圓悟佛果禪師語錄 3

English (machine translation) 3

Language: English

3.1

Compiled by his disciple Shaolong and others of Tiger Hill, Pingjiang Prefecture, Song dynasty

Inviting the head monk to ascend the hall: “Unifying the thousand differences, embracing the myriad existences, equalising coming and going, sealing the present and past, blending existence and non-existence, making one life and death; raising the command that violates nothing, enacting the teaching without words; harmonizing the unequal, levelling the unlevel—established here, clarified here, maintaining order here, serving as a model here: what Dharma is not accommodated? What affair is not accomplished? What virtue is not perfected? What mind is not accorded with? But how do you speak a phrase where the wind moves and the grass bends? To make a mountain, ascend nine fathoms; pinching a speck of earth determines a thousand catties.”

3.4

Ascending the hall, he said: “Teeth grow upon teeth, horns grow upon horns, dynamic function emerges from dynamic function, skill emerges from skill; scratching an itch on a venomous snake's nose, snatching meat from beneath a hungry hawk's talons, devising plans at the bottom of a thousand-foot well, performing tricks at the top of a hundred-foot pole, taking Sumeru into a mustard seed, hurling the great trichiliocosm beyond direction—extraordinary indeed, wondrous indeed! Yet examining it carefully, how could it compare to dropping off the bottom of the bucket right here, the three realms levelling into a sink, attaining a complete rest? The past of itself passes, the future takes its own course; right now it is ready-made, cutting off the tongues of everyone under heaven. Do you understand completely? The sound of eaves does not cease from the rain ten days ago; flashes of lightning still join with thunder later tonight.”

3.5

Ascending the hall, he said: “Nowhere to escape the sweltering heat, identity fully revealed; the balmy breeze comes from the south, unbuttoning one’s collar to enjoy it alone. Where myriad heats do not reach, myriad sufferings leave no trace. You must know that within the threshold of the Buddhas and Patriarchs, there is the function of shifting things and turning heaven around. Therefore Xuedou said: ‘Vast, widespread heat; flakes of snow fluttering down; reversing the flow of the four rivers, bringing forth shoots from withered stumps again.’ But tell me, when it is just such a time, what about it? Cicada cries reach the ears from time to time; shadows of wild geese suddenly greet the eyes.”

3.6

Ascending the hall, he said: “Flowers bloom and the world arises—those who have reached it know first; leaves fall and autumn is startled—the virtuous and wise awaken early. How much more so when wild geese cast shadows across the Xiang riverbank and crickets sing their weaving song: clearly seasons shift and times move, distinctly stars speed and lightning flashes. Right at such a time, for those whose mechanisms have dropped away, the ten thousand dharmas are fundamentally at leisure; for those who still retain sight and hearing, Chang'an is in clamour. If you can skillfully observe the season, cut off the vital ford, stand toweringly transcending sages and surpassing ordinaries, and ride every sound and cover every color—how do you speak a phrase of immediate peace on the spot? A person of resolve begrudges the short days; a sorrowful person knows the night is long.”

3.7

Ascending the hall for the conclusion of the summer retreat, he said: “Ordinary and of one taste, nothing surpasses plain simplicity; cutting off the thousand differences, one must further set the eyes high. At the place where a precipice stands ten thousand fathoms high, bare and clean; in the level fields and shallow grass, steep and perilous. Immediate peace on the spot drags through mud and water; deeply poking and painfully piercing wounds the hand and blunts the blade. If you wish the two not to obstruct each other, each please rest your mechanisms and put down your fishing rod. But how do you speak a phrase rewarding the labor of the nine summer periods? In perilous places, how could one ever forget caution? Even when walking on level ground, one must maintain defense.”

3.8

Ascending the hall, he said: “Strikingly prominent and hard to discern, even those of long training inevitably hesitate; picked up with a free hand, how could later students know the truth of it? Autumn winds fan all things, jade dew hangs in beads, wild geese cross the vast sky, crickets sing by the secluded steps: one by one pierced through in seven directions and eight ways, clearly in a hundred coils and a thousand layers. Why must staff and shout fly back and forth before discussing illumination and function? Letting go from the hanging cliff directly beneath, one can then shoulder it. Is there anyone like this? Seeing righteousness and not acting is not a brave person; facing danger without changing only then astounds the crowd.”

3.9

Ascending the hall for inspecting the canon: “Auspicious smoke coils, propitious vapors gather; the gong'an is ready-made, who knocks and strikes?” Then he said: “The great scroll of scriptures within a dust mote—its limits cannot be fathomed; only a person of pure eyes and sharp wisdom can bring it out. So it is that the heaven of meaning and the ocean of nature are like the interlaced net of Indra; the illumination of wisdom and the spiritual radiance are like the fierce flames of a great furnace. Today we are fortunate to meet the vast imperial breeze and the level imperial way; a dānapati of great mind activates the trigger for you, causing each of you to open up completely, so that where the rosy silk unrolls and the jade tablets spread out, the pattern is already apparent—each should recognize it! But how do you speak a phrase that does not fall into ink and writing? The hall is filled with cool wind; the meaning throughout a thousand ages is distinct.”

3.10

Ascending the hall, he said: “When one dust mote enters proper reception, the entire great earth is silent and cold; when samādhi arises from all dust motes, the ten directions are everywhere tumultuous. Multiplying into hundreds of millions of bodies is not yet considered many; sitting upright in the empty hall was never called quiet. Right here, rolling up and unrolling, gathering and releasing, seizing and letting go, killing and giving life: with the diamond jewel sword cut off doubts; with the patch-robed monk's nostril transcend the gate of birth and death; cut off the vital ford, barring both ordinary and sage; thousands and tens of thousands cannot trap it; hundreds of thousands of realms cannot alter it. Only then can one be an emissary of the Tathāgata, universally manifesting physical bodies. But tell me, when it is just such a time, what about it? Daily functioning without mutual opposition; facing the dynamic, there is rolling up and unrolling.”

3.11

Ascending the hall, he said: “Ten thousand dynamic functions cannot reach it, a thousand sages do not carry it along; cut off vines, overturn entangled roads. If you discern the soil from the sprout or recognize the person by their words, you still fall into the secondary dynamic. But regarding the primary dynamic, there is in truth no such thing. Tell me: upon the primary dynamic, can consideration still be applied? Can transcendent or downward be applied? Can Buddhas and Patriarchs be applied? Reaching here, you must simply be transcendent like this, cutting off the vital ford, barring both ordinary and sage. If you have not yet recognized it, inevitably a single ray of a path must be let open: toward the gate of secondary meaning, expounding words where there are no words, manifesting forms where there are no forms, directly like the moon on the fifteenth night, completely clear, solitary and round; a single room with a thousand lamps, their lights interlacing and reflecting each other, consistent from beginning to end, without deviation before or behind. This also requires someone of the same path to know, someone of the same attainment to verify. But who is the one of the same attainment and same verification? The moment a single word tallies and verifies, before awakening, it is already known.”

3.12

When the county magistrate came up the mountain, ascending the hall, the Master raised incense and showed it to the assembly: “Picked up with a free hand, its brilliance is radiant; gathered, it becomes a canopy; scattered, it becomes clouds. Burning it in the censer, we dedicate it to County Magistrate Xuande, the Daoist Practitioner Yanzhi, respectfully praying: may the mind of the Way be firm and solid, and the all-inclusive wisdom be fully clear.” Then he took his seat. “Just now, adding flowers onto brocade; now, laying brocade upon flowers. Is there anyone with clear eyes who knows how to pick it up and sound it out? Step forward and try to strike and stimulate!” The Master then said: “Mind is not Buddha; grasping mind violates the lineage. Wisdom is not the Way; positing wisdom loses the purport. The Way is fundamentally unconditioned; Buddha is also without form. Discerning it at the place without form and unconditioned, all forms are entirely Buddha, all actions are entirely the Way. Raised up, heaven turns and earth pivots; set down, grass bends and wind blows. If it is the transcendent, it no longer falls into second or third, but goes straight in with a single blade. If brilliance still remains or one still lingers on the skin, inevitably one must right here talk of the wondrous and speak of the profound, expound affairs and expound principles, wield the staff and give shouts, cite the ancient and cite the modern. But tell me, after all, what does this mountain monk use to help people? Not abiding in the formless state of past times, searching externally for a kalyāṇamitra is also not genuine.”

3.13

Ascending the hall, he said: “Beating waves on the mountain peak, raising dust at the bottom of the well; the eyes listen like striking thunder, the ears look like unfurling brocade; the three hundred and sixty joints, each manifests a boundless wondrous body; the eighty-four thousand hair-tips, each reveals oceans of lands of the Jewel King—this is not supernatural function, nor is it naturally so as Dharma. If only the thousand eyes can open at once, directly beneath, the ten directions are cut off. But how do you speak a phrase that is transcendent and uniquely liberated? Testing jade requires passing through fire; seeking a pearl does not depart from mud.”

3.14

Ascending the hall, he said: “The wind blowing and the wind moving are not of two kinds; water washing and water wetting, how could they be different? Those who hear shallowly but awaken deeply add flowers onto brocade; those who hear deeply but do not awaken are cast from raw iron. Spring ends and the crowd of blossoms has ceased; early summer arrives and the hundred grains just begin to thrive. The seasons do not spare anyone; heaven and earth attain ease. But how do you speak a phrase that does not touch delusion or awakening? The balmy breeze comes from the south; palace pavilions bring forth a faint coolness.”

3.15

Invited to ascend the hall on the birthday of Awaiting-Order Wang, the Master instructed the assembly, saying: “The phrase facing directly ahead immediately cuts through to the root source; not obscuring the dynamic moment, come out from the assembly to meet each other.” The Master said: “The spiritual dynamic is open and clear, how could there be steps? The illumination of wisdom is completely luminous, fundamentally without delusion or darkness. In all places performing extraordinary matters without stirring a single thread; beneath the heels extending a firm and solid body throughout the realms of dust motes. Cutting off the path of a thousand differences, standing prominently in the four postures: what need to rely on walking seven steps around or the ten kinds of auspicious portents? Clearly free of leakage, distinctly without concealment; embracing past and present, equalising things and self, levelling gain and loss, blending going and coming—clearly, ready-made directly beneath, this is the original face. Just like breaking through form and sound, tell me, how do you deliver the message? Do you understand completely? Just as a single dust mote is raised, the udumbara flower manifests in its entirety.”

3.16

Ascending the hall, he said: “Recognizing it under the first phrase, the Patriarch begs for his life; recognizing it under the second phrase, humans and devas lose their courage; recognizing it under the third phrase, one lies horizontally in the tiger's mouth. This is not following paths and keeping to ruts, nor is it changing ruts and shifting paths. If you penetrate it, you have six arms and three heads; if you have not yet penetrated it, you are still in the human and heavenly realms. But tell me, how do you speak a phrase beyond the three phrases? One's livelihood lies solely upon the silk fishing line; under the bright moon, a small boat drifts across the five lakes.”

3.17

Recorded Sayings at Daolin. When receiving the invitation at Jiashan, the Master held up the notice and showed it to the assembly, saying: “Great assembly! Beyond the lakes there is an intimate friend; from a thousand miles away messages are conveyed. Penetrating beyond King of the Majestic Voice, who knows how to understand the truth of it? Do you know? Discern it right here! If not, then please read it out before the assembly.”

3.18

Ascending the seat, [the Master] said: "For several years at Blue Cliff I concealed my dullness and clumsiness, / The secluded depths truly suited my heart about going south again. / Driven and pressed to death by bitter karmic conditions, / Following along, I must after all pass over to Daolin. / One who is unentangled in either path—come forward and speak!"
A monk asked: "'Heaven attaining the One becomes clear; Earth attaining the One becomes tranquil.' What is it like when a patchrobed monk attains the One?"
The Master said: "Nowhere to hide his body."
[The monk] continued: "Then the troops follow the turning of the seal."
The Master said: "A sentence that merely fits on [like a cap]."
[The monk] continued: "'High spirit does not come from heaven and earth; / How could a hero wait for the four seasons to urge him on?'"
The Master said: "Gaze upon it, look up to it."
[The monk] continued: "Just as it says in the document: 'The fundamental true nature neither decreases nor increases; the place of the Way everywhere is without hindrance or obstacle.' Why then does the Venerable not stay at Jiashan, but instead go to Daolin?"
The Master said: "Only on account of the present gong'an."
[The monk] continued: "If so, then your kindness and compassion are unequal."
The Master said: "Where are they unequal?"
[The monk] continued: "The proof is right before our eyes."
The Master said: "You passed it by without even knowing."
[The monk] continued: "I have heard the Master's words: 'Beyond the lake there is an intimate knower of the sound; across a thousand leagues the message penetrates.' I wonder what message this is?"
The Master said: "Set your eyes high."
[The monk] continued: "Do you still permit a student to speak of principle, or not?"
The Master said: "If pecking from within and tapping from without [intervene], it will never do."
The Master then said: "Sleeping in the clouds on the peak of a solitary mountain turns one's back on the former sages; extending the hands in the crossroad market buries the lineage style. Not choosing the ground to dwell upon loses the true eye; selecting the place to abide entangles one in many complications. If one is a true patchrobed monk, with a single stroke of the blade he cleaves it clean: neither that nor this, apart from departing and apart from dwelling, bright as the blazing sun, vast as the great void, acting as master in every place, acting upon encountering conditions. Now then, what do you say about the single sentence that responds to things and benefits sentient beings? He has neither facing toward nor turning away; a single arrowhead breaks the three barriers."
The Master spoke again: "When clouds freely unfurl and roll up, how could there be this and that? When the valley spirit quietly responds, how could there be ranks of high and low? Blending and permeating all things into a whole, cutting off the vital fords into a single unity: within a speck of dust, the scripture continually turns the great dharmacakra; beneath words, the body divides, everywhere radiantly illuminating. This is the ordinary day-to-day use of the patchrobed monk's family: either gathering up the great earth like a grain of millet and tossing it before your face, or slapping Mount Sumeru so that it leaps up to the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. Tell me: is this clouds freely unfurling and rolling up? Or the valley spirit quietly responding? Do you understand yet? Sailing a boat requires a man who holds the tiller."

3.19

Arriving at Liangshan, [the Master] ascended the hall and said: "Beating a cloth drum at the Dragon Gate, shining the light of a firefly before the sun—having reached this point, one truly finds nowhere to hide one's body. Is there anyone here who cannot hold back?"
The Master then said: "In the lion's den of non-arising, the roar terrifies the herd; in the non-dual sandalwood grove, the fragrant breeze encircles the seats. The words truly transcend outer phenomena, the phrases expound the true vehicle, the Way surpasses past and present, and the function exceeds the buddhas and patriarchs. Having arrived here, how could this mountain monk open his mouth? This is what is called seeing what has never been seen, and hearing what has never been heard. Although borrowing the road to pass through, I cannot help playing the fool upon encountering the scene; as in antiquity, so at present, there is neither that nor this. Just now Juehai brought up Jiashan's saying: 'The sun fills the eyes, without a patch of cloud hanging for ten thousand miles. In the limpid water the swimming fish confuses itself. Before my eyes there is no ācārya; here there is no old monk.' If you can know that the clouds and the moon are the same while the streams and mountains are distinct, then you will see that if you only know how to act as a buddha, what sentient beings do you have to worry about? If it is like this, then the three mysteries and three essentials are laid wide open, and the five ranks of lord and vassal are swept away with a single stroke of the brush. Do you all see yet? To stick one's head out beyond the heavens to look, one must be a person of this very realm."

3.20

Arriving at Deshan, [the Master] ascended the hall and said: "Hanging high the ancient mirror, the ten thousand forms are arrayed before the terrace; holding horizontally the Moyé sword, the multiple functions are severed beneath words. Opening the furnace and bellows of an adept, wielding the pincers and hammer of the buddhas and patriarchs, expounding the true style of seeing the nature, and carrying on the lineage model of perfect brightness. It truly covers all universally like heaven, and supports all universally like earth; in each thing and every matter, it is clearly and distinctly known; the vital fords are cut off and the arena for selecting buddhas is opened. Having reached this point, how could one swallow one's breath and keep silent? I cannot help borrowing flowers to offer water. Great assembly! In those years, Chan Master Jianxing relied on a single plain staff, striking even if a buddha came, going as far as waving a fan across the river and chopping wood to transmit the mind. Yantou and Xuefeng chanted the final word; Dongshan and Longya illuminated the dynamic of killing and bringing to life. Transmitted through antiquity and present, these are the turtle mirrors of the monastic groves. Now the abbot continues this true style, severing all streams without leaving a single drop. This mountain monk is fortunate to observe the light of this place, and I venture to ask: what do you say about the single sentence in which person and environment correspond to each other? The five streams are inexhaustibly clear; the ancient beauty is without flaw."

3.21

Entering the monastery and reaching the abbot's quarters, [the Master] said: "Magadha directly enforced this command; Vaiśālī already displayed spiritual powers. Now, without bringing them forth again at all, cutting off the thousand differences continues the patriarchal style. Now then, what do you say about the single sentence of cutting off? It is already before words."

3.22

Ascending the seat, [the Master] said: "In blazing midsummer heat I departed the green peaks; / In crisp, cool autumn I crossed the jade Xiang River. / The ancient hall sits majestic, pines and cypresses dense; / The dustless golden ground is full of pure coolness. / Having reached here, is there still a true patchrobed monk? Come forward and bear witness together."
A monk asked: "Huangbo, because of Minister Pei, had his glorious reputation rise ever higher; Dadian, having gained Han Wengong, had his fine renown travel ever further. I wonder to whom the Venerable's debt of gratitude belongs?"
The Master said: "How could one compare fish eyes to bright pearls?"
[The monk] continued: "If so, from now on the rarefied sound will be heard throughout the world."
The Master said: "You have your share of retreating."
[The monk] continued: "Today, the Venerable adds another layer of radiance."
The Master said: "What place is it that adds?"
[The monk] continued: "A tiger's head bearing horns emerges from the wild grass."
The Master said: "Be sure not to use a sentence that merely fits on [like a cap]."
The Master then said: "The Dharma has no abiding characteristics; attaching to characteristics goes against the lineage. The Way is not practiced in vain; following along its practice, one finds the road. You must know that within dwelling there is no dwelling, within moving there is no moving: vast as the great void, bright as the blazing sun. The ten thousand forms cannot conceal or cover it; how could the thousand sages rival or measure it? When a single speck of dust flies, it obscures the sky; when a single mustard seed falls, it covers the earth. When a single blossom blooms, one sees the Buddha; when a single leaf drops, one knows autumn. In each matter and every thing, it is distinct and clear; though phenomena have a thousand differences, principle returns to a single track. One must be an adept of comprehensive mastery to begin to understand and bear witness. Have you not heard it said: 'The entire universe is totally nothing but a single eye of the śramaṇa'? And it is said: 'Gathering up the great earth, it is like a grain of millet; this is not a wondrous function of spiritual power, nor is it the fundamental essence being as it is.' Having reached here, encountering conditions is itself the lineage; responding to dynamic sharpness everywhere. Now then, what do you say about the single sentence of arriving at the mountain? The ancient hall leans against the belly of the cliff; the new path winds around the root of the clouds."
[The Master] spoke again: "The buddhas did not appear in the world; speaking for forty-nine years, it has had no connection since before [the Buddha of] Awesome Sound. The patriarch did not come from the west; Shaolin possessed the wondrous formula; the single lineage of Bodhidharma swept the ground completely clean. If a person knows the patriarchs and buddhas, they have no faces: in what place can you recognize them? Transcending directly on the spot! In front are the triple gate and the Buddha Hall; in back are the abbot's quarters and the sleeping hall; on the right are the kitchen and storehouse and the Monks' Hall. How do you speak of transcending directly on the spot? Do you fully understand yet? Letting go of one's hands and arriving home, nobody recognizes you; there is not a single thing more to offer to the honorable hall."

3.23

On the first day of the eighth month, at the opening of the hall at Tianning Monastery, the Master held up the document and said: "Does the great assembly see? If you can understand here, the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye is clearly without concealment, and the Great Matter of causal conditions is distinctly producing radiance. If not yet so, then let the rector read it out before the assembly."
The reading of the document concluded.

3.24

The Master pointed to the Dharma seat and said, "Great assembly! Borrowing the seat from the Lamp King was the ancient model; determining all directly before us is today's dynamic sharpness. If you want to understand the source of the Buddhas and Patriarchs, you must tread on the crown of Vairocana's head." He then ascended the seat, offered incense, and said, "This stick of incense is respectfully offered to pray for the sacred longevity of the reigning Emperor. May the golden wheel long govern the ultimate; may the precious imperial line forever flourish and prosper; may all bow toward the Northern Culmen in deference to the Most Venerable; may the mustard-seed kalpas be emptied while the reign stands ever firmer. This second stick of incense is offered for the Prefect and Pacification Commissioner, Lecturer-in-waiting, Transport Commissioner, Grand Master of the Court of Consultations, Transport Judge, Reviewer, Education Intendant, Text Editor, and Supervisor Daifu; the Reception Official and Attendant Gentleman, General Controllers and Daifu of both offices; and the nobles and dignitaries seated here. May you serve as Feng Hou and Limu, act as Ji, Xie, Kui, and Gao; fulfilling the hopes of all as the Eight Ministers and Three Terraces, being chosen by the sovereign's heart as the salt and prunes, the timely rain. This third stick of incense: when a thousand Buddhas appear in the world, who can match the price? On the other side of Bhīṣmagarjitasvararāja, who can discern the beginning? Years ago, under a single word of Baiyun, I undertook the task; today in the city of Tan, I take it out for the third time, respectfully offering it for the late Master Wuzu Fayan, twelfth generation of Mount Wuzu in Qizhou, to repay the milk of his Dharma." He then gathered his robes and sat cross-legged. The Abbot of Tianning struck the gavel and said, "Dragon and elephant assembly of the Dharma banquet, you should observe the primary truth." The Master said, "A fine 'primary truth'! Right through, eight-sided and exquisite, like a seal stamping the sky, like a seal stamping clay, like a seal stamping water. Speaking like this has already fallen into the second and third. Is there anyone possessing the eye that penetrates the barrier? Please come forward and test it in engagement." A monk asked, "Having penetrated the barrier of Baiyun and wearing the seal of Huangmei, holding Yangqi's correct command and reviving the old seat of Ciming—leaving aside Linji's three mysteries, what about the matter atop the solitary crest of Wonderful Peak?" The Master said, "Meeting face to face, there is neither front nor back." The monk continued, "Leaving aside Sudhana not meeting [Mañjuśrī] for seven days, why could Mañjuśrī not grope and find him for a hundred kalpas?" The Master said, "Where do you see Mañjuśrī?" The monk continued, "A single phrase far transcends the thousand sages; meeting the eyes of the entire banquet, all are intimate knowers." The Master said, "Viewed from the highest, it is not enough; leveled from the lowest, there is a surplus." The monk continued, "Then the moon over the Xiaoxiang River breaks through the autumn of Blue Cliff." The Master said, "You must also direct your eyes quickly to get it." The monk continued, "Just as the Lecturer-in-waiting once wrote in a poem: 'To understand words is to have no tongue; this old monk is not from here.' Just at such a time, how is it?" The Master said, "How few are those who know the heart!" The monk continued, "It makes one think again of Layman Pang: 'In heaven and the human world, none can be his companion.'" The Master said, "You have indeed hit upon it, ācārya." The Master then said, "The Great Way has neither front nor back; the ultimate principle is cut off from verbal explanation. Far transcending the three vehicles and soaring above the ten grounds, where the myriad dharmas cannot reach, radiance uniquely shines forth. Before the Buddhas were differentiated, the wondrous source alone shone bright; it does not fall into hearing and seeing, nor follow form and sound. Directly beneath it there is not a single fine hair; throughout the entire realm the extraordinary affair is completely manifested. Even if one realizes it under the staff or accepts it under the shout, that is still an accommodation. Nowadays, even if light and environment are both forgotten and the mind is matched in equality, in the end that is still not the exact aim. Therefore it is said: 'The transcendent path is not transmitted by the thousand sages; students wear out their bodies like monkeys grasping at shadows.' Arriving here, principle is cut off, phenomena are cut off, practice is cut off, illumination is cut off, function is cut off, the provisional is cut off, the real is cut off. It is straight like a long sword leaning against the sky in chilling, awe-inspiring might, like the dynamic capacity of an iron ox which cannot be caged or trapped. Today, fortunate to face those with clear eyes, I dare not cover it up or hide it away; I lay it wide open." Holding up the whisk, he said, "Do you understand? Shining across past and present, lively and active, it reveals its entire body throughout the great chiliocosm." He added, "Great assembly! In the past Xuefeng held up his staff and showed it to the assembly, saying: 'This of mine is for people of medium and low capacity.' At that time a monk came forward and asked: 'What if someone of the highest capacity suddenly comes along?' Xuefeng put away the staff. Yunmen said: 'I am not like Xuefeng breaking through these entanglements.' He then held up his staff and said: 'This of mine is for people of medium and low capacity.' At that time a monk asked: 'What if someone of the highest capacity suddenly comes along?' Yunmen immediately struck him." The Master commented, "Generally, in upholding the lineage and establishing teachings, one must possess an eye on the crown of the head and carry a talisman beneath the elbow. Look at those two old masters: giving rein and pulling back, killing and bringing to life, emerging and submerging, rolling up and unfurling, truly extraordinary! Yet examined closely, it is still growing branches upon joints. As for this mountain monk's view—" He then held up his staff and said, "This mountain monk only takes this, universally for all people, without distinction of superior, medium, or inferior. If you want to hold it up and unfurl it, you are completely free to hold it up and unfurl it; if you want to undertake it, you are completely free to undertake it. Everywhere the crucial ford is held and severed; each stands like a wall a thousand fathoms high. But tell me, what happens if one suddenly meets a person from within it? The myriad nations drink to their heart's content, tasting the great cauldron; meeting each other, we join hands and ascend the high terrace."

3.25

Thanking the monastery director, he ascended the hall and said, "A drop of water turns to ice; a hundred completions and a thousand fulfillments. A backbone of iron, a solid heart cast of gold. Shouldering the monastic grove, assisting the spiritual master, his standard is worthy of emulation, being straightforward and honest to the core. But tell me, who is such a person? Meeting and seeing each other with hearty laughter, there is yet spring wind, spring upon spring."

3.26

At the request of the Transport Judge, he ascended the hall and instructed the assembly, saying, "To startle the crowd and vanquish rivals requires a heroic spirit; when Buddhas and Patriarchs respond to the occasion, they value what is readily present. Fortunate to meet a thorough person as witness, why not step out from the assembly to resolve your doubts?" A monk asked, "Layman Pang's complete capacity was like a swift flame passing in the wind; Great Master Mazu's quick eloquence was like a rushing torrent crossing a blade. In their exchanges, was there any superiority or inferiority?" The Master said, "The whole body is it; the entire body is it." The monk continued, "Smashed to pieces with a single hammer blow!" The Master said, "Do not mistake it." The monk continued, "Who is the one who does not keep company with the myriad dharmas?" The Master said, "Where does the question come from?" The monk continued, "A fine message!" The Master said, "What did you say?" The monk continued, "What about swallowing the waters of the West River in a single gulp?" The Master said, "The bright sun shines in the sky." The monk continued, "I thought there was something quite extraordinary." The Master said, "What about you?" The monk continued, "Presented face to face." The Master said, "Blink your eyebrows." The Master then said, "Clearly without retrogression, distinctly the patience of non-arising, encompassing the myriad existences, containing and breathing out the ten directions of space, free from seeing and cut off from hearing, transcending sound and form. If one says that mind itself is Buddha, it is just like putting a head on top of a head; if one further says neither Buddha nor mind, it is very much like stirring up foam to search for fire. Transcending both views, not falling into the middle, stripped clean with nothing left, stark naked and fully exposed. Therefore the ancients said: 'The spiritual source is never dim, an enduring standard for ten thousand ages; upon entering this gate, do not harbor intellectual understanding.' Arriving here, not a fine hair is established, yet throughout the entire realm nothing is hidden; myriad streams turn toward the lineage source, a thousand differences run on the same track. Even from before Bhīṣmagarjitasvararāja down to the exhaustion of future kalpas, not a single hair is altered; in its functioning, the embodiment is completely true, and brought forth, it is immediate and direct. Just take today: opening the arena for selecting Buddhas to expound the supreme vehicle, tell me: how do you say a phrase of dedicated remembrance? In the inner palace, Maitreya is seen right on the terrace; throughout the entire realm, the pure and wondrous body is fully revealed." He again cited: "Qianfeng instructed the assembly, saying: 'Raising one, you must not raise two; letting the first move pass, you fall into the second.' Great Master Yunmen came out from the assembly and said: 'Yesterday someone came from Tiantai and went instead to Jingshan.' Qianfeng said: 'The cook will not hold a communal work session today.'" The Master said, "Fixing the eye in a flash of lightning, thrusting the body into sparks from flint. Qianfeng caused the iron tree to blossom; Yunmen also stirred waves in a red furnace. Fist and kick correspond; singing and beat follow one another. As is said, to understand such an affair, one must be such a person; if one is such a person, one must comprehend such an affair. Just take today: the great brightness universally illuminates, those of superior faculties attain complete realization, creating an extraordinary condition and revealing an exceptional affair. But tell me: is it identical with or different from Qianfeng and Yunmen? Unless meeting an expert, one does not open the fist; the moment one meets an intimate knower, it is handed over."

3.27

Ascending the hall, he said, "The trees wither and leaves fall; everywhere the essence is exposed in the autumn wind. The ocean is broad and the sky is high; everywhere the moon is full on the autumn night. The Buddhas and Patriarchs cannot lift it up; the staff and shout cannot be applied. Fresh and rare waters and rocks, an exquisite mind seal, fully revealing the untrammeled crags and cliffs, a lofty and steep gate and court. Settling down to establish a home and delight in one's profession is set aside for now; when the ocean assembly gathers like clouds, how is it? Throwing wide open the doors and windows to welcome them, enduring loneliness with plain rice and coarse broth."

3.28

Ascending the hall, he said, "In the deepest place, nothing can compare; in the shallowest, it is handed over with both hands. Uniting the ten thousand with the one, piercing the myriad cavities, at the tip of a fine hair mending the short and trimming the long, holding the scales and measure in the palm of one's hand. Setting aside replacing the skull, how do you say a phrase about bringing the bag of boots and shoes? The spirit does not derive from heaven and earth; how could a hero depend on the progression of the four seasons?"

3.29

At the request of Censor Zhou, he ascended the hall and said, "Praying for the boundless longevity of the One Sovereign, opening the arena for selecting Buddhas in the ten directions, establishing an extraordinary condition, performing an exceptional affair—one must be an adept to engage in mutual incitement." A monk asked, "Autumn departs and winter comes, fleetingly passing; the flowing years, days, and months are truly not many. Leaving aside resolving the three sicknesses of Xuansha, what about the matter of Zhaozhou's teacup?" The Master said, "Letting go and taking back." The monk continued, "One must trust that the naturally genuine Buddha gives rise to compassion in tens of thousands of ways." The Master said, "A drop of water and ink." The monk continued, "Directly bringing slight sweetness back to the cheeks, it already surpasses the ten parts of sweetness of cliff honey." The Master said, "Yet you must penetrate Zhaozhou's barrier." The monk continued, "There is no need to trouble Emperor Wei for a single pill of medicine." The Master said, "A standard for the patch-robed monks of the world." The monk continued, "The old fellow Zhaozhou was still getting into the mud and water; how does the Daolin gate treat people?" The Master said, "Severing iron and cutting nails." The monk continued, "It can indeed be called: 'A single phrase meeting the occasion is as swift as thunder; the cakra eye opens on the crown of the head.'" The Master said, "Remember it clearly." The Master then said, "The mysterious dynamic penetrates and disengages, blending the myriad forms before our eyes; the ultimate principle is lofty and bright, harmonizing the thousand differences beyond things. One illumination is all illumination; one vision is all vision; one function is all function; one preaching is all preaching. Directly severing the source, it is revealed before us. If you can thoroughly penetrate here, the great affair under your own feet will be as bright as the midday sun, as broad as the great void; it can cultivate the person, it can see the nature, it can pray for the longevity of the One Sovereign, and it can plant superior causes for the future. Therefore, atop Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa a flower was held up and Kāśyapa smiled; before the wall at Shaolin, Shenguang transmitted the mind. In between, it is like sparks struck from flint, like a flash of lightning. One must be an extraordinary person to understand the matter of the fundamental lot; if you want to know the matter of the fundamental lot, it takes that extraordinary person. But just as for today, how do you say a phrase that is extraordinary and of the fundamental lot? Sunflowers and mallows alike tilt upward, respectfully praying for ten thousand years of spring."

3.30

Ascending the hall, [the Master] said: "Mysterious, mysterious, mysterious—too muddled; clear, clear, clear—without boundary or limit. Having arising and cessation is particularly perverse; having no going and no coming only further reveals blunder. Not arising from the cessation samādhi yet displaying all dignified deportments; not relinquishing the dharmas of ordinary beings yet cultivating all supreme practices. Tell me, is this letting go, or holding fast? Following the flow, one recognizes the nature: no joy, and no sorrow."

3.31

Ascending the hall, [the Master] said: "When a leaf falls, one knows autumn has arrived; pluck the string and the tune is recognized. Dīpaṃkara beckons with his hand; the wise one nods his head. Undertaking it before the written patterns arise, mutually illumining beyond right and wrong, gain and loss. Without getting involved in fine details, how can you communicate the message? Ten thousand scenes merely have forms; a lone cloud originally has no mind."

3.32

A patron having requested him to ascend the hall, a monk asked: "The teaching says: 'In the first part of the day, the middle part of the day, and the latter part of the day, one gives away bodies as numerous as the sands of the Ganges.' What is the giving of bodies as numerous as the sands of the Ganges in the first part of the day?" The Master said: "If the great sea did not take them in, the hundred rivers would flow backward." The monk continued: "What is the giving of bodies as numerous as the sands of the Ganges in the middle part of the day?" The Master said: "A ready-made gong'an." The monk continued: "What is the giving of bodies as numerous as the sands of the Ganges in the latter part of the day?" The Master said: "To the end of the future, all gathered up at once." The Master then said: "Sun-face, moon-face: pearls turn and jade revolves; with phrases, without phrases: threads come and cords go. Tathāgata Chan: before your parents were born. The Patriarch's intention: red dust rises from the bottom of the well. For one who has penetrated it, provisional and real are both illumined beneath the phrase; for one who has not penetrated it, he is buried in a tangle of vines. Penetrated or not penetrated—how is it when none of this applies at all? 'The balmy breeze comes from the south, bringing a slight coolness to the palace pavilion.'"

3.33

Ascending the hall for the beginning of the summer retreat, [the Master] said: "Loftily transcending the ten stages without passing through an asaṃkhyeya [eon], object and self are as one, body and mind equal. Not companion to the ten thousand dharmas, not treading the same path with the thousand sages. Distinctly, the constant light appears before you; everywhere, cliffs stand ten thousand fathoms steep. Even if you penetrate beyond [the era] before Bhīṣmagarjitasvararāja, that is still on this side. When it comes to principle adapting to phenomena, responding to objects and according with dynamic capacity, one may manifest ten kinds of other-enjoyment bodies, or manifest sixteen feet or three feet. Sometimes on the peak of a solitary summit one gazes at the clouds and sky; sometimes in shallow grass and flat fields one lies crosswise and lengthwise—yet these too are only matters on this side. As for one who encompasses the realms of sand without moving a step, who pervades the ten directions of space without giving rise to a thought—tell me, does he still observe the three months and ninety days of the summer retreat, or not? The cloud upon the mountain ridge never manages to be at leisure; the water flowing down the ravine is far too busy."

3.34

Ascending the hall, [the Master] said: "The full moon, the fifteenth of the month, the first of the month, the new moon; severing nails and cutting through iron, piling up mountains and amassing peaks. Small Vehicle string of cash, Great Vehicle well-rope; leaky colander, leakless wooden ladle. The phrase determining dragons and snakes kills and revives entirely, cast out to all directions to be depreciated or picked apart at will. Investigate!"

3.35

When Privy Councillor Deng brought the imperial decree granting the purple robe and master's title, [the Master] ascended the hall and said: "This single stick of incense is respectfully offered to pray for and honor the current Emperor. I humbly pray that the imperial foundation endure forever, the precious reign flourish ever more, and the holy longevity be perpetually exalted for hundred thousands of myriads of years. Next, I offer incense respectfully for the Grand Councilor of the Bureau of Military Affairs in the Two Secretariats. I humbly pray that he long dwell in the Three Excellencies, perpetually reside in the high halls of state, his lifespan equal to the tall pines, his blessings and fortune deep as the immense sea." Taking the seat, a monk asked: "The master's title is bestowed from afar, fully bringing forth the great dynamic capacity of the Buddhas and patriarchs; the dyed robe is donned for the first time, solely revealing the true eye of humans and gods. Putting aside a hundred coils and a thousand layers for now, what is the matter at the very peak of the solitary summit?" The Master said: "An utpala flower blooms in the fire." The monk continued: "Before the physical omens were divided, what was the face?" The Master said: "It has no face." The monk continued: "When the dragon finds water, its spirit increases; when the tiger meets the mountain terrain, its ferocity grows." The Master said: "Who is not like that?" The monk continued: "If Śūnyatā did not know how to sit within the crag, how could heavenly flowers come to shake the earth?" The Master said: "You have been seen through by the Ācārya instead." The monk continued: "How will you repay the sagely and brilliant Son of Heaven?" The Master said: "Outside this mind, there is no other mind." The monk continued: "Do you allow the student to turn around and catch his breath, or not?" The Master said: "Where do you apply effort?" The monk continued: "A three-piece patch-robe beyond the blue mountain barrier; a single burner of aloeswood incense amidst the white clouds." The Master said: "All praise together!" The Master then said: "The Great Way is free of obstruction—who aspires toward it? Empty space has no front or back—where can it be carved? Far transcending Bhīṣmagarjitasvararāja, loftily surpassing the crown of Vairocana. It completely cuts off dust and tracks, free of forms and names; an ocean-like mouth cannot proclaim it, the Buddha-eye cannot catch sight of it. Yet what can be done when, sitting at ease in the crag, the devas rain down flowers; closing the door in a pure room, the Brahmā voice comforts and instructs? From afar receiving the great grace of the One Man, particularly assisted by the prime minister; forged and refined into the dyed robe, the master's title is repeatedly bestowed upon this rock cavern. Since it has descended from heaven, by principle it should be directly undertaken. The springs and rocks glisten; the forests and ridges add their splendor. When the wind moves, the grass bends; when water arrives, a channel is formed. Thereby the gate of liberation is struck open, the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye is displayed, the melody of the unborn is tuned, and the song of great peace is sung, delighting in the transformation of non-action. Do you completely understand? The utpala flower blooms, but when smelled, it has no fragrance; the name comes from the Bureau of Military Affairs, the favor arrives from the Ninth Heaven. Grass and trees give off radiance; the qilin and dragon are not deemed omens. Pledging to exert an iron-and-stone heart, I gaze up in gratitude to repay the kindness vast as hills and mountains."

3.36

Bringing up the appointment of Head Monk Tai as an established monk, [the Master] ascended the hall and said: "A great person possesses great sight; great wisdom attains great function. In a single flight, it rests for six months; a single promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Reaching the sky, it must be the rivers and seas; lofty and towering, it must be the mountain peaks. Those who know first awaken those who do not yet know; those who awaken first awaken those who awaken later. Opening the inexhaustible storehouse, hauling out the priceless treasure; not relying upon a single thing, revealing the original person."

3.37

Ascending the hall for the bathing of the Buddha, [the Master] said: "One hand pointing to heaven, one hand pointing to earth; the final dynamic mechanism, the patch-robed monk's nostrils. At every step a lotus flower; in the golden basin bathed and washed. From Western India to the Eastern Land, it has been handed down together; down to the present day, everywhere fragrant water is sprinkled." After a long pause, he said: "A cart is not pushed sideways; principle is not judged crookedly." He stepped down from the seat.

3.38

Commissioner of Tea and Salt Liu having requested him to ascend the hall, [the Master] said: "The light of prajñā wisdom pierces the darkness of the dim thoroughfare of birth and death; the diamond jewel sword cuts through the sorrow of being bound by fetters and afflictions. Where one penetrates through, not a single thought is redundant; where one enters into function, the whole body possesses eyes. It directly covers universally like heaven, supports universally like earth, shines universally like the sun, and cools universally like the wind; not a thread is displaced, not a speck of dust obscures it. Therefore it is said: 'All dharmas are unborn, all dharmas are unceasing. If one can understand like this, all Buddhas constantly appear before you.' It is also said: 'Not having realized that objects are mind-only, one gives rise to various discriminations; having realized that objects are mind-only, discrimination does not arise.' Within the dharma in which discrimination does not arise, recognize the unchanging, immovable, inexhaustible, endless, purely fundamental, all-pervading original self-nature of the Dharma realm. If you can comprehend this, then before heaven and earth were divided, before sentient beings and Buddhas were established, down to when the kalpa fire blazes and the great chiliocosm is completely destroyed, within it there is not the slightest oscillation, not the slightest arising or ceasing, not the slightest increase or decrease, not the slightest flourishing or withering. If you can be like this, only then will you know that Court Gentleman and Commissioner [Liu] has never ceased, has never diminished, has never moved, and has never departed. Now, how do you say a single phrase that solely transcends external things? Where the nine lotuses open and close, the hundred jewels are naturally adorned. You have been standing a long time; take care."

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圓悟佛果禪師語錄 — Classical Chinese