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Source: pramana-mt · Machine translation by Gemini 3.8 Flash (2026-10-21) of in.bauddha.taisho.1999 · Machine output without human authorship: no copyright is claimed (CC0 1.0). The original text keeps its own…

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1.1

Preface to the Recorded Sayings of Chan Master Mi'an

Three years after Chan Master Mi'an manifested quiescence, his true dharma-heir Liaowu, residing at Lingyan, entrusted [Zhang] Zi with compiling his late teacher's lifetime sayings into a single volume and requested a preface. [Zhang] Zi respectfully considers: Once the late master met Ying'an, he immediately comprehended the Great Dharma, and his words on the broken earthenware basin were widely propagated through the monasteries—there is nothing here to be prefaced. He held seven celebrated mountains, his Way filling all under heaven, and the dragons and elephants of the day all came forth from his tongs and hammer—there is likewise nothing here to be prefaced. He entered the imperial palace to expound prajñā, deeply according with the Emperor's intention and further brightening the ancestral gate—there is also nothing here to be prefaced. Nevertheless, having undeservedly received the transmission of the robe, it is unbefitting for [Zhang] Zi to remain silent, and so I reverently compose this preface, saying: The *Recorded Sayings of Mi'an* constitutes one case, comprising eighty-eight printing blocks in all, twenty lines to a block, and twenty characters to a line. If here you can grasp it, you are permitted to see Mi'an in person; if not yet so, listen to a single turning phrase. On the ninth day of the middle winter month in the fifteenth year of Chunxi [1188 CE], student Zhang Zi wrote this preface.

1.3

Recorded Sayings of Venerable Mi'an Residing at Qianming Chan Monastery on Mount Wuju, Quzhou

1.4

Compiled by the student disciples Chongyue, Liaowu, and others.

1.5

On the first day of the eighth month in the third year of Qiandao [1167 CE], the Master accepted the invitation at this monastery. Ascending the seat, he said: "Just now, before the drum was struck, I was called Senior Monk Jie; but now, after ascending the seat, I am called Elder Wuju. Suddenly changing his name and altering his appellation, putting on fur and wearing horns, dragging the plow and pulling the harrow, sticking his head up and diving down among different species. Since the karmic debt cannot be escaped, I can only joyfully endure it. If you see through it clearly like this, the new Elder's matter of appearing in the world is finished; if not yet so, Senior Monk Jie today has suffered a loss." The formal expressions of gratitude are not recorded.

1.6

He also cited: "Sansheng said, 'Whenever I meet someone, I come out; having come out, it is not for their sake.' Xinghua said, 'Whenever I meet someone, I do not come out; having come out, it is immediately for their sake.' Later, Venerable Baiyun Duan brought this up and said, 'Each of the two venerable elders has a point where he strikes home. Tell me, which one is in front, and which one is behind?'" The Master addressed the assembly, saying: "Venerable Baiyun Duan misapplied fine phrases. Little does he know that the two venerable elders neither reached the village in front nor made it to the inn behind, so that right down to the present day it has turned into a contentious debate. Why so? 'A text copied three times turns *wu* and *yan* into *ma*.'" He descended from the seat.

1.7

Entering the abbot's quarters, he took the seat and said: "This room is profound, vast, and great, beyond the reach of speech and silence. Layman Vimalakīrti talked in his sleep here without awakening; when the ancestral masters of the seven Buddhas arrived here, their blunders were even worse. Senior Monk Jie's mouth is like a beggar's torn mat sack—how then can he make any display?" He gave a shout and said, "If one does not plunge into the billowing waves, how can one see the master of the tides?"

1.8

On the twenty-second day of the eighth month, he held the opening of the hall at this monastery. Having offered prayers for the Emperor, he then took up incense and said: "This pinch of incense has been kept for a long time; wishing to hide it, it becomes all the more apparent. Today, humans and devas gather everywhere, and I cannot avoid laying it bare from the very beginning. In former years, returning from itinerant practice in Jiangxi, I intended to go to Siming. Just as I reached Master Zhi at Wuzhou, I was misdirected by onlookers—fellow brothers—and stumbled into Mount Mingguo in Quzhou. There I saw an old venerable monk, severe and uncompromising, exceedingly cold and unapproachable. Having already compounded error upon error by making three prostrations, right down to the present day my regrets cannot catch up. Be that as it may, every injustice has its head and every debt its master. I burn it in the brazier to make an offering to the Great Venerable Ying'an, the eighteenth generation residing at Mount Tiantong, so as to repay the kindness of his dharma milk." Thereupon he gathered his robes and took his seat. When the questions and answers were concluded, he said: "The ancestral masters' mind-seal resembles the function of the iron bull: when it moves, the seal remains; when it stays, the seal is broken. The myriad phenomena of the cosmos, light and dark, form and void, sentient and insentient, are decisively stamped by this single seal, with not the slightest leakage, not the slightest deviation, not the slightest arising or ceasing, not the slightest movement. Like gold bartering for gold, like water washing water, it completely cuts off extraneous conditions and towers beyond all realms of existence. Using this to toast the Sage Emperor, may his life be as long as heaven and enduring as earth; using this to pray for the worthy magistrate, may he be like Yi Yin and the Duke of Zhou; using this to bring peace and joy to the living populace; using this to bring well-being and blessing to all under heaven; using this to propagate the Great Teaching; using this to uphold and establish the orthodox lineage. Although it is like this, tell me, where is this seal right now?" After a long pause, he struck his whisk and said: "The carved bow is hung high, the beacon smoke extinguished; ten thousand nations sing in chorus, rejoicing in great peace."

1.9

He also cited: "When Baoshou held the opening of the hall, Sansheng pushed forward a monk. Baoshou immediately struck him. Sansheng said, 'Acting for someone like this will blind the eyes of everyone in the whole city of Zhenzhou!' Baoshou threw down his staff and returned to the abbot's quarters." The Master said: "Splendid as the two venerable elders were, if they wanted to uphold the orthodox lineage of Linji, each of them still owed a round of the staff. Tell me, where was their debt? Let those endowed with the eye of dharma selection try to determine it!"

1.10

Ascending the hall: "'The Buddha preached all dharmas to save all minds; I have no mind whatsoever, what use have I for any dharma?' Since there is neither mind nor dharma, from where do the mountains, rivers, and the great earth come? What thing are seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing?" He then gave a shout and said, "Approaching the precipice to gaze at the riverbank, it is especially an occasion for sorrow."

1.11

Ascending the hall: "One advance and one retreat, one movement and one stillness—one must believe that the nāga is constantly in samādhi; one capture and one release, one killing and one reviving—lively and kicking from all directions. The great elephant of Jiazhou eats plenty of salt; the iron bull of Shanzhou Prefecture adds to its thirst. If you deliberate on this as the Buddha Dharma, the day you eat the iron staff is yet to come."

1.12

Ascending the hall: "'Knowing illusions, immediately leave them, without adopting expedient means.'" Striking once on the left side with his whisk, he said: "Grasp it here! 'Leaving illusions, immediately be awakened, likewise without gradual stages.'" Striking once on the right side with his whisk, he said: "Grasp it here! 'When a single person realizes truth and returns to the origin, space in the ten directions completely dissolves away.'" Drawing a line in the middle with his whisk, he said: "Grasp it here! Wuju's entanglements have all been seen through by you all. Your nostrils and eyes have been pierced through by Wuju's whisk—why are you neither conscious nor aware of it? If among you there is one or half a person who suddenly realizes his mistake, the black lacquered staff will not yet let him off. Why so? 'If Caoxi's waves are just like this, countless ordinary people will drown on dry land.'"

1.13

Ascending the hall, a monk asked: "What is the meaning of Deshan carrying his bowl?" The Master said: "There is no meaning." The monk asked further: "Why did he carry his bowl down to the monks' hall?" The Master said: "When he wanted to walk, he walked; when he wanted to sit, he sat." He then cited: "Venerable Xuefeng instructed the assembly, saying: 'Taking the whole earth and pinching it together, it is as big as a grain of millet. Thrown before your faces, the pitch-black bucket does not understand; strike the drum and call all out to look.'" The Master said: "This old fellow went up to Touzi three times and visited Dongshan nine times, exhausting every calculation, but in the end he struck a bad deal at the tavern on Mount Ao, crying out aloud: 'Only today have I attained the Way at Mount Ao! Only today have I attained the Way at Mount Ao!' Thereupon he took the people and things of the great earth for his own enjoyment, causing the style of the lineage to be humiliated even after a thousand generations. In notifying you like this, Wuju is not belittling Xuefeng, but simply wants the patch-robed monks of the realm each to have their own livelihood hereafter, and not make this wild-fox spirit understanding altogether." Giving a shout, he descended from the seat.

1.14

Ascending the hall on the imperial birthday: "The Mahāyāna Dharma leaves behind the four propositions and cuts off the hundred negations; all Buddhas cannot speak of it, yet the whisk holds it up well." Thereupon he raised the whisk and said: "Do you still see it? Using this to wish the Sovereign long life, may his lifespan equal Sumeru."

1.15

Ascending the hall, he cited: "When the Bhagavat was in the assembly on Gṛdhrakūṭa, five hundred monks attained the four dhyānas and possessed the five supernormal knowledges, but had not yet attained the forbearance of dharmas. Through the supernormal knowledge of past lives, each saw for himself that in the past he had killed his parents and committed various heavy offenses; within their own minds each harbored doubt, unable to enter and verify the profound Dharma. Mañjuśrī, receiving the Buddha's spiritual power, grasped a sharp sword in hand and advanced aggressively toward the Tathāgata. The Bhagavat said to Mañjuśrī: 'Stop, stop! You should not commit rebellion, do not harm me; I will certainly be harmed, and it will be well that I am harmed. Mañjuśrī! From the beginning, there is neither self nor person; when the inner mind arises, I will certainly be harmed, and that is called harming.' Thereupon the five hundred monks awakened on their own to their fundamental mind being like a dream and like an illusion; within dreams and illusions there is neither self nor person, nor even generator, generated, or parents. Thereupon the five hundred monks praised together, saying: 'Mañjuśrī, great being of wisdom, deeply penetrates to the base of the source of dharmas; with his own hand he grasps a sharp sword and presses against the Tathāgata's body. As the sword is, so is the Buddha—one characteristic without duality; uncharacterized and unproduced, how can there be killing therein?'" The Master said: "To help someone, you must help them thoroughly; to kill someone, you must see blood. Mañjuśrī exhausted all the strength in his wrist, but above all did not know where this sword came from, implicating old Śākya so that even if his whole body were a mouth he could not explain it away. For the five hundred monks to awaken like that is like shooting an arrow into hell. What if all of a sudden one kicks over the great ocean, knocks down Sumeru, Yunmen's fan leaps up to the Brahmā heaven and pokes Śakra's nostril, and a blow to the carp in the Eastern Sea brings rain pouring like a basin? How then will you deliberate?" After a long pause, he said: "Ever since I mastered dancing the Santai, every beat originally was all a song."

1.16

Ascending the hall: "'Extracting a wedge with a wedge turns into a rut; transmitting mind with mind shows the sickness to be ever deeper.' Bodhidharma did not understand the primary phrase, but went to Mount Song and faced the wall for nine years. Later generations of descendants caught at shadows and echoed sounds, raising eyebrows, blinking eyes, wielding the stick, and giving shouts—all of it is yellow leaves to stop crying. When Wuju arrives here, he has neither way to heaven nor gate into the earth; clenching his teeth, he simply mixes with the mud and water alongside you all." Striking once with his staff, he said: "'Without undergoing a spell of bone-piercing cold, how could the plum blossoms send forth a nose-filling fragrance?'" He descended from the seat.

1.17

Ascending the hall on account of snow: "'Swirling before the eyes, auspicious snow presents itself; filling ditches and blocking ravines, who can distinguish it? Mañjuśrī has nowhere to place his whole body, Samantabhadra loses the true wondrous secret; the black raven turns into a white-headed crow, the iron tree becomes bound with silver threads.' I inform you all: do you glimpse it or not? When no one stands for a moment in the courtyard, that very time is a season of great peace." Giving a shout, he descended from the seat.

1.18

Ascending the hall, he cited: "In former days there was an old woman who supported a hermit for twenty years, constantly sending a young woman to deliver food and attend upon him. One day, she had the young woman hold him tight and ask, 'Right at such a moment, how is it?' The hermit replied, 'A withered tree leans against a cold cliff; in the three winter months there is no warmth.' The young woman returned and recounted this to the old woman. The old woman said, 'For twenty years I have only supported a vulgar fellow!' She then drove him out and burned down the hermitage."
The master said, "This gong'an is rarely brought up in the monasteries. Senior monk Jie tears open his face and inevitably admits defeat, yet he also wants everyone everywhere to examine it." He then called to the assembly and said, "This old woman's inner chamber is deeply secure, watertight and impenetrable; yet she specifically sprinkles flowers on a withered tree and sparks flames on a cold cliff. This monk stands isolated and lofty, accustomed to entering surging billows, casually sitting to cut off heaven-flooding tides, yet in the end his body has not a drop of water. When carefully examined, there is certainly no lack of cangues being struck and locks being broken. If these two are right, they have not even dreamed of the Buddhadharma yet. When Wuju brings it up like this, after all, where does the meaning return?" After a long pause, he said, "A handful of green silk cannot be gathered up; together with the mist, it rests on the jade balustrade."

1.19

Ascending the hall: "There is a thing prior to heaven and earth, formless, originally tranquil and solitary. Capable of being the master of all phenomena, it does not wither following the four seasons. Now tell me, what thing is it? A bunch of fellows without nostrils would then say, 'Depict it and it cannot be depicted; paint it and it cannot be painted; the Buddha's eye cannot spy it, neither cognized nor known.' Such reasoning is precisely what is called: 'A phrase that fits the mark is a donkey-tethering stake for ten thousand kalpas.' Wuju has a turning phrase—not to bolster the lineage or establish teachings, but to strip all the patch-robed monks of the realm down to their bare skin beneath their undershirts. All of you must listen attentively!" After a long pause, he said, "A spoon is good for scooping rice; chopsticks are good for picking up greens. Practice!"

1.20

Ascending the hall, he cited: "A monk asked Liangshan, 'When the house thief is difficult to guard against, how is it?' Liangshan said, 'If you recognize him, it is not an injustice.' The monk asked, 'What after recognizing him?' Liangshan said, 'Banish him to the land of the unborn.' The monk said, 'Could that be the place where he establishes his life?' Liangshan said, 'Dead water does not harbor dragons.' The monk asked, 'What is a dragon of living water?' Liangshan said, 'It raises clouds without spouting mist.' The monk said, 'What if it suddenly tilts the lake and topples the mountains?' Liangshan got down from his rope-chair, seized him, and said, 'Just do not wet the corner of this old monk's kāṣāya!'"
The master called to the assembly and said, "Old thief Liangshan's compassion was far too excessive: he passed a ladder to the thief and led him into the house. Having plundered all the family wealth and stirred up a ruckus, he did not know how to sever his life-root, causing the stealing mind not to die. As for Wuju, it would not be so. If someone suddenly asked, 'When the house thief is difficult to guard against, how is it?' I would immediately cut him in two with one stroke, letting him be a completely free-and-easy sneak-thief, everywhere raiding camps and plundering fortresses." Suddenly taking up his staff, he said, "This band of thieves—what are they looking for coming here?" He descended from the seat and drove them away all at once.

1.21

Ascending the hall, he cited: "Layman Pang's verse: 'Together we gather from the ten directions,'" the master said, "An iron wall and a silver mountain." "'Each studying non-action,'" the master said, "The sun and moon shine down." "'This is the arena for selecting buddhas,'" the master said, "Dragons and snakes are mixed together." "'Emptying the mind, one passes the examination and returns.'" The master said, "The common and the sacred dwell together." Suddenly taking up his staff and holding it horizontally, he said, "Layman Pang is sitting right here—do all of you still see him?" He then threw down the staff and said, "Three lifetimes and sixty kalpas."

1.22

Ascending the hall, he cited: "A monk asked Yunmen, 'When it rains for a long time and does not clear, how is it?' Yunmen answered, 'Zha!'" The master said, "Great assembly! Yunmen's single 'Zha' encompasses all, ocean waves surge, and Sumeru totters." Suddenly taking up his staff and striking it once, he said, "Great Master Yunmen has no place to catch his breath here. Tell me, where is Wuju's eye that brings people to life?" Striking the staff again, he said, "The rain suddenly clears, heaven is clear and earth is tranquil; Hanshan claps his hands, and Shide is delighted. If you understand it like this, you have stepped on a nail on dry land."

1.23

When Vice Minister Li entered the mountain, [the master] ascended the hall: "A secluded bird's cry breaks through the nāga samādhi, and immediately the literary star is seen entering the temple. Slipping on shoes backward to greet him at the gate, smiling faces beam; the forests and springs suddenly stir with wind and thunder. Where wind and thunder arise, ten thousand peaks come to life with spring; the correct eye is clearly illuminated, and the ten directions of space are seamless. In hand, he holds the sun and moon of Confucius; at his waist, he wears the efficacious tally of the Buddhas and Patriarchs. Everywhere he is an auspicious sign, a tortoise shell and a mirror, a fortress wall for the dharma-gates, and an arm and leg for the royal house. This is neither supernatural wonder nor things naturally as they are. Why is this so? Ever since treading through the thousand divergent paths, he walks directly atop the head of Vairocana."

1.24

Ascending the hall: "'Mind itself is Buddha'—an iron ox has no bones; 'neither mind nor Buddha'—a barren mountain towers steep; 'not mind, not Buddha, not a thing'—a person comes from Chenzhou yet receives news of Xuzhou. The report says, 'This year the silkworms and wheat have ripened; wind and rain are timely, the five grains are bountiful, and the myriad people are joyful.' Old Wang of the eastern village hears this and sings with a giggle: 'I have never sung a deceptive song: burning the mountain with fire to gather river snails, a fish fan on the crown of a white-bone tree, a bird building its nest at the rapids of a swift torrent.' Good assembly! It is not parallel prose of four and six, nor is it the single transmission of Shaoshi. If you comprehend it amid the babble, the ancestral masters' nostrils are pierced all at once." Striking the meditation bed with the whisk, he descended from the seat.

1.25

Ascending the hall, a monk asked, "Dalong, old and decrepit, indulged in foolishness, wrongly pointing to mountain streams and flowers: 'The indestructible dharma-body is nowhere to be found, a thousand peaks twist and turn, indigo in color.' Right at such a moment, how is it?" The master said, "Raise your eyebrows and comprehend it directly." [The monk] advanced and said, "So that above there is nothing to climb up to, and below one's own self is cut off." The master said, "After all, where do you establish your life?" [The monk] advanced and said, "All my life, I pour out my heart and guts to others." The master said, "Still halfway there." [The monk] advanced and said, "If someone suddenly asks the Venerable, 'When the physical body decays, what is the indestructible dharma-body?' how would you answer him?" The master said, "A worn-out straw sandal." [The monk] advanced and said, "Everywhere green willows are fit to tie a horse; every household's gate opens through to Chang'an." He then made prostrations. The master then cited: "A non-Buddhist asked the Buddha, 'I do not ask about what has words, nor do I ask about what has no words.' The Bhagavat remained silent for a long time. The non-Buddhist praised him, saying, 'The Bhagavat's great kindness and great compassion have cleared away the clouds of my delusion and enabled me to enter.'" The master said, "The yellow-faced old fellow was a teacher of gods and humans, but lightly questioned by a non-Buddhist, he was pierced through with seven holes and eight apertures. The non-Buddhist did not know good from bad and further said, 'His great kindness and great compassion have cleared away the clouds of my delusion and enabled me to enter.' This is truly speaking of a dream within a dream! After the non-Buddhist left, Ānanda asked, 'What did the non-Buddhist realize that he spoke of having entered?' The Bhagavat said, 'Like a fine horse in the world, he runs at the shadow of the whip.'" The master shouted and said, "Where has he gone? If the yellow-faced old fellow had delivered this shout at that time, his descendants would not have reached the point of sweeping the floor. In the assembly, is there anyone who can take charge on behalf of the yellow-faced old fellow? Come out and meet with Wuju!" After a long pause, he said, "Hūṃ." He descended from the seat.

1.26

Ascending the hall, a monk asked, "'Being with phrases and being without phrases is like a vine leaning on a tree; when the tree falls and the vine withers, where do the phrases return?'" The master held up his whisk and said, "Do you still see?" [The monk] advanced and said, "The sparrow-hawk has passed Silla." The master said, "Better to make prostrations." The master then said, "'Being with phrases and being without phrases is like a vine leaning on a tree'—stones crack, cliffs collapse, and a poisonous snake blocks the road. 'When the tree falls and the vine withers'—sīlī-surū! Guishan laughed ha-ha, caught red-handed with the loot! And how do you speak a phrase about water not washing water? August Heaven has no favorites; it assists only the virtuous."

1.27

When Venerable Zhi'an of Guoqing arrived, [the master] ascended the hall: "The clouds part and a thousand peaks emerge; leaves fall and a single branch divides. Meeting each other, there is nothing to do; when you do not come, I still remember you." Having completed expressions of thanks, he further cited: "One day Furong visited Great Master Shixing. The Great Master ascended the seat, took his staff with his right hand, leaned it on the left side, and said, 'If it were not for Senior Brother Furong, this matter would be exceedingly difficult to understand.'" The master called to the assembly and said, "Great Master Shixing tried to be clever only to make a blunder, putting his senior brother Furong in an awkward spot. Today Senior Brother Guoqing has arrived, and Wuju neither takes up the staff nor speaks like that. Tell me, is this the same as or different from the ancient?" After a long pause, he said, "When meeting, those who understand the tone know of themselves; what need for a pure breeze to stir heaven and earth?"

1.28

Ascending the hall: "Today is the fifteenth of the sixth month; celebrating the imperial birthday, I ascend the hall and beat the drum. A wooden boy blows the reed pipe in the fire; a stone woman dances amid the clouds. Truly wondrous, truly wondrous! Heaven has no four walls, and earth is devoid of eight dimensions. Tributaries arrive from the five lakes and four seas; when patch-robed monks hear and see it, their eyes are like eyebrows." Giving a shout, he descended from the seat.

1.29

Ending the summer retreat, he ascended the hall. A monk asked, "What is the correct dharma eye?" The master said, "Straw sandals without a fault." [The monk] advanced and said, "What about when the Venerable says 'a broken, broken basin'?" The master said, "This old monk has never moved his tongue." [The monk] advanced and said, "These words have already spread throughout the world." The master said, "Listening to empty sounds from a ladle divination." The master then said, "Wuju's ending of the summer retreat today merely follows the yellow-faced old fellow's talking-point of two thousand years ago. Testing a wax doll, thoroughly clear as ice; guarding the precept jewel, completely without crack. Only the exposed pillar and the lantern refuse to enter this association. Why? Their minds have always been like iron, completely refusing to be ordered about."

1.30

Having recovered from illness, he ascended the hall: "A single leaf drifts in the air, ten thousand trees turn to autumn; reflecting on conditions of light and shade rushing like a swift river. If one understands the meaning within this, one sits cutting off the thousand differences at the pinnacle. For several days, this mountain monk has seemed sick yet not sick, seemed well yet not well, seemed dead yet not dead. Discharging feces and urine in the abbot's quarters, opening eyes wide with mad words and sleep-talk, truly unable to distinguish east from west or north from south, unable to seek life, unable to seek death. Even old fellow Śākya, the compassionate father of the four kinds of beings and king of physicians in the triple realm, cannot find where this sickness arises. Right at such a moment, if someone can save me, this mountain monk will prepare a cup of mint soup to moisten his mouth; if you cannot save me, it is like people climbing a mountain, each exerting their own effort. King Yama is not your father; one day he will beat your ghostly buttocks to demand your meal money—do not say I did not tell you!"

1.31

Ascending the hall: "The moon is round in the heavens; it is the middle of the month in the human world. Striking the drum, I ascend the hall to settle an old gong'an. And what is the old gong'an? A cart is not pushed sideways; principle is not judged crookedly."

1.32

Ascending the hall: "If you call the entire universe and great earth a single phrase, you wear a cangue and carry chains; if you do not call it a single phrase, karmic consciousness runs rampant. Penetrating and freeing both sides, stripped completely clean, exposed and stark naked, there is nothing to grasp. The lineage of Bodhidharma is swept clean away to the dirt. Therefore Great Master Yunmen said: 'The entire universe and great earth without a speck of fault is still a turning phrase; not seeing a single form is just half the presentation; you must further know that there is a time of full presentation.' Oh, Yunmen! The sword had long since dropped into the water, yet he notched the boat."

1.33

Ascending the hall, he cited: "Venerable Jinfeng addressed the assembly, saying: 'Twenty years ago, this old monk had the mind of an old grandmother; twenty years later, I have no mind of an old grandmother.' At the time, a monk stepped forward and asked: 'What was the Venerable's mind of an old grandmother twenty years ago?' Feng said: 'When asked about the ordinary, I answered with the ordinary; when asked about the sacred, I answered with the sacred.' The monk said: 'What is having no mind of an old grandmother twenty years later?' Feng said: 'When asked about the ordinary, I do not answer with the ordinary; when asked about the sacred, I do not answer with the sacred.'" The Master said: "Had Wuju seen it at that moment, he would merely have chuckled twice. If this old fellow had suddenly had a flash of insight, he naturally would not have fallen into the ruts of sacred and ordinary."

1.34

Ascending the hall: "The Bhagavat held up a flower—a thief of words broke into the house. Kāśyapa smiled—before the sound arose, reflection was lost. Xuefeng rolled balls—both releasing and both holding back. Xuansha was not yet thorough—pulling grit from the eyes. Yunmen's observing and reflecting—deceptions passed down one after another. Jūzhi raised his finger—utterly without handle or clue. This gang of fellows—their country-rivaling wealth has all been confiscated and expropriated by Wuju! So stripped that above there is not a single tile and below not room to plant an awl, they now come between the slits of my eyebrows to harbor resentment and complain of injustice, crying out with every voice: 'Without a heart of compassion, one is not human; without a heart of shame and aversion, one is not human; without a heart of right and wrong, one is not human!' Wuju was scratched where it itched, and without realizing it, his hands danced and his feet stamped!" Suddenly taking up his staff, he threw it down and said: "Meeting rescue, all are set free!"

1.35

Ascending the hall: "The solitary transmission of Shaoshi, the handle and clue for patch-robed monks: the pestle's tip blooms flowers, donkeys bray and dogs bark. The toilet spatula recites the Mahā[prajñāpāramitā], startling the dharmakāya into having no place to hide. Having no place to hide, how is it to be discussed?" Suddenly picking up his staff, he struck it once and said: "I walk among the wild grasses, and you again enter the deep village."

1.36

End of the Recorded Sayings at Qianming Chan Monastery on Mount Wuju

1.37

Recorded Sayings at Dazhong Xiangfu Chan Monastery in Quzhou

1.38

Compiled by his student disciples Chongyue, Liaowu, and others

1.39

Ascending the hall: "In the eye it is called seeing; in the ear it is called hearing; in the hands it grasps and holds; in the feet it runs and rushes. Opening wide, there are east, west, south, and north; holding fast, not a hair's breadth remains. Tell me, is opening wide good, or is holding fast good?" Suddenly picking up his staff, he struck it once and said: "One breath without speaking contains all images; where do the myriad spirits give thanks for selflessness?"

1.40

Ascending the hall, he cited: "Panshan said: 'The direct path beyond is not transmitted by the thousand sages.' Venerable Ciming said: 'The direct path beyond: it is not so for the thousand sages.' These two senior masters being like this is much like a divine tortoise dragging its tail." Xiangfu says: "The direct path beyond: digging the earth to seek heaven."

1.41

Ascending the hall: "If you can leap out from the quiet and secluded place, you can lay yourself down in the bustling and noisy place; if you can push through in the bustling and noisy place, you can plant your feet in the quiet and secluded place. Therefore, Deshan relied on a single plain staff: when a Buddha came, he struck; when a patriarch came, he struck. Furthermore, he did not sit in the bustling and noisy place or the quiet and secluded place, yet he said: 'For thirty years I have never struck one who is uniquely free.' If there were one who is uniquely free under Xiangfu's gate, it would be just the right time to call him over to wash my feet."

1.42

Ascending the hall: "On the first day of the moon, the hornless iron ox sleeps at Shaoshi; on the second day of the moon, the barefoot Persian enters the bustling market; on the third day of the moon, water is born from water, blue comes from indigo." Suddenly taking up his staff and holding it horizontally, he looked around and said: "The ten thousand bodhisattvas in the Mañjuśrī Hall all came last night to study within this."

1.43

Thanking the monastic officers and senior leaders, he ascended the hall: "One new and one old leaps out of the old nest; one out and one in is slurping broth in a sesame cake; one seizing and one releasing is dreaming with eyes open; one illuminating and one functioning is an eel slithering into a sesame oil jar. Therefore it is said: 'If you discuss this matter, you must directly brandish the sword; if you do not brandish the sword, the fisherman nests in a tree.' The ancients being like this is much like buying plums with money and biting only into the red side. Tell me, where does the final knot lie?" Suddenly picking up his staff, he struck it once and descended from the seat.

1.44

On the winter solstice, ascending the hall: "The sun reaches the southernmost point on the winter solstice, a celebration where nothing is unfavorable. Stone bamboo shoots secretly sprout shoots; cold crags take on warmth. Old Man Wang of the eastern village is half drunk and half sober; the person of the Way under the trees has neither handle nor clue." Suddenly taking up his staff, he said: "If someone penetrates to the root and source here, it is better than Dīpaṃkara personally bestowing the prophecy." Throwing down his staff, he descended from the seat.

1.45

Ascending the hall, he cited: "Yanguan addressed the assembly, saying: 'Empty space is the drum, Mount Sumeru is the mallet; what kind of person can beat it?' The assembly was silent. Nanquan said: 'Had I seen it then, I would have said to him: Old Teacher Wang does not beat this broken drum.' Later Fayan said: 'Why did Nanquan need to say "this broken drum"? Just by saying "does not beat," it is naturally a broken drum.'" The Master said: "Yanguan carried water to make a fire; Nanquan stirred up disorder and ashes flew; Fayan laid an ambush and challenged to battle. Although each of these senior masters lent a hand, not one of them had the fiery temper to deliver a single strike; they merely shouldered the drum following standard routine. Xiangfu will state it straight out for you all: 'Empty space is the drum, Mount Sumeru is the mallet.' You buckets of black lacquer, go participate in the hall!"

1.46

On New Year's Day, ascending the hall: "On the first morning of the new year, the myriad affairs are accomplished. The Mahāyāna and the Hīnayāna: a well rope and a string of coins. If you further ask what the Buddhadharma is like: it is also an axle-boring drill from the Qin dynasty."

1.47

Master Baojian requested [the consecration of] the five internal organs of a Vajrapāṇi statue. The Master pointed to the Vajrapāṇi and said: "Numbered among the thousand Buddhas of the Worthy Kalpa, you are the most diligent at the very end. Gripping the demon-subduing pestle upside down, holding high the fist that benefits living beings. Heart and liver have no crookedness; intestines and stomach have clear divisions. Although your supernatural powers and vow-power are boundless, for now protect the Dharma gate for this mountain monk."

1.48

Ascending the hall: "It is like throwing a sword and slashing through empty space: do not discuss whether it reaches or does not reach. This is the wheel of empty space leaving no trace, and the sword's edge suffering no nick. Exactly at such a time, how is it?" He then looked to the left and right and said: "Filling the ditches and plugging the valleys, no one understands; after the rain over the night pond, the autumn water is deep."

1.49

Ascending the hall, he cited: "Yaoshan had not ascended the hall for a long time. The monastery director reported: 'The great assembly has long yearned for the Venerable's instruction.' Yaoshan said: 'Ring the bell.' The director rang the bell, and the great assembly gathered like clouds. Yaoshan then returned to the abbot's quarters. The director followed him and reported: 'The Venerable agreed to speak to the assembly; why did you not utter a single word?' Yaoshan said: 'For sūtras there are sūtra masters; for treatises there are treatise masters; how can you blame this old monk?' Later, Venerable Cuiyan Zhi said: 'The director blamed Yaoshan for not speaking to the assembly; it can be said he misled his three armies.'" The Master said: "Cuiyan had only a single eye. Little did he realize that Yaoshan's returning to the abbot's quarters was precisely wearing out his three armies."

1.50

Hanging the monastery plaque, ascending the hall: "The foremost move cuts off confusion; the Buddha's hand cannot block it; it serves as a model for past and present. Humans and devas mutually celebrate; the ancestral house radiates brilliance. Those coming from the south and coming from the north all enter through this gate; regular script and great seal script are none other than the tongs and hammer of the decree." Striking his staff once, he then addressed the great assembly: "Before heaven and earth were established, before the world had taken shape, tell me: where did this one move fall?" Then raising it up, he said: "Look, look! The sea god knows its value but knows not its price; it is left to the human world to illumine the night." Throwing down his staff, he descended from the seat.

1.51

Ascending the hall: "Not seeking the sages, not esteeming one's own numinous nature, snapping Deshan's staff, striking mute Linji's shout. All day long like mud pigs and mangy dogs, babbling nonsense, not remembering whether months are long or short or the leap months of the years. Who knows whether he is ordinary or sacred? If Xiangfu lets it pass, thirty years later he will suffer people's scrutiny; if he does not let it pass, how can he utter a turning-around phrase?" Giving a shout, he said: "A person of superior capacity roams the mountains and waters; an average person sits in the bamboo grove."

1.52

Ascending the hall, he cited: "Mañjuśrī asked Wuzhuo: 'How is the Buddhadharma maintained in the south?' Wuzhuo said: 'Bhikṣus in the degenerate age seldom uphold the precepts.' He further asked: 'How large is the assembly?' Wuzhuo said: 'Sometimes three hundred, sometimes five hundred.' Wuzhuo asked Mañjuśrī: 'How is the Buddhadharma maintained here?' Mañjuśrī said: 'Dragons and snakes are mixed together; ordinary and sacred dwell together.' He further asked: 'How large is the assembly?' Mañjuśrī said: 'The front three-three, the rear three-three.'" He then addressed the great assembly: "'Sometimes three hundred, sometimes five hundred'—set that aside without discussion. But as for Mañjuśrī's saying 'The front three-three, the rear three-three,' how do you understand it?" After a pause, he said: "The bamboo's shadow sweeps the stairs, yet the dust does not stir; the moon pierces the bottom of the pond, yet the water leaves no trace."

1.53

Ascending the hall, he cited: "In the Sutra of Complete Enlightenment it says: 'At all times do not give rise to deluded thoughts; toward deluded states of mind do not extinguish them; dwelling in realms of delusion, do not add discerning understanding; in the absence of discerning understanding, do not distinguish true reality.' Venerable Xuetang brought this up and said: 'Withered trees: clouds serve as leaves; withered plum blossoms: snow serves as flowers. Striking the bamboo tube, square wood sounds; dipping in snow, one eats winter melon. Limitless sky, autumn waters; a solitary wild duck and evening glow.'" The Master said: "Old man Śākya carried out a load of confusion, and bumping into Venerable Xuetang, added another load of muddlement. Xiangfu is not oppressing the good into the base, but wishes to have black and white clearly distinguished. Casting an ox head from raw iron, pulling the plow and dragging the harrow. The wise laugh cheerfully; the foolish are startled and puzzled. From ancient times to the present, several hundred years—again posting hexagrams upon the ghost gate!" Suddenly picking up his staff, he said: "Look, look! Old man Śākya comes! He says to all of you: 'Seizing the tiger's head and catching the tiger's tail, clarify the ancestral purpose under the very first phrase!'" Striking the staff once, he descended from the seat.

1.54

End of the Recorded Sayings at Xiangfu Chan Monastery

1.55

Recorded Sayings at Taiping Xingguo Chan Monastery on Mount Jiang in Jiankang Prefecture

1.56

Compiled by his student disciples Chongyue, Liaowu, and others

1.57

Entering the monastery, pointing to the triple gate, he said: "The gate of unhindered liberation, many-tiered precious pavilions. Without laboring to gather thoughts, open wide in the shape of the character eight. Trust your feet and walk straight ahead, and naturally the voice will be harmonious and the echo attuned. If you hesitate, you will find yourself bumping into walls and crashing into partitions."

1.58

Entering the Buddha hall, burning incense, he said: "Because of me, I can pay homage to you, probing the source intimately to the very bottom. Having bowed, I burn incense; falling down by oneself, one still gets up by oneself."

1.59

Ascending the hall: "The correct order fully presented cuts off the ten directions; the myriad distinctions and differences are completely encompassed in a single phrase. Buddhas and sentient beings are both superfluous dharmas. Understanding thus, guest is entirely host, and host is entirely guest. But how do you speak a phrase of transcendence?" After a pause, he said: "Do not taste the water in the house of poisonous insects."

1.60

On the imperial birthday, ascending the hall: "The Buddhas speak without speaking; the patriarchs hear without hearing. Leaving behind a turning phrase, it calms the universe for a thousand ages. Tell me, which turning phrase is it?" Suddenly standing up, bowing his body, and clasping his hands, he said: "May the Emperor live ten thousand years, ten thousand ten thousand years!"

1.61

At the request of a donor, the Master ascended the hall. Sitting on the seat, he looked left and right, suddenly held up his staff, and said: "'Now the Buddha radiates light / to assist in disclosing the meaning of true reality.'" He then struck the ground once with it, saying: "'Rare are these bhikṣus; / herein they are beyond comparison.'" He held it up again and said: "Do you still see the staff of Jiangshan? In the morning it reaches the Western Heavens; in the evening it returns to the Tang land, saying to you all: 'There is a world that takes sound as Buddha-work; there is a world that takes fragrant food as Buddha-work; there is a world that takes inhalation and exhalation as Buddha-work.'" He struck the ground once again, saying: "Now tell me, what does this world take as Buddha-work?" Tossing down his staff, he said: "Alala! Boundlessly alive and leaping in all directions!"

1.62

Ascending the hall: "On the first day of the new moon, the myriad forms cannot escape their shadow and substance. On the second day of the new moon, walking eastward one does not see the benefit of walking westward. On the third day of the new moon, the wordless youth mumbles away. Lifting with back turned a steelyard without markings to weigh Mount Sumeru—let alone weighing one catty and twelve ounces—tell me, everyone, why does Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva wear Amitābha atop her crown? Investigate!"

1.63

Ascending the hall: "A single leaf falls, and all under heaven is autumn; coming south and going north, endlesly drifting. A single phrase penetrates, and the myriad activities cease; above, below, and in the four directions, none can match it. The man from the Western Heavens did not understand the Tang speech; sitting alone at Shaolin, foolishly facing the wall, bringing trouble upon his descendants so they are not manly fellows, and called by people a pickpocket." He then called to the assembly, saying: "Yunmen's twenty-seven is well worth examining; Master Bao was no idle monk."

1.64

Ascending the hall: "In the highest place, nothing can compare with it; in the lowest place, it is still difficult to conceive. Upon the tip of a single hair the jewel-king's realm is erected, vast and open, not outside; atop the hundred grasses the world of Abhirati suddenly appears, solitary and desolate, not inside. The provisional and real, illumination and function, operate side by side, smashing the eyes within the skull and squeezing out the marrow from empty space. Let you all divine east and divine west; if the vital crossing is suddenly cut off, how will you send news? In the eighth month of autumn, where is it hot?"

1.65

Ascending the hall, a monk asked: "Duke Cui of Zhao asked Patriarch Guoyi: 'This disciple wishes to leave home; is it permitted?' Guoyi said: 'Leaving home is the business of a great man, not something generals and prime ministers can accomplish.' What was the meaning?" The Master said: "Deeply discerning the incoming capacity." The monk continued: "Without the strength to lift a tripod and uproot a mountain, the thousand-league Black Piebald is not easily ridden." The Master said: "A fine patch-robed monk!" The monk continued: "When Venerable Cong of Shimen brought this up to Commandant Li, and the Commandant was awakened through this, what then?" The Master said: "You tell me, what did he awaken to?" The monk continued: "'To study the Way, one must be an iron fellow; chopping off a hand, one's mind is instantly decided. Directing oneself straight toward unexcelled bodhi, heed not gain or loss, right or wrong.'" The Master said: "Had the senior monk not brought it up, I would almost have forgotten." The Master then said: "Where the Buddhas cannot speak, when the Patriarchs cannot bring it forth, a piece of radiant splendor resides entirely under Jiangshan's fingernails. Letting go, there are three heads and six arms; holding fast, not a drop of water leaks through. Now tell me, when neither letting go nor holding fast, what then? 'The sun and moon illumine heavenly virtue; the mountains and rivers fortify the imperial abode.'"

1.66

Ascending the hall: "The moon waxes and the moon wanes; follow the path and keep to the penetration. Shatter the iron barrier, and heaven is broad, earth is broad. When the sage takes the heart of the common people as his own heart, naturally the seas are serene, the rivers clear, and all the people rejoice in their vocations. Plowing to eat, digging wells to drink, all day long merry and joyful as if enjoying the great sacrificial feast, what does the emperor's power matter to me? Just at such a time, tell me: is there any principle of Buddha-dharma or not?" Giving a shout, he said: "Three points before, three points after."

1.67

On the winter solstice, upon entering the new monks' quarters, he ascended the hall: "Heaven does not speak, yet the four seasons proceed; earth does not speak, yet the myriad things are born; the sage does not speak, yet with folded robes and clasped hands the myriad kingdoms come to pay court; the patch-robed monk does not speak, yet he turns ominous stars into auspicious luminaries and pinches the great earth into a saṅghārāma. Cutting the long to patch the short, abolishing the old to establish the new, one then sees eight-sided lucidity and a precipitous quarter, cutting off the streams and mountains, encompassing the wind and moon. Now, what is the phrase upon entering the gate? After the single yang returns, the auspicious vapor rises of its own accord."

1.68

At a donor's request for posthumous merits, the Master ascended the hall: "Before the Buddhas appeared in the world and before Bodhidharma came from the west, everyone embraced the uncarved jade of Mount Jing, and each bore the pearl of the Red River. When the five petals unfolded and a thousand lamps continued the flame, birth and death were seen to alternate, and cold and heat to succeed each other. In the wealthy mansions of the northern quarter, yesterday's singing turns to today's weeping. Jiangshan's announcement like this is much like 'moving flowers, butterflies also arrive; buying stones, clouds are plentiful.' If you all examine this well, you are guaranteed all day long to sit and lie atop sounds and forms, yet sounds and forms cannot defile you; all day long you will emerge and submerge within the realm of birth and death, yet birth and death cannot envelope you. But based on what principle can one be like this?" Suddenly holding up his staff, he said: "Where have the thousand sages gone? The long sword leaning against the sky threatens with its chill."

1.69

When the testament of Venerable Mu'an arrived, he offered incense and said: "Great assembly! Do you recognize this venerable, compassionate one? Although born on the same branch as me, he did not die on the same branch. I often heard that in the seven regions of Min, he raised dust and winnowed earth; though the flourishing lineage style was irrepressible, today I am glad to see the road of clarity and peace. Now that the road of clarity and peace is seen, ultimately what of it? Three libations of tea poured out, a burner of incense lit. We respectfully hope he will partake!"

1.70

Ascending the hall, he cited: "Dongshan and Senior Uncle Mi went together to Baiyan. Yan asked: 'Where do the two senior monks come from?' Shan said: 'From Hunan.' Yan said: 'What is the surname of the Surveillance Commissioner?' Shan said: 'I do not know his surname.' Yan said: 'What is his given name?' Shan said: 'I do not know his name.' Yan said: 'Does he still manage affairs?' Shan said: 'He has his staff officers.' Yan said: 'Does he still go out and come in?' Shan said: 'He does not go out or come in.' Yan said: 'How could he not go out or come in?' Shan flicked his sleeves and left. Early the next morning, Yan entered the hall, called the two senior monks forward, and said: 'Yesterday's questioning of the senior monk did not satisfy this old monk's intention; I was uneasy all night. Today I ask the senior monk to provide another turning phrase. If it satisfies this old monk's intention, I will start serving gruel and accompany you through the summer.' Shan said: 'Please ask again, Venerable Sir.' Yan said: 'How could he not go out or come in?' Shan said: 'Much too noble!' Yan then started serving gruel, and they passed the summer together." The Master said: "Meeting in the open and matching in the dark, eight-sided lucidity, not offending the main point, with room to turn around—under Caodong's gate, this is well worth admiring. But if it were a descendant of Linji, even breaking the staff would not suffice. At that time, seeing him say 'I do not know his surname,' I would have given him a punch to the chest. If he could turn his body around here, not only would I serve gruel and receive him, but he could also be accommodated under the bright window. Is there anyone? Is there anyone?" Giving a shout, he said: "Lacquer buckets, go investigate in the hall!"

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