虛堂和尚語錄 3

English (machine translation) 3

Language: English

3.1

Recorded Sayings of Guangli Chan Monastery at Mount King Aśoka in Qingyuan Prefecture

3.2

Compiled by attendants Dewei, Sijing, and Rufu

3.3

Letter of Invitation from Qingyuan Prefecture

Composed by Chen Fang, Court Gentleman for Miscellaneous Duties, Auxiliary Academician of the Jiying Hall, Prefect of Qingyuan Superior Prefecture, Concurrent Agricultural Promotion Commissioner for the Subordinate Districts, and Concurrent Maritime Defense Intendant

3.5

Submitted with prostrations: The Venerable emitted light, pointing to the land of eight auspicious signs and six excellences; King Aśoka upheld the relics, manifesting the realm of the ten continents and three islands. This is an ancient site of enlightenment of Śākyamuni; it strictly requires an enlightened person to occupy the abbot's quarters. Chosen from among the four assemblies, decided by the Nine-fold Court: Senior Monk and Chan Master Xutang [Zhi]yu, a boat of compassion in the ocean of wisdom, the mind-seal of the ancestral school. His hall is empty and stores the bright moon, completely devoid of a single speck of dust; his forest is deep and shakes with pure wind, sweeping clean all obstacles. Having presided over famous monasteries across Zhejiang, he briefly reposed among the idle clouds of Lingyin. It is fitting that toward Yuji Peak he extend a branch, and directly occupy the golden lion seat to set forth the four verses. Returning east clothed in brocade, he transmits anew the lamp of Vulture Peak; facing north with a pinch of incense, he reverently prays for the longevity of the Sage Emperor. Respectfully submitted.

3.6

On the seventh day of the fourth month in the fourth year of the Baoyou era, at the Jiufeng Hermitage of Lingyin, the Master accepted the invitation; on the nineteenth day, he entered the monastery.

3.7

Pointing to the mountain gate: "Where speech does not reach, skillful means are plentiful. It is just easy to see and hard to enter. Your bearing is like that of kings; do not mistake what is before the gate and beneath the door."

3.8

Pointing to the Buddha hall: "The old fellow acted as if no one were around, claiming supremacy everywhere. Today, knowing his own logic falls short, return to me ground for a sitting mat!" Spreading his sitting cloth, he said: "Assembly, step back!"

3.9

Occupying the abbot's quarters, he held his staff horizontally across and said: "Is there anyone who was born knowing it? Enter here to me: buying a hat according to the head is not like blind flails and sightless cudgels." He leaned his staff [against the wall].

3.10

The Master arrived before the Dharma seat, burned incense, gazed toward the imperial palace, and finished giving thanks for the imperial grace. Holding up the imperial yellow decree, he showed it to the assembly, saying: "It regulates the myriad phenomena and stirs humans and gods; wind and clouds convene, arriving from beside the sun. Even an ocean of a mouth would find it hard to declare."

3.11

Holding up the prefectural governor's letter of invitation: "Proclaiming and displaying the wonder of the Sage is like spring traversing the ten thousand states; how could it rely on the tip of a three-inch brush to point it out afresh? If knowledge and understanding still remain, prick up your ears!"

3.12

Holding up the letter of invitation from the various monasteries: "Where the monastery banner poles are erected, bells and Sanskrit chanting are heard by one another. If you want to know how the warm vapor breathes upon each other, it is entirely within this."

3.13

Holding up the letter of invitation from this monastery: "Entering and exiting through the same gate, I have never deceived you people. If it is glossed over too excessively, this mountain monk can only cover his ears."

3.14

Pointing to the Dharma seat: "Under the heels of everyone there is this seat; why must one ascend high from flat ground? If you can step firmly upon it, the King of Lamps will have his share of stepping back."

3.15

The master ascended the seat, held up incense, and said: "This piece of incense, burnt in the censer, is respectfully offered to pray for the longevity of the sacred person of the present Emperor—may he live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand myriad years! I respectfully pray that His Majesty's benevolence like Yao's broadly covers [all], and his virtue like Shun's is renewed daily."

3.16

Next he held up incense and said: "This piece of incense, burnt in the censer, is offered for the Grand Chancellor, Bureau Commissioner, and Duke of the State, the Co-Administrator of the Bureau of Military Affairs and Assistant Administrator, together with the hundred civil and military officials, to enhance their emoluments and lifespan. I humbly pray that they hold high honor in the court, and pacify and govern China and barbarian lands alike."

3.17

Next he held up incense and said: "This piece of incense, burnt in the censer, is offered for the Prefect and Defense Commissioner, the Vice Minister of the Hanlin Academician, together with the civil and military officials of the commanderies and counties, to enhance their emoluments and lifespan. I humbly pray that they serve as pillars and foundation stones to the state, and as a metal wall and boiling moat to the ancestral way."

3.18

"The breath of this incense has long been severed; for no reason, cold ashes were stirred up, and the flames flared anew. Offered for the former abbot of Daode Mountain Husheng Wansui Chan Monastery in Anji Prefecture, my late teacher, the Venerable Yun'an, I burn it in the censer to repay the milk of the Dharma."

3.19

The master gathered his robes, took his seat, and called for questions: "Humans and devas meet and both behold each other; is there anyone who does not accept words and does not linger over phrases?" At that time a monk asked: "Uniformly carrying a board incurs people's dislike; for ten years in deep clouds you shut your gate alone. Today in the great monastery you personally receive the imperial decree; this master's medicinal herb is truly potent. Coming forward, this student requests the master to offer blessings for the Emperor." The master said: "Clouds are still, the sun and moon are high." The monk said: "Of old, Brahma invited the Buddha on behalf of the multitude of beings; today the Sacred Ruler specially sends an emissary—what auspicious omen is there?" The master said: "Heaven is high and cannot be fully covered." The monk said: "In that case, the four assemblies receive the bounty." The master said: "Who does not receive the bounty?" The monk said: "Just as the Prefect, Defense Commissioner, and Vice Minister Academician, with the way of loyalty, uprightness, firmness, and greatness, chose a person for the sake of the Dharma—would you allow this student to borrow water to offer flowers?" The master said: "Before Kāśyapa's gate, the wind blows chillingly." The monk said: "If so, your fame will fill the world." The master said: "You must not forget it." The monk bowed.

3.20

The master then said: "The yellow-faced old fellow played clever at the end: before tens of thousands in the assembly on Gṛdhrakūṭa, he entrusted the Buddha Dharma to kings, great ministers, and powerful dānapatis. Up to now, for more than two thousand years, successive generations have never lacked worthy people, allowing us sons of the Śākya clan to circulate the life of wisdom and respectfully assist the customs of the state. If one says the Buddha Dharma was indeed entrusted, that is slandering the yellow-faced old fellow; if one says the Buddha Dharma was truly not entrusted, then today in Rājagṛha, wise rulers and worthy ministers venerate each other in turn, causing all living souls within the seas to gaze upon the light of glorious uprightness and the flourishing of pines and cypresses. Ultimately, what can be taken as proof?" Striking his staff, he said: "The eight-character stele on the summit of the Southern Peak."

3.21

He brought up [the case]: "When Emperor Taizong of our dynasty received a monk in audience, the Emperor summoned him for a dialogue. The monk stated to the throne: 'Does Your Majesty still remember?' The Emperor asked: 'Where did we meet before?' The monk said: 'Ever since we parted on Gṛdhrakūṭa, right up until today.' The Emperor asked: 'What proof is there?' The monk had no reply. Later, Xuedou said in his place: 'This poor monk came with great effort.'" The master said: "Letting down robes and folding hands, a hundred nations come as guests. It was not that this monk had no reply; helplessly, the majesty of Heaven pressed upon him."

3.22

That evening, in an informal gathering, [the master said]: "Tonight I shall put aside the profound and subtle mechanisms of the Buddha Dharma, and solely explain to all of you a slightly larger Dharma door, to mark the occasion of entering the monastery and meeting you for the first time. You must not take it as ordinary, falling into emotional consciousness and divining at random. If it is said that the relic originally flew from Wushi Ridge into the mountain, emitting light and displaying auspicious signs, this is nothing beyond what you all already know. If it is said that the six sublime places extend forty-five li from Baofang Market straight to Mingzhou, this too is nothing beyond what you all already see. How can one manage not to fall into views and understanding? Therefore it is said: 'The Dharma is free from seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing. If one engages in seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing, that is seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing, not seeking the Dharma.' Furthermore, in this ancient Chan monastery of Mao, eminent patch-robed monks are like a marketplace; each has entrusted himself to a competent teacher. Who would be willing to receive your ghost-offering food?" Suddenly calling the attendant, he said: "Put away the Gong County tea pitcher."

3.23

He brought up [the case]: "One day, Minister Chen Cao climbed a tower with various officials. Seeing several monks in the distance, a scholar among them said: 'Are those approaching all itinerant monks?' The Minister said: 'They are not.' The scholar said: 'How do you know they are not?' The Minister said: 'Wait until they are near, and I will test them for you gentlemen.' In a moment the monks arrived. The Minister called out: 'Venerables!' The monks all raised their heads. The Minister said: 'Didn't I tell you?'" The master said: "Everyone says that beneath clarity and brilliance, the confused are especially numerous. Little do they know that in the world inside the gourd, there are separate suns and moons. My coming to Yuwang on this occasion was first to see Vice Minister Chen of the Defense Command. In our questions and answers, harmonious energy filled the space before us; basically there was no such testing. Tell me: how far is that from Minister Chen Cao?" Striking his staff, he said: "'With leisure of mind, cliff trees look all the fairer; / In a quiet room, ravine springs sound ever more serene.'"

3.24

Having arrived at Daci to pay his respects, he was invited to ascend the hall: "Forms unseen and seen have standards for facing and matching; appearances inspected and uninspected have no bounds in seeking. If you can turn to that side where even a crow cannot fly across, unconstrained by vessels of form and unobstructed by dust of appearances, you will naturally transcend the dwelling of all sages and emerge beyond the great quarter; mountain streams, clouds, and the moon everywhere return together; water birds and groves of trees mutually reveal [the truth]. Although this is so, what can be done about the fact that my old man of Cifeng has not yet nodded his head horizontally? Why?" Striking his staff, he said: "'Within the gourd there are fine landscapes of its own; / never again will I search anew for the Five Old Men Peaks.'"

3.25

He brought up [the case]: "Wuchu, the abbot, cited Wuzu's words: '"What is the intention of the Patriarch's coming from the West? The cypress tree in front of the courtyard." To understand it like this is not it at all. "What is the intention of the Patriarch's coming from the West? The cypress tree in front of the courtyard." Only when understood like this is it truly it.'" The master said: "Wuzu fell into the weeds for a moment back then, thinking to himself that the land was broad and people few. Little did he realize that today he would be seized by the throat by the old man of Cifeng, left without a place to draw breath. When Yuwang arrives here, the guest defers to the host's judgment; he can only let it pass. Why? One can manage human feelings, but one can also incur enmity."

3.26

When the Venerable Zhangxi arrived, the master ascended the hall and brought up: "Panshan said: 'Like the earth holding up a mountain, unaware of the mountain's solitary steepness; like a stone containing jade, unaware of the jade's lack of blemish. If one can be like this, that is true renunciation.'" The master said: "Panshan actually only wanted those who renounce household life not to let the ten thousand dharmas reach each other. When this mountain monk lodged at Xiagu in the past, it was just like this with the old fellow of Jilin; after parting for more than ten years, meeting today is also like this. And tell me, what is the meaning in this?" Striking his staff, he said: "Like this, like this—that is all."

3.27

At the informal gathering for concluding the summer retreat, [the master said]: "Preventing small matters and stopping them before they sprout, penetrating and clear—this too is ripples stirred without wind; furthermore, setting rules and dwelling in retreat, how is it different from smashing a pearl to seek its reflection? For patch-robed monks, wisdom roams beyond appearances, subtlety enters the ring's center, exposing the unarisen state of sentient beings and Buddhas, not falling into the ruts of past and present. Why speak of the eels' pool being deep and pure, or the jade table being lofty and cold? Even if you raise your head, the withered mulberry has already turned into water. Yuwang's announcement like this does not exceed ordinary feelings; just as for the phrase 'determining a period to attain realization,' how is it?" Striking his staff, he said: "'Skillful at emulating Liu Xiahui, / never following in his footsteps.'"

3.28

He brought up [the case]: "Yunmen instructed the assembly: 'On flat ground, dead men are countless; one who can emerge from the forest of thorns is a skilled hand.' At that time a monk came forward and said: 'If so, then the head monk in the hall has merit.' Yunmen said: 'Sulu, sulu.'" The master said: "Yunmen was very much like Ren the Young Master who prepared fifty bullocks and cast his line to fish in the Eastern Sea. This mountain monk is normally good at bearing with faults and does not wish to proclaim people's errors. Why is this?" Striking his whisk, he said: "What official is without self-interest? What water is without fish?"

3.29

The next day he ascended the hall: "The long period is one hundred and twenty days, and the short period is ninety days. In the summer months, insects and ants are numerous; the yellow-faced old fellow feared you would run east and west, killing and harming living beings, and so established rules to forbid it. Today the period is complete, yet under the gate of Mao Peak, not a single person has ever dared to easily set foot down. Why?" Striking his staff, he said: "For fear of stepping on [them] and committing a duṣkṛta offense."

3.30

When the posthumous letter of the Venerable Shixi of Jingshan arrived, the master ascended the hall: "Before the Chicken Foot Peak, at the Huangmei ferry, reaching Lengquan with obstacles at every turn—if one says Lingxiao was not the authentic transmission, ultimately into whose hands did the robe and Dharma fall? The jackal howls, the lion roars; empty space did a somersault last night."

3.31

Ascending the hall, he brought up [the case]: "The Venerable Rang asked Mazu: 'Do you study sitting in meditation, or do you study sitting as a Buddha? If you study sitting in meditation, meditation is neither sitting nor lying down. If you study sitting as a Buddha, the Buddha has no fixed form; regarding the non-abiding mark, you should not grasp or reject.'" The master said: "Nanyue led Mazu to do a mouse's work inside a bull's horn; suddenly finding a way out, he turned around and laughed at Nanyue for sitting inside it."

3.32

Ascending the hall, [the master said]: "The weather is cold and people are cold; everyone is right here. If you understand it in this way, even an iron-plate barrier must loosen its seams. If not, what was originally intended as slaying a dragon turns out to be shooting a tiger."

3.33

Ascending the hall, he brought up [the case]: "When Yantou saw Deshan, he immediately asked: 'Is it ordinary or is it sage?' Deshan shouted, and Yantou made a bow. Later Dongshan heard of this and said: 'If it had not been Elder Huo at that time, it would have been very difficult to bear.' Yantou heard of this and said: 'That old fellow Dongshan does not know good from bad and gives mistaken remarks; at that time I lifted with one hand and pressed down with the other.'" The master said: "Yantou was very much like Elder Ming pursuing Postulant Lu to the summit of Dayu Ridge, only to turn back and say to his companions: 'From here on, there is no news at all.'"

3.34

Ascending the hall, he brought up [the case]: "Xuefeng instructed the assembly: 'I have met with you at Wangzhou Pavilion; I have met with you at Wushi Ridge; I have met with you before the monks' hall.'" The master said: "Do not quickly sit down and frequently urge wine; / Since parting, meetings with you have been rare."

3.35

Ascending the hall on the Lantern Festival to thank the monastery officers, a monk asked: "'There are phrases, there are no phrases, like vines leaning on a tree.' What is the meaning of this?" The master said: "Scooping water, the moon is in the hands; handling flowers, fragrance fills the robe." The monk said: "When the tree falls and the vines wither, where do the phrases return?" The master said: "Throwing away yellow gold, holding up a green brick." The monk said: "Guishan laid down the mud plate and laughed heartily—how about that?" The master said: "Before heaven is complete, hell is already formed."

3.36

He then said: "For this year's Lantern Festival, the prefecture puts on ten-tenths of lanterns to rejoice with the people; only in the halls and verandas of Mount Mao are they half bright and half dim. Passersby brush shoulders with the bare pillars and bump foreheads with the lanterns. King Dīpaṃkara heard this and came forth, wishing to manifest his original light to perform a great Buddha-work. This mountain monk gave him a mighty shout. Why? The monastery already has its own monk officers; why trouble oneself to forcefully stick one's head out?"

3.37

The upādhyāya of Xuedou arrived. Ascending the hall, [the Master said]: "At the peak of Jinlun, beside Jinjing Pavilion, there is a single phrase that has brought harm to patch-robed monks throughout the world, yet not a single person has been able to check and correct it. For Yuwang's lips to remain silent so long—how could that be permitted? Tell me, what phrase is it?" He struck with his staff: "I hear it said the wind in the village ahead is even fiercer; / The apricot blossoms have nowhere to escape the spring cold."

3.38

Ascending the hall on the Buddha's Parinirvāṇa: "The Greatly Awakened World-Honoured One, seeing that sentient beings grasp at delusion as their root, displayed the appearance of entering extinction just when the hundred flowers were bright and charming and myriad sprouts were luxuriantly flourishing. If you bhikṣus can fix a single eye upon this: Śākya is of himself Śākya; Pāpīyān is of himself Pāpīyān."

3.39

Ascending the hall, he cited: "While Yaoshan was reading a sūtra, a monk asked: 'The upādhyāya usually does not allow others to read sūtras; why do you read them yourself?' Yaoshan said: 'I only seek to cover my eyes.' The monk said: 'May I too read them?' Yaoshan said: 'If you read them, even cowhide would have to be pierced through.'" The Master said: "The master is not equal to the disciple."

3.40

While picking tea, the upādhyāya of Qingliang arrived. Ascending the hall, a monk asked: "While picking tea, Guishan asked Yangshan: 'All day long I only hear your voice, but do not see your form.' Yangshan shook the tea bush. What is the meaning?" The Master said: "Money leaves the house of one in haste." The monk said: "Guishan said: 'You have obtained only its function, not its essence.'" The Master said: "Going out the gate, there is no need for repeated admonitions." The monk said: "Yangshan said: 'I wonder what the upādhyāya would do?' Guishan remained silent for a good while. Yangshan said: 'The upādhyāya has obtained only its essence, not its function.'" The Master said: "The son conceals for the father." The monk said: "Guishan said: 'I let you off twenty blows.'" The Master said: "An arm never bends outward."

3.41

He then took it up, saying: "Zhaozhou once asked old Nanquan; / Bowing in worship and burning incense were just as of old. / If it were the ten thousand bodhisattvas of Qingliang, / Even casually hearing of it, they would knit their brows."

3.42

Informal gathering upon entering the summer retreat: "In a sandalwood forest, surrounded by sandalwood, split it and every flake is fragrant; in a briar patch, surrounded by briars, sort through it and every branch is fearsome. Therefore our old Śākya, with samatājñāna, gathered all the bhikṣus to enter together the ocean of Great Perfect Enlightenment, within the long period of one hundred and twenty days, scooping up and straining clear to accomplish the wisdom-body; and yet, above all, no sign of foot-binding retreat was to be seen. Now is the very time; what should be done?" He struck with his staff: "The bamboo staff turns into a dragon and flies away; / The fool bails the nocturnal pond."

3.43

He further cited: "While Chan Master Yongming Shou was participating in general labor in the assembly of National Teacher Tiantai Shao, he heard the sound of falling firewood and was thoroughly awakened. He then said: / 'Tumbling down, it is no other thing; / Crisscrossing, it is not dust. / Mountains, rivers, and the great earth / Wholly reveal the body of the Dharma King.'" The Master said: "Master Shou is much like an impoverished scholar entering the Hall of Assembled Jades: there was nothing that did not satisfy his heart and fulfill his intent. It is just that in the middle there is one word that is not yet settled."

3.44

Ascending the hall, giving thanks for the summer feast of wielding the whisk: "'If with a single utterance one calls "Homage to the Buddha," / All have already attained the Buddha Path.' If spoken of reaching the water's edge of the golden wheel or the peak of the Kunlun Mountains, where does the merit return?" Striking with his whisk: "Hūṃ, hūṃ! Whatever pastries or dumplings you have, bring them down quickly!"

3.45

Ascending the hall, he cited: "A monk asked Xianglin: 'What is the single lamp within the room?' Xianglin said: 'Three people testify that a tortoise is a turtle.'" The Master took it up and said: "Xianglin was Yunmen's attendant for twenty years and obtained this phrase from the paper-robed record. Yuwang is not so. If someone suddenly asks, I would only say to him: 'August Heaven has no favorites; it aids only the virtuous.'"

3.46

The upādhyāya of Shifan arrived. Ascending the hall, he cited: "Yunmen went on itinerant pilgrimage to Jiujiang. When Minister Chen Cao invited him to a meal, he asked: 'I will not ask about the Confucian texts, and as for the Three Vehicles and twelvefold teachings there are lecturers themselves. What is the business of a patch-robed monk's itinerant pilgrimage?' Yunmen said: 'How many people have you asked before?' The minister said: 'Right now I am asking the Venerable.' Yunmen said: 'Set aside right now; what is the intention of the teachings?' The minister said: 'Yellow scrolls and red rollers.' Yunmen said: 'These are written words and language. What is the intention of the teachings?' The minister said: 'The mouth wishes to speak but words fail; the mind wishes to grasp but deliberation is forgotten.' Yunmen said: '"The mouth wishes to speak but words fail" addresses having words; "the mind wishes to grasp but deliberation is forgotten" addresses false thoughts. What is the intention of the teachings?' The minister had no reply. Yunmen said: 'I hear that you have read the Lotus Sūtra; is that so?' The minister said: 'I dare not [deny it].' Yunmen said: 'The sūtra says that livelihoods and industry do not contradict the true mark. Tell me, how many people in the Heaven of Neither Perception Nor Non-Perception have abdicated their seats today?' The minister again had no reply. Yunmen said: 'Minister, do not be so hasty. We monks cast aside the ten scriptures and five treatises to enter the monasteries especially; after ten or twenty years we still cannot manage—how could you, Minister, understand?' The minister said: 'My fault,' and then bowed." The Master said: "Minister Chen Cao's first few words did not examine Yunmen to the end, but the latter few words examined Yunmen completely. Today, if someone suddenly asks Yuwang what the business of itinerant pilgrimage is, I would only say to him: 'Old Shifan and I have spent over ten years traveling to the ends of heaven and the corners of the earth, yet we still do not know ourselves. Meeting again today, another twenty years have passed, leaving us with sparse teeth and white temples. What business of itinerant pilgrimage are you talking about?' Waiting for him to hesitate, I would give him a shout. Why? / Seeking fire, one gets it along with smoke; / Carrying spring water, one returns bearing the moon."

3.47

Ascending the hall: "The empty mountain is devoid of people, the water flows and flowers are fragrant. Śāriputra and Pūrṇa extinguish their wisdom and eloquence; Li Lou and Music Master Kuang cast aside their keenness of sight and hearing. Why so? Those who know the Dharma are afraid."

3.48

Ascending the hall, he cited: "Layman Pang, because of selling straining-baskets, stumbled and fell coming down a bridge. His daughter Lingzhao saw this, went right to her father's side, and lay down. The Layman said: 'What are you doing?' The daughter said: 'Seeing Father fall to the ground, I rushed to help him up.'" The Master said: "A tiger hates a chicken's beak—those who hear of it fear it. Later people whose standard of judgment is not high call it both taking risks."

3.49

Informal gathering upon entering the summer retreat: "The Dharma King who destroys existence has a great dhāraṇī gate named Perfect Enlightenment, which can accomplish knowledge of all modes and destroy all Dharma gates. Beside dreams, illusions, and shadows, he gathers patch-robed monks from the four quarters; within ninety days, fixing a term and setting a limit, they must break through the black lacquer tub and accomplish the wisdom-body. Even so, just as with the regulations of the Western Heaven, is there still this news or not?" He struck with his staff: "Li Guang's divine arrow; Zhang Xu's cursive calligraphy."

3.50

He further cited: "One day, Military Commissioner Zhu went to Nanjisi. While offering a meal to the monks and distributing incense, he waved his hand incense-burner and said: 'Right here it is! Right here it is!' At that time, a monk said: 'Right here is what?' The commissioner then shouted. The monk said: 'The commissioner is a man of the Buddha-dharma; why do you get angry when questioned?' The commissioner said: 'You take this as getting angry, do you?' The monk then shouted. The commissioner also shouted, saying: 'The hook is cast in a place without doubt.' He then called his attendants to take note of this monk." The Master said: "People say beside the Queen Mother's pool there is a tree named the coiled peach; it flowers in three thousand years, bears fruit in three thousand years, and must wait yet another three thousand years before it ripens. Tell me, does it have any meeting with the commissioner?" He struck with his staff: "Examine!"

3.51

The posthumous letter of Upādhyāya Qian of Xuedou arrived. Ascending the hall: "Striking the clouds, the dream is broken; rinsing with jade, the boat moves on. Seizing the moment, he turned empty space around; on the great earth there is not an inch of soil. Thus our Old Man Daxie of the solitary peak of Miaogao mixed bran to sell flour, reviving the fallen lineage of Zhongfeng; he smelled soil and blew sand, blinding Songyuan's eyes for instructing people. Seeking juice from a steelyard weight, tears flow from an aching heart. Such an evil foe of arising and ceasing never dies through ten thousand ages and a thousand autumns."

3.52

Ascending the hall: "The various quarters mostly speak of view; Maofeng discusses only the essential doctrine. When one's view is bright, one is snatched away by the view; when the essential doctrine is penetrated, one is grasped by the essential doctrine. Nowadays, if one wants to find someone whose view is not bright and whose essential doctrine is not penetrated to step forward as the direct kindle of Songyuan, is it not exceedingly difficult?"

3.53

Informal gathering upon concluding the summer retreat: "During the long term of one hundred and twenty days, working diligently and untiringly, the swift falcon has nested in clouds for two thousand years. Old tales renewed, the black ox lies in water. If understood in this way, then the subtle within the coarse is still easy, but the subtle within the subtle is still difficult. Therefore, our old teacher of India was not careful in examining himself and measured others by himself, causing the bhikṣus of the final age mostly to mistake shrimp for eyes. The assembly of Yuwang clearly observes the changes of the times, entirely outside the rules. Why?" He struck with his staff: "Sometimes picking up a stone by the stream, / Carrying moss and clouds, I pillow upon the green shade."

3.54

He further cited: "Chan Master Cuiyan Lingcan addressed the assembly, saying: 'All summer long I have spoken east and talked west with you brothers. Look: are Cuiyan's eyebrows still there?' Baofu said: 'One who acts as a thief has a guilty conscience.' Changqing said: 'They have grown.' Yunmen said: 'Barrier!'" The Master said: "The three great elders each put forth a hand, wishing to support Cuiyan's gate to repay Xuefeng; yet what can be done when they only know how to share a heart, but cannot share the same aspiration?"

3.55

Ascending the hall, giving thanks to the two ranks: "When a dragon gets clouds, it becomes wondrous; when a tiger gets wind, it shows might; when a monastery gets the right people, the regulations are correct and the rules are strict, and naturally high and low dwell in peace. Why is this so?" He struck with his staff: "Only in the cold of the year does one know that the pine and cypress are the last to fade."

3.56

Ascending the hall on Mid-Autumn: / "Not in the human realm, present in heaven; / Often there is no one who escapes the old rut. / Across the four seas, bright and clear, the jade soul is bathed; / Over the nine wilds, vast and hazy, the white hare runs. / Hanshanzi does not shut his mouth, / Falling behind the colt's herd as well."

3.57

Ascending the hall, he cited: "Because a monk asked Upādhyāya Fajis of Jingshan: 'How is it when breath is extinguished like ashes?' Ji said: 'It is still the labor of people of the time.' The monk said: 'How is it after the labor?' Ji said: 'Plowing someone's field without planting.' The monk said: 'What is it ultimately?' Ji said: 'When the grain ripens, one does not approach the threshing floor.' Upādhyāya Ying'an took it up, saying: 'The phoenix pavilion's incense has sunk; in the snow nest the night is cold; the moon shines on half the window, and harmony gently gathers.'" The Master said: "One person wants to be greedy but cannot become poor; one person wants to be rich but cannot become rich. If you want to know that poverty and wealth do not correspond, please each return to your original position and stand."

3.58

Burning incense on the memorial day of Great Master Bodhidharma: "With the red banner following your procession, you considered your divine mechanism beyond deciphering. Yet upon arriving at Bailuzhou, you died beneath old Xiao's words. Your voice sank in the state of Wei, and your shadow parted from the solitary niche. At this time when the Dharma gate approaches autumn, painfully pondering the traces of the past, I offer this stream-waterweed to extend slightly the remembrance of the remote past. Frost flies across the vast wild, and leaves fall from the high ridge; with gallbladder torn and heart shattered, before speaking I choke back tears."

3.59

At the informal gathering for the Winter Solstice: "The single primal breath secretly returns, and the octagonal millstone runs in empty space; the six hexagram lines have barely moved, and the featherless sparrowhawk flies hugging the sky. These are conditions of their own season, not pursuing the waxing and waning of the four seasons. You patch-robed monks, with your eyes wide open, sit right here. Even if, before the reed ashes had moved, you understood Deng Shibuo of Xichuan and the one on the left below East Mountain, it still would not be the season when the withered tree blossoms. Why?" Striking the staff, he said: "If winter is not cold, see what happens after the twelfth month."

3.60

He brought up again: "An ancient worthy, because a monk asked, 'What is the affair of winter's coming?', said, 'The capital produces rhubarb.'" The Master said: "I have heard that in high antiquity, customs were simple and unadorned; the king's words were like silk, so who dared disobey? If someone suddenly asks Mountain Mao, I would just say to him: 'Braving the wind and resisting the waves at the Fengmen sea mouth—one must indeed be such a person to pull it off.'"

3.61

The new abbot of Tiantong came from Jiangshan. Ascending the hall, the Master said: "With a face like a mirror and talons like a hawk, his features are dreadful. Shaking his locks, he left Mount Nanyue, descending the mountain to transform beings. Urged on by Taolin, he expounded the sutras before the emperor. Not keeping within boundaries, he offended the peaceful realm. Having extinguished the true Dharma eye of Zhongfeng, only then did the talk of the broken earthen basin make its way."

3.62

Ascending the hall, he brought up: "Changsheng asked Lingyun, 'How was it before chaos divided?' Lingyun said, 'The exposed pillar is pregnant.' Changsheng said, 'How is it after division?' Lingyun said, 'Like a speck of cloud dotting the great clarity.' Changsheng said, 'I wonder, does the great clarity still receive the dot?' Lingyun did not answer. Changsheng said, 'If so, then living beings do not come.' Lingyun also did not answer. Changsheng said, 'What about when it is purely clear, completely without a dot?' Lingyun said, 'It is still the flow of the true constant.' Changsheng said, 'What is the flow of the true constant?' Lingyun said, 'Like a mirror ever bright.' Changsheng said, 'Is there still anything beyond?' Lingyun said, 'There is.' Changsheng said, 'What is the affair beyond?' Lingyun said, 'Smash the mirror, and I will meet with you.'" The Master said: "Masters throughout the world who possess great eyes all say that 'smash the mirror and I will meet with you' is the ultimate principle. Little do they know that the mountains are deep and the waters cold, and the traveler's journey is rather far. If you wish to know how the two venerable elders were joined like glue and lacquer, you must first understand the two instances of not answering."

3.63

At the informal gathering on New Year's Eve: "As the old departs and the new arrives, I am too lazy to send off or welcome. Among crags and beneath tombs, withered forms are seen. Resigned, the end of the twelfth month becomes a half-night's dream; seated facing the cold lampstand, a lamp of two years. To announce it like this has already fallen into the present moment; without touching upon meritorious deeds, how could it be brought forward? Tonight this old monk cannot hold back his feelings: before the firecrackers sound, I will open an active path for you all, and also let you know that tomorrow will surely be New Year's Day. If perhaps it is not so, the lion is made to dance in Xihe."

3.64

He brought up again: "Mihu visited Attendant Wang while he was deciding official business. As soon as the attendant saw him, he raised his brush and showed it to him. Mihu said, 'Can you still judge empty space?' The attendant threw down the brush and returned to the inner quarters. Mihu was puzzled. The next day, through [Monk] Huayan, he arranged tea and posed the question: 'What words did Venerable Mihu speak that he could not see you?' The attendant said, 'A lion bites people, while a Korean hound chases a clod of earth.' When Mihu heard this, he came out, laughed heartily, and said, 'I understand.' The attendant said, 'Try to say it.' Mihu said, 'Please bring it up, Attendant.' The attendant then held up a chopstick. Mihu said, 'Wild fox spirit!' The attendant said, 'This fellow has penetrated through.'" The Master said: "At that time, as soon as Mihu saw the brush raised, had he immediately entered the guest quarters, he would certainly have been a treasure at the banquet. Without cause, setting up a tea reception again entangled Huayan so that his forehead hit the ground. But when the attendant said, 'This fellow has penetrated through,' where was it that he penetrated? Try to utter a turning word."

3.65

Ascending the hall on New Year's Day: "Seasons shift and things change; discarding the old and establishing the new. The soil's fertility has not yet stirred; deliberating, we celebrate the onset of spring. Grand Duke [Wang] intentionally cast his fishing line; Confucius had no mind to capture the lin."

3.66

Ascending the hall, he brought up: "While Yaoshan was touring the mountain with Daowu and Yunyan, he saw two trees, one withered and one flourishing. Yaoshan then asked, 'Is the flourishing one right, or is the withered one right?' Yunyan said, 'The flourishing one is right.' Yaoshan said, 'If so, then everywhere will be dazzling with light.' Daowu said, 'The withered one is right.' Yaoshan said, 'If so, then everywhere will become withered and bleak.' Suddenly Novice Gao arrived, and Yaoshan asked him the same. Novice [Gao] said, 'Let the flourishing one flourish on its own; let the withered one wither on its own.' Yaoshan then looked back at Daowu and Yunyan and said, 'Not right, not right!'" The Master said: "When Yaoshan said 'Not right, not right,' by how much did he diminish the prestige of Daowu and Yunyan?"

3.67

Ascending the hall: "Each of you originally possesses the true substance of numinous awareness and wondrous brightness. But because you are obstructed by your own views, you cannot cross your spears and advance straight to the realm of no doubt. Because the work of forging and refining is not thorough, you fall into outflows. How can the numinous mirror appear before you? This old monk does not spare his eyebrows to remove this obstruction of views for you all." He threw down his staff.

3.68

Ascending the hall regarding an affair: "That heaven has clouds can shade the sun and moon and bring down sweet rain. That earth has water can carry boats and moisten parched dryness. That people have minds can initiate fortune and misfortune, and regulate the hard and the soft. When the three realms are illuminated, principle returns to a single track. Why is this so?" Striking his staff, he said: "The great roc spreads its wings, covering the ten continents; by the hedge, swallows and sparrows merely twitter in vain."

3.69

Ascending the hall, he brought up: "Zhaozhou heard a śrāmaṇera shout upon entering for interview. Zhaozhou said, 'Attendant, teach him to leave.' The śrāmaṇera said 'Take care' and immediately departed. Zhaozhou said to a monk beside him, 'The śrāmaṇera managed to enter the gate, but the attendant is outside the gate.'" The Master said: "Forcing silkworms to spin cocoons is easy, but wanting a bull to give birth to a calf is rather difficult."

3.70

The Master suffered misfortune on the fourteenth day of the sixth month in the wuwu year of Baoyou (1258). On the thirteenth day of the seventh month, an Imperial Decree was respectfully received, acquitting him as blameless. Ascending the hall to express thanks: "Grand Commandant Luo of the Department of State Affairs respectfully submitted a memorial to express thanks. / Departing, morning dew dissolved the oppressive summer heat; / Returning, autumn sounds filled the evening sun. / How can such heavy imperial favors ever be repaid? / Gazing into the cloudless expanse, I pray for the heaven's longevity."

3.71

Recorded Sayings of Baiyan Huizhao Chan Monastery

3.72

Compiled by Attendant Sizao

3.73

On the twenty-fifth day of the eighth month in the first year of Jingding (1260), the Master entered the monastery.

3.74

Ascending the hall, a monk asked, "An udumbara flower is easily seen, but a good friend is difficult to encounter. Now that a student has come forward, please, Upādhyāya, offer wishes for the Emperor's longevity." The Master answered, "Step out to the other side of King of Awesome Sound and look." The monk asked, "When Baoshou opened the hall, Sansheng pushed forward a monk, and Baoshou immediately struck him. What was the intention behind this?" The Master answered, "Though the road through Jian'ge is perilous, nighttime travelers are still more numerous." The monk asked, "Sansheng said, 'Acting like this for a person not only blinds this monk's eyes, but blinds the eyes of the people of the entire city of Zhenzhou.' Baoshou threw down his staff and returned to the abbot's quarters. What about that?" The Master answered, "Take up the golden needle again and sew stitch by tight stitch." The monk asked, "Today the Upādhyāya opens the hall to offer wishes for the Emperor's longevity; if someone suddenly pushed forward a monk, what would happen?" The Master answered, "Burning cow-dung incense to make offerings to him would not be beyond reason." The monk asked, "Why is it so?" The Master answered, "Because he is a genuine patch-robed monk." The monk bowed.

3.75

The Master then said: "Heaven's principle likes to return; everywhere the streams and mountains open smiling eyes. The minds of the multitude respond in resonance; know with certainty that this Way does not deceive anyone. Therefore, the true does not conceal the false, and the crooked does not hide the straight. Naturally, the grass bends as the wind blows, and a road of great peace is found. Just so, what about the phrase upon arriving in person at Baiyan?" Striking the staff, he said: "The green pines do not obstruct people's coming and going; the wild waters have no mind, departing and lingering on their own."

3.76

He brought up again: "Subhūti was sitting in meditation in a cliff cave. The devas rained down flowers in praise. The Venerable One said, 'Who is raining flowers and offering praise in the air?' The reply came, 'I am Brahmā.' The Venerable One said, 'Why do you offer praise?' The deva said, 'I revere the Venerable One for expounding Prajñāpāramitā well.' The Venerable One said, 'Regarding prajñā, I have not expounded a single word; why do you praise me?' The deva said, 'The Venerable One has no exposition, and I have no hearing; no exposition and no hearing is the true expounding of Prajñāpāramitā.' Again the earth shook and flowers rained down. Xuedou said: 'A place to avoid clamor and seek quietude—the world has never had such a method. When he was sitting in meditation in the cliff cave, he was still made a fool of by that band of fellows. Furthermore, that old man could not hold fast. Asking, "Who is raining flowers and offering praise in the air?" already revealed his blunder. "I revere the Venerable One for expounding Prajñāpāramitā well" was foul water splashed right over his head. "Regarding prajñā, I have not expounded a single word" was running among the weeds. "The Venerable One has no exposition, and I have no hearing"—what good and bad did they know? If everyone were like these sorts of fellows, where would today come from?' He called again to the assembly: 'Fortunately, Xuedou is an unconcerned person; what are you coming here to look for?' With his staff, he chased them all down at once." The Master said: "Although Xuedou was not adept in military tactics, he nonetheless secretly coincided with Sunzi and Wu Qi. Today at Baiyan, opening the hall to offer wishes for the Emperor's longevity, why is there no one raining flowers in offering?" Striking the whisk, he said: "Thieves do not enter the gate of a cautious house."

3.77

Ascending the hall for opening the stove, he brought up: "An ancient worthy said: 'Today at Fachang the stove is opened; not a single itinerant monk is here, only eighteen eminent men, who keep their mouths shut, sit around the stove.'" The Master said: "Fachang knew how to make use of what he had, not relying on family wealth; does elegance depend on wearing many clothes? Today at Baiyan, opening the stove, there is no need to gather clay statues; secretly we are one step ahead of him. Why? The old adept with hair growing on his teeth sits beside the stove late at night, listening to the water."

3.78

Ascending the hall to thank the head monk, he struck the staff and said: "Only when the stealing mind of all patch-robed monks in the world is completely dead does one match this title." Striking the staff, he said: "Having completely put to death the stealing mind of all patch-robed monks in the world, turning toward that side still falls into affairs of merit. How can there be an exact correspondence?" Striking the staff, he said: "The eyes of humans and devas: the head monk in the hall."

3.79

Ascending the hall on New Year's Day: "Year after year, the cyclical count is never sufficient. A person on the ground of the original allotment is still separated as if by silk gauze. Only the Old Man of the South Pole strikes the heavenly drum three times and, gazing toward the Northern Palace, offers blessings. Why?" Striking the staff, he said: "May our sovereign have ten thousand blessings."

3.80

End of the Sayings at Baiyan

3.81

Recorded Sayings of Jingci Bao'en Guangxiao Chan Monastery in Lin'an Prefecture

3.82

Compiled by Attendant Zhiyuan Wenheng

3.83

On the sixteenth day of the first month in the fifth year of Jingding (1264), the Master entered the monastery.

3.84

Pointing to the mountain gate, he said: "The outer gates are not shut; stride across the world without obstacle. If you understand this, I permit you to ascend its hall and enter its room."

3.85

Pointing to the Buddha Hall, he said: "Towering and lofty, the honored one of myriad virtues! Rolling up and unfurling, appearing and disappearing, expedient means are indeed abundant. Why is it that none of you sees the Tathāgata's uṣṇīṣa? Bah! Simply because you are too close."

3.86

The Master went before the Dharma seat. Having burned incense and bowed toward the imperial palace to offer thanks, he held up the imperial edict to show the assembly, saying: "The samādhi of the World-Honoured One was personally entrusted by golden mouth and jade tone; the purple-ink imperial document has been borne here by a phoenix from within the ninefold walls. Once again receiving the favour of the imperial dew, brightly illuminating the glory of the Dharma gate, the wonderful realization before sound startles the minds of the multitude."

3.87

On the congratulatory letters from various monasteries: "Mist is dreary; rocks are exquisitely carved. Facing each other, looking at each other, through thousands and myriads of peaks, a mass of harmonious energy is right in their midst."

3.88

Pointing to the Dharma seat: "The Dharma takes emptiness as its seat. Taking a step, Śākyamuni is in front and Maitreya is behind. Tell me, what Dharma does the one in the middle preach?" Taking quick strides, he mounted the seat.

3.89

The Master mounted the seat, held up incense, and said: "This piece of incense I burn in the censer, reverently wishing the present Emperor long life of ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years! May Your Majesty's heavenly foundation ever flourish, may the sun of Shun shine long; may the poems of the Zhou Ya be sung again, and may the threefold blessings of Huafeng be repeatedly heard."

3.90

"Next, holding up incense, he said: "This piece of incense I burn in the censer, reverently wishing the Empress of the central palace ten thousand blessings. This piece of incense is reverently for the Crown Prince, to enhance and elevate his fortune and longevity. This piece of incense is offered for the Grand Preceptor and Palatine Mentor, Bureau Director, Grand Chancellor and Duke of the Realm, the Grand Councilors, the Bureau Councilors, and the civil and military ministers of the entire court, that their emoluments and lifespans may be equally increased. I prostrately wish that they loftily uphold Yao and Shun, look upon Yi Yin and the Duke of Zhou, gather the elegant air of a thousand ages, and lock in the vernal splendour of myriad realms. This piece of incense is offered for the Prefect, Pacification Commissioner, and Supervisor, Grand Chamberlain, the Fiscal Commissioner, Hall Expositor, Grand Chamberlain, and the officials of the commanderies and counties, that their emoluments and lifespans may be equally increased."

3.91

Next, holding up incense, he said: "This is for the Palace Gate Commissioner, Commandant, who reverently received the imperial decree and escorted me into the monastery, asking about Zhaozhou's story of eighty years of itinerant pilgrimage, so as to support his emoluments and lifespan."

3.92

"This incense was mostly bought dear and sold cheap; seldom did it meet a Southern Barbarian merchant shipmaster. Today humans and devas universally gather, and I dare not conceal it in my bag. I burn it in the censer to offer to the former abbot of Daode Mountain Husheng Wansui Chan Monastery in Anji Prefecture, my late teacher Venerable Yun'an, so as to repay his Dharma milk."

First 92 of 135 passages. Read on

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虛堂和尚語錄 — Classical Chinese