雲門匡真禪師廣錄 2

English (machine translation) 2

Language: English

2.1

Compiled by Disciple Mingshi Dashi Shoujian, Recipient of the Purple Robe

2.2

Essential Sayings in the Abbot's Room: One Hundred and Eighty-Five Cases

2.3

Substitute Words and Instructions: Two Hundred and Ninety Cases

The Master instructed the assembly, saying: "The world of the ten directions, heaven, earth, and the great earth, are smashed into a hundred shattered pieces with one stroke of the staff! As for the three vehicles, the twelve divisions of the teaching, and Bodhidharma's coming from the West: if I let them pass, it will not do; if I do not let them pass, they are not worth a single shout!"

2.6

The Master instructed the assembly, saying: "The twenty-eight patriarchs of India, the six patriarchs of the Tang land, and the venerable upādhyāyas under heaven are all on the tip of my staff. Even if you understand with extraordinary clarity, you are still only halfway; if I do not let you pass, you are all wild fox spirits!"

2.7

The Master said one day: "Ancient venerable elders, all out of compassion, had words that dropped into the weeds, discerning people following their speech. If it were talk that leaves the weeds, it would not be thus; if it were thus, then there would be repetition in conversational discourse. Have you not seen: Master Yangshan asked a monk, 'Where have you recently left?' The monk said, 'Mount Lu.' Yangshan said, 'Have you ever traveled to the Five Old Men Peaks?' The monk said, 'I have not.' Yangshan said, 'The ācārya has not traveled the mountain.'" The Master said: "These words are all talk dropping into the weeds out of compassion."

2.8

The Master sometimes said: "If one says 'the mind itself is Buddha', one is provisionally mistaking a servant for the master; birth and death and nirvāṇa are just like cutting off one's head to seek life. If one speaks of Buddha and speaks of patriarchs, the intention of the Buddha and the intention of the patriarchs are very much like replacing your eyes with soapberries."

2.9

He cited: "An ancient said, 'Hearing sounds one awakens to the Way; seeing forms one clarifies the mind.'" The Master said: "What is hearing sounds and awakening to the Way, seeing forms and clarifying the mind?" He then said: "Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara brings money to buy a sesame cake; putting down her hands, she says, 'Originally it was just a steamed bun.'"

2.10

The Master sometimes said: "The lantern is your self; holding the bowl you gulp down food, but the food is not your self." A monk then asked: "How is it when the food is the self?" The Master said: "This wild fox spirit, fellow from a three-family village!" He said again: "Come here, come here! Was it not you who said that food is the self?" The monk said: "It was." The Master said: "You will not dream of it until the year of the donkey, fellow from a three-family village!"

2.11

The Master sometimes said: "True emptiness does not destroy existence; true emptiness is not different from form." A monk then asked: "What is true emptiness?" The Master said: "Do you hear the sound of the bell?" The monk said: "This is the sound of the bell." The Master said: "Will you dream of it in the year of the donkey?"

2.12

He cited: "Master Shushan asked a monk: 'Where do you come from?' The monk said: 'From within the Mountains.' Shan said: 'Did you reach Xuefeng?' The monk said: 'I reached it.' Shan said: 'When I arrived there previously, matters were insufficient; how is it now?' The monk said: 'Now it is sufficient.' Shan said: 'Are gruel and rice sufficient?' The monk gave no answer." The Master said: "Gruel and rice are sufficient."

2.13

He cited: "When Senior Fu went to Xuefeng, Xuefeng heard of it and gathered the assembly. When Fu arrived at the Dharma hall, he looked at Xuefeng, then went down to see the administrative monks. The next day he went up again, bowed, and said: 'Yesterday I offended the Upādhyāya.' Xuefeng said: 'Knowing it is such an affair, let it rest.'" At that time a monk asked the Master: "What was the place where he offended the Upādhyāya?" The Master hit him.

2.14

He cited: "A monk asked Zifu, 'When the ancients took up the mallet or raised the whisk, what was the essential intention?' Zifu said, 'Did the ancients do so?' The monk said, 'Then what about taking up the mallet and raising the whisk?' Zifu gave a shout and drove him out." The Master said, "What sort of eyes did the ancients have?" A monk said, "What about the Upādhyāya?" The Master said, "Will you understand in the year of the donkey?" The monk had no reply. The Master called to the monk again, "Come, come." The monk stepped forward; the Master struck him right across the mouth with his whisk.

2.15

He cited: "Sanping's verse says: 'Right this seeing and hearing is not seeing and hearing.'" The Master said, "What do you call seeing and hearing? 'No sound or form remains to present to you.'" The Master said, "What verbal sounds and forms are there? 'Within this, if one realizes it, there is nothing at all.'" The Master said, "What thing is there? 'Substance and function do not obstruct whether divided or not divided.'" The Master said, "Words are substance; substance is words." He then held up his staff and said, "The staff is the substance; the lantern is the function. Are they divided or not divided? Have you not heard it said: 'The sarvajñajñāna is pure'?"

2.16

He cited: "Yisu Jue said, 'The illusory, empty body is itself the dharmakāya.'" The Master held up his staff and said, "The entire great earth is not the dharmakāya."

2.17

He cited: "A monk asked Zhaozhou, 'I have newly entered the monastery; I beg the master for instruction.' Zhou said, 'Have you eaten your porridge yet?' The monk said, 'I have eaten my porridge.' Zhou said, 'Go wash your bowl.'" The Master said, "Tell me: was there instruction or was there no instruction? If you say there was instruction, what did he say to him? If you say there was no instruction, how did this monk attain awakening?"

2.18

He cited: "A monk asked Xuefeng, 'I beg the master for instruction.' Feng said, 'What is it?' That monk attained great awakening at these words." The Master said, "What did Xuefeng say to him?"

2.19

The Master once said, "On level ground the dead are countless; one who passes through the bramble thicket is a capable hand." A monk said, "If so, then the head monk in the hall has a strong point." The Master said, "Suru suru."

2.20

He brought up the insentient preaching the Dharma. Suddenly hearing the sound of the bell, he said, "Old Śākya is preaching the Dharma!" He abruptly held up his staff and asked a monk, "What is this?" The monk said, "A staff." The Master said, "You will not even dream of it in the year of the donkey."

2.21

One day the Master said, "Telling fortunes in a village of three families—divining east, divining west—suddenly one might hit the mark, or perhaps not." A monk then asked, "What about when one suddenly hits the mark?" The Master said, "Respectfully submitted."

2.22

The Master once said, "When the great function manifests before you, no rules are maintained." A monk then asked, "What is the manifestation of the great function?" The Master then held up his staff and called out in a loud voice, "Old Śākya has come!"

2.23

The Master once struck the brazier a blow with his staff. As the assembly's eyes darted about, the Master then said, "The brazier has leapt up to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven—do you see it? Do you see it?" The assembly had no words. The Master said, "Do not speak of it before those lacking wisdom; it will smash your head into a hundred pieces."

2.24

The Master once said, "Look! The dharmakāya has turned into a lantern; talk that transcends the Buddhas and surpasses the Patriarchs has passed beneath your heels." A monk said, "What about when one recognizes it beneath one's heels?" The Master said, "You would embarrass me to death." The monk said, "If so, then it is utterly absent here." The Master said, "A hundred and eight thousand [li away]."

2.25

He cited: "Panshan's words say: 'When both light and objects are forgotten, what thing is it again?'" The Master said, "Even if spoken in this way, you are still halfway; this is not yet the road of complete liberation." A monk then asked, "What is the road of complete liberation?" The Master said, "Huading on Mount Tiantai; the Stone Bridge of Zhaozhou."

2.26

He cited: "Yangshan said, 'I grant that Elder Brother understands the Tathāgata Chan.'" A monk then asked, "What is the Tathāgata Chan?" The Master said, "'Shang-da-ren'." He also held up a fan and said, "I call it a fan; what do you call it?" The monk had no words. The Master said, "Preaching the Dharma on a fan, hiding the body inside a lantern—what about it?" The monk in turn asked, "What is the Upādhyāya's Chan?" The Master scolded him, "Originally it was right here all along!"

2.27

He cited: "Xuefeng called a monk to come forward. The monk came forward, and Feng said, 'Go.'" Having cited this, the Master asked a monk, "How do you utter a phrase of clasping the hands? If you can utter a phrase of clasping the hands, then you see Xuefeng."

2.28

He cited: "The Third Patriarch said, 'When the one mind does not arise, the myriad dharmas are without fault.'" The Master said, "Right here one is awakened." He then held up his staff and said, "What fault is there in heaven, earth, and the great earth?"

2.29

He cited: "Yisu Jue said, 'All verbal formulations are not verbal formulations; what concern have they with my numinous awareness?'" The Master said, "Walking, standing, sitting, and lying down are not numinous awareness; what do you call verbal formulations?"

2.30

He cited: "Panshan said, 'When both light and objects are forgotten, what thing is it again?'" The Master said, "Hiding the body in the Eastern Sea, galloping a horse atop Mount Sumeru." He struck the couch a blow with his staff; as the assembly's eyes darted about, he then brandished his staff to drive them away, saying, "I thought they were clever—these lacquer buckets!"

2.31

He cited: "A monk asked Qianfeng, 'The Bhagavats of the ten directions have one road to the gate of nirvāṇa. Where is the trailhead?' Feng drew a line with his staff and said, 'Right here.'" The Master held up a fan and said, "The fan leaps up to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven and pokes Śakra's nostril; when the carp of the Eastern Sea is struck with a blow, rain pours down like a tipped basin. Do you understand?"

2.32

The Master once said, "In all directions they take up the mallet and raise the whisk, saying, 'Do you understand?' You should just say, 'Do not oppress the respectable into being base.' Instead, you say, 'Yes, yes,' and wait for them to hesitate before striking!"

2.33

He cited: "The teaching says: 'When the mind arises, various dharmas arise; when the mind ceases, various dharmas cease.'" He then held up his staff and said, "How much does it weigh?" A monk said, "Half a catty." The Master said, "You will not even dream of it in the year of the donkey."

2.34

He cited: "Jiashan's words say: 'Recognize this old monk at the tips of the hundred grasses.'" The Master joined his palms and said, "Greetings, greetings." He also pointed at an exposed pillar with his staff and said, "Jiashan has turned into an exposed pillar—look, look!"

2.35

He cited: "Yangshan asked a monk, 'Where have you recently come from?' The monk said, 'From the south.' Shan held up his staff and said, 'Do they also speak of this there?' The monk said, 'They do not speak of it.' Shan said, 'If they do not speak of this, do they speak of that?' The monk said, 'They do not speak of it.' Shan called to him, 'Venerable, go participate in the hall.' The monk then left. Shan called the monk again; the monk answered, 'Yes.' Shan said, 'Come forward.' The monk came forward, and Shan struck him." The Master said, "If Yangshan did not have the latter words, how could he have recognized the person?"

2.36

He cited: "Xuefeng called a monk to come forward. The monk came forward, and Feng said, 'Where are you going?' The monk said, 'Going to general communal labor.' Feng said, 'Go.'" The Master said, "This is recognizing a person by following their words."

2.37

He cited: "The Cantongqi says: 'Interpenetration and non-interpenetration.'" The Master said, "What is non-interpenetration?" He then pointed with his finger at the end of the wooden bench and said, "This is the end of the bench. What is interpenetration?" The Master said, "What do you call the end of the bench?"

2.38

He cited: "Seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing are unobstructed; sounds, scents, tastes, and tangibles are ever in samādhi." The Master said, "Everywhere is not samādhi; when walking, it is not samādhi. Some places say: 'The substance of sounds, scents, tastes, and tangibles is on one side, and sounds, scents, tastes, and tangibles are on the other side.' This is a one-sided and withered view."

2.39

He cited: "While Jiashan was sitting, Dongshan arrived and said, 'How is it?' Jiashan said, 'Just so.'" The Master spoke on Dongshan's behalf: "What about not letting it pass?" On Jiashan's behalf he then shouted. The Master also critiqued Jiashan: "'Just so'—originally he was merely inside a toad's cave." He also said, "'Just so' is also hard to come by."

2.40

He cited: "The Patriarch's verse says: 'Dharmas are fundamentally original dharmas.'" The Master said, "Walking, standing, sitting, and lying down are not original dharmas; everywhere is not original dharmas. Now, what fault is there in the mountains, rivers, and great earth, and in your daily wearing of robes and eating of meals?" He also cited: "'The Dharma fundamentally of dharmas has no Dharma.'" The Master held up his staff and said, "It is not that there is fundamentally no Dharma."

2.41

He cited: "Mahāsattva Fu's verse says: 'Empty-handed, holding a hoe; walking on foot, riding a water buffalo.'" The Master said, "It is you riding a water buffalo from the north to here." He then held up his staff and said, "Have you not heard it said: 'Though there are a thousand head or ten thousand head, when you come here, just recognize the one head'?"

2.42

He cited: "Master Bao said: 'Just as my body is empty, all dharmas are empty; a thousand kinds and ten thousand varieties are all identical.'" The Master said, "When standing, you do not see standing; when walking, you do not see walking. The four great elements and five aggregates cannot be apprehended; where do you see mountains, rivers, and the great earth come from? You hold your bowl and gorge on food every day; what do you call food? Where is there even a single grain of rice?"

2.43

He cited: "All sounds are the Buddha's voice; all forms are the Buddha's form." The Master held up his whisk and said, "What is this? If you say it is a whisk, you do not even understand grandmother Chan in a village of three families."

2.44

He cited: "A southern Chan pilgrim asked the National Teacher, 'How is the Buddha Dharma here?' The National Teacher said, 'Body and mind are one suchness; outside the body there is nothing else.'" The Master said, "Where do the mountains, rivers, and the great earth exist?"

2.45

The Master once said, "Do you want to know the Patriarch?" Pointing with his staff, he said, "The Patriarch is leaping about atop your heads. Do you want to know the Patriarch's eyes? They are beneath your heels." He also said, "This is food and drink sacrificed to ghosts and spirits. Even though it is like this, ghosts and spirits are never satisfied."

2.46

The Master once said, "If I speak of bodhi, nirvāṇa, tathatā, and liberation, that is burning maple incense as an offering to you; if I speak of Buddhas and Patriarchs, that is burning yellow-ripe incense as an offering to you; if I speak words that transcend the Buddhas and surpass the Patriarchs, that is burning vase incense as an offering to you. Take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha! Step down!"

2.47

One day the Master held up his staff and cited the teaching: "Ordinary people take it as real and call it 'existent'; the two vehicles analyze it and call it 'non-existent'; the pratyekabuddhas call it 'illusory existence'; the bodhisattvas recognize that its very substance is empty." He then said, "When patch-robed monks see a staff, they just call it a staff; when walking they just walk, when sitting they just sit—in no way may they stir."

2.48

He cited: "Jiashan's words say: 'Recognize this old monk at the tips of the hundred grasses; identify the Son of Heaven in the bustling market.'" He also cited: "'As soon as a single speck of dust arises, the great earth is completely gathered into it.'"

2.49

He cited: "Xuefeng said, 'The Buddhas of the three times turn the great wheel of the Dharma upon the flames.'" The Master said, "The flames preach the Dharma for the Buddhas of the three times; the Buddhas of the three times stand on the ground and listen."

2.50

Because the Master had finished drinking tea, he held up his teacup and said, "Having finished listening to the Dharma, the buddhas of the three periods of time have all burrowed beneath the teacup. Do you see them? Do you see them? If you do not understand, for now go understand it in an old almanac!"

2.51

He brought up: "Panshan said: 'Light does not illuminate objects, nor do objects exist. When light and objects are both forgotten, what is it again?'" The Master said, "The entire great earth is light; what do you call yourself? If you recognise light, objects are also unobtainable—what shit light and objects could there be? Since light and objects are already unobtainable, what is it again?" He also said, "This is an ancient saying reiterated out of compassion. Go clearly and distinctively right here, for it cannot be let pass; if it is not let pass—" He raised his hand again and said, "Sulu sulu!"

2.52

He brought up: "Great Being Fu said: 'The river of dhyāna calms with the waves; the water of samādhi clarifies following the billows.'" The Master held up his staff, pointed to the lantern, and said, "Do you still see? If you say you see, you are a wrecked ordinary person; if you say you do not see, you have a pair of eyes. How do you understand this?" After a long silence, he again held up his staff and said, "The entire great earth is not a wave."

2.53

The Master at times struck the seat once with his staff and said, "All sounds are the Buddha's voice; all forms are the Buddha's forms. When you take your bowl and wolf down rice, you have the view of a bowl; when walking, you have the view of walking; when sitting, you have [the view of] sitting. When seeing such types, how should one act?" Taking the staff, he chased them all away at once.

2.54

The Master at times held up his whisk and said, "Entering right here and concocting strange wonders! In the country of Japan they speak of Chan; someone from the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven came out, called out, and said: 'Hong hong, teku'er, bearing the cangue and confessing!'"

2.55

He brought up: "An ancient said: 'If one place is not penetrated, merit is lost in two places; if two places are not penetrated, wherever you turn becomes an obstruction.'" The Master held up his staff and said, "Mountains, rivers, the great earth, and the buddhas of the three periods of time are all on the tip of the staff—what obstruction could there be? Right now it is light; where did the dark go? Just this light is dark. All sentient beings are merely separated and obstructed by form and emptiness, light and dark, and thereupon see phenomena of arising and ceasing."

2.56

He brought up: "Yixiu Jue said: 'The six kinds of divine functioning are empty yet not empty; a single round light is form yet not form.'" The Master held up his whisk and said, "This is the round light; it is form yet not form. What do you call form? Bring it here for me to see!"

2.57

He brought up: "Jiashan said: 'Recognise the old monk on the tips of the hundred grasses; recognise the Son of Heaven in the bustling marketplace.'" The Master said, "A toad enters your ear, a poisonous snake bores through your eyeball—for now go understand it in entanglement!"

2.58

He brought up: "The Bhagavans of the ten directions have one single path through the gate of nirvāṇa." The Master said, "If you do not recognise it, people of the land of Dashi are selling aromatics and medicine on your eyelashes."

2.59

He brought up: "The Prajñā Sūtra says: 'There is neither duality nor division into two, because there is no difference and no interruption.'" The Master thereupon pointed to the pillar and said, "How far apart is it from the Prajñā Sūtra?"

2.60

He brought up: "A sūtra says: 'Scriptures, spells, and all written words and spoken language do not contradict the dharmatā.'" The Master held up his staff and said, "What is this? If you say it is a staff, you enter hell; if it is not a staff, what is it?"

2.61

One day the Master held up his whisk, struck once, and said, "The sun, moon, and stars tumble down to the ground. Do you see?" After a long silence he got up and said, "Stand back, lest it collide with your eyeballs!"

2.62

He brought up: "The Bhagavans of the ten directions have one single path through the gate of nirvāṇa." The Master said, "This is a building, above is the sky, and in my hand is a staff—what is the gate of nirvāṇa?"

2.63

The Master at times said, "Snapping the fingers, clearing the throat, raising the eyebrows, blinking the eyes, holding up a mallet, raising a whisk, or drawing a circle—these are all casting hooks and hanging ropes. The two words 'Buddha Dharma' have not yet been spoken; if spoken, it is just scattering shit and piss."

2.64

He brought up: "Waguan went to study with Deshan. Waguan served as his attendant, and together they entered the mountains to cut timber. Deshan brought a bowl of water and gave it to Waguan. Guan took it and drank it up. Deshan said: 'Do you understand?' Guan said: 'I do not understand.' Deshan again brought a bowl of water and gave it to Waguan. Guan took it and drank it up again. Deshan said: 'Do you understand?' Guan said: 'I do not understand.' Deshan said: 'Why don't you attend to that which does not understand?' Guan said: 'Not understanding—what is there to attend to?' Deshan said: 'You are very like an iron stake.' After Waguan resided at a monastery, Xuefeng went to visit him. While drinking tea and talking, Xuefeng said: 'At that time when you were in Deshan's assembly, what about that incident of cutting timber?' Guan said: 'The late master approved me at that time.' Xuefeng said: 'Upādhyāya, you left the late master too early.' At that time there was a bowl of water in front of them. Xuefeng said: 'Bring the water.' Guan thereupon passed it to Xuefeng. Xuefeng took it and spilled it out." The Master said on their behalf, "Do not press the freeborn into servitude."

2.65

During a meal, he took a bite of a pancake and said, "I bit Indra's nostril, and Indra suffers pain." He pointed again with his staff and said, "Beneath the heels of you people, it transforms into Old Śākya. Do you see? Do you see? King Yama heard this, laughed uproariously, and said: 'If this master monk measures up, I can do nothing to you; if you do not measure up, you are entirely in my hands.'"

2.66

The Master at times struck the seat once with his staff and said, "If you are a fellow who suddenly right here hears the sound and awakens, what fault is there in all the mountains, rivers, the great earth, the sun, moon, and stars?"

2.67

He brought up: "Luopu said: 'The moment a single speck of dust arises, the entire great earth is completely gathered in.'" The Master said, "When Niaoke held up a tuft of cloth, someone attained awakening."

2.68

While drinking tea, he brought up Yixiu Jue's words: "The three bodies and four wisdoms are perfect within the substance; the eight liberations and six supernatural powers are the seal of the mind ground." The Master said, "When drinking tea, it is not the seal of the mind ground." He then held up his staff and said, "For now go understand it right here."

2.69

He brought up: "A monk asked Xuefeng: 'What is the bodhi that strikes the eye?' Xuefeng said: 'A fine pillar.' Elsewhere it is said: 'Do you still see the pillar?'" The Master held up his staff and said, "There are those who understand things on the substance: seeing a pillar, they only call it a pillar. Elsewhere it is said: 'I do not see that there is a pillar.' Their view is one-sided and dry. Seeing a pillar, just call it a pillar; seeing a staff, just call it a staff—what fault is there?"

2.70

He brought up: "A monk asked Lingyun: 'What was it like before the Buddha appeared in the world?' Lingyun raised his whisk. The monk said: 'What was it like after he appeared in the world?' Lingyun also raised his whisk." The Master said, "The former was solid, but the latter did not hit the mark." He also said, "Without speaking of appearing or not appearing, where is there an occasion for a single question? Just like Xuefeng, who at the end of the summer sat in front of the monks' hall: as soon as the assembly gathered, Xuefeng held up his staff and said: 'This is for people of medium and lower capacities.' Thereupon a monk asked: 'What happens if someone of the highest capacity suddenly comes?' Xuefeng held up his staff." The Master said, "I am not like Xuefeng, making a total mess." A monk thereupon asked, "I wonder what the Upādhyāya would do?" The Master struck him at once.

2.71

He brought up: "A monk asked Xuansha: 'What is the student's self?' Xuansha said: 'It is your self.'" The Master said, "A person of measureless stature was turned around by the thread of words!" A monk asked, "What is the student's self?" The Master said, "Suddenly on the road someone calls a patch-robed monk to a meal, and you too get to eat rice following the precedent."

2.72

Because of a meal, the Master held up a pancake and said, "I only make offerings to people from Jiangxi and Liangzhe; I do not make offerings to people from the north." A monk said, "Why do you only make offerings to people from Jiangxi and Liangzhe, and not to people from the north?" The Master said, "The weather is cold and the days are short; two people share a single bowl."

2.73

He brought up: "The National Teacher said: 'The Buddha Dharma in the south is half arising and half ceasing; here, body and mind are as one, and outside the body there is nothing left over.'" The Master said, "What do you call body and mind being as one?" He also said, "Do you want to know the National Teacher?" Answering on their behalf himself, he said, "One must not fail the National Teacher."

2.74

He brought up: "Emperor Suzong invited the National Teacher to watch a theatrical play. The National Teacher said: 'What body and mind do I have to watch a play?' The Emperor invited him again. The National Teacher said: 'Fortunately, it is naturally a good play.'" The Master said, "Dragon head, snake tail."

2.75

He brought up: "The National Teacher called his attendant three times, and the attendant responded three times. The National Teacher said: 'I thought I had failed you, but unexpectedly you have failed me.'" The Master said, "Where is it that 'I failed you'? If you understand, it is also without cause." He also said, "Where is it that the attendant failed the National Teacher?" The Master said, "Even smashing his bones and crushing his body could not repay it."

2.76

He brought up: "Yaoshan asked a monk: 'Where do you come from?' The monk said: 'I come from Hunan.' Yaoshan said: 'Are the waters of Lake Dongting full or not?' The monk said: 'Not yet full.' Yaoshan said: 'With rainwater for so long, why are they not full?' Yunyan answered on their behalf: 'Profoundly deep.' Dongshan answered on their behalf: 'In what kalpa was it ever lacking?'" The Master said, "It is just right here."

2.77

He brought up: "Xuefeng said: 'Sitting beside the rice basket, a person starves to death; coming to the river, a fellow dies of thirst.' Xuansha said: 'Sitting inside the rice basket, a fellow starves to death; dipping his head under water, a fellow dies of thirst.'" The Master said, "The whole body is rice; the whole body is water."

2.78

He brought up: "A monk asked Zifu: 'What was the ancient's intention in holding up a mallet and raising a whisk?' Zifu said: 'Hah!'" The Master said, "Adding frost upon snow."

2.79

He brought up: "A monk asked Zifu: 'What is it when a single speck of dust enters samāpatti?' Zifu adopted the posture of entering samādhi. The monk said: 'What is it when emerging from the samādhi of all dusts?' Zifu said: 'Whom are you asking?'" The Master said, "This master does not even know his words have lapsed." He also said, "Before, there was already entanglement, and then he said, 'Whom are you asking?'"

2.80

He brought up: "Zhuyu ascended the hall and said: 'None of you should drive a stake into empty space.' At that time Senior Monk Lingxu stepped forward from the assembly and said: 'Empty space is the stake.' Zhuyu struck him at once. Lingxu said: 'Upādhyāya, do not mistakenly strike me.' Zhuyu then returned to the abbot's quarters." The Master said, "Adding a point onto shit." A monk said, "Did the Upādhyāya speak like that just now?" The Master said, "Striking the bell to end the reverberation, out comes a toad!"

2.81

He brought up: "A monk asked Touzi: 'What was the intention of Miyan?' Touzi said: 'It takes such a person to begin to do so.' Zhaozhou said: 'Why not give him his proper forage?'" The Master asked a monk, "What is the proper forage?" The monk hesitated, and the Master struck him at once.

2.82

[The Master] cited: "An ancient said: 'Silent and solitary, forms and shadows are empty.'" The Master spread both hands and said, "From where can the mountains, rivers, and great earth be obtained?" He also said, "'The knowledge of all is unimpeded.'" The Master said, "The staff ran off to India and then returned to Silla." He then struck the bench and said, "This is your nostril."

2.83

[The Master] cited: "A monk asked Jiashan: 'What is the Way?' Shan said: 'The sun fills the eyes; for ten thousand miles, not a wisp of cloud hangs.'" The Master said, "Not calling it a phrase, not calling it the dharmakāya—what is it?"

2.84

A monk asked, "What is the student's self?" The Master said, "This old monk enters the mud and water." The monk said, "I shall powder my bones and crush my body." The Master shouted and said, "The water of the great ocean is over your head! Speak quickly, speak quickly!" The monk was speechless. The Master answered on his behalf, "I also know the upādhyāya feared I was not genuine."

2.85

The Master sometimes said, "Even if heaven, earth, and the great world were without the slightest flaw, that would still be a transitional phrase; not seeing a single form is only half the presentation. Even if it is directly like this, one must still know there is a time for the full presentation."

2.86

The Master sometimes said, "Bubbles and illusions alike are without obstruction; nowhere is illusory, nowhere is unobstructed."

2.87

The Master sometimes said, "Explaining horizontally and explaining vertically about bodhi, nirvāṇa, tathatā, and Buddha-nature—all of this is downward deliberation. Even at the moment of taking up the mallet and raising the whisk, that too is explaining horizontally and explaining vertically; compared to what went before, it is only slightly better." A monk asked, "We invite the Master to speak of what is transcendental." The Master said, "The assembly has been standing a long time; quickly make three bows."

2.88

[The Master] cited: "Chongshou asked a monk: 'Do you still see the lantern?' The monk had no words." The Master answered on his behalf, "Push over the lantern."

2.89

[The Master] cited: "Zhaozhou asked a monk: 'Where are you going?' The monk said: 'Going to pick tea.'" The Master said, "Shut your mouth."

2.90

[The Master] cited: "'The dharmakāya expounds the Dharma; the verdant green bamboos are all the dharmakāya'—this is not yet the moment of presenting the essential guideline."

2.91

[The Master] cited: "The conditioned has no three periods of time; the unconditioned has the three periods of time. The conditioned is a dharma of annihilation—from where could the three periods of time be obtained? That the unconditioned has the three periods of time is not the dharma of keeping to stillness."

2.92

[The Master] cited: "Real learning is entangling words and phrases; at the moment of taking up the mallet and raising the whisk, regarding real learning one is still midway on the road."

2.93

[The Master] cited: "Three kinds of people: one attains awakening through explanation, one attains awakening through being called, and the third person turns back as soon as he sees it brought up. You tell me: what is the meaning of turning back immediately?" He added, "He also deserves thirty blows of the stick."

2.94

[The Master] cited: "'The dharmakāya eats food'—already this is gouging out healthy flesh to make a wound. Did you think there ought to be such talk?"

2.95

[The Master] cited: "A monk asked Yunju: 'How is it when it is limpid?' Ju said: 'It does not flow.'" The Master said, "If it does not flow, what limpidness are you talking about?" He also said, "These are words that cut iron."

2.96

[The Master] cited: "Medicine and sickness cure each other; the entire great earth is medicine—which one is yourself?" The Master said, "Encountering the cheap, it is precious." The monk said, "I beg the Master for instruction." The Master clapped his hands once, picked up his staff, and said, "Take the staff!" The monk took it and snapped it into two pieces. The Master said, "Even if it is like that, you also deserve thirty blows of the stick."

2.97

[The Master] cited: "At the end of the summer retreat, Cuiyan ascended the hall and said: 'All summer long I have spoken with you monks; look, does Cuiyan have eyebrows left?' Baofu said: 'The heart of a thief is hollow.' Changqing said: 'They have grown.'" The Master said, "Barrier."

2.98

The Master sometimes said, "I dare not hope that you have waves moving against the current, yet even having the intention of going along with the current is hard to come by." He then cited: "When Liangsui first visited Magu, Magu saw him coming and immediately went to hoe weeds. Liangsui arrived at the place where he was hoeing weeds, but Magu paid him no attention at all, and returned to the abbot's quarters, shutting the door. For three consecutive days Liangsui went and knocked on the door. On the third day, as soon as he knocked, Magu asked, 'Who is it?' Liangsui said, 'Upādhyāya, do not deceive Liangsui. If I had not come to pay homage to the Upādhyāya, I would nearly have been cheated of my whole life by the sūtras and treatises.'" The Master said, "There are waves moving against the current; being able to enter now is the intention of going along with the current, and is also called the moment of releasing both." He also said, "When Magu asked 'Who is it?' and Liangsui said 'Do not deceive Liangsui'—was this not the moment of seeing through Magu at their meeting? 'If I had not come to pay homage to the Upādhyāya, I would nearly have been cheated of my whole life by the sūtras and treatises'—he also knew that there are places that cheat people. Later, Liangsui returned to the capital to take leave of the Emperor and the Great Masters and Venerables of the Left and Right Streets. They repeatedly urged him to stay. During the tea banquet, Liangsui said, 'What everyone knows, Liangsui entirely knows; what Liangsui knows, none of you know.'" The Master said, "What is that which Liangsui knew?"

2.99

[The Master] cited: "The Heart Sūtra says: 'No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind.'" The Master said, "Because you have seeing with the eye, it therefore speaks of 'no.' It cannot be that when seeing right now, one cannot say 'no.' Even though this is so, seeing everything—what fault is there? When nothing can be apprehended, what sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, or dharmas are there?"

2.100

[The Master] cited: "'The radiance silently illuminates, pervading sands of the Ganges.'" He asked a monk, "Are these not the words of Scholar Zhang Zhuo?" The monk said, "They are." The Master said, "Your words have fallen."

2.101

[The Master] cited: "A monk took leave of Shishuang. Shuang asked: 'Are you going by boat or going by land?' The monk said: 'Encountering a boat, I go by boat; encountering land, I go by land.' Shuang said: 'I say that midway on the road is somewhat difficult.' The monk had no words." The Master answered on his behalf, "Thirty years from now, this talk will be widely practiced." He also said, "A single phrase upon departure, never forgotten for eternal kalpas."

2.102

[The Master] cited: "Dharma Master Sheng said: 'Striking emptiness makes a sound; hitting wood is soundless.'" The Master struck the air with his staff and said, "Ouch, ouch!" He then struck the head of the wooden clapper and said, "Does it make a sound?" The monk said, "It makes a sound." The Master said, "This common fellow!" He then struck the head of the wooden clapper again and said, "What do you call sound?"

2.103

[The Master] cited: "A monk asked Shishuang: 'Is there still the Patriarch's intention within the teachings?' Shuang said: 'There is.' The monk said: 'What is the Patriarch's intention within the teachings?' Shuang said: 'Do not seek it within the scrolls.'" The Master answered on his behalf, "You must not fail this old monk! Why go and sit in a latrine pit instead?"

2.104

[The Master] cited: "Shishuang said: 'One must know there is a phrase of the separate transmission outside the teachings.' A monk asked: 'What is the phrase of the separate transmission outside the teachings?' Shuang said: 'It is a non-phrase.'" The Master said, "Only a non-phrase is the phrase."

2.105

[The Master] cited: "Dongshan said: 'One must know there is the matter beyond the Buddha.' A monk asked: 'What is the matter beyond the Buddha?' Shan said: 'Non-Buddha.'" The Master said, "It cannot be named, it cannot be depicted; therefore it is said to be 'non.'"

2.106

[The Master] cited: "Dongshan said: 'A great hero is untainted amidst the dust.'" The Master said, "The staff is only called a staff; everything is only called everything."

2.107

[The Master] cited: "'The dharmakāya is pure; all sounds and forms are entirely trivial talk.' Not getting involved in trivialities, what is purity?" He also said, "What is the dharmakāya?" The Master said, "The six do not contain it." He also said, "The thirty-three heavens, the twenty-eight lunar mansions."

2.108

[The Master] cited: "An ancient said: 'As my body is empty, all dharmas are empty; the thousands of kinds and myriad varieties are all identical.'" The Master said, "The body cannot be apprehended; how could all dharmas exist? Therefore the ancients said: 'The insentient have Buddha-nature.'" He also said, "The insentient are not called the dharmakāya expounding the Dharma."

2.109

The Master sometimes said, "When the light does not penetrate clearly, there are two kinds of sickness: nowhere is clear, and there is an object in front of one—this is the first. Again, having penetrated through the emptiness of all dharmas, yet dimly there seems to be something present—this too is the light not penetrating clearly. Also, the dharmakāya has two kinds of sickness: having attained the dharmakāya, because attachment to dharmas is not forgotten and one's own views still remain, one sits by the side of the dharmakāya—this is the first. Even if one penetrates through the dharmakāya, letting it pass by will not do; examining it closely, what trace of breath is there?—this too is a sickness."

2.110

[The Master] cited: "A monk asked the National Teacher: 'What is the fundamental body Rocana?' The National Teacher said: 'Bring the water bottle to this old monk.' The monk brought the water bottle. The National Teacher said: 'Put it back in its old place.' The monk took it and put it back in its old place, and came again to ask: 'What is the fundamental body Rocana?' The National Teacher said: 'The ancient Buddha passed away long ago.'" The Master said, "No trace or sign."

2.111

[The Master] cited: "A monk asked Guanxi: 'I have long yearned for Guanxi (Pouring Stream), but arriving here, I see only a hemp-retting pond.' Xi said: 'You only see the hemp-retting pond, and do not yet recognize Guanxi.' The monk said: 'What is Guanxi?' Xi said: 'Swift as a shot arrow.'" The Master said, "Why not answer him with the primary dynamic?"

2.112

[The Master] cited: "Army Supervisor Wei saw an ox butting a tree painted on a screen, and asked a monk: 'Does the ox butt the tree, or does the tree butt the ox?' There was no answer." The Master answered on his behalf, "Take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha."

2.113

[The Master] cited: "A veteran master asked a monk: 'I hear it said that Xuefeng has the dialogue on the ball; is that so?' The monk said: 'I have not seen it spoken of.' The master said: 'I heard it said that there is.' The monk said: 'It is just monks citing it at random.' The master said: 'What about the matter that is not cited at random?' There was no answer." The Master answered on his behalf, "I am newly arrived, and have not yet entered the hall."

2.114

[The Master] cited: "The Buddha asked a non-Buddhist: 'What does your doctrine take as its principle?'" The Master answered on behalf of the non-Buddhist, "This old upādhyāya, I recognize you!" "The non-Buddhist said: 'It takes non-acceptance of anything as its principle.'" On behalf of the Buddha, [the Master] said, "Letting a move pass." "The Buddha said: 'Do you take non-acceptance of anything as your principle?'" On behalf of the non-Buddhist, [the Master] said, "This Gautama, do not let him lose the question!"

2.115

[The Master] cited: "Xuefeng said: 'The whole great earth is you; did you think there is anything else?'" The Master said, "Have you not seen the Śūraṅgama Sūtra saying: 'Sentient beings are inverted, deluded about themselves and pursuing objects; if one can turn objects around, one is immediately identical to the Tathāgata'?"

2.116

[The Master] cited: "The teaching says: 'The quiescent aspect of all dharmas cannot be declared in words.'" The Master said, "Seeing clearly the talking right now, where is there speaking or not speaking? Have you not seen it said: going does not reach going; coming does not reach coming?"

2.117

[The Master] cited: "All tathatā contains everything." The Master said, "What do you call the mountains, rivers, and great earth?" He also said, "It is 'the empty aspect of all dharmas, neither arising nor ceasing, neither defiled nor pure.'"

2.118

The Master sometimes held up his staff, showed it to the assembly, and said, "The staff has transformed into a dragon and swallowed up heaven and earth; from where can the mountains, rivers, and great earth come?"

2.119

The Master sometimes drew a circle and said, "Is there anyone who can get out?"

2.120

[The Master] cited: "The teaching says: 'These dharmas abide in their dharma-positions; worldly aspects are permanently abiding.'" The Master said, "Where has Old Śākya gone?"

2.121

He cited: "A monk asked Touzi, 'What is this scripture?' Touzi said, 'The Vimalakīrti and the Lotus.' He also asked, 'How is it when a great man is undefiled amidst the dust?' Touzi said, 'He does not attach.'" The Master said, "It is not called the dharmakāya, nor is it called the ultimate truth; it is both expounding the Dharma and expounding true emptiness."

2.122

During a meal, the Master picked up a spoon and chopsticks and said, "I do not make offerings to southern monks; I only make offerings to northern monks." At the time, a monk asked, "Why do you not make offerings to southern monks?" The Master said, "I want to foil them." The monk said, "Why do you only make offerings to northern monks?" The Master said, "One arrow hits two targets." A monk brought this up and asked, "Just what was the former intention?" The Master said, "When it is good, we share the glory together."

2.123

The Master once struck an open pillar with his staff and said, "Can the three vehicles and twelve divisions of the teaching speak of this?" He himself said, "They cannot." He said again, "Bah, you wild-fox spirit!" A monk asked, "Just what is the Master's intention?" The Master said, "Mr. Zhang drinks wine, and Mr. Li gets drunk."

2.124

He cited: "An ancient said, 'There are words that startle people.'" A monk asked, "What are words that startle people?" The Master said, "An echo."

2.125

He cited: "The National Teacher said, 'Speaking of the gradual, it turns away from convention and accords with the Way; discussing the sudden, it leaves behind not a single trace.'" The Master said, "Picking up the mallet, raising the whisk, snapping the fingers—examining all such moments, they are still not without traces."

2.126

The Master sometimes held up his staff and said, "Killing and reviving heaven, earth, and the great world are entirely right here." A monk then asked, "What is killing?" The Master said, "Topsy-turvy." The monk said, "What is reviving?" The Master said, "Wanting to be the head cook." The monk said, "How is it when there is neither killing nor reviving?" The Master then arose and said, "Mahāprajñāpāramitā."

2.127

The Master sometimes said, "Meeting someone, there is function on the road." He then held up his staff and said, "The staff is not the road; speaking is not the road."

2.128

He cited: "'The dharmakāya eats food; the illusory empty body is itself the dharmakāya.'" The Master said, "Where do heaven, earth, and the great world exist? Not a single thing can be attained; with emptiness gorge on emptiness. If it is examined closely, would you imagine there ought to be such talk?"

2.129

He cited: "'The response and transformation bodies are not the true Buddha, nor are they the expounder of Dharma.'" The Master said, "The exposition of the response and transformation bodies is itself the exposition of the dharmakāya; it is also called facing the embodiment completely true, using the dharmakāya to eat the dharmakāya." He also said, "Rice is not the dharmakāya; the staff is not the dharmakāya."

2.130

The Master sometimes said, "In our school, freely in all directions, killing and reviving accord with the moment." A monk then asked, "What is killing?" The Master said, "Winter departs and spring arrives." The monk said, "How is it when winter departs and spring arrives?" The Master said, "Carrying a staff across the shoulder, freely hitting wild tree-stumps north, south, east, and west."

2.131

He instructed the assembly, saying: "Though you speak this way and that, you are not yet scions of the school. If based on a scion of the school, what hot-bowl ringing is this? The three vehicles and twelve divisions of the teaching speak of dreams; Bodhidharma coming from the West speaks of dreams. If an old master ascends the hall to expound the Dharma for others, taking a sharp knife and killing hundreds of thousands of them, what fault would there be?" He also said, "You would imagine there ought to be a principle for such talk."

2.132

The Master said one day, "Picking up the mallet and raising the whisk, snapping the fingers and raising the eyebrows, asking and answering—none of this matches the transcendental vehicle of the school." A monk then asked, "What is the transcendental vehicle of the school?" The Master said, "Down on earth in Jambudvīpa everyone can speak of it; but when holding court in the bustling market, on the butcher's chopping block, or among the worms in the privy, is there discourse that surpasses Buddhas and transcends Patriarchs?" The monk said, "Someone refuses to accept it." The Master said, "Someone refuses to accept it—you must not say it exists when discussed and does not exist when not discussed. If you understand the matter on the substance of those words, to speak frankly, you have not arrived, and your view is partial and withered."

2.133

The Master sometimes said, "I usually say: 'All sounds are the Buddha's voice, all forms are the Buddha's form, the entire great earth is the dharmakāya'—wasting effort making views within the Buddhadharma! Now, when seeing a staff, just call it a staff; when seeing a house, just call it a house."

2.134

The Master sometimes said, "Acting without action, using without use." He then held up his staff and said, "Were it not using without use, what would you call a staff?"

2.135

He cited: "Danxia said, 'The hundred bones all crumble away; one thing remains ever numinous.'" The Master said, "The staff cannot fail to be numinous. What do you call the hundred bones? Where did they come from?"

2.136

He cited: "'All the worthy and noble ones are distinguished by unconditioned phenomena.'" The Master said, "The staff is not an unconditioned phenomenon; everything is not an unconditioned phenomenon."

2.137

He cited: "Master Zhi said, 'The cock crows at the hour of chou; a single pearl's perfect radiance has long been bright.'" The Master said, "Behind your head I will not ask you about; say a phrase from three thousand li away!"

2.138

He cited: "Muzhou's calling a monk; the meaning of Zhaozhou's drinking tea and entering the water; Xuefeng's rolling the ball; Guizong's hauling a stone; the sutra-title's word 'yi'; the National Teacher's water bowl; the Arhat's writing characters; the birthplace of all Buddhas; the Eastern Mountain walking on water—all these are moments of the transcendental."

2.139

He instructed the assembly, saying: "Even if whatever meets the eye is without hindrance, and you thoroughly realize that name-bodies, phrase-bodies, and all phenomena are empty; that mountains, rivers, and the great earth are names, and names too are unobtainable; and that this is called possessing both the ocean of nature and samādhi—it is still ripples where there is no wind. Even if you forget knowledge in awakening, and awakening is indeed the Buddha-nature, so that you are called a person of no affairs, you must still know that there is a transcendental aperture."

2.140

The Master sometimes said, "In every place, there is nowhere that is not expounding the Dharma; when striking the bell and beating the drum, it cannot fail to be so. If so, every place is not existent, and every place is not non-existent." He also said, "You must not say it exists when spoken and does not exist when not spoken. In terms of direct presentation, it is not yet there; within the approach for helping others, it is permissible."

2.141

He cited: "'Samsāra and nirvāṇa merge into a single lump.'" He then picked up a fan and said, "What is not merged into a single lump? Being so clumsy! Even if it is so, it is still making a livelihood in a ghost cave."

2.142

He cited: "A monk asked Nanquan, 'Before Niutou saw the Fourth Patriarch, why did the hundred birds hold flowers in their beaks to offer him?' Nanquan said, 'At every step he trod the stairs of the Buddhas.' The monk said, 'Why did they not offer flowers after he saw him?' Nanquan said, 'Even if they did not come, he was still a thread's path away from Old Teacher Wang.'" The Master said, "Nanquan only knew how to ascend higher step by step; he did not know how to let go from emptiness." A monk said, "What is ascending higher step by step?" The Master said, "The World of Fragrant Accumulation." The monk said, "What is letting go from emptiness?" The Master said, "Filling the gullies and choking the ravines."

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雲門匡真禪師廣錄 — Classical Chinese