景德傳燈錄

THE JINGDE RECORD OF THE TRANSMISSION OF THE LAMP — VOLUME 19

FASCICLE 19
The Sixth Generation after Master Xingsi (Part 3), comprising 42 persons

– Dharma successors of Chan Master Yicun of Xuefeng in Fuzhou (continued). There were 42 persons:

• Chan Masters of the Sixth Generation after Master Xingsi (Part 3)
• Dharma successors of Chan Master Yicun of Xuefeng in Fuzhou

1. Great Master Mingzhen Hongtao of Anguo Cloister in Fuzhou.
The Master was a native of Quanzhou, and his family name was Chen. From an early age he entirely abstained from fish and meat and vowed to leave the household life. At Longhua Monastery, he received the full precepts under Master Dongchan and afterward went to Xuefeng. Xuefeng saw that the Master's capacity and generosity surpassed those of others and that he could become a vessel of the Dharma. He therefore guided him, using his inherent faith to lead him into the profound. The Master also visited the Chan communities and attained the samadhi taught in the various regions, after which he returned to Master Xuefeng.
Xuefeng asked, “Where have you come from?”
He replied, “From Jiangxi.”
Xuefeng asked, “Where did you see Bodhidharma?”
He replied, “The Venerable has stated it clearly.”
Xuefeng asked, “What did I say?”
He replied, “You asked where I had come from.”
One day, upon seeing the Master, Xuefeng suddenly seized him firmly and said, “The whole universe is the gate of liberation. I take you by the hand and tell you to enter, yet you refuse to enter.”
The Master asked, “Venerable, it is strange that Hongtao cannot attain it.”
Xuefeng said, “Even so, why do you later go against so many monks?”
The Master once cited the inscription of the National Preceptor, saying, “When attained, an orchid robe in the mind becomes a sandalwood tree; when lost, sweet dew at the fingertips becomes a thorn garden.” The Master seized a monk and asked, “One statement must contain the two meanings of attainment and loss. What do you say?”
The monk raised his fist and said, “It cannot be called a fist.”
The Master did not accept this. He likewise raised a fist and offered his own response: “It is simply called a fist.”
The Master accepted an invitation to Junshan and journeyed east with his disciples. Later, when the military governor of Min heard of the Master's virtue in the Way, he had him reside at Anguo Monastery, where he widely proclaimed the profound teaching. His disciples numbered more than eight hundred.
A monk asked, “What is the meaning of the coming from the Western Land?”
The Master said, “Indeed, indeed—but do not misunderstand.”
He asked, “What is the first phrase?”
The Master said, “Ask! Ask!”
A monk asked, “This student has never yet exhausted the pivotal function. I ask the Master to exhaust it.”
The Master remained silent for a long while, and the monk bowed.
The Master asked, “If you suddenly went elsewhere and someone questioned you, what would you do?”
He replied, “I would never dare present it mistakenly.”
The Master said, “Before you have even left the gate, I can already see enough to laugh at.”
A monk asked, “How did Bodhidharma transmit the mind?”
The Master said, “Su fei hou zhu?”
He asked, “What is the matter within the vehicle of the lineage?”
The Master said, “I should not disperse the assembly on account of Elder Brother.”
He asked, “Without falling into being or nonbeing, I ask the Master to speak of it completely.”
The Master said, “Use your own judgment and see.”
He asked, “What is the matter on the tip of a single hair?”
The Master grasped his kasaya and stood up.
The monk said, “I ask the Master to instruct me.”
The Master said, “Embrace the truth; there is no need for many hardships. Upon reaching the court, present it at once for the King of Chu to see.”
A monk asked, “What is it like when all is tranquil and there are no words?”
The Master said, “Take one more step forward.”
He asked, “Every spoken phrase falls within the expedient means of causes and conditions. What is it that does not fall within the expedient means of causes and conditions?”
The Master said, “One often encounters those who draw water, but seldom encounters one who carries the jar.”
He asked, “The single path beyond has not been transmitted by the thousand sages. I do not yet know how the Venerable transmits it.”
The Master said, “Still leave your mouth to eat your rice.”
He asked, “What is a person of lofty attainment?”
The Master said, “At the river crossing there is no You who washed his ears; by the chessboard stream, all traces of the fisherman have vanished.”
He asked, “Throughout the twelve periods of the day, how can one be delivered from birth and death?”
The Master said, “When carrying the bowl, there is no need to look at various pleasures; walking upon ice, how could one afford a mistaken step?”
A monk asked, “This student intends to ask about the vehicle of the lineage. Will the Master permit it?”
The Master replied, “Just ask.”
As the monk was about to ask, the Master shouted, “Withdraw!”
A monk asked, “With birth and death directly before one, how can one escape?”
The Master replied, “Bring birth and death here.”
He asked, “Why is it said that one who knows cannot speak?”
The Master said, “Why are you cutting down the name?”
He asked, “What is the sword that saves a person's life?”
The Master said, “I dare not make you blind.”
He asked, “What is the blade that kills a person?”
The Master said, “Only this is it.”
He asked, “Without touching the point of the blade, how can one recognize a kindred voice?”
The Master said, “Five-year-old donkey, be gone!”
A monk asked, “I earnestly implore the Master for one word.”
The Master said, “You deserve to be killed for hesitating.”
He asked, “Why is it thus?”
The Master replied, “It, too, must be fine and complete.”
A monk asked, “Can a person who constantly abides in the correct position digest the offerings of humans and devas?”
The Master replied, “He cannot digest them.”
He asked, “Why can he not digest them?”
The Master said, “Wearing clothes and eating rice—how could he digest them?”
The Master cited the occasion when Venerable Leng was still at Zhaoqing. Standing at the eastern corner of the Dharma hall, Leng told a monk, “Ask one question from within there.”
The monk immediately asked, “Venerable, why do you not abide in the correct position?”
Leng said, “Because you have come like this.”
The monk asked, “What should be done right now?”
Leng said, “Of what use are your eyes?”
After citing this, the Master said, “Someone else asked in this way because that was the principle. What would you say today?”
Later, Anguo said, “Then the whole assembly may disperse at once.”
The Master also supplied his own answer, saying, “Then the whole assembly bows at once.”
2. Chan Master Guiben of Shuangquan Cloister on Mount Yungai in Xiangzhou.
The Master was a native of Jingzhao Prefecture. He left the household life when young, donned the monastic robe and received the precepts at the age of sixteen, and recited the Lotus Sutra. When he first paid homage to Master Xuefeng, Xuefeng stepped down from the Chan platform, walked out behind it, and sat down. At that very moment, the Master awakened.
A monk asked, “What is Shuangquan?”
The Master replied, “What a pity for that pair of eyebrows!”
The monk said, “This student does not understand.”
The Master replied, “Never having troubled the strength of King Wu, you know nothing of the swift-flowing water of affairs of state.”
A monk asked, “What is the meaning of the coming from the Western Land?”
The Master immediately seized him and stood up. The monk's countenance changed.
The Master said, “Here, I have no such thing.”
The Master's fingers were slender and long, exceptionally different from those of other people, and so he was called Great Master Shouxiang, ‘Marks of the Hands.’
3. Venerable Linquan of Shaozhou.

A monk asked, “What is dust?” The Master replied, “Unknowingly, it forms mounds and mountains.”

When the Master took leave of Great Master Từ Quang at Bạch Vân, Bạch Vân accompanied him out through the gate and down the steps, saying, “Go slowly; do not say that you have fallen.” The Master said, “What if I suddenly fall?” Bạch Vân said, “There will be no need to help you up.” The Master laughed loudly and withdrew.

4. The Venerable of Nam Viện in the Eastern Capital of Lạc.

Someone asked, “What is meant by ‘dharmas do not arise’?” The Master said, “They arise.”

There was a Confucian scholar, widely read in books ancient and modern, whom people of the time called Trương Bá Hội. One day he came to see the Master. The Master asked, “Are you Trương Bá Hội?” He replied, “I dare not presume.” The Master drew a single stroke in the air with his hand and asked, “Do you understand?” He replied, “I do not understand.” The Master said, “You do not even understand one; how could you understand a hundred?”

5. Chan Master Khả Hưu of Động Nham, Việt Prefecture.

Someone asked, “What is the true master of Động Nham?” The Master replied, “Open it up.”

Someone asked, “What is the place where the Venerable intimately acts for people?” The Master said, “The great ocean holds dead bodies.”

Someone asked, “What is the one path leading upward?” The Master raised his collar and showed it.

Someone asked, “This student has come from afar and asks the Master to speak expediently.” The Master said, “The expedient has already been given.”

6. Chan Master Hành Châu of Pháp Hải Monastery, Định Prefecture.

Someone asked, “When the wind has ceased and the waves are still, what is it like then?” The Master said, “It blows down the southern wall.”

Someone asked, “What is the treasure within the Way?” The Master said, “It does not reveal its radiance.”

Someone asked, “Is that itself the treasure?” The Master replied, “That already reveals it.”

7. Chan Master Thông of Long Tỉnh, Hàng Prefecture.

Senior Monk Thê of the region asked, “What is the dragon of Long Tỉnh?” The Master replied, “Its natural bearing is extraordinary; even a divine brush could not portray it.”

He asked, “Why could it not be portrayed?” The Master replied, “It emerges from the herd without wearing horns and does not resemble its own kind.”

He asked, “Does it know how to make rain?” The Master replied, “Its moisture pervades without boundary; everywhere, seeds come to fruition.”

Someone asked, “Is there also a matter within the School?” The Master said, “There is.”

He asked, “What is the matter within the School?” The Master replied, “Since ancient times it has had no form or division; therefore, things have never lacked it.”

Someone asked, “What is the hair-blowing sword?” The Master replied, “Drag the corpse out.”

8. Chan Master Tùng Triển of Bảo Phước Monastery, Chương Prefecture.

The Master was a native of Phước Prefecture, and his family name was Trần. At the age of fifteen, he bowed to Tuyết Phong as his teacher and received instruction from him. At eighteen, he received the full precepts at Đại Trung Temple, which had been established in his native prefecture. The Master traveled through the regions of Ngô and Sở, and later returned to attend upon Tuyết Phong.

One day, Phong suddenly called the Master and asked, “Do you understand?” The Master stepped forward, and Phong struck him with his staff. The Master immediately awakened. He returned, bowed, and withdrew.

The Master also often used expedient sayings, both ancient and contemporary, to question Venerable Lăng of Trường Khánh, from whom he received profound affirmation.

Venerable Trường Khánh Lăng once said, “I would rather say that an arhat possesses the three poisons than say that the Tathagata speaks two kinds of words. I do not say that the Tathagata does not speak; only that there are not two kinds of words.”

The Master asked, “What are the words spoken by the Tathagata?”

He replied, “How could a deaf person hear them?”

The Master said, “I knew that the Venerable was speaking the second statement.”

Trường Khánh then asked, “What would you say?”

The Master said, “Drink your tea.”

On another occasion, someone cited Bàn Sơn’s saying, “When both radiance and objects have vanished, what is it?” and Động Sơn’s saying, “Before radiance and objects have vanished, what is it?”

The Master replied, “If we deliberate on the basis of these two venerable ones, there is still not the slightest severance.” He then asked Trường Khánh, “What could be said now to achieve the slightest severance?”

Trường Khánh remained silent for a long while.

The Master said, “I knew that the Venerable was devising a scheme for survival inside a demon’s cave.”

Trường Khánh then asked, “What would you do?”

The Master said, “With both hands, lift the water buffalo—the plow?—above your knees.”

One day, Trường Khánh asked, “Upon seeing form, one immediately sees mind; do you also see the boat?”

The Master said, “I see it.”

He asked, “Once the little boat has been cast aside—or set down—what is mind?”

The Master immediately pointed to the boat.

Tuyết Phong addressed the assembly, saying, “Venerable ones, I meet you at the Vọng Châu pavilion; I meet you at 0 Thạch; and I meet you before the Sangha Hall.”

The Master cited these words and asked Nga Hồ, “He meets them before the Sangha Hall, yet also appoints meetings at the Vọng Châu pavilion and on 0 Thạch Ridge. How are these meetings accomplished?” Nga Hồ abruptly entered the abbot’s quarters, while the Master returned to the Sangha Hall.

In the fourth year of Trinh Minh under the Later Liang dynasty, the year Đinh Sửu, Lord Vương, the military commissioner of Chương Prefecture, revered the Master’s virtue and style. He therefore established the Bảo Phước Chan Cloister and invited the Master to reside there.

On the day the Dharma hall was opened, Lord Vương bowed three times on his knees in supplication and personally assisted the Master onto the seat. The Master said, “What sort of comedy is this? Nevertheless, after being invited three times, I cannot refuse. Worthy ones, do you know? If you know, you stand shoulder to shoulder with the ancient Buddhas.”

At that moment, a monk stepped forward and had only just begun to bow when the Master said, “You would not walk during clear, dry weather, but instead wait for the season of unending rain.”

The monk then asked, “The prefect, out of reverence, has established this monastery so that the Master may widely propagate the true teaching. I ask the Venerable to expound the doctrine of the School.”

The Master asked, “Do you understand?”

He replied, “Then all living beings will have something upon which to rely.”

The Master said, “Do not defile people with impure things.”

The monk withdrew and bowed.

The Master said, “Virtuous One, take care; do not conceal the boat.”

Someone asked, “When all is utterly silent, what is taken as the standard?”

The Master said, “Where have you fallen?”

He replied, “I do not understand.”

The Master said, “You old dozing fellow, get out!”

Seeing a monk, the Master struck the exposed pillar with his staff and then struck the monk on the head. The monk cried out in pain.

The Master said, “Why does that not feel pain?”

The monk could not answer.

Someone asked, “The Venerable Mātaṅga entered the Han lands, and one canon was made clear. When Bodhidharma came from India, what did he bring to reveal?”

The Master asked, “What is the purpose of the Venerable’s pilgrimage?”

He replied, “I do not understand.”

The Master said, “If you do not understand, then understand it for yourself. Do not discriminate on the basis of another person’s standpoint. If you have long resided in the forests of Chan, you should understand something of what is distant and what is near, and should be able to accord with every place while entrusting yourself to the truth. Beginners and later students do not yet know the proper sequence. Therefore, this mountain monk does not begrudge telling you that the matter extending through kalpas as numerous as dust motes rests solely in this very day. Do you understand?

“Yet the Buddha’s teaching was entrusted to kings, great ministers, and prefects. Those who assembled with the Buddha in ancient times are now precisely like this. If it were merely a matter of blessings, emolument, nobility, and honor, it would not be worth discussing. But do you still remember the matter that was entrusted and enjoined by the Buddha at that time? If you know it, you immediately stand shoulder to shoulder with the thousand sages. If you do not yet know it, you must firmly believe that this matter is not obtained from another. Nor does it lie in speaking at length. That would only take you farther from the Way. Even where speech is cut off and the activity of mind ceases, that is still not it. You have been standing for a long time. Please take good care of yourselves.”

On another day, the Master ascended the Dharma hall, and the great assembly gathered like clouds. The Master said, “When someone passes behind the Buddha hall, you see that he is Trương the Third or Lý the Fourth. Why do you not see him when he passes before the Buddha hall? And where, then, do you say the efficacy of the Buddha-Dharma lies?”

A monk said, “Because there is a portion of poetic scenery, one therefore does not see him.”

The Master gave a shout and answered on the monk’s behalf, “If it is the Buddha hall, then one does not see him.”

The monk asked, “If it is not the Buddha hall, does one see him?”

The Master asked, “If it is not the Buddha hall, what do you see?”

Someone asked, “Throughout the twelve periods of the day—the twenty-four hours—how should one continually examine it?”

The Master said, “Continually examining it is very good.”

He asked, “Why does this student not see it?”

The Master replied, “I cannot gouge out your eyes as well.”

Someone asked, “Hosts and guests, layer upon layer, throughout the ten directions, raise it together. What is it when it is raised together throughout the ten directions?”

The Master said, “Why do you not say that someone else asked this?”

Someone asked, “What is it like at the moment when meaning is discussed through words?”

The Master asked, “What is spoken through?”

The monk lowered his head for a long while.

The Master said, “This is the working of a flash of lightning; deliberation is futile.”

Someone asked, “To enter the ocean of the unconditioned, one must board the vessel of prajna. What is the vessel of prajna?”

The Master said, “Please, right away.”

He asked, “What is it when one immediately steps forward?”

The Master replied, “It is the old fellow sitting inside the house of nirvana.”

Seeing a monk eating, the Master raised his bowl and said, “Ordinary family fare.”

The monk asked, “Venerable, what kind of mental conduct is this?”

A nun came for an interview. The Master asked, “Who is it?”

The attendant reported, “It is the nun, Master Giác.”

The Master said:
“Since you are already Teacher Jue’s aunt, why have you come here?” The nun said, “Within the Way, human sentiment and righteousness are certainly not absent.” The Master answered on her behalf, “What kind of mental conduct is yours, Reverend?”

The Military Governor of Min sent an envoy to deliver a document to the Master. The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “When going, the seal holds firm; when abiding, the seal breaks apart.” A monk said, “If one neither goes nor abides, what use is the seal?” The Master immediately struck him. The monk said, “Then today it is entirely due to someone inside the demon’s cave.” The Master merely remained silent.

The Master cited Dongshan’s words and praised them highly: “Vainly contemplating paper and ink—he is not a person within the mountain.”
A monk asked, “What is a person within the mountain like?”
The Master said, “Try sketching him in outline.”
The monk asked, “If one is not a clever child, how could one ever produce a sketch?”
The Master said, “You are a clever child.”
The monk asked, “What kind of mental conduct is yours, Reverend?”
The Master said, “Still you say it is not sealed.”

Seeing a monk counting money, the Master held out his hand and said, “Give me one coin.”
The monk asked, “Reverend, how did you come to this?”
The Master said, “I have come to this.”
The monk said, “If you have come to this, then take one coin and go.”
The Master said, “How did you come to this?”

The Master asked a monk, “Where have you come from?”
He replied, “From Guanyin in Jiangxi.”
The Master said, “Did you see Guanyin?”
He replied, “I did.”
The Master asked, “Did you see Guanyin on the left or on the right?”
He replied, “Seeing does not pass through left or right.”

A monk asked, “How can one enter fire without being burned and enter water without drowning?”
The Master said, “If they are fire and water, one will be burned and drowned.”

A monk asked, “If one wishes to reach the path of the unborn, one must know the original source. What is the original source?”
The Master remained silent for a long while, then asked the attendant, “What did that monk just ask?”
When the monk repeated his question, the Master shouted and drove him out, saying, “I am not deaf!”

A monk asked, “This student has newly entered the forest monastery. I beg the Master to reveal the entire path of entry.”
The Master said, “If you speak of revealing it entirely, then I bow to you.”

Seeing a monk, the Master asked, “What karma did you create that caused you to grow so tall?”
The monk asked, “How short are you, Reverend?”
The Master drew himself in, making himself appear short.
The monk said, “Reverend, do not deceive a good man.”
The Master said, “It is you who deceive me.”

The Master instructed his attendant to challenge Elder Longshou, saying, “Come by yourself alone; do not bring your attendant.”
Longshou said, “If I am not permitted to bring him, how can I know that I have separated from him?”
The Master said, “A great severing of affection and attachment.”
Longshou could not answer.
The Master answered for him, “I am grateful that the Reverend’s senior disciple has conveyed this instruction.”

The Master resided at Baofu for only twelve years. The assembly of students was always numerous, never fewer than seven hundred. His responsiveness to their capacities and his benefiting of beings could not all be recorded. The Military Governor of Min deeply revered the Master and reported him to the king.

In the third year of the Tiancheng era of the Later Tang dynasty, the wuzi year, the Master became slightly ill. A monk entered the abbot’s quarters to inquire after him. The Master said, “You and I have known each other for many years. Do you have some method by which we may save one another?”
The monk said, “I certainly have a method, but I have heard that the Reverend does not know how to avoid forbidden foods.”

The Master also told the assembly, “Within ten days my strength will decline. There is nothing else; it is simply that the time has come.”
A monk asked, “Since the time has come, is it right for the Master to go, or is it right for him to remain?”
The Master said, “Speak!”
The monk replied, “In that case, I dare not be hasty.”
The Master said, “Losing money and incurring punishment.”

Having spoken, he sat in the full-lotus posture and passed away on the twenty-first day of the third month.

9. Great Master Daofu, titled Hongjiao, of Ruilong Mountain in Quanzhou

The Master was a native of Futang in Fuzhou, and his family name was Zheng. He received the monastic training at Baolin Cloister. After Xuefeng sealed and confirmed his mind, the Master went to reside at Wufeng.

The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “Do not say that the empty mountain awaits no one.” He then returned to the abbot’s quarters.

A monk said, “All phrases and words do not go beyond the summit of the great trichiliocosm. I do not yet know what lies beyond that summit.”
The Master said, “All phrases and words are not the summit of the great trichiliocosm.”
The monk asked, “What is the summit of the great trichiliocosm?”
The Master replied, “Even the Heaven of Maheshvara belongs to a small-thousand-world system.”

A monk asked, “A beginner and later student has newly entered the forest monastery. I beg the Master to reveal the gate of skillful means.”
The Master knocked on the door of his quarters.
The monk asked, “Is there still a matter beyond?”
The Master said, “There is.”
The monk asked, “What is the matter beyond?”
The Master again knocked on the door of his quarters.

10. Chan Master Zongjing of Longxing in Hangzhou

The Master was a native of Taizhou. Formerly, he visited Xuefeng and secretly inherited the seal of the lineage. He then voluntarily served the assembly as cook for more than ten years. Once, while in the monks’ hall, he stood with arms akimbo, staring fixedly at the door curtain. Xuefeng saw him and predicted, “In the future, when you preside over a monastery, you will have one thousand monks, yet not one of them will be a true patch-robed monk.”

The Master regretted his conduct, took leave, and returned to his native region, where he resided at Liutong Cloister. The King of Qian appointed him to Longxing Monastery. His assembly numbered more than a thousand, but consisted solely of those who lectured on and recited the Three Trainings. It was indeed just as Xuefeng had predicted.

In the first year of the Guangshun era of the Later Zhou dynasty, the Master was eighty-one years old. The King of Qian invited him from the monastery to the great audience hall to expound the Supreme Vehicle. Both monastics and laypeople gathered around in support.

A monk asked, “How would you speak of the extraordinary establishment of Liutong?”
The Master said, “Everyone under heaven practices it.”
The monk asked, “What is the family style of Liutong?”
The Master said, “A single patched robe weighs more than one catty.”
The monk asked, “What is the single path by which a student advances?”
The Master said, “Who would dare deceive you?”
The monk asked, “Are there no skillful means?”
The Master said, “Already you have been wronged.”

A monk asked, “What is the Reverend’s family style?”
The Master said, “Gruel in the morning and rice at noon.”
The monk said, “I again ask the Reverend to speak.”
The Master said, “This old monk is very tired.”
The monk asked, “What is it ultimately?”
The Master merely laughed loudly.

The King of Qian held the Master in exceptional reverence and repeatedly invited him into the palace. Because the Master occupied the chief seat, he was called Great Master Liutong.

In the twelfth month, the final month of winter, during the first year of the Xiande era, the Master passed away at the age of eighty-four. His stupa was erected on Mount Daci.

11. Chan Master Qifan of Southern Chan Monastery in Fuzhou

The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “The fine words and beautiful phrases of all the various regions have already been spoken exhaustively. Today, is there anyone in the assembly who can transcend the ultimate truth and utter a single phrase? If there is, I shall not fail that person.”

At that time a monk asked, “What is the ultimate truth?”
The Master said, “Afterward, do not ask about the ultimate truth.”
The monk replied, “I am asking about it right now.”
The Master said, “You have already fallen into the secondary truth.”

A monk asked, “The ancient Buddha sings a song; I ask the Master to harmonize with its melody.”
The Master said, “I do not harmonize with the melody; you are creating confusion.”
The monk asked, “I do not yet know who harmonizes with the melody.”
The Master said, “From where do you come and to where do you go?”

12. Chan Master Shiding, titled Jianzhen, of Yueshan in Zhuji County, Yuezhou

At first, the Master visited Xuefeng and attained the essential purport. Later, when the Military Governor of Min invited him to receive a vegetarian meal at Qingfeng Tower, the Master sat for a long time. Opening his eyes, he suddenly saw the sunlight, and in that moment he became open and unobstructed and attained sudden awakening. He composed this verse:

Atop Qingfeng Tower I came for the official meal;
Seeing the sunlight, my eyes suddenly opened wide.
Only then did I know the ancient matter of the Putong era:
It was not brought here from the Tong Range.

The Master returned and presented this to Xuefeng. Xuefeng approved it.

A monk asked, “What is the Buddha-body?”
The Master said, “Which Buddha-body are you asking about?”
He replied, “The Buddha-body of Shakyamuni.”
The Master said, “His tongue covers the entire trichiliocosm.”

When the Master was about to pass away, he gathered the assembly and recited this verse:

The eye’s brightness perishes in pursuit of forms;
Ear-consciousness vanishes in pursuit of sounds.
Returning to the source, there is no other indication;
Today is the same as tomorrow.

After reciting the verse, he sat in the full-lotus posture and passed away.

13. Chan Master Jinlun of Keguan, Southern Marchmount

The Master was a native of Futang in Fuzhou, and his family name was Su. Relying on Chan Master Qihe of Stone Buddha Monastery, he shaved his head and received the precepts. The Master went to visit Xuefeng.

The Master served Xuefeng for twelve years. The Master

He continued traveling among the various monastic communities and stayed at the summit of Falun at Nanyue. The Master ascended the Dharma hall and addressed the assembly: “At Xuefeng, I received one kick from him, and from then until now my eyes have not opened; I do not know what realm this is.” A monk asked, “What is the meaning of the coming from India?” The Master said, “Not so.” After the evening inquiry, the great assembly descended from the Dharma hall.

The Master called, “Great assembly!” The assembly turned their heads. The Master said, “Look at the moon!” The great assembly looked at the moon. The Master said, “The moon resembles a bow: little rain, much wind.” The assembly could not answer.

Asked, “The ancients said, ‘Vairocana has a master; the Dharma Body has a lord.’ What is the master of Vairocana, the lord of the Dharma Body?” The Master said, “One cannot place a bed upon a bed.” Asked, “What is the affair of daily activity?” The Master clapped his hands three times. The monk said, “This student has not yet understood this meaning.” The Master said, “What further time are you waiting for?” Asked, “What is the person of the vehicle of the School?” The Master replied, “Today I have not yet drunk tea.” Asked, “Please instruct me, Master.” The Master said, “It has already passed.” Asked, “I do not ask about the principal;

please, Master, point out the subsidiary.” The Master said, “Take the kitten in your arms and go.” The Master asked a monk, “Where have you come from?” He replied, “From Huaguang.” The Master immediately pushed him outside and shut the door.

The monk could not respond. Asked, “If one meets a person who has attained the Way midway and may answer neither with words nor with silence, then with what should one respond?” The Master said, “Ah, go out!” The Master asked a monk, “What is the affair of seeing face-to-face?” He replied, “Please examine it, Master.” The Master said, “Is this then fitting?” He replied, “Because acting cannot accomplish it.” The Master said, “That alone is one thing; but what of the single path of the numinous source?” The Master said, “Why tread past it?” The superintendent of Xuefeng Monastery sent the Master a letter inviting him: “The Venerable Shantou is advanced in years.

Why does Elder Chao not come into the mountain once more?” The Master replied in a letter: “Wait until the Venerable Shantou has an understanding of his own; then I shall enter and assume charge.” A monk asked, “What is Xuefeng’s understanding?” The Master said, “Even I am frightened.”

14. Chan Master Xuanna of Fuqing Monastery, Quanzhou.

The Master was a native of Goryeo. At first he stayed at the Fuqing practice center and transmitted the lamp of Xianggu. Students gathered in great numbers.

Wang Gong, the Prefect of Quanzhou, asked, “What is the affair within the vehicle of the School?” The Master shouted. A monk asked, “How is it that whatever the eye encounters is bodhi?” The Master said, “Acharya, you have lost half a year’s provisions.” Asked, “Why have I lost half a year’s provisions?” The Master said, “Only because you hoped to obtain one peck of another person’s rice.” Asked, “What is the pure Dharma Body?” The Master replied, “A frog, an earthworm.” Asked, “The teachings say, ‘There is only a single compact and indestructible body manifest within every mote of dust.’ What is the compact and indestructible body?” The Master replied, “Donkeys, horses, and kittens.” Asked, “Please instruct me, Master.” The Master said, “Even donkeys and horses do not understand.” Asked,

“How does one discern it clearly upon each and every thing?” The Master extended one leg to show him.

The Master remained at Fuqing for thirty years, widely raising the mysterious wind, and passed away at this mountain.

15. Chan Master Wenyuan of Yunmen Mountain, Shaozhou.

The Master was a native of Jiaxing in Gusu, and his family name was Zhang. Formerly, he trained with the Venerable Chen at Muzhou and awakened to the great purport. He later went to Xuefeng and studied the mysterious essentials. Concealing his abilities among the assembly, he came to the Dharma seat of Chan Master Min at Lingshu in Shaozhou, where he served as head seat. Min wrote a testamentary letter to the ruler of Guang, requesting that the Master succeed him as abbot. Yet the Master did not forget his former source and regarded Xuefeng as his teacher. On the day the Dharma hall was opened, the ruler of Guang came and said, “This disciple requests instruction.” The Master said, “Before your eyes there is no other road.”

The Master said, “Do not say that today I deceive you good people and cannot hold you down; I have already made a scene of reckless confusion right in your midst. If suddenly a clear-eyed person saw through it, he would call this a spectacle fit for laughter. Even today, this cannot be avoided. Let me ask you: From the beginning until now, what affair has there been, and what have you lacked? To tell you that there is nothing to be done is itself to deceive you. You must reach that ground before it will do. Nor should you follow your mouths and ask questions at random, while within your own minds you are filled with darkness and deceit. Tomorrow morning there will be a great affair here; if your faculties are dull and sluggish, return early.

“Furthermore, the ancients established gates of transformation and set up teachings and monastic methods, seeing east and seeing west in the courtyard—what principle is this? Do you wish to understand? It is all because, from immeasurable kalpas until now, your deluded thoughts have been dense and profuse. As soon as a person hears something said, doubt arises in the mind; then one asks about Buddhas and patriarchs, seeks upward and downward, and searches for understanding. Thus one falls even further out of accord. The moment the mind forms a thought, it is already wrong—how much more so when there is speech? If it is not the thinking mind, what further affair is there? Please take care.”

The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “My affair is not something obtained privately for myself. To tell you that right here there is nothing to be done would already obscure and obliterate it. Yet you intend to advance another step, seeking words ahead of you and pursuing phrases in search of understanding. Though you devise a thousand errors and ten thousand clever contrivances, extensively raising difficult questions, you merely create a display of glib repartee and artful speech; you become ever more distant from the Way. When will it ever cease?

“If this affair resided in words, do the Three Vehicles and the twelve divisions of the teachings not contain words? Why, then, is it said, ‘A separate transmission outside the teachings’? If it could be attained through learned understanding, ingenuity, and intelligence, then saints of the Tenth Bhumi, who expound the Dharma like clouds and rain, would not still be reproached for seeing the nature as though through a gauze curtain or a shell. From this you should know that wherever there is mind, heaven and earth stand far apart.

“Nevertheless, if one attains it, one may say ‘fire’ without burning the mouth; one may speak of the affair all day without it touching lips or teeth, without ever having uttered a single word. One may wear clothes and eat rice all day without ever touching a grain of rice or hanging a single thread upon oneself. Even so, this is still spoken within the monastic gate. You must genuinely attain it before it counts as attainment. As for measuring it by the gate beneath the patch-robed monks, presenting the pivotal function within phrases, and vainly pondering whether one or many phrases might suffice to accomplish it—this is still an old man dozing off.”

The Master said, “The Three Vehicles and the twelve divisions of the teachings speak vertically and horizontally. The old venerables throughout the land speak ten words vertically and horizontally. Bring me a sharp needle and try speaking the principle of the Way—why is it called medicine for a dead horse? Even so, how many have reached this realm? I dare not expect that your words possess an echo or that your phrases bear the trace of a sharp point. In the blink of an eye, a thousand errors; when the wind subsides and the waves grow still, one only hopes that an echo remains. Take care.”

The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “Brothers, you have searched throughout all quarters for spiritual teachers, determined to make a decisive choice and cast off birth and death. Wherever you went, were there not venerable masters who compassionately bestowed expedient words? Is there still a phrase you have not penetrated? Bring it forth and let us see. This old fellow will discuss it with you.” At that moment a monk stepped forward, bowed, and was about to raise something. The Master said, “Traveling the road to India—more than ten thousand miles away.”

Asked, “When we students gather together, what are we to discuss?” The Master said, “The great assembly has been standing a long time.”

The Master said, “To raise a single word and teach you to act upon it right here would already be pouring excrement upon your heads. To grasp a single tip of a hair right here and cause the entire great earth to become bright all at once would also be cutting the flesh and making a sore. Even so, you must truly reach that place before it will do. If it is not yet essential to you, you must not seize it by force. If it is false, step back and search beneath your own heels to see why, in truth, there is not the slightest thing that can create understanding for you or create doubt and confusion for you.

“Each of you must have the one affair wherein the great function manifests before you. Then it will not trouble you to expend even a hair-tip of effort, and you will be no different from the patriarchs and Buddhas. It is only because your roots of faith are shallow and weak and your evil karma deep and heavy that suddenly so many horns sprout upon your heads, and, carrying your bags and bowls through thousands and tens of thousands of villages, you submit to humiliation. Yet where are you in any way deficient? What great man has no share in it? Whatever you see, accept responsibility for it; even this is not yet the foremost expedient. You must not endure being deceived by others and having your share usurped. Just

seeing the old和尚 open his mouth, they immediately take stones and stuff his mouth. This is just like bluebottle flies upon a heap of dung, contending with one another to carry it away, gathering in groups of three or five, putting their heads together to deliberate. How painful!

Brothers, at that time the ancient worthies had no other recourse on your behalf. Therefore, as an expedient, they spoke a word or half a phrase to help you enter the Way. Set all such matters aside and personally exert a little strength in your sinews and bones.

Would that not be a place where you may draw close to one another and rejoice together? At that time, without waiting for someone to breathe out and without telling someone to breathe in, what idle function could there still be, with body and mind divided? You must apply yourselves with utmost care—take care!

Take care! Farewell.

The Master said: “All heaven and earth are brought before your eyes at once. When you hear this said, I dare not hope that in your fiery temper you will strike this old monk a blow. Instead, slowly and carefully examine whether it is so or not, and what principle this is. Many people attain illumination by turning toward this. Yet if they encountered a monk of the patch-robed fraternity, he would break both their legs.

“If one is such a person, then on hearing that somewhere a venerable elder has appeared in the world, it suddenly enters his ears and eyes. But if you are not such a capable hand, the moment you hear a student you immediately take responsibility for him, you have already fallen into the secondary mechanism. Look at that和尚 Deshan: whenever he saw a monk approaching, he would at once shoulder his staff, strike him, and drive him away.和尚 Muzhou, whenever he saw someone enter the gate, would immediately say, ‘I spare you thirty blows.’

“Someone may ask about a ready-made public case: what else did those other people do? If they are a band of fellows who traffic in empty falsehood, people who swallow others’ saliva, they memorize a heap of things, shoulder some mistaken notion, and come forward to present it. With donkey lips and horse snouts, they boast, ‘I can question through ten turns or five turns of dialogue.’ You may question repeatedly from morning until evening and discourse about entire kalpas in this way, but have you ever even dreamed of it? Where is the place in which you exert yourselves together with others? It is just this sort of thing.

“There are people who subdue patch-robed monks over a vegetarian meal and also say, ‘I received food to eat; why should I not speak along with them?’ One day, before King Yama, the explanations uttered by your mouth will not be accepted. Brothers, if anyone merely follows the assembly and passes the days as Heaven disposes, and has still not attained, he must not lightly let time pass. You must be exceedingly meticulous.

“The ancients had entangling vines as places of instruction. Thus和尚 Xuefeng said, ‘The entire great earth is you.’ Jiashan said, ‘Know this old monk at the tips of the hundred grasses; recognize the Son of Heaven in the midst of the marketplace.’ Luopu said, ‘When a single mote of dust is raised, the great earth is entirely gathered in; the tip of a single hair is the lion’s whole body.’ All of this requires you to grasp it firmly and ponder it back and forth for a long time; then naturally there will be a way of entry. In this matter, no one can help you in your stead. It is the individual share of each person. When an old和尚 appears in the world, it is only to bear witness for you. If you have even the slightest basis but remain deluded about it, that will not do either.

“If you truly have not yet attained, expedients may be used to point it out to you. Brothers, you cannot all be of one kind—wearing out straw sandals, leaving behind your monastic teachers and parents, and going on pilgrimage. You must possess at least a little vital spirit before it can truly be done. If someone enters into it, he must be like one who encounters the biting fangs and claws of dogs and pigs, not sparing body or life, entering mud and water, able to bite and swallow. Sling the bowl-bag high above your eyebrows, break your whip and staff, and for ten or twenty years discern until you reach the place of thorough penetration. Do not fear that you will fail to accomplish this discernment.

“If in this life you have not yet penetrated it thoroughly, then in the next life you still will not lose a human body. To turn toward this gate is itself a saving of strength. You will neither vainly betray your whole life nor betray your monastic teachers, parents, and donors of the ten directions. Right here, pay attention!

“Do not wander aimlessly through districts and prefectures, carrying your staff crosswise and running one or two thousand miles—spending the retreat here in the east and the summer retreat there—because your nature delights in mountains and waters, because many vegetarian offerings are made, and robes and bowls are easily obtained. You labor painfully in hope of obtaining a single grain of rice, yet lose half a year’s provisions. What benefit is there in going on pilgrimage like this? How can you digest the vegetables and rice faithfully offered by donors? You must examine yourselves.

“Time waits for no one. If suddenly, in an instant, you close your eyes, how will you reckon with what comes before and after? You will be like a crab in boiling water, frantically scrambling with all its legs. Then you will no longer have any place to traffic in empty falsehood or utter grandiose words. Do not live idly and waste time. Once the human body is lost, it is difficult to regain even in ten thousand kalpas. This is no small matter; do not rely upon what is presently before your eyes. The ancients even said, ‘If one hears the Way in the morning, one may die in the evening.’ How much more so for us śramaṇas, who have long trodden these matters underfoot! You must exert yourselves greatly—exert yourselves! Farewell.”

The Master said: “You are so utterly lost! When you see someone speak of bearing the Patriarchs’ intent, you immediately ask about words that transcend the Buddhas and Patriarchs. Yet what do you call becoming a Buddha, and what do you call becoming a Patriarch? And then you speak of a principle that transcends the Buddhas and Patriarchs.”

Someone asked: “What is it that emerges from the three realms?”

The Master said: “Bring the three realms here and let me see them. Is there any seeing, hearing, understanding, or knowing that obstructs you? Are there any sounds or forms that enable you to discern what grievance or distinction there is? By what, then, do you perceive differences? The ancient sages had no other recourse; they devoted themselves to serving as exemplars and said, ‘The whole essence is the real; in each and every thing, the essence cannot be apprehended.’ When I speak with you right here, what matter is there? Already this is a sign of burying one another.

“If you truly have not yet found an entry, investigate and clarify it on your own within this. Apart from eating rice, wearing clothes, and going to relieve yourselves, what other matter is there? For no reason at all, why give rise to so many deluded thoughts?

There is also a type of person who seems leisurely and unoccupied. Gathering together, they learn sayings spoken by the ancients, memorize them with the discriminating consciousness, and speculate through deluded thinking. They say, ‘I already understand the Buddha-Dharma.’ They merely talk of entangling vines and pass the time as their nature inclines, yet still complain that things do not accord with their wishes.

Having gone through thousands upon thousands of villages, leaving behind their parents, monastic teachers, and和尚s, they return to make appointments with barren hills. What urgent death is driving them to go on pilgrimage?”

The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said: “Thus one knows that these are troubled and chaotic times, reaching the final age of the Semblance Dharma. Recently, monks travel north to bow before Mañjuśrī and journey south to visit Mount Heng. If this is all, then they bear the name ‘pilgrim bhikṣu’ while vainly consuming the offerings of the faithful. Painful! Painful!”

Someone asked: “Stuck fast like lacquer and merely passing the time as one’s nature inclines—if there are two or three such fellows, they labor in vain, studying much and memorizing sayings. When they arrive somewhere, they seek similar words and obtain the seal of approval from a venerable elder. They slight and disparage those of the highest stream, thereby creating karma that leaves their merit and virtue meager. One day, when King Yama nails you down, do not say that no one warned you. If you are a beginner or a later student, you must possess vitality; do not imagine that no one has spoken. Much falsehood is not equal to a little truth. Henceforth, you will only deceive yourselves. What matter is immediately at hand?”

The Master ascended the Dharma hall, and the great assembly gathered like clouds. The Master pointed his staff before him and said: “Heaven and earth, the great earth, every mote of dust, and all Buddhas are entirely within this. Why does the Buddha-Dharma always seek victory and defeat? Is there anyone who can remonstrate? If no one can remonstrate, then wait for this old fellow to remonstrate with you.”

At that moment, a monk stepped forward and said: “和尚, please remonstrate.”

The Master said: “You old fox-spirit!”

The Master said: “All you itinerant pilgrims come from south of the river and north of the sea. Each of you has a birthplace and a place where you dwell. Do you yourselves know it? Try stepping forward so that this old fellow may bear witness for you. Is there anyone? Is there anyone? Speak! If you do not know, this old fellow has deceived you.

“If you wish to know, then for those whose birthplace is in the north, there are和尚 Zhaozhou and Mañjuśrī of Mount Wutai, all contained within this. For those whose birthplace is in the south, there are Xuefeng, Wolong, Xitang, and Gufeng, all contained within this. Do you wish to know? If you wish to know, turn within this and recognize it. If you do not see it, do not traffic in empty falsehood. Do you see? Do you see? Now watch this old monk ride out astride the neck of the Buddha in the hall. Farewell.”

The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said: “The bodhisattva Vasubandhu, without

for no reason transformed himself into a staff of langya wood, then drew a line on the ground and said: “All the Buddhas, numerous as the sands and dust motes, climb up through here and then descend into the Dharma hall.”

The Master said: “As I see it, none of you, amid two or three occasions of functioning, is capable of perceiving it. What use is it merely to wear a patched robe? Do you understand?

I shall break it open for you and continue leveling it for you. Hereafter, if anywhere you see an old worthy raise one finger or hold up a fly whisk and call it Chan or call it the Way, take up your staff, smash his head, and leave. If you do not, you will all become members of the retinue of the heavenly demons and destroy our school.

If you do not understand, look into the mass of entangling vines. I ordinarily tell you: Throughout lands numerous as dust motes, the Buddhas of the three periods, the twenty-eight patriarchs of India, and the six patriarchs of the Tang all propped themselves on staffs and expounded the Dharma, displaying spiritual powers and transformations, their voices resounding throughout the ten directions as they ranged freely in every direction.

Do you understand? If you do not understand, do not indulge in empty reckoning. Though you may rely upon reality, you have not yet even attained a view of truth.

Even many people in this place have never dreamed of seeing a patch-robed monk; among the novices in a village of three households, not one true person can be found.”

The Master suddenly stood, took his staff, drew a line on the ground, and said: “They are all within this.” He drew another line and said: “They all emerge from within this. Take care.”

The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said: “Young venerable monks! A patch-robed monk must clearly grasp the nostrils of a patch-robed monk. What are the nostrils of a patch-robed monk?”

The assembly could not answer.

The Master said: “Mahaprajnaparamita. I ask everyone to descend.”

The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said: “Young venerable monks! Many of you say there is some matter to be found, but this is placing another head atop your head, adding frost upon snow, glaring from inside a coffin, and burning moxa over the scar left by a sore. This confusion is no minor matter.

Why do you not seek for yourselves a good place to be reborn, instead of wandering idly through districts and prefectures, wanting only to seize upon idle talk? You wait for an old monk to open his mouth, and then immediately ask about Chan and ask about the Way: ‘What is upward?’ ‘What is downward?’ ‘What is this?’ ‘What is that?’ After copying out a great scroll, you deliberate inside your skin bag until you become obstructed and choked.

Three of you gather beside the brazier, put your heads together, mutter under your breath, and say: ‘That is his talent for speaking. That was spoken from the principle. That was spoken on the basis of phenomena.

That is an understanding of the essence of speech.’ After your grandparents and parents at home have eaten their meals, they concern themselves only with speaking of dreams, and then say: ‘I have understood the Buddha-Dharma.’ Do you suppose that after traveling on foot for five donkey-years you will finally bring it all to an end?

“There are also some people who, as soon as they hear someone speak of the place where everything ends, knit their brows and close their eyes within the skandhas and dhatus, like old rats in a hole devising a scheme for survival, sitting beneath Black Mountain in the realm of hungry ghosts. Can you immediately speak a turning word and see it in a dream? They are all of one kind; even if ten thousand were beaten to death, what offense would there be?

What is called ‘a beating’? If you do not encounter an adept, in the end you will merely be an old fellow who indulges in empty reckoning. If you truly have a place of insight, try bringing it forth here so that I may discuss it with you.

Do not come empty-handed, ignorant of good and bad, bustling about and huddling together to chatter about idle entangling vines. Do not say that when this old fellow catches sight of you, you will fail to measure up and have your legs broken. Say no more!

Say no more! Is there any blood beneath your skin?”

With his staff, he drove them all away at once.

A monk asked: “What is the great meaning of the Buddha-Dharma?”

The Master said: “When spring arrives, the grass grows green by itself.”

The Master asked a monk from Silla: “What did you bring across the sea?”

He replied: “The grass bandits were defeated.”

The Master seized him by the hand and pulled him close, saying: “Why are you within me?”

He replied: “It fits perfectly.”

The Master said: “Pluck it across once more.”

A monk asked: “Before Niutou met the Fourth Patriarch, how was it?”

The Master replied: “Within the fire, Xiaomao swallows a great insect.”

A monk asked: “What is the clay ox roaring in the snowy mountains?”

The Master said: “Heaven and earth are pitch-black.”

A monk asked: “What is Yunmen’s wooden horse roaring?”

The Master said: “Mountains and rivers run.”

Someone came to inquire about the matter transmitted from above.

The Master said: “State the essential principle.”

The monk said: “In the morning, look southeast; in the evening, look northwest.”

He asked: “What is it like when one comprehends it?”

The Master said: “A lamp is lit in the eastern house, while someone sits in darkness in the western house.”

A monk asked: “How can one keep from passing the twelve hours in vain?”

The Master said: “Where are you directing this question?”

He replied: “This student does not understand. I ask the Master to reveal it.”

The Master said: “Bring me brush and inkstone.”

The monk then brought the brush and inkstone. The Master wrote a verse:

Raise it, and without looking—the former and the latter are both amiss;
Settle down to ponder it—in what kalpa will you awaken?

A monk asked: “What is this student’s own self?”

The Master said: “Roaming through mountains and gazing at waters.”

He asked: “What is the Venerable Master’s own self?”

The Master said: “Fortunately, the rector is not present.”

A monk asked: “What is it like when one mouth swallows everything?”

The Master said: “I am in your belly.”

He asked: “Why is the Venerable Master in this student’s belly?”

The Master said: “Give my opening phrase back to me.”

A monk asked: “What is the Way?”

The Master said: “Go! Go!”

He asked: “This student does not understand. I ask the Master to explain.”

The Master said: “The acharya is fair and perfectly clear; how could the judgment be reversed?”

A monk asked: “When birth and death arrive, how can they be rejected and controlled?”

The Master extended both hands and said: “Bring birth and death here to me.”

A monk asked: “What is it when one’s parents neither permit nor allow one to leave the household?”

The Master said: “Shallow.”

He said: “This student does not understand.”

The Master said: “Deep.”

A monk asked: “What is this student’s own self?”

The Master said: “You are afraid I do not know.”

A monk asked: “What is it like when the myriad activities have all ceased?”

The Master said: “Bring the Buddha hall here, and I shall discuss it with you.”

He asked: “What connection does the Buddha hall have with this matter?”

The Master shouted and said: “You lying old cheat!”

A monk asked: “What is the single phrase of the separate transmission outside the teachings?”

The Master said: “Bring it before the assembly.”

A monk asked: “What is it like when one attains it?”

The Master said: “Where would you establish it?”

A monk asked: “What is the Venerable Master’s family style?”

The Master replied: “Before the gate, someone is reading a book.”

A monk asked: “What is the phrase that penetrates the Dharma-body?”

The Master replied: “The Northern Dipper is concealed within the body.”

A monk asked: “What was the intention of the coming from India?”

The Master said: “The long rain has not cleared.”

He also said: “It smells of rice gruel.”

A monk said: “The ancients spoke horizontally and vertically, yet still did not know the upward-facing door bolt.” He asked: “What is the upward-facing door bolt?”

The Master said: “The eastern peak of the western mountain is green.”

A monk asked: “What was the intention of the coming from India?”

The Master said: “If you lose money in the river, you must search for it in the river.”

Once, the Master had been sitting silently for a long time when a monk asked: “How is this like Shakyamuni while he was alive?”

The Master said: “The assembly has been standing for a long time. Quickly make three prostrations.”

The Master once composed a verse:

Cloudy peaks tower aloft, encircled by white clouds;
In rushing waters, swimming fish dare not rest.
Upon entering the gate, one already knows you bring interpretations;
Why trouble to raise again the mud on the cartwheel?

16. Chan Master Ren of Nantai in Weizhou

A monk asked: “What is the realm of Nantai?”

The Master said: “You do not recognize what is precious.”

He asked: “Ultimately, how is it?”

The Master said: “Acharya, where are you now?”

Later, the Master moved to Chenjing Monastery in this prefecture, Weizhou, where he passed away.

17. The Venerable Dongchan of Quanzhou

When the Dharma hall was first opened, a monk asked: “The king among men has respectfully invited the Dharma king to appear in the world. How should the essential teaching of the school be proclaimed so that it does not diverge from the Patriarchal Wind?”

The Master said: “What more could be done?”

The monk asked: “If one does not enter the water, how can one know that fish are there?”

The Master said: “Do not speak of matters that are nowhere to be found.”

A monk asked: “What is the most intimate place of the Buddha-Dharma?”

The Master said: “You have gone beyond it.”

He said: “In the end, this student again asks the Master for the first phrase.”

The Master said: “Where have you come from?”

A monk asked: “What is this student’s fundamental concern?”

The Master said: “Suffering.”

A monk asked: “What is the great meaning of the Buddha-Dharma?”

The Master replied: “Bearing oneself is truly lamentable; living stubbornly in another village.”

18. Chan Master Songji of Daqian Mountain in Yuhang

The Master was a senior disciple of Xuefeng. Through the explanations of his original teacher, he penetrated and understood the essential teaching of the school. The Master often said: “Beat the drum at Guannan; sing the song of Xuefeng.”

Later, the Master entered central Zhejiang and met King Qian. The King admired and submitted to the transforming power of his Way.

The Master was instructed to abide on this mountain and expound the Dharma. A monk asked, “Neither because a king has invited you nor because the assembly is engaged in practice, I ask the Master to speak: What is the direct meaning of the coming from the Western Land?” The Master said, “The monk over there has come to dwell over here.” The monk said, “This student does not understand. Please instruct me.” The Master said, “How can you be so ignorant of what is good and bad?”

A monk asked, “When the cart reaches the closed gate, its wheel tracks fit the gate. What is the cart that reaches the closed gate?” The Master said, “I will not ask about the arriving cart. What do you regard as the wheel tracks?” The monk replied, “This student does not understand. Please instruct me.” The Master said, “A skillful craftsman carries out his work without displaying axe or hatchet.”

19. Venerable Yongtai of Fuzhou.

A monk asked, “I have heard that the Venerable encountered a tiger. Is that so?” The Master gave a tiger’s roar. The monk made a gesture as though striking it. The Master said, “You wretched old fellow!”

A monk asked, “What is the Buddha of Innate Suchness?” The Master clapped his hands and said, “You do not understand! You do not understand!”

20. Chan Master Miaokong.

The Master was the head monk at Shouchang Monastery on Helong Mountain in Chizhou. He was a native of Min County in Fuzhou, surnamed Lin, and received ordination under Shoufeng of Gutian.

A monk asked, “Before reaching the Dragon Gate, how can one draw near and moor the boat?” The Master said, “It is difficult even to preserve one’s life.”

A monk newly arrived for an interview. The Master asked, “Where have you recently come from?” He replied, “I have not departed by even an inch.” The Master said, “It was no easy journey.” The monk likewise said, “It was no easy journey.” The Master struck him once.

A monk asked, “What is the mind-transmission?” The Master said, “I have warned you three times not to tell anyone.”

A monk asked, “What is the vehicle of the ancestral school transmitted from above?” The Master said, “May I put it into the acarya’s mouth?”

A monk asked, “Please, Master, give one response concerning the essential point of awakening.” The Master said, “It is indeed the essential point of awakening.”

21. Venerable Mengbi of Jianzhou.

A monk asked, “What is Buddha?” The Master said, “I do not deceive you.” The monk asked, “Is that not precisely it?” The Master said, “You may deceive someone else.”

The King of Min invited the Master to a vegetarian meal and asked, “Venerable, have you brought your brush here?” The Master said, “It is not the fine bamboo tube of Jishan; I am ashamed that it lacks the rabbit hair from the moon. Since Your Majesty has graciously deigned to ask, how could this mountain monk dare not present it?”

The king further asked, “What is the Dharma King?” The Master said, “That is not the family style of Mengbi.”

22. Chan Master Yuanyan of Jile in Gutian, Fuzhou.

A monk asked, “What is the family style of Jile?” The Master said, “It fills the eyes, yet cannot be seen to the end.”

A monk asked, “The myriad dharmas are fundamentally rootless. I do not yet know what you would have this student take up and bear.” The Master said, “Do not talk in your sleep.”

A monk asked, “I have long remained in a dark house and have not yet penetrated the source. From now on, I ask the Master to give me one response.” The Master said, “Do not close your eyes and make it night.”

A monk asked, “Then today is the day when the udumbara flower bends its branches. What is the ancestral style beyond and above? Please instruct me.” The Master said, “Do you know it or not?” The monk asked, “Then my doubts are ended?” The Master said, “Do not babble in your sleep before the great assembly.”

A monk asked, “I will not ask about Matanga entering the Han realm. What about Bodhidharma’s coming to Liang?” The Master replied, “Could there be any mistake right now?” The monk said, “Then the principle transcends the Three Vehicles, and the flower opens into five petals.” The Master said, “Why speak of the Three Vehicles and five petals? Get out! Get out!”

23. Chan Master Rutì of Furong Mountain, Fuzhou.

A monk asked, “What is the song of the ancients?” The Master remained silent for a long while, then asked, “Do you hear it?” The monk replied, “I do not hear it.” The Master offered a verse:

24. Venerable Shan of Xiherong Mountain in the Eastern Capital.

Elder Bogu came and questioned him. The Master said, “Old man, go away.” Bogu said, “Am I really old?” The Master immediately slapped him.

A monk asked, “When a fine horse does not enter Western Qin, what then?” The Master said, “Toward what place would it go?”

25. Chan Master Qi of Guishan in Tanzhou.

A monk asked, “At precisely that moment, how should one draw near?” The Master said, “What do you intend to draw near to?” The monk replied, “Is there not a gate of skillful means?” The Master said, “The Kaiyuan and Longxing canons, both the greater and the lesser collections.”

A monk asked, “What is swift supernatural power?” The Master said, “A new robe becomes a worn-out robe.”

A monk asked, “What is seeking Huangxun?” The Master asked, “How many people have you deceived?”

A monk asked, “Without relying on anxious concern, what is the Venerable’s family style?” The Master said, “Do not make the cry of a jackal.”

26. Chan Master Yanzong of Chaoshan in Jizhou.

Venerable Sifu came to see him, and the Master descended from the Chan seat to welcome him. Sifu asked, “How many years has the Venerable dwelt on this mountain?” The Master said, “A foolish bird perches among the reeds; a weary fish draws near the net.” Sifu said, “Then you are a true person of the Way.” The Master said, “Sit down again and drink tea.”

A monk asked, “What is Chaoshan?” The Master replied, “It does not harbor dead corpses.”

A monk asked, “What is the person within the mountain?” The Master said, “A red lotus planted upon a rock.”

A monk asked, “What is the Venerable’s family style?” The Master said, “Take great care not to violate court etiquette.”

27. Great Master Puming of Putong Mountain in Yizhou.

A monk asked, “What is Buddha-nature?” The Master said, “You have no Buddha-nature.” The monk asked, “All moving and sentient beings possess Buddha-nature. Why does this student not have it?” The Master said, “Because you seek outwardly.”

A monk asked, “What is the profoundly mysterious pearl?” The Master said, “That is not it.” The monk asked, “What is the profoundly mysterious pearl?” The Master said, “It is utterly lost.”

28. Chan Master Yong of Liangjia Hermitage on Shuangquan Mountain in Suizhou.

A monk asked, “What was the meaning of Bodhidharma facing the wall for nine years?” The Master replied, “Sleeping without falling sound asleep.”

Elder Huguo arrived. The Master asked, “The single scene of Suiyang—is it male or female? Each person raises a single question, yet every question is different. With what will the Elder answer?” Huguo drew a circle in the air with his hand. The Master said, “I thank the Elder for his compassionate kindness.” Huguo replied, “I would not dare.” The Master lowered his head and did not look at him.

A monk asked, “How may one swiftly put an end to all conditions?” The Master replied, “Adding frost upon snow.”

29. Chan Master Chaowu of Baofu Monastery in Zhangzhou.

A monk asked, “What is it like before the fish has passed through the Dragon Gate?” The Master said, “Nurturing its nature in the deep waters.” The monk asked, “What about after it has passed through?” The Master said, “Once it ascends the empyrean, none of its kind can follow.” The monk asked, “What about after it has ascended?” The Master said, “Clouds spread everywhere, moistening the entire great trichiliocosm.” The monk asked, “Is there anything that refuses to be moistened?” The Master replied, “There is.” The monk asked, “What is it that refuses to be moistened?” The Master said, “A towering peak that holds back the sun.”

30. Senior Monk Fu of Taiyuan.

The Master traveled throughout the various regions, and his reputation was heard everywhere. He once journeyed through central Zhe and went up to the Dharma assembly at Jingshan. One day, before the Buddha hall, a monk asked, “Senior Monk, have you ever been to Mount Wutai?” The Master replied, “I have.” The monk asked, “Did you see Manjusri?” The Master replied, “I did.” The monk asked, “Where did you see him?” The Master replied, “I saw him before the Buddha hall at Jingshan.”

That monk later went to Minchuan and related these words to Xuefeng, who said, “Why did you not make that fellow enter the mountain range?” When the Master heard this, he gathered up his robe and journeyed afar.

When the Master first went up to Xuefeng’s monastery, oranges were being distributed among the monks. Venerable Ling of Changqing asked, “Where have you come from?” The Master said, “They were brought from beyond the mountain.” Ling said, “It was no easy task to carry them so far.” The Master said, “Oranges! Oranges!”

He then went up to interview Xuefeng. After bowing, he stood to the right of the seat. As soon as Xuefeng looked at him, the Master went downstairs to visit the administrator.

On another day, Xuefeng saw the Master and pointed to the sun to instruct him. The Master waved his hand dismissively and withdrew. Xuefeng said, “Do you not accept me?” The Master said, “Venerable, you shake your head and I wag my tail. In what respect do I not accept you?” Xuefeng replied, “Even upon reaching the place, one must still be cautious.”

One evening, when the assembly of monks came for an interview, Xuefeng was seated in the courtyard. The Master said, “Indeed, throughout the Five Continents, only this Venerable has attained a little.” Xuefeng immediately rose and departed.

Xuefeng once asked the Master, “I have heard it said that Linji had three statements. Is that so?” The Master replied, “It is.” Xuefeng asked, “What is the first statement?” The Master glared at him. Xuefeng said, “That is still the second statement. What is the first statement?” The Master folded his hands and withdrew. From then onward, Xuefeng regarded him as a vessel of the Dharma.

Within the chamber, the seal of realization between master and disciple was completed. The Master did not travel elsewhere, but took charge of the bathhouse. One day Xuansha came up to pay a visit.

Xuefeng said, “There is an old rat here who is now staying in the bathhouse.” Xuansha said, “Wait while I investigate him together with the Venerable.” Having said this, he went to the bathhouse and found the Master drawing water. Xuansha said, “I have come to meet the Senior.” The Master said, “We have already met.” Xuansha said, “In which kalpa did we meet?” The Master said, “Why doze off?” Xuansha then entered the abbot’s quarters and reported to Xuefeng, “I have investigated him.” Xuefeng asked, “How did you investigate him?” Xuansha recounted their exchange.

Xuefeng said, “You act like a thief.”

The Venerable Yan of Gushan asked the Master, “Before your father and mother gave birth to you, where were your nostrils?” The Master said, “Elder brother, you speak first.” Yan said, “Where would you say they are in this present life?” The Master did not accept this. Yan then asked, “What is it?” The Master said, “Bring me the fan in your hand.” Yan held out the fan and presented it. The Master remained silent. Yan did not understand and struck him once. The Master went out and stood before the storehouse.

A monk asked, “What does it mean that whatever meets the eye is bodhi?” The Master immediately kicked a dog, which yelped and ran away. The monk could not reply. The Master said, “The little dog could not withstand a single kick.”

Before the Master emerged to teach, people in various regions called him Senior Fu of Taiyuan. The Master passed away in Weiyang.

31. Great Master Weijing Baowen of the Daochang Monastery in Panzhou, Nanyue

The Master was a native of Fuzhou. He devoted himself to ascetic practices, wearing neither silk nor colored garments, but only a patched robe to shelter himself through rain and sunshine. People of the time called him the Dhutanga.

At first, the Master went to study with Xuefeng and penetrated the profound mysteries. He later attended Xuansha’s Dharma assembly, where their mind-seals accorded.

One day the Master said to Senior Jian, “I have heard that you have written a commentary on the Surangama Sutra.” Jian said, “I would not presume.” The Master said, “What have you made of the two Manjushris in your commentary?” Jian replied, “I ask the Master to examine it.” The Master then raised his sleeve and departed.

During the Tang Guanghua era, the Master entered Nanyue and resided in the Eastern Canon Repository at Bao’en Monastery. Within the repository was a mirrored lamp stand, fashioned by Great Master Xianshou, the Third Patriarch of the Huayan school. Upon seeing it, the Master used it to illustrate the vast Dharma-realm, the layer upon layer of Indra’s net, and the realms of the Buddhas, with each Buddha shining light upon all the others. He praised its beauty, saying, “This is a singular masterpiece of the ancient sages. Were its maker not possessed of inconceivably subtle wisdom, how could he have fashioned it?” He then composed five five-character verses. Those who contemplated them immediately awakened to the unobstructed interpenetration of principle and phenomena.

The Master later passed away at Nanyue.

During the Later Liang Kaiping era, the Master compiled the four-fascicle Records of Baolin, recording the origins and subsequent development of the Chan school after the Tang Zhenyuan era. He also composed the seven-character verse “The Ground of Awakening,” extensively explaining the dependent origination taught in the various doctrines. The Master separately compiled the Biographies of Eminent Monks of Nanyue, and all these works circulated widely throughout the world.