萬松老人評唱天童覺和尚頌古從容庵錄 3.104

3.104

The Master said: Dongshan took leave of Yunyan. Dongshan asked, "After the Venerable's passing, if someone asks whether I could still portray the Master's likeness, how should I respond?"
Yunyan remained silent for a good while, then said, "Just this is it."
Dongshan was lost in thought.
Yunyan said, "Acārya Jie, undertaking this great matter requires meticulous care."
Dongshan did not speak further and departed. Later, upon crossing a stream and seeing his reflection, he at last awakened thoroughly. He then composed a verse, saying:
"Desperately avoid seeking from another; / It grows distant and estranged from me. / Now I walk alone, / Everywhere meeting him. / He now is truly me; / I now am not him. / One must understand in this way / To accord with suchness."
When Dongshan was among the assembly making an offering to Yunyan's portrait, after raising the previous dialogue about painting the likeness, a monk asked, "When Yunyan said, 'Just this is it,' what was his intended meaning?"
Dongshan said, "At that time I nearly misunderstood my late teacher's meaning." If one seeks to comprehend at the point of his remaining silent for a good while and saying "Just this is it," that is merely substituting names to convey the matter. Therefore, seeing the reflection, he knew the form; crossing the stream, he only then awakened.
The monk said, "I wonder, did Yunyan know it is there or not?" If one says he completely knew it is there, this is being an ordinary flatterer; have you not heard it said, "Only one who knows it is there understands how to honor and respect it"? If one says he completely did not know it is there, here there is advantage and harm. There is completely not knowing it is there; there is knowing it is there and then not knowing it is there; there is going from not knowing it is there to coming to know it is there.
Dongshan said, "If he did not know it is there, how could he understand how to speak like that? If he knew it is there, how could he be willing to speak like that?" The Huayan school says: "When the principle is complete, speech is one-sided; when speech arises, principle is lost." This is the bloodline of twofold mystery and repeated subtlety, integrating and harmonizing, neither dryly one-sided nor leaking.
Towards the end of the Dazhong era of the Tang, Dongshan first dwelt at Baiji in Xinfeng, and later moved to Mount Dong in Gao'an of Yuzhang as the first generation. When holding a memorial vegetarian feast for Yunyan, a monk asked, "What instruction did the Master receive at the late teacher's place?"
Dongshan said, "Although I was among them, I did not receive his instruction."
The monk said, "Then why arrange a vegetarian feast?"
Dongshan said, "Although it is like this, how would I dare go against him?"
The monk said, "The Venerable began his journey with Nanquan; why instead arrange a vegetarian feast for Yunyan?"
Dongshan said, "I do not value my late teacher's virtue or Buddhist teachings; I only value his not explaining it fully for me."
The monk said, "The Venerable succeeds the late teacher; do you still approve of him or not?"
Dongshan said, "Half approve, half do not approve."
The monk said, "Why not completely approve?"
Dongshan said, "If I completely approved, I would betray my late teacher."
Wansong says: Yunyan spent twenty years at Baizhang, yet succeeded Yaoshan; Dongshan began his journey with Nanquan, yet succeeded Yunyan. Equally, singular sprouts flourished luxuriantly and spiritual roots were firmly concealed. Reaching Furong, the lineage was revitalized; reaching Tiantong, literary elegance was fully provided. What is fully providing literary elegance? The verse says: