宏智禪師廣錄 2

English (machine translation) 2

Language: English

2.1

Preface to Reverend Jue of Changlu's Collection of Verses on Antiquity and Pick-ups on Antiquity

Now, ultimate principle transcends the levels of name and form; true wisdom surpasses the reach of thought and deliberation. Buddhas and patriarchs seal one another mind to mind; leaves and flowers wonderfully adorn the root. Their gates and courtyards are precipitous and lofty, rising like steep cliffs, each inheriting their tradition; their branches and streams diverge far and wide, yet the vast branching flows ultimately return to the sea. They entrust differentiation to the staff and whisk, and conduct forging and refining in the furnace and anvil. The Way is entrusted to such a person! Broad is the chest that swallows and takes in all. The spirit responds to whoever seeks a vessel; they possess the methods of transformation. Serving as a divination tortoise for myriad generations, Mingjue first raised the chant before them; pursuing the thousand-mile stallion's roaming, who follows in his footsteps behind?

2.3

The venerable master of Changlu gathered two hundred encounter dialogues of ancient worthies, composing verses to proclaim their significance and raising their points to revitalise their essential guidelines. He raised high the radiance of the two seats by the banks of the Huai, following in the footsteps of Xuedou from a hundred years before. Blossoming into spring's mood, the east wind is warm and the mountains are cloaked in brocade clouds; settling into autumn's countenance, the midnight is cold and the waters harbour the jade moon. In letting go and snatching away there are standards; what mind is there for grasping or rejecting? Cutting away tangled brush to open the correct path, the verses reveal the ancient masters' dedicated effort. Thundering with lightning to break open the hibernators' dens, raising their points manifests the complete functioning of this matter. Meticulously harmonising and tallying, circle and square fully coincide; mortise and tenon never err, the axe leaves no mark. Winding and interconnecting, like an ant threading a pearl on a silk cord; hovering and adhering to each other, like clouds and dragons bringing down rain. The clump of red flesh alone exposes the true and constant; the skull's eye completely drains leaking consciousness. The point of an arrow and the box's lid; the shadow grass and the probing pole. Stripped of merits, the kalpa of emptiness is no home; bestowing expedient means, the entire body is hands. Washing and polishing the luan-bird mirror, the clear breeze disperses the mist of Yunmeng; splicing the phoenix strings, elegant melodies play the tune of the Snow Tower. The Chan practitioner Farun gathered them into a volume; the junior Sizong wrote this preface as an introduction. Written on the day of Pravāraṇā, the third year of the Jianyan era.

2.4

Verses on Ancient Cases by the Venerable Master Zhengjue of Puzhao in Sizhou

2.5

Compiled by the Attendants Farun and Xinwu

2.6

Case: One day the World-Honoured One ascended the seat. Mañjuśrī struck the gavel and said, "Clearly observe the Dharma of the Dharma King; the Dharma of the Dharma King is like this." The World-Honoured One then stepped down from the seat. The verse says:

2.7

A stretch of true style—do you see it?
Continuously, the mother of transformation works the loom's shuttle,
Weaving ancient brocade that holds the images of spring.
What can be done about the Lord of the East leaking its secrets?

2.8

Case: Emperor Wu of the Liang asked Master Bodhidharma, "What is the prime meaning of the holy truths?" Bodhidharma said, "Vast and open, nothing holy." The emperor said, "Who is facing Us?" Bodhidharma said, "I do not know." The emperor did not understand. Bodhidharma then crossed the river and went to Shaolin, where he faced the wall for nine years. The verse says:

2.9

"Vast and open, nothing holy"—
The responding dynamism comes forth straight and erect.
Gaining: not striking the nose while wielding the axe;
Losing: not turning the head when the pot falls.
Solitary, sitting coldly at Shaolin,
Silently, fully putting forth the upright command.
Autumn is clear, the moon turns its frosty wheel;
The River is pale, the Dipper hangs its nightly handle.
Continuously robe and bowl are entrusted to sons and grandsons—
From this, people and devas have turned medicine into disease.

2.10

Case: The king of an eastern Indian realm invited the twenty-seventh patriarch, Prajñātāra, to a meal. The king asked, "Why do you not read the scriptures?" The patriarch said, "This poor monk's in-breath does not abide in the skandhas and dhātus; the out-breath does not involve the many conditions. Constantly do I turn such a scripture—hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of fascicles." The verse says:

2.11

The cloud-rhinoceros plays with the moon, brilliantly containing its glow;
The wooden horse wanders through spring, swift and unrestrained.
A pair of cold, jade-blue eyes under the brows—
How could reading scriptures reach the point of penetrating the ox hide?
The clear and bright mind transcends vast kalpas;
A hero's might shatters the heavy encirclement.
Wondrous and complete at the pivot's mouth, turning the spiritual dynamism—
Hanshan forgets the path by which he came,
Shi de holds hands with him, returning together.

2.12

Case: While walking with the assembly, the World-Honoured One pointed to the ground with his finger and said, "This place is suitable for building a monastery." Śakra took a blade of grass, stuck it into the ground, and said, "The monastery has been built." The World-Honoured One smiled. The verse says:

2.13

Atop the hundred grasses, boundless spring;
Picked up with an idle hand, it functions most intimately.
The sixteen-foot golden body, an accumulation of virtues,
Leisurely joins hands and enters the red dust.
In the dust, able to act as host;
Beyond transformation, guests arrive of themselves.
Everywhere lived, one's livelihood is sufficient to one's lot,
Not minding that one's tricks are not equal to others'.

2.14

Case: A monk asked Qingyuan, "What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?" Qingyuan said, "What is the price of rice in Luling?" The verse says:

2.15

Governing an era of great peace leaves no trace;
The rustic elders' family style is purest of all.
They only care for village songs and drinking at the altar,
How would they know the virtue of Shun or the benevolence of Yao?

2.16

Case: A monk asked Great Master Ma, "Apart from the four propositions and cutting off the hundred negations, please, Master, point out directly to me the meaning of the coming from the west." The Great Master said, "Today I am tired and cannot explain it for you. Go ask Zhizang." The monk asked Zang. Zang said, "Why don't you ask the Venerable Master?" The monk said, "The Venerable Master told me to come ask you." Zang said, "Today I have a headache and cannot explain it for you. Go ask Brother Hai." The monk asked Hai. Hai said, "When it comes to this point, I don't understand." The monk recounted this to the Great Master. The Great Master said, "Zang's head is white; Hai's head is black." The verse says:

2.17

Medicine becoming disease was observed by former sages;
Disease becoming medicine—who must it be?
White head and black head—sons who can carry on the house;
Affirmative phrases and negative phrases—the dynamism that cuts off the flow.
Majestically sitting to cut off the tongue's path,
They surely laugh at the old awl of Vaiśālī.

2.18

Case: Yaoshan had not ascended the seat for a long time. The monastery director reported, "The great assembly has long yearned for instruction. We request the Venerable Master to preach the Dharma for the assembly." Yaoshan ordered the bell to be struck. Only when the assembly had gathered did Yaoshan ascend the seat. After a good while, he stepped down from the seat and returned to the abbot's quarters. The director followed behind him and asked, "Just now the Venerable Master consented to preach the Dharma for the assembly. Why did you not bestow a single word?" Yaoshan said, "For sūtras there are sūtra masters; for treatises there are treatise masters. How can you blame this old monk?" The verse says:

2.19

A foolish child is intent on the stop-crying coins;
A fine steed chases the wind at the sight of the whip's shadow.
Clouds sweep the broad sky, a crane nests in the moon;
Cold clarity enters the bones, preventing sleep.

2.20

Case: Whenever Baizhang ascended the hall, there was always an old man listening to the Dharma, who would disperse along with the assembly. One day he did not leave. Baizhang then asked, "Who is the person standing there?" The old man said, "In the past, at the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, I once resided on this mountain. A student asked, 'Does a person of great practice still fall into cause and effect or not?' I answered him, 'They do not fall into cause and effect,' and fell into the body of a wild fox for five hundred lives. Now I ask the Venerable Master to speak a turning word in my place." Baizhang said, "They are not blind to cause and effect." At these words, the old man had a great awakening. The verse says:

2.21

A foot of water, ten feet of waves;
Five hundred lives before, nothing could be done.
Not falling, not blind—deliberations all,
As before, crashing into a briar patch.
Ah-ha-ha! Do you understand?
If you are untrammelled and free,
It does no harm for me to babble along.
Spirit songs and altar dances naturally form a tune;
Clapping hands in their midst, singing 'li-luo'!

2.22

Case: One day, Nanquan saw the Eastern and Western Halls fighting over a cat. Nanquan then held it up and said, "If you can speak, it will not be cut." The assembly had no answer. Nanquan cut the cat into two pieces. Later, Nanquan brought up this previous encounter and asked Zhaozhou about it. Zhaozhou immediately took off his straw sandals, put them on his head, and walked out. Nanquan said, "Had you been there, you would have saved the cat." The verse says:

2.23

Monks of both halls were locked in dispute;
Master Wang could test the upright and the perverse.
A sharp blade cuts through, both forms erased;
For a thousand ages he makes people admire an adept.
This Way has not perished;
Those who know the tune are worthy of praise.
Boring through mountains and penetrating the sea, Great Yu alone is revered;
Smelting stones to mend the heavens, Nüwa alone is esteemed.
Old Zhaozhou has his own livelihood;
Wearing straw sandals on his head is rather superior.
Coming from difference, the clear mirror still reflects;
Only this pure gold is unmixed with sand.

2.24

Case: On the road to Mount Tai there was an old woman. Whenever a monk asked, "Which way does the road to Mount Tai go?", the old woman would say, "Go straight ahead." As soon as the monk walked on, the old woman would say, "A fine master, off he goes like that again!" A monk related this to Zhaozhou. Zhaozhou said, "Wait until I go examine her." Zhaozhou also asked as before. The next day he ascended the hall and said, "I have seen through that old woman for you." The verse says:

2.25

Old age turning into a spirit is no false rumour;
Zhaozhou, the ancient Buddha, is the heir of Nanquan.
A dried tortoise loses its life because of diagrams;
A fine steed chasing the wind is burdened by its harness.
Having seen through the old woman's Chan,
Told before people, it is not worth a penny.

2.26

Case: Great Master Yunmen said, "The light not breaking through has two kinds of sickness: everything is unclear and there is an object before you—that is one. Breaking through the emptiness of all dharmas, yet vaguely as if there were still something—that too is the light not breaking through. Furthermore, the dharmakāya also has two kinds of sickness: having attained the dharmakāya, because grasping at dharmas is not forgotten and one's own view still remains, falling to the side of the dharmakāya—that is one. Even if one breaks through, letting it go will not do; if you examine it closely, what trace of flavour is there?—that too is a sickness." The verse says:

2.27

Myriad forms and phenomena are allowed to stand towering;
Breaking through without direction obstructs the eyes.
Sweeping their courtyard, who has the strength?
Hiding within a person's chest naturally becomes a sentiment.
A boat lies across a wild crossing, bathed in autumn's jade-blue;
Oars enter the reed blossoms, shining bright as snow.
Stringing brocade, an old fisherman thinks of heading to the market,
Drifting on a single leaf, riding the crest of the waves.

2.28

Case: Dizang asked Mountain Master Xiu, "Where have you come from?" Xiu said, "From the south." Dizang said, "How is the Buddha Dharma in the south these days?" Xiu said, "Deliberations are surging." Dizang said, "How could that compare to farming the fields here to earn rice to eat?" Xiu said, "What can be done about the three realms?" Dizang said, "What do you call the three realms?" The verse says:

2.29

Doctrinal expositions of every kind are all forced effort;
Passed on from ear to mouth, they turn to confusion.
Farming the fields to earn rice is an ordinary family matter;
Unless one has deeply engaged, one cannot know it.
Having fully engaged, one clearly knows there is nothing to seek;
Zifang ultimately did not value being enfeoffed as a marquis.
Forgetting contrivance, returning to be one with fish and birds,
Washing his feet in the Canglang beneath autumn's misty waters.

2.30

Case: When Linji was about to manifest nirvāṇa, he instructed Sansheng, saying, "After my passing, you must not destroy my treasury of the true Dharma eye." Sheng said, "How could I dare destroy the Venerable Master's treasury of the true Dharma eye?" Linji said, "If someone suddenly asks you, how will you respond?" Sheng immediately shouted. Linji said, "Who knew that my treasury of the true Dharma eye would be destroyed by this blind donkey!" The verse says:

2.31

The robe of faith was entrusted at midnight to Lu Neng,
Agitating the seven hundred monks of Huangmei.
Linji's single branch of the true Dharma eye
Was destroyed by a blind donkey, incurring people's wrath.
Mind to mind sealing each other, patriarchs transmitting the lamp;
Levelling the seas and mountains, transforming into the kun and peng.
Just this nominal designation is difficult to compare;
Mainly, his methods knew how to overturn and leap.

2.32

Case: Attendant Guo asked Deshan, "Where have the holy ones of old gone?" Deshan said, "What? What?" Guo said, "The imperial order called for a flying dragon horse, but a lame turtle poked its head out." Deshan let it rest. The next day, when Deshan came out of the bath, Guo offered tea to Deshan. Deshan patted Guo's back once. Guo said, "This old fellow has only now caught a glimpse." Deshan again let it rest. The verse says:

2.33

When it comes face to face, an adept knows;
In that moment, flint sparks and lightning flashes are slow.
Scheming moves, the strategist has profound intentions;
Underestimating the enemy, the general lacks farsighted thought.
Shooting, he surely hits—whom else could he deceive?
Jaws seen from behind the skull: hard for anyone to offend;
Eyes placed beneath the brows: he gains the advantage.

2.34

Case: Guishan asked Yangshan, "Where have you come from?" Yangshan said, "From the fields." Guishan said, "How many people are there in the fields?" Yangshan stuck down his hoe, folded his hands, and stood there. Guishan said, "On the southern mountain there are many people mowing thatch." Yangshan picked up his hoe and walked away. The verse says:

2.35

Old age brings much feeling, thinking of sons and grandsons;
Now, feeling humbled, he raises up the family gate.
You must keep in mind the words of the southern mountain;
Engrave them on bone and carve them in flesh to repay the debt of gratitude.

2.36

Pointer: Magu, holding his staff, arrived at Zhangjing. He circled the meditation seat three times, shook his staff once, and stood tall and erect. Zhangjing said, "Yes, yes." Magu then went to Nanquan, circled the meditation seat three times, shook his staff once, and stood tall and erect. Nanquan said, "No, no." Magu said, "Zhangjing said yes; why does the Venerable say no?" Nanquan said, "Zhangjing was yes, but it is you who are no. This is turned by the power of the wind; in the end it comes to ruin." The verse says:

2.37

"Yes" and "no"— / look carefully at the looped wicker. / Seemingly put down, seemingly raised up; / two well-matched brothers. / Releasing: the other already met the moment; / snatching: why did I make something special of it? / Shaking the golden staff once was exceedingly aloof and aloft; / circling the corded seat three times was an idle game. / In the monastic grove, clamour and dispute arise; / conjuring images, before a skull they see a ghost.

2.38

Pointer: Fayan asked Mountain Master Xiu, "'An inch's difference is as far apart as heaven and earth.' How do you understand this?" Xiu said, "'An inch's difference is as far apart as heaven and earth.'" Fayan said, "How could it do to put it like that?" Xiu said, "I can only manage this much; what about the Venerable?" Fayan said, "'An inch's difference is as far apart as heaven and earth.'" Xiu then bowed. The verse says:

2.39

A fly sits on the scale-beam and it tilts right over; / the balance of ten thousand generations illuminates inequality. / Seeing accurately the catties and ounces, the scruples and grains— / in the end, everything yields to my marker on the scale-beam.

2.40

Pointer: A monk asked Zhaozhou, "Does even a dog have Buddha-nature, or not?" Zhaozhou said, "It has." The monk said, "Since it has, why did it tumble into this bag of skin?" Zhaozhou said, "Because it knowingly offended." Another monk asked, "Does even a dog have Buddha-nature, or not?" Zhaozhou said, "It has not." The monk said, "All sentient beings have Buddha-nature; why does a dog not have it?" Zhaozhou said, "Because it still has karmic consciousness." The verse says:

2.41

A dog's Buddha-nature is; / a dog's Buddha-nature is not; / a straight hook originally seeks the fish that yields its life. / Pursuing the scent and tracking the fragrance, the cloud-and-water travellers / clamorously offer explanations. / Spread wide, greatly laid out; / do not blame this one for not guarding the beginning. / Pointing out the flaw, he took back the jade disk; / the King of Qin did not recognize Lin Xiangru.

2.42

Pointer: A monk asked Yunmen, "If not a single thought arises, is there still any fault or not?" Yunmen said, "Mount Sumeru." The verse says:

2.43

Not a single thought arising—Mount Sumeru; / Shaoyang's gift of Dharma was by no means stingy. / If you are willing to come, he entrusts it to you with both hands; / if you intend to pursue it, across thousands of fathoms it cannot be scaled. / The blue ocean is wide, the white clouds are idle; / do not put a single hair between them. / A fake rooster's crow can hardly deceive me; / I will not muddle through and let you pass the checkpoint.

2.44

Pointer: Dizang asked Fayan, "Where are you going, Elder?" Fayan said, "I am on pilgrimage step by step." Dizang said, "What is the pilgrimage affair like?" Fayan said, "I do not know." Dizang said, "Not knowing is most intimate." Fayan had a great awakening. The verse says:

2.45

Now fully investigated, just like back then, / shedding all trifles down to "not knowing." / Let it be short or long—cease trimming and piecing; / following high or low, it naturally holds even. / The household's abundance or scarcity is applied to the moment; / in the field, wandering leisurely, he shifts his step freely. / The pilgrimage affair of thirty years ago / clearly let down a pair of eyebrows.

2.46

Pointer: While Yunyan was sweeping the ground, Daowu said, "Far too bustling!" Yunyan said, "You must know there is one who is not bustling." Daowu said, "Then there is a second moon." Yunyan held up the broom and said, "Which moon is this?" Daowu then rested. Xuansha said, "It is precisely the second moon." Yunmen said, "A male servant treats a maid with great courtesy." The verse says:

2.47

Borrowed for a while to settle the front door; / having found its use, according with what is fitting, it just ceases. / Before Elephant Bone Peak, the hand that handled the snake; / what was done in childhood brings shame when old.

2.48

Pointer: Yantou arrived at Deshan's. Stepping over the threshold, he immediately asked, "Is it common or sacred?" Deshan shouted, and Yantou bowed. When Dongshan heard this cited, he said, "Were it not for Master Huo, it would have been exceedingly hard to bear." Yantou said, "That old rascal Dongshan does not know good from bad. At that time, with one hand I raised him up, and with one hand I pinned him down." The verse says:

2.49

Breaking down incoming sharpness, taking hold of the power: / affairs have the majesty of imperative execution; / states have commands that brook no violation. / When the guest still pays court, the host grows proud; / when the ruler abhors admonition, ministers flatter. / With what intention did Yantou question Deshan? / In one raising up and one pinning down, observe the mental action.

2.50

Pointer: Whenever Luzu saw a monk coming, he would face the wall. When Nanquan heard of this, he said, "I ordinarily tell people to take responsibility before the kalpa of emptiness, to understand before the Buddhas appeared in the world, yet I cannot get even half a person. What donkey's year will he go on like that?" The verse says:

2.51

Within the bland there is flavour, / marvelously transcending sentiments and words. / Continuous, as if existing—prior to forms; / motionless, as if foolish—the Way is treasured. / Jade carved with patterns loses its simplicity; / a pearl residing in the depths is naturally lovely. / Fully invigorating air—clear, it polishes the autumn heat; / a wisp of idle cloud—in the distance, it parts heaven and water.

2.52

Pointer: Xuefeng instructed the assembly, saying, "On the South Mountain there is a turtle-nosed snake; all of you must take a good look at it." Changqing said, "Today in the hall, many people have lost their lives." A monk related this to Xuansha. Xuansha said, "It had to be Brother Leng to manage it. Even though it is so, I would not be like that." The monk said, "What would the Venerable do?" Xuansha said, "What use is the South Mountain?" Yunmen took his staff, tossed it in front of Xuefeng, and made a gesture of fright. The verse says:

2.53

Xuansha was too rigid; / Changqing lacked courage. / The turtle-nosed snake of the South Mountain was dead and useless. / When wind and clouds converged, horns sprouted on its head; / truly one saw Shaoyang set his hand to play with it. / Setting his hand to play with it— / in the flash of lightning, watch the shifting transformation! / In me, it can be dispatched and called forth; / for them, it has capture and release. / To whom is this matter entrusted now? / A cold mouth injures a person without their feeling the pain.

2.54

Pointer: One day Yanguan called to his attendant, "Bring me the rhinoceros fan." The attendant said, "The fan is broken." Yanguan said, "Since the fan is broken, bring me the baby rhinoceros back!" The attendant had no reply. Zifu drew a circle and wrote the character 'ox' inside it. The verse says:

2.55

The fan broken, he demanded the rhinoceros; / the character in the circle has its origin. / Who knew that the thousand-year soul of the cassia wheel / marvelously acts as a single point of autumn, bright all through?

2.56

Pointer: Yangshan pointed to a snow lion and said, "Is there anything that surpasses this color?" Yunmen said, "At that time I would have pushed it right over." Xuedou said, "He only knows how to push it over, not how to prop it up." The verse says:

2.57

One falling, one rising: / the lion in the snowy courtyard. / Cautious against trespass, he cherishes benevolence; / brave in action, he displays righteousness. / Pure light shining in the eyes, as if losing one's way home; / clearly turning around, one still falls into position. / Patch-robed monks have utterly nothing to rely on; / dying together, living together, what is 'this' and what is 'that'? / A message of warmth bursts the plum blossom—spring arrives at cold branches; / a cool breeze sheds the leaves—autumn clears the flooded waters.

2.58

Pointer: Fayan pointed his finger at the screen. At that time two monks went together to roll up the screen. Fayan said, "One gains, one loses." The verse says:

2.59

Pines are straight, brambles are crooked; / cranes are tall, ducks are short. / The people of Sovereign Yi's era / both forgot governance and chaos. / In its tranquility, the hidden fish stays in the deep; / in its ease, the soaring bird breaks free of tether. / The ancestral master of nothingness came from the west; / inside here, gain and loss are half and half. / Fleabane follows the wind and turns in the sky; / a boat cuts through the current and reaches the shore. / Sharp patch-robed monks within this, / take a look at the methods of Qingliang!

2.60

Pointer: A monk asked Huguo, "When the crane perches in the withered pine, how is it?" Huguo said, "The one on the ground is completely ashamed." The monk said, "When dripping water freezes into icicles, how is it?" Huguo said, "After the sun rises, it is completely ashamed." The monk said, "At the time of the Huichang suppression, where did the good spirits that protect the Dharma go?" Huguo said, "The two at the main gate were completely ashamed." The verse says:

2.61

Lofty aspirations towering, temples not yet turned autumn; / if a man is not indignant, he will not be enfeoffed as a marquis. / Turning to reflect on the guest who passed down purity as a family legacy: / washing his ears by the stream, he would not let his ox drink.

2.62

Pointer: Fengxue was in the government office in Yingzhou. He ascended the hall and said, "The seal of the ancestral teachers' mind is like the mechanism of an iron ox. When removed, the impression remains; when kept, the impression is broken. Just as when it neither leaves nor stays, is it right to stamp it, or is it right not to stamp it?" At that time, Senior Lupei came forward and asked, "I have the mechanism of the iron ox; I request the Master not to apply the seal." Fengxue said, "Accustomed to angling for whales to calm the great deep, / I turn to sigh at the frog-hopping wading through muddy sand." Lupei paused in thought. Fengxue shouted and said, "Why does the Elder not advance a word?" Lupei hesitated. Fengxue struck him once with his whisk and said, "Do you still remember the topic? Try reciting it!" Lupei was about to open his mouth when Fengxue struck him with his whisk again. The prefect said, "The Buddha Dharma is just like the king's law." Fengxue said, "What do you see?" The prefect said, "When what should be decided is not decided, one turns around and invites disorder." Fengxue then stepped down from the seat. The verse says:

2.63

The mechanism of the iron ox: / stamping keeps it, stamping breaks it. / Passing through the crown of Vairocana's head he walks; / turning back, he comes to sit on the tongue of the transformation Buddha. / Fengxue held the balance; Lupei fell in defeat. / Beneath the blow of the staff and the shout, / like a spark of lightning or flint: / distinctly clear, like a pearl in a plate— / blink an eyebrow and you miss it again!

2.64

Pointer: A monk asked Dasui, "When the kalpa fire blazes through, and the great trichiliocosm is entirely destroyed, I wonder: is this one destroyed or not?" Dasui said, "Destroyed." The monk said, "Then does it go along with it?" Dasui said, "It goes along with it." A monk asked Longji, "When the kalpa fire blazes through, and the great trichiliocosm is entirely destroyed, I wonder: is this one destroyed or not?" Longji said, "Not destroyed." The monk said, "Why is it not destroyed?" Longji said, "Because it is identical with the great trichiliocosm." The verse says:

2.65

Destroyed, not destroyed— / it goes along with it, the great trichiliocosm! / Within the phrase there is no interlocking mechanism at all; / beneath the feet one is mostly hindered by entangled vines. / Understand or not? / This clear matter is thoroughly enjoined. / What knows the mind is brought out—do not deliberate; / return to me the commerce of our own trade!

2.66

Pointer: Yunmen gave a guiding word, saying, "When the ancient Buddha and the exposed pillar intersect, which dynamic is it?" The assembly had no words. He answered on their behalf, saying, "Clouds rise on the South Mountain; rain falls on the North Mountain." The verse says:

2.67

A single beam of divine light, / from the first never concealed. / Transcending objects of perception: / "yes" without being "yes." / Beyond the measure of feelings: / fitting without being fitting. / The pollen of cliff flowers—the honeycomb turns it into honey; / the moisture of wild grass—the musk-deer's navel makes it fragrance. / According with kinds—three feet or sixteen feet; / clearly, everywhere, plainly revealed!

2.68

Pointer: Yangshan asked a monk, "Where are you from?" The monk said, "From Youzhou." Yangshan said, "Do you still think of that place?" The monk said, "I often think of it." Yangshan said, "What can think is the mind; what is thought of is the object. The mountains, rivers, great earth, towers, pavilions, people, animals, and other things there—turning back to think of the thinking mind, are there still so many kinds?" The monk said, "When I come to this point, I do not see any of them at all." Yangshan said, "The stage of faith is correct, but the stage of the person is not yet." The monk said, "Does the Venerable have any other instruction or not?" Yangshan said, "To say there is other would not do; to say there is no other would not do either. According to your perspective, you have only obtained one mystery. Having obtained a seat and donned the robe, look for yourself hereafter." The verse says:

2.69

Containing without an exterior; / surging without obstruction. / The gates and walls are steep; / the barriers and locks are multiple. / With wine ever mellow, the guest lies down; / though rice is plentiful, the farmer is indolent. / Bursting out into empty space—the wind sweeps under wondrous wings; / trampling over the blue ocean—thunder escorts the roaming dragon.

2.70

Pointer: Sansheng asked Xuefeng, "The golden scale that has passed through the net—I wonder, on what does it feed?" Xuefeng said, "Wait until you come out of the net, and I will tell you." Sansheng said, "A good spiritual friend of fifteen hundred people, yet you do not even recognize the topic of talk!" Xuefeng said, "This old monk has many monastery affairs to manage." The verse says:

2.71

Drawing from the waves, at first ascending, clouds and thunder see him off; / Leaping and soaring majestically, look upon his great function! / With tails scorched, they distinctly cross Yu's Gate; / The patterned scales refuse to soak in the pickle jar. / A mature, seasoned person does not startle the multitude; / Accustomed to confronting formidable foes, from the first he feels no fear. / Buoyant, precisely as light as five ounces; / Towering, how could it be merely a thousand jun heavy? / Whose high renown matches his across the four seas? / Standing upright and aloof, the eight winds cannot move him.

2.72

Fengxue gave this teaching: "If a single particle of dust is established, the house and nation flourish. If not a single particle of dust is established, the house and nation perish." Xuedou held up his staff and said, "Is there any patch-robed monk who shares in the same life and same death?" The ode says:

2.73

White-haired by the Wei River, he rises from casting his line— / How does that compare to the pure starving men of Mount Shouyang? / It is only in a single dust-mote that shifting states divide; / High renown and meritorious deeds are both hard to efface.

2.74

Luopu visited Jiashan. Without bowing, he stood directly before him. Shan said, "A chicken roosting in a phoenix's nest is not of the same kind. Get out!" Pu said, "Hasting after your wind from afar, I beg the master to receive me." Shan said, "Before my eyes there is no ācārya; here there is no old monk." Pu then shouted. Shan said, "Stop, stop! Do not be hasty and careless. Clouds and moon are the same; valleys and mountains are distinct. Cutting off the tongues of everyone under heaven is not absent—how will you make a tongueless person understand words?" Pu was speechless. Shan then struck him. From then on, Pu submitted in his heart. The ode says:

2.75

Shaking its head and waving its tail, a red-tailed fish, / Thoroughly without reliance, knows how to turn its body. / Cutting off the tongue is indeed a resourceful art; / Jerking back the nostrils wondrously penetrates the spirit. / Outside the moon-bright blinds, wind and moon are like day; / Before the withered-tree crag, flowers and plants are perpetual spring. / Tongueless person! Tongueless person! / Fully brandishing the upright order, a single phrase is intimate. / Walking alone in the circle, distinct and clear, / He lets all under heaven rejoice with delight.

2.76

Great Master Ma was unwell. The monastery director asked, "Venerable priest, how has your health been recently?" The Great Master said, "Sun-Face Buddha, Moon-Face Buddha." The ode says:

2.77

Sun-Face, Moon-Face—stars stream and lightning sweeps. / The mirror faces forms without partiality; / The pearl rests on the tray and turns on its own. / Do you not see? / Before the tongs and hammer, gold refined a hundred times; / Under the shears and ruler, silk from a single loom.

2.78

Guishan asked Yangshan, "If suddenly someone asks, 'All sentient beings merely have karmic consciousness, vast and boundless, with no basis to rely upon,' how would you test him?" Yang said, "If a monk comes, I will immediately call out, 'So-and-so!' When the monk turns his head, I will say, 'What is it?' Waiting for him to hesitate, I will say to him, 'Not only is karmic consciousness vast and boundless, but there is also no basis to rely upon.'" Shan said, "Good! Very good!" The ode says:

2.79

Called once, he turns his head—does he recognize me? / Dimly, the moon among the vines becomes a hook again. / Once the scion of a thousand pieces of gold falls into wandering, / The vast, murky path ends with so much sorrow.

2.80

Linji instructed the assembly, saying, "There is a true person without rank, constantly entering and exiting through the gateways of your faces. Those of initial commitment who have not yet verified it, look, look!" At that time a monk asked, "What is the true person without rank?" Ji stepped down from the meditation platform and seized him. The monk hesitated. Ji pushed him away and said, "The true person without rank—what kind of dried dung scraper is it!" The ode says:

2.81

Delusion and enlightenment are opposed; / The wondrous transmission is simple: / A single blow brings the spring opening of a hundred flowers, / A single pull turns the strength of nine oxen. / Helplessly, the mud and sand cannot be cleared away, / Distinctly blocking the sweet spring's source. / Suddenly bursting forth, it runs rampant in horizontal currents—

2.82

The master further said, "Perilous!"

2.83

A monk asked Zhaozhou, "This student has just entered the monastic grove. I beg the master to give instruction." Zhou said, "Have you eaten your gruel yet?" The monk said, "I have eaten my gruel." Zhou said, "Go wash your bowl." The ode says:

2.84

When the gruel is finished, he orders the washing of the bowl; / Openly, the mind-ground naturally tallies. / Now the traveler who has had his fill of investigating in the monastic groves— / Tell me, in this, is there awakening or not?

2.85

Yunmen asked Qianfeng, "I request the master to answer my words." Feng said, "Has it reached this old monk yet?" Men said, "In that case, I have been tardy." Feng said, "So, then? So, then?" Men said, "I thought Hou the White would be followed by Hou the Black." The ode says:

2.86

Bowstring and notch engage each other; / The net of pearls reflects face to face. / Striking a hundred out of a hundred, arrow after arrow does not miss; / Gathering all scenes, light upon light is unobstructed. / Having attained the dhāraṇī of words and phrases, / He abides in the samādhi of playful sport. / Wondrous within it is the fluid interplay of the biased and the upright; / It must be like this—unfettered and free in all directions.

2.87

When Luopu was approaching death, he instructed the assembly, saying, "Now there is one matter I ask of you all. If this is right, it is placing a head on top of a head. If you say it is not right, it is severing the head to seek life." At that time the head monk said, "The green mountain always lifts its foot; beneath the sun one does not light a lamp." Pu said, "What time is it to speak such words?" Senior Monk Yancong came forward and said, "Departing from these two paths, I request the master not to ask." Pu said, "Not yet; speak further." Cong said, "I cannot speak it completely." Pu said, "I do not care whether you speak it completely or incompletely." Cong said, "I have no attendant to respond to the venerable priest." Pu then stopped. That evening, he called Senior Monk Cong and asked, "Your response today had great cause and reason. It surely embodies what my late master said: 'Before the eyes there are no phenomena; the intention is before the eyes. It is not phenomena before the eyes, beyond the reach of ears and eyes.' Now tell me, which phrase is the guest, and which phrase is the host? If you can discern this, I will entrust the bowl-bag to you." Cong said, "I do not understand." Pu said, "You ought to understand." Cong said, "Truly, I do not understand." Pu shouted him out, saying, "Bitter! Bitter!" A monk asked, "What is the venerable priest's intention?" Pu said, "The boat of compassion does not row upon clear waves; in the sword gorges it is in vain to release a wooden duck." The ode says:

2.88

Baiting with clouds and hooking with the moon, fishing at the clear ferry, / Old in years and lonely at heart, he has not yet caught a fish. / After returning from chanting a song of the Lisao, / By the Miluo River, a solitary sober man.

2.89

A monk asked National Teacher Zhong of Nanyang, "What is the fundamental body of Rocana?" The National Teacher said, "Bring me the water pitcher." The monk brought the water pitcher. The National Teacher said, "Put it back where it was." The monk asked again, "What is the fundamental body of Rocana?" The National Teacher said, "The ancient Buddha has long since passed away." The ode says:

2.90

The bird's flight through the sky, the fish's stay in the water: / Forgetting each other in rivers and lakes, fulfilling their aims in clouds and sky. / Deliberating in mind by a single thread, face to face you are a thousand li apart. / Knowing kindness and repaying kindness—how few in the human realm!

2.91

Luoshan asked Yantou, "How is it when arising and ceasing do not stop?" Tou chided him, "Who arises and ceases?" The ode says:

2.92

He chops through the old entangling vines, / Smashes open the fox's den. / The leopard wraps itself in mist to transform its markings; / The dragon rides the thunder to change its bones. / Chut! Arising and ceasing in confusion—what thing is it?

2.93

A monk asked Venerable Pou of Xingyang, "When Sāgara emerges from the ocean, heaven and earth are still. How is the matter of presenting oneself face to face?" Yang said, "When the golden-winged bird king takes charge of the universe, who inside can stick out his head?" The monk said, "If one suddenly encounters someone sticking out his head, what then?" Yang said, "Like a falcon snatching a dove, you do not perceive it; only when examined before the imperial tower will you know the truth." The monk said, "Then I cross my hands over my chest and take three steps back." Yang said, "You little turtle under Mount Sumeru's pedestal, do not wait for another spot to be marked on your forehead!" The ode says:

2.94

Silk cords descend and orders are divided: / The Son of Heaven within the realm, the general beyond the frontiers. / Without waiting for thunder to startle them from dormancy, / How could they know the wind arrests the drifting clouds? / Continuous beneath the active functioning, there are naturally golden needles and jade thread; / Spaciously vast before the seal, originally there were no bird tracks or insect scripts.

2.95

The Perfect Enlightenment Sūtra says: "At all times, do not give rise to deluded thoughts. Toward deluded minds, also do not extinguish them. Abiding in the realm of deluded thought, do not add discerning knowledge. Where there is no discerning knowledge, do not distinguish true reality." The ode says:

2.96

Towering and grand, / Open and upright: / Thrusting the head into noisy places, planting the feet on steady ground. / When the string underfoot breaks, I am free; / When the mud on the tip of the nose is gone, you should cease chopping. / Do not touch it! / Compounding medicine amidst old paper from a thousand years ago.

2.97

Great Master Yuanming of Deshan instructed the assembly, saying, "When you have exhausted everything, even if the Buddhas of the three periods have their mouths hung on the wall, there is still one person laughing heartily: 'Ha, ha!' If you recognize this person, your task of study is complete." The ode says:

2.98

Gathering and taking hold of the lapel, cutting off the throat; / The wind polishes, the clouds wipe clean. / The water is cold, the sky is autumn. / Do not say the brocade-scaled fish has no flavour— / Having fished the blue waves completely, there is only a hook of the moon.

2.99

A monk asked Zhaozhou, "What is the meaning of the ancestral master coming from the west?" Zhou said, "The cypress tree in front of the courtyard." The ode says:

2.100

Shore-like brows horizontal with snow; / River-like eyes containing autumn; / An ocean mouth stirring up waves; / A boat tongue navigating the flow. / A hand that sets disorder right, / A tally of great peace. / Old Zhaozhou! Old Zhaozhou! / Stirring up the monastic groves, he does not rest in the end. / Spending effort in vain to fit wheels to the axle; / Originally possessing no contrivance, yet filling gullies and plugging ravines.

2.101

Vimalakīrti asked Mañjuśrī, "What is the bodhisattva's entering the Dharma-gate of non-duality?" Mañjuśrī said, "In my view, regarding all phenomena, to have no words and no explanations, no demonstrations and no cognitions, leaving behind all questions and answers—this is entering the Dharma-gate of non-duality." Thereupon Mañjuśrī asked Vimalakīrti, "Each of us has spoken. Humane Sir, you should speak: What is the bodhisattva's entering the Dharma-gate of non-duality?" Vimalakīrti remained silent. The ode says:

2.102

Mañjuśrī inquires about the illness of old Vaiśālī; / The gate of non-duality opens—look at the adept! / Jade-like stone on the outside, pure within: who can appreciate it? / Forgetting before and losing behind, do not sigh. / Painstakingly holding the unpolished jade—the upright man of the Chu court; / Brightly repaying with a pearl—the severed snake of the city of Sui. / Stop pointing out flaws and defects! / Completely free of worldly air, it is rather better.

2.103

Dongshan was making offerings before the portrait of Yunyan, and recounted the previous dialogue about painting the portrait. A monk asked, "When Yunyan said, 'Just this is it,' what was his intention?" Shan said, "At that time I nearly misunderstood my late master's meaning." The monk said, "May I ask: did Yunyan know it exists or not?" Shan said, "If he did not know it exists, how could he understand how to speak like that? If he did know it exists, how would he be willing to speak like that?" The ode says:

2.104

"How could he understand how to speak like that?" / At the fifth watch, the cock crows; the family grove is dawn. / "How would he be willing to speak like that?" / The thousand-year crane grows old with the cloud-shrouded pine. / The precious mirror, limpid and bright, tests the upright and the biased; / The jade loom pivots and shifts, viewing both reaching together. / The style of the house greatly flourishes, footsteps continuous; / Father and son transform and adapt, sound and light vast and surging.

2.105

When Xuefeng was living in a hermitage, two monks came to pay respects. Seeing them come, Feng pushed open the hermitage door with his hands, stepped out, and said, "What is it?" The monks also said, "What is it?" Feng lowered his head and returned to the hermitage. Later, the monks arrived at Yantou's place. Tou asked, "Where have you come from?" The monks said, "We have come from Lingnan." Tou said, "Have you ever been to Xuefeng's place?" The monks said, "We have been there." Tou said, "What words were there?" The monks recounted the previous conversation. Tou said, "What did he say?" The monks said, "Without a word, he lowered his head and returned to the hermitage." Tou said, "Alas, at the beginning I did not speak the final phrase to him. If I had spoken it to him, no one under heaven could do anything to Old Xue." Toward the end of the summer, the monks raised the previous conversation again and requested further instruction. Tou said, "Why did you not ask earlier?" The monks said, "We did not dare do so lightly." Tou said, "Although Xuefeng was born on the same branch as me, he will not die on the same branch as me. If you want to know the final phrase, just this is it." The ode says:

2.106

Cutting, filing, chiselling, polishing, / Changes of state, deceptive and strange: / The staff that turned into a dragon at Gepobei; / The shuttle that harbored dormancy at Tao's house. / Born on the same branch—there are some; / Dying on the same branch—not many. / The final phrase: just this is it— / A wind-borne boat carrying the moon, floating on autumn waters.

2.107

Fayan asked Senior Monk Jue, "Did you come by boat or by land?" Jue said, "By boat." Yan said, "Where is the boat?" Jue said, "The boat is in the river." After Jue withdrew, Yan then asked an adjoining monk, "Tell me, did that monk just now possess the eye or not?" The ode says:

2.108

Water does not wash water; / gold does not trade for gold. / Overlooking its coat and colour, one obtains the horse; / without silk strings, one delights in the zither. / Tying knots and drawing hexagrams brought so many affairs, / completely exhausting the genuine purity of Pangu's mind.

2.109

Caoshan asked Senior Monk De: "The Buddha's true Dharma-body is like empty space; responding to things, it manifests forms like the moon in water. How do you explain this principle of responding?" / De said: "Like a donkey looking into a well." / Caoshan said: "You have said a great deal, but you have only said eighty percent." / De said: "What about the Venerable?" / Caoshan said: "Like a well looking at a donkey." / The verse says:

2.110

A donkey looks into a well, a well looks at a donkey; / wisdom encompasses the exterior-less, purity contains an excess. / Behind the elbow, who divides the seal? / In the house, no books are kept. / The threads on the loom are unattached to the shuttle's tip; / patterns crisscross, their meaning naturally distinct.

2.111

Huangbo instructed the assembly, saying: "All of you are people who swill wine dregs. Wandering like this on foot, how could you have today? Do you know that in the great Tang empire there are no Chan masters?" / At that time a monk came forward and said: "What about those in various directions who guide followers and lead assemblies?" / Huangbo said: "I do not say there is no Chan, only that there are no masters." / The verse says:

2.112

Forking roads divide and silk is dyed—so much endless chatter; / fruits tied and flowers linked disgrace the ancestral school. / Wondrously grasping the compass, the handle of transformation, / the implements of clouds and water lie in moulding and firing. / Screening off and cutting away complications, / shearing off the downy feathers. / Balances of stars and clear mirrors, / the jade ruler and golden shears. / Old Huangbo scrutinises down to the autumn hair; / sitting to cut off the spring breeze, he does not let it soar high.

2.113

Yunyan asked Daowu: "What does the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion do with so many hands and eyes?" / Daowu said: "Like someone reaching back with a hand in the night to grope for a pillow." / Yunyan said: "I understand." / Daowu said: "How do you understand?" / Yunyan said: "The entire body is hands and eyes." / Daowu said: "You have said a great deal, but you have only said eighty percent." / Yunyan said: "What about you, Elder Brother?" / Daowu said: "The through-and-through body is hands and eyes." / The verse says:

2.114

One aperture emptily penetrates; / eight sides are exquisitely translucent. / Without image and without selfishness, / spring enters the pitch-pipes without remaining, and without hindrance the moon traverses the sky. / Pure precious eyes and meritorious arms— / how does 'the entire body' compare to 'the through-and-through body'? / The hands and eyes manifest before us reveal the complete function; / great activity crisscrosses—what taboo or restraint is there?

2.115

Xuefeng was serving as the head cook at Deshan. One day the meal was late. Deshan carried his bowl to the Dharma hall. Xuefeng said: "This old fellow! The bell has not rung, and the drum has not sounded. Carrying your bowl, where are you going?" / Deshan then returned to the Abbot's quarters. Xuefeng recounted this to Yantou. / Yantou said: "Even great Deshan does not understand the final phrase." / Deshan heard of this and sent his attendant to summon Yantou. He asked: "Do you not approve of this old monk?" / Yantou then secretly disclosed his intention. Deshan then let it drop. / The next day, when he ascended the hall, he was indeed unlike his ordinary self. Yantou clapped his hands and laughed, saying: "Delightfully, the old fellow understands the final phrase! Hereafter, no one in the world can do anything to him." / The verse says:

2.116

The final phrase—is it understood or not? / Father and son at Deshan were so vague! / Among the guests seated, there are also those from Jiangnan: / do not sing the 'Partridge' before others.

2.117

Senior Uncle Mi was walking with Dongshan when they saw a white hare run past in front of them. Mi said: "How nimble!" / Dongshan said: "How so?" / Mi said: "Like a commoner being appointed prime minister." / Dongshan said: "So old and venerable, yet you utter such words!" / Mi said: "What about you?" / Dongshan said: "A family of caps and hairpins for generations, fallen upon lean times for a while." / The verse says:

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宏智禪師廣錄 — Classical Chinese