虛堂和尚語錄 5

English (machine translation) 5

Language: English

5.3

The World-Honoured One preached the Dharma for his mother in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven; King Udayana yearned for the Buddha.

The cluster of purple-golden light illuminates mountains and rivers; / In heaven and the human world, spirits soar high. / He once commanded Mañjuśrī to lead the multitude / Into the city of Vaiśālī to inquire after Vimalakīrti.

5.5

Because the gandharva king played music, the mountains, rivers, and great earth at that time all made the sound of lutes, and Kāśyapa began to dance. The king asked, "Is Kāśyapa not an arhat whose outflows are exhausted? Why does he still have remaining habit-energy?" The World-Honoured One said, "In truth he has no remaining habit-energy; do not slander the Dharma."

5.6

Having a three-foot sword, one can visit the state of Zhao; / Lacking thousand-league eyes, it is difficult to see the suspended thread. / Towering and imposing, / The Great Master of the Three Realms!

5.7

A non-Buddhist asked the World-Honoured One: "I do not ask for what has words, nor do I ask for what has no words." The Buddha remained silent for a long time.

5.8

A person of great power is distinctive after all; / Freely lowering his hand, he immediately accords. / How can it compare to the midnight sun of Fusang, / Pushed right up to the highest level of Sumeru?

5.9

The king of Kaśmīra held a sword and questioned Venerable Simha.

5.10

In the deep of night at the horizon, the golden basin sinks; / On his knees, the scorched paulownia's tune is newly turned. / A mournful wind on the Yi River, lightly pressing his fingers: / Phoenix glue can hardly mend one whose heart is broken.

5.11

An old woman burns down the hermitage.

5.12

The iron wall bursts open, clouds drifting piece by piece; / From the black mountain rolls out the moon, round and full. / Right where light and dark clash with each other, / Who understands how to look beyond the heavens when heads stick out?

5.13

The youth Sudhana visited fifty-three spiritual friends, arriving at last at Maitreya's pavilion.

5.14

The realm of the great person is ultimately difficult to reach; / Having reached it, how can one explain it to others? / If it is not one's own power of view and understanding, / Do not take views and understanding to distinguish between distant and close.

5.15

Bodhidharma meets Emperor Wu of Liang.

5.16

The jade flute plays through on the Phoenix Terrace; / The ancient hall is deep and dark, dawn not yet broken. / Fallen blossoms cover the ground, spring has already passed; / Green shade emptily locks in the old moss.

5.17

The Śūraṅgama Sūtra says: "When I do not see, why do you not see where I do not see?"

5.18

Moist stone is not jade; / Beautiful water is not gold. / Yu the Great dredged and flowed westward; / Bian He wept as his jade was sunk in earth. / Splendid and vast, / Polishing past and present.

5.19

In the past, an elder master did not speak a word to his monks for an entire summer.

5.20

Chilly, cold trickles weep in the autumn ravine; / The moment one meets the vast ocean, one sails a boat. / It is said that Xu You once washed his ears; / Pitiable is Chaofu, who even whipped his ox.

5.21

The Vimalakīrti Sūtra says: "Those who give alms to you are not named fields of merit."

5.22

Green mountains and white clouds, / Blue stream and the vine-entangled moon. / Drawing a tiger results in a wildcat; / One grasps only a single piece of wood.

5.23

Great Master Zhizhe awakens to the Lotus Samādhi on Mount Nanyue.

5.24

Offer the true Dharma well to the Tathāgata; / Flowers blossom on remote crags and perilous peaks. / A wild wind blows through the night until they are nearly gone, / Countless fallen petals dotting the dark green moss.

5.25

Laozi said: "Looked at but not seen, it is named the invisible; listened to but not heard, it is named the inaudible; grasped at but not caught, it is named the intangible. These three cannot be further scrutinized."

5.26

The immortal riding the green ox has departed, no idle tale; / Constantly functioning from the void, he falls into the extreme of nihilism. / Such a life has surely been full of misfortune: / Late into the night, he still stands before the ancient emperor.

5.27

Chan Master Huisi of Nanyue receives a message sent by Master Baozhi.

5.28

In one gulp he swallows the Buddhas of the three periods whole; / Teeth like a forest of swords, eyes like brass bells. / A broken string needs no phoenix glue to mend: / It only requires an attuned listener to tilt his ear and hear.

5.29

The Master said: "Having heard the Way in the morning, one may die in the evening without regret."

5.30

As soon as the sacrificial baskets are set out, one beholds the sage; / Do not use life and death to measure distance or intimacy. / Please take a look at the calendar of the Imperial Observatory: / In a single year, there must always be one spring.

5.31

Qiannü's soul departs.

5.32

When paying condolences, peach boughs and reeds go first; / Following the funeral cart comes the paper money. / A guest at the old barbarian's gate / Would rather plunge into the Yellow Springs.

5.33

Devadatta slanders the Buddha.

5.34

Risking all from the top of a ten-thousand-fathom cliff, / Who knows where his intact corpse can be found? / The winds of karma blow him back to life, / And he turns around to ask what time it is now.

5.35

A woman emerges from samādhi.

5.36

Wild waters float a light oar; / Warm mist rises from purple water-shield. / Looking out over the lake at evening, / Most of them are fishermen.

5.37

Attendant Gentleman Wang visited Linji and asked, "Do the monks in this hall read sūtras?"

5.38

When the matter reaches mindlessness, there is no deceitful pretense; / Between the black crow and the white crane, doubt still remains. / Unless one has personally met the yellow-headed old man, / How would one dare disclose it to anyone one meets?

5.39

Yang Danian attained illumination under Venerable Guanghui Lian and made this verse: "An eight-cornered millstone flies through empty space; / The golden-haired lion turns into a dog. / If you intend to hide your body in the Northern Dipper, / You must press your palms together behind the Southern Dipper."

5.40

White stones chiseled clean, / Concealing your beautiful uncut jade. / The superior man obscures his way; / The superior man finds joy in this.

5.41

One day, Minister Chen Cao went up into a tower with several officials and saw several monks in the distance. An official said, "Those approaching are all itinerant monks." The minister said, "They are not." The official said, "How do you know they are not?" The minister said, "Wait until they come close, and I will examine them for you gentlemen." In a moment the monks arrived. The minister called out, "Elder monks!" The monks raised their heads. The minister said, "Did I not tell you?"

5.42

Li Xian once read the physiognomy of Master Huqiu; / Shifting with transformations, it was hard to tell, and the prime minister fled on his own. / He concedes to the one gazing steadily from the high tower, / Whose brilliant clarity can detect an autumn hair.

5.43

When Layman Pang was on the verge of passing away, he rested his head on Minister Yu Di's knee and instructed him: "I only wish that you empty all that exists; be careful not to substantiate what does not exist."

5.44

If you wish to know the place where the source is exhausted, / Who will point the way for the lost? / Beyond the chickens and dogs in the evening sun, / Peaches and plums form a path on their own.

5.45

Prime Minister Pei asked a monk: "What sūtra are you reading?" The monk said: "The Wordless Youth Sūtra." Pei said: "How many fascicles does it have?" The monk said: "Two fascicles." Pei said: "Since it is wordless, why are there two fascicles?" The monk was speechless.

5.46

Having dropped the official tablet outside Shishuang's mechanism, / He again supported coarse practice up to the realm of Tang. / Just holding the hand that casts fishing lines across the four seas, / He strings together shrimp, crabs, fish, and dragons in one line.

5.47

When Huangbo was head monk at Nanquan's monastery, Gan Zhi requested to donate wealth.

5.48

Tossing and throwing, presenting to one another, / Ghostly eyes in front of the gates of hell! / Having seen through the skull beyond the liver and gall, / Light shines once again atop Maheśvara's crown.

5.49

Grand Master Lu Gen asked Nanquan: "Master Sengzhao was extraordinary too."

5.50

Drafting a letter, he intended to knock at the celestial gate, / But often there was no one with whom he could discuss it. / Having received the old man's light flick of the finger, / Facing the wind, he felt his soul quietly melt away.

5.51

The military commissioner of Qiantang was at the border; whenever he saw a monk, he would question him, saying: "If we accord, I will let you lodge for the night." Two monks came from Master Mazu's place, and he asked, "What expedient means does the Great Master have?" A monk said, "Mind itself is Buddha." He bowed them out. Two other monks arrived, and he asked them as before. A monk said, "Neither mind nor Buddha." He bowed them out as well.

5.52

Under the green oil banners he established great merits; / Complete in both strategy and tactics, he had an audience with the sovereign alone. / Ever since he offered his sincere devotion to requite the state, / The sounding of the border watchtowers has never been heard.

5.53

Hanshan and Shide foresaw that Guishan would come to Guoqing Monastery to receive the precepts.

5.54

Since parting on Gṛdhrakūṭa, there has been no stone monument; / Three times he had personally served as king of a realm. / The staff probes again to fathom distance and proximity; / Dim and vast, heaven and earth show faint hues of dark and yellow.

5.55

The Sixth Patriarch said to his disciples, "I wish to return to Xinzhou."

5.56

His aspiration lay at the southern edge of the sky, at heaven's end; / Before walking, he had already arrived in Xinzhou. / When he came he had no mouth; when he left he had no companion; / How much more so amid the rustling yellow leaves of autumn!

5.57

Venerable Huairang said, "Daoyi is preaching the Dharma in Jiangxi, but he has not sent any word."

5.58

With earnest grandmotherly kindness, his heart was anxious every day, / Fearing [Daoyi] might fall into someone else's pickle jar. / Only after reckless news arrived / Could the Jiangxi lineage circulate well.

5.59

National Teacher Huizhong asked Attendant of the Interior Zilin, "Where do you come from?" The attendant said, "I come from south of the city." The Master said, "What color are the grasses south of the city?" The attendant said, "They are yellow." The Master then asked a youth, "What color are the grasses south of the city?" The youth said, "They are yellow." The Master said, "Even this youth may be bestowed purple robes before the curtain and discourse on the mystery before the emperor."

5.60

Desiring to pour out his withered entrails to the very bottom, / Stepping out the door, unawares he admonishes once more: / "I urge you to turn your head back early, / Do not wait for the spring breeze and the willow eyes to turn green."

5.61

Mazu on Baizhang's second interview.

5.62

The dynamic of peck and tap is of varied kinds; / Flying stars and spraying fire leave the skull empty. / When the scheming mind dies away completely, it is hard to bring it back to life; / Suddenly one sees the golden crow emerge east of the sea.

5.63

Baizhang and the wild fox.

5.64

"Not falling into cause and effect": projecting forth the wild fox; human hearts are like iron, the official law like a furnace. / "Not obscuring cause and effect": getting free from the wild fox; upon the crown there is no bone, under the chin there is a beard.

5.65

Huangbo on Linji returning from Dayu.

5.66

Uprooting trees and ringing the twigs, a vast and mighty wind; / Overturning rain and clouds are found within it. / A thousand waves and myriad billows startle heaven and earth; / Only upon reaching the sea does one realize that messages do not get through.

5.67

Heshan strikes the drum four times.

5.68

Straw sandals for a cap and pine for a hairpin, / Though likewise unconstrained, his eyes are perverse. / The spoken voice is only beneath the wind-blown eaves; / All day long, no one descends the steps.

5.69

Jiashan said, "Meeting a dead snake on the road, do not strike and kill it; gather it into a bottomless basket and bring it back."

5.70

A fellow carrying a board has no restraint; / Starving to death on Mount Shouyang, / He swore never to eat the grain of Zhou.

5.71

Laishan said, "I have lived on this mountain for twenty years and have never once brought up the matter of the ancestral school." A monk asked, "I have received word that the upādhyāya has said, 'I have lived on this mountain for twenty years and have never once brought up the matter of the ancestral school.' Is that so?" Shan said, "It is." The monk thereupon overturned the meditation bed. Shan let the matter rest. When the next day arrived, he held a general work duty to dig a pit, and ordered the attendant to invite the monk who had asked the question yesterday to come. Shan said, "This old monk for twenty years has spoken only meaningless words. Now I invite the senior seat to beat this old monk to death and bury him in the pit. If you do not beat this old monk to death, senior seat, you must be beaten to death yourself and buried in this pit." That monk packed his baggage and slipped away in secret.

5.72

As the ocean moves, the Peng bird soars, the sun and moon in haste; / The night-shining pearl secretly penetrates beside the Dipper and the Ox. / Not only does pressing the sword repeatedly produce sons, / But blind Persians fill the Great Tang.

5.73

One day Magu was sitting inside paper curtains with a hand towel covering his head. Piyun entered, saw him, and immediately began to wail. After a long while he went out to the Dharma hall, circled the meditation bed once, and came back again. Magu removed the hand towel and sat. Yun said, "Finding life in the midst of death—not one in ten thousand." Magu came down from the bed and made a gesture of pulling out his sitting mat. Yun stepped forward, seized him, and said, "Dying first and living later—do you concede it or not?" Magu said, "Conceding is conceding, but what are you fit to do, Reverend?" Yun pushed him away and said, "I knew your earlier words did not match your later words."

5.74

Those who fled fifty paces laugh at those who fled a hundred paces first; / How could riding a horse be better than riding an ox? / There is no need to compare again what is more or less; / Once back at one's home mountain, one simply rests.

5.75

Fengxue on a monk asking: "Speech and silence involve transcendence and subtlety."

5.76

Throwing jade to hit a magpie; taking a dead rat to be uncarved jade. / Viewing it with one eye squinted, the great void is vast and boundless.

5.77

Shoushan instructed the assembly: "You senior seats must not blindly shout or wildly shout. I constantly tell you: the guest is the guest from beginning to end; the host is the host from beginning to end. The guest has no second guest; the host has no second host. If there are two guests or two hosts, the two of them become blind fellows. Therefore, if I stand you must sit; if I sit you must stand. When sitting, I sit together with you; when standing, I stand together with you. Although it is like this, you must urgently fix your eyes [upon it] before you get it."

5.78

Whether guest and host exist or not, both are cast outside; / One's conduct and retirement must transcend ordinary conventions. / Where there is no place to roost, doors and windows are opened; / When the moon reaches midnight, it dares not shine brightly.

5.79

Nanyuan on a monk asking: "'Upon the lump of red flesh, a wall standing ten thousand cubits high'—is this not the upādhyāya's word?" Yuan said, "It is." The monk thereupon overturned the meditation bed. Yuan said, "Look at this blind fellow acting wildly!" The monk hesitated; Yuan immediately struck him and drove him out.

5.80

The sun and moon lose their light, a murderous aura drifts; / Shaking heaven, alligator-skin drums fight the ferocious beasts. / A cry of victory announces the capture of the true barbarian general; / Which lad among them does not hold his head high?

5.81

Deng Yinfeng took his leave of Mazu. Mazu said, "Where are you going?" Feng said, "To Shitou." Mazu said, "The road at Shitou (Stone Head) is slippery." Feng said, "I carry an acrobat's pole with me; I play my scene as the occasion arises." He then departed. Arriving at Shitou, he circled the meditation bed once, shook his staff once, and asked, "What is the fundamental doctrine?" Shitou said, "Blue heaven! Blue heaven!" Feng was speechless. He returned and related this to Mazu. Mazu said, "Go again; wait until he says 'Blue heaven! Blue heaven!', and you hiss twice." Feng went again, and asked as before. Shitou then hissed twice; Feng was speechless again. He returned and related this to Mazu. Mazu said, "I told you that the road at Shitou is slippery."

5.82

The road at Shitou is steep and difficult for people to reach; / Only those who arrive know it is as slippery as moss. / Though slipping and falling two or three times, / Covered all over in mud and water, he returns once more.

5.83

When Nanquan was living in a hermitage, a monk arrived. Nanquan said, "I am going up the mountain to do chores; at the noon meal, prepare food and eat, and bring a portion for me." That monk finished eating, smashed all the household utensils at once, and lay down on the bed. Nanquan waited a long time and the monk did not come, so he returned and saw the monk lying down; Nanquan also lay down beside him. The monk immediately got up and left.

5.84

Short trousers, long robe, and a white ramie headcloth, / Creaking beneath the moon, hurriedly pushing the wheelbarrow. / Those met on the road to Luoyang / Are all merchants engaged in trade.

5.85

Nanquan said, "Mind is not the Buddha; wisdom is not the Way."

5.86

Yesterday, passing west of the bamboo monastery, / A neighbor's young child was crying across the stream. / The mountains are cold, the waters austere, half the leaves withered and fallen; / Countless returning crows choose trees to roost.

5.87

Qianfeng instructed the assembly: "The Dharma body has three kinds of illnesses and two kinds of radiance."

5.88

The palm leaves brought along find few who understand; / Claiming their efficacy is unmatched in the world. / Still, return to me the translation by the Tang man; / Only then will people know it is an Indian scripture.

5.89

Langye on a monk asking: "Pure and originally so."

5.90

Setting no pitfall, swinging no snowy blade; / A single arrow pierces the willow leaf, the divine eye does not blink. / In hindsight, General Li of former times, / In his knack of shooting the tiger, was still dull.

5.91

Daci instructed the assembly: "This mountain monk does not know how to answer words; I only recognize illnesses." At that time a monk came forward; Daci immediately returned to the abbot's quarters.

5.92

Light as the tip of a fine hair, heavy as a mountain, / To the ends of the earth and the horizon, going and returning again. / When the yellow leaves fall, the wind-blown bones are exposed; / By the water, the variegated stones remain as before.

5.93

Deshan carries his bowl.

5.94

Where Deshan had doubts, he asked Yantou, / Bringing a floor full of sorrow upon the entire family. / The father curses the son and the son curses the father; / When will this enmity returning upon enmity ever cease?

5.95

Xuefeng asked a monk, "Where have you come from?" The monk said, "From Zhezhong." Xuefeng said, "Did you come by boat or by land?" The monk said, "I did not take either route." Xuefeng said, "How did you get here?" The monk said, "What obstruction is there?" Xuefeng struck him and drove him out. After ten years, the monk came again. Xuefeng asked again, "Where have you come from?" The monk said, "From Hunan." Xuefeng said, "How far apart are Hunan and here?" The monk said, "They are not separated." Xuefeng held up his whisk and said, "Is this separated, then?" The monk said, "If it were separated, I would not have arrived." Xuefeng struck him again and drove him out. After the monk became an abbot, whenever he saw anyone, he would revile Xuefeng. A companion heard of this and went to ask, "Brother, when you went to Xuefeng, what words were there that you revile him like this?" The monk cited the previous story. He was reprimanded and scolded by the companion, who explained it clearly to him. At that, he wept sorrowfully, and often at midnight burned incense and bowed from afar toward Xuefeng.

5.96

I have heard that the Min mountains have much gu poison; / By a thousand ways and myriad schemes, there is no way to avoid it. / Since within the untimely death there is a soul-hastening ghost, / Only when a life is paid back to it will it finally cease.

5.97

When Xuefeng lived in a hermitage, a monk knocked on the door. Xuefeng stepped out and said, "What is it?" The monk also said, "What is it?" Xuefeng lowered his head and returned to the hermitage. The monk related this to Yantou. Yantou said, "If at that time I had spoken the final word to him, no one under heaven could have done anything to old Xue!"

5.98

Supported across the waters of the broken bridge, / Accompanied on the return to the bright-moon village. / Only aware that the road is long, / One does not notice that dusk has fallen again.

5.99

Xuefeng on Sansheng asking: "What does the golden fish that has penetrated the net eat for food?"

5.100

A staff from Silla, a bowl from Suining— / Which patch-robed monk's family tradition lacks these? / Seen equally, both are black as ink; / Who can weigh the ounces and drams with them again?

5.101

Xuefeng writes his own stūpa inscription.

5.102

The wind chills the reeds, rain brings on autumn; / Leaning against the door, he has no intention of visiting the feudal lords. / Next year, deciding the dragon-and-snake battle array once more, / The northern frontier and Annan will be gathered into one.

5.103

Xuefeng said, "The Buddhas of the three periods, toward the roaring flames, turn the great wheel of Dharma." Yunmen said, "The roaring flames expound the Dharma for the Buddhas of the three periods; the Buddhas of the three periods stand on the ground listening."

5.104

When the billowing flames expound it, / Hundreds and thousands of Buddhas all knit their brows. / The Brahmā voice is profound and remote, hard to discern clearly; / Only Shaoyang and old Xue are permitted to know.

5.105

Chuanzi exhorted Jiashan: "Hereafter you must leave no trace where you conceal your body."

5.106

The medicine label clearly speaks with intimacy, / Yet one knows not whether what is inside is false or true. / Earnestly instructing the foolish children: / Do not mislead later people with books of prescriptions.

5.107

When Jiashan first resided at Jingkou Monastery, a monk asked, "What is the Dharma body?" Shan said, "The Dharma body has no form." He further asked, "What is the Dharma eye?" Shan said, "The Dharma eye has no blemish." At that time Daowu was in the assembly and burst out laughing. After Jiashan asked for further instruction, he dispersed the assembly, visited Chuanzi, and was awakened. Later he returned and gathered disciples. Daowu sent a monk to go and ask, "What is the Dharma body?" Shan said, "The Dharma body has no form." He further asked, "What is the Dharma eye?" Shan said, "The Dharma eye has no blemish." The monk returned and related this to Daowu. Daowu said, "This fellow has only now penetrated through."

5.108

First seeing spring flowers return to Langyuan, / Then meeting autumn leaves falling upon palace walls. / Pondering worldly affairs, they are like turning over one's palm; / Who has obtained the prescription for longevity and immortality?

5.109

Zhaozhou on a monk taking his leave, where he exhorted him: "Where there is a Buddha, you must not stay."

5.110

Where there is a Buddha or no Buddha, you must not stay; / Three thousand leagues away, there is no proof or rely. / Zhaozhou merely gained the smooth gloss of his lips, / Yet it is this monk who knows where it lands.

5.111

Zhaozhou visits Zhuyu.

5.112

The worldly path's winds and waves are known only to oneself; / Meeting people, for the most part one does not raise one's eyebrows. / Calling for a lamp the night before to write out the calling card, / Who knows whom he will see again at the vermilion gate?

5.113

Zhaozhou's cypress tree in front of the courtyard.

5.114

When questioned, knowing oneself there is no place to answer, / One instead takes the cypress tree as the front courtyard. / Swaying in the wind and tossing in the rain for years on end, / Unlike the pine roots, it has no fuling tuckahoe.

5.115

Liu Tiemo visits Guishan.

5.116

In the spring warmth, mountain peach blossoms turn red in succession; / Fluttering butterflies vie among the fragrant thickets. / Suddenly a gust of wild wind arrives, / Tumbling into the flowering branches without a trace.

5.117

Nanquan, Guizong, and Magu go together to pay homage to National Teacher Zhong.

5.118

Each taking their capital to do business, / The superior realm is like heaven, good for taking advantage of clear skies. / Before stepping out the door, first settling the account, / How could they reach the Phoenix City?

5.119

Danxia visits National Teacher Zhong, arriving while the Teacher was sleeping, and meets the attendant Danyuan.

5.120

Footprints have long avoided the Qin;
The cave gate is locked deep, spring on the ancient terrace.
Fallen blossoms only follow the flowing stream,
Yet already people come seeking fragrance and plucking greens.

5.121

Xuansha asked Jingqing: "Not seeing a single dharma is a great calamity."

5.122

Old Xue's gate is high, his sons and daughters abundant;
Moreover, he values deeply the ties of nature.
Managing the household and taking up his father's tasks seem alike,
Yet there are also those who crave the cup and fall among the weeds.

5.123

Xuansha visited Elder Fu of Taiyuan. He happened to be on the water pavilion drawing water. Sha said: "Look at each other." Fu said: "We have already met." Sha said: "In what kalpa did we once meet?" Fu said: "Do not doze off." Sha reported to Xuefeng: "I have seen right through him." Feng said: "How did you see through him?" Sha cited the previous words. Feng said: "You have been robbed by a thief."

5.124

The elephant king and the elephant calf follow each other closely;
People on the bank watch hoof tread upon hoof.
Nibbling fine fragrant grass, they know fullness and satiety;
Returning, they do not wait for the sun to sink low.

5.125

Yantou instructed the assembly: "Generally speaking, when preaching the teachings, they must flow forth from desirelessness. The three phrases are merely theoretical discourse. Biting off and holding fast, wishing to go yet not going, wishing to stay yet not staying, or at times going completely, or at times staying completely."

5.126

With three coins one buys a scoop net;
Dredging for clams and catching shrimp—how many years has it been?
Cease speaking of adversity and favor, short and long;
In whose house is the stove without smoke?

5.127

Because of the purge of Buddhism, Yantou spent the summer at the home of Gan Zhi. While he was mending robes, Zhi walked past. Yantou made a thrusting gesture with his needle. Zhi then adjusted his robes and was about to bow in thanks. His wife asked: "What are you doing?" Zhi said: "It cannot be spoken." His wife said: "Everyone should know as well." Zhi cited the previous words. His wife said: "Thirty years from now, you must know that every drink of water will bring a choke." Their daughter heard this and said: "Who would have known that the lives of everyone on the whole earth have been thrust away on the tip of Elder Huo's needle!"

5.128

At the third watch in the middle of the night they come begging for fire;
I scold you, and you scold me.
Calling and hailing each other, whether returning or not,
There are also those sitting naked in the grass.

5.129

Shitou was once asked by Yaoshan: "As for the Three Vehicles and the twelve divisions of the teachings, I have a rough understanding of them."

5.130

One layer of mountains, then another layer of clouds;
Having walked to heaven's end, the bitter hardship turns greater.
Suddenly returning home to sit in the room,
Fallen blossoms and crying birds are the very same spring.

5.131

Guishan said: "A hundred years after this old monk's passing, at the foot of the mountain in the dānapati's house, I will become a water buffalo."

5.132

Fearing that after a hundred years no one would know,
He still inscribed his name upon its left flank.
Entering the water, entering the mud, hard to herd,
Yangshan could only ride on half of it.

5.133

Guishan asked Yangshan: "Where have you come from?" Yangshan said: "I have come from the fields."

5.134

He must come three or five times a day;
Sometimes joyful, sometimes angry.
Changing heads and altering faces—do not doubt him;
Originally he is the person beneath the pointed-brim hat.

5.135

National Teacher Yan of Gushan instructed the assembly: "Under the gate of Gushan, no coughing is allowed."

5.136

An arrow through the distant sky reaches the ninefold city walls;
Old Xue's family style is fully renowned.
Hearing that the imperial guards proclaim the command,
Not a single person is permitted to walk by.

5.137

Upādhyāya Ju of Fahua visited Langya.

5.138

On the green plains the brocade pheasant calls;
In the green waters golden scales ripple.
How to find a guest from Ying,
To sing together of spring upon the terrace?

5.139

Xinghua was asked by a monk: "What happens when they come from all four quarters and eight directions?" Hua said: "Strike the one in the middle."

5.140

The smoke and dust north of the frontier are finally quiet for years;
Flowers and trees south of the river flourish through the four seasons.
There is no need to specially divide the boundaries;
Ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers are as flat as the palm of a hand.

5.141

Upādhyāya Cong of Dongshan once carried firewood up the mountain himself. On the road he met a monk who asked: "There is firewood on the mountain; why are you taking it up?" Dongshan put the firewood down on the ground and said: "Do you understand?" The monk said: "I do not understand." Dongshan said: "I want to burn it."

5.142

On this journey, do not plan when to return;
Going this way, you must reach Mount Wutai.
If you pass the place where Mañjuśrī emits light,
Earnestly record your return for me.

5.143

Yunmen instructed the assembly: "Split into two, divided into three—where is the nostril pinned? Bring it forth one by one for me to see!" He spoke on their behalf: "Upper, middle, lower."

5.144

In former years he once knocked at the gate of Muzhou;
Violating righteousness and forgetting gratitude, he took it as ordinary.
Hearing that his Wu accent has completely changed,
His speech sounds entirely like a barbarian from Guangnan.

5.145

Yunmen said: "On level ground, dead people are countless."

5.146

The sound is like ringing jade, heard in stillness;
Who would believe the recluse does not see the lord?
When blossoms reach the crabapple, they approach silence;
Yet embroidered robes are still perfumed with musk.

5.147

Dongshan eats fruit on a winter night.

5.148

Propping up heaven and supporting earth, black as lacquer;
Not distinguishing day from night, what thing is it?
Take it up and toss it into the cesspool;
In the midst of fire, the red lotus wafts fragrance.

5.149

Upādhyāya Zhan of Baofu was asked by a monk: "What words did Xuefeng have in his life that are like when an antelope hangs by its horns?" He said: "I cannot fail to be Xuefeng's disciple."

5.150

In his life, I wonder what words
Could be like when an antelope hangs by its horns?
When struck, all naturally dance in unison;
There is no need for Qiang flutes to blow across the clouds.

5.151

When a monk took his leave of Upādhyāya Zhen of Dasui, Sui asked: "Where are you going?" The monk said: "I am going to Mount Emei to pay homage to Samantabhadra." Sui held up his whisk and said: "Mañjuśrī and Samantabhadra are both right here." The monk drew a circle and threw it behind his back. Sui said: "Attendant, bring a packet of tea and give it to this monk."

5.152

Pervading ten thousand trees, the pear blossom rain;
Beside the frozen jade embankment, the water is about to flow.
In an instant the sun crow ascends Taibai;
At that moment, not a trace is to be seen.

5.153

Upādhyāya Gao of Fayun instructed the assembly: "In the third year of the Xining reign, this old monk's official registers were submitted in Fengxiang Prefecture. That year Mount Hua collapsed and sank, destroying homes over eighty li. How could you young eggplants and gourds know of this?"

5.154

Across the water, who is singing 'Bamboo Branch'?
Stirring human sentiments, extremely subtle and faint.
Late in the night, it shifts into the melody of the Chanyu;
The moon is bright, the wind is high, and listeners are rare.

5.155

Longji instructed the assembly: "Fully possessing the dharmas of an ordinary person, an ordinary person does not know it; fully possessing the dharmas of a sage, a sage does not understand it."

5.156

Rong Peak is ten thousand fathoms tall;
Before speaking, one's feet grow sour first.
If one does not climb by way of the clouds,
How could one know the coldness of the stars?

5.157

Bajiao instructed the assembly: "If you have a staff, I will give you a staff."

5.158

If you have one, it must be given face-to-face;
If he has none, snatch it away behind the back.
Suddenly at midnight it transforms into a dragon and departs,
With dark rain, avian winds, and earth-splitting thunder.

5.159

Upādhyāya Zhou of Guangde was asked by a monk: "I have received the teaching that says: 'Ajita does not sever afflictions and does not cultivate dhyāna, yet the Buddha predicted this person will attain Buddhahood without doubt.' What is this principle?" De said: "The salt is gone, and charcoal is also lacking." The monk said: "What happens when salt is gone and charcoal is lacking?" De said: "A sorrowful person should not speak to a sorrowful person; speaking to a sorrowful person worries one to death."

5.160

Withholding and releasing according to the time may have a standard,
Yet going out the door and entering the room is hard to debate.
You must arrive at the road to Chang'an;
Do not crouch in the grass in a remote village.

5.161

Zifu instructed the assembly: "Upon seeing Zifu's flagpole from across the river, turn back immediately."

5.162

Gazing upon the flagpole, you turn your head and leave;
Thirty blows to the heels are lightly paid.
People say that in the Lang Garden there are a thousand trees of blossoms;
They are not worth the twelve towers of the immortals.

5.163

Whenever Luzu saw a monk come to consult him, he would face the wall and sit.

5.164

The passion for streams and stones is incurable;
Chanting from the morning bell until the evening sun.
Natural verses are ultimately hard to attain;
How often before the wind has one knitted the brows in secret?

5.165

Master of the Mountain Xiu, Wukong, and Fayan were on itinerant pilgrimage and reached Dizang Cloister. Sheltering from rain and warming themselves by the fire, they spoke of the Way. Dizang came in to warm himself by the fire and asked: "Are the mountains, rivers, and the great earth identical with or different from the elder's self?" Xiu said: "Not different." Dizang held up two fingers and left.

5.166

How many kinds of talk beside the fire hearth?
At the same time, how does one view the self?
Straightaway standing up, he presented two fingers;
Mountains, rivers, and the great earth are pitch-black and vast.

5.167

Cuiyan, at the end of summer, instructed the assembly: "All summer long I have spoken east and talked west with the brothers."

5.168

To utter words, the mind must first be without shame;
To dispatch affairs, one must be guided by enduring principle.
Do not imitate the untrustworthy of the neighborhood,
Deliberating mistakenly from morning till night.

5.169

When Xuedou resided at Cuifeng, several monks arrived. Dou said: "New arrivals?" A monk said: "Yes." Dou said: "Go enter the hall." Just as the monk walked, Dou called again: "Come here, come here." The monk turned his head, and Dou said: "It is rare for monks to come to Dongting; I will give you a bowl of tea to drink."

5.170

The phrase upon entering the gate was already paid in advance;
Calling to leave and hailing to come is the second head.
Those who arrive here without knowing the flavor of the tea
Fuss in vain to buy passage on the Dongting boat.

5.171

Fenyang instructed the assembly: "If you recognize the staff, the matter of itinerant pilgrimage is finished."

5.172

Casually learning to slaughter dragons,
People say it is a waste of effort.
Unless one has personally arrived there,
It is hard to discuss failure and success with him.

5.173

Ciming was visited by Great Master Quan. Ming said: "A single cloud lies across the mouth of the valley."

5.174

One civil and one martial meet by chance;
Describing all the heroes, each is distinct.
Together they go to Chang'an to pay audience to the holy lord;
Their names will ultimately reach the hearing of Heaven.

5.175

Huanglong said in his room: "Chanting praises upon the bell tower."

5.176

The sound of praises atop the tower aids the sallow complexion;
Suddenly leaps forth an old tiger.
The ancient road extends far without obstruction;
With eyes like bells, who dares to step across?

5.177

Yangqi hosted a vegetarian feast on the anniversary of Ciming's death.

5.178

A stage of puppets carved of wood,
Half in divine form, half in ghostly form.
When the songs and drums cease and dawn has not yet broken,
There still remains the cold moon hanging on the sparse lattice.

5.179

Upādhyāya Duan of Baiyun said: "This matter is like the edge of a myriad-fathom cliff: everyone knows that if they let go of their hands they will crash to the bottom, yet they simply cannot give up their lives. Today Fahua, without moving a single hair-tip, causes everyone to go all the way to the bottom!" He threw down his staff.

5.180

When intending to let go of oneself from the perilous cliff,
Who, considering this, does not knit their brows?
Without moving a tip of a hair, one directly touches bottom,
And the eyelids burst open, covering Mount Sumeru.

5.181

Upādhyāya Baoning Yong instructed the assembly: "Old Śākya expounded the Dharma for forty-nine years, yet never spoke a single word. Upagupta filled his abbot's room with tallies, yet never delivered a single person. Bodhidharma did not dwell at Shaoshi; the Sixth Patriarch did not abide at Caoxi. Who are the descendants? Who are the foremost awakened?"

5.182

Warm mist softens the rich soil, and the people's spirits stir;
A single plow in the fresh rain breaks open spring cultivation.
The countryside stretches boundless and green without end,
As wild grasses and carefree flowers bloom one after another.

5.183

Because a monk asked Upādhyāya Wuzu Yan, "What is the matter under Linji?" Wuzu said, "A person of the five heinous deeds hearing thunder."

5.184

One of the five heinous deeds hearing thunder trembles with dread;
How usually would one dare proclaim it to others?
Ever since the sixty [blows] were lightly repaid,
The name of the donkey of Jibei was not transmitted in vain.

5.185

Because a monk asked Wuzu, "What is the Buddha?" Wuzu said, "The mouth is the gate of calamity."

5.186

Pits and trenches, precipitous and steep;
Once a single word is uttered, a four-horse chariot cannot overtake it.

5.187

Foyan instructed the assembly: "A thousand explanations or ten thousand explanations are not as good as seeing it face to face in person. Even if not spoken, it is naturally clear. The metaphor of the prince's precious sword, the metaphor of the blind men feeling the elephant, the matter of waving across the river in Chan study, the matter of meeting at Wangzhou Pavilion, and the matter at the cliffs deep in the mountains—these are all seen face to face in person; they do not lie in speech."

5.188

Rather than distinguishing between right and wrong in the human world,
Born muddled and turbid, one's eyes are merely like eyebrows.
Were it not for speaking of the affairs of that year,
How could they be known throughout myriad kalpas and thousands of autumns?

5.189

When Chan Master Huqiu Long visited Sixin, Sixin asked, "What kind of monk are you?" Qiu said, "An itinerant pilgrimage monk." Sixin said, "From what village monk are you, and what kind of donkey-legs or horse-legs are you walking on?" Qiu said, "What is the barbarian from Guangnan saying? Why not say it in a louder voice?" Sixin said, "You actually have a bit of the scent of a patch-robed monk." He then kept him to pass the summer.

5.190

In a traveler's lodging, feeling vainly despondent,
At the ends of heaven there are many old friends.
Fine sentiments find nowhere to be expressed,
Yet old conversations can be renewed.
Remnant snow has not yet melted on the stones;
Plum blossoms first break into spring.
Lingering about, there was indeed an accord,
Coming here to continue the fragrant dust.

Linked texts (1)

虛堂和尚語錄 — Classical Chinese