景德傳燈錄
Chinese title:景德傳燈錄
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RECORD OF THE TRANSMISSION OF THE LAMP FROM THE JINGDE ERA — VOLUME 20
VOLUME 20
Sixth-generation Chan Master Xingsi (Part 4): 106 persons.
– There were 28 Dharma successors of Chan Master Daoying of Mount Yunju in Hongzhou:
– There were 14 Dharma successors of Chan Master Benji of Caoshan in Fuzhou:
– There were five Dharma successors of Chan Master Judun of Mount Longya in Tanzhou:
1. Chan Master Zangyu of Baoci in Tanzhou
2. Chan Master Shenzhe of Mount Hanzhou in Xiangzhou (Encounter dialogues and sayings of the two persons above are extant),
3. Chan Master Hongji of Baima in Fengxiang,
4. Chan Master Daoqin of Chongshou Cloister in Fuzhou,
5. Chan Master Bin of Guanyin Cloister in Chuzhou (The records of the three persons above are extant.)
– There were three Dharma successors of Chan Master Youjing of what is now Huayan Monastery in Jingzhao:
1. Chan Master Kuangyi of Ziling in Fuxiang (The record of this one person is extant),
2. Chan Master Weizhi of Beichan Cloister in Raozhou,
3. The Venerable of Huacheng in Weizhou (For the two persons above, no encounter dialogues or sayings are extant.)
– Great Master Puman of Jiufeng in Junzhou had one Dharma successor:
1. Chan Master Wei of Tong'an in Hongzhou.
– There were six Dharma successors of Chan Master Shiqian of Qinglin:
– There were two Dharma successors of Chan Master Dunru of Baima in the Eastern Capital Luoyang:
1. The Venerable of Mount Qingsuo in Xingyuan Prefecture (The record of this one person is extant.)
2. Venerable Baofu of Jingzhao (The record of this one person is extant.)
– Chan Master Tong of Beiyuan in Yizhou had one Dharma successor:
1. Venerable Xiangcheng of Jingzhao (For this one person, no encounter dialogues or sayings are extant.)
– There were two Dharma successors of Chan Master Benren of Baishui in Gao'an:
1. Venerable Zhihui of Chongyun in Jingzhao.
2. Chan Master Ouzhang of Ruilong in Hangzhou (The records of the two persons above are extant.)
– There were twenty Dharma successors of Chan Master Kuangren of Shushan in Wuzhou:
1. The second-generation Chan Master Zheng of Shushan
2. Chan Master An of Baizhang in Hongzhou,
3. Chan Master Hui of Huangbo in Junzhou,
4. Venerable Shoucheng of Huguo on Mount Suicheng,
5. Chan Master Guiren of Lingquan in the Eastern Capital Luoyang,
6. Chan Master Fenglin of Yanqing in Yanzhou,
7. Chan Master Jing of Mount Da'an in Anzhou,
8. Chan Master Chao of Baizhang in Hongzhou,
9. The Venerable of Tianwang Cloister in Hongzhou,
10. Chan Master Yun of Zhengqin Cloister in Changzhou,
11. The Venerable of Latter Dongshan in Xiangzhou
12. Venerable Sanxiang of Jingzhao
13. Chan Master Xingji of Mount Wufeng in Junzhou,
14. Venerable Gaoming of Shangzhou,
15. Chan Master Daotai of Xixi in Huazhou,
16. Venerable Shushan of Wuzhou,
17. Chan Master Lingyue of Mount Huangbo in Junzhou
18. Chan Master Yuan of Xiangguang in Yangzhou,
19. Great Master Chuanxing of Mount Da'an in Anzhou,
20. Chan Master Ying of Mount Huangbo in Junzhou
– There were two Dharma successors of Chan Master Wencui of Qinshan in Lizhou:
1. Chan Master Zigu of Shanglan in Hongzhou,
2. Prefect Lei Man of Lizhou (For the two persons above, no encounter dialogues or sayings are extant.)
– There were ten Dharma successors of Chan Master Yuan'an of Mount Luopu:
– There were two Dharma successors of Chan Master Huaizhong of Mount Xiaoyao in Jiangxi:
1. Chan Master Shiwei of Fuqing in Quanzhou,
2. Chan Master Wuxiu of Baiyun in Jingzhao (The records of these two persons are extant.)
– There were five Dharma successors of Chan Master Kewen of Mount Panlong in Yuanzhou:
1. Chan Master Jingwu of Yong'an on Mount Lu in Jiangzhou
2. Chan Master Shandao of Mount Muping in Yuanzhou,
3. Venerable Longqi of Shanzhou (For the three persons above, no encounter dialogues or sayings are extant.)
4. Great Master Zhitong of Guiyang,
5. Chan Master Jingji of Shouchang Cloister on Mount Lu.
– Chan Master Yuelun of Huangshan in Fuzhou had one Dharma successor:
1. Venerable Tongquan of Mount Chengzhou.
– There were two Dharma successors of Chan Master Huanpu of Shaoshan in the Eastern Capital Luoyang:
1. Venerable Wenshu of Tanzhou,
2. Venerable Bai of Dayan in Yangzhou.
– There were two Dharma successors of Chan Master Lingchao of Shanglan Cloister in Hongzhou:
1. Chan Master Jian of Beiyuan in Hedong,
2. Prince Zhongchuan of Nanping in Hongzhou (For the two persons above, no encounter dialogues or sayings are extant.)
- There were 106 sixth-generation successors of Chan Master Xingsi (Part 4).
- Dharma successors of the aforementioned Chan Master Daoying of Mount Yunju in Hongzhou.
1. Venerable Fori of Hangzhou.
Previously, while the Master was traveling on Mount Tiantai, he once said: “If anyone can seize my pivotal function, that person shall be my teacher.” The Master went to Jiangxi and met Venerable Ying of Yunju,
He bowed in reverence and asked, “When two dragons contend for a pearl, which one obtains it?” Yunju said, “Cast off bodily karma and come here to meet me.” He replied, “Bodily karma has already been cast off.” Yunju said, “Where is the pearl?” The Master could not answer. He then took refuge, entered Yunju’s quarters, paid homage to him, and made him his teacher. Later he went to consult Jiashan.
Just as he entered the gate, he saw the rector. The rector said, “This place does not admit newcomers.” The Master said, “I have only come to pay my respects to the abbot; I will not stay overnight.” The rector went up and reported this to Jiashan. Jiashan permitted the Master to see him.
Before the Master had even ascended the steps, Jiashan asked, “Where have you come from?” The Master said, “From Yunju.” Jiashan asked, “And where are you now?” The Master said, “On Jiashan’s head.” Jiashan said, “Every year this old monk remains on the ridge of earth, with five demons entering his body.” The Master then ascended the steps and bowed. Jiashan again asked, “Acharya, with whom are you traveling?” The Master said, “Elder Mu.” Jiashan asked, “Why has he not come to meet me?” The Master said, “Abbot, see whether he has a share in it.” Jiashan asked, “Where is he?” The Master said, “In the upper hall.” Jiashan then accompanied the Master to the upper hall.
The Master took his staff and threw it down before Jiashan. Jiashan asked, “Could it have come from Tiantai?” The Master replied, “It was not born from the Five Sacred Peaks.” Jiashan said, “Could it have come from Mount Sumeru?” The Master said, “It was not encountered even in the Palace of the Moon.” Jiashan said, “Then you obtained it from someone else.” The Master said, “Even oneself is an enemy; what could be done with something obtained from another?” Jiashan said, “Amid the cold ashes there is one hot bean.” He then summoned the rector and had a sleeping place arranged for the Master beneath the bright window.
The Master immediately asked, “Does the lantern understand speech?” Jiashan said, “When the lantern understands speech, I shall speak with you.”
The following morning, Jiashan went up to the upper hall and asked the Master, “Elder, where were you before you first came here yesterday?” The Master stepped forward and answered, “Yes!” Jiashan asked, “Before you went to Yunju, where were you?” He replied, “At Guoqing Monastery on Tiantai.” Jiashan asked, “Tiantai has cascades that descend gradually and rippling waves. I thank you for coming here from afar; what is your intention?” The Master replied, “I have long dwelt among the ranges of mountains, without wearing trailing vines.” Jiashan said, “This too is the meaning of spring; what is the meaning of autumn?” The Master remained silent for a long while. Jiashan said, “As I see it, you are merely an old boatman and, after all, not a man of playful freedom.”
One day there was a great communal invitation, and the rector asked the Master to serve tea. The Master said, “I came for the Buddha-Dharma, not to serve tea.” The rector said, “The abbot has instructed the Elder to serve tea.” The Master replied, “If it is the abbot’s command, then I shall.” He then served the tea, making the cups clatter loudly. Jiashan turned his head to look.
The Master said, “The tea is strong—five or three cups; the meaning lies beside the kettle.” Jiashan said, “The pot intends to pour tea; how many cups are in the basket?” The Master said, “The pot intends to pour tea; there is not a single cup in the basket.” He continued pouring tea and went on his way. At that time the entire assembly looked on. The Master again said, “The whole assembly hopes to request a word from the Master.” Jiashan said, “If you meet a dead snake along the road, do not beat it to death;
carry it home in a bottomless basket.” The Master said, “Holding the talisman of Luminous Night in one’s hand, how many know that dawn has come?” Jiashan said, “Great assembly, return, return.” From then on, whenever there was a communal invitation, the Master was invited back to the monastery, and the assembly welcomed and praised him.
Later the Master returned to western Zhe, resided at Furi, and passed away there.
2. Chan Master Zhen of Yongguang Monastery in Suzhou.
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “If the point of a single word goes astray, the homeland of fragrance is a thousand miles distant. Then, at the edge of the mysterious cliff, let go with both hands and personally assume full responsibility. Having completely died, come back to life; one cannot deceive the ruler. How could ordinary people fathom such extraordinary resolve?”
A monk asked, “If the Way is not horizontal but stands upright, all is perilous. How can one avoid being lost through the horizontal and the vertical?” The Master suddenly struck him on the mouth with his staff. The monk asked, “This too is horizontal and vertical.” The Master said, “Take them both together.”
3. Chan Master Fei of Tongan on Mount Fengqi in Hongzhou.
A monk asked, “What is the seamless stupa?” The Master said, “Hong! Hong!”
The monk asked, “Who is the person within the stupa?” The Master replied, “Today someone has come from Jianchang.”
A monk asked, “Upon seeing the one, one immediately stops; what is it like at that moment?” The Master said, “Indeed; then why go there again?”
A monk asked, “What is the fish whose brow has been marked?” The Master said, “It does not pass through the waves.”
The monk asked, “What is it like when it feels ashamed?” The Master said, “It never raises its face.”
The monk said, “Then it does not change its body.” The Master said, “Indeed; what can be done about the blue clouds?”
A monk asked, “What is the abbot’s family style?” The Master said, “The golden cock carries its chick back to the River of Stars; the jade rabbit embraces its young and comes to the Purple Tenuity.”
A monk asked, “If a guest suddenly arrives, with what will you entertain him?” The Master said, “At dawn the ape comes to gather the golden fruit; at dusk the phoenix carries the jade flower home in its beak.”
A monk asked, “When one meets a person who has attained the Way along the road, one must not respond tacitly with words. With what should one respond?” The Master said, “One should kick or strike.”
A monk asked, “What is it not to injure the Royal Way?” The Master said, “Eating gruel and eating rice.”
The monk asked, “Is this not precisely refraining from injuring the Royal Way?” The Master said, “As time passes, it falls toward the east.”
A monk asked, “When the jade seal is opened, who receives the message?” The Master said, “Not that person.”
A monk asked, “What is the matter of personally bowing?” The Master asked, “What did you say?”
A monk asked, “What is the Vairocana Master?” The Master said, “Acharya, where did you leave home?”
A monk asked, “What is it when bodhi meets the eyes?” The Master said, “The Buddha hall before your face.”
A monk said, “The jade tablet is without blemish; I ask the Master not to touch it.” The Master said, “It has fallen behind you.”
A monk asked, “When the jade seal is opened, who receives the message?” The Master said, “No trifling matter.”
A monk asked, “What is the wondrous branch?” The Master said, “Good.”
A monk asked, “How can mistaking the reflection for one’s head be brought to an end?” The Master said, “Who is being addressed?”
A monk asked, “What is right?” The Master said, “If you seek it from another, you go even farther away.”
The monk asked, “What if one does not seek it from another?” The Master replied, “Where is your head?”
A monk asked, “What is Tongan’s single arrow?” The Master said, “Look behind your brain.”
The monk asked, “What about the matter behind the brain?” The Master said, “Wrong.”
A monk asked, “A monk who has lost his robe chants before the assembly; relying on whom does the Patriarch chant?” The Master said, “Strike!”
A monk asked, “Bringing it does not accord; what is it like when it is not brought?” The Master said, “What place would you make?”
A monk asked, “Before that existed, what was the purpose of the traveling gear?” The Master said, “What purpose does it ordinarily serve?”
The monk replied, “Then it is the person of former times, unchanged.” The Master said, “What traveling gear would you make?”
4. Chan Master Danquan of Guizong Monastery on Mount Lu (second generation).
A monk asked, “What is it like before the golden cock has crowed?” The Master said, “King Awesome Voice is lost.”
The monk asked, “What is it like after the cock has crowed?” The Master said, “The three realms all sink.”
A monk asked, “What is it like when one offers everything one has?” The Master replied, “What have you managed to bring?”
The monk answered, “Whatever I have, I do not begrudge.” The Master asked, “To whom are you making the offering?” The monk could not answer.
A monk said, “This student has come for the Buddha-Dharma. What is the Buddha-Dharma?” The Master replied, “Upright leisure and emptiness.”
The monk said, “I again ask the Master to deliberate upon it.” The Master said, “After circling all around, there is still something left over.”
A monk asked, “The great assembly has gathered like clouds; what matter do you speak of?” The Master said, “Three by three, two by two.”
A monk asked, “When one meets a person who has attained the Way along the road, one must not respond tacitly with words. I do not yet know with what one should respond.” The Master said, “How could one bear such a person?” He continued, “Do you understand?”
The monk replied, “I do not understand.” The Master said, “The road to Chang’an lies beside a pit.”
A monk asked, “This student does not ask about anything else, but asks: What is the great meaning of the Buddha-Dharma?” The Master replied, “Three cangues and five blows.”
The monk asked, “What does a person of penetrating understanding say?” The Master said, “What are you doing right now?”
The monk said, “Following the current.” The Master said, “If you do not follow the current, how could you bring it to an end?”
5. Venerable Guangji of Chizhou.
A monk asked, “What is it like when there is one horse and one spear?” The Master said, “The head has already fallen.”
A monk asked, “What is speech beyond the conventions?” The Master asked, “What are you saying?”
A monk asked, “What is the realm of Guangji?” The Master said, “Without hunger or thirst.”
The monk said, “Then the disciple has no function.” The Master said, “I know that your sentiments submit to the arrangements of others.”
A monk asked, “I have come from afar to take refuge; I beg the Master to instruct me.” The Master said, “Having a mouth, you know only how to eat.”
A monk asked, “What was it like when Wenbo Xue and Zhongni met?”
The Master said, “There is no such person here.” A monk asked, “Not knowing and not seeing—I ask the Master to speak.” The Master said, “Get out!” The monk asked, “What is it like when one is not deluded?” The Master said, “What do you call it?”
6. Venerable Nantai of Shuixi, Tanzhou.
A monk asked, “What is the single drop of water in this realm?” The Master replied, “Once it enters your mouth, take it out at once.” He asked, “What is the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from the Western Land?” The Master said, “Stitching boots and shoes.” He asked, “The patriarchs transmitted it to one another, but we do not yet know what they transmitted.” The Master said, “Even if the Acarya had not asked, this old monk would still not know.”
7. Chan Master Zhuxi of Qianxi Prefecture.
The Prefect of Raozhou joined the Master in constructing a Tripitaka Hall. The Master and a monk went together to inspect the hall. The Master called to the monk, and the monk immediately responded. The Master asked, “How many Buddhas will this hall accommodate?” The monk replied, “If they are placed here, there will always be people who disapprove.” The Master said, “I am not asking about those people.” The monk replied, “As for that, I too have never answered.” Take care.
Later, the Master passed away on Mount Doushuai.
8. Venerable Fenghua of Yangzhou.
A monk asked, “What is it like to play a game of chess?” The Master said, “Make your move here.” He asked, “What is it like when a single blow of the staff shatters empty space?” The Master said, “Bring me a fragment.” He asked, “Above there is not a single roof tile, and below there is no ground in which to set an awl. Where should this student stand?” The Master said, “Do not drift about!”
9. Chan Master Daojian of Zhaohua on Mount Yunju (second abbot in succession).
The Master was a native of Fanyang. For a long time he entered Master Yunju’s chamber and secretly received the true seal. He was assigned responsibility for overseeing affairs within the monastery.
Because of his seniority in Dharma years, he served as the first seat in the Dharma hall. When Venerable Ying was about to pass away, a monk serving as an officer asked who would be the Dharma successor. The Master replied, “Administrator Jian in the Dharma hall.” Although the monk heard these words, he did not understand their purport and called for an immediate selection.
He then conferred with the Sangha and chose the second seat to serve as the transforming master. Yet, in accordance with prior custom, they first invited the first seat; if he declined out of humility, they would then appoint the second seat. At that time, Master Jian had secretly received his teacher’s prediction, and so he did not decline.
Taking up his implements of the Way, the Master entered the abbot’s quarters, gathered the assembly, and expounded the Dharma. The monk who was chief administrator was displeased and refused to follow the established regulations.
Perceiving the feelings of the people, the Master left the monastery and secretly descended the mountain. That night, the mountain spirit cried out in lamentation and rebuke. The following morning, the administrator and the great assembly hurried to the rice fields, where they repented, wept, and entreated the Master to return. The assembly heard the mountain spirit raise its voice in praise: “The Venerable has returned!”
A monk asked, “What is the Venerable’s family style?” The Master said, “To be free wherever one may be.” He asked, “Was not Vimalakirti the Golden Grain Tathagata?” The Master replied, “He was.” He asked, “Why, then, did he attend Sakyamuni’s assembly to hear the Dharma?” The Master said, “He did not contend over self and other.” He asked, “What is it like when one turns the body and conceals oneself?” The Master said, “Can you conceal yourself again?” He asked, “How can the snake swallow the snake master?” The Master said, “Remain within it without being harmed.” He asked, “Can the Venerable speak of the place that the sages cannot speak of?” The Master said, “Tell me, what is the place that the sages cannot speak of?” He asked,
“What is it like when one encounters a fierce tiger midway?” The Master said, “Thousands and tens of thousands of people do not encounter it, yet you alone encounter it.” He asked, “What is it like to spend the night alone atop a lofty peak?” The Master said, “When idle, you do not spend the night sleeping in the seven-bay monks’ hall.
Who says that you alone sleep overnight atop a lofty peak?”
After the Master passed away, Zhang Chong, the military governor of Luzhou, provided funds to build a stone stupa in his honor on that mountain. It remains there to this day.
10. Chan Master Huaihui of Guizong Monastery on Mount Lu (third abbot in succession).
A monk asked, “What is it like when there is neither Buddha nor sentient beings?” The Master replied, “Who is like that?” He asked, “What is it like when the water is clear and the fish appear?” The Master said, “Bring me one.” The monk could not reply. He asked, “What is Wulao Peak?” The Master said, “Lofty and precipitous.” He asked, “What is it to cut off the water and stop the wheel?” The Master replied, “Though ground against it, the wheel does not turn.” He asked, “What is it when, though ground against it, the wheel does not turn?” The Master said, “The wheel does not stop.” He asked, “What is the person within the dust?” The Master replied, “Head covered in ashes, face smeared with earth.” He asked, “The World-Honored One spoke without speaking,
and Kasyapa heard without hearing—what of this matter?” The Master said, “What are you doing at this very moment?” The monk replied, “It is not the same as failing to hear what was said.” The Master said, “Who is it?” He asked, “This student has not arrived at the place; I ask the Master to speak.” The Master said, “At what place have you not arrived?”
11. Chan Master Huihai of Dashan, Hongzhou.
A monk asked, “What is it like when one does not sit upon the green mountain?” The Master said, “Who is it?” He asked, “How does one recognize the person who is a guest?” The Master said, “Do not choose what is above.” He asked, “What is it like when one suddenly encounters the Numinous Spring?” The Master asked, “From where have you come?” He asked, “How can one speak without contradicting the Master?” The Master said, “Do not begrudge your mouth.” He asked, “What is it like after one has spoken?” The Master asked, “What did you say?” He asked, “How can one speak so that we draw close to one another?” The Master said, “Speak quickly.” He asked, “If so, then one does not speak?” The Master said, “What use is the mouth?”
Later, the Master passed away at Baizhang.
12. Venerable Deshan of Langzhou.
A monk asked, “When one encounters a person who has attained the Way midway, one must not respond with either speech or silence. With what, then, should one respond?” The Master said, “Just thus.” The monk remained silent for a long while. The Master said, “Ask again.” The monk repeated his question. The Master then shouted, “Get out!”
13. Venerable Nantai of Nanyue, Hengzhou.
A monk asked, “What is it like when one is directly atop Rong Peak?” The Master asked, “Do you see?”
14. Chan Master Chang of Mount Yunju (third abbot in succession).
A monk asked, “What is it like when people meet but do not recognize one another?” The Master said, “You have already met; why do you not recognize one another?” He asked, “What is it like when fierce flames blaze within the furnace?” The Master said, “What is inside your head?” He asked, “What is it like when one refuses to discuss the matter?” The Master said, “Why have you come here?” He asked, “Though I have come, still there is no discussion?” The Master said, “What benefit is there in coming?” He asked, “What is it like when one finds a place for the body before the abbot’s quarters?” The Master asked, “How large or small is your body?”
15. Chan Master Zhang of Mount Ji, Chizhou.
The Master once served as the firewood attendant under Master Touzi. While drinking tea, Touzi told the Master, “The whole multitude of phenomena is contained within this cup of tea.” The Master immediately overturned the cup and said, “Where is the whole multitude of phenomena?” Touzi said, “What a pity about that cup of tea.”
Later, the Master met Venerable Xuefeng. Xuefeng asked, “Are you not Zhang, the firewood attendant?” The Master then made a gesture as though pushing a cartwheel. Xuefeng acknowledged him.
16. Venerable Dafan of Jinzhou.
A monk asked, “What is the place toward which this student looks with longing?” The Master said, “Erecting a lofty tower at the bottom of a well.” He asked, “If so, then it is transcendent.” The Master said, “Why not let go of your hands?”
17. Venerable Yunzhu of Xin.
A monk asked, “Who can speak of what all Buddhas cannot speak?” The Master said, “This old monk can speak of it.” He asked, “All Buddhas cannot speak of it; how can the Venerable speak of it?” The Master said, “All Buddhas are my disciples.” He asked, “I ask the Venerable to speak.” The Master said, “For failing to give a good answer, the ruler strikes you twenty blows.”
18. Chan Master Huaiyue, titled Dakong, of Mount Yunju (fourth abbot in succession).
A monk asked, “What is the Great Perfect Mirror?” The Master said, “The mirror does not reflect.” He asked, “What if things suddenly come from the four directions and eight quarters?” The Master said, “When a Hu comes, a Hu appears.” He said, “Excellent indeed—the mirror does not reflect!” The Master immediately struck him. A monk asked, “What is the single pill that cures the ten thousand illnesses?” The Master asked, “What illness do you have?”
19. Venerable Lingban.
A monk asked, “If this student does not fail the Master’s pivotal function, can he still avoid wearing fur and bearing horns?” The Master replied, “Acarya, you too are fearsome: face-to-face, yet we do not recognize one another.” He asked, “If so, then only after swallowing all the waters of a hundred rivers does a single point of mind become clear?” The Master said, “Though you may avoid wearing fur, you must still bear horns and scales.” He asked, “I earnestly implore the Venerable to bestow his vast and perfect compassion.” The Master said, “Even if I speak with all my might, no one apart from this old monk will understand.”
– Dharma successors of Chan Master Benji of Caoshan in Fuzhou, mentioned previously.
1. Great Master Xuánwù Guānghuì of Heyu Mountain, Fuzhou.
Previously, when the Master was at Longquan, he ascended the Dharma hall and addressed the assembly: “Venerable Xuefeng is like a golden-winged garuda entering the sea to seize dragons.”
At that time, a monk asked, “And what of you, Venerable?”
The Master said, “Where are you coming and going?”
Question: “What is the meaning of the coming from the Western Land?”
The Master said, “If you do not bow now, for what time are you waiting?”
Question: “What is the secret transmission of the mind?”
The Master remained silent for a long while.
The monk said, “Then I have strained my ears in vain.”
The Master called the attendant and said, “Bring fire and burn it.”
Question: “An ancient said, ‘If one records a single phrase and discusses it for kalpas, one becomes a wild-fox spirit.’ I do not yet understand the ancient’s meaning.”
The Master replied, “The Longquan Sangha hall has never been locked.”
Question: “What about you, Venerable?”
The Master said, “The wind blows through the ears.”
Question: “What is it like when one encounters a fierce beast midway?”
The Master replied, “Why resent it?”
Question: “What is the phrase before sound?”
The Master said, “It is as though nothing had been said.”
Question: “An ancient spoke of ‘a single snowflake upon a red-hot furnace.’ What is the purport?”
The Master said, “Take care of your eyebrows.”
Question: “How does one point it out at the very moment of being undeluded?”
The Master replied, “One cannot add frost upon snow.”
Question: “If so, it is entirely through the Venerable that it is cast away.”
The Master said, “Through what?”
Question: “How can one tread without being deluded concerning the essential style of the school?”
The Master said, “You must say that Longquan has a skilled hand.”
Question: “I ask the Venerable to show that skilled hand.”
The Master said, “Then remember the appointed bell.”
Question: “An ancient said, ‘Of life, I will not speak; of death, I will not speak.’ What does this mean?”
The Master remained silent for a long while. The monk bowed.
The Master asked, “Do you understand?”
He replied, “I do not understand.”
The Master said, “The stove is cold, and the pots are covered with dust.”
On one occasion, the Master raised his staff and instructed the assembly: “From ancient times onward, this one path of expedient means for receiving people has always been preserved here.”
A monk then came forward and asked, “Venerable, you have started again from the beginning.”
The Master said, “Thank you for making it complete.”
Question: “When the mechanism does not turn, I ask the Master to deliberate.”
The Master asked, “Can you silence my mouth?”
Question: “What is Manjusri?”
The Master said, “There cannot be a second moon.”
Question: “What of the matter right now?”
The Master said, “It is precisely the second moon.”
Question: “What are the words of the Tathagata?”
The Master said, “A strong wind can be bound and tied.”
Question: “What is the wondrously luminous true nature?”
The Master replied, “Vast and unharmed.”
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and remained silent for a long while. A monk came forward and asked, “For the sake of the assembly, you have exerted yourself to the utmost, depicting birth at the gate of the self. I do not know whether the fault is pardoned or not.”
The Master remained silent.
Question: “What is the Venerable’s single phrase for people?”
The Master replied, “You are a nine-colored deer.”
Question: “What is it like when I sincerely follow the Master?”
The Master replied, “It is not the treasure of your own house.”
Question: “What is the treasure of one’s own house?”
The Master said, “Without polishing, it does not become a treasure.”
2. Chan Master Daoyan of Dongshan, Junzhou, fourth generation in residence.
At first, Venerable Caoshan said, “There is a person who, from the summit of a ten-thousand-fathom mountain, casts himself down. What kind of person is he?” No one in the assembly could answer.
The Master came forward and replied, “Nothing remains.”
Caoshan asked, “What does not remain?”
He replied, “Only then can he be struck without being shattered.”
Caoshan strongly approved.
A monk asked, “I request the Venerable secretly to transmit the true mind.”
The Master replied, “Why deceive yourself when there is no one within?”
3. Chan Master Hongtong of King Ashoka Mountain, Changning County, Hengzhou.
A monk asked, “What was it like before primal chaos had divided?”
The Master said, “Primal chaos.”
The monk asked, “What was it like after it had divided?”
The Master said, “Primal chaos.”
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and instructed the assembly: “Shakyamuni Tathagata appeared in the world and, for forty-nine years, did not utter a single phrase, all the way to the bottom. Tonight I shall not avoid shame but will speak with you venerable ones.” The Master remained silent for a long while, then said, “Do not speak mistakenly. Take care.”
A monk asked, “This student is ill. I ask the Master to cure the illness.”
The Master said, “Bring the illness here, and I shall cure it for you.”
Question: “I ask the Master to cure it.”
The Master said, “Pay this old monk for the medicine.”
Question: “I do not ask about the single path of Caoyuan; I ask only about the matter on the bank of the Hengyang River. What is it?”
The Master said, “Rootless grass blazes upon a crimson furnace; in the depths of the emerald marsh, no fish is encountered.”
Question: “What is it like when both mind and dharmas have vanished?”
The Master said, “A three-legged frog upon the back of a great elephant.”
Question: “What is the meaning of the coming from the Western Land?”
The Master said, “This old monk’s hair stands on end.”
Question: “What is the great meaning of the Buddha-Dharma?”
The Master said, “Wait until Manjusri passes by, and I shall tell you.”
Question: “Manjusri has passed by; I ask the Venerable to speak.”
The Master immediately struck him.
Question: “What is the Venerable’s family style?”
The Master said, “A body full of dregs is not worth five copper coins.”
Question: “Even though it is exceedingly poor and lowly?”
The Master said, “It has been so since ancient times.”
Question: “How is it set forth?”
The Master said, “Frugality according to the family style.”
4. Great Master Songzhi, titled Xuanming, of Jinfeng, Fuzhou.
Senior Monk Jin came and asked, “Who is the true sovereign of Jinfeng?”
The Master replied, “This place is not far from the county seat; Acharya, do not advance too hastily.”
Question: “Why do you not speak?”
The Master said, “The mouth is like a porcelain tray.”
Question: “Among a thousand myriad peaks, which is Jinfeng?”
The Master merely split open his forehead.
Question: “What is it like when a thousand mountains have no clouds and, for ten thousand miles, the sky is utterly free of haze?”
The Master said, “Where would an ape soaring up the mountain ridge not vigorously spew forth?”
Question: “What is the meaning of the coming from the Western Land?”
The Master said, “Beside the wall are the ears of a mouse.”
Question: “What is the Venerable’s family style?”
The Master said, “Before the gate of Jinfeng there is no five-mile signpost.”
Later, the Master passed away at Bao’en Cloister in Jinling. His posthumous title was Chan Master Yuanguang, and his stupa was inscribed “Return to Quiescence.”
5. Chan Master Chuzhen of the Huayan Cloister on Lumen Mountain, Xiangzhou.
Question: “What is the Venerable’s family style?”
The Master said, “There is salt, but no vinegar.”
Question: “What is a person of the Way?”
The Master said, “Having a mouth like a nostril.”
Question: “If someone different suddenly comes, with what will you respond?”
The Master replied, “The brushwood gate stands open; the grass thanks you for passing by.”
Question: “What is the thing transmitted from patriarch to patriarch?”
The Master said, “A gold-threaded kashaya.”
Question: “What is prajna within the box?”
The Master said, “The Buddha’s face contains six hundred fascicles.”
Question: “When the Venerable has reached a hundred years, where will you go?”
The Master said, “I shall go become the Li family’s ox below the mountain.”
Question: “Will you permit this student to follow?”
The Master said, “If you wish to follow, do not likewise grow horns on your head.”
He replied, “Yes.”
The Master asked, “Where have you arrived?”
Question: “The Buddha-eye cannot discern it.”
Reply: “The Dharma-eye.”
The Master said, “If one does not let it pass, this too is boundless confusion.”
Question: “What is the lofty place of Lumen Mountain?”
The Master said, “Have you ever climbed the lord of mountains?”
Question: “What is Chan?”
The Master said, “Luan and phoenix entering a chicken coop.”
Question: “What is the Way?”
The Master said, “A tender silk thread pulling a great elephant.”
Question: “When the kalpa is destroyed, will this be destroyed?”
The Master replied, “Climb the mountain and gaze into the tiger’s eyes—a singular place of sorrow.”
Question: “What is the Venerable’s place of turning the body?”
The Master said, “Yesterday, in the third watch, I lost my pillow.”
Question: “What is the phrase after utter emptiness?”
The Master asked, “From what family were you born?”
The Master had a verse with which he instructed the assembly:
A single congealed expanse, brilliantly radiant;
Resolving to seek it, ultimately it is hard to see.
Cast away the radiance, and empty all feelings;
The great matter, perfectly clear, is discerned by all.
It is joyful and free, without fetters or bonds.
Ten thousand taels of yellow gold could never purchase it.
Let a thousand sages appear in the world as they please;
From this, their reflections appear within the pool.
6. Great Master Liaowu Huihe of Caoshan, Fuzhou.
Question: “What was it like before the Buddha appeared in the world?”
The Master said, “Caoshan could not equal it.”
Question: “What was it like after the Buddha appeared in the world?”
The Master said, “It could not equal Caoshan.”
Question: “What is it like when the four mountains press in upon one another?”
The Master said, “Caoshan is within them.”
Question: “Does one still seek to get out?”
The Master said, “If one is within them, then one seeks to get out.”
A monk stood in attendance. The Master said, “A person of the Way can utterly kill the burning heat.”
He replied, “Indeed.”
The Master said, “But when it is burning hot, where can it be avoided?”
Answer: Turn toward the boiling cauldron and the red-hot furnace and avoid them. The Master said: How can one avoid the boiling cauldron and the red-hot charcoal furnace just as they are? Answer: None of the sufferings can reach one. The Master remained silent.
7. Chan Master Fan of Huaguang in Hengzhou.
Question: What is the seamless stupa? The Master pointed to the Sangha Hall and said: This Sangha Hall has no door. The Master asked: Have you ever been to Ziling? Answer: I have. The Master asked: Have you ever been to Lumen? Answer: I have. The Master asked: Is it right to succeed Ziling, or is it right to succeed Lumen? Answer: May I now succeed the Venerable? The Master said: Unless human sentiments are struck down, it cannot be done.
Question: Apart from concealment and manifestation, what does this student still have that is the Venerable? The Master answered: It fills the whole of heaven and earth. Question: This too belongs to the student; what is the Venerable? The Master said: Just now I said it does not approach.
8. Chan Master Rong of Guangli in Chuzhou.
When a monk newly arrived, the Master raised his fly whisk and asked: Does the old master of Zhenxi possess the eye? Answer: I dare not see the faults of others. The Master said: I have died at the hands of the acarya.
Question: What is the Venerable’s family style? The Master said: I thank the acarya for revealing it in words. Question: What was the meaning of the Western Courtyard clapping his hands and laughing, “Hee, hee”? The Master said: The scroll is placed atop the curtain.
Question: If one is not clear oneself, how can one attain clarity? The Master said: Not clear. Question: Why is it not clear? The Master said: Do you not see that it speaks of one’s own affair?
Question: What was the meaning of Luzu turning to face the wall? The Master remained silent for a long while, then asked in return: Do you understand? Answer: I do not understand. The Master said: Luzu turned to face the wall.
When the prefect was about to return, the Master went out to receive him. The prefect asked: The Venerable has come from afar beyond the mountain gate; what have you brought? The Master answered: I present the inexhaustible treasure as an offering. The prefect could not reply. Later, someone offered the words: “Then please present it.” The Master said: The prefect is majestic and venerable.
Question: When words are cut off along a thousand paths and thought cannot penetrate, what then? The Master said: You are still the old sovereign.
The Master addressed the assembly: If you come beneath the gate of Guangli and can utter the first phrase, I shall open a single thread of a path and deliberate with you brothers. At that moment, a monk came forward and bowed. The Master said: I was about to call you the master of a boat from another land, but you were originally a merchant of this prefecture.
9. Chan Master Hengchuan of the Xiaoxi Cloister on Mount Lu, Quanzhou.
The Master was from Shengyuan and his family name was Zhou. He left home at the Shizhong Cloister in that prefecture. He went to receive the precepts at Taiping Monastery in Fuzhou. After receiving Master Caoshan’s seal of approval, he resided at Xiaoxi.
A monk asked: I have heard the saying concerning Shimen on Mount Lu; why can one not enter? The Master said: Old fool. Question: If you suddenly encountered a clever person, would you still permit it or not? The Master said: Go drink tea.
10. Venerable Yan of Bushui in Western Sichuan.
Question: What is the meaning of the coming from the Western Land? The Master said: One return to reflection, one wound to the heart. Question: What is it like before the precious sword has been sharpened? The Master said: It cannot be used. Question: What about after it has been sharpened? The Master said: It cannot be touched.
11. The Venerable of Xichan in Sichuan.
Question: The Buddha descended into the womb of Maya; into whose household did the Venerable descend? The Master said: Above the waters, the crimson banner towers aloft. Question: Of the thirty-six roads, which is the most wondrous? The Master said: It does not leave the foremost hand. Question: What if one’s face is suddenly exposed? The Master said: Even having one’s spine touch the ground is not difficult.
12. Chan Master Fayi of the Thatched Hermitage in Huazhou.
Question: What is the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from the Western Land? The Master said: Nine bubbles rise; eat your fill. Question: To think with the mind is immediately to err, and to stir a thought is immediately to go against it; how is this student to advance upon the Way? The Master said: There is someone who is always thinking. Why does he not err? Question: What about this very matter right now? The Master said: The error was completed long ago.
13. The Huayan Venerable of Shaozhou.
Question: Since it is Huayan, can it also be brought forth? The Master said: A thousand flowers are lovely atop the solitary peak; a phrase meeting the occasion shines before the sages. Question: What is the Way? The Master said: The numinous tree has no lateral branches; the workings of heaven and the Way join in accord.
– Dharma heirs of the former Chan Master Judun of Mount Longya in Tanzhou.
1. Great Master Kuanghua Zangyu of Baoci in Tanzhou.
A monk asked: What is it like when the mind and the eye see one another? The Master said: What could I tell you? Question: What is the place of true seeing? The Master said: Not even a hair’s breadth intervenes. Question: Then that is seeing. The Master said: Nanquan’s place of practice is excellent.
Question: What is the meaning of the coming from the Western Land? The Master said: Last night, during the third watch, it was carried across the river. Question: How is it employed when the occasion is met? The Master said: The Eastern Sea has a fruit at the top of the tree of mind. Question: What are true suchness and Buddha-nature? The Master said: Who does not have them? Question: What is the single path upward? The Master said: Lin, Lian, Dao, Yong.
Question: How old is the Venerable? The Master said: When autumn comes, the yellow leaves fall; when spring comes, flowers immediately bloom.
The Master once composed a portrait eulogy, saying:
One day, the Master was sitting behind a curtain. A monk asked: I have heard the Master say, “It is not that there is no body, but it does not wish to display itself entirely.” I ask the Master to display it entirely. The Master then drew the curtain aside.
Question: What is the scenery of Hunan? The Master said: Towered boats rock their oars. The monk asked further: May this student roam there? The Master said: The acarya may beat the drum as he pleases.
Question: After the Venerable has reached a hundred years, if someone asks about you, how should I answer? The Master said: Remember it clearly.
Question: What is Mount Longya? The Master said: On which side is Yiyang? Question: What is right? The Master said: Do not imitate. Question: What is not imitating? The Master answered: That, then, is not it.
Question: What was the meaning of the ancient one turning to face the wall? The Master remained silent for a long while, then called to the student. The man responded, “Yes.” The Master said: Come back another time.
The Master said: One phrase pervades the great earth; one phrase is spoken as soon as it is asked; and one phrase is not spoken even when asked. What is the one phrase that pervades the great earth? He answered: Nothing is regarded as lacking. Question: What is the one phrase asked as soon as it is asked? The Master said: Lower your voice, lower your voice. Question: What is the one phrase not spoken even when asked? The Master said: Then you will know the time.
2. Chan Master Shenzhe of Mount Hanzhou in Xiangzhou.
Question: What is the profound place? The Master said: A one-inch nail is driven into wood; eight oxen cannot pull it out. Question: What is the eye of the true Dharma? The Master said: The spirit before the Three Gates. Question: What is the great meaning of the Buddhadharma? The Master said: A poor girl carries her child and struggles across the river of affection.
The Master asked a monk: Being is not it; nonbeing is not it; neither being nor nonbeing is also not it. What has your name always been? Answer: This student already has a complete name. The Master said: If your name is complete, what is it that everyone calls you? Answer: Is it merely this? The Master said: Again you delight in sinking into entanglements. Question: What is right? The Master said: At the intimate place, please ask once more. Answer: This student cannot say it; I ask the Venerable to say it. The Master said: Come another day, and I shall tell you. Question: Why will you not say it now? The Master said: I cannot find anyone who understands this exchange.
The Master further asked another monk: It is not Wang, not Zhang, and not Li; what has your family name always been? Answer: I share the same family name as the Venerable. The Master asked: If we share the same family name, what has that name always been? Answer: I shall tell the Venerable when the waters of the Han River flow backward. The Master asked: Why will you not say it now? Answer: The waters of the Han River have not yet flowed backward. The Master then ceased.
– Dharma heirs of Chan Master Xiujing of Huayan Monastery in Jingzhao.
1. Great Master Dingjue Kuangyi of Ziling in Fengxiang Prefecture.
The Master went to Panlong and saw a monk ask Panlong: “The emerald-green pool is like a mirror; where does Panlong rest?” Long answered: “The sand sinks, and the bottom cannot be seen; the waves rise, wholly scattering beyond.”
The Master did not accept this and answered himself: “The vajra penetrates beyond the azure heavens; how could the depths of the pool comprehend the mechanism of the jade discourse?” Panlong then accepted it. While the Master was there, a monk asked: “Before becoming a human being, what were you?” The Master said: “The stone ox walks step by step through the water; turning its head, it holds grass in its mouth beneath the sun.”
– Dharma heirs of the former Great Master Puman of Jiufeng in Junzhou.
1. Chan Master Wei of Tong’an Monastery on Mount Fengqi in Hongzhou.
A monk asked: “What was Niutou like before he met the Fourth Patriarch?” The Master said: “At the roadside spirit shrine, all who see it raise their clasped hands.” He asked: “What about after he had met him?” The Master said: “There is no spirit-tablet couch in the house, so the entire household keeps no mourning.” He asked: “What are the meaning of the Patriarchs and the meaning of the Teaching?” The Master said: “The jade rabbit has never known the meaning of brightness; how could the golden crow consent to shine at the beginning of night?” He asked: “What is a verse of Tong’an’s song?” The Master replied: “The numinous lute does not play the music of the human world;
how could one who knows the tone recognize the school of Boya?” He asked: “Who can know it?” The Master said: “When the wooden horse neighs, it is heard from there; when the stone man claps his hands, who can hear it?” He asked: “What is one who knows the tone?” The Master said: “Knowing the tone does not require it to pass through the ears; how could those who understand hear it in the same way?”
– Dharma heirs of the former Chan Master Shiqian of Qinglin.
1. Venerable Longguang of Shaozhou.
A monk asked: “What is it like when the king of men and the king of Dharma meet?” The Master said: “The sovereign of the kingdom of Yue does not sheathe his sword. Longguang’s single phrase has never been lacking.” The Master ascended the Dharma hall, remained silent for a long while, and then said: “Do not trouble yourselves. Take good care.” He was asked: “What is the meaning of the coming from the Western Land?” The Master said: “With one sweep of the barbarian wind, the land of Han becomes the pivotal mechanism.” He was asked: “What is it like when the dust is swept away and the Buddha is seen?” The Master clapped his hands and looked back.
He was asked: “What is Longguang’s single phrase?” The Master replied: “Amoghapasha.” The monk said: “This student does not understand.” The Master said: “Quiet!” He was asked: “What is the ultimate principle taught for the sake of others?” The Master said: “Earnestly entrust it to later people to see.” He was asked: “Why did the Venerable Pindola alone obtain the robe and receive offerings from all under heaven?” The Master said: “A thousand rivers share one moon; ten thousand households together encounter spring.” The Master had a verse:
The precious moon above Longguang’s summit—
Illuminating heaven and earth, it burns away the dark clouds.
The Venerable does not shift from the one original substance—
Its reflection appears in a thousand rivers; spring fills ten thousand homes.
2. Chan Master Xian of Shimen Monastery on Mount Fenghuang in Xiangzhou.
The Master was a native of Jingzhao. He received a prediction from Qinglin and opened the Dharma at two places. Whenever responding to the circumstances, the Master most often said: “Elder brother, very good.” People of the time therefore called him Venerable Elder Brother.
Formerly, the Master dwelt at Hengyue, sitting quietly in a mountain cave. When Venerable Jiashan passed into quiescence, the assembly invited the Master to become abbot, and he therefore went to Tanzhou. At that time, the King of Chu, of the Ma clan, came outside the city gate to welcome him.
The King asked: “What is the Great Way brought by the Patriarch from the Western Land?” The Master said: “Elder brother, very good! The imperial carriage of six dragons has been splendid since antiquity. On the jade steps, the staff is displayed before the golden gate.” The King greatly revered the Master and invited him into the Tiance Residence, where he made offerings to him for several days.
When the Master first arrived at Jiashan and took his seat in the place of awakening, a monk asked: “How does today’s assembly differ from Vulture Peak?” The Master said: “Heaven spreads jeweled canopies, tier upon wondrous tier; the earth sends forth golden lotuses, petal after fresh petal.” He asked: “I do not yet know what Dharma you will use to instruct people.” The Master said: “The stringless lute plays throughout worlds as numerous as sand; its harmonious tones respond everywhere to the pivotal workings of the great trichiliocosm.” He asked: “Whose song does the Master sing, and whose lineage tradition does he continue?” The Master said: “Observe the modes of gong and shang within a single tune;
to discern the jewel, one must know the blue-eyed barbarian.” He asked: “Then this is the current of life flowing beneath the cave, while the full moon shines upon the green forest.” The Master said: “Many disciples before the stupa discerned the meaning; even now, in a later age, they admire the mighty sound.”
The Master moved from Jiashan to Shimen, opened the mountain, established a monastery, and widely expounded the profound tradition. The Master ascended the Dharma hall and addressed the assembly: “Upon the crystal palace, the sun shines brightly; the sun is impartial. Within the seven-jeweled mountain, the head shines brightly; the head has a place upon which it rests. The earthen ox strides swiftly, the wooden horse neighs resoundingly, the rustic elder sings, and the woodcutter dances. On the road of the Great Yang, the ancient song bears a mysterious sound. When we meet beneath the forest, what further matter is there?”
A monk asked: “What is it like when the moon is within the clouds?” The Master said: “Three young children embrace a painted drum.” Then he said: “Elder brother, very good! Do not come kicking a ball before my gate.” He was asked: “What is the Venerable’s family style?” The Master said: “A skilled horseman reaches the high tower; his iron whip points out the entire road of the people of Hu.” He was asked: “What is the scenery of Shimen?” The Master said: “Throughout the realm of pure gold there is no differing color; the wandering son comes and goes, yet is difficult to find.” He was asked: “Who is the person within the scenery?” The Master said: “Without characteristics, he does not abide in the station of sage or commoner;
walking the bird’s path, he leaves no trace.” He was asked: “Among the many hands refining gold, who succeeds?” The Master said: “Zhang the Third and Li the Fourth emerge from the golden gate; grasping all heaven and earth, each is a stone man.” He asked: “Then it is not obtained from another?” The Master said: “The Three Dukes and Nine Ministers are arrayed according to rank; look at the golden rooster standing there as well.” He was asked: “When the realm of the Way is boundless and the whole body is covered with scars, what then?” The Master said: “Far away, white clouds rise above the snowy mountain;
on the mysterious road, turn yourself around without delay.” He asked: “I do not yet know where the road of turning oneself around lies.” The Master said: “The stone man raises his hand and marks it out clearly; the white bones of ten thousand years smile as they behold the time.” He was asked: “What is it like when suchness remains unmoving?” The Master said: “What sun is there?” He was asked: “What is right?” The Master said: “The stone gate has neither bolt nor lock.” He was asked: “What is the scenery of Shimen?” The Master replied: “Crows and egrets fly, crying aloud.” He was asked: “Who is the person within the scenery?” The Master said: “The wind gives thanks to the forbidden window curtains.”
When Prajna Monastery burned down, someone asked: “Since it is Prajna, why was it consumed by fire?” The Master replied: “For ten thousand miles, a single lump of iron.”
3. Venerable Guangde of Mount Wantong in Xiangzhou (the first abbot).
A monk asked: “What is the Venerable’s family style?” The Master said: “Before the mountain no person stands; behind the mountain, all is again obscure.” He asked: “What is the phrase that penetrates the Dharma body?” The Master replied: “Without strength to behold the mountains and waters, the thatched gate cuts off those who know the tone.” He asked: “What is the great meaning of the Buddhadharma?” The Master said: “Just now we lamented the falling yellow leaves; once again we see the willow branches turn green.” He asked: “The entire great earth is a single corpse. Where should it be buried?” The Master said: “Beneath Mount Beimang are a thousand hills and ten thousand mounds.”
The Master once became unwell. A monk asked: “What illness does the Venerable have that has left you so thin and emaciated?” The Master said: “Being impartial, it does not fall.” The monk said: “Then I know the source of the Venerable’s illness.” The Master asked: “Tell me, what illness does this old monk have?” He replied: “The Venerable is skilled at guarding his mouth.” The Master immediately struck him.
4. Venerable Bajiao of Chengzhou.
He was asked: “How should one apply the mind throughout the twelve hours?” The Master replied: “A single pot of luxuriantly green plants.”
5. Venerable Huiju of Shicang in Dingzhou.
He was asked: “What is the sangharama?” The Master replied: “Just this.” He was asked: “Who is the person within the sangharama?” The Master asked: “Doing what? Doing what?” He was asked: “If a guest suddenly arrives, what will you offer him?” The Master said: “Go drink tea.”
– Dharma heirs of the Chan Master Dunru of Baima in Luojing.
1. Venerable Qingsuo of a mountain in Xingyuan Prefecture.
He was asked: “What is the Venerable’s family style?” The Master said: “A bottomless basket gathers green vegetables.” He was asked: “What is the scenery of Baima?” The Master said: “For the three winter months, flowering trees are beautiful; throughout the nine summer months, snow and frost fly.”
– Dharma heirs of Chan Master Tong of the Northern Monastery in Yizhou.
1. Venerable Xiangcheng of Jingzhao.
Previously, the Master went to study with Venerable Tong and asked: “What is it when one is like two?” Tong said: “One deceives you.” The Master thereupon awakened. A monk asked: “The forms and shadows of the three lights gratefully receive illumination—what is this matter?” The Master said: “At dawn, the mountain before the village towers aloft in five colors.” He asked: “What is it when it has nothing to do with painted colors?” The Master said: “Just now, you came alone across the river.” He asked: “Toward”
A monk requested the Master to speak of the one path of ascent. The Master said: “The fishing line and hook cannot draw it out.”
Question: “Did Niutou attain the Fourth Patriarch’s meaning?”
The Master said: “Writing in sand, he did not let a single one of the thousand characters fall away.”
Question: “What about after the marks have been made?”
The Master said: “He uniquely offered up a single handful as a sign to humans and devas.”
Question: “If so, does everyone have a share?”
The Master said: “And what are you doing?”
A monk asked: “When the pond is exhausted and lice swarm, and no flies alight upon the stove, what then?”
The Master said: “Casting everything aside without seeking, how could it be attained through deluded thought?”
– Dharma successors of Chan Master Benren of Baishui in Gao’an.
1. Chan Master Zhihui of Chongyun in Jingzhao.
The Master was a native of Hantai and his family name was Gao. While still young, he delighted in visiting Buddhist monasteries and vowed resolutely to leave home; his father could not dissuade him. He then bowed to the Venerable Wen of Guifeng as his master and had his head shaved. Later, he met the Venerable Gao’an Ren and gained a distinctive understanding of the profound words, thoroughly penetrating the secret treasury.
He then returned to the capital region and, within Zhongtan, established the Enshi Cloister, where he frequently dispensed medicine to treat the sick. There was a bhiksu afflicted with leprosy whom the assembly greatly loathed and feared. The Master alone continually welcomed him back, made offerings to him, bathed him, and scrubbed his body. Thereupon a radiance and an extraordinary fragrance appeared, after which the bhiksu took his leave and departed. The scabs suddenly became intensely fragrant, so the Master gathered them and molded them into an image of Avalokitesvara, which he enshrined.
In the fifth year of the Later Liang Kaiping era, the Master suddenly thought of the forest tradition and returned to Guifeng on Mount Zhongnan, where he had formerly dwelt. One day, while walking about, he saw in a mountain cave a patched robe, a string of beads, an alms bowl, and a bamboo hat. When touched, they crumbled to pieces.
He then told his attendant: “These are the implements of practice from my former life.” Wishing to establish a monastery there in response to the causes of the past, he was clearing grass and opening the site when auspicious clouds covered the sun and gathered above the summit, remaining there for a long time without dispersing. Because of this, the place was called Mount Chongyun, “Layered Clouds.” Previously, many fierce beasts had lived there, but now they all withdrew.
When Longtan, the Dragon Pool, was filled in to make a road, the dragon within the pool also moved away.
Later, Emperor Mingzong of the Later Tang bestowed upon the monastery the plaque “Changxing,” and Chan companions gathered there in great numbers.
The Master ascended the Dharma hall. A monk asked: “What is the essential meaning of returning to the source?”
The Master said: “Early on, everything was forgotten.”
Question: “Without allowing the dust of thought to arise, what is the one path of advancing oneself?”
The Master replied: “Grass has already grown beneath your feet; before you lies a chasm ten thousand fathoms deep.”
Question: “The essential road lies open and level; how should one tread it?”
The Master said: “If I were to point it out to you, you would travel east, west, south, and north.”
Question: “What was it like before the Buddha appeared in the world?”
The Master replied: “A heap of mud.”
Question: “Why is it called Chongyun?”
The Master replied: “Let it examine all under heaven.”
Question: “What is an iron-cutting utterance?”
The Master said: “I would rather die than transgress it.”
Question: “What is the scenery of Chongyun?”
The Master said: “Throughout the four seasons no flowers bloom; during the three winter months fragrant grass fills the land.”
The Master again returned to his former mountain, where he built a monastery and gathered an assembly. For forty-five years he instructed people. In his leisure, he composed more than a thousand songs and eulogies and ordained fifteen hundred disciples.
Wang Yanchao, Military Commissioner of Yongxing, had visited the Master’s monastery in his youth and once wished to shave his head. The Master stopped him, saying: “In the future, you will attain honor and distinction. It would be better for you to serve as an external protector of the teaching.” Later, events indeed unfolded as the Master had said. When Wang was stationed at Yongxing and met the Master again, he revered him all the more.
In the summer, during the sixth month of the third year of the Later Zhou Xiande era, the cyclical year Bingchen, the Master went to bid farewell to Lord Wang and spoke with him about the affairs of the mountain monastery. On the twenty-fourth day of the seventh month, though free of bodily illness, the Master instructed and exhorted his disciples. He recited this verse:
He then sat in the lotus posture and passed away. He was eighty-four years old and had spent sixty-four years in the Sangha. A stupa was erected for him on this mountain.
2. Chan Master Ouzhang of Ruilong Cloister in Hangzhou.
The Master was said to have been a son of the Tang Chancellor Xiahou Zi. At the beginning of the Dazhong era, his paternal uncle Zi, who held the office of Sikong, went out to command Guangling. The Master was only seven years old when he visited Huizhao Monastery. Upon hearing the Lotus Sutra being recited, he resolved to leave home. At first, his uncle would not permit it, but when the Master abstained from food and drink, he had no choice but to give his consent.
The Master bowed to Huiyuan as his teacher. At seventeen, he received the full precepts, and at twenty-five, he visited various Chan assemblies. At Shushan and Baishui he received the mind’s essential teaching from both masters and became a profound vessel of those two honored ones.
In the thirteenth year of the Xiantong era, the Master went to Jiangling, where he met the Venerable Tengteng, who instructed him: “Go to Tiantai, seek a peaceful place to dwell, and when you encounter An, stop there.” He also met the Venerable Hanhan, who consoled him and gave this prediction: “In the future, when you are forty years old, Prince Qian of Jiangnan will become a bodhisattva. At that time, my Way will flourish.” Thus both recluses secretly entrusted him with their words.
When the Master arrived at Tiantai, he established Futang Cloister in the village of Jing’an, in complete accord with Tengteng’s words. Later, the assembly invited him to serve as abbot of Enlong Cloister.
In the fourth year of the Zhonghe era, eastern Zhejiang suffered an epidemic and famine. Throughout the three prefectures of Wen, Tai, and Ming, the Master buried several thousand sets of remains. People at the time called him “the Great Compassionate Monk.”
During the Qianning era, the Venerable Xuefeng visited him and, upon departing, left the Master a palm-fiber whisk. In the third year of the Tianyou era, the Shangfu Lord Qian dispatched his envoy Tong Jian with robes, incense, lamps, and medicines into the mountains to invite the Master respectfully. The Master led his disciples to the prefectural court, where he was given the title “Great Master Zhīde” and lodged at the Gongchen Residence. Each day, the lord invited the Master to expound the essentials of the Dharma.
Every year, the Master established a Radiant Dharma Assembly on Mount Tiantai. Monastics and laypeople from the various prefectures attended the great assembly, returning home only after more than a month. When the Master was preparing to take his leave and return to the mountain, the prince’s admiration for him grew still deeper. He established Ruilong Cloister in the prefectural city and invited the Master to open the Dharma there. At that time, the Chan school flourished, entirely fulfilling Hanhan’s earlier prediction.
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and addressed the assembly: “For these many years, this old monk has traveled throughout the regions beyond the Yangtze, Lingnan, Jing, and Hu. I have visited only the spiritual friends of the Chan groves and consulted them all. Since you have gathered here today, each of you must know where you are going.
“Yet throughout all the regions, nothing else whatsoever is taught. People are simply instructed to cast away the mad mind completely, to cease seeking from others, and merely to accord with circumstances while entrusting themselves to the real—though there is no real to which one can entrust oneself. They make use of things in accordance with the time—though there is no time that can be used.
“Even if one were to lower oneself and plead, one still could not take day to be night through an abundance of clever contrivances; ultimately, one could not point east and call it west, nor escape delusion through such abilities. Such supernatural displays and strange wonders have nothing to do with our affair.
“If students of words do not awaken themselves and recognize what is false, but wish to turn toward empty space and pluck the moon from blossoms on the waves, will they not merely exhaust all their mental strength? All of you should now withdraw and reflect. Only when you suddenly accept it will you know. This old fellow of Ruilong, unable to accomplish the matter and having gone around in so many circles—will you accept this too?”
At that time, a monk came forward and asked: “What is the scenery of Ruilong?”
The Master said: “What are you saying that you do not see it?”
Question: “What is the person within the scenery?”
The Master said: “The younger generation is to be feared.”
Question: “When the vast sky is without clouds, what is the mid-autumn moon?”
The Master replied: “It is best when there are no clouds.”
Question: “Then it is a single orb of light hanging high, seen by all the myriad lands.”
The Master said: “You have closed your eyes; it is difficult to speak with you about the ultimate point.”
In the fourth month of summer in the second year of the Tiancheng era, the cyclical year Dinghai, the Master requested a burial site for his stupa. The Shangfu Lord dispatched Lu Renzhang to select an auspicious site at the western pass. A stupa and surrounding compound were built, a plaque was bestowed, and monks were appointed to guard it. Tiantai’s Yinlong was renamed Yinji.
When the stupa was completed, the Master entered the prefectural court to bid farewell to the Shangfu Lord. Having charged him to protect the Dharma and aid the people, the Master entered nirvana precisely at the appointed time. The Shangfu Lord honored him with supreme reverence and ordered the monks to gather in the city and select virtuous elders to invite the Master’s body into the stupa. The Master was eighty-seven years old and had spent seventy years in the Sangha.
– Dharma successors of the former Chan Master Kuangren of Shushan in Fuzhou.
1. Chan Master Zheng of Shushan.
The Master first went to study under the Venerable Ren. After receiving his instruction, he traveled onward.
throughout the various regions, he met Chan Master Tong at Touzi. Touzi asked, “Where have you recently come from?” He replied, “From Yanping.” Touzi asked, “Have you brought the sword with you?” The Master said, “I have brought it.” Touzi said, “Present it for this old monk to see.” The Master then pointed to the ground before him. Touzi immediately stopped.
The Master then departed. Three days later, Touzi asked the administrator, “Where is the monk who recently arrived?” He replied, “He has already left.” Touzi said, “For thirty years I studied horsemanship, yet yesterday I was kicked by a donkey.” Standing behind a monk, the Master was asked, “What is coming to study under a teacher?” The Master said, “Wearing clothes and sweeping the ground.” He was asked, “What is coming to study principle?” The Master said, “Riding an ox to defecate.” He was asked, “What about the matter beyond?” The Master said, “A thin place does not take it in.” He was asked, “What is a single phrase amid the mingling of sound and form?” The Master said, “Before it appears, it is already too late.” He was asked,
“What is a single phrase that proceeds alone beyond sound and form?” The Master said, “Hard to encounter and impossible to obtain.”
2. Venerable Anhe, known as Mingzhao, of Baizhang in Hongzhou (tenth generation in residence).
He was asked, “What is the essence of the single treasury of perfect radiance?” The Master said, “You have wearied yourself coming from afar.” He was asked, “Is it the single treasury of perfect radiance?” The Master said, “Go drink another cup of tea.” He was asked, “What is the Venerable’s family style?” The Master said, “A handkerchief made from half an inch of cloth.” He was asked, “When the myriad dharmas return to the one, where does the one return?” The Master said, “There has never been a single thing you did not question.” He was asked, “What is the ultimate principle of phenomena?” The Master said, “Within the hall, no king ascends the throne of nine and five;
before the gate, the old rustic does not stand.” He was asked, “What is it like when one realizes according to conditions?” The Master said, “What about when one has not yet realized?” The Master was originally a native of the kingdom of Silla.
From Baizhang, he led the assembly and brought disciples to liberation. All seven of them, including Daoheng and the others, followed him in inquiry, inherited his teaching in its entirety, and each carried on the transformation of a region. After the Master passed away, his disciples painted his portrait.
Fayan praised it, saying: “Before the eyes, who painted the golden moon? In an emerald pond are the sun and moon; the round orb is Sumeru, Sumeru; a single finger, the moon’s radiance—Chan Master Mingzhao.” He challenged him, saying: “Dust throughout every direction points nowhere; how could Great Compassion arise and call me? As for the Mysterious Work—was it right or wrong?”
3. Chan Master Hui of Mount Huangbo in Junzhou.
The Master was a native of Luoyang. In his youth, he left home and studied sutras and treatises. Upon receiving the bodhisattva precepts, he lamented: “The disciplinary restraints embraced by great beings and the śrāvaka precepts that I originally received both concern only observance, transgression, and prescribed conduct.
Yet regarding the increase and decrease of the heavenly assemblies, there are originally both general and specific regulations, and their intent is different. Their minute details are difficult to guard against. Moreover, among the practices that embrace virtue, I have never accomplished even the smallest part, much less benefited sentient beings.
Furthermore, this worldly body is like foam and illusion—why cling to it?” He therefore discontinued his lecture sessions, intending to cast his frail body into the water to feed the fish and shrimp. Having formed this intention, he was about to carry it out when he encountered two Chan practitioners. They spoke with him and said, “There are many spiritual teachers in the south.
Why, Master, do you remain confined to a single corner?” From then on, the Master turned back and resolved solely to seek out the various crossings, binding himself by a most solemn vow. He then told the governor, “I am not traveling to enjoy mountains and waters, but have vowed to seek the Way. If one day I attain awakening, I shall certainly not forget your kindness.” The governor examined his resolve and did not treat the matter lightly.
He further said, “Master, since you are forgetting yourself for the sake of the Dharma, when you return, I pray you will not begrudge sharing whatever you have heard.” The Master joyfully took his leave and went directly to Shushan.
At that time, Venerable Ren was shining forth in the Dharma hall, receiving those who came to inquire. The Master first looked over the great assembly and then asked, “What is it like when the kalpa of destruction changes?” Shushan said, “It is completely blocked. How will you pass through empty space?” The Master said, “Though empty space is completely blocked, it neither remains nor departs.” Shushan immediately stopped.
The Master descended from the Dharma hall and went to consult the Head Seat. The Head Seat said, “Just now I saw the lecturer exchange words with the Venerable, and your words were most extraordinary.” The Master said, “That was truly mere chance. I dare hope that you will compassionately guide this deluded fool.” The Head Seat said, “Within a single instant, what fixed conclusion could there be to discuss?” Upon hearing these words, the Master swiftly awakened.
He bowed in gratitude and withdrew to the Tea Hall, where sorrow and joy mingled for three days. The Master later returned to Mount Huangbo, gathered an assembly, and expounded the Dharma. He passed away on that mountain.
Within the stupa, his whole body remained fresh, as though still alive.
4. Great Master Jingguo Shouzheng of Huguo Monastery on Mount Suicheng in Suizhou—He was asked, “What is the teacher of the Buddhas?” The Master said, “This old donkey.” He was asked, “If a one-eyed person came from anywhere in the entire great earth, what would you do?” The Master said, “An old man beneath the steps.” He was asked, “Where does the Buddhadharma not tread upon a person?” The Master said, “The ears and hair.” He was asked, “Who can know the message within this?” The Master said, “A donkey’s face and a beast’s cheeks.” He was asked, “What is it like when one realizes according to conditions?” The Master said, “A mistake.” He was asked, “What is the meaning of the coming from India?” The Master said, “One person transmits a falsehood;
ten thousand people transmit it as truth.” He was asked, “Without falling into leading one another by the hand, what is the very greatest?” The Master said, “The radiance of the seven stars illumines the six kingdoms, sweeping away all smoke and dust.”
5. Chan Master Guiren of Lingquan Changshui in the Eastern Capital of Luoyang.
He was asked, “What is the Patriarch’s meaning?” The Master said, “A person with a peculiar face raises his eyebrows, turns his head, and claps his own hands.” He was asked, “What is the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from India?” The Master said, “The waters of the Luo River flow backward.” He was asked, “What is the Venerable’s family style?” The Master said, “Riding an ox while wearing a scarf and hat; crossing the water while wearing shoes and robes.”
6. Chan Master Fenglin of Yanqing Monastery on Mount Fulong in Yanzhou.
He was asked, “What is the Venerable’s family style?” The Master said, “The body lies across the sea; a lamp is raised within the sun.” He was asked, “What is the scenery of Fulong?” The Master said, “The mountains are high and the waters rush swiftly; throughout the three months of spring, wondrous flowers abound.” He was asked, “Does the Venerable delight in wealth and beauty?” The Master said, “I do.” He was asked, “Since you are a spiritual teacher, why do you delight in wealth and beauty?” The Master said, “Those who know gratitude are few;
those who betray kindness are many.” The Master asked the fire-tender, “Have you finished kindling the fire?” He replied, “Speak softly.” The Master said, “From where did you receive that message?” He replied, “There is no need for many words.” The Master said, “With little money, it is easy to become full; after eating, one becomes hungry again.” He was asked, “What is the Venerable’s family style?” The Master said, “Pickled melons and cold rice.” He was asked, “Is life here exceedingly desolate?” The Master said, “Thus do the Sangha members gather.”
7. Chan Master Xing of Mount Da’an in Anzhou (third generation in residence).
He was asked, “A deluded person has lost the road; I ask the Master to point it out directly.” The Master said, “Walk before the triple gate.” He was asked, “At every step I encounter danger; I ask the Master to point to the moon.” The Master said, “I will not point to the moon.” He was asked, “Why will you not point to the moon?” The Master said, “When someone reaches a pit, I do not push him in.” He was asked, “Apart from the four propositions and beyond the hundred negations, I ask the Venerable to speak.” He said, “In the king’s armory, I have no such blade.” He was asked, “When layer upon layer is tightly locked and no message can pass through, what then?” The Master said, “How could you arrive within it?” He was asked, “What about after arriving?” The Master replied,
“How could anything arise within it?” He was asked, “What is the true within the true?” The Master replied, “An earthen Buddha at the crossroads.”
8. Chan Master Chao of Baizhang Daxiong in Hongzhou.
The Master was a native of Haedong—He was asked, “Are the Patriarch’s meaning and the meaning of the teachings the same or different?” The Master said, “The golden cock and the jade rabbit run around Mount Sumeru.” He was asked, “As the sun sets in the west, what is the affair within the forest?” The Master said, “From a deep cave, myriad clouds emerge; through a winding ravine, the water flows slowly.” As a monk was taking his leave, he asked, “When I descend the mountain today, if someone asks what Dharma the Venerable teaches, what should I tell him?” The Master said, “Simply tell him: On Mount Daxiong, a tiger gives birth to a lion cub.”
9. The Venerable of Tianwang Monastery in Hongzhou.
He was asked, “Is the one within the realm who holds a sword in opposition mistaken?” The Master said, “Tianwang.” He was asked, “When the hundred bones have all disintegrated, what is the one thing that forever preserves its numinous quality?” The Master said, “It does not fall into what does not disintegrate.” He was asked, “What is Buddha?” The Master replied, “A mistake.”
10. Chan Master Yun of Zhengqin Monastery in Changzhou (first generation in residence).
The Master was a native of Weifu, and his family name was Han. He left home in his youth. Even in old age, his face was like that of a child. He attained the Dharma under Master Shushan. A monk asked, “Master, whose household’s song do you sing?”
What is the style of the School like? The Master replied: “Suddenly, beyond the Shao music,
the six pitch-pipes cannot surpass it.” Asked: “What is the matter that cannot be surpassed?” The Master said: “Before the sound, the rhythm has not dissolved; after the phrase, no trace can be found.” A monk asked: “What is the single path of Right Diligence?” The Master said: “Mud three feet deep.” Asked: “How can one arrive there?” The Master
asked: “From where have you come, Acharya?” Asked: “What is right?” The Chan Master said: “Within
stone is a lotus blossom; within fire is a spring.” Asked: “What is the Way?” The Master said: “A single blade of grass
on the summit of Mount Lanka.” Asked: “How far apart are Chan and the Way?” The Master said:
“A man of earth sinks into the water while searching for a man of wood.” During the Tianfu era of the Later Jin,
when the Master was about to pass away, he foretold it to the assembly. When the appointed time came, the men and women of Hecheng
hurried to the monastery. After giving his final instructions, the Master joyfully passed away while seated. His disciples buried
the Master behind the monastery. Two years later, they opened the stupa and saw that his entire body remained intact, and that his hair and beard
had clearly grown longer. They then cremated him east of the city, collected his relics, erected a stupa, and enshrined them.
11. The Later Dongshan和尚 of Xiangzhou.
Asked: “When the Way neither comes nor goes, what then?” The Master replied: “A dragon’s head, a serpent’s tail,
and a sword borne upon the back.”
12.和尚 Sanxiang of Jingzhao.
Asked: “What is the Seamless Stupa?” The Master replied: “No seam can
be found.” Asked: “Who is the person within the stupa?” The Master replied: “Though face to face, he cannot
be seen.”
– Dharma heirs of the former Chan Master Yuan’an of Luopu.
1. Chan Master Shanjing of Yong’an Monastery, Jingzhao.
The Master was a native of Jingzhao and his family name was Wang. His father served as a provincial governor. His mother conceived
him after awakening from a dream in which she saw a golden image. In his youth, the Master studied Confucianism and thoroughly mastered
the classics. At the age of twenty-seven, he suddenly grew weary of the hollow and insubstantial, went to Mount Zhongnan,
bowed to Chan Master Guangdu, shaved his head, and received the full precepts. During the Tianfu era,
the Master journeyed south and met Chan Master An of Luopu. Upon seeing
his appearance, An immediately admitted him to his chamber, and he then became the gardener, exerting himself in the community’s work.
A monk took leave of Luopu. Luopu said: “Mountains stand on all four sides; where will you go,
Acharya?” The monk could not answer. Luopu said: “I shall give you ten days. If you can give an answer, you may
go.” That monk remained bewildered for a long while and could not answer. While walking in meditation, he entered the garden.
Surprised, the Master asked: “Venerable, did you not take leave to depart? Why are you still
here now?” The monk related the entire matter and asked the Master to answer in his place. Unable to refuse, the Master answered for
him: “Dense bamboo does not obstruct flowing water; how could lofty mountains hinder drifting clouds?” The monk
was delighted. The Master instructed him: “Merely give this answer to the和尚; do not
say that these are Shanjing’s words.” The monk then went up and reported to Luopu. Luopu asked: “Who
said these words?” He replied: “I did.” Luopu said: “They are not your words.” The monk
then said that the gardener had taught them to him. That evening, Luopu ascended the Dharma hall and told the assembly:
“Do not look down upon the gardener. One day, when he is at the imperial city, five hundred people will constantly follow him.” The Master then took leave of Luopu, traveled
north, and built a thatched hut on his former mountain, where he lived. Monastics and laypeople came in great numbers. The Master later traveled
to Mount Emei and, on returning, reached Xingyuan. The military commissioner, Lord Wang, held him in great esteem.
Later, the Master returned to his former mountain, but it had suffered the ravages of war and the old monastery lay in ruins. The military governor
then established Yong’an Chan Monastery and invited him to reside there. His community numbered more than five hundred. A monk
asked: “When one knows it is, yet cannot speak of it, what then?” The Master replied: “What is there to know?” Asked:
“Is it impossible?” The Master said: “Then it should be possible to speak.” Asked: “If one speaks, is it so or
not? Why speak separately?” The Master said: “In cold water, fish find it hard to leap; on cold mountains, flowers bloom
late.” Asked: “What is the matter beyond the patched robe?” The Master said: “Dragons and fish do
not leave the sea; the moon in the water does not swallow the light.” Asked: “When it cannot be known through wisdom
and cannot be known through consciousness, what then?” The Master said: “Cranes and storks huddle their heads together, treading the snow as they sleep.
The bright moon fears that twofold hesitation will arise.” Asked: “What is the meaning of the coming from the Western Land?” The Master said: “A withered pine is painted on the wall;
bees come but find no stamens.” Asked: “What was Master Niutou like before he met the Fourth Patriarch?” The Master said:
“The numinous pine and wondrous scenery delight everyone who sees them.” Asked: “What about after he had met him?” The Master
said: “The leaves have fallen and the branches are bare; when the wind comes, there is no melody.” Asked: “How may one
be born into the house of the Tathagata?” The Master said: “Throwing open one’s robe and gazing at the light, one may discuss kalpas yet never become illumined.” Asked:
“How does one become illumined in the kalpa to come?” The Master replied: “Not even a single phrase can be obtained.” Because of the disorder during Emperor Zhaozong’s reign,
the Master went into hiding. In the winter of the Bingwu year of the Kaiyun era of the Later Jin, the Master gave his final instructions to the Sangha and then entered the abbot’s quarters,
lay down on his right side facing east, and passed away. He was eighty-nine years old and had spent sixty years in the monastic order. The emperor bestowed upon him the posthumous title
Chan Master Jingwu.
2. Chan Master Yanxin of Mount Wuya, Qizhou.
Asked: “Before you had yet assumed a human body, what were you doing?” The Master replied: “A three-legged stone ox
runs along the embankment; a branch of auspicious vapor parts before the moon.” Asked: “When one enters alone, with a single spear and a lone horse,
what then?” The Master replied: “Many times Xiong Xin knew how to wield the spear, yet he still fell one step behind the King of Qin.” Asked: “Having fought long
upon the battlefield, why has fame and achievement not arrived?” The Master said: “Two great rocs fall in pursuit of the arrow;
Li Guang did not live up to his fame.” Asked: “Who, standing a hundred paces away, shoots through a poplar tree and strikes the target?” The Master replied: “The general does not mount the convenient bridge;
the golden-tusked beast grasps in vain.” Asked: “When the rainbow drinks from the root of the clouds, what
then?” The Master said: “The Golden Wheel Monarch descends to Jambudvipa; above his head, the iron wheel bears wondrous golden flowers.”
3. Chan Master Chuansuo of Mount Qingfeng, Fengxiang Prefecture.
The Master was a native of Jingzhou. His nature was simple and sincere, his appearance ancient, and his eyes had three corners.
After hearing Luopu reveal the mind-ground, he assisted with the community’s work. One day Luopu asked: “Director, from where have you come?” The Master said: “I came
from sweeping snow.” Asked: “How deep is the snow?” The Master replied: “It is all upon the trees.” Luopu said: “That will do,
but later you will dwell in a snowy cave in the mountains.” After receiving this prediction, he went to question Master Baishui.
Baishui asked: “Does Luopu have a path that reveals the living potential?” The Master said: “Yes.” Baishui
asked: “Did you come here by the living road or the familiar road?” The Master said: “On the living road, the dead are countless;
on the familiar road, there is not a single living person.” Baishui said: “That is Luopu. What about you?” The Master said: “Not only Luopu—even
Jiashan can do nothing.” Asked: “Why can Jiashan do nothing?” The Master said:
“Have you not heard it said, ‘The living potential is a single road’?” The Master resided there. Later, a monk asked: “Before Buddha and Mara have appeared, toward what does one respond?”
The Master said: “Venerables, listen to the exchange.” Asked: “What is a phrase that meets the opportunity?” The Master said: “Speak at once and bring it
forth.” Asked: “I entreat the和尚.” The Master said: “It pierces through the skull, yet one does not know where it hurts.” Asked: “What is
a phrase of one who clearly understands?” The Master said: “A fine horse does not shift by an inch; a foolish bird flies and leaps out onto the road.”
4.和尚 Zhong of Dengzhou.
Asked: “In the sea one does not encounter a teacher; what is the master within the vast expanse?” The Master said: “The golden rooster always announces the dawn,
yet people of the time do not know it themselves.” Asked: “What is the bright mirror within darkness?” The Master said: “The myriad workings cannot bewilder it.”
Asked: “I do not yet know what things it illuminates.” The Master said: “What thing does it not illuminate?” Asked: “What does it mean that the ground of ultimate reality does not admit a single speck of dust,
yet within the gate of the Buddha’s work not a single Dharma is abandoned?” The Master replied: “True permanence is not defiled by dust;
into the sea flow the hundred rivers.” Asked: “I entreat the和尚 to answer apart from sound and form.”
The Master said: “The wooden man always replies; one with inherent nature cannot speak.”
5.和尚 Dongxi of Jiazhou.
Previously, the Master asked Luopu: “The moon-tree has no roots, yet its branches cast shade;
I entreat the Master to point directly to the wondrous, subtle mystery.” Luopu said: “The excellent place of a sramana and the affairs of the monastery
do not depend upon one another. A thousand waves in clear water—the lofty summit is naturally distinct.” Through this, the Master comprehended the essential meaning and became a Dharma heir.
Question: Why was the snake master swallowed by a snake? The Master said:
“Several times he knocked at the gate, but could not be pulled out.”
6. Venerable Wolong of Jingzhao.
Formerly, when the Master opened the Dharma hall, a monk came and asked: “The radiant sun gathers the celestial realms; the luminous pearl illumines the ancient capital; the ford and bridge connect with the Dharma ocean. What is the meaning of this today?” The Master said: “When the precious sword is brandished, how could it heed light or darkness?”
– Dharma successors of Chan Master Huaizhong of Mount Xiaoyao in Jiangxi.
1. Venerable Shiwei of Fuqing Cloister in Quanzhou.
The Master’s title was Chan Master Tongxuan. A monk asked: “The branching lineage inherited from Jia Ridge has ascended the precious seat of Xiaoyao. May the thunder of the Dharma now resound?” The Master said: “Xiaoyao faces beyond things; beyond things, not a single thought arises.”
Question: “What is the meaning of the coming from the Western Land?” The Master said: “Standing in the snow was not yet suffering; only cutting off the arm was genuine.”
Question: “What is the meaning of ‘one flower opened into five petals, and its fragrance has endured until now’?” The Master said: “The cause is perfected beyond the three realms; the fruit is complete, knowing the ten directions.”
2. Chan Master Wuxiu of Baiyun in Jingzhao.
Question: “If one meets a fierce tiger midway, how should it be subdued?” The Master said: “I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, I take refuge in the Sangha.”
Question: “What is the realm of Baiyun?” The Master said: “Beside the tower, the moon brings sorrow to the traveler from across the sea.”
– Dharma successors of the former Chan Master Kewen of Mount Panlong in Yuanzhou.
1. Chan Master Jingwu of Yong’an on Mount Lu in Jiangzhou.
Question: “What is the matter of leaving the household life?” The Master said: “Atop a mountain a thousand fathoms high, let go and walk.”
Question: “What is the matter of not leaving the household life?” The Master said: “Far away on a snowy peak, padding one’s nest—is this any different from Xu You carrying a single gourd?”
Question: “When the six gates do not communicate, how can news be obtained?” The Master said: “Acarya, outside, with whom do you know one another?”
Question: “What is it like when one comes having escaped the cage and cast off the heavy burden?” The Master said: “Exchange your bones and wash your entrails before entering the impassable pass; at Hongmen it is greatly forbidden to return with reeds held in the mouth.”
Question: “What did the sages of old use to instruct people?” The Master said: “How is it different from the Ancestral Dragon carrying out transformation? Having just passed the phoenix carriage, one passes beyond the dust raised by the sovereign’s chariot.”
Question: “What is a person who knows how to be a guest?” The Master said: “Even the precious carriage and couch are still cast aside; who knows how many kalpas one has lingered beside another’s gate?”
Question: “When many hands sift for gold, who obtains it?” The Master said: “The Yellow Emperor never once wandered to the Red River. The pearl obtained from the empty elephant is also wasted.”
Question: “What is it like when snow entirely covers the flower furnace?” The Master said: “Although the fair colors have congealed and appeared, once the sun shines forth, people are again bewildered.”
2. Chan Master Shandao of Mount Muping in Yuanzhou.
Formerly, the Master met Luopu and asked: “Before a single bubble has arisen, how can one discern the current of the water?” Luopu said: “Move the boat and know the force of the water; sweep the oar and know the unusual waves.” The Master was dissatisfied, so he called upon Panlong and asked the same question as before. Panlong said: “Move the boat and you will not discern the churning water; ply the oar and you will immediately lose the source.” From this, the Master awakened and entered realization.
A monk asked: “What is the meaning of the coming from the Western Land?” The Master said: “The stone ram’s head gazes eastward.”
Question: “What is the True Dharma Eye?” The Master said: “The hole in a staff.”
Question: “What is the Immovable Honored One?” The Master replied: “The rolling waves surge and roar.”
Question: “What is Muping’s single phrase?” The Master said: “It fills all of empty space.”
Question: “I do not ask about filling all of empty space. What is the single phrase?” The Master then struck him.
Whenever a monk newly arrived, before allowing him to pay his respects, the Master always made him carry three loads of earth and presented this verse:
The Master had many other extraordinary traces, which cannot all be recounted here. After the Master passed away, his disciples erected a stupa and carved his image in the stone of this land. His posthumous title was Chan Master Zhenji, and the stupa was inscribed Puhui.
3. Venerable Longxi of Shanfu.
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and addressed the assembly: “Many people ask about the Seamless Stupa, yet they still cannot escape the single stake of this old monk. How can they avoid this stake?” The assembly could not answer. The Master answered on their behalf: “Go down below.”
A monk asked: “What is the Seamless Stupa?” The Master said: “Its adornment with a hundred treasures has now been completed; its four gates have long stood wide open.”
– Dharma successors of the former Chan Master Yuelun of Huangshan in Wuzhou.
1. The Venerable of Mount Tongqian in Chenzhou.
Previously, the Master called upon Huangshan and asked: “When the gate of heaven closes, there is no road in any of the ten directions. If someone can speak, let him release his hands and depart from the Zhang River.” The Master replied: “The double gate does not open; the dragon has no hook for dragons.” Huangshan said: “Is that what you say?” The Master replied: “Yes. To speak directly—is it right or not? To say that speaking directly is wrong?” Huangshan said: “Release your hands and depart from the Zhang River.”
Huangshan further asked: “Bian He reaches the beautiful place of Jingshan; the jade seal is transmitted by the Son of Heaven. What is this like?” The Master replied: “The numinous crane does not rest beneath the forest; the rustic elder does not esteem the years of Great Peace.” Huangshan thoroughly approved of this.
While the Master was residing there, a monk later asked: “What is the matter that is transmitted from one to another?” The Master said: “The dragon spouts the water of eternal life; the fish swallows inexhaustible foam.”
The monk requested: “Master, please speak.”
“Come forth,” said the Master. The Master then said: “Beat the drum and turn the prow of the boat; stir the oar, and the moon is amid the waves.”
– Dharma successors of the former Chan Master Huanpu of Shaoshan in Luojing.
1. Venerable Wenshu of Tanzhou.
A monk asked: “What is the matter before the summit of Zhurong?” The Master said: “Auspicious grass grows before the grotto.”
Question: “When the Humane King ascends the throne, the myriad families receive his grace. What is it like when the Venerable appears in the world?” The Master said: “Across ten thousand miles of Changsha, one rides in an iron boat.”
Question: “What is the originally inherent adornment just as it is?” The Master said: “The scene at the chrysanthemum’s source; the traveler continues forever along the distant road.”
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