圓悟佛果禪師語錄 4

English (machine translation) 4

Language: English

4.1

Compiled by the disciple Shaolong and others of Mount Huqiu in Pingjiang Prefecture of the Song

Residing at Mount Jiang in Jiankang Prefecture. When the Master received the invitation while at Daolin in Tanzhou, he lifted up the yellow imperial decree, showed it to the assembly, and said: "Coiling dragon and soaring phoenix, strokes like iron and hooks of silver, issuing from the Ninefold [Palace], descending from heaven. The great assembly gazes upward; please let it be proclaimed." Holding up incense to bless the Emperor, he said: "Does the great assembly see? The patriarchs and Buddhas share the same root; humans and gods praise them together, forming a precious canopy of auspicious clouds to jointly wish long life to the Emperor, matching the Southern Mountain. Respectfully offered for the current Emperor: may he live ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years! We humbly pray that his Way surpass Pangu, his virtue exceed Fuxi and the Yellow Emperor, his position be perpetually solidified upon the golden wheel, and his lifespan be ever firmer than the kalpa stone." Thereupon he took the seat and said: "Great assembly! The times are peaceful, the Way is exalted, heaven is clear, and the earth is tranquil. The One Man sits loftily in non-action, and all things each find their proper place. Under the entire sky and across the whole land, there is none who does not receive favor; traversing seas and scaling mountains, all equally partake in the forging. Thus, every dust speck and every realm, every single object and thing, radiates a great precious light, opens the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, exercises the power of prajñā, and restores the customs of high antiquity. How do you say a single phrase on knowing kindness and repaying kindness? The transformation of non-action cannot be fathomed by the myriad spirits; everywhere the five-petaled flower blossoms in full."

4.4

Taking leave of the assembly at Daolin, [the Master] ascended the hall and said: "The ten directions of space are a single bubble—how could there be division into this and that? The great chiliocosm is a single dust mote—how could there be going and coming? If each person can clearly see the original mind and manifest the wondrous function, with abilities that reach heaven, movement and stillness will be as one; with scenery spanning the earth, this and that will not be two. Staying, a floating cloud congeals in a secluded valley; leaving, an empty boat drifts upon the Yangzi River. Leaving and staying are originally fulfilled; in liberation there is no separate road. Thus, it is complete arising and complete cessation, complete movement and complete stillness, complete going and complete coming, complete gathering up and complete letting go. Now, how do you say a single phrase on stepping out the gate? Each and every thing is manifested and present; the true eye directly facing the sun expands across empty space." He added: "For three years, unworthy as I was, I had the fortune to accompany you; my practice of the Way has been neglected, and I am ashamed of my lack of talent. Answering the imperial summons, I go straight beyond the clouds; when will we pace together once again?"

4.5

Entering the monastery, upon arriving at the Abbot's Room, he said: "Bodhidharma facing the wall, Vimalakīrti remaining silent; clinging to rules and relying on precedents—how could it be expressed in words? Even though this is so, casting off the body, the non-dual gate is vastly opened, purely to dissolve stickiness and remove bonds." Taking the seat, he said: "The Way does not travel in vain, like the wind bending the grass; conditions are not responded to in vain, like a mirror facing a form. If one can have no mind toward the mind, no self toward oneself, no other toward others, and no 'I' toward the 'I'—vastly encompassing the realms of sand, none of it is an external object; even if traversing to the ends of heaven and earth, all is right before you. Dharma acts in accord with Dharma; the Dharma banner is established everywhere. Principle is like this, and phenomena are like this. Furthermore, Master Bao's bodhimaṇḍa revealed the transformation during the Liang dynasty, and King Shu's blessed land is revitalized in this sagely era. Vastly opening the arena for selecting Buddhas, chanting the Great Prajñā, in the midst of this, what is the single phrase that has no mind toward mind, has no self toward oneself, and cuts off the vital crossing, brooking no ordinary or sage? 'The Three Mountains fall halfway beyond the blue sky; the Two Waters split around White Egret Isle.'"

4.6

Ascending the hall at the start of the summer retreat, he said: “A single speck of dust contains the boundless Dharma realm; yet upon meticulous scrutiny, there is still an empty gap. A hundred billion tip-of-a-hair lions appear all at once on a hundred billion hair-tips; yet upon genuine appraisal, this is still not talk of the ultimate. If one discusses the matter of the fundamental lot: great people possess great views, and great wisdom attains great function. Even if the boundless seas of fragrant water were exhausted and an ineffable-ineffable number of worlds were transcended, all of them would merely be one’s own peaceful dwelling place; yet raising a single thought to transcend boundless oceans of lands is still not where a patch-robed monk treads. Without running against sharp edges, without clinging to gain and loss, without falling into dualistic views, and without abiding in between—precisely in such a moment, how is it? / Ninety days in the mountains, / Countless millennia beyond the clouds.”

4.7

Ascending the hall, he said: “The Dharma has no dual marks; how could the Way have multiple paths? Mutual distinctions have ceased their merits, and from antiquity to the present it never changes. Those with something to lean upon are in the azure vault and clear sky; those without anything to lean upon are behind silver mountains and iron walls. Even if your divine powers and wondrous functions were hundredfold and thousandfold, how could that compare to resting views, forgetting mental contrivance, and sitting securely in the family hall? And not treading either path, how do you speak a phrase? / Their family naturally possesses a path piercing the heavens; / Laying down shields and spears at the tips of the myriad grasses.”

4.8

On the second day of the fifth month, the hall was opened [for his installation]. Receiving the letter of invitation from the prefect’s hands, he presented it to the great assembly and said: “Every single character expounds immeasurable meanings, and every single phrase is like an uḍumbara flower—the tongs and hammer of the Buddhas and Patriarchs, the banner of humans and gods. Brought forth directly in the open, the literary brilliance is already evident; brocade spread with flowers, pray recite it once again.”

4.9

Pointing to the Dharma seat, he said: “Towering high without exterior, plunging deep without limit. No longer paying homage to Sumeru Lamp, every step on the stairs is the entire reality. And tell me, what is this? Look, look!” Holding up incense, he said: “Great assembly! Do you see? Perfuming the fivefold dharmakāya, congealing the auspicious colors of five clouds, ignited in the censer, this is respectfully offered to solemnize the current Emperor’s sage longevity: ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years! We humbly pray that his Way equals Yao and Shun, his virtue surpasses Fuxi and Xuanyuan, his longevity surpasses hundreds of millions of years like the Southern Mountain, and his venerable seat spans kalpas numerous as the sands of the Ganges like the Northern Pole. / The second piece of incense is offered for the Prefect and Minister along with the distinguished nobles of the various offices. We humbly pray that they receive the favor of the One Man, fulfill the gaze of the four seas, serve as the Duke of Zhou, the Duke of Shaobo, Shen Bo, and Zhong Shanfu, and act as Gao Yao, Kuí, Yi, and Xie. / The third piece of incense,” he said, “In past years amidst the heaps of white clouds, the first phrase cut off the flow; today before the assembly of humans and gods, this is the fourth time I bring it forth. Offered for the twelfth-generation Chan Master Yan of Mount Wuzu in Qizhou, ignited in the censer to repay the debt of the milk of the Dharma.” / He then gathered his robes and sat down. Master Tianxi struck the gavel and said: “Assembly of dragons and elephants at the Dharma banquet, you must contemplate the primary truth!” / The Master said: “A single stroke of the gavel is completed, its brilliance filling the eyes; the vital crossing is held fast, so who can respond in harmony? Is there anyone capable of contemplating the primary truth? Come forward and meet me!” / The Master then said: “The matter since kalpas without beginning is only right now; that beyond King of Awesome Voice is entirely grasped in hand. Everything right before us is fully manifest; clear and distinct, without error. Individually exerting great dynamic potential, wholly holding high the ancestral seal. Even if one puts forth outstanding deeds, displays extraordinary actions, and exhausts the crucial mechanisms of the world, one cannot avoid growing branches from knots and grasping the moon in the water. Therefore, when the Buddhas appeared in the world, they rarely met an adept; when the Patriarch came from the West, he merely caught wind of empty sounds. The transcendent path has never been transmitted by the thousand sages; students wear out their bodies like monkeys grasping shadows. Arriving here, unbound by conventions, not treading in past tracks, not obscuring the immediate dynamic—how should it be raised and sung? A clear-eyed fellow has no nest; the matter of the fundamental lot cuts off all snares. Fortunately encountering the Emperor’s path being peaceful and the imperial demeanor broad and open, we solemnize the sage longevity and open the hall for the nation. Your high excellency's carriages have graced us with your presence, and imperial envoys bear witness. At the summit of Mount Zhong, before Master Bao’s pagoda, open wide the eight characters and clearly manifest it!” / He then picked up his staff and said: “Do you see? The Buddhas cannot reach it; the Patriarchs cannot lift it up. A thousand suns shining together, ten thousand mirrors facing the stand; not separated by a hair's breadth, recognize it directly in the open! And not treading amidst various conditions, how do you speak a phrase? / The eight quarters receive the gentle drizzle of non-action's transforming influence; / Ten thousand realms sing songs, rejoicing in supreme peace.”

4.10

Ascending the hall, he said: “Unceasing and unarising, spanning antiquity and extending through the present; utterly unobstructed, functioning without error. Buddhas and Patriarchs achieve perfection through this; humans and gods manifest on its account. Even if thousands of sages and myriads of sages appear, they cannot alter a single hair's breadth. If you wish to know Mañjuśrī, Samantabhadra, Śākyamuni, Maitreya, Avalokiteśvara, and Mahāsthāmaprāpta—they are all right here. Not giving rise to the slightest sentimental thought of ordinary or holy, not bound by boundaries of gain and loss, right and wrong; directly beneath it, it is wholly true and nothing else. And how do you speak a phrase to solemnize and commemorate? Do you understand? / Amitābha is not obtained from without; / The entire realm is the Western Paradise.”

4.11

Ascending the hall, he said: “Everything is without containment, yet in every touch completely realized; its application leaves no disparity, its forms impossible to fathom. Above the crowns of the thousand sages, sometimes the mechanism unfathomable to patriarchs and buddhas is revealed; within the tip of a single hair, sometimes the brilliant pattern of host and guest exchanging places is enacted. Traversing heaven and weaving earth, like jade turning and pearls rolling—let that be set aside for now.” / Holding up his fly whisk, he made a dotting gesture and said: “Where does this single dot fall? / If the sea god treasures it, not knowing its price, / Leave it for the human world to shine throughout the night.”

4.12

Ascending the hall, he said: “Ultimate reality is not inside; the great thousand worlds are not outside. Surface and interior are as one, subsuming and merging with the Dharma realm. The moon imprints the cold pool; the pearl sinks into the vast sea. Trees wither and leaves fall; nowhere is it, yet nowhere is it absent. The myriad dharmas are fundamentally identical, never having faced toward or away; only if one is a person in the midst of it is there no change from start to finish. And what is this lack of change? / Only after the snow do we know the integrity of pines and cypresses; / Only when matters are difficult do we see the heart of a great person.”

4.13

Ascending the hall, he said: “The extraordinary true vehicle, the correct eye directly in the open; riding on sound and covering form, transcending seeing and terminating hearing. It is not what the three worthies and ten stages of sages know, nor what divine powers and transformations can measure. Prying open the one transcendent aperture, holding fast the boundaries prior to King of Awesome Voice; even if Bodhidharma came from the West, he would have no place to set hands or feet. Arriving here, to speak further of mind and objects, or speak of gain and loss—how could that have any relevance whatsoever? If you are a person of sharp faculties, sever it with a single blade without falling into a second view or falling into a second dynamic; directly undertake it beneath it—how could that not be concise and essential? Even when walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, with a single stick of incense, a single flower, a single gaze, a single bow, there is nothing that does not flow out from oneself, nothing that does not come from the fundamentally existing place of practice. Cutting off the heads of the reward and transformation buddhas with this, you are free to wear clothes and eat food in accord with the times. The Buddhas of the three periods only said they knew it themselves; the Patriarch coming from the West could not lift it up at all; the teachings of the entire Great Canon cannot explain or annotate it. And tell me: arriving here, how do you speak of the principle of preparing a bridge in advance? Do you understand? / A wisp of cloud dots the vast clarity, / Already falling into a second view.”

4.14

Upon receiving the certificate [of appointment] for Master Min of Baoning, he ascended the hall and said: “Sleeping alone on a solitary peak, gazing into the clouds—although this does not bury the lineage style, is it not far too lofty? At the crossroads with dusty face and ashen head, benefiting beings and responding to faculties—although this buries oneself, is it not far too humiliating? How much more so for a person of clear awakening, whose crown possesses an eye and under whose elbow lies a talisman, appearing and disappearing, rolling up and unfurling with great freedom; moving like drifting clouds, resting like the valley spirit. One may sleep alone on a solitary peak without obstructing the dusty face and ashen head; or wear a dusty face and ashen head without obstructing sleeping alone on a solitary peak. Within 'thus' there is 'not thus'; within 'not thus' there is yet 'thus'. And how do you speak a phrase suitable to the time and season?” / After a pause, he said: “Auspicious energy meets a felicitous era; / Numinous sprouts bring spring wherever they touch.”

4.15

Ordaining the good friend Ji into the monastic order, he ascended the hall and said: “The three realms offer no peace; the four modes of birth hold beings captive. Wanting to break free of the net of passion and step beyond into the great expanse, one should properly don the armor of forbearance, wield the sword of wisdom, exercise the highest mental disposition, and give rise to an extraordinary resolve, fighting together against the māra of the aggregates, the māra of afflictions, and the māra of death, destroying the three poisons and tearing through the māras' nets—only then are you a great person. Have you not seen it said in the teachings: ‘The three realms offer no peace, just like a burning house; filled with manifold sufferings, extremely frightening.’ And it also says: ‘This house has only a single gate, and it is narrow.’ Although it is narrow, the Buddhas of the past, the Buddhas of the present, and the Buddhas of the future have all gone out from right here. And tell me, ultimately how is it?” / After a pause, he said: “What is it like? A falcon across the distant skies— / Piercing ten thousand miles of clouds in a single strike.”

4.16

Ascending the hall, he said: “The thousand sages do not follow the same rut; the true reality alone is exposed. The myriad phenomena leave nothing veiled; the wondrous function is constantly true. Dharma moves in accordance with Dharma, nowhere not pervasive; mind functions in accordance with mind, nowhere not complete. If you can terminate climbing and longing above, and sever the personal self below, releasing everyone's constant light so that before your eyes each is solely exposed, then in a single dust mote you can manifest a jewel king's realm, and sitting inside a hair-tip turn the great wheel of Dharma. Turning without turning, all is turned; manifesting a body through bodilessness, nowhere is not the body; frozen in silent illumination spanning antiquity to the present. Therefore it is said: ‘Only one solid, secret body manifests within all dust motes.’ Although dwelling within dust motes, the dust motes cannot contain it; although dwelling within the four marks, the four marks cannot snare it. Although seeking its slightest form or mark anywhere is entirely unattainable, nevertheless when one needs to use it, one uses it; when one needs to walk, one walks. Neither seeking dust within a single dust mote, nor searching for its slightest form or mark—this is called the forbearance of non-arising of dharmas. And just like cutting off both ends, how do you speak a phrase? / Death and life share the same boundary; / The myriad transformations are all as such.”

4.17

Ascending the hall at the conclusion of the summer retreat, he said: “The jewel realm on a hair-tip is vast and broad, wandering freely through the ten periods and adjacent to empty space. Antiquity and the present are boundless and remote; seeing through clearly, nothing is seen; hearing thoroughly, nothing is heard. Arriving here, it is not merely Sudhana gathering his thoughts for seven days; even if Mañjuśrī exercised the power of great wisdom for a hundred kalpas and raised boundless divine functions, he still could not catch a glimpse. Just as you all have individually journeyed with your whole being within it throughout the ninety days, appearing and disappearing, unfurling and rolling up, gathering and releasing freely, passing through eight cavities and seven piercings, surging in the east and sinking in the west—if you suddenly understand it thoroughly here, you are free to step on solid ground at every step, and with every thought realize what is ordinary. If not yet so, today the mouth of the cloth sack is opened. Do you understand?” / After a pause, he said: “Do not say the clear autumn possesses many fine scenes; / Linger a while and rein in the clouds once more.”

4.18

Ascending the hall on the first day of the eighth month, the Master said: "Rooting out the dens and nests of the three realms, releasing the true person of no rank, penetrating through the brambles and thorns of the monastic groves, one then abides in the Land of Constant Silent Light. Neither identical nor different, it outshines antiquity and transcends the present; neither form nor mind, it surpasses lineages and oversteps categories. Pure and naked, it leaves behind all acceptance; bright and exposed, it admits no mutual evasion. Right now, on the crown of each of your heads, it penetrates through everything. If each of you can reverse the light and observe inward, you will sit in your own family hall. Therefore an ancestral master said: 'There is one thing that supports heaven above and props up earth below, constantly present in dynamic activity, yet uncontainable within dynamic activity.' This is called the fundamental source Buddha-nature manifestly realized. Disciples of the lineage of theoretical understanding further say: 'To speak of it as resembling a single thing misses the mark,' but they also cannot avoid getting entangled in the three inches of the tongue. One must directly succeed in not falling into ordinary sentiments and not being restricted by standard forms. If you can settle this right here, you will no longer need to point east and draw west. If you cannot settle it, you will unavoidably have repeated explanations directed at you. Have you not heard it said: 'There is a thing prior to heaven and earth, formless, originally silent and still; it can serve as the master of myriad phenomena, and does not wither with the four seasons.' Since it does not wither with the four seasons and can serve as the master of myriad phenomena, when the road ahead is cut off directly before you, how do you proceed? Do you understand? Where is it hot in the autumn of the eighth month?" He also said: "Rouse your own spirit and seize what belongs to your own home! Like severing a skein of silk, make no distinction between before and after. When force and blade operate together, a single cut severs all. If you can accept this atop the sword's blade, you will swallow down the waters of the West River in a single gulp."

4.19

Ascending the hall at the opening of the stove, the Master said: "When dry grass nears the fire, it naturally chars first; when dripping water turns to ice, things have no relation to one another. If you can penetrate birth and death, understand cold and heat, fuse movement and stillness, and unify coming and going, so that your mind is directly dispelled and emotions forgotten, like an idiot, as if unmovable, only then can you eat rice when hungry, walk about when vigorous, take the cool when hot, and face the fire when cold. Even though this is so, Zhaozhou said: 'I was in the South for thirty years; I have a phrase without host or guest, yet up until now no one has been able to bring it up.' Well, how can the talk without host and guest be brought up beside the fire stove? Do you understand? Wrapping my head in a patched quilt, all affairs cease; at this moment, this mountain monk understands nothing at all."

4.20

Chan Master Gui of Baoshan provided a vegetarian feast for the Venerable Foyan, and requested the Master to ascend the hall. The Master said: "Is there anyone to assist in the mourning?" A monk asked: "When the bright mirror is on its stand, nothing brought before it escapes its illumination. Just so, when the Venerable Foyan passed away, where did he go?" The Master said: "The World of Abhirati cannot conceal him; in the reflection of the lotus flower, his whole body appears." The monk said: "You have only said half of it, Venerable." The Master said: "What about what you have completely said?" The monk said: "In the ocean of afflictions, acting as rain and dew; on the mountain of ignorance, making cloud and thunder." The Master said: "Heaven and earth are far apart." The monk said: "Who knows this intention, which makes me remember Nanquan?" The Master said: "Do not feign clarity." The monk asked: "Linji extinguished the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, and Sansheng directly took it on. In the assembly of Panshan, when they wanted to draw a true portrait, Puhua did a somersault at that moment. I wonder, what was the meaning of this?" The Master said: "Leaping out of the diamond cage, swallowing down the chestnut burr." The monk said: "The aspect behind the crown with its spiritual light of ten thousand leagues only clarifies this period of time." The Master said: "Fitting a square peg into a round hole." The monk said: "This student goes straight to the root source." The Master said: "Jump about as you please." The Master then said: "When affinity is exhausted in this realm, manifestations appear in other realms; when the body perishes in this world, it appears in other worlds. A great kalyāṇamitra takes boundless space as the true body, the ineffable dust-realms of the fragrant water ocean as the sphere of transformation, the sun and moon as bright candles, the physical frame as an inn, and birth and death as day and night. His coming is like the flashing of lightning; his going is like sparks flying from struck flint. Although he demonstrates coming and going to worldly people, in the utmost reality of his fundamental body there is no movement and no change. Therefore, when the Venerable Nanquan formerly held a vegetarian feast for Great Master Ma, he asked the assembly: 'Today we have set out a vegetarian feast for our late master; tell me, is the late master coming or not?' Someone said: 'Shut your alms-bowl.' Another said: 'Add another portion of food before the portrait hall.' These both clarified this unmoved and unchanging, supremely spiritual and wondrous thing; each had something extraordinary. Yet they only saw the sharpness of the awl's point, and did not see the squareness of the chisel's head. Today Elder Gui of Baoshan has set out a vegetarian feast for the Venerable Foyan. I venture to ask the assembly: Is the Venerable Foyan coming or not? If someone can say it, come forward and try to speak. If not, it does not warrant an offering for all alike. Why? Water drips from the eaves, succeeding the five-petaled flower, leaf by leaf transmitted. Now, how do you express the phrase of unbroken continuity? When the ancestral moon traverses the sky, supreme wisdom is complete; on what mountain are the pines and cypresses not green?"

4.21

Requested by a donor, the Master ascended the seat. A monk asked: "Under the gate of the ancestral masters, not a drop of water leaks through; before a person with clear eyes, it is certainly difficult to open one's mouth. I wonder, how does the Venerable guide people?" The Master said: "Flinging a hole-less iron hammer right in your face." The monk said: "Though the road of Jiangeling is perilous, those who travel by night are even more numerous." The Master said: "Arrest this fellow!" The monk said: "Having secured Annam, one worries again about the northern frontier." The Master said: "Add another one behind the back of the head." A monk asked: "The phrase prior to sound is not transmitted unless to a sage; without having drawn close to it, one is separated as if by a great chiliocosm. What is the phrase prior to sound?" The Master said: "Chattering tongue!" The monk said: "Like a great mass of fire, approaching it scorches one's face; how can one draw close to it?" The Master said: "You can only look up to it with reverence." The monk said: "What about pushing down the Great Statue of Jiazhou and riding the Iron Ox of Shanfu backwards?" The Master said: "A reckless fellow!" The Master then said: "Mind is not Buddha; mind and Buddha are both negated. Wisdom is not the Way; wisdom and the Way are both cast aside. Arriving here, gold dust, though precious, forms a cataract when falling into the eye; rare food, though delicious, is hard to feed to someone who is full. If you are a transcendent person, you must know transcendent matters. If you sustain it in a transcendent manner, it was not thus before King Bhīṣmagarjitasvararāja and on the other side of the empty kalpa; it was not thus from Vipaśyin Buddha down to the kingdom of Sāgara; it was not thus when a flower was held up on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa and Mahākāśyapa smiled; nor was it thus when Shaolin faced the wall and Shenguang severed his arm. Why? If it were thus, they would have blunted and hindered one another. Since it is not thus, how should it be chanted and raised? Therefore it is said: 'The Buddhas did not appear in the world, yet preached for forty-nine years; the ancestral master did not come from the west, yet Shaolin has wondrous secrets.' If one recognizes the ancestral masters and Buddhas, right where one is, one transcends immediately. Those of superior capacity and sharp faculties share the same wind over a thousand leagues; severed in two with a single cut, upon hearing it brought up they are stirred to the bone and marrow and act immediately. Acting as master wherever they are, whatever conditions they meet become the lineage; as the grass bends and the wind blows, the complete dynamic alone is revealed. Just at such a moment, how do you express the phrase that does not rely on a single thing? Long revealed solitary amidst myriad phenomena, the complete body appears atop a thousand peaks."

4.22

After a monk tonsured again had completed his expression of gratitude, the Master ascended the seat and said: "The heaven within heaven, the sage among sages, dwelling in the greatness within the realm, supreme beyond the world, holding the precious register to govern the people, turning the golden wheel to reign supreme, clearing the six directions and ending toxicity in all quarters, he then issued the imperial decree to revitalize the Buddhadharma once again. He thereby enabled Śākya's sons across the entire realm to resume their monastic garb, returning the fundamental tablet to Prime Minister Pei and surrendering the cap and hairpin to Great Being Fu; once again rounding the cranial feature of an arhat, and once more donning the patched field-of-merit robe of Kuci. In an instant, the old appearance was restored. The imperial grace is lofty and heavy, tenfold ten-thousand hills and mountains; how could the minuteness of grass and trees ever hope to repay it? I merely pour out my heart and liver to emit a tiny hair's breadth. Great assembly! The ancient Buddhas possessed the dynamic atop the crown of the head, like striking sparks from flint, like a flash of lightning. The ancestral masters possessed the final phrase: swallowing the chestnut burr, leaping out of the diamond cage. With this, one can rival sages and astonish the multitude; one can transform an ordinary mortal into a sage, outshining the present and manifesting the ancient, surpassing form and riding sound. Now, bringing it out before the assembly, it incurs no entanglement in former tracks. Do you understand? The wondrous power of the great potter's wheel precedes heaven and earth; the grace of covering and sustaining reverts to the great sage."

4.23

Ascending the hall, a monk asked: "When the Buddha-selection field opens, those of superior capacity achieve complete realization; without obscuring the immediate dynamic, how do you instruct?" The Master said: "Directly entering the Tathāgata ground in a single leap." The monk said: "Layman Pang said: 'Not obscuring the original person, I invite the Master to look closely.' Why did Great Master Ma look directly downward?" The Master said: "There is one on the crown of the head." The monk said: "The Layman said: 'A stringless lute, only the Master plays it wondrously.' Great Master Ma looked directly upward; I wonder, what was the meaning?" The Master said: "He can extract bones in the dark." The monk said: "Is looking directly upward correct, or is looking directly downward correct?" The Master said: "Do not slander Great Master Ma." The monk said: "What can be done when the dragon sleeve brushes open, the whole body appears, and where the elephant king walks, fox tracks are cut off?" The Master said: "There is Layman Pang to testify." The Master then said: "The dens and nests of the true and the false, the root and trunk of birth and death: in terms of their vast expanse, they are myriad differences; grasping their tendency, they are of one accord. Arising is solely the arising of dharmas; ceasing is solely the ceasing of dharmas. Arising and ceasing are entirely real, completely without duality. Therefore it is said: 'The three realms are mind-only, the myriad dharmas are consciousness-only; outside of mind, there is no other realm of consciousness.' Yangqi also said: 'The multitude of spirits share a single source, provisionally called Buddha; though the substance is exhausted and the form vanishes, it does not change; though the gold melts and the uncarved block is dispersed, it constantly exists.' Being like this, from antiquity to the present it is unarisen and unceasing, uncontainable in cages, unsummonable by calls. The ancient sages did not arrange it, and up to now it has no location. Now, how do you express the phrase of being unchanging from beginning to end? Do you understand? Not transmitted from among the thousand sages, it penetrates beyond King Bhīṣmagarjitasvararāja."

4.24

Pacification Commissioner Yang requested the Master to ascend the hall. A monk asked: "White clouds fill the seats, auspicious vapors encircle the Chan hall; the true news of Shaoshi, we wish you to raise directly in response to the moment." The Master said: "One raising: a thousand differences share the same illumination." The monk said: "The single voice is clear and swift, a tongue creating tides; myriad kinds merely hear it, and their Dharma eye opens." The Master said: "The wind blows and the grass bends." The monk said: "As for harboring strategies that settle heaven and earth, being a hero unmatched in the world, possessing the sword that kills people and holding the blade that brings people to life—is there still any Buddhadharma truth in this or not?" The Master said: "There is." The monk said: "What is the Buddhadharma truth?" The Master said: "Truly invincible under heaven." The Master then said: "The ten directions of space are fused and encompassed, the true eye is thoroughly clear; the eight extremities enjoy peace, and the complete dynamic operates alone. The myriad phenomena cannot conceal it; the thousand sages cannot fathom it. Distinct and bright, it leaves behind all acceptance; clearly evident, it has no mutual evasion. What is readily present is a great gate of liberation. One has the eye that surpasses lineages and oversteps categories, possesses the dynamic that leaves views behind and severs emotional sentiment, appearing and disappearing within it, functioning identically in going and returning. When raised directly, heaven spins and earth turns—one must fold one's hands and surrender; when lowered, the grass bends and the wind blows—one inevitably keeps one's whole body away from harm. It can gather myriad blessings, extinguish all calamities, repay sovereign and parents, and bring peace to the state. It completely illumines a single ray of spiritual light, not falling into seeing, hearing, knowing, or perceiving. Just at such a moment, how do you express the phrase that reaps the cause and matures the fruit? Ten thousand leagues of rivers revert to one who possesses the Way; singing songs of triumph together, they celebrate the lord's return."

4.25

Court Gentleman for Instruction Liu requested [the Master] to ascend the hall. A monk asked: "Above the sword-wheel flies the great precious light; before Tiger Eye Peak the essential teachings of the lineage are widely opened. Since you are a person of the transcendent, you must clarify transcendent matters. What is the transcendent matter?" The Master said: "Sit upon the tongue." The monk advanced: "This is still a matter of the descending." The Master said: "Indeed, it cannot be turned." The monk advanced: "When one who completely covers heaven and covers earth comes, where will the Venerable Monk show his head?" The Master said: "For now, stand a thousand li away." The monk advanced: "How about when meeting face to face without the slightest gap?" The Master said: "Already suffered a dot on the forehead." The Master then said: "Throughout life, it was solely through this that we knew each other; drawing our seats together, we discussed the mind to its ultimate subtlety. In the blink of an eye, five years have suddenly passed; in the human realm, in vain I only recall your image and demeanor. The view and understanding of the buddhas and patriarchs is the root source of birth and death; through ten thousand generations it does not shift or alter by a single hair, and a thousand sages cannot exhaust its direction. Its birth is lightning and flint sparks—to bring it up must be completely real; its extinction is jade turning and pearls revolving—the entire body leaves no shadow. Therefore it is said: 'The multitude of spirits shares one source, provisionally named Buddha; though the substance exhausts and the form perishes, it does not become extinct; though the gold melts and the uncarved block disperses, it ever abides. In the one it manifests the all and universally encompasses; in the all it manifests the one and leaves no land unpervaded. Identical with antiquity and identical with the present, tallying with objects and tallying with the self, the correct substance is as such, neither arising nor ceasing.' Therefore it is said: 'Arising, ceasing, going, and coming are fundamentally the wonderful true suchness nature of the Tathāgatagarbha.' Thus, arising has never arisen, ceasing has never ceased, going has never gone, and coming has never come—in every respect it is the substance of the Tathāgatagarbha, the correct nature of true suchness. Dare I ask the Palace Attendant and Commissioner: right now, in what place are you? Do you fully understand? Without birth and without abiding, everywhere is the complete body."

4.26

[The Master] ascended the hall. A monk asked: "Single-handedly picking up and uniquely manipulating values only the discerning eye and skilled hand; applying directly and raising sideways requires the method of an adept. Leaving aside the mutual exchange of staff and shout, what about the matter of the one phrase on the crown of the head?" The Master said: "Enacting this order in reverse." The monk advanced: "Beneath Jiangshan's gate, it is not outside one's share." The Master said: "Divide your body and look in two places." The monk advanced: "What when a student walks further toward the transcendent?" The Master said: "For now, just ask downward." The monk advanced: "No matter how big, one must still rise from the ground; no matter how high, what can be done about heaven?" The Master said: "Passed." The Master then said: "Gazing upon every dust and every land, dwelling together within the Ocean of the Flower Treasury; secret and magnificent upon the crown of the head, completely the acceptance of the unborn Dharma. Picking up a blade of grass, one manifests the sixteen-foot body; blowing a strand of cloth fiber, one transmits the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye. Leaving behind nothingness and leaving behind existence, transcending the sacred and transcending the mundane, the character 'eight' is spread wide and clearly revealed. If you can fully understand it..." He then raised his whisk and said: "The Eastern World of Wonderful Joy is not apart from this place; the Western World of Ultimate Bliss is also not apart from this place; the Upper World of Tuṣita is also not apart from this place. Thus, when one place is penetrated, a thousand places and a hundred places are simultaneously penetrated; when one place is complete, a thousand places and a hundred places are simultaneously complete. And how do you speak a phrase that does not depart from what is fundamentally possessed? The place of personal practice beneath the Jambu tree; among the nine ranks of lotus, the wonderful fruit is perfected."

4.27

On the Opening of the Imperial Birthday, [the Master] ascended the hall and said: "Supporting heaven on the head and treading the earth underfoot, together we bear the imperial grace; bearing teeth and wearing hair, equally we receive the sovereign's power. The Divine Empyrean confers celebrations, the true ruler demonstrates birth; pouring out the loyal hearts of ten thousand states, wishing long life for the One Sacred Person. Direct in the open there is a road, ten thousand streams pay homage to the ancestor; with a phrase free of selfishness, one readily pours out one's liver and gall. Do you fully understand? Great radiance equals the Northern Culmen; the sacred lifespan matches the Southern Mountain."

4.28

On the Conclusion of the Imperial Birthday, [the Master] ascended the hall and said: "The True Person of the Divine Empyrean descends in his carriage; the Sovereign of Long Life takes the throne. The divine spirit inaugurates the dawn, barbarian and Chinese alike admire the style; ten thousand auspicious signs all arrive, a thousand spirits confer protection. Spreading the selfless governance of Fuxi and Xuan[yuan], pursuing the ancient style of Pan[gu] and Nüwa; the babies of ten thousand states sing ballads, and the insects of the eight extremes dance with joy. Blessings flow to a thousand realms, celebrations gather upon the One Person. How do Chan practitioners beneath the groves plan to repay this? Together upholding the pure transformation of non-action, reverently wishing our Emperor hundreds of millions of springs."

4.29

On the Birthday of Master Bao, [the Master] ascended the hall and said: "Perfected realization within the seed of compassion and wisdom, bodily striding horizontally within the ocean of the four forms of birth: round as the bright moon pearl, swift as the diamond sword. Once heading in that direction, thousands, ten thousands, and even countless hundreds of millions of people cannot cage him; when arriving in this manner, thousands, ten thousands, and even countless hundreds of millions of people all receive his sheltering shade. Relieving the four forms of birth, expanding and rolling up the nine existences; sometimes manifesting twelve faces, sometimes manifesting a hundred billion bodies. In an eagle's claw revealing the dynamic of taking birth; in bending the knee showing the appearance of nirvāṇa. This is still the occasion of responding to potentials and receiving beings, conforming to the square and following the round. If we discuss the upholding of the fundamental lot, it cuts off difference and sameness and admits neither ordinary nor sage—truly causing Śākya and Maitreya to swallow their breath and choke back their words, and Mañjuśrī and Samantabhadra to lose their points and tie their tongues. And how do you speak a phrase of benefiting beings and responding to dynamic potential? From the tip of the staff surges forth the diamond sword, showing a ford and bridge for the four forms of birth and the nine existences."

4.30

Ascending the hall, [the Master] said: "Where the cliff stands a thousand fathoms high, flowers cluster and brocades gather; within the shallow grass of the level field, swords and halberds crisscross. Wishing to bring forth and uphold the matter of that transcendent side, right here there is no place to open the mouth; just wishing to roll it up and harbor it, the ornate pattern is already displayed. Just at such a moment, how is it? If you wish to recognize the complete spirit of that family: three thousand li away, completely free of error."

4.31

Ascending the hall, [the Master] said: "Two thousand years ago, the Tathāgata wasted explanations; Maheśvara's single eye on the crown of the head leaked first. Having the potential to transform consciousness, one should arrive here: like a tiger wearing horns, or an awl spinning freely guarding the nest; within this, like a tortoise carrying a chart, one must truly awaken on one's own and cultivate on one's own, strictly avoiding relying on others to form understanding. Therefore it is said: 'There is a phrase capable of being the teacher of the buddhas and patriarchs; there is a phrase capable of being the teacher of humans and devas; there is a phrase that cannot save itself.' Just as cutting off the various streams without falling into the three phrases, how is it then? Do you fully understand? Beneath the words, the eyes of a thousand sages have not yet opened; before the dynamic point, the King of the Dharma's dynamic potential has already leaked."

4.32

Transport Commissioner Qian requested [the Master] to ascend the hall. A monk asked: "The realm calls the Northern Mountain a Chan cave; the great foundry and vast furnace smelt the buddhas and patriarchs. Exquisite on all eight sides, who recognizes it? A single phrase responding to the potential reveals the wind and bone. When suddenly encountering one from within, how is it?" The Master said: "Lean against one side." The monk advanced: "If so, then before the Five Phoenix Tower one listens to the jade clepsydra; atop Mount Sumeru one strikes the golden bell." The Master said: "Clouds rise beneath your feet." The monk advanced: "In the low places, leveling it leaves a surplus; in the high places, looking at it is never enough." The Master said: "How do you speak a phrase that flows out from your own chest?" The monk advanced: "Meeting face to face, there is no mutual evasion." The Master said: "The Court Gentleman will bear witness for you." The Master then said: "Upon the crown of the head of the buddhas and patriarchs, singly raise the fundamental lineage vehicle; in the place unreachable by ten thousand potentials, proclaim the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye. Clearly without mutual evasion, distinctly without boundaries, a single phrase cuts off a thousand differences, a single word summons ten thousand streams to pay homage to the ancestor. Buddha or non-Buddha, transcendent or descending, provisional or real, illumination or function, rolling up or unrolling, capturing or releasing—all are discarded at once, straightway leaving things stark naked and cleanly bare; in everyone the constant light manifests before them, in every place the cliff stands ten thousand fathoms high. Therefore it is said: 'All phenomena do not arise, all phenomena do not perish. If one can understand like this, all buddhas constantly appear before you.' Not only do all buddhas appear before you, but all sentient and insentient beings, the entire boundless ocean of fragrant water, throughout past, present, and future, are completely clear, motionless, unchanging, and undifferentiated, mutually interlacing their radiance like a precious net of silk threads. Do you all see? You should know that this matter has such extraordinary marks and has such power of liberation. Dare I ask the assembly: what power did the late Eighth Lady rely upon? Do you fully understand? The shaking of the lands welcomes Mahāsthāmaprāpta; precious flowers filling the air escort Avalokiteśvara."

4.33

On the full moon of the third month, [the Master] ascended the hall and said: "The flowers have faded and the rain has passed, the radiant spring has already departed; the wind is warm and clouds gather, the summer scenery is about to arrive. Not following the seasonal withering and changing, following the precedent of seven, eight, and five portions; if further erasing tracks and swallowing words, one cannot avoid entangling vines and creepers. Leaving aside atop the hundred grasses, how do you speak a phrase of deep mud beneath the feet? A clear spring day, the yellow oriole sings."

4.34

At the beginning of the summer retreat, [the Master] ascended the hall and said: "Colliding and bumping, standing upright crisscross, whether delicate or vast, the ten bodies of the Tamer pervade the realm. Not treading upon the green grass, how can one brave the exhausted red? And how do you speak a phrase of putting down? Snap the staff in two, and hang the old bottle and bowl high up." He further said: "Every dust and every land is one's own family style, not within looking, tasting, listening, or smelling. Since you have tied up the mouth of the cloth bag, you must firmly grasp the Master."

4.35

At the beginning of the summer retreat, being requested, [the Master] ascended the hall and said: "Widely opening the doors and windows, who is it facing the porch? Having no face to be seen, yet unhidden throughout the realm; having no form or appearance to be viewed, the complete potential uniquely functions. Because there is no face, all marks are distinct; because there is no form, the ten bodies are fully complete. The gate of liberation is opened wide, the site of selecting buddhas is magnificently inaugurated, performing inconceivable meritorious deeds, accomplishing immeasurable excellent marvels—causing the one to be immeasurable and the immeasurable to be one, the great to appear in the small and the small to appear in the great, sitting within a dust mote turning the great dharmacakra. Yet this alone is still not the patch-robed monk's fundamental lot. If within this the bottom of the pail falls out and the five-colored threads break, with no dharma before the eyes and no dynamic outside the mind, then completely blending all things without any doing, accomplishing all phenomena so that the complete substance is revealed. And right at such a moment, how do you speak a phrase that does not fall into meritorious deeds? A three-foot Dragon Spring [sword] whose light illuminates the gallbladder, seizing the high banner amidst a crowd of ten thousand people."

4.36

When Dongshan of Xiazhou sent a letter of Dharma transmission arriving, [the Master] ascended the hall and said: "At the assembly on Vulture Peak, a thousand leaves sent forth fragrance; before Shaoshi Peak, a single branch stood alone in beauty. Before sentient beings and buddhas were equipped, its coiling roots were already seen; beyond the kalpa of emptiness, its ornate patterns were ever more displayed. Whole and uncarved, it cannot be broken apart; striking the nose, it is even more fragrant. In eight directions naturally exquisite, the whole body becomes increasingly dense. Arrowheads meeting point to point, needle and mustard seed corresponding—leaving this aside, how do you speak a phrase of singular transcendence? Suddenly wind and clouds meet; vast and wide, heaven and earth are spring." He further said: "Sitting, I see Dongshan revive the ancient style; the eye on the crown of the head is upright, possessing full accomplishment. Holding Linji's diamond sword, unbound like Yangqi's chestnut burr. Iron walls and silver mountains must be put to function; demon palaces and tiger dens also permit free passage. Gathering the boundless lands of fragrant water, all are cast into the tongs, hammer, and furnace."

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圓悟佛果禪師語錄 — Classical Chinese