景德傳燈錄

THE JINGDE RECORD OF THE TRANSMISSION OF THE LAMP — VOLUME 12

VOLUME 12
In the fourth generation after Chan Master Huairang, there were twelve masters:
There were twelve Dharma heirs of Chan Master Xiyun of Mount Huangbo in Hongzhou.
1. Chan Master Yixuan of Linji in Zhenzhou
2. Venerable Chen of Longxing Monastery in Muzhou
3. Chan Master Chunan of Mount Tianqing in Hangzhou
4. Chan Master Lingguan of Mount Wushi in Fuzhou
5. Chan Master Zongche of Mount Luohan in Hangzhou
6. Chancellor Pei Xiu (Records of the six above are extant)
7. Chan Master Deyuan of Liuhe in Yangzhou
8. Chan Master Can of Shimen
9. Chan Master Zheng of Xiangzhou
10. Chan Master Hongxuan of Mount Wumen
11. Chan Master Chao of Youzhou
12. Chan Master Xian of Suzhou (The six above left no recorded encounters or sayings)

• In the fifth generation there were fifty-one masters.
• There were ten Dharma heirs of Chan Master Huiji of Mount Yang in Yuanzhou.

1. Chan Master Guangmu of Mount Yang in Yuanzhou
2. Chan Master Jingtong of Mount Huo in Jinzhou
3. Chan Master Wenxi of Longquan in Hangzhou
4. Chan Master Shunzhi of the kingdom of Silla
5. Chan Master Guangyong of the Southern Pagoda on Mount Yang in Yuanzhou
6. The Venerable of the Eastern Pagoda on Mount Yang in Yuanzhou (Records of the six above are extant)
7. Great Master Changjuan of Guanyin in Hongzhou
8. Great Master Huimao of Dongchan in Fuzhou
9. Great Master Daochong of Mount Mingyue in Fuzhou
10. Chan Master Suichang of Chuzhou (The four above left no recorded encounters or sayings)

– There were twenty-two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Yixuan of Linji in Zhenzhou.

– Venerable Chen of Muzhou had two Dharma heirs:

1. Prefect Chen Cao of Muzhou (A record of this one is extant)
2. Venerable Juntai of Yanling in Muzhou (This one left no recorded encounters or sayings)

– Chan Master Zhixian of Xiangyan in Dengzhou had twelve Dharma heirs.

– The Venerable of Shuangfeng in Fuzhou had one Dharma heir:

1. Chan Master Gu of Shuangfeng (A record of this one is extant)

– Chan Master Hongren of Mount Jing in Hangzhou had four Dharma heirs:

– Chan Master Huijue of Guangxiao Cloister in Yangzhou had one Dharma heir:

1. Chan Master Daoxian of Changqing in Shengzhou
In the sixth generation there were nineteen masters.

– Chan Master Guangyong of the Southern Pagoda on Mount Yang in Yuanzhou had five Dharma heirs:

1. Chan Master Quanfu of Qinghua in Yuezhou
2. Chan Master Huiqing of Mount Bajiao in Yingzhou
3. Chan Master Yichu of Huanglian in Shaozhou
4. Chan Master Hongjiu of Huilin in Shaozhou (Records of the four above are extant)
5. Venerable Zhong of Mount Huanglong in Hongzhou (This one left no recorded encounters or sayings)

– Chan Master Guangmu of the Western Pagoda on Mount Yang in Yuanzhou had one Dharma heir:

1. Chan Master Rubao of Cifu in Jizhou (A record of this one is extant)

– Chan Master Zhixian of Guanxi had one Dharma heir:

1. Venerable Jiao of Mount Luzu in Chizhou

– Chan Master Cunjiang of Xinghua in Weifu had two Dharma heirs:

1. Venerable Shiying of Ruzhou (A record of this one is extant)
2. Venerable Qianbo of Weifu

– Chan Master Zhao of Baoshou in Zhenzhou had two Dharma heirs:

1. Chan Master Zhuming of the Western Cloister in Ruzhou
2. The second-generation Venerable of Baoshou (Recorded sayings of both are extant)

– The Robe-Receiving Venerable of Zhuozhou had one Dharma heir:

1. Venerable Tankong of Zhenzhou

– Chan Master Huiran of Sansheng in Zhenzhou had two Dharma heirs:

1. Venerable Dabei of Zhenzhou
2. Venerable Shuilu of Zhizhou

– Venerable Dajue of Weifu had four Dharma heirs:

1. Venerable Dajue of Luzhou
2. Chan Master Minde of Chengxin in Luzhou
3. Venerable Nanyuan of Ruzhou (Records of the three above are extant)
4. Venerable Fahua of Zongzhou (This one left no recorded encounters or sayings)

– Chan Master Daoxian of Jinling had one Dharma heir:

1. Chan Master Chuwei of Guangxiao Cloister in Jinling (This one left no recorded encounters or sayings)
Chan Master Huairang — Fourth Generation

– Dharma heirs of the aforementioned Chan Master Xiyun of Mount Huangbo in Hongzhou.

1. Chan Master Yixuan of Linji in Zhenzhou:
The Master was a native of Nanhua in Caozhou, and his family name was Xing. From an early age, he aspired to leave the mundane world. Upon shaving his head and receiving the full precepts, he immediately became devoted to the Chan school.

At first, the Master stayed with Master Huangbo Xiyun, practicing and attending upon him together with the assembly. At that time, the head seat in the Dharma hall urged him to put a question. The Master then asked, “What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?” Master Huangbo immediately struck him.

He asked in this way three times and was struck three times. He then took leave of the head seat, saying, “Earlier, I followed your counsel and presented my question, but all I received from the Venerable was a beating. I regret my own dullness and ignorance.

I shall go forth and travel to practice in other regions.” The head seat then said to Huangbo, “Although Yixuan is a junior, he is nevertheless most extraordinary. When he comes to take leave, I ask that the Venerable take care to instruct him.” When the Master came to bid farewell, Huangbo told him to go to Master Dayu. The Master accordingly went to consult Dayu.

Dayu asked, “Where have you come from?” He replied, “I have come from Huangbo.” Dayu asked, “What instruction did Huangbo give you?” He replied, “I, Yixuan, asked about the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West, and the Venerable immediately struck me. I asked three times in this way and was struck three times. I do not know where my fault lies.” Dayu said, “That old Huangbo went to the utmost trouble for your sake, and yet you still come here searching for where you were at fault!” At these words, the Master attained great awakening and said, “After all, there is not much to Huangbo's Buddha-Dharma.” Dayu seized the Master's robe and said, “A moment ago you said that you did not understand; now you say there is not much to it.

Just how much is there?”

how many people, how many people. The Master then punched Dayu once in the ribs. Dayu cried out and said: “Huangbo is your teacher; this has nothing to do with me.” The Master then returned to Huangbo. Huangbo asked, “Why have you returned so quickly?” The Master replied, “Only because of that old grandmother’s exceedingly compassionate heart.” Huangbo said, “That old fellow Dayu—when I meet him, I shall give him a punch.” The Master said, “Why wait until you meet him? Have it right now!” and punched Huangbo once. Huangbo laughed heartily.

One day, Huangbo invited the assembly to go weeding. The Master followed behind. Huangbo turned his head, saw that the Master was empty-handed, and asked, “Where is your hoe?” The Master said, “Someone carried it away.” Huangbo said, “Come forward; I wish to discuss something with you.” The Master stepped forward and stood with hands folded. Huangbo held the hoe upright and said, “This alone cannot be lifted by anyone under heaven. Is there anyone who can lift it?” The Master immediately snatched it away, held it upright, and said, “Why, then, is it in Yixuan’s hands?” Huangbo said, “Today there is someone who can be put to work,” and returned to the monastery.

One day, Huangbo invited the great assembly to weed the tea garden. Huangbo arrived afterward. The Master greeted him and stood leaning upon his hoe. Huangbo said, “Are you at leisure?” The Master replied, “I have only just been hoeing the ground; how can you say I am at leisure?” Huangbo raised his staff and struck him. The Master caught the staff and pushed the Venerable over. The Venerable called to the rector, “Rector, pull me up.” The rector helped him to his feet and said, “Venerable, how can you tolerate such a madman?” Huangbo immediately struck the rector. The Master continued hoeing the ground and said, “In other places they cremate the dead; here I bury them alive.”

One day, the Master was sleeping in Huangbo’s Sangha hall. Huangbo entered and tapped three times with his staff beside the bed. The Master raised his head, saw that it was the Venerable, and went back to sleep. The Venerable struck the mat three times, then went to the upper hall. Seeing the head seat, he said, “That drunken fellow down below—does he not know that there is a Chan guest here sitting in meditation? You do nothing but keep sleeping.” The senior monk replied, “Has this old Venerable gone mad?” Huangbo immediately struck him.

The Master was mending robes together with Huangbo. Huangbo said, “Deep in the mountains, why plant so many trees?” The Master said, “To leave a record for those who come after us.” He then took the mattock and split it into two pieces against the ground. Huangbo raised his staff and said, “You should take a blow from my staff.” The Master burst into loud sobs. Huangbo said, “When our lineage reaches you, this prophecy will become manifest.”

In the middle of the summer retreat, the Master went up Mount Huangbo and saw the Venerable reading a sutra. The Master said, “I had thought you were the man himself, but after all you are only an old Venerable stuffing himself with black beans.” After staying there for several days, the Master took his leave. Huangbo said, “You broke the summer retreat to come here and have not completed the retreat. Go! Go!” The Master said, “I came only briefly to pay homage to the Venerable.” Huangbo immediately struck him and drove him away. After walking several miles, the Master reconsidered the matter, returned, and completed the summer retreat.

One day, the Master took leave of Huangbo. Huangbo asked, “Where are you going?” The Master replied, “If not south of the Yellow River, then north of it.” Huangbo took up his staff and struck him. The Master firmly seized the staff and said, “Old fellow, do not recklessly wield that marketplace staff and mistakenly strike people.” Huangbo called to the attendant, “Bring the Chan board and the armrest.” The Master said, “Attendant, bring fire.” Huangbo said, “That is not necessary. Just take them with you. In the future, you will sit and cut off the tongues of everyone under heaven.” The Master then departed.

The Master arrived at the Xiong’er Stupa. The stupa keeper asked, “Will you first bow to the Buddha or first bow to the Patriarch?” The Master said, “I bow to neither Patriarch nor Buddha.” The stupa keeper said, “What enmity do the Patriarch and Buddha have with the Elder that you bow to neither?” The Master could not answer.

Later, the Master returned to his native region. The circuit inspector invited him to reside at the Linji Chan monastery south of the city, and fellow practitioners came in great numbers.

One day, the Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “Upon the lump of flesh of each one of you is a True Person of No Rank, constantly going in and out through your faces. If you do not know this person, then ask this old monk.” At that time, a monk asked, “What is the True Person of No Rank?” The Master immediately struck him and said, “What dried lump of excrement is this True Person of No Rank?”

The Master asked Lejin, “From ancient times onward, one person strikes and another shouts. Which one is more intimate?” Lejin replied, “Neither is intimate.” The Master said, “What is the intimate place?” Lejin immediately shouted. The Master then struck him.

The Master asked the Venerable Mukou, “What is the white ox on the open ground?” Mukou immediately bellowed. The Master said, “Mute!” Mukou asked, “What are you doing, elder brother?” The Master said, “Stopping a beast.”

Dajue came for an interview. The Master raised his whisk. Dajue immediately spread out his sitting cloth. The Master threw down the whisk. Dajue rolled up his sitting cloth and entered the Sangha hall. The monks asked, “Is that monk an intimate acquaintance of the Venerable? He neither bowed nor received a beating.” Hearing this, the Master had the newly arrived monk summoned. Dajue then came out. The Master said, “The great assembly says that you have not yet interviewed the Elder.” Dajue said, “No need to examine the matter,” and returned to the assembly.

Magu came for an interview. He spread out his sitting cloth and asked, “Of Avalokitesvara’s twelve faces, which is the principal face?” The Master descended from the Chan seat, rolled up the sitting cloth with one hand, pushed Magu away with the other, and said, “Where are Avalokitesvara’s twelve faces looking?” Magu was about to sit upon the Chan seat. The Master then took up his staff and struck him. Magu caught the staff and carried it into the abbot’s quarters.

The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “Great assembly, those who act for the sake of the Dharma do not begrudge the dissolution of their bodies or the loss of their lives. At Venerable Huangbo’s place, I received blows three times, as though struck with a sprig of mugwort. Now I wish to receive one sharp blow. Who can strike me?” At that time, a monk said, “I can strike you. How many blows does the Venerable wish to receive?” The Master handed him the staff. As the monk was about to take it, the Master immediately struck him.

A monk asked, “What is the first phrase?” The Master said:

“The Three Essentials open together with the small vermilion point;
It is not yet easy to reckon the division of host and guest.”

He asked, “What is the second phrase?” The Master said:

“How could wondrous understanding admit a question that does not become entangled?
How could the overturning current consent to sever the pivotal flow?”

He asked, “What is the third phrase?” The Master said:

“Look at the puppet upon the stage;
Its pulling and drawing depend entirely upon the person within.”

The Master further said, “Every single phrase must contain the Three Mysterious Gates, and every Mysterious Gate must contain the Three Essentials. There is provisional authority and there is function. How do all of you understand this?”

In the seventh year of the Xiantong era of the Tang dynasty, in the bingxu year, on the tenth day of the fourth month, as the Master was about to pass away, he uttered this Dharma-transmission verse:

Conditions flow without ceasing—what is there to ask?
True illumination is boundless; words only resemble it.
Apart from forms and apart from names, there is no need to study;
Searching for traces by blowing aside a hair—quickly cast it away.

After reciting the verse, the Master passed away. The emperor bestowed upon him the posthumous title Great Master Huizhao, and his stupa was named Chengling.

Venerable Chen

At first he lived at Longxing Monastery in Muzhou, concealing his traces and his activity. He often made straw sandals and secretly left them along the roads. After many years, people learned of this and called him Old Chen the Straw-Sandal Maker (Chen Puxie). At that time, whenever students came to question him, he responded according to their questions, and his lofty words did not follow old tracks. Those of shallow capacity therefore often laughed at and slighted him, while those of keen nature and swift understanding held him in the highest esteem. Thus, people from every quarter turned to him in admiration and called him Venerable Chen.

During an evening interview, the Master addressed the assembly, saying, “Those of you who have not yet found an entry must find one. Once you have entered, from then onward you must not betray this old monk.” At that time, a monk stepped forward, bowed, and said, “I would never dare betray the Venerable.” The Master said, “You have already betrayed me.”

The Master also said, “Since this old monk became abbot here, I have never seen an unconcerned person come. Why do you not step forward?” At that time, a newly arrived monk stepped forward. The Master said, “The rector is not here. Go out beyond the monastery’s triple gate by yourself and receive twelve blows.” The monk asked, “What fault have I committed?” The Master said, “Adding chains to a cangue.”

Ordinarily, whenever the Master saw a monk approaching, he immediately closed the door. If a lecturer-monk came, the Master would call, “Lecturer!” The monk would answer. The Master would say, “Old—”

carrying wooden printing blocks (that is, blocks carved with characters for printing; this means merely expounding the sutras without awakening to the nature).
Or he would say: “There is a bucket in there; fetch me some water.” One day, while the Master was standing beneath the eaves, a monk came and asked, “Where is the room of the venerable elder Chen?” The Master removed his straw sandal and struck him on the head. The monk ran away. The Master called, “Venerable!” The monk turned his head, and the Master merely asked, “Where are you going? (Which way are you going?)”
A monk knocked at the door. The Master asked, “Who is it?” The monk replied, “It is I.” The Master said, “In the Qin era, the awl fell from the beak.”
One day, an imperial envoy asked, “All three gates stand open; through which gate should one enter?” The Master called, “Minister!” The imperial envoy responded, “Yes?” The Master said, “Enter through the gate of faith.” The imperial envoy then saw a painting on the wall and asked, “What matter are the two venerable ones discussing?” The Master struck a pillar and said, “The three bodies herein do not expound the Dharma.”
The Master asked a lecturer, “Are you the one who lectures on Consciousness-Only?” He replied, “Yes.” The Master said, “You do not observe the five precepts.”
The Master asked an elder, “When one understands, the tip of a hair swallows the great ocean, and only then does one know that the continent is a tiny mote of dust. What do you make of this, Elder?” The elder replied, “Whom are you asking?” The Master answered, “I am asking the Elder.” The elder said, “Why do you not understand what is being said?” The Master said, “Is it you who do not understand what is being said, or I?”
Seeing a monk arrive, the Master said, “Seeing that you have accomplished this public case, I spare you thirty blows.” The monk said, “I am thus.” The Master said, “How could the Vajra guardian at the three gates lift it? (How could he spare you?) Even the Vajra guardian is like this.” The Master struck him again.
Someone asked, “What is the single path that goes beyond?” The Master said, “If one wishes to speak of the essential Way, what difficulty is there?” The monk said, “I ask the Master to speak.” The Master said, “Thirty-one before, nine in the middle, and seven below.”
Someone asked, “I do not ask about taking up one layer and discarding another. What is it like when one neither takes up one layer nor discards another?” The Master said, “Yesterday morning we planted eggplants; today we plant winter melons.”
Someone asked, “What is the meaning of Caoxi?” The Master said, “This old monk delights in anger and does not delight in joy.” The monk asked, “Why is that?” The Master said, “When meeting a swordsman, present a sword at once; unless one meets a poet, do not speak of poetry.”
A monk came for an interview. The Master asked, “Where have you come from?” The monk said, “From Liuyang.” The Master asked, “What does the venerable elder there say when directly confronting the great meaning of the Buddha-Dharma?” He replied, “Throughout the whole earth, there is no road on which to travel.” The Master asked, “Did the venerable elder truly say those words?” He replied, “He truly did.” The Master took up his staff, struck him, and said, “Old fellow, remember those words.”
The Master asked an elder, “If a brother comes, with what will you answer him?” The elder replied, “I shall wait until he comes.” The Master asked, “Why do you not speak?” The elder said, “What does the Venerable lack?” The Master said, “Please do not trouble yourself distributing entangling vines.”
A monk came for an interview. The Master said, “Are you not a traveling monk?” The monk said, “I am.” The Master asked, “Have you bowed to the Buddha yet?” The monk said, “Why bow to a lump of earth?” The Master said, “If you understand for yourself, go out.”
A monk asked, “I lecture and travel on foot, yet do not understand the meaning of the teachings. What of such a time?” The Master said, “If your words are true, you must repent.” The monk replied, “I ask the Master to instruct me.” The Master said, “If you do not understand, this old monk will immediately close his mouth and say nothing.” The monk said, “Then I ask you to speak.” The Master said, “If the mind does not betray others, the face knows no shame.”
Someone asked, “What is it like when everything is expressed in a single phrase?” The Master said, “That is meaning fallen away.” The monk said, “What is the place where the student’s meaning falls away?” The Master said, “For whom are the thirty blows meant?”
Someone asked, “Are the meaning of the teachings and the meaning of the patriarchs the same or different?” The Master said, “The green mountains are simply green mountains; the white clouds are simply white clouds.” The monk asked, “What are the green mountains?” The Master said, “You still owe me a single drop of rainwater.” The monk said, “I cannot speak; I ask the Master to speak.” The Master said, “Prajna’s sharp point charges before the battle line; the phrases of nirvana gather everything in from behind.”
The Master asked a monk, “Where did you spend this summer?” The monk replied, “Wait until the Venerable has a dwelling place, and then I shall speak as the Venerable does.” The Master said, “A fox is no lion, and a lamp is not the radiance of the sun and moon.”
The Master asked a newly arrived monk, “Where have you come from?” The monk glared at him. The Master said, “The donkey fellow before, the horse behind.” The monk said, “I ask the Master to examine me.” The Master said, “The donkey fellow before and the horse behind—speak! Come straight on without deviation.” The monk could not answer.
While the Master was reading a sutra, Minister Chen Cao asked, “Venerable, which sutra are you reading?” The Master said, “The Diamond Sutra.” The minister said, “It was translated during the Six Dynasties; which translation is this?” The Master held the sutra scroll straight up and said, “All conditioned dharmas are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows.”
On another occasion, while the Master was reading the Nirvana Sutra, a monk asked, “Venerable, which sutra are you reading?” The Master raised the sutra scroll and said, “This is the final Cremation Chapter.”
The Master asked a newly arrived monk, “Where did you spend this summer?” The monk said, “At Mount Jing.” The Master asked, “How many people were there?” He replied, “Four hundred.” The Master said, “That fellow eats at night.” The monk asked, “They are all venerable elders of the monasteries; why say that they eat at night?” The Master thereupon shouldered his staff and drove him away.
The Master heard of a venerable elder who was difficult to approach and went to visit him. As soon as the elder saw the Master enter the abbot’s quarters, he shouted. The Master inclined his hand as a screen and said, “Rain weighs heavily upon the public case.” The elder said, “Where have you been staying?” The Master said, “Old fox-spirit,” and immediately withdrew.
The Master asked a monk, “From where have you recently departed?” The monk said, “West of the River.” The Master asked, “How many pairs of straw sandals have you worn out on the road?” The monk could not answer.
The Master was drinking tea with a lecturer-monk. The Master said, “I cannot save you.” The monk said, “I do not understand; I ask the Master to instruct me.” The Master took a cake from his sleeve, held it out, and asked, “What is this?” The monk said, “A form-dharma.” The Master said, “You fellow who has fallen into a cauldron of boiling water!”
A Venerable of the Purple Robe came to pay homage. The Master took his cap, placed it on his own head, and asked, “What is this called?” The Venerable replied, “A court cap.” The Master said, “Why does this old monk not remove it?” The Master further asked, “What discipline have you studied?” He replied, “Consciousness-Only.” The Master asked, “What does it teach?” He replied, “The three realms are mind-only; the myriad dharmas are consciousness-only.” The Master pointed to a fan by the doorway and asked, “What is that?” He replied, “It is a form-dharma.” The Master said, “Before the imperial curtain, you were bestowed the purple robe and expounded sutras to the emperor; how could you fail to observe the five precepts?” He could offer no reply.
A monk asked, “I have suddenly entered the monasteries; I ask the Master to instruct me.” The Master said, “You do not know how to ask.” The monk then asked, “What does the Venerable do?” The Master said, “I spare you thirty blows. Understand for yourself and withdraw.”
Someone asked, “Concerning the meaning of the teachings, I ask the Master to raise the guiding principle and state its essentials.” The Master said, “Just ask about the future, and I shall speak with you.” The monk said, “I ask the Venerable to speak.” The Master said, “Burn incense inside the hall; join your palms outside the gate.”
Someone asked, “What are words of revelation?” The Master said, “Assign offices according to each person’s ability.” The monk said, “How can one avoid falling into revelation (speaking circuitously)?” The Master said, “With bowed head, pondering, one is still receiving guests.”
The Master summoned Jiaoshan to come before him. He then called a young attendant to bring an axe and said, “There is not yet an ink-line, and it is pliant and coarse,” and then shouted. Again he called the boy and asked, “What will you do with this axe?” The boy made as if to chop. The Master said, “You could not even chop off your old man’s head.”
Someone asked, “What is it like to let down a single thread? Speak!” The Master said, “Appoint each person to an office according to ability.” He further asked, “What is it like not to relinquish a single thread? Speak!” The Master said, “Having submitted, one still receives the reward.”
A newly arrived monk came for an interview. The Master asked, “Are you a newly arrived monk?” He replied, “Yes.” The Master said, “Set aside those entangling vines. Do you understand?” He replied, “I do not understand.” The Master said, “Wearing a cangue while presenting a written accusation—understand for yourself and withdraw.” The monk immediately went out. The Master said, “Come back. I shall ask you in earnest: where have you come from?” He replied, “Jiangxi.” The Master said, “Venerable Zhutan is behind your back, fearing that you will confuse the Way and see demons.” The monk could not answer.
Someone asked, “Before the monastery gate, even the Vajra guardian can lift it, yet heaven, earth, and the vast land cannot lift it; not even the finest hair encounters it. What is it like at such a time?” The Master said, “Hong! Hong! I have never encountered such a question. You first leaped forward three thousand and then tumbled back eight hundred—what are you trying to accomplish?” The monk said, “Yes.” The Master said, “First you incur an entire sheet of accusations; you richly deserve a beating.” The monk was about to withdraw. The Master said, “Come back. Together with you, I shall lift the entangling vines and raise heaven, earth, and the vast land. Now tell me: how deep is the water in the Dongting Lake cavern?” The monk said, “I do not understand the measure.”

The Master said: “What, then, is Dongting Lake doing?” The monk said: “It is only this very moment.” The Master said: “You do not even understand that entangling vine.” He then struck him.

Someone asked: “What is it to encounter the path without becoming stuck at the bottom?”

The Master said: “I did not say that.”

The questioner asked: “What, then, does the Master say?”

The Master said: “A name passes a hundred thousand li through the Western Heaven, facing the Great Tang realm and waiting upon it.”

A monk knocked at the door. The Master asked: “What are you doing?”

He replied: “My own matter is not yet clear. I beg the Master to instruct me.”

The Master said: “Only a staff can open that.”

Just as the monk was about to ask, the Master slapped him across the mouth.

A monk asked: “The character ‘vi’ is not formed, and the character ‘eight’ is not right—what passage is this?”

The Master snapped his fingernail once and asked: “Do you understand?”

He replied: “I do not understand.”

The Master said: “From the beginning, immeasurable supreme causes have been praised: a frog leaps up to the Brahma Heaven, and an earthworm crawls across the Eastern Sea.”

Elder Xifeng came for an interview. The Master offered him tea, had him sit down, and then asked: “Elder, where did you spend this summer retreat?”

He replied: “At Lanxi.”

The Master asked: “How many members of the assembly were there?”

He replied: “About seventy.”

The Master asked: “At that time, what did you use to instruct the assembly?”

The Elder held out an orange and presented it, saying: “It is already comprehended.”

The Master said: “Why did you die so suddenly?”

At that time, a monk newly arrived for an interview had just bowed. The Master shouted: “Acarya! Why did you steal and eat fruit belonging to the monastery’s permanent property?”

The monk said: “This student has only just arrived. Why does the Venerable say that I stole fruit?”

The Master said: “(?) The object is presently here.”

The Master asked a monk: “Where did you most recently depart from?”

He replied: “Yangshan.”

The Master said: “You do not even observe the Five Precepts.”

He replied: “When have I spoken falsely?”

The Master said: “There are no novices there.”

3. Chan Master Chunan of Mount Tianqing, Hangzhou

The Master was a native of Minzhong, and his family name was Zhang. From childhood, he followed Chan Master Tan’ai at Kaiyuan Monastery and left the household life. When he came of age, his head was shaved, and he went to Mount Wutai to receive the full precepts. He then went to Zhao Commandery to study the Vinaya of the Xiangbu school. The Master went to the Upper Capital and listened to lectures on the Vimalakirti Sutra. Although he thoroughly investigated the doctrines and meanings of the Dharma, he had not yet understood the profound mechanism. He therefore went to pay his respects to Furong. Upon meeting him, Furong said: “I am not your teacher. Your teacher is Huangbo beyond the Yangtze.”

The Master then respectfully took his leave and went to study under Huangbo. Huangbo asked: “What was it like before you had seen even the shadow of the Three Realms?”

The Master said: “Does it exist even now?”

Huangbo replied: “Set aside both existence and nonexistence. What is it like right now?”

The Master said: “There is neither past nor present.”

Huangbo replied: “My Dharma eye now abides in you.”

The Master then entered Huangbo’s quarters, holding the towel and attending him with water for washing his face, and early each morning requested further instruction.

When Emperor Wuzong of the Tang suppressed the Buddha-Dharma, the Master withdrew deep into the forest. In the first year of Dazhong, Chancellor Pei Xiu was appointed to govern Wanling. He invited Huangbo to descend from the mountain, and the Master accompanied him. Thereafter, the Master dwelt at Bao’en Monastery in Gusu and devoted himself exclusively to Chan meditation. For more than twenty years, his feet did not pass beyond the gate. Suddenly, the prefect invited him to reside at Baolin Cloister. Not long afterward, he was again invited to reside at Mount Heng. Later, when the Master resided at Ciyun Cloister on Mount Tianqing, he caused Huangbo’s profound school to shine brightly.

One day, the Master ascended the Dharma Hall and said:

“Even if you understand the teachings of the Buddhas of the Three Times as thoroughly as water being poured from one vessel into another, and even if you attain hundreds of thousands of samadhis, this is not equal to cultivating the undefiled Way in a single thought, thereby escaping the bondage of the karmic causality of gods and humans.”

At that time, a monk asked: “How does one cultivate the undefiled Way?”

The Master said: “Enter and realize it before there is any acarya.”

The monk asked: “Before I existed, who was the one who entered and realized it?”

The Master said: “There is not even one who enters and realizes.”

Someone asked: “What is easy?”

The Master said: “Wearing clothes and eating meals, with no need to recite sutras or study the teachings, and no need to practice the Way by burning the body or scorching the head—is this not easy?”

Someone asked: “Since this is easy, what is difficult?”

The Master replied: “As soon as the slightest thought arises, the Five Skandhas are complete. Rebirth and death throughout the Three Realms of samsara all arise from your single thought. Therefore, the Buddha taught the bodhisattvas: ‘The Buddha constantly keeps them in mindful protection.’”

Although the Master responded tirelessly to circumstances, he always remained lucidly within samadhi, sometimes for more than a month, sometimes for a full week. In the third year of Guangqi, the Qian family invited the Master to descend from the mountain so that they might make offerings to him. When Emperor Zhaozong heard of the Master’s transforming Way, he bestowed upon him the purple robe.

In the fifth month of the first year of Wende, the Master bade farewell to the assembly and serenely passed away. He was seventy-six years old and had completed fifty-six Dharma summers. His stupa was moved to the western corner of the cloister. In the second month of the first year of Jingde (Renzi), at Xuanzhou, Sun Ru raised a rebellion in Qiantang. When soldiers opened the stupa, they saw that the Master’s entire body had not decayed, and that his hair and nails had continued to grow long. They then confessed their offense, repented, and departed.

The Master had formerly composed one fascicle of verses on a chapter of the Prajnaparamita Sutra and one fascicle of the Treatise Refuting Heterodoxy, both of which were known to circulate in the world.

4. Chan Master Lingguan of Mount Shishan, Fuzhou

Ordinarily, the Master always kept his door shut and was seldom seen. Only when a certain lay devotee brought an offering at mealtime would he open it.

One day, Xuefeng watched for his opportunity and knocked at the door. The Master came out and opened it. Xuefeng thrust his belly against the doorpost and asked: “Ordinary or holy?”

The Master spat and said: “You old foreign fox-spirit!” He then slammed the door shut.

Xuefeng said: “I only wanted to know my elder brother.”

Once, while cutting grass, the Master asked a monk: “Where are you going?”

He replied: “I am going to the Western Cloister to bow to Venerable An.”

At that time, there was a green snake on the bamboo trellis. The Master pointed to the snake and said: “If you wish to know the Western Cloister of that old foreign fox-spirit, this is very close to it.”

One day, the Master asked Venerable An of the Western Cloister: “What can this piece of ground contain?”

An replied: “It contains the formless Buddha.”

The Master said: “That fine piece of ground has been defiled by what you put in it, elder brother.”

One day, while the Master was drawing water, a monk came for an interview. The Master took out the water-drawing mechanism and showed it to him. The monk immediately departed.

That evening, the Master asked the novice: “Where is the monk who came earlier?”

The novice said: “He has gone.”

The Master said: “He obtained only a single stake.”

Someone asked: “What is the Buddha?”

The Master stuck out his tongue, and the monk bowed in thanks.

The Master said: “Stand up! Stand up! What did you see that made you bow?”

The monk said: “I thank the Venerable for compassionately showing me the mark of the tongue.”

The Master said: “For the past few days, a painful sore has grown on my tongue.”

A monk came and knocked at the door. An attendant opened the door and then immediately went away. The monk entered, bowed, and asked: “What is the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from India?”

The Master asked: “Who was the person who just came and then went away?”

As the monk was about to step forward, the Master struck him, drove him out, and shut the door.

While Caoshan was traveling on foot, he once asked: “What is the master of Vairocana’s Dharma body?”

The Master said: “If I were to tell you, there would immediately be something separate.”

Caoshan repeated this dialogue to Dongshan. Dongshan said: “That is a fine topic of inquiry, but it lacks a word. Why did you not ask why he did not speak?”

Caoshan immediately returned and repeated his former question.

The Master said: “If you say that I did not speak, you make me mute; if you say that I spoke, you make me cherish my tongue.”

Caoshan returned and related this to Dongshan. Dongshan approved.

5. Chan Master Zongche of Luohan Cloister in Hangzhou

The Master was a native of Wuxing in Huzhou, and his family name was Wu. He left the household life in childhood and, upon reaching the proper age, received the precepts. He traveled widely, making visits and paying respects, and entered the Dharma assembly of Chan Master Xiyun of Huangbo. As soon as Huangbo saw him, he recognized him as a profound vessel, admitted him to his quarters, and transmitted the essential meaning to him.

Later, the Master went to Hangzhou. The prefect, Liu Yan, greatly admired his Way and established a hermitage west of the prefectural seat, calling it Luohan Cloister. The Master instructed an assembly of three hundred disciples.

When the Master ascended the Dharma Hall, a monk asked: “What is the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from India?”

The Master said: “The bones are locked.”

Someone asked: “What are the Southern School and the Northern School?”

The Master said: “Mind is the school.”

The monk asked: “Is there also study of the teachings?”

The Master said: “The teachings are mind.”

Someone asked: “The ground of the nature is exceedingly dark. How can one attain complete awakening?”

The Master said: “When the wind gathers and sweeps away the many clouds, the expanse of empty space will be clear, lofty, and vast.”

Someone asked: “How does one attain illumination?”

The Master said: “A single orb of pure radiance—ten thousand li suddenly become bright.”

Later, the Master became ill and passed away. His disciples built his stupa at the northern corner of the cloister. In the fifth year of Zhenming under the Later Liang, the King of Qian enlarged the cloister and made it Anguo Luohan Monastery, moving the Master’s stupa to Mount Daci. The monastery and stupa still remain today.

6. Pei Xiu:

His style-name was Gongmei, and he was a native of Wenxi in Hedong. When he was stationed at Xin’an, Chan Master Xiyun had initially been dwelling on Mount Huangbo, but left the assembly and entered the Da’an monastery, concealing his identity and posing as one who swept and cleaned the halls. When the official entered the monastery to offer incense, the rector came out to receive him.

Seeing a painting on the wall, he asked, “What does this painting depict?” The rector said, “It is a true likeness of an eminent monk.” The official said, “The true likeness can be seen, but where is the eminent monk?” The monk could not answer. The official asked, “Is there a Chan master here?” He replied, “Recently a monk came to the monastery to perform communal labor; he resembles a Chan master.” The official said, “Could you invite him here so that I may question him?” Master Yun was then summoned.

As soon as they met, the official was delighted and said, “I, Xiu, have just asked the venerable monks a question, but they have been sparing with their words. I now ask you to answer on their behalf.” The Master said, “Please ask your question, my lord.” The official then repeated his earlier question. The Master loudly called, “Pei Xiu!” The official answered, “Yes!” The Master asked, “Where are you?” At these words, the official understood the essential meaning, as though he had obtained the jewel hidden in the topknot.

He then said, “My Master, you truly are a good spiritual friend who points directly to a person in an instant. If so, why have you been wandering in obscurity here?” At that time the assembly was astonished. From then on, the official invited the Master into his residence, retained him there, made offerings to him, and treated him with the affection due between disciple and master.

The Master repeatedly declined, but the official would not desist. He then invited the Master to reside on Mount Huangbo and greatly propagate the teaching of the patriarchs. Whenever he had leisure, the official entered the mountain to bow before the Master and inquire after him.

Whenever he wished to hear profound discourses, he invited the Master into the prefecture. He had penetrated the mind of the patriarchs and also broadly understood the various doctrinal teachings. Chan students everywhere said that Minister Pei never went beyond the gate of Huangbo.

When he was transferred to govern Xuancheng, he became even more intent upon paying homage, so he established a monastery and invited the Master to reside there. Although he esteemed Guifeng for his thorough mastery of both Chan and doctrinal exposition, he did not feel at ease until he had entrusted his heart to Huangbo. He also composed an inscription for Guifeng, saying, “In the Dharma, Xiu and the Master were brothers; in righteousness, friends; in kindness, he was my good spiritual friend; and in the teaching, we were its inner and outer protectors.” From this his relationship may be clearly seen.

He compiled Huangbo’s essential sayings, wrote a preface to place at the beginning of the book, and preserved it at the mountain monastery. He also had five hundred cases of the Great Canon copied, which are regarded as the greatest treasure of the present age. He wrote prefaces for Chan Master Guifeng’s works, such as the Chanyuan Zhuquan, the Inquiry into the Origin of Humanity, the commentary and subcommentary on the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment, and the Contemplation of the Dharma Realm.

His father, Su, whose style-name was Zhongming, served as Surveillance Commissioner in Yuezhou and, in fulfillment of a prophecy made three hundred years earlier, constructed the Great Buddha Hall at Longxing Monastery and personally composed the inscription for its stele. The official devoted himself wholeheartedly to investigating the inner canon and deeply entered the Dharma assembly. His Vow of Aspiration circulated throughout the world.

The Fifth Generation after Chan Master Huairang

– Dharma successors of the former Chan Master Huiji of Mount Yangshan in Yuanzhou.

1. Chan Master Guangmu of the Western Stupa at Yangshan

A monk asked, “What is right hearing?” The Master said, “It does not enter through the ears.”

He asked, “How, then?”

The Master asked, “Do you hear?”

He asked, “Are the patriarchal meaning and the doctrinal meaning the same or different?”

The Master said, “Set sameness and difference aside for the moment. Tell me: what is it that goes out of and then enters the mouth of a jar?”

He asked, “What is the meaning of the coming from the Western Land?”

The Master said, “You have no Buddha-nature.”

He asked, “What is the sudden?”

The Master drew a circle and presented it.

He asked, “What is the gradual?”

The Master swept his hand through the air three times.

2. Chan Master Jingtong of Mount Huo in Jinzhou

Previously, the Master visited Yangshan. Yangshan sat with his eyes closed. The Master said, “Thus, thus. The twenty-eight patriarchs of India were also thus; the six patriarchs of China were also thus; the Venerable was also thus; and Jingtong is also thus.” Having said this, he drew up his right leg and stood. Yangshan rose and struck him four times with a rattan staff. Because of this, the Master proclaimed himself beneath Jiyun Peak as “the Great Chan Buddha of the Four Rattan Blows beneath Heaven.”

Later, the Master resided on Mount Huo. A practitioner came and asked, “What is the great meaning of the Buddha-Dharma?” The Master thereupon bowed to the practitioner. The practitioner said, “Venerable, why do you bow to a layman?” The Master said, “Have you not heard it said that disciples are to be honored?”

The Master asked, “Where have you come from?” The monk raised his sitting cloth. The Master said, “A dragon’s head with a snake’s tail.”

A monk asked, “What is Buddha?” The Master immediately struck him. The monk also struck the Master. The Master said, “Your striking me has principle; my striking you has no principle.” The monk could not answer. The Master then struck him and drove him away.

When the Master’s conditions for transforming beings had come to an end, he prepared firewood in an open field and then took leave of all the donors and faithful followers. After eating, the Master went to where the firewood had been placed and told his disciples, “Report to me when noon arrives.” When noon came, the Master himself took a lamp, climbed atop the pile of firewood, placed a conical hat on his head to form the sign of a halo, and held a staff in his hand in the posture of grasping a demon-subduing pestle. Standing upright, he passed away amid the crimson flames.

3. Chan Master Wenxi of Hangzhou

The Master was a native of Yuer, Jiahe, and his family name was Zhou. He left home at the age of seven. In the second year of the Tang Kaicheng era, the Master received the complete precepts in Zhao Commandery. At first, he studied the Four-Part Vinaya. During the Huichang persecution and suppression of Buddhism, the Master changed his clothing and concealed all traces of his religious affiliation. In the first year of the Dazhong era, after the persecution had ended, he established a repentance and ordination sanctuary at Qifeng Monastery in Yanguan. Later, he paid a visit to Chan Master Xingkong on Mount Daci. Xingkong said, “Why do you not travel widely to visit teachers?”

In the third year of the Xiantong era, the Master went to the Guanyin Cloister in Hongzhou and met Yangshan. At Yangshan’s words, he realized the mind-seal. Yangshan appointed him steward of the monastery’s permanent property. One day, an unfamiliar monk came and asked for a vegetarian meal. The Master reduced his own portion and gave it to him. Yangshan, who knew of this beforehand, asked, “Was the man just now indeed the one to whom you gave food?” He replied, “I reduced my own portion and gave it to him.” Yangshan said, “You have gained great benefit.”

For seven years the Master wandered throughout the Zhejiang region, building a hut and dwelling on Mount Tianqing. When bandits brought turmoil to the region, he took refuge in Huzhou and stayed at Renwang Cloister. In the third year of the Guangqi era, King Qian invited the Master to reside in the Longquan public hall.

A monk asked, “What is the mark of nirvana?” The Master said, “Only when the incense smoke is exhausted does its majesty become visible.”

He asked, “What is the great meaning of the Buddha-Dharma?” The Master said, “Call the cloister superintendent; this monk has gone mad.”

He asked, “What is one’s own self?” The Master remained silent. The monk did not understand and asked again. The Master said, “The blue heavens are vast and obscure, yet they do not fly after the moon.”

In the first year of the Dashun era, King Qian bestowed upon the Master a lion-patterned robe. In the fourth year of the Qianning era, he further bestowed upon him the title Wuzhuo, “Unattached.” In the third year of the Guanghua era, the Master became ill. At midnight, during the zi hour, on the twenty-seventh day of the tenth month of that year, the Master took leave of the assembly, saying, “When the mind of the three realms is exhausted, that itself is nirvana.” Having said this, he sat in the full lotus posture and passed away.

He was eighty years old and had spent sixty years in the monastic order. When he passed away, a white radiance appeared in the abbot’s quarters, and the bamboo trees likewise turned white. On the twenty-second day of the eleventh month, the Master’s stupa was moved to the west of Mount Lingyin.

4. Chan Master Liaowu of Silla, on Mount Wuguan

A monk asked, “What is the meaning of the coming from the Western Land?” The Master raised his fly whisk upright. The monk said, “That is precisely it.” The Master then lowered the fly whisk.

He asked, “The character yi does not form the character ba; if it is not so, what character is it?” The Master drew a circle and presented it.

A monk before him made the sign of a five-petaled circle. The Master wiped it all away and drew only a single circle.

5. Chan Master Guangyong of the Southern Stupa at Yangshan

A monk asked, “Manjushri was the teacher of the seven Buddhas. Did Manjushri himself have a teacher?” The Master replied, “When conditions are encountered, there is one.”

He asked, “Who is Manjushri’s teacher?” The Master raised his fly whisk upright and pointed with it. The monk asked, “Is that it?” The Master lowered the fly whisk.

He asked, “What is the single phrase of wondrous function?” The Master said, “When the water comes, the river is formed.”

He asked, “Where does the true Buddha dwell?” The Master said, “Beyond the words ‘without marks,’ it does not dwell elsewhere.”

6. The Venerable of the Eastern Stupa at Yangshan

A monk asked, “What is the sovereign’s sword?” The Master said, “Once the anchor rope is dropped, it is not retrieved.” The monk asked, “What is its function?” The Master replied;

At such a time, it does not fall
into anyone’s hands. Question: When the Dharma King and the temporal king meet, what is it like?
The Master replied: The two hands are not separate. Question: After seeing it, what is it like? The Master said: In
the interval, all forms are utterly extinguished.

– Dharma heirs of Chan Master Yixuan of Linji, continued

1. Chan Master Zhixian of Guanxi.
The Master was a native of Tao County in Weifu, and his family name was Shi. In his youth, he followed
Chan Master Baiyan and shaved his head; at the age of twenty, he received the full precepts. Later he met
Venerable Linji. The Venerable held him tightly for a long while and then released him. The Master said: I understand.
Later he told the assembly: When I met Linji, he said nothing. Even to this day, I remain perpetually
full and never hungry. Someone asked: I request that the Master not borrow another’s words. The Master said: With my mouth full,
I say that I do not borrow. The Master also said: At the great granary atop the mountain, no Buddha arrives;
on the road to Huangmei, there are no sentient beings. The Master and a monk went to visit
Shishuang. Shishuang asked: Where have you come from? The monk replied: From Guanxi.
Shishuang said: I dwell on the northern mountain, unlike him who dwells on the southern mountain. The monk
could not answer. When the Master heard of this, he immediately said: You should simply have said, “The Nirvana Hall has been repaired.”
A monk asked: I have long heard the fame of Guanxi, but upon coming here I see only the pond of Ouma.
The Master said: You see only the pond of Ouma, but you do not see Guanxi. The monk asked:
What is Guanxi? The Master said: Cut off the arrow swiftly. Question: What are
the bones of the ancients? The Master said: They cannot be set in place. Question: What does it mean that
they cannot be set in place? The Master said: When did the sun ever say it descends from the blue sky? Question: After the golden lock
has been broken, what then? The Master said: That is precisely the place of your Dharma. Question: What
is the ultimate subtlety? The Master said: Return it now, yet it cannot be returned. Question: What is the
final matter? The Master replied: Beware the six-foot mouth. Question: What is the one form? The Master
said: It does not follow. Question: After the one form, what then? The Master said: Is there an acarya who can shoulder
the matter? Question: In today’s assembly, who can withstand the foe? The Master replied: It is not on account of ordinary beings or sages. Question: What is the one phrase? The Master said: It does
not fall within the functioning of the thousand sages. Question: What is the water within the cave? The Master said: It does not wash another’s teacher.
In the second year of the Qianning era of the Tang dynasty (the year Yimao), on the twenty-ninth day of the fifth month, the Master asked his attendant:
Who died sitting? The attendant replied: Sengqie. Who died standing? He replied: Senghui. The Master then walked
six or seven steps, let his hands fall, and passed away.

2. Venerable Tankong of Youzhou.
A nun wished to open a Dharma Hall and preach the Dharma. The Master said: A nun is a woman;
she need not open a Dharma Hall. The nun asked: What of the eight-year-old Dragon Girl who attained Buddhahood?
The Master said: The Dragon Girl possessed eighteen transformations. You and this old monk should try one transformation and let me see.
The nun said: Even if one could transform, one would still be a fox spirit. The Master then struck her and drove her away. Venerable
Baoshou asked: Apart from those of the two capacities, superior and middling, when others come, what do you do then,
elder Dharma brother? The Master said: No sooner do they come to learn than they are already mistaken. Baoshou said: Elder Dharma brother, you too cannot be
without fault. The Master said: You and I shall be Dharma brothers. Baoshou held his hand sideways and said: You
old thief!

3. Venerable Zhao of Baoshou in Zhenzhou.
A monk asked: When the myriad phenomena come pressing in, what then? The Master
said: Do not concern yourself with their coming. The monk bowed. The Master said: There is no need to move;
if you move, I shall break your back. Venerable Nian of Zhaozhou
arrived. The Master sat on the Chan platform with his back turned. Nian spread out his sitting mat and bowed.
The Master rose and entered the abbot’s quarters. Nian rolled up his sitting mat and departed. The Master asked
a monk: Where have you come from? He replied: From the Western Mountain. The Master asked: Did you see any monkeys?
He replied: Yes. The Master asked: What clever abilities did they have? He replied: I saw one fellow so clever that even cleverness
could not be exercised. Hu Dingjiao came for an interview. The Master asked: Are you
Hu Dingjiao? He replied: I do not presume. The Master asked: Can you also pull nails out of empty space?
He replied: I ask the Venerable to break it apart, and I shall provide the nail. The Master then
struck him with his staff. Hu said: Venerable, do not strike me by mistake. The Master said: Later,
some talkative teacher will expose this for you. Question: When for ten thousand miles there is
not a wisp of cloud, what then? The Master said: Even the blue sky deserves a blow of the staff. When the Master
was about to pass away, he summoned his disciples and said: Do you know where my journey lies?
They replied: We know that throughout his life the Venerable always sat and never lay down. The Master again bade them come near.
When the disciples drew near, the Master said: Go, go! You are not members of my family. Having spoken,
he passed away.

4. Chan Master Huiran of Sansheng Monastery in Zhenzhou.
The Master received realization from Linji. He traveled throughout the Chan monasteries and then
went to Yangshan. Yangshan asked: What is your name? The Master replied: Huiji.
Yangshan said: Huiji is my name. The Master said: My name is Huiran.
Yangshan merely laughed loudly. The Master went to Xiangyan. Xiangyan
asked: Where have you come from? The Master said: From Linji. Xiangyan asked: Have you brought
Linji’s sword here? The Master suddenly took up his sitting mat, struck Xiangyan on the mouth,
and left. The Master went to Deshan and had just begun spreading out his sitting mat. Deshan said: Do not spread out the cooking cloth;
there is no rice flour in it. The Master said: Even if there were, there would be nowhere to put it.
Deshan struck the Master with his staff. The Master seized the staff and pushed Deshan onto the Chan platform.
Deshan laughed loudly. The Master cried out: Blue sky! and departed. While at Xuefeng,
the Master heard Xuefeng say: Everyone has the face of the ancient mirror.
That monkey also has the face of the ancient mirror. The Master stepped forward and asked: For many kalpas it has had no name; why does
the Venerable establish it as the ancient mirror? Xuefeng said: A flaw has arisen in the jade. The Master shouted:
This old Venerable does not even understand the point of the saying! Xuefeng said: My offense is great; this old
monk, as abbot, has many affairs. The Master saw Venerable Baoshou open the Dharma Hall.
The Master pushed a monk forward before Baoshou. Baoshou immediately struck that monk. The Master
said: If the Elder is such a man, then he is blind while dwelling among those with eyes
in the city of Zhenzhou.

5. Chan Master Dajue of Weifu:
At that time, Chan Master Cunjiang of Xinghua served as director of the monastery. One
day the Master asked: I often hear you say, “On my journey back south, the tip of my staff has never
been obstructed by anyone who understands the Buddha-Dharma.” On what principle
do you base such a statement? Xinghua immediately shouted. The Master struck him. Xinghua shouted again,
and the Master struck him again. One day Xinghua passed through the Dharma Hall. The Master called out: Director,
I have continued to doubt you. Why did you shout yesterday? Try telling me. Xinghua
said: Throughout Cunjiang’s life, everything he learned from Sansheng
has been completely struck down by the Venerable. I beg you to grant Cunjiang the Dharma gate of peace and bliss. The Master
said: You blind old donkey! Within that tattered robe, take off your shawl and wait;
this time you are certain to suffer pain. At these words, Xinghua immediately understood the essential meaning. Although both were Dharma heirs
of Linji, the Master often regarded him as a companion who helped bring forth realization. When the Master was about to pass away, he summoned the assembly
and said: I have an arrow that must be entrusted to someone. At that time a monk stepped forward and said:
I request the Venerable’s arrow. The Master asked: What do you call an arrow? The monk shouted, and the Master struck him
several times. After returning to the abbot’s quarters, the Master immediately summoned that monk and asked: Did you
understand just now? The monk replied that he did not understand. The Master struck him several more times, cast down his staff,
and said: Enough. Later, upon meeting Mingyan, Ming said, “Just so.” The Master then took his leave and
entered nirvana.

6. Chan Master Cunjiang of Xinghua in Weifu.
The Master asked a monk: Where have you come from? He replied: From Chan Master Cui’s place. The Master
asked: Were you able to bring Chan Master Cui’s shout here? He replied: I was
unable to bring it. The Master said: Then you have not come from Chan Master Cui’s place.
The monk shouted, and the Master struck him. The Master addressed the assembly: I have only heard that behind the curtain
there is shouting, and behind the imperial carriage there is shouting. Do not shout blindly and wildly. The one who shouted
the most was Xinghua. Within half a day, he was beaten and slapped nearly to death. Wait

Xinghua revived and said, “I have not yet spoken to you. Why is this? Because I have never let down a pearl from within a purple gauze curtain.

Why are you and your fellows shouting wildly in empty space?” The Master said to Kexin, the rector, “Before long, you will become a teacher who proclaims the Way.” Kexin said, “I do not enter the Master’s precious abode. Do you ask whether I understand and do not enter, or whether I do not understand and do not enter?” Kexin said, “Neither.” “Then what?” The Master immediately struck him. He then declared, “Kexin the rector has failed in the Dharma combat.

Fine him five strings of cash and allow him one meal.” The next morning, the Master himself struck the board and announced, “Kexin the rector has failed in the Dharma combat. Fine him five strings of cash. If he eats, he may have one meal; if he does not eat, he must leave the monastery at once.”

A monk asked, “What was the National Teacher’s meaning in calling his attendant?” The Master said, “One blind man leading all you blind men.”

On one occasion, the Master called a monk. The monk responded, “Yes?” The Master said, “When marked, it does not arrive.” He then called another monk. The monk responded, “Yes?” The Master said, “When it arrives, it is not marked.”

Later, the Master became the teacher of Emperor Zhuangzong of the Later Tang. One day, Zhuangzong said to the Master, “We obtained from Daliang a priceless luminous pearl, yet no one has offered its proper price.” The Master said, “Your Majesty, please show me the pearl.” The emperor slowly opened his robe with his hands and pointed from head to foot. The Master said, “Who would dare set a price upon the sovereign’s treasure?”

After the Master entered quiescence, the emperor bestowed upon him the posthumous title Great Master Guangji, and his stupa was named Tongji.

7. Chan Master Shancui of Dingzhou

Provincial Commander Lord Wang arranged a Dharma seat in the public hall and invited the Master to expound the Dharma. The Master ascended the seat and sat silently for a long while. He then told the assembly, “If you come forth, you will be struck; if you do not come forth, you will also be struck.” At that moment, the monk Tankong stepped forward and said, “Deaf Chan fellow Cui!” The Master said, “Grand Commandant, you have been standing for a long time. Please take good care of yourself.” He then descended from the seat.

8. Monk Wansui of Zhenzhou

A monk asked, “What matter has the great assembly been discussing until now?” The Master said, “The first chapter, the Introductory Chapter.”

He was asked, “What is the ultimate matter of a member of the Sangha?” The Master said, “From ancient times until now, it has merely been the Dharma of blowing away ashes—that is, removing one’s robe at the head of the altar.”

The Master went to question Baoshou. As soon as he saw him, he spread out his sitting mat. Baoshou immediately descended from the Chan platform, and the Master then sat upon it. Baoshou abruptly entered the abbot’s quarters. A short while later, the administrator told the Master, “The abbot has shut his door. May the storekeeper monk please take tea.” The Master then returned to his monastery.

The following morning, Baoshou came to visit him. The Master sat astride the Chan platform. Baoshou spread out his sitting mat, and the Master also descended from the platform. Baoshou went and sat upon it. The Master returned to the abbot’s quarters and shut the door. Baoshou entered the attendant’s quarters, took some ashes, went before the abbot’s quarters, scattered the ashes in three circles, and departed.

9. Monk Yunshan

A monk came from the Western Capital. The Master asked, “Have you brought a letter from the host of the Western Capital?” The monk replied, “I would not dare falsely convey news.” The Master said, “Then attend to the natural affairs of a monk.” The monk said, “Who eats leftover soup and vegetables?” The Master said, “Only you, Acarya, refuse to eat them.” The monk then pretended to vomit. The Master called an attendant and said, “Help him into the infirmary.” The monk immediately departed.

10. Hermitage Master Dongfeng

A monk asked, “When the Venerable is traveling afar and suddenly encounters a great beast, what do you do?” The Master roared. The monk pretended to cry out in fright. The Master laughed loudly. The monk said, “You old brigand!” The Master said, “Why contend with this old monk?”

A monk came before the hermitage and immediately started to leave. The Master called, “Acarya! Acarya!” The monk turned his head and shouted. The Master remained silent for a long while. The monk said, “Die, you old man!” The Master then struck him. The monk could not respond. The Master laughed aloud, “Ha! Ha!”

A monk entered the hermitage and seized the pillar—or grasped the Master tightly with his staff. The Master cried, “Murder! Murder!” The monk pushed him away and said, “Why are you shouting?” The Master asked, “Who is it?” The monk then shouted, and the Master immediately struck him. As the monk went out, he looked back and said, “Just wait! Just wait!” The Master laughed loudly.

11. Hermitage Master Shanyang

A monk came for an interview. The Master asked, “Who is it?” He replied, “Hermitage Master Shanyang.” The Master said, “That is me.” The monk then shouted. The Master made a groaning sound, “Hmph, hmph.” The monk said, “You still deserve a blow of the staff.” The Master immediately struck him.

The monk asked, “What principle of the Way did the hermitage master attain that he dwells on this mountain?” The Master said, “I too would like to know the reason, but I fear meeting someone who will examine me.” The monk said, “How could you avoid it?” The Master then shouted. The monk said, “A perfect fit.” The Master immediately struck him. The monk laughed loudly and withdrew. The Master said, “A great defeat today, a great defeat!”

12. Monk Zhiyi of Zhuozhou

At first, he asked Linji, “What is it to take away the person but not take away the environment?” Linji said:

“The warmth of spring arises, spreading brocade across the earth;
A child’s hanging hair is white as silk.”

The Master asked, “What is it to take away the environment but not take away the person?” Linji replied:

“The sovereign’s command has already gone forth throughout the realm;
The general beyond the frontier has brought the dust of war to an end.”

The Master asked, “What is it when neither person nor environment is taken away?” Linji replied:

“The sovereign ascends the jeweled hall;
Old and young sing songs of praise.”

The Master asked, “What is it when both person and environment are taken away?” Linji replied:

“Bing and Fen are cut off from all news,
Each dwelling alone in a separate region.”

Upon hearing these words, the Master immediately understood their essential meaning. He penetrated deeply into the Three Mysteries, Three Essentials, and Four Propositions, and thereafter assisted in spreading the teaching of the Way.

13. Hermitage Master Huxi

A monk came, pulled out his sitting mat, and looked at it together with the Master. The Master did not look. The monk said, “I knew the hermitage master possessed this auspicious grass.” The Master immediately gave a cry.

The monk asked, “To which lineage does this principle belong?” The Master slapped him. The monk said, “I know that today the advantage belongs to you.” The Master said, “You still deserve a blow of the staff.”

As a monk entered the gate, the Master immediately shouted. The monk remained silent, and the Master struck him. The monk then shouted. The Master said, “Well done, you bandit of the wild grass!”

A monk came without examining the situation. The Master asked, “Who is it?” The monk shouted. The Master said, “How could there be neither host nor guest?” The monk said, “I shall shout a second time.” The Master then shouted.

A monk asked, “Where is the Venerable from?” The Master replied, “I am a man of Longxi.” The monk said, “I have heard that there are parrots in Longxi. Is that true?” The Master replied, “That is correct.” The monk asked, “Is the Venerable perhaps one of them?” The Master then made the cry of a parrot. The monk said, “What an excellent parrot!” The Master immediately struck him.

14. Hermitage Master Fupen

The Master asked a monk, “Where have you come from?” He replied, “From below Mount Fupen.” The Master asked, “Did you see the hermitage master?” The monk immediately shouted, and the Master slapped him. The monk asked, “What are you doing?” The Master shouted again.

One day, a monk came weeping up from below the mountain. The Master shut the hermitage door. When the monk reached the door, he drew a full moon. The Master came out from behind the hermitage, descended the mountain, and then came back up weeping. The monk shouted, “Have you also come here to do that?” The Master beat his breast with both hands and said, “What a pity! All that belonged to the former master has been buried!” The monk said, “Suffering! Suffering!” The Master said, “The hermitage master has been deceived.”

15. Monk Lichun of Xiangzhou

As the Master was boiling tea, a monk asked, “What is the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from the Western Land?” The Master raised the tea ladle—or bowl. The monk asked, “Is it merely this?” The Master immediately threw it into the fire.

He was asked, “What is it to contemplate that sound and attain liberation?” The Master took the fire tongs and struck the end of a piece of firewood, then asked, “Did you hear it?” The monk replied, “I heard it.” The Master said, “Who is not liberated?”

16. Monk Micang of Cangzhou

The provincial governor invited the Master and the monk Baoshou into the hall for an offering. He had someone circulate an announcement saying, “The two venerable elders are invited to discuss the Buddha-Dharma.” Baoshou said, “May my elder Dharma brother respond.” The Master shouted. Baoshou said, “I have not yet asked anything. Why did you shout?” The Master said, “It still falls a little short.” Baoshou gave a shout.

– Dharma Successors of the Venerable Chen of Muzhou

1. Prefect Chen Cao of Luzhou

After he had taken the meal together with the monks, he raised a cake and asked a monk, “Do they have this in Jiangxi or Hunan?” The monk asked, “What did the Minister just eat?” Chen said, “Strike the bell and thank the echo.”

On another day, after the meal offering to the monks, he personally handed out cakes. When a monk extended his hand to receive one, Chen withdrew his hand. The monk could not respond. Chen said, “Indeed, indeed.”

One day, he asked a monk, “May I discuss a matter with the senior monk?” The monk said, “It suits a dog’s mouth.”

Chen slapped himself on the mouth and said that he had committed an offense. The monk said, “Knowing the offense, I shall immediately correct it.” Chen said, “That is asking the Venerable’s mouth to eat the meal.”

On another occasion, during a Sangha meal, he himself prepared the food and then said, “Venerable, please bestow the food.” The Venerable said, “The three virtues and six flavors.” Chen said, “Wrong.” The Venerable could not reply.

Again, he ascended a tower together with his subordinate officials. Several monks approached. An official said, “All those coming are itinerant monks.” Chen said, “They are not.” The official asked, “How do you know they are not?” Chen said, “Wait until they draw near, and we shall question one another.” As the monks passed beneath the tower, Chen suddenly called, “Venerables!” All the monks turned their heads. Chen said to the officials, “You did not believe what I said.”

He also composed a verse together with a meditation practitioner:

The meditation practitioner possesses the subtle mechanism;
The subtle mechanism is right and also wrong.
If you wish to comprehend the mechanism, just look ahead—
All who pass beneath the bridge immediately go astray.

– Dharma successors of Chan Master Zhixian of Xiangyan, mentioned above.

1. Venerable Zhiguan of Jizhou.

Someone asked, “What is the Vairocana Master?” The Master drew in his belly and displayed it.

Someone asked, “What is sudden awakening?”

The Master said, “It is neither Liang nor Chen.”

2. Chan Master Shaozong of Shouzhou.

Someone asked, “What is the meaning of the coming from the Western Land?”

The Master said, “Good deeds do not leave the gate; evil deeds travel a thousand miles.”

An official said to the Master, “I have heard it said that in Jiangxi no school is established.”

The Master said, “When conditions are encountered, it is established.”

The official asked, “When conditions are encountered, what is established?”

The Master said, “In Jiangxi no school is established.”

3. Dharma Master Duan, titled Great Master Shaozhen, of Yanqing in Xiangzhou.

An official asked, “When an earthworm is cut into two sections and both ends move, in which end is the Buddha-nature?”

The Master waved both hands.

4. Great Master Wuran of Southern Chan in Yizhou.

Someone asked, “Can the Master still answer a phrase that contains no phrase?”

The Master said, “From ancient times until now, only this matter has been spoken of.”

The monk asked, “What is it ultimately?”

The Master replied, “Ask again and see.”

5. Venerable of Mount Changping in Yizhou.

Someone asked, “What is it when the seeing and the blinking are not equal?”

The Master said, “Even when I blink, it requires no effort.”

Someone asked, “What is the meaning of the Patriarch?”

The Master said, “From the Western Heaven he came to the Tang realm.”

6. Great Master Chongfu Yanjiao of Yizhou.

Someone asked, “What are expansive words?”

The Master said, “They can be spoken without a mouth.”

Someone asked, “What is the meaning of the coming from the Western Land?”

The Master said, “Today and tomorrow.”

7. Chan Master Qinggan of Mount Da’an in Anzhou.

Someone asked, “By virtue of what did the sages of former times attain realization?”

The Master thereupon split open his forehead.

Someone asked, “What is the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from the Western Land?”

The Master said, “A goat drags the bright moon.”

8. Venerable of Fengde Monastery on Mount Zhongnan.

Someone asked, “What is the Venerable’s family style?”

The Master said, “When something happens, turn your face toward the wall.”

Someone asked, “What is the matter of ancient and present times?”

The Master said, “Ultimately, do not return to question another person.”

9. Chan Master Foyan Hui of Mount Wudang in Junzhou.

Someone asked, “All year long I have been ill, and moreover have been poisoned. May I ask the Master to cure my illness?”

The Master said, “Two doses in one bowl are required.”

He further asked, “What is the matter beyond Buddha?”

The Master said, “Two topknots.”

10. Practitioner Tian of Shuangxi on Mount Lu in Jiangzhou.

Someone asked, “What is the single mechanism of spitting up and chewing over words?”

The Master made a pecking gesture with his hand.

Someone asked, “What is the meaning of the coming from the Western Land?”

The Master asked, “Where did you obtain that question?”

– Dharma successors of the former Venerable Shuangfeng of Fuzhou.

1. Chan Master Gu of Shuangfeng.

The Master was originally a scripture lecturer. On one occasion he ascended Shuangfeng to pay his respects. Shuangfeng asked, “Where does the Great Virtue reside?”

He replied, “Within the city.”

Shuangfeng asked, “Do you ordinarily think of this old monk?”

He replied, “I constantly think of the Venerable, but have had no means of meeting you.”

Shuangfeng said, “The very one who thinks—what is the Great Virtue?”

The Master thereupon understood the meaning. He immediately returned to his former monastery, relinquished his residence, ceased lecturing, and entered the mountains to attend upon the Master for several years.

Later, he went to Master Shishuang, where he merely followed the assembly and did not request instruction. The assembly questioned Attendant Gu, who had once received Master Shuangfeng’s seal of recognition. They often heard Master Shishuang say, “I wish to examine the place of his awakening, but have not yet had an opportunity.”

When the Master came to take leave of Master Shishuang, Shishuang brought his whisk to the doorway and called, “Attendant Gu!” The Master turned his head. Shishuang said, “To settle upon it and cling to it is immediately wrong; to cling to right is immediately contrary. Neither settling nor rejecting is required, nor is there any need to seek understanding. Unless you know that it is, you should not presume to know. If you wish to go, just go.”

The Master replied, “Yes, yes,” and immediately departed. From afar he sought out Shuangfeng’s place of final repose. He then remained there and succeeded to the abbacy.

A monk asked, “Venerable, when you directly faced Shishuang, what was the purport of Shishuang’s Way?”

The Master replied, “He merely taught me not to cling to right and wrong.”

– Dharma successors of Chan Master Hongren, third generation of Jingshan, mentioned above.

1. Venerable of Miling in Hongzhou.

The Master would ordinarily say, “Do not err here.”

A monk asked, “I do not yet understand why one should not err here.”

The Master said, “Do not raise ‘right.’”

– Dharma successors of the former Venerable Huijue of Guangxiao Cloister in Yangzhou.

1. Chan Master Daoxian.

The Master was a native of Luzhou, and his family name was Liu. At first, he went to inquire of and attend upon Venerable Jue. Upon receiving Jue’s indication, he immediately awakened to the subtle teaching. He then shaved his head on Mount Daguang in Hunan.

When his transforming influence flourished, the Master was invited to reside at Changqing Chan Cloister in Shengzhou. One day, the Master ascended the Dharma Hall and addressed the assembly, saying, “The World-Honored Maitreya entered the sangharama in the morning and attained perfect enlightenment in the evening.” He then spoke this verse:

To see another person speak thus is also to kill a man while fully awake. Compared with my students, however, such a person would still be dull. Therefore, upon seeing the Way in a single thought, the passions of the three times are exhausted, like a seal impressed in clay, without before or after.

All of you, birth and death are the great matter. You must swiftly advance and seize it. Do not carelessly follow the vast and obscure consciousness of karma, for by being deluded about yourselves, you pursue external things.

After the World-Honored One entered nirvana, Manjusri asked all the Buddhas once again to turn the Dharma wheel. The World-Honored One said to Manjusri, “Throughout my forty-nine years in the world, I never gave anyone a single word. You now ask me to turn the Dharma wheel again; are you saying that I ever turned the Dharma wheel?”

Thus, in the present assembly, host and guest are established and questions and answers exchanged. The matter cannot be left at that, for it is what the mind apprehends.

A monk asked, “What is the realm of Changqing?”

The Master replied, “Acarya, walk on and see.”

Someone asked, “What is the great meaning of the Buddha-Dharma?”

The Master said, “Did not the ancients say, ‘The third day of the third month’?”

The monk said, “This student does not understand.”

The Master said, “Enough, enough! There is no need to speak. My Dharma is subtle, wondrous, and difficult to fathom.”

He then descended from the seat. In the second year of Xianping, the Master passed away.

Chan Master Huairang — Sixth Generation.

– Dharma successors of the former Chan Master Guangyong of the Southern Pagoda at Mount Yang.

1. Chan Master Qinghua of Quanfu in Yuezhou.

The Master was a native of Kunshan in Wu Commandery. His father was a merchant, and the Master accompanied him to Yuzhang. Hearing that Chan assemblies were flourishing, he requested permission to leave home. He then went to Jiangxia and followed Great Master Qingping.

Qingping asked, “What have you come seeking?”

He replied, “I seek the Dharma.”

Qingping regarded him as exceptional and accepted him. He then received the full precepts and carefully observed them.

One day, he said to himself, “The teachings of a master are impermanent. Am I to remain idly here like this?” He immediately took his leave and went to Yichun, where, on Mount Yang, he bowed before Venerable Yong of the Southern Pagoda.

Yong asked, “Where have you come from?”

The Master said, “I have come from Ezhou.”

Yong asked, “What is the name of the military governor of Ezhou?”

He replied, “One beneath his authority does not dare to know.”

Yong said, “Altogether, this land has nothing to fear.”

The Master said, “When great men meet face-to-face, they must test one another.”

Yong was astonished and laughed, and thereupon gave him the seal of approval.

The Master then traveled to Luling. The magistrate of Anfu established Yingguo Chan Cloister and invited him to reside there, where he gathered students of the Way. When the king heard of his reputation, he bestowed upon him the title Qinghua.

A monk asked, “What is the Master’s most urgent place of acting for the sake of others?”
The Master said, “In the morning, look southeast; in the evening, look northwest.” The monk said, “I do not understand.”
The Master said, “You merely boast of the guest from the Eastern Ocean, but know nothing of the treasure of the Western Ocean.” He was asked, “What is the eye of the True Dharma?” The Master said, “It cannot be a piss-soaked bed beneath the clear blue sky in broad daylight.” Later, a monk from the Master’s native village urged him to return to his old home. King Wenmu of the Qian clan held the Master in exceptional esteem.

In the second year of the Tianfu era of the Later Jin, the dingyou year, the Qian clan dispatched a general to open up the summit of Yunfeng and establish a monastery there, likewise naming it Qinghua. Companions in the Dharma gathered there in great numbers. A monk asked, “What is the great meaning of the Buddhadharma?” The Master said, “Flowers atop a pillar; a wooden crane flies.” He was asked, “When one encounters a person who has attained the Way midway along the road, speech will not do, nor will a silent response.

I do not yet know what one should use to answer.” The Master replied, “The pupil is in the eye; speech is in the mouth.” He was asked, “How old are you, Master?” The Master said, “I have only just recalled the ninth day of the ninth month last year, and now once again I see the autumn leaves turn yellow.” A monk asked, “What is the countless?” The Master said, “Ask the yellow leaves.” He was asked, “What is the ultimate matter?” The Master replied, “Six dice fill the red bowl.” He was asked, “Where does a monk go after death?” The Master said, “The long interval is never interrupted;

a cluster of foam lets the wind play with it.” He was asked, “Do you accept offerings or not?” The Master said, “It is not that there are no offerings.” The monk asked, “What are the offerings like?” The Master said, “The fisherman’s song stirs the oars; within the deep cavern, the sound is heard.” King Zhongxian bestowed a purple robe upon the Master, but the Master did not accept it.

The king instead bestowed a patched robe and conferred upon him the title Chan Master Chunyi. The Master said, “It is not that I decline adornment; I only fear that later people, seeing what I have done, will give free rein to indulgence.” In the fourth year of the Kaiyun era, the dingwei year, in the seventh month of autumn, the Master became ill, then serenely passed away while seated. A violent storm arose and shook the forest trees.

He was sixty-six years old and had spent forty-five years in the Sangha.
2. Chan Master Huìqīng of Bajiao Mountain in Chengzhou.
The Master was a native of Silla. He was asked, “What is the land of Bajiao like?” The Master said, “Warm in winter and cool in summer.” He was asked, “What is the sword upon which a blown hair is severed?” The Master said, “Advance three steps.” He was asked, “How is it used?” The Master said, “Retreat three steps.” He was asked, “What is the Master’s single phrase for the sake of others?” The Master said, “I only fear that the Acarya will not ask.” The Master ascended the Dharma Hall and addressed the assembly, saying, “Do you understand?

All of you, take good care of yourselves.” He was asked, “What is it like when one does not say that there is a question?” The Master said, “Before leaving the Three Gates, one has traveled a thousand miles.” He was asked, “What is one’s own self?” The Master said, “Face south and look at the Northern Dipper.” He was asked, “When both illumination and objects have vanished, what is it?” The Master said, “Knowing.” He was asked, “What is knowing?” The Master said, “Jiulang is in Jianzhou.” He was asked, “What is the essential principle of Deva?” The Master said, “The red banner is on the left.” The Master asked a monk, “Where have you recently departed from?” The monk replied, “Master, please try to say.” The Master said, “I was about to call you a merchant aboard a great ship,

but after all you are merely a traveler from Dangzhou.” He was asked, “Without speaking of two heads or three heads, I ask the Master to point directly to the original face.” The Master sat upright in silence.

He was asked, “When a bandit comes, one must strike; when a guest comes, one must receive him. If suddenly a guest and a bandit arrive together, what then?” The Master said, “In the house is a pair of worn-out straw sandals.” He was asked, “Can such a pair of worn-out straw sandals be put to use?” The Master said, “If you are about to depart, there will first be misfortune and afterward no good fortune.” He was asked, “What is the meaning of concealing oneself within the Northern Dipper?” The Master said, “Nine times nine is eighty-one.” The Master then said, “Do you understand?” The monk said, “I do not understand.” The Master said, “One, two, three, four, five.” He was asked, “What was it like before the ancient Buddha appeared in the world?” The Master said,

“A thousand-year-old lotus root.” He was asked, “What was it like after he appeared in the world?” The Master said, “The vajra guardian glares wrathfully.” The Master ascended the Dharma Hall, remained silent for a long while, and then said, “You humiliate one another.

Take good care of yourselves.”
3. Yìchū, titled Great Master Mingwei, of Huanglian Mountain in Changle County, Shaozhou.
He was asked, “I do not ask about the Three Vehicles and the twelve divisions of the teachings. I ask the Master to open his mouth without replying in words.” The Master said, “Upon the jeweled lotus dais, has samadhi been so from ancient times to the present?” The Master said, “A single spot of black ink circulates without shifting.” He was asked, “This student understands absolutely nothing; I ask the Master to instruct me.” The Master said, “Although numinous awareness turns, no flower falls.” The monk said, “The ancient road leaves no tracks.

How does one advance?” The Master said, “The golden crow circles Mount Sumeru; fundamentally, it abides together with the kalpa.” He was asked, “If so, one can reach the other shore.” The Master said, “The Yellow River runs clear once in three thousand years.” An official surnamed Liu in Guangnan admired the Master’s Way and invited him into the prefectural residence to expound the Dharma. A monk asked, “What is it like when the human king and the Dharma King meet?” The Master said, “Two mirrors shine upon one another, and the myriad forms appear distinctly.” He was asked, “The essential mind-seal of Dharma King Bodhidharma came from India, and the Fifth Patriarch entrusted it to Caoxi.

From then onward, the robe and bowl were no longer transmitted. I have not yet discerned what is entrusted before the jade steps.” The Master said, “A stone sheep walks upon the water; a wooden horse flies through the night.” The monk said, “Then, when our sovereign inspires a response, the myriad nations come to pay homage?” The Master replied, “Everyone sings the song of Great Peace.” He was asked, “What is Buddha?” The Master said, “On his chest is the svastika; behind his back is the luminous aureole.” A monk asked, “What is the Way?” The Master opened both hands.

The monk asked, “How far apart are Buddha and the Way?” The Master said, “Like water and waves.”
4. Huilin Hongjiu, titled Great Master Miaoji, of Shaozhou.
A monk asked, “The thousand sages constantly travel this road. What is this road?” The Master said, “Indeed, you do not see it.” He was asked, “What is the meaning of Patriarch Lu facing the wall?” The Master said, “Where is there any snow?” He was asked, “What is the urgent matter?” The Master said, “You dull-witted fellow.” He was asked, “What is the Master’s family style?” The Master said, “The great standard of all quarters.” He was asked, “How do all those who study samadhi and wisdom see clearly the principle of the nature?” The Master said, “Renovate the Brahma hall.”

– Dharma heirs of Chan Master Guangmu of the Western Pagoda on Yangshan, mentioned above.

1. Chan Master Rubao of Zifu Monastery in Jizhou.
A monk asked, “What is the phrase that accords with the occasion?” The Master remained silent. He was asked, “What is the mysterious purport?” The Master said, “You and I shall close the door.” He was asked, “What is the meaning of Patriarch Lu turning to face the wall?” The Master said, “Do not become involved.” He was asked, “What is the true eye transmitted from the past?” The Master struck his chest and said, “Blue sky!

Blue sky!” The monk said, “What harm is there in borrowing it to ask again?” The Master said, “Idle.” He was asked, “Can that be learned or not?” The Master said, “Has the earth ever cut and sewn empty space?” He was asked, “What is the most urgent place of a patch-robed monk?” The Master said, “It does not go beyond this question.” The monk said, “Before this student asks, I invite the Master to speak.” The Master said, “Alas!” He was asked, “Everywhere, all things are wondrous functioning.

I do not yet know how it is here with the Master.” The Master said, “Alas!” He was asked, “The ancients grasped the mallet and raised the whisk. What is the principle of this?” The Master said, “Mute!” He was asked, “What is the single road to the gate of nirvana?” The Master snapped his fingernail once and then opened both hands wide. The monk asked, “How should this be understood?” The Master said, “It is not the bright autumn moon;

the stars themselves traverse the eighth and ninth heavens.” He was asked, “What is the Master’s family style?” The Master said, “After eating rice, drink three bowls of tea.” One day, the Master raised his sitting mat and instructed the assembly, saying, “All Buddhas and bodhisattvas, and all sages who have entered the principle, emerge from here.” He then threw it down, bared his chest, and said, “What is it?” The assembly could not answer.

A monk asked, “Since this student first entered the monastery, one summer retreat has nearly ended, yet I have received no instruction from the Master. I beg you to rescue me.” The Master lifted up that monk and said, “Since this old monk became abbot, he has never blinded the eyes of a single monk.” At times, the Master would sit silently for a long while, then look all around and ask, “Do you understand?” The assembly replied, “We do not understand.”

The Master said, “Not understanding means that I would be deceiving you.”

One day, the Master placed a sitting cushion upon his head and said, “If you are like this, it is difficult for us to speak with one another.” The assembly made no reply. The Master took it down, sat upon it, and said, “You are merely imitating this fellow.”

– Dharma successors of Chan Master Zhixian of Guanxi:

1. Venerable Jiao of Mount Luzu in Chizhou.

A monk asked, “What is the matter right before the eyes?”

The Master said, “A clay flute is not yet a musical instrument; the gourd upon the rack has not yet been gathered in.”

He asked, “What is the twin sal trees?”

The Master said, “Within the body without characteristics is a body with characteristics.”

He asked, “What is the body with characteristics within the body without characteristics?”

The Master said, “Iron Kunlun beneath the golden incense burner.”

He asked, “What is the person who comes alone to spend the night upon the high mountain?”

The Master said, “At midnight the sun shines brightly; at noon the watch is struck for the third watch.”

He asked, “What is the matter beyond convention?”

The Master said, “After the conditions of transformation through the Way have ended, on which side is empty space?”

He asked, “What is it like when advancing to the gateless?”

The Master said, “Great stupidity gives rise.”

A monk said, “I am not one of dull faculties. What is it like when advancing directly to the gateless?”

The Master said, “The numinous function has never discussed boundaries; grasping the boundless Dharma, one remains in darkness.”

He asked, “What is the place where the student exerts himself?”

The Master said, “When spring comes, the grass naturally turns green; once the moon rises, the sky grows bright.”

He asked, “What is the place where no effort is made?”

The Master said, “The icy mountain crumbles and its rocks fall; the frozen river burns with fire and flows away.”

– Dharma successors of Chan Master Cunjiang of Xinghua in Weifu:

1. Venerable Baoying of Ruzhou.

The Master ascended the Dharma Hall and instructed the assembly, saying, “Upon the lump of red flesh stands a sheer wall ten thousand feet high.”

At that time, a monk asked, “Is not the sheer wall ten thousand feet high upon the lump of red flesh the Venerable’s Way?”

The Master said, “It is.”

The monk then lifted up the meditation platform. The Master said, “That blind donkey!” and struck him.

The Master asked a monk, “Where have you recently come from?”

The monk said, “Changshui.”

The Master asked, “Does it flow east or west?”

He replied, “Neither.”

The Master asked, “Why?”

The monk said, “Take care.”

The Master immediately struck him and drove him from the Dharma Hall.

A monk came for an interview. The Master raised his whisk.

The monk said, “Today the empty doorway is deficient.”

The Master lowered the whisk.

The monk asked, “Is there also this?”

The Master then struck him.

The Master asked a monk, “Where have you recently come from?”

The monk replied, “I have recently left Xiangzhou.”

The Master asked, “What have you come for?”

He replied, “I have come especially to pay homage to the Venerable.”

The Master said, “It happens that old Baoying is not here.”

The monk immediately shouted.

The Master said, “I told you he is not here. Why do you shout again?”

The monk shouted once more. The Master then struck him. The monk bowed.

The Master said, “With this staff, you were originally striking me, yet I have struck you instead. Three or five blows for these words!”

Before the Venerable Daxing Siming became abbot of the Western Cloister, he came for an interview, bowed, and said, “There is no other special matter. In Xuzhou I obtained a Jiangxi razor and have come to offer it to the Venerable.”

The Master said, “You came from Xuzhou; how could you have obtained a Jiangxi razor?”

Siming seized the Master’s hand and pulled it downward with a single jerk.

The Master told the attendant, “Put it away.”

Siming brushed out his sleeves and departed.

The Master said, “Wrong! Wrong!”

The Master ascended the Dharma Hall and said, “Everywhere else, they possess only the eye of simultaneous pecking from within and tapping from without, but they lack the function of simultaneous pecking and tapping.”

At that time, a monk immediately asked, “What is the function of simultaneous pecking and tapping?”

The Master said, “When adepts meet, there is no pecking and tapping; simultaneous pecking and tapping is lost.”

The monk said, “That is still not what I was asking.”

The Master said, “Then what were you asking?”

The monk replied, “Lost.”

The Master then struck him. The monk did not accept it.

Later, while in the assembly of Xuefeng, that monk heard two monks discussing this former encounter. One monk said, “At that time, Nan’yuan’s staff broke.” Upon hearing these words, the monk suddenly attained great awakening and for the first time perceived the point of Nan’yuan’s reply.

The monk went to Ruzhou to pay a visit, but by then the Master had already passed away. He therefore questioned Fengxue. Fengxue recognized him and immediately asked, “Are you the senior monk who at that time asked Nan’yuan about simultaneous pecking and tapping?”

The monk replied, “Yes.”

Fengxue said, “You still do not understand.”

The monk said, “But I do understand.”

Fengxue asked, “Do you understand or not?”

The monk said, “At that time, it was like walking within the light of a lamp.”

Fengxue said, “Then you understand.”

– Dharma successors of Venerable Zhao of Baoshou:

1. Chan Master Siming of the Western Cloister in Ruzhou.

Someone asked, “What is the monastery?”

The Master said, “Dense thickets and thorny brambles.”

He asked, “Who is the person within the monastery?”

The Master said, “The children Huan and Le.”

He asked, “What is Linji’s single verse?”

The Master said, “A thousand-jin crossbow is not discharged at a field mouse.”

He asked, “Venerable, where is your compassion?”

The Master then struck him.

The monk Songyi arrived at the Dharma seat and, after a week, said, “Never mind someone who understands the Buddhadharma; one cannot even find a person capable of presenting a saying.” The Master heard this but remained silent.

On another day, when Songyi ascended the Dharma Hall, the Master called, “Songyi!”

Songyi raised his head.

The Master said, “Wrong!”

Songyi advanced two or three steps.

The Master again said, “Wrong!”

The Master called, “Songyi!”

Songyi came nearer again.

The Master said, “Just now there were two wrongs. Was the senior monk wrong, or was old Siming wrong?”

He replied, “Songyi was wrong.”

The Master said, “Wrong!”

He then said, “Senior monk, remain here for the time being. Spend the summer with me, and we shall discuss these two wrongs.”

Songyi refused and immediately departed.

Later, while dwelling on Mount Tianping in Xiangzhou, whenever the Master raised this former saying, he would say, “When I went on pilgrimage, a fierce wind blew me to Ruzhou. The elder of the Western Cloister exposed my three wrongs and then asked me to remain through the summer so that we could discuss them. At that time, I did not call it wrong. When I was about to set out and intended to journey south, I realized that I had already been wrong.”

2. Venerable of Baoshou.

A monk asked, “What is the Patriarch?”

The Master said, “His face makes a man white.”

He asked, “What is it like when the transformed city has been trampled down and overturned?”

The Master said, “Like a dead fellow who has not yet been beheaded.”

The monk said, “Behead him!”

The Master then struck him.

– Dharma successors of the former Chan Master Huiran of Sansheng:

1. Venerable Dabei of Zhenzhou.

A monk asked, “Setting aside what is above and removing what is below, may the Venerable speak directly.”

The Master said, “If I open my mouth, I err.”

The monk said, “Truly you are a teacher of the crane-robed ones.”

The Master said, “Today I have died in the hands of my disciple.”

2. Venerable Shuilu of Chizhou.

A monk asked, “What is the place where the student applies his mind?”

The Master said, “Applying the mind is an error.”

The monk asked, “What is it like when not a single thought arises?”

The Master said, “That fellow has no place of application.”

He asked, “How should one understand this matter?”

The Master said, “It is greatly avoided.”

He asked, “What is the very first phrase?”

The Master immediately shouted.

He asked, “What is it like when meeting on a narrow road?”

The Master bared his belly and thrust it forward once.

– Dharma successors of the former Venerable Dajue of Weifu:

1. Venerable Dajue of Luzhou.

A monk asked, “Before Niutou met the Fourth Patriarch, why did birds and beasts carry flowers in their mouths?”

The Master said, “There were animals.”

He asked, “After he had met the Fourth Patriarch, why did they no longer carry flowers in their mouths?”

The Master replied, “There were no such animals.”

2. Thus did Venerable Minde of the Chengxin Cloister in Luzhou encounter Venerable Xinghua, who instructed the assembly, saying, “If one is an adept, one is like a battle commander who immediately takes up a single sword and charges straight in. Yet do not act like this.”

The Master came forward, bowed three times, rose, and shouted. Xinghua also shouted. The Master shouted again, and Xinghua also shouted. The Master then bowed with his head to the ground and returned to the assembly.

Xinghua said, “Tonight Minde has received twenty blows from Xinghua. Even so, Minde understands. Minde will shout no more.”

3. Venerable of the Southern Cloister in Ruzhou.

A monk asked, “What is it like when four horses arrive with one man?”

The Master said, “Wait until I break my staff.”

He asked, “Do you receive a person of the very highest faculties and wisdom?”

The Master said, “I receive such a person.”

The monk said, “Master, please receive me.”

The Master said, “Then we may meet as equals.”

The Master asked a newly arrived monk, “Where have you recently come from?” He replied, “Hanshang.”
The Master said, “You too are at fault; I too am at fault.” The monk could not answer. Seeing
another newly arrived monk, the Master seized him tightly and asked, “What are you doing? What are you doing?” The monk could not answer.
The Master said, “For thirty years I have ridden horses; today I have been kicked by a donkey (slapped?).” Another monk
had just arrived. The Master said, “Ruined (defeated?)!” and threw down his staff. The monk asked, “What did you say?” The Master
thereupon struck him.
Master Huairang — Fourth Generation.

– Dharma heirs of Chan Master Xiyun of Mount Huangbo,

formerly of Hongzhou.
1. Chan Master Yixuan of Linji, Zhenzhou.
The Master was a native of Nanhua in Caozhou, and his family name was Xing. From childhood he aspired
to leave the dust of worldly life. After shaving his head and receiving the full precepts, he became devoted to the Chan school. At that time,
he lived among the assembly under Master Huangbo, attending upon him and seeking instruction. At first, the head monk
in the Dharma Hall urged him to ask a question. The Master then asked, “What is the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming
from India?” Huangbo immediately struck him. Thus he asked three times
and was struck three times. The Master then took leave of the head monk, saying, “Earlier you urged me
to ask a question, but each time the Venerable gave me a taste of his staff. I regret my own dullness
and ask leave to travel on foot to other regions.” The head monk then said to Huangbo,
“Although Yixuan is a younger monk, he is truly extraordinary. When he comes
to bid farewell, I beg the Venerable to extend compassion and instruct him further.” The next day, the Master came to take his leave, and Huangbo
directed him to Master Dayu. The Master then went to consult Master Dayu. Dayu asked,
“Where have you come from?” He replied, “From Huangbo.” Dayu asked, “What did Huangbo teach
you?” He replied, “When Yixuan asked about the meaning of the Buddha-Dharma, the Venerable
struck me. This happened three times, and all three times I was struck. I do not know what fault I committed.” Dayu said,
“That grandmotherly Huangbo has exhausted himself on your behalf, yet you still come here looking for your fault.” Upon hearing these
words, the Master immediately attained great awakening and said, “After all, there is not much to Huangbo’s Buddha-Dharma.” Dayu seized him firmly (grasped the Master? took up his staff?
threw down his staff?) and said, “You bed-wetting devil! A moment ago you said you did not understand, and now you say
there is not much to Huangbo’s Buddha-Dharma. What principle have
you seen? Speak quickly! Speak quickly!” The Master thereupon punched Master Dayu three times in the belly. Dayu cried out, “Your teacher
is Huangbo; this has nothing to do with me!” The Master took leave of Dayu
and returned to Huangbo. Huangbo asked, “Why have you returned so soon?” The Master replied, “Only because your grandmotherly
kindness brought this fellow’s affair to completion,” and then stood in attendance. Huangbo asked, “What did Dayu
say?” The Master then related what had happened. Huangbo said, “That old fellow Dayu!
Just wait until I see him; I shall give him a sound beating.” The Master said, “Why speak of waiting until you see him? Have it right now!”
He then struck Huangbo with one slap (one punch?). Huangbo said, “This mad fellow
has come here to pluck the tiger’s whiskers!” The Master immediately shouted. Huangbo called out, “Attendant, take
this mad fellow up to the Dharma Hall!” One day, the Master joined Huangbo in communal labor,
weeding the fields, and walked behind him. Huangbo turned his head, saw that the Master was empty-handed, and
asked, “Where is your hoe?” The Master replied, “Someone carried it away.” Huangbo said, “Come forward
and discuss this with me.” The Master then stepped forward. Huangbo took his hoe, struck the ground with it,
and said, “No one in the whole world can lift this.” The Master then seized it in his hand,
held it straight up, and asked, “Then how is it now in my hand?” Huangbo said,
“Today there is someone doing communal weeding; I shall not go after all,” and returned to the monastery.
On another occasion, Huangbo was leading communal work in the tea garden. Huangbo arrived afterward.
The Master greeted him and stood leaning on his hoe. Huangbo said, “Do not stand there idle.”
He replied, “I have just hoed the ground; how can you say I am standing idle?” Huangbo then raised his staff
and struck him. The Master caught the staff and pushed the Venerable to the ground. Huangbo called out, “Karmadana, help me
up!” The karmadana helped him up and then said, “Venerable, why do you tolerate this mad fellow’s
insolence?” Huangbo struck the karmadana. The Master continued hoeing and said, “Everywhere else they cremate the dead,
but here I bury them alive.” One day, the Master was sleeping in Huangbo’s Sangha Hall.
Huangbo entered, took the staff beside the sleeping platform, and struck (the frame?) three times. The Master raised his head,
saw that it was the Venerable, and went back to sleep. Huangbo struck the mat three times, then went to the upper hall,
where he saw the head monk sitting in meditation, and said, “That young fellow below is sitting in meditation;
what are you doing here indulging in delusive thoughts?” The head monk said, “Has the old fellow gone mad?” Huangbo struck
the signal board (or struck the head monk with the board) once and went out. The Master and Huangbo were mending (cutting?) robes.
Huangbo said, “Deep in the mountains, what are so many trees planted (cut) for?”
The Master said, “First, to leave a memorial for later people to remember ancient times; second, to make a signpost
for the mountain monastery.” Having said this, he struck the ground three times with his hoe. Huangbo said,
“Even so, you have already tasted my staff.” The Master then struck the ground three times with his hoe and
wailed aloud. Huangbo said, “When my lineage reaches you, this prophecy will first become manifest.”
Once, midway through the summer retreat, the Master went up Mount Huangbo and found the Venerable reading sutras.
The Master said, “I had thought this man was the old Venerable of the Dark-Bean Hermitage.” After staying
several days, the Master took his leave. Huangbo said, “You broke the summer retreat to come here,
yet you will not complete the retreat.” The Master replied, “I came only briefly to pay homage to the Venerable.” Huangbo
then struck him and drove him away. After walking several miles, the Master had doubts about the matter, so he returned and completed
the summer retreat. One day, the Master took leave of Huangbo. Huangbo asked, “Where are you going?” He replied, “If not
south of the Yellow River, then north of it.” Huangbo raised his staff to strike him. The Master snatched the staff away and said,
“Old fellow with your blind cangue and sightless staff, do not mistakenly strike people later!” Huangbo immediately
called, “Attendant, bring out the armrest, desk, and Chan board!” The Master said, “Attendant, bring out the fire!”
Huangbo said, “Do not burn them (that is not what I mean). You should take them with you; in the future, while sitting there, you will judge (cut off)
the tongues of everyone in the world.” The Master immediately departed. He came to the Hsiung-erh Stupa.
The keeper of the stupa asked, “Will you first bow to the Buddha or first bow to the Patriarch?” The Master said, “I bow to
neither Patriarch nor Buddha.” The stupa keeper said, “What enmity do the Patriarch and Buddha have with the Elder
that you bow to neither?” The Master immediately shook out his sleeves and departed. Later, the Master returned to his native region.
Governor Zhao invited him to reside at Linji Chan Monastery south of the city,
and students came in great numbers. One day, the Master ascended the Dharma Hall and said, “All of you,
upon this lump of red flesh there is a True Person of No Rank who is constantly coming and going
through your faces. Those who have not yet realized this—look! Look!” At that time, a
monk asked, “What is the True Person of No Rank?” The Master came down from the Chan seat,
seized him firmly, and said, “Speak! Speak!” Just as the monk was about to discuss it, the Master pushed him away
and said, “The True Person of No Rank—what a dried lump of dung!” He then returned to the abbot’s quarters.
The Master asked Luopu, “When a person comes from above, whether one strikes or shouts, which is more intimate?”
He replied, “Both are directly intimate.” The Master said, “What is the place of intimacy?” Luopu immediately shouted. The Master then
struck him. The Master asked Venerable Mukou, “What is the white ox on the open ground?”
Mukou immediately bellowed. The Master said, “Mute!” Mukou said, “What are you doing, elder brother?”
The Master said, “Beast!” Dajue came for an interview. The Master raised his fly-whisk.
Dajue spread out his sitting cloth. The Master immediately threw down the fly-whisk. Dajue then rolled up his sitting cloth and entered
the Sangha Hall. The monks said, “Is that monk not an intimate of the Venerable? Why did he neither bow
nor receive a beating?” Hearing this, the Master had the newly arrived monk summoned. Dajue then came out.
The Master said, “The assembly says that you have not yet paid your respects to the Elder.” Dajue said, “Pay no heed; that is up to
the assembly (let them say what they will).” Magu came for an interview, spread out his sitting cloth, and asked, “Of Avalokitesvara’s
twelve faces, which is the true one?” The Master descended from the Chan seat, rolled up the sitting cloth with one hand,
and seized and pushed him with the other? Magu asked, “Where have the twelve faces gone?” Magu turned around,
intending to sit upon the Chan seat. The Master raised his staff and struck him. Magu caught the staff and took

and brought it into the abbot’s quarters. The Master ascended the Dharma Hall and said: “Great assembly, those who act for the sake of the Dharma do not shrink from sacrificing body and life. When I was with my former master Huangbo, three times I asked about the essential meaning of the Buddha-Dharma, and all three times I was struck with the staff. Now this whisk of broom twigs resembles the one of old. Who, I wonder, can take a beating on my behalf?”

A monk stepped forward and said, “I can do it.” The Master handed him the staff. Just as the monk was about to take it, the Master immediately struck him.

A monk asked, “What is the first phrase?”

The Master said:

“The Three Essentials stamp down the vermilion seal;
Before deliberation, host and guest are distinguished.”

He asked, “What is the second phrase?”

The Master said:

“How could wondrous understanding permit an unimpeded question?
How could an overturning utterance allow the pivotal stream to be severed?”

He asked, “What is the third phrase?”

The Master replied:

“Regard the puppet upon the stage;
Its pulling and drawing depend entirely upon the person within.”

The Master further said: “As a rule, a single phrase must contain the Three Mysterious Gates, and each Mysterious Gate must contain the Three Essentials. There is provisional means and there is function. How do you understand this?”

Then, on the tenth day of the fourth month in the seventh year of the Xiantong era of the Tang dynasty (the bingxu year), when the Master was about to pass away, he ascended the Dharma Hall and said: “After I am gone, you must not allow my treasury of the true Dharma eye to be lost.”

Master Sansheng stepped forward and said, “How would I dare allow the Venerable’s treasury of the true Dharma eye to be lost?”

The Master said, “If someone later asks you about it, what will you say?”

Sansheng immediately shouted.

The Master said, “Who would have known that my treasury of the true Dharma eye would be extinguished in this blind donkey?”

He then recited a verse:

“Following along without cease, why keep asking how?
True illumination, boundless, speaks just like it.
Apart from form and apart from name, no one can learn it;
The hair-blown blade, urgently wielded, swiftly turns.”

After completing the recitation, the Master passed away while seated. The emperor bestowed upon him the posthumous title Great Master Huizhao. His stupa was named Chengling.