大慧普覺禪師語錄 7

English (machine translation) 7

Language: English

7.1

Submitted by your servant Yunwen, abbot of Nengren Chan Monastery on Jingshan, dharma-heir and Chan Master Huiri.

At the beginning of the summer retreat, he addressed the assembly: "'Being and non-being are like wisteria leaning on a tree'—that fellow Meng the Eighth just goes on like this. When the spiritual mechanism is not reached and words do not match, the eyes can hold hundreds of thousands of myriads of Mount Sumerus, and the ears can hold boundless and limitless fragrant water oceans. When the mechanism matches the words and the words hit the mechanism, not a speck of sand can be placed in the eyes, nor a drop of water in the ears. There are fellows who, hearing this spoken, immediately say: 'Seeing the moon, stop looking at the finger; returning home, cease asking about the road.' They do not realize that one must cast a ten-thousand-li hook, rein in the thousand-li black steed, spread a sky-spanning net, and catch the surge-breaching kun-whale. If they are frogs, earthworms, lame turtles, or blind terrapins, it is in vain for them to take the hook or enter the net. Only such a person can know such an affair. Therefore it is said: 'To kill someone, one naturally has the sword that kills; to bring someone to life, one naturally has the sword that gives life.' If there is the sword that kills but not the sword that gives life, none of the dead can be revived; if there is the sword that gives life but not the sword that kills, none of the living can be slain. If one can slay the living and revive the dead, one can scrape turtle hair from the back of an iron ox and sever rabbit horns at the waist of a barren woman, without making extraordinary calculations or forming abstruse interpretations. Why would one need ninety days of confinement to feet and three months of protecting living beings, scrupulously guarding the wax man and binding oneself without a rope? One must realize that throughout the ten directions and across the entire dharmadhātu, there is not even a needle's tip that is not the dwelling place of each and every person. Going on like this, there is still more to it. I venture to ask everyone: just as a person who is neither dead nor alive comes forward, how would you kill him? How would you bring him to life? If you cannot kill him or bring him to life, the Buddhadharma has no efficacious power. Even if you can kill him and bring him to life, you are still not a master hand, and in the province of a patch-robed monk it has no relevance whatsoever. Tell me, what strong point does a patch-robed monk have?" After a long pause, he said: "Although I have a pair of impoverished hands, I have never bowed low to ordinary men." He gave a shout.

7.3

Addressing the assembly: "Thus, thus—a needle cannot penetrate; not thus, not thus—a spoon cannot lift it out. Within 'thus,' 'not thus'—a demon's face and a spirit's head; within 'not thus,' 'thus'—wearing fur and bearing horns. Ah, ha, ha! Tell me, what am I laughing at? I laugh at Great Master Yunmen of old who at times said: 'Hearing sounds, one awakens to the Way; seeing forms, one clarifies the mind. Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva buys a fried sesame cake with money, lowers his hand, and says: "Originally it was just a steamed bun."'" Then giving a shout, he said: "If a person has no distant worries, he will surely have immediate troubles."

7.4

Addressing the assembly, he brought up: "One day Yunmen took up his staff and said: 'Ordinary people genuinely call it existent; the Two Vehicles analyze it as non-existent; pratyekabuddhas call it illusory existence; bodhisattvas realize its very substance is empty. When patch-robed monks see a staff, they simply call it a staff; when walking, they just walk; when sitting, they just sit; none of it may be stirred in the least.'" The Master said: "I am not like old man Yunmen, gouging out holes in empty space." Suddenly taking up his staff, he said: "The staff belongs neither to existence nor to non-existence; it belongs neither to illusion nor to emptiness." Striking once, he said: "Ordinary people, the Two Vehicles, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas all come here and each obtains its use according to their capacities; only in the province of patch-robed monks does it become harm and enmity: wanting to walk, they cannot walk; wanting to sit, they cannot sit. Taking a step forward, their path is obscured by the staff; taking a step back, their nostrils are pierced by the staff. Right now, is there anyone unwilling to submit? Step forward and test it out face-to-face with the staff! If not: next year there will still be new branches, unsettling the spring breeze without end."

7.5

Addressing the assembly: "'The past Tathāgatas have already accomplished this gate.'" Taking up his staff, he struck once to the left and said: "Let us set it aside to the left. 'The present bodhisattvas now each enter into complete clarity.'" Striking once to the right, he said: "Let us set it aside to the right. 'Future practitioners should rely upon such a dharma.'" Striking once in the middle, he said: "Let us set it aside to the middle. The two extremes must not be established at all, nor is there any need to settle in the middle way. The purity of the knowledge of all knowledge is non-dual and without duality, because it has no distinction and no interruption. Yesterday someone came from Huainan without news from Jiangxi, and reported: 'The bandits downriver have already been suppressed.' On the peak of Mount Yunmen, one farms the fields in exchange for food to eat; if asked about the Chan Way and the Buddhadharma, one's mouth is like a stone pillar base." Then giving a shout, he said: "Where have all those entanglements just now gone?" Striking once again, he said: "Whether there is profit or not, one does not leave the market."

7.6

Addressing the assembly: "Ever since the barbarian chaos, for thirty years there has been no shortage of salt or soy sauce. For patch-robed monks with an eye atop the crown of their heads, how should they direct themselves upon arriving here? Yet the grievance has its head, and the debt has its master. Today Yunmen is wallowing in mud and water; placing another moxa cone on top of a cauterized scar, he wants to meet Master Mazu." Thereupon, drawing a line in front of himself with the fly-whisk, he said: "Do you see it? Tear down the eastern hedge to mend the western wall. Seeing with the eyes is intimate, but the hand cannot reach to grasp it. Śākyamuni and Maitreya exchange blows and beat their breasts; Mañjuśrī and Samantabhadra cry out injustice one after another." Giving a shout, he said: "No sooner has the horse-faced yakṣa bowed with folded hands than the ox-headed jailer raises his fist."

7.7

Instructing the assembly, [the Master] said: "Yongjia said: 'Wrong is not wrong, right is not right; an error of a hair's breadth misses by a thousand miles. If right, the dragon girl instantly attains buddhahood; if wrong, Sunakṣatra falls alive [into hell].' Yongjia personally met the Sixth Patriarch, yet in the end he remained only within 'right' and 'wrong'. Yunmen is not so: wrong is not wrong, right is not right; look up to view the sky, bow the head to peer at the earth. When awake, just be truly awake; when sleepy, sleep all the way through. There is neither buddhadharma to deliberate over, nor worldly toil to avoid. Sometimes startled awake in sleep—it turns out to be a cat catching a mouse."

7.8

Instructing the assembly, [the Master] said: "An ancient said: 'Where others stay, I do not stay; where others walk, I do not walk. Not that I find it hard to gather with others—in general, black and white must be distinct.'" He gave a shout and said, "There is still this [distinction] remaining! Yunmen is not so: where others stay, I also stay; where others walk, I also walk. Sudden joy, sudden anger, with no calculation; at midnight in Silla, the sun shines bright. Tell me, how far apart is this from the ancient? Try to determine it and see."

7.9

Instructing the assembly, [the Master] said: "'Mind is not the buddha, wisdom is not the Way'—old Nanquan threw his whole body down. For several hundred years since then, countless good spiritual friends have appeared in the world during this time, yet not one has ever helped him up. Today Yunmen plans to use a lamp wick to prop up Mount Sumeru, and try to help him up for you to see." He then took up his staff and said, "Nanquan threw himself down, Yunmen helps him up; throwing down and helping up have guest and host. Patch-robed monks with clear eyes deliberating this must strictly avoid creating other principles. Since deliberation is allowed, why is making principles not allowed?" After a pause he said, "If you scold, I allow you to join your lips [in retort]; if you spit, I allow you to splash water." He struck once [with his staff].

7.10

Instructing the assembly, [the Master] said: "All dharmas are originally beyond opposition; meeting the eyes, there is no obstruction whatsoever. Simply because someone severed his arm to seek mind, someone then came begging to repent sins. Once the seal without writing was forged, transmitting the dharma and passing on the robe brought mutual entanglement, leading old Lu of Huangmei to tie a stone to his waist to pound the mortar. Thinking there is a dharma to give people, when questioned he instead said he did not understand, leading descendants of later generations all to chase the clod like Han Lu hounds. Though wishing to uphold the ancestral vehicle, what can be done about stumbling and staggering all over? Examining it in detail, it really is unbearable. If the order were carried out to the fullest, a single strike would smash it to powder. At times sitting quietly and reflecting, even within it there is something lovely. Tell me, what is lovely? Shensha forms an alliance by marriage with an asura; the vajra warrior points his back at the earth deity." He gave a shout.

7.11

Instructing the assembly, [the Master] took up his staff, struck once, and said: "Too fine to let wind pass, wide enough to let carts and horses through. Projecting out directly into the sunlight, who can distinguish the real from the false? Empty space has a handle, which a handless person can grasp. A lame donkey kicks over the tea-picking wheel; a thatched hut takes down lapis lazuli tiles." He struck once again.

7.12

At the conclusion of the summer retreat, instructing the assembly, [the Master] said: "Dongshan's ten thousand miles of a single strip of iron; Liuyang's one blow shattering into a hundred pieces; Master Yunmen's character 'Guan' constantly manifesting; are Cuiyan's eyebrows still there or not?" He then raised the fly-whisk and said, "Great Master Yunmen has arrived. Do you see him yet?" Striking the meditation couch, he said, "One throw, two winning rolls."

7.13

Instructing the assembly, [the Master] said: "'Dharma after dharma is originally the dharma; there is no dharma and no non-dharma. How within a single dharma can there be dharma and non-dharma?'" Holding up his staff, he said, "This is the staff—which is the original dharma?" He also said, "This is the original dharma—which is the staff? Right now, is there anyone who can resolve this? If you can resolve it, not only will you have your own path to break out, you will also not be deceived by others. If you cannot resolve it, Yunmen will talk your ear off: opening the mouth is an immediate loss, closing the mouth is no defeat—just so, just so." He then struck once and said, "One hammer blow, both fulfilled." He held it up again and said, "Look! Hanshan and Shide are sweeping the ground; turning the broom handle upside down, they strike the bare pillar once, jumping right up to Tuṣita Heaven, poking open the nostrils of the deva in the heaven of neither-perception-nor-non-perception. Vairocana Tathāgata, unable to bear the pain, runs into Yunmen's staff to hide himself. Yunmen's whole assembly roars with laughter, saying: 'How utterly irrelevant!' Right at such a time, the bare pillar and the lantern paint their eyebrows—how much more splendor is added!" After a pause he said, "When there is spirit, add spirit; where there is no charm, there is still charm."

7.14

Instructing the assembly, [the Master] said: "Opening wide the true eye, a thousand sages cannot fathom its origin; the single phrase fully raised, the ten thousand distinctions and thousand differences have their paths cut off. Consciousness cannot cognize it, wisdom cannot know it; neither holy nor ordinary, neither mind nor dharma—the entire body comes thus, the entire body abides thus. Have you not seen: when [Vimalakīrti] of Vaiśālī displayed illness, Mañjuśrī asked, 'Layman, what is the nature of your illness?' Vimalakīrti said, 'My illness is formless and cannot be seen.' He also asked, 'Is this illness joined with the body, or joined with the mind?' He replied, 'It is not joined with the body, because the bodily characteristics are separate; nor is it joined with the mind, because the mind is like an illusion.'" The Master said: "Since bodily characteristics are separate and the mind is also like an illusion, who is the one displaying illness? Who is the one inquiring about illness? Can you still bear witness to it? If you can bear witness to it, then everyone's physical illness and mental illness are both dispelled, and the buddha-illness and dharma-illness are simultaneously cast away. You will immediately be able to turn the three poisons into the three groups of pure precepts, turn the six consciousnesses into the six supernormal powers, turn afflictions into bodhi, and turn ignorance into great wisdom. Proceeding in this way is still an explanation to stop crying, not yet the ultimate. Tell me, how do you say an ultimate phrase?" After a pause he said, "An illusory person's mind and consciousness originally do not exist; both transgression and blessing are empty, without any abode." He gave a shout.

7.15

Instructing the assembly, [the Master] said: "Whether right or wrong, people do not recognize it; walking backward or forward, the heavens cannot fathom it. A person across the mountain sings the partridge song; mistaken for the eighteen beats of the barbarian reed pipe." He then raised his fly-whisk and said, "This is merely a yak-tail fly-whisk; do not treat it as right or wrong, backward or forward, for deliberation. How will you recognize it? How will you fathom it?" After a pause he said, "No one bids a price—give them three hundred blows." He struck the meditation couch once.

7.16

Instructing the assembly, [the Master] said: "Entering the water without avoiding flood dragons is the bravery of a fisherman. Walking on land without avoiding tigers and rhinoceroses is the bravery of a hunter. Facing a bare blade and regarding death as life is the bravery of a general. What is the bravery of a patch-robed monk?" After a pause he said, "The bold one crashes through the imperial carriage; the timid one wails and cries out his reasons." He gave a shout.

7.17

Instructing the assembly, [the Master] said: "There is one person who does good all his life, and one person who commits evil all his life. The one who does good one day violates the precept against taking what is not given; the one who commits evil in a single thought awakens to his own mind. When the good person violates the precept against taking what is not given, he is called a thief; when the evil person awakens to his own mind, he is called a buddha. If the two arrive together, which one should Yunmen welcome? If I welcome the good person and reject the evil person, that is welcoming a thief and rejecting a buddha. If I welcome the evil person and reject the good person, that is fearing evil and slighting the good. If I welcome both, then buddha and thief are not distinguished. If I welcome neither, then good and evil are not clarified. If I definitively point to the buddha as an evil person, that incurs the fault of slandering the Buddha, falling into hell like an arrow shot. If I point to the thief as a good person—never has there been a good person who is a thief—the person does not yet possess the wisdom eye. Reaching here, is there anyone who can resolve this? If you cannot resolve it, Yunmen will resolve it for you all: A thief is made by a good person; a buddha is made by an evil person. Buddha, thief, good person, evil person—none goes beyond these two. Do you understand?" Suddenly taking up his staff, he drew a line in front of him and said, "Paper is expensive in Jianchang; take this single indictment and leave."

7.18

Instructing the assembly, [the Master] said: "Skillful at rolling up and unrolling within a forest of thorns, furthermore reaching under the black dragon's chin to explore for the miraculous pearl, capturing alive the South Mountain pit-viper, and riding high spirits to still come and stroke the tiger's whiskers. Such style and demeanor are not yet that of an adept; if you arrive at Yunmen, there is no need to bring them out. You must enter the forest without stirring the grass, enter the water without stirring the waves, sit devising plans within the command tent, and decide victory a thousand miles away—only then will there be a small degree of accord. Right at such a time, how do you speak a phrase that does not harm the meaning of things?" After a pause he said, "Just bring rice to a mindless bowl; someone of their own accord will carry the broken-legged pot."

7.19

Instructing the assembly, [the Master] took up his staff and said: "Do not boast of the forbearance of non-arising beneath the staff; brushed aside directly in the sun, lightning flashes. Before defecating, suddenly grasp it." He then struck once and said, "A single strike naturally obliterates what was known." He gave a shout.

7.20

Instructing the assembly, [the Master] said: "The moment it touches lips and mouth, it falls into verbal explanations; not falling into verbal explanations, it sinks into silence. Sinking into silence becomes deception; clinging to verbal explanations becomes slander. Not speaking is not slander, not being silent is not deception. You must know that toward the transcendent there is another path; those with clear eyes know it is there, yet it is simply hard to approach." He then took up his staff and said, "The staff can indeed be approached, but it simply does not know it is there. I venture to ask the great assembly: that which can be approached does not know it is there, and that which knows it is there cannot be approached. Right at such a time, which one is in front, and which one is behind? Right now among the assembly, is there anyone who is not deceived by others? Come forward and try to determine it and see." After a pause he said, "If not for shooting the stone tiger at Lantian, General Li would almost have been killed in vain." He struck once.

7.21

Instructing the assembly, [the Master said]:
"Not speaking of Chan for a long time, white mold grew around my mouth.
The assembly pressed me hard, so I climbed onto the curved-wood chair.
Without discussing the Five Houses of our lineage, without citing the Records of the Transmission of the Lamp,
Barely opening these two flaps of skin, karmic causes invite meager blessings.
Śākyamuni is a dry piece of shit; Bodhidharma is an old stinking bald-head.
One crookedly speaks the straight, one straightly speaks the crooked.
Both being great heroes, would they willingly accept your idle chatter?
Cursing buddhas and slandering patriarchs, one is bound to enter the tongue-pulling hell;
To buddhas and patriarchs, a born adversary; to Māra the evil king, a true kin.
The mind-ground pitch-black, the mouth dripping with saliva—
Renunciants like this are certain to extinguish Gautama's clan.
On the morning of the thirtieth day of the twelfth month, great laughter instead becomes weeping."
He called to the great assembly and said, "Do you still recognize the old village rustic of Yunmen? I once heard that a single full meal makes one forget a hundred hungers; today this mountain monk in person is that very one." He gave a shout.

7.22

Instructing the assembly, he brought up the following: "A monk asked Xiangyan, 'What is the Way?' Xiangyan said, 'A dragon humming in a withered tree.' The monk said, 'What is a person in the Way?' Xiangyan said, 'Eyes in a skull.' The monk also asked Shishuang, 'What is a dragon humming in a withered tree?' Shishuang said, 'It still carries joy.' 'What are eyes in a skull?' Shishuang said, 'They still carry consciousness.' The monk also asked Caoshan, 'What is a dragon humming in a withered tree?' Caoshan said, 'The bloodline is unbroken.' 'What are eyes in a skull?' Caoshan said, 'Not completely dried up.' Whereupon there was a verse: 'A dragon humming in a withered tree truly sees the Way; / When the skull is without consciousness, the eyes are first clear. / When joy and consciousness are exhausted, all news is exhausted; / How could that person distinguish the pure within the turbid?' The old man Yuanwu said, 'One person penetrated the leakage of words; one person penetrated the leakage of feelings; one person penetrated the leakage of views.'"
The Master said, "Can you people pick them out? If you cannot pick them out, I will not spare my eyebrows to explain it completely for you: Xiangyan penetrated the leakage of words, yet was bound to death by words and phrases; Shishuang penetrated the leakage of feelings, yet was driven to death by feelings and consciousness; Caoshan penetrated the leakage of views, yet was deluded to death by seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing. It has been clearly stated; let those with eyes distinguish it!"

7.23

Instructing the assembly, he brought up the following: "When Devadatta was in hell, the World-Honoured One had Ānanda send an inquiry, saying, 'Can you endure it being in hell?' He said, 'Although I am in hell, it is like the bliss of the third dhyāna heaven.' The World-Honoured One again had Ānanda send an inquiry: 'Do you still seek to get out?' He said, 'I will get out as soon as the World-Honoured One enters hell.' Ānanda said, 'The World-Honoured One is the Great Master of the Three Realms; how could he have any share in entering hell?' He said, 'Since the World-Honoured One has no share in entering hell, how could I have any share in getting out of hell?'"
The Master said, "Since there is neither a share of getting out nor a share of entering, what do you call old man Śākya? What do you call Devadatta? What do you call hell? Do you understand? Carrying the jug myself to buy village wine, yet putting on a robe to act as the host."

7.24

Instructing the assembly, he brought up the following: "Zhaoqing asked Luoshan, 'Someone asked Yantou, "In the midst of dust, how does one distinguish the master?" Yantou said, "A copper basin full to the brim with oil." What does this mean?' Luoshan called out, 'Great Master!' Zhaoqing responded. Luoshan said, 'A monkey entering an arena of practice.' Luoshan then asked Mingzhao, 'If someone asks you, how would you respond?' Mingzhao said, 'An arrow piercing the reflection of the red sun.'"
The Master said, "Do you understand? A monkey entering an arena of practice; an arrow piercing the reflection of the red sun. Two old veterans carrying snow together to fill up a well." He gave a shout.

7.25

Instructing the assembly, he brought up the following: "When Zhaoqing was carrying mud during communal labor, he propped up his staff midway and asked a monk, 'Mud from the upper pit, or mud from the lower pit?' The monk said, 'Mud from the upper pit.' Zhaoqing struck him a blow. He also asked another monk, 'Mud from the upper pit, or mud from the lower pit?' The monk said, 'Mud from the lower pit.' Zhaoqing also struck him a blow. He then asked Mingzhao. Mingzhao set down his load of mud, crossed his hands, and said, 'Please scrutinize, Master.' Zhaoqing then desisted."
The Master said, "Although Zhaoqing desisted, Mingzhao, as it turned out, was not satisfied. If Yunmen had seen him then set down his load of mud and say, 'Please scrutinize, Master,' he would have given him a blow right across the back to see how he settled it."

7.26

Instructing the assembly, he brought up the following: "Muzhou asked a monk, 'Where did you leave recently?' The monk said, 'Hebei.' Muzhou said, 'In Hebei there is Venerable Zhaozhou; did you ever go there, Elder?' The monk said, 'I left there recently.' Muzhou said, 'What words and phrases did Zhaozhou show his disciples?' The monk then cited the dialogue on drinking tea. Muzhou then said, 'How shameful!' He then asked the monk, 'What was Zhaozhou's meaning?' The monk said, 'It was merely a temporary expedient.' Muzhou said, 'How miserable, Zhaozhou! You have had a ladleful of shit splashed on you!' and struck him. Later, Xuedou said, 'This monk was capable of that—intolerably splashing a ladleful of shit on those two ancient buddhas.'"
The Master said, "Xuedou only knew that a ladleful of shit was splashed on the two of them, Zhao[zhou] and Mu[zhou]. Little did he know that this monk was first splashed with a ladleful of shit by Zhaozhou, and when he reached Muzhou, he suffered yet another ladleful. It is just that he did not perceive the smell. If he had perceived the smell, where would there be two ancient buddhas?"

7.27

Instructing the assembly, he brought up the following: "A monk asked Yunmen, 'What is the talk that transcends buddhas and patriarchs?' Yunmen said, 'A sesame cake.'"
The Master said, "Yunmen truly had a fine sesame cake, yet there is completely no principle of transcending buddhas and patriarchs."

7.28

Instructing the assembly, he brought up the following: "Dongshan said, 'You must know there is an affair beyond the buddhas.' A monk asked, 'What is the affair beyond the buddhas?' Dongshan said, 'Not buddha.' Yunmen said, 'It cannot be named, it cannot be described, therefore it is called "not."'"
The Master said, "The two venerable elders maintained it in this way, but the affair beyond the buddhas is still put off. Here it is not so. What is the affair beyond the buddhas? Pulling out the staff and striking right across the back, preventing him from taking root beyond the buddhas."

7.29

Instructing the assembly, he brought up the following: "Venerable Shimen Cong said, 'Before the fifteenth day, all buddhas are born; after the fifteenth day, all buddhas perish. Before the fifteenth day, all buddhas are born—you must not leave this place of mine; if you leave this place of mine, I have a hook to hook you. After the fifteenth day, all buddhas perish—you must not stay in this place of mine; if you stay in this place of mine, I have an awl to pierce you. Tell me, right on the fifteenth day, is using the hook correct, or is using the awl correct?' Whereupon there was a verse: 'Right on the fifteenth day, / Hook and awl cease together. / If you intend to ask further about how it is, / When you turn your head, the sun rises again.'"
The Master said, "Only such a person can expand the three mysteries and three essentials, and uphold and establish the Linji orthodox lineage! Even though this is so, for Yunmen it is not so: Before the fifteenth day, all buddhas were originally never born; after the fifteenth day, all buddhas were originally never extinguished. Before the fifteenth day, if you leave this place of mine, I will not use a hook to hook you—carrying your staff horizontally and tying your straw sandals tightly is entirely up to you. After the fifteenth day, if you stay in this place of mine, I will not use an awl to pierce you—breaking your staff and hanging up your bowl-sack high is entirely up to you. Tell me, right on the fifteenth day, what should be done?"
He then said, "Before and after the fifteenth day, the hook and awl are in vain; / Today is the fifteenth day, just right for using hook and awl. / And how to use them? / When meeting a dead snake on the road, do not beat it to death; / Put it in a bottomless basket and bring it home."

7.30

Instructing the assembly, he brought up the following: "Venerable Baiyun Xiang asked a monk, 'Without destroying conventional designations, how do you speak of the true characteristic?' The monk said, 'This is a chair.' Baiyun pushed it with his hand and said, 'Bring the shoe-bag here.' The monk had no reply. Baiyun said, 'This phony fellow!' Yunmen heard this and said, 'It had to be Elder Brother Xiang to pull it off.'"
The Master said, "Yunmen supports the strong and does not support the weak, but loving one's child, one does not notice their ugliness. If that monk at that time had been a real fellow, waiting for him to say 'Bring the shoe-bag here,' he would have overturned the meditation seat. Even if Baiyun had teeth like a forest of swords and a mouth like a basin of blood, he could not have explained his way out."

7.31

Instructing the assembly, he brought up the following: "Shitou asked Changzi, 'Where did you come from?' Changzi said, 'From Lingnan.' Shitou said, 'Is the whole composition of merit on the summit of Mount Dayu accomplished yet?' Changzi said, 'It has been accomplished for a long time; it only lacks dotting the pupils.' Shitou said, 'Do you want the pupils dotted?' Changzi said, 'Please do so.' Shitou lowered one foot. Changzi then bowed. Shitou said, 'What did you see that you bowed?' Changzi said, 'Like a flake of snow on a red-hot stove.'"
The Master said, "There is much deliberation in the assembly. Some say, 'Merit without eyes—what is there to dot?' Some say, '"Do you want the pupils dotted?" Waiting for him to say "Please do so," he should have struck him right across the back.' If so, it cannot avoid defiling this merit. For Yunmen it is not so: waiting for this old fellow to lower one foot, he would simply say, 'Thank you for your trouble, Venerable.'"

7.32

Instructing the assembly, he brought up the following: "The Great Prince Wang requested Prior Yan from Xuefeng's assembly to reside at Gushan. Xuefeng and Elder Fu saw him off to the gate, and on returning to the Dharma Hall, Xuefeng said, 'A single sacred arrow has shot straight into the ninefold city walls.' Fu said, 'The Venerable is right, but he is not yet there.' Xuefeng said, 'He is a thoroughgoing man.' Fu said, 'If you do not believe me, wait for me to go and test him.' He then went and stopped him on the road, saying, 'Where are you going, elder brother?' Gushan said, 'Going into the ninefold city walls.' Fu said, 'If you suddenly encounter the three armies surrounding and blockading you, what then?' Gushan said, 'His family naturally has a path leading to the heavens.' Fu said, 'In that case, you have left the palaces and lost the halls.' Gushan said, 'Where is one not revered?' Fu then returned and said to Xuefeng, 'What a fine sacred arrow—it has snapped!' and pointed to the preceding dialogue. Xuefeng said, 'His words stand.' Fu said, 'This old frozen boil, after all, still has home-town sentiment!'"
The Master said, "There is deliberation in the assembly saying: Where was the sacred arrow snapped? They say, 'Gushan ought not have answered his words; that is where the sacred arrow snapped. Gushan ought not have spoken principle; that is where the sacred arrow snapped.' Criticizing like this, not only does one fail to recognize Gushan, but one also fails to recognize old Fu. Little do they know that Elder Fu was precisely a thief who suffered a total defeat in front of Gushan and returned in shame, yet came to Xuefeng to make claims—much like peddling Yangzhou goods inside one's own house. If not for Xuefeng having the bearing of a great person, where would this thief find shelter? It was a pity to let him off then; instead, it became an unsettled gong'an. Right now, is there anyone who would vent spleen on behalf of the ancients? Step forward and try! I want to ask you: Where was the sacred arrow snapped?"

7.33

Instructing the assembly, he brought up the following: "When Mingzhao was warming himself by the fire, a monk suddenly asked, '"Before the eyes there are no dharmas; the intent is before the eyes. It is not a dharma before the eyes; it is not reached by ears or eyes." May I ask, of these four phrases, which phrase is the guest, and which phrase is the host?' Mingzhao poked open the fire and said, 'Pick out an eyebrow for me to see from right here!' The monk said, 'Not only I, but everyone in the whole great earth loses their body and life.' Mingzhao said, 'Why seize your own topknot and turn yourself in to the magistrate?'"
The Master said, "This monk had a head but no tail; Mingzhao had a tail but no head. If someone can utter a phrase complete with head and tail, Yunmen will give you his staff."

7.34

Instructing the assembly, he cited: "Nanquan was sitting when a monk inquired after his health and stood with folded hands. Nanquan said, 'Too worldly.' The monk joined his palms. Nanquan said, 'Too monkish.' The monk was speechless."
The Master said, "Joining the palms is too monkish; folding the hands is worldly again. When it is not like either at all, your venerable body has nowhere to settle. Where there is nowhere to settle, there is a handle: Oṃ suru-suru śrī-śrī." Giving a shout, he said, "What is this? Lately the king's decrees have been somewhat strict; poaching in another's trade and seizing the market is not permitted."

7.35

Instructing the assembly: "For thirty years I played at riding horses; today instead I was thrown by a donkey. Picking up Mount Li gold from the ground, lifting it up, it was Silla iron instead. I announce to you all: Is there a difference or not? Last night the snow pressed down on Yunmen; the freezing cold turned a dark turtle into a soft-shelled turtle."

7.36

Instructing the assembly on New Year's Eve: "Tonight calls tomorrow morning 'the coming year'; tomorrow morning calls tonight 'the past year.' Since it is called 'the coming year,' tonight it should come; since it is named 'the past year,' tomorrow morning it should go. The coming year tonight is not seen to come; the past year tomorrow morning certainly does not go. Since it neither comes nor goes, karmic consciousness is vast and boundlessly without foundation. In the great round mirror, not a speck of dust remains; how could useless furniture be placed within it? It is indeed so, yet different again: Śakra pierces the autumn moon with radiance; Layman Pang is not blind to the original person, much like a flying dragon turning into a lame soft-shelled turtle. All of you: do you catch a glimpse or not? A sharp fellow must observe the season: where the five-nines end, spring is met again; behind the patch-robed monk's head are three pounds of iron." He gave a shout.

7.37

Instructing the assembly: "Last night a hare chased a tiger; at dawn it ran into nowhere. Under the moon several branches of coral grow; the myriad forms and phenomena bow their heads together." Suddenly taking up his staff, he said, "This staff is quite unpromising, yet it is skilled at discerning the fair from the foul. When Lord Li is dead drunk and doubled over, it was originally Lord Zhang who drank the village wine. I announce to you all: quickly turn your heads; by all means avoid running madly after outside things."

7.38

Instructing the assembly, he cited: "Magu, carrying his staff, came to Zhangjing. He circled the meditation seat three times, struck the staff once, and stood tall and erect."
The Master said, "Forged from pure steel, cast from pig iron."
"Zhangjing said, 'Right, right.'"
The Master said, "Spreading three or five layers of brocade over flowers."
"Magu also carried his staff to Nanquan, circled the meditation seat three times, struck the staff once, and stood tall and erect."
The Master said, "He has already suffered defeat."
"Nanquan said, 'Not right, not right.'"
The Master said, "Adding handcuffs on top of the cangue."
"Magu said, 'Zhangjing said "right"; why does the Venerable say "not right"?'"
The Master said, "A sorrowful person should not speak to a sorrowful person."
"Nanquan said, 'Zhangjing was right; it is you who are not right. This is turned by the power of the wind; in the end it falls into ruin.'"
The Master said, "Try taking a torch and looking: how thick is Nanquan's face?"
He then addressed the assembly: "Yunmen has judged it like this; tell me: does he approve of him or not?"

7.39

Instructing the assembly, he cited: "Venerable Nanyue sent a monk to ask Mazu, 'How is it?' Mazu said, 'Ever since the reckless rebellion, for thirty years I have not lacked salt and sauce.'"
The Master said, "Yunmen would not act like this. An inauspicious dream at night; write on the gate 'Great Good Fortune.'"

7.40

Instructing the assembly: "A nimble falcon does not strike hares beside the hedge. A fierce tiger never eats fallen meat. When the comet appears before the Northern Dipper, it locks tight the celestial gate and the earth's axis."

7.41

Instructing the assembly, he cited: "A monk asked Yunfeng, 'What is the dharma gate of the mind-ground?' Yunfeng said, 'It is not obtained from others.' The monk said, 'What about when it is not obtained from others?' Yunfeng said, 'From here to Hengyang is not far.'"
The Master said, "Yunmen would not act like this. 'What is the dharma gate of the mind-ground?' 'It is not obtained from others.' 'What about when it is not obtained from others?' 'Look under your feet.'"

7.42

Recorded Sayings of Chan Master Dahui Pujue Residing at Yunmen Hermitage in Jiangxi, Fascicle Seven

Linked texts (1)

大慧普覺禪師語錄 — Classical Chinese