明覺禪師語錄 3

English (machine translation) 3

Language: English

3.1

Compiled by Disciple-in-Training Yuncheng and others

The Master brought up: "Deshan instructed the assembly, saying: 'Tonight I will not answer questions; anyone who asks a question gets thirty blows of the stick.' At that time a monk came forward and bowed. Deshan struck him at once. The monk said: 'I have not yet even asked a question!' Deshan said: 'Where are you from?' The monk said: 'A man of Silla.' Deshan said: 'Before you stepped on the gunwale of the boat, you should have been given thirty blows of the stick!' Fayan commented: 'Great or small Deshan, his talk is split into two halves.' Yuanming said: 'Great or small Deshan, a dragon's head and a snake's tail.'" The Master said: "Although the two elder masters were skilled at cutting the long to patch the short and letting go of the heavy to follow the light, if they wanted to see Deshan, they still could not. Why so? Deshan was very much like one who wields authority beyond the borders, possessing a sword that, when one ought to sever and does not sever, does not invite disorder. Do you people want to know the Silla monk? He was merely a blind fellow who collided with an exposed pillar."

3.4

He brought up: "One day during general labor, Xuefeng was carrying a bundle of vines on his back. Meeting a monk on the road, Xuefeng threw it down. Just as the monk was about to pick it up, Xuefeng kicked him over. Returning, he related this to Changsheng and said: 'I kicked that monk briskly today!' Changsheng said: 'The upādhyāya must enter the nirvāṇa hall on that monk's behalf before he will get it.' Xuefeng then dropped the matter." The Master said: "Changsheng was very much like someone mourning at the western house when someone dies at the eastern house; he also deserved a kick."

3.5

He brought up: "Baizhang visited Mazu a second time. While standing in attendance, Mazu looked with his eyes at the whisk on the corner of the meditation bed. Baizhang said: 'Identical to this function, detached from this function.' Mazu said: 'In the future, when you open your two lips, what will you use to help people?' Baizhang took the whisk and held it upright. Mazu said: 'Identical to this function, detached from this function.' Baizhang hung the whisk back in its former place. Mazu then gave a shout, leaving Baizhang deaf for three days." The Master said: "Remarkable, O Chan worthies! Nowadays, those who align with his lineage are very many, but those who investigate its source are extremely few; they all say that Baizhang attained great awakening under the shout. Is it really true or not? Yet, just as 'diao' and 'dao' resemble each other, and 'yu' and 'lu' are confused, if one is a clear-eyed fellow, you cannot deceive him in the slightest. Just take Mazu's saying 'In the future, when you open your two lips, what will you use to help people?'—when Baizhang held up the whisk, was it like an insect gnawing wood, or was it pecking from inside and tapping from outside simultaneously? Do you people want to understand the three days of deafness? Refined gold from the great forge should undergo no change in color."

3.6

He brought up: "Chongshou pointed to a stool and said: 'If you know the stool, it is all-encompassing and more than sufficient.' Yunmen said: 'If you know the stool, heaven and earth are suspended far apart.'" The Master said: "A vast marsh conceals a mountain; principle can subdue a leopard."

3.7

He brought up: "Great Master Yongjia arrived at the Sixth Patriarch's place. He walked around the meditation bed three times, shook his khakkhara once, and stood upright. The Patriarch said: 'A śramaṇa is endowed with three thousand dignified manners and eighty thousand subtle conducts; from where has the Great Worthy come, giving rise to such great arrogance?'" The Master then gave a shout and said: "If he had delivered this shout at that time, he would have avoided showing a dragon's head and a snake's tail." Again he brought up: "'He walked around the meditation bed three times, shook his khakkhara once, and stood upright.'" On behalf of the Patriarch, he said: "Before you arrived at Caoxi, you had already been given thirty blows of the stick!"

3.8

He brought up: "Yangshan pointed to a snow lion and said: 'Is there anything that surpasses this color?' Yunmen said: 'At that time, I would immediately have pushed it over.'" The Master said: "He only knew how to push it over, but could not help it up."

3.9

He brought up: "Xiangyan gave the teaching phrase: 'It is like a person up a tree, holding a branch in his mouth, his hands not grasping any branch, his feet not treading on the tree. Someone under the tree asks about the meaning of the [Patriarch's] coming from the west: if he does not answer, he fails the question; if he does answer, he loses his life. At such a time, what should he do?' Head Monk Hutou said, 'I do not ask about when he is up the tree; please, Upādhyāya, speak of before he climbs the tree.' Xiangyan laughed heartily, 'Ha, ha!'" The Master said, "Speaking from up the tree is easy; speaking from below the tree is hard. This old monk has climbed the tree: bring on a question!"

3.10

He brought up: "A monk asked Luzu, 'What is the word of non-speaking?' Zu said, 'Where is your mouth?' The monk said, 'I have no mouth.' Zu said, 'What do you eat rice with?' The monk was speechless." The Master said, "A good stick across the back! Fellow of this sort: once he opens his mouth, he cannot close it; once he closes his mouth, he cannot open it."

3.11

He brought up: "A monk asked Xuefeng, 'How is it when the cold spring is in the ancient torrent?' Feng said, 'Staring with open eyes, one cannot see the bottom.' The monk said, 'How is one who drinks it?' Feng said, 'It does not enter through the mouth.' The monk brought this up to Zhaozhou. Zhou said, 'It cannot enter through the nostrils.' The monk then asked Zhaozhou, 'How is it when the cold spring is in the ancient torrent?' Zhou said, 'Bitter.' The monk said, 'How is one who drinks it?' Zhou said, 'He dies.' When Xuefeng heard this brought up, he said, 'Zhaozhou is an ancient Buddha!' From then on he did not answer questions." The Master said, "People in the assembly all say that Xuefeng could not get out of this monk's question, which is why Zhaozhou did not approve. Understanding the words like this deeply wrongs the ancient ones. Xuedou is not like that: cutting through nail and severing iron—a true master of the fundamental role; descending to level the high—difficult for an adept."

3.12

He brought up: "A monk asked Upādhyāya Xitang, 'With question and answer, guest and host are distinct; how is it when there is neither question nor answer?' Tang said, 'Are you afraid it will rot away?' The monk asked Changqing, 'With question and answer, guest and host are distinct; how is it when there is neither question nor answer?' Qing said, 'When meeting, all say they will resign their posts; beneath the grove, when has one person ever been seen?'" The Master said, "Why not give him his proper provender?"

3.13

He brought up: "Linji instructed the assembly, saying: 'At my former master's place, I received sixty blows of the stick three times, like being brushed with mugwort stalks. Now I think of taking a thrashing of the stick: who will strike me?' A monk came forward from the assembly and said, 'I will strike.' Linji picked up the stick and offered it to the monk. As the monk was about to take it, [Linji] struck him." The Master said, "Where Linji let go was quite perilous; his drawing it back was too swift."

3.14

He brought up: "One day Qinshan ascended the hall, raised his fist, then opened it, saying: 'Opened, it is a palm; the five fingers are uneven.' Then he gripped it again, saying: 'Now it is a fist; there is surely neither high nor low. Is there still anything to discuss?' A monk came forward from the assembly and raised his fist. Shan said, 'You are merely a fellow without opening and closing.'" The Master said, "Xuedou is not like that." Thereupon he raised his fist and said, "Gripped, it is a fist; there is high and low." Then he opened it and said, "Opened, it becomes a palm; there is neither faction nor bias. And tell me: is opening up for people better, or holding fast for people better? Opening also builds the cart; gripping also fits the ruts. If you say, 'Building the cart behind closed doors, going out the door it fits the ruts,' I also know you are making a livelihood inside a ghost cave."

3.15

He brought up: "A monk asked Muzhou, 'How is it when one bows high to Śākyamuni and does not pay homage to Maitreya?' Zhou said, 'Yesterday someone asked, and I chased him out.' The monk said, 'The Upādhyāya fears I am not genuine.' Zhou said, 'My staff is not here; with a broom handle I'll give you thirty [blows] anyway.'" The Master said, "Muzhou only had the mind to accept the jade disc; he had no intention of ceding cities."

3.16

He brought up: "Zaoshu asked a monk, 'Where have you recently come from?' He said, 'The state of Han.' Shu said, 'Does the Son of Heaven still respect the Buddhadharma?' The monk said, 'Alas! Fortunately you asked me; had you asked someone else, misfortune would have arisen.' Shu said, 'Why so?' The monk said, 'People are not even seen; what Buddhadharma could there be to respect?' Shu said, 'How many summers has the ācārya been ordained?' The monk said, 'Twenty summers.' Shu said, 'Excellent: not seeing anyone!' and then struck him." The Master said, "This monk took the stick, yet having left he would not return; though Zaoshu's order was carried out, what can be done when waves arise where there is no wind?"

3.17

He brought up: "Zhaozhou asked an old woman, 'Where are you going?' She said, 'Going to steal Zhaozhou's bamboo shoots.' Zhou said, 'What if you suddenly run into Zhaozhou?' The old woman slapped him; Zhou then ceased." The Master said, "A good slap! Even if she had struck him with two more slaps, he would have had nowhere to interrogate her."

3.18

He brought up: "On the day Baoshou opened his hall, Sansheng pushed forward a monk. Shou struck him. Sheng said, 'Acting for people like this blinds the eyes of the people of the whole city of Zhenzhou!' Shou then returned to the abbot's quarters." The Master said, "Although Baoshou and Sansheng brought forth Linji's Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, they only knew how to proclaim themselves supreme where there is no Buddha. At that time, if this monk had been a [real] fellow, the moment he was pushed forward he would have overturned the meditation platform; even if Baoshou had displayed his full dynamic function, he would still have fallen short by three thousand miles."

3.19

He brought up: "A monk asked Mazu Wuye, 'What is the Buddha?' He said, 'Do not have deluded thoughts.'" The Master said, "Plugging up his nostrils!" "He also asked, 'What is the Buddha?' He said, 'Mind itself is Buddha.'" The Master said, "Prop up your tongue!"

3.20

He brought up: "A monk asked Deshan, 'Where have the sages from antiquity on gone?' Shan said, 'What? What?' The monk said, 'The imperial order called for flying dragon steeds, but a lame turtle sticks its head out.' Shan then ceased. The next day, when Shan came out from bathing, that monk served tea and brought it up to Deshan. Shan patted the monk's back once; the monk said, 'This old fellow has only just caught a glimpse.'" The Master said, "Yet fine gold refined a hundred times requires a proper hammer and tongs. Since Deshan measured another by himself, this monk also suffered wrong." Drawing a line with his staff, he said, "Let the preceding public case be set aside for now: where have the sages from antiquity on gone?" The great assembly hesitated; the Master struck and drove them out all at once.

3.21

He brought up: "While Baofu was slicing a melon, Head Monk Fu of Taiyuan arrived. Fu said, 'If you can speak, I will give you melon to eat.' Fu said, 'Hand it over.' Baofu handed a slice of melon to Fu; Fu took it and left at once." The Master said, "Although it is a dead snake, if one knows how to play with it, it is alive. Who is a skilled hand? Please try to discern it."

3.22

He brought up: "Nanquan instructed the assembly, saying: 'The Way is not outside things; outside things is not the Way.' Zhaozhou came forward and asked, 'What is the Way outside things?' Nanquan struck him. Zhou said, 'Upādhyāya, do not strike me; hereafter you will wrongly strike people.' Quan said, 'Dragons and snakes are easy to discern, but patch-robed monks are difficult to deceive.'" The Master said, "Zhaozhou was like a dragon without horns, like a snake with feet. At that time, had [Nanquan] paid him no heed—when the law is applied to the utmost, no subjects remain—he should simply have driven him out after thrashing him with the stick."

3.23

He brought up: "Dongshan came to Yunmen. Men asked, 'Where have you recently come from?' Shan said, 'Chadu.' Men said, 'Where did you spend the summer?' Shan said, 'Baoci in Hunan.' Men said, 'When did you leave?' Shan said, 'Eighth month of last year.' Men said, 'I let you off three thrashings of the stick.' The next day Dongshan went up to pay his respects: 'Yesterday I received the Upādhyāya letting me off three thrashings of the stick; I do not know where my fault lay.' Men said, 'Rice bag! Traversing Jiangxi and Hunan like that!' At this Dongshan was greatly awakened." The Master said, "Yunmen's bearing was like a king's: when pressed, he melted like ice and shattered like tiles. At that time, had he acted according to the order, his descendants would not yet have come to an end."

3.24

He brought up: "A monk called upon Great Master Ma. The Master drew a circle and said, 'If you enter, I strike; if you do not enter, I strike.' The monk entered, and the Master struck. The monk said, 'The Upādhyāya cannot strike me.' The Great Master leaned his staff aside and ceased." The Master said, "Neither of them understood thoroughly. 'The Upādhyāya cannot strike me'—leaning his staff aside: before he can hesitate, hit him across the back!"

3.25

He brought up: "Xinghua said to Rector Kebin, 'Before long you will be the leader in expounding the Way.' Bin said, 'I do not join this commune.' Hua said, 'Do you not join having understood, or do you not join not having understood?' Bin said, 'It has no connection.' Hua struck him and said, 'Rector Kebin has lost the Dharma battle; he is fined five strings of cash to provide a meal of boiled rice.' The next day at mealtime, Xinghua himself sounded the mallet and said, 'Rector Kebin has lost the Dharma battle; he is not allowed to eat rice,' and immediately drove him out." The Master said, "Kebin wished to be Xinghua's heir; setting aside the fine and expulsion from the monastery, he ought to have demanded back that thrashing of the stick. And I ask you all: having taken the stick, how would he demand it back? Xuedou wishes to settle an unfair affair, and tonight will clear Rector Kebin's grievance." He dispersed them all at once with his staff.

3.26

He brought up: "A monk asked Changqing, 'When many hands pan for gold, who gets it?' Qing said, 'The one with skill gets it.' The monk said, 'Does the student get it too?' Qing said, 'Far from it.'" The Master, on behalf of the monk, [said]: "He should have shouted right then!" Then he said, "The one with skill gets it—entrusted with one hand; the one with skill does not get it—entrusted with both hands. 'Does the student get it too?' Blue sky! Blue sky!"

3.27

He brought up: "Daci instructed the assembly, saying: 'This mountain monk does not know how to answer questions; he only diagnoses sickness.' At that time a monk came forward, and Daci returned to the abbot's quarters." The Master said, "Generally, upholding the ancestral vehicle requires discerning gain and loss. Now, Daci diagnosed sickness and did not answer questions; when a monk came forward, he returned to the abbot's quarters. Xuedou diagnoses sickness and does not answer questions; if a monk comes forward, [I] strike him across the back! Everywhere they diagnose sickness and do not answer questions; if a monk comes forward, they must surely have some other merit. If anyone dares make a move: the Son of Heaven of the Great Tang is only three people."

3.28

He brought up: "Zhaozhou arrived at Huangbo's. Huangbo saw him coming and closed the abbot's quarters. Zhou said, 'Fire! Fire!' Huangbo came out, seized him, and said, 'Speak! Speak!' Zhou said, 'Drawing the bow after the thief has passed.'" The Master said, "Truly laughable! A laugh must last thirty years. If a patch-robed monk suddenly asks, 'What is Xuedou laughing at?'—laughing at drawing the bow after the thief has passed."

3.29

He cited: "A monk asked Jingqing, 'This student has not yet reached the source; I beg the Master for an upāya.' Qing said, 'What source is it?' [The monk] said, 'The source.' Qing said, 'If it is the source, how could it receive an upāya?'" The Master said, "Steeped in dead water, what use is it? The attendant asked, 'Did you just now strip him of his clothes?' Qing said, 'No.' The attendant said, 'Did you not strip him of his clothes?' Qing said, 'No.' The attendant said, 'What was the upādhyāya's venerable meaning?' Qing said, 'A single drop of ink forms dragons in two places.'" The Master said, "That is somewhat better. It is not that Xuedou diminishes Jingqing's majestic light; I wish to meet this monk: 'What source is it?' 'The source'—thirty years later, I would give you thirty blows of the stick!"

3.30

He cited: "A monk asked Xianglin, 'What is the matter under the patch-robe?' Lin said, 'In the twelfth lunar month, fire burns the mountain.'" The Master said, "'In the twelfth lunar month fire burns the mountain,' / in ten thousand kinds and a thousand sorts: / perched on the pine, the crane is cold; / treading on snow, the person is chilled. / Bodhidharma did not understand; / vastly difficult, vastly difficult!"

3.31

He cited: "Upādhyāya Benren addressed the assembly, saying: 'Usually I do not wish to manipulate other people's sons and daughters before sound and after phrase. Why is this? Furthermore, sound is not sound, and form is not form.' At that time a monk asked, 'How is it that sound is not sound?' Ren said, 'Can it be called form?' [The monk] said, 'How is it that form is not form?' Ren said, 'Can it be called sound?' The monk bowed. Ren said, 'Now tell me: did I explain for you, or did I answer your words? If someone can discern this, they have an entry point.'" The Master said, "Benren was also quite extraordinary; yet coveting a look at the heavens, since it is not 'before sound and after phrase,' just how does one enter?"

3.32

He cited: "Yunmen addressed the assembly, saying: 'When the old barbarian was born, he pointed one hand to heaven and one hand to earth, walked seven paces around, looked in the four directions, and said, "In the heavens and below the heavens, I alone am the honored one." Had I seen him at that time, I would have beaten him to death with a single stick and fed him to the dogs, all for the sake of peace under heaven.'" The Master said, "Then I would have overturned his meditation bed!"

3.33

He cited: "The National Teacher called his attendant three times—where pointed to, he did not reach. The attendant answered three times—reaching it, he did not point. 'I thought I had failed you, but who knew you failed me?' You cannot fool Xuedou. Yunmen said, 'How did the National Teacher fail the attendant?' Understanding it is also groundless." The Master said, "It turns out he did not understand! How did the attendant fail the National Teacher? 'Though my bones be powdered and my body smashed, I could not repay it.'" The Master said, "Groundless, groundless!"

3.34

He again cited: "A monk asked Touzi, 'The National Teacher called his attendant three times—what was the meaning?' Touzi said, 'Why coerce someone?'" The Master said, "A fellow rooted to the spot. A monk asked Xinghua; Hua said, 'One blind person leads a multitude of blind people.'" The Master said, "Truly blind. A monk asked Xuansha; Sha said, 'The attendant actually understood.'" The Master said, "Holding a prisoner breeds cunning. A monk asked Zhaozhou; Zhou said, 'Like a person writing characters in the dark: though the characters are not formed, the literary brilliance is already manifest.'" The Master then gave a shout. "A monk asked Xuedou; Xuedou struck him at once—also requiring examination by all quarters." He then composed a verse: "When teacher and disciple meet, the intention is not light; / with nothing to do, they lead each other walking in the grass. / 'Failing you' and 'failing me'—let no one ask; / let all under heaven contend at the forefront as they will."

3.35

He cited: "A monk asked Upādhyāya Zhimen, 'What is the Buddha?' He said, 'Wearing out straw sandals, walking barefoot.' The monk said, 'What is the matter beyond the Buddha?' He said, 'On the tip of the staff, carrying the sun and the moon.'" The Master said, "A thousand soldiers are easy to find, but a single general is hard to seek."

3.36

He cited: "Master Zu asked Nanquan, '"The maṇi jewel, people do not know; personally gathered within the tathāgatagarbha." What is the tathāgatagarbha?' [Nanquan] said, 'Old Master Wang coming and going with you is the garbha.'" The Master said, "A fellow in the grass." "Zu said, 'What about that which does not come and does not go?' [Nanquan] said, 'That too is the garbha.'" The Master said, "Adding frost on top of snow." "Zu said, 'What is the jewel?'" The Master said, "Perilous! Performing tricks atop a hundred-foot pole is not the mark of a master hand. If one can set an eye here, host and guest interchanging, one can deeply enter the tiger's cave. If not so, even though Master Zu were enlightened, he would still be a fellow with a dragon's head and a snake's tail."

3.37

He cited: "A monk bowed to Xuefeng; Feng struck him five blows with the stick. The monk said, 'What fault does this one have?' Feng struck him another five blows." The Master said, "Xuedou has never engaged in entanglements with others: the first five blows, the sun shines as heaven looks down; the latter five blows, clouds rise and bring forth rain. If you can discern this, it would be well to give you five blows too."

3.38

He cited: "Great Master Ma ordered Zhizang to carry a letter up to Jingshan. Jingshan received the letter, opened it, saw a circle, and put a dot inside it. The National Teacher heard of this, cited it, and said, 'Master Qin was still deluded by Master Ma.'" The Master said, "Setting aside Jingshan being deluded, if it were presented to the National Teacher, what other trick would he have used to avoid being deluded? An old elder said, 'He should simply have sat on it at that time and stopped.' Another said, 'He should just have slashed through it.' If so, that is merely not recognizing it. Dare I ask: do the old masters of all quarters each possess vajra eyes and extensively display spiritual transformations—can they still avoid it? As for Xuedou's insight, I also want everyone to know: just that Master Ma drew it at that time, he was already deluded himself!"

3.39

He cited: "Jingqing asked a monk, 'Zhaozhou said, "Go drink tea"—how do you understand it?' The monk immediately walked out. Qing said, 'Learning to walk like someone in Handan.'" The Master said, "This monk was not a person of Handan; why did he learn the gait of Tang? If you can discern this, I will give you tea to drink."

3.40

He cited: "A monk asked Yunmen, 'What is the matter beyond the dharmakāya?' [Yunmen] said, 'To speak to you of what is beyond is not difficult, but how do you understand the dharmakāya?' The monk said, 'Please, upādhyāya, examine it.' [Yunmen] said, 'Setting aside examination, how do you understand the dharmakāya?' The monk said, 'Like this, like this?' [Yunmen] said, 'This is what you learned on the long continuous platform beds. Let me ask you: does the dharmakāya still eat food?' The monk had no words." The Master said, "About to complete a nine-fathom mountain, yet not adding the last basket of earth—where is the fault?"

3.41

He cited: "Zhaozhou visited Zhuyu. As soon as he entered the Dharma hall, Zhuyu said, 'Watch the arrow!' Zhou also said, 'Watch the arrow!' Zhuyu said, 'Passed.' Zhou said, 'Hit.'" The Master said, "Both are adepts, because they are Zhuyu and Zhaozhou; neither is an adept, because the arrowheads did not meet point to point. Even if they released together and hit together, they would merely be fellows shooting at targets."

3.42

He cited: "Linji and Puhua went to a donor's house for a meal. Linji asked, 'A hair swallowing the great ocean, a mustard seed containing Mount Sumeru—is this the wondrous function of spiritual penetrations, or is it phenomena being naturally as they are?' Puhua kicked over the meal table. Linji said, 'Far too coarse!' Puhua said, 'What place is this to speak of coarse and fine?' Linji let it rest. On the following day, they again went together to a donor's meal. Linji asked again, 'How does today's offering compare to yesterday's?' Puhua again kicked over the meal table. Linji said, 'Far too coarse!' Puhua said, 'Blind fellow! In the Buddhadharma, what talk is there of coarse and fine?' Linji stuck out his tongue." The Master said, "Two old thieves, cannot even finish eating a meal; they deserve twenty blows of the stick. Although the stick is applied, which one is the true thief?"

3.43

He cited: "Sanjiao addressed the assembly, saying: 'If one discusses this matter, raising an eyebrow is already missing it.' Magu came forward and said, 'Setting aside missing it, what is this matter?' Jiao said, 'Missing it.' Magu then overturned the meditation bed. Sanjiao struck him." The Master said, "Two fellows with heads but no tails! Before their eyebrows were ever raised, what talk is there of missing this matter?" A monk asked, "Why were the eyebrows not raised?" The Master struck him at once.

3.44

He cited: "Muzhou called to a monk, 'Virtuous One!' The monk turned his head. Zhou said, 'A fellow carrying a board.'" The Master said, "Muzhou possessed only one eye. Why? Since this monk turned his head when called, why on the contrary did he become a board-carrier?"

3.45

He cited: "Yantou visited Deshan. Striding across the threshold, he asked at once, 'Is it common or sacred?' Deshan gave a shout; Yantou bowed. Dongshan heard of this, cited it, and said, 'Were it not for master Huo, it would have been vastly difficult to take on.' Yantou said, 'Old man Dongshan does not recognize good from bad; at that time, with one hand I lifted and with one hand I suppressed.'" The Master said, "Be that as it may, under Deshan's gate the grass bends with the wind, yet after all it cannot stop people's mouths. At that time, as soon as he bowed, he should have struck him across the back: not only cutting off Dongshan, but also subduing old Huo. Do you understand? 'General Li has a splendid reputation, / but failing to be enfiefed as a marquis, it is also in vain.'"

3.46

He cited: "Baling addressed the assembly: 'The Patriarch said: "It is not the wind moving, it is not the banner moving." Since it is neither banner nor wind, where does one place it? If anyone can take charge for the Patriarch, come forth and meet Baling.'" The Master said, "Xuedou says: 'Wind moves, banner moves—since it is wind and banner, where does one place it? If anyone can take charge for Baling, also come forth and meet Xuedou!'"

3.47

He cited: "While Zechuan and Layman Pang were picking tea, the Layman said, 'The dharmadhātu does not admit one's body; does the Master still see me?' Chuan said, 'Were it not for this old teacher, I would have answered Layman Pang's words.' The Layman said, 'Having questions and answers is merely ordinary.' Chuan paid no attention. The Layman said, 'Just now, do not blame me for asking, will you?' Chuan also paid no attention. The Layman shouted and said, 'This ill-mannered fellow! Wait until I report it one by one to clear-eyed people.' Chuan took up the tea basket and returned." The Master said, "Zechuan only understood how to guard his borders; he could not live and die together [with him]. At that time, he should have pulled off his headcloth—who would dare call him Layman Pang?"

3.48

He cited: "A monk asked Yunmen, 'What is it like when a single word expresses it completely?' Yunmen said, 'Torn to pieces.'" The Master snapped his fingers three times.

3.49

He cited: "A monk asked Muzhou, 'What is it like when a single word expresses it completely?' Zhou said, 'This old monk is in your alms-bowl bag.'" The Master gave a hearty laugh.

3.50

He cited: "Upādhyāya Bensheng instructed the assembly with his staff, saying, 'If I hold it up, you immediately form doctrines about the time before it was held up; if I do not hold it up, you immediately assume control at the time it is held up. Tell me, where is this old monk helping people?' At that time a monk came forward and said, 'I dare not recklessly fabricate complications.' Sheng said, 'I also know that the ācārya does not step beyond bounds.' The monk said, 'Where it is low, leveling it leaves more than enough; where it is high, viewing it falls short.' Sheng said, 'Upon complications, complications are created yet again.' The monk had nothing to say. Sheng said, 'Covering one's nose while stealing incense only incurs guilt in vain.'" The Master [Mingjue] said, "This monk was indeed skilled at cut-and-thrust, yet what could be done when his bow broke and his arrows were exhausted? Even so, Bensheng was an adept ancestral teacher: when he held it up, heaven revolved and earth turned—one ought to fold one's hands and surrender; when he set it down, grass bent as the wind blew—one must certainly protect one's whole body and keep out of harm's way. Do you see where Bensheng helped people or not?" The Master held up his staff again and said, "Great peace was originally brought about by the general, yet the general is not permitted to see great peace."

3.51

He cited: "A monk asked Xuefeng, ''A śrāvaka's seeing nature is like seeing the moon at night; a bodhisattva's seeing nature is like seeing the sun by day.' I wonder, how is the Upādhyāya's seeing nature?' Xuefeng struck him three times. The monk asked Yantou again, and Yantou gave him three slaps." The Master said, "Prescribing medicine according to the disease, he provisionally gave him three blows; if executed according to the directive, how many strikes should he receive?"

3.52

He cited: "Senior Monk Fu of Taiyuan called upon Xuefeng. Arriving at the Dharma Hall, he looked around; Xuefeng then looked down toward the administrative monks. The Master [Mingjue] said, 'An adept ancestral teacher of fifteen hundred people, with just one glance from Old Fu, immediately raised high the flag of surrender.' Fu entered the Abbot's quarters the next day and said, 'Yesterday I offended the Upādhyāya.' Xuefeng said, 'Knowing it is such an affair, then let it rest.' The Master said, 'Indeed.' A monk asked Yunmen, 'What was the place of offense?' Yunmen immediately struck him." The Master said, "Even if one struck hundreds of thousands, what use would it be? Only when everyone in the whole earth takes the stick can Xuefeng be truly sustained. Tell me, what kind of eye did Fu of Taiyuan possess?"

3.53

He cited: "Anguo asked a monk, ''Attained in the mind, the eraṇḍa becomes a sandalwood tree; lost in the principle, amṛta turns into a garden of caltrops.' I want a statement that possesses both senses of gain and loss.' The monk raised his fist and said, 'It must not be called a fist.' Anguo said, 'Only because it is called a fist.'" The Master said, "A fellow who binds himself without a rope—he doesn't even recognize a fist."

3.54

He cited: "A monk asked Great Master Yunmen for instruction regarding Xuansha's dialogue on the three kinds of sick people. Yunmen said, 'Make your prostrations.' When the monk finished prostrating and stood up, Yunmen thrust at him with his staff. The monk stepped back. Yunmen said, 'You do not suffer from blindness.' He called him forward again; the monk stepped forward. Yunmen said, 'You do not suffer from deafness.' He then said, 'Do you understand?' The monk said, 'I do not understand.' Yunmen said, 'You do not suffer from muteness.' At this, the monk had an awakening." The Master then gave a shout and said, "This blind, deaf, and mute fellow—had it not been for Yunmen, he would have had to wait until the year of the donkey! Nowadays, there are those who pay no heed even when one raises the mallet or erects the whisk, and when told to step forward, they do not come. Do you understand? Can the other quarters do nothing with you? If Xuedou does not do anything with you, what are you bunch of donkeys good for?" Using his staff, he drove them all away at once.

3.55

He cited: "A monk asked Xiangyan, 'What is the king asking for saindhava?' Xiangyan said, 'Come over here.'" The Master said, "Dull-witted enough to kill someone. A monk asked Zhaozhou, 'What is it when the king asks for saindhava?' Zhaozhou bowed low with hands clasped." The Master said, "When salt is asked for, presenting a horse."

3.56

He cited: "Gushan instructed the assembly, saying, 'If we discuss this matter, it is like a single sword.' At that time a monk asked, 'I have received the Upādhyāya's words: "If we discuss this matter, it is like a single sword." The Upādhyāya is a dead corpse; the student is a dead corpse. What is the sword?' Gushan said, 'Drag out this dead corpse.' The monk assented, returned to his robes and bowl, packed up his luggage, and left. In the evening, Gushan asked the head monk, 'Is the monk who asked the question still here?' The head monk said, 'He left immediately at that time.' Gushan said, 'He deserves twenty blows of the stick.'" The Master said, "The veteran masters of the various quarters all say that Gushan lost an eye; they little know that under heavy reward there must be brave men. Even so, if closely scrutinized, inevitably both are buried at once."

3.57

He cited: "Muzhou asked Senior Wuling, ''Comprehended, the tip of a hair swallows the great ocean; then one knows the great earth is a single speck of dust.' How about it?' He said, 'Whom is the Upādhyāya asking?' Muzhou said, 'I am asking the Senior.' He said, 'Why not receive the words?' Muzhou said, 'I do not receive the words? Or you do not receive the words?'" The Master said, "Fallen, fallen!" He added, "This tangled-vine old fellow deserves to be cut off clean." Holding up his staff, he said, "Where did it go?"

3.58

He cited: "While Yangshan was sitting, Dachanfo arrived, lifted one foot, and said, 'The twenty-eight patriarchs of the Western Heavens were also like this; the six patriarchs of the Tang land were also like this; the Upādhyāya is also like this; I am also like this.' Yangshan came down from the meditation seat and struck him with four blows of the rattan rod." The Master said, "Before the rattan rod broke, why did he give only four blows? One must be a fellow who cuts through nails and shears through iron to carry it off. Later Dachan arrived at Huoshan and said of himself, 'Under Jiyun Peak, four rattan rods—the great Dachanfo of the realm paid homage.' Huoshan said, 'Strike the bell!' Dachan immediately ran away." The Master said, "Though this fellow saw the opportunity and transformed, what could be done when he had a head but no tail?"

3.59

He cited: "Xuansha and Tianlong entered the mountains and saw a tiger. Long said, 'Ahead is a tiger.' Sha said, 'It is you.'" The Master said, "If one wants to be a teacher of humans and devas: ahead is truly a tiger."

3.60

He cited: "Beneath Mount Nanquan there was a hermit. An itinerant monk passed by and said to the hermit, 'Recently Upādhyāya Nanquan has appeared in the world; why not go pay homage?' The hermit said, 'Not only Nanquan—even if a thousand Buddhas arose, I still could not go.' When Nanquan heard this, he ordered Zhaozhou to go inspect him. When Zhaozhou saw him, he paid homage; the hermit paid no attention. Zhaozhou crossed from west to east; the hermit still paid no attention. Zhaozhou crossed again from east to west; the hermit still paid no attention. Zhaozhou said, 'The grass-bandits have suffered a great defeat!' He pulled down the screen and left. Returning, he related it to Nanquan. Nanquan said, 'I have always suspected this fellow.'" The Master said, "Great and small Nanquan and Zhaozhou were seen through by a fellow carrying a board!"

3.61

He cited: "A monk asked Fengxue, 'Speech and silence involve transcendence and subtlety; how can one penetrate without transgression?' Fengxue said, 'I always remember the third month south of the river, / Where the partridges cry and a hundred flowers are fresh.' A monk once asked Xuedou, and I said to him, 'Cleaving the belly and gouging out the heart—how about that then?'" He added, "Blowing on the fire along with the wind is another household; pitying the turtle while harming the softshell turtle must certainly have an owner."

3.62

He cited: "Yantou, Xuefeng, and Qinshan arrived at Deshan. Qinshan asked, 'Tianhuang spoke like this, Longtan spoke like this; I wonder, how does Deshan speak?' Deshan said, 'Try citing the words of Tianhuang and Longtan for me to see.' Qinshan hesitated; Deshan struck him at once. Having been struck, Qinshan returned to the Longevity Hall and said, 'Though it is so, he struck me terribly hard.' Yantou said, 'If you are like this, in the future you must not say you have seen Deshan.'" The Master said, "Venerable Chan practitioners, Qinshan presented an opening question that was extremely extraordinary, yet what could be done about having a dragon's head and a snake's tail? When Deshan said, 'Try citing the words of Tianhuang and Longtan for me to see,' Qinshan should have struck him with his sitting cloth—for a great man to stroke the tiger's whiskers is also within his duty. Since he was incapable, Deshan executed only half the directive; had the directive been fully executed, Xuefeng and Yantou would both be fellows in the Nirvāṇa Hall."

3.63

He cited: "A monk asked Upādhyāya Zhimen, 'What is the substance of prajñā?' Zhimen said, 'The clam conceals the bright moon.' The monk said, 'What is the function of prajñā?' Zhimen said, 'The rabbit conceives.'" The Master said, "Not only holding the world firm, but also pacifying the nation. If you are skilled at investigating this, then please stride alone across the red dawn."

3.64

He cited: "At Wujiu, the two senior monks Xuan and Shao arrived. Wujiu said, 'Two elder Chan monks, where have you recently departed from?' They said, 'Jiangxi.' Wujiu immediately struck them. A monk said, 'I have long heard that the Upādhyāya has this crucial mechanism.' Wujiu said, 'Since you do not understand, let the second one step forward.' The monk hesitated; Wujiu struck him as well and said, 'In the same pit there is no different earth; go join the hall!'" The Master said, "The eyes of an ancestral teacher must reach such a state; nowadays they flap their wings over the sea of karmic suffering to directly seize and swallow dragons. There is a sort of fellow whose eyes cannot discern east from west, whose staff does not know upside-down, yet who continually speak of illumination and function occurring simultaneously, or taking away both person and environment."

3.65

He cited: "A monk took leave of Dasui. Dasui asked, 'Where are you going?' The monk said, 'To Mount Emei to pay homage to Samantabhadra.' Dasui held up his whisk and said, 'Mañjuśrī and Samantabhadra are both right here.' The monk drew a circle and tossed it behind his back. Dasui said, 'Attendant, bring a packet of tea to this monk.' Yunmen provided an alternate phrase: 'In the Western Heavens heads are cut off and arms are severed; here, lead yourself out.'" The Master said, "The sword that kills people, the sword that gives people life—let those with eyes discern it."

3.66

He cited: "Xuefeng asked a monk, 'I hear that the Bhadanta once served as an imperial envoy; is that so?' He said, 'I dare not [claim so].' Xuefeng said, 'How could you manage to come like this?' The monk said, 'Admiring your virtue and the Way, how could I shrink from mountain passes?' Xuefeng said, 'You are still drunk; get out.' The monk then went out. Xuefeng then called out, 'Bhadanta!' The monk turned his head. Xuefeng said, 'What is it?' The monk also said, 'What is it?' Xuefeng said, 'This lacquer bucket.' The monk had nothing to say. Xuefeng then looked back toward Jingqing and said, 'A fine monk, yet he made an effort inside a lacquer bucket.' Qing said, 'Isn't the Upādhyāya closing the case based on the confession?' Xuefeng said, 'It is also what I ordinarily use. If suddenly upon calling him back to ask "What is it?", I were called a lacquer bucket by him, what then?' Qing said, 'What sense would that make?' Xuefeng said, 'When I addressed him like that, you said I closed the case based on the confession. When he addressed me like that, you said, "What sense would that make?" Though equally a "What is it?" occasion, in between there is attainment and non-attainment.' Qing said, 'Haven't you heard it said: "The supreme flavor of daigo is treasured by the world, but encountering such a person, it turns instead into poison"?'" The Master said, "Look at how father and son accord with each other, their words and tone harmonizing. Those who know say that though bones be pulverized and bodies shattered, such benevolence is difficult to repay; those who do not know say that they elevate the high and suppress the low, frightening people on the brink of peril. Poison and daigo—a mirror for a thousand ages. Do you understand? You lacquer buckets!"

3.67

[The Master] cited: "A monk asked Damei, 'What is the meaning of the Patriarch coming from the West?' Damei said, 'Coming from the West, there is no meaning.' The monk recounted this to Yanguan, who said, 'One coffin, two corpses.' Xuansha heard this and cited it, saying, 'Yanguan is an adept.'" The Master said, "Three would do as well."

3.68

[The Master] cited: "Yunmen asked a monk from Silla, 'Where are you from?' The monk said, 'A man of Silla.' Yunmen said, 'What did you cross the sea with?' The monk said, 'The grass-bandits have suffered a great defeat.' Yunmen said, 'Why are you in my hands?' The monk said, 'Precisely so.' Yunmen said, 'You may leap and caper as you please.'" The Master said, "The old fellow Yunmen had a dragon's head and a snake's tail; he let this monk off. Why? 'In my hands'—'precisely so' should have been met with a strike right across the spine!"

3.69

[The Master] cited: "Beichan asked a monk, 'Where have you recently left?' The monk said, 'Huangzhou.' Chan said, 'Where did you spend the summer retreat?' The monk said, 'Zifu.' Chan said, 'With what do you assist blessings (zifu)?' The monk said, 'Twofold public cases.' Chan said, 'Yet you are in my hands.' The monk said, 'If I am in your hands, take me in.' Chan struck him at once; the monk was not satisfied, and [Chan] chased him out on the spot." The Master said, "Strange! It seems almost the action of one who surpasses the teacher. Yet do you know this monk? He only knows how to covet what is ahead, unable to look to what is behind. If he were in Xuedou's hands, even if the stick broke, I still would not let him off!"

3.70

[The Master] cited: "Muzhou instructed the assembly: 'I saw Baizhang, who did not recognize good from bad. As soon as the assembly gathered, he would drive them all out with his staff at once. Then he would call to them again; when the assembly turned their heads, Baizhang would say: "What is it?" What was there to converse about with them? When Upādhyāya Huangbo's assembly had just gathered, he would drive them all out with his staff at once. Then he would call to them again; when the assembly turned their heads, Huangbo would say: "The moon resembles a curved bow; little rain, much wind." That was somewhat better.'" The Master said, "Why speak of 'somewhat better'? It was simply far from it. If it were up to Xuedou, when the assembly gathered, I would drive them all out at once and be done with it. Or if there were an iron hammer without a hole, exerting its strength for the assembly, well able to shoulder the load, it could blanket the ancient and modern and shut off heaven and earth." The Master suddenly took up his staff and said, "Letting this one move pass."

3.71

[The Master] cited: "Xuansha saw Gushan coming and drew a circle. Gushan said, 'No one can get out of this.' Xuansha said, 'I knew well you were making a livelihood inside a donkey's womb and a horse's belly.' Gushan said, 'What about the Upādhyāya?' Xuansha said, 'No one can get out of this.' Gushan said, 'The Upādhyāya can say so—why can I not?' Xuansha said, 'I can, you cannot.'" The Master said, "He only knew to covet the sight of the white waves, not realizing he had lost the oar from his hands."

3.72

[The Master] cited: "Nanquan instructed the assembly, saying, 'Old Teacher Wang is going to sell his body; is there anyone who will buy it?' A monk came forward from the assembly and said, 'I will buy it.' Nanquan said, 'Neither setting a high price nor setting a low price, how will you buy it?' The monk had no words. Wolong spoke in his place: 'The Upādhyāya belongs to me.' Heshan said, 'What principle is this?' Zhaozhou said, 'Next year I will make a cloth shirt for the Upādhyāya.'" The Master said, "Though adepts vied to buy it, they still did not understand how to lose the advantage. Tell me, did Nanquan approve or not? Xuedou also intended to offer a price, leaving Nanquan nowhere to advance and no ground to retreat: neither setting a high price nor setting a low price, how will you buy it? No other place can accommodate the Upādhyāya."

3.73

[The Master] cited: "Zhuyu took a bamboo stake, ascended the hall, and said, 'Is there anyone who can drive a stake into empty space?' At that time, Senior Lingxu came forward and said, 'Empty space is the stake.' Zhuyu struck him at once. Xu said, 'Do not mistakenly strike me.' Zhuyu stopped." The Master said, "If this story is to prevail widely, one should have struck him and chased him straight out."

3.74

[The Master] cited: "Jiashan and Dingshan were traveling together. While conversing, Dingshan said, 'If within birth-and-death there is no Buddha, then there is no birth-and-death.' Jiashan said, 'If within birth-and-death there is a Buddha, one is not deluded by birth-and-death.' Neither consenting to the other, they went together to Damei. After meeting him, they fully recounted the preceding matter. Jiashan asked, 'I do not know which is intimate and which is distant?' Damei said, 'One is intimate, one is distant.' Shan asked again, 'Which is intimate?' Damei said, 'Go for now; come tomorrow.' On the next day, Jiashan came and asked again, 'I do not know which is intimate?' Damei said, 'The intimate one does not ask; the one who asks is not intimate.' Later, when Jiashan was dwelling [as abbot], he said, 'At that time at Damei, I lost an eye.'" The Master said, "Jiashan ultimately did not know that he had exchanged for an eye. If the old fellow Damei, upon hearing it cited at that time, had struck both of them out at once with his stick, not only would he have cut through the entanglements of both men, but he would also have become an ancestral master for the world."

3.75

[The Master] cited: "A monk asked Baofu, 'What words did Xuefeng utter in his lifetime that enabled the ram to hang by its horns?' Baofu said at that time, 'It is impossible that I not be Xuefeng's disciple.'" The Master said, "Among fifteen hundred patch-robed monks, Baofu was somewhat better."

3.76

[The Master] cited: "A monk asked Changqing, 'What about before the ram hangs by its horns?' Changqing said, 'A fellow in the grass.' The monk said, 'What about after hanging by its horns?' Changqing said, 'Crying out at random.' The monk said, 'What about ultimately?' Changqing said, 'The matter of the donkey is not yet finished when the matter of the horse arrives.'" The Master said, "Better to smash the body to minute particles of dust than ever to blind a single sentient being's eye. Changqing was somewhat better." He also said, "Such a fellow, even if the ram has not yet hung by its horns, is also like gazing at one's hometown from ten thousand miles away."

3.77

[The Master] cited: "A monk asked Baling, 'Are the Patriarch's intent and the intent of the teachings the same or different?' Baling said, 'When cold, the chicken goes up a tree; when cold, the duck goes into the water.' A monk asked Muzhou, 'Are the Patriarch's intent and the intent of the teachings the same or different?' Muzhou said, 'The green mountain is of itself the green mountain; the white cloud is of itself the white cloud.'" The Master said, "The questions were the same, and the answers were also similar. Within them, there is benefiting others and benefiting oneself, deceiving others and deceiving oneself. If examined clearly, one is guaranteed to be foremost in understanding emptiness."

3.78

[The Master] cited: "Zhaozhou instructed the assembly: 'Tonight I will answer questions; let anyone who knows how to ask come forward.' At that time a monk came forward. Zhaozhou said, 'I meant to cast a brick to draw jade, but drew an unburnt brick.' Upādhyāya Fayan then cited this and asked Jue the Iron Mouth, 'What was the late master's intent?' Jue said, 'Like when the state appoints a general, and asks, "Who can go?" Someone comes forward and says, "I can go." The king says, "You cannot go."' Fayan said, 'I understand.'" The Master said, "A clever fellow, hearing it cited, knows at once where it lands. Even so, he let Jue the Iron Mouth off. Now, an ancestral master's words are not issued in vain; one who comes forward must be an adept. Why cast a brick and draw an unburnt brick? Chan worthies! Do you want to know Zhaozhou? 'The sweating horse of former times was seen by no one; he merely wishes to reassess merit that covers the era.'"

3.79

[The Master] cited: "Danyuan took leave of the National Teacher and returned to pay respects to Mazu. He drew a circle on the ground, spread his sitting cloth, and made prostrations. Mazu said, 'You intend to become a Buddha.' Danyuan said, 'I do not know how to squeeze my eyes.' Mazu said, 'I am not as good as you.'" The Master said, "Though a fierce tiger does not eat its cubs, how can one help that the incoming words were not ample? Do you people wish to know Danyuan? He is merely a fellow who conceals his body while revealing his shadow."

First 79 of 104 passages. Read on

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明覺禪師語錄 — Classical Chinese