大慧普覺禪師宗門武庫 1.5

1.5

Practitioner Xian had long studied under Xuedou. Dou wished to appoint him to abide at Jin'e. Xian heard of this, secretly wrote a verse on the wall of the abbot's quarters at night, and then fled. The verse said: / "It is not that I have no mind to continue the ancestral lamp, / But I am ashamed that my practice does not match Neng of Lingnan. / In the third watch beneath the moon, I leave the crags and caverns; / Filled with longing, without a word, I cherish the azure heights." / It also said: / "For more than thirty years amid the four seas, / Seeking masters and choosing friends, I was never at ease. / Today having reached the place of no-mind, / I am instead driven out of the mountain by no-mind." / Xian later assumed abbacy at Kaixian and was the Dharma heir of Venerable Deshan Yuan. Later he sent a letter to Xuedou. An old woman before the mountain saw the special envoy and cheerfully asked, "Head Monk Xian has assumed abbacy; for whom does he burn incense?" The special envoy said, "Venerable Deshan Yuan." The old woman cursed and said, "Xuedou emptied out his belly and spoke Chan for you; how can you be so ungrateful and betray his virtue?"