have come from afar and follow the assembly day after day. What realm do you perceive that can be cultivated, and by what direct path can you transcend it?”
The Master replied: “When the vast, thick night opens wide, the blind man is blind of himself.”
Jiufeng did not accept this at first. Immediately thereafter, the Master illuminated the essential purport and swiftly forgot knowledge and views.
The Master first accepted an invitation to reside at Dazhi Cloister on Heshan in Jizhou, where the community of students was numerous. The Master once composed ten fascicles of verses for presenting the teaching. Those in every quarter praised and admired them, saying that Heshan could serve as a model for the Chan monasteries.
At that time, the ruler of the Li house in Jiangnan invited him and asked: “From where have you come, Master?”
The Master said: “I have come from Heshan.”
The ruler asked: “Where is the mountain?”
The Master replied: “The person has come to attend upon the imperial palace; the mountain has never moved.”
The ruler held him in the highest esteem and had him reside at Xiangguang Cloister in Yangzhou. Later, the Master asked to enter the mountains and reside at Cuiyan Cloister. Thus, finding the scenery of Jiangxi beautiful, he dwelt there.
At that time, Shanglan Cloister was again without a resident master, so the ruler had him go there to reside and spread the teaching, bestowing upon him the title Chan Master Chengyuan.
A monk asked: “This student entered the Chan community only yesterday. I ask the Master to instruct me.”
The Master said: “I do not begrudge words for you.”
He asked: “What was the meaning when Yangshan planted his hoe upright?”
The Master said: “I am asking you.”
He asked: “What was the meaning when Xuansha kicked over the hoe?”
The Master said: “I am asking you.”
He asked: “Before one has clearly discerned the true teaching, what is complete embodiment?”
The Master replied: “A large head and a small tail.”
He asked: “At such close quarters, why can I not see the Master’s face?”
The Master said: “I have only told the ācārya one half.”
He asked: “Why do you not say it all?”
The Master said: “When the Dharma is exhausted, there are no people.”
He said: “I am not afraid that there will be no people. I ask the Master to expound the Dharma completely.”
The Master said: “For an intimate friend, one gives up one’s body.”
He asked: “Why give up the body?”
The Master replied: “A good heart receives no good recompense.”
He asked: “When the Venerable One raised his eyebrows and glared at King Udayana, what then?”
The Master replied: “It is precisely this, right now.”
He asked: “How should this student understand it?”
The Master said: “Is it not Mount Marīci?”
He asked: “The jeweled palace of maṇi has four corners, and one corner is constantly revealed. What is the corner that is constantly revealed?”
The Master raised it and said: “You struck me and then asked.” He then asked: “Do you understand?”
The monk replied: “I do not understand.”
The Master said: “Then how do you know that you were able to strike me?”
Question:
What is the meaning of the coming from the Western Land? The Master said, “Break apart the place of attachment.” He was asked, “Since it is already within the red-hot fire, I ask the Master to smelt and refine it.” The Master said, “When the hammer strikes down, it becomes a vessel.” The questioner said, “Then that is indeed smelting and refining.” The Master said, “The bead-counting monk asked: ‘With grain being threshed against the four walls and grass being cut in the middle, to which end does the Venerable go?’” The Master said, “Where does he not reach?” The questioner said, “Then that is to oversee the assembly.” The Master replied to the young novice disciple.
In the first year of Jianlong (gengshen), in the second month, the Master suffered a slight illness. On the second day of the third month, the Master sent an attendant to the abbot’s quarters, assembled the community, and took his leave, saying, “Later students who have not known Heshan should now come to know it. Take care.” Previously, for the sake of the great assembly, he had established his native country as the repository of his living body. His posthumous title was Chan Master Dharma-Nature, and his stupa was named Wondrous Form.
10. Venerable Mou of Letan, Hongzhou.
He was asked, “What is the disciple’s place of exerting effort?” The Master said, “It is precisely exerting effort.” He was asked, “What was the meaning when the ancient rolled up the mat?” He replied, “Take good care.” Then he descended from the Dharma hall.
– Dharma successor of the former Chan Master Jingxin of Yongquan, Taizhou.
1. Chan Master Shao of Liutong Cloister, Taizhou.
Previously, the Master visited Venerable Yongquan and entered his room, where he comprehended the essential meaning. One day, the Master returned to the cloister after burning grass. Yongquan asked, “Where have you come from?” The Master said, “I have come from burning grass.” Yongquan asked, “After the fire, how does the matter arise?” Shao replied, “An iron snake cannot bore its way in.” Yongquan approved.
Later, the Master resided at Liutong Cloister, relying upon his companion Xuan. A monk asked, “What of the matter that does not pass beyond the lips?” The Master replied, “Wait until you bring down Mount Jinzi with a single stroke of the hoe; even then, I will not tell you.” He was asked, “There is a single poisonous dragon on Southern Mountain; how can one draw near it?” The Master replied, “Not only you, Acarya—even an assembly of a thousand cannot draw near it.”
Someone asked, “I have heard that in the South there is a saying about a single sword. What is the single sword?” The Master said, “It is not fit to be the point of the blade.” He was asked, “What if the head falls?” The Master said, “I said it is not fit to be the point of the blade—what head is there?” The man bowed in thanks and withdrew.
The Master intended to enter Mount Tiantai and conceal himself on Huading Peak. What happened afterward is unknown.
– Dharma successor of the former Chan Master Zhiyuan of Mount Yungai, Tanzhou.
1. Chan Master Zhihan of Mount Yungai, Tanzhou.
A monk asked, “What is it when waves tower to the heavens at the mountain summit?” The Master said, “It is precisely Manjusri making a commotion.” He was asked, “What is it precisely when he makes a commotion?” The Master replied, “Without responding to the potential before him, he opens his heart of great compassion and gives instruction.”
2. Venerable Wolong of Silla.
He was asked, “What are the marks of a Great Man?” The Master replied, “Within the purple silk curtain, he does not extend his hand.” He was asked, “Why does he not extend his hand?” The Master replied, “Because he does not esteem nobility.” He was asked, “How should one apply the mind throughout the twelve periods of the day?” The Master said, “A monkey eats insects from its fur.”
3. Venerable Tiantai of Yingzhou.
He was asked, “Toward what place does the Ancient Buddha go?” The Master said, “At the center, the ranked mansion stands high; every year, numinous sprouts arise.” He was asked, “What was it like when the ancient mirror had not yet been polished?” The Master replied, “Do not abandon the effort of practice.” He was asked, “What is it like after it has been polished?” The Master replied, “Lamps and torches do not illuminate it.”
– Dharma successors of the former Chan Master Zang of Gushan, Tanzhou.
1. Venerable Duanyan of Silla.
He was asked, “When both white and black have vanished and the Buddha-eye opens, what is it like?” The Master replied, “I fear that you will preserve something within.” He was asked, “What is the newly born prince?” The Master replied, “Deep within the palace, he cannot be led out.”
2. Venerable Boyan of Silla.
He was asked, “What is Chan?” The Master replied, “An ancient tomb is not a home.” He was asked, “What is the Way?” The Master replied, “The tracks of horses and carriages are left in vain.” He was asked, “What is the teaching?” The Master said, “Palm-leaf scriptures cannot contain it all.”
3. Venerable Daling of Silla.
A monk asked, “If one merely reaches Tong Pass and then stops, what is it like at that time?” The Master replied, “It is only a means of livelihood halfway along the road.” He was asked, “What is the means of livelihood therein?” The Master replied, “If you embody and understand it, you attain it; but if you regard it as something to be done, you do not attain it.” He was asked, “If it can be embodied, why can it not be regarded as something to be done?” The Master replied, “Understanding is whose affair in the higher realm?” He was asked, “What is the matter therein?” The Master replied, “Do not esteem nobility.”
– Dharma successor of the former Venerable Zhong of Yungai, Tanzhou.
1. Venerable Jing of Mount Yungai, Tanzhou.
His title was Chan Master Realized Awakening. He was asked, “When the land is peaceful, to whom does the merit return?” The Master replied, “Below the gate of the Silver Terrace, no congratulations are offered.” He was asked, “What is it like when one turns and acts without merit?” The Master replied, “The affairs of the royal house must be thus.”
The version you're viewing was faithfully rendered by Inti AI in keeping with the tradition. Switch to the other language tab to read a human translation.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.