景德傳燈錄

THE JINGDE RECORD OF THE TRANSMISSION OF THE LAMP — FASCICLE 26

FASCICLE 26
The ninth generation in the lineage of Chan Master Xingsi (Part 2) through the eleventh generation.

• Ninth generation.
• The Dharma-successors of Chan Master Wenyi of Qingliang in Jinling numbered 33:

– The Dharma-successors of Chan Master Hongjin of Qingxi in Xiangzhou numbered 2:

1. Chan Master Songyi of Mount Tianping in Xiangzhou,
2. Chan Master Yuande of Yuantong on Mount Lu.

– The Dharma-successors of Chan Master Xiufu of Qingliang in Jinling numbered 2:

1. Chan Master Huitong of Fengxian in Jinling (a record of this one master is extant),
2. Chan Master Daoji of the Baoqing Hermitage on Mount Lu (for this one master, no encounter dialogues or sayings are extant).

– The Dharma-successor of Chan Master Shaoxiu of Mount Longji in Fuzhou numbered 1:

1. Venerable Guangyuan of Hedong.

– The Dharma-successors of Chan Master Shou'an of the Southern Terrace on Mount Heng numbered 2:

1. Chan Master Shanmei of Jiuling in Xiangzhou (a record of this one master is extant),
2. Chan Master Ming of the HuiRi Cloister in Anzhou (for this one master, no encounter dialogues or sayings are extant).

– The Dharma-successor of Chan Master Xuanying of the Baoqu Cloister in Zhangzhou numbered 1:

1. Chan Master Renyi, the second-generation master of Baoqu (encounter dialogues and sayings of this one master are extant).

– The Dharma-successor of Chan Master Wuyi of Longshu in Zhangzhou numbered 1:

1. Chan Master Faqian of Longshu in Zhangzhou.

– The Dharma-successor of Chan Master Daoquan of Guizong on Mount Lu numbered 1:

1. Chan Master Yiquan of Jiufeng in Junzhou.

– The Dharma-successor of Chan Master Jida of Huanglong in Meizhou numbered 1:

1. The second-generation Venerable of Huanglong.

– The Dharma-successor of Chan Master Yuanguan of Liangshan in Langzhou numbered 1:

1. Chan Master Jingxuan of Mount Dayang in Chengzhou.
The tenth generation in the lineage of Chan Master Xingsi.

– The Dharma-successors of National Preceptor Shao of Deshan on Mount Tiantai numbered 49:

– The Dharma-successor of Chan Master Huiming of Bao'en Monastery in Hangzhou numbered 1:

1. Great Master Daocheng of Baoming in Fuzhou.

– The Dharma-successors of Dharma Master Wencui of the Baoci Practice Ground in Jinling numbered 5:

– The Dharma-successors of Chan Master Daoqian of Yongming in Hangzhou numbered 3:

1. Chan Master Huaijing, Heavenly Radiance King of Hangzhou,
2. Chan Master Zhicheng of Zhenjing in Hangzhou,
3. Chan Master Qingxiang of Chongfu in Mingzhou.

– The Dharma-successors of Chan Master Qingsong of Lingyin in Hangzhou numbered 9:

1. Chan Master Daoci of Gongchen Monastery in Hangzhou,
2. Chan Master Yuanzhao of Luohan in Xiuzhou,
3. Chan Master Shizhi of Bao'en in Chuzhou,
4. Chan Master Kexian of Guning in Hengzhou,
5. Chan Master Daoduan of Guangxiao in Hangzhou,
6. Chan Master Wuning of Baoqing in Hangzhou,
7. Chan Master Bianlong of Zhiti in Fuzhou,
8. Chan Master Xiyuan of Ruilong in Hangzhou (records of the above 8 masters are extant),
9. Chan Master Dewen of Guotai in Hangzhou (for this one master, no encounter dialogues or sayings are extant).

– The Dharma-successors of Dharma Master Xingyan of Baoci in Jinling numbered 2:

1. Chan Master Yineng of Yunju in Hongzhou,
2. Chan Master Qinggao of Beichan in Raozhou.

– Dharma successors of Chan Master Taiqin at Qingliang, Jinling, 2:

1. Chan Master Daoqi at Yunju, Hongzhou,
2. Chan Master Huitong at Qixian, Mount Lu (one of these had no recorded encounter-dialogues).

– Dharma successors of Chan Master Fa'an at Bao'en, Jinling, 2:

1. Chan Master Daojian at Qixian, Mount Lu,
2. Fourteenth-generation Chan Master Huicheng at Guizong, Mount Lu (records of both may be found).

– Dharma successors of Chan Master Miangui at Chang'an Cloister, Mount Lu, 2:

1. Chan Master Bianshi at Chang'an, Mount Lu,
2. Chan Master Yongqing at Yungai, Tanzhou (records of both may be found).
The eleventh generation in the lineage of Chan Master Xingsi.

– Dharma successors of Chan Master Yanshou at Yongming Monastery, Hangzhou, 2:

1. Chan Master Zimeng at Fuyang, Hangzhou,
2. Chan Master Xin at Zhaoming Monastery, Hangzhou (the above two had no recorded encounter-dialogues).

– Dharma successor of Great Master Pengyan at Changshou Cloister, Suzhou, 1:

1. Second-generation Chan Master Faqi of Changshou Cloister.

– Dharma successors of Chan Master Xibian at Pumen Monastery, Hangzhou, 2:

1. Chan Master Huihong, a native of the kingdom of Goryeo,
2. Chan Master Huzhi at Shanglin, Yuezhou (the above two had no recorded encounter-dialogues).

• The ninth generation in the lineage of Chan Master Xingsi (Part 2)
• Dharma successors of Chan Master Wenyi at Qingliang, Jinling.

1. Chan Master Shaoming at Jianfu Cloister, Suzhou.
Qian Ren, the prefectural governor, invited the Master to serve as abbot and then asked, “What is the family style of the Venerable?” The Master said, “Look for it everywhere.”
2. Chan Master Jin at Guxian Cloister, Zezhou.
The Master questioned a monk, saying, “The Tathagata’s intimate body: one accomplishment and it appears within the dust. What is the intimate body?” The monk raised one finger. The Master said, “It has indeed appeared, but how do you understand it?” The monk did not answer.

While attending Master Jinghui, the Master saw him ask a monk, “Where will you go after leaving here?” The monk replied, “Into the mountains.” Jinghui said, “That is not easy.” The monk replied, “Having passed through so many mountains and rivers, I have gained nothing else.” Jinghui said, “So many mountains and rivers are not bad either, are they?” The monk did not answer. Upon hearing these words, the Master attained great awakening.

A monk asked, “What is the Buddha?” The Master said, “Standing upright upon your nostril.”
3. Chan Master Kexun at Xingfu Cloister, Xuanzhou.
The Master was a native of Jianyang, Jianzhou, and his family name was Zhou. After receiving the mind-seal from Master Jinghui, he opened a Dharma seat and served as abbot. A monk asked, “What is the host of Xingfu?” The Master said, “Acarya, you do not know.” The monk asked, “Is it not simply this?” The Master said, “Though you have not yet ceased your derangement, what has ever been lost?” The monk asked, “What is the Way?” The Master said, “Practice diligently.” The monk asked, “What is the Dharma of emptiness?” The Master said, “Not empty.” The Master had a verse with which he instructed the assembly:

4. Chan Master Shoune at Shanglan Cloister, Hongzhou.
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and addressed the assembly: “The guiding principles have all been set forth, yet there is no one to sweep the ground. Brothers of the Chan community, bear witness together. Those who have arrived late and harbor doubts, please ask.” A monk asked, “Please open the gate of amrta. Contemplating the ultimate truth without falling into existence or nonexistence, I ask the Master to instruct me.” The Master said, “The great assembly bears witness.” The monk said, “Then this is an injustice.” The Master said, “Nonsense.” The monk asked, “What is the Buddha?” The Master said, “Whom are you asking again?”
5. Venerable Fuchuan of Fuzhou.
A monk asked, “What is the Buddha?” The Master said, “I do not know.” The monk asked, “What is the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from India?” The Master said, “Do not slander the Patriarch.”
6. Chan Master Fahuai, Puzhao Faming, at Fengxian Monastery, Hangzhou.
A monk asked, “When the Venerable Sakyamuni appeared in the world, the heavens rained down four kinds of flowers and the earth shook in six ways. What auspicious signs attend the Venerable today?” The Master said, “The great assembly has seen them all.” The monk said, “Such is the Dharma of the Dharma King.” The Master said, “It is seen in the king of men.” The monk asked, “The Venerable Jinghui of Bao'en received the personal transmission. To whom is today’s assembly entrusted?” The Master said, “Who has no share in it?” The monk said, “Then the thunderclap resounds throughout boundless realms.” The Master said, “You must also listen well.”
7. Chan Master Huilang at Huacheng Monastery, Mount Lu.
Zong Qiqiu, the chief minister of Jiangnan, invited the Master to open the Dharma hall. The Master ascended the seat and said, “Today His Excellency has invited this mountain monk to address the assembly. Surely this is to receive the Buddha’s entrustment and not forget the Buddha’s grace.

If anyone in the assembly has a question, step forward, so that you may form an affinity with His Excellency.” A monk asked, “His Excellency has come in person, and the great assembly has gathered. Concerning the vehicle of the lineage transmitted from above, I ask the Master to present it.” The Master said, “Would that not be letting His Excellency down?” The monk asked, “The Master has always admonished us earnestly;

why, then, does this student not understand his own affair?” The Master said, “Acarya, what is it that you do not understand?” The monk replied, “Concerning what I do not understand, I ask the Master to decide.” The Master said, “What did I just say to you?” The monk asked, “Then is this the complete truth here today?” The Master said, “Step back and make three prostrations.”
8. Chan Master Daohong Tongbian at Huiri Yongming Monastery, Hangzhou (third generation).
A monk asked, “Having left far behind the environs of Tiantai, you have again ascended Mount Huiri. I have long heard the lion’s roar; today I ask the Master to expound it.” The Master asked, “Do you hear it?” The monk replied, “Then what was formerly Chongshou is today Yongming.” The Master said, “Fortunately, you are perceptive; why speak wildly?” The Master addressed the assembly: “The Great Way is vast and expansive, ever thus from ancient times to the present.

The true mind pervades everywhere, like lucid wisdom and measureless understanding. The myriad phenomena in all their profusion are entirely marks of reality; encompassing heaven and earth, they reveal the ancient and the present. Great assembly, do you understand?

Can you discern it?” A monk asked, “The sovereign has sent Lord Gonggui here by imperial command to invoke the Dharma. What will today’s affair be?” The Master said, “Examine it.” The monk asked, “What is the meaning of this?” The Master said, “Where do you come and go?” The monk replied, “Then it, too, becomes an urgent matter.” The Master said, “Enough! Do not speak wildly.” The monk asked, “When the Buddhas appear in the world, they emit a hundred rays of light as auspicious signs.

What auspicious sign is there when the Master ascends the precious seat?” The Master said, “You may examine it.” The monk said, “Such is the Dharma of the Dharma King.” The Master said, “That, too, is false speech.”
9. Chan Master Lingjian of the kingdom of Goryeo.
A monk asked, “What is a pure monastery?” The Master said, “It is an ox pen.” The monk asked, “What is the Buddha?” The Master said, “Drag this old madman out.”
10. Venerable Shangquan at Jingmen.
A monk asked, “When two dragons contend for a pearl, who obtains it?” The Master said, “I do.” The monk asked, “Having come from afar to the Master, I ask: what is a single reception?” The Master held out his staff to show him. The monk bowed. The Master immediately shouted. The monk asked, “What about the flawless jewel at that moment?” The Master said, “I do not value it.” The monk asked, “After it is not valued, what then?” The Master said, “A moth in the fire flies up to heaven.”
11. Chan Master Sengdu at Dalin Monastery, Mount Lu.
Previously, the Master resided at Yuantong. A monk brought up this case: “A monk asked Venerable Xuansha, ‘How is the vehicle of the lineage beyond the beyond to be discussed?’ Xuansha said, ‘Few hear of it.’ I now ask the Master: what was Xuansha’s essential meaning?” The Master said, “Wait until you move the summit of Shier Peak, and then I shall tell you.”
12. Chan Master Yuansheng at Renwang Cloister, Chizhou.
A monk asked, “What is it like when a farmer tills the soft earth?” The Master said, “A monk naturally has his own proper duty.” The monk asked, “I am not asking about a monk’s proper duty. What is it like when a farmer tills the soft earth?” The Master said, “Where are the words of your question?”
13. Thirteenth-generation Chan Master Yirou at Guizong Monastery, Mount Lu.
Once, when the Master ascended the Dharma hall and sat upon the seat, the rector struck the bell and said, “The Dharma assembly abounds in dragons and elephants; let them contemplate the ultimate truth.” The Master said, “If it is the ultimate truth, why contemplate it, and how could it be contemplated? To speak in this way is to fall into the place of

What is it—is it contemplation, or is it not permitted for one to contemplate? Let the venerable elders and virtuous ones bear witness together. Beginners and those newly resolved upon study should not take a counter-question as words upon which to rely. If anyone has doubts, please ask.

Question: “When the Buddhas appear in the world, they expound the Dharma and liberate beings, moving heaven and earth. When the Venerable appears in the world, what auspicious signs are there?”

The Master said: “Have the great assembly of devas and humans spoken before the fifth watch?”

Question: “The officials have all gathered like clouds, and the great assembly listens attentively. What is the single statement concerning the matter of appearing in the world?”

The Master said: “Let the great assembly bear witness.”

Question: “Where incense smoke rises, the Master ascends the seat. We do not yet know what the essential principle of the School is.”

The Master said: “The doctrinal vehicle is also understood in this way.”

Question: “When the udumbara flower blooms, everyone sees it. What about attaining the root of no-mind?”

The Master said: “Deceptive words.”

Question: “Is this simply the South, or is there a separate, profound purport that is not known by the minds of ordinary people?”

The Master said: “The matter must be fulfilled from the mind.”

Question: “In former days there was Yufeng; today there is Guizong. We do not know whether they are one or two.”

The Master said: “Thank you for bearing witness.”

Question: “The single arrow of the Treasury of Wisdom was shot straight at Guizong. At whom does Guizong’s single arrow shoot?”

The Master said: “Do not slander my Treasury of Wisdom.”

Question: “Today the prefect has attained realization of the Dharma. From what place does the Master repay this profound kindness?”

The Master said: “Tell me, what should I say?”

The Master further said: “One question and one answer still know no appointed limit; the Buddha-Dharma also has no such principle. The matter of today’s assembly is likewise not the original mind. It is truly said that this one who dwells in the mountains has no intention; even after attaining Buddhahood, there is still no mind.

Because of the affinities fixed by this prefect and the sincere resolve of the assembly in the monastery, we have come to this place. What more could be said to restore completeness? If one cannot match the ancients here, then speak at once.

Meeting one another, though called ten thousand times, one remains silent and cannot speak—how can this be understood? If you understand kindness and repay it, or do not repay it, this is sufficient to aid transformation through non-action. If you still do not understand, do not say that the elder opened the Dharma hall merely to cite the words of the ancients.

This flourishing event is as high as heaven and as deep as the sea; even if one wished to offer an analogy, it would be difficult to reach it. Nor do I dare praise Huangfeng’s dedication of his pure and noble virtue. Why?

Because the ancients also said, ‘I shall live long’; how much more might one say that the present sage is exceedingly enlightened? You have been standing a long time. Take care.”

A monk asked: “What is the shrine of the King of Emptiness?”

The Master said: “Do not think little of the spirit.”

Question: “Who is the person within the shrine?”

The Master said: “Did I not just speak of deception?”

Question: “What was it like before the numinous tortoise gave its omen?”

The Master said: “Is it auspicious or inauspicious?”

Question: “I have not yet understood the source; I earnestly ask the Master to employ skillful means.”

The Master said: “You have understood.”

Question: “What is it like after one has understood?”

The Master said: “In the end, one does not ask in that way.”

Question: “Having long awakened the Mahayana, one forgets this meaning within the mind. What is this meaning?”

The Master said: “One also forgets it within the Way.”

– Dharma heir of Chan Master Hongjin of Qingxi in Xiangzhou.

1. Chan Master Songyi of Mount Tianping in Xiangzhou.

A monk asked: “How can one escape the three realms?”

The Master said: “Bring the three realms here, and I will speak with you about escaping them.”

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

The Master said: “The place where it is revealed.”

Question: “What is Buddha?”

The Master said: “Not merely heaven and earth.”

Question: “Why not merely heaven and earth?”

The Master said: “I alone am honored.”

Question: “What is Tianping?”

The Master said: “Eight hollows and nine protrusions.”

Question: “The deep cavern is obscure, and the water of the stream is blue. Why does the person who drinks it neither rise nor sink?”

The Master said: “What did you dream of again?”

Question: “The assembly has gathered like clouds for liberation. What matter do they discuss?”

The Master said: “Where incense smoke rises, the myriad phenomena are seen.”

2. Chan Master Yuande of Yuantong Cloister on Mount Lu.

The Master was from Qiantang and his family name was Huang. In his youth, he left home and shaved his head at Langzhan Cloister in Lin’an. Later, he went to Mount Tiantai and received the full precepts. He first practiced Chan with Great Master Shunde of Tianlong. He then journeyed to the region south of the Yangtze to inquire into the Way and met Mountain Master Hongjin, from whom he received the mind-seal. At that time, the ruler of the Jiangnan kingdom established a cloister on Mount Lu and invited the Master to expound the Dharma.

The Master ascended the Dharma hall and addressed the assembly: “Venerable ones, clearly comprehending the Eye of the Way is the proper duty of a traveling monk. If the Eye of the Way is not yet clear, of what use is anything? One merely shifts trays of food and drink. If the Eye of the Way is clear, what obstruction can there be? If it is not yet clear and one forcibly speaks of many matters, there is no use in it. Even when there is nothing to do, you must diligently investigate.”

A monk asked: “What are the four things that do not move?”

The Master said: “Earth, water, fire, wind, birds, trees, and forests.”

Question: “This student does not understand.”

The Master said: “Student, understand it yourself.”

Question: “Having already set aside the stringed instrument, I ask the Master to play one tune.”

The Master said: “How much time have you brought?”

Question: “I do not yet know what melody to make.”

The Master said: “You have fallen into words. Take care.”

Question: “What is the great meaning of the Buddha-Dharma?”

The Master said: “The Buddha Dipankara of the past had an auspicious radiance such as this.”

Question: “What is this student’s original person?”

The Master said: “What meaning is there in separately calling it a body?”

Question: “What is the master of Damei?”

The Master said: “From where has the Acarya departed today?”

– Dharma heir of Chan Master Xiufu of Qingliang in Shengzhou in former times.

1. Chan Master Huitong Jingzhao of Fengxian Monastery in Shengzhou.

The Master was from Weifu, and his family name was Zhang. He left home in his youth and shaved his head under Chan Master Weizhi at Beichan Cloister in Raozhou. When he came of age, he received the full precepts from Vinaya Master Xitao in Fuzhou. The Master attained the Dharma from Qingliang.

A monk asked: “It is said, ‘In but one firm and subtle body, all things appear within a mote of dust.’ It is also said, ‘The Buddha’s body pervades the Dharma realm and manifests before the eyes of all sentient beings.’ Regarding these two spheres, I ask the Master to speak.”

The Master said: “Only one firm and steadfast body appears within every mote of dust.”

A monk asked: “What is the mind of the ancient Buddhas?”

The Master said: “Which thing do you suspect is not it?”

Question: “What is it that is always present in a person?”

The Master said: “Who is the one asking?”

– Dharma heir of Chan Master Shaoxiu of Mount Longji in Fuzhou in former times.

1. Venerable Guangyuan of Hedong.

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

The Master spoke this verse:

– Dharma heir of Chan Master Shou’an of Nantai on Mount Heng in former times.

1. Chan Master Shanmei of Jiuling in Xiangzhou (third generation).

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

The Master said: “The mountain appears facing the jade-green cliffs; the river waters flow southward.”

Question: “Who is the person within that realm?”

The Master said: “What is the matter?”

Question: “A hundred rivers follow different courses yet return to the great ocean. I do not yet know how many drops are in the great ocean.”

The Master said: “Have you reached the ocean?”

Question: “What is it like after one has reached the ocean?”

The Master said: “Come tomorrow, and I will tell you.”

– Dharma heir of Chan Master Wuyi of Longshu Cloister in Zhangzhou in former times.

1. Chan Master Faqian of Longshu.

The Master was from Jinjiang County in Quanzhou, and his family name was Shi. His mother was of the Liao family. As soon as she conceived him, she developed an aversion to meat and fish. When the Master grew older, he was permitted to leave home and receive the precepts at Bodhi Cloister of Kaiyuan Monastery in that prefecture. The Master went to consult Venerable Yi in Zhangzhou and received his instruction. Prefect Chen Hongxian invited the Chan Master to take up residence and open the Dharma hall.

The Master ascended the Dharma hall and addressed the assembly: “Today, as Longshu appears in the world, the Buddhas of the three times and the myriad phenomena simultaneously appear in the world and simultaneously turn the Dharma wheel. Do you see it?”

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

The Master said: “The place where you set your feet.”

Question: “Who is the person within that realm?”

The Master said: “You do not yet know where the realm abides.”

A monk came for an interview. Early the following morning, he again entered the abbot’s quarters and requested the essential teaching of the Master’s mind.

The Master said: “Yesterday, when we met, we spoke of the activities of daily life. This morning, when we meet, the matter remains just so. Why do you again seek to present the essential teaching of mind, and how could you do so?”

individually cursory.

– Dharma heir of Chan Master Daoquan of Guizong Monastery on

– Dharma heir of Chan Master Jida of Huanglong in Meizhou

in former times.
1. The second-generation和尚 at Huanglong in Meizhou.
A monk asked, “What is the secret chamber?” The Master said, “Strike it, yet it does not open.”
He asked, “Who is the person within the secret chamber?” The Master said, “Not bearing the marks
of male or female.” He asked, “Who is the sword-wielding person in the realm?” The Master said, “Changfu.”
He asked, “What is it like when one suddenly encounters the Honored One?” The Master said, “Nothing is left behind.”

– Dharma heir of Chan Master Yuanguan of Liangshan in Langzhou.

1. Chan Master Jingxuan of Mount Dayang in Chengzhou.
A monk asked, “The forest of monks is vast, and discussions of the Dharma are clamorous. How is
the supreme vehicle of the lineage to be expounded?” The Master said, “It has no such tidings;
how could it consent to comply?” He asked, “Today the lineage vehicle has been revealed by the Master,
but I do not yet know who your Dharma heir is.” The Master said, “Liangshan brings forth a mirror from the Qin era;
before the peak of Changqing, a single thing shines.” He asked, “What is the realm
of Dayang?” The Master said, “Solitary cranes and aged apes cry in the ravine; lean pines and cold bamboo
lock in the azure mist.” He asked, “Who is the person within that realm?” The Master said, “What are you doing?
What are you doing?” He asked, “What is the family style of Dayang?” The Master said, “The full
bottle is tilted, yet nothing pours out; throughout the land, no one goes hungry.” He asked, “What is
the Buddha?” The Master said, “Why are you not the Buddha?” He asked, “What is it
when the student does not understand?” The Master said, “Far away, one does not carry the moon of the third autumn;
one phrase facing the sun—how could it lie within the lamp?” He asked, “What is the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from the Western Land?” The Master said, “To explain the question is not worthwhile.” He asked, “What is it
when the student does not understand?” The Master said, “Everyone speaks of the iron ox
of Shanfuzhou; Bian He obtained the jade, handed down to this very day.”
He asked, “What is Dayang’s phrase that penetrates the Dharma-body?” The Master said, “From the vast
ocean floor rises red dust; upon the summit of Sumeru, water flows crosswise.” He asked, “Before
Niutou met the Fourth Patriarch, why did a hundred birds bring flowers in their beaks?” The Master said, “At the three gates,
the black cock bears snow upon its head.” He asked, “After he had met him, why did they no longer bring flowers?” The Master said, “The bright
sun has already risen in the sky; the black cock flies out through the gate.”

• Tenth generation after Chan Master Xingsi.
• Dharma heir of National Master Deshao of Mount Tiantai.

1. Chan Master Yanshou Zhijue of Huiri Yongming Monastery in Hangzhou.
The Master was from Yuhang and belonged to the Wang clan. From an early age, he devoted his heart to the Buddha
Vehicle. When grown, he ate neither fish nor meat and took only one meal a day. He upheld the Lotus Sutra,
reciting seven lines at a time. When he was stationed at Huating, after only six weeks he was able to recite it in full,
and his recitation moved a flock of sheep to kneel and listen to the sutra. At the age of twenty-eight, the Master served as
a commander stationed at Huating. At that time, Great Master Yongming Cuiyan had moved to Longce Monastery
and was broadly spreading the profound teaching. King Wenmu, knowing of the Master’s aspiration toward the Way,
acceded to his wish, relieved him of his duties, and allowed him to leave home. The Master bowed to Cuiyan
as his teacher. Forgetting his former status as an official of authority, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to serving and making offerings
to the Sangha, taking morning and evening meals of simple fare and wearing coarse cloth. The Master then went to Tianzhu Peak
on Mount Tiantai and practiced meditation for nine weeks; a bird even built its nest upon his robe. When
the Master met National Master Deshao, Deshao knew at first sight that he was a profound vessel and secretly transmitted
the arcane purport to him. He then said, “You have karmic affinity with the Commander-in-Chief. In the future, you will
greatly invigorate the Buddha’s work,” thus secretly bestowing a prediction upon him. At first, the Master resided at Mount Xuedou in
Mingzhou, and fellow practitioners gathered there in great numbers. The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “On Mount Xuedou,
the waterfall plunges from a thousand fathoms without ceasing for an instant. This marvelous mountain rises a thousand spans,
leaving no place to set one’s foot. Where will you step forward?” At that time, a
monk came forward and asked, “How does one advance along the single road of Xuedou?” The Master said, “With every step,
cold blossoms form; with every word, one penetrates to the bottom of the ice.” In the first year of Jianlong, King Zhongyi
invited the Master to Mount Lingyin to become the first abbot of the newly built monastery. The following year, he again
invited the Master to reside at the Yongming practice hall as its second abbot. The assembly following him grew to two thousand.
A monk asked, “What is the wondrous purport of Yongming?” The Master said, “Add more incense.”
The monk replied, “I thank the Master for showing me.” The Master said, “Rejoice again, but do not become entangled.” The Master had a verse that said:
If you wish to know Yongming’s purport,
Before the gate is a single lake.
When the sun shines, brightness arises;
When the wind comes, waves immediately rise.
A monk asked, “This student has long resided at Yongming; why does he not understand the family style
of Yongming?” The Master said, “Understand it at the place where you do not understand.” He asked, “How does one understand
the place where one does not understand?” The Master said, “A cow’s womb gives birth to an elephant; red dust rises from the blue sea.”
He asked, “One cannot escape by becoming a Buddha or a Patriarch, nor can one escape through transmigration in the six
realms. I do not yet know: what is it that one cannot escape?” The Master said, “You cannot escape the place from which you ask.”
He asked, “The doctrinal teachings say that all Buddhas and the Buddha-Dharma issue from this
sutra. What is this sutra?” The Master said, “Through long ages it turns without ceasing—neither meaning
nor sound.” He asked, “How does one receive and uphold it?” The Master said, “If you wish to receive and uphold it,
you must listen with your eyes.” He asked, “What is the great round mirror?” The Master said, “A broken earthen basin.”
The Master resided at the Yongming practice hall for fifteen years and ordained 1,700 disciples. In the seventh
year of Kaibao, the Master entered Mount Tiantai and ordained more than ten thousand people. He regularly administered
the bodhisattva precepts to the seven assemblies. At night, he offered food to ghosts and spirits; in the morning, he released
living creatures in numbers too great to count. During the six periods, he scattered flowers. Apart from circumambulating in practice,
he also recited 13,000 fascicles of the Lotus Sutra, wrote the one-hundred-fascicle Records of the Source-Mirror,
and composed more than ten million words of poems, verses, rhapsodies, and hymns, which circulated widely overseas. The king of Goryeo,
after reading the Master’s teachings, dispatched an envoy with a letter requesting to become his disciple and presented
a gold-threaded kasaya, crystal beads, a golden vase, and other gifts. Thirty-six
monks of that kingdom all received his seal of recognition and, one after another, returned home to spread the teaching in their respective regions.
In the eighth year of Kaibao, the year Yihai, the Master fell ill in the twelfth month. At the hour of the dragon on the twenty-sixth day,
he burned incense, bade farewell to the assembly, sat in full lotus posture, and passed away. On the sixth day of the first month of
the following year, his stupa was erected on Mount Daci. The Master lived to the age of seventy-two and had forty-two Dharma years. Emperor
Taizong bestowed upon the monastery the inscribed plaque “Shouning Chan Monastery.”
2. Chan Master Kehong of Daning Cloister in Wenzhou.
A monk asked, “What is the single road of true orthodoxy?” The Master said, “Seven times toppled, eight times overturned.”
The monk said, “Then this is the Dharma gate without distinctions.” The Master said, “I know that you have
misunderstood.” He asked, “What is it when, in the place of utter clarity, there is not a single strand of silk?” The Master said,
“The words have already fallen.” He asked, “I beg the Master to instruct me.” The Master said, “What happened just now was
not entirely without function.” He asked, “I ask the Master to expound the supreme vehicle of the lineage.” The Master said,
“Why have you asked so late!” The monk said, “Then it has not been forsaken by Sendhava.”
The Master said, “I know very well that this is how you forsake it.”
3. Great Master Pengyan of Anguo Changshou Cloister in Suzhou.
The Master was from Yongjia and belonged to the Qin clan. He received ordination at Kaiyuan Monastery
in that prefecture. Earlier, he had called upon Venerable Baosi at Jinling in Wuzhou.
Later, through the prompting of Chan Master Huiming, the Master returned to a hermitage on Mount Tiantai and awakened to the eye of the true Dharma.
Thereafter, in accord with conditions, the Master opened the Dharma and spread the teaching abundantly. The military governor of Gusu,
a former official in charge of ceremonial observances, established a cloister and invited the Master to turn the Dharma wheel. The king bestowed upon him a purple robe
and the title Great Master Guangfa. A monk asked, “What is the arcane purport?” The Master said, “The earth has four corners.”
He asked, “What is the Dharma in which not so much as a hair’s breadth remains?” The Master said, “Mountains, rivers, and the great earth.”
He asked, “Then is this form that is formless?” The Master said, “Those too are mad words.” He asked,
“What are direct and straightforward words?” The Master said, “A thousand twists and ten thousand bends.”

Question: “Does that mean all are included?” The Master said:
“What kind of talk is that?” Question: “What is the Way?” The Master said: “It is not
easy to walk with a lame leg.” In the second year of Jianlong (Xin-you), the Master appointed his disciple Fa
Qi as abbot to succeed him in expounding the Dharma. On the sixth day of the fourth month of that year, the Master passed away at the age of forty-nine,
having completed thirty-five Dharma years.

4. Great Master Zhifeng of the Huayan Practice Center on Mount Wuyun,
Hangzhou.

The Master was a native of Yuhang. From birth he abhorred fish and meat, and his body emitted a
fragrance. In his youth, he left home at the Langzhan Cloister on East Mountain in his native district. Upon reaching maturity,
he received the full precepts, became thoroughly versed in the Three Trainings, and clearly understood both nature and characteristics. Once he dreamed that
he ascended Mount Sumeru and encountered three Buddhas seated there. Before the first, Buddha Shakyamuni, and the next,
Buddha Maitreya, he bowed at their feet. He did not recognize the third Buddha, however, and merely stood
looking at him. At that moment, Buddha Shakyamuni said, “This is Lion-Moon Buddha, Maitreya’s successor in the place of Buddhahood.” The Master
then bowed his head in reverence. After awakening, he read the Tripitaka and learned that it accorded with his dream. During the Tianfu era, the Master traveled in search of instruction and came to
the Yunju Practice Center on Mount Tiantai, where he consulted the National Preceptor. Host and guest found their conditions concordant, and the profound mystery was swiftly revealed. One day, the Master entered the Samantabhadra Hall
and sat quietly in meditation. A divine being knelt before him. The Master asked, “Who are you?” He replied:
“I am the guardian spirit of the precepts.” The Master said, “I fear that offenses from my former lives may not yet be exhausted. Do you know of them?”
He replied, “What offenses could the Master have? There is only one minor fault.” The Master asked, “What is it?”
He replied, “Even the water used to rinse the bowls is an offering from the donors, yet the Master habitually discards it where it serves no use.” After speaking, he vanished. From then on, after rinsing his bowls, the Master drank
all the water. Over time, his spleen and stomach became ill, and it took ten years for him to recover. The King of Wuyue,
having heard of the Master’s Dharma reputation, bestowed upon him the purple robe and the title Great Master Universal Awakening. Earlier, the king had ordered the Master to reside at the Gongchen Cloister in Lin’an, where seekers of the mystery
gathered in great numbers. The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said: “Venerable ones, you leave one spiritual teacher to
visit another, following the pattern of Sudhana’s journey southward. Let me ask you,
Venerable ones: Sudhana took leave of Manjushri and was about to ascend Mount Wonderful Peak to meet the bhikshu Meghashri. When he arrived there, why did he instead meet Meghashri on another mountain? Fundamentally, the intent of the teachings and the intent of the patriarchs share a single expedient means; ultimately, there is no other principle. If you can illuminate this matter, then it will be perfectly clear. Venerable ones, here beside this old monk, do you see one another or not? Is this place
Mount Wonderful Peak or another mountain? If you can break free here, or awaken through this,
then you may be said not to have disappointed this old monk. You will also see that you have never been separated from Meghashri for even a kshana. Can you believe this?”

A monk asked: “The monasteries are singing songs in this present age. What is the meaning of Gongchen?” The Master said: “Do you see?” The monk said: “Then the whole assembly rejoices.” The Master said: “I was about to call you a lion cub.” Question: “Buddha after Buddha transmitted it from hand to hand; patriarch after patriarch transmitted it from mind to mind. I do not yet know what the Venerable transmits.” The Master said: “Can you shoulder it?” The monk replied: “This student cannot shoulder it.

Is there someone else who can?” The Master said: “The great assembly is laughing at you.” Question: “What is the Tathagata-garbha?” The Master said: “Your question fits perfectly.” Question: “What is the pivotal function of all Buddhas?” The Master said: “Can it be attained by speaking of the Way?”

One day, the Master ascended the Dharma hall, remained silent for a long while, and then said: “Great assembly, look! Look!” He then descended from the seat and returned to the abbot’s quarters.

At the beginning of the Kaibao era, King Zhongyi established the Pumen Monastery and invited the Master three times to become its abbot and reveal the essential purport of the school. Thus, he became the first abbot of Pumen. The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said: “The ancient worthies traveled on foot for the sake of the Dharma and truly did not fear hardship.

Master Xuefeng returned to Touzi three times and ascended Dongshan nine times, going back and forth in circles, yet still could not find an entry. Look at you students of recent times: no sooner have you stepped out the gate than you expect this old monk to receive and guide you, pointing with his hand and speaking of Chan. Yet you wish to realize the utmost mystery of the Way—how could you be the same as idlers?

Moreover, awakening to this matter has its proper time; how could it be obtained through impatient seeking? Do you wish to know the moment of awakening? All of you, go down now to the central hall and sit quietly.

Wait directly until you nod in acknowledgment of our house style, and this old monk will then explain it to you.”

At that moment, a monk came forward and asked: “Please, Master, speak of nodding in acknowledgment of the house style.” The Master said: “Great assembly, tell me: does this monk understand what this old monk has said, or does he not?” The monk bowed. The Master said: “Today, by chance, the mirror has been lost.” Question: “What is the house style of Pumen?” The Master said: “Several people contemplate it, yet it is still insufficient.” Question: “What is the realm of Pumen?” The Master said: “When you reach that place, ask about the house style again; let it rest for now.”

In the fourth year of Kaibao, the Master earnestly took leave of the ruler, citing his advanced age and saying that he wished only to dwell amid forests and streams. At that time, the great general Ling Chao had constructed the Huayan Practice Center on Mount Wuyun and presented it to the Master as a residence for his later years.

In the eleventh month of the second year of Yongxi (Yi-you), the Master became ill. On the twenty-fifth day, he instructed his attendant to bathe him. He burned incense, rinsed his mouth, sat in the full lotus posture, bade farewell to the assembly, and passed away. He was seventy-seven years old and had completed fifty-eight Dharma years. His stupa was named “Precious Peak, Constant Illumination.”

5. Chan Master Faduan Huiyue of Bao’en Guangjiao Monastery,
Hangzhou (third generation).

The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said: “For several nights I have spoken east and west with you Venerable ones, yet I have still not exhausted the source. Today, I shall open wide the gate of expedient means for you Venerable ones and speak it all at once. Would that please you? Do you wish it or not?” After standing for a long while, he said: “Take care.”

A monk asked: “This student is only now beginning in this way; Master, please receive me.” The Master said: “I will not receive you.” Question: “Why will you not receive me?” The Master said: “Because you are exceedingly clever.”

6. Chan Master Shao’an Tongbian Mingda of Bao’en Guangjiao Monastery,
Hangzhou (fourth generation).

The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said: “Once a single phrase adheres to the spirit, it will not depart for ten thousand kalpas. Today, I shall speak one phrase for you Venerable ones. Remember it clearly. Take care.”

A monk asked: “The great assembly listens attentively. Master, please do not begrudge your words.” The Master said: “How strange!” The monk said: “Then today we have met the Master.” The Master said: “What kind of talk is that?”

The Master once addressed the assembly: “Fortunately, towers and terraces fill the earth. Constantly raise the patriarchal seal; nothing prevents you Venerable ones from investigating it.” After standing for a long while, he said: “Take care.”

Question: “What is the Venerable’s house style?” The Master said: “Whatever is seen everywhere is accomplished.” The monk said: “Then it brings forth the ancient and brings forth the present.” The Master said: “Do not speak idly!”

7. Chan Master Shouwei Zongyi of Guangping Cloister, Fuzhou.

The Master was a native of Houguan, Fuzhou. He received the teachings on West Peak Mountain and consulted Master Tiantai, from whom he received instruction. The National Preceptor transmitted the Dharma robe to him. At that time, a monk asked: “The summit of Mount Dayu cannot be lifted; how could it be transmitted and entrusted to the Master?” The Master grasped his robe, raised it, and asked: “Is there anyone who dares say that Tiantai attained it?”

At that time, King Zhongyi heard of the Master’s virtue in the Way and invited him to become abbot and open the Dharma. He bestowed a title upon the Master, and seekers of the mystery gathered in great numbers. The Master ascended the Dharma hall and addressed the assembly: “Great Master Bodhidharma said, ‘Three thousand years from now, my Dharma will not shift by so much as a hair.’ Today, this mountain monk does not shift Bodhidharma by so much as a hair. Let those who have already penetrated it bear witness together. As for those who have not yet penetrated it, it still does not shift by so much as a hair.”

A monk asked: “The great bell has ceased sounding, and the assembly has come to receive the Dharma. Master, please set forth the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from India.” The Master said: “The great bell has ceased sounding, and the assembly has come to receive the Dharma.”

Question: “An ancient said, ‘Though you may see a thousand sages, I have the Buddha of Innate Suchness.’ What is the Buddha of Innate Suchness?” The Master said: “The thousand sages are his younger brothers.” Question: “What is the house style of Guangping?” The Master said: “Who does not make use of it?”

The Master later moved to Changqing on Mount Yi. He ascended the Dharma hall and addressed the assembly: “There is no need to open the sutras and compose liturgical texts; there is no need to unfold commentarial scrolls and analyze their sections. Is there still any place for discussion? If there is a place...”

To speak of doctrine is precisely to speak of expedient means; what, then, of the matter of the School’s vehicle? A monk asked:
“What is the meaning of the coming from the Western Land?” The Master said, “No one has ever been able to answer it.”
The monk asked, “Master, please employ an expedient means.” The Master said, “What need is there to ask?”
Later, the Master passed away at Changqing.

8. Chan Master Yong’an, fifth generation, of Bao’en Guangjiao Monastery in Hangzhou.

The Master was a native of Yongjia in Wenzhou, and his family name was Weng. In his youth, he relied upon Great Master Huizheng in his home prefecture and entered monastic life. During the Tiancheng era of the Later Tang, the Master followed his original teacher into the kingdom. King Zhongyi of Wuyue appointed Zheng as Saṅgha Registrar. The Master had no liking for secular duties and secretly resolved to return to Minchuan to study Chan. Learning that the branch roads were difficult and perilous, he instead returned to Tiantai, where he built a thatched hermitage and dwelt.

Later, he encountered National Preceptor Shao, whose instruction brought him sudden awakening to his original mind; thereupon he took leave and descended the mountain. When Master Zheng heard of this, by order of King Zhongyi he dispatched an envoy. At first the Master resided at Qing泰 Cloister in Yuezhou; afterward he stayed at Shaoju Upper Monastery and was bestowed the title Chan Master Zhengjue Konghui.

The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “The Buddhas of the ten directions have assembled at this very moment to bear witness for you venerable ones, and you venerable ones and the Buddhas bear witness to one another at this very moment. Do you believe this? You must refrain from discriminating and conjecturing.”

A monk asked, “The four assemblies have now gathered in full; how will you expound it?”
The Master said, “If you go elsewhere, do not present it wrongly.”
The monk said, “It is not merely this student; the entire assembly depends upon you.”
The Master said, “Make your bows.”

A monk asked, “The Five Vehicles and the Three Baskets have accumulated in great abundance. Please, Master, reveal the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from the Western Land.”
The Master said, “The Five Vehicles and the Three Baskets.”
The monk asked, “Beyond this, is there still a matter?”
The Master said, “You are very clever.”

The monk asked, “How does one perform the great work of the Buddha?”
The Master said, “What are you finding fault with?”
The monk said, “Then this is to receive the anointing of the crown.”
The Master asked, “Where do you see the World-Honored One?”

In the summer, during the sixth month of the seventh year of Kaibao, the jiaxu year, the Master fell ill and bade farewell to the assembly. At that time, a monk asked, “Long ago, the Tathagata personally transmitted the True Dharma to Kasyapa. I do not know how the profound wind of the Venerable Master will be understood a hundred years hence?”
The Master said, “Where have you seen Kasyapa come?”
The monk said, “Then shall we accept it in faith, respectfully practice it, and never forget this essential purport?”
The Master said, “The Buddha-Dharma is not such a principle.”

Having spoken, the Master passed away while seated. He was sixty-four years old and had completed forty-four Dharma years. After cremation, his tongue remained undamaged and was soft like a red lotus blossom. It is now enshrined in the Samantabhadra Bodhimanda. The Master wrote a commentary on Layman Li’s Huayan Treatise, profoundly and extensively elucidating the meaning of the sutra. He then combined it with the sutra and had it printed as a work of one hundred and twenty fascicles, which circulated throughout the realm.

9. Chan Master Shihu of Guangsheng Bodhimanda in Guangzhou.

The Master was a native of Minyue. He attained the Dharma under the Tiantai master and traveled widely, carrying out the teaching. The ruler, of the Liu clan, regarded the Master as his teacher, established a great monastery, and invited him to reside there, bestowing upon him the title Dayi.

A monk asked, “In ancient times, King Brahma invited the Buddha; today, the ruler has issued an edict summoning you. How do you set forth the Patriarch’s coming from the Western Land?”
The Master said, “There is no need for the West to come; this mountain monk has already set it forth.”
The monk asked, “Are there not any expedient means?”
The Master said, “Was not what I just said an expedient means?”

A monk asked, “The king invited you three times to sit at Guangsheng Bodhimanda. I do not yet know in which direction the Venerable Master’s Dharma successor may be found?”
The Master said, “At the sound of a single strike, ten thousand households all peer out.”
The monk said, “Then the marvelous purport of Tiantai is personally inherited by Guangsheng.”
The Master said, “Do not speak recklessly.”

A monk asked, “This student has only just entered the Chan community. Please, Master, reveal the wondrous secret of the coming from the West.”
The Master said, “Before you entered the Chan community, I had already revealed it to you.”
The monk asked, “How should it be understood?”
The Master said, “There is no need to understand it.”

10. Chan Master Qingyu of Fengxian Monastery in Hangzhou.

The Master was a native of Yongjia and attained the Dharma under the Tiantai National Preceptor. King Zhongyi of Wuyue invited the Master to enter the court and questioned him about the Way. He ordered the military commissioner Xue Wen to establish a great monastery by West Lake, naming it Fengxian, and to erect the Great Buddha Treasure Pavilion. The Master was invited there to expound the essential purport of the School and was bestowed the title Chan Master Yuantong Miaojue.

A monk asked, “What is the meaning of the coming from the Western Land?”
The Master said, “Speak loudly, like the great assembly.”

During the Kaibao era, the Master passed away at this monastery.

11. Chan Master Zhiqin of Zining Puwen Monastery on Mount Tiantai in Taizhou.

A monk asked, “What is it to grasp a plow with empty hands?”
The Master said, “Simply place firm trust in that.”
The monk asked, “What is it to walk on foot while riding a water buffalo?”
The Master said, “Where have you come from?”

The Master had a verse with which he instructed the assembly:

In the fourth year of Taiping Xingguo, the court instituted examinations on the scriptures for monks. All the senior worthies of the mountain monasteries were required to inscribe their Dharma names; only the Master was spared the trouble of writing. At that time, Assistant Prefect Li Xian asked the Master, “Does the World-Honored One know, or does he not?”
The Master said, “Everyone under heaven knows.”

At the beginning of the Chunhua era, although he was not ill, the Master instructed his attendant to heat water for a bath. When he had finished bathing, he admonished his disciples, then sat quietly and passed away. His stupa was erected on this mountain. Three years later, when his disciples moved the stupa and opened the coffin, they found that the Master’s entire body had not decayed. His countenance and bearing remained as before, while his hair and beard had grown long. They therefore respectfully conveyed him to the new stupa.

12. Chan Master Yuanji of Mount Yandang in Wenzhou.

The Master was a native of Qiantang, and his family name was Jiang. In his youth, he relied upon Chan Master Shaoyan of Shuixin Monastery, entered monastic life, and received the full precepts. At first, the Master studied the doctrinal teachings of the Wise One, concentrating his investigation on the practice gate of perfect and interfused calming and contemplation. Later, he visited the Tiantai National Preceptor and penetrated the profound mysteries. The Master then went to dwell on Mount Yandang.

In the fifth year of Kaibao, the eldest son of the King of Wuyue established Guangqing Monastery at the Western Pass and invited the Master to serve as abbot and open the Dharma. While still residing below the city, the Master sought among the Chan assembly three hundred persons renowned for their conduct, and together they entered the new monastery.

The Master ascended the Dharma hall, and a monk asked, “The moon shines brightly at night; why does the emerald pool cast no reflection?”
The Master said, “A fellow who grasps at shadows, posing as an adept.”
That monk ran from east to west and stood there.
The Master said, “Not only do you grasp at shadows, you are also frightened.”

The Master had not remained there long when he resolutely took his leave and returned to the mountain. He passed away during the Taiping Xingguo era.

13. Chan Master Xibian of Pumen Monastery in Hangzhou.

The Master was a native of Changshu in Suzhou. In his youth, he entered monastic life and received the full precepts under Chan Master Qixiang at Yanfu Cloister in his home district. He then went to Mount Lengqie to study the Vinaya, and afterward sought out the Tiantai master and received the mind-seal from him.

In the first year of the Qiande era, King Zhongyi of Wuyue invited the Master to reside at Qingtai Cloister in Yuezhou and bestowed upon him the title Chan Master Huizhi. During the Kaibao era, he was again invited to reside at Pumen Monastery.

The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “This mountain monk is deficient in insight and has heard and retained little. Formerly, although I attended upon the Venerable Master in the mountains, the Venerable Master never revealed even a single phrase to me. Now that I have encountered you benevolent ones, I likewise have not a single Dharma with which to assist or spur you on.

How much less could I distinguish between the Way and the secular for you, or deliberate upon ancient and modern! Do you find anything strange about this mountain monk? If you do, speak it forth.

Does such a person possess the eye of the Way, or does he not possess the eye of the Way? Is there the meaning of host and guest, or is there no meaning of host and guest? Those who are late in learning and at the first stage must examine this carefully.”

At that time, a monk asked, “What is the matter of Pumen manifesting spiritual powers?”
The Master said, “Then, Acarya, you find this old monk strange.”
The monk asked, “What about when one does not find you strange?”

The Master said, “Go back down to your quarters
and reflect upon it.” In the third year of the Taiping Xingguo era, the King of Wuyue came for
an audience. The Master brought the jeweled stupa and presented it to the king at the Cifu Cloister. The king
then bestowed upon him a purple robe and the title Great Master Huiming. During the Duangong era, the Master expressed
his wish to return to his former homeland. The king consented and issued a decree accompanied by a poem, while King Zhongyi
also presented him with gold. At the cloister on his former mountain in Changshu, a seven-story stupa, two hundred feet high,
was constructed, and the work was completed. On the twenty-fifth day of the eighth month in the third year of the Zhidao era,
the Master fell ill and passed away. He was seventy-seven years old and had completed sixty-three monastic years. His stupa was erected northwest
of the cloister.
14. Chan Master Wu’an of Guangqing Monastery in Hangzhou.
The Master was a native of Qiantang, and his family name was Shen. He left home while still young. At Mount
Huading on Tiantai, he bowed to Hermitage Master Zhongxiao and had his head shaved. When he reached the proper age, he received
the complete precepts. He sought out National Preceptor Shao on that mountain and tacitly accorded with
the essential purport of the school. During the Qiande era, King Zhongyi of Wuyue invited the Master
to devote himself to teaching at Beiguan, and later invited him to reside at Tianlong Monastery. In the seventh year of the Kaibao era
(the jiaxu year), King Anxi invited the Master to reside at Guangsheng Monastery and guide
the assembly, bestowing upon him the title Chan Master Shanzhi. When the Master ascended the Dharma hall, a
monk asked, “I ask the Master to entrust to me the priceless jewel.” The Master said, “You are indeed skilled at revealing it.”
The monk asked, “Then everyone possesses it fully.” The Master said, “Where is the jewel?” The monk then bowed.
The Master said, “That too is empty talk.” Someone asked, “When the guiding principle is raised and understanding is manifested, host and guest are both established.
What is the host?” The Master said, “Understand this question thoroughly.” The monk asked,
“What is the guest?” The Master said, “What did I just say to you?” The monk asked, “What is it like when
the ways of host and guest converge?” The Master said, “It causes that not to function.” Someone asked, “The solitary moon of mind shines brilliantly,
swallowing all the myriad forms. What is the brilliant swallowing of all the myriad forms?” The Master said, “The entire assembly can see you.”
The monk asked, “The brilliant swallowing of all the myriad forms comes from the Master’s mind of the Way; what is the meaning of the solitary moon of mind?”
The Master said, “Rouse your spirit.” The monk asked, “A heron resting in a snowy nest is still easy to distinguish, but the brilliant swallowing of all
the myriad forms is truly difficult to illuminate and difficult to understand.” The Master said, “Carefully step back.” The monk asked,
“Green mountains and clear waters are distinct everywhere. Please express the Master’s family style in a single
sentence.” The Master said, “You have explained it all clearly.” The monk said, “That is not necessarily so; I ask
the Master to reply.” The Master said, “There is no need for idle talk.” Another monk then
bowed. The Master said, “Both question and answer are complete.” When the monk was about to ask, the Master immediately shouted. The Master
once instructed the assembly, saying, “If you wish to know the meaning of Caoxi, clouds drift before the mountain’s face. The genuine reality is perfectly
clear; why separately follow other conditions?” Someone asked, “An ancient said, ‘Red dust arises at the bottom of a well;
waves surge upon the mountaintop.’ What is the meaning of this?” The Master said, “If you go to the various quarters, ask only in this way.”
The monk asked, “What is the Master’s purport?” The Master said, “What did I just say to you?” The Master further said, “From ancient times
to the present, it has continually been said: ‘Dust arises at the bottom of a well; waves surge upon the mountaintop; flowers in empty space bear fruit;
a stone maiden gives birth to a child.’ How is this to be understood? Could it be
‘joining sound to convey the matter, encountering phenomena to reveal the mind, concealing the point within the phrase, fully displaying it before the
sound’ and so forth? Could it be something that has a name but no substance, where difference is raised merely for abstruse discussion?
Venerable ones, if you understand for yourselves, you immediately attain the purport of the ancients. Otherwise, even if you tacitly understand but still fail to attain it,
what use is that understanding? Venerable ones, do you wish to understand? Simply observe where the clay ox walks: when the radiant sun overturns the waves
and the wooden horse neighs aloud, flowers in empty space cast down their shadows. Sages and ordinary beings are thus; the principle is perfectly clear.
Why stand here any longer? Take care.” In the third year of the Taiping Xingguo era, the Master accompanied
the jeweled stupa to meet the king at the Cifu Hall. The king bestowed upon him a robe and the title Great Master Langzhi.
At the beginning of the Chunhua era, the Master returned to his former monastery, Guangqing. On the twenty-first day of the ninth month in the
third year at Guangqing, the Master entered quiescence.
15. Chan Master Youchan of Prajnaparamita Monastery on Mount Tiantai.
The Master was a native of Lin’an in Qiantang. He left home while young and received ordination at Langzhan Dongshan
in that district. Hearing of the flourishing teaching of the Tiantai National Preceptor, he journeyed from afar to the Master’s seat
and tacitly received the seal of the mind-ground.
At first the Master stayed at Puxian Cloister on Yunju, where fellow monks gathered in great numbers. King Zhongyi of Wuyue bestowed upon him
the title Chan Master Ciwu. The Master later moved to Shang Monastery, where the assembly grew to five hundred. A monk asked,
“The drum has just sounded and the great assembly has gathered like clouds. I ask the Master to expound the vehicle of the supreme school.”
The Master said, “What do you lack?” The monk said, “Then everyone is equally imbued with your kindness.” The Master said, “Do not speak recklessly.” In the third year
of the Yongxi era, on behalf of the mountain monastery and the great assembly, the Master entrusted matters to his disciple Longyi, who had received instruction under him,
to follow in his footsteps and expound the Dharma. At the beginning of the Chunhua era, the Master passed away. His disciples
carried him back and buried him within the mountain precincts.
16. Chan Master Quanken of Zhizhe Monastery in Wuzhou.
Previously, the Master studied with the Tiantai National Preceptor. Tiantai asked, “What is your name?”
He replied, “My name is Quanken.” Tiantai asked, “What do you consent to?” The Master then
bowed. Later a monk asked the Master, “There is someone who does not consent; would you still willingly consent?”
The Master said, “If that person asked me, I would tell him.” During the Taiping Xingguo era, the Master entrusted the administration of the monastery
to his Dharma-heir disciple Shaozhong, who succeeded him in expounding the Dharma.
The Master returned to his former monastery and entered quiescence.
17. Chan Master Yilong of Yuquan in Fuzhou.
The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “Mountains, rivers, and the great earth are all within everyone’s eyes;
why then speak of understanding and not understanding?” At that time a monk
asked, “Mountains, rivers, and the great earth are all within the eyes. To whom does the Master now wish to point them out?”
The Master said, “It is only because the Venerable’s course is perfectly clear.” The monk said, “Had I not first
presented this question, how could I have known that skillful means all have their function?” The Master said,
“Vaguely it resembles a newly heard melody, yet the wind has blown it into another tune.”
18. Fifth-generation Chan Master Xiaorong of Longce Monastery in Hangzhou.
The Master was a native of Bailu in Wenzhou, and his family name was Deng. While young, he relied upon
Ruilu Monastery, where he left home and received the precepts. Hearing of the flourishing teaching of the Tiantai National Preceptor, he went
to the mountain, paid homage, and received the Dharma of mind. At first the Master stayed at Jingfu Cloister in Fuyang,
Hangzhou; later he resided at Longce Monastery. At both places he gathered disciples and expounded the Dharma. A monk asked,
“The patriarchs have transmitted it from one to another; I do not yet know to whom the Master transmits it.” The Master said, “Do you even know
the Patriarch?” A monk named Huiwen asked, “What is a genuine śramaṇa?” The Master said, “You
are Huiwen.” The monk asked, “What is the great divine mantra of prajnaparamita?” The Master said, “The great
divine mantra of prajnaparamita divides its form into myriads of millions of bodies; dust-mote after dust-mote displays the wondrous essence,
and realm after realm is entirely Vairocana.” The monk asked, “What is the matter of daily life?” The Master said, “One thought pervades
realms numerous as sands; myriad daily activities penetrate the profound. Ever quiescent, one constantly unfolds one’s own family style.”
One day, the Master sat upon the Miaoshan Platform and received the assembly for an informal instruction. A monk asked, “I do not ask about
the matter beyond; what is the meaning within the Miaoshan Platform?” The Master said, “If you go to the various quarters, clearly raise it in this way.”
The monk asked, “Then clouds can emerge from the mountain, and water enters concealment without a sound.” The Master then shouted.
On the twenty-ninth day of the eighth month in the first year of the Chunhua era (the gengyin year), the Master entered quiescence at the Pure Land Cloister
of Lingguang Monastery in Xiuzhou. Knowing of it beforehand, the Master wrote letters bidding farewell to his fellow practitioners and disciples.
The Master was seventy-one years old and had completed fifty-six monastic years.
19. Chan Master Qingxiao of Gongchen Cloister, Lin’an County,
Hangzhou.
A monk asked, “What is the family style of Gongchen?” The Master said,
“Light and darkness, form and emptiness.” The monk said, “Then all dharmas are unborn.” The Master asked, “What do
you call ‘all dharmas’?” The Master then recited a verse:

Chan Master Kính Tấn of Xứng Tâm in Việt Prefecture.
A monk asked, “As I gather up my traveling gear, I beg the Master for a word of instruction.” The Master said, “Do not be apprehensive.” The monk said, “Would that not mean failing you, Venerable?” The Master said, “Then it is you who would be failing me.”
Later, the Master moved to Bảo An Cloister in Hàng Prefecture, where he passed away.

21. Chan Master Sư Truật of Nghiêm Phong in Phước Prefecture.
When the Master first opened the Dharma hall, the Venerable Cực Lạc came and asked, “The assembly looks up to you and asks you to sound the thunder of Dharma.” The Master said, “Does the assembly understand? Can you discern it? Today is no different from the assembly on Vulture Peak. Even throughout the lands of all the Buddhas, in the heavens and among humankind, it is just so. Whether speaking of ancient times or the present, it has never changed. How do you understand the principle of its never changing? If you can understand, it is therefore said: ‘The boundless realms of self and others are not separated by even a hair’s breadth; the ten ages, ancient and present, before and after, never depart from the present thought.’”
He was asked, “At the assembly on Vulture Peak, Kasyapa heard it in person. In today’s assembly, who is the one person who hears?” The Master said, “The questioner is not feeble.”
He was asked, “What is Manjusri?” The Master said, “Wherever he arrives, it is perfectly clear.”

22. Chan Master Tuệ Đạt of Hoa Nghiêm in Lộ Prefecture.
A monk asked, “What is the mind of the ancient Buddhas?” The Master said, “Mountains, rivers, and the great earth.”
He asked, “What is the realm of the Avatamsaka?” The Master said, “Before the eyes, there is no image.”

23. Chan Master Đạo Viên of Thanh Thái Cloister in Viêm District, Việt Prefecture.
A monk asked, “When a monk has passed away and undergone transformation, where does he go?” The Master said, “Today, he undergoes transformation.”
Senior Lãnh Trung asked, “What is the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from India?” The Master said, “I cannot tell you, ‘The cypress tree in the courtyard.’”

24. Chan Master Khánh Tường of Quán Âm Cloister at Cửu Khúc, Hàng Prefecture.
The Master was a native of Dư Hàng, and his family name was Trầm. He stood more than seven feet tall, possessed eloquence surpassing the assembly, was widely learned, and had a prodigious memory. At that time, among the disciples of Thiên Thai, he was esteemed as an outstanding figure.
A monk asked, “On a perilous and treacherous road, what may serve as a bridge and ferry?” The Master said, “Take this as the bridge and ferry.”
He asked, “What is this?” The Master said, “It stands upon your nostrils.”

25. Dharma-transmitting Great Master Hạnh Minh of Khai Hóa Monastery, Hàng Prefecture.
The Master was a native of this prefecture, and his family name was Vu. In his youth, he went to Chan Master Trí Giác on Mount Tuyết Đậu in Minh Prefecture and had his head shaved. When Trí Giác moved to the great monastery of Vĩnh Minh, he had as many as two thousand students, and rulers and officials held his Dharma teaching in the highest esteem. After receiving the prediction of awakening from the Master of Thiên Thai, the Master returned to Vĩnh Minh to assist his original teacher, and the great oceanic assembly revered him.
In the eighth year of the Khai Bảo era, Trí Giác passed away. The Master then went to reside at Năng Nhân Monastery. King Trung Ý also founded Đại Hòa Monastery and invited the Master to serve as abbot of both monasteries, where students gathered and he expounded the Dharma.
A monk asked, “How do skillful means flow forth within the gate of Khai Hóa?” The Master said, “Each day, the sound of the tide is heard twice.”
He asked, “What is the inexhaustible lamp?” The Master said, “I thank you, Acarya, for illuminating it with your torch.”
Emperor Thái Tông bestowed upon him a purple robe and an honorific title. In the fourth year of the Hàm Bình era, on the sixth day of the fourth month, the Master passed away.

26. Chan Master Nghĩa Viên of Khai Thiện Monastery at Ngư Phố, Tiêu Sơn District, Việt Prefecture.
A monk asked, “One year departs and another year arrives. Within the gate of skillful means, I ask the Master to open the way.” The Master said, “Remember it clearly.”
The monk said, “Then in former days the lion roared, and today the Elephant King returns.” The Master said, “Again you delight in getting involved.”

27. Chan Master Ngộ An of Thượng Phương at Thụy Lộc Monastery, Cừ Prefecture.
The Master attained the Dharma under Thiên Thai. He also constantly studied the Sutra of the Definitive Meaning of the Surangama, and people of the time called him An of the Surangama.
In the first year of the Chí Đạo era, during the last month of spring, when the Master was about to pass away, his Dharma successor Uẩn Nhân sat in attendance. The Master ascended the seat and spoke this verse:

It is not a matter that can be grasped by leading from the ridge-top;
How could it be handed down from the chicken’s foot?
Sages and worthies since ancient times have all been thus;
It is not for me today to choose on your behalf.

The Master said, “The verse of entrustment is complete.” He then bathed in scented water, changed his robes, and sat serenely. He had his coffin carried into his quarters, remained silent for a long while, and then climbed into it by himself.
After three days, the disciples and the traveling Acaryas in the monastery hurriedly opened the coffin lid. They saw the Master lying on his right side in the auspicious posture. The fourfold assembly wept in grief. The Master then sat up, ascended the Dharma hall, expounded the Dharma, and admonished them, saying, “Whoever opened the coffin this time is no child of mine.” Having spoken, he returned to the coffin and passed away.

28. Chan Master Tuệ Cư of Long Hoa Monastery, Hàng Prefecture.
The Master was a native of Mân Việt and received the essential teaching from Thiên Thai. King Trung Ý of Ngô Việt invited him to reside at Thượng Monastery.
When the Master first opened the Dharma hall and the assembly had gathered and settled, he said, “How can the vehicle of the lineage transmitted from above be discussed here? And how can it be presented and spoken of? Consider how Sakyamuni Tathagata taught throughout his lifetime: it was like pouring water from one vessel into another.

Yet an ancient worthy said, ‘It is also like speaking of a single matter within a dream.’ On what principle did the ancient worthy speak thus? Do you understand? The gate of generosity stands wide open—when has it ever been sealed shut?

It nurtures and matures ordinary beings and sages without falling into the defilement of dust. Speak of the ordinary, and it is wholly ordinary; raise the sage, and it is wholly sage. Ordinary beings and sages do not stand in opposition; each and every one is uniquely honored.

Therefore it is said that the mountains, rivers, and great earth constantly expound the Dharma and forever emit light; earth, water, fire, and wind are each likewise.”
At that time, a monk came forward and bowed. The Master said, “Excellent! Ask a question in accordance with the Dharma; bring it forth.” The monk had only just stepped forward when the Master said, “Again, do not get involved.”
A monk asked, “When the Buddhas appear in the world, they emit light and shake the earth. When the Venerable appeared in the world, what auspicious sign occurred?” The Master said, “The huatou has broken through.”
Another day, the Master ascended the Dharma hall and addressed the assembly: “Here at Long Hoa, there is nothing more than gathering firewood and picking vegetables. Going up and coming down, in the morning one eats a bowl of porridge; at noon, a bowl of rice. After sleeping, one rises and drinks tea. Investigate only in this way. Take good care of yourselves.”
A monk asked, “This student has not yet clearly understood his own illumination. How can he discern what is shallow and what is deep?” The Master said, “Know your own eye.”
He asked, “What is my own eye?” The Master said, “What am I telling you?”

29. Chan Master Ngộ Trăn of Mount Tề Vân, Vụ Prefecture.
The Master was a native of Việt Prefecture, and his family name was Dương. In his youth, he left the household life at Đại Thiện Monastery in the same prefecture. Upon reaching the proper age, he received the full precepts. He entered Thiên Thai’s chamber and received the seal of verification, after which he dwelt peacefully on Mount Tề Vân, where companions in the Dharma gathered in great numbers.
A monk asked, “What is the Seamless Stupa?” The Master said, “Five or six feet.” The monk bowed. The Master said, “The stupa has collapsed.”
He was asked, “Why does perfectly luminous awareness not depend upon mental thought?” The Master said, “Perfectly luminous awareness.”
He was asked, “How is it different from mental thought?” The Master said, “What do you call mental thought?”
One autumn evening, while sitting at leisure, the Master spontaneously chanted:

The autumn courtyard lies silent; the wind blows desolately.
Cold stars fill the sky; the moon shines high.
Chi Di sits quietly, his spirit unwearied;
For no reason, a bird chooses several feathers to fly.

All his songs and verses were composed in response to circumstances. More than three hundred circulated and may be seen in the Separate Scroll.
During the Chí Đạo era, the Master passed away at Đại Thiện Monastery.

30. Chan Master Bổn Tiên of Thụy Lộc Monastery, Ôn Prefecture.
The Master was a native of Vĩnh Gia in Ôn Prefecture, and his family name was Trịnh. In his youth, he left the household life at Tập Khánh Cloister in the prefecture and received the full precepts at Quốc Thanh Monastery on Mount Thiên Thai. He attained the Dharma under National Teacher Thiều of Thiên Thai.
When the Master first met the National Teacher, the teacher cited the saying, “It is not the wind or the banner that moves; it is the worthy one’s mind that moves.” The Master immediately understood. Later, he told his students, “Formerly, when I studied the Dharma gate of Thiên Thai, I immediately presented my understanding. Yet for a thousand days, throughout the four deportments, it always seemed that something obstructed my chest, as though an enemy dwelt there with me. After those thousand days, one day the obstruction in my chest suddenly vanished and the enemy was no more. Right then I became peaceful and joyful, and clearly recognized my former error.” He then composed three verses.

Verse One: It is not the wind or the banner that moves; it is the worthy one’s mind that moves:

It is neither wind nor banner; only the mind moves.

From ancient times it has been transmitted directly down to the present.
If later, amid clouds and waters, disciples wish to understand,
The true Patriarch is an intimate who knows the mind.
Verse 2: Seeing form is seeing mind.
If seeing form is indeed seeing mind,
When someone comes to ask the way, it is truly difficult to answer.
If, in seeking the principle, one speaks of many things,
One betrays the three robes received throughout one’s life.
Verse 3: Speaking of illuminating oneself.
Through many kalpas until now, it has only been thus;
Thus it is the same as heaven and also the same as earth.
What form is that which is the same as earth and heaven?
Whatever form it is, all is as it should be.
From then on, the Master went freely among cities and villages, empty-handed and never counting wealth. He displayed no luxurious furnishings and wore no silk. Throughout the day he sat quietly, and at noon he instructed and admonished his disciples. Morning and evening he was earnest and diligent; though thirty years passed, his aspiration remained lofty and far-reaching.

The Master instructed the assembly, saying: “Do you see the donors at the Shanshui Cloister and the Bamboo Grove aranya? If you say that you see them, then there are dharmas outside the mind. If you say that you do not see them, why are the donors at the Shanshui Cloister and the Bamboo Grove aranya presently and naturally before you? Do you understand what has been said? If you understand, there is no hindrance to keen discernment. There is nothing further; do not stand here long.”

The Master instructed the assembly, saying: “The Buddha-body fills the Dharma realm and appears universally before all sentient beings. Responding to conditions and answering their capacities, it is present everywhere, yet it always remains upon this seat of enlightenment. If one says that the Buddha-body fills the Dharma realm, it pervades the bodhisattva realm, the pratyekabuddha realm, the shravaka realm, the heavenly realm, the asura realm, the human realm, the animal realm, the hungry ghost realm, and the hell realm.

With regard to all such realms, only when no trace remains will it be right. Why are there these two or three ways of speaking? To say that the Dharma realm is solely the Buddha-body has, merely through being spoken, already become two or three.

How can it be expressed? It is said that the Buddha-body fills the Dharma realm, yet facing this, you speak wildly—how could that be acceptable? Within such speech, if you can also bring it forth, there is no harm in applying the power of an awakened mind.

But if you cannot bring it forth and still speak, then without passing through asamkhyeya kalpas to safeguard that Dharma-body, what sort of person are you? In going back and forth, bathing and laboring, there is no harm in withdrawing.”

At another time, the Master said: “In investigating and studying, it is not necessarily required that you select sayings for discussion. In investigating and studying, it is not necessarily required that you learn to substitute words in sayings. In investigating and studying, it is not necessarily required that you learn alternative sayings.

In investigating and studying, it is not necessarily required that you grasp and refute the extraordinary words found in the sutras and treatises. In investigating and studying, it is not necessarily required that you grasp and refute the extraordinary words of the Patriarchs. If you investigate and study in such a manner, then even though you possess sevenfold penetration and eightfold mastery, if you have no place of genuine insight into the Buddha-Dharma, you are called a band of those with dry wisdom.

Have you not heard an ancient worthy say, ‘Cleverness cannot prevail against birth and death; how could dry wisdom free one from the cycle of suffering?’

“If you investigate and study, you must investigate and study genuinely; only then is it genuine investigation and study. While walking, investigate; while standing, investigate; while sitting or sleeping, investigate. While speaking or remaining silent, investigate. At all times and in every activity, investigate. Yet amid this investigation at all times, tell me: whom are you investigating, and what are you investigating? Within this, you must have your own place of clarity. If you have no place of clarity, this is called hurried and impetuous investigation and study, and it will never reach completion.”

He further said: “In the dense forest, birds sing; in the deep ravine, fish swim; a vast sheet of cloud bears a fierce voice within its throat. Do you know whether these many images teach you the place of entry? If you can know it, there is no hindrance to investigating it.”

He further said: “In the Tiantai teaching, there is an exposition of the three gates of Manjushri, Avalokiteshvara, and Samantabhadra. The gate of Manjushri is all forms; the gate of Avalokiteshvara is all sounds; and the gate of Samantabhadra is not moving a single step. But when it comes to my Way—what I say—the gate of Manjushri is not all forms, the gate of Avalokiteshvara is not all sounds, and what is the gate of Samantabhadra? Do not say that this differs from the discourses of the Tiantai teaching. There is nothing further; you should withdraw.”

He further said: “After Master Nanquan passed away, where did he go? He became a donkey in the house to the east and a horse in the house to the west. If you are a practitioner seeking to escape the three realms, upon hearing these words there is no hindrance to your doubt and no hindrance to your fear. After Master Nanquan passed away, where did he go? He became a donkey in the house to the east and a horse in the house to the west.

“Some may understand it as: ‘Through a thousand transformations and ten thousand changes, one never departs from true permanence.’ After Master Nanquan passed away, where did he go? He became a donkey in the house to the east and a horse in the house to the west.

“Some may understand it as: ‘One must understand the conduct of animals before one can understand these words.’ After Nanquan passed away, where did he go? Did he become a donkey in the house to the east or a horse in the house to the west?

“Some may understand it as: ‘Is the house to the east Nanquan’s house, or is the house to the west Nanquan?’ After Nanquan passed away, where did he go? Did he become a donkey in the house to the east or a horse in the house to the west?

“Some may understand it as the son of the man in the house to the east or the son of the man in the house to the west. Some may understand it as asking what the house to the east is and what the house to the west is. Some may understand it as making the cry of a donkey or the neigh of a horse. Some may understand it as asking what is called the donkey in the house to the east and what is called the horse in the house to the west. Some may understand it as: ‘Since the question concerned his passing away, the answer addresses what was asked.’ Some may understand it as speaking of the exposed pillar. Some may understand it as: ‘In what respect does becoming a donkey in the house to the east lack Nanquan? In what respect does becoming a horse in the house to the west lack Nanquan?’

“Such interpretations, generally speaking, provide some place of ease within the Buddha-Dharma. After Nanquan passed away, where did he go? He became a donkey in the house to the east and a horse in the house to the west. This student does not understand: when it is necessary to mount, simply mount; when it is necessary to dismount, simply dismount. That answer need not be understood through consuming a multitude of principles. If you see the nature of the Dharma realm, you should not make so much of it. Take care.”

He further said: “Upon waking in the morning, wash your hands and face, rinse your mouth, and then drink tea. After drinking tea, bow before the Buddha. After bowing to the Buddha, the presiding monk comes to consult and question the Master.

After the consultation, perform communal duties in the Sangha residence. When these are finished, go up to the upper hall to eat gruel. After eating, go down to the lower hall and sleep.

After sleeping, wake up, wash your hands and face, rinse your mouth, and then drink tea. After drinking tea, attend to matters in the east and matters in the west. When these are finished, go to the refectory to perform service.

After performing service, go up to the upper hall to eat the meal. After the meal, rinse your mouth and drink tea. After drinking tea, attend to matters in the east and matters in the west.

When the work is finished and darkness falls, perform the evening chanting and bows. After the chanting and bows, go up to the Sangha hall for consultation. After the consultation, the presiding master adjudicates the matters raised.

When that is finished, go to pay respects to the abbot. After paying respects to the abbot, perform the chanting and bows at the beginning of the night. After the chanting and bows, appear before the Sangha hall, pay respects, and take leave.

Having paid respects and taken leave, go to question the abbot. After the questioning, bow, practice the Way, chant sutras, and recollect the Buddha.

“Apart from such activities, one may go to the farmstead, enter a town or district, return to a lay household, or go to the marketplace. Since there are such tasks to be done, how can one still speak of a principle concerning the changing and moving characteristics of things? And why speak of the principle of constantly abiding in samadhi, without ever being outside samadhi?”

He further said: “Can you express it? If you can, then go ahead and speak. Take care.”

He further said: “The images in a mirror appear only by relying upon light. All the things you people do—tell me, only by relying upon what do they appear? Do you know? If you know, then in investigation and study, a thousand things are sufficient and ten thousand things are sufficient; there is nothing that cannot be established.”

He further said: “When everyone sleeps deeply at night, unaware of anything, while knowing nothing at all, is the original nature present? If you say that the original nature is present, then that state of knowing nothing at all is no different from death. If you say that the original nature is absent at that time, then why, upon suddenly awakening from sleep, do you know just as before? Do you understand? Knowing nothing at all is no different from death; yet upon suddenly awakening from sleep, you know just as before. What is it throughout such times? If you still do not understand, each of you must personally investigate your own essential nature. There is nothing further.”

do not stand for long. He further said, “Again, it is said that all dharmas arise as manifestations of mind. This statement is very useful at the gateway of entry and exit.

Let me ask further: Everyone’s eyes see all forms, ears hear all sounds, nose smells all odors, tongue tastes all flavors, body comes into contact with all smooth and soft objects, and mind discriminates all dharmas. Are the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind, in relation to all objects, merely your various minds, or are they not your various minds? If you say that they are precisely your various minds, why do they not form a single mass with your body?

Why, then, are there objects outside your eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind? If you say that the objects confronting the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind are not your mind, then how can all dharmas arise as manifestations of mind? As for words handed down in the world, who cannot utter them?

You have encountered this saying, but do you understand it? If you still do not understand, everyone should apply the mind, examine the teachings, and come to understand. Fortunately, you are here; do not grow weary of learning.

There is nothing further; withdraw.”

At the beginning of the Xiangfu era, in the second month, the Master suddenly told the senior monk Ruhua, “You should make a stone burial chamber. On the bright-moon day in the mid-autumn month, I shall enter perfect quiescence.” When Ruhua had completed it and the appointed time arrived, clergy and laity from near and far gathered in great numbers to attend him. That day, the Master received inquiries as usual. At noon, he sat calmly in the abbot’s quarters, his hands forming the precious mudra, and again said to Ruhua, “An ancient said, ‘Ride the tiger’s head and strike the tiger’s tail—what is to be done in between?’”

Ruhua replied, “It is still only Ruhua.”

The Master said, “Ask me.”

Ruhua asked, “Ride the tiger’s head and strike the tiger’s tail—what does the Venerable do in between?”

The Master said, “Even I cannot make sport of it.”

Having spoken, he closed his mouth, half-opened one eye, and passed into quiescence. He was sixty-seven years old and had completed forty-two Dharma summers. The Chief Administrator reported all the circumstances to the emperor, who issued an edict directing the local prefecture to investigate carefully. Ruhua then presented the Master’s ten-volume Bamboo Grove Collection and more than one thousand songs and verses to the emperor. The emperor ordered them stored in the Imperial Archive. Ruhua was bestowed a purple robe.

– Dharma heirs of Chan Master Huiming of Bao’en Monastery, Hangzhou.

1. Great Master Daocheng Tongfa of Baoming Cloister, Changxi, Fuzhou.

The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “As it is for one person, so it is for many people. Take care.”

A monk asked, “What is Baoming’s household style?”

The Master said, “Look!”

The monk asked, “The perfect voice resounds everywhere, and all three capacities hear it; the land of bamboo, with the mind of an immortal, invites the Master to transmit it secretly.”

The Master said, “A very long time.”

The monk said, “Thus the intent of the horse has already been fulfilled in the precious steed, and the mind of the ox has swiftly become the white ox.”

The Master said, “Seven toppled, eight inverted.”

The monk asked, “If not so, then how many great mounts are there?”

The Master said, “Make your bows and then withdraw to the rear.”

A monk asked, “What is the meaning of the Venerable One’s coming from the Western Land?”

The Master said, “I have never been to the Western Heaven.”

The monk asked, “What is the meaning of the disciple’s coming from the Western Land?”

The Master asked, “How long have you been here in this Eastern Realm?”

– Dharma heirs of the former Chan Master Daoqian of Yongming Monastery, Hangzhou.

1. Chan Master Huaixing of Tianguangwang Monastery, Hangzhou.

The Master was from Taoshan in Wenzhou, and his family name was Zheng. He left home at an early age and became thoroughly versed in the Vinaya section. Upon hearing the textual expositions of Tiantai, he found a place to entrust his mind in the perfect and sudden teaching of calming and contemplation. Later, he studied the Surangama Sutra. Its wording and principles were exceedingly vast and profound, but he had not yet penetrated them completely. One evening, after standing for a long time beside his desk reciting the sutra, he seemed in a dream to see the sun in the sky and swallowed it into his mouth. From then onward, he awakened, and the various gateways of meaning no longer obstructed him.

Later, the Master heard that the Dharma seat of Yongming was renowned, so he went there at once to inquire. Yongming merely confirmed his previous understanding and gave him no other instruction. He then entrusted to the Master, as a token of transmission, the patched robe that King Zhongyi had presented to him. Later, the Master resided at Yanjing Cloister by West Lake.

In the third year of the Kaibao era, Sheng, the prefect of Hengzhou, greatly revered the guiding Master. He therefore opened up West Mountain and established a great Chan monastery there. Emperor Taizong changed its designation and bestowed upon it the plaque “Baoyun Monastery,” inviting the Master to reside there. Students came in great numbers.

The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “Venerable ones, there is nothing amiss in the Buddha Dharma. In ancient times there were the sun and moon; today there are likewise the sun and moon. In ancient times there was the wind; today there is likewise the wind. In ancient times there were venerable ones; today there are likewise venerable ones. Do not say, ‘The presentation is finished,’ or, ‘The speaking is finished.’ Everything is fully and splendidly manifest. Take care.”

In the seventh month of the fifth year of the Kaibao era, the renshen year, the Master became ill but took no medicine. Three days beforehand, a jeweled tree appeared in the bathing pool. The Master said, “Whatever has characteristics is all illusory.” On the twenty-seventh day, he assembled the community, spoke words of farewell, and passed away while seated. He was sixty-seven years old. His disciples performed the cremation rite, collected his relics, and erected a stupa to enshrine them.

2. Great Master Zhicheng of Zhenjing, Quzhou.

A monk asked, “What is the sword that stabilizes heaven and earth?”

The Master said, “Not even the slightest hair slips through.”

The monk asked, “How is it used?”

The Master said, “I do not know.”

A monk asked, “Suppose that while working, the blade of one’s hoe kills frogs, worms, mole crickets, and the like—is there an offense?”

The Master said, “Who struck the blow?”

The monk said, “Then there is no offense.”

The Master said, “Cause and effect are perfectly clear.”

Later, the Master moved to Baoyun Monastery on West Mountain in Hangzhou, where he expounded the Dharma. The emperor bestowed upon him a purple robe and the title Great Master Accumulated Goodness.

3. Chan Master Qingxiang of Chongfu Cloister, Mingzhou.

The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “Chan worthies, the nature of seeing pervades everywhere, and the nature of hearing is likewise so. It penetrates the ten directions, with neither inside nor outside. Therefore, an ancient said, ‘Following conditions, it does not contrive; in movement and stillness, it is constantly true.’ To act in this way is entirely the functioning of true wisdom.”

A monk asked, “What is the person of ancient and present?”

The Master said, “Majestically upright, six feet tall, perfectly clear.”

The monk asked, “Does the person of ancient and present appear in such a form?”

The Master said, “What do you call the person of ancient and present?”

The monk asked, “I beg the Master to employ skillful means.”

The Master said, “Whom would these skillful means instruct?”

– Dharma heirs of Chan Master Qingsong of Lingyin Monastery.

1. Chan Master Daoci of Gongchen Cloister, Lin’an, Hangzhou.

A monk asked, “The Master has ascended the precious seat and the whole assembly has arrived. We ask the Master to expound the essential teaching of the school.”

The Master said, “Let the great assembly bear witness.”

The senior monk said, “Then this is presenting the ancient and presenting the present.”

The Master said, “You must first understand the words of the dialogue.”

2. Chan Master Yuanzhao of Luohan Cloister, Xiuzhou.

The Master was from Qiantang and received ordination at Baoqing Cloister on West Mountain in his native district. He awakened under Master Lingyin. The community invited the Master to appear in the world.

The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said, “Mountains, rivers, and the great earth are truly good spiritual friends. At all times they expound the Dharma and at all times they liberate people; nevertheless, venerable ones, you may freely present your questions. There is nothing further; do not stand for long.”

A monk asked, “I ask the Master for a single phrase concerning Luohan’s household style.”

The Master said, “The family harmoniously gathers blessings; the highest realm spreads its fragrance.”

The monk asked, “This is the household style of family harmony. What is Luohan’s household style?”

The Master said, “If you go to the various regions, clearly present the lineage.”

Later, the Master went to reside at Xiangyan Monastery in Hangzhou.

A monk asked, “Without establishing even a speck of dust, I ask the Master to speak directly.”

The Master said, “Everyone is laughing at you.”

The monk asked, “How should this be understood?”

The Master said, “Give that question back to me.”

3. Chan Master Shizhi of Baoyin Cloister, Chuzhou.

A monk asked, “What is the Venerable’s household style?”

The Master said, “Who does not see it?”

The monk asked, “What is the Samadhi of the One Characteristic?”

The Master said, “Blue, yellow, red, and white.”

The monk asked, “Where is the one characteristic?”

The Master said, “You are very clever.”

The monk asked, “Patriarch after patriarch has transmitted the Patriarchal Seal. Master, whose Dharma heir are you now?”

The Master said, “Before Vulture Peak, the moon shines brilliantly.”

4. Chan Master Kexian of Guning, Quzhou.

A monk asked, “What is Guning’s household style?”

The Master said, “Thank you for your gracious instruction.”

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

The Master said, “How strange! Where is this old monk?”

The monk asked, “This student does not understand; I beg the Master to employ skillful means.”

The Master asked: “Was not what you just asked about the meaning of the coming from India?”

5. Chan Master Daoduan of Guangxiao Cloister, Lin’an, Hangzhou.

A monk asked, “What is Buddha?” The Master said, “Ask in a loud voice.” The monk asked, “Is this not it?” The Master said, “Have no dealings with it.” Later, the Master passed away at Ling’an Monastery.

6. Chan Master Wuning of Baoqing Cloister, West Mountain, Hangzhou.

When the Master first opened the Dharma hall and ascended the seat, two monks came forward at the same time and bowed. The Master said, “Both of you are mistaken.” A monk spoke. The Master immediately descended from the seat.

7. Chan Master Bianlong of Yongxi Monastery on Mount Zhiti, Fuzhou.

The Master was a native of Mingzhou. He left home under Chan Master Liaowu of Ling’en Monastery and thereupon received the mind seal. The Master ascended the Dharma hall and declared: “The majestic precious form fills empty space; its vajra essence cannot be destroyed by anything. Great assembly, do you see it or not? If you say that you see it, the essence of true reality is fundamentally neither blue, yellow, red, or white; neither short nor long, square nor round. Nor can it be perceived through seeing, hearing, understanding, or knowing. On what principle, then, can you say that you see it? If you say that not seeing is the Way, why do you not see that majestic true reality filling empty space?”

A monk asked, “What is the single road leading upward?” The Master said, “It is directly beneath your feet.” The monk said, “Then it is the ordinary act of taking a step.” The Master said, “Do not mistake it.”

The monk asked, “What is the intimate and secret personal realization?” The Master said, “Its original form is displayed there.” The monk said, “Then it is not secret.” The Master said, “What do you see?”

8. Chan Master Xiyuan of Ruilong Cloister, Hangzhou.

A monk asked, “What is the family style of the Venerable?” The Master said, “I especially thank the Acarya for borrowing this question.” The monk asked, “If the question is borrowed, the family style nevertheless cannot be absent. What is it?” The Master said, “This old fellow is dozing.”

– Dharma heirs of Master Xingyan of Baoci, Jinling.

1. Chan Master Yinueng of Mount Yunju, Hongzhou (ninth generation).

The Master ascended the Dharma hall and declared: “There is no need to begin. Elder Kaundinya, within the house, is turning the Dharma wheel of ultimate meaning for all you venerable ones. Will that do? If you have confidence that it will, then each of you should return to your quarters and investigate it for yourselves.”

After descending from the seat, the Master immediately asked a monk, “Just now, this mountain monk instructed you, Venerable, to investigate the holy monk. What did the holy monk say?” The monk replied, “I especially thank the Venerable for bringing it up again.”

A monk asked, “What is Buddha?” The Master said, “Mind itself is Buddha.” The monk asked, “This student does not understand. I beg the Master to employ skillful means.” The Master said, “The skillful means called Buddha is to turn the light around and reflect back, examining what body and mind are.”

– Dharma heirs of Chan Master Taiqin of Qingliang, Jinling.

1. Eleventh-generation Chan Master Daoqi of Mount Yunju, Hongzhou.

The Master was a native of Hongzhou, and his family name was Jin. He paid homage to Chan Master Mingzhao of Mount Baizhang and was ordained by him. The Master traveled extensively among Chan assemblies, yet his study of mind remained unfinished. Later, he encountered Chan Master Fadeng, and their conditions of spiritual affinity quickly accorded. When Master Fadeng resided at Shanglan Cloister, the Master served as keeper of the Sutra Repository.

One day, while standing in attendance, Fadeng said, “Repository Keeper, I have a turning phrase concerning the meaning of the coming from India. How do you understand it?” The Master replied, “Neither East nor West.” Fadeng said, “What connection does that have?” The Master replied, “Daoqi is only thus. I do not yet know the Venerable’s revered meaning.” Fadeng said, “Another household naturally has its own descendants.” Through this, the Master quickly awakened to that very point.

The Master first resided at Dongchan Cloister in Junzhou. A monk asked, “What is Buddha?” The Master said, “Who are you?”

The monk asked, “Amid the thorny roots of the forest there is no road out. I ask the Master, as a skillful means, to explain it to me.” The Master said, “Where do you intend to go?” The monk replied, “For so long I have not come here.” The Master said, “Idle talk.”

A monk asked, “What is it like when one neither escapes samsara nor seeks liberation?” The Master said, “Have you ever asked Jianshan?” The monk replied, “This student does not understand. I beg the Master to employ skillful means.” The Master said, “I spare you thirty blows.”

A monk asked, “What are the Three Jewels?” The Master said, “Which jewel are you?” The monk asked, “What are they like?” The Master said, “Earth, wood, tiles, and stones.”

The Master next resided at Shuanglin Cloister in Hongzhou, and afterward on Mount Yunju. At these three places he expounded the Dharma. His essential sayings and his collected records of the profundities of the ancients circulated everywhere; they cannot all be recorded here.

In the ninth month of the third year of Zhidao, a dingyou year, the Master fell ill. At the hour of the Monkey on the eighth day, he ordered the bell rung to assemble the community. The rector reported, “The community has fully assembled.” The Master said: “This old monk has served as abbot in three places for more than thirty years. Brothers from the ten directions have all come to converse about the Way. The officers, beginning with the chief administrator, have diligently helped this old monk. Today, as fire and wind press against one another, I meet all of you one final time. Do you see it?

“Today, if this is the teacher’s final skillful means, where will you direct yourselves to see it? Will you see it in the four great elements and five skandhas, or in the six entrances and twelve ayatanas? If you see it therein, then it may be said that the later students of Mount Yunju over these twenty years have something upon which to rely.

“After I pass away, the great assembly of this mountain monastery should entrust Qihuai with opening the Dharma hall and serving as abbot. You should diligently carry out all affairs. Each of you must exert yourselves to the utmost. Take care.”

As soon as the great assembly dispersed, the Master entered perfect quiescence. He was sixty-nine years old and had spent forty-eight years in the monastic order. His stupa remains on that mountain to this day.

– Dharma heirs of Chan Master Fa’an of Bao’en Cloister, Jinling.

1. Chan Master Daojian of Qixian Monastery, Mount Lu.

An official asked, “When I seized Jinling, I arrayed troops in battle and killed countless people. Have I incurred guilt?” The Master said, “This old monk will simply observe and see.”

The official asked, “What is the meaning of the coming from India?” The Master said, “Waves are displayed at Zali; without wind, the waves arise.”

He asked, “What is the scenery of Qixian?” The Master said, “What scenery does Qixian have?”

2. Fourteenth-generation Chan Master Huicheng of Guizong Monastery, Mount Lu.

The Master was a native of Yangzhou, and his family name was Cui. He left home while young and received full ordination at Mingshui Cloister in Fuzhou. The Master traveled to various regions, and his spiritual affinity accorded with Chan Master Huiji, from whom he secretly inherited the mind seal. The Master built a hermitage at Yufeng on Mount Lu.

In the fourth year of Chunhua, during the first month of summer, Venerable Rou of Guizong entered perfect quiescence. The prefect and the disciples of the mountain monastery invited the Master three times to open the Dharma hall and assume the abbacy.

When the Master first ascended the Dharma hall, before he had seated himself, he told the assembly: “For devas and humans, attaining the Way is realization. You may disperse; it is already universally present herein. If anyone has not understood, please bring it forth, and only then shall I ascend the seat.”

A monk asked, “The prefect has come to request that the Chan Master expound the Dharma.” The Master said, “I am not as good as you.”

A monk asked, “What is Buddha?” The Master replied, “What is not?”

A monk asked, “What is the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from India?” The Master said, “I do not know.”

The Master further said: “The questioning words remain with you venerable ones. Even if you questioned to the end of the kalpa, you could not exhaust them. This mountain monk’s replies would not catch up with them even by the end of the kalpa. Why is this so? Because you venerable ones inherently possess the complete fulfillment that pervades the ten directions, raises the ancient and raises the present. Even the Buddhas dare not deceive or mislead you who continue the lineage. This is called ‘emitting light from the crown to assist the awakening of you venerable ones.’

“Therefore it is said: ‘Throughout the Dharma realm of the ten directions, all sentient beings, thought after thought, realize the fruit of the Sugata ten thousandfold. As a person of true resolve, I am likewise thus. How could I belittle myself and merely retreat?’ You venerable ones need not withdraw. Simply trust in it, and that will suffice.

“The Patriarch came from India only to speak of seeing one’s nature and becoming Buddha. No other saying equals this saying. Is there yet some extraordinary skillful means? I have clearly raised it for people such as you; remember it well, so that when you travel elsewhere you do not present it incorrectly. You have been standing for a long time. Take care.”

On another day, the Master ascended the Dharma hall. A monk asked, “How can one pass through a place where even the wind cannot penetrate?” The Master said, “Where have you come from?”

The monk cited the words of Master Nanquan: “A bronze pitcher is an object. There is water inside the pitcher. Without moving the object, bring the water here to this old monk.” Deng Yinfeng immediately took hold of the pitcher and poured out the water. Nanquan then desisted.

The Master said, “Đặng Ân Phong was truly extraordinary; he had to pour it forth in wild confusion.” The Master followed in the footsteps of Qui Tông for fourteen years, and usually more than five hundred people gathered around him. On the eighteenth day of the third month in the fourth year of the Cảnh Đức era, the Master ascended the Dharma hall, bade farewell to the assembly, and serenely passed away. He was sixty-seven years old and had fifty-two Dharma years. His whole body was interred in a stupa on this mountain.

– Dharma heirs of Chan Master Diên Qui of Trường An Monastery in the former Lô Prefecture.

1. Chan Master Biện Thật of Trường An Monastery, Lô Prefecture (second generation).

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

The Master said, “The sacred peak of Thiếu Thất rises into the Nine Heavens.”

2. Chan Master Dụng Thanh of Hải Hội Monastery on Mount Vân Cái, Đàm Prefecture.

The Master was a native of Hà Prefecture, and his family name was Triệu. He left home in that prefecture, resolutely aspired to seek the Dharma, and journeyed far to inquire of Master Trường An, with whose essential teaching he tacitly accorded. At first, the Master resided on Mount Đông Bình in Thiều Prefecture. In the second year of the Thuần Hóa era, Trương Mậu Tông, the military administrator of Đàm Prefecture, invited the Master to reside at Vân Cái.

A monk asked, “There is a man at the bottom of a well ten thousand fathoms deep. How can he get out?”

The Master said, “How fortunate that we meet again.”

The monk asked, “Does that mean he passes through several layers and goes beyond the moon?”

The Master said, “What about the affairs of the Thirty-three Heavens? What have you to do with the affairs of the Thirty-three Heavens?”

The monk could not answer.

Someone asked, “What is the realm of Vân Cái?”

The Master said, “Outside the gate, three streams flow down into the well.”

The monk asked, “What is the person within that realm?”

The Master said, “The young boy becomes the son.”

The Master had a verse with which he instructed the assembly:

A monk asked, “What is the oral key that locks Vân Cái?”

The Master said, “Throughout heaven and throughout earth.”

The monk asked, “Does that mean the stone man nods his head and the exposed pillar claps its hands?”

The Master said, “One vase of pure water, one censer.”

The monk said, “This too is a frog sitting at the bottom of a well.”

The Master said, “You have troubled the great assembly.”

The Master constantly regulated his food and drink. At the two daily meals, he merely followed the assembly and opened his bowl. Sometimes for months or years he paid no heed to food and clothing, nor did he shrink from labor. Whenever someone came to inquire, he would invariably reveal the teaching; though he was replete, he did not cling to it. On the second day of the fourth month in the second year of the Chí Đạo era, the Master fell ill and passed away. After cremation, a stupa was built to enshrine him on this mountain.

Chan Master Hành Tư, first generation, 1.

– Dharma heirs of Great Master Minh Ngạn of Trường Thọ Monastery, Tô Prefecture.

1. Chan Master Pháp Tề, second generation, at Trường Thọ.

The Master was a native of Vụ Prefecture, and his family name was Đinh. At first, he lectured on the two treatises, the Hundred Dharmas and Buddhist Logic. Later, he set aside lecturing and traveled from place to place, receiving the mind-seal from Great Master Quảng Pháp. In the second year of the Kiến Long era, after Quảng Pháp passed away, the monastery was entrusted to the Master as abbot. The military commissioner, Tiền Nhân, reverently accorded him great honor and asked him to reveal the true essential.

A lecturer on the Hundred Dharmas asked, “At the invitation of His Excellency, the fourfold assembly has gathered like clouds. We ask the Master to expound the supreme purport of the lineage.”

The Master said, “The Treatise on the Gateway to Understanding the Hundred Dharmas.”

The lecturer asked, “Ultimately, how is it?”

The Master said, “All dharmas are without self.”

Someone asked, “The old woman in the eastern quarter of the city was born at the same time as the Buddha. Why did she not see the Buddha?”

The Master said, “Not seeing is itself the Way.”

The questioner said, “Then that itself is seeing.”

The Master said, “The wretched old woman in the eastern quarter of the city was born at the same time.”

In the third year of the Thái Bình Hưng Quốc era (Mậu Dần), the Master left the assembly, came to this monastery, and established a separate hermitage in which to live. On the eleventh day of the twelfth month in the third year of the Hàm Bình era (Canh Tý), the Master manifested nirvana. He was eighty-nine years old and had seventy-two Dharma years.