明覺禪師語錄 6

English (machine translation) 6

Language: English

6.2

Praise of the Three Treasures (With Preface)

During the Tianxi reign era, I lodged at Lingyin and became friends with Chan Practitioner Baozhen. Whether traveling or residing, we bowed to one another in morality and righteousness, responding and reciprocated, cool and detached, naturally rejoicing in heavenly nature. One day Venerable Zhen said to me: 'I recently happened to compose a thirty-rhyme Praise of the Three Treasures. I invite you to sing in response.' Thereupon, unrolling it and admiring it with praise, I casually continued it, like an insect gnawing wood. Soon after, parting like flying birds toward Wu and Chu for nearly twenty years, I no longer remembered it at all. Venerable Zhen did not consider the distance in time or separation in sincerity, and sent a monk named Ruyan from afar to deliver it. Peering once more at my crude and unpolished work, shame and solace gathered together. Now, when sages establish words, they must foreshadow the void and plunge into the profound, causing men beyond the letters to jointly revive the ancient style and transmit it for ten million generations; and how could one know whether those who come after will reach it or not, when the Way resides within it? These words of praise were never meant to seek fame or wait for an occasion; merely gazing with reverence from afar toward the ancestral aims of the King of Awakening and his Chan followers, I proclaim them and put them into practice. How could I not compose this humble preface?

6.4

Buddha Treasure

6.5

The shoot of the Sugarcane lineage responds to the dust of lands; / In the place of awakening, he grandly aroused the cause to benefit living beings. / Purple-gold lotuses uphold his feet with thousand-spoked wheels; / The white jade curl flies upon his body of myriad virtues. / Standing solitary in the great direction, aided by concentration and wisdom; / Viewing all sentient kinds equally, relinquishing resentment and affection. / Marks and signs brushing the stars, lord of the Central Heavens; / Name and renown covering the earth, person transcending the world. / Spiral curls turn to the right, green as fairy isles; / Moon-like brows obliquely imprinted, fresh as ocean portals. / The soaring simurgh and dancing phoenix are no distinct class; / The turning elephant and coiling dragon are beyond compare. / Amidst clusters of necklaces, auspicious colors surge; / Within the shadow of flower garlands, he snatches fragrant spring. / Yearning to gaze upon his compassionate countenance—how could it end? / The verbal expressions of his pure virtues cannot be fully related. / The chest emblem mysteriously divides immeasurable meanings; / The crown jewel ever illumines a hundred yojanas. / Who says that in the Twin Trees he returned to perfect quiescence? / Sitting severed from heaven and earth, daily he is seen as true.

6.6

Dharma Treasure

6.7

The subsequent attainment wisdom arises as an accumulation of merit; / Great compassion remains to be expounded, nourishing birds and fish. / Although stringing flowers itself divides into a thousand chapters, / Pointing to the moon ultimately returns to the principle of oneness. / Responding across immeasurable kalpas, it expects broad dissemination; / When a single moment of mind accords, one does not forget the texts. / Within the thoroughfares of the four crossroads, casting away red flames; / Amidst the waves of the five desires, opening white lotuses. / Expelling the hosts of Māras to ascend the realm of longevity; / Leading all the children to board the peaceful cart. / In the sky of meaning, constellations shine brilliantly; / In the ocean of words, surges billow vastly. / Going against this kindness, one is difficult to rescue; / Encountering it in the Latter Age, how could one hesitate? / Having heard even half a verse, one must learn it; / If one spares the whole body, do not dwell together. / Swift debate regrets having lacked challenging questions; / Probing the profound rejoices that one is spared long sighs. / Life after life upheld upon the crown, brightening the mind-mirror; / Broadly illumining adventitious defilements, there is truly more than enough.

6.8

Saṅgha Treasure

6.9

Square robe and round crown—what meaning is proclaimed? / Continuing the flame of a thousand lamps is surely no small condition. / Flowers raining before the seat still cling to marks; / Tigers tamed beside the hermitage still delay explanation. / Cliff-dwelling and cemetery-lodging are hard to emulate; / Crane-like appearance and cloud-like mind are far detached and pure. / The jeweled staff sounds at night under the cold peak's moon; / The copper pitcher in autumn rinses in the blue pool's mist. / Renowned as an āraṇyaka, purifying clamor and deceit; / Traces mindful of the dark avenues, warning against slumber. / Beneath the trees, elegantly a traveler beyond the realm; / In the human world, fittingly a lotus amidst the fire. / Lofty sentiments do not mean surpassing the three periods of time; / The Way's presence is not the same as entering the four dhyānas. / Whom does the fleeting world urge to know the flowing water? / In deep peaks, willingly listening to the cascading spring. / Bhikṣu grass remains fragrant after the saṅgha's gathering; / The tortoiseshell bowl was transmitted prior to ancient Buddhas. / Cherish that the King of Awakening has true sons; / Pacing loftily in the earthly realm, they line the golden fields.

6.10

Sent in Summer to the Mountain Room of Chan Practitioner Bian

6.11

Pillow and mat have clouds for a screen;
They surely make firm the golden mansion.
Veranda and window have the moon for daylight;
How could it merely generate brightness in the empty room?
Qilin and dragon feel ashamed before his horns;
Eagle and osprey feel humbled before his wings.
May it be that the minds of the various kinds of beings,
Whether in expansiveness or in confinement, are just so.

6.12

Harmonizing with Erudite Qian's Poem Sent to Request Mountain Herbs (Two Verses)

6.13

Who holds the literary handle should hold it oneself;
Out of sorrow for the common people, your bearing has suddenly grown gaunt.
If the herbal medicines of the Chan grove can be effective,
I hope to see it at the time the imperial court issues its urgent edict.

6.14

The sacred sovereign's great enterprise relies on your support;
With your sun-like forehead and dragon-like emblems, you are certainly not frail.
Returning to wield literary elegance in the Jade Hall will not be too late,
When the hundred flowers bloom and you proceed to the imperial banquet.

6.15

Seeing Off Erudite Qian to Sit for the Examination of the Worthy and Good

6.16

Worthy talents are summoned for examination;
Resplendent, you present yourself before our sovereign.
Through a thousand ages no regret remains;
The Eight Talents surely govern literary affairs.
Riverbank flowers shine, arranged in display;
Heavenly pipes brush past faint clouds.
Later tonight, observing the celestial portents,
The position of the Central Terrace is already determined.

6.17

Answering the New Upādhyāya of Tiantong

6.18

The Central Peak is deep and cold,
Leaning over to connect with the islands along the sea.
Pines wither on deathless branches;
Flowers are plucked from grass that has yet to sprout.
The flying cascade roars at the flood-dragon's palace;
The secluded trail branches into the bird's path.
As for me, a follower of empty stillness,
My fleeting radiance rests in withered decay.
Drifting through heaven and earth,
Who is there that can be sought out?
Standing alone beyond the clouds and sunset glow,
Who is there that can preserve it for long?
Now the benevolent one has arrived,
Called once again the Elder of Taibai.
With what strategy did you knock on the cliff's bolted gate,
And double the mat to unfold your inner thoughts?
You show me the clarity of the Shang Eulogies;
Cease boasting of the excellence of the Ying songs!
In repaying and presenting [this], I gradually set forth my words,
Though it is difficult to match your fine phrasing.

6.19

Harmonizing Verse

6.20

The ancient temple on Linglong Crag
Surpasses the realms of Ming and Yue.
The eye of the sea communicates with chilled springs;
The heart of heaven towers over precipitous ridges.
Having once wandered there, my interest was not exhausted;
Looking far ahead in thought, my spirit suddenly congealed.
That gentleman is a true hero of awakening;
Living as neighbors, we are not lonely and aloof.
I love to cross over cross-currents—
Who says troubling anxieties are walled off?
I love to restore the ruined guidelines—
How could it be merely the quieting of floating sense-organs?
Perched on the wutong, an auspicious omen of nine markings;
Chasing the wind, a swift steed with ten shadows.
Seeing that I do not contend for supremacy,
With whom would I idly compete in tea?
Having seized the opportunity, you are already magnanimous;
Shining on the world, it is not murky and dark.
Stand firm to become the teacher of kings,
And crown the heads of all the three thousand.

6.21

Presented on Parting with Chan Practitioner Taizhen

6.22

How secret and deep is Mount Wuling!
The work of primal transformation is not easily accomplished.
At the altar, Shan Juan once concealed his dragon radiance;
In the cave, peach blossoms also accompanied the qilin's steps.
I still recall of old our patriarch,
Vastly raising the ancestral guideline:
News cut off far and wide, the realm became empty.
Again I heard the lofty and great Shun yield the public vessel,
Yet auspicious signs arose amidst the clump of reeds.
A person relies on the place to merge with the Way and virtue;
A place relies on a person to distinguish jade from stone.
Practitioner Zhen originally reposed in distant regions,
Then suddenly within this realm revealed his solitary trace.
From distant sea shores you came looking for me;
For twelve years we sat cold together.
Spreading wings to beat the wind, now is the time;
Only after brushing away all the clouds in the sky do you fly past.

6.23

Yunmen's Word "Both"

6.24

At the tips of the hundred grasses, what an extreme!
Again I thrust an awl into the Chan followers.
Yunmen's word "both" is good to investigate;
Xuefeng rolling the ball is also precise.
Indigo is not blue, yet it is of the single color of the indigo plant;
As for the cinnabar of Chen and Jin, who dares call it red?
Inside the purple gauze canopy there is a genuine pearl;
On the road of Caoxi thorns and briars grow.
Do you still understand?
If at this time you do not investigate the root source,
Go straight into the future and ask Maitreya.

6.25

A Monk Asked About the Fourfold Host and Guest; Consequently, There Is a Eulogizing Verse

6.26

"What is the guest within the guest?" He said, "His entire face is covered with dust and dirt." He also said, "Alas!"

6.27

Verse

6.28

The guest within the guest:
Little joy, much anger.
The great man's grand aspiration—
To whom should it be entrusted?

6.29

"What is the host within the guest?" He said, "The sign is divided into five." He also said, "Lead."

6.30

Verse

6.31

The host within the guest:
Xuansha's fierce tiger.
Half closed and half open,
Only mutually acknowledged.

6.32

"What is the guest within the host?" He said, "The moon wears double rings." He also said, "Gather."

6.33

Verse

6.34

The guest within the host:
Warming up the old to know the new.
Mutually exchanging and illuminating each other,
The lion yawns and stretches.

6.35

"What is the host within the host?" He said, "The great chiliocosm is kneaded together." He also said, "Raise."

6.36

Verse

6.37

The host within the host:
The correct command is raised all at once.
A long sword leaning against heaven—
Who dares withstand it?

6.38

Concluding Verse

6.39

Host and guest—divided or not divided?
Muddle-headed, extraordinary hearing is cut off.
Understand how to extend the hand of toilsome life,
And send word to the white clouds to come.

6.40

Directing a Monk to Sew a Patchwork Robe

6.41

Since the seventh and eighth [stitches] are difficult, you must make them penetrate straight through;
Coming is not in front, and going is not behind.
Examine coarse and fine for yourself; suit the tight and the loose to one another.
One day when it is fully completed and presented to you,
I imagine that across various quarters it is not yet known to exist.

6.42

Seeing Off Zhiyi Entering the Capital, and Also Sending Word to the Qinghe Attendant

6.43

In the sixth month, the thousand rivers are like autumn;
A single sail hangs high as shore clouds disperse.
Traveling on, do not say you are only paying court to the heavenly palace,
Especially as you rely on the literary star aboard the great boat.

6.44

Seeing Off Master of the Mountain Demin

6.45

Spring colors of streams and mountains reflect upon the cloud robe;
Loving to abide in the walled city, your aspiration turns even loftier.
Laughing instead at those at ease who have forgotten worldly machinations,
Unable to let their hands hang down and enter into dusty toil.

6.46

Seeing Off a Monk (Two Verses)

6.47

Beside the red peonies, butterflies are just dancing;
Within the green wutong, orioles are just singing.
At the parting pavilion, do not snap the drooping willow;
All the more as the spring mountains bid you farewell and welcome you again.

6.48

High kinship in the patriarchal domain, the day is not yet centered;
Returning home to your family forest, how profound your intent!
Old acquaintances do not recognize you at the initial meeting,
Having once shaken the azure ocean to seize the night-shining pearl.

6.49

Seeing Off Ācārya Chongji Returning to Tiantai

6.50

Stone Bridge's cloud-cascade invades with cold;
The Su path and wisteria niche lead ever deeper.
Yet I envy you who lean on your staff and return far away,
Where the five hundred venerables are those who know the tone.

6.51

Seeing Off Superior Suiwu to Kuaiji

6.52

The rivers and mountains of Baiyue surpass the Nine Provinces;
Like a screen, they are yet ashamed to be praised in vain.
Huixiu, going off this time, will much chant and appreciate,
Winning a pure breeze whose value turns ever higher.

6.53

Seeing Off a Monk (Four Verses)

6.54

Riding your high spirits with flying sail, you take leave of Cuifeng;
The water's gleam in spring stillness coldly contains the sky.
Upon arrival, if someone asks the meaning of Caoxi,
Just report that Lu Neng was downwind.

6.55

Chan stone, flying current splashing green reeds;
Benefiting living beings, we are also pleased to descend the cloud slope.
If on the path three thousand guests should stand,
Raising the eyebrows does not depend on numbers.

6.56

In the sandalwood forest, the golden mane is shaken;
Looking in all four directions, the pure breeze brushes how many times?
Having once allowed complete majesty to make clouds and rain,
I do not know where dusty toil can be found.

6.57

Cloud garments lightly brush as you descend the terraced peaks;
Pines and junipers generate wind, striking the spirit cold.
Who inquires into the meaning of personally visiting Breast Peak?
A hundred thousand years hence, for whom will it be shown?

6.58

Sent to Supernumerary Gentleman Huang

6.59

Green peaks in layers are arrayed in the dark distance;
Ripples circle round, adorning the cold green.
Concealed and hidden, you have not yet recognized the ancient gentleman;
In vain I admire your fine reputation crossing Lake Dongting.

6.60

Seeing Off a Monk

6.61

The five-colored auspicious qilin, the white moon wheel;
Availing yourself of the time, you should not brood over leaving the herd.
On the day before you return to the pine roots and rocks,
Who will watch the broken clouds drifting over the evening mountains?

6.62

Sent to Cultivated Talent Liu

6.63

From far away flies a single scroll of a letter;
How very weighty indeed in curing wind disease!
Meeting and seeing each other has no set date;
My gaze is cut off where a thousand mountains pierce the great void.

6.64

Seeing Off a Monk

6.65

Parting of old, parting of today—
Eyes facing the spring river, leaning on vast desolation;
From two or three trees, the cry of Gibbons breaks;
On thousands and myriads of peaks, lingering snow falls.
Flowers in mist, rain in mist—
Across the realm of earth, step by step, a pure breeze arises.

6.66

Hearing a Mockingbird, Seeing Off a Monk

6.67

How many times did it fly to the fragrant trees of old?
Now that mist and haze have first cleared, I see it again.
Speaking clever words to people, do not mock;
After one who knows the tone has known, who else can know?

6.68

Seeing Off Lecturer Zhong Entering Guangnan

6.69

The boat master within the boat lodges with Huichi;
Clouds and rosy dawn leave no trace, together lingering close.
People say the ocean mountains offer much fine appreciation;
Do not casually neglect and forget to return.

6.70

Seeing Off Cultivated Talent Longxi Entering the Capital

6.71

A vessel of state is hard to conceal—who could fail to know it? / Carrying your books and sword along, do not delay. / Next year when your name climbs the laurel register in the ranks of literature, / Who else will seize the dragon's head?

6.72

Seeing Off a Monk

6.73

With snow still lingering, the path to the spring island stretches far; / The waters are calm, the clouds part to reveal the jade-blue sky. / After parting, who shares this profound intention? / Only the solitary moon should join in solitary desolation.

6.74

Ode on Yangshan's Football

6.75

The temporary combination of the four elements is not illusory: / All vague and indistinct, it forms a single mark. / East, west, south, and north are unaware of each other, / Left behind for patch-robed monks to take as a model.

6.76

Responding to Cuifeng's Invitation: Parting from Chan Master Lingyin

6.77

On the verge of departure, my spirits are disinclined to open speech; / Promoting the ancestral vehicle is also an idle matter. / Take care, guiding master and ocean-like assembly! / Overcome with deep attachment, I face the Spirit Mountain.

6.78

Seeing Off a Monk Returning to Min

6.79

Old Xue in former years once crossed into the mountain ranges; / The true meditator today thinks again of home. / A solitary sail faintly receding once belonged only to me; / The moon shines on the night waves, empty and boundless.

6.80

Seeing Off a Monk

6.81

The spring wind sighs softly as flowers drift in flight; / Rosy clouds and green mists drape heights and depths. / At dusk in the Yue mountains, guest of Shaolin, / You must be listening to the cuckoo calling late at night.

6.82

Sent to Scholar Chen Yue

6.83

How profound is the purport of finding fire within water! / Grasping grass has never been gold from the start. / Do not say Zhuangzi understood the leveling of things— / How many have probed the utmost to reach no-mind?

6.84

Sent to Mountain Master Peng of Guanyin in Qiantang

6.85

Thinking fondly of you from afar, I have lacked the chance to send a letter; / It is just like the autumn waters, treating each other with cool detachment. / Piercing the clouds has never been fixed, / How often has the cold toad[-moon] been veiled as it emerges from the great void?

6.86

Seeing Off a Monk

6.87

As far as the eye can see, the spring radiance and water reflect the void; / Shore sedge and sandbank grasses are emerald and plush. / From three thousand leagues away the hopes of living beings arise; / Leaning alone on cold rattan, you rouse the ancestral wind.

6.88

Instructing the Assembly on a Spring Day (Two Poems)

6.89

Outside the gate, spring is half gone; / Idle flowers bloom everywhere. / The mountain boy has no need to snap them: / Hidden birds come peck them on their own.

6.90

Outside the gate, spring is half gone; / Idle flowers bloom everywhere. / After the mountain boy once snapped them, / Hidden birds do not come peck them.

6.91

Sent to Elder Wulong

6.92

Snow wrapped in mist and clouds chills without parting; / Longing for you, I no longer ascend the high terrace. / Rivers and mountains are thousands of leagues apart, / Yet I only hear your fine renown arrive, shaking the earth.

6.93

Sent to Upādhyāya Duan of Taiping

6.94

A thousand precarious peaks amidst dim mists, / The stone chamber constantly brings the cold sound of a waterfall. / Birds calling and flowers blooming are ordinary matters; / Look upon the pines inherently verdant amidst the snow.

6.95

Seeing Off a Monk

6.96

When rain and snow fall on a thousand peaks, / How boundless is my emotion at parting from you! / I do not know between heaven and earth / Who else truly knows me.

6.97

Ascending the Seat upon an Official's Invitation

6.98

In the dawn sky clouds are still, coldness holding frost; / Wind filling the balustrade is clear, rivaling the night-shining pearl. / Do not say those in the seats fail to recognize it: / Solitary radiance and solitary shadow cast into the empty hall.

6.99

On Upādhyāya Jin'e's Words on Medicine and Sickness

6.100

Treating sickness with medicine is the most difficult to see; / A hundredfold bar and lock are utterly without cause. / When the Jin'e practitioner of the Way came to visit, / The waves of the ocean of learning dried up in a single night.

6.101

Composed on the Cloud-Piercing Falcon to See Off a Monk

6.102

Banking its wings in heroic flight, the expanse of heaven is broad; / Flashing like lightning and flowing like a shooting star, exceedingly agile and free. / Looking face-to-face across south, north, east, and west: / Across thousands and myriads of leagues—a-la-la!

6.103

Disputing the Wind and the Banner (Two Poems)

6.104

It is not the banner, nor is it the wind; / Patch-robed monks make their circulation right here. / Using a raft to cross a river is an ordinary matter; / Burning charcoal on the South Mountain, the North Mountain turns red.

6.105

If not the wind or banner, where can it be settled? / The creator of Xinkai once set it aside. / Nowadays muddled, foolish Chan fellows / Vainly speak of profound mystery as being a solitary foot.

6.106

The Fisherman

6.107

Spring radiance drifts on and on, the shore mist is light; / No wind on the water's surface, the fishing skiff lies horizontal. / A thousand feet of line held within the square inch of heart; / I wonder where he will hook the giant kun and whale.

6.108

The Cowherd

6.109

Singing "ou-a" and chanting that "ming-yi," / Picking up a hundred grasses, he contests them unwittingly. / At sunset riding his ox, he has not yet returned; / Pointing toward the front slope, he laughs and hisses again.

6.110

Seeing Off a Monk

6.111

Crag chambers high and low snap cold plum blossoms; / As far as the eye can see, desolation spreads as the geese shadows return. / Parting and meeting—what matter is it after all? / A single roll of spring thunder erupts over the river.

6.112

Sent to Ning of Tiantong

6.113

Ill for ten days, I have been blocked by spring downpours; / The sedge-lined steps are repeatedly invaded by halos of moss. / We once arranged to travel together but could not manage it; / The evening mountains in vain lock up deep jade clouds.

6.114

Seeing Off a Monk Entering the City

6.115

Clouds shroud the blue mountain walls, the moon shrouds the terrace; / As you go off to the city now, return early or late. / If not on account of Foguang paying a visit to Han Yu, / I ask you: on what business do you come out from the mountains?

6.116

Sent to the Various Fund-Raising Monks While Ill

6.117

Plum blossoms in the snow reveal early spring; / People travel the roads east, west, south, and north. / I wonder beneath the full moon on what night, / You will jointly remember this old, sick body atop the mountain.

6.118

Harmonizing with the Verses of Assistant Secretary Yu Summoning Me (Two Poems)

6.119

Inquiring after the people's afflictions, the official enjoys leisure; / Late at night ten thousand households open their layered gates. / Since your studio is already a realm of pure coolness, / You should laugh at Master Zhi purchasing another mountain.

6.120

Frail and declining, I am content to nurse my withered remnant; / As the year passes, no one arrives at my bamboo gate. / How fortunate that a literary star deigns to send fine verses, / Attentively calling me forth from the layered mountains!

6.121

Harmonizing with Palace Attendant Wang's Poem Sent to Me (Two Poems)

6.122

Cultivating wild fields is no different from what was hard of old; / Reaching a place of peaceful leisure is not yet [true] peace. / To the great direction without exterior, who can reach? / In vain laughing at layered clouds locking the jade peaks.

6.123

A pure wind blows austerely around the magistrate who nurtures the people; / Worthy to face the heaven-filling Shi Dao'an. / In a few days you will return to court to associate with egrets and mandarin ducks, / Yet you must still send news and inquiries to these layered peaks.

6.124

Seeing Off a Monk

6.125

The clear river hugs the oar, its emerald light flowing; / The wind chills the reeds as the rain suddenly halts. / For whom is the promise of this newly chanted verse on the night of parting? / Above the white duckweed sandbank, the moon climbs into autumn.

6.126

Seeing Off a Monk Returning to Yongjia

6.127

At the Shaoshi crags you once opened this spiritual nature; / For three years alone you contended with the rushing torrent. / Returning now to your old retreat in Yongjia, / You are fit to hear the sound of ocean billows at midnight.

6.128

Staff of Hare's Horns

6.129

Transmitted from Shaoshi, this staff of hare's horns / Has been safeguarded by a thousand sages as the crown mark. / Its posture like a crouching tiger or coiling dragon does not rest; / Mountain forms and cloud shadows face it coldly. / At times leaning idly, wherever it rests is emptiness; / Solitary, covering the earth, it congeals autumn frost. / At times it roars the great lion's roar— / How boundless are Dejiao and Linji! / Today it is brought forth without any stinginess, / Distinctly displayed to all spiritual friends. / If you know how to wield it, you may stride freely throughout the world; / Highly rousing the ancestral standard, what limit could there be?

6.130

Seeing Off Chan Practitioner Congji

6.131

Do you not see:
Travel on the road is difficult, yet also easy;
Grasping grass to make gold is not what is precious.
When difficult, waves surge on level ground;
When easy, auspicious omens appear everywhere.
How much to laugh at, how much to grieve!
Establishing the lofty standard in the heavens and among humans,
Brothers cross paths in all directions like the stars Shen and Chen,
With one principle and identical hearts, tranquil as autumn waters.
I recall the ancient spirit of Shaoyang:
Sparks of flint and flashes of lightning are slow to appear and disappear;
Phrases that leave behind the body mark the wayfarer's road,
Inquiries knocking at the gate are not nesting burrows.
Earnestly I tell you, and you must remember:
Wander beyond boundaries and inspect the claws and spurs;
If you do not meet one who knows the tone in the thickets of tigers and wolves,
Twitch your eyebrows and straightway return.

6.132

Sent to Elder Chengtian

6.133

Who else assists one with the righteousness of the Way?
Deep in the night in the rock-chamber, thoughts linger long.
Over sea and mountain the clouds are quiet, seeing the solitary moon,
Which brightly illuminates Wucheng while people know it not.

6.134

Seeing Off a Monk

6.135

Branching from the ancient road, islets spread afar;
How can the netting and head-rope be lifted?
Sick eyes just opening, suddenly I see someone off;
Falling blossoms startle and break off the song of mountain birds.
Close Chan traveler, close Chan traveler!
Walking and walking on,
Striding alone through the southwestern realm to dispel these feelings.

6.136

Seeing Off Great Master Yin

6.137

With a slender cane, clearly facing the purple square-cut robe,
Leisurely pacing the southwestern realm, your intention rises higher.
If you arrive at Shen River and someone asks,
[Tell them:] 'The prince of the golden wheel is one of our peers.'

6.138

Seeing Off Junior Fellow Monk Shi

6.139

Kinship ties were deeply treasured, hard to part from;
Yet what can be done with a solitary trace wandering like broken clouds?
Go, go, but do not be like Chan practitioner Liang,
Who once entered the Western Mountains and was never heard from again.

6.140

Sending New Tea (Two Poems)

6.141

The profound efficacy of primeval transformation Lu Yu knew;
Before the rains, through slight dew, spears and banners appear.
Gathered to offer to the Buddha, the remainder is precious;
If not sent to poets, to whom else should it be sent?

6.142

Seizing the spring, sparrow-tongues claim lofty fame;
Dragon saliva and musk assist one another, laughing as they awaken from drunken stupor.
Do not be surprised that mountain dwellers send but little;
Secretary Zheng called it the finest flower among the grasses.

6.143

Composing on the Moon Rising Amidst the Clouds, Seeing Off Monastery Supervisor Cheng

6.144

Pure and bright, leaving the clouds at the time of the crane's dream,
Its solitary glow is well matched with snow.
Deep in the night, the golden basin once more casts down its reflection,
Brushing away all heaven's winds without knowing it.

6.145

Seeing Off a Monk to Jinhua, and Also Writing to Field-Bureau Director Zhou

6.146

A slender cane, light sandals, together with a mossy robe;
The road passes over perilous peaks, cutting through the murky vastness.
If you reach Jinhua and brush aside the clouds and mist,
You should not easily get to see the Literary Star.

6.147

Seeing Off a Monk to Yongjia

6.148

The old home is not blocked by the horizon;
Amidst the light of flowers and trees, I see you returning alone.
Let no one ask by the Mirage Waters and the Yin River,
As the moon divides the cold, lingering spring waves.

6.149

Sent to Elder Ning to See Him Off

6.150

Virtue is never solitary; it must have neighbors.
Remaining at Siming was merely following circumstance.
Now striding loftily through the realm of Qiantang,
Only that old fellow of the Vulture Peak is permitted.

6.151

Releasing a Silver Pheasant

6.152

Vermilion crest, blue-tipped feathers, with snowy plumage;
Though not approaching the phoenixes, your intention is also lofty.
I release you into the cloudy woods, do not turn your head;
Where nowadays are the ranks of the immortals?

6.153

Rejoicing in a Chan Person's Return to the Mountain

6.154

Your parting from me to wander afar—such thoughts need not be discussed;
Your flask and bowl are gladly welcomed back to the root of the clouds.
In the old rock-chamber is the stone for peaceful meditation;
Once more snap a pine branch to brush away the marks of moss.

6.155

Seeing Off a Monk

6.156

A seven-foot mountain cane grasped in hand, straightway you go;
Returning to your old mountain, how many stages of the journey?
When we meet, if you are suddenly asked of the distant intention,
You should unleash the earth-shaking rumble of spring thunder.

6.157

Seeing Off a Monk Returning to Tiantong

6.158

Towering, towering is Mount Taibai,
Leaning against the azure, standing beside the celestial shores.
I admire you riding the impulse to return;
Leaning on the balustrade, with whom will you view it?

6.159

Harmonizing with Administrative Assistant Zeng's Poem on Fine Seclusion

6.160

When the Shaowei Star appears, the ancient manner returns;
Fame and radiance cover the earth without closing gates.
Rapid promotion through the Three Institutes is treated like passing a stranger on the road;
Lying reclined in lofty seclusion on Mount Jiuhua is Mount Penglai.
Walking into the rocky sedge, the auspicious qilin is steady;
Flying to the ocean trees, the white phoenix is at leisure.
I only fear that you will not be allowed to rest from serving your lord,
And that rush-wheeled carriages will come once again amid the vines and creepers.

6.161

Composed by Chance Passing the Ancient Weir

6.162

Forty li out of the city,
The ancient weir seems beyond the sky.
Oars speed across the clear shallows;
A solitary reflection faces itself.

6.163

Thanking Grand Protector Zhang for His Visit

6.164

Old and sick, like leaves half withered;
For ten days the gate was barred, the night desolate.
The Protector of the Sea City once deigned to visit,
And a gust of pure wind consoled the loneliness.

6.165

Seeing Off Chan Practitioner Zongpu

6.166

Dongting and Rudou are all springs and rocks;
Embracing illness, by what cause can one dwell in secluded traces?
I once displayed wild dynamic functions, one, two, three;
East Mountain and West Ridge were not acquaintances.
Counting on fingers and knitting brows, it cannot be sought;
Snow flies and rain scatters into an empty, sunken expanse.
Now I increasingly feel the separation of passing years,
Forcing my dark thoughts to search in bitterness.
Even if my speech should be stopped, outdoing poems of white snow,
How could I forget laughing and associating with the guests of Huangmei?
Chan practitioner Pu, Chan practitioner Pu!
The pearl and the moon have light, ashamed to illuminate the night.

6.167

Seeing Off Shangci

6.168

Sons of the Buddha
Value walking the Way.
Heaven and earth—
What is flourishing, what is obstructed?
In activity, do not gloss over errors;
In stillness, do not carve artifice.
Ci, you speak of departing;
The younger generation is indeed to be held in awe.

6.169

A Song Sent to the Chan Worthy Liuying

6.170

In those days Linji took leave of Huangbo,
Pointed either south of the river or north of the river.
Chan practitioner Ying today descends from Central Peak;
His meditation desk was once burned, yet laughing, he conforms.
With nine colors and a single horn, one is ashamed to be called auspicious;
Guiding by the moon and gazing at stars is also not the intent.
How can this match Shaoyang invigorating the ancient manner,
Refusing to retain hope halfway along the road?
Come home! Come home!
The flying cascade surges mightily, its sound like thunder.

6.171

Seeing Off Junior Disciple Yuanben

6.172

I feel ashamed that you sought a teacher and became my disciple.
Although your learning is unrenowned, the Way may still be aimed for.
Evenly flying, discourse illuminates like the moon;
Reflecting back, it is like flowing water.
If these thoughts and these words are not forgotten,
March on, stride on, walking amidst orchids and angelica.
(Responding well to different lineages is something I do not know; reflect on this.)

6.173

Seeing Off Senior Ji Returning to Mount Lu

6.174

The colors of spring are not yet deep;
Inspiration knows neither early nor late.
With water-flask, bid farewell to Jiujiang;
Seeking peaks, head for the Five Old Men.
On the day you arrive, when clinging to creepers and climbing alone,
Do not forget the crown of the ocean mountain with lingering fondness.

6.175

Seeing Off Chan Practitioner Kan to Danqiu

6.176

The stone bridge has many ancient traces;
The road is perilous, few pass by.
If you are at leisure in broad daylight,
Sit calmly brushing the green moss.
If you meet Old Han,
Make fun of him a little for me.

6.177

Seeing Off Mountain Master Shi

6.178

Wild waters and spring mountains,
The scenery stretches as far as the eye can see.
A thousand li, ten thousand li—
Too slow, too fast.
The distant realm is serene and clear, not to be illuminated by a rhinoceros horn torch;
The rare sound is faint and vast, not to be spliced with phoenix glue.
Leaves falling, flowers blooming—do you know it or not?
The noble conduct of humans and devas serves as lofty footsteps.

6.179

Instruction to the Assembly

6.180

A tufted-haired girl with strands of white hair;
I inform all adept masters throughout the directions to know.
If you ask what realm it is to reside on the mountain:
The spring wind blusters,
The spring birds chatter;
Cuifeng cannot assist in unleashing it,
Yet the mind-seal is indeed transmitted by another.

6.181

Harmonizing with Supervisor Fan (Two Poems)

6.182

The clerks dispersed, the blinds lowered, thoughts are boundless;
Mountain light and stream reflections freely accommodate one another.
Who boasts of Tao Jingjie specially planting willows?
I laugh at myself living in seclusion, loftily listening to pines.
The cinnabar palace is still distant, the fungus inspections rigorous;
In the court of lawsuits, thick moss flowers spread at leisure.
Though the rustic guest among the crags has many ailments,
He will eventually carry his staff again to call on Shilong.

6.183

All classes of things are not at ease with themselves,
Yet benevolent governance may still be sought.
Ascending the county tower in the clear night,
Island moon and reflective thoughts invade the clouds.
Who has the ancient water-chestnut mirror
To illuminate the mind of this true creator?

6.184

On Upādhyāya Xiangyan

6.185

I have an active mechanism for Chan practitioners;
You must know the vajra eye.
It is all birdlime and glue; if someone asks,
'Humbly I prostrate, humbly I prostrate.'

6.186

Seeing Off Year-Director Xiong

6.187

Ceasing study, you wish to examine the various quarters;
Carrying a pole wherever you go is not easy to undertake.
(If right, walk together; if wrong, seize and bring down.)
I turn and remember Old Xinghua of antiquity,
Exhausting guest and host to pull the sheep with all his might.

6.188

Engaging in the Way Daily Decreases

6.189

Two parts of time out of three have already passed by,
Yet this single spot of the numinous terrace has not been polished.
Coveting life, day after day rushing anxiously along,
Called to, you do not turn your head—what can be done?

6.190

Elucidating Antiquity

6.191

I have a mirror, hung everywhere;
When ordinary and holy do not come, who is above and who is below?

6.192

Visiting Xiucai Yu

6.193

Beyond ten thousand folds of cloudy mountains, I cannot yet return; / In my solitary heart, only Old Lu can understand. / In rain and snow by the river town, I write on my visiting card: / If not to call upon a great scholar, whom else would I call upon?

6.194

Replying Again

6.195

Ten thousand scrolls without a book—the Way is applied and returns; / Idle literary men also have no need to know. / Leaning against the sky, the long sword joins battle once again; / Who else could be at the head of the dragons?

6.196

Detaining Head Monk Xian

6.197

Following the dragon to bring rain, it turns leisurely once more, / Lingering in fragments between the waters and the rocks. / I am ashamed to ask the autumn wind that threatens to blow it away: / Can it not be kept to cover the green mountain? (Those not ashamed to ask, please detain him for me.)

Linked texts (1)

明覺禪師語錄 — Classical Chinese