虛堂和尚語錄 8

English (machine translation) 8

Language: English

8.1

Continued Compilation of Venerable Xutang

8.2

Compiled by the Student Yiwen Wubu Faguang

When the Master appeared in the world, he first resided at Xingsheng Monastery in Jiaxing Prefecture. The prefectural invitation has already been printed in the previous collection; the county invitation was written by Prefect Lu Panyin:

8.4

"The Xingsheng place of the Way, the site where Xiaozong was born; the head monk of Lingyin, invited by the Prime Minister's official missive. Delighted by the contiguous shade of wall and bamboo, how would we dare delay the county's floral dispatch? We respectfully consider that the newly appointed elder, Chan Master Xutang, has hills and valleys in his breast, his footprints spanning rivers and lakes. In Old Xiao's face there was always a blade; how could he allow concealing the point or retracting the edge? Willing to take on freight in the boat at the alternate inlet, he certainly will not drag through water or trail through mud. If he is made to stage his performance on this spot, it will surely be unprecedented and unrepeatable. We pray he will yield to the congregation's request, quickly bestowing a visit. Loosening our belt to see Master Yuan off, though we laugh at the bluntness of our arrow's point; buying wine to lead Magistrate Tao along, how would we dare decline the covenant of the Lotus Society?"

8.5

Ascending the hall to thank the head of tree-planting, a monk asked: "The pine-planting practitioner borrowed a path through the Zhou family home and later became the Fifth Patriarch. What is the meaning of this?" The Master said: "A lantern climbs the wall up to Tiantai." The monk said: "Director You acted as the head of tree-planting for the two forests; what karmic reward does he obtain?" The Master said: "Telling you is not difficult either." The monk said: "If so, then the carp in the tree opens its mouth and laughs, and the stone turtle winks to become its neighbor." The Master said: "Do not indulge in delusions." The monk said: "If it is like this, what is the dead rush?" The Master said: "Why must you be given further admonitions?" The monk said: "I also want to plant a patch of trees, but no one has handed me the hoe yet." The Master said: "Why not just take it?" The monk said: "Thank you, Upādhyāya, for the hoe," and then bowed. The Master said: "Taking a little to be sufficient."

8.6

The Master then said: "Linji planted pines; Old Lu tread the pestle; Yangshan cleared fields for millet; Dizang cultivated the fields. They manifested a stretch of the patch-robed monk's family tradition, serving as standards for the monasteries for thousands of ages. Arriving here, why do the hairs of the Two Groves stand on end?" He struck with his whisk: "Passing through the place where the gibbons cry in the Ba Gorges, even hearts and livers of iron would be broken."

8.7

Ascending the hall: "A cat has the merit of drinking blood; a tiger has the virtue of raising corpses. How is it that you patch-robed monks have no monument or inscription? Clouds rising from the South Mountain and rain falling on the North Mountain can be set aside for now; why is it that peach blossoms can be red and plum blossoms can be white?"

8.8

Ascending the hall, he cited: "Nanquan instructed the assembly, saying: 'Old Master Wang is going to sell his body; is there anyone who will buy it?' A monk came forward and said: 'I will buy it.' Nanquan said: 'Not pricing it high, not pricing it cheap, how will you buy it?' The monk was speechless. Zhaozhou said: 'Next year I will make a cloth shirt for the Upādhyāya.'" The Master said: "Nanquan was pressed by this monk and was completely dead; Zhaozhou did his utmost, but having no way to save him, could only assist in mourning."

8.9

Ascending the hall on the Buddha's Birthday, a monk asked: "Making the lion's roar under the aśoka tree—that certainly occurred. But pointing to heaven and pointing to earth—was that really genuine?" The Master said: "Do not trust what is straight within the straight; you must beware of unbenevolent people." The monk said: "I settle the case based on the confession; why does the Upādhyāya hear thunder for the five rebellious sins?" The Master said: "A thief must be caught by a thief." The monk said: "If so, then on the eighth day of the fourth month he was never born, and on the fifteenth day of the second month he never perished." The Master said: "Not yet the ultimate rule." The monk said: "Before the assembly of humans and devas, I faithfully accept and uphold it." The Master said: "Chopping off the head to seek life."

8.10

The master then brought up [the following]: "Because a monk asked Caoshan, 'How was it before the Buddha appeared in the world?' Caoshan said, 'Caoshan is not as good.' The monk said, 'How about after he appeared in the world?' Caoshan said, 'Not as good as Caoshan.'" The master said, "Caoshan made his livelihood inside the eye of a needle, not fully discerning the yellow-faced old fellow. If someone were suddenly to ask Yuwang, I would just say to him: 'Lacquer bucket! In a short while we will bathe the Buddha; grip the ladle firmly!'"

8.11

Ascending the hall: "The moment they are asked, they all say, 'It is just this.' But when interrogated about its origins, five pairs out of ten do not know where it settles. Yuwang will subdue his majestic light and explain and annotate it once from the beginning for you." After a good while, he said, "Fine words cannot be fully spoken."

8.12

Informal gathering for entering the summer retreat: "The toothless old barbarian brought something without flavor across a hundred thousand miles, spreading it throughout the monasteries of the realm, causing each and every one not to look one another in the face, merely pushing through long periods and short periods. Suddenly bringing about an utter conclusion, they then kill the Buddha when seeing the Buddha, kill the patriarch when seeing the patriarch, and hearing of precepts, samādhi, and wisdom, they spit and revile without ceasing. Even though it is like this, does Yuwang have such a person this summer?" He struck his staff: "The tongue presses against the upper palate."

8.13

Ascending the hall: "The single character 'Buddha'—I do not like to hear it. A worldly person buys three pints of wine; better to pour molten copper down the mouth than to accept food from faithful people. In this ground there are no two taels of gold. If you understand, both do not form a pair; if not: 'The flowers must bloom through the night; / Do not wait for the morning breeze to blow.'"

8.14

Ascending the hall on the Dragon Boat Festival, a monk asked, "Mañjuśrī commanded Sudhana to gather medicine, and Sudhana said, 'There is nothing that is not medicine.' What is the meaning of this?" The master said, "Drawing out the wind-fallen lotus." The monk said, "Sudhana picked a blade of grass and handed it to Mañjuśrī; Mañjuśrī said, 'This medicine can kill people, and it can also bring people to life.' How about that?" The master said, "One person transmits a falsehood, and ten thousand transmit it as fact." The monk said, "This student is completely diseased; how can he be healed?" The master said, "Even the Buddha's hand cannot heal you."

8.15

The master then said: "This day is the festival of the Heavens' Center; good matters cannot go unsaid. A toothless Daoist spurts water and writes talismans; an arm-severed immortal points to emptiness and pinches mudrās; red eyes and smallpox are eradicated at once; only Xutang has seven indentations and eight bumps."

8.16

Ascending the hall: "The cow in Huaizhou eats grain, and the horse in Yizhou gets bloated bellies; searching throughout the realm for a physician, he applies moxibustion to the left shoulder of a pig. Upādhyāya Dushun: in the end it was difficult to take off his hawk-reeking hemp robe. Yuwang's eyebrows shatter Mount Sumeru, and his nostrils drink the great ocean dry. He also has one strong point: when meeting someone, he simply does not speak of it."

8.17

Ascending the hall: "Roaring and posturing like a lion cub—here I must also examine you; rustling and bustling like a sounding pole and grass shadow—here I must also doubt you. Although bean and wheat are not distinguished, what can be done about salt falling into bean paste?"

8.18

Ascending the hall for concluding the summer retreat, he took up his staff and said: "The practices and vows cultivated, the Dharma gates realized—each and every one is complete. Why is it that ever since entering the summer retreat, you have not known there are worms in the rice? If you can deliver a turning phrase, I will permit you to break up the harmonious saṃgha and shed the Buddha's blood; if not..." He struck his staff: "Only knowing that amidst the pounding blocks and pestles, / there is this person whose heart is broken."

8.19

Ascending the hall: "Believing books completely, you do not know the absence of books; recognizing a character is not as good as forgetting the character. The Nine Classics and the various philosophers are in vain mere embellishment; the entire Great Canon of teachings is all medicinal prescriptions. Clearly collecting taxes according to the goods, what need is there to deliberate? A flat leaf of a boat carries the Great Tang."

8.20

Ascending the hall, he brought up [the following]: "A monk asked Yunju, 'From what do the mountains, rivers, and great earth exist?' Yunju said, 'They exist from deluded thought.' The monk said, 'If I imagine a bar of gold, can I get it?' Yunju just rested." The master said, "Yunju only just rested, and this monk had nowhere to hide his body."

8.21

Ascending the hall on Mid-Autumn: "Lifting one step, light swallows the myriad forms; grasping one hair, shadows fall into a thousand rivers. Why is it that tonight people are often greedy to gaze at the heavens?" Striking his whisk, he said: "Just because it is extremely distinct, / on the contrary, it causes what is attained to be delayed."

8.22

Ascending the hall for opening the stove: "Knowing cold and knowing warmth is the second mechanism. What is the first mechanism?" He struck his staff: "You must not move; if you move, your face will be singed off."

8.23

Ascending the hall on the first day of an intercalary month to express thanks for wielding the whisk, a monk asked, "What kind of person is one who does not know the length of the months or the intercalation of the year?" The master said, "A first-rate clueless fellow." The monk said, "Tell me, what day is today?" The master said, "I do not know either." The monk said, "The old upādhyāya has also been driven topsy-turvy." The master said, "You cannot escape either." The monk said, "Yet what can be done about this student not entering this association?" The master said, "How could a retracting confession be permitted?" The monk said, "Xuansha did not go out over the mountain ridge, and Baoshou did not cross the river. Why did Shuanglin take in so many lacquer buckets this summer?" The master said, "Each one is like a hungry tiger plunging down a cliff; everyone is like the wind swaying lotus leaves." The monk said, "The upādhyāya's arm, in the end, does not bend outward."

8.24

The master then said: "The golden lancet scrapes away cataracts, but one's own sickness is hard to cure; a sharp sword brandishes in the air, but escaping tracks is beyond reach. How can that compare to picking up the whisk horizontally and subduing incoming capacities? Although killing and enlivening differ, their response has precision. What person attains this samādhi?" He struck his staff: "One, two, three; three, two, one."

8.25

Informal gathering on New Year's Eve, a monk asked, "A Chan pauper thinks morning and night, and arrives at the turning of the year. Beichan boiled the white ox on the open ground; what will Shuanglin use to divide the year?" The master said, "A diamond cage and a chestnut burr." The monk said, "That surpasses Beichan's family tradition by far." The master said, "How will you swallow it?" The monk said, "A hundred shattered fragments." The master said, "A second offense will not be tolerated." The monk said, "Fachang also said, 'Year-end snow connects to heaven in white, cold wind presses upon the doors in chill.' What about that?" The master said, "He too stands with folded hands behind Beichan." The monk said, "Let the upādhyāya produce a phrase surpassing Beichan and let us see." The master said, "Gold naturally has the price of gold." The monk said, "That too is buying a hat to match the head." The master said, "You tested it precisely."

8.26

The monk then said: "The ancient buddhas' family tradition coincides with the thirtieth night of the twelfth month; the ancestral masters' nose-rein—tomorrow will certainly be the dawn of the New Year. Shaking out the bowels of excrement to speak to him, the profound and wondrous mechanism was never secret from the start. For those who penetrate through, in the blink of an eye they know the price of rice in Shezhou; for those who are muddled, the old staff cannot turn their heads back. Comings and goings are pushed along by the twenty-four solar terms, sometimes just like a tiger watching a watermill. Who could manage them? Let them be scorched by the sun and blown by the wind. Even though it is like this, what is a phrase that does not involve the seasons?" Striking his whisk, he said: "The ridge plums first break open their jade; / The river willows have not yet shaken their gold."

8.27

He brought up again: "Because a monk asked an ancient worthy, 'How is it when the year is depleted and the months exhausted?' the worthy said, 'Old Wang in the eastern village burns spirit money at night.'" The master said, "Arriving at phenomena and arriving at principle, principle and phenomena mutually harmonize, completely understanding objects and self. In recent years, this mountain monk has been like water soaking the head: principle and phenomena cannot restrict him. If someone were suddenly to ask, 'How is it when the year is depleted and the months exhausted?' I would strike him along with his voice. Why? Because he does not even know that another year has been added."

8.28

Ascending the hall on the Buddha's birthday, a monk asked, "Two thousand years ago, the world was at peace; two thousand years later, wind and waves vie to arise. Although Yunmen had the mechanism of killing and giving life, he could not, after all, cut off his life-root. Today, the Buddhadharma is entrusted to Yuwang; I do not know how you will arrange it?" The master said, "Foul water splashed straight over the head." The monk said, "How does this differ from the various quarters?" The master said, "Today I lost advantage." The monk said, "What about his gazing in the four directions—what was the meaning?" The master said, "It has already fallen behind Dīpaṃkara." The monk said, "If so, then the yellow-faced old fellow cries out injustice behind everyone's back." The master said, "Doing what?" The monk said, "Choking with rage to death."

8.29

The master then said: "Walking seven steps around is still vague; / Pointing to heaven and pointing to earth is not clear. / Since right and wrong have fallen into the ears of bystanders, / Washing until the Year of the Donkey will not make it clean."

8.30

Ascending the hall, he brought up [the following]: "A monk asked Mazu, 'What is the Buddha?' Mazu said, 'Mind as it is.'" The master said, "Great Master Ma's single arrow piercing the heart: those it hits lose all news. Looking at it today, its sharp edge is completely gone."

8.31

Ascending the hall on a moonless Mid-Autumn, a monk asked, "When Mazu was enjoying the moon, [he asked], 'Right at such a time, how is it?' Xitang said, 'Just right for making offerings.' What is the meaning of this?" The master said, "Dig the ground and bury it deep." The monk said, "Baizhang said, 'Just right for cultivation.'" The master said, "A fine donkey-tethering peg." The monk said, "Nanquan shook his sleeves and simply walked off; what about that?" The master said, "After carrying off a handful of bones, who knows whose house the bright moon falls into?" The monk said, "Mazu said, 'The sūtras return to the canon (Zang); Chan returns to the sea (Hai); only Puyuan alone transcends beyond things.'" The master said, "Not picking up what is dropped on the road." The monk said, "If someone were to ask Yuwang, how would it be?" The master said, "Push and see." The monk bowed.

8.32

The master then said: "Light flies across the jade halls, and shadows fall into the autumn river—this is what people know exists. Why is it that Hanshanzi stretches out his hand without seeing his palm? If you understand: right on the night of the fifteenth, where is it not lovely?"

8.33

Ascending the hall on the Buddha's Parinirvāṇa, a monk asked, "The old fellow Śākya had not yet left Tuṣita before already descending to the royal palace. Why then was there birth and cessation?" The master said, "Were it not for your asking, how would the great assembly know?" The monk said, "Two thousand years have already passed; why is he still blazing brilliantly in the human world?" The master said, "Pointing to a deer and calling it a horse." The master then said: "Temporarily withdrawing the mechanism of transformation, he complied with that request of Pāpīyas; once more displaying skillful means, he manifested the purple-golden body. Thus one sees that today it exists, and tomorrow it is gone. Do you want to see the old fellow Śākya?" He struck his staff.

8.34

Ascending the hall, a monk asked, "Why did Xuansha not go out over the mountain ridge?" The master said, "Recognizing a thief as one's son." The monk said, "Why did Baoshou not cross the river?" The master said, "When people leave their home village, they are treated cheaply." The monk said, "Xuansha and Baoshou share the same wind over a thousand miles; why does the upādhyāya approve of one and not approve of the other?" The master said, "A barbarian drinking milk." The monk said, "Today this student confesses his own defeat." The master said, "Fish gills and bird beak." The monk said, "Xutang must also touch his forehead to the ground." The master said, "This old monk's practice is powerless."

8.35

The master then said: "The confusion and corruption of the Buddhadharma has never been worse than today. Usually I speak bitter words only so that you all will not be duped. If by chance it enters into your skull, it will be hard to get out in the end. For Erlin to give this announcement: the mouth is the gate of misfortune."

8.36

Ascending the hall: "What is urgent, you completely toss behind your back; what is not urgent, you constantly bring before your skull. Nowadays people blend them into one, calling it 'boundless fusion'—look at it like that for now; if not, for every drop of water and inch of thread, there will come a day to pay back."

8.37

Ascending the hall, a monk asked: "Deshan carried his bowl and returned to the abbot's quarters; what was the meaning?" The master said: "Buying high and selling low." The monk said: "Yantou said, 'That old fellow has not yet understood the last word.' What about that?" The master said: "Striking the gavel for silence in a noisy market." The monk said: "Deshan asked Yantou, 'Do you not approve of this old monk?' Yantou secretly disclosed his meaning; what about that?" The master said: "Ghosts pound grain; the Buddha leaps over the wall." The monk said: "The next day Deshan ascended the hall, and it was indeed unlike ordinary times. Yantou clapped his hands and laughed loudly, saying, 'How wonderful that the old fellow understands the last word!' What about that?" The master said: "A sword wound is easily healed; harsh words are hard to dispel." The monk said: "What is the last word?" The master said: "Are you examining Yantou, or examining this old monk?" The monk said: "Paper is dear in Yiwu; having accepted the verdict, I withdraw." The master said: "Bizarre power and chaotic spirits."

8.38

The master then said: "Carving sand and engraving jade, cutting through iron and severing nails—put it away and let it lie in a cold spot. Why? In times of great peace, one must not deceive people's sons and daughters."

8.39

On the Buddha's nirvāṇa, ascending the hall, a monk asked: "The Dharma-body is unconditioned and does not fall into numbers; why is there birth and cessation?" The master said: "Who does not know that?" The monk said: "'If one sees me by form,' it is like a speck of dust in the vast emptiness." The master said: "Let him leap about as he pleases." The monk said: "What fault did old Śākya have, that he did not reveal the slightest news?" The master said: "When the bright moon shines at night, many draw their swords." The monk said: "One only hears the wind passing through the bamboo, unaware that snow blankets the mountain." The master said: "Knowing a fault, one must correct it."

8.40

The master then said: "The yellow-faced old fellow rubs shoulders and bumps heels with everyone every day without the slightest interruption; why call this morning his entering extinction? If you see clearly, gratitude has its source; if not, inside the Buddha hall you just pick yourself up and knock yourself down."

8.41

Ascending the hall to thank the monastic officers, a monk asked: "There are people on the east side and people on the west side; what about the middle?" The master said: "A dot as black as lacquer." The monk said: "How glad I am that Xutang takes up my word." The master said: "This old monk has always been a Liuxia Hui." The monk said: "If suddenly there is one who does not distinguish east from west nor north from south, would you still use him or not?" The master said: "How could I not use him?" The monk said: "What would you use him for?" The master said: "To tear down the eastern fence and patch the western screen." The monk said: "He may truly be called a patch-robed monk who has finished the business." The master said: "You must not interrupt."

8.42

The master then said: "On the day Ajita practiced the Way, transformation Buddhas of other realms all came to assemble. Xutang has meager conditions and a Way inferior to the ancients; blowing my own pipe and clapping my own beat, I pass the time according to my lot. Those with whom I associate are none of them good assistants: gouging out Mañjuśrī's eyes, breaking Samantabhadra's shins, smashing Vimalakīrti's seat, burning Kāśyapa's robe—such a crowd is hard to get close to. Why? They only know to subdue themselves and yield to others, unaware that when the lips are gone, the teeth turn cold."

8.43

On the Buddha's nirvāṇa, ascending the hall: "Gṛdhrakūṭa collapses; the vairambha wind rises. The good beat their breasts and weep; the mara armies stamp their feet and rejoice. Loving him, they wish him to live; hating him, they wish him to die—how could this be limited to two thousand years ago? In the countryside the spring breeze brings blossoms into full glory; on the branch the yellow oriole speaks distinctly."

8.44

Offering incense on the memorial day of Great Master Yuanjue: "Crossing the river, the wind leans on green reed tips; deep in the night in the golden palace, people remember him. In this land and the Western Heaven it could not be sold; throughout eternity it has become a scattered mess. On this day in the auspicious month when the calendar-plant unfurls five leaves, who says he concealed his light and hid his traces? By the incense burner and tea bowl, recalling his lingering sound—plainly face to face, they do not recognize each other."

8.45

Senior Monk Yuan of Chongfu in Quanzhou arrived. Ascending the hall, [the master] cited: "Upādhyāya Yangqi said: 'Drawing in his neck, he sighs in secret.' Baiyun then said: 'Much like treating a goiter just before the wedding: suddenly flustered, at a loss what to do.' Wuzu also said: 'Walking without taking a step, speaking in a low voice; the nostrils are still empty and prominent.' Through to Yuanwu, Huqiu, Ying'an, Mi'an, Songyuan, and Yun'an, all struck jade and rang gold, mastering this family tradition. Is there anyone who can step into this lineage?" Striking with his staff: "Dragons and snakes are easy to distinguish, but patch-robed monks are hard to deceive."

8.46

Ascending the hall: "Striking one and knocking down two; throughout boundless lands, gathered into a single hair and released, taking up two and three; standing on one foot atop a ten-thousand-fathom peak. Where words cannot reach, piercing through the demon king's nostrils; before food reaches the mouth, choking off the patch-robed monk's throat. The lanterns and bare pillars secretly knit their brows; the wooden horse and stone man run upside down. Since there is such wondrous function, such extraordinary wonder, then King Aśoka's gate has not fallen into desolation. Why?" Striking with his whisk, he said: "Let future descendants cease their idle thoughts; the partridge does not call for the spring breeze."

8.47

Ascending the hall: "The sounding of bells and drums can regulate ritual and music; the balance of scales can determine drams and ounces. Yet we bhikṣus, as disciples of the Buddha, possess the Way and virtue, benevolence and righteousness. The summer retreat has already been entered for a month, yet karmic consciousness is vast and boundless, entirely beyond our own control; how lamentable indeed! Suddenly there is one with teeth like a grove of swords and a mouth like a basin of blood, who comes forth shouting immediately, slapping without hesitation. This old monk says, 'Hold on a moment, I am seventy-seven this year; grant me some leeway.' That fellow turns his head, takes a glance, laughs coldly, and walks away. Now tell me, what was he laughing at?" Striking with his staff: "'She threw me a peach, and I requited her with a fine gem.'"

8.48

Ascending the hall, [the master] cited: "Before Xinghua appeared in the world, he often said: 'I made a round of itinerant pilgrimage in the south, and the tip of my staff never once stirred up anyone who understood the Buddha Dharma.' Dajue heard of this and said: 'When will the wind of karma blow him into Dajue's gate?' One day Xinghua indeed arrived, and Dajue invited him to serve as monastery director. One day Dajue called out to the director: 'I hear you say that when on itinerant pilgrimage in the south, the tip of your staff never once stirred up anyone who understood the Buddha Dharma; what kind of eye do you possess?' Xinghua then shouted. Dajue took up his stick; Xinghua hesitated, and Dajue struck him. Xinghua shouted again, and Dajue struck him again. The next day, Xinghua passed in front of the Dharma hall; Dajue called the director: 'I have had continuous doubts about your two shouts yesterday; explain them to me.' Xinghua said: 'At Sansheng's place, I attained a phrase on guest and host, which was completely broken down by senior brother; I beg for an entry into peace and happiness.' Dajue said: 'This blind fellow, coming here to confess defeat!' Stripping off his monk's robe, he gave him a sound beating. Under Dajue's stick, Xinghua was suddenly enlightened and said: 'Only today do I know the meaning of the late master receiving the stick at Huangbo's place.'" The master said: "Taking a step from the top of a hundred-foot pole is not yet considered perilous; at that time, if the tip of Dajue's stick had lacked an active eye, Xinghua would not have managed to see the place of Linji's enlightenment either. Recently there is a sort of blind ass that does not distinguish fine from coarse, only shouting wildly and recklessly."

8.49

Ascending the hall: "Morning after morning is similar, day after day the same. Enjoying it ready-made is difficult among difficulties. For this reason I reflect: Linji slapping Huangbo—how does it compare to Huating holding the fishing pole?"

8.50

Expressing thanks to Upādhyāya Ruiyan, ascending the hall: "Intending to meet, one does not come; without intention, they suddenly encounter each other. The hair on his crown hangs like threads, his eyes gleam like lightning. He speaks exhaustively of the winds and waves of lakes and seas, and deliberates on the dearness of firewood and rice. There is yet another point known to few." Striking with his whisk: "It is also adding eyebrows above the eyes once again."

8.51

Ascending the hall: "Deshan enters the door and immediately strikes; Linji enters the door and immediately shouts; Xutang enters the door and immediately scolds. When Deshan enters the door and immediately strikes, can you call it striking? When Linji enters the door and immediately shouts, can you call it shouting? When Xutang enters the door and immediately scolds, can you call it scolding? Since it cannot be called striking, cannot be called shouting, and cannot be called scolding, what after all can it be called?" Striking with his whisk: "All my life my whole heart has been poured out to people, yet those who know me are as if they knew me not."

8.52

Informal gathering on a winter night: "'When the host of yins is completely peeled away, the one yang arises; once again one sees Dongshan walking upon the water.' Coldly laughing at the talkative old Yunmen, who nevertheless comes at midday to strike the third watch. If you can see it like this: Old Hao's cloth trousers were not left unwashed, but he had no change of clothes; Jingqing's sleeping mat was not left unrolled, but he had no such idle time. Look at the ancients: through ninety-nine and a hundred hardships, what kind of face and mouth did they achieve?" Striking with his staff: "First rhyme dong, second rhyme dong; fold your hands before your chest."

8.53

Ascending the hall, [the master] cited: "When Chan Master Yunfeng Yue first studied under Dayu, [Dayu] instructed the assembly: 'Everyone gathers together to eat a stalk of pickled vegetable; if you call it a stalk of pickled vegetable, you enter hell like an arrow shot.' Feng considered this extraordinary and sought to enter the hall. Later he went to the abbot's quarters to request instruction. Zhi said: 'The Buddha Dharma will not rot away. I have no leisure even to endure the cold; how would I have leisure to explain the Buddha Dharma for you? Go and solicit charcoal for a while.' When he returned, he requested instruction again; Zhi said: 'The Buddha Dharma will not rot away. I have no leisure even to endure hunger; how would I have leisure to explain the Buddha Dharma for you? Go out with the almsbowl again.' On the day he returned, he went again to the abbot's quarters to request instruction; Zhi said: 'The Buddha Dharma will not rot away. The hall office is short of staff; serve as the karmadāna for me for a while.' Suddenly one day, behind the monks' hall, seeing a bucket hoop burst open, he had an awakening. Rushing to the abbot's quarters, Zhi met him with a smile, saying: 'Karmadāna! What a joy that the great matter is finished!' [Yunfeng] bowed twice, broke into a sweat, and hurried out without a word." The master took this up and said: "Without applying needle or moxibustion, Dayu cured Yunfeng's illness from deep within. Later people are not clear under the pointing finger, and only look at the place where medicine and sickness treat each other."

8.54

The master arrived at Rufeng. The assembly requested him to ascend the hall: "Beneath Xuedou's gate, all are of superior capacity and sharp faculties. Approaching them, one's hair stands on end; gazing at them, one's spirit becomes bewildered. Arriving here, who dares carelessly communicate news? Fortunately meeting the Old Man of the Western River on the dais, who is one of the household, I cannot avoid borrowing the wind to hoist the sail. Therefore it is said: 'Meeting a companion of the Way on the road, crossing shoulders as you pass, the lifetime's work of study is completed.' Even though it is like this, tell me: when those of superior capacity and sharp faculties whose study is completed meet, how do they encounter each other?" Striking with his staff: "Before the Brocade Mirror Pavilion, the wind is biting; atop the solitary peak of Miaogao, the snow is vast."

8.55

While residing at Jiufeng Pagoda on Lingyin, the master cut off worldly conventions. Patch-robed monks requested instruction, so he set forth three questions to instruct them, ordering each to add a capping phrase.

8.56

First: Why does one whose own eye is not yet clear take empty space and wear it as cloth trousers?

8.57

Second: Why can one who draws a circle on the ground for a prison not penetrate this?

8.58

Third: Why does one who enters the ocean to count the grains of sand stand on tiptoe atop the point of a needle?

8.59

Later Record of the Jingci Bao'en Guangxiao Chan Monastery in Lin'an Prefecture

8.60

Compiled by the studying monks Daozhun, Xihui, and Shaoxian

8.61

Ascending the hall, a monk asked, "How was it when Huangbo hit Linji?" The Master said, "Forcing a living silkworm into a cocoon." The monk said, "How was it when Linji slapped Huangbo?" The Master said, "Enacting spring mandates in winter." The monk said, "If so, then Huangbo and Linji are both blind rascals." The Master said, "After so many years, Huangbo and Linji only today meet someone who knows their tune." The monk said, "What fault do Huangbo and Linji have?" The Master said, "Like a turtle bearing a diagram on its back." The monk said, "In this, is there still gain and loss or not?" The Master said, "Having taken the blows of the staff, listen to the confession." The monk said, "If it is like this, then the upādhyāya is also a blind rascal." He then bowed. The Master said, "This household has no servant-boy."

8.62

The Master then said: "The inspection of ears and eyes is insufficient to distinguish the nature of things; the discussions of sentiment and consciousness are insufficient to determine merits. Since this mountain monk entered this monastery, every day I have been bustling about in this way, having no leisure even to catch my breath—how could I have any leisure to distinguish the nature of things or determine merits?" Striking with his whisk, he said: "Having observed the pure fast from youth, I am now old; / Seeing guests, I lack the strength to step down from the meditation bench."

8.63

Ascending the hall on the Buddha's nirvāṇa day, he cited: "When the World-Honoured One was about to enter nirvāṇa, before the assembly of humans and devas, he stroked his chest with his hand and universally addressed the great assembly: 'You must carefully observe my body of purple-tinged gold. Today it exists, tomorrow it will be no more. Look upon it and be satisfied; do not allow regret later.'" The Master said: "If this mountain monk had been in the assembly at that time, I would only have said in a low voice: 'World-Honoured One! Take your winnowing basket and pound [grain] elsewhere.' If one could make this turning word, it would have saved today's fuss."

8.64

Ascending the hall: "Recognising the mind and reaching the fundamental is looking at the sky while sitting in a well. Exhausting principles and exploring nature to the utmost is scooping the moon out of water. Even if you step past these two checkpoints and for a while borrow someone else's nostrils to breathe through in walking, standing, sitting, and lying down—even if you go straight on like this, you still fall into the four sicknesses of Perfect Enlightenment. How can one attain independent liberation without reliance?" Striking his staff, he said: "I long remember the third month south of the river: / Where the partridge cries, all the flowers are fragrant."

8.65

Ascending the hall, he cited: "Chan Master Duanji once traveled to Mount Tiantai with an extraordinary monk. After walking for several days, they encountered a swollen river and could not cross. They stood with their walking staffs for a long while. The extraordinary monk used his bamboo hat as a boat, stepped onto it, and floated across. Duanji said, 'Had I known you earlier, I would have broken your shins; that would have been delightful!' The extraordinary monk sighed and said, 'A person of the Way is fierce and sharp; I cannot match him.'" The Master said: "A person of the Way is fierce and sharp, hard to approach; / Tossing a hat into midstream tests an adept. / Remembering that lofty man of old—where did he go? / Late at night, accompanied by the moon, he crossed the level sands."

8.66

Ascending the hall in gratitude to the new Upādhyāya Chengtian: "When Mount Tai collapses, one can rely on Juling; when the string's sound breaks, it can be rejoined with phoenix glue. Looking at these end-times, the authentic lineage was about to sink; without a bean bursting from cold ashes, how could Yunfeng's flesh stay warm? Thus Master-Ancestor Songyuan said: 'A broom stump ruined for many years: / Casually picked up, it settles the ancestral guidelines. / Such a standard is naturally distinct, / Unlike the reckless fellows of every quarter.' This was the old man's indignation. Today, before the assembly of humans and devas, I entrust it to Upādhyāya Shifan to broadly propagate the fragrant model by the walls of Gusu City, so that patch-robed monks of the world may know of the genuine continuation of Dongshan."

8.67

Ascending the hall, he cited: "Upādhyāya Wuzhuo was delivering offerings to Mount Tai and met Mañjuśrī coming to welcome him, saying, 'From what direction has the Venerable come?' Wuzhuo said, 'From the south.' Mañjuśrī said, 'In the south, how is the Buddha-Dharma maintained?' Wuzhuo said, 'Monks in the degenerate age rarely uphold the monastic precepts.' Mañjuśrī said, 'How large is the assembly?' Wuzhuo said, 'Perhaps three hundred, perhaps five hundred.' Wuzhuo then asked, 'How does the upādhyāya maintain things here?' Mañjuśrī said, 'Commoners and sages dwell together; dragons and snakes mingle.' He asked again, 'How large is the assembly?' Mañjuśrī said, 'The front three-three, the back three-three.'" The Master brought this up and said: "At that time Wuzhuo should have pressed him hard, saying, 'How many is that?' and waited for him to hesitate to give him a shout. Having let it pass then, now it turns out unsettled. If someone suddenly asks how Nanshan maintains things, I point to the sky with a finger to show them. If they ask how large the assembly is, I point to the earth with a finger to show them. When they hesitate, I also give them a shout. Why?" Striking with his whisk, he said: "The sword leaves the precious scabbard on account of injustice; / The medicine comes forth from the golden flask to cure disease."

8.68

Ascending the hall on the Buddha's birthday: "When the World-Honoured One was first born, pointing separately to heaven and earth, he said: 'Above heaven and below heaven, I alone am supreme.' This too was like finding tin in the middle of the night. Later, Great Master Yunmen said: 'Had I seen him then, I would have struck him dead with one blow of a staff to feed the dogs, hoping for peace in the world.' Presenting offerings to the Buddha does not require much incense. Today Nanshan wants to vent his indignation for the yellow-faced old fellow." Striking his staff, he said: "When the feather of a zhen bird falls into the water, fish and turtles die."

8.69

Ascending the hall on entering the summer retreat, he took up his staff and said: "This staff, having rested in quiet for long, thinks of action; it wants to come out to display the strict regulations of the ancient Buddhas from two thousand years ago, desiring to test the patch-robed monks' ninety days of effort—looking left and glancing right, chanting in the morning and contemplating in the evening, seeing to it that entering the forest one does not stir the grass, and entering the water one does not stir waves, in order to manifest the virtue of following others in itinerant pilgrimage." Striking his staff, he said: "Staff, as for the Dharma essentials spoken of by those above, Nanshan will follow every one of them for the nine weeks of summer; you too must hold fast before you can succeed."

8.70

Ascending the hall at mid-summer, striking his staff: "Standing on one foot for seven days, Zan-di-sha still did not know it himself; the Great Master, the Fourth Patriarch, for sixty years his ribs did not touch the mat—how did he ever understand? All of you dragons and elephants before me: the first forty-five days have already been let pass, what about the latter forty-five days? If suddenly someone with burst eyelids comes forward and says, 'I request the Master to reward my labour,' I would only say to him: 'With three strings of donation money and three flavours of food, / We invite each other, taking hands to climb the high tower.'"

8.71

Ascending the hall, he cited: "Zhaozhou asked a monk, 'Where have you come from?' The monk said, 'Xuefeng.' Zhaozhou said, 'What phrases did Xuefeng instruct disciples with recently?' The monk said, 'The Great Master said: "The entire great earth is a single eye of a śramaṇa; where are all of you going to defecate?"' Zhaozhou said, 'Did anyone give a reply?' The monk said, 'No one yet.' Zhaozhou said, 'If you cross the mountain pass, send a shovel for me.'" The Master said: "Zhaozhou traded a sweet peach for a sour pear. If someone asks Jingci, 'What phrases do you instruct disciples with?' I would only say to him: 'You have good nerve asking me; if you asked someone else, they would hit your mouth askew.'"

8.72

Ascending the hall, he took up his staff and said: "When Upādhyāya Shoushan ascended the hall, Fenyang came forward from the assembly and said: 'When Baizhang rolled up the mat, what was the meaning?' Shoushan said: 'The dragon sleeve brushes open, fully revealing the whole body.' Fenyang said: 'What is the meaning?' Shoushan said: 'Where the elephant king walks, fox tracks are cut off.' At this Fenyang had a great awakening and said: 'The moon in the open sky over the eternal green pool: / Only after fishing it out three times should one know.' He bowed and withdrew. At that time Upādhyāya Sheng of Yexian was the head monk; he asked Brother Zhao: 'What did you see just now that made you bow?' Fenyang said: 'It was precisely the place where I cast off my body and gave up my life.'" The Master struck his staff: "The male and female phoenix give birth to a yuezhuo; / The lion produces a suanni."

8.73

At the informal gathering concluding the summer retreat: "Whistling up the wind and snapping the fingers, as if no one were around, congregating in hundreds, not subject to the king's governance—yet when it comes to commending achievements and rewarding labour, it is just like seizing things in the dark. If among them there are one or two who know cause and discern effect, holding it atop their brows and not daring to wander off carelessly, yet if they suddenly slip and trample an ant to death, their huatou will not be complete. Just like when the Butcher of Wide Forehead in the Western Heaven laid down his butcher's knife, saying, 'I am one among the thousand Buddhas'—what then? If someone comes forward and can give a turning word, it will surely guarantee that fragrant rice is steamed in a separate cauldron."

8.74

He cited again: "Upādhyāya Wuzu Yan said: 'Mine here is leather-basket Chan: when dropped from empty space, it still bounces a few times, unlike the glass-jar Chan of other places.'" The Master said: "Wuzu was an old hand with old shoulders; Jingci's chicken-skin drum needs no heavy beat. Some fellows might say: 'Xutang is old and his heart is lonely.' Little do they know: the rich begrudge a thousand mouths as too few; the poor resent having even a single body."

8.75

The next day, ascending the hall, he cited: "The gong'an of Guishan asking Yangshan: 'You did not come up for an entire summer.'" The Master brought this up and said: "Guishan's family tradition was strict, but Yangshan should not have uttered the ancestor's taboo name; even now it is unsettled. If you understand, this summer retreat has not been spent in vain; if not, the road ahead is perilous, so each of you must take care."

8.76

Ascending the hall in gratitude to the incoming and outgoing administrative officers and overseers of the harvest: "Advancement and withdrawal have their norms; appointments and promotions are special. Advancing is like green mountains and white clouds opening and shutting at will; withdrawing is like autumn rising in cliffs and gorges, serene and deeply silent. You must know that advancing and withdrawing are uniform; naturally harmonious energy will be abundant. Just take the sickle for cutting grain: how many patriarchs' heads has it reaped? Come forward and give a bit of news to see!"

8.77

Ascending the hall, he cited: "Upādhyāya Daowu, because a monk asked, 'Why are the traces of a bodhisattva without supernatural powers difficult to seek?' Daowu said, 'Only those of the same Path know.' The monk said, 'Does the upādhyāya know?' Daowu said, 'I do not know.' The monk said, 'Why do you not know?' Daowu said, 'Be gone, you do not understand my words.'" The Master said: "The two words 'not know' already cut off this monk's throat; for no reason, compassion was harmed for the sake of things, and sharp edges were secretly exposed. If someone suddenly asks Nanshan, 'Why are the traces of a bodhisattva without supernatural powers difficult to seek?' I will take up my staff and strike. Why? This old monk has never meddled in other people's idle business."

8.78

Ascending the hall at Mid-Autumn: "Sometimes hidden, sometimes manifest, with wanes and waxes, it serves as the impartial mirror in the sky, and is truly a lantern illuminating the night for the human world. Usually people mostly talk about the fifteenth night, but tonight it is exceptionally bright. Although that is so, it is what Gushan said."

8.79

Ascending the hall in gratitude to the monastery officers: "On a boat there is no idle worker; steering has its proper station. Those handling poles handle poles; those working oars work oars. Confronting waves and braving the wind, heaven and earth are broad; coming and going, there is no obstruction between east and west shores. Why so?" Striking with his whisk, he said: "The companions are the right people."

8.80

Ascending the hall, he cited: "Yaoshan asked Shitou: 'I have a rough knowledge of the three vehicles and the twelve divisions of the teachings. I have often heard that in the south they point directly to the human mind, seeing one's nature to become a Buddha. Truly I have not understood this; I prostrate and pray that the upādhyāya, with compassion, will instruct me.' Shitou said: 'Thus will not do; not thus will not do; thus and not thus both altogether will not do. What about you?' Yaoshan fell into thought. Shitou said: 'Your causal conditions are not here. In Jiangxi is Master Ma; you should go there, and he should explain it for you.' Yaoshan arrived there and asked just as before. Mazu said: 'Sometimes I make him raise his eyebrows and blink his eyes; sometimes I do not make him raise his eyebrows and blink his eyes. Sometimes making him raise his eyebrows and blink his eyes is it; sometimes making him raise his eyebrows and blink his eyes is not it.' Yaoshan was awakened at this and bowed. Mazu said: 'What principle did you see?' Yaoshan said: 'When I was at Shitou's, it was like a mosquito on an iron ox.'" The Master said: "Tucking Mount Tai under one's arm and leaping over the northern sea is not considered difficult; using tasteless words to block people's mouths is difficult. Even so, through what did Yaoshan awaken?" He struck with his staff.

8.81

Ascending the hall, he cited: "Because a monk asked Yunmen, 'If one kills father and kills mother, one repents before the Buddha; if one kills the Buddha and kills the patriarchs, where does one repent?' Yunmen said: 'Exposed.' If someone suddenly asks Jingci, I would only say to him: 'Known.' Does that tally, or not?" He further said: "Yunmen exposed, Jingci known; the steelyard is always in hand, never letting the beam drop low."

8.82

Opening the stove, he ascended the hall to give thanks for the bestowal of funds to reroof the Saṅgha hall: "Fish-scaled mandarin-duck tiles put an end to leakage in the hall of withered wood; a blazing red furnace brings back the warm season beneath the patch-robed monks' robes. Now we can sit and forget the empty eon, striving to investigate the mind lineage, letting yellow leaves pile like clouds, spared from frost winds announcing the dawn. Beautiful gold and Kunlun jade descended from the Ninefold Sovereign. In sitting, lying, and walking meditation, we raise our heads and wear this beneficence."

8.83

On the memorial anniversary of the Great Master Bodhidharma, offering incense: "'I am Heaven, you are a dog'—his spiritual mechanism and mighty eloquence, none could oppose his vanguard. At the courts of Wei and the gardens of Liang, in withered meditation facing the wall, he was able to conceal all his functions. Wearing the wordless seal of the Western Heaven, conveying the un-transmitted robe of the Eastern Land, he led someone astray into severing an arm to pacify the mind, and so brought about a mouth with missing teeth. His voice and countenance grow ever more distant; this taboo day has arrived. Lamenting that in the degenerate age the true lineage is about to sink, mindful of his lingering light, I briefly set out this meager offering. At this good month, I deeply light the censer's fragrance."

8.84

Ascending the hall: "Earnest advice diminishes your virtue; wordlessness truly has merit. Though you let the blue sea change, to the end I will not make a way through for you. Laughable, laughable—to enter the mud and water like this! The mouth of Nanshan is like a pillar base; all of you must also recognize it."

8.85

Giving thanks for the bestowed fields, he ascended the hall: "Eight households make a well; the character 'ten' adds a border. Everyone knows that spiritual sprouts and rare grasses grow forth from the earth; why, upon picking up a spoon and setting down chopsticks, do they miss it instead? The four commanderies and nine districts together contribute their merit in one place; boiling fragrance in a separate steamer is simply for making a universal offering. The Ninefold Sovereign sends down an imperial decree, known throughout the entire nation. How will genuine patch-robed monks repay it?" He struck with his staff: "'Walking to where the water ends, sitting to watch when clouds arise.'"

First 85 of 117 passages. Read on

Linked texts (1)

虛堂和尚語錄 — Classical Chinese