大慧普覺禪師語錄 8

English (machine translation) 8

Language: English

8.1

Presented by his imperial servant Yunwen, abbot of Nengren Chan Monastery on Jingshan and Dharma Heir, Chan Master Huiri

Instructing the assembly upon entering the hermitage: "Being so, principle conforms to the change of phenomena; not being so, phenomena gain the harmony of principle. Not being so within being so, broad and open, it is not outside; being so within not being so, silent and still, it is not inside. In being silent and still and not inside, contemplate the dharmadhātu within a single dust mote; in being broad and open and not outside, see a single dust mote pervading within the dharmadhātu. Without beginning and without end, without before and without after, without ancient and without modern, in a single moment purely clean. Even going on like this, staying overnight in a grass hut is still remaining outside the gate. Why? It is still the utmost principle of the doctrinal teachings, not yet the proper affair of a patch-robed monk. You must directly be not so within being so, and being so within not being so; pressing straight down to this place, so that the buddhas of the three periods, the successive generations of patriarchs, and the old venerable masters of the world have nowhere to grope. What more talk of inside, what talk of outside? What talk of principle, what talk of phenomena? What talk of the dharmadhātu, what talk of a single dust mote?" Striking the meditation seat once with his fly-whisk, he said, "If you realize it right here: inside it is not silent, outside it is not permanent; in non-existence it does not diminish, in existence it does not increase; it does not abide in the two extremes, nor does it dwell in the middle position. Qianfeng brings up one and must not bring up two; letting one move go, he falls into the second. Muzhou's small cup falls to the ground, and the saucer breaks into seven pieces—what fault is there?" After a long pause, he gave a shout and said, "However great it may be, it must rise from the ground; however high it may be, what can it do against heaven?" He again cited: "A monk asked Yantou, 'What about when the three realms vie in arising?' Yantou said, 'Sit down.' The monk said, 'I wonder, what is the Master's meaning?' Yantou said, 'Move Mount Lu here, and then I will tell you.'"
The Master said, "The ancient buddha Yantou extended his hands over a cliff of ten thousand fathoms and laid his body across cauldrons of boiling water and burning coals; because of compassion, he spoke words that fell into the weeds. Today, if someone asks Yunmen, 'What about when the three realms vie in arising?' I would just say to him, 'A quick and convenient chance is hard to meet.' 'I wonder, what is the Master's meaning?' 'Move Mount Yunmen here, and then I will tell you.'"

8.3

Requested to instruct the assembly by Judicial Administrator Lin, who founded the hermitage, on the occasion of the second anniversary of his father's death: "East of Fucheng there was a great elder, / Residing on the sea island east of Fucheng. / Throughout inconceivable dust-mote kalpas, / He served and made offerings to countless buddhas. / Excellent was the elder, rare in the world, / Appearing once in a while like the uḍumbara blossom. / Awakening a vast and true mind, / He founded an araṇya where there were no buddhas. / Like the wise of old establishing a monastery, / Snapping a blade of grass and thrusting it into the ground, it was accomplished. / This mind is steadfast, equal to Sumeru; / Whether praised or slandered, it is unshaken. / The demon king's hosts were exceedingly numerous; / Seeing this excellence, they were subdued of themselves. / The elder regarded his body as a floating cloud, / Changing and perishing in an instant, not lasting long. / When the season came to be born in the buddha-land, / He let go his hands and walked on without looking back. / He had a son who followed righteousness and raised up his family, / Passing the examinations with both resolve and body and mind. / 'The benevolent live long'—the saying is not false; / You should know that today he has never died. / Coming to reside in this araṇya, / That I did not meet the elder leaves a lingering regret; / Therefore I speak this verse to spread his renown a little, / That we may dwell together in the Tathāgata's ocean of quiescence."

8.4

Instructing the assembly: "It does not make the character 'yi' (以), nor is it the character 'ba' (八); / Even the vajra eye cannot peer into it. / Brought forth again on the tip of a single hair, / The wrathful Nata loses his power."

8.5

Instructing the assembly: "Within one phrase are contained the three mysterious gates; one mysterious gate has three essential paths. The lad Linji possessed only a single eye: coming from all directions, he only struck the one in the middle. When a sudden gale and violent rain arose, ducking away into the ancient hall, the old rotten pus Xinghua had not even dreamt of it. 'The Great Way is not difficult; it merely dislikes picking and choosing'—this is the nest and burrow of ordinary people; the ancient buddha Zhaozhou could not explain it away for five years. Truly the goose king sifts milk, inherently unlike the duck kind. 'Where there are buddhas you must not stay; where there are no buddhas hurry past.' Meeting someone three thousand miles away, you must not quote it wrongly; uncover your skull and replace your eyes. All of you have no need to drill tortoises or break tiles. Baizhang was given a shout by Mazu and was deaf for three days; how do you scheme about that? By all means avoid letting prisoners stay and breeding cunning. Being so will not do; not being so will not do; both being so and not being so will not do at all. Do not ask for Chang'an inside the Hanyuan Hall; do not mistake a donkey's saddle-bridge for your father's lower jaw. Since it is like this, can one speak here of standing on the highest peak and walking on the bottom of the deepest sea? Can one cross the river like a fragrant elephant, cutting off the current? Can one part the sea like the garuḍa, directly snatching and swallowing dragons? Since this is not permitted, now we cannot help but treat a dead horse as if it were alive." Suddenly taking up his staff and striking once, he said, "The sun floods the eyes; for ten thousand miles not a wisp of cloud hangs. Talk of transcending the buddhas and surpassing the patriarchs has already been swept away to fill up gullies and dam ravines. Tell me: Qingping's wooden ladle, bamboo strainer, well rope, and string of coins; Xuefeng's rolling of the ball; Heshan's beating of the drum—in the end, what matter do they accomplish on the part of a patch-robed monk? Do you understand? Do not wait for right and wrong to enter your ears, lest former intimate friends turn into foes." Again striking once, he gave a shout.

8.6

Requested by a virtuous friend to instruct the assembly: "Passing the examination with an empty mind has no stages; / Directly forgetting thoughts, the nature of sin is void. / In a single thought, wide and clear, the three boundaries are severed; / The thousand differences and ten thousand distinctions are all completely penetrated."

8.7

Instructing the assembly: "Penetrating the celestial pass on the point of a needle, / Applying intention and forgetting thoughts are both intolerable. / Directly going under, millions of kalpas have already passed; / Even attaining buddhahood right now has not yet matched the same practice. / Therefore Xuefeng said, 'At Wangzhou Pavilion I met you; at Wushi Ridge I met you; in front of the monks' hall I met you.' If you are a sharp fellow, hearing it briefly mentioned, you will perk up and walk on, without lingering and hesitating. Do you understand? Stick your head out beyond heaven and see: who is a person like me?"

8.8

Requested by Lady Chen to instruct the assembly on the occasion of repenting at the stupa for her deceased father and mother: "Samantabhadra's bodily form has no duality; / Eighty-four thousand pore-lands, / In each and every pore is a Tathāgata, / For each and every Tathāgata is a stupa. / Relics of steadfast vajra body; / Empty space may be destroyed, yet this does not decay. / The woman Lady Chen, to repay her parents' toil, / Reverently pays homage at each and every stupa, / Completing eighty-four thousand bows, / Exhausting all pores without omission. / The merit obtained is immeasurable, / Exactly equal to Samantabhadra's practice and vows, / Used to adorn her compassionate father and compassionate mother, / Extending to all sentient beings of the dharmadhātu, / To leave forever the ocean of suffering and realize bodhi, / All attaining an empty mind and transcending to the other shore."

8.9

Recorded Sayings at Yangyu Hermitage in Fuzhou (End)

8.10

Recorded Sayings at Xiaohuo Yunmen Hermitage in Quanzhou

8.11

Entering the hermitage, he instructed the assembly by citing: "King Prasenajit asked the World-Honoured One: 'Within the ultimate truth, is there still conventional truth? If you say it exists, knowledge should not be one; if you say it does not exist, knowledge should not be two. As for the meaning of one and two, what is its meaning?' The World-Honoured One replied: 'In the past, under the Buddha Dragon Light, you once asked about this meaning. I now have nothing to say, and you also have nothing to hear. With nothing said and nothing heard, is this called one meaning or two meanings?'"

The Master said: "Great or small, Old Man Śākya was casually grabbed by the nostrils by a layman and turned around, quite unable to explain it away. Today, if someone asks Yunmen: 'Within the ultimate truth, is there still conventional truth? If you say it exists, knowledge should not be one; if you say it does not exist, knowledge should not be two. As for the meaning of one and two, what is its meaning?' How would you deal with it?"

After a long pause, he said: "Planting a single stalk of grass, one builds a pure monastery; breaking open a dust mote of delusion, the sutra scrolls emerge—greatly benefiting all sentient beings and accomplishing boundless, extraordinary matters." He suddenly took up his staff, struck it once, and said: "The pure monastery is already built, the dust mote of delusion is already broken, and the great sutra scrolls have already emerged. Sudden and gradual, biased and round, provisional and real, half and full are each distinct and clear. The diverse dharma-doors, diverse expedient means, diverse wisdoms, diverse causes and effects, diverse excellences, diverse practices and vows, and diverse adornments are all right on a single tip of hair of the donor, the Court Attendant, sealed and established with a single seal of the wondrous, luminous mind-seal.

Do you still have full faith in this? If you can have full faith, then right now you attain buddhahood without relying on cultivation and regulation. Not only is it like this for the donor, the Court Attendant, but from the dust-mote buddhas of the past, present, and future and the ancestral teachers of every generation, down to all spiritual mentors and the tongues of the old venerable monks throughout the realm from ancient times to the present—all are likewise sealed and established by this seal. Neither different nor identical, each wondrously luminous, each fully endowed: cultivating such practices, accomplishing such matters, fulfilling such vows, obtaining such blessings; without ancient or modern, without end or beginning, without creation or destruction, without enlightenment or delusion; such complete understanding, such realization, such ultimate attainment—these too are solely upon a single tip of hair of the donor, the Court Attendant.

This is no different from Sudhana entering Maitreya's pavilion: the sand-grain-like dharma-doors are simultaneously and suddenly realized, and immeasurable merits are universally adorned, like the interlocking radiance of Indra's net blending together, mutually absorbing, mutually playing host and guest, each circumscribing and each unbiased, universally causing countless beings—both of good mind and ungood mind—to witness all excellences, bring forth the mind of unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, and conceive an extraordinary thought.

Not only is the donor, the Court Attendant, like this, but Yunmen today is also like this. Not only are Yunmen and the Court Attendant like this, but the present great assembly of monks and laypeople—each equal, each without distinction—are all like this. Right at such a time, tell me: is it the ultimate truth, or is it the conventional truth? Does it exist, or does it not exist? Is it one meaning, or is it two meanings? Is it spoken, or is it unspoken? Is it knowledge, or is it absence of knowledge? Is it heard, or is it unheard? Try to judge it! If you can judge it, then the donor, the Court Attendant, by building the great treasure monastery and performing great Buddhist works, will not have labored in vain; if you cannot judge it, Yunmen will be drawing legs on a snake." Throwing down his staff, he patted the meditation bed and said: "Passing right through the Iron Enclosing Mountains, look south at the Northern Dipper."

8.12

On the occasion of bathing the Buddha, he instructed the assembly: "The very last phrase is completely naked before sound, covering heaven and earth, covering sound and form. The yellow-faced old man attained this one move and immediately said: 'Before leaving Tuṣita, I had already descended into the royal palace; before emerging from the mother's womb, the salvation of people was already finished.' And when first born, he shook all the world nets, then with one hand pointing to heaven and one hand pointing to earth, he gave a great lion's roar, saying: 'Above heaven and below heaven, I alone am revered.' For the sake of the one great causal matter, he opened the buddha's knowledge and vision, showed the buddha's knowledge and vision, awakened to the buddha's knowledge and vision, and entered the buddha's knowledge and vision. Little did he know that several thousand years later, a lame-legged master would want to strike him dead with a single blow of his staff and give him to the dogs to eat, all for the sake of peace under heaven!

Tell me: where was Old Man Śākya's fault? Could it be pointing to heaven and pointing to earth and opening a big mouth? Could it be inappropriately provoking other people's sons and daughters? Could it be opening the buddha's knowledge and vision, showing the buddha's knowledge and vision, awakening to the buddha's knowledge and vision, and entering the buddha's knowledge and vision? If you deliberate like this, not only do you slander Old Man Śākya, you also fail Great Master Yunmen. Arriving here, if you know Yunmen's resting place, you know your own resting place. Tell me: where does he rest?"

After a long pause, he said: "The moon in the realm of space over the eternal jade-green pool— / Only after repeatedly dredging will you finally know." He further cited: "A monk asked Wuzu: 'What is the Buddha?' The Patriarch said: 'Bare-chested and barefoot.' 'What is the Dharma?' He said: 'Not releasing [the prisoner] even during a general amnesty.' 'What is the Saṅgha?' He said: 'Xie Sanlang on the fishing boat.'"

The Master said: "These three turning phrases: each turning phrase is endowed with the Three Mysteries and Three Essentials, the Four Selections, the Four Hosts and Guests, Dongshan's Five Ranks, Yunmen's Three Phrases, hundreds of thousands of dharma-doors, and immeasurable wondrous meanings. If someone can pick them out, I will grant that you possess a single eye."

8.13

Beginning the summer retreat, he instructed the assembly: "Today is the day the monks begin the retreat. Monk Zonggao of Yunmen Hermitage, together with the true person without rank upon the lump of red flesh and the present pure great assembly, taking the dharmadhātu as the monastery, will dwell peacefully within it with all the bodhisattvas for ninety days—jumping through the vajra hoop, swallowing the spiky chestnut burr, performing Buddhist works in a dream, subduing the demon armies in a mirror. The three karmic activities are pure, the six sense organs bright and spotless; the four deportments of the body are free from all faults, mysteriously matching the Tathāgata's one hundred and forty great vows, and continuing the seed of the Three Jewels without ever breaking off. If one can cultivate and realize like this and dwell peacefully like this, one is a great hero, a true home-leaver; there is no need to scrupulously guard a wax man or protect snow like a goose. If it is not yet so, Zhao Zhou hung a calabash on the east wall—do not say it is fine not to doubt." He struck the meditation bed and stepped down from the seat.

8.14

He instructed the assembly: "Yesterday while taking a daytime nap, Yunmen dreamed of riding a single-leaf light boat, floating on the great eastern ocean, riding a newly repaired Buddha hall into an anthill, and proceeding along to the crowded crossroads among ten thousand people, where I saw a group of stiff-necked patch-robed monks, their mouths discussing the arcane and expounding the wondrous, citing antiquity to clarify the present, speaking of Lingyun attaining the Way upon seeing peach blossoms, Xiangyan illuminating his mind upon hearing the bamboo struck, Xuefeng rolling balls year after year, Heshan beating the drum all the time: 'phenomena harmonize like box and lid, principle responds like arrow points meeting.' Just as I was having this dream, I was suddenly startled awake by someone—and it turned out to be the sound of the shoes of the three senior monks Xi, Tong, and Ju. Although Yunmen had his eyes open, he was still in the dream and not yet sober. The three senior monks approached, made obeisance, and said: 'We request the Venerable to speak Chan for the assembly tomorrow.' In my dream, Yunmen answered them, saying: 'Granted.'

Today the dharma drum has been struck and the great assembly has come up. Tell me: what can be said that will do? Yesterday I dreamed of speaking Chan; now Chan speaks of a dream. While dreaming, I dreamed of what is spoken now; while speaking, I speak of what was dreamed yesterday. Yesterday was a dream with closed eyes; now is a dream with open eyes. All of you are listening within a dream, and Yunmen again speaks a dream within a dream."

After a long pause, he said: "Master Donkey Lips opens his mouth and laughs; / The Asura King leaps and bounds. / The sea god has lost the luminous night jewel; / Tearing open Mount Sumeru, he pierces seven apertures. / The three senior monks request a talk on Chan: / On flat ground where there is no wind, waves strike the sky! / Chan, Chan—no need for thinking and calculating; / It has nothing to do with writing and words. / 'Looking up to it, it is ever higher; boring into it, it is ever harder.' / When Yantou slashed it away, he said: / 'It is a phrase, it is not a phrase.' / When Linji applied it, he said: / 'The Three Essentials and Three Mysteries.' / Chan, Chan! Swallow the spiky chestnut burr, leap out of the vajra hoop! / Stop discussing the old fellow Zhaozhou's cypress tree in the courtyard; / Do not ask about Shoushan's new bride riding the donkey while the mother-in-law leads it. / Just please let go of everything all at once, / And each person's fundamental substance is naturally round and complete."

He called to the great assembly and said: "And how do you speak of this round and complete principle? In a dream, clearly there are six realms; after awakening, completely empty, there is no great chiliocosm." He gave a shout.

8.15

Concluding the summer retreat, he instructed the assembly: "When patch-robed monks meet, do not guess or doubt; / The knot of the cloth sack is opened today. / The exposed pillar puts on a robe and heads to Nanyue; / The lantern takes off its hat and ascends Tiantai." He suddenly held up his staff and said: "There is only Yunmen's Wooden Senior Monk, / Who all year round neither goes nor comes. / At times leaning alone beside the ancient screen, / Seeing through the horse-dismounting platform in front of the gate." He threw down his staff and stepped down from the seat.

8.16

He instructed the assembly: "Citing one, you must not cite two; letting one move pass, you fall into the second. Meeting the noble, it is cheap; meeting the cheap, it is noble. Colliding and bumping, there is nowhere to evade it. The road to Nanyue and Tiantai is open: you go west and I go east; the wind follows the tiger, the clouds follow the dragon." He gave a shout and said: "Picking up the winnowing basket, pound rice elsewhere; frying tea in an iron flatiron is not like using a kettle."

8.17

He instructed the assembly by citing: "A monk asked Yunmen: 'What is the Way?' Yunmen said: 'Pervading out of the single character.'"

The Master said: "Pervading out of the single character, yet not resembling it; turning one's head in haste: Zhang the Third and Li the Fourth." He stepped down from the seat.

8.18

He instructed the assembly by citing: "In the teachings it says: 'When arising and ceasing are extinguished, quiescent extinction appears before you.'"

The Master said: "True arising has nothing that can arise; true ceasing has nothing that can cease. When quiescent extinction suddenly appears before you, the toad swallows the moon." He stepped down from the seat.

8.19

He instructed the assembly by citing: "A monk asked Zhaozhou: 'When the hundred bones all crumble and scatter, and the one thing is forever spirit-like, how is it?' Zhaozhou said: 'This morning the wind has arisen again.'"

The Master said: "This morning the wind has arisen again; do not stick your beak into noisy places. If you touch King Yama, you will drag down the ghosts of the nether court."

8.20

He instructed the assembly by citing: "Fayan asked Jue the Iron Beak: 'Where have you come from recently?' Jue said: 'Zhaozhou.' Fayan said: 'I have heard that Zhaozhou had the topic of the cypress tree—is that so or not?' Jue said: 'No.' Fayan said: 'Everyone who comes and goes says: "A monk asked: 'What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?' and Zhaozhou said: 'The cypress tree in the courtyard.'" How can you, Senior Monk, say no?' Jue said: 'My late master really had no such words. The Venerable had better not slander my late master.'"

The Master said: "If you say there were such words, you miss Jue the Iron Beak; if you say there were no such words, you miss Fayan; if you say neither side is involved, you miss Zhaozhou. Even if it were not like that at all and there were another path of breakthrough, one enters hell like an arrow shot. In the end, how is it?" He held up his fly-whisk and said: "Do you still see the ancients?" He gave a shout.

8.21

He instructed the assembly by citing: "Venerable Si of Qingyuan asked the Sixth Patriarch: 'What must one undertake so as not to fall into stages?' The Patriarch said: 'What have you ever practiced?' Si said: 'I do not even practice the noble truths.' The Patriarch said: 'What stage do you fall into?' Si said: 'When even the noble truths are not practiced, what stage could there be?' The Patriarch deeply valued him."

The Master said: "Do not treat idle words as idle words; often matters arise from idle words."

8.22

Instructing the assembly, he cited: "Layman Pang asked his daughter Lingzhao, 'Clearly on the tips of the hundred grasses; clearly the Patriarch's meaning. How do you understand this?' Lingzhao said, 'This old fellow, with white hair and yellow teeth, holds such a view!' The layman said, 'How about you?' Lingzhao said, 'Clearly on the tips of the hundred grasses; clearly the Patriarch's meaning.'" The Master said, "Layman Pang walked ahead but did not arrive; his daughter Lingzhao came behind and went too far. Even if they had walked together and arrived together, had they come to Yunmen, they would have been buried in the same pit. Tell me: where is the fault? Clearly on the tips of the hundred grasses; clearly the Patriarch's meaning."

8.23

Instructing the assembly, he cited: "Yunmen said, 'Say a phrase on the tips of the hundred grasses.' The assembly was silent. He spoke on their behalf, saying, 'All.' Old Master Yuanwu said, 'Stab!'" The Master said, "Pervasive." He further said: / "All, Stab, Pervasive— / The sun's disc is at noon. / General Li shot the stone tiger; / Though piercing through to the other side, / In vain was loosed the bow of a thousand jun."

8.24

Instructing the assembly, he cited: "A monk asked Zhaozhou, 'When the four mountains close in, what then?' Zhaozhou said, 'No way out is Zhaozhou.'" The Master said: / "'No way out is Zhaozhou'— / The veteran general has ample stratagems. / South of the passes and north of the border, / In an instant, all are gathered at once."

8.25

At the request of Participant in Political Affairs Li, he instructed the assembly, citing: "Prime Minister Pei entered a monastery, saw a painted portrait on the wall, and asked the prior, 'What is on the wall?' The prior said, 'An eminent monk.' Pei said, 'The appearance is indeed striking, but where is the eminent monk?' The prior had no answer. Pei said, 'Is there no Chan monk here?' At that time Huangbo was in the assembly. The prior said, 'There is a Senior Xiyun who looks rather like a Chan monk.' Pei then summoned Huangbo and mentioned his previous words to him. Huangbo said, 'Just please ask me.' Pei said, 'The appearance is indeed striking, but where is the eminent monk?' Huangbo called out, 'Prime Minister!' The minister responded, 'Yes?' Huangbo said, 'Where is he?' Pei grasped the purport upon these words." The Master said, "Lord Pei followed error with error, casting off roots and dust completely. Huangbo opened his mouth and extended compassion, expending no mental effort. Like the earth supporting a mountain, unaware of the mountain's solitary steepness; like a rock containing jade, unaware of the jade's lack of flaws. Even so, Huangbo only possessed the sword that kills people, but lacked the sword that brings people to life. Today, if the Grand Tutor Prime Minister were to ask Yunmen, 'The appearance is indeed striking, but where is the eminent monk?' Yunmen would also call out, 'Prime Minister!' If the Prime Minister responded, Yunmen would immediately say to him, 'Today in the hall, we especially thank you for the offering.'"

8.26

Instructing the assembly, he cited: "A monk asked Zhaozhou, 'What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?' Zhaozhou said, 'The cypress tree in the courtyard.' The monk said, 'Venerable, do not show people by means of an object.' Zhaozhou said, 'I do not show people by means of an object.' The monk asked, 'What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?' Zhaozhou said, 'The cypress tree in the courtyard.'" The Master said: / "The cypress tree in the courtyard / Is brought up again today. / Having broken through Zhaozhou's checkpoint, / He deliberately seeks out words. / Since he broke through the checkpoint, / Why then seek out words? / At first it was thought the thatch was short and tall; / Once burned away, it turns out the ground was uneven."

8.27

At the request of Bureau Director Cai, he instructed the assembly: / "Just hearing it brought up, one takes it upon oneself; / Sound flesh is pointlessly gouged into a wound. / Cast your eyes upon the turning of the mechanism, / Only then will you know that the pair does not make a twin." / Suddenly holding up his staff, he said, "Seeing it and not taking it, a thousand ages are hard to forget. The Buddhas of the three times, the patriarchs of all generations, and all the venerable old monks throughout the world are swallowed in a single gulp by Yunmen's staff; the great canon of teachings fills gullies and clogs ravines. Just at such a time, even if Deshan's blows were like raindrops and Linji's shouts were like rushing thunder, it would still be like somersaulting on a felt rug or wiggling one's toes inside a boot—of what use would it be? To speak like this is excessively pressing the free into servitude and not recognizing good from bad. If some patch-robed monk who does not care for his life were to come out, overturn the Chan seat, and shout to scatter the great assembly, you could not blame him. Is there anyone right now? If not, Yunmen will conclude the case based on the confession." He struck the staff once, and then cited: "Prime Minister Pei held a statue, knelt on both knees before Huangbo, and said, 'Please, Master, bestow a name upon it.' Huangbo said, 'Pei Xiu!' Pei responded, 'Yes?' Huangbo said, 'I have finished bestowing a name upon you.' Pei bowed and said, 'Thank you, Master, for bestowing the name.'" The Master said, "Lord Pei and Huangbo can be called water entering water, gold exchanged for gold. Even so, examining it thoroughly, there are leaks. Today, if Bureau Director Cai were to hold a statue and ask Yunmen to bestow a name, I would immediately say to him, 'The pure Dharmakāya, Vairocana Buddha.' If he said, 'Thank you, Master, for bestowing the name,' I would immediately say to him, 'Do not run down the slope; a swift opportunity is hard to meet.'"

8.28

At the request of Grand Master Chu, he instructed the assembly: / "Uttering a phrase that pierces to bone and marrow, / The three essentials and three mysteries leave no shield or screen. / The four-seven of India were all uniformly deluded; / The two-three of China were entirely unawakened. / I speak these words neither as orthodox nor perverse; / Meeting face-to-face in the crux of the moment, cease all hedging. / Attentively I announce to the gentleman of the Cloud Terrace: / A fine hawk does not strike the rabbit beside the fence."

8.29

At the request of Senior Jun, he instructed the assembly. Holding up his staff, he struck it once and said, "Mañjuśrī and Samantabhadra, Avalokiteśvara and Maitreya." He struck it once more and said, "Kāśyapa and Ānanda, Hanshan and Shide." He struck it once more and said, "Just thus, within complete rightness is complete wrongness." He struck it once more and said, "Not thus, within complete wrongness is complete rightness. The Tathāgata speaks of a unified aggregate as not a unified aggregate; it is called a unified aggregate. Letting one move pass, Senior Wenjun deserves thirty blows. Tell me: is this rewarding him or punishing him?" Throwing it down, he said, "Patch-robed monks with the eye, try to judge and see."

8.30

Instructing the assembly, he cited: "A non-Buddhist asked the Buddha, 'I do not ask about what has words, nor do I ask about what is wordless.' The World-Honoured One remained silent for a long time. The non-Buddhist praised him, saying, 'The World-Honoured One with great loving-kindness and great compassion has opened my clouds of delusion and enabled me to enter.' After the non-Buddhist left, Ānanda asked the Buddha, 'What did the non-Buddhist realize that he spoke of having entered?' The World-Honoured One said, 'Like a fine horse in the world, running at the mere shadow of the whip.' Xuedou said, 'Heterodox and orthodox are not distinguished; the fault lies in the shadow of the whip.'" The Master said, "Heterodox and orthodox are both distinguished; it is precisely due to the shadow of the whip."

8.31

Instructing the assembly: / "Mind itself is Buddha—do not vainly seek; / Neither mind nor Buddha—cease seeking elsewhere. / Above the flames of the red furnace snowflakes fly; / A single drop of coolness dispels all torment."

8.32

Instructing the assembly: "Where action cannot reach, speaking is not difficult; where speaking cannot reach, action is not difficult. When action and speech are both hard to reach and not hard to reach, cast away the great table mountain before the gate. Therefore it is said: 'The precious sword of keen edge is constantly revealed before you; it can kill people and it can also bring people to life.' Stepping forward, you lose your body and life; stepping backward, you dissolve like tiles and ice. Neither advancing nor retreating, above there is no scheme to soar into the heavens, and below there is no plan to enter the earth. Just at such a time, what is a patch-robed monk's single road of turning around? Do you understand? An expert hand shows an expert hand among experts; the bullseye hits the bullseye right in the center."

8.33

Instructing the assembly, he cited: "A monk asked Zhaozhou, 'What is Zhaozhou?' Zhaozhou said, 'East gate, south gate, west gate, north gate.' The monk said, 'I did not ask about this.' Zhaozhou said, 'Didn't you ask about Zhaozhou?'" The Master said, "This monk asked about Zhaozhou, and Zhaozhou answered about Zhaozhou. Receiving a horse from someone, one returns a cow to him. When people are at peace, they do not speak; when water is level, it does not flow. Do you understand? Where kindness received is deep, one should withdraw early; when success is at its peak, it is best to rest."

8.34

Conducting mourning and offering incense for Master Yuanwu, he pointed to the portrait and said, "This old monk spent his whole life blabbing and disturbing the monasteries. Recently I heard he passed away in Shu; we may rejoice that all under heaven is at peace. Although Yunmen in former years was close to him, after all I never heard him say a single sensible word. Therefore today I prepare a share of offerings, pour a cup of tea, and burn this stick of incense to smoke his nostrils. This is not to repay virtue or requite kindness, but simply to insult him." Calling to the assembly, he said, "Since I never heard him say a single sensible word and have no kindness or virtue to repay, why did I go out of my way to make this laughingstock? Do you understand? The enmity has a head; the debt has a master. By chance I slipped and fell to the ground, and to this day the grievance has penetrated to the marrow of my bones." Thereupon he burned incense.

8.35

At the evening informal gathering, he cited: "A monk asked Changsha, 'Where did Nanquan go after passing away?' Changsha said, 'To be a donkey in the eastern house, to be a horse in the western house.' The monk said, 'I do not know what the meaning is.' Changsha said, 'If you want to ride, just ride; if you want to dismount, just dismount.'" The Master said, "Today, if someone were to ask Yunmen, 'Where did Old Master Yuanwu go after passing away?' I would immediately tell him, 'He entered the great Avīci Hell.' 'I do not know what the meaning is.' 'Drinking molten copper juice, swallowing red-hot iron balls.' If he asked, 'Can he still be saved or not?' I would say, 'He cannot be saved.' 'Why can he not be saved?' 'It is this old fellow's everyday tea and rice.'"

8.36

At the request of good friends, he instructed the assembly: / "Deluded minds inverted create various karmas; / Turning towards the true vehicle is repentance. / When both ends of truth and delusion are pierced through, / East of the Southern Sea is Silla."

8.37

Instructing the assembly, he cited: "Whenever Baizhang gave instruction, an old man would constantly follow the assembly to listen to the Dharma. When the assembly withdrew, the old man also withdrew. Suddenly one day he did not withdraw. Baizhang then asked, 'Who is the one standing in front of me?' The old man said, 'I am not a human being. In the past, in the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, I once resided on this mountain. Because a student asked, "Does a person of great cultivation still fall into cause and effect or not?", I replied, "He does not fall into cause and effect," and for five hundred lifetimes I fell into the body of a wild fox. Now I ask the Venerable to provide a turning phrase on my behalf, so that I may be freed from the wild fox body.' The old man then asked, 'Does a person of great cultivation still fall into cause and effect or not?' Baizhang said, 'He is not blind to cause and effect.' The old man was greatly enlightened upon these words and was freed from the wild fox body." The Master said: / "'Not falling' and 'not blind'— / Half bright and half dark. / 'Not blind' and 'not falling'— / Both ends are empty and barren. / That wild fox five hundred lives ago— / Now vainly chased in cold blood." / He gave a shout and said, "Since there is a guest from Jiangnan among the seats, do not sing of partridges before the wine jar."

8.38

Instructing the assembly, he brought up [the following]: "Daowu and Jianyuan went to a house to offer condolences. Yuan patted the coffin and said, 'Alive or dead?' Wu said, 'I won't say alive; I won't say dead.' Yuan said, 'Why won't you say?' Wu said, 'I won't say, I won't say.' On their way back, halfway along the road, Yuan said, 'Master, quickly tell me! If you do not tell me, I will hit you.' Wu said, 'As for hitting, hit as you will; as for telling, I will not say.'" The Master said, "'I won't say alive; I won't say dead'—a twofold gong'an, received in a single indictment. Baring the blade to blow the hair, cutting off the essential guidelines; stripping off the hawk-stinking shirt, taking off the grease-fried hat, sitting grandly facing the veranda, his spirit vast and mighty." He gave a shout and descended from the seat.

8.39

For a patron making an offering to the Arhats, he instructed the assembly: "Danxia burned a wooden Buddha; Cuiwei made offerings to the Arhats. One man lifted with his left hand, one man pressed with his right hand. Since guest and host are clearly distinct, my Dao is threaded through with one. The lion roams alone—how could he seek a companion? Completely round, impossible to tear open; beating the drum, inviting all to see. Though not worth a single penny, he would not trade it for the whole kingdom." Thereupon he snapped his fingers three times and said, "Suru sili suopohe (oṃ smṛti svāhā)."

8.40

On the Dragon Boat Festival, he instructed the assembly, holding up his staff and citing: "Great Master Yunmen said, 'Why have the sages of the past not reached here?' The Hermit of Lotus Peak said, 'When the ancients reached here, why were they unwilling to stay?'" The Master said, "These two venerable elders were taking down the eastern fence to patch the western wall, embracing the bridge pillar to wash, holding the cable to let loose the boat—not that they lacked that, but ultimately they had no principle for helping people. Yunmen is not so: if you have not reached here, he makes you reach it; if you have already reached here, he shatters your head and cracks your brains. Tell me, is there any way he helps people?" After a long pause, he said, "'One, two, three, four, five—patching where empty space is deficient; five, four, three, two, one—writing "Great Auspiciousness" right on the door.' A skilled hand swings the axe to shear off mud from the nose—how could one fathom the wondrous function of a patch-robed monk? If you suddenly recognize it, the news is exposed right at the tips of the hundred grasses. And what is the exposed news? Oṃ bhrūṃ oṃ chrīṃ, swiftly in accordance with the statutes and ordinances!" He struck [the seat] once.

8.41

Instructing the assembly, he brought up [the following]: "A monk asked Muzhou, 'How is it when a single word expresses it completely?' Muzhou said, 'This old monk is inside your bowl-bag.' He also asked Yunmen, 'How is it when a single word expresses it completely?' Yunmen said, 'Torn to pieces.'" The Master said, "If someone were to ask this mountain monk, 'How is it when a single word expresses it completely?' You lacquer bucket!"

8.42

Instructing the assembly, he brought up [the following]: "A monk asked Yunmen, 'What was the intended meaning of Bodhidharma facing the wall for nine years?' Yunmen said, 'Twenty-seven.'" The Master said, "'Twenty-seven, twenty-seven'—utterly without news. Seen from behind, it is distinct; viewed head-on, it is hard to recognize. Since it is viewed head-on, why is it hard to recognize? 'One can know proprietary etiquette.'"

8.43

Instructing the assembly, he brought up [the following]: "Layman Pang asked Great Master Ma, 'Not ignoring the original body, please, Master, cast your eye high.' The Great Master looked straight down. The Layman said, 'The unique stringless zither—only you, Master, can play it wonderfully.' The Great Master looked straight up. The Layman bowed. The Great Master returned to the abbot's quarters. The Layman followed behind to the abbot's quarters and said, 'Just now I tried to be clever and made a blunder.'" The Master said, "Tell me: was it Great Master Ma who tried to be clever and made a blunder, or Layman Pang who tried to be clever and made a blunder? Is there anyone who can distinguish black from white? If you cannot distinguish black from white, [you are like] a mangy horse tied to a withered hitching post; even if you can distinguish black from white, it is still a grain of pepper in a toad's mouth."

8.44

Instructing the assembly, he brought up [the following]: "Layman Pang said: 'The mind is as such, the objective realm is also as such; neither real nor unreal. Not concerned with existence, not restricted by non-existence; not a sage or worthy, but an ordinary fellow who has finished his business.'" The Master said, "Pure white, clean and desolate, water cannot wet it, fire cannot burn it—what is it? You must by no means ask about it; if you ask about it, your eyes will be blinded." He struck the incense stand once with his staff.

8.45

Instructing the assembly, he brought up [the following]: "An ancient worthy said, 'There is indeed plenty of the Buddhadharma, but the tongue is short.'" The Master said, "'I warned you not to take the road beneath the mountain; / in the end you heard the gibbon's cry that breaks the heart.'"

8.46

Requested by Cai Chunqing to instruct the assembly on the occasion of making offerings for his late father, he brought up [the following]: "Luopu instructed the assembly, saying, 'Sun Bin has closed his shop; let a diviner come forward.' Thereupon a monk stepped forward and said, 'Please cast a divination for me, Master.' Luopu said, 'Your father has died.' The monk was speechless. Fayan clapped his hands three times in his place." The Master said, "This monk had the misfortune of his father dying, and on top of that had someone else clapping hands at him. One truly knows that misfortunes never come alone, and blessings never arrive in pairs. Nevertheless, Luopu was good at divining, and Fayan was good at interpreting; yet if one considers it carefully, regarding the auspices of the lines and images, both old fellows blundered together. Since he had drawn the Fire-Wind Cauldron hexagram (Ding), why did he interpret it as Earth-Fire Brightness Hidden (Mingyi)? Yunmen is not so." Suddenly taking up his staff, he said, "Under Sun Bin's door, the old man has died." Striking three times consecutively, he said, "Do you understand? Internally it belongs to the Gen palace; seek again the external image." Again striking three times, he said, "Thousand spirits and myriad sages, myriad sages and thousand spirits—do not follow human sentiments." Striking once more, he said, "Auspicious and inauspicious are displayed on the hexagram."

8.47

Requested by Layman Pingshan, Academician Liu, to instruct the assembly: "A great hero of great capacity and great caliber settles the great matter without exceeding a single thought. The buddhas of the three periods stand downwind of him; such a person is fit to be an emissary of the Tathāgata. Since the buddhas of the three periods stand downwind of him, why does he instead become an emissary of the Tathāgata?" After a long pause, he said, "The Iron-Wheel Heavenly King issues an edict throughout the realm; you must believe that being on official duty leaves one no freedom."

8.48

Requested by Supervising Secretary Jiang to open the light of the Buddha, the Master took up a brush and said: "The teachings say: 'Pure compassion-gates, numerous as dust motes in the lands, together bring forth the Tathāgata's single wondrous mark; each and every mark is just so, therefore those who behold them never tire.' They also say: 'The Tathāgata's eyes possess the mark of a great man, called the Cloud of Sovereign Universal Vision, adorned with a multitude of wondrous gems; the mani-jewel light is pure, clear, and thoroughly transparent, beholding all things universally without hindrance.' Since it is like this, why does he still need another person to dot his eyes? Is there anyone who can speak? If you can speak, not only will you vent the breath of the yellow-faced old fellow, but you will also cause all sentient beings throughout the dharmadhātu to partake in the benefit; if you cannot speak, listen to this verse: 'Raising the head, suddenly seeing the morning star appear; / due to this, with eye-disease, seeing flowers in the sky.'" Thereupon, dotting with the brush, he said: "Today we restore to him his former radiance; / dark pupils shining bright, illuminating dust and sand."

8.49

Recorded Sayings of Yunmen Hermitage at Xiaoxi in Quanzhou, Volume Eight.

Linked texts (1)

大慧普覺禪師語錄 — Classical Chinese