大慧普覺禪師宗門武庫 1.87

1.87

Senior Monk Bai of Mount Emei once said, “My fellow countryman Xuedou has over a hundred verses of praise, but their wording and meaning do not particularly surpass others; why should he have gained such great fame in the world in vain?” He then composed a thousand verses of praise, taking a tenfold quantity as superior, compiled them into a collection of his own, and fancied that one day his fame would overshadow Xuedou's, seeking everywhere for someone who appreciated his tune. There was Mountain Master Dahe, who had met all the venerable elders of the way in his generation and had obtained the Dharma from Chan Master Fachang Yu. Assuming abbacy to reside at Dahe, he was called Mountain Master; his spirit swallowed all quarters, and he did not lightly give his approval. Bai brought his verses of praise to visit him, seeking a word of appraisal to win the trust of later students. When Dahe saw them, he spat and said, “These verses are like a person suffering from body odor standing directly in the wind; the stench is unbearable.” From then on, Bai did not dare show them to anyone. Later, Huang Luzhi heard of it, and upon arriving at Daci Monastery in Chengdu, wrote in large characters on the wall: “Senior Monk Bai of Mount Emei, / A thousand verses compiled into a collection of his own; / Dahe once uttered these words: / ‘Body odor standing directly in the wind.’”