景德傳燈錄
Chinese title:景德傳燈錄
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THE JINGDE RECORD OF THE TRANSMISSION OF THE LAMP — VOLUME 21
VOLUME 21
The twenty-seventh generation after Chan Master Xingsi—57 persons.
– There were 13 Dharma successors of Chan Master Shibei of Xuansha, Fuzhou:
– There were 26 Dharma successors of Chan Master Huileng of Changqing, Fuzhou:
– There were 5 Dharma successors of Chan Master Daofu of Longce Monastery, Hangzhou:
– There was 1 Dharma successor of Chan Master Zhifu of Ehu, Xinzhou:
1. Dharma Chan Master Jin (for this person, no records of encounters or sayings are extant).
– There was 1 Dharma successor of Chan Master Huaiyue of Bao'en, Zhangzhou:
1. Chan Master Shihao of Miaoji, Tanzhou.
– There were 11 Dharma successors of Chan Master Shenyan of Gushan, Fuzhou:
- The seventh generation after Chan Master Xingsi (Part 1).
- Dharma successors of Chan Master Shibei of Xuansha, Fuzhou.
1. Chan Master Guishen of Luohan Cloister, Zhangzhou.
The Master was a native of Changshan, and his family name was Li. As a child, he ate only vegetarian food and uttered extraordinary words. At the age of eighteen, he bade farewell to his parents and served Great Master Wuxiang at Wansui Monastery in his native prefecture, where he shaved his head, received the precepts, and studied the Vinaya. One day, after ascending the platform before the assembly and expounding the Bodhisattva Pratimoksha, the Master said, “Observance and transgression merely discipline the body; they are not true liberation. If one understands the principle only according to the written words, how could one awaken to sagehood?” Immediately afterward, he departed to inquire into the Southern School.
At first, the Master visited Xuefeng at Yunju, but had not yet gained insight. Later, he went to Great Master Xuansha Zongyi, and at a single guiding word became open and clear, free from delusion.
Xuansha once said, “The three realms are mind-only. How do you understand this?”
The Master pointed to a chair and asked, “What does the和尚 call this?”
Xuansha said, “A chair.”
The Master said, “The和尚 does not understand that the three realms are mind-only.”
Xuansha said, “I call that bamboo. What do you call it?”
He replied, “Guishen also calls it bamboo.”
Xuansha said, “Search throughout the entire great earth, and you will not find a single person who understands the Buddha-Dharma.”
From then on, the Master applied himself with even greater diligence. Whenever Xuansha guided and instructed students by bringing forth the various samadhis, he always had the Master assist in receiving and further awakening them. Although the Master concealed himself among the assembly, his reputation spread far and wide.
At that time, the nobleman governing Zhangzhou proposed building a monastery on the rocky mountain west of Min City. He named it Dizang and invited the Master to serve as abbot. After more than twelve years, the Master moved to Luohan Cloister in Zhangzhou. There he propagated the profound essentials, and students came in great numbers.
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said:
“Is the mystery and subtlety of the Chan school merely thus, or is there some separate marvel? If there is a marvel, what can you bring forth? If there is none, then go, go!
“You cannot take three words together as the vehicle of the school. What are these three words? The first is ‘school’; the second, ‘teaching’; and the third, ‘vehicle.’ As soon as you speak of the school’s vehicle, there is the school’s vehicle; as soon as you speak of the teaching’s vehicle, there is the teaching’s vehicle.
“Virtuous Chan practitioners, the Buddha-Dharma and the vehicle of the school are all names established by your own mouths. Whatever you say or do, you deem correct. From there you speak of the impartial, the real, the perfect, and the constant. Virtuous Chan practitioners, what do you call impartial and real? What do you take to be perfect and constant?
“Those who travel from place to place must discern the principle; do not bury one another. Having acquired a few sounds, forms, and names, you retain them in your minds and say, ‘I have understood clearly and distinguished carefully.’ What have you understood? What have you distinguished? What terms have you memorized? What sounds and forms have you distinguished? If it is not names, sounds, and forms, then what are you memorizing and distinguishing?
“The wind blowing through the pines is sound; frogs croaking and chickens crowing are sound. Why do you not listen and discern within these? If there is an intention within them to seek and examine some pattern or form, then how many intentions to seek and examine do you suppose there are in this old monk’s mouth concerning you senior monks? Do not be mistaken!
“Right now, are sound and form, each and every one of them, equal or unequal? If they are equal, then your secret vajra must be subject to destruction. Why is this so? Because sound pierces through your ears, form pierces through your eyes, and conditions fill up your deluded thoughts, driving and killing your substance of sound and form without leaving anything behind. If they are unequal, then from what place could sound and form possibly come? Do you understand? Whether they contradict one another or are unequal—try discussing it.”
After a short while, the Master again said:
“‘Perfect and constant, impartial and real’—who has said anything? This is not merely something an old man in Huangdi Village knows how to say. These were pivots set forth by the ancient sages to help one another reveal and awaken to the truth. People nowadays do not know good from bad, but immediately say, ‘Mine is perfect and real,’ and claim, ‘I alone possess the profound and subtle tradition of the school.’ They render Buddha Shakyamuni tongueless, inferior to the wooden peg you have hammered into your own chest.
“If we discuss the offenses of killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct, then although grave or light, they may still one day be exhausted. But this slander is like gouging out the eyes of living beings. Those who commit it enter hell and swallow red-hot iron balls. Do not regard this as an ordinary matter.”
Therefore, the ancients said that the fault lies with the host who teaches and has nothing to do with your taking care!
A monk asked, “What is the arhat’s one phrase?” The Master said, “If I tell it to you, it will become two phrases.” He asked, “I do not understand; when someone comes, does the Master receive him?” The Master said, “Who is the one who does not understand?” As soon as the monk had finished answering, the Master said, “Do not demean yourself.”
He asked, “When the eight characters are not formed because it is not the time for characters, what then?” The Master said, “You truly do not understand.” The monk said, “This disciple truly does not understand.” The Master said, “Look beneath your heels.”
He asked, “What is the food of a śramana’s right livelihood?” The Master said, “Can you eat it?” He asked, “If I wish to eat this rice, what expedient means should I employ?” The Master said, “Stuff your mouth full.”
He asked, “What is the family style of the arhat?” The Master said, “I will not tell you.” He asked, “Why will you not tell me?” The Master said, “That is my family style.”
He asked, “What is the body of the Dharma King?” The Master said, “What body are you now?” He answered, “Then there is no body.” The Master said, “How very painful!”
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and had just taken his seat when two monks came forward at the same time and bowed. The Master said, “Both are mistaken.”
A monk asked, “What is the phrase that cannot be shattered by striking?” The Master said, “Strike!”
He asked, “When a Buddha appears in the world, it is entirely for the sake of sentient beings. For what is the Venerable doing so now?” The Master said, “Where have you encountered a Buddha?” He said, “Then it is this student who is at fault.” The Master replied, “Take care. Withdraw.”
He asked, “What is the family style of the arhat?” The Master said, “Look within and without.”
He asked, “What is the profound purport of all the sages?” The Master said, “Four tracts of low-lying land.”
He asked, “What is it like when the great matter has not yet been acknowledged?” The Master replied, “It is up to you.”
He asked, “What is the eye of the ten directions?” The Master said, “Blink above the eyebrows.”
On the occasion of inviting Master Baofu to a vegetarian offering, someone was sent to convey the invitation and ask the Venerable compassionately to give instruction. Baofu said, “Compassion for whom?” The Master said, “Why does the Venerable speak in reverse, saying that there is no compassion?”
Gazing at the moon, the Master said, “The clouds are moving; there will be rain.” A monk asked, “It is not movement; it is the wind that moves them.” The Master said, “I say that neither the clouds move nor the wind moves.” The monk said, “Yet the Venerable just said that the clouds moved.” The Master said, “Whose fault is it?”
When the monk’s master arrived, the Master immediately raised his whisk and said, “Do you understand?” The monk said, “I thank the Venerable for compassionately instructing this student.” The Master said, “When you see me raise the whisk, you immediately say that I am instructing this student. Every day you see mountains and waters; do they not also instruct you?”
Again, when the Master saw a monk approaching, he immediately raised his whisk. That monk praised him and bowed. The Master said, “When you see me raise the whisk, you immediately bow and offer praise. When a broom is set upright where the ground is swept, why do you not bow and offer praise?”
A monk asked, “The teaching says, ‘If one sees that all characteristics are not characteristics, one sees the Tathagata.’ What is meant by ‘not characteristics’?” The Master said, “The lantern.”
He asked, “What is leaving the household life?” The Master said, “What do you call leaving the household life?”
The Master asked, “Where have you come from?” The monk answered, “From Qinzhou.” The Master said, “What have you brought?” The monk could not present anything he had brought. The Master said, “Why do you deceive the assembly?” The monk could not answer.
The Master then asked, “Does Mount Qin not produce parrots?” The monk said, “Parrots are produced in Longzhou.” The Master said, “There is not much difference.”
The Master asked a monk, “Where have you come from?” He answered, “From Bao’en.” The Master said, “Why did you not remain there?” The monk said, “A member of the Sangha has no fixed abode.” The Master said, “Since you are a member of the Sangha, why are you unsettled?” The monk could not answer.
While the Master was at the Dizang monastery, a monk reported, “Venerable Baofu has passed away.” The Master said, “Baofu has passed away; Dizang enters the stupa.”
Later, when Lord Wang ascended Xuefeng and made offerings to the Sangha, Senior Monk Songyan was absent, so a younger Dharma brother submitted his name in his stead to receive a robe. When Songyan returned, the younger Dharma brother said, “I have already submitted your name for you, Elder Dharma Brother.” Yan asked, “What did you say my name was?” The younger Dharma brother could not answer. The Master answered on his behalf, “Elder Dharma Brother has gained entry there.” He further said, “Where is the place of entry?” The Master again answered on his behalf, “Submit the name twice.”
The Master entered the prefecture together with Changqing and Baofu. They saw a fence made of peony wood. Baofu said, “How beautiful—a peony blossom!” Changqing said, “Do not look at a painting.” The Master said, “What a pity for a single blossom!”
The Master asked a monk, “While you were at Zhaoqing, did you hear anything extraordinary? Try to tell me.” The monk said, “I dare not cite it incorrectly.” The Master said, “What is there to cite about the truth?” The monk asked, “Why is the Venerable like this?” The Master said, “You have already fallen.”
When the Sangha assembled for the evening consultation, they heard the sound of a horn. The Master said, “The arhat ascends the Dharma hall once every three days. Grand Preceptor Wang assists at both times.”
A monk asked, “What is this student’s original mind?” The Master said, “Yes, it is your original mind.”
A monk asked, “The Master sits upon the jeweled seat, expounding the Dharma and delivering people. I do not know who that person is.” The Master said, “You too are upon the jeweled seat; whom do you deliver?”
A monk asked, “It is not difficult to look into a mirror and see one’s form. What is the mirror?” The Master said, “Do you see the form?”
A monk said, “Only attain the root and do not worry; what is the branch tip?” The Master said, “The whole is entirely present.”
The Master fell ill. A monk asked, “Venerable, is your honored condition improving?” The Master planted his staff on the ground and said, “Would you call this suffering?” The monk said, “Whom is the Venerable asking?” The Master said, “I am asking you.” The monk said, “Does it still hurt?” The Master said, “So after all, you are making a principle together with me.”
In the third year of the Changxing era of the Later Tang dynasty (the wuzi year), in autumn, the Master returned to Mincheng and his former residence. After traveling throughout the Buddhist monasteries of the region, he suddenly became ill for several days, then passed away while seated. He was sixty-two years old and had forty Dharma years. In accordance with his instructions, a cremation ceremony was held and relics were collected. A stupa was erected in the western corner of the cloister to enshrine them. On a clear day in the twelfth month of the second year of the Qingtai era (the yiwei year), the relics were ceremonially placed in the stupa. He received the posthumous title Chan Master Zhenying.
2. Chan Master Jizhao Huiqiu of Anguo Monastery on Mount Wolong, Fuzhou
The Master was a native of Putian, Quanzhou. He left the household life at Mount Guiyang and became foremost among those who inquired within Xuansha’s chamber. Once he asked, “What is the first moon?” Xuansha said, “What use would you make of your moon?” From this, the Master awakened and entered realization.
In the second year of the Kaiping era of the Liang dynasty, when Xuansha was about to pass away, the military governor of Min, a member of the Wang clan, sent his son to inquire after his illness and privately asked the Master to indicate who would follow in his footsteps and expound the Dharma. Xuansha said, “It is Qiuzi.” Lord Wang silently committed this to memory, then asked the National Preceptor of Gushan, “Who should assume responsibility for the Dharma seat at Wolong?” Gushan named the venerable adepts in the city, saying that about twelve people possessing the eye of the Way were all capable of appearing in the world. Lord Wang again silently committed this to memory.
On the day the Dharma hall was opened, officials, clerics, and monks came to the Dharma assembly. Lord Wang suddenly asked the assembly, “Who is Senior Monk Qiu?” Thereupon, the monks pointed out the Master. Lord Wang then invited the Master to ascend the seat. The Master remained silent for a long while, then addressed the assembly: “Do not resent the stillness, and do not say that it cannot be borne. It is still unclear how its bounds may be measured and discussed.” Thus, in his ordinary teaching, he used words to stitch together and elicit one or two points, helping the potential of his listeners to unfold toward the Way. Yet throughout all the worlds of the ten directions, one could not find a single person to be his companion.
A monk asked, “By what expedient means does the meaning of the Way and the Buddha-Dharma enter?” The Master said, “Entering is the expedient means.”
He asked, “From which mountain do the clouds arise, and from which valley is the wind born?” The Master said, “Exert yourself to the utmost and strive; do not depart from the central Dharma.”
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and addressed the assembly: “Here in this place, through the conditions of rice and gruel, everything I reveal for you brothers is entirely extraordinary. If you wish to attain what is alert and essential, you must let the mountains, rivers, and great earth illuminate it together with you. This Way is already constant and can also be brought to ultimate completion. If one enters through Manjusri’s gate, then all that is unconditioned—wood, earth, tiles, stones, and precious gems—shines forth for you and activates the potential. If one enters through Avalokitesvara’s gate, then all frogs, toads, earthworms, and crickets help activate the potential for you. If one enters through Samantabhadra’s gate, one arrives without taking a step.”
I present these three skillful means to you as though taking a single dipper to draw water from the great ocean, so that dragons who know water to be their very life may understand. Do you understand? If you do not possess the eye of wisdom with which to examine the truth, then even if you employ a hundred kinds of ingenuity, none will be ultimate.
A monk asked, “This student has only just entered the forest monastery and has not yet clarified his own matter. I beg the Master to instruct me.” The Master pointed with his staff and said, “Do you understand?”
He replied, “I do not understand.”
The Master said, “I freely allow myself to become a wronged man for your sake. Do you know yet? If one were to speak to people from the higher standpoint, then from ancient times onward, from those who have only just entered the forest monastery to all the Buddhas of the past, not one has ever lacked the slightest thing. It is like the great ocean: all fish and dragons, from birth until old age and death, are equal in all their uses of the water.”
Someone asked, “Without mistaking the orthodox lineage, I ask the Master to speak truthfully.”
The Master said, “You speak in my place.”
The monk said, “What if there is someone who cannot discern it?”
The Master said, “Throughout his life he will never discern it.”
Someone asked, “Do the Buddhas also have a teacher?”
The Master replied, “They do.”
He asked, “What is the teacher of the Buddhas?”
The Master said, “No one can know it.”
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and remained silent for a long while. A monk came forward, bowed, and asked, “Do not say that the skull has been splashed and damaged.”
Someone asked, “What was the matter at the assembly on Vulture Peak?”
The Master said, “Rarely is one so keen.”
The monk asked, “What if one suddenly encounters someone keen?”
The Master replied, “Then he is utterly bewildered and knows nothing.”
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and addressed the assembly: “If you all wish to deliberate, then turn toward the skull, bring some news from there, and I shall deliberate with you. That has never obstructed anyone’s light.”
Someone asked, “What has been the matter of the ancestral vehicle from the beginning?”
The Master remained silent for a long while. The monk asked again, and the Master immediately shouted and drove him out.
Someone asked, “What is the matter atop the Great Yu Ridge?”
The Master said, “I reckon you cannot shoulder it.”
The monk asked, “How heavy is it?”
The Master said, “Even if one discussed it for kalpas, nothing could be done about it.”
The Master asked Superintendent Liao, “The former master said, ‘All the worlds throughout the ten directions are the true human body.’ Do you see the Sangha hall?”
Liao said, “Venerable, do not let your eyes blur.”
The Master said, “Though the former master has already passed away, his flesh is still warm.”
In the third year of Qianhua of the Later Liang dynasty, the year Guiyou, on the seventeenth day of the eighth month, the Master passed away without illness.
3. Great Master Mingzhen Zhongji of Tianlong Monastery, Hangzhou
The Master was from Huangyan in Taizhou. After attaining the Dharma from Master Xuansha, he returned to central Zhejiang. King Wusu of the Qian clan invited the Master to expound the Dharma of maintaining the teaching.
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “If one truly raises the wind of the lineage and speaks solely of the fundamental matter, one immediately becomes like a barren rock. If one speaks of the message that cuts off ordinary beings and sages, then there are no mountains, rivers, or great earth, and the whole world throughout the ten directions is a single eye. This is speaking of what one cannot help but speak of. Therefore it is often said that blindness, deafness, muteness, and dumbness are Tiantuo. What could the knowledgeable people of that time do? Simply turn toward what is before your eyes and embody its wonder clearly: body, mind, and the myriad forms are all gathered together.”
A monk asked, “What is the unmoving celestial pivot?”
The Master said, “How many tiers high is the mountain?”
The monk asked, “What is tranquil stillness without roots?”
The Master said, “A single sash of white clouds.”
Someone asked, “What is the source attaining the purport?”
The Master said, “A rabbit grows horns.”
The monk asked, “What is the esoteric lineage of responsive illumination?”
The Master said, “A turtle sheds its hair.”
Someone asked, “What is it like before the lotus flower emerges from the water?”
The Master said, “Who does not know that it exists?”
The monk asked, “What is it like after it has emerged from the water?”
The Master said, “Its fragrance hangs before the eyes.”
Someone asked, “What is the bright moon shining resplendently in the sky?”
The Master said, “It is precisely the scene of divided light; the flute sounds at the jade tower.”
4. Great Master Qing Faxi Fu of Xianzong Cloister, Fuzhou
Long ago, on the day the Dharma hall was opened, a monk asked the Master, “What matter will you speak of upon ascending the jeweled seat?”
The Master said, “Choose what to place in your ears.”
The monk asked, “Why did the ancients say that eyes and ears cannot reach it?”
The Master said, “Pears do not grow on a cherry tree.”
The monk asked, “I beg the Master to speak of the place that has never been reached from ancient times to the present.”
The Master said, “Why ask?”
Someone asked, “Among the many hands refining gold, who succeeds?”
The Master said, “Raise your hand and bar a thousand miles; at ease, look as you please. Beside the lofty mountain the flowers are exceedingly beautiful; what is the matter in the scene before the terrace?”
The Master said, “Appearing within the priceless jeweled light, what can a dim and benighted traveler know?”
The monk asked, “When the udumbara flower breaks forth, everyone sees it. What is the meaning of the ancestral vehicle beyond this?”
The Master said, “Acarya, if you ask the meaning of the ancestral vehicle, it does not equal the pure place: svaha.”
Someone asked, “What is the realm of the Buddhas in the land of Great Min?”
The Master said, “The workings of creation are ultimately difficult to fathom; the spring breeze of itself remains gentle.”
Someone asked, “What is the treasure within the Way?”
The Master said, “Even the tears of Yunzun fall.”
Someone asked, “What is it like after all the sages withdraw their radiance and return to the source?”
The Master said, “When the gibbons’ three cries have ceased, a traveler a thousand miles away hears them with sorrow.”
The monk asked, “I do not yet know how one today may penetrate the dynamic working of the ancients.”
The Master said, “Out of kindness I tell you: you must avoid the time before birth.”
5. Chan Master Cao of Guotai Cloister on Mount Jinhua, Wuzhou
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “Without departing from this very place in the present, all is the Wondrously Luminous True Mind. Therefore Venerable Xuansha said, ‘If you understand my final phrase, when you go forth into the world, few will know you.’ Likewise, Guotai has a final phrase.”
A monk asked, “What is Guotai’s final phrase?”
The Master said, “Acarya, you are far too slow.”
Someone asked, “What is the Master Vairocana?”
The Master said, “I have fully revealed to elder brother that he is the disciple.”
Someone asked, “I shall not ask about Bodhidharma’s coming to the land of Tang. What is the matter of the future?”
The Master said, “You must meet Emperor Wu of Liang.”
Someone asked, “What was the ancient mirror like before it was polished?”
The Master said, “The ancient mirror.”
He asked, “What is it like after it has been polished?”
The Master said, “The ancient mirror.”
6. Chan Master Cheng of the Southern Terrace on Mount Heng
A monk asked, “I beg the Master to present the essential purport of Xuansha’s lineage.”
The Master said, “Where did you obtain this message?”
The monk said, “Who is the one who receives people?”
The Master replied, “One who attains the person does not lose himself.”
Someone asked, “The moon appearing in a clear pool—whose realm is this?”
The Master said, “It has nothing to do with your affair.”
The monk said, “What harm is there in borrowing from one another to ask again?”
The Master said, “Seeking the moon within the pool, it cannot be found.”
Someone asked, “Four fingers above the ground, why are there fish-shaped clouds?”
The Master said, “There is a sage’s measure there.”
The monk said, “For whom is this measure bestowed?”
The Master replied, “Not for a sage.”
7. Chan Master Daoxi of White Dragon Cloister, Shengshan, Fuzhou
The Master was from Min County in Fuzhou. The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “There is no need to take a step—whose awesome radiance is it? Do you understand? If you say that the place where you walk has inherently always been thus, that is very gratifying, but do not become entangled.”
Someone asked, “What is the meaning of the coming from the Western Land?”
The Master asked, “From where have you come?”
Someone asked, “What is the great meaning of the Buddha-Dharma?”
The Master said, “You should make three bows at once.”
Someone asked, “Without reproaching what has gone before, I beg the Master to speak directly.”
The Master said, “Very well.”
Someone asked, “What is the true and proper Way?”
The Master said, “Riding a donkey in search of the donkey.”
Someone asked, “I beg the Master to answer without speaking of host and guest.”
The Master said, “It has been recorded from ancient times to the present.”
The monk asked, “What about right now?”
The Master said, “Not only are your ears deaf, but your eyes are blind as well.”
Someone asked, “What is it like when feelings are forgotten and the essence is united?”
The Master said, “What else did you see in your dream?”
Someone asked, “This student intends to present a single question; I beg the Master to decide it.”
The Master said, “Without examining it?”
The monk asked, “Why do you not decide it?”
The Master said, “You must know an able person.”
Someone asked, “The great assembly has gathered like clouds. I beg the Master to present the lineage’s teaching.”
The Master said, “The listener has few faults.”
Someone asked, “It does not concern the lips; I beg the Master to instruct me.”
The Master said, “Without involving the lips, ask about what is to come.”
The monk said, “Then the multitude of beings will have something upon which to rely.”
The Master said, “Do not idly chatter and engage in frivolous talk.”
Someone asked, “I beg the Venerable to produce grass and answer the exchange.”
The Master said, “Bring paper and brush, copy it down, and take it away.”
Question: What is thinking with many mouths? The Master said: When it manifests, I shall tell you at once. Question: This student now sees that it has manifested. The Master said: How many people have you deceived so far? Question: I have heard an ancient say, “The skull constantly intervenes in the world; the nose hairs touch the family style.” What does it mean that the skull constantly intervenes in the world? The Master said: Come forward, and I shall tell you. A monk asked: What does it mean that the nose hairs touch the family style? The Master replied: Withdraw for now; come again another time.
8. Great Master Mingfa Chong'ao of Luofeng, Fuzhou.
Previously, the Master resided at Bailong. Ascending the Dharma hall, he said: Everyone is fully endowed; everyone holds fixed views—how could you confound this mountain monk? Take care.
A monk asked: “The marks of all dharmas are quiescent and cannot be expressed in words.” What is the mark of quiescence? The Master said: Question and answer are both complete. The monk said: Then it is the true suchness of the Dharma-realm, without self and without person.
The Master said: That exceptional place makes people sorrowful. Question: What was Niutou like before he met the Fourth Patriarch? The Master replied: His virtue was weighty, and ghosts and spirits revered him.
Question: What was it like after he met him? The Master said: His whole body was holy, beyond all fathoming. Question: What is the single phrase of Luofeng?
The Master said: Suffering. Question: What is the man of old like today? The Master replied: Sorrowful amid pines and vines, in a perilous realm.
9. The Venerable of Chuilong Mountain in Quanzhou.
A monk asked: What does it mean that everywhere is bodhi? The Master took up his staff and chased him away, and the monk ran. The Master said: Stop! Later, when you meet an adept, tell him about this and see. Ascending the Dharma hall, the Master raised his staff and said: For thirty years in the mountains, I have relied upon the strength of this staff. At that time a monk asked: Venerable, what strength does it possess? The Master said: Crossing streams and traversing mountains, bracing east and bracing west.
10. Great Master Zhide Guangsi of Yunfeng on Mount Tiantai.
Ascending the Dharma hall, the Master said: It is only because sentient beings do not know what they use every day. It is like the pattern of the trichiliocosm, with its suns and moons, stars, mountains and rivers: all living beings enter from one pore into another pore. The pore is not small, nor is the world large, yet the sentient beings within neither know nor perceive it. If you wish to encounter it easily, venerable ones, you likewise do not know what you use every day. A monk asked: By day the monk carries the image; by night the image carries the monk. I do not yet understand the meaning of this. The Master said: Did the acharya not come from the Tea Hall?
11. Hermitage Master Xiru of Mount Dazhang, Fuzhou.
The Master was a native of Yongtai, Fuzhou. He received his training at Tushita Cloister in Baizhang Village, Quanzhou. Resolutely seeking to understand the Way of the Patriarchs, he consulted Xuansha and awakened to the essential purport of his teaching. Xuansha acknowledged him, saying: When a Chan practitioner has gone into seclusion, will he still require someone to stand in attendance upon him?
From then on, the Master neither assembled people to discuss Chan nor kept an attendant. He withdrew to a small mountain, split cedar wood, and built a thatched hermitage in which to dwell. Whenever a monk came, he would respond according to the circumstances and instruct him.
A monk asked: When birth and death arrive, how can one avoid them? The Master said: When the command comes, respectfully carry it out. Question: If so, one is bound by birth and death and carried away. The Master said: Who is it? Question: How does the intent from the Western Heaven brace itself? The Master took his ringed staff, planted it against the ground, and shook it. The monk asked: I do not yet know what this means. The Master said: That is the Zhang family striking. As the monk was about to speak, the Master struck him with his staff.
The two elders Qingkuo and Chongxu had heard of the Master's reputation but had never met him. One day they went together to visit him and found him harvesting rice. Kuo asked: Wayfarer, where is the Hermitage Master? The Master asked: Where have you come from? They replied: We came from below the mountain. The Master asked: By what cause did you arrive there? They replied: What place is this? The Master bowed and said: Go down there and drink tea.
Only then did the two elders realize that he was the Master. They pointed toward the hermitage and discoursed on the lofty rank. Sitting together, they did not realize that night had fallen. They saw jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards come before the hermitage and naturally become docile. On that occasion, Kuo composed this poem:
The two elders sought out Mount Dazhang, built a hermitage, and invited the Master to reside there. He dwelt alone at the two places for nearly fifty-two years and then passed away. Although Kuo inherited the essential instruction, he was later confirmed by Chuilong and thereby continued the lineage of Ruilong, residing at Baofu in Zhangzhou.
12. Venerable Lu of Yongxing on Mount Lianhua, Fuzhou.
The King of Min invited the Master to open the Dharma hall. Before ascending the seat, the Master stood before it and said: Great King and great assembly, listen closely. I have a true matter that I wish to present. Everyone in this assembly hears it; how could there be anyone who does not hear? If there is someone who does not hear, then we are merely deceiving one another.
He then ascended the seat. A monk asked: The king of the realm has invited the Master to appear in the world. I do not yet understand: how does today's assembly resemble Vulture Peak? The Master said: It has been transmitted from antiquity down to the present. Question: Is this the Venerable's family style? The Master said: On the tip of a hair, realms numerous as sands are revealed; within it, the sun and moon shine distinctly.
13. Senior Monk Shijing of Guoqing Monastery, Tiantai.
Previously, he encountered Venerable Xuansha instructing the assembly: If throughout your entire lives you act as though mourning your parents, I assure you that you will ultimately penetrate thoroughly. The Master thereupon took up the preceding words and asked: The teachings say that one must not use the discriminating mind to fathom the Tathagata's unsurpassed knowledge and vision. Then what should one do? Xuansha said: I say that you will ultimately penetrate thoroughly. Can the discriminating mind ever fathom that? From then on, the Master attained faith.
Later, the Master resided on Tiantai for more than thirty years without descending the mountain. He extensively integrated the three trainings, while personally manifesting the practice of Chan quiescence, and he regularly studied the Dragon Treasury. People near and far revered him. People of that time called him Senior Monk Great Jing.
Someone once asked: Whenever this disciple sits quietly at night, thoughts surge chaotically through the mind. I do not know how to gather and subdue them. I beg you to instruct me.
The Master replied: When you sit quietly at night and thoughts are confused, use that very confused mind to investigate the place of confusion. Upon investigation, no place can be found; then how could those confused thoughts remain? Again, clearly investigate the mind that investigates; then how could the mind capable of investigating remain?
Furthermore, illuminative wisdom is originally empty; objects of cognition are likewise quiescent. Yet it is not quiescence, because there is no one who masters quiescence; it illuminates, yet it is not illumination, because there is no object that is illuminated. When object and wisdom are both stilled, the anxious mind also becomes peaceful.
Seek nothing outwardly and abide in nothing inwardly. When both paths are quiescent, the one nature is joyful. This is precisely the essential path of returning to the source.
Upon seeing the doctrine of illusion in the teachings, the Master composed a verse as a question and circulated it among students:
If the Dharma of the Way is entirely like an illusion,
Then committing every evil and fault would entail no offense.
Why, then, is the karma created through deeds not false,
So that one must rely on the Buddha's compassionate power and guidance?
At that time, Senior Monk Little Jing replied:
An illusory person creates illusions, which turn in succession;
Illusory karma can summon illusory treatment.
Not understanding illusion, one engenders illusory sufferings;
Clearly knowing all as illusion, one performs no contrived action. (unconditioned)
Both senior monks named Jing passed away on this mountain. Their traces still remain today at Guoqing Monastery.
– Dharma heirs of Chan Master Huileng, formerly of Changqing Cloister, Fuzhou.
1. The Master was a native of Chaozhou.
When Venerable Leng first came to reside with Zhaoqing, the Master entered his chamber to consult him. By the time Venerable Leng entered Changle Prefecture and caused the teaching to flourish at the Western Cloister, the Master succeeded him at Zhaoqing, and the community of students remained as before.
Ascending the Dharma hall, the Master said: To raise a sound before it is to betray one's whole life; to present the pivotal function in the phrase that follows is to depart from the substance of the Way. Why is this so? Great assembly, say then: from this moment onward, what more is there to do?
– Again he addressed the assembly, saying: “Tonight Zhaoqing has set forth the matter for you once; do you clearly understand where it comes to rest?” At that time, a monk stepped forward and said: “If the whole assembly disperses at once, would that accord with the Master’s intention?” The Master said: “You deserve a beating.” The monk bowed. The Master said: “Though you have the intent of the blind turtle, you still do not know the bright moon.” The monk asked: “What is it to know the bright moon?” The Master said: “This is the intent of the blind turtle.”
Question: “What is the conduct of a śramana?”
The Master said: “It is neither conduct nor non-action.”
Question: “What is the meaning of the coming from the Western Land?”
The Master said: “A fly remains on an iron ox.”
Question: “What is the sword-box?”
The Master remained silent for a long while. The monk was bewildered and knew not what to do. The Master said: “Only if you can also shoulder Zhaoqing will it do.”
Question: “What is the one phrase that raises the essential principle?”
The Master said: “You must not remain deludedly attached to Zhaoqing.”
The monk bowed and rose, whereupon the Master again said: “You must not remain deludedly attached to Zhaoqing. Then what did I charge you to do with a phrase that raises the essential principle?” The monk could not answer.
Question: “When Mañjuśrī does not shoulder what lies beneath the sword, what then?”
The Master replied: “You are not yet an adept.”
The monk asked: “What is an adept?”
The Master replied: “It is you who speak of falling.”
Question: “What is the family style of Zhaoqing?”
The Master said: “Better to delight in honest poverty than to become corruptly rich and burdened with many cares.”
Question: “What is Nanquan’s single path?”
The Master said: “It is not that I begrudge telling you; I only fear comparison upon comparison.”
Question: “What is the great meaning of the Buddha-Dharma?”
The Master said: “Seven times toppled, eight times overturned.”
Question: “This student’s faculties are dull. I beg the Master, out of compassion, to point out a path.”
The Master said: “That is the mind of an old grandmother.”
The monk said: “The Lotus of Compassion dissects things so that one may understand the Compassionate Honored One. What is the matter of the transmission of the essential teaching from above?”
The Master said: “You yourself must ask about that before it can be known.”
The Master asked: “Where have you come from?”
The monk replied: “From Split Firewood.”
The Master asked: “Is there splitting without breaking apart?”
The monk said: “There is.”
The Master said: “What is splitting without breaking apart?”
The monk could not answer. The Master said: “If you cannot say, then ask me and I shall tell you.”
The monk asked: “What is splitting without breaking apart?”
The Master said: “A donkey kills a man because the earth moves.”
The monk asked: “Is there also that which does not move?”
The Master said: “There is.”
The monk asked: “What is that which does not move?”
The Master said: “It moves here from the east and then returns westward.”
Question: “When the Dharma rain moistens everywhere, is there any place it does not moisten?”
The Master said: “There is.”
The monk asked: “What is the place it does not moisten?”
The Master said: “Water poured upon it does not adhere.”
Question: “What is the profound place of Zhaoqing?”
The Master said: “It vanishes together with you.”
Question: “What is the person within the nine-walled city?”
The Master said: “Do you also know how to hear together with him?”
The Master ascended the Dharma hall, and the monks gathered around the Dharma seat. The Master said: “There is not a single thing herein. Why do you labor so painfully to seek and grasp? Before a thought has even made contact, you have already gone a thousand or ten thousand miles beyond the gate. Now, if everything handed down from above were gathered into Zhaoqing’s vital spirit and cast away at once, could I do that together with you?”
The Master then asked: “Have you caught it yet?”
The assembly made no reply.
The Master said: “You toil arduously without accomplishment. Are you all so foolish and dull? Observe how the ancients, upon gaining one or two things, rejoiced so greatly. The moment they saw it, they shouldered it and carried it away; thus they had at least a little clarity. If such a person exists, it is not merely a matter of the four kinds of offerings. Even making vaidūrya the ground and pure silver the walls would still not be precious enough. With Śakra proceeding before and Brahmā following behind, turning the long rivers into cream and transforming the earth into pure gold would still not suffice. Even attaining this is only one level. Do you understand? Take care.”
2. Great Master Yanciu Shixiang Deyi of Longhua Monastery, Hangzhou.
On the day the Dharma hall was opened, the Master addressed the assembly, saying: “Today, having ascended the Dharma seat, one may know reverent caution. Yet, concerning the matter that knows no reverent caution, is there anyone among this assembly who can bear witness together with me? If there is, come forth and serve as an exemplar.”
At that time, a monk asked: “The prefect has invited the Master; how will you set forth the essential principle?”
The Master said: “When the Dharma reaches another place, erroneous transmission is most strictly forbidden.”
Question: “Did this seat fall from heaven, or did it rise from the earth?”
The Master asked: “What are you doing?”
The monk said: “This seat is so lofty and broad; how could it fly upward?”
The Master said: “How many times today have I helped settle you in your place?”
Question: “At the assembly on Vulture Peak, Kāśyapa heard it in person. At today’s assembly, who is able to hear it?”
The Master said: “One who resembles me must be bound only to the Great Festival.”
The monk said: “What excellent assessment!”
The Master said: “Take some water into the tea hall and drink it.”
The Master further said: “From ancient times, the Buddha-Dharma has been entrusted to kings, great ministers, and powerful faithful donors. Today, the prefect and all the officials have especially and respectfully invited me, leaving this mountain monk unbearably ashamed. This mountain monk also has one final phrase, which I shall sell cheaply to you.”
The Master then stood up and said: “Is there anyone who will buy it? If there is a buyer, come forward. If there is no buyer, this worthless merchandise will be put away by itself. You have been standing a long time. Take care.”
On another occasion, the Master ascended the Dharma hall and said: “An auspicious day and an auspicious hour—speak quickly, speak quickly!”
He then told the great assembly: “Come closer and listen to this old man expound the supreme meaning!”
The assembly came forward. The Master immediately struck them and drove them away.
Question: “What is this student’s own self?”
The Master said: “Adding frost upon snow.”
3. Chan Master Lian of Bao’an, Lin’an County, Hangzhou.
A monk asked: “What is the family style of Bao’an?”
The Master said: “What difficulty is there in asking?”
Question: “What is the sword that severs a hair blown against its edge?”
The Master said: “Yuzhang’s hard iron staff.”
The monk said: “This student does not understand.”
The Master said: “The Zhang River has personally arrived here.”
Question: “What is the conduct of a śramana?”
The Master said: “A monastic wears a cap upon his head.”
Question: “What is the meaning of the coming from the Western Land?”
The Master said: “When a tiger dies, there are plenty of people to look at it.”
Question: “In one question and one answer, each side raises the matter. What is Bao’an’s single phrase that fears no man?”
The Master said: “When you go elsewhere, how will you raise it?”
4. Great Master Huijue Guangyun of Baoci Cloister, Fuzhou.
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said: “Medicine that cures illness need not be carried by a donkey. If you can act according to this tonight, each of you may return home. Take care.”
A monk asked: “I have heard that Huijue possesses the secret formula for sealing the mouth. How does he reveal it to others?”
The Master said: “Fortunately, my staff is not in my hand.”
The monk said: “Then this is a profound understanding of the Compassionate Honored One.”
The Master said: “Wait until I assent to you, and then it will do.”
The Master entered the palace. The King of Min asked: “How far apart are Baoci and Shenquan?”
The Master said: “If one speaks of near and far, it is not as good as going there oneself.”
The Master asked: “Great King, while carrying out a thousand affairs each day, what mind is it?”
The King said: “Where could one obtain a mind?”
The Master said: “How could there be a person without a mind?”
The King said: “What about the matter on the other side?”
The Master said: “Please ask over there.”
The King said: “The guiding master may deceive others, but not me.”
Question: “The great assembly has gathered in large numbers and requests the Master to set forth the teaching.”
The Master said: “How many people have still not heard it?”
Question: “Then it does not depend on transmission from above.”
The Master said: “If it is not transmitted from above, where do you turn to understand it?”
The monk replied: “If there were a place, I would betray the Venerable.”
The Master said: “I merely fear that you cannot distinguish the subtle from the coarse.”
Question: “It is commonly said that one should expound the Dharma in accordance with Dharma. What is the meaning of this?”
The Master said: “What doubt or error is there?”
Question: “What was the meaning of the ancient’s turning to face the wall?”
The Master immediately struck him.
Question: “Without relying upon words and speech, I ask the Master to point directly to it.”
The Master said: “Why wait for deliberation?”
5. Chan Master Shaozong Yuanzhi of Mount Kaixian, Mount Lu.
The Master was a native of Gusu. By nature, he was honest and guileless and took no pleasure in following worldly customs. In his youth, he entered monastic life and received the precepts at Liushui Monastery in that prefecture. Later, he entered the chamber of Changqing and tacitly accorded with the true essential. At first, he built a hermitage on Mount Liu in Qianzhou. For twenty years, his reputation in the Way resounded afar. The sovereign of Jiangnan was Li...
A monastery was established, and the Master was invited to turn the Dharma wheel; Chan companions gathered in great numbers. When the ruler of the state went on an inspection tour of Hongzhou, he personally entered the mountain to meet the Master. The Master ascended the Dharma hall and had a monk come forward to ask, “What is the realm of Kai先?” The Master said, “Best of all is the single scene in which the mountain’s colors burst forth.” The monk asked, “What is the person within that realm like?” The Master said, “He gathers dry firewood to boil water for washing cloth.” The ruler of the state held the Master in even greater reverence. Later, the Master passed away at the monastery on this mountain; his sacred stupa still remains.
6. Great Master Baozi Xiaowu of Bao’en Cloister in Jinlin, Wuzhou
The Master ascended the Dharma hall. After the assembly had stood for a long time, the Master said, “Brothers, you have all come through the mountain gate. The host’s mouth is like the sea, yet you resemble bearers of sauce jars. Do not become antagonistic figures who turn their backs upon one another. Nor should you remain long in the assembly. Brothers, there is no need to find this strange. If you wish to investigate and study the essential eye, why trouble yourselves by standing for so long? Each of you should return. Take care.”
The Master opened the teaching at the abbot’s quarters. A monk asked, “The stone foundation of the abbot’s quarters is complete; how can a message get through?” The Master said, “Brother, you should not be confused about this question.” The monk asked, “What is the matter of not being confused?” The Master said, “Blue sky and broad daylight.”
Someone asked, “This student is a beginner. I ask the Master to point out the way in.” The Master then extended his hand sideways and asked, “Do you understand?” The monk replied, “I do not understand.” The Master said, “With one hand alone, there is no sound of clapping.”
Someone asked, “What is the family style of Bao’en?” The Master said, “I can also tell that the acarya has only recently entered the assembly.”
Someone asked, “What was the ancient one’s meaning in raising a mallet and setting up a whisk?” The Master said, “Bao’en cuts off a portion of the tongue.” The monk asked, “Why is that?” The Master said, “Why submit to injustice and suffer false accusation before the fact?”
Someone asked, “What is Manjusri’s sword?” The Master said, “I do not know.” The monk said, “If a single stroke of the sword can restore a person to life, what does it accomplish?” The Master said, “This mountain monk attends only to the two daily meals of rice and gruel.”
Someone asked, “What does it mean that everything encountered by the eye is bodhi?” The Master said, “What is it that stands behind your back?” The monk said, “This student does not understand. I ask the Master to instruct me again.” The Master raised his staff and said, “Since you do not understand, how many blows of the staff will you take?”
Someone asked, “What is a person who truly knows shame like?” The Master said, “You cannot obtain it by opening your mouth.” The monk asked, “How does this person conduct himself?” The Master said, “When he encounters tea, he drinks; when he encounters rice, he eats.”
Someone asked, “What is the single adamantine arrow?” The Master replied, “What are you saying?” The monk asked again. The Master said, “The dish has crossed over to Silla.”
A monk asked, “When the summit of Bateng seethes, it is wholly real; yet I do not know what the ancient one meant.” The Master immediately shouted. The monk said, “That, then, is not of the proper rank.” The Master said, “Your words have fallen.” He continued, “If you say that my words have also fallen, what will you do?” The monk could not answer.
Someone asked, “If going forth means reward and punishment, what is the hair-blowing sword?” The Master replied, “Yanping belongs to Jianzhou.” The monk said, “That, then, is the dissolution of the body and the loss of life.” The Master said, “The waves surge in the Qiantang River.”
7. Chan Master Zongyi Fatao of Qingxin Monastery in Hangzhou
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “Great assembly, without waiting for a single word to be spoken, return. Do you still have a share in inheriting the lineage’s style? Is there anyone who can answer this question? If someone can answer it, I shall still make a strange laughingstock of you within it; if you cannot answer it, I shall likewise laugh strangely at you within it. Take care.”
Someone asked, “How does one truly disclose and reveal the empty beginning?” The Master said, “If you ask like this, everyone in the assembly will scrutinize it completely.”
Someone asked, “Then all of them are not great men. If it is not so, do they still have a share in continuing the lineage’s style?” The Master said, “You have presented a question with two ends.” The monk asked, “Who can discern it?” The Master said, “The Persian raises a child.”
Someone asked, “I beg the Master to reveal completely the course of the Buddhadharma.” The Master said, “You have only a single complete question.” The monk asked, “Why do you seize upon this question?” The Master said, “What did you just ask?” The monk said, “Had I not met the Master, I would nearly have gone astray.” The Master said, “The thief has gone, and only then do you shut the gate.”
A monk asked, “How is the single phrase of the separate transmission entrusted?” The Master said, “What a pity about those questions.” The monk asked, “Then even a separate answer would be unworthy.” The Master replied, “That too is idle talk.”
Someone asked, “What is a person who neither attends the Son of Heaven’s court nor praises princes and lords like?” The Master said, “Three strands of thread a day; one patched robe throughout the year.” The monk asked, “I do not know whether this person continues the lineage’s style.” The Master said, “The ruler comes and speaks above the head; clouds return and fly before the eyes.”
Someone asked, “An ancient said, ‘Without cutting off afflictions.’ What does this mean?” The Master said, “You are again a person who generates karma.” The monk asked, “How does one not generate karma?” The Master said, “Your words have already fallen.”
A monk asked, “I request the matter of reward and punishment: what is the hair-blowing sword?” The Master said, “According to the Dharma, make three prostrations.”
Later, the Master went to reside at Longce Monastery, where he passed away.
8. Chan Master Hongyan of Shuilu Cloister in Fuzhou
The Master ascended the Dharma hall. When the great assembly had gathered, he descended from his seat, carried the incense burner, and walked in procession before the assembly, saying, “An offering to all the Buddhas of the ten directions.” He then returned to the abbot’s quarters.
A monk asked, “Apart from the hundred negations and encompassing the four propositions, I ask the Master to exert himself fully and present the essential principle.” The Master said, “Where has it fallen?” The monk said, “Then devas and humans have something upon which to rely.” The Master said, “Do not splash dirty water upon a good person.”
9. Chan Master Hanze of Guangyan Cloister on Lingyin Mountain in Hangzhou
Previously, the Master trained under the Venerable Zhan at Baofu. Baofu asked, “What is your name?” The Master said, “Hanze.” Baofu said, “What if you suddenly encounter dryness and exhaustion?” The Master said, “Who is dry and exhausted?” Baofu said, “I am.” The Master said, “Venerable, do not deceive a good person.”
Later, the Master received certification from Changqing and took up residence at the Guangyan practice center. A monk asked, “What is the matter of meeting face-to-face and presenting it to one another?” The Master stepped down from the Chan platform and said, “May your honored person be foremost at Wanfu.”
Someone asked, “Who is the person who does not keep company with the myriad dharmas?” The Master said, “Within the city stands the tower of the blue annals; beyond the clouds rises the stupa on the lofty peak.”
Someone asked, “What is the great meaning of the Buddhadharma?” The Master said, “The secluded spring is tranquil and clear; the high moon is bright and luminous.”
Someone asked, “What is the Venerable’s family style?” The Master said, “One mountain of white clouds; three thatched rooms.” The monk asked, “Ultimately, how is it?” The Master said, “There is neither a disciplinarian nor a cook.”
Someone asked, “What is the family style of Guangyan?” The Master said, “Before the stone lion, the waters resound; upon Mount Jilong, the white ape cries.”
10. Chan Master Huilang of Baoci Cloister in Fuzhou
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “The sages of old appeared in the world for the sake of one great causal condition. They have reached the point of informing one another of it. Do you understand? If you do not understand, it is exceedingly difficult.”
A monk asked, “What is the one great matter?” The Master said, “Could they have mistakenly informed one another?” The monk said, “Then this student has no doubt.” The Master said, “Why, then, is there an ailment in your eye?”
Someone asked, “All the Buddhas of the three times are people who transmit the teaching; yet I do not know who speaks it.” The Master said, “Listen.” The monk asked, “I do not know what is being said.” The Master replied, “You are not the appointed bell.”
Someone asked, “What is this student’s eye?” The Master said, “Surely you cannot scatter sand again?”
11. Chan Master Changhui of Yishan, Changqing, in Fuzhou
A monk asked, “Princes and lords receive the command, and disciples inherit the Dharma. With a phrase that seals the mouth of Yishan, I ask the Master not to err.” The Master said, “Granted.” The monk said, “Then I profoundly understand your honored compassion.” The Master said, “Very good; do not become a dull-witted person.”
Someone asked, “Without violating the lineage’s style and without being criticized by others, I ask the Master to speak with a full mouth.” The Master said, “Is today not the day for opening the Dharma hall?”
The Master said, “The bright flame continues Xuefeng; the seal is transmitted from Chaojue. Neither opposing things nor failing people, and not standing directly before them—how can it be spoken of now?” The monk said, “Then, skillfully aided by your words, the shallow and the profound have been discerned.”
The Master said: One must also know good from bad.
12. Chan Master Jing of the Stone Buddha Cloister in Fuzhou.
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said: “If one speaks of presenting the moon to one another, one is still adding rouge and powder. Yet if one departs from such embellishment, one also commits the fault of failing others. How do you understand this completely?”
A monk asked: “What if this disciple wishes to see the teacher whom the Venerable has followed from the beginning?”
The Master said: “Atop the ridge, is there a body to be taken?”
The monk said: “Then one cannot see him.”
The Master said: “Clearly:
The traveler’s road is as distant as the sky;
The marquis’s gate is as deep as the sea.”
13. Chan Master Songxin of Cuifeng in Chuzhou.
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said: “I shall not open the Dharma seat again to expound the Dharma. Take care.”
He then asked a monk: “Do you understand?”
The monk said: “I do not understand.”
The Master said: “I was about to tell the Acarya to go to Baizhang.”
14. Chan Master Qinghuan of the Guanyin Cloister at Zhenfeng in Fuzhou.
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said: “Chan worthies, if you wish to discuss Chan, speak of the Way, and proclaim the essential teaching of the school, then according to a person of realization, within the tip of a single hair immeasurable Buddhas turn the Great Dharma Wheel, and within a single mote of dust the realm of the Jeweled King appears. Buddhas speak; sentient beings speak; mountains, rivers, and the great earth all speak at once, without ever ceasing. It is like King Vaisravana, who from beginning to end has never sought treasures outside himself. Since each of you possesses such a family tradition, what could anyone lack, that you should go to another’s place to obtain a share?”
A monk asked: “What is the nature of the dharmadhatu?”
The Master said: “Within your body are the myriad phenomena.”
The monk asked: “How can it be understood?”
The Master replied: “You cannot seek an echo within a cave and then go searching again among the branches and twigs.”
15. Chan Master Xin讷 of Eastern Chan in Fuzhou.
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said: “It has never been lost, even for an instant; the whole of it is manifest before you. Even saying this about the Way is already outside the matter. Since it has been spoken of thus, why should it not be spoken of before you brothers? Yet do not suppose that where the Way is absent I would refuse to speak. Do not misunderstand.”
A monk asked: “What is samadhi manifest before one?”
The Master said: “Why must you still wait for it to be spoken?”
The monk asked: “My own matter is not yet clear. I beg the Master to instruct me.”
The Master said: “Why do you not bow in thanks?”
A monk asked: “What is the family tradition of Eastern Chan?”
The Master said: “One person transmits a falsehood; ten thousand people transmit it as truth.”
16. Great Master Miaoguo Hongbian of Changqing Cloister in Fuzhou.
One day the Master ascended the Dharma hall, stood beside the seat, and addressed the assembly: “Can each of you return home? Do you understand? If you still do not understand, then this mountain monk is deceiving you.” He then mounted the seat.
A monk asked: “The oceanic assembly has gathered like clouds. We request the Master to open the gate of skillful means and reveal the true mark.”
The Master said: “That is the gate of skillful means.”
The monk said: “Then the great assembly listens attentively.”
The Master said: “What use is there in not listening attentively?”
A monk asked: “After Chaojue, the lamp of Miaoguo is lit anew. Through speech and silence, movement and stillness, how is it shown to one another?”
The Master said: “Can you understand this wonder?”
17. Great Master Liaokong Kelong of Eastern Chan Cloister in Fuzhou.
When the Dharma hall was opened, a monk asked: “Leaving far behind the abbot’s chamber at Jiufeng, you have come to sit in the place of awakening at Eastern Chan. Humans and devas gaze reverently upon your honored countenance. We pray that you bestow a word of exposition.”
The Master said: “The wind of Yao blows for a thousand years; Liaokong does not delude the Acarya.”
The monk said: “Then humans and devas have something upon which to rely.”
The Master said: “Is it fitting or unfitting?”
A monk asked: “What is the Way?”
The Master said: “It is precisely the Way.”
The monk asked: “What is the person within the Way?”
The Master said: “I have told you plainly.”
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said: “It is best to examine the essential matter for yourselves. If you are not of the lineage of Sendavaka, who understands upon hearing a sound, you would do better to return home and turn toward the fire. Take care.”
A monk asked: “What is Samantabhadra’s first phrase?”
The Master said: “You have fallen into the second phrase.”
18. Chan Master Shoupi of Tianzong Cloister in Fuzhou.
One day the Master ascended the Dharma hall, and the assembly entered the abbot’s quarters for consultation. The Master said: “Tonight I ask the assembly’s permission to rest. I do not know whether the assembly will grant me leave. If you do not grant it, you will fail the one who spoke first. Take care.”
A monk asked: “Can one who is constantly present throughout all twelve periods of the day digest the offerings of humans and devas?”
The Master said: “He cannot digest them.”
The monk asked: “Why can he not digest them?”
The Master said: “Because you are constantly present.”
The monk asked: “Can one who is not constantly present digest them?”
The Master said: “Last year’s swindler.”
The monk said: “I ask the Master to answer with neither host nor guest.”
The Master said: “Go to the place where there is neither host nor guest and ask about the future.”
19. Chan Master Jingwu Huailie of Yongan Cloister in Wuzhou.
The Master ascended the Dharma hall, and the assembly gathered like clouds. Looking to his left and right, the Master said: “Why stammer?” He then returned to the abbot’s quarters.
On another day, the Master ascended the Dharma hall. After remaining silent for a long while, he said: “Truly, the character ‘dream’ is pitiable, yet it has again been defiled. This is precisely where the assembly must exert itself; do not take it lightly.”
A monk asked: “I have personally heard a phrase from Mount Yi. I ask the Master to speak it for this student.”
The Master said: “Henceforth, do not mistakenly raise a question in imitation of others.”
20. Chan Master Linghan of Minshan in Fuzhou.
The Master formerly resided at Yongfu Cloister. He ascended the Dharma hall and said: “Again, blessings fill to overflowing, and every vow is fulfilled.” He then returned to the abbot’s quarters.
A monk asked: “Having reached the summit of Miaofeng, who will be your companion?”
The Master said: “You have arrived.”
The monk asked: “Who will be the companion?”
The Master said: “Go drink tea.”
A monk asked: “Clearly I do not understand. I ask the Master to instruct me.”
The Master said: “Set instruction aside for the moment. What is it that is clear to you?”
The monk said: “This student does not understand. Again, I ask the Master to instruct me.”
The Master said: “Seven staves, thirteen.”
21. Venerable Guishan of the kingdom of Silla.
It is recorded: State Minister Pei Xiu convened a Dharma assembly and asked a monk what sutra he was reading.
The monk replied: “The Sutra of the Speechless Youth.”
He asked: “How many fascicles does it contain?”
The monk replied: “Two fascicles.”
He said: “Since it is speechless, how can there be two fascicles?”
The monk could not answer.
The Master answered on his behalf: “If we discuss the Speechless, it is not limited to two fascicles.”
22. Chan Master Dao’en of Ciguo Cloister on Longxu Mountain in Jizhou.
A monk asked: “What is the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from the Western Land?”
The Master replied: “In the eighth year of Putong, he met Emperor Wu of Liang and was reproached; even to this day, the stain has not been washed away.”
A monk asked: “Among a thousand mountains and ten thousand mountains, which is Longxu Mountain?”
The Master said: “A thousand mountains and ten thousand mountains.”
The monk asked: “What is the person within the mountain?”
The Master said: “Face to face, yet a thousand miles apart.”
The monk asked: “Without falling into existence or nonexistence, I ask the Master to speak.”
The Master said: “Why do you ask?”
23. Chan Master Chengjing of Xiangguang Cloister in Fuzhou.
A monk asked: “What is the Way?”
The Master said: “Chang’an is bustling.”
The monk asked: “What about the matter beyond?”
The Master said: “Ten thousand sounds arise; the attendant parts the five-colored clouds.”
A monk asked: “What is the Venerable’s family tradition?”
The Master said: “Affairs of deliberation beneath the gate; how many layers deep are the palace precincts?”
24. Chan Master Mingyuan of Jiuling in Xiangzhou.
The Master had formerly consulted Changqing. Changqing asked: “What is your name?”
The Master said: “Mingyuan.”
Changqing asked: “What is the affair over there?”
The Master, Mingyuan, stepped back twice.
Changqing said: “Why did you step back twice for no reason?”
The Master could not answer.
Changqing answered on his behalf: “If you had not stepped back, how could one know Mingyuan?”
The Master then comprehended the purport.
While the Master was residing there, a monk asked: “Not a single dharma is before one, yet its functioning is never lacking—what is this?”
The Master pushed the fire with his hand. Through this, the monk awakened.
25. Chan Master Songhuai of Baoci Cloister in Hangzhou.
The Master was a native of Fuzhou, and his family name was Chen. In his youth, he entered monastic life at Shixi. He first resided at Chengxin Monastery in Yuezhou and later at Qiu Cloister.
A monk asked: “An ancient said: ‘People today look at the ancient teachings before the agitated mind has arisen. If they wish to arouse the agitated mind, they must examine the ancient teachings.’ What are the ancient teachings?”
The Master replied: “Thus have I heard.”
A monk asked, “What is it like when the mind is
agitated?” The Master said, “On the far bank, sparrows can be heard.” In the sixth year of Kaibao (the year Quý
Dậu), on the fourteenth day of the sixth month, at the Hour of the Dragon, the Master bathed, washed his hair, and changed into fresh robes. After instructing
his disciples and giving his final admonitions, he lay down on his right side and passed away.
26. Great Master Châu Trí Quảng Biên of Long Hoa Monastery,
Khiết Doanh, Hangzhou.
The Master received ordination under Master Huỳnh Nghiệt of Fuzhou and awakened to the essential purport
under Trường Khánh. Later, while he was dwelling there, a monk asked, “What is the realm
of Long Hoa?” The Master said, “Green bamboo understands the wind; cold pines lock in the moon.” The monk
asked, “What is the person within that realm?” The Master said, “Do not be presumptuous.” He asked,
“What is the bodhimaṇḍa of the Buddhas of the three times?” The Master said, “Do not pay homage separately.”
The monk said, “It has continued without interruption from ancient times until now.” The Master said, “In
what year does it abide?” He asked, “Who is the master within Mount Huỳnh Nghiệt?” The Master said, “I
thank you, worthy one, for asking.” He asked, “What is the realm of Huỳnh Nghiệt?” The Master said,
“Dragons chant amid the mighty waterfall; clouds rise over the peak of Thúy Vi.”
– Dharma heirs of Chan Master Đạo Phó, formerly of Long Sách Monastery,
Hangzhou.
1. Chan Master Sư Nột of Mount Thanh Hóa, Yuezhou.
A monk asked, “Throughout the twelve hours, how can one be free of doubt and error?” The Master
said, “Good.” The monk said, “Then one has met the Master?” The Master said, “Take care.” A
monk came and bowed. The Master said, “You are skilled at asking, and I am skilled at answering.” The
monk said, “Then the assembly has been standing a long time.” The Master said, “Why oppress the assembly?”
The monk asked, “In proceeding with reward and punishment, what is the sword that severs a hair blown against its edge?” The Master
said, “It is good to travel by boat on the Tiền Đường River.” He asked, “What is the meaning of the coming from
India?” The Master said, “It can kill fresh fish.”
2. Chan Master Ngộ Duyên of Nam Thiền, Quzhou.
There was a layman whom people at the time called Thiết Cước (“Iron Foot”). Once, when he was
riding a horse, a monk asked, “Since you are Iron Foot, why do you ride a horse?” The Master said,
“What is borne on the back is not because the belly aches greatly; wrapping a kerchief around the head is surely not to ward off the cold.”
A lay official asked, “In which kalpa did the Venerable cultivate as a younger student so as to become an honored elder?”
The Master said, “For a thousand years, people speak only of the red crown of the crane; once born in the light, it is at once a young phoenix.”
The Master once said, “This matter is difficult to express.” A monk stepped forward and said,
“Master, please speak.” The Master said, “The mossy ravine at Mục Châu; the stone ear at Cẩm Quân.”
3. Chan Master Trí Viền of Tư Phước Cloister, Fuzhou.
The Master was from Liên Giang in Fuzhou. In his youth, he had his head shaved and received full ordination under Chan Master Pháp
Tuyên at Quán Âm Cloister on Mount Giáp. While attending and serving him, he devoted himself solely to chanting and recitation. One day, Chan Master Tuyên told
him, “I see that you are a person of superior faculties, capable of undertaking the great matter. Why do you not
travel widely to inquire of teachers, instead of remaining attached to this practice?” The Master then bowed in gratitude and traveled throughout the various regions.
Arriving at Cảnh Thanh in Yuezhou, he paid homage to Great Master Thuận Đức and asked,
“What is the place from which all Buddhas emerge?” Thuận Đức replied, “Everyone needs to know.”
The Master said, “Then all these eyes are difficult to deceive.” Thuận Đức said, “Principle can bind the pillar.”
At this, the Master awakened to the profound purport. In the third year of Xiande of the Later Zhou (the year Bính Thìn),
the Prefect of Fuzhou dispatched officials and gathered the assembly to invite the Master to Tư Phước Cloister,
where he opened the Dharma hall and expounded the Dharma. At that time it was called Đông Thiền Cloister. A monk
asked, “Whose household’s song does the Master sing? Whose lineage does he continue?” The Master said, “The moon before the peak of the Snowy
Range; a bright mirror within the lake’s waves.” He asked, “When the Buddhas appeared in the world, the heavens rained down four kinds of flowers
and the earth trembled in six ways. What auspicious signs attend the Venerable today?” The Master said, “Not a single thing
arises, yet the whole essence is displayed; the radiant light before the eyes—who can know it?” He asked, “How does one directly present the single phrase?”
The Master said, “What is it?” The Master continued, “Do you understand? If you understand, it is finished at once, here and now;
if you do not understand, it will take kalpas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Simply enter among the worthies and distinguish what is above:
the mind of the ancient Buddhas is originally luminous and manifest before you. Throughout heaven and earth, the myriad phenomena
are each your own household style. Buddhas and sentient beings are originally without difference;
nirvana, birth, and death are fashioned by illusion. The ground of true and constant nature requires no laborious cultivation or realization.”
The Master further said, “If you wish to know this matter, this very sun must be revealed openly,
without even an inch of grass covering it. Then you must take it up with the utmost power of the awakened mind.”
In this manner, the Master instructed the assembly for twenty-two years. In the second year of Taiping Xingguo
(the year Đinh Sửu), on the sixteenth day of the ninth month, the Master struck the bell and bade farewell to the assembly. At the Hour of the Dragon on the twenty-seventh,
he serenely passed away while seated. He was eighty-three years old and had spent sixty-three years in the Sangha.
– Dharma heirs of Chan Master Hoài Nhạc, formerly of Báo Ân Cloister,
Zhangzhou.
1. Great Master Truyền Tâm Sư Hạo of Diệu Tê Cloister, Tanzhou.
The Master once resided at Hương Sơn in Lâm Châu. A monk asked, “Concentration is the second head;
non-concentration is the third head. What is the first head?” The Master said,
“Gather it in.” The monk asked, “Why did the man of old cut off his arm?” The Master said, “How could
I cut off an arm?” He asked, “What is the eye of this student?” The Master said, “You must
know my good heart.” He asked, “What is the sword of Hương Sơn?” The Master said, “Again.”
The monk asked, “Is it displayed again?” The Master said, “I do not consent to see it.” He asked, “What is
the first phrase of the school?” The Master said, “It absolutely must not be raised mistakenly.” He asked, “What
is the household style of Diệu Tế?” The Master said, “There are very many people on the left and right.” He asked,
“What is the great meaning of the Buddha-Dharma?” The Master said, “Two mouths, not one tongue.” He asked, “What
is the single road of Hương Sơn?” The Master said, “Rolling on and on.” The monk asked, “What of one
who comes?” The Master said, “It is your lifelong affair.” He asked, “What is the secret utterance
of the World-Honored One?” The Master said, “Ānanda does not know either.” The monk said, “Why does he not
know?” The Master said, “Surely he is not a Sendhava.” He asked, “What is the treasure of Hương
Sơn?” The Master said, “The blue-eyed foreign monk does not dare determine it.” The monk asked, “How is the person
revealed?” The Master said, “The Dragon King’s staff is not raised.” On one occasion, a monk related that a statue of the Holy Monk
had been bitten by a tiger, and then asked the Master, “Since he was a Holy Monk,
why was he bitten by a beast?” The Master said, “It arouses the suspicions of everyone under heaven.” He asked, “What is
a person who knows no shame?” The Master said, “Ācārya, take a beating.”
– Dharma heirs of National Preceptor Thần Yến, formerly of Cô Sơn, Fuzhou.
1. Great Master Thủy Nguyệt Tâm Ẩn Tử Nghi of Mount Thiên Trúc, Hangzhou.
The Master, whose family name was Trần, was a native of Lạc Thanh County in Ôn Châu. Earlier, while traveling
in search of instruction, he went to see Cổ Sơn and said, “Tử Nghi has come from over three thousand li away
to seek the Dharma. Today, at an improper time, I have come before you to request the Master to answer at an improper time.” Cổ
Sơn replied, “One cannot be as dull-witted as you, worthy one.” The Master asked, “Where is the place of saving effort?”
Cổ Sơn said, “Why do you expend effort?” From these words, the Master grasped the purport and then went
to Triết Trung. King Trung Ý of Tiền heard that the Master’s Way was highly esteemed, and at once invited him to open the Dharma,
at the two bodhimaṇḍas of La Hán and Quang Phước. The oceanic assembly gathered in great numbers. The Master
ascended the Dharma hall and instructed the assembly, saying, “The great assembly has been standing a long time. What are you waiting for that you do not present anything?
I fear only that I may mislead you Chan worthies and cause you to turn back into delusion; the road at this time is rather cold.
Take care.” A monk asked, “What is the matter handed down from above?” The Master
said, “Stop.” The monk said, “How does one advance?” The Master said, “What a pity that a dragon’s head should become
a snake’s tail.” A monk bowed, rose, and was about to ask a question. The Master
said, “Why set it up again?” The monk then asked, “When I undertake construction work,
is there anyone who will help?” The Master said, “Just wait until the work is finished, when no one knows that the axe handle has rotted away.”
He asked, “What is Vimalakīrti’s silence?” The Master said, “Slander.” The monk
asked, “Why then did Mañjuśrī praise it?” The Master said, “They examined and understood it together.” The monk
asked, “And what of Vimalakīrti?” The Master said, “A three-foot kerchief upon his head, and a
fly whisk in his hand.” He asked, “What is the place from which the Buddha emerges?” The Master said, “In the midst of the
great ocean is a fiery star.”
The monk said, “This student does not understand.” The Master said:
“Burn up all the fish and dragons.” He was asked, “What was the meaning of Master Danxia’s burning the wooden Buddha?” The Master said:
“When it is cold, gather around the hearth and face the blazing fire.” The monk said, “Was there still any fault?”
The Master said, “When it is hot, sit beside the stream bank in the bamboo grove.” He was asked, “What is the Dharma-realm of the Essential School?” The Master said, “On the ninth day of the ninth month, the waves of the Zhejiang River.” He was asked, “I shall not ask about anything else. What is the one beneath the gate of Guangfu who surpasses Vairocana and excels Shakyamuni?” The Master said, “The other beasts all offer tribute.” The monk said, “Then this is the joy of a lifetime arising from good fortune.” The Master said, “What is such fortunate joy good for?” The monk did nothing. The Master shouted.
A monk asked, “How did the Master finally settle the matter?” The Master said, “When Zhou truly dies, the force of the wind makes many flowers fall in autumn?” The monk asked, “Where will my teacher return in the future?” The Master said, “If you now wish to know where I return, east, west, south, and north—the willows become threads.” He was asked, “What kind of practice accords with the Way?” The Master said, “Behind the curtain, chant aloud from the scroll; after drinking tea, sleep soundly.”
The Master returned to his native village. In the third year of Yongxi, he passed away. His disciples gathered his relics, built a stupa, and enshrined them.
2. Chan Master Zhenji Zhizuo of Baiyun, Jianzhou.
The Master was from Yongzhen and his family name was Zhou. In appearance he resembled an Indian monk. He paid homage to the National Teacher of Gushan and had his head shaved; at the age of twenty-four, he received the complete precepts. One day, Gushan ascended the Dharma hall and called to the assembly. Everyone turned to look, and Gushan swept out his sleeve as a demonstration. The assembly did not understand; only the Master awakened to its purport. He entered the abbot’s room and received confirmation.
On another occasion, while studying with Gushan, he was summoned forward and asked, “What was Nanquan’s meaning in calling for the monastery superintendent?” The Master merely folded his hands, assumed a solemn expression, and stood still. Gushan regarded this as extraordinary.
Thereafter the Master traveled through Wu and Chu and then came to Minchuan. He first resided at Nanfeng and later at Baiyun Monastery in Jianzhou. Ascending the Dharma hall, the Master said, “Is there anyone who will pose a question from within the vehicle of the School? Wait for this mountain monk to answer from within the vehicle of the School.” At that moment, a monk bowed and had just risen when the Master immediately returned to the abbot’s quarters.
He was asked, “What is the dragon’s chanting within the withered tree?” The Master said, “A lotus arising within fire.” He was asked, “What is the pupil within the skull?” The Master said, “A mud ox enters the water.” He was asked, “What is the host within the host?” The Master asked, “Do you possess the eye?” The monk said, “Then this student has returned home.” The Master said, “When you enter the cloth bag.”
He was asked, “What is the ford of Yanping?” The Master said, “For ten thousand ages, the waters stretch boundlessly.” The monk asked, “What is the sword of Yanping?” The Master said, “Quickly step back.” The monk asked, “I do not yet know whether the ford and the sword are the same or different.” The Master said, “What a pity for that old fellow!”
In the second year of Qianhu, the year Jiyou, Li, ruler of the Jiangnan Kingdom, welcomed the Master to reside at Fengxian, bestowed a purple robe upon him, and conferred a title. The Master ascended the Dharma hall and sat down; the assembly listened in silence. The Master said, “You are about to be deceived—do you recognize it?
Have you not heard that in ancient times, however many worthies assembled at Vulture Peak, it was said that only Kashyapa personally heard? This morning, by royal command, I have been directed to expound the teaching of the School; it cannot differ from Vulture Peak. Since it cannot differ from Vulture Peak, why, Worthies, do you produce elaborate interpretations?
Do not be constrained by past or present. Merely reveal a little spirit here and now, and let me examine what it is.”
A monk asked, “The assembly at Vulture Peak differed from that of today. I do not yet know what it means to hear personally.” The Master said, “Bring it forth again.” The monk replied, “Then devas and humans have something upon which to rely.” The Master said, “Acharya, what are you doing?”
He was asked, “The worthy king has invited the Master to open wide the Dharma seat. How do you demonstrate the succession from the Patriarchs of Western India?” The Master said, “Remember it clearly.” The monk replied, “I would never dare disappoint the Venerable.” The Master said, “Not yet.”
A monk asked, “What is the scenery of Fengxian?” The Master said, “Contemplate it as you please.” The monk asked, “What is the person within the scenery?” The Master said, “Do not bow.” He was asked, “What is the family style of Fengxian?” The Master said, “Where is it right now?” The monk said, “Then the great assembly has something upon which to rely.” The Master said, “What has that to do with you?” He was asked, “What is the one phrase spoken for the sake of others?” The Master said, “It is not that Fengxian is unable to speak.”
3. Great Master Liaojue Zhiyan of Gushan, the second-generation incumbent.
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “Speaking only produces more words; through this, we again mislead one another. Take care.”
A monk asked, “I dare not ask about the phrase of Shimen; I request that the Master speak through skillful means.” The Master said, “Ask: take the exposed pillar.” He was asked, “When the king of a nation appears in the world, the three realms are at peace. When the Dharma King appears in the world, what grace does he bestow?” The Master said, “Do you understand?” The monk said, “Fortunate to encounter an enlightened dynasty, I hasten to present my offering.” The Master said, “Spit it out.” The monk said, “If I do not bow, when shall I become an iron hammer without a hole?” The Master said, “How is that any different from an iron hammer without a hole?”
4. Great Master Miaokong Zhisong of Longshan, Fuzhou.
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “Fortunately, your own share is inherently clear. What need is there to contrive such formalities? Upon reaching that point, it immediately becomes a formality; it also becomes additional words and further becomes dust and defilement. When there has not yet been much time, what is there to do?”
A monk asked, “The ancient Buddhas gave instruction, and the present Patriarchs again cause it to flourish. Devas and humans crowd the Chan courtyard; it would be most fitting if you would reveal it to them.” The Master said, “I, too, dare not disappoint the great assembly.” The monk said, “Then devas and humans will not be misled. I earnestly request that the Master swiftly cause the ordinary mind to become the Buddha-mind.” The Master said, “Worthwhile one, what are you doing?” The monk said, “I withdraw, bow, and follow the assembly in ascending and descending.” The Master said, “I recognize you.”
5. Chan Master Gang of Mount Fenghuang, Quanzhou.
A monk asked, “The lamp has been transmitted across the ancient bridge, and the Way has spread throughout Wenling without passing beyond Shimen. I request that the Master communicate the message.” The Master said, “Were it not for today, I would thrust it straight out from my breast.” The monk said, “Then today I personally hear the lion’s roar, and hereafter I shall forever become a phoenix chick.” The Master said, “Again you go in there and defile people.”
He was asked, “In the scene where white waves surge to the heavens, what person dwells amid the great void?” The Master said:
“In the stillness of night, reflect upon Yao’s drum;
Turn your head and listen quietly to Shun’s zither.”
6. Chan Master Wenyi of Longshan, Fuzhou.
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “If I raise the vehicle of the School, the monastery will fall silent and the scriptures lie desolate. If I leave the matter to your inquiry, what are you waiting for? Is there anyone with something to entrust who will bring it forth so that I may examine it? If no one has anything to entrust, do not seize upon hollow acclaim.”
A monk asked, “What is the king of men?” The Master said, “All fear his majestic bearing.” The monk asked, “What is the Dharma King?” The Master said, “One phrase causes all to act.” The monk asked, “Are the two kings distinct or not distinct?” The Master asked, “What did you just say?”
7. Great Master Liaozong Zhiyue of Gushan, Fuzhou.
The Master was a native of Fuzhou. Earlier, while traveling in search of the Dharma, he came to Master Huanglong in Ezhou and asked, “For a long time I have heard of Huanglong, but upon arriving I see only a red-spotted snake.” Huanglong said, “You see only the red-spotted snake, but you do not recognize Huanglong.” The Master said, “If so, what is right?” Huanglong said, “Billowing and surging.” The Master said, “What if a golden-winged bird suddenly arrives?” He replied, “Its life would be difficult to preserve.” The Master said, “Then it would be swallowed by the bird.” He replied, “Thank you, Acharya, for the offering.” At that moment, the Master had not yet awakened.
He then sought out Mount Shouye and bowed to the Venerable National Teacher. Having been inspired to penetrate the subtle purport, he afterward succeeded to the mountain gate as
of the third generation. The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said: “If I were to expound the School’s vehicle in its entirety, toward what could you turn to understand it? Therefore, in speaking to you, from ancient times to the present we have always revealed its essence and function; there is no obstruction whatsoever.”
A monk asked: “I shall not ask about anything else. What is it to be born into the royal lineage?”
The Master said: “Jade leaves and golden branches are not alike—what do you make of that?”
The monk said: “Then inwardly they are the same and cannot be different.”
The Master said: “What use is this matter of their not being different?”
The monk asked: “How can the golden branch be continued?”
The Master said: “Those too are words spoken outside the gate.”
Someone asked: “Does empty space know how to function or not?”
The Master raised his staff and said: “This is something monks like to be struck with.”
The monk said nothing.
8. Venerable Dinghui of Xiangzhou.
A monk asked: “What is the matter beyond the Buddha?”
The Master said: “There is no one who does not fear it.”
The monk said: “This student does not yet understand.”
The Master said: “There is no hindrance to facing what is difficult.”
Someone asked: “If one does not cherish the opportune moment, how can one employ the words of the ancestral tradition?”
The Master said: “Does the Acarya still have any sense of shame?”
The monk immediately shouted.
The Master said nothing.
9. Chan Master Zongxiao Qing’e of Gushan in Fuzhou.
The Master attained the Dharma under Venerable Shouye. Someone asked: “When a monk dies, where does he go?”
The Master said: “When it is cold, he does not put forth his hands.”
10. Chan Master Huiwu Chongzhao of the Jingde Monastery in Jinling.
The Master was from Fuzhou, and his family name was He. From childhood he ate nothing containing flesh or blood and personally vowed to leave the household life. He had his head shaved at Gushan, where he attained the Dharma and received a prediction. At the age of twenty-four, the Master resided at Fengcheng in Hongzhou and expounded the teaching to the assembly. At that time he was called the Young Elder. During the Xiande era of the Later Zhou, the ruler of Jiangnan welcomed the Master and installed him at Guanglu.
A monk asked: “What is the Great Way?”
The Master said: “It is where there are no small paths.”
The monk asked: “What is a small path?”
The Master said: “I do not know that there is a Great Way.”
Later, the Master resided at Kaixian on Mount Lu, and afterward at Jingde; in both places he gathered disciples and taught the Dharma. In the eighth year of Kaibao, the Master passed away.
11. Chan Master Qinghu of Bao’en Cloister in Jinling.
The Master was from Changle in Fuzhou, and his family name was Chen. At the age of six, he paid homage to the master of Gushan and had his head shaved. At fifteen he received the precepts, and immediately upon hearing the National Preceptor’s words, he awakened to the true purport. When the National Preceptor entered parinirvana, the Master resided at Baiyun in Jianzhou. The military governor of Min, a member of the Wang clan, presented him with a purple robe and bestowed upon him the title Great Master Chongren.
In the eighth year of Tianfu under the Later Jin, when Jinling entered Jiancheng together with the Master, the commanding general Cha Wenwei came to the cloister. The Master went out to welcome him. Cha asked: “What is it like when we meet within here?”
The Master replied: “I have troubled the general.”
Later, Cha invited the Master to Jinling, where the ruler ordered him to reside at Changqing Cloister and guide the assembly. At the beginning of the Jiande era, the Master withdrew to reside in a hermitage in Jianzhou. At that time, the military governor Chen Hui founded the Chan monastery Xianshen Bao’en and invited the Master to serve as abbot.
On the day the Dharma hall was opened, a monk asked: “When the Buddha appeared in the world, celestial flowers fell everywhere. I wonder what auspicious signs accompany the Venerable’s appearance in the world?”
The Master said: “Only yesterday the first thunder sounded; this morning a fine rain drifts.”
Someone asked: “What is the profound purport of all Buddhas?”
The Master said: “Straw sandals and wooden clogs.”
In the third year of Kaibao, the last ruler of Jiangnan invited the Master to reside at both Bao’en and Jingde monasteries. The Master went there and taught the Dharma, and his title was changed to Chan Master Miaoxing. In the eleventh month of that year, the Master fell ill and took leave of the ruler. On the morning of the twentieth day, he struck the bell, admonished the great assembly, and then, sitting upright in solemn dignity, passed away. He was fifty-five years old and had completed forty Dharma years.
The ruler honored him with exceedingly elaborate rites. After the cremation, more than three hundred relics and his sacred bones were collected and brought for burial on Mount Jizu in Jianzhou. A stupa was erected at Woyun Cloister. The Master’s bearing was pure and graceful, and his conduct towered in solitary distinction. For twenty years he wore no silk, only coarse cloth. In literary composition and discourse, he stood foremost among the assembly. Verses composed by the Master from the Essential Sayings of five places circulated throughout the world.
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